FAMOUS SERVANTS OF THE HUNT 



William Long lived in the service of the Dukes 

 of Beaufort for a period of over half a century. 

 His father was stud groom, and Long began his 

 career by riding to and fro with the post bag while 

 he was still quite a little lad. 



His heart, however, was in hunting, and ere long 

 he was promoted to the hunt stables, where his firm 

 seat and light hands caused him to be entrusted 

 with the schooling of the young horses. The prac- 

 tice thus gained, helped him to become the fine 

 horseman he was in later years. " In this" (horse- 

 manship) said a contemporary, "he is unrivalled. 

 I invite all lovers of a chase to see him ride one : 

 the finest seat, with such hands as are rarely in use, 

 he rides without jealousy and takes the country as 

 it comes." 



While the seventh Duke was at Oxford, Will 

 Long was often sent with a horse to meet his young 

 master in the Heythrop country. But Long's heart 

 was even more in the kennel than the stable, and 

 the kindly sixth Duke, seeing how strong his wishes 

 were, gave him a chance. In 1807 he was appointed 

 second whipper-in to Philip Payne, and no better 

 school could be imagined. Nor was any one more 

 likely to make good use of his opportunities than 

 young Will. " A man of singular intelligence, one 

 who reasoned and turned over in his mind all things 

 connected with hunting-" we are assured he was. 

 Long at once earned golden opinions as a whipper-in. 

 He could stop a hound or bring on the laggards 



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