THE EIGHTH DUKE OF BEAUFORT 



The hounds fly to the horn. (The eighth Duke 

 said Long never let them change foxes.) Horses 

 are standing still everywhere. Only a few go on 

 and see hounds catch a beaten fox, as he tried in 

 vain to top a stone wall. Who-whoop ! What 

 says the chronicler ? " Twenty-five miles in an 

 hour and twenty minutes." ^ 



Well, it might have taken twice that and more, 

 and still have been a good run, though not a word 

 is to be found in Will Long's own account. Pos- 

 sibly the enthusiasm of the writer confused his 

 memory. It was a great run in any case, and, as 

 Badminton men will delight to acknowledge, over a 

 grand country. 



But time passed on, and the seventh Duke began 

 to fail. The attacks of gout became more severe, 

 and at last he no longer appeared mounted and 

 attired in the blue and buff uniform of his hunt. 

 In 1853 the seventh Duke slept with his fathers, 

 and the eighth Duke came to Badminton as 

 master. 



Long had now served under three Dukes of 

 Beaufort. His new master had been a child of two 

 years of age when he became huntsman, and had, 

 as the Duke himself has written, " been brought up 

 under Bill Long." There was a certain cloud over 

 Long's retirement from the post he had occupied 

 so many years. Both master and servant kept a 



^ Hounds must have gone a long way round. Stanton to 

 Badminton being barely seven miles. — B. 



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