THE EIGHTH DUKE OF BEAUFORT 



therefore pass on to the time when, politics, society, 

 and racing claiming more of the Duke's attention 

 he decided to appoint a professional huntsman. 

 Just as the young Duke came to this resolution, 

 Mr. Morrell determined to sell his famous Old 

 Berkshire Pack, then kennelled at Tubney. Mr. 

 Morrell's huntsman was Tom Clark. The Duke, 

 who had probably known the Old Berkshire Pack 

 in his Oxford days, thought highly of the hounds, 

 and gave 400 guineas for eight couple at the sale. 

 He also engaged the huntsman to come to Bad- 

 minton. Thus it was that ** sagacious Thomas " 

 came to hunt the Duke's hounds and brought 

 with him some of his favourites from Tubney. 



Clark's previous career had been as whipper-in 

 to Captain Howarth ; then he was huntsman to the 

 Craven, afterwards to Mr. Morrell of the Old Berk- 

 shire for five years. The impression generally held of 

 him as huntsman seems to have been that he was 

 better in the kennel than in the field. But probably 

 the most exact and just estimate of him is that 

 given by his master, the eighth Duke. " Clark was 

 a first-rate man in the kennel and good in the field. 

 But he was perhaps a trifle too anxious to get away 

 for a gallop. Nor was he very thorough in drawing 

 his coverts, and not seldom drew over his fox. He 

 was proverbially a bad finder of foxes. Once in 

 the open he was, however, in his element ; he loved 

 to show his field a gallop, and could be with his 

 hounds when they ran," 



162 



