THE EIGHTH DUKE OF BEAUFORT 



doing so. The Duke, however, was not an entire 

 stranger to the hounds, for all his life he had taken 

 a pride in them and had ridden with them from a 

 very early age. Nevertheless, it was not without 

 some qualms that he donned the huntsman's green 

 plush coat on October 20th, 1855, and trotted off 

 to Shipton Lodge for a nine o'clock meet. The 

 country chosen was that pleasant part between 

 Badminton and Malmesbury. 



In spite of the cares of office, there were probably 

 few brighter moments in the Duke's life. To trot 

 to covert in the brisk air of a fine October morning, 

 with the pleasures of a season before you, your own 

 hounds clustering round your horse's heels, and 

 looking up to you with their wistful eyes — what can 

 be more enjoyable, especially if, as the Duke had, 

 you have youth and health on your side ? Doubt- 

 less difficulties seemed to fade away, as King 

 Charming bent his head to the rein and rattled his 

 bit with pleasure, and the gay bitches trooped along 

 by the master's side. Fortune indeed was to smile 

 on the Duke's first attempt to handle hounds, as he 

 himself has recorded. 



" Meet at Shipton Lodge at 9 a.m. Find in the 

 first spinney on the left of the approach to Est- 

 court House. A beautiful find — fox crossing in 

 view to other side of approach. After two hours' 

 good work and hard running with pretty rings over 

 the open and park, ran into him in the lake, between 

 waterfall and bridge near keeper's house. Fox and 



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