THE EIGHTH DUKE 



below West Park on going away — the prettiest 

 thing I ever saw." 



Nor is the Duke unwilling to record his mis- 

 takes. The diary states what happened exactly, 

 and with touches of the same vivid pen that de- 

 lighted us afterwards in the Badminton Library. 

 Some instances I cannot refrain from giving, for 

 I feel that every hunting man will enjoy them. 



The time is still the cub-hunting season of 1855, 

 and on October 31st. " Hounds had been running 

 for an hour, when three-quarters of a mile from 

 Frampton Mansell they checked. Unfortunately 

 Garland fancied he saw the fox, and I held them 

 there and thus lost him. I recovered the fox by 

 a forward and down wind cast some half a mile 

 ahead. It was then, of course, too late." 



Only a few days after this a fox was lost by 

 false information, given in perfect good faith by 

 a man who would probably have been glad to 

 see one killed. Incidentally this is a lesson to 

 huntsmen, for the probability is that hounds, es- 

 pecially with a sinking fox, will always run on 

 the line between any two given points quicker 

 than you could lift them. " The fox was only 

 about two fields before us, and thinking to take a 

 start on him, we went to the keeper's halloa. He 

 saw him go up the ride and into the covert. The 

 hounds would acknowledge no scent, but after ten 

 minutes Prodigal hit it, and instead of into, out 

 of the covert. He took it into Hazelands, but it 



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