THE EIGHTH DUKE OF BEAUFORT 



him. About an hour after, the fox was seen to 

 crawl out of a pigsty near to where hounds threw 

 up, and to canter gaily off. 



Of Monday, October 20th, 1856, the diary re- 

 cords: "A most remarkable day, Lord Fitzhardinge's 

 hounds and mine joining — which has not happened 

 since Philip Payne's time, in the Oxfordshire country, 

 in 18 18, March 21st. 



" Meet Lower woods. Drew all down Moon rid- 

 ings, and did not find till we came to the covert at 

 the side of the brook. We ran to ground in Gibbin's 

 lane. No scent scarcely. Some vagabond had un- 

 stopped the drain. Found a brace in Bishop Hill 

 — one we nearly caught. We went away by back of 

 Wickwar and by Cherry Rock on to railroad in the 

 cutting. Two trains were due. I bustled off as 

 quick as I could. This lost us our fox. Went 

 back and found. He went away immediately by 

 Bedfords and Bishop Hill, back to the wood, in 

 which we ran very hard fifty minutes, and, on coming 

 away again into Bedfords, met Lord Fitzhardinge's 

 hounds running, and we joined and ran one hour all 

 through the woods. Were some way behind him. 

 I got on up the broad trench and viewed him across, 

 halloaed them to him, and in eight or ten minutes 

 more we killed. There were twenty-one and a half 

 couples of Berkeley hounds — all there but one ; all 

 ours were there. No difficulty in separating them. 

 At the Knapp gate Henry Ayris went through ; all 

 my bitches came back to me. All his went through, 



194 



