THE EIGHTH DUKE OF BEAUFORT 



" Both packs behaved well. We had great fun ! 

 quite a Mr. Soapy Sponge's sporting tour ! ! ! 



" I forgot to mention that Mr. Morrell took us to 

 covert on his coach, and I drove as far as Witney, 

 from whence, by post-horses, seven miles. An old 

 cove aged sixty rode the leaders, galloped all the 

 seven miles — up hill or down — never took the draft 

 off the leaders or looked behind him." 



It would be interesting to know if the malfor- 

 mation described below is common in foxes. I 

 cannot recollect ever to have seen or heard of such 

 a thing. " In Pinkney found a fox with a brush 

 like a Pomeranian dog's tail, but curling to the 

 off instead of to the near side. She could not 

 run." 



The following is an instance of the value of 

 silence in a huntsman at critical moments. " The 

 fox came close to me and laid down when the 

 hounds came up within five yards of me (I sat still 

 and did nothing). He jumped up. Every hound 

 viewed him, and they ran into him in the open." 

 Probably a holloa would have saved the fox's life, 

 for hounds do not seem to realize a fox unless 

 they see him. On March 21st, when sport had 

 been poor for some time, hounds were at Swalletts 

 Gate, which was the fixture on the day of the 

 Greatwood run. " A very fine hunting run " of 

 one hour thirty-six minutes " marked him into a 

 rabbit's spout, and with two sticks and a hunting 

 whip hook scratched up to him, got him by the 



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