At Badminio7i, 67 



after running for a few minutes with the pack at full 

 cry close to his brush, he is run into and killed, and 

 " Who-hoop V^ is heard and he is speedily broken up. 

 ■ As the hounds now draw away in the direction of 

 Badminton — where I afterwards heard two foxes were 

 found — the pack dividing, the Duke going away with 

 nine couples, and Lord Worcester with the rest, I 

 make my way back to Chippenham. 



To Lord Worcester in his character of huntsman too 

 much praise cannot be accorded. A fine horseman, 

 remarkably quiet with his hounds, steady and work- 

 manlike in his ways, I consider him first-rate, and I am 

 justified in this opinion by the fact of the wonderful 

 sport he has shown throughout the present season, 

 having had four swingeing runs during the week of 

 my visit, one fox having been found in a tree, which, 

 after being whipped down, gave them a splitter. 



Beckford, in his work on hunting, d^'ells on the 

 necessity of having a good horseman for a huntsman, 

 for, says he, "it is of the utmost consequence to your 

 sport, nor is it possible for a huntsman to be of much 

 use who is not; for the first thing, and the very sine 

 qua non of a foxhunter, is to ride up to his head hounds,^^ 

 Whoever sees Lord Worcester go will find these con- 

 dititions fulfilled to the letter. Standing over six 

 feet in height, it is no slight animal that is able to 

 carry him up to the leading hounds ; but mounted on 

 such nags as Red Dragon or The Fenian — a remark- 

 ably clever Irish horse, for which I am told he has 

 recently refused seven hundred guineas — he has no 

 difficulty in getting and keeping to the fore. The 

 country is grand, the fences large, with loose stone 

 walls here and there ; but it is evident " that stone 



5—2 



