UC-NRLF P/ 1 R t&Altt LIBRARY 9*- POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR POWDER, SPUR, AND A SPORTING MEDLEY BY J. MORAY BROWN Late Ityh, Cameron Highlanders AUTHOR OF " SHIKAR SKETCHES," ETC. WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY G. D. GILES AND EDGAR GIBERNE FROM SKETCHES BY THE AUTHOR LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL LIMITED 1880 67f LONDON : PRINTED BY J. S. VIRTUE AND CO., LIMITED, CITY ROAD. A1JV LIBRARY TO MY WIFE, A KEEN SPORTSWOMAN, AND MY BEST FRIEND, THESE PAGES ARE Brtricatrtr, BY HER DEVOTED HUSBAND, THE AUTHOR. 918655 PREFACE. A PREFACE is generally skipped, but at the risk of mine meeting with such a fate, I venture to write one. The favourable manner in which a former work* has been received by the public, and the mede of praise accorded to it by the dreaded critics of the press, has emboldened me to take another plunge into the waters of literature. These stories were not written with any view of imparting instruction, but merely to while away an idle hour, and in the hope that their perusal might afford some little amusement to the reader. They are mainly personal experiences, coupled with those of friends, and with one exception are strictly * " Shikar Sketches, with Notes on Indian Field Sports," by J. Moray Brown. viii PREFACE. true. That exception is the story entitled " The Biter Bit;" and even that has a substratum of truth as far as the plot is concerned. I need hardly add that all names are for obvious rea- sons entirely fictitious. With this apology I venture to launch the work to sink or swim on its merits, only asking the reader not to be too hard in his criticisms on the writing of one who, whatever he may know about sport, has had but little experience in the more difficult task of clothing his descriptions of it in suitable language. To the artists my best thanks are due; and I think sportsmen will agree with me that the incidents as well as their various technicalities have been faithfully delineated. They have been done from rough sketches of my own, and from those of friends. CRICHIE HOUSE, MINTLAW, N.B., November, 1888. CONTENTS. PAGE A DAY AT THE BUNNIES i AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS 17 THE TALE OF A TATTOO 59 A RIDE ON A FOUR-YEAR-OLD . -85 A DAY'S ROUGH SHOOTING . . . . .112 SOME PANTHER AND TIGER TALK ... . 143 MY FIRST SALMON . 171 DECCAN DAYS 195 THE SPECTRE STAG OF VIZAMAH 222 THE BITER BIT .246 LEX TALIONIS . * - 279 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE HE CAME STRAIGHT AT J.'s HORSE . Frontispiece. "How's YOUR BACK TO-DAY, OLD CHAP?" . . .61 HE GAVE A BOUND FORWARD . . . . . .108 Six SHOTS MET HIM AS HE CHARGED . . . .161 THE MARE JUMPING CLEAN OVER THE PIG, B. SPEARED HER IN THE ACT . . . . . . .219 HE SEEMED SO CLOSE I FELT I COULD NOT MISS HlM . 242 THERE is A CRASH THEN A CRIMSON JACKET AND WHITE CAP SOAR TRIUMPHANTLY OVER ALL . .274 THE BEARS ON SEEING ME STOOD ON THEIR HIND LEGS AND ROARED LOUDLY 288 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. A DAY AT THE BUNNIES. " PHEW, PHEW ! how cold the water is getting ! " I exclaimed as, sitting in my tub, the cold tub de rigneur of every Englishman, I sluiced myself over and over with water, which now, towards the end of August, had assumed a somewhat cooler tem- perature than it had a month previously. The last spongeful had been squeezed out, and I was just preparing to hop out and have that scrub with a rough towel which restores circulation and makes one's blood tingle again, when there was a sharp rat-tat-tat at the door. " Who is that? " I cried out, fearful it might be B -;*>2 \;\\:\1PQWDR 9 SPUR, AND SPEAR. '.' /tine bf: .my*hogt's numerous progeny, who took a special delight in assisting, or rather retarding, me in the mysteries of my toilet. "Please, sir, it's me Ellen." "What the dickens do you want?" I roared out, fearful that the fair Ellen, a very trim, neat-handed and well-favoured parlour-maid, would make a sudden entry and discover me in puris naturibus ! "Please, sir, master's compliments, and he says as how Mr. Cross have just sent over to say he's going to cut his barley to-day, and master would like to know if you'd go with him and shoot some rabbits ; and if so, breakfast will be ready in twenty minutes." "All right," I shouted, now applying the towel vigorously to my back ; " tell your master I'll be down as soon as he is; " and forthwith I heard the comely damsel trip off, knock at her master's door, and then a muttered conversation that be- tokened arrangements were being made. A word A DAY AT THE BUNNIES. 3 now of explanation, please, before we commence the slaughter of those inveterate foes of Sir W. Vernon Harcourt ! I was down staying in a Western county with an old friend, who for many years had served in the same regiment as myself, but who had now left the army, having, like me, been beguiled into accepting a " gratuity " how well the word sounded, and how generous we thought the parental Government who gave it us, heeding but little at the time the way in which we were being swindled ! Forgive this outburst, dear reader, but I am one of that tiresome class, a man with a grievance (for I was one of the old pur- chase men in the army), and I can't help trotting it out now and then, but having done so, I promise you, you shall hear no more of it. Well, my friend Dick Andrews, as I said before, had settled down in a snug little place in a Western county, where he was as happy as the day was long, with his two days a week hunting in the season, a little B 2 4 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. rough shooting, which cost him next to nothing, and fair trout-fishing ; then he had his garden, a most prolific one, and of which he was very fond ; his cows, his pigs, his poultry ; and last, but not least, his charming little wife and his children^ to whom he was devotedly attached. Certainly a sojourn at Sport Lodge my friend's " little crib " as he called it always made me vow I'd reconsider my decision to remain a bachelor, and declare I would look out for a suitable helpmate. However, to return to our muttons, or to our rabbits rather. I had been a week at Sport Lodge, and of sport we had none. It was towards the end of August. The river was dead low, so fishing was no good. Cub-hunting hadn't begun. It was too hot to ride, and the flies were well, exces- sively annoying, not to put it in too forcible lan- guage. The days had however passed pleasantly talking of auld lang syne over many a pipe. I had pulled up a few weeds, fondly imagining I was assisting in the garden, had regularly blown A DAY AT THE BUNNIES. 5 myself out with grapes, plums, gooseberries, early pears, etc., and was not at all inclined to accept Master Tommy's, aetat five, repeated matutinal chal- lenge to "lun a lace" round the garden. I had picked endless mushrooms and caught numerous butterflies for the said Master Tommy, taken constitutionals, and admired all the views of the neighbourhood, visited all the places of historical and other interest, and in fact exhausted all the amusements that accompany a stay at a country house. The old yarns had all been spun, all the old adventures, sporting and otherwise, we had gone through been discussed, and time was beginning to hang a bit heavy, when the fair Ellen brought me the news above described. Here was a new excitement. The night previous Dick had been saying he wished some of the farmers would begin their harvest and then we might have a bit of rabbit-shooting, just to get our eyes in for the ist September, and now the wish had proved the father not to the thought, 6 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. but to the very thing we both wanted. After breakfast and, ye gods, what breakfasts Dick gave one ! pickled mackerel, home-fed ham, and cold beef on the sideboard, whilst the table groaned under grilled chicken, bacon, mush- rooms, kedgeree, eggs, honey, jam, fruit, toast, scones, etc. All things come to an end however, and after breakfast and a pipe, we get the guns out, fill our pockets with cartridges, and Dick with a parting injunction to his "missus" to " have the lunch with plenty of cider up at the corner of Brock's Copse at ten o'clock sharp," and a politely expressed hope on my part that she and some of my small friends (who I devoutly hoped would not be allowed to come), would meet us, off we go to the kennel, where old "Sambo," Dick's retriever, and a sharp-looking fox-terrier rejoicing in the name of "Patch," are let out, much to the disgust of the other occupant^a good- looking, well-bred pointer, who yells and howls and makes frantic efforts to get over the paling. A DAY AT THE BUNNIES. 7 Farmer Cross's barley lies about a mile off, and thither we wend our way across the fields. As we get over a stile a well-grown covey of partridges rises out of a grass field and skims away to some swedes, where we see them alight and flap their wings ere they creep under the broad, cool, shelter- ing green leaves. Instinctively our guns come up, and we flatter ourselves had it only been the ist September, instead of wanting a week to that date, at least four of the number would have been left behind. Crossing a rushy pasture, up jumps a rabbit out of a tussock of grass, and up goes my gun, but the slight click as the hammer falls tells me it is unloaded, and master bunny pops into a burrow in the bank with a defiant whisk of his white scut, as much as to say, " Not this time, Maister," and so he fulfils the old proverb of " He who lives to run away, lives to run another day," or rather, "be shof another day," for doubtless sooner or later he will fall a victim to Master Dick's " unerr- ing tube," as the penny-a-liners have it. This 8 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. episode of the rabbit, however, reminds us of our carelessness, and we slip in cartridges just before reaching a little rush and reed fringed brook, crossed by a single plank with a hand-rail. As we reach the margin, old " Sambo " cocks his ears and gazes anxiously at his master : "Well, what is it, old man ? Get in," says Dick, and the old dog dashes into a patch of thick broad-leaved flags. " Quack ! quack ! quack ! " and with a great deal of commotion up flutter a brood of ducks, headed by an old mallard, whose green neck glistens in the sunlight. " Bang! bang ! bang ! bang ! " go our four barrels. There are two of those delightful splashes dear to a duck- shooter's heart as Dick's two birds fall in the stream; but, proh pudor ! I've missed my first barrel, and my bird, the old mallard, though hit with my second, waggles on across the field, but he can't top that high hazel fence growing on the bank at its end, and comes with a resounding whack against the aforesaid bank. Hooray ! here's a good beginning. We smile benignly at each other, gather our birds A DAY AT THE EUNNIES. g and proceed on our way rejoicing. A few more fields bring us to the scene of action a barley field of some ten acres. About half of it has been cut, and at one end which lies against a bank filled with rabbit burrows, Dick's worthy factotum, who goes by the name of William, has stuck up some one hun- dred yards of garden netting to catch any unwary bunny that may bolt that way. Each of us is to guard one side of the uncut barley, and the fourth, which abuts against a road, is left unguarded, as rabbits are not likely to bolt that way. Farmer Cross is busy helping his men to tie up the barley into sheaves, and as we approach greets us with a cheery " Good mornin', sir;' ! "Your servant, sir," turning to me and touching his hat. "You're just in time, gentlemen; there be a 'mazin' lot of rabbits in the barley, dang 'em, and only two or three have got away, and one the machine ha' cut to pieces." The man driving the reaping machine has pulled up for a few moments, and is down on his hands io POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. and knees clearing the teeth that have become clogged with the undergrowth of grass and clover, for this field next year is to be " young grass/' He has soon put matters to right, however, and taking up his reins climbs into his seat with a " Wog-up I" to his horses. We look to our guns, take up our positions, and the machine goes round, with that peculiar rattling sound so well known at harvest time ; the golden grain gracefully bows its head to the sharp cruel teeth, and the winged rakes descend alter- nately with mechanical precision, sweeping on one side the sheaves of whitish-yellow barley. Round and round the machine goes, and though the driver often yells, "There be one!" no bunny is yet found enterprising enough to make a dash for liberty and break through the cordon of nets and guns. Presently, however, a nice covey of nine birds rise with a loud whirr and go skimming away over the bank at the end. Soon after Dick holloas out to me, "Look out, man, behind you." A DAY AT THE BUNNIES. n I turn and see a landrail flopping along in its helpless sort of flight, and as he clears the edge of the corn some forty yards away, I fire and have the satisfaction of seeing him tumble over. At the report a rabbit bolts out almost at my feet, and as he dodges about among the sheaves lying on the ground I account for him too. Presently I hear a double shot from Dick, and then Farmer Cross shouts out, " There be a hare- keep 'un back, keep 'un back ! " and they do effec- tually "keep 'un back," from the road where she was heading, for I see the uncut barley stalks violently agitated some little distance from me. Nearer and nearer the movement approaches, and then standing quite motionless I see an old hare pop out close to me and stop for a moment unde- cided. But the ceaseless noise of the machine seems to do away with any hesitation, for with ears well laid back she stretches away at best pace, now dodging a fallen sheaf of corn, and anon bounding over one. I give her some thirty 12 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. yards law and then fire ; over she goes head over heels, and after a convulsive kick or two lies motion- less. Then there is great excitement at the far end where the net is; " Patch" has sneaked into the corn for a hunt on his own account, and his sharp yap-yap shows him in pursuit of game. Three rabbits bolt out simultaneously and make for the net. The labourers, headed by William, promptly rush after them, and throw themselves down on the poor struggling conies, thereby bringing down some yards of the netting, and in the confusion four more bunnies escape over the bank. The net is soon set up again and William gives them a piece of his mind on the impropriety of their conduct, vowing if they do such a thing again he'll take up his nets and go home, " dang'd if he won't." This awful threat produces the desired effect and the awed rustics promise to behave better in the future. Mean- while the square gets narrower and narrower, and we both have some pretty shooting. Very few A DAY AT THE BUNNIES. 13 rabbits get away, as William has taken the precaution of stopping up with straw any holes in the banks opposite to where Dick and myself are stationed. Even if a rabbit is missed, he often gives another chance, for the stupid little creature bolts for some well-known burrow in blind and frightened haste, and then as he finds it closed rebounds back after charging it headlong; he then runs in a helpless dazed manner up and down the bottom of the bank, for in very few instances does it seem to enter the mind of cuniculus to hop over the bank and so make good his escape. Narrower and narrower gets the strip of uncut barley and at last there are only some three breadths to come down. The machine is stopped and Farmer Cross marshals his forces, who up to now have been busy binding the sheaves as they are cut. Some eight men and boys they are all told. These are arranged in line at intervals, and begin throwing stones into the barley. There must be at least twenty 14 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. rabbits left, and out they come now singly, now in twos and threes. Some we kill, a few we miss, and one or two escape to run into William's nets, and forthwith they are pounced upon by that worthy, and have their necks dislocated in a most artistic manner, showing that Master William is no novice and has been at the game before. At last all the rabbits seem to have bolted, but there is one little thick patch close to where I am standing, and just to make sure I step into it, and as I do so up flusters an old cock pheasant, right under my nose, in a tremendous state of excitement, his long tail streaming out behind, and the green metallic-like feathers of his neck glistening and shining in the noonday sun. The rascal knows he is safe, however, and skims away to a little spinney some two fields off, where as he settles Dick remarks, " I'll attend to you, my boy, on the ist October." The slain are now all collected and counted, a goodly array truly fifty-three rabbits, three wild A DAY AT THE BUNNIES. 15 duck, one hare, one landrail, and a stoat whose poaching career Dick had cut short with a dose of No. 6 shot. Farmer Cross produces a jar of cider, in which we mutually pledge each other, and then we go off to meet Mrs. Dick and the lunch, carrying with us the ducks, landrail, and two couple of rabbits. The remainder of the bag is left with Farmer Cross to dispose of. How delightful that lunch was, eaten at three o'clock, and consisting of cold chicken and tongue, potted rabbit, and sandwiches, some plums, and grapes, washed down with capital cider and just one petit verre of sloe gin, a liqueur Mrs. Dick was famous for concocting ! Then pipes are lit and the whole shoot gone over ; explanations are given as to why we each missed some easy shot, always to the narrator's satisfaction : a beastly sheaf got in the way, an insect flew in one's eye just as one was firing, or some such excuse being supposed to be proof positive that the miss was purely the result of accident ! 1 6 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. All things come to an end, however, and after three pipes apiece Mrs. Dick says we shan't stay there any longer, and takes us off home with her to have a game of lawn tennis and five-o'clock tea, and so ends a very pleasant " day at the bunnies," far better fun after all than sweltering through the black dust of the Long Valley at Aldershot after an imaginary enemy, or serving Her Most Gracious Majesty with all reverence be her name spoken in inspecting the rations of Tommy Atkins, or subsequently inquiring of that very particular gentleman if he has " any com- plaints !" AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. WE two youngsters, Bob and myself, had but lately landed at Kurachee after a tedious voyage of some five months round the Cape in the good ship Clara (Messrs. Green & Co.), and though the said ship was classed Ai at Lloyd's and described as clipper built, she sadly belied her name, for the way the old tub pitched and rolled about at times was a caution. Well, Bob and myself were both newly fledged ensigns, that extinct race nowadays, for all young gentlemen joining Her Majesty's Service are now sub-lieutenants, if you please, and the rank of ensign, like many another good old custom, is a thing of the past. Bob and I had been at school together, and he being a few months senior to me in the c 1 8 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. regiment, was in command of the draft with which we were both on our way up country to join the headquarters of our regiment, then stationed at a cantonment in the North-West Provinces. At the time the adventure here related took place, the railway system was not so developed as it now is in India, consequently we had to go in flat- bottomed boats towed by a steamer up the Indus as far as Mooltan, and thence proceed by that vilest mode of travelling, or rather crawling, known as the " bullock train." However, as this has no part in what I am about to relate I shall say nothing more on the subject. There were several drafts of different regiments going up besides ourselves, the whole under the command of a captain of one of the old East India Company's European regiments, and a capital good fellow he was. How strange and delightful everything seemed to us ! for all had the charm of novelty ; but I think what struck me as most curious was the way in AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 19 which the native piscator catches the finny tribes in the Indus. Now be it known that in that ancient and classic river exists a fish yclept the Pullah, which in appearance much resembles a large her- ring. They are most delicious eating, and next to the pomfret (which is a sea fish) is one of the few, very few, decent fish for the table found in the sunny land of Ind ; so, gentle reader, should you ever have a chance of eating a fresh-caught pullah, take my advice and do so, and be duly grateful to me for giving you this advice. The said pullah is a somewhat wary fish and not to be beguiled by the many crafty lures devised by brethren of the angle ; he always swims in mid stream, and about three feet below the surface. To encompass the capture of this wily fish the still more wily native fisherman proceeds thus. He has an earthenware "chatty," or pot about one foot deep, about the same breadth at the mouth, gradually widening out towards the bottom to some three feet ; on the mouth a cloth is laid. Besides the chatty, which c 2 20 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. comprises boat and creel, the native fisherman has an oval net, which is fastened to two light flexible rods, hinged together at their extremities ; this again is fastened to a long pole: the net therefore when open presents the appearance of a large mouth with two jaws as it were. The bottom of the net, or lower jaw, is weighted with a large stone, and a piece of cord is attached to the net, which cord is held in the fisherman's hand; and another cord is also attached to the upper jaw. Setting his chatty afloat, and net in hand, Piscator wades into the stream till he gets in about up to his middle, then springing off the ground he places his chest on the mouth of the chatty, his legs and feet trailing behind him, and acting as oars and rudder. Thus paddling and guiding himself he gets into the middle of the stream and lets himself go with the current; he then lowers his net to the requisite depth, keeping it in front of him by means of the pole, and then shaking the cord of the lower jaw he opens the net. Thus he floats calmly down. Directly he feels a AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 21 fish strike the net he pulls up the lower cord, thereby closing the jaws of the net, and hauls it up, takes out the fish, pops it under his chest into the chatty, and resumes his fishing. After going a mile or two down-stream he lands, puts his chatty on his head, shoulders his net and walks up the river bank to where he began, when the sport begins again da capo. Here I am giving a description of fishing when I ought to be writing of shooting, as I intended; how- ever, please have patience with me, and I promise not to run riot any more. We had steamed up several days, anchoring always for the night just before sunset to take in wood; and as night comes with a bound in the East, we had not time to go far from the vessel in search of game, and I had only managed to shoot a few grey partridges and a hare or two. I was very proud of my first partridge, not knowing in my griffinhood what foul feeders the common Indian grey partridge is ; a fact, however, of which I was soon made aware by the skipper, a braw Scotsman, promptly chuck- 22 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR, ing it overboard, and saying with a good-humoured smile : " Weel, laddie, if it's real shutin' ye want, ye canna do better than jist stop at Sehwan the morn and gang awa' till the Munsheer Jheel, and there ye' 11 see sic a sight o' deuks and watter-fowl as' 11 just fairly frighten ye." On further inquiry I found this was practical, for the steamer would reach Sehwan about 10 A.M., and not start till some hours later, as she had a lot of cargo to unload. On communicating this piece of intelligence to my friend, we forthwith decided to have a shy at the " deuks" that day, and join the steamer farther up the river the next one. We neither of us knew anything of the vernacular, except a few words, mostly of abuse, I am afraid, and therefore determined that my " bearer," a gentleman rejoicing in the name of Ramdeen whom I had picked up at Kurachee, and who eventually turned out an arrant scoundrel- should accompany us to act as interpreter, for Mr. Ramdeen could speak a little English. We AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 23 were so anxious to get off to our shooting grounds, and were such griffins that, except taking our guns, plenty of cartridges, and a rug apiece, we made no further preparations for our expedition in the shape of food or money, and all the money we had with us amounted to some ten rupees, if my memory serves me right. As soon as the steamer stopped at Sehwan, and the plank from the gang- way had been run ashore, off we started for the town, about one and a half miles distant, having, of course, obtained leave of absence from our commanding officer, the afore-mentioned captain, who on granting it warned us on no account to miss the steamer the next morning. It was a broiling hot day it always is, I believe, in Scinde and we were very glad when we got up to the bazaar, where on interviewing the Cotwal a native dignitary who regulates the market prices and performs many other municipal offices he promised to get us ponies and guides to take us over to Munsheer Jheel. It was about half-past 24 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. eleven when these promises were made to us, but, alas, for two mortal hours did we kick our heels about before the said ponies and guides arrived ; and then, O ye gods ! what specimens they were. The only at all decent one was a little flea-bitten grey, with a game, lean, blood-like head and clean legs, but sadly cow-hocked, as most Indian ponies are from being worked with heavy burdens when mere foals. He was as thin as a lath, every rib could be counted, and you might have hung your hat on either of his hips. Of the other two "tat- toos," or ponies, the less said the better. They were most miserable specimens of the equine race. None had saddles on, and the bits and bridles (the latter made of old bits of rope and string) were of the most primitive description. We were very angry, and Bob was all for licking the Cotwal, and then returning to the steamer then and there ; but, alas, she had been gone for more than an hour, so we contented ourselves with roundly abusing the Cotwal to the best of our ability, and only getting AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 25 a grinning hand-folded reply from that worthy that these were the best animals he could get, and " What can poor man do ? If not getting tattoos, then master getting angry ; what can do then ? ' ' "Master" was very angry, but then what could master do, except make the best of a bad job and make a start ? We tossed for mounts, and it was my good fortune to secure the grey. Bob and I, by the aid of some string, tied our folded rugs on our ponies' backs, whilst the more crafty Ramdeen secured the loan of a thick cotton quilt or " rezaie," which made a much better saddle than did our impromptu arrangements. Three wild-looking Beloochees, who might have sat for typical portraits of the Israelites of old, accompanied us as guides, and to them we consigned our guns and cartridges and forthwith made a start. The road led for some miles over a barren sandy waste, dotted about here and there with stunted baubul-thorn trees, whilst every now and then a mirage deceived us into the belief that at 26 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. last we had reached our destination. We had gone some seven or eight miles, and yet not a vestige of marshy ground appeared. We now waxed impa- tient, and through Ramdeen made inquiries as to the distance. "This man saying only one more coss, Sahib," was the reply. A coss is supposed to be two miles ; but in our case it was the two miles with the proverbial " bit- tock," which might mean any distance tacked on to it. On, on, we went, getting precious tired of riding almost bare-backed and with no stirrups. Again and again were our inquiries repeated, invariably with the same reply. All things come to an end, however, and at last our long ride of about seventeen miles ended, and on rounding a low sandy hillock, a vast sheet of water shining and glittering in the now descending sun for it was close on six o'clock burst on our delighted gaze. This Munsheer Jheel is a large sheet of somewhat shallow water extending some seven miles in length AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 27 and about three miles in breadth, its shores were fringed with belts of reeds and rushes, whilst clumps and patches of these might also be seen standing up out of the water dotted about on the surface of the lake. Here and there were patches of water-lilies, whose broad cool shining leaves afforded a grand playground for numbers of the purple gallinule. The whole place seemed alive with duck and water-fowl. Thousands literally of black dots might be seen swimming about and ruffling the smooth surface of the lake ; these, how- ever, were mostly coots, and the edges of the lake were lined with rows upon rows of scarlet flamin- goes stationed in serried phalanxes, each bird stand- ing in about eight inches of water on one leg, with his head laid on his back; hundreds of pelicans resting on some sandy spot, solemn and sedate; whilst on the short grass that bordered the margin of the lake, innumerable white egrets, black ibis, coolen, flocks of sandpipers and other waders, were either stalking solemnly about or darting 28 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. hither and thither, engaged in the capture of some more than usually delicious article of bird diet. Flocks of duck and teal could be seen circling about in the air, and as they turned and wheeled in their flight the sun shone and glinted on the under parts of their wings in the way so well known to sportsmen. The occasional bleat or " sca-a-pe, sca-a-pe," of a snipe might be heard, whilst the quack of ducks and the plaintive whistle of the sandpiper made a volume of aquatic bird-life sound which once heard could never be forgotten. Except in very few places the Munsheer Jheel is shallow, and hardly ever beyond the reach of the long poles with which the boats used on the lake are pushed against the wind. Scattered at intervals are large shoals or spits of sand and mud, over which the water is in spots often only a few inches deep, and on which aquatic birds of, I believe, almost every variety that visits India swarm beyond my powers of attempting to describe. I believe that in the days of which I write, a sportsman might AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 29 have made an almost unlimited bag of wild fowl, for there they were comparatively so tame and so accustomed to the harmless (to them) boats and so little to guns that the amount of the bag would be limited only by the supply of ammunition. I cer- tainly cannot picture to myself a spot more likely to please a naturalist and a sportsman than this noble sheet of water which at seasons must be visited by almost every variety of water-fowl known in India. And then to think I had only little over an hour and a half to spend on this paradise of wild fowl. Oh ! it was maddening, and I am afraid in my heart of hearts I consigned all dilatory natives, and the Cotwal of Sehwan in particular, to perdition. As the lake burst on our gaze our guides halted, and one of them pointing in the direction of the water some half a mile distant, remarked with a self- satisfied grin, " Dekko! bhot murgahbee, Sahib," " Look, there are plenty of water- fowl, sir." Cer- tainly there were plenty, thousands, but they seemed all out of shot of the shore, and how to get 3 o POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. at them was the question. On consultation we determined to take our guns and shoot up the edges of the lake to a village about a mile away. To this village Ramdeen was to go with the ponies and two of the guides, and endeavour to procure a boat by means of which we hoped to work our wicked will on the ducks, and bag some ere dark- ness put a stop to our sport. The third guide we took with us to carry our cartridges and any game we might shoot. Accordingly we walked down to the margin of the lake, and putting the somewhat odoriferous " nigger" (I beg his pardon ; in these enlightened days, when a Hindoo Baboo is feted all over the country, and even stands for Parliament, and, what is more, finds a considerable number of that egregious assinine species, called the British Public, idiots enough to vote for him, I must be on my p's and q's, so we will call him " native gentle- man," so as not to wound the philanthropic sus- ceptibilities of the B. P.) between us, we formed line and advanced. AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 31 " Sca-a-pe, sca-a-pe ; " up gets a snipe at Bob's feet, whilst three more rise on my right and go twisting away. Bob misses his bird clean ; but I bag one of mine. A few steps farther and a whole wisp rises ; Bob blazes into the brown of them and oddly enough knocks over three ; then I get a single shot which I miss, then a right and left which I kill. Bob can't hit them, however, though he is as good a shot as myself, which is not saying much. However, the fact remains that whilst I am adding to the bag in fair numbers, he contributes but little. At last I find he is shooting with No. 4 shot, whilst I have No. 7, and thus the mystery is solved, so dividing my remaining cartridges with him we pursue our sport, and by the time we reach the village we have five and a half couple of snipe and three teal. The sun is now getting ominously low, and we have only about half an hour of daylight left. Ramdeen, we find, has two boats ready for us, 32 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. but, heavens, what boats they are ! Mere dug- out logs of wood; however, they make fair sub- stitutes for duck punts, and perhaps shooting out of such very crank craft adds a zest to the sport, for the extra weight of the sahib, his gun and ammunition, is certain to disturb the caulking of some leak, through which the water pours in a manner startling to contemplate. On such occasions, one of the boatmen ( of which there are two to each boat) quietly poles the canoe to the nearest shoal, calmly gets out, bales out the water with his hands, and clutching up a hand- ful of mud from the bottom of the lake, he crams it into the leak, which it stops very well for about a quarter of an hour or so, when the same operation has to be repeated. Bob and I each seat ourselves in separate canoes; a nearly naked boatman stands in the prow, and another at the stern, whilst we seat ourselves in the middle, and hold on with our eyelids, in a mortal funk of capsizing every moment. AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 33 We start in different directions, and as we part Bob, who is a bit of a wag, sings out " I say, old chap, you remind me of that picture by thingamy you know Youth at the helm and Pleasure at the prow ! " The simile is not happy, for my hindmost boat- man is a grey-haired, half- naked, wild-looking creature, with a coil of filthy rags round his matted locks called by courtesy a turban. My crew pole me up some half-mile along the shore towards a high belt of reeds, and as I approach them up flusters an old mallard with a loud quack. I bowl him over, and at the report hundreds of wild fowl rise en masse and keep circling round. I have some ten minutes' very pretty shooting, and during that time manage to knock over some nine or ten duck and teal, most of whom "Pleasure" promptly retrieves, only losing two who are crippled and escape by diving amongst the reeds and water lilies. During his absence " Youth " occupies himself in caulking a D 34 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. leak in the boat, in the manner I have described. Bob is busy too, and I can hear a deal of popping going on in his direction. All the birds being got on board, we pole towards another thick patch of reeds where we have seen several birds settle. Here I account for two rights and lefts, much to my satisfaction, and get another odd bird or two, but it is getting desperately dark, so we move back towards the village. The air is almost black with aquatic birds of every description, disturbed by our shooting, wheeling and circling about with discordant cries. I notice that several flocks of duck and teal keep crossing and recrossing a little reed-fringed creek, so pointing in the direction and vehemently ejaculating " Jow" (go), one of the few words I had learnt, I induce Youth and Pleasure to pole the canoe up there and get it in amongst the reeds. My surmise is correct, for here against the sky-line I get several shots ; but it is now so dark one can't see the birds fall, and can only tell one is down by the splash it makes falling in the water, or AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 35 the resounding thud so dear to a sportsman's ear if it falls on land. I don't know what it is, but the good honest thud with which a duck comes down has for me an indescribable charm no chance of a bird that comes down with such a whack being a " runner," though they do sometimes prove themselves "divers." Anyhow by this little ma- noeuvre I manage to knock over a few more, and out of these "Youth" manages to retrieve four amid the now increasing darkness. Having landed I walk up to the village, where I am soon joined by Bob, and met by the faithful Ramdeen accom- panied by the head man of the village, a wild- looking Beloochee, with long flowing locks, and attired in some very greasy, filthy -looking gar- ments. He was a typical Eastern, and Bob irre- verently named him Abraham forthwith, though I expect his name was really more like Sheik Yak- hub Mohammed Khan, or some such name. We had eaten what little food we had brought with us, and intimated through the medium of D 2 36 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. Ramdeen that we were precious hungry, whereon the filthy-looking individual, who I have no doubt was a real good fellow at heart, dived into a hut close by and brought forth some unleavened cakes, called " chupatis," and a " lotah," or little brass vessel, full of milk. One mouthful of the chupatis was enough for me, so I reached my hand out for the milk, when Abraham in a great state of excitement sedulously kept it out of my grasp, protesting vehemently. I repeated my endeavours, smiling benignly ; but no, I was not to have any, and at last quoth Ramdeen, " Master, please not touching that man's own lotah ; if master touching then breaking caste, and that man no use lotah again." Then the facts of the case dawned on me, but how was I to get the milk for which my soul thirsted ? At last, after much gesticulation on Abraham's part, I was given to understand by Ramdeen that if I would kneel down Abraham would enact the part of Ganymede and pour the milk into my AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 37 mouth, so that my Feringhee lips should not contaminate the vessel. This somewhat ludicrous position I was forced to accept, (Bob looking on in fits of laughter,) and knelt down with mouth wide open and expectant of the grateful draught. The first mouthful was enough, and up I jumped spluttering and spitting and feeling as if I had swallowed the double distilled essence of half-a- dozen billy-goats and buck rabbits combined with a dash of rancid oil. Reader, it was camel's milk, and unless you are in urgent need of an emetic I advise you never to taste the beastly stuff. Neither could Bob stomach the nauseous draught, so we e'en had to content ourselves with the all- soothing pipe, though at the same time present- ing Abraham with a rupee for his intended hospi- tality, which handsome gift was accepted with much gratitude and many salaams. We also presented Messrs. " Youth " and "Pleasure" with a similar amount, to their great delight, and then proceeded to count up our bag, which amounted 3 8 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. to thirty-two duck and teal, eight and a half couple of snipe, and sundries in the shape of purple gallinules, water pheasants, and paddy-birds. With all of the latter varieties, however, we declined to encumber ourselves, except a specimen of each for the sake of their skins, and left them for any one who chose to appropriate them. Our steeds being caught we mounted and pre- pared by the light of a rising moon to retrace our way back to Sehwan. We were perforce obliged to proceed slowly, and did not reach the town till past twelve o'clock. Halting on the outskirts, tired out with our shooting and our thirty-four mile ride, we dismounted, and presenting the owners of our tattoos or ponies with six rupees we dismissed them, and sent Ramdeen to the Cotwal to get us fresh ponies on which to ride on and catch the steamer next morning, some twelve miles up the river. I don't know why, but we never thought of grub. I suppose we were really too tired to think of eating, and rolling ourselves AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 39 up in our rugs with our guns beside us, and our ducks, &c., by our heads, went fast to sleep in spite of the jackals that made night hideous with their howls all around us, and the discordant sound of tom-toms and all manner of native music that denoted that there was "revelry by night" going on at no great distance in the bazaar. Once I was awoke by some animal sniffing about near me, and just awoke in time to prevent a pariah dog walking off with some of our bag. It was three o'clock before Ramdeen appeared, bringing with him the same ponies and the same men that we had had during the day, with a message from the Cotwal saying he could procure no others. This was no doubt a villainous lie, and in all probability Mr. Ramdeen had made some private arrangement with the men, and had with them passed the intervening time in the, to him, pleasant purlieus of the bazaar, where he had eaten and drunk his fill, leaving his master to starve. However, we were young, inexperienced, 40 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. and foolish in those days, and accepted his state- ments regardless of the cum grano with which all Orientals' words should be received. Stiff and tired we clambered on our mounts, and started off into the pitchy darkness. After pro- ceeding some five miles, just as a faint flush of rosy light in the east betokened the coming dawn, we reached a small river with high banks, which had to be crossed by means of a ferry-boat. The attendant Charon lived in a little hut on the other side ; and after much holloaing and doubtless end- less abuse on all his female relatives on the part of our attendants he at last responded and brought his boat over for us. It was a large flat-bottomed sort of punt, and we were soon on board, and the ponies embarked ; not, however, without some resistance on the part of Bob's mount, who re- solutely declined to clamber in as the other two had done. However, at last, by dint of much exertion and copious abuse, accompanied by a shower of blows from his owner's thick iron-shod AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 41 " lathi " or staff, he was half dragged and half floundered into the boat, and we were soon across and on our way once more. When within a mile of the place (called I think Dadur) where we expected to meet the steamer, we sent Ramdeen on ahead to announce our arrival and stop the steamer should she have completed her wooding, which on the Indus steamers takes the place of coaling. On nearing the banks of the river, which had hitherto been hid from our sight by a belt of trees? we saw Ramdeen returning disconsolate and in the distance the smoke of the departing steamer. Here was a pretty fix! We had missed the steamer, and were left stranded with only a couple of rupees in our pockets, in a strange country and with no knowledge of the language. On interro- gating Ramdeen we made out that when he arrived some three hundred yards from the bank the steamer had just started, and that though he had shouted 42 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. himself hoarse and frantically waved his turban no notice had been taken of his signals. There was just a chance that we might catch up the steamer at a place some eight miles farther on, as the river here made a considerable bend, and we might by pushing on sharp across the chord of the arc cut her off; so away we went again. Alas ! on arriving at the spot we just saw the steamer vanishing up the river. We were about half an hour too late. The next wooding station was twenty-six miles farther on, so we determined to stop in the large native village, whose name I now forget, try and get some food and fresh means of transport. With this end in view, we took refuge from the powerful heat of the sun, (which now began to assert itself with a vengeance,) in the ruins of a deserted dak bungalow. Presenting one of our last and only rupees to the owners of the ponies, we told them to go to the bazaar and get themselves some food, whilst we gave the solitary remaining coin to Ramdeen, AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 43 instructing him to do likewise for us and himself, and further telling him to bring the Cotwal to see us with a view of inducing that worthy to provide us with means to catch up the steamer. In about an hour Ramdeen returned with a message from the Cotwal saying he was busy and couldn't come, and so in the innocence of our hearts we went to him. We found the gentleman, a fat oily Brahmin, seated in a so-called office surrounded by a lot of clerks, who all gazed at us insolently. On making our wants known, the Cotwal said this was a very poor village, and there were no ponies ! Lie No. One. I then suggested camels. Such few camels as belonged to the village were out grazing miles away and could not be got at ! Lie No. Two. Bullocks then I suggested. No, there were no bullocks. At last I saw it was hopeless to expect getting any aid from this rascal, who had I met in subsequent years I would very soon have brought to his senses by the means of a little "bamboo backsheish," a very powerful argument 44 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. where one has to deal with a cheeky native, who like all Orientals never respect unless they fear and are satisfied with your physical superiority. I am no advocate mind you for the system so much pursued by Englishmen at one time in India of " a word and a blow," and calling every native "a d d nigger;" but at the same time if a native is cheeky it's no good trying to convince him by the moral example of forbearance and arguing with him that he is wrong. In such cases a sound box on the ear, or a cut with a stick, does what no amount of talking or example would do. It makes the man fear and therefore respect you, and in such cases an ounce of practice in the shape of a good sound cuff is worth a ton of precept in the shape of argument. This man saw we were two inexperienced young- sters comparatively helpless, and therefore thought we were fit objects on which to vent his scorn, and show off before his attendant satellites, who no doubt would retail in the bazaar what a fine fellow the Cotwal Sahib was, and how he had bullied and swaggered over the two " gora log " (white people). AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 45 I suppose Ramdeen thought it advisable not to translate all that was said about us, and I think had he done so, we should probably have left the Cotwal with a decidedly sore tail to say the least of it ! Sadly we wended our way back to the deserted bungalow, where Ramdeen ere long brought us some curry and rice, which we ate " more nativo " with our fists ! Ate did I say ? No, we had a mouthful or two, but the heat and flies were so awful we could do no more, and then lighting our pipes we held a council of war. " Well, here's a pretty go ! " began Bob ; "what the dickens are we to do, and how on earth are we to catch up the steamer ? " "That's more than I can say," I replied reflec- tively; "but hold on a minute, let's have a good smoke first. Tobacco I think does bring out one's thoughts, and I am sure we want something to stimulate ours." Accordingly we puffed away in solemn silence. Bob at last waxed impatient, and addressing me said, 46 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. " Well, old chap, you've sucked away at that pipe for the last twenty minutes. Have you arrived at any definite plan, for all I can see is for us to foot it this twenty-six miles ? " It was awfully hot, and as he spoke I had got up to go out into the shade of a large mangoe-tree that grew in the compound close to the ruined house. As I stepped into the verandah our three tattoos, picketed and hobbled, caught my eye as they stood vainly stamping and trying to whisk off the myriads of flies that were tormenting them. At the sight of them a happy thought struck me, and knocking out the ashes of my pipe I turned back and said, " Yes, Bob, I have hit on a plan, but to carry it out we must act the blackguard and become cattle- lifters. I don't expect the owners of these wretched 1 quads ' will after their long tramp be able to tear themselves away from the delights of the bazaar for an hour or so, so we'll just get on the ponies and hook it as sharp as we can, and take our chance of ever being able to pay them back." AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 47 " Hoorah ! a capital idea," returned my friend, sagaciously adding, "You remember the sentence in Latin grammar we had so often drummed into us at school, ' Necessitas non habet lex ! ' let us prove how well we learnt our lessons and carry it into effect!" This we promptly proceeded to do, and after collecting our few impedimenta, not forgetting our game, we saddled up, gave the ponies a drink, and at 4 P.M. started off down the high road (which we could see led towards a point up the river) as hard as ever we could tear. Trotting, cantering, and galloping, we kept up this pace for I suppose some six miles, and when we thought we had got a good start eased off into a walk, congratulating ourselves on the apparent success of our ruse, and that we should not be easily overtaken. We were mortal weary, however, when we pulled up, and the excitement of our coup de main call it theft if you like began to wear off, when suddenly the cheery notes of a horn was borne on our ears. 48 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. "Hark!" said Bob, "there's a horn, I swear. I had no idea there were any hounds about here. How the dickens can there be any scent in this hot weather? " A love of sport it is said is inherent in the heart of every Englishman, and tired out, fagged, and exhausted as we were, the mere thought of seeing a foxhound again after a few months' absence from home seemed to put new life into us, and I am not prepared to say that had we seen a pack of hounds anywhere near us we should not have done our best to get to them even on the jaded animals we bestrode. No such luck, however, befell us, for soon the sound of wheels smote on our ears, and presently round a turn in the road a small mail cart appeared going at a gallop, the driver flagellating the wretched apology for a horse in the shafts, whilst his companion was amusing himself with blowing an old hunting-horn, quite a la old coaching days ! AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 49 Well, barring this we met not a soul. The white dusty road seemed to lead on to eternity, not a sign of cultivation on either side, only a bare open plain with here and there a stunted bush or dwarf tree of baubul thorn. The sun set in a lurid blaze of light and soon darkness came on, but not for long, for soon the moon rose and " shed its radiance o'er the scene.' ' The sky was clear and cloudless, and every tree and bush, every scanty tuft of grass, every rock and stone scattered about was plainly visible ; the soft flood of silvery moonlight throwing the whole into fantastic masses of light and shade. The plaintive but detestable wail of the jackal and the melancholy cry of the owl, borne on the faint night breeze that now began to spring up, all added to the weirdness of the scene ; for not a sound of human voices could be heard, no sign of human habitation was visible, and the mono- tonous tramp of our horses as they sounded dull and heavy on the hard road was all that smote E So POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. on our ears besides the voices of the night. On, on we rode, and on several occasions we both went fast asleep on our horses' backs, and were only awakened by the somewhat unpleasant pro- cess of falling off and coming whack down on the hard ground ! By-and-by, when it was well on into the night, I saw in the distance a blaze of light like weeds burning in a field, and thinking this must denote the presence of a village I pointed it out to Bob, suggesting our making tracks for it. This we accordingly did, and turning off the road made the best of our way towards it across country. I suppose it was distant about three-quarters of a mile from where we left the road, but to reach it I am sure we must have gone at least double that distance, what with turning out of our direct course to avoid nullahs and an occasional extra thick bit of thorn jungle. At last we reached it, but, alas, only to be disap- pointed ! A sickly smell pervaded the atmosphere AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 51 as we approached the blazing mass, which we found was the funeral pile of a defunct Hindoo ! There on the top of the wood, previously saturated with "ghee" (clarified butter) and oil, we could dis- tinctly trace the outline of the dead man's body grim and ghastly mid the flames. Turning away in disgust we endeavoured to retrace our steps, but the moon was now obscured by heavy passing clouds, and this was not so easily done, and after wandering about for some time, probably in a circle, we at last blundered into a thick belt of jow (a sort of low cypress). This seemed to rise up some height, as we could see the sky line above us ; so dismounting I plunged into the dense mass, and found that soon the ground sloped upwards. Struggling upwards I at last reached the top of the bank, and there beyond and below me lay the broad flood of the Indus plainly visible in the faint light, whilst the rush of the water was distinctly audible as it rippled and gurgled along. Shouting out the good news to Bob I scrambled E 2 52 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. down to him. Here at last was an end to our troubles. However, on further consideration, things did not appear quite so rosy as they first seemed. The river we had indeed hit off, but the question arose, was the wooding station above or below us on the river ? This point of course we could not decide, so we resolved to halt where we were for the night. Dismounting and leading the ponies we scrambled up the bank, and after leading them down to the water and having a good drink our- selves, for we were parched -with thirst, we extem- porised some hobbles, turned them loose to graze, and gathering some dry sticks made a huge bon- fire, for the night was bitterly cold in spite of the scorching heat of the day. The animals having been attended to and the fire burning cheerily, food was the next thought that suggested itself to us. Ramdeen was practically useless. He was lightly clad and numbed with cold, and sat right in the fire almost, his teeth chattering. AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 53 "I say," said Bob; "why shouldn't we roast a duck?" "By all means, old chap," I replied, "only I know nothing about cooking." " Oh ! it's very simple, you know," he rejoined; "you just pluck the bird, shove a stick through him, and hold him to the fire as you would a bit of bread toasting; and I have heard that gun- powder is an excellent substitute for salt." So Bob was appointed "chef," and proceeded to "just pluck the bird, you know," while I cut open a cartridge to provide the salt ! The plucking, however, in the " chePs " unpractised hands took some time, and in the meantime I spread my rug before the fire and dropped off into an uneasy sleep. I hardly seemed to have slept a wink when Bob summoned me to the ban- quet. Heavens ! what a banquet it was ! A black, charred lump at the end of a burnt stick was all that represented a fine mallard, that some four- and-twenty hours previously had swum and dived 54 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. and flown in the full pride and glory of duckhood. However, this was no time for sentimental reflec- tions, and the sharp gnawing pains of hunger began to assert their sway; so pulling the duck off the stick, I proceeded to endeavour to detach a wing with my knife. It was precious tough, but at last it yielded to my exertions, and then, scrutinising it by the light of the glowing embers, a nasty-looking lump of half-raw flesh revealed itself. I tried a mouthful, but ugh ! that mouthful was enough ; hungry as I was I couldn't stomach it. The "chef" had omitted to clean the bird before cooking, and it was rank and fishy. Bob, however, had a stronger stomach than I had, and piqued, I suppose, by my animadversions on his culinary skill, bolted great mouthfuls, vowing it was excellent, and that I was a "duffer" to be so squeamish. Well, we finally piled a lot of wood on to the fire, and wrapping ourselves in our rugs slept the sleep of the just. Query? does a man who has committed a robbery sleep well ? Anyhow AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 55 we did, and the sun was well up before we awoke, stiff and cramped from our long ride. Having caught the ponies we got all ready for a start, but the question arose which way were we to start, up or down the river ? I said up, whilst Bob maintained we should go down. The knotty point, however, was settled by Ramdeen, who pointing to a distant point down the river, said, " Sahib, see there steamer plenty smoking.'* Yes, there it was cer- tainly, a thin column of smoke shooting straight up towards the sky. It was so unlike the smoke emitted by a native fire that we went down the river. We had gone about a mile/when we came to a boggy creek that had to be crossed ; the banks were steep and slippery, so, after looking in vain for a better place, we finally had to select a nasty awk- ward-looking spot. I volunteered to go first and scrambled down on the little grey through a mass of jow bushes, and entered the water, which was about two feet deep. The creek was only about ten yards wide, and I had got about half-way across, and 56 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. the bottom seemed firm and sandy, when suddenly souse we went into about five or six feet of water. The suddenness of the drop caused me to lose my balance and in I went head foremost, and the next moment there was a confused, struggling, splash- ing mass, composed of myself and the little grey, whilst some five couple of the ducks I was carrying floated on the disturbed surface of the water. Luckily I kept hold of my gun and struck out for the opposite bank, where I ere long floundered out, and had the satisfaction of seeing the little grey do likewise a few yards lower down. Reader, if you have ever ridden at a brook in the wake of a pack in Merrie England, full of confidence in your mount, who you believe is a good water- jumper, and if ever the treacherous animal just as you think he is going to skim lightly over the sixteen feet of water which glistens calm and placid before you, stops dead short, and precipitates you head foremost into the unknown depths of the said brook, you will have some idea of my feelings at this moment. However, we had got the right AN ADVENTURE ON THE INDUS. 57 side, which was something, and I had not lost my gun which was something more, and being already soaked through I thought a little extra wetting couldn't do much harm, so I went in again and retrieved my ducks. Bob and Ramdeen didn't like the look of things at all, and so tried a place a little higher up ; Bob got over all right, but the wretched Ramdeen diverged a little to the right, and he like me walked right into a hole. There was great spluttering and agonised cries from my henchman, who fancied he was drowning. However at last we lugged him out, shaking, trem- bling, and his teeth chattering, and then we set off. As we progressed the smoke got clearer and clearer, and at last on surmounting a little hillock we saw the steamer lying to about half a mile from us, engaged in wooding. We reached her some five minutes before she completed that operation, and were received with great relief by our fellow -passengers, who had given us up for lost, and imagined that at least we had had our throats cut. On our way down 53 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. we had been consulting what to do with the ponies, but this point was settled to our satisfaction, for on our approaching the great pile of wood from which the steamer was being filled, three dusty, travel-stained, foot-sore figures arose and came to meet us, grinning from ear to ear. These were the people we had so foully robbed ; but I think we were as delighted to see them as they were pleased at recovering their animals. We presented them with 50 rupees, and I tried hard to induce its owner to part with the little grey, but without avail, and finally we parted the best of friends. We got a good wigging for having missed the steamer the day before, but didn't mind this much. A strong dose of quinine, a tub and good break- fast, and that excellent tonic a bottle of champagne* soon made us feel at peace with all the world, and then we tumbled into bed and slept till noon the next day, and were none the worse for our eighty-mile ride and our " Adventure on the Indus." THE TALE OF A TATTOO. CAN animals really speak and communicate their thoughts to each other? It is a moot question, I fancy, but in my mind I have an impression they can. I was out shikaring one hot weather with a friend, and, "as our custom was," sleeping out in the open on my charpoy or bedstead to catch a breath of cool night air, after the burning furnace-like heat of the day. Our camp was pitched beneath a large mangoe tope or grove, and in proximity to the spot where I lay were picketed two ponies or tattoos, the respective property of my friend and my Khansama, both stout and portly personages, who no doubt often wished the Sahibs had not been so unmindful of their creature comforts as to lug 60 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. them out into the wilds of the jungle, far away from the delights of the bazaar. These two gentlemen found walking a march varying from eight to fifteen miles a day rather too great a tax on their powers, and had therefore asked and obtained our permission to provide them- selves with tattoos. Well, as I said before, these two tattoos were picketed close to where I lay trying to woo the drowsy god, and whether I dreamt it or whether I did actually hear the con- versation between the two quadrupeds detailed below, I must leave my reader to judge. Anyhow, if it was a dream, it had, I fancy, a very solid sub- stratum of truth in it. It seemed to me as I lay glancing up through the broad dark foliage of the mangoes at the starry sky above, that one of the ponies gave a slight cough, which was answered by the other in a similar tone ; then crunch, crunch, crunch they went at their " bhoosa," or fodder, then another cough, again answered; and then I seemed to hear this conversation. THE. TALE OF A TATTOO. 61 "How's your back to-day, old chap? You must have been precious glad to get old Mahomed Deen's sixteen stone off you." " Thank you, it's better; that old brute Mahomed would never think of doing anything for me, but his master, who is a good chap, saw the flies bother- ing me yesterday and came and dressed my sores with some stuff out of a bottle I think I heard him call it carbolic acid, or some such name and it's done me a lot of good. Alas ! why don't I belong to a Sahib now as I used to in former days? " and the dry cough was repeated, and I firmly believe I here saw a couple of real genuine tears trickle down the old pony's lean head. " Ah, yes!" was his companion's reply; "I've always heard they were the best masters, though they do bucket one at times more than our fellow- countrymen, but they certainly look after and spare you when you are out of sorts, and this I'm sure our present masters never would ; may dogs defile their graves. However," he added, "it's a 62 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. fine night, and as camp seems pretty quiet let's lie down and have a chat, and do you relate some of your reminiscences, for by a hint or two you have dropped at times I'm sure you must have seen a deal of life." "With the greatest pleasure," replied the pony addressed, and after a preliminary roll or two in the dust, the pair settled down and he began his narra- tive as follows. " Well, of course, you know I'm a Deccanee pony, what is called a Beemateree, for I was bred on the banks of the Beemah River. By-the-bye, did you ever hear that song,* * The sun was just tinging the Beemah's broad tide?' Ah! well I don't suppose you ever did, for you have never seen any pig-sticking, like I have. It's a capital song, and I'll sing it to you some day. I don't know if you are well read in history, but if not I may as well tell you that our breed was thought a deal of in the old days of the Mahratta and * See "Shikar Sketches," by J. Moray- Brown. Hurst and Blackett. THE TALE OF A TATTOO. 63 Pindaree campaigns, and it was highly improved in the beginning of the present century by a cross of Arabs, which the Nizam of Hyderabad got over direct from Arabia, and this cross shows itself in a very marked manner amongst our mares. They have the fine limbs, broad foreheads, and much of the docility of the Arab, as well as his enduring and staying powers. My dam belonged to a small farmer, and I believe could trace her pedigree well back into the last century. Who my sire was I regret I am unable to inform you, as from what I gathered as a colt when listening to my first owner's conversation with a friend of his one day, I believe my dam got loose one night, and wandered away to an adjacent village, where, alas ! I am afraid she for a moment was forgetful of her high pedigree and was guilty of an indiscretion with a country bred horse from Aligaum, who belonged to a neighbouring zemindar, to whose blandish- ments she succumbed. " However, we will with your permission draw a 64 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. veil over this part of my story, for you will naturally understand it is a painful subject to me. Before I was weaned the natural food my mother supplied me with was augmented with a plentiful supply of buffalo milk, which I soon learned to appreciate and drink out of a chatty. " After being weaned, a process I strongly objected to, I was given large quantities of boiled ' oorud,' or ' moong,' which is as you know a grain of the bean and vetch kind, and this boiling prevented it from griping me, and being soft was easier masti- cated by my infantile teeth. I was also fed on ' kurbee,' which has a lot of saccharine matter in it, and is very nutritious, and next to sugar-cane one of the nicest things I know." " Ah," interrupted his companion, " sugar-cane, that is stuff just about. I remember having a rare blow out on it on one occasion when I got loose and got into a field. That was in but I beg your pardon," he added apologetically, " for inter- rupting you ; pray continue your tale." THE TALE OF A TATTOO. 65 " Well," resumed the narrator, " I was going to tell you that after being weaned I was kept shut up in a dark stable, and the reason of this I believe, as well as being fed on soft food, was to encourage my growth, and render me less liable of inheriting the vicious temper of my dam, for I am afraid the dear old lady, from sundry nips I can well remem- ber her giving me at times, had anything but the temper of a Peri. I was rarely taken out of this stable till I was over two years old, and then I was taken by my master to the great fair at Malligaum, about twenty-five miles from Gungakhuir, in the direction of Hyderabad. As you may never have been in this place perhaps a slight description may interest you. The fair is held on a range of low stony hills, where there is a good tank of water, and below this the ground is cut up into long terraces, each some four feet or so above each other, and are only about wide enough for a horse to be picketed on. The rules of the fair are very binding and strin- gent. The intending purchaser of any animal must F 66 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. make his bargain with the owner before the animal is moved, then if the horse after being walked and trotted is neither lame or blind it is a deal. Like many of my companions I was subjected to this test, and being found sound was purchased by a large native dealer from Hyderabad for the sum of forty rupees, and with several other horses was taken off to my new owner's stables. Here I was well fed for another year, and then was subjected to a treatment called breaking. I had, soon after being weaned, been bitted and lunged with a long rein, so the new process of having a man put on my back, my head tied down, and a sharp bit put in my mouth, beyond the first passing annoyance caused by the novel sensation, did not give me much trouble, and being of a philosophical turn of mind I soon found out that the more I submitted to my new master's will, the less likely I was to be beaten and spurred, and I soon earned the reputa- tion of being one of the best-tempered colts he had ever had. When I was nearly four years old, I remember one day seeing my master walk down THE PALE OF A TATTOO. 67 the line where I and all my companions were picketed, accompanied by an English officer, and as he subsequently became my owner I may as well describe him to you. He was a typical Englishman, standing about five feet ten inches ; his close-fitting white clothes displayed a well-knit muscular figure, devoid of an ounce of superfluous flesh; his short crisp curly brown hair clustered round a well-shaped head ; whilst the square-cut massive lower jaw, compressed lips, and clear steely blue eyes showed he was a man of determination and not to be trifled with a fact I soon discovered when one day I tried to * play up ' with him. After much haggling with my master he eventually bought me for a hundred and fifty rupees, the worthy dealer having originally priced me at three hundred rupees, and off I went to my new quarters, where I enjoyed the luxury of a loose-box all to myself, with a * chick ' or thin screen of bamboos in front of it which screened me from the glare of the sun and kept off the flies. F 2 68 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. " I always had plenty of water in my box, and oh ! wasn't it delightful to be able to move up and down, lie down and roll, and do what one liked instead of being tied head and heels with those cursed ropes." And here the old pony gave a contemptuous little half kick with his off hind leg. " I was kept pretty short of grub for a day or two and then given a slight dose of physic ; and after this had acted, and removed all the muck and sweetstuff I had been crammed with to make me look fat and hide any of my bad points not that I had any, mind you, but you know a native always likes a fat horse I had my mane hogged, and had to submit to a somewhat painful operation called docking a senseless idea of white men, who fancy that by cutting off half one's tail one looks smarter, quite forgetting that we are by nature provided with long tails to whisk off the flies. I must confess it hurt me rather at the time, but my system had been cooled by the physic, and I soon got all right again. THE , TALE OF A TATTOO. 69 Good grooming for I had a syce and a grass- cutter all to myself good wholesome food, and regular exercise soon made me feel a different creature, and when one morning I heard my master give orders for me to be out on the race-course with his five other horses, I felt fit to jump out of my skin. Visions of contending in a real race, and showing my pluck and the staying powers I felt sure I possessed, arose before me, and I looked forward with pride to distancing all my competitors and showing my master what a good little bit of stuff I was. " In due time my master and a friend of his arrived at the maidan (plain) round which the race- course ran, and now I thought the time had arrived. However, my hopes were doomed to disappoint- ment, for my master merely gave each of the other horses a gallop, his friend timing him with a stop watch. The last gallop being finished and my stable companions having been rubbed down, and their clothing being adjusted, they were 7 o POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. walked home, when my master turned to his friend and said, 'Jack, here's a tattoo I bought from old Meer Khan the other day; I fancy he has a turn of speed, and I want to give him a rough gallop; so let us try him with your old pony for half a mile.' ' All right, old man,' was the reply. Getting on my back and drawing the reins through his fingers, my master gave me a gentle pressure of his knees, at which I bounded forward, thinking it was the signal to start; but immediately the hitherto light touch of my mouth was tightened into an iron grasp, and though I bored and shook my head I soon saw it was no go, and my master's firm but soothing words, 'No, no, my little man, you must be quiet,' soon reassured me. " Walking down to a spot where a post marked the starting point, my competitor and I were wheeled round, and on my master saying, ' Now/ away we both sprang. My opponent was an old hand at the game and had won many races, and so being quickest on his legs stole a length or THE TALE OF A TATTOO. 71 two's start of me. This, however, I soon regained, and could have passed him at once, but the firm hold on my jaws never relaxed for a moment, and I was forced to remain behind. Nearer and nearer we came to what I subsequently learnt was the win- ning post, and I was horribly afraid I should be beaten, when within less than a hundred yards, the strain on my jaws was eased, my master gave me one squeeze, and springing forward I passed my op- ponent as if he was standing still, and shot past the winning post a good length ahead of him. Intoxi- cated and elated with my success I was tearing on heedless into space apparently, when once more the firm hold on my mouth was tightened and I was forced to pull up. Leaning forward and patting me on my neck, which I was now arching with pride, my master said, * Well done, my little man, by Jove, you are a clinker ! Well, Jack,' added he to his friend, * what do you think of the new tat, and what are we to call him ? ' * He's a precious good one,' was the reply, 'to be able 72 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. to give old Shamrock a beating, and only be getting four pounds, so I think he'll do. As he seems somewhat a fiery little gentleman, suppose we call him " Pindaree." ' And this was how I got my name. " I won't weary you by telling you of my racing career, for I turned out so fast that I was kept exclusively for that, and won many a pony race at the Secunderabad, Bangalore, Madras, and other meetings, and was eventually sold by my master for nine hundred rupees to a racing doctor who fancied he could ride, but between you and I he had no more idea of it than that fat old master of yours who I hear snoring away under his blanket. This doctor, too, was a ' mean cuss,' and the mention of his name reminds me of how beautifully he was once sold by my former owner, Captain D . " Now Captain D was one of the best judges of a horse and one of the best riders in Southern India, and used to be very successful in racing, simply because he could ride horses no one else THE TALE OF A TATTOO. 73 could. Well, at one time he had a vicious brute of a Waler called Shaitan, entered for a race at the Mool Ali meeting at Secunderabad. Shaitan was a real good horse, and the race was at his mercy, that is if D rode him, for with any one else on his back it was a thousand to one against his even starting. The night before the race, when the lotteries were held, D for some reason was a little late, and in the meantime the doctor bought Shaitan in the race for a very considerable sum, some thousand rupees I believe. When D came into the room and found his horse sold he asked the doctor to let him buy a half share from him. This the medico refused. Well the time for the race duly arrived, but D was still in mufti, evidently with no intention of riding. To him rushes up the man of pills saying, ' I say, you'll be late.' 1 What for ? ' was the calm rejoinder. ' Why the race, man,' returned the now alarmed doctor. 4 Oh! I'm not going to ride. You know you wouldn't let me have the half share in the lottery, 74 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. so it's not worth my while risking my neck to win money for you, doctor; but you may ride him yourself, or put up any one else you like, though my syce has weighed out for him ta-ta ; ' and he strolled off calmly smoking a cheroot. " The doctor was in a terrible stew, rushed up and appealed to the stewards ; but from them he could get no satisfaction. Captain D they said had a perfect right to put up whom he chose on his horse, and he had made the doctor a very fair offer, so they could n6t interfere. Well, the upshot of it all was, that when the flag was lowered Shaitan, who knew very well that his master was not on his back, calmly bucked his syce off and cantered back to his stable; and so the doctor lost a pretty good pile. 11 However, to resume, this ass of a man, skilled as he might have been in diseases of men, knew nothing about us, and by dint of galloping me till I was sick and feeding me badly he so disgusted me of racing that I would never try a yard, and a precious lot of THE TALE OF A TATTOO. 75 money I had the satisfaction of making him lose. At last, in disgust, he sold rne for three hundred rupees to a young subaltern in an infantry regiment just out from England, who was keen on horses and shikar of all sorts. My new master was a kind lad, and used to treat me well and pet me a good deal, for I was the whole of his stud, and I took to him. Many a lark we have had together, and I think I used to be almost as pleased as he was hopping over mud walls, thorn fences, nullahs, and every sort of obstacle we could find to negotiate. How- ever, he never raced me I am thankful to say, for even to please him I don't think I should have had the heart to try. Besides, I found so much rascality mixed up with racing that I got sick of it, and I think what disgusted me more than anything else was the tragic death of a very dear friend of mine, a roan Waler. " Man is generally supposed to be a superior animal. Faugh ! superior indeed ! the majority of them are very inferior to us I should say, and to 76 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. gain their own vile ends will condescend to the very meanest and lowest actions. My friend, whose name was Roanara, was a good racehorse, though not so good as a chesnut stable companion and fellow-countryman of his, called Golden Drop, belonging to the same owner. Both were engaged for some races at one of the Secunderabad meet- ings. " There was a very strong party (' officers and gentlemen' mind you) who were bent on winning the race the chesnut was engaged in, and for which he was favourite, and they tried all they could to get him out of the way. However, his owner was too sharp for them. Both horses were kept under lock and key with a guard over them, but the night before the race something induced their owner to change the horses in their loose-boxes, and to this my poor friend owed his death. As you know, the native city of Hyderabad adjoining Secunderabad abounds with all sorts of budmashes (blackguards), and some of these, hired by the THE TALE OF A TATTOO. 77 party who were against Golden Drop winning, stole up at night, removed a brick out of the wall of the box where my poor friend was standing, and through the hole shot him dead, thinking he was the chesnut horse ! There was an awful row next day, and though the guilt could never be fixed on any individual, there were strong suspicions attach- ing themselves to an officer well known in the racing world. That I think you'll allow was rather a sickener ! 11 1 used to play polo sometimes, and at times rather enjoyed the scrimmages, until I one day got such a wipe across the nose that I tired of the game, and firmly but politely declined to play any more. By this time my master had got a couple more horses, an Arab and a Persian, and his regiment being ordered up to Kamptee I accom- panied him. Arrived there my master joined the Nagpore Pigsticking Club, and I always accom- panied him to any of the meets as his hack. A whole season nearly had passed and I had as yet 7 8 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. never had a chance of seeing if I could credit my master with a first spear, though I longed for the time and opportunity of doing so, when one night I heard my master bewailing his luck in having lamed both his horses. Some one asked him why he didn't ride me, adding that he was a light weight and he was sure I had a turn of speed. I didn't hear the rest of the conversation, but the next morning I was saddled, and to my delight saw my own syce with three long hog spears in his hand. Presently I saw my master emerge from the mess tent, and, coming up to me, he gave me a lump of sugar such good stuff, quite different from the filth you get in the bazaar and patting me on the neck said, * Well, old man, you must do your best for me to-day. I know it's asking a deal of you, though we may nick in and get a chance somehow or other ! ' " If I remember aright the camp was pitched at a place called Siroor, and the first beat was a field of sunflowers, near a village named Khootkie. The THE TALE OF A TATTOO. 79 beat began, and I and my master were some way behind (as he had got off my back to take a stone out of my foot) when the pig broke. The rest of the field had, accordingly, some three hundred yards start, but remembering my old racing days I soon caught them up. When we got up the boar was jinking about in a field of dhal and had been missed several times. My master, however, catch- ing sight of him rode me straight at him. The boar charged, and as he did so I jumped clean over him, and whilst I did so my master speared and he was soon killed. I needn't tell you how proud I was of this achievement, and I came in for a good deal of A-uSo?. During this trip I got two other first spears for my master, and got an ugly rip from a wounded boar. The scar you can still see," he added, turning over and exhibiting a long scar close to the stifle. "Ah me! those were jolly days, but they were destined soon to be ended. My dear young master soon after died of cholera and I was sold for fifty rupees, and this time to a road sergeant. 8o POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. He, silly idiot, wanted me to go in his 'tonjon!' but going in harness was an indignity I would not submit to, so accordingly I kicked the trap to pieces and deposited the worthy sergeant on one of his own stone or rather kunkur heaps, and so was voted vicious. Oh ! if only men would try and study our individual character more, many of us would not get the reputation of being vicious, which is a quality in our composition that is mainly developed by the unfair treatment we often receive from mankind. "Well, the sergeant being disgusted with me, and in my mad flight with the debris of his trap rattling at my heels I having come down a regular * buster ' and broken both my knees, he sold me to a grass- cutter for five rupees, and from him my present owner bought me a month or so ago. There, that's the story of my life. It's getting late, and you can tell me your story another day, but as you asked me for a song I'll just tip you this stave which I remember my poor young master composing, riding THE TALE OF A TATTOO. 8r me back to cantonments one day after a good day's hog-hunting". i. " You may talk as you like of hound and of horn, Of the glories of Belvoir, the charms of the Quorn, Of the emerald pastures of Blackmoor's sweet vale, Of its brooks and its doubles, of its stout timber rail ; You may point out with pride the scarlet- clad throng, And vow only they are worthy of song ; You may talk by the yard of fox-hunting lore, But / vow there's nought like the chase of the boar. ii. " Some say on the turf in a hardly run race, There's nothing can equal th' elixir of pace ; There are some who delight the fierce tiger to slay ; And some whose joy 'tis the salmon to play; To some there's a charm in the moor and the heather ; To others the trout to beguile with a feather ; I've played all these games with rod and with gun, But to spear a grey boar is the only real fun. in. " When you've roused an old boar from out a grass ' bheer ' And in a good race won a hardly gained ' spear/ When he's turned in his rage, and met you in charge, And his ivory tushes gleam out sharp and large ; When deep to his heart your spear-blade has sped, And low you have laid that grim grisly head, Oh ! 'tis glorious ! 'tis ecstasy ! what can you want more ? Believe me there's nought like the chase of the boar. 82 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. IV. " When you gaze at those tushes after years have flown by And picture the fury that flashed from that eye ; When the finger of time shall have whitened your head, And you count up with sorrow the days that are dead ; When your back is all bent, and eyes become dim And stiffened with age has grown every limb, Oh ! then surely you'll only long all the more For those days when you hunted the grey grisly boar ! v " Then pass round the cup, come pledge me a toast, To the ' spears ' and the ' tushes ' of which we can boast, To the comrades of youth, the ' rumnah,' the 'bheer ! ' The horses we rode, the crimson-stained spear ! The gallop, the charge, the fight at the end ! And just one more to each absent friend ; In sorrow, in mirth, when your heart may be sore, Believe me there's nought like a 'bout with a boar ' ! " " There ! " added the old pony when he had finished, "not so bad are they? and the sentiment I cordially agree with ; but we mustn't stay talking here all night, for I know we've a long march in front of us in the morning ; so good night ! " Such was the story I heard, or fancied I heard, and the next day I looked over the old pony. Yes ! there was the honourable scar got in the hunting- THE TALE OF A TATTOO. 83 field, and there were the poor broken knees and scarred hocks that told of his objection to harness, and when I noted his game, varmint look, big, blood-like, but gentle eyes, lean head, good shoulders, and general form, I could have little difficulty in believing all I had heard or dreamt of him, for here was a veritable " Deccanee tat- too." Ah! how many days of glorious sport, how many a cheery comrade, how many a long gallop under a roasting sun in the face of a wind that felt as if it came as a blast from a furnace, do not those words recall? I can well remember after many a long gallop how welcome was the sight of the little "relief" pony as he stood under the scanty shade of a baubul thorn ; how often the little gentleman used to fight and bore when one first mounted him, and then once assured of one's goodwill how he used to lay himself into a long stretching gallop, and come in at the end of the stage, often ten to thirteen miles, with heaving flanks and quivering limbs, distressed perhaps, G 2 84 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. but not beat, within the hour. Alas ! I am afraid that since the days of which I write the Mahrattee or Deccanee pony has sadly degenerated, perhaps owing to the development of railways, which have rendered the use of ponies for conveying merchan- dise unnecessary. In those days a subaltern of light weight could mount himself well for 100 to 200 rupees; but " nous avons change tout cela," and though " the old order changeth, giving place to new," I doubt me if it is for the better as far as the Indian tattoo is concerned. A RIDE ON A FOUR-YEAR-OLD. READER, are you a timid nervous rider, more addicted to the seeking of gaps and gates when enjoying the chase than choosing your own place in a fence and going straight ? If so you will I feel sure sympathise with me when you read of the trials I underwent when trying to pretend that I belonged to the latter type of sportsman ; and if ever you have had the misfortune to undergo the miseries I am now about to narrate for your amusement and delectation, I think you will confess that they have left as vivid a recollection on your mind as the events here related have on mine. It is all very well for good and bold riders to tell you a fresh place in a fence is naturally the soundest and the least likely to bring you to grief, 86 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. but I must confess a gap has for me irresistible charms, particularly if one can only hang back politely with a " your horse seems a little impatient, sir, pray go first" sort of air; and in most fences by the time a dozen or so horses have gone over it the obstacle is generally reduced to such small dimensions that any intelligent donkey can crawl over it. This is generally my time ; then too, by the time some few sportsmen have got over, one is aware if the hidden mystery of a ditch on the far side exists or not ; and oh ! the comfort and blessing of knowing for certain that there is no " yawner " that requires pace and boldness to get over, not even one of those narrow, treacherous, little more than grips, that a careless horse will sometimes, even if he be a veteran hunter, drop his hind legs into, both to the danger and detriment of himself and his rider; and if circumstances (that most convenient word) do at times compel me to jump a fence first, and by so doing show the world that I am not one of the noble army of funksticks, A RIDE. ON A FOUR-YEAR-OLD. 87 (which secretly in my heart I am), I do like it to be something nice and rotten that will give way, such as a decayed sheep hurdle, or something of that sort. Having thus, gentle reader, shown you candidly and openly to what extent I can lay claim to be "a good man to hounds," a gentle insinua- tion which when made in my hearing I receive with a becoming blush and downcast eyes, I will now proceed to detail for your amusement, warning, or any purpose it may serve, about the most miserable time I ever spent in my life, for as a married man with a family I had not even the to me sad satisfaction of having time to insure life or limb in that excellent Assurance Company which compensates the maimed or injured sports- man who may come to grief amid the moving accidents of " flood or field." It turned out thus. One day towards the end of October, the Weston Vale Hounds had met for cub-hunting on the extreme verge of their country at a place near my then residence. As I knew the cubs had not 88 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. been disturbed there, and that there were large woodlands from which there was but little chance of their getting away, I determined to go out with them, my mount being a steady and trusty old cob who would behave with the utmost de- corum under the most trying circumstances, and who would follow me over any fence like a dog. Well, we had a day after my own heart ; we found a lot of cubs, hounds divided, and were running all over the place. Master and whips galloping about, making use I am afraid of fear- ful language, whilst I sat on my horse placidly smoking a cigar to my inward satisfaction, though outwardly I expressed a hope that this sort of thing wouldn't go on much longer, and that we might get away with an old fox ! At last, however, the hounds settled to one of the cubs, and after a good dusting up the cover, down the cover, and round the cover, killed and ate him. Then they found another, when the same operation was repeated except that in this A RTDE, ON A FOUR-YEAR-OLD. 89 instance they accounted for him, as our dear old and valued friend that renowned and immortal sportsman Mr. Jorrocks would say, by " losin' 'im." After this the master, my friend Frank Forrard who I may mention hunted his own hounds, and right well he did it too determined on going home, and as our ways lay together for some little dis- tance I jogged along with him. Oh ! that I had gone straight home after the first cub was killed ; but no, a cruel fate mastered my more cautious wishes and induced me to stay on. Hinc illce lachrymce ! Of course we talked over the day's performance ; and as I had been fortunate enough to notice the performance of a young bitch called " Brenda," just entered, and an especial favourite of Frank's, his heart warmed towards me, I suppose, and he gave me a most pressing invitation to come and stay with him the following Saturday for his opening meet on Monday, at the same time offer- ing to mount me. Now I knew all Frank's horses, and further I 90 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. knew that they were all good ones, and that he had hunted his hounds off them some two or three seasons, which ensured their being quiet to a certain extent; besides I was very fond of Frank, and moreover wanted to see that particular part of his country which he described as capital. There were, he said, large woodlands, and once out of them it was all grass with small flying fences. So inwardly hoping we should have a woodland day I accepted the preferred invitation with pleasure, and soon after we parted. The eventful day arrived at last, and in due course the London and South Crawlington Railway landed me at the little wayside station of Thorn - croft, where Frank was waiting for me. As his kennels were close by, he proposed we should walk up and have a look at the hounds, and leave my traps to be brought on by the donkey cart which he would send for them. Accordingly giving strict injunctions regarding the care of my luggage to the solitary snipe of a station master who A RIDE ON A FOUR-FEAR-OLD. 91 combined the duties appertaining to that office with those of ticket collector, porter, &c., and who I suppose saw about three passengers a week, Frank and I walked off. Now I am fond, very fond of hounds, but I won't here inflict on my readers all our kennel talk, and how we discussed the merits of Tell Tale, and Scandal, of Negligent, Artful, and Lavender, &c., nor will I weary them with an account of our dinner, how many pipes we smoked afterwards, how many whiskeys and sodas we discussed, nor with our conversation beyond this little bit. The night was getting on, when as I lit my th pipe I turned to Frank and said, " By-the-bye, old man, what are you going to mount me on the day after to-morrow ? " " Well," he replied, " I'm rather short of horses, as we've had some precious hard days lately, so I'm going to put you on the young one I bought the other day; and," added he, turning to me impressively, "mind you, I wouldn't put every one on him." 92 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. This announcement fairly staggered me. My pipe went out and I had to stoop down and light a spill at the brightly burning fire to hide my confusion. What on earth had I ever done that I should be asked to ride some raw rampaging devil like this would probably be ? Why on earth had not Frank told me what the mount- was when he had offered it to me ? Then I might have found some decent excuse for not coming. But now no loophole for escape seemed open to me. Visions of feigning sudden illness dashed into my brain. No, that wouldn't do. I had only a few moments before said I had never felt so fit in my life. Perhaps I could say in the morning that the post had brought me an urgent summons home on business that convenient excuse. But no, that wouldn't do, for I remembered my wife had told me before starting that she shouldn't let me be worried with letters whilst I was away. No, I was in for it. Still I would make one desperate effort to escape ; so composing my features into A RIDE ON A FOUR-YEAR-OLD. 93 a sort of protesting simper as if vastly flattered at the latter part of Frank's speech, I remarked, 11 Well, old man, it's very good of you to say so, but I really hardly like to ride a valuable young horse the first time with hounds, and you know I'm not much of a man on a horse." " Oh, bosh ! " was the reply. " If I thought you such a duffer as you make yourself out I shouldn't ask you to ride him, but if you'll find neck I'll find horse. Tom, my second whip, took him out with the harriers a day or two ago, and though he was a bit awkward at his fences he says he'll make a good horse." Now the aforesaid Tom was a most finished horseman and possessed of indomitable pluck a quality I am sadly deficient in, gentle reader and the idea of my being asked to ride a raw brute that even in Tom's experienced hands was pronounced to be "a bit awkward at his fences" set my nerves all of a tremble again. I would therefore make one more attempt to get out of the dilemma, so said 94 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. "Well, if Tom knows the horse why don't you let him ride him, he will do him far more justice than I can." " Oh, no ! " rejoined Frank, " I couldn't do that. You see servants' horses must be quiet and steady or they can't do their work, and besides, this beggar may kick hounds or play the fool in half a dozen ways, so you must ride him, old chap." Now flattery is sweet to the human ear, no matter how hardened it may be, and seeing I couldn't get out of it I determined to make the best of a bad job, and pretended that I was really delighted at Frank thinking so much of my equestrian powers, though at the same time horrible visions of being borne home on a gate, a crushed and shapeless corpse, rose before me. However a final good stiff W.S. (not " writer to the signet," gentle reader, though some of those worthy gentlemen are decidedly stiff) set- tled the matter, and at about 1.30 A.M. we A RIDE ON A FOUR-YEAR-OLD. 95 toddled off to bed, not, however, on my part to enjoy the blessed slumbers of sweet repose, but to toss and turn about in disturbed and excited dreams, whilst through my brain flitted in kaleido- scopic panorama all the moving accidents of the chase. Now I fancied I was run away with on the verge of a precipitous cliff, anon that I had tumbled neck and crop into the depths of a fathomless brook, then that my mount had taken the bit between his teeth and charged a high " writh " fence some six feet high, and catching his toes on the top had come a regular " buster" with me on to a heap of stones in a road, smashing his knees all to pieces and reducing me to pulp. In fact Mr. Jorrocks's dreams at Ongar Castle after his altercation with Captain Widowfield, and his subsequent immersion in the swimming bath, were a trifle to what I went through. All things come to an end, however, and on Sunday morning I arose feeling very much what a friend of mine used to describe as " a devil dug up ! " 96 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. After breakfast we adjourned to do stables. We had passed down all the boxes, felt numerous forelegs, and criticised the appearance of the stud generally, when at last we reached the end of the row, out of the end box of which a solemn-looking bay head with a white blaze down the forehead was protruding. "There," said Frank, "there's your mount Flotsam by Jetsam, dam by Fontainebleau. Here, Bob," calling to a helper, "strip this horse." Stripped accordingly he was, and we entered the box to inspect him. I can't say I was struck all of a heap with his appearance, still he was a good useful-looking animal a bright bay standing about 15-2, with fair shoulders, good legs, deep in his girth, but slightly slack in his loins, and his thighs and hocks were somewhat deficient, whilst his goose rump and drooping quarters denoted his Irish extraction. Still, take him all round, he was not a bad-looking horse. He had, however, decidedly curby hocks, and the marks of the "iron" were plainly visible. However of this I said not a A RIDE ON A FOUR-YEAR-OLD. 97 word. Depend upon it, whatever faults you see in another man's horse, it's far better policy, and will make him better friends with you, if you apply that maxim that "silence is golden" and hold your tongue. So contenting myself with the remark that "he was a nice little horse" we moved on. The day passed much as Sundays generally do in the country, and at last the event- ful day dawned, and after a good breakfast Frank and I mounted our horses and started for the kennels. Flotsam trotted gaily along, behaving in the most exemplary manner, and I began after all to feel rather pleased with my mount than otherwise, and thought that perhaps after all we should get on amicably. As we turned into the field where the kennels were situated Frank said to me, "Just keep that horse clear of hounds, old man, as he may kick them." Now here was the begin- ing of my miseries. I knew that all day I should be on tenter-hooks, and ten to one I should have the death of the best hound in the pack laid to my H 98 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. charge. Query, why is it that it is invariably the " best hound in the pack " that comes to grief on such occasions ? Getting away to the farther end of the field, out came the glad pack with a rush, gambolling and frolicking round Frank, who soon moved off, whilst I followed at a respectful distance. The fixture, a pictur- esque country house, was only a short distance off, and here all the beauty and manhood of the hunt were assembled. I knew a good many of those present, and to the many remarks of my friends on the good points of my steed I was fain to remark, with an air of indifference, whilst I kept him moving about, that I thought he felt like a good one. Now my miseries began. An enter- prising photographer had come out with a view to photographing the scene, when just as we were all posed Flotsam suddenly let fly, luckily not striking any one, but, taking me unawares, sent me clean on to his neck, in which undignified attitude I have been handed down to posterity. Soon after A RIDE ON A FOUR-YEAR-OLD. 90 we moved off to draw, and all the field had to file out through a narrow iron wicket. I kept behind as long as I could to avoid the crush, till Flotsam either couldn't or wouldn't stand the delay any longer, and taking the bit between his teeth, bore me nolens volens into the throng. Many were the objurgations showered on my devoted head, and cries of "Look out where you're going, sir," as I bumped my way through. At last the gate was reached, but somehow it seemed to dawn on Flotsam's mind that it would be pleasanter and more out of the common to go through sideways than straight, and this idea he promptly proceeded to carry into execution, despite all my endeavours to control him. The consequence was he bumped my leg up against the iron, bent my spur, and nearly unseated me. We then proceeded up a lane a short dis- tance. Here all the field was assembled whilst the first cover, a small spinney, was being drawn. Again Flotsam's eagerness for the fray was mani- H 2 ioo POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. fested. Stand still he wouldn't, but kept turning and twisting, reaching out at his bridle, and then throw- ing his head up and nearly knocking my "right eye into the heel of my left boot," till at last, in despair, I e'en had to let him have his way, and edge up to the front, in spite of angry scowls and numerous ejaculations of "Pray, look out, sir," and "Where the deuce are you shoving to? " &c. At last I got up to an open gate leading into a field alongside of the spinney, and into this I turned in the hope that solitude might make my steed more amenable to reason. Passing through this field we entered an orchard, where Frank was sitting on his horse, cheering his hounds, and encouraging them to draw the thick mass of brambles and underwood. Alas ! it was a case of out of the frying-pan into the fire ! If Flotsam objected to stand still on the macadam, grass seemed to have a still less soothing effect on his nerves. He sidled here, backed there, turned and twisted about, now rubbing my legs against the moss-grown trunk of A RIDE ON A FOURiYEAR-OL,])/, ,, \ ,'ipi, some venerable apple-tree, and anon banging my head against some overhanging branch, till I was bathed in perspiration and well-nigh exhausted. At last in despair I got off and held him ; but this was of little avail, for just then there was a holloa the far side of me. " Tweet, tweet, tweet, " went Frank's horn, and with a ''Come along, old cock," he galloped through the still thick herbage, and then turning sharp round crashed into the thick cover, over a nasty bank, fence, and ditch, bent on taking the shortest cut to the point where the fox had broken. I tried to mount, but devil a bit would Flotsam allow me. Just as I got my foot in the stirrup he would wheel round with a snort, and keep me hopping about on one leg after him making ineffectual dives at the stirrup. All my persuasive eloquence in the shape of " Whoa, old man ! " " Steady now ! " gradually descending to abuse, was ineffectual. At last an obliging yokel came up, and with his assistance I got into the saddle, when Flotsam ,io7 POWDER-SPUR, AND SPEAR. went off with a bound whilst I was playing a sort of bob-cherry with my off stirrup. The brute had evidently had his eye on the spot where Frank had jumped into cover, for directly he reached it he wheeled sharp round, nearly sending me over his shoulder, and went at the place forty miles an hour. To do the horse justice he could " jump, and we landed with a crash into a mass of hazels entwined with brambles. Through this he tore like a mad thing for some fifty yards or so, tearing my coat, knocking my hat off, scratching my face and hands to ribbons, and once nearly coming head over heels by putting his foot in a rabbit hole. At last we got to a ride, and down this I managed to turn him. Luckily there was a gate at the end, and it was open, and through this we passed into a very sticky clay field, much poached and trodden by cattle. Over the fence at the end of this I saw Frank disappearing; but by now I had got hold a bit of Flotsam, and the stiff holding soil had somewhat sobered him. Con- A RIDE ON A FOUR-YEAR-OLD. 103 sequently I rode straight at what looked like a nice easy gap under a tree ; and so it was for any animal who would take matters quietly and rationally ; but no, this headstrong devil directly I turned him at it put on the steam, and with a rush and a bound jumped bank and double ditch in a fly, knocked my hat clean over my eyes, crushing the crown, and reducing what in the morning had been a beautiful * shiny new Lincoln and Bennett to a shapeless squashed mass. Then across two more fields, through a couple of luckily open gates, and we reached a little cover where hounds threw up. Here we hung about for a few moments, and I thought I would take the opportunity of gracefully retiring down a handy lane and get home. I got to the lane, which ran nearly parallel to the cover, when hounds hit off the line again. Half-a- dozen men clattering down the lane set Mr. Flotsam off again ; and though I let them all pass me one by one, my mount seemed determined not to accommodate his pace to mine, but sidled, io 4 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. fidgetted, snorted, pulled, and behaved in the most unreasonable manner ; so I thought I would trot on. This, however, didn't suit my friend, and he was perpetually trying to break into a canter ; and as the lane was paved with large cobble-stones and very slippery, it may be imagined that our progress down it was by no means safe or comfort- able. At last, when we neared the end, the confounded fox took it into his head to turn short back, and I of course headed him. Up came the pack bristling for blood, dashed into the lane, crossed it, and flung themselves the other side. Of course they had overrun the scent ; but Frank soon came up, and catching hold of his hounds, brushed past me with the pack after him on the line I told him the fox had taken. Now as I saw hounds coming towards me I tried to turn my horse's head; but no, contrariness seemed to be one of his pet vices, for he would not turn ; and just as bad luck would have it, as nearly all the pack had passed us, he lashed out A RIDE ON A FOUR-YEAR-OLD. 105 and knocked over a puppy named " Careless." Fortunately, not much damage was done ; but I heard a voice on the other side of the fence exclaim, "Who the deuce is that ass in the road? He's always in the way, and now seems bent on killing a few hounds." Now my cup of misery was nearly full, but this almost made it overflow, so I called out, " This ass doesn't know who the deuce you are, sir; but he'd be precious glad if you'd change horses with him, when perhaps you might help to kill a few more hounds." Needless to say I got no answer, as the gentle- man in question now saw I was riding one of the master's horses. Flotsam now having done all the mischief he could, condescended to turn round and follow the hounds, who ran across two or three fields, luckily well gated. At last they threw up on a fallow field, and out of this the only way was either over a bank with a tremendous high quickset fence and double ditch, or else a little place in a corner where io6 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. a donkey could get over provided he crawled up and let you part the overhanging hazels with your hand, whilst he slithered down the opposite side. Frank and his two whips went over, and then my turn came, and I walked up to it. Oh, dear no, not at all, Flotsam wouldn't have it at any price ; he turned, backed, twisted, went tail first, in fact every way but the one he was wanted. Some half-a-dozen others in the meantime had gone over and thus considerably reduced the size of the obstacle, and this was the moment my charming animal selected to change his mind on the subject, for all of a sudden he darted forward, made a mighty spring, jumped about three times as high and as wide as he need have, and swishing through the hazels, which nearly pulled me out of my saddle, landed on his nose on the far side, but to his credit reco- vered himself and saved a fall, though I nearly cut what is vulgarly described a "voluntary." Hounds hunted merrily along over some half- dozen fields with small flying fences, all of which A RIDE' ON A FOUR-YEAR-OLD. 107 Flotsam negotiated safely, though jumping far bigger than necessary. At last we got to a newly cut cover, through which hounds hunted slowly. Through this cover a winding apology for a path led, and here again my intractable steed gave fresh evidence of his desire and power to make my wishes subservient to his ; for whilst I wanted to trot quietly along the path and avoid the sharp-cut stubs and ash stools that fringed it, he wanted to gallop blindly on over them. At last we emerged, and then crossed another couple of miserable wet clayey fields, that offered but scant pasturage to some score of wretched half-starved sheep. These were quite sufficient, however, to foil the line, and hounds threw up. Frank had then to take hold of them, and held them on over the next field (a heavy fallow) towards a small cover. Arriving here, two rides presented themselves about fifty yards apart, both leading down the copse. The one on the right and directly in front of me was open, whilst the entrance to the other was pro- io8 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. tected by a newly made stiff " writh " fence about four feet high of most uncompromising stoutness. Naturally / wished to avoid an unnecessary jump, but Flotsam as usual held a different opinion. He now had a jumping fit on, and follow the other horses down the open ride he would not, but kept backing and sidling till he got opposite the stiff barrier, then snorting and reaching at his bridle, he made a half rear, gave a bound forward, and before I could stop him, with ears pricked went forty miles an hour at the fence. I don't think I ever felt a horse make such a bound in my life. Taking off some ten feet in front, and kicking back at the fence (more Hibernico), he landed as far the other side, and then tore down through the cover regardless of the ride, stum- bling and blundering over the loose and moss- grown stones that clothed the somewhat steep slope. At last we reached the bottom, thank goodness in safety, and joined the rest of the field. In the meanwhile hounds had fresh found their *-., ~ A RIDE ON A FOUR-YEAR-OLD. 109 fox, who had lain down, and were bustling him merrily round the cover, which he was loth to leave. At the point where we were standing two deep rutted cart tracks met. One led up outside the cover where hounds were hunting, the other past a yellow clayey pond to a lane. Thinking of course that the direction where hounds were and where the rest of the field had proceeded would be the one that would most recommend itself to my mount's choice, I turned him that way, but, oh dear, no. He insisted on going the other. Round and round he went, boring and shaking his head, every now and then putting a foot in one of the deep ruts, squirting up a volume of nasty muddy water into my eye, and threatening every moment to blunder on to his nose. By this time we had nearly reached the pond, into which there seemed every probability of his finally depositing himself and me. My patience and strength were now exhausted, so I gave him a couple of vicious digs with my spurs, and with no POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. all the remaining strength I possessed brought my hunting crop smartly down on his shoulder. At this insult up went my friend on his hind legs and began waltzing about, whilst I in terror hung on by his mane, then dropping lightly down and seeing I had nearly slithered over his tail, he gave two tremendous kicks which landed me on his neck and nearly into the pond, and finally walked quietly and sedately away in the direction I had originally wanted him to take. Just at this moment "whoo- whoop ! n rang out, and presently I. saw Frank scrambling out of the cover with the fox held high above him and surrounded by the baying pack. Whilst the obsequies were being performed I dis- mounted and walking up joined the circle, and never, no never was I so glad to get off a horse in my life. In reply to Frank's queries as to how my mount had carried me I could only murmur something about " being a little raw," ''would im- prove by riding," &c., all the while pretending to be busy loosening the girths. A RIDE ON A FOUR- YEAR-OLD. in However, I dare say you, reader, are tired of this long-winded yarn, but I am sure that any sense of weariness you may be suffering from mentally, is as nothing compared to the lassitude, corporeal as well as mental, I suffered from, and I think it will be many a long day before, even to please such a good kind friend as old Frank, I venture to ride " a four-year-old " again ! A DAY'S ROUGH SHOOTING. THE late Mr. Bromley Davenport, in his charming book " Sport," rightly holds up to ridicule the gentlemen of the fourth estate who in the daily London journals denounce the effeminacy of the modern sportsmen, and with the scathing sarcasm of his powerful pen, aided by a thorough knowledge of the subject he is writing about, gives those gentlemen "one" twixt wind and water, exposing their ignorance of a subject on which they would fain pose as mentors. Thorough sportsman, however, as the author of "Sport" was, and graphically as he tells us how to ride a " fast forty minutes " over Leicester- shire, how to play and land the silvery salmon among the rugged scenery, picturesque fiords, anH A DAY'S ROUGH SHOOTING. 113 rivers of Norway, how to stalk and shoot the lordly stag, and "pull down" a rocketting cock pheasant, still he tells us nothing about how a man who has not had the advantages of position and money that he had may enjoy sport, ay, and enjoy it as keenly. All of us cannot afford to hunt in the shires, rent salmon rivers, grouse moors, and forests, or indulge in big bags; and yet I think the man" who is owner of a good clever ,30 screw, who can come out twice a week even in a provincial country, who can occasionally get a fair day's trout- fishing, e'en though he has to be content with quarter-pound and half-pound fish, and who sometimes has a day's rough shooting, when a limited bag of say a dozen head has to be worked for and walked for, derives as much pleasure from the sport he partakes of as his richer and more fortunate brother sportsman. Far be it from me to decry the skill or powers of those who have the means to enjoy the cream of sport. Having more opportunities than their less i 1 1 4 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. fortunate brethren for exercising their skill, they ought for that very reason to attain a higher degree of excellence in the individual sport they indulge in. We all of us would prefer a quick gallop over grass in a flying country to a slow pottering run in a plough country with big banks ; feel prouder of landing a fresh-run twenty-pound salmon than pulling out a quarter-pound trout ; and it certainly is better fun whilst it lasts to have say a hundred to two hundred shots at a "battue" so called, or at a grouse or partridge drive, than to toil along all day for perhaps a score of shots, many of them wild and difficult ones. Yet which man think you feels really the most satisfaction at the conclusion of his sport, say on a day at the end of November or first week in December he who sees some five hundred pheasants, two hundred hares, and three hundred rabbits all laid out pre- paratory to being carted away to a game-dealer's ; or he who after a long tramp over moor and moun- tain, over marshy field and rocky glen, at the end A DAY'S ROUGH SHOOTING. 115 of the day empties his game-bag and finds it to contain a nice mixed bag ? I trow the latter. Some of my readers will perhaps laugh me to scorn, and say, " Oh, bosh ! you don't mean to say you'd sooner go sweating about all day on the chance of getting twenty shots at different sorts of game, to getting a couple of hundred comfort- ably and having everything managed for you ? " Well to such a query I can only in reply say that personally I should much prefer having a day's sport, such as I now propose narrating, to the best day's covert shooting anyone could offer me. I don't do this in any spirit of swagger or arro- gance, or assume that though my opinion may differ from that of many real and good sportsmen that I am right. Far from it. Probably they would beat me at my own game ; but as I think there may be some who hold the same views as myself, for their amusement these lines are penned, so if you have read thus far, amico mio, and only care for the "big shoot," skip these pages, for they will not I 2 n6 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. interest you. But though you do skip them, read I pray you that most excellent article in the Field of 1 6th April, 1887, by "Peregrine," entitled "The Philosophy of Sport." His practised hand will show you far better than any words of mine on what lines I base my argument. "Peregrine" divides sport into three headings. viz., Acquisitiveness, Skill, and Uncertainty. Now the poor man enjoys all these ; the latter more than his more fortunate brother, for in rough and mixed shooting there is decidedly a glorious uncertainty which there is not on well-preserved ground. Acquisitiveness he certainly enjoys most, for his few head of game have for him a far greater value than my lord's two thousand head, which is pro- bably promptly sold, and for whose possession the lordly head cares no more for than you or I would care for the envelope enclosing a bill. Skill, no doubt, both enjoy, and as " Peregrine" rightly observes, this is a feeling which never diminishes. Still I venture to affirm that the man who stalks a A DAY'S ROUGH SHOOTING. 117 wary old cock grouse towards the end of November feels more satisfaction in bowling that individual bird over at forty to fifty yards after a long back- aching crawl, than my lord does in killing his forty or fifty brace in a drive with a couple of guns and a loader. In one case the sportsman has to work and pit his own cunning and skill against the game, in the other he has not voila tout! Now without further preamble I will tell you of about the best day's rough shooting I ever had ; and it was on this wise. My friend J. C , familiarly termed Joe, had rented a place on the south-west coast of Scotland, and had invited me up to stay with him for ten days. So one evening towards the end of November I left the fog and smoke of London behind, and comfortably ensconced in a sleeping car, shared only with my dear old retriever " Sam," who had (possibly with a view to a tip) been admitted by a civil and kind-hearted con- ductor, I started by the night mail from Euston and reached my destination about 6.30 A.M. the n8 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. following morning. Here I found a dog- cart wait- ing for me, and after a six-mile drive I arrived at Joe's house. After a tub I joined him at breakfast, when I found he himself had only come up the previous night, and that none of his other guests were to arrive till the evening, so to his proposal that we two should go out for a stroll and pick up what we could I gave a ready and cordial assent. At about 9.30 therefore we started, accompanied by the old keeper, Archie by name, and a couple of beaters to carry our bag. Now Archie was a queer-looking specimen of humanity, and as unlike the ordinary type of keeper as you could well imagine. Tall, gaunt, and thin, with tremendous long arms and legs, he stood some six feet two inches high, without an ounce of spare flesh. His weather-beaten face, from which twinkled out a pair of keen blue eyes, was surmounted by long straggling locks, very much the colour of tow, with that greeny tinge that fair hair often assumes in the transition stage to grey. Taciturn by nature and A DAY'S ROUGH SHOOTING. 119 honest as the day, he yet had a fund of dry pawky Scotch humour, and in spite of his queer appearance and yet queerer get up, I would back Archie to show you more game on wild rough ground than the swellest of swell keepers that ever swaggered in all the glories of velveteen and cord breeches. The early morning had been foggy and with a slight tinge of frost, but the sun as soon as it got up asserted his powers, and the day turned out a perfect one. There was a slight westerly breeze which drove the fleecy clouds overhead, and the exhilarating northern air seemed to infuse fresh life into one's lungs too long accustomed to breathe the damp and enervating vapours of the South. Ten minutes' walk brought us to the ground we were to try first. This consisted of some stubble, rough grass, and a couple of swede fields, and was situated in a hollow lying between two hills that composed the grouse moor. Forming line, we started across a stubble from which three good covies of partridge rose out of shot ; but two lots 120 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. we marked down into some swedes, and another I strongly suspected of having pitched in a patch of rough grass bordered by a wall. On reaching the spot I could see by the way old " Sam " cocked his ears and looked up in my face as much as to say that he winded something, that birds were not far off; so with a wave of my hand towards the wall I gave him the desired permission, and as he topped it a brace of birds got up on the far side, and circling round came lovely rocketting shots over our heads. Joe knocked over his, whilst I missed mine with my first barrel, but bagged him with my second. We then went on to the swedes, when both covies rose rather wild; however, we each managed to secure one bird. From here we adjourned to a pond that lay on the moor, on a slight flat piece of ground between two hillocks, and on which Archie predicted we should find some snipe, " and maybe ye' 11 get a chance at a duck," he added. It was rather a pull up, and several six-feet walls that would have delighted "a man for Gal way " A DAY'S ROUGH SHOOTING. 121 had to be climbed over. As I was getting over the last one, an old cock grouse rose about forty yards off and went skimming away over the hill to my right with a self-satisfied chuckle that he at all events had done us. Of course, seated astride on a loose stone wall is not the position most calculated to ensure steadiness of aim, or, as laid down in the old musketry regulations, " that unison between hand and eye that is essential to good shooting," added to which I had, as becomes every careful sports- man, removed my cartridges ; hence that grouse kept the number of his mess. To me there is something inexpressibly wild and sporting in the cry of an old cock grouse or the "sca-a-pe " of a snipe, and to my ears it has greater charms than the sound of " twice twenty thousand cock pheasants on wing." But we have a good couple of hundred yards' stiff climb yet ere we reach the pond, so I must not waste breath moralising, but get forward, and put " a stout heart to a stae brae." 122 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. At last we reach the top, and stopping for a moment to regain breath, we creep forward with bent bodies just under the rise of the final brow, and peer cautiously over in case one of the ducks should be at home. However, as far as ducks are concerned, the pond was tenantless, so we regain our erect position and advance. The pond is a most sporting-looking little bit of ground, some hundred yards long by fifty wide. It has numerous little heather-clad islets on it, whilst the edges and one end are thickly clothed with rushes that project some nine inches above the water. " Sca-a-pe ! sca-a-pe! sca-a-pe ! " resound in front and on each side of us, and half-a-dozen snipe rise simultaneously and go twisting away down wind. We fire our four barrels at them, but with no result, alas ! then another rises in front of me, and I bowl him over. I then send in " Sam," who duly investigates every corner, but there is nothing else there. As we turn away I see a snipe circling round above us, and presently see him pitch on a A DAY'S ROUGH SHOOTING. 123 bit of burnt heather not a hundred yards from us, and just over a slight undulation in the ground. We walk up, and as we top the rise up he gets, a lovely shot for Joe, who, however, misses him handsomely; but I have the gratification of cutting him down with a longish shot, and thereby wiping my friend's eye. However, this is explained by his having fired No. 5 shot, whilst I had taken the precaution of slipping in a couple of cartridges loaded with No. 8. We now leave the moor and descend towards a valley that lies beyond. The slope downwards is composed of rough undrained grass fields, with here and there springs and bogs, whilst numerous little runlets of limpid water ripple down to join the burn that flows at the bottom of the valley. Passing through a clump of rough sedge grass, a hare jumps up, which Joe bowls over, sending poor puss tumbling head over heels downhill. At the report a snipe rises in front of me, which I miss; but it was a long and difficult shot, so I feel I may well be excused. 124 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. Crossing the burn we walk up a sedgy, boggy bottom, where we expect to find some snipe, but Scolopax is not at home. However it was not blank, for "Sam" walking at my heel, winds a hare in her form and promptly pounces on her and brings her to me wriggling and squeaking. She is handed over to Archie, who promptly de- spatches her by a blow at the back of the neck. We are now near a field of swedes where there is a chance of a blackcock. We get over the gate and quietly form line. Goodness ! what a wet sticky field that was, and the weeds would have driven any south country farmer wild ; and as to its holding anything except a snipe, I should have deemed it impossible. However, the roots were exceptionally fine, and as to my latter surmise events proved me wrong. We had got half through when up gets a wood-pigeon. Thinking this will add variety to the bag and save the farmer's roots, I give him the contents of my right barrel, and down he comes ; but at the report up flusters an old blackcock in A DAY'S ROUGH SHOOTING. 125 front of Joe. It was a longish shot, and a black- cock at this time of year takes a lot of killing ; but the choke-bore is in the hands of a workman, and he is cut down before he has accomplished sixty yards of his flight. He is a runner, however, and gives " Sam " some fun and work before he is gathered. This swede field slopes down abruptly on one side by a gorse and bramble-covered pit. As we reach its edge a strong covey of partridges rises wild below us. We both fire, but the smoke hangs, so we can't give them our second barrels, and they go on their way rejoicing and let us hope untouched, for I think there is nothing so unsatisfactory as "hitting" a bird or animal and failing to bag it. In the first place it gives unnecessary pain to the poor brute, and secondly it is unsportsmanlike. How often one hears a man say, " Oh ! I know I hit it hard," and in corroboration he will point to a lot of fluff on the ground, or a handful of feathers floating in the air. No, no, either kill your game clean or miss it clean, for nothing looks so bad as to see a man iz6 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. having perpetually to give his game the coup de grace after it has been gathered. Of course instances will occur to the best of shots and sports- men of having a winged bird or a crippled hare, you can't help it sometimes; but I maintain that a man has no right to go firing at game at all impos- sible distances where the chances against his killing are a hundred to one, and only a remote, a very remote chance exists of a stray pellet hitting and maybe maiming it. Keepers are very fond of saying to a palpable miss and by way of consolation, "Oh! it's very hard hit, sir." Confound all such keepers, ct hoc genus omne, say I. For my own part I'd much sooner they had the honesty to say like an old Yorkshire keeper who initiated me into the art of shooting, " Ye shot a leetle under him that time," or "Ye were just ower him that time." However, let's finish this field of swedes after this bit of moralising. We re-form line and take the other half back. A covey of seven partridges rise in front of Joe and he misses them clean. A brace A DAY'S ROUGH SHOOTING. 127 of birds, however, detach themselves from the remainder and come swinging over my head with a cry of alarm, and to my satisfaction they both yield up their lives to my right and left barrels. Sending Archie and the men round to drive some stubbles on the chance of black game, Joe and I proceed to post ourselves, and for this purpose recross the burn, which a little lower down develops into a sort of miniature glen, whose sides are clothed with broom and thorn a very woodcocky-looking spot. As we skirt its edge a rabbit jumps up, which I account for. Leaving me posted behind a thick and matted thorn-bush, Joe proceeds to post him- self lower down. I hear him fire and then see a partridge skimming along the other side of the glen and affording me a nice crossing shot, though decidedly a long one. I had lately been reading a good deal, in the Field and Shooting about " aiming forward." Here was a good opportunity to put the theories as therein laid down into practice, so I pitch up my gun as near as I can judge about 128 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR, six feet in front of the bird and pull, and to my satisfaction he falls with a crash amongst the stunted branches of a rowan-tree that grows on the opposite side, thence falls on to a moss-grown boulder and slides off into the stream. I send "Sam" to retrieve the bird, and on his way down he puts up a cock pheasant, which, prohpudor! I miss shamefully, and I see him skim away miles above Joe's head towards a little cover some half a mile below, into which I see him alight with a flap of his wings. We now see Archie & Co. approaching across the opposite stubble, and they have apparently not put up any black game, as not a sign of any have we seen. The little glen seems such a tempting spot for a cock, or may be it will yield another bunnie, that before rejoining Joe I wave old " Sam" in. The broom below me is violently agitated, and the next moment out pops a rabbit some thirty yards from me. He instantly turns back, but too late, the charge of No. 5 catches him fairly in the head and over he rolls, turning a complete somer- A DAF'S ROUGH SHOOTING. 129 sault into a patch of bracken. Just as I have reloaded there is a " flip-flap," and for a moment I catch sight of a reddish brown bird darting up the glen. A cock, by Jingo ! But there's no time to lose in making sure, he'll be round that rock in another instant. If long shots are permissible at anything they are at woodcock, for being soft-fleshed birds a single pellet will often stop them, so pitch- ing up the twelve-bore I take a snap shot. I look forward but he does not go on. I can't see if he is down, but a feather or two floating in mid-air tells me I have hit, so scrambling down to the spot where I fancy he has fallen I tell " Sam "to " seek dead." The old dog bustles about and then hits a line leading along the edge of the burn. This he carries on for some sixty yards or so over rough boulders, through rushes, and bracken, till he dis- appears round a bend of the bank. I feel half inclined to call him back, thinking he must have got on to a rabbit, but wiser thoughts prevail and I leave him alone. Sitting down and lighting a K i 3 o POWDER, SPUR, AXD SPEAR. pipe I wait for some five minutes, and then have the satisfaction of seeing the old dog returning along the top of the bank with something in his mouth. The something turns out to be the cock, and this he delivers up with a wag of his tail and an approving smile on his old grey-muzzled face. Taking the bird which is alive and staring hard with its great lustrous black eyes from him, I find I have only just tipped the end of his pinion bone. Hence his making such good use of his legs. And now a word about retrievers. How many birds are lost by that abominable habit of many sportsmen, and keepers in particular, of speaking to dogs when they are seeking for a dead or wounded bird ? Nine times out of ten if you tell a keeper you have a bird down and indicate the spot, he puts his dog on to it, and all the time the animal is hunting the keeper will keep up a running fire of " Seek dead," " Hi' lost, good dog." Surely if a dog is worth his keep he doesn't require all this talk by way of encouragement, and it only attracts his attention. A DAY'S ROUGH SHOOTING. 131 Then probably the intelligent keeper will walk about over the ground trying if he can see the bird, thereby foiling the ground. Perhaps the dog takes a wide circle in a direction where the "I. K." thinks the bird can't have gone, and he calls the dog back and makes him hunt where he thinks the bird is. Now I contend all this is a mistake. The quieter you are in every way the more chance your dog has of being successful. If he is worth anything he will do his best both for his own pleasure for it is great pleasure to dogs to retrieve, or else why should they do it naturally and for yours, so let him hunt as long as he will. Time enough when he gives it up for you to make your cast. I must be pardoned for this digression, but I think all practical sports- men will agree with me in the above remarks. Having extracted the little feathers from the woodcock's wings, those trophies dear to every shooter, I gather up my two rabbits and partridge and rejoin Joe, who is now on the other side of the burn, engaged in consultation with Archie & Co. K 2 i 3 2 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. Having congratulated me on my luck at getting the cock, Joe says, " There are a brace of grouse marked down in that stubble," pointing to one two fields distant ; " what would you like to do ? Shall we get Archie to drive them, or will you try and stalk them, whilst I go to the top end and stand behind the wall in case they go that way ? ' : I elect to try and stalk them, and before start- ing ask Archie whereabouts they are. "D'ye see yon bit bush against the dyke ? " says he, point- ing to a little weather-beaten thorn. On my replying in the affirmative he continues, "Weel, they're jist aboot half-way 'twixt that and the corner of the dyke that rins along the top of the field, close till a patch o' bracken ye' 11 see; but ye' 11 hae to keep weel doun out o' sicht, for the groose is jist verra canny this time o' the year." Having got the bearings I start off, and making a detour over a horribly wet sticky ploughed field with 'body bent double and "Sam" crouching behind me, in due time I arrive at the spot where A DAY'S ROUGH SHOOTING. 133 the thorn bush grows. Raising myself gradually inch by inch behind it till I can just see over the top of the wall I peer through the thick matted branches. Not a sign of a grouse can I see. Hullo! though, what's that ! Yes, it moves. It's a grouse's head, and he has just popped it down and has squatted in the rank rough grass that grows at the edge of the wall. They must have run, however, for they are very near the corner of the wall that runs across the top of the field and joins the one I am behind. I know Joe is up there, so it will be hard lines if we don't one of us get a shot. The grouse, however, are still a good hundred yards away, so I must creep on. Noting their whereabouts as near as I can, and beckoning to " Sam " to lie down, I advance crouching double how it makes one's back ache when "splosh" goes a foot into a pool of peaty water, then a stone slips from under my feet, and I nearly come on my nose. At last I reach the spot opposite where I think the grouse are, , and pausing a moment to take breath., look through 134 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. the interstices of the loose stones of which the wall is built. I can see nothing however, so raising myself I look over the top. Nothing, by Jove ! they must have got up ! when there is a whirr of wings behind me. " Look out ! " from Joe, and turn- ing round I see a brace of grouse going over the wall, whilst a third heads back towards the glen where I had been posted some twenty minutes previous. The brace, however, afford me a lovely shot, and I drop them right and left. We now join forces and go on across a couple of rough grass fields to a broom and gorse-grown glen that marks the boundary of Joe's shooting. On our way he kills a snipe, whilst I miss a couple as well as a hare, but account for another rabbit. The glen is a very gamey-looking spot, and we beat it carefully ; but not a thing do we see till we get right to the end, when up gets a par- tridge out of a clump of thick gorse, and coming a lovely rocketting shot over Joe, who is stand- ing down at the bottom, is neatly stopped in A DAY'S ROUGH SHOOTING. 135 mid-air, and comes whirling down round and round. It is now half-past two, and inward qualms remind us it is about lunch-time, so we adjourn to a large flat rock that overhangs the bubbling burn running seawards at the bottom of the glen, and out of a spare game-bag our lunch is produced. We don't go in for hot luncheons, Norwegian stoves, or luxu- ries of that sort, but have each a packet of beef sand- wiches, some biscuits and cheese, whilst our whisky flasks and the pure burn water afford us drink equal to and far more wholesome than the best Perrier Jouet or any other choice brand, and far better stuff to walk on. There is cold meat and bread and cheese and, of course, some " High- land wine" for the men; and as we discuss our grub the game is laid out to cool. A very pretty show it makes, and though not great as far as numbers go, variety makes up for that. Up to now we had got the following : seven partridges, one blackcock, two grouse, three snipe, one woodcock, 136 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. one wood-pigeon, two hares, and three rabbits, making a total of twenty head. We rest for half an hour and smoke a pipe or two, and then go on to a swede field that lies between a couple of small covers. The field is very uneven and undulating, and here and there great boulders of rock crop up, around whose base tufts of rough grass and bracken nestle. At the far end of the field lies a little patch of gorse and brambles, lying on a slope only separated from the cover by a stone wall. We beat the field systematically and have some very pretty shooting, getting two brace and a half of partridges and a pheasant out of it ; and now we intend to beat the little patch of cover above alluded to. As we advance to take up our position for our " bouquet," I step on to a large boulder, when out flusters a brown bird from under my very feet, and goes flopping away in an owl- like manner right in the eye of the sun. At first I think it is an owl and don't fire, but by the time he has got some forty yards away second thoughts A DAY'S ROUGH SHOOTING. 137 prevail, and I give him the contents of my right barrel, and in a few moments " Sam" lays at my feet another woodcock Hoorah ! Well, our "bouquet," though on a very limited scale, consisted of about a dozen pheasants, out of which we account for eight. Having left some game with the farmer over whose land we had been shooting for Joe is the most generous of men, and has the wisdom to know that nothing tends to increase a good stock of game so much as being liberal to the men on whose farms it is reared we turn homewards. It is a long tramp all up-hill and nothing exciting occurs, nor do we see any game, bar a covey of partridges, out of which I get one. In due time we reach the pond where we got the snipe in the morning, and try it in the hope that some of them may have returned, but in this we are disappointed. Joe says he must get home, but suggests my taking a slight detour over a heather-clad hill which abounds in little spurs and knolls, saying I may get a shot i?8 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. or two at grouse if I go quietly in and out and round them. As this concurs exactly with my own sentiments I start off. Grouse I see plenty of, but somehow they always got up a long way off. They can't have seen me, I know, so am at a loss to un- derstand it, when looking back I behold one of the beaters (who I subsequently found out had been told to follow me and carry my bag) calmly walking along the sky-line of the hill parallel with me, and of course putting up the birds long before they could see me. Waving him back and pointing homewards, I give him to understand that his room would be preferable to his company, and presently see that he has understood me, for he turns down-hill and follows the direction the rest of the party have taken. So now I am quite alone, on strange ground, with no one to assist me except old " Sam," and I feel thoroughly happy. My best chances, however, have been spoilt, and I am obliged before reaching any more ground suitable for stalking to cross a large flat where, of course, A DAY'S ROUGH SHOOTING. 139 so late in the season, I have no chance of a shot. Two or three packs of grouse and an odd bird or two, wary old cocks in all probability, rise off this, but without affording me a shot. The ground then slopes steeply towards the sea, now glittering in all the beauties of a November sunset. Below I see the glisten of water, so pulling up I shade my eyes and look. Yes, it is a small pond, and perhaps there's a duck on it. " Sam " too gazes anxiously forward, wagging his tail. What is that black speck near the side? a tuft of grass, a rock, or what? Sitting down I watch. At last it moves yes, and swims out into the middle of the pond ; but it is too far to make out for certain what it is, and after all it may be only a moor-hen. However, we'll go and see, though it involves a considerable detour and a sharp descent over some broken rocky ground. From my elevated position I can see a small sort of ravine affords an outlet for the waters of the pond, and up this I propose to advance, as I shall then be well below the level of the water i 4 o POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. and out of sight. It takes me a good half-hour to get round, but at last I reach the ravine and creep slowly up it. As I reach the top and step on to level ground, up flusters an old mallard out of the rushes that fringe the little pool, his green head and neck glittering in the evening sun ; his alarmed ' ' quack-quack ' ' is answered by a single bang and he falls with a delightful thud on the heather. After smoothing his feathers down and duly admir- ing him, I put his head under his wing and stuff him into my nearly empty cartridge-bag, and then turn homewards. There is a big cover which I have to skirt, as I don't want to disturb it, knowing we are going to shoot it the next day, so I walk along the wall by which it is surrounded. The heather of the moor comes right down to the wall, and even extends some distance into the cover, which at this end is mainly composed of Scotch fir and spruce. Not an unlikely spot I think to come across an old blackcock, or a woodcock A DAY'S ROUGH SHOOTING. 141 starting for his evening's reading. No such luck befalls me, however; but still my sport is not all over, for as I reach almost the end of the wall and round a little heathery spur, before descending into the road that will take me home, three grouse spring up and a lucky right and left adds a brace to the bag. The sun is now nearly down and I have a couple of miles to go, so lighting a pipe and tying the birds together, "Sam" and I, mu- tually pleased with ourselves, set off. Joe is de- lighted at my success and heartily congratulates me. After a split whisky and soda we go down to the game larder and inspect our bag, which contains the following: thirteen partridges, nine pheasants, four grouse, one blackcock, two wood- cocks, three snipe, one duck, one woodpigeon, two hares, and three rabbits, making a very respectable total of thirty-nine head. Now, gentle reader, a day like this presents to my unenlightened mind the most enjoyable form of sport and worth fifty big days, where you count 142 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. your slain by hundreds, and run the chance of being peppered by some careless gun ; and I ven- ture to say that you will agree with me and say there are lots of worse things than "A Day's Rough Shooting.' ' SOME PANTHER AND TIGER TALK. IT was a bright clear frosty night in December, and the wood fire in the General's smoking room burnt brilliantly, the big ash logs throwing out a grateful heat, and sparkling and hissing in a most cheery manner. Three men sat round the fire comfortably attired in smoking coats and slippers, each smoking a briar-root pipe. We will call them the General, the Major, and the Civilian. They were all old Indians, and the two latter were down on a visit to their old friend the former, who had taken a fine mansion with some excellent shooting in one of the southern counties. It is needless for me to enter into any description of their personal appearance. First, because I am not an adept at that sort of thing ; secondly, because my poor pen 144- POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. could not do justice to the beauty of their forms and features ; and thirdly, that were I to attempt the task I should probably make a terrible hash of it, and in all likelihood convert one, if not all of them, from good friends into enemies for life ! All that I will say therefore is that they were gentlemanly and good-looking, if not handsome men. It was that witching hour of night when, released from the restraint of the drawing-room, men's tongues are loosened and over the consumption of tobacco tales are told that are not heard elsewhere. The three sat puffing in solemn silence for some little time, when the Major took up his parable and spoke. " I say, General, what a lovely place that little glen where I shot the woodcock to-day would have been for a chance beat for tiger, panther, or bear. Really when I was standing at the upper end I could almost have fancied myself posted for a honk (beat) had it not been for the cold." "Yes," replied the General, "it has often struck me in the same way, and those big bare trees that SOME PANTHER AND TIGER TALK. 145 grow along the top above the rocks always remind me of a good day I once had in the Dandelly jungles when I got a panther under rather curious circumstances." "Talking of panther," interposed the Civilian, " why is it one is almost invariably disappointed in finding the animal, even though he may have 'killed'? I have beaten time after time for the brutes, but have only very seldom succeeded in turning them up, and then it was merely by chance. It used to be bad enough to go off a dozen miles on news of a kill, only to find on one's arrival that it was a brute of a panther, and then not to see him after all." "I'm sure I've been sold often enough in the same manner," rejoined the Major. "Why is it, General, that the brutes are so hard to find ? You ought to know if any one does." A grim smile came over the old officer's features as, lighting a fresh pipe, he replied between the puffs " Did you ever look up in the trees?" His L 146 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. companions shook their heads incredulously and re- plied in the negative. " Well,' 1 continued the Gene- ral, "it's my firm belief that they get up into trees during a beat and are therefore often not seen, men as a rule expecting to find them on the ground. I was just going to tell you," turning to the Civilian, " how I once shot one up in a tree, when you inter- rupted me, and it was the Major's remark about that little glen we shot to-day that reminded me of it. I had heard a good deal about a panther that inhabited a particular very sporting-looking little ravine in the Dandelly jungles, and had been out several times after him, but without success. At last one day my shikari brought me khubber that he had come across one of his fresh kills, a doe cheetal, and vouched for its being a panther's kill and not a tiger's, as the stomach had been all eaten away first, which you both know is always the panther's way of beginning his meal, and in this respect he differs from the tiger, who almost invariably begins on a leg or at the shoulder, and begged me to come out, saying SOME PANTHER AND TIGER TALK. 147 he had beaters all ready and every arrangement made. The place was only about four miles from rny camp, so telling" my shikari to take on my rifles I finished my work early and then cantered over to the place. Arrived there I found all pre- pared, and we started for the ravine, which was only about three-quarters of a mile distant. I was posted at the top, where it ended in a mass of rocks, and the place was very carefully beaten, but not a sign was there of the panther, and in due course old Emaum (my shikari) and the beaters joined me, the former with a very long face when he heard that again the panther had done us. I was I confess considerably put out myself, and though Emaum wanted to beat another likely-looking place or two I refused, saying I had spent time enough looking for the brute. Accord- ingly we started back for the village, where I had left my pony. Instead, however, of walking down the ravine we kept along the top of a spur that formed one of its sides. Before starting homewards, how- 148 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. ever, I told the beaters to look up at all the trees as they passed, as I had heard lately of an officer having shot several panthers near Dharwar out of trees. We had gone I suppose some three hundred yards when I happened to look up at a bare tree we were just going to pass under. A something caught my eye, and on looking closer there I spotted my friend extended flat along a branch some twenty to twenty-five feet up, with his head resting between his paws in the fork where the branch grew out of the main stem. I don't think he saw me, so whispering to Emaum to give me my rifle I told him to make the beaters who were loiter- ing behind get all together, as I saw the panther up in a tree in front of us. The beaters having been withdrawn for some little distance I advanced, old Emaum saying to me in tones of tremulous excite- ment, ' Achi golee maro, sahib' ('Take a good shot, sir'). I couldn't well miss the brute, and aiming at his head, fired. There was no roar or fuss of any kind ; the spotted head merely sank down between SOME PANTHER AND TIGER TALK. 149 the paws, and there the panther stuck. I gave him another shot to make sure, but though dead enough he didn't drop, for death had been so instantaneous that the body stuck in the fork of the tree. Well, to make a long story short, being satisfied the brute really was dead, I sent a coolie up to pitch him down. The man went up bravely enough, when just as he got within reach the panther's limbs relaxed either from the tree being shaken, or from some other cause, and with a yell of * Jan hy' (' He is coming to life'), my human retriever let go and came slithering to the ground, with the panther falling almost on top of him. I shall never forget that coolie's agonised face nor the nimble way he picked himself up and skipped off, howling as if the devil himself were after him ; and he was pretty well chaffed by his comrades subse- quently. Now I believe panthers often do lie up in trees, and that is why they are so often missed. A man told me the other day that once when out for a walk in the Wynaad jungles with a friend, 1 50 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. they saw a panther cross the path they were on, with a four-horned antelope in his mouth. They had no guns or rifles with them, but for curiosity watched the brute, which they presently saw climb up a large forest tree, place the body of the 1 bekri ' in a fork of the tree, then slither down and depart. They cut a long bamboo and mea- sured the height of the fork, and made it as near as possible about forty feet from the ground." " There is a great deal in your theory, General/' replied the Major, " and I wonder it has not struck men before. Some years ago a friend of mine was killed near Chindwara by a panther pulling him out of his tree. He was posted in a tree that grew on the side of a steepish hill, and fired at the panther, who was above him. The brute charged at once and without the least hesitation sprang up at poor S , and catching him by the legs pulled him down, shortly after expiring itself. S lingered on for a day or so, but though not badly mauled mortification set in and he died. Panthers certainly SOME PANTHER AND TIGER TALK. 151 are nasty brutes to deal with, and in my opinion often more dangerous than tigers. The nearest shave I ever had was with a panther." "How was that?" inquired the Civilian, "tell us all about it." " Well, I and a couple of other fellows were out on a hot weather trip and were camped at a place called Suini, on the Wurdah River. We had had a kill by a panther, and began beating for it, without, however, much hope of success ; but oddly enough, as if to prove that every rule has its exception, the panther turned up almost at once, though only seen by the beaters, and after dodging in and out of the numerous corries and slopes that abounded, slipped past our line just out of practicable range of B , who fired and missed. Persevering, however, we again turned the animal up late in the afternoon in a beat back through the corries. He may have adopted the tree tactics the General has mentioned of leg- ging up a tree, and thus kept out of sight during the first time we beat the ground. Well, he broke 152 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. from one corrie to another close to the bush behind which I was posted. I let drive, and my first shot put a shell into the top of his neck (this of course we only discovered subsequently), and I'm afraid my left barrel was a miss ; but the first shot rolled him fairly over. The brute, however, recovered, and picking himself up galloped off. We tracked him a short distance when we came to a spot which my old shikari said was the panther's lair. It was a perfect little cave formed by a log of wood that had fallen across a fissure in the side of a small corrie. This was overhung by bushes, and below them a quantity of leaves and dead sticks had accumulated, thus forming a most perfect roof to the cavity. The panther was said to be inside this, and after vainly endeavouring to get the brute to break by pelting the spot with stones, and sending men up above to push spears and long sticks down through the rubbish, I went round to a path that led up to the mouth of the cave, and looking up saw the panther lying in it with his tail towards me, SOME PANTHER AND TIGER TALK. '53 apparently as dead as a herring. I called out to my companions, saying it was all right, and that the beast was dead enough. This seemed to have the effect of rousing the brute, and I had only just time to get my rifle up when out he came full of life and hungriness. He was so close that I had only time for one barrel before he could get on to me ; fortu- nately it proved enough, as I hit him in the heart, and he fell dead all of a lump at my very feet. He was a fine male panther, and measured seven feet eight inches. The shell of my first shot had burst too near the surface, and so had only sickened him a bit, not causing much damage. It was a near thing, however, and about the closest shave I ever had in my life." " Yes, old fellow," put in the Civilian, " that was too close to be pleasant, and must have rather upset your nerves. I myself never had the luck to get a shot at a panther, though I have beat for them times out of number, but I dare say the brutes were, as the Oeneral suggests, as often as not up a tree, 154 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. and probably laughing at me ; it is extraordinary how close and invisible such large animals as tigers and panthers can make themselves. " " Talking of tigers being invisible," rejoined the General, " I suppose one of the most extraordinary instances of a tiger not being detected happened to my brother and a friend of his. There was a certain tigress my brother was very anxious to bag, for he had had many a game of romps after her, in fact at one time he thought he had killed her. She came past him a good shot and he rolled her over. There she was with her hind legs apparently para- lysed only a few yards off; she managed, however, to drag herself a short way and then fell over into some bushes at the bottom of a nullah, and after tumbling about a bit all became still. On the beaters coming up my brother heard that there were two well-grown cubs in the cover, so thinking the tigress was dead and quite safe, he went back after the cubs, both of which he shot. He then returned to inspect his dead tigress, but on going SOME PANTHER AND TIGER TALK. 155 to the spot where he had left her, lo and behold ! she had disappeared. They tracked her for a short distance, when they came on a large pool of blood under a bush, and then all traces vanished, and they were forced to give up. She was seen and heard of constantly after this ; but though she would always ' kill,' she would never lie up near the kill. This game went on for three years, till at last my brother and his friend G got her marked down. The place they were going to beat was a very deep nullah, and at a certain spot a large tree had fallen across it, thus completely bridging the chasm. On this tree, half-way across, G announced his intention of sitting, as there he could command both banks of the nullah. My brother was posted out in the open some distance ahead of him and nearer the beaters. Well, the beat began, and presently my brother saw the tigress going along the bank straight to G . Shortly after a bend in the nullah hid her from his sight, so getting down from his post he joined the beaters, expecting every moment to hear G lire. But no shot was heard, 156 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. and they eventually rejoined G , who, on his lofty perch, was sitting like patience on a monu- ment. On being asked what had become of the tigress he replied that the beat had been a mistake all along, for that the tigress had got up behind him among some rocks in the bed of the nullah that during the rains formed a sort of cas- cade consequently he had been unable to fire. Of the accuracy of this statement my brother was rather incredulous, as was also their shikari, for they had both seen the tigress going straight towards G. . Without saying anything the shikari went down into the nullah, and there on its sandy bed were the fresh pugs of the tigress, who had passed actually right under G 's feet without his seeing her! He was very incredulous and said it could not have been the tigress they were beating for, that the pugs were not fresh, and half-a-dozen excuses ; but the fact of the matter was he had been watching the banks so intently that he had never thought of looking into the nullah, and so SOME PANTHER AND TIGER TALK. 157 lost his chance. What became of that tigress I don't know, as my brother soon after left the district. Anyhow he never heard of her again." " How very provoking," replied the Major. " Yet it is strange how often apparently dead tigers recover and take themselves off. I remember once having a good shot at a tiger and rolling him over. I had a native up in a high tree behind me, and asked him if he could see the tiger. He replied in the affirmative, and that the tiger was quite dead. For confirmation I inquired if he was sure, and if he could see where it was hit, and if any blood was running over the white fur of the belly near the eluow. I could not see the exact spot myself. * Yes,' he replied, * the head is lying to the right and the tail to the left, and I can see the blood trickling down from behind the shoulder on to the white fur of the stomach.' Some few minutes elapsed when he called out to me, ' Dowaha ko dehko, sahib ! ' (' Look out to the left, sir ! ') ; and the next moment I saw within fifty yards another tiger gallop through the jungle, 158 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. which I rolled over with my first shot; another finished it, and I then at once descended. On the beaters coming up, old Nulloo, my shikari, said with a grin on his face, * Kitna? ' (' How many ?') I held up two fingers in response, and pointing in the direction where the two tigers were lying said, * One there, and one there.' The second one was 4 all right, as dead as a door nail, but no amount of search could discover the other." " Could you have fired twice at the same tiger? " inquired the Civilian. "No," replied the Major, "the first one was a very large male tiger, and the second (the one I killed, was a tigress) so there could not be any mis- take, and their pugs besides were quite different. In the excitement of seeing the tigress approaching and whilst watching her, my look-out man must have taken his eyes off the tiger, and the brute must have taken advantage of that moment to recover and slope off. Anyhow I never saw him again." "That was certainly very annoying," rejoined SOME PANTHER AND TIGER TALK. 159 the Civilian ; " but talking of close shaves, I once had rather a near one with a tiger which I'll tell you about; only," he added, " first of all let us have some of that excellent whisky of yours, General ; and just a split bottle of potash-water with it, whilst we light another pipe." Thus refreshed he continued : "I and three other fellows, B., H., and R., were out shikaring one hot weather, not far from where/' turning to the Major, "you had that scuffle with the panther. We were camped at a place called Chichmandal, on the Wurdah River. As I dare say you know, the river narrows considerably here, and in one spot flows through a deep channel only a few yards wide, the whole of the river bed on the Chanda side being a mass of smooth rocks covered in places with a thick growth of jow and jamun bushes. There had been a ' kill,' but as the place was unsuitable for beating we determined to track down from the * kill, 1 and look up all likely places near the water. This plan we proceeded to carry into 160 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. execution, and ere long put up the tiger, who was enjoying a mid-day siesta in the grass near the water's edge. To make a long story short, what with running, loading, and firing, I am ashamed to say how many shots were fired at him before he was out of range, anyhow it must have been near a score ; but there was only one positive hit. Some goat wallahs on the opposite bank, however, marked the tiger into a thick patch of bushes on the bank we were on, and pointed out his where- abouts. Making the coolies throw stones into this from behind us, we advanced in line from above. After a few "moments' badgering the tiger got up close to us, but slipping through the thick bushes slunk off without affording any of us a chance of a shot. The goat wallahs, however, again marked him into another thick patch of bushes that fringed and overhung the edge of the water, and from this coign of vantage he refused to move. Sticks, stones, shots, shouts, and copious abuse failed to tempt him to charge us ; so as a last resource B got n ir , m %;-'.|g$s jfttf llsiW M. SOME PANTHER AND TIGER TALK. 16 1 into a ferry-boat, and had himself paddled back- wards and forwards in front of the cover, firing broadsides into it as he passed. After a few rounds this had the desired effect, but the tiger was too sharp for us, for owing to his breaking where we least expected him, he managed to dodge back into his former retreat, only affording one or two of us a snap shot en route, neither of which hit him. After in vain trying to get the brute to show from below, we resumed our former tactics, / viz., advancing from above with the coolies pitch- ing stones over our heads. This last attack exhausted his patience, and out he came at once in proper form. I don't think there was more than about five yards of open between him and us, and B. and H., who were on the right, received his most direct attentions. Six shots met him as he charged, most of them hitting him hard, and he tumbled over actually within a few feet of B.'s rifle. Of course it was most awkward for B., who had stumbled and fallen at the moment ; but it was M 1 62 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. a precious close shave for all of us, and we were lucky to get off without a scratch. The first wound was, as far as we could ascertain, the only one he got before charging, so it didn't say much for our shooting. On looking subsequently at his lair below, we found there was a regular niche scooped into the side of the bank, and this was overhung with thick green bushes, behind which he could lie unseen himself, but seeing all that was going on." "A very pretty bit of shikar," remarked the General ; " it is odd what curs some tigers are, and how reluctant they are to face armed men. Sometimes, though, they are ready enough to bounce up, and roaring, break back through a line of beaters." " Yes," observed the Colonel, " it is very odd how sometimes the same tiger will prove a mixture of cowardice, cunning, and ferocity, and I may add stupidity. The closest shave I ever had was with a tigress that displayed all these qualities. I was beating a patch of jungle where there were very few SOME PANTHER AND TIGER TALK. 163 trees, so I had to place my ladder up against a thick thorny bush. My post was facing a small nullah, and soon after the beat began I saw a tigress's head, breast, and forepaws appear above the bank nearest and directly opposite me. I never like a breast shot, so waited a few moments hoping she would emerge from the nullah and afford me a better one. But as she still continued gazing intently at me I was afraid she might slink back into the nullah and disappear, so fired, and with a roar she acknow- ledged the compliment, and tumbled over back- wards, and there I saw her at least her four legs in the air, for I could not see right into the nullah apparently dead enough. Making the beaters who were coming along the opposite bank throw some stones at her to make sure, up she bounded, and without a moment's warning charged straight under my ladder, and I fired down at her when she could only have been a few feet below me. This shot again tumbled her over, and she half rolled, half staggered, back into the nullah, where M 2 1 64 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. we lost sight of her. Sending the beaters out of harm's way, and accompanied only by my shikari and gun-bearer, I proceeded to look her up. We followed her pugs, which were plain enough for some distance down the nullah, which presently widened out as it entered a thick patch of sindee bushes. The banks were, I suppose, only about four feet high, perhaps a little more. Any- how, we could, whilst standing in the nullah, see under the sindee bushes that grew on them. Pre- sently my shikari whispered he could see the tigress, and pointed her out to me lying down about forty yards off in the thick cover, with appa- rently her tail towards me. As it was getting late and the jungle she was in impregnable, as far as beaters were concerned, even if she had been unwounded, and not knowing if she were dead or not, I determined to risk a shot, and fired. There was a roar; the smoke hung for a moment; then, as the tigress charged, my gun-bearer, like a silly ass, gave a yell and bolted past me ; and at SOME PANTHER AND TIGER TALK. 165 the same moment I saw the tigress bound out of the smoke past me and after my errant gun-bearer. As she landed in the nullah, certainly not three yards from me and precious close to her intended victim, I fired, and luckily bowled her over almost at my feet." ''Too close to be pleasant," remarked the Civi- lian ; " but where had your other shots hit her ? " " On each side of the neck, at its junction with the shoulder-blade," was the reply. " And my shot fired at her when she was lying down had missed her, for we could find no other wound, bar the final one, which had caught her fair through the heart." " By-the-bye," said the General, " did either of you have a beater mauled whilst shikaring ? I must confess I have been singularly lucky in that respect." The Civilian having replied in the negative, the Colonel rejoined " Well, yes, I did have a man mauled once, but 1 66 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. it was all owing to his infernal stupidity. I had been beating a sindbund for a tigress which I had wounded, so I put the beaters all up in trees whilst I went to look her up. As trees were scarce, such as there were had to afford accommodation to more than one, and in one of these trees, close to the edge of the sindbund, beyond which lay an open maidan, were three men, one above another. The pugree of the topmost man happened to become loose and blow out in the breeze. The attention of the tigress, who chanced to be close by this tree, was thus attracted, and with a 'wough-wough' she charged straight at the tree. This put the owner of the pugree in such a mortal funk that with a yell of ' Ai-yo ! ' he let go his hold of the branch and tumbled plump on to his brethren below, and all three of them came with a clatter to the ground right on top of the tigress. Then there was a general skedaddle, and I saw three men emerge from that part of the jungle and bolt away over the maidan. Though it was rather late in the evening, SOME PANTHER AND TIGER TALK. 167 and thinking no one had been hurt, I followed up the tigress, which I eventually bagged, and then returned to camp, to which soon after a wounded man was brought in. It appeared that the tigress when he fell (for it was the ass who tumbled out of the tree from funk), had given a snap at him en passant^ biting him through the thigh, and then had gone on. He immediately got up and made a bolt of it, joining his flying comrades ; and this accounted for my having seen three men leave the jungle, who, at the distance I viewed them from, appeared unhurt. I took the man on with me and applied a poultice of powdered charcoal and bread to his wounds for a few days, and he eventually got all right." ** Talking of beaters being mauled," put in the Civilian, " though I never had a man mauled my- self, I have known many instances of its having occurred, and often where every precaution was taken. Some friends of mine a few years ago were out in the Berar jungles ; they had wounded 1 68 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. a tiger, but eventually lost him, though they worked hard and did all they could to come across the brute, spending some three days in the attempt, all however unsuccessfully. Some few days after they happened to return near the same spot, and heard that the day previous a man who had been out collecting mhowa-flowers in the jungle was suddenly attacked by this wounded tiger, who happened to be lying in a nullah close to where he was at work. He seized the man by the right arm and shook him savagely ; the women and boys who were with him began shouting, and the tiger then left him. On the man trying to escape, the tiger returned and again seized him, whereupon the man had the presence of mind to tear off his pugree with his left arm and stuff it into the tiger's mouth, who then relinquished his hold and went off into the jungle shaking and tearing the pugree. They soon organized a beat, and had the satisfaction of bagging the brute, and found four old wounds on him, viz., one down the wither, one SOME PANTHER AND TIGER TALK. 169 through the ear, one grazing the back, and one through the leg. They were none of them severe, but still quite enough to upset the animal's tempef. Oddly enough, only two days after they had the satisfaction of killing another vicious tiger, who quite unprovoked and without even the excuse of having been wounded, attacked and mauled a villager badly, and was also credited with having killed a Brinjari boy a few days previously. They were taken up to the place where the man had been attacked, which was on the edge of a nullah at the bottom of which grew some thick green bushes. A stone thrown into this soon produced their friend, who bounced out with a roar at his dis- turbers, probably some woodcutters, as he thought ; but the contents of four rifles promptly tumbled him . over and prevented his doing any further mischief." " Anecdotes and conversation about tigers and shikar are certainly very charming and interesting," said the General, taking out his watch, " but do i yo POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. you know it's close upon one o'clock ? Here have we been talking tiger, smoking tiger, drinking tiger, and thinking tiger; and now, no doubt, we shall all dream tiger. Anyhow, as our shikar to- morrow will only consist of pheasants, bunnies, and that now scarce animal, an occasional hare (thanks to Sir W. V. Harcourt), and as it is desirable we should hold our guns straight, I think it is time we returned ourselves members for Bedfordshire. At least, I know I'm going to roost, so good-night everyone." The party then broke up, and followed their host's example ; but before they closed their eyes in sleep the thoughts of each one, I trow, went back to the days of auld lang syne, when shikar in the glorious jungles of the East possessed a charm that not even all the worries of climate and official life could deaden, and wished that once more he could be permitted to partake in the darling sports of his youth. MY FIRST SALMON. IT is said that " All things come to him who knows how to wait," and there is another saying, that " The unexpected always happens." These doubt- less are to a certain extent true, and though, as far as angling goes, some critics may take excep- tion to them, yet they do often happen. It is neither my wish nor desire to enter on a lengthy dissertation on this subject, but I only adduce it in order to illustrate that as far as I was concerned, both these aphorisms were fulfilled to the letter. In the first place, I had from boyhood been strongly imbued with a keen love of sport, and longed to catch a salmon ; and secondly, the chance of doing so arrived when I least expected it. At the time of which I write I was fulfilling the arduous duties of musketry instructor to my regiment, which was 1 72 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. then quartered in the north of Scotland. After a long morning on the range one sultry day in June, where I had for some hours been engaged in endeavouring to teach the " young idea how to shoot," otherwise in trying to convey by precept and practice to the somewhat dense minds of Privates Macphairson, Fraser, & Co., the fact that if they would only hold their rifles tight into their shoulders, and not be afraid of them, they would in time become good shots and arrive at a cer- tain pitch of perfection, through maintaining that " unison between hand and eye which is essential for good shooting," (vide Musketry Red Book), which would result not only in much honour and glory to themselves, not to say pecuniary rewards from a grateful country, but also reflect creditably on me as their instructor. " Confound the fellow, here he is yarning away about musketry and such rot, instead of salmon fishing," you'll say, gentle reader. Have patience with me, prithee, and I will to you unfold my modest tale. MY FIRST SA LMON. 1 7 3 Well, this hot morning, with about as little idea of salmon fishing as of taking tickets for the moon, I had gone into our anteroom with a view to re- freshing the inner man with a cooling drink. Just then two of my brother officers entered, attired in tweeds and knickerbockers, evidently bent on sport. To my inquiries where they were going, one of them, B., replied, " Salmon fishing," adding, "haven't you seen that? " pointing to a letter that, pinned on the invitation board, was gently fluttering in the midday breeze that blew gratefully in at the open window. Quickly reading it I saw it was from Lord L. to our Colonel, offering the regiment a week's salmon fishing on his river, a capital stream distant only some twenty-five miles by rail. This was on a Wednesday, time 12.30 P.M. Lord L.'s letter was dated the previous Saturday, so nearly three days of the week's permission had lapsed. No time was to be lost, so rushing off to the Orderly room, where fortunately I found my C.O. in a very good temper, I timidly broached the subject of 1 74 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. three day's leave. " Impossible, my dear fellow," replied the Colonel; " there are all those recruits to be put through their course of musketry, and then we are expecting H company in from detach- ment." However, by dint of much talking and persuasion, I at last impressed on the dear old gen- tleman* s mind the importance of availing myself of a chance I might never get again, throwing in a casual allusion to " all work and no play making Jack a dull boy," and wound up by showing him the figure of merit made by the last batch of recruits (which was a very good one), and gently insinuating that it was all owing to the trouble I had taken with them, and finally so worked on his feelings that at last I wrung from him a reluctant per- mission to be away Thursday and Friday, " but not an hour longer, sir, mind," were his last words as with profuse thanks I departed. Cutting away home as fast as I could, I soon had some things packed, and having borrowed a salmon rod and tackle, I caught the three- o'clock train for Eraser- MY FIRST SALMON. 1 7 5 town (the name is fictitious), within a mile of which lay the water. The day however had altered con- siderably since noon. Heavy black banks of clouds came rolling up from the westward, and the sky gradually got darker and darker, till at last, soon after I was well on my way in the train, the storm burst in all its fury. The thunder rolled, lightning flashed fitfully, whilst a driving deluge of hail and rain dashed with concentrated fury on the window panes of the railway carriage. "Just my luck," I muttered despondently as I gazed mournfully out on the dismal prospect, thinking of course all chance of fishing on such a day was out of the question. However my ticket was taken, and go on I must, so I e'en had to make the best of it. Arrived at the Frasertown Hotel, and interviewing mine host, my spirits were not much elated by his remarking, "It's no much feeshin ye'll hae the day, ar'm thinkin' no, not for three days. She " (the river) " is just coming down in spate, and the rain seems no to be gaein' to hold up," added he, look- 176 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. ing out at the steady downpour. To my inquiries as to whether my two friends had arrived, he re- plied, " Aye, there were twa officers cam aboot an hour sine, but they're jist clean daft to think of feeshin the day, though they just laughit at me when I told them sae. Ar'm thinking they must be pretty wet the noo," he continued with a chuckle. "Well," thought I, "if they have gone, Til go. I haven't come all this way for nothing," so order- ing dinner at 8 P.M., and getting my rod and tackle together, I faced the elements and made a start. The gale raged, and the look-out was damp enough in all conscience, but half an hour's sharp walking brought me to the water, and calling at the water-keeper's cottage, I found that worthy was out with my friends, but his son, a fine stalwart young Highlander, fair-haired and blue-eyed, named Hugh, was at home tying flies. To him I confided my hopes and fears. After surveying me with a pitying glance he consented to accom- pany me, holding out, however, but scant hopes of MY FIRST SALMON. 1 7 7 success. Before starting, however, he looked over my flies, all of which he pronounced useless for the river in the state it was, so whilst I sat down and smoked a pipe, he set to and tied a couple of flies, and ye gods ! what monsters they were. Now I don't profess to know anything about fly-dressing, but the fly is now before me, and I can thus de- scribe it. Hook about two inches long ; body, yellow and blue twist with gold tinsel ; tail, golden pheas- ant; wings, turkey and golden pheasant hackles; shoulders, jungle fowl hackles and teal wing. The rod being put up, line run through the rings, and casting line fixed, we started up stream to fish the "Little Pool," which consisted of a large pool beneath a mass of rocks over which the yellow water came tumbling, foaming, and boiling in surging frothy masses. Some 180 yards below this an ornamental bridge spanned the river, whose banks were densely wooded except at one spot where there was a clear open space just below the waterfall. On our way up we came across three N 178 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. dripping- figures crouching under a large tree. These proved to be my friends B. and L., and Hugh's father. B. and L. laughed at me when I announced my intention of having a try and pro- nounced it hopeless, as the river was rising every moment, and though they had been whipping the water for over an hour and a half they had not moved a fish. Nothing daunted, however, I, under Hugh's directions, took up my position and began. Now I could manage a trout rod fairly well, but when it came to wielding a sixteen -foot salmon rod I found it quite a different game. Somehow I could not get my line out ; with a short line my fly flopped into the water with a mighty splash, whilst if I tried a longer one my fly always seemed to be attracted by some bush, branch, or stone. " Ye'll no have had much practice ar'm thinkinY ' observed Hugh, with a smile at my bungling efforts. " Jest let me tak a cast or two till I show ye." Accordingly, I surrendered the rod and he began, whilst I eagerly watched. How easily the line MY FIRST SALMON. 179 seemed to shoot out over the water, without appa- rently any effort from those brawny arms. How lightly, almost like a living winged insect, the great bunch of metal and feathers composing the fly lit on the turbid waters ! Again and again Hugh cast, but no answering boil in the water came in response to his most cunning working of the fly round the edge of a big rock that stood out nearly in midstream, and where he said a " fush " nearly always lay. Then I had a turn at it again, but though I improved just a shade perhaps, and hung up my line less often, I made but a poor job of it. The wind too was nearly in my face, and this, with the rain beating against it, made it still harder for me. At last Hugh suggested our getting into the boat and he would pull me over to the other side of the stream, from whence, with the wind in my favour, I might have less difficulty in casting, and then we could drop down the stream with the current and so fish the pool. No sooner said than done, and despite the derisive jeers of my two friends who N 2 i8o POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. had been laughing at my efforts, we embarked, and I was rowed to the head of the pool. As we did so the rain gradually ceased and the sun shone out for a few moments, glancing and playing with fantastic light on the dripping foliage, casting rays of pris- matic loveliness on the spray of the waterfall, and illumining with his golden beams the heavy raindrops that depended from each leaf and branch, causing them to sparkle like diamonds in the glad light; whilst the song of birds, hushed during the storm, broke forth in glad chorus as they preened themselves. Still things looked rather hopeless as Hugh pulled up against the strong current of dark discoloured water. The spate had brought down branches of trees, grass, and debris of all sorts, which, floating down the stream, added to my difficulties, for no sooner had I made (for me) a fairly decent cast, and made my fly drop lightly on the water, than I had to whip it up again to avoid some floating obstruction ; then I had to recast, probably not with so much success, and so the irritating process went MY FIRST SALMON. 1 8 1 on till my arms fairly ached, and in despair I laid down the rod, letting the line trail overboard and float down the stream. Hullo ! what was that ? A rise by Jingo ! Again there, and as I was prepar- ing to take up my rod and cast over the fish, Hugh shouted to me, " Ye' re in till him, ye' re in till him ! Haud up ye're rod, mon, for God's sake ! " Clutch- ing the rod I felt a savage tug, and then " whirr- whirr screech " went the reel as the fish went rapidly down stream, taking out some forty yards of line, almost before I knew what I was at. A short sulk ensues, when, in reply to Hugh's excited commands, I manage to reel in some of my line. Then the fish charges up stream straight for the boat, the line hiss- ing and cutting through the water, raising a tiny shower of spray in its passage. Hugh, however, manages the boat to perfection, and keeps away. The fish then changes his tactics, dashing out into midstream, jerking his head from side to side in his endeavours to shake off the hold. But it is no good ; he is well hooked, though he has a " duffer" to play i8z POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. him. The next thing I see is a bar of silver shoot high up out of the water, and am just in time to obey Hugh's shouted warning of " Lower the pint o' ye' re rod ! " Twice again the fish leaps high out of the water and then sulks ; again I get in line and then give him the butt. This stirs my friend up and, with a savage shake, he tears down stream, the line screaming out that music so dear to the fisher- man's heart. He heads straight down for the bridge, which is built on wooden piles. And now comes the tug of war ; if he should shoot under one of these arches and then turn up stream again, I am done. Hugh skilfully guides the boat, and directly he sees which arch the fish means passing under says to me, " Noo gie him the butt and then lower ye' re rod jist as we get under the brig." The pressure steadies the fish for a moment and then, as I lower the point of my rod, he makes a fresh dash and shoots under the bridge, whilst Hugh rows hard in pursuit. It was an exciting moment, but thank heavens we are through, and I see the fish jump MF FIRST SALMON. 1 8 3 again some fifty yards below in the broad pool, where the waters are more quiet. About a hundred yards below there is a stretch of very rough water, and this I must keep him out of. Fortunately he doesn't think of facing it, but dashes away for the bank. Then my line becomes slack, owing to foul- ing a floating branch. I fear I have lost him, but luck again serves me, and a friendly eddy disen- gages my line and once more I am on terms with my friend, and after reeling up I see him lying in midstream apparently getting exhausted. Reel- ing up gradually we slowly advance, but when within some twenty yards of him, and I can see his back fin out of the water, he gives an indignant flounce and bores down again ; but it is his last effort and again he comes slowly to the surface and consents to be guided to the shore. There is a roll, a swirl, and a broad tail shows as Hugh dex- terously guides the boat ashore, when I land, and then I see the broad green back of my first salmon below the dark brown water. Seizing the gaff, 184 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. Hugh leans over the stern of the boat, and as I guide the fish past him, there is a quick sharp jerk and then the setting sun flashes for a moment on a silver streak empurpled with gore, as the struggling fish is tossed into the boat. A sharp blow on the head and then Hugh lands and lays on the short crisp turf the symmetrical form of my first salmon ! He is a handsome clean run fish of eleven pounds, with the sea-lice thick on him, and though back and arms ached sorely from my half-hour's work in landing my prize, Hugh's "Ye no did bad, con- seederin' it's ye're first fush," fell like balm upon my ears, and after one " smaa' drappie" out of my flask, I insisted on Hugh finishing its contents and drinking the fish's health. B. and L. had been watching me all the time, and now came down and good fellows as they were, heartily congratulated me on my success. Packing the fish up in rushes to be despatched home by train, and taking leave of Hugh, whom I appointed to meet the next morning at nine A.M., we all strolled home, and MY FIRST SALMON. 185 after a tub and dinner talked fishing till late that night. The following morning broke fine, though there was still a good deal of wind, and more rain had fallen during the night. After a breakfast such as one only gets in the " Land o' Cakes," we all three started for the river. It was still very full and augured ill for sport. B. and L. elected to fish the upper water, so Hugh and I took the lower. We fished two likely pools, called the "Sandbank" and " Ferry pool," out of the boat, but never moved a fish, so then Hugh took me down to the " Cruives" and the "Quickshot" pools. The "Cruives" (used for catching fish on their passage up the river) stretched across the river, and from its middle a little island jutted out, dividing the stream. The upper end was sand and shingle, thickly clothed with wild blue lupin, whilst the lower end was covered with thick brushwood, out of which a couple of solitary rowan trees stood out over- hanging the water. Looking down stream, the 1 86 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. "Cruives" pool lay on the left hand whilst the "Ouickshot" was on the right. This latter we decided on trying first, and I began casting, having first put on a " silver doctor," under Hugh's direc- tion. I had made about a dozen casts when " Ah ! ye missed him then ; ye were ower quick " from my preceptor warned me I had missed a fish. His sharp eyes had seen a fish rise which I had not, so handing him the rod he made a cast. Twice the fish came at him, but both times (shall I say it ?) he missed him ! Hugh then advised a change of flies and put on one he called " the colonel," so lighting a pipe we gave the fish ten minutes' rest, and then I again tried conclusions with him. As I worked the fly across the current and brought it round towards the shore, there was a boil, and striking quickly, I knew that I had fairly hooked him. Out went the fish straight across the stream, taking out some thirty yards of line. Reeling up I gradually brought the fish towards me and could plainly see him. Catching sight of me, however, he dashed MY FIRST SALMON. 187 away down stream close into the island. Down this I followed him as fast as my legs could carry me ; but alas ! getting in amongst the brushwood, my foot caught in a root or some obstacle and down I went, my rod coming with a flop against the overhanging branches of a small tree, and when I recovered myself the line was floating slack on the water and my fish and fly gone. I could almost have cried from disappointment and was in no way consoled by Hugh's remark, " Ye should hae gi'en him line, and never hae thocht of following a fush through sic stuff," pointing to the brush- wood. However it was no good crying over spilt milk, though I vow that fish must have been at least twenty-five pounds (one always loses one's best fish, you know); and I could not help objurgating myself as a " something ass " in spite of Hugh's endeavours to console me. I think there are few things that annoy a man so much as losing a good fish through his own stupidity. The fervid excitement of one moment is followed by such a i88 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. blank, the interest is so completely lost, that the thermometer of one's spirit goes down to zero at once, and it takes some time for it to go up again. Lighting a consolatory pipe, I puffed away in moody silence whilst Hugh looked out another fly, the same pattern as the last; but the jade fortune seemed to have deserted me, and for the next hour all my craftiest endeavours, added to Hugh's skill, failed to obtain another rise. So lunch and a pipe was the order of the day, and during the discussion of the meal, Hugh favours me with accounts of numerous successful days on this very pool : how my lord killed thirty fish in one day ; how Captain T. killed seventeen, and so on, until my mouth watered to emulate such doughty deeds, and though I had not the remotest hope of ever at any time doing so, yet I did hope I might land a fish or two ere sunset. The water had now fined down a bit, and the bright sun being tempo- rarily obscured by some passing clouds, gave promise of better luck in the future, so I set to MY FIRST SALMON. 189 work again, but this time on the " Cruives " pool. Once, twice, thrice, the line is cast, with a favour- able remark from Hugh that I am improving; but the fourth time as the fly sweeps round in a little curling eddy near the shore, and I am about to withdraw it from the water preparatory to a fresh cast, there is a surge, a boil in the water, and as I instinctively strike there is a sharp tug, whizz goes my line and I am fast in a fish. Out he shoots into midstream, the line cutting sharply through the water. "Softly, softly," exclaims my Mentor at my side, seeing I am putting too much strain on. Obey- ing his commands, I follow the fish, who now heads rapidly down stream towards the dreaded brush- wood. Line, however, he is bound to have, and so I give it him. When he has run out a good bit and I am close on the verge of my Charybdis he stops, and luckily turns up stream again. Quickly I reel up, and having got in most of my line give him the butt. Yielding to the strain, he evinces a dis- 1 90 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. position to come towards me; but when near the shore out he dashes and heads up stream again, for the white broken water below the " Cruives," where the stream comes tumbling and foaming over the wooden piles. Here deep down he sulks, trying doubtless to rub the fly out of his mouth. A stone or two from Hugh, however, makes him aware that this ruse will not succeed, so again he turns and dashes rapidly down stream and then cruises over towards the opposite shore. " He's a twenty-pounder, Hugh, I'll swear," I exclaim, my arms beginning to ache. " Na, na, nae sae much as that," he replies; shaking his head and smiling incredulously. " Ten pounds maybe, but hardly that. See, it's only a grilse," adds he, as the fish now leaps twice high in the air, and for the first time shows himself. " Confound the fellow for an unsympathetic, phelgmatic Scotchman," I mutter to myself; but Hugh is right nevertheless, and I am bound to confess, novice as I am, that my twenty-pounder MY FIRST SALMON. 191 looks far smaller than the fish I had caught the day previously. But grilse or no grilse, he is a good game fish and shows fight worthy of one twice the weight, giving me precious hard work to play. Some quarter of an hour later I begin to feel that the combat is being decided in my favour. Slowly he obeys the strain and guidance of rod and line, and though once or twice he bores obstinately away as he nears the shallow water in which I am stand- ing, still his bolt is shot, a heavy roll or two, and then as he turns over on his side Hugh, wading in, skilfully slips a large landing-net under him, and the next instant he is deposited flapping and floun- dering about on the shingly beach, till a sharp blow on the head with a stone administered by Hugh's practised hand gives him his quietus, and sends him to that land from which no fish ever returns. A bonnie fish he is too, fresh run, sym- metrically shaped, and gleaming like a bar of silver, and though the spring scales only make him seven and a half pounds, I feel delirious with joy, for have 1 92 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. I not at last, unaided, fairly hooked and played a , salmon ! Were it not that I were ashamed to show any loss of dignity before Hugh, I should shout and holloa for joy and wring that worthy's great brawny muscular hand in token of undying friendship ; but in my character of an officer in Her Majesty's ser- vice, I content myself with giving Hugh a good dram of Highland wine out of my flask to toast the first grilse of the season, whilst I drink in the flatter- ing praise he is kind enough to lavish on me. Five and twenty minutes' sport has the fish afforded me, and back and arms aching from the unwonted exer- tion, I surrender the rod to Hugh whilst I look on, smoke a pipe, and long for the time when I shall be able to cast a line like my preceptor. Alas ! it is a pitch of perfection to which I have never yet attained, nor am I ever likely to. Hugh rises a fish or two, and at last hooks one, when I take the rod and after some ten minutes' play land a nice little grilse of three pounds. Soon after this we gave up, and on joining B. and L. found that MY FIRST SALMON. 193 though they had both risen fish, they had had a blank day. The following day I was again out with Hugh at the " Quickshot" pool, in which almost at my first cast I hooked a nice lively fish ; but after some quarter of an hour's play he got off, and I was left lamenting. It was past one o'clock ere I hooked another, though I rose several. This one gave me some pretty play and on being landed proved a nice grilse of about five pounds. The rain, which had long been threatening, now came down in sober earnest, and the river again began to rise, and though the " Cruives " pool was positively swarming with fish, jumping, rolling over and show- ing their broad backs, not one of them could be induced to look at any of the enticing lures we offered them, so putting up my rod and presenting Hugh with an appropriate douceur, I hurried back to " mine inn." Here I met B., who had got one salmon of about eleven pounds. Changing my wet clothes I caught an evening train, and when I reached home and laid out for my better half's o 194- POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. inspection my three grilse, that young lady, who had always previously laughed at my angling ardour, was pleased to confess that " salmon-fishing at any rate was worth some trouble ! " Such, kind reader, was my first day's salmon-fishing, and if you are an adept at the game and have the command of time and money to indulge in that fascinating sport, you will perhaps be tempted to smile at all these pages about the capture of a small salmon and three grilse ; but remember that to me they were as prizes far above rubies, and so grudge me not the delight and enthusiasm I felt at their capture, for were they not my first ? And I can only say in con- clusion, may you and I enjoy our last day's fishing as much as I did my first. Vale ! may the swish of the line, the scream of the reel, the sights and sounds of a rushing stream through a wild glen amid the heather and birch-clad hills in bonnie Scotland, ever possess the charm for you that they do and always will for me. DECCAN DAYS; OR, A CHRISTMAS MEET WITH THE NAGPORE HUNT. COMPARISONS are always said to be odious, so I will not attempt to compare pig-sticking with fox- hunting, for the two sports differ so essentially that it would be difficult, nay, almost impossible, to do so, and each man who has partaken of the best of both sports both, mind you must judge for himself. Still, I for my own part think that even such Ely- sium as is experienced in riding a " flyer " over the large pastures and great " oxers " of the grass countries, must pale before the keen excitement generated by a hardly contested race for " first spear," won in good company over the rolling stones, grass rumnahs, and often steep hills of the Deccan, wound up with the delight that warriors are said to feel on meeting " a foeman o 2 196 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. worthy of their steel" in the shape of a good fighting boar. The jolly, free camp life, and the comfort under which the whole sport is pursued, to my mind adds not inconsiderably to the charm ; and then there is that "camaraderie" amongst the assembled sports- men, that is too often so conspicuously absent in a fox-hunting field. However, I will not attempt any further dissertations on the rival sports, but plunge at once in "medias res," and for the edification of my readers proceed to detail the items of a ten- days' meet with the Nagpore Hunt, as a fair speci- men of the delights of hog-hunting, such as I was wont to enjoy a good many years ago, alas. Will you therefore, kind reader, accompany me to the Nagpore Station, where a party of sportsmen are busy boxing their horses on the afternoon of December 2Oth, 18 . Their destination is Sindee, a station some forty miles down the line, whither after a couple of hours' run (for Indian railways are, or used to be, celebrated neither for speed nor punc- DEC CAN DAFS. 197 tuality) our party arrive, and mounting their hacks ride and shoot their way on to the first camp at Pallusgaon, a village some two miles distant. Some had met with varied success, one bringing in a blackbuck, another a hare and a couple of brace of painted partridges, another a duck and a few snipe, and so on, all of which proved acceptable to the mess larder. And now I shall proceed without further pre- amble to quote from my diary, only begging my readers to forgive its rough style and gloss over with a kindly eye its imperfections. Before doing so, however, I may as well state that the party, all told, consisted of ten sportsmen, whom, for the sake of brevity, we will designate by the initials of their names, viz. H. (the Captain of the Hunt), J. (a forest officer), McM., N., R., L., and B., (the writer), all officers in Her Majesty's service stationed at Kamptee, and G. and T. (two civilians from Bombay), who were the guests of the hunt. 2\st December. After a comfortable breakfast i 9 8 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. started about 10 A.M. to beat a small "bheer" (grass cover), near Kora Khandla, sending on camp and kit to Chandkee-Kopra, some thirteen miles distant. The " bheer " proved blank with the exception of a big, lanky, barren sow, who afforded us a sharp and quick run over very stony rough ground, B. getting the spear. Beat two or three more small patches of cover near Oomrar, all blank. The party then split up and shot their way over to Chandkee-Kopra. Saw several herds of antelope and a couple of bustard, but failed to bag any. December 22nd. Camp Chandkee-Kopra. This place takes its name from two villages situated on opposite sides of a small river whose banks are clothed with thick rumnah grass, varying from two to four feet high. About a mile and a half from the village there was a large " bheer " and a " sindbund " * or two lying amid a perfect net- * A grove of a species of date-palm, "Phoenix Farnifera," from whose sap a potent liquor is produced by fermentation. The sindbunds are Government property, and are by them leased out to natives. DEC CAN DAYS. 199 work of nullahs, whilst some two or three miles beyond lay a belt of thick thorny scrub jungle that extended for some distance. The ground between this and the " bheer " was in some spots fairly open and cultivated, but for the most part was rough and stony, much cut up by nullahs varying in width from four to thirty feet in width, and plentifully bestrewn with stubs, holes, and cracks in the black cotton soil which combine to make Deccan hunting not all plain sailing. As the ' 'bheer' 1 was a celebrated cover we deter- mined to beat it first, and the " flag wallahs "* being posted, the party was divided, N., R., L., T., and B., being posted under a big mhowa tree at the end of the "bheer," and the remainder stationed under another tree about three hundred yards higher up. The beat began, and what a babel of sound, the * It was our custom to place at several points, in trees, men provided with small flags, and on the pig breaking cover it was their duty to wave their flags in the direction the pig had gone, thus avoiding any chance of the game being headed or turned back by shouting and unnecessary noise. 200 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. yelling from some threescore dusky throats accom- panied by the noise of tom-toms, rattles, cholera horns, and all manner of native music produced sufficient to make any decent-minded pig with a craving for quiet and retirement hook it at once, one would think ! But the Chandkee-Kopra pig had to a certain extent been " educated," and from being frequently hunted, as often as not broke back through the beaters. A large "sounder" (which however contained no heavy boar) broke at the bottom of the"bheer," and out of it a nice young boar was ridden by R., L., T., and B., over some very rough ground and through a bit of baubul jungle. B. thought he had got the spear, but the boar jinking rapidly threw him out, and reached untouched a thick patch of sindee bushes on each side of a small nullah. Here we lost sight of him, but on L. holloaing a pig away we rode on, only to find it was a sow and not our hunted boar, so returned to where we had lost sight of him. The interval of our absence, short as DEC CAN DAYS. 201 it had been, was long enough for our friend to take advantage of and make himself scarce, and we saw him no more. N., in the meantime, had ridden and killed single-handed a twenty-seven inch sow.* McM. and J. had a good run and exciting scuffle with a large thirty-one inch fighting sow, who charged them repeatedly, and eventually, getting into some thick cover where their horses could not penetrate, they dismounted and finished her off on foot, not however before she again charged pluckily. All parties now reunited, and under the grateful shade of a tope of mango-trees proceeded to dis- cuss tiffin whilst our horses enjoyed their midday feed, and their attendant syces (or native grooms) gave them a good hand-rubbing and instituted a careful examination for thorns, of which their legs * It may be as well, perhaps, here to mention that owing to the quantity of hogs and sows unfortunately preponderating, we were obliged occasionally to ride them, but since the days of which I write boars have considerably increased, and the original rule of the hunt, that boars only were to be ridden, has been again en- forced, I believe. 202 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. were pretty full. An hour or so having been thus passed we resume our beat, only half of the "bheer" having been disturbed in the morning. This time we are all together under a tope of trees facing the 11 bheer." Presently we see a flag waving frantically on the edge of the cover, and to our right, and then a whacking boar bursts out, stands for a moment undecided, and finally making up his mind that he won't put up with any more of the infernal row in his rear, trots sulkily away over the open, putting his head straight for the heavy belt of jungle in the distance. As soon as he is well away, we settle ourselves in our saddles and H. gives the word "ride" in a low tone. Away we thunder in hot pursuit, each man doing his best. The boar has had a good start, however, and we soon lose sight of him in some thick grass. Spreading out we ride on his probable line, when he jumps up in a "toor" field close to B., who getting a good start rattles after him over a couple of thorn and straw- bound fences, and is within a couple of spears' DECCAN DAYS. 203 lengths of him where he jinks sharp to the left and disappears down a deep drop into a sandy lane. " Hold up, old man ! " and old " Parachute " drops down the steep bank like a cat, whilst H. on his Waler mare and G. on his grey Arab negotiate it lower down. The rest of the party turn away at right angles to cut the boar off and find a better place. In this, however, they are disappointed, for the boar, after going some hundred yards down the lane, scrambles up the opposite bank, closely fol- lowed by H., G., and B. But the advantage he has gained in the lane tells, and alas ! he finally beats us by getting unspeared into a rocky bush-covered corrie, and though we surround it and keep a good watch till some of the beaters came up, he somehow eludes us, and so in more senses than one " saves his bacon." December 2$rd. After breakfast started to beat the " bheer " again, as many pig were reported to be still in it. Party posted same as yesterday. A sounder containing a couple of good boars broke 204 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. unobserved for some little time by H.'s post, and so got a long start. These were ridden by both parties, but just beat us by getting untouched into the heavy jungle, though H. nearly managed to spear one of them. Returning to our positions the beat was resumed, and shortly afterwards a fine boar broke between the two posts and was ridden by both parties over the " maidan." B. got a good chance of the spear, but at the critical moment his horse (a Persian), pulling like a steam-engine and refusing to turn with the pig, lost it him. G. close behind him on a veteran Arab hog-hunter, was not slow to avail himself of the opportunity thus afforded him, and taking up the running followed the boar into a small sindbund, where he speared the boar slightly. Out of this cover he was soon hustled, and was eventually killed, fighting pluckily to the last, by H. and G. The former broke one spear in him and the latter two, one of which com- pletely sewed up his lips, pinning them together. Notwithstanding this, he fought like a hero, and DEC CAN DAYS. 205 died as a boar should die, without a groan. This boar measured thirty-four inches from the wither to the heel and had tushes eight inches long. After tiffin beat the Jogeepore " rumnah," but this only contained a lanky, barren sow, which after being ridden by H., G., N., and B. for some distance over most abominable ground finally beat them, reaching the big jungle untouched. We then beat some " toor " fields and a couple of small " rumnahs," all blank and returned to camp rather disgusted with our bad luck, as Chandkee-Kopra has belied its name for being one of the best meets of the hunt, the "bheer" generally containing crowds of pig and some heavy boars. We heard subsequently that three sounders and a monster boar had broken back through the beaters ! On hearing this last item of news we felt much inclined to say, like our old friend Mr. Jorrocks, " Be bound to say he was no bigger than any other ! " December 24^. Marched to Gojee, thirteen miles. On the way B. and J., who were together, 2o6 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. came across a hyaena, who gave them a capital though somewhat twisting run, and was finally disposed of, J. being credited with the spear. After breakfast, at which the head of yesterday's boar figured " de rigueur" as "soused countenance," started to beat the Jamnee " bheer." This " bheer " was about three-quarters of a mile in length and some five hundred yards in width, with a few scat- tered baubul bushes dotted about in its midst. The surrounding ground, as well as the " bheer " itself, was much cut up by nullahs of various widths, and so concealed by long grass as to be hardly visible until one was right on them. About half a mile away lay a thick patch of cover through which a nullah called the Hirungaon Sindbund described a tortuous course. This place always proved our "bete noir," as it was almost impossible to induce a hunted pig who had once reached such a harbour of refuge to leave it. All being posted together under a clump of baubul trees, the beat began, and soon a sounder broke on the far side of the " bheer," . DECCAN DAYS. 207 and through this we had to gallop. " Hold up ! " followed by a crash, announces the fact that J. and his good Arab have come to grief in a hidden nullah. The chestnut had made a gallant effort to clear the yawner, but not seeing it soon enough had not time to extend himself, and an imperial crowner is the result ; the rest of the party having had timely warning slip in and out, and emerge safely on the far side of the bheer. Alas ! the sounder contains no boar, but a twenty-eight inch sow is soon accounted for by G., H., N., and B., G. getting the spear. B., who is riding a racing pony whose first introduction this is to hog-hunting, comes down a regular buster, owing to his mount put- ting her foot on a rolling stone, and hurts his bridle arm considerably ; but McM. kindly lends him one of his horses, a fine Arab that a child might ride, and who being a veteran hog-hunter, is up to every move of the game, turning and twisting with the pig like a dog and requiring no guiding. The "bheer" con- taining no more pig, an adjournment is made for 208 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. tiffin, and that repast having been concluded we move off to beat the Hirungaon Sindbund. A large sounder breaks almost directly, but being ridden too soon, turns back, and to our intense disgust re- enters the Sindbund, whose impenetrable fastnesses they cannot be again induced to leave. There was a fine boar amongst them, and he went away over the open on the far side, but owing to the unpardonable stupidity of the flagman, who ought to have signalled his departure, he was not pursued. That flagman got "toko," it is needless to add. All chance of finding more pig being now at an end, several of the party dismounted, and forming line shot their way home to camp, bagging several floriken, painted partridges, hares, and quail. December 2$th. About n a.m., after we had all wished each other a merry Christmas, started to beat the Wogolee Bheer, some three miles distant. This was a large covert clothing both banks of a widish nullah, which at its one extremity branched off into two smaller ones. In the fork thus formed DECCAN DAYS. 209 the whole party was posted behind a clump of baubul- trees.* A large sounder soon broke and was ridden by all. B. selected a good boar of about thirty-two inches and rode him some way alone, but the pig turned back and regained the nullah untouched, and so was lost. B. then joined N., whom he found engaged with a large thirty-inch sow in whom he had broken his spear, so finished her off. Soon after H. and G. hove in sight riding a thirty-inch sow, which they disposed of before any of the rest of the party could cut in, G. getting the spear. T., in the meantime, had got away with a twenty- eight inch hog, which after a smart run he killed unaided. Shortly afterwards a pig which we at first took for a boar, but which eventually proved to be a lean, hard-running, barren sow, jumped up in a " toor" field and was * Acacia AraUca. A thorny tree which yields the gum- arabic of commerce. The bark and seed-pods are extensively used for tanning, and camels are very fond of the foilage and twigs. zio POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. ridden by G., R., N., and B., over some cultivated land. After a good gallop of a couple of miles, with plenty of jumping over thorn and straw-rope fences, she was killed, after repeatedly charging in the most plucky manner, B. getting the spear off his Persian, who now proved himself more amen- able to reason. Tiffin having been discussed, we returned to our original post behind the baubul- trees. Two splendid boars broke, but being ridden too soon got back into the " bheer " unspeared. One of them (the biggest) made a most determined charge at J. (who was leading), going out of his way to do so. He came straight at J.'s horse, thus preventing the rider using his spear, and catch- ing the gallant chestnut a most fearful "conk" on the chest, cut him badly and ripped his forearm. The violence of the concussion was such, that man and horse rolled over backwards from the force of the blow, and though the rider escaped unhurt, it was many a day before poor "Gold-dust" could again appear in the hunting-field. The beat then DEC CAN DAYS. 211 went on, and another fairish twenty-eight inch boar broke, and being ridden by McM., G., and B., after a pretty though rather ringing run, was killed close to the edge of the " bheer," into which a few more strides would have carried him, B. being credited with the spear. Several pig having gone back into the " bheer," we reversed our posi- tion and beat it backwards, in the hopes of getting the two big boars out, but alas ! nothing would induce them to quit their stronghold. One of them, in charging back through the line, upset one of the beaters, slightly ripping him on his leg, and then charged an elephant that was assisting in the beat, putting the huge animal to flight most igno- miniously. After some delay a young twenty-six inch boar broke on the far side of the " bheer, " and was ridden by H., B., N., L., and T., affording them a pretty gallop over some stiffly fenced enclosures, including a nasty nullah that had to be dropped into and scrambled out of, and was eventually killed in a "cholum" field, fighting p 2 2i2 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. pluckily to the end. B. got the spear. Whilst this boar was being ridden, J., McM., and R. got away with a twenty-eight incher, which after a smart run was killed, J. being the winner of the spear. At the same time G. and M. got away with a thirty-inch sow which soon succumbed, G. getting the spear. The scattered party being reunited, we joined forces and beat a big nullah, or rather corrie, on the way home. The only tenant was a barren thirty-inch sow, which " faute de mieux" we all rode, and after a twisting, scrambling run over fearfully bad ground she was killed, the honour of first spear falling to T. After this went home. Our bag was nine pig not a bad one; but unfortunately sows preponderated, as we had vile luck with the boars. We were, however, obliged to kill some sows, as pig seemed swarming, and had we not rid the country of some of them, the villagers would only have destroyed them by illegitimate means. December 26th. McM. left the party. Marched DEC CAN DAYS. 213 to Nagree, thirteen miles, stopping half-way at Khotkee for breakfast, and then shot our way to camp. The bag included snipe, duck, teal, quail, hares, and painted partridge. Didn't hunt to-day, in order to give the horses a rest. December 27 'th. Camp Nagree, under a large tope of mango -trees. The "bheer" we intended beating lay about a mile and a half distant, on one bank of a widish though shallow river, and in its proximity lay a long straggling sindbund, which though extending for some distance in a small valley surrounded by low rocky hills, was not wide. It was, however, very thick and almost impene- trable. H. and B. went out before dawn in the hopes of meeting some pig returning to the " bheer" from their midnight forays. Taking up a position just under the crest of a low rocky hill, from whence they could obtain a good view of the country, they patiently waited for daybreak. As the first streak of daylight appeared in the east, they saw a small sounder approaching them. Selecting the only 2H POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. boar amongst them, a twenty-nine incher, they laid in, and after a short run killed him, H. getting the spear. No more pig appearing, they returned to camp, and after breakfast the whole party adjourned to the ' ' bheer . " They were posted under a mho wa- tree at the foot of the hills, and between them and the sindbund, a large sounder containing two grand boars soon broke and were allowed to get well away over the hills before the word "ride" was given, as we were determined not to repeat the mistake we had committed on Christmas day by riding too soon. In endeavouring to avoid one error, we fell into the opposite extreme and waited too long, for on reaching the summit of the hill over which we had seen the pig disappear, they were nowhere to be seen, and had somehow man- aged to give us the slip on the plateau, which was a network of bush-covered nullahs. Returned to our post, and soon a good thirty-four inch boar trotted out of the " bheer," and after a moment's indecision, went up a cart track leading into the hills, passing DEC CAN DAYS. 215 close to us. We gave him a fair amount of law, and when he was well away, laid in. He was fat, old, and lazy however, besides being a bit of a cur, for he showed no sport and was soon run into and killed, H. winning the spear. After this a large sounder, headed by a very patriarch of boars, broke back through the beaters, and crossing the river, got away amongst the mass of nullahs that lay on the opposite bank. Had tiffin and then posted ourselves at the end of the "bheer." On the way there, going across a deep boggy nullah, N. came to grief, and his horse getting away from him, afforded his syce three hours' sport before he was captured again. We had hardly concealed our- selves behind a clump of sindee bushes, before a fine young boar broke close to us and set his head straight for the sindbund. He was ridden by J., L., and B. After half a mile at racing pace L. got up to him, when round he came like a shot, knock- ing L. and his horse head over heels, and it was confidently expected by the on-lookers that both 216 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. their necks must be broken, for they rolled over and over like shot rabbits. B. then got up to the boar and was in his turn promptly and pluckily charged ; the boar was fairly caught by B.'s spear and rolled over, but picking himself up he held on his way. J. then had a shy, but his horse wouldn't face the pig, so B. was left alone. He speared the boar again twice, being charged each time, break- ing his spear in him, but the boar, done to a turn and faint from loss of blood, just managed with a surly grunt to stagger into the sindbund and was lost. Soon after this a fine boar broke at the Nagree end of the " bheer," but in riding him over the hills he managed to elude us among the nullahs, and was not seen again. On again returning to our post a sounder of five broke towards the sind- bund. The biggest, a sow, was ridden by J., H., and B., and after a fast spurt H. got the spear; but though we all speared her, she too just ma- naged to gain the friendly shelter of the sindbund and was lost. Another sow out of this sounder DEC CAN DAYS. 217 was ridden by T., N., L.,and G.,T. getting the spear; she also, however, managed to escape into the sind- bund. A thorough day of bad luck. No end of pig seen in the "bheer," and only one actually accounted for and bagged. December 2%th. Trying to repeat yesterday's tactics, H., G., T., and B. went out at daylight, but saw no pig, though soon after they left their post a large sounder was seen to enter the ' ' bheer. ' ' About ii A.M. all started for the " bheer," with the excep- tion of R., who devoted his energies to quail shoot- ing, none of his horses being fit to go. Beat the "bheer" same way as previously, only our party was posted half-way up the cover on the outside. A sounder of three sows and about twenty squeakers broke at once, but were allowed to go unmolested. These being the sole tenants of the "bheer" as well as of the rumnah at its end, we had tiffin, and then shot our way through the latter, bagging a few floriken and other small game; then beat another small corrie among the hills, a couple of sows 218 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. breaking. One, a twenty-eight incher, was ridden by H., N., G., and B., and was quickly disposed of, H. being credited with the spear. The other was ridden by T., L., M., and J., but got into the sind- bund untouched, L. close at her tail disappearing wildly, horse and all, into its thorny recesses, from which they, with some difficulty, managed to extri- cate themselves. On our way back we saw the flagmen waving frantically, and a boar soon broke, which we all rode. After a good spin he entered a patch of thorns, but soon emerged between N. and B., who had a sharp tussle for the spear, which, however, fell to the lot of the latter. This boar, though a thirty-one incher with good tushes, was a regular cur and declined fighting. Then home to camp. December 2th. Marched to Seroor. On the way beat a large "sun" field near Khootkie. A thirty-inch sow soon broke, and after a hard and fast run was killed after a lot of dodging about in a field of " dal," B,, who was riding the racing DEC CAN DAYS, 219 pony before alluded to, getting the spear in rather a peculiar manner. The sow charged him, and the mare jumping clean over the pig, B. speared her in the act. Soon after this a small twenty-six inch boar broke and was quickly disposed of, the spear falling to T. In this run B. came a howler over a nullah, and his pony getting away from him was not caught for over an hour. Then beat the cele- brated Seroor " bheer " alas ! blank. December $oth. Marched into Wurdah, eighteen miles, which we did in three hours not bad work, considering we had to get our coolies along with us. After a tub and a capital breakfast, caught the 12.40 P.M. train into Nagpore, and thence rode ten miles into Kamptee, well satisfied with our Christ- mas meet. Bag, twenty hog and one hyaena speared, besides some hundred head of small game and antelope shot. There, kind reader, I have now related a few inci- dents which may give you some slight idea of the sport we used to enjoy in those bygone days. I have 220 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. given the descriptions such as they were written at the time in my diary, the poor and feeble efforts of an ensign's pen, so do not be too critical, I pray thee. An you be a sportsman whose good fortune it has been to enjoy the noble sport of hog-hunting in more favoured regions, where many and mighty boars abounded, do not, I beg, turn up your nose at our doings and dub us " sow-slayers." In sooth I can truly aver it often went sorely against the grain to slay the gentler sex, but self-interest left us no other alternative but to do so, as I have before mentioned ; and if you who peruse these pages have not yet enjoyed that most entrancing sport, and have the means to do so, all I can say is take a ticket to India and have a shy at it. It will well repay you the trouble and expense. You will enjoy in the cold weather a charming climate, see much and varied sport, be on fresh ground and see different scenery every day, associate with, as a rule, the best of sportsmen, and store up in your memory recollections of days which when, as must happen DEC CAN DAYS. 221 to all of us, we get old, and broken in health and spirits will be ever a source of honest pride and en- joyment, leaving no trace of care behind to detract from it, except, perhaps, the memory of those good fellows who were your companions, who may, like mine, be some married, some dead, some risen to fame and distinction, and some, like your scribe, settled down to a humdrum life in the country, devoid of the more dashing and exciting sports of their youth. THE SPECTRE STAG OF VIZAMAH. MOST deer forests in Scotland have, I believe, some legend connected with them of a gigantic stag, carrying a wonderful head, whose hide is popularly supposed to be bullet-proof. These stags, when they do condescend to offer a sportsman the chance of a shot, seem invariably kind enough to do so at a range at which it is almost impossible to miss them, and many are the tales and records I have both heard and read of these supernatural animals. Personally, I have never been fortunate enough to gain an introduction to one of these phantoms, but discussing the subject the other day with a friend, he was good enough to relate to me an experience of his own in Cashmir which assimilates so much in its main points with others I have heard of as having occurred in Scotland, that it may not THE SPECTRE STAG OF VIZ AMAH. 223 be uninteresting to relate the facts, from a sporting as well as from an ethnological point of view, for it illustrates how closely interwoven some of the legends and traditions of our Indian Highlands are with those of Scotland. Those interested in the latter subject will find an excellent treatise on it in Miss Gordon Gumming' s charming book entitled, " From the Hebrides to the Himalayas," but for myself I will, with the reader's consent, restrict myself to the sporting details of an adven- ture which happened to a friend of mine, and which I will now narrate as nearly as possible in his own words. His story, for the truth of which he vouches, leaving you and I to draw our own conclu- sions, is as follows: " Some three and twenty years ago I was quar- tered with my regiment at Sealkote, a station in the northern part of India. From this place the mighty snow-clad peaks of the Himalayas, towering aloft in all their rugged and massive grandeur, seemed only a few miles distant : so tantalizingly near, in 224 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. fact, that on contemplating them one was invariably seized with an intense and ardent longing to breathe the keen bracing air of those favoured regions and explore their mountain fastnesses in search of shikar with ibex, markhoor, bears, &c. It was therefore with a keen feeling of excitement and delight, that having applied for and obtained leave to visit Cashmir, a brother officer and myself turned our backs on the hot and dusty station, and started for the hills. Having reached the hill station of Muree by dak and other means of transit, we spent a few days in collecting our kit, coolies, &c., and then one fine morning started on ponies for Kohala. The path, which was a decidedly rough one, after a short distance led down hill through a thick oak forest, winding amidst which numerous small streams and watercourses rolled, tumbled, and splashed over moss-grown rocks and boulders on their way to join the mighty Jhelum, which we could descry far below us winding like a streak of silver through a rocky gorge to the THE SPECTRE STAG OF VIZAMAH. 225 plains below, swollen with the melting snow from many a mountain peak near its source. Finally we reached Kohala, where we had to cross the river in a boat, a matter of some difficulty, as the current was both strong and swift. There was a stout rope stretched across the stream, and to this the boat was attached by means of another rope with a running noose, and so was hauled across. When the passage was accomplished we at last set foot in Cashmir proper. We had sent our ponies back from Kohala, and once over the river had to walk, and a precious stiff pull it was, up hill all the way, for some eight miles to Dunna. The scenery was not interesting, and as it was fearfully hot, right glad were we to reach the end of the march, and most grateful was the copious draught of Murree beer, a small barrel of which we had brought with us. The following morning we made another eight miles' march to a place called Mihrah, mostly up hill, and on our way we managed to shoot a few chikore, or hill partridges, which proved o 226 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. a welcome addition to our larder. The next day it rained hard all the morning, so we did not start till past noon for Chicar, some nine miles distant, which, owing to the ground being a good deal up hill and very slippery, we took some three and a half hours in accomplishing. But now the scenery, which had hitherto been uninteresting, began to improve. The rain had cleared the atmosphere and freshened up both verdure and foliage, whilst the soil gave forth that pleasant smell of damp earth that is so grateful to one's nostrils after enduring months of dry and scorching heat. Next morning, making a fresh start, we moved on via Huttian and Chicotee, mostly along the banks of the river for a couple of days, till we reached Uri, where we again had to recross the river, this time by means of a rope bridge, a mode of transit that for the first time of attempting does not recommend itself to any one afflicted with weak nerves, for pulling oneself along a single rope by means of another looped on to it (one sits on the latter), whilst a raging torrent THE SPECTRE STAG OF VIZAMAH. 227 roars and dashes along some seventy feet below you, is, to say the least of it, inclined to make one feel a bit 'jumpy.' The next day, leaving Uri, we marched to Baramoolah ; and now the scenery gave more evidence of the beauty we had been led to expect, for who that has read ' Lalla Rookh/ but imagines that Cashmir is a sort of earthly paradise ? Yes, it certainly was a very lovely scene. On our right rose steep cliffs clothed with pines, on our left the Jhelum foamed and thundered along with never-ceasing roar; beyond it rose tier upon tier of undulating forest-clad mountains, rocky crags, precipitous cliffs, and fertile valleys; whilst again in the farther distance, mellowed by the haze of approaching evening, could be seen the outline of the snowy range, whose white domes were softened and tinted into various shades by the rays of the setting sun. From Baramoolah the rest of our journey to Sirinuggur (the capital of Cashmir), was performed in boats, and a pleasant mode of travel- ling it is, for as one lolls on deck enjoying the Q 2 228 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. 1 fragrant weed,' and gradually gliding over the now placid waters of the Jhelum and the broad bosom of the Wuller Lake (which latter, by the bye, was almost black with wildfowl), the delicious air, combined with the boatmen's song of * Tazza pi tazza,' as it falls on the ear with measured cadence, all tends to imbue one with a feeling of rest, contentment, and thorough enjoyment, to all of which one had long been a stranger after months of grilling and sweltering in the plains of India. One of the first sights, however, that greeted us on approaching Sirinuggur certainly tended to impress on one's mind that if nature had endowed the Vale of Cashmir so bountifully, the evil passions of man had done much to mar the beauties of its scenery and entourage, for in addition to seeing several natives deprived of nose or ears, or mutilated by the loss of a hand or foot for some trifling offence against H.H. the Maharajah of Cashmir, we saw a man hung up by the roadside in an iron cage. This worthy, we subsequently learnt, had been a THE SPECTRE STAG OF VIZAMAH. 229 notorious robber, and was thus undergoing a refine- ment of punishment worthy of the Dark Ages. After a' few days at Sirinuggur, during which we 'did' the sights of the Capua of India, and of course invested in Cashmir shawls and other curio- sities, I engaged a shikari named Saffim Meer, who told me that many Sahibs had already gone up (it was the beginning of April), and that he feared all the best places for ibex, &c., in Tillail and the Wardwan Valley would be taken up before we could reach them; for it is an unwritten law of shikar and an understood thing in Cashmir that the man first on the spot is entitled, for sporting pur- poses, to all the ground within a radius of some miles from his camp, and no one else is supposed to fire a shot or disturb the game in his vicinity. This being the case, I determined on partially retracing my steps, and by dint of forced marches reach ground beyond the, limits of that usually frequented by British sportsmen, and seldom if ever visited by the ' Sahib log/ where Saffim 230 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. Meer held out to me the promise of good sport. My companion could not be induced to accompany me, the delights of Sirinuggur proving too attrac- tive to him, and so I started alone. After some days' hard marching, varied only by bagging a worthless black bear or two at night in the mulberry orchards, and getting a few brace of chickore and kalege pheasant, I eventually reached Vizamah, and pushing on a few miles beyond this came to a Bhuddist monastery. A douceur of a few rupees judiciously presented soon made the monks most courteous and attentive. They assured me that I should have wonderful sport, and to ensure my doing so blessed my rifles, &c., hanging sundry charms and pronouncing varied and mystic incan- tations over them, all of which they solemnly declared would have the desired effect of making my aim unerring on any luckless animal on which I might * draw a bead,' and protect me from all dangers. Poor simple folk ! it did me no harm and pleased them, and so I willingly acquiesced. They THE SPECTRE STAG OF VIZ AMAH. 231 then pointed out a spot on the hillside where I could pitch my two small tents, and advised my waiting a few days before commencing my shikar, till I could hear from the Rajah of the district, who was a semi-independent sort of gentleman. A day or two had elapsed, when one morning whilst sitting reading in my tent I heard a great tom- toming and general hubbub, which portended the arrival of some more than usually important person- age. Stepping out on the little plateau on which my tent was pitched, I saw a gay and parti-coloured crowd approaching up the narrow path, and in their midst (the singers going before and the minstrels following after, in orthodox biblical order) seated on a diminutive and somewhat cow-hocked chesnut tattoo, whose mane and tail were dyed a bright pink * more nativo,' was a very corpulent, pock- marked native swell, got up regardless of expense in a magnificent green and gold dress. The said swell on catching sight of me promptly tumbled, or rather was assisted, off his steed, and came 232 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. scrambling up the steep gradient as fast as his combined dignity and obesity would allow. Not to be outdone in politeness I advanced to meet him, when, after the usual salutations and mutual effusive enquiries after each other's health, he took me by the hand, and side by side we ascended the steps that led to a small sort of summer-house perched on an adjoining crag. Here we sat down and after a short conversation, plentifully interlarded with com- pliments after the usual florid Eastern style, tea in every conceivable filthy form, such as without milk but diluted with ghee (rancid butter), lime-juice, &c., together with dried walnuts and some most objectionable sweetmeats, was served. Nerving myself to do justice to this conglomeration of nasti- ness, I indulged in a few mouthfuls and sips that nearly made me sick, and then lighting a cheroot and offering my visitor one, at which he puffed and sucked with apparent gusto, though I believe to him it was as objectionable as his tea and trash was to me, we commenced a long palaver in very THE SPECTRE STAG OF VIZAMAH. 233 indifferent Hindustani (at least on my part). This being concluded, a nuzzar or gift, consisting of some wretched half-starved sheep, a few fowls, some honey, ghee, &c., was presented for my acceptance, I on my part pressing on my visitor a return gift in the shape of an English knife, a whistle, a canister of gunpowder, together with a bag con- taining fifty rupees, apologizing at the same time for the smallness of the offering, owing to difficulty of transport, &c. This he was good enough to accept after many protestations, and assuming an air of reluctance he was far from feeling. Thinking the interview had lasted long enough, I gave him a hint to depart by rising, and taking him by the hand conducted him down the steps to the spot where his charger was awaiting him. " Having seen my visitor hoisted on to his steed like a great sack of wheat, we finally took leave of each other, not, however, without mutual expres- sions of esteem and regard, and my having assured him that I would ere long ' do myself the indescrib- 234 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. able honour of returning his illustrious visit and add to the brightness of my life by gazing once more on the sun of his exalted features, that could only be compared to the radiance of the moon,' &c., &c. And then, the band having tuned up, the procession put itself in motion ; my fat friend wobbled off look- ing like a great dish of spinach and poached eggs, and soon a projecting spur in the mountain path hid them all from view, and though the sound of the music as it gradually faded away in the distance was not unpleasing, still distance certainly in this instance lent enchantment to the sound if not to the view. I must add, however, that ere our interview had concluded I had been graciously accorded per- mission to shoot on the Rajah's territory wherever I liked, and he further placed at my disposal the ser- vices of two of his shikaris, who he said knew every inch of the ground. During the afternoon these men arrived, and with them I began to discuss the chances of sport and the most likely ground to visit. " During our conversation one of them, ' YusuP THE SPECTRE STAG OF VIZ AMAH. 235 by name, told me of a wonderful Bara Sing or Cashmir stag, who was said to inhabit a certain range of hills not far distant. Many were the tales related to me of this stag's gigantic form and colossal head, the extraordinary number of points on the said head, the number of shots that had been fired at him, and of his invulnerability ! " Now I knew that the Cashmir stag usually sheds its horns early in March, a time when Europeans used not to be allowed into Cashmir, at the time of which I write. Therefore, I ridiculed the idea of any of the * Sahib log ' having had a shot at him, attributed his escape to the use of bad weapons and still worse native powder, and pointed out the fact that his carrying antlers at all at this season of the year might be owing to his perhaps being an animal whose new horns had grown prematurely. I was then solemnly assured that this stag never shed his horns ! And this piece of information was conveyed to me as clinching the argument and proving his supernatural existence. 236 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. " In my own mind I, of course, put this down as all gammon, and so with a view of making an impression of my individual prowess on Messrs. Yusuf & Co., I ordered one of my servants to put up some empty beer bottles on a rock about one hundred yards distant, and, after loading my rifle (it was in the old days of muzzle-loaders), in a few shots I broke them all, amid the admiring ejaculations of * Wah-wah ! ' from the onlookers. Turning to Yusuf I enquired did he think, were I to meet this wonderful stag of which he had been talking, could it escape eating my bullets ? " ' God knows,' he said; ' the Sahib's bullets go straight, but this "hangul"* bears a charmed life, and they will do him no harm, for he is not of this world. It is only a silver bullet that will kill him.' I laughed as I replied, * Well, lead is good enough for me ; only give me the chance of a fair shot and you will see.' The next morning, after a cup of hot coffee and some toast and eggs, we made a start * Vernacular for the Cashmir stag. THE SPECTRE STAG OF VIZAMAH. 237 about three A.M. for the ground. We had perforce to make an early start, as the particular range of hills this stag was said to inhabit lay some miles distant, and we wished to gain high ground and get above our game ere day broke. Bitterly cold it was, and the waning moon cast faint and ghostlike shadows across our path as we climbed the steep hillside. Often the ruggedness of the track caused us to halt for breath, and during these intervals the scene was one which for calm grandeur tempered with softness could hardly be surpassed. Above and far away beyond us towered the mighty snow- clad peaks, frowning to the sky, their pure dazzling white crests showing clearly against it, and glisten- ing in the soft moonlight, contrasted vividly with their lower slopes, which were still enveloped in bluish grey clouds. In our immediate neighbour- hood the tall pines -and deodars waved and rustled softly in the early morning breeze, their massive trunks and gnarled branches casting fantastic shadows around, whilst their topmost foliage was 238 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. touched here and there by the moon's soft rays. Away in the distance below, the tops and knolls of the smaller hills rose like islands out of a sea of mist, that gradually ascending from the streams and valleys, floated upwards in fantastical wreaths and shapes. On, on we went, and after a couple of hours' hard walking at last reached the summit of a long grassy ridge, clothed with scattered birch and pines, whose sharp fallen needles thickly carpeting the ground, added to the short slippery grass, made walking a matter of some difficulty, had we not been provided with grass shoes, that very necessary chaussure in prosecuting shikar in Cashmir. All around were fearful frowning precipices, dimly discernible in the grey uncertain light ; but one saw enough to know that a false step might be fatal, for a sheer fall of some two to three hundred feet could have but one result, viz., to reduce a form that a few seconds before had been full of life, to an inanimate shapeless mass of pulp ! Proceeding a short distance along this ridge, we halted and sat THE SPECTRE STAG OF VIZAMAH. 239 down to wait for daylight. After a bit the twitter of birds and a faint streak of light in the east beto- kened the coming dawn, and then Yusuf, leaving me with Saffim Meer, who had charge of my spare rifle, and the coolies who were carrying my lunch, cart- ridges, extra grass shoes, &c., crept off by himself towards a pile of rocks some few hundred yards distant, from whence he said he could command a more extensive view of the surrounding country. At the high altitude at which we were, heavy clouds and rolling wreaths of mist drifting upwards were being gradually dispelled by the force of the now rising sun, every now and then enveloping us in their icy grasp and making my very teeth chatter from the intense cold. Occasionally the loud bell of a stag would be wafted towards us on the breeze, followed by the noise of a boulder or stone which, displaced by the tread of some animal, would go rolling and thundering down the precipitous hill- side, awakening the echoes in those otherwise still and silent regions. After an interval of perhaps 240 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. half an hour or may be a little more, but which to me seemed an interminable age, Yusuf returned, saying he had not seen anything, but that he had heard a stag belling in a valley below, and from its deep tone he thought it must be the one we were in search of. We were at the moment on compara- tively high ground, viz., the top of a grassy boulder- strewn ridge that formed a sort of plateau, and on this, as well as in the valleys on either side, the wreaths of mist still hung heavily. The stag was apparently below us some little way down, so making a slight detour to obtain the wind in our favour we, that is Yusuf, myself, and Saffim Meer, started to ' get in ' at him. Then we cautiously began to descend, slowly creeping and slithering over the short slippery grass and rocks all saturated with moisture. We had progressed downwards some hundred and fifty to two hundred yards, when Yusuf dropped as if shot behind a mass of rocks. I instantly imitated him, and then saw him begin drawing my rifle out of its cover ; passing it back to THE SPECTRE STAG OF VIZ AMAH. 241 me, he pointed ahead through the floating clouds of mist. Putting fresh caps on the nipples of my rifle, I wriggled and squirmed myself past him and on up the smooth polished surface of a great slab of rock. Raising my head inch by inch and peeping very gradually and cautiously over its edge, I saw a sight that made my pulse quicken and my heart beat such as it had never before in any sporting adventure; for there, looming out through the mist not twenty yards distant, as it seemed to me, was the form of a gigantic stag, almost mythical in its huge proportions, such as I had never even dreamt of! He was standing with head erect, and turned towards me, but offering a perfectly fair broadside shot, and even through the dense and hazy atmosphere that surrounded him I could distinctly trace his enormous outline and the magnificent sweep of his mighty antlers, on which I counted sixteen points ! Evidently he had got our wind somehow, perhaps owing to some erratic current of air, or something had R 242 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. aroused his suspicions, for he seemed on the point of moving off. Being in a tremendous state of nervous excitement, and knowing well that in that state I ought not to hazard a shot, of course in the natural order of human perversity I did exactly the reverse of what I ought, but he seemed so close, so absurdly close, that shaky as I knew myself to be, I felt I could not miss him, so up went the rifle, and aiming just behind his shoulder, I fired both barrels in quick succession. " The sounds of the discharge echoed and rever- berated among the rocky crags and wooded valleys, multiplying a hundredfold as they rolled away in the distance, and the smoke hung like a pall in the heavy mist ; but I dashed forward at once to where I expected to see the noble animal lying dead, a tangible proof that for this stag at all events, were he supernatural or not, a silver bullet was not needed. Fatuous thought, for by heavens there was nothing there ! not a drop of blood, not even a footprint on the damp herbage. My THE SPECTRE STAG OF VIZ AMAH. 243 quarry had apparently vanished into space ! On, on, I stumbled, feeling sure I must soon either come on the stag lying dead or at all events hit on his tracks. I could not have missed him, I argued with myself. At my shot he might have made a tremendous bound and perhaps landed on a sheet of rock which would show no marks of his foot- prints. Vain delusion ; the farther I went the more hopeless became the pursuit, for not a sign, not a vestige betrayed to the practised vision of Yusuf or Saffim Meer that such a heavy animal as a stag had ever been in the vicinity, so at last I was fain to give up and confess myself beaten, and in no amiable mood retraced my steps to camp, for after such a fiasco I had no heart to try for another shot. So, silently we retraced our weary way, whilst I repelled any attempt at conversation on the part of either Yusuf or Saffim Meer, and contented myself with puffing savagely at my pipe. All unheeded were the beauties of the sunrise amid those mighty mountains, all unheeded the bell of a R 2 244 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. stag or the low grunting call of a hind from those secluded valleys. My mind was full of bitterness and disappointment, and on reaching camp I flung myself on my bed and endeavoured to apply the charm of sleep and oblivion to my wounded feelings. That night, however, when I was discussing the prospects of the next day's shikar with Saffim Meer and Yusuf, I asked the latter his opinion as to what had become of the stag. " ' Sahib,' he replied, * that was the stag ; no one will ever kill him, for he is not of this world.' Of course I ridiculed this statement, and remarked that probably owing to the state of the atmosphere the animal had really been farther off than he appeared to me, and so his proportions being un- duly magnified, I had made an error in judging distance and had thus missed him. I saw, however, that with Yusuf my arguments carried but little weight, and in my own mind argue the matter as I would, I was fain to confess that either the animal must have been supernatural or else I had been the THE SPECTRE STAG OF VIZ AM AH. 245 victim of a most extraordinary optical delusion. I wanted to have another try for this stag, but no threats, bribes, or other inducements would induce Yusuf to take me after him again, and so I struck camp and moved on to fresh ground where I had capital sport with mahkhoor and bears ; but often the vision of that grand head and colossal form arises in my mind, and I would have given a good deal to have had just one more chance at the spectre stag." And now, reader friend, what do you make out of this tale? I confess it beats me. Spirits and ghosts I don't for one moment believe in, but yet strange things bordering on the supernatural do sometimes occur, and an excited and heated imagi- nation has often much to answer for. Still the prevalence of legends identical in every respect, in countries so widely distant as the Highlands of Scotland and the lofty peaks of the Himalayas, must have something in them ! What is it ? THE BITER BIT. " Is it a harse ye are wanting ? Bedad, thin, P ve the very one to suit ye. He can jump like a deer, gallop as fast as ye can clap your hands, and is as handsome as paint." These words were addressed by Mr. Mike Milligan, veterinary surgeon of the Green Lancers, to Ensign Filford, of H.M.'s 22Oth Regiment, who had but lately joined that gallant corps. The Green Lancers and the 22Oth were both quartered at the charming station of Jeejeepore, celebrated for its delightful and salubrious climate and the varied sport that could be obtained in its vicinity. The night on which my story opens was " guest night" at the Lancers' mess and Filford, with several others, was enjoying the hospitality of that gallant regi- THE BITER BIT. 247 ment. Mr. Milligan's (or The Milligan, as he termed himself) remark was made in reply to a question from Filford if any one knew of a horse to suit him. Some animated conversation on the equine subject then ensued, and it was finally agreed that the following morning after parade Filford should go for "chota haziri" to Milligan's bungalow to inspect the wonderful "harse." And there I will ask my reader to accompany me, premising, however, that Filford had been quietly warned by several of the Lancers against having any dealings with The Milligan, who, he was told, was sure to stick him. A good dinner, a skinfull of champagne, and that happy reliance in itself that youth always has, made him, however, deem himself more than a match for the wily Irishman. Having ridden a good deal and been amongst horses all his life, he flattered himself he knew something about them, &c. So he argued with himself in all the confidence of youthful inex- perience, as yet untaught the lesson that we all have to learn some day, that however cute and 248 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. sharp we may be, there are others cuter and sharper than ourselves. "Ah! me dear boy," began the worthy Mike, with outstretched hand, as Filford, hot and dusty, rode up to his bungalow, " here ye are at last. I'd almost given ye up. The General must have given ye all a good gruelling this marning to make ye so late ; but come in, come in," he added, as Filford dis- mounted and gave his tattoo over to his syce, " and have a ' peg' to wash the dust out of your throat." The grateful peg being duly swallowed, ample justice done to a " chota haziri" of eggs, toast, tea, and fruit, and cheroots lit, Mike suggested an adjournment to the stables. These consisted of a long low range of buildings containing some ten loose boxes with a wide arched verandah outside them, each arch being furnished with a " chick," or blind, to keep out the glare. All was scrupulously clean, but each box, instead of being littered down with straw, stood hoof-deep in sand, well watered to keep it cool and moist. The occupants of the THE BITER BIT. 249 first two stalls were invalids, belonging to some of the Lancer officers, and were passed by without com- ment. Then came a couple of smart polo ponies, but these too were passed with merely a cursory glance. No. 5 box contained a good-looking grey Arab who at once caught Filford's eye, but on the worthy Mike assuring him that neither he nor the bay stud-bred mare standing in the next box would suit him at all, they passed on. In No. 7 was a bay Waler, but the bandages on three of his legs, and the presence of a syce fomenting the fourth with hot water, betokened that he also was on the sick-list. " Now," said Mr. Mike, " I'll show ye the harse that will suit ye down to the ground," say- ing which he undid the lower bar of the box, into which he ushered Filford. There stood a three- cornered, sour-looking Persian, slack-loined and goose-rumped, as narrow as a clothes-horse and with deeply fired hocks. " There, me boy, there's jist the animal for ye," exclaimed his owner, noting a shade of annoyance that passed over the young 2 5 o POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. man's countenance, " cheap too : ye shall have him for two hundred rupees." The farce of feeling the animal's legs, stripping him, &c. was gone through, when Filford said, " Well, Mr. Milligan, it's no good beating about the bush, and I tell you plainly I don't like him and wouldn't have him at any price. Let's see what's in the next box." Now the crafty Mike had been too long at the game of horsedealing, which seems almost invari- ably connected with a certain amount of rascality, to accede readily to this request. In fact it was his trump card, held over till the last, so he merely remarked carelessly " Ah well, ye certainly can look at him, not that he's a harse would suit ye in the least ; and though I would sell him, I tell ye honestly I wouldn't recom- mend him to ye, for he is a quare-timpered baste and wants a lot of riding." Now the "quare-tim- pered baste," (who really had a most angelic tem- per), was just the animal to take anyone's fancy at THE BITER BIT. 251 the first glance, more particularly the fancy of a horsily inclined young man who rather fancied himself, and who because he imagined he knew the good points of a horse, and could with tolerable accuracy detect the presence of a splint, a spavin, or a curb, thought that therefore he was thoroughly conversant with all the infirmities and ills to which horseflesh is heir. Standing about 15 2, the animal in question a dark, whole-coloured brown, with black legs was a real good-looking one. His long muscular arms, sloping shoulders, strong short back, deeply arched ribs, powerful quarters, and great muscular thighs well let down into strong hocks, added to a lean, game, well set on head and neck, the whole on the cleanest and flattest of legs, on which the sinews, large and well detached from the bone, stood out like whipcord, all made him a picture of equine make and shape. A gleam or two of sunlight glancing through a broken piece of the " chick " opposite his box played and quivered on his glossy coat, showing its fine silky 2 S 2 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. texture ; and as the horse moved quietly across the stall and pushed his brown velvety muzzle into Fil- ford's hand, that young man was smitten all of a heap, and inwardly resolved he would become his owner, even to the amount of three months' pay. " Ah ! " he thought, " if I had such a horse as you, my boy ; dash my buttons, but I'd have some fun with you, and win a race or two besides." " What do you want for him? " he asked, turning to the crafty Irishman. " Oh, begorra," was the reply, " I never had any idea of selling him ; in fact, Fd rather not parti- cularly to you; for, as I told ye, I don't think ye could ride him, if ye' 11 excuse me sayin' so, for though he's as quiet as a mouse in the stable, out of it he's a riglar divil. Anyhow, though, I wouldn't take less than seven hundred rupees for him," added he, glancing up under his eyebrows, to see how Filford would stand the price. Now this little doubt thrown on Filford's horsemanship settled the matter. No man no young man, at least likes THE BITER BIT. 253 these sort of aspersions, however veiled they may be, cast on his powers of equestrianism, and the long and short of it was that eventually it was settled Filford should become the owner of the brown Waler for six hundred rupees, Mr. Milligan kindly offering to keep him for a fortnight, till Filford, who had to go down to the Presidency town the next day to study Hindustani, should have set- tled down a bit, when the horse was to be for- warded to him. He was anxious to get on his back there and then, but was told the horse was in physic, &c., and half a dozen excuses were made, and like most youngsters he suffered himself to be overtalked and quite omitted making any inquiries as to the horse's soundness. On reaching his bungalow, or rather that of his brother ensign and old school-chum, Dick Burstock, with whom he was putting up, Filford told that young gentleman, who was of a decidedly sporting turn of mind, of his good luck in picking up such an equine wonder, adding, " By Jove, old man, 254 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. we'll show 'em how to do the trick up here, and I'll just get the quad, in thorough training and run him for the Cup at our races six months hence." Now Dick had known the worthy Mike for some time, and moreover knew what a very shifty gentleman that worthy was, and as he had never seen the horse himself, he said: "Well, old fellow, I only hope you haven't been stuck, but a hundred to one you have ; otherwise, why have none of us ever seen Mister Mike out on this extraordinary animal ? " Filford, however, clung tenaciously to his opinion that he had got a real good bargain, and with this idea firmly implanted in his youthful and not overwise brain, departed next day for Bombay, (having in the meantime sent a weighty bag of six hundred rupees over to Milligan in payment for the horse, for which he duly received a receipt) ; and to that town I will ask you to accompany me some fourteen days after the events above narrated happened. Filford sitting in a large armchair in his verandah, with legs cocked up, and with eyes THE BITER BIT. 255 half shut, enjoying the sea breeze that blows across the harbour, is lazily puffing a cheroot, after a hard day's mugging with his Moonshee, during which time that worthy has been trying to instil into his mind the mysteries of the Bagho-Behar and Baitul Pucheese, and endeavouring to teach his fingers the intricacies of the Persian ortho- graphy and the difference between Ordoo and Dewanagri. To him enters a servant who informs him that the horse has arrived. Filford is imme- diately all attention, and throwing away his half- smoked cheroot, at once proceeds to his stable. There is the brown Waler being rubbed down, his nose shoved well into his manger, and doing full justice to his feed of " gram." As he enters, the horse for a moment lifts his head, and gives a low neigh as of recognition. This at once endears him to Filford, who goes up and pats him, and after having seen him made thoroughly comfortable, and his attendant syce having reported that the horse has borne the long railway journey well, he leaves 256 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. him, visions of winning numerous " first spears," besides the Jeejeepore Cup, floating in his brain. Two days elapse, and concluding that by then the horse must have quite recovered from the effects of the journey, Filford thinks he will have a ride and take the horse out for a couple of hours, give him a gallop, and see how he can jump. Behold him then mounted, in all the pride of youth- ful horseownership. The horse is as quiet as a lamb, and steps out freely, snorting and playing with his bit, to which however he gives and bends at the slightest touch. After walking him about a mile he presses him gently with his knees, and the horse responds at once, breaking into a trot. " Hulloa ! hold up, old man," as there is a desperate peck and stumble, which nearly lands Filford over his head. "A bit of that beastly 'kunkur,' I suppose," adds the young man. A few yards farther on and then another awful stumble. " He must have a stone in his foot," is Filford's next thought, and dismounting he makes a careful in- THE BITER BIT. 257 vestigation. But no, the horse's feet are clean and clear enough. A third stumble, this time walk- ing, makes him begin to feel uneasy, but now he attributes it to bad shoeing. He has by this time, however, got into the country, and seeing a nice soft field with a little thorn fence at the end of it, he sets the horse going at a canter. The soft, light, ploughed ground just suits him, and he strides away with charming oily yet powerful action, and as he nears the fence he cocks his ears, quickens his pace, and skims over it in his stride. Filford is delighted. "It's all that rascally nalbund V (black- smith) " fault, my beauty," he says, " but we'll soon put your tootsicums right and then " but the rest of his remark was cut short by an ominous sound, something between a wheeze and a grunt. After jumping the fence and galloping on some quarter of a mile the horse's stride seemed to shorten, he didn't go so free. The sound got louder and louder, and when at last Filford pulled him up his flanks were heaving in the short, sharp, spas- s 258 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. modic manner that always denotes something wrong with the wind. " Out of condition and too fat, evidently, " argued his owner, and so turned him homewards; but if he was bad coming out he was ten times worse going home, and once on the hard road he stumbled in the most appalling manner, till at last Filford had to get off and lead him. After having the horse reshod and admin- istering a mild dose of physic, he again rode him out to commence conditioning. But the same thing was repeated, the stumbling was as bad as ever, and though on soft ground the horse galloped well and freely, and jumped in magnificent style, a quarter of a mile found him still making such hideous noises that at last Filford called in a professional vet., who at once pronounced the horse to be a roarer, and to have suffered from laminitis. Poor Filford' s face grew very long and grave when this verdict was delivered. He had been stuck, done in the eye, made a fool of, and moreover had spent a good deal more than he could afford on a screw nay worse, a screw there was no hope of THE BITER BIT. 259 patching up. His first impulse was to write and demand the return of his money, and threaten that were his demand not complied with he would lay the matter before the colonel of the Lancers ; but on reflection he saw that the wily Mike had got the whip hand of him, and on interrogation would say he had never been asked for, nor had he ever given, any warranty of soundness with the horse, and that he had told Filford the horse wouldn't suit him, and had done his best to dissuade him from becoming a purchaser. Yes ; the more he thought over and argued the matter in his mind, the more he saw that he had no redress, and that the best thing he could do was to grin and bear his loss, sell the horse at auction for what he would fetch, and trust to luck or some fortunate chance enabling him to turn the tables on Mr. Mike, and he registered a mental vow that should such an opportunity ever occur, he would make "the rascally coper," as he dubbed him, bitterly repent having played him such a dirty trick. s 2 z6o POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. PART II. I must now ask my reader to suppose that some six months have elapsed, and during these six months Filford has tackled his studies like a man, and so successfully that he passed his examination with honours, and is entitled to write the letters H.S. after his name in the Indian Army List, which for the uninitiated I may as well state stand for "Higher Standard" (of Hindustani), and that he has rejoined his regiment at Jeejeepore some three days before the races. It is a pleasant even- ing in November, about 6.30 P.M., when most of the cantonment have gone off to the band stand to gossip and listen to the dulcet strains of the Lancer band. Dick Burstock and Filford are sitting out in the former's compound, lolling comfortably in a couple of long armchairs, smoking their pipes in comfortable deshabille of pyjamas and smoking coats, and watching some five horses and ponies that are being led by their respective syces in a THE BITER BIT. ' 261 wide ring round and round them. The first three horses in the procession are Dick's, and call for no comment; then co~nes Filford's pony, and last of all a powerful brown Waler, marvellously like our old friend that we last saw stumbling along the Bombay streets. The horse steps out freely and well, his short bang tail swinging at every step. As he comes in front of his master during every round he stops and neighs, as if looking for some accustomed dainty in the shape of a carrot or piece of sugar- cane, and the reason for which being withheld his equine mind does not seem able to comprehend, for when his syce endeavours to get him to move on he ducks and shakes his head, and with a playful squeal flings up his heels. The horse is in the pink of condition : his eye is clear and bright, his nostril red, and the muscles on his quarters, thighs, and arms stand out clearly defined in great hard lumps, whilst his coat shines so with health and good grooming that you might almost see to shave in it. 25z POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. "Yes," says Dick, "I must confess, old man, I was wrong about the horse. I was never on such a perfect mover and jumper, and if he only goes in the race and fences as magnificently as he did with me this morning, why it's all over bar shout- ing, for I'm sure there's nothing in the station he can't give two stone to and a beating to boot." "Well, he ought to win, Dick," replies Filford, "if you'll just sit still on him, and keep an eye on Mr. Mike, for I believe he thinks he is cock certain of winning, and when he finds he is being beaten you don't know what rascality he may not be up to; but I think with luck, for I haven't yet come across the slippery blackguard, we ought to make a nice example of him." I may as well here state that Filford, being too heavy, had asked his friend Dick to ride for him. The hour's exercise being up, our young friends enter their bungalows to dress for mess, and after dinner adjourn to the club, where the race lotteries ' are being held. For the sake of those of my readers THE BITER BIT. 263 who do not understand what lotteries are I will endeavour to explain. In India comparatively little betting on races takes place ; most of the gambling is done in the shape of lotteries. The number of tickets in a lottery vary from fifty to two hundred, and their price varies from ten rupees to fifty rupees for each ticket. These tickets may be taken by individuals, or when two or three combine they take tickets as a "confederacy." The numbers one to fifty, or as the case may be, are then put into one box or a hat, and the names of the horses engaged in the race into another, and drawn. The horses' chances are then put up to auction and knocked down to the highest bidder, and the amount thus realised, plus the sum real- ised by the sale of the tickets, minus five per cent, deducted for the race fund, is paid to the purchaser of the winning horse's chance. Several lotteries on other races had taken place, and then there came that for the big race, in which seven horses were engaged. There were fifty tickets at 264 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. ten rupees each. By a curious coincidence Dick Burstock drew the favourite, a horse named Rufus, and the property of Mr. Mike Milligan, whilst a young assistant commissioner drew Filford' s horse, which he had entered in the name of " Revenge." At the auction, after much spirited competition, the wily Mike was announced as the purchaser of his own horse for two hundred and fifty rupees, whilst Filford bought his horse for forty rupees. At the conclusion Mike sauntered up to Filford and said " So, me dear boy, ye' re going to run the ould harse. It's very plucky of ye, begorra; but though he can lep like the very divil, he hasn't got the pace. He's looking wonderfully well, though, from the glimpse I caught of him yesterday coming into the station." "Ah! I'm glad you think so," was the careless reply as Filford sauntered away. At last the great day arrived and found Dick and Filford out at daybreak giving Revenge his last THE BITER BIT. 265 gallop, in a quiet and remote spot where they knew they were safe from observation. About two o'clock the road to the course presented a lively aspect, crowds of gaily dressed natives, soldiers horse, foot, and artillery in their respective uniforms, together with every imaginable form of vehicle, from the correct four-in-hand of the Lancers down to the buggy, and even humbler native " ekha " and bullock "hackerry," crowded, crawled, and jostled along, raising clouds of dust, and making a most infernal din, above which the shrill "toot-toot" of the Lancers' coaching " yard of tin " rang out clear and distinct. At last every one has settled down into their places, the grand stand is crowded with bevies of beauties in all the freshness of their latest milliners' (query durzis'*) triumphs, accompanied by their attendant cavaliers. Itinerant vendors of oranges and native sweetmeats are driving a roaring trade ; a group of Christy minstrels, who on closer examination would probably prove to be privates of Her Majesty's * Native tailor. 266 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. 22oth Regiment, are warbling forth the advisability of laying your money "on de bob-tailed nag;" black, white, and half-caste I beg their pardon, "Eurasian" gentlemen are thronging the course; whilst the Lancer band discourses sweet music in the shape of Straus's last waltz in the inclosure. Sheeted and hooded horses are being led about the paddock by their respective syces, and owners and jockeys may be seen together in little knots discuss- ing their representatives' chances. Presently the bugle, which takes the place of a bell, sounds for the first race, but as we have nothing to do with this or the following we will, with your permission, kind reader, get forrard to the big race, which ranks number three on the card. Its conditions are as follows : The Jeejeepore Cup, a piece of plate value one thousand rupees, presented by the Nawab-Sher- Ahmed-Mohammed Khan Bahahdur, C.S.I., added to a sweepstakes of fifty rupees each, for all horses. Weight for age and class. Aged Arabs to carry ten THE BITER BIT. 267 stone seven pounds, winners extra. Once round the steeplechase course, about two miles. The following were the entries figured on the card, and all were starters : 1. Major Hesketh's bay Australian, "Kangaroo." Blue, yellow cap. 2. Mirza-bin-Ali's grey Arab, " Melek." Silver grey and red cap. 3. Mr. Milligan's chestnut Australian, " Rufus." Yellow. 4. Mr. Filford's brown Australian, " Revenge." Crimson and white cap. 5. Captain Pontefract's bay Persian, " Mashhad." Green. 6. Mr. Macpherson's bay Arab, "Mountain Dew." Black. 7. The Confederates' black Australian, " Colonist." Cerise and black cap. Now a word as to the course, which was a circular one containing some ten or eleven fences, comprising two water jumps, a "double," a stiff 268 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. post-and-rails, and a mud wall some four feet six inches in height. On the landing side of each fence the ground had been well picked up and softened, for falling over a fence going at racing pace on the hard sun-baked Indian soil is no joke, and besides the soft landing saved to a certain extent the inevitable jar on horses' feet and tendons that they must otherwise have experienced. And now behold the seven come down in their preliminary canter, and over some bushed hurdles in front of the stand. Melek leads, but his high fighting action, and the undecided way he jumps proves he has not much chance ; neither has the wall-eyed Mashhad, for stopping dead short he nearly shoots his rider over his head. Kangaroo, Colonist, and Mountain Dew then go by, and jump cleanly, though the latter rushes at it forty miles an hour and takes off too soon. Then comes Rufus, and the quiet way the horse steals along and pops over, and the finished seat and style of his owner's riding, all make him a hot favourite, and well he THE BITER BIT. 269 may be, for he is the " hero of a hundred fights." Last of all comes Revenge, snorting and reaching at his bridle. As he nears the hurdles, he quickens his stride and skims over without an effort, Dick Burstock sitting like a statue and never moving on his horse. When his style of going is noticed by the cognoscenti, many of them shake their heads and in- wardly trust they may not have been fools to let him go so cheap in the lottery. However, it is too late now, for see now the flag is down and they are off. Past the stand they sweep in a cluster, and all save Mashhad top the hurdles, that obstinate quadruped swerving and crashing through the wing, which operation turns him and his rider over, and destroys any remote chance that he might ever have possessed of passing the post. Mountain Dew now assumes the lead, closely followed by Kangaroo, Colonist, and Melek, Rufus lying back and Revenge bringing up the rear some ten lengths behind. The next two fences are negotiated by all success- fully, but the fourth the post-and-rails proves 270 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. too much for Mountain Dew, who describes the acrobatic feat which is commonly called " turning turtle," i.e., coming head over heels on to his back. The first water-jump brings Colonist to grief. Melek now assumes the lead, Rufus going on second, whilst Revenge still keeps his place behind. The course is now half completed, and Filford begins to feel a bit uneasy, and thinks it were time for Dick to take his horse to the front. At the mud wall Melek has shot his bolt and swerves out of the course, thus practically leaving the issue to Rufus, Kangaroo, and Revenge. In this order they approach the most formidable fence in the course. It is a high and broad mud bank, bushed with thorns on the top, and flanked on either side by a wide and deep ditch. As they near it, Mike is seen to take a pull at his horse and steady him, then dropping his hands he lets him go. The horse makes a great spring, lands on the top, dwells for an instant, and then shoots over the far ditch. Kangaroo goes at it too fast, tries to fly it, THE BITER BIT. 271 and comes what is vulgarly termed a regular " buster " on the far side. It is now Dick's turn. Imitating Mike's action, he comes at it sitting well back. Revenge cocks his ears, and reaching at his bridle goes fast at it. With a mighty bound he springs in the air, and as the crimson jacket and white cap flash in the sunlight for a moment, it looks as if he meant to fly the whole thing, but quick as thought when in the air he kicks back at the bank like an Irish horse, lands with plenty to spare, and is sailing gaily on in his stride. Dick, who has hitherto held him in hard, now lets him go, and foot by foot he decreases the distance between him and Rufus, till he is only some two lengths behind. Mike glances back uneasily. Hitherto, he has taken no notice of what he deemed a contemptible adversary, but now he can't make it out. He does not hear that laboured breathing he knows so well, and how on earth can the horse stand galloping on such hard ground ? He begins to feel uncomfortable. After jumping the next fence 272 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. only three more intervene between them and the winning post the water-jump, which is a good fourteen feet of water, a thorn fence, and a flight of hurdles. As they near the water, Dick shakes his horse up and goes at it full tilt, a length in front of Rufus. Revenge gallantly answers to the call, and swings over it in his stride. Rufus, too, jumps it well, but just drops one hind leg with a splash. The pace is beginning to tell, however, and Mike by this mistake finds he has lost another couple of lengths and inside place. He is now thoroughly alarmed. He has paid a large sum for the horse with a view of winning this race, then he has ventured a good bit in the lottery, and now all the fruits of his labour seem about to be snatched from him, and by a screw, an outcast from his own stable, and he, the knowing Mike, the good rider and reputed good judge of a horse, likely to be worsted by a boy a mere boy in an in- fantry regiment. Perish the thought ! His mind is quickly made up. If he can't win by fair means THE BITER BIT. 273 he must try foul; it won't be the first time he has played that game, and he flatters himself he can do the trick so artistically that it will never be detected. Giving Rufus a vicious dig he shoots just in front, and changing his whip to his left hand, Revenge lying on his right, he begins ap- parently to flog. But Dick is too quick for him, and sees that the apparent punishment he is admin- istering to his horse, in reality only descends on his boot ; those sharp resounding cracks do not re-echo from contact with the skin of the gallant horse the rascal is riding, only from his own worthless shoe- leather. Sitting still as a rock he takes no notice, and now as they near the last hurdles Mike sees his little game is up; but he has a last card, and dangerous though it is, he makes up his mind to play it as they run nearly locked together. Sud- denly Dick, who is hugging the ropes, is aware that his antagonist is boring in on him. " Mind where you're going!" he shouts, but no notice is taken; he has only time to take a pull at his horse. T 274 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. As he does so, Mike, at the last moment unable or unwilling to keep his now beaten horse straight, jumps the hurdles sideways right in front of him. There is a crash, a flashing of bright polished shoes glistening in the sunlight, a confused struggling mass composed of a chestnut horse and a yellow jacket, a swaying backward motion of the crowd assembled at the spot, and then a crimson jacket and white cap soar triumphantly over all. Revenge has done his duty, and Dick canters in an easy winner amidst the plaudits of the spectators. "Well done, old man/' says Filford, as patting Revenge's neck and looking up into Dick's smiling face, he leads the winner back to scale. "Yes," is the reply, "you may well say that, for the horse is as good as gold. Had he not been, that scoundrel would have brought us both to fearful grief. Anyhow we've won, so it's no use say- ing anything about it, though it was as clear a case of foul riding as ever was done, and it would serve the rascal right if he had broken his neck." THE BITER BIT. 2 75 But the rascal's neck was not broken, only a couple of ribs, and he is soon seen being supported off the course. And now I must again change the venue, and ask you to accompany me to the bungalow occu- pied by Filford and Dick Burstock, when it will be explained to you how it was that a horse suffering from two such serious complaints as " roaring," and " laminitis," could possibly gallop two miles over a stiff steeplechase course, and moreover, win. The two friends are seated in long armchairs, dis- cussing the events of the day's racing and enjoying the soothing pipe. Quoth Filford " Dick, old man, I am going to tell you some- thing. Revenge is not the horse I bought from Milligan. Stop/' he added, with a deprecating gesture of his hand, as Dick started up from his chair, " and I'll tell you all about it. You know I gave Milligan a pretty good price for the horse I bought from him, mainly with a view to winning this race. Well, when I got him down to Bombay I found I had T 2 278 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. tongue, and as no one else has thought it worth while to ask me any questions I have had no occa- sion to do otherwise than keep my own mouth shut, even to you, dear old boy. Anyhow ' Revenge is sweet/ and I think anyone knowing the facts of the case and you are at perfect liberty to tell them to whom you like now will allow that in Milligan's case it is a very good instance of 'the biter bit.' Now come on and let us dress for mess." LEX TALIONIS. " I have neither the will nor the right to blame, Yet to many (though not to all), The sweets of destruction are somewhat tame When no personal risks befall. # # * # Shall we who for pastime have squandered life, Who are styled the ' Lords of Creation,' Recoil from our chance of more equal strife, And our risk of retaliation ? " ADAM LINDSAY GORDON. YES, a spice of danger, the stronger the better, certainly does add a zest to our sport, whatever form it may assume. Where would be the charm of hunting the stag, fox, or hare in our tight little island were not their pursuit accompanied by the dash of danger that accompanies it ? Allowed that there is a charm in seeing hounds work, and a great charm it is, yet were not this 280 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. charm added to and increased by riding over a rough or enclosed country, heightened by the keen excitement generated by having to risk one's neck over a number of fences in order to see the said hounds work, half the delight would be lost. What would you say, O ye swells of Melton and Market- Harborough, were you called on to hunt for the rest of your natural life over the undulating downs of Salisbury Plain? Would you deem the game worth the candle ? I trow not ! No ; in hunting at home, it is the concomitant danger that adds to the charm, the uncertainty, and intensifies the enjoyment of the sport; for however good a horse may be, he is not infallible, and may put you down, perhaps to the injury of life or limb. In shooting and fishing at home there is practically no risk, bar the accidental bursting of a gun, or the carelessness of some brother sportsman who may mistake your leggings for a hare in the former instance, or of contracting cold and rheumatism in the latter. In the pursuit of big game, however, the case is far LEX TALIONIS. 281 different. Here you meet your quarry on more equal ground. You pit your life against his ; you have the advantages of human reasoning powers, backed by efficient weapons, to oppose his brute force and cunning. The chances are even. If you lose your head the odds are you will be beaten, whereas if you keep it the odds are in favour of your winning the game. It is a gamble, but the stake surely is worth playing for! Our beloved old friend Mr. Jorrocks, in his lecture on hunting, describes that sport as " the image of war, with five-and- twenty per cent, of the danger off." Well, I will, with your permission, venture to describe a day or two's sport which may be likened to the image of war, without the danger per centage taken off. I do not propose recording any adventure of my own, for I never had such sport as this, but through the kind- ness of a very dear old friend, and one of the best of Indian sportsmen with rifle or with spear, and one who in every way had " A hand for the blow And a heart for the deed," 282 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. I am permitted to copy the following extract from his diary, one containing records of many excellent days' sport ; but these days, I think, are the best, and they would, I venture to assert, taking into considera- tion the attendant circumstances, be hard to beat. Before proceeding, however, I may as well describe the modus operandi pursued in bear- spearing a sport which, though I often attempted, I was never fortunate enough to participate in, simply because I was never lucky enough to come across the requisite animal in rideable ground. Bears are generally found on rocky boulder-covered hills, at the base of which there may be a few yards of ground over which it is possible to gallop. Being nocturnal feeders, they are out all night and return to their caves at the first streak of dawn, often indeed before, and hence it is difficult to distinguish them in the dim uncertain light. Having reliable "khubber," or news, of their habitat, you proceed yourself with horse and spears to the hill, and posting men on the top to give you warning of the LEX TALIONIS. 283 approach of your quarry, you calmly await the turn of events. Though the sense of smell is highly developed in a bear their sight is bad, and if they descry any suspicious-looking object between them and their cave on returning from a nocturnal foray, they poke about trying to make out what it is, instead of boldly rushing for home. In speed they are not nearly equal to a horse, and are generally caught up in about fifty yards. Even after being speared they could often easily reach their cave, as the conflict generally takes place almost on the door-step ; but a wound puts them into such a fiendish rage that they pursue you with hideous roars and howls. You then discreetly ride away from the rocks, pursued by " Bruin infuriatus." After chasing you a bit the bear imagines he has routed the enemy and once more makes tracks for home. Then it is your turn, and having tempted your quarry as far as he will go, you resume the attack, and so the game goes on again. Perhaps you may prove the victor, but if you should not 2 84 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. succeed in killing your bear in the open, he, feeling his strength failing, will give up the contest and make one last effort to reach his home. Be it remembered, however, that a bear is furnished with two very formidable weapons of offence and defence, viz., sharp teeth and long claws, that are capable of inflicting ugly and often fatal wounds on horse and rider. And now if you please we will proceed with the extract, and I venture to say both you and I would have given a good deal could such a red- letter day's shikar be recorded in our sporting memories. "March 2gth t Tannah. This morning had great sport. Got up at 4 A.M. and taking six coolies with us, H., J., and I proceeded to the hill. Posted the coolies in pairs on the sides of the hill, which we reached just before dawn. As soon as there was the faintest ray of light we discovered a she- bear with two cubs about fifty yards out in the maidan.* Mounting our horses we waited impa- tiently for light. The ground was slightly rocky, * Plain. LEX TALIONIS. 285 with thick bushes scattered about. The bear was much puzzled at seeing us, approaching and re- tiring in an undecided sort of way, and we fully expected her to charge, but she at length broke away to the left. However, we rode up and down, our object being to keep her away from the hill till it was light enough to ride, and as soon as it was, at her we went. My little nag behaved splendidly and I speared the bear through the back. H. then speared, and after charging me, during which I speared her in the neck, she went and lay down in some bushes, out of which, in spite of a perfect shower of stones, she could not be induced to move. My horse being the steadiest, I rode in and speared her twice in the neck, which eventually killed her. Our coolies were now shout- ing to us, so riding in the direction they pointed, we saw two more bears. These we closed with at once, and I speared one of them. Thereupon they both rushed at me roaring and howling, and most absurd they looked. J. couldn't get his horse up 286 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. or we should have killed both. H. speared the one I had wounded, after which it bolted up the hill. I then got alongside the unwounded bear and should have speared it, but to my disgust found my spear was broken, and I only prodded him with the bamboo shaft, but luckily he didn't mean fighting, and likewise disappeared among the rocks up the hill. Went back to the dead bear, and to our astonishment found two young ones clinging to her. We had great fun catching them in cumblies (native blankets), as they rushed at us biting and yelling, as only a bear can yell. The poor little beasts died, however, as they were being carried to our tents, to our great regret. We then tracked the wounded bear along the hill and through some caves, till it became so hot and we were so done up that we had to relinquish further pursuit. Bag, one bear (speared) and two cubs. "April gth, Thorlacoonta. Got up at 4 A.M. and went to the hill. Posted look-out men, and soon LEX TALIONIS. 287 from their shouts it was evident that several bears were on foot. H. and J. saw three before it was light enough to ride, and shortly after a fourth made its appearance. The first three managed to get to the hill untouched and were not seen again, so directing our united energies against the fourth we cut him off, and I speared him through the back, but unfortunately my spear broke. The bear then made for the hill and was met by H. and J., who each had a shy at him but missed their spears. I then got between him and the hill, and by shouting tried to turn him. It was useless, however, and as he evinced a disposition to charge and my spear was broken, I had to retire. However, I soon got another spear and then we all tackled him, and had a rare scrimmage just under the hill. H. speared him in the head, J.'s spear slipped through his long hair and did him no harm, and I gave him a foot of spear in the hind-quarters, the only spot I could reach. He beat us, however, and got into his cave, out of which we could not get him. Returning to 288 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. camp, H. and J. started for Beemgull, ten miles distant, but I stayed behind to have another shy at the bears. " loth. Up at 3.30 A.M. Sent kit on to Beemgull, and taking nine coolies with me proceeded to the hill, posting the men myself in pairs. Just at daybreak a man came running to tell me he had seen two bears. I went with him and saw them, as usual, looking much puzzled about three hundred yards from the hill. I slowly rode towards them, the coolies behind me in a line, expecting them to run away. The bears (one large female and a half- grown cub) on seeing me stood on their hind legs and roared loudly, evidently with a view of intimi- dation. This challenge not routing me as they expected, the large female charged straight at me. The ground being rocky and covered with bushes, and unfavourable from my point of view, I discreetly retired, but the coolies behind me shouting turned the bears out. Three times this occurred, and then they moved on to a bit LEX TALIONIS. 289 of fairly decent ground. I at once closed with them and speared the biggest. Both bears then rushed at me with hideous howls, but wheeling off I again speared the female, whilst the smaller bear dashed through the coolies and gained the shelter of the hill. Three times more did I spear the old bear, when she succeeded in reaching a cave in the hill. As she was entering it, however, I jumped off my horse and taking my rifle from my gunbearer, who happened to be close by, had a snap shot at her, and thought I hit. Then sent for a torch to enable me to see inside the cave, but in the meanwhile hearing the brute drawing her breath with difficulty (the last spear having penetrated her lungs), I went in and searched about, but it was so dark I could not see a bit. After some time a coolie who was with me caught a glimpse of her head, and I had five shots, but what with the excitement and the darkness, I believe three of them missed. However, the last one killed her, and she was soon hauled out. A very large bear. u 290 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. Rode back to Thorlacoonta, had some biscuits and brandy and water, and started for Beemgull, which by dint of hard riding I reached at 9.30 A.M. Found H. and J. in a great state of excitement, as there had been two kills by tigers. Took a cup of tea and some bread, and went off on the elephant with about a hundred beaters. We were posted on the bank of a nullah, the cover being some dense 'jow' and 'surnbhaloo' bushes on the banks. The beat was badly executed. At the end, when we thought it was blank, H. and I were collecting the beaters in the nullah, when J., who wasn't thirty yards off, fired a shot. The coolies and tom-toms struck up a lively tune, whilst H. and I ran to the edge of the jungle, just in time to see the tigress, a very fine one, break back, J. having missed her. We then beat back, J. going on the elephant with the beaters. The tigress broke near H., who had two shots at her, the first of which hit, and she then came past me, giving me time to put four bullets into her, which polished LEX TALIONIS. 291 her off before she could attempt to charge. The tigress a very fine one, but with three young ones inside her, alas ! We then had a beat over the other kill, which was on a bare rocky hill and looked most unlikely ground, which it eventually proved, for we saw nothing. Didn't reach camp till 5.30 P.M. A hard day's work. Bag, one bear (speared), one tigress, eight feet seven inches." There, was not that good enough sport for any man ? Take into consideration the early start, the climate for it was in the hottest weather of that very hot country, India the hard work, the character of the quarry, and the dangerous nature of the ground ridden over, and I think it will compare favourably with sport anywhere, however good it may be. Whyte Melville, that best of sportsmen, and facile prince ps Poet Laureate of the chase, says truly " I swear that the best of my fun, I owe it to horse and to hound." Could he, however, have once partaken in the 292 POWDER, SPUR, AND SPEAR. glories and delights of the chase of the boar, the panther, and the bear, with that " queen of wea- pons," the spear, I can but venture to think he might, with all his devotion to hounds (in which I fully participate), have substituted the word "spear" for "hound," and agreed with the words of that inimitable, dashing Indian hunting song " Oh, who hath been in such a scene That scene can e'er forget ? In sorrow's mood, in solitude, Its dream will haunt him yet. 'Mid festal times, in other climes, He'll think of days so dear, And fill his cup and drain it up To Saddle, Spur, and Spear !" But here I am wandering away and maundering on with almost foolish senility on my favourite theme, so the best thing I can do is to put a good gag- snaffle on the Pegasus of my fancy, and crav- ing the pardon of any sportsman whose suscepti- bilities I may have unwittingly wounded, wish you one and all the best of sport wherever followed. PRINTED BY J. S. VIRTUE AND CO., LIMITED, CITY ROAD, LONDON. ir, HENRIETTA STREET, COGENT GARDEN, IV. C. NOVEMBER, 1888. Catalogue of PUBLISHED BY CHAPMAN & HALL, LIMITED. Drawing Examples, Diagrams, Models, Instruments, etc., ISSUED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE SCIENCE AND ART DEPARTMENT, SOUTH KENSINGTON, FOR THE USE OF SCHOOLS AND ART AND SCIENCE CLASSES, See separate Illustrated Catalogue, ' TO BE PUBLISHED IN NOVEMBER. 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