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 Utifaca, S^etn ^atk 
 
 CHARLES WILLIAM WASON 
 COLLECTION 
 
 CHINA AND THE CHINESE 
 
 THE GIFT OF 
 
 CHARLES WILLIAM WASON 
 
 CLASS OF 1876 
 
 1918 
 
SK 31.G48""" ""'""""y Library 
 *^lfflSl&,.ffia.,;?,Syentu.res in Europ 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis bool< is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924024000915 
 
ALL ROUND THE WORLD. 
 
 A dventures in Europe^ Asia, Africa, 
 and America. 
 
 By PARKER GILLMORE, 
 
 "UBIQUE." 
 
 AUTHOR OF ' GUN, ROD, AND SADDLE ;' 'ACCESSIBLE FIELD SPORTS,' 
 &c. &c. &c. 
 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 By SIDNEY P. HALL. 
 
 !?(H I - 
 I) ' ' ' 1 Y 
 
 ^ L'ON DON: 
 CHAPMAN and' ^ALL, '193, PICCADILLY. 
 
 1871. 
 

PAGE 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Chap. 
 
 I. Boyhood and Mischief . . . . i 
 
 II. My First Steeplechase . . . i6 
 
 III. A Run with the Gibraltar Foxhounds . 29 
 
 IV. Rambles in Spain .... 39 
 V. Barbary Field Sports . . . .47 
 
 VI. Afloat in the Mediterranean and Ashore 
 
 IN North Africa .... 61 
 
 VII. An Indian Hunting Encampment . . 67 
 
 VIII. First Blood ..... 75 
 
 IX. A Sharp Burst . . . . .82 
 
 X. The Storm ..... 88 
 
 XI. A Veteran Boar . . . . .95 
 
 XII. The Search for the Murderer . . 105 
 
 XIII. The Tiger's Death . . . .113 
 
 XIV. A Forest Scene . . . .120 
 XV. Catching a Shark . . . .125 
 
 XVI. Tricking an Alligator . . . 131 
 
 XVII. Fast on a Coral Reef . . . .138 
 
 XVIII. A Battle in a Billiard Room . . .143 
 
 XIX. Chased by a Buffalo . . . .149 
 
 ,^.-XX. Among Chinese Pirates . . . 157 
 
 ^-XXI. Shooting near Hong Kong . . .164 
 
 XXII. Drifting to Death . , . .175 
 
iv Contents. 
 
 Chap. pai^e 
 
 XXIII. Wild Duck Shooting • 183 
 
 XXIV. First Hurdle Race in Japan . 200 
 XXV. Voyage through the Japanese Inland Seas 206 
 
 XXVI. El Dorado ... .219 
 
 XXVII. A Day in Sonora . . 227 
 
 XXVIII. The Parks of America 234 
 
 XXIX. A Hunting Misadventure . 251 
 
 XXX. Career of an Emigrant . 261 
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Tropical Pall-Bearers . . . FrontispLw 
 
 " Last Chance," late "Now or Never" . to face page i\ 
 
 At Bay ... 
 
 Our Camp 
 
 Incapable of Mischief .... 
 
 A Rude Intrusion . 
 
 The Patriarch's Attendants 
 
 59 
 90 
 
ALL ROUND THE WORLD. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 BOYHOOD AND MISCHIEF. 
 
 MY FATHER was a good and ardent sportsman ; 
 as a shot he was inferior to few, while I have" 
 never met any person who could beat him as a fly-fisher- 
 man ; even till the last days allotted him on earth, he 
 could find pleasure by the brawling stream, and although 
 his eye had lost its brilliancy and his hand its quick- 
 ness, still numerous were the fine trout and salmon 
 that rewarded his labour. 
 
 Doubtless it is from my father that I inherit this 
 enthusiasm for field sports which has induced me to 
 seek game in almost every portion of the globe, not 
 only for the sake of slaughter, but in order to study 
 their habits and instincts. Nor am' I satiated ; the 
 table may lose its attractions, the wine cup cease to 
 gratify, and the majority of the amusements of youth 
 become stale and tedious, still I crave for those inno- 
 
 B 
 
All Round the World. 
 
 cent pleasures which man enjoys to perfection when 
 alone with nature, away from the strife and turmoil of 
 society, where the gun and rifle are his truest and 
 most trustworthy friends. 
 
 The first episode in field sports I can remember was 
 hunting water-rats, by the side of a beautiful trout- 
 stream that flowed round the lower portion of the 
 grounds attached to my boyhood's home. In those 
 days I possessed a brace of terriers, which were my 
 constant associates ; they understood my voice as well 
 as if they had been of my own race ; they obeyed my 
 orders more promptly than any Eastern slave ; there 
 existed between us a bond of affection that was inde- 
 scribable, yet all-powerful. Wherever I went, they ac- 
 companied me ; whether it was to fish, walk, or ride. 
 Quiz and Gip were never far off, and at night they 
 frequently became my bedfellows. 
 
 In the autumn, when the crops had been gathered 
 and housed, the unfortunate rats sought seclusion and 
 shelter among the tangled weeds and rushes that mar- 
 gined the stream, for the scythe of the reaper had ex- 
 posed their ordinary retreats and hiding-places. 
 
 As soon as lessons were over, I and my canine pets 
 repaired to our hunting-ground. The dogs knew well 
 their work ; every possible hiding-place was beaten ; 
 flags, burrs, or waterlilies, were thoroughly scrutinised, 
 till at length a hole containing our game was found, or 
 a new and strong trail discovered. A sharp quick bark 
 would indicate the welcome news, and the fun and ex- 
 citement soon became fast and furious. At length the 
 game is driven to the water ; a sudden splash, as if a 
 
Boyhood and Mischief. 
 
 stone had been rolled from the bank, tells the story, and 
 one or both the dogs jump into the stream in pursuit, 
 and swim to the centre, awaiting the reappearance of 
 the foe. Over a minute elapses ; all our nerves are strung 
 to the utmost tension from excitement, when up comes 
 the rat, possibly many yards from where his enemies 
 await him ; but their vision is sharp ; the first break on 
 the surface caused by the head of the pursued is sufficient 
 for their quick sight, and at the unfortunate they go. A 
 stroke more, and one might fancy the pursued would 
 be in Quiz's clutches. Not so. Just as the dog is about 
 to seize the prey, the crafty rodent dives, and this game 
 is played again and again, till the poor vermin, exhausted 
 and half drowned, fails to get below the surface with 
 sufficient rapidity, and so loses its life. 
 
 When I was about twelve, a great event took place in 
 my hunting career. It was at the end of autumn, 
 and a cold, wintry sun illuminated the joyless land- 
 scape. I was returning home after a long tramp, 
 while my companions (the dogs) trotted wearily at heel, 
 for they had run themselves almost to a stand-still in 
 pursuit of hares and rabbits. Suddenly they both uttered 
 a short quick yelp and rushed from me. I followed at 
 best speed, and just as I turned a corner of hedge, I saw 
 a large polecat enter a dilapidated piece of wall not more 
 than a couple of yards in front of his pursuers. Rats had 
 been large game previously, but here was an adversary 
 that far eclipsed them. Never had I seen the dogs so 
 excited ; they positively screamed out their rage, and even 
 gnawed the stones that afforded a temporary sanctuary 
 to their enemy. An hour's labour failed to dislodge the 
 
 B 2 
 
All Round the World. 
 
 foe, and my success appeared more than doubtful, when a 
 labourer came up and helped me to demolish the old 
 structure of granite and mortar. Hereupon the polecat, 
 finding the position untenable, made a sally, but he was 
 unable to fight through his foes, and a moment later game 
 little Gip had him by the loins, in a grip which would 
 have killed a much larger adversary. The odour which 
 the polecat emitted during our efforts to get at him, and 
 after his death, did not frighten the dogs. On the con- 
 trary, ever afterwards, when such an effluvia would greet 
 their nostrils, the hair on their backs would rise, and 
 their eyes flash with more than ordinary excitement. 
 
 My first shooting experiences began at school in the 
 neighbourhood of the beautiful town of Hamilton, 
 Lanarkshire. On returning, after the holidays, one of 
 our number related how, during his visit at home, he had 
 fired a gun and killed the object of his aim. He dilated 
 with such flowing language upon the pleasures of shoot- 
 ing, and the easiness of becoming a crack shot, that we 
 all became smitten with an eager longing to be pos- 
 sessors of a gun. A collection among my schoolfellows, 
 amounting to twelve and sixpence, was made for this 
 purpose, and a committee of three appointed to super- 
 intend the outlay of the public funds. The starter of 
 the idea was of course selected as one of the honourable 
 trio, for he had become a great man, in the estimation 
 of his fellows, since his home-exploits. I also was 
 honoured with office, because my father was a military 
 man, and because I was destined to serve my Queen and 
 country, and was therefore expected to know more of 
 fire-arms and their use than the common crowd. The 
 
Boyhood and Mischief. 
 
 third — and here the sense of my countrymen was exhi- 
 bited — was selected for his shrewdness in making bar- 
 gains, for although he never spent any money or brought 
 playthings from home, yet always before the term was 
 over his stock of tops, marbles, bats, and balls exceeded 
 all others. What he was in boyhood, he is now in 
 mature years — a wealthy but still hard-working successful 
 foreign merchant. 
 
 Having secretly made enquiries, one Saturday after- 
 noon we sallied forth to visit a tinkering gunsmith. 
 Long and serious was our conference ; at length a bargain 
 was struck — I might rather say that we obtained three 
 bargains ; namely, an old and dilapidated gun-stock, 
 the lock of an antiquated horse-pistol, and a barrel, red 
 with rust, but declared to be of most superior quality. 
 The smith undertook to put these together, and have 
 them ready for use that day week. 
 
 The intermediate time passed slowly. Friday had 
 arrived, when a most serious and previously unforeseen 
 difficulty arose. Who was to go for the gun .? All shirked 
 this responsible duty; to carry fire-arms, even through 
 back streets, in broad daylight was more than any one 
 dared. First one was saddled with the task, then 
 another, each in his turn being accused of cowardice 
 when he refused. Angry words ensued, and even a 
 battle in which one of the combatants got a severe 
 black ej?-e. At length we determined to cast lots to 
 decide who was to perform the objectionable office, and 
 the unlucky number fell to me. School was dismissed 
 at the usual hour on the important Saturday ; my com- 
 panions were to assemble in a little copse in a neighbour- 
 
All Round the World. 
 
 ing orchard, where I was to join them with the gun. 
 When I reached the gunsmith, and received our pur- 
 chase, I confided my fears to its vendor. Fortunately I 
 did so, for he truly proved a friend, and despatched his 
 assistant with the treasure to the place of rendezvous, 
 which I reached by a different route. With due com- 
 ments, and advice from all, under the supervision of 
 the gunsmith's boy, our single barrel was loaded. To 
 whom was the honour of the first shot to be confided t 
 With universal acclamation, the companion who had shot 
 during the holidays was selected ; but to our surprise he 
 modestly declined the offer. Some went so far as to say 
 he was a muff and afraid, and had never fired a gun 
 in his life ; but even such insinuations would not alter his 
 determination. As the gunsmith's assistant was second 
 choice, he took the weapon with the air of a man ; his 
 courage and manner made a great impression, and he 
 temporarily became a hero. Next, for a victim. Each 
 limb and bough was searched, and at length an unfortu- 
 nate robin, whistling, yet shivering in the cold autumnal 
 atmosphere, was found ; the crowd halted, the adven- 
 turous marksman advanced ; some dared the advice that 
 " Now was the time ! You are close enough ! " What 
 impertinence to pretend to know more of projectiles and 
 their range than a gunmaker's assistant ! Closer, closer 
 he crept, with cautious measured stride ; every be- 
 holder held his breath ; not five yards severed the 
 songster from his destroyer; the gun was raised, an 
 aim taken, oh ! such a long aim — from its length 
 doubtless we considered it very deadly ; a report fol- 
 lowed, all rushed to the scene, and scarcely more than 
 
Boyhood and Mischief. 
 
 a bunch of feathers remained to tell the tale of the 
 murdered robin ! 
 
 Various were our successes that day ; we brought down 
 a blackbird and thrush, while I winged a house-sparrow. 
 Then with our game and the gun dismembered we 
 stealthily, like guilty marauders, sought the awe-inspiring 
 school-precincts. Shooting was, you may suppose, the 
 sole subject of that evening's conversation. Those who 
 had been so fortunate as to kill were heroes ; those who 
 had missed were never tired asking for details which 
 might ensure success. 
 
 As our gun required washing after so much work, 
 a quiet hour, when all in the house were supposed to 
 have retired to rest, was selected for the purpose. Por- 
 tions of shirts, with innumerable pocket-handkerchiefs, 
 were sacrificed, and voluntarily offered for this service, 
 when, to the surprise of all, in walked the Dominie ! All 
 fled to their couches in dismay, and our well-prized and 
 proved gun fell into the hands of the enemy, never again 
 to revert to its rightful owners. Not only did we suffer 
 this loss, but on Monday all were arraigned ; the surrep- 
 titious introduction of the weapon formed the subject of a 
 court of enquiry, and each of the supposed ringleaders 
 got a jolly good whacking. 
 
 Months rolled by ; the punishment I had received on 
 the occasion just stated had lost much of its effect 
 through the lapse of time, and I was again seduced into 
 a shooting escapade. A big boy, two years older than 
 myself, had arranged with a cotter for the loan of a gun 
 at the rate of sixpence for the afternoon. Funds, how- 
 ever, were wanted for ammunition ; and as I was known 
 
All Round the World. 
 
 to be flush, and, at the same time, trustworthy, I was 
 admitted into partnership. Without mishap we arrived 
 at our hunting-ground, the margin of a brook, near which 
 rabbits had been seen. With bunny our acquaintance 
 did not amount to intimacy. At last a water-hen was 
 flushed ; she flew into a tree, where she was ignominiously 
 and unfeeHngly slaughtered. When our game was picked 
 up, a horrible thought struck us. Perhaps we had been 
 guilty of a violation of the game laws. The dead bird 
 and gun would certainly lead to our detection, and then 
 we should be shut up in gaol. Accordingly, we resolved 
 to hide the gun in some grass, and sink the bird in 
 the first deep pool we reached, by tying a stone to its feet. 
 Our guilty conscience for many a long day caused us to 
 bury this secret in our bosoms. In fact, for weeks after 
 the transaction, any unusually forcible ring at the hall 
 door caused my heart to jump into my throat, as I felt 
 certain it must emanate from an officer of the law, clothed 
 with powers which would justify our arrest, dead or alive. 
 At length school-days ended — alas, that they should ! 
 for my young friends will find, as time rolls on, that they 
 are not the least happy of life — and from a relation 
 I accepted, with the approval of my parents, an invita- 
 tion to Cumberland. This was a delightful visit. I 
 was actually trusted with a double-barrel, and had a 
 pony to ride on. Which I enjoyed the most, it would 
 be difficult to say. One portion of the day I was on 
 horseback, the other dealing destruction to the unfor- 
 tunate feathered beauties that came in my way. Now 
 that I am older, and, I hope, wiser, I regret having been 
 the cause of such objectless massacres. 
 
Boyhood and Mischief. 9 
 
 As for the pony, I broke his knees jumping a fence 
 large enough for a thorough-bred to tumble over, and he 
 therefore was unfit for work till time had patched up 
 the injury. For shooting by accident an old and valued 
 hen belonging to a neighbouring Quakeress lady, I was 
 deprived of fire-arms : and without gun, without horse, I 
 became most miserable ; in fact, they had become part 
 and parcel of my existence, and the deprivation of them 
 was the greatest punishment I could suffer. 
 
 Moping about one day, not knowing what to do, 
 a terrier of well-known pluck followed me, for I and the 
 dogs of all degrees were ever intimate. I entered a 
 large grass field, in the lower portion of which a flock 
 of geese were feeding on the margin of a horse-pond. 
 Without thought, "Pincher" was ordered into the water, 
 probably with the intention of intimidating the birds ; 
 but he mistook my meaning, seized the gander by the 
 neck, the rest of the flock rushed to the rescue, and, 
 to save the dog's life, I had to wade up to my waist 
 to assist him. It was a splendid fight. The dog's 
 pluck would not permit his surrendering or letting 
 go the enemy, while the bird's comrades stuck to their 
 chief with the most persistent courage. Doubtless but 
 for a stick I had picked up and used with hearty good- 
 will Pincher would have been drowned. As it was, he 
 received numerous severe bruises ; but, in return, he 
 deprived the gander of life. However, my escapade 
 had been seen, the story was exaggerated, and, after a 
 lecture on the disgrace attached to such heinous con- 
 duct, I was, sorely against my will, despatched home to 
 Scotland. 
 
TO All Round the World. 
 
 « 
 
 With advancing years my love for shooting and fishing 
 increased. Cricket and foot-ball were neglected ; peg-tops 
 and marbles ceased to be attractive. I craved solely for 
 the excitement of field sports. At length a chance 
 occurred. A kind old uncle paid my father a visit ; and 
 on leaving, he gave me a very genuine tip, a portion of 
 which I determined to spend in a fishing excursion to 
 the Highlands. A description of the capture of my first 
 salmon may not be uninteresting. 
 
 In less than an hour I reached the spot where I 
 intended to commence operations. I was not a little 
 disappointed to find the water still too thick; but I 
 hoped, by using different varieties of red hackles, to 
 pick up a few fish along the shallow edges of the rapids. 
 My luck was not good, and by the time Old Sol had 
 reached his greatest altitude, I began to despair of a 
 heavy basket, and disgust at want of success had taken 
 a strong hold of my feelings. My appetite also put in a 
 claim for attention ; so, seating myself on a boulder 
 close to the water, I enjoyed, with no very enviable 
 feelings, my frugal and limited meal — 
 
 " Nursing my wrath to keep it warm.'' 
 
 Having thus dawdled away a couple of hours, the 
 decline of the sun warned me that I had still some way 
 to walk. Picking up my rod and landing-net to put 
 my intentions in operation, I was surprised by the splash 
 of a heavy fish not twenty yards below me, in the clear 
 water formed by the entrance of a mountain rivulet, 
 which, from its lesser size, had settled sooner than the 
 larger stream. It struck me, not having seen the dis- 
 
Boyhood and Mischief. 1 1 
 
 turber, that it probably was a large brook trout, or, 
 perhaps, a sea one — more likely the former — as the 
 season had not yet arrived for these active and silvery 
 beauties to migrate from their salt-water abodes. With 
 bent back, and cautious, steady step, I advanced within 
 casting distance. My heart beat faster, and all my know- 
 ledge was put in practice to throw a light and skilful 
 fly. My father was a fisherman. What a triumph, if 
 I should kill a larger fish than he had ! With what pride 
 should I display my prize, and afterwards narrate my 
 prowess ! Moreover, would I longer be considered a 
 boy ? Should I not have a right to claim a position 
 among acknowledged anglers } Such thoughts as these 
 passed through my brain rapid as electricity. How 
 anxiously did I pray for success ! What advantage 
 would I not have taken, if opportunity offered, to become 
 the possessor of so noble a prize ! I even fear I might 
 have been guilty of murder, and used a gaff or fish- 
 spear to accomplish my object, if those implements had 
 been within reach, and I could have advantageously 
 wielded them! 
 
 My trail fly had scarcely touched the water when a 
 dull sullen plunge was made at it, and the dark broad 
 back of a well-grown salmon showed itself Instinctively 
 with the splash I struck, and with delight felt that I was 
 fast in a foe whose claims to supremacy among the 
 piscatorial tribe have never been disputed. The fish 
 appeared scarcely to be aware of the dangerous game he 
 was playing, as for some minutes it remained stationary, 
 and one might have been doubtful of having him on but 
 for the tremulous motion that passed up the line and 
 
12 All Round the World. 
 
 rod to my hand. For several minutes the salmon re- 
 mained in statu quo, but on my putting on a little addi- 
 tional pressure, my eyes were quickly opened, for with 
 the speed of a racehorse making a Chiffney finish 
 or the descent of a wild duck to its feeding-ground 
 in a gale of wind, the salmon started down stream. I 
 had but a hundred and forty feet of line on my reel, 
 and unless I followed, I felt certain he would soon 
 run it out and smash everything. After the foe, down 
 river, I started, flying, running, and jumping, over 
 stones, gullies, and rocks, which, under ordinary cir- 
 cumstances, I would have thought and looked at a 
 a second time before facing. In this manner at least two 
 hundred and fifty yards of the roughest ground was 
 passed at a quicker pace than I have ever been able to 
 accomplish before or since. This spurt had evidently 
 tired the fish, although, if he could only have known how 
 much worse was my state, he would have kept up the 
 steam a little longer, as half a dozen strides would have 
 fairly pumped me. 'QvX fortuna favet fortibus. The fish 
 now changed his tactics, slackening his pace to a four- 
 mile-to-the-hour pace, keeping down deeper than pre- 
 viously. The opportunity was not lost to reel up all 
 line I dared take in, and to get myself in preparation 
 and breathing condition for the next heat. One thing 
 which makes salmon more difficult to handle than all 
 other fish is the uncertainty of its movements ; you 
 lose one through some new stratagem, and you make up 
 your mind to be prepared to counteract it, when the 
 next opportunity offers, but what is your surprise when 
 directly the opposite are the dodges followed, so that by 
 
Boyhood and Mischief. 1 3 
 
 avoiding Scylla you run into Charybdis. A salmon is 
 also a fish of very enlarged ideas. He appears to have 
 a perfect disregard of distance ; and when he makes a 
 start, if not stopped, he leaves the impression that he is 
 off to the other side of the ocean or the Antipodes. My 
 fish continued now sailing up and down, within fifteen 
 or twenty yards, and keeping close to the bottom ; an 
 insane idea struck me of having a good look at my 
 beauty, and I put pressure on my rod (a very light, 
 twelve-foot trout one), but without the slightest effect. 
 His weight was such, combined with his strength, that 
 my tackle must have broken had I persisted. In moving 
 along the precipitous bank my foot displaced a stone, 
 which rolled into the river with a splash. The hint was 
 evidently all that was wanted, and off my friend again 
 went, with all his previous celerity ; but this run was 
 not quite as long, and, as a little alteration in the pro- 
 gramme, the fish finished the burst by jumping three times 
 out of the water, giving me a good opportunity of 
 judging his weight and proportions ; and previous ex- 
 perience told me, from his contour, that it would well 
 turn fifteen pounds. The two heats had done their 
 work, or his lordship was in a more amiable state of 
 mind, as, with care, I could now stop his course and 
 keep him closer to the surface ; but an occasional angry 
 dash of his tail warned me not to attempt too many 
 liberties. I kept my eyes on the alert for a piece of 
 gravel-bank on which to coax him from his element, 
 having dropped my landing-net in the excitement of the 
 first race because it was too small ; but this was rather 
 precipitate, for not more than half my work was over. Up 
 
1 4 All Round the World. 
 
 and down I walked, gave line and took it in as opportu- 
 nity offered, and I began to think that I was more of a 
 victim than my attache. Over forty minutes had I been 
 playing my fish and taking the most violent exercise, 
 undergoing at the same time the greatest mental excite- 
 ment, and yet I was apparently as far from success as at 
 the start. The only part of the river I could find where 
 the bank sufficiently shelved to slide him ashore was on 
 the other side, so across I went. These mountain brooks 
 are treacherous things to wade ; from six inches of water, 
 the next step you take may be to your neck, if not 
 farther ; and if, when so agreeably situated, the enemy 
 should take another fancy, and challenge you to a third 
 heat, good-bye to all your hopes — your castles in the 
 air would most ruthlessly be demolished. After getting 
 in up to my waist, I safely landed without accident, 
 and, after one or two unsuccessful attempts, got my prey 
 into shoal water, out of which, with a dexterous hoist 
 with both hands, I transferred my victim to terra firma. 
 My fatigue, exertion, and wetting were now all forgotten, 
 and I fairly yelled with pleasure. Again and again I 
 looked at him, and never tired admiring his gigantic 
 and handsomely developed proportions. Many and many 
 a time have I recalled that day, and remember with 
 greater pleasure the killing of my first salmon than almost 
 any sporting adventure in an adventurous life. 
 
 Next year, with my parents, I removed to Ireland. 
 Our residence was in the centre of a good hunting, 
 shooting, and fishing county ; and as my education was 
 supposed to be completed, I had nothing to do but enjoy 
 myself Those were happy days. I can never foro-et 
 
Boyhood and Mischief. 1 5 
 
 them. With what pleasure did I exhibit to my dear old 
 father the results of my exertions and skill ! how delighted 
 did I feel on receiving his commendation ! And then, 
 when my beloved mother would express uneasiness lest 
 I should over-fatigue myself or catch cold, I would cast 
 my arms around her, and kiss away all her alarms. 
 Take my advice, young gentlemen : value and respect 
 your parents while they are with you ; attend to their 
 admonitions, for when it is the will of Providence to 
 remove them, their place can never be refilled. Their 
 solicitude is the result of pure unselfish affection, such 
 as you will never find in the cold, pitiless, unfeeling 
 world. 
 
 But time fled on rapidly. I became fretful and un- 
 settled ; a desire to roam had taken possession of me ; no 
 longer had small game the same attraction. At night, in 
 my dreams, tigers and bears howled around me ; at one 
 moment, I had a hairbreadth escape ; next I shot 
 single-handed the dreaded man-eater, till I became so 
 discontented and uneasy that I shunned society, and 
 kept entirely to myself. 
 
i6 All Round the World. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 MY FIRST STEEPLECHASE. 
 
 ABOUT this date I got into a sad scrape. 
 A thoroughbred mare, which my father had 
 possessed and ridden as his charger for many years, was 
 the dam of a four-year-old colt, very handsome and 
 valuable. This colt was the old gentleman's pet. Every 
 day he visited it in the stable, and seldom without taking 
 it a piece of bread or sugar. Several times I had been 
 permitted to cross this horse, and once ride him with 
 hounds. I soon found out that he was remarkably fast, 
 and a very clever fencer. 
 
 In our neighbourhood there lived a young fellow, a few 
 years over my age, half gentleman, half jockey. As he 
 was known to be a gambler, and not over-scrupulous in 
 horse-flesh transactions, his character was not highly 
 esteemed. With uneasiness my parents saiiMus often 
 together, and I was repeatedly warned, though in vain, 
 that such society would do me injury. 
 
 Returning on my pony one morning^ from the post 
 
My First Steeplechase. 17 
 
 town, I met the forbidden associate. He had been 
 schooling a slashing-looking, big, raw-boned chesnut, and 
 spoke enthusiastically of its performances. As a belt of 
 good galloping grass-land stretched along the road, I 
 asked him to show me how his new acquisition moved, 
 upon which he gave the nag his head, and shook him 
 into a three-quarter gallop. After traversing two or 
 three hundred yards, he ran his mount at a wall at the 
 end of the enclosure four feet high, or possibly more. 
 The chesnut topped it cleverly, to the delight of his rider. 
 
 " Wouldn't you like such a flyer in your stables ?" said 
 he ; "he can beat any horse in the county, either on the 
 flat or across country." 
 
 Now, although there was no denying the excellence of 
 the horse in question, I felt perfectly certain that my 
 father's favourite, Sir Charles, with anything like proper 
 allowance of weight for age, could run away from such 
 an antagonist. Nor did I hesitate to say so, which 
 resulted in a challenge. At first I declined, knowing that 
 my father would not let me have Sir Charles for such 
 a purpose ; but being unmercifully chaffed, up to the verge 
 of insult, I accepted the proposal. 
 
 The amount of the stakes was a mere trifle, at the 
 same time as large a sum as my small purse would allow, 
 and, upon being pressed over and over again to double 
 the bets, I was obliged to confess with shame to my 
 antagonist that I had no more money. 
 
 That evening we met at a farmhouse, and arranged 
 the distance, place, and date of the race. We selected the 
 day on which my father was in the habit of going to a 
 neighbouring city to draw his pay. Before the event 
 
 C 
 
All Round the World. 
 
 came off, I succeeded in obtaining permission, through 
 my mother's intercession, to take Sir Charles out, and 
 each time I did so you may be sure he got a good 
 breather. As it would not do to take the colt home 
 warm, I arranged that a stable attache should meet me 
 some distance off, where a scrape and rub down could 
 be given without attracting attention ; and also that the 
 horse might come home not looking the worse for his 
 exercise. As time passed, and the eventful date ap- 
 proached, more and more I wished to back out, even if I 
 had to pay forfeit of all the stakes ; but a false pride 
 intervened. I would not listen to the small warning 
 voice of conscience, and therefore continued to act a part 
 towards those who loved me of which I ought to have 
 been heartily ashamed. 
 
 With nervous anxiety, I saw my father depart on his 
 quarterly errand. An hour afterwards, and only a few 
 minutes before the colt should have received his noonday 
 feed, I threw my leg over him, and started for the place 
 of rendezvous. On reaching it I found, to my surprise, 
 quite a number of labourers and servants assembled. 
 The proceedings, which I hoped would not be known by 
 any but ourselves, had leaked out ; in fact, I found that 
 my adversary had been making a book on the results, and 
 consequently all who had thus obtained a monied interest 
 were naturally anxious to be spectators. 
 
 The chesnut stripped admirably, possibly a little low 
 in flesh ; still he was much improved. The knocks and 
 bangs he had shown on my first seeing him, and which 
 gave him rather a stale look, had all disappeared. My 
 expectation of winning was therefore much shaken, and 
 
My First Steeplechase, 
 
 but for the spectators I should have backed out ; for I 
 feared that, if I won, it would be after a hard struggle, and 
 the colt was not in condition to endure a severe contest. 
 
 On all sides I heard the odds freely given in favour of 
 my adversary, with but few takers. At length, when a 
 blustering fellow, whom I knew by eyesight — he was a 
 cattle-dealer — offered four to one against Sir Charles, 
 and some time was passed without an acceptor, I was 
 almost on the point of booking it myself, when a quiet 
 inoffensive-looking man took up the offer, and entered it ; 
 at the same time observing that, sooner than disappoint 
 any one, he would not decline repeating the operation. 
 This revived my courage. 
 
 Just as the race was about to be run, I was joined by 
 the silent personage, who apologised for interrupting me, 
 and then gave me the following instructions : — " Young 
 gentleman, I'm an old hand, know a deal more than I 
 look to, know that chesnut since he was a yearling, know 
 his failings and his good points, for I have often had a 
 leg over him. Just take my advice : make a waiting 
 race of it. Let him lead you till the last jump is over ; 
 and then, if you can't beat him in the straight run home 
 at the finish, the fault is yours, not your horse's. There's 
 a stun in your favour ; and big as the other looks, he 
 never could carry weight ; them that's tallest on their 
 pins hain't always the most substance." 
 
 Never being above listening to advice, but using my 
 own judgment whether to act upon it or not, I saw at 
 once that the unknown speaker was correct in his idea 
 of how the race should be ridden, and no person, fortu- 
 nately, had overheard his instructions. 
 
 C 2 
 
20 All Round the World. 
 
 After a glance at the girths, I quietly gained my 
 saddle, and joined my adversary, who was impatiently 
 waiting my arrival, for his mount was extremely fidgety. 
 Without difficulty we got away, the chesnut forcing the 
 running, and hauling his rider nearly out of his seat. I 
 followed without pushing, and, ere a quarter of a mile was 
 passed, found, to my great relief, that my foe was far in- 
 ferior in speed, provided he was now really going his best. 
 
 None of the fences exceeded the average of hunting- 
 jumps, excepting the last, which was a post and rails, 
 with water on the landing-side. This leap, although 
 stiffish, was only awkward from a drop in the ground 
 where you came at it ; and from previous experience of 
 Sir Charles's capacities, I had little dread but that he 
 would be able and willing to take me safely over. 
 
 Up to this time scarcely four strides had separated us. 
 Evidently it had been the object of my opponent to 
 force the pace. As we approached the last fence, he 
 found out that such a game was impossible, so adopted 
 a new stratagem, which is often successful when a young 
 horse is the opponent. He rushed his horse at the last 
 fence, and caused the animal to baulk, just as he gathered 
 his legs under him to make the leap. But I was too 
 close abreast of him for the ruse to succeed. With a 
 touch of spur and whip, as well as a word of encou- 
 ragement, Sir Charles, without falter, rose to his leap, and, 
 as the saying goes, took me halfway into the next field ere 
 he touched ground again. My adversary knew that he 
 was beaten ; he never attempted to make up lost distance ; 
 so I cantered past the winning-post an easy conqueror. 
 
 Boy-like, and even man-like, Ifelt no small amount 
 
My First Steeplechase. 21 
 
 of pleasure at the result, though my conscience warned 
 me that my father would be ej^cessively annoyed, when 
 the story reached his ears. Had I possessed courage to 
 endure the chaff about being still in the nursery which 
 was showered down upon me, I should not have been 
 in my present difficulty. 
 
 I got my horse home without exciting suspicion. 
 Even the old groom made no remarks on his appear- 
 ance, for, previous to returning, behind a hay-rick Sir 
 Charles had undergone a good grooming from two able- 
 bodied stable-lads ; nor had he suffered in heart, for 
 never did I feel the brave colt travel homewards more 
 cockily. Still I was uneasy, and again and again during 
 the few hours preceding my father's return I visited his 
 stall. Fortunately he continued all right. He emptied 
 his manger with more than usual appetite ; and I was 
 thankful to find that, although I had been disobedient 
 and deceitful, I had not done the animal injury. 
 
 At length the old gentleman returned. A dark frown 
 was settled upon his face, and when he told me in a 
 peremptory manner that he wished to see me in his 
 room, I knew the secret was out. I will pass over what 
 happened, except to say that my father perceived that 
 travelling was the best remedy for my restless, adven- 
 turous spirit, and gave me permission to go abroad. 
 
 By this time I had become a proficient in the use of 
 the gun and rod. I had already killed almost every 
 descriptioh of British game, as well as sundry salmon. 
 I also had learned to tie either a trout or salmon fly 
 equal in finish to those emanating from the hands of a 
 professional. Hitherto I had shot for the sake of 
 
22 All Round the World. 
 
 boasting of the numbers I could bag ; but a change, 
 possibly resulting from my skill, took place. The 
 habits of game and their modes of life became my 
 constant study. To see my setters hunt and display 
 their sagacity was enjoyed ; to see the game go off 
 scathless, although in my power, was a still greater 
 pleasure. 
 
 Since then I have ceased to shoot when my bag has 
 been sufficiently replenished, and my forbearance has 
 produced a higher feeling of satisfaction than I should 
 have otherwise enjoyed. 
 
 I am glad to say that the class of naturalist sportsmen 
 is rapidly increasing — men who shoot for the sake of 
 the exercise and pleasure it produces, who are satisfied 
 with a moderate remuneration ; so different from those 
 who crave for wholesale slaughter, and feel only grati- 
 fication in having brought to bag every unfortunate 
 that was flushed before them. All who shoot are not 
 really sportsmen ; many of them should rather be called 
 butchers. 
 
 It is the same with horsemanship. If emergency cause 
 it, such as sickness or imperative and undelayable busi- 
 ness, it is excusable to ride a horse till he suffer from 
 extreme fatigue; but if such an ordeal is demanded 
 simply to gratify whim, caprice, or pleasure, it is an 
 offence that should be unpardonable in the eyes of all 
 proper-thinking persons. 
 
 A very short period before going abroad, I killed my 
 first deer. It was thus : the park wall of a neighbouring 
 nobleman's demesne, for upwards of a hundred yards, 
 had been blown down ; half a dozen deer had in conse^ 
 
My First Steeplechase. 23 
 
 quence escaped, which, one by one, in detail had been 
 killed, with the exception of an old buck, who eluded all 
 pursuit. Shooting rabbits one evening, I observed his track 
 in the margin of a field of young wheat. On a further 
 examination, I found several ''forms" where he had lain, 
 while the farmer who owned the crop informed me 
 that he had seen the buck on numerous occasions, and, 
 further, expressed a desire that some one would shoot 
 him, as he was doing much damage. For several even- 
 ings at sunset I took a stand, in each instance guided by 
 the wind, as I learned the marauder always entered at 
 the same spot. However, for over a week I was unsuc- 
 cessful. Being foiled so often, I had almost determined- 
 to give up the chase ; but an acquaintance of my 
 family, who had paid us a visit, begged of me to make 
 one more effort, and let him be my companion. 
 
 Half an hour before the sun went down, we reached 
 our hunting-ground, and disposed ourselves behind a 
 portion of a fence, which offered such shelter as would 
 screen us from observation. 
 
 Long and anxiously we lay perdus, and were about 
 to retire, disgusted at our want of success, when to our 
 delight the object of our visit made his appearance. The 
 light was gradually waning, and with anxiety we watched 
 his slow and guarded approach to the ambuscade. My 
 companion was to shoot first ; at length I gave him the 
 signal to do so, and following the report, the buck sprung 
 into the air, and at a slashing gallop made for a neigh- 
 bouring wood. I pitched my rifle and took a steady 
 aim; the shot was a long one, still the bullet told, for 
 again the deer showed indications of being hit, by almost 
 
24 /4// Round the World. 
 
 coming on his knees, and, with difficulty recovering him- 
 self, afterwards departing at accelerated pace for parts 
 unknown. Next day the buck was found dead, nearly a 
 couple of miles off — the first shot had grazed him in 
 front of the shoulder, the second had hit him in an 
 excellent line, but with rather too much elevation to kill 
 him on the spot. 
 
 Before leaving home and those ties so delightful to 
 be remembered, I will add another adventure. I was 
 stationed with my regiment at Fermoy, in County 
 Cork, and as it was the summer season, and the fishing 
 was excellent, whenever I was off duty, I was in the 
 habit of spending a large portion of my time on the 
 edge of the river Bride. With many years' experience 
 and frequent visits to the most celebrated fishing-streams, 
 I have never, in the course of my life, met with a rivulet 
 so admirably adapted for the use of the fly as that pic- 
 turesque and beautiful tributary of the Blackwater. In 
 addition to the water being as clear as crystal, it flows 
 through as rich a valley of cultivated land as it would 
 be possible to find ; the margin is almost entirely 
 clear from obstructions, thus affording ample space to 
 cast a long line. During the heat of the day I had not 
 been blessed with much success, and as I was aware that 
 towards sunset the fish would be on the feed, and that 
 probably I should be able to make up any deficiency, 
 I resolved to remain. The village of Rathcormack was 
 near, so I dismembered my rod and took possession of 
 the well- sanded parlour of the hotel, ordering the ubi- 
 quitous waiter to furnish me with the standing dish 
 of those parts, rashers and eggs, with which to allay 
 
My First Steeplechase. 25 
 
 my increasing appetite. I have always had a love 
 for eating a meal in one of those neat wayside taverns, 
 with their white-sanded floors. However simple it 
 might be, whatever you partake of is so plain, yet 
 appetising, that after the luxury of mess-dinners the con- 
 trast is a relief As the sun approached the horizon, I re- 
 started to try my luck, and soon had reason to congratu- 
 late myself on the result. The fish were fairly ravenous, 
 and although they did not run large, I rapidly filled my 
 creel with those of the proper size to be most acceptable 
 at the breakfast-table. I fished two pools with the above 
 success, and had moved down to the third, where, from 
 its being deeper and less-frequented, I had little doubt 
 I should even do better. The first few casts assured me 
 that my suppositions were correct, and many a handsome 
 brilliant-hued trout was added to my already plenteous 
 store. Down the stream I travelled till I stood upon 
 a gravel-bank where the water was contracted and more 
 rapid. Several more fish were captured, and as the light 
 had become dubious, I had made up my mind to stop 
 further proceedings. In taking a few farewell casts, I 
 observed something swimming on the surface which at 
 ficst I took to be a dog ; but on closer examination the 
 physiognomy was so totally different from any canine 
 I had ever seen that I was forced to conclude that I 
 was mistaken. What could it be .? I turned the ques- 
 tion round in my mind, and at last came to the con- 
 clusion that it was nothing more or less than an otter. 
 These amphibii, I was aware, were well known all along 
 the lovely valley of the Blackwater, and more particularly 
 in the vicinity of the picturesque grounds of Castle Hyde, 
 
2.6 All Round the World. 
 
 and my present apparition, without doubt, had come from 
 these haunts, deservedly lauded for their beauty. The 
 animal, apparently, did not perceive me, so actively was 
 he employed on his own private affairs. Several times 
 he dived and as rapidly rose to the surface, stemming 
 the rapid current with an ease and dexterity far excel- 
 ling any terrestrial animal of my acquaintance. From 
 the moment of noticing the stranger, I had stood mo- 
 tionless, and by degrees he had steadily advanced till 
 just abreast of my position, and not over forty feet from 
 me. A strange idea struck me : why not throw my flies 
 over him, and with a quick strike stick a hook in his glossy 
 well-clad hide } Acting on the spur of the moment, 
 I made my cast, and, with the first effort, had a contestant 
 fast at the end of my line, a thousand times more trouble- 
 some than ever I had before or since. By paying out line 
 at one moment, next minute gently taking it in, and always 
 retaining a steady strain, the despoiler of hundreds of the 
 finny tribe, though making every effort that he thought 
 would avail him in such an emergency, could not free 
 himself from the insidious barb. My line was strong, but 
 my rod light and very pliable ; so I discarded the latter, 
 and having run out through the rings the greater portion 
 of what my reel contained, I played the adversary as if 
 with a hand-line. Flesh and blood could not stand the 
 issue further, and at length, by wading nearly up to 
 my knees, I succeeded in getting my antagonist into the 
 landing-net, which fortunately was an unusually large, 
 strong, and deep one. So far, I had succeeded admirably, 
 but how to retain my prisoner and keep him a captive. 
 I knew not. His formidable molars, when he had time 
 
My First Steeplechase. 27 
 
 to think a bit, would soon free him ; and keep my prize, 
 if possible, I was determined on. A thought struck me. 
 If I could only get his tail, which hung over the edge of 
 the landing-net, into the sleeve of my coat, and tie it 
 tightly round with a string, his flight would be so impeded 
 that, with a fair open country for our run, I had little 
 doubt but that I would be the fleeter of the two, the 
 other having a very awkward, although not heavy, handi- 
 cap. Without delay, I attempted the process, and never 
 in the course of my life had I as hard a game. Still, 
 I stuck to it, and what with putting my foot on his neck 
 and trying to hold him on the ground, breaking my rod 
 and getting the slack of the line round my feet, so as to 
 hamper me almost inextricably, I at length secured my 
 prey. With much difficulty, and several nearly successful 
 attempts at escape, I gained the village, when I snugly 
 put my captive in the well of an Irish car, and brought 
 him home in triumph. 
 
 On close inspection, I found that I had only a kitten, 
 or, in other words, a half-grown otter to deal with. Save 
 me from thus tackling one of them that had attained 
 maturity, if their strength and unconquerable determina- 
 tion increases in due ratio with their stature ! For some 
 days the brute was sulky and untouchable, but, within 
 a week, he had formed a great attachment for a Skye 
 terrier which I possessed, and in a month from the date 
 of capture became so reconciled to his new home and 
 master that he would follow me wherever I went, pro- 
 vided the dog was one of the party. For months I kept 
 him, and he would bask with delight in front of a good 
 fire, with a gusto that was indisputable ; and quite a 
 
28 All Round the World. 
 
 good understanding had sprung up between us, when, 
 unfortunately, he strayed out into the barrack -yard 
 without a protector, and was pounced upon by a savage 
 greyhound, who rapidly enlisted confederates among the 
 useless curs that were near, and after making a gallant 
 fight, the stranger had to surrender, gamely struggling 
 to the last against superior numbers. 
 
A Run with the Gibraltar Foxhounds. 29 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A RUN WITH THE GIBRALTAR FOXHOUNDS. 
 
 WITH home I have now done. Let us proceed to 
 a more sunny land ; one teeming with romance 
 and poetry, a land where British blood has often been 
 shed, and British honour often vindicated. Let us repair 
 to Spain, and halt at that famous fortress, which guards 
 the entrance to the deep blue Mediterranean Sea. Many 
 a delightful day have I passed on that renowned rock, 
 where the proud British ensign waves within sight of the 
 swarthy Spanish soldiery ; and many a pleasant adven- 
 ture have I met with in the picturesque country adjoin- 
 ing the Anglo-Saxon settlement. Gibraltar, familiarly 
 Gib, although 9. rock, and of no great proportions, is a 
 most jolly quarter : here an officer's duties are heavy, 
 but the amusements plentiful. Balls, pic-nics, riding and 
 boating parties are in the cool weather in such abundance 
 that vacant time seldom hangs heavily on your hands. 
 And then those walks along the Almada after mess ! 
 Who can forget the saunters there 1 Such picturesque 
 costumes, pretty senoritas, bright pairs of eyes — such 
 
30 All Round the World. 
 
 feet and ankles — such walking Venuses, as only are to be 
 seen among Andalusian belles ! We are all mortal, and 
 the impressions of youth are not easily effaced. But we 
 will pass over the fair sex, and, instead of the brunette 
 beauties, treat of the spotted ones that form the pack well 
 known to every military man as the Calpe Foxhounds. 
 
 To the noble house of Beaufort, I believe, the Gib- 
 raltar garrison are indebted for establishing this hunt. 
 For years drafts from their home-establishment have 
 annually been forwarded as a gift to make up casualties, 
 for, strange to say, hounds bred at the Rock are deficient 
 in scent ; so our readers will see that, if the Calpe hounds 
 do not kill whenever they meet, the pack is at least 
 composed of material inferior to none in England. In 
 the month of February, i8 — , the powers that then had 
 control of the kennels determined that the next meet 
 should take place at the second tower. Eastern Beach. 
 This is the best riding and safest find in the country ; so it 
 is no wonder that a large field always assembles on such 
 occasions. Even those of the fair sex who were eques- 
 trians turned out in force to see the throw off, and per- 
 chance have a mile-or-two breather, within sight, or at 
 least sound, of the melodious beauties. Previous to the 
 day of which I speak, there had been a great deal of 
 friendly competition in the hunting-field between the 
 officers of two regiments that had served shoulder to 
 shoulder in Russia and afterwards in the distant East. 
 Even the privates of these corps, I think, never had a 
 squabble ; but on the occasion in question it was to be 
 decided who possessed the best horsemen or the best 
 mounted man ; the individuals, therefore, who took upon 
 
es 
 M 
 > 
 w 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 < 
 a: 
 u 
 
 h1 
 
A Run with the Gibraltar Foxhounds. 3 1 
 
 their shoulders the responsibility of representatives were 
 doubtless determined to do their utmost to win the 
 laurels. 
 
 The day broke dry and cloudy. A shower during the 
 night had made the soil springy, perhaps a trifle heavy, 
 but otherwise all foretold a hunting morning rare to be 
 found, and the knot of top-boots that assembled in the 
 mess-room to breakfast congratulated each other on the 
 prospect ; interlarding it with no small amount of chaff as 
 to where various persons would be at the finish of the 
 coming run. 
 
 I possessed a bay stallion at that time, fast and last- 
 ing. In the severest runs previously obtained he had 
 proved himself gifted with extraordinary bottom, but a 
 more thorough fiend never was girthed, for both teeth and 
 heels he was equally expert with and equally prone to 
 make use of To him fell the honour of being selected 
 for this occasion ; so at an early hour the groom started 
 with him for the place of rendezvous. 
 
 The ride along the Eastern Beach is dreary in the 
 extreme for the first few miles after you pass through 
 the Spanish lines, for a wide slope of sand extends before 
 you, girt on one side by the Mediterranean, on the other 
 by a chain of rugged sierras. Here and there, but far 
 between, an occasional cabin is to be found ; and if you 
 should catch a glimpse of the swarthy residents, what 
 between dirt and sun-burning, they look as dark, or 
 darker, than the inmates of a home gipsy-encampment. 
 When a small amount of ground in the vicinity of these 
 domiciles is cultivated, the enclosure is hedged with the 
 flowering aloe, which forms a most impenetrable fence. 
 
32 All Round the World. 
 
 In fact, at Anger, in the island of Java, this same shrub 
 is used as a chevaux de frise around the Dutch earth- 
 works that command the watering-place. The first 
 tower. Eastern Beach, passed, the country begins gra- 
 dually to improve. The mountains lose much of their 
 rugged and sterile look ; and the flat that extends be- 
 tween them and the sea increases into a wide grass 
 plain, here and there dotted with brush, intersprinkled 
 with an occasional palmetto, a good and not unfrequent 
 cover for red-legged partridge, and a favourite haunt for 
 quail at the periods of migration. A little farther on is ■ 
 a river, on the overflowed edges of which in winter I have 
 bagged many a brace of snipe. 
 
 But we are already at the rendezvous. About thirty 
 members and visitors are assembled, and various little 
 parties are seen in the distance approaching to join in the 
 anticipated run. The hat at length goes round, the master 
 looks pleasant, the huntsman business-like. When each 
 attendant has handed in his mite, time is pronounced to 
 be up, and ofi" we trot to draw a favourite and safe find. 
 To the new arrival from home the Spanish horses look 
 both unsightly and undersized. Still they are game and 
 lasting, though usually slow and mulish ; but they are 
 admirably adapted to their country, for with unerring 
 foot they will canter over ground so uneven and covered 
 with boulders that to walk an English horse over the 
 same would most probably result in broken knees, or 
 even worse. This unsightly appearance in these horses 
 is principally caused by their being frequently goose- 
 rumped, with the tail set on unusually low, while the 
 crest and withers of many are remarkably high. 
 
A Run with the Gibraltar Foxhounds. 2)2) 
 
 The cover at last reached, at a wave of the master's 
 hand the hounds break in with a rush ; stumps of cigars 
 are now thrown away, hats pressed more firmly on the 
 head, and eligible places selected, according to the opi- 
 nion of riders, for getting away with the pack when they 
 break cover. After a few minutes a whimper is heard. 
 " Lady's voice ! " a knowing one exclaims in a suppressed 
 whisper. However, all again is still for two or three 
 minutes. Then two or three hounds speak, followed by 
 the whole pack in concert, deep, sonorous, and earnest. 
 The place is certainly too hot ; pug must break. What's 
 that .' Some one shouting " tally-ho ! " But, confound such 
 luck ! that Spanish shepherd and his curs have headed 
 our game just as it was about to take the best line of 
 country the hunt possesses. Up and down cover the 
 beauties race ; Rantipole's voice awakening the rever- 
 berating echoes from the neighbouring hills. And well 
 may he possess such powerful lungs, for seldom was 
 there a truer, stauncher, or more enduring hound. But 
 such work cannot last long in a few acres, and poor Pug, 
 in preference to again facing the open, gets chopped. 
 
 From here we took off to another spinney, better even 
 than the first. Our master is generally a quiet man, but 
 from the expression of his countenance now, I pity the 
 unfortunate who again heads back our quarry. Lord 
 Scamperdale might be more blustering, but I doubt if 
 half so forcible. To prevent such ordeals a short halt 
 takes place, when we all receive a caution, and again the 
 hounds are thrown in. The ground here is somewhat 
 irregular, but from an over-hanging brow a perfect view 
 can be obtained. On this are soon perched old field 
 
 D 
 
34 All Round the World. 
 
 officers, several captains of the former regime, and a 
 goodly array of subs, many looking as if they had 
 only just left school and their mothers' apron-strings. 
 Nothing has yet occurred to thin the field, and many, I 
 won't say of what kind, feel and express delight that 
 they have already been present at a kill. Soon two 
 or three of the young hounds again open, the whip- 
 cord is heard in vigorous play, for a brace of deer, 
 instead of our legitimate quarry, steal away over the 
 opposite brow. By the bye, what kind of deer are 
 these .■■ I have several times seen them, once rode 
 almost on the top of one, and if they are not fallow 
 deer they bear the strongest resemblance to them I ever 
 saw. Again the skirters settle to their work, and ere 
 long a perfect babel of voices foretells game to be 
 on the move. A fox from here was ever known to 
 afford good sport. The cork woods are generally 
 the point made for, and they are not less than ten 
 miles distant. I have just taken up another hole in 
 my girths, and congratulated myself that the crowd 
 of brother subs did not seduce me into a schooling 
 match en route from the one cover to the other, for 
 while their horses look warm and fretted, mine is as cool 
 as at the moment he left the stable, and deuced glad am 
 I of it, for the old huntsman rattles past, and calls 
 out, " None of your horses has a leg too many for the 
 day's work before you." 
 
 We never had a chance of heading either fox or'hounds, 
 even supposing it had been" desirable ; in fact, it was all 
 the majority of us could do to get away on anything 
 like fair terms. As we enter the lower grounds, the 
 
A Run with the Gibraltar Foxhounds. jiS 
 
 galloping is heavy, and heavy weights and light nags 
 begin to drop behind. In those days I could ride ten 
 stone ; and I do not think there was a horse in the gar- 
 rison of greater substance and size than my mount, save 
 it were the imported charger of a field-officer, and if so, 
 the owner thought too much of him to let him figure 
 in such an escapade. My nag never appeared to feel 
 stronger under me than on this occasion. Although 
 boring a little, I kept him well within his stride, and, 
 wondrous to say, he was giving his running kindly, and 
 had dispensed with the series of buck jumps and kicks 
 that usually formed the preliminary flourish to a gallop. 
 After the first mile of flat valley land had been passed 
 over, and the half-dozen jumps that intersected it, the 
 field had wonderfully tailed off! The master, whip, a 
 hard-riding gunner, a big sapper, and an infantry man of 
 the corps, already referred to, were still in front. The 
 next flight of the ruck were by my side, many of 
 whom I already saw would not hold out for another 
 mile. In a short time I drew away from the crowd, 
 and soon was close by my antagonist. The four lead- 
 ing men made a detour to the right ; probably from 
 knowing the country better, and what was before 
 them. I should have followed the example, but when 
 about to do so, my temporary foe, the crack of the 
 competing corps, called upon me to follow ; I was close 
 at his heels and scarce could decline the gauntlet. A 
 brook was before us with sedgy margin, deep and sullen 
 as a canal ; at it we both went at racing pace, my friend 
 a little in advance ; and after a scramble on the off"-side, 
 for some moments doubtful whether a ducking or not v.'as 
 
 D 2 
 
3 6 All Round the World. 
 
 in store for me, the powerful hind-quarters of my horse 
 carried the day and saved me a wetting. The hounds 
 had now turned to the right ; those who had gone in that 
 direction had luck on their side, and consequently again 
 cut in front ; the ground was still soft, yet by keeping 
 my horse well together, I felt he had plenty left in him 
 and to spare. A couple more water-jumps and some 
 meadows were soon got over ; the whip was just in before 
 me when his horse made a bad flounder and finished 
 off by coming on his head. Alas ! poor Calp6 never rose 
 again ; it was his last run, the finish of a long and gallant 
 career, drawing his last breath with the saddle on, follow- 
 ing the pack he had for many years held a good place 
 with. Of course I did not stop for the whip, he was not 
 wanted till feeding-time, just as Leech's parson, who got 
 into the brook, was not required until the coming 
 Sunday ; so I pushed for the front. The big sapper's 
 weight had commenced to tell ; every dig of the spur 
 sent his horse's tail up instead of augmenting pace, 
 and it required but little experience to see that the 
 honours would be either to the master, gunner, or self. 
 For a moment the hounds came to fault on the edge of 
 a stream beside a ford. The master called on me to 
 assist him. A cast was made when some Spaniards 
 shouted " elsorro " from a neighbouring hill-side. Soon the 
 beauties were lifted and laid on ; the soil was firmer and 
 the pace proportionably faster, heads up and tails down ; 
 the spotted pack seemed to fly, giving utterance to their 
 feelings in short snatches of voice, which invariably fore- 
 tells the end of the drama and the close proximity of 
 poor Pug. As we advanced, the ground became rougher, 
 
A Run with the Gibraltar Foxhounds. 37 
 
 loose boulders were scattered everywhere, just such as a 
 winded horse would toe ; but luck favoured us, and all 
 kept our feet. If the field had tailed off, so had the 
 pack, not over four or five couple remained, who were 
 so closely bunched that, if a sheet would not have 
 covered them, it would nearly have done so. Every 
 moment all expected to run into view, and just as our 
 desire was realised. Pug, draggled and travel-stained, 
 scarcely able to get up more locomotion than a trot, 
 managed to draw himself into an earth. 
 
 We had all had enough ; the gunner's horse, as he 
 dismounted, staggered, and as for the major's, I never 
 could tell how he held his own, for the mount was un- 
 dersized, and rather inclining to the weedy order ; how- 
 ever, for many a week afterwards the poor beast (the 
 horse) did not show in the hunting-field. After a suffi- 
 cient halt to slacken girths and breathe our horses, talk 
 over the run, light a weed, and take a pull at our flasks, 
 home was the word. Saint Roque was en route; 
 before reaching there, several straggling hounds had been 
 picked up, and as we enjoyed a draught of McCray's 
 milk punch, others joined. The day was now far spent, 
 the sun was already dipping over the hills that back 
 Algesiras, and if we wished to get into the garrison 
 before gun-fire, it was time to be jogging along. 
 What remained of the foremost leaders of the pack we 
 had only just time to deposit at their kennel when the 
 evening gun belched forth the warning that all who 
 desired to sleep within the walls of Gibraltar had better 
 not delay, for the laws against opening the gates are as 
 
38 All Round the World. 
 
 positive and unchangeable as those of the Medes and 
 Persians. 
 
 The horse that carried me that day is dead. He died 
 in the hunting-field, where his bones, like empty cham- 
 pagne bottles around an Indian or other encampment, 
 remained as a monument to speak of the generous spirit 
 that was contained therein. 
 
Rambles in Spain. 39 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 RAMBLES IN SPAIN. 
 
 SHOOTING generally commenced at Gibraltar in 
 the month of October, for earlier in the year the 
 weather was too warm to tramp over the rough and 
 stony hill-side in search of red-legged partridge, and the 
 flights of migratory quail then pushing for the southward 
 had not arrived; 
 
 The partridge-shooting, however, seldom lasted over a 
 week or two, for sportsmen are here too numerous in 
 proportion to the quantity of game and the size of the 
 range of accessible country ; but if the visitor should find 
 it convenient to push inland into Spain, say twenty-five 
 or thirty miles, he will receive an ample reward for his 
 trouble. Through the cork wood is situated a village, 
 called Boccaleone. It stands upon the margin of the 
 Guadiar, and is surrounded by meadows, which in their 
 turn are encircled by hills. Indian corn is the staple 
 production, and in the fields where it is grown I 
 found game abundant; and each night, as I returned 
 
4° All Round the World. 
 
 homewards, quail, partridge, and hares filled the bag. 
 Still farther off, about twenty miles inland from Tarifa, 
 is situated an immense marsh, where, besides the afore- 
 mentioned, an abundance of snipe and wild fowl can be 
 obtained. 
 
 The padr^ of an adjacent village must not be forgotten, 
 for he was a most genial, good-hearted soul — a bon-vivant 
 and lover of field sports. During my stay I met him 
 daily, and when duty obliged me to bid him farewell, I 
 did so expressing the hope that he might find it conve- 
 nient to visit the garrison. A month or two afterwards 
 he did so, and became so exceedingly popular with my 
 brother officers that his visit was protracted over a 
 fortnight. 
 
 During the migratory seasons good quail-shooting 
 can be obtained of a morning at Campeamento, only a 
 couple of miles from the landport gate. But it is the 
 old story of the early bird and the worm. The late 
 riser would find all the game killed or driven off ere he 
 reached the shooting-ground. 
 
 Wild boar are also to be found, but they are scarce. 
 On one occasion we unkenneled a veteran. Several 
 times he ran the gauntlet through the beaters, but as 
 often was forced on foot again. A final effort for his 
 destruction was made, the force of shooters being so 
 disposed that every known pass was guarded. Among 
 the disciples of the chase was a very tall and propor- 
 tionably lank engineer. He was armed with a most 
 formidable double-barrel of French manufacture, to the 
 end of which was attached a bayonet, terrible even to 
 look at. Ten minutes of suspense ensued. The beaters. 
 
Rambles in Spain. 41 
 
 breaking through the brush as they approach the stands, 
 are at length heard ; the game must bolt, and bolt it 
 did, between the engineer's legs, while both his bullets 
 deeply bedded themselves in a neighbouring tree, and 
 the sword-bayonet was almost as much doubled as a 
 reaping-hook, for the aspirant for sylvan honours had 
 been thrown off his pins, obtaining a purl that doubtless 
 he even now well remembers. The hog had broken 
 cover just in front of him, had been unseen and unheard 
 till almost between our friend's legs, and the apparition 
 was so sudden and unexpected that both head and legs 
 were lost at the same time. 
 
 The lower class of Spaniards in the neighbourhood of 
 Gibraltar are, with few exceptions, a most disreputable 
 crew. It is, therefore, advisable to have as little to do 
 with them as possible. Few seasons pass over without 
 rows occurring between them and our countrymen, 
 and invariably in my experience the former have been 
 the aggressors. 
 
 I remember such a contretemps, in which I unfortu- 
 nately figured, but luckily came off scathless. We were 
 out hunting near the first venta; the hounds were at 
 fault, and while a cast was being made, I tally-hoed. Pug 
 stealing away. The horse which I that day rode was a 
 black stallion of most uncertain temper ; an admirable 
 fencer when he pleased, but that was seldom. Taking 
 my nag in hand, I ran him at a bank intervening between 
 me and where reynard passed, that I might give the 
 hounds a lift and place them on the fresh trail. This 
 he cleared cleverly, and away went the pack. I tried to 
 follow, but the bad-tempered brute, although he had 
 
42 All Round the World. 
 
 jumped into the enclosure, could not be induced to jump 
 out. Whip and spur were both plied without effect ; the 
 blackguard had sulked, and ten minutes at least were 
 required to bully him into his senses. In the meantime 
 a Spaniard, armed with a gun, entered the field. Without 
 explanation or question he coolly threw his gun to his 
 shoulder and took aim at me. I tried to wheel my 
 horse round and ride the fellow down, but being unable 
 to manage it, had to remain a target whether I liked it 
 or not. The gun did not go off. I believe it missed fire, 
 for several times he took it down as if to recock it. At 
 length my fiend of a horse thought he had enough 
 punishment, and I was about to wheel him round and 
 rush at the would-be assassin, when one of my comrades, 
 seeing my position, jumped into the field and felled the 
 Spaniard with the butt of his crop. Neither of us waited 
 to ask any questions as to the effect the blow had pro- 
 duced, but followed after the tail of the hunt. 
 
 The sea-fishing at Gibraltar is very good, but this 
 amusement does not appear to be popular there. Al- 
 though I devoted much time to it, I could seldom find 
 a companion. One great pleasure I occasionally enjoyed 
 was a trip in the Genoese fishing-boats from Catalin Bay 
 to a bank four or five miles off in the Mediterranean. 
 How delightful were those calm serene evenings — how 
 perfect the repose — ^while every few minutes the deep- 
 voiced conch-shell, used by the fishermen for signalising 
 one another, boomed over the water ! 
 
 My companions on these occasions were the most 
 thorough personification of pirates in appearance, and 
 often in costume— just such as you could imagine, with 
 
Rambles in Spain. 43 
 
 pistols and stilettoes sticking out of every available 
 place, telling a fellow quietly to walk the plank, and 
 handing him a cigarette at the same time to cheer him 
 into the next world. Then how brown were their com- 
 plexions, how black their hair and eyes ! and, oh ! how 
 they smelt of garlic, an addition not inappropriate ! The 
 real pirate, I believe, should always smell of oil and garlic. 
 
 On these banks the take of fish was always large ; and 
 what between pipe and sport, and an occasional snatch 
 of a wild Spanish song, lauding the praises of the reck- 
 less contrabandistas, time used to fly rapidly. It was 
 not necessary however to go so far as this bank for sport, 
 since all along the rocks, in the bays and indentations, 
 from Europa Point to the Neutral Ground, especially 
 on the Mediterranean side, fish were abundant. 
 
 With strong rod and tackle, and a sardine for bait, 
 what beauties I have captured out of the surf beating on 
 the eastern shore ! For this work your sinker must be 
 heavy, and the angler prepared to lose plenty of tackle, 
 for the under-tow is very strong, the bottom rough, and 
 the fish sometimes monsters. 
 
 In fine clear weather, when the sea is calm, trimmer- 
 fishing afforded me much pleasure. I would set six or 
 eight of these in a row to drift with the current, and 
 watch them from my boat ; nor would they be long left 
 alone. Presently one would dip two or three times, then 
 go down altogether. Hereupon, laying heartily to the 
 oars, we would start in pursuit. Up again would come 
 the cork, to go down and reappear in quite a different 
 direction. To and fro we then would pursue, till a 
 chance was afforded of using the gaff. 
 
44 All Round the World. 
 
 In the holes among the rocks eels were plentiful, and 
 many an hour I spent in their capture. To be success- 
 ful, patience rather than skill is requisite. The method 
 was on this wise : a piece of strong cord, about eight or 
 nine feet long, attached to a hook tied on gimp, baited 
 with fish, was dropped into the crevices. In a few 
 minutes, if there were any occupants, you would feel a 
 bite. Don't be in a hurry ; wait patiently, for, like a 
 snake swallowing his food, an eel requires plenty of time. 
 However, when you strike, do it sharply. But although 
 we will suppose that you have now got your fish on, 
 time will elapse before you can call him yours, for they 
 will double round stones and squeeze themselves into all 
 kinds of inaccessible places, from which they can only be 
 coaxed by keeping a heavy, steady strain. The larger 
 the fish, as may be expected, the longer will be the 
 contest ; and not unusual will be the loss of tackle, for 
 congers have great aptitude for freeing themselves with 
 their teeth. 
 
 Rabbits, porcupines, and red-legged partridge, abound 
 on the upper portions of the rock, but they are strictly 
 protected ; and right it is so, for they are great orna- 
 ments to so circumscribed a space. Apes are also here 
 to be found, but although tolerably numerous, are not 
 often seen. In fact, many believe their existence a myth. 
 However, two or three times I had the luck to come 
 across them. On one occasion I was returning at break of 
 day from visiting the sentries and guards, furnished by 
 the detachment at Catalin Bay, of which post I was then 
 in command. The night had been stormy and cold, 
 with a westerly wind. The apes, which were about 
 
Rambles in Spain. 45 
 
 twenty in number, had doubtlessly come to the east side 
 for shelter. Before the creatures saw me, I was within 
 forty or fifty yards. Their surprise at my intrusion — 
 their awkward attempt at escape, as they shuffled off — 
 were very amusing. 
 
 Beside the officers' quarters at Catalin Bay there was 
 a large mulberry-tree. The fruit, when ripe, used to dis- 
 appear in the most marvellous manner. Thinking some 
 of the men were the depredators, I lay perdu one bright 
 night, with a poodle remarkable for his sagacity for my 
 companion. At length the dog became fidgety, and 
 rushed off, giving tongue. I followed, fortunately for the 
 poodle, for there were at least a dozen apes, who ap- 
 peared in no way intimidated till I approached. Doubt- 
 less these were the scoundrels who had deprived me of 
 my fruit. 
 
 There are some pretty rides within access of Gibraltar. 
 One that I frequently took and always enjoyed was to 
 Los Varios. This village is beautifully situated in a 
 wooded valley, surrounded by grand hills, picturesque 
 and bold in their outline. At the venta, where we were 
 in the habit of putting up our horses and having lunch, 
 there was a true type of the Andalusian belle. She was 
 the daughter of the host, and sometimes waited upon us. 
 A more beautiful or graceful girl I have seldom seen. 
 Once I met her at a bull-fight at Algesiras. Of course 
 she was en grande tenue on such an occasion. Never did 
 mantilla fall over more graceful shoulders — never did 
 slipper cover a more beautiful foot and ankle. She did 
 not walk — she glided over the surface of the ground, as 
 a denizen of another world might be imagined to do. 
 
46 All Round the World. 
 
 Near Los Varies is a wild, picturesque waterfall, 
 embedded deeply in trees and rocks. On the warmest 
 days in summer, shade from the sun can always here be 
 found ; in the pool beneath a most delightful bath can 
 be enjoyed. This scene has often vividly recalled some 
 of our Scotch linns. 
 
 But I must say no more of dear old Gibraltar. How 
 many know it, and doubtless remember the hours there 
 passed with as much pleasure as I do ! 
 
Barbary Field Sports. 47 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 BARBARY FIELD SPORTS. 
 
 LONG have I gazed from Gibraltar across the Straits 
 at the towering ranges of the irregular-outlined 
 Atlas Mountains, that form the northern breastwork of 
 Africa. This continent had long possessed for me 
 the greatest attractions, and with what anxiety did I 
 look forward to the moment when I could set foot 
 upon its shores ; for is it not the hunting-ground par 
 excellence of all the world .' Is it not the scene where 
 Cornwallis Harris, Gordon Gumming, and the lion- 
 hearted Livingstone have played their adventurous 
 parts .'' True, the portion next Europe was far away 
 from where their exploits took place ; but still all 
 was a part of the same land, undivided by impass- 
 able sea or other impediment that might prevent 
 the migrating hordes of gnus, antelopes, and zebras, 
 from ranging from one part to another if so disposed. 
 Such feelings have actuated me in Scotland when 
 wandering in boyhood in the fields in the neighbour- 
 
48 All Round the World. 
 
 hood of my school. The hare which sprang from its 
 seat one moment, I hoped to see succeeded by a giant 
 red deer, decorated with a royal head of horns, although 
 none such were known to have their habitat nearer than 
 the rocky corries of the Grampian Mountains. 
 
 But Morocco still possesses the lion, to youthful minds 
 the grandest and noblest of all the animal creation. Not 
 impossibly, in some of the dark shady lines caused by 
 wooded ravines that marked the sides of the Atlas range, 
 a royal savage, at the very moment I was gazing across, 
 was either engaged in stalking upon his prey or making 
 a meal on some unfortunate weaker animal. 
 
 Alas, for the days of youth and romance, of happiness 
 and love ! Value them while they last ; the storm 
 clouds that shut out the sunlight come sooner or later. 
 And as your early years are spent, in that proportion 
 will be the happiness of your after-life. 
 
 At length an opportunity occurred. The longed-for 
 pleasure was to be realised. Leave of absence was 
 obtained, and I crossed to Morocco, landing at the 
 seaport Tangiers, which is situated upon a bay of the 
 same name, of the area of about twenty square miles. 
 The position of the town is picturesque in the extreme, 
 and consists of streets built in terraces, the whole over- 
 looked by a castle of most antiquated appearance, and 
 flanked on either side by loop-holed masonry, that would 
 not stand a modern bombardment five minutes. Yet 
 this spot was once considered strong, and long protected 
 under its guns a fleet of corsairs, who for years made 
 navigation in the vicinity dangerous, for falling into the 
 hands of these marine freebooters not only entailed 
 
Barbary Field Sports. 49 
 
 spoliation, but probably a life of captivity. It was from 
 a southern port of this nation that Robinson Crusoe 
 escaped from slavery with Xury. But the glory of 
 Morocco has fled ; no ships sail under her colours, and 
 the " Christian dog," once such an object of contempt, 
 can now traverse the bazaars, sokes,* and mosques with 
 perfect impunity. 
 
 The passage by steam across the Straits of Gibraltar is 
 only a matter of two or three hours ; my landing was 
 effected with safety through a heavy surf, and the custom- 
 house officers (who were not above accepting backshish) 
 did not delay me unnecessarily. The hotel, after climbing 
 through tumble-down streets, up extraordinary ascents of 
 stairs, almost as bad as Valetta, the capital of Malta, was 
 in due time reached, and a most comfortable as well as 
 economic establishment it proved. Only fancy living for 
 one dollar a-day, with table-wine included, and that 
 within a ten-pound journey of England, and an excel- 
 lent, free-to-all, unobstructed shooting-range within a few 
 . miles, with neither gamekeepers nor servants to tip ! 
 Why, to men of moderate means it appears too good to 
 be true. 
 
 My plans were soon made through the means of an 
 interpreter ; two horses and an attendant were 'hired, and 
 lunch for the following da:y ordered, so that when I 
 turned in to roost nought remained but to have a good 
 night's rest to enable me to start the campaign in 
 Northern Africa under favourable circumstances. 
 
 Let me here give the reader a piece of advice, in 
 case he should be tempted to visit Tangiers for the 
 
 * Market-places; 
 
 e: 
 
5o All Round the World. 
 
 purpose of shooting. Be certain to bring your own 
 saddlery ; for however comfortably and well a Moor 
 may ride with his knees up to his chin, I could not 
 succeed in doing likewise, although I had had years 
 of practice in equitation ; and when from compulsion 
 I lengthened the stirrups of this confounded invention 
 the amount of pelt that I lost from chafing was any- 
 thing but conducive to walking with pleasure after a 
 pair of pointers, and I believe my countrymen generally 
 are constructed on pretty much the same model as myself 
 and have learned to ride after the same fashion. The 
 horse of your attendant should, instead of a saddle, have 
 only a pad, over which is slung a brace of panniers ; in 
 one of these your lunch and game can be carried, in the 
 other your dogs. It's all very well to let a dog run ten 
 miles from a shooting-ground when his services are not 
 required more than half a dozen times in a season, but if 
 you are going to use him daily or even three times a week 
 and you are a keen sportsman, one that does not shirk 
 walking, take my word for it, you cannot husband the 
 strength of your canine assistants too much. It only 
 requires thought to see that I am correct. The man 
 wjio will not think of his animals' comfort, does not 
 deserve to possess them. 
 
 Sunrise saw my cortege in marching order waiting at 
 the gates of Tangiers ready to make an exit as soon 
 as the custodian of the keys thought proper to open the 
 barriers which cut the residents off from the surrounding 
 country, for every night the gates are closed at sunset, 
 and the laws against their being re-opened are as un- 
 changeable as those of the Medes and Persians. Take 
 
Barbary Field Sports. 5 1 
 
 warning, therefore, and do not be late, for, if such be the 
 case, you will have to remain outside. On passing into the 
 country, the ground is undulating and well planted, grave- 
 yards and gardens being the principal features ; a couple 
 of miles transit through green lanes hedged with aloes 
 discloses an open rolling landscape with distant hills and 
 a meandering watercourse, the former clothed, the latter 
 fringed with trees. In front and to the right, as you pro- 
 ceed onwards, are situated on elevated bare ground three 
 quaint square buildings, with a large dome on the top of 
 each ; these I was informed are the tombs of three cele- 
 brated Moorish warriors, who perished during the wars 
 that were undertaken about two centuries back to drive 
 the British from Tangiers, a portion of the dower of one 
 of our queens. In the gardens woodcock, snipe, and 
 rabbits are occasionally abundant, but as the owners of 
 these fruitful enclosures have a strong objection to tres- 
 passers it is better to pass on and leave them undisturbed. 
 Five miles from town, going south-west, after passing a 
 large olive grove which grows luxuriantly at the base of 
 a densely-wooded hill, still the haunt of numerous wild 
 boar, extends an immense meadow through which flows 
 a sluggish stream. On this meadow I commenced work. 
 Snipe I found abundant, also plover. Several wild duck 
 I flushed from the rivulet, and was fortunate enough to 
 obtain a brace and a half of the broadbills. On leaving 
 the damp land and ascending to more dry localities 
 a variety of palmetto does duty for underbrush ; in this 
 cover my dogs found several coveys of red-legged par- 
 tridge, which, contrary to the nature of this species in 
 England, lay remarkably well. As might be expected, I 
 
 E 2 
 
52 All Round the World. 
 
 thinned their ranks, and also added to the weight of my 
 now distended game-bag by the addition of a brace of 
 bouncing hares. 
 
 Having a strong objection to be turned into a pack- 
 horse, and knowing that if I wished to shoot well I 
 ought to husband my strength, I handed over the results 
 of my labour to my attendant Moor. A mile or two 
 farther on I came to a considerable river, quite sixty 
 yards wide, which enters the sea through a broad belt 
 of sand — close to the grand old bluff headland. Cape 
 Spartel. What between shooting and the allotted time 
 for lunch and baccy, the day had fled rapidly, and 
 although the sun was still two hours' high it behoved me 
 to return, as the distance was eight or more miles, and 
 I had made no preparations for remaining from home. 
 
 On another occasion, in company with two brother 
 officers, we started in the morning, determined not to 
 shoot till the river last mentioned was reached. On 
 arrival there, each took a stand among the brush that 
 grew on the margin. Our Moorish attendants we des- 
 patched with instructions to move up and down the 
 stream and alarm all ducks they saw, well knowing the 
 habit of these birds to follow as far as possible the water- 
 courses on which they feed. In less than an hour we had 
 over a dozen shots. After tiffin we beat the nei?hbourin<T 
 open land and brush for red-legged partridge, and fortune 
 smiled upon our labours. So at night when we betook 
 ourselves to the Arab douar where we had arranged to 
 sleep we produced quite a formidable array of game. 
 
 But can I ever forget that night ? I think not. After 
 indulging in a most hearty meal — kiiskasoo, a most whole- 
 
Barbary Field Sports. 5 3 
 
 some and pleasant native dish, forming no inconsiderable 
 portion of it, — and having imbibed a "nightcap," wearied 
 with our day's exercise, all turned in, with the confidence 
 of obtaining a good night's rest. Never was Somnus so 
 devotedly courted as by your humble servant ; still sleep 
 I could not ; therefore restlessly I tossed about. I was 
 perfectly ignorant of the cause of this inquietude, and, 
 not wishing to disturb my comrades, for a long period 
 submitted to martyrdom. At length flesh and blood 
 could stand, it no longer ; up I jumped, and sprang for 
 the matchbox. Even the necessary time for the lucifer' 
 to become thoroughly ignited was thought a needless 
 delay. But I found I was not the only one awake ; 
 both my friends were sitting up, and inquired almost in 
 the same words, and at the same moment, if I also felt 
 queer and unable to sleep, for turn which way they 
 would, twist themselves in whatever shape they chose, 
 slumber they could not. Scratching then became the 
 order of the day ; all had a good scratch, then halted 
 and recommenced exercising our nails — halting more 
 from lack of elbow-grease than from a desire to cease 
 the operation. 
 
 But what was the cause of this itchiness } Fleas in 
 hundreds, fleas in thousands, fleas in millions. Inside 
 our clothes, outside our clothes, their phalanxes were 
 equally numerous ; before the lights had been put out not 
 one had been seen, with darkness the cowardly scoundrels 
 had stolen upon us, and that with an appetite that 
 appeared insatiable. 
 
 With one consent we all undressed, shook our gar- 
 ments, brushed them, picked them over, and re-donned 
 
54 All Round the World. 
 
 them, tying our drawers, waistband, and collars so tight 
 as almost to cause strangulation, and impede the circu- 
 lation of the blood. But this strategy was unavailing, 
 the pests would not be denied admission, so all deter- 
 mined to make a night of it. Outside the jackals 
 howled, inside we puffed our pipes, and occasionally 
 moistened our damp throats, till, with pleasure, but in a 
 very unfit state for shooting, we welcomed the entrance 
 of our guide about an hour before daybreak. 
 
 After a hasty meal we all mounted, riding double, and 
 'started for a place known by the name of the Laguna, 
 where we were informed wild duck were abundant. As 
 we slowly went onward through the darkness, the ground 
 on every side was sprinkled with glowworms, and an 
 occasional jackal would howl a welcome of defiance. 
 Ere the sun had risen we reached our shooting-ground ; 
 the water in the middle of the lagoon, which was free 
 from weeds, was covered with numerous varieties of 
 aquatic fowls. In the reeds along the margin they were 
 almost as abundant, and for a couple of hours a heavy 
 and successful fusilade was kept up. At length the 
 birds became alarmed and more wary, so further work 
 was desisted from. 
 
 While at breakfast, one of our attendants took his 
 gun, and soon returned with a number of duck and 
 coots. When accompanying the same man in the after- 
 noon, I found out the cause of his success ; dropping off 
 his bournouse, the only garment which prevented him 
 from being clothed like Adam, minus the fig-leaf, he 
 waded into the weeds till nought but head and shoulders 
 were visible. In this manner, with a green bough held 
 
Barbary Field sports. ^^ 
 
 before him for a screen, he advanced within easy range 
 of the unsuspicious game. 
 
 On the margin of this swamp were abundant indica- 
 tions that it was a favourite haunt of wild boar ; the 
 marks of their wallowings were everywhere discernible, 
 and some of the foot-prints clearly told that they had 
 been made by giant veterans. Observing one of my 
 dogs most uncomfortable, and bleeding about the muzzle, 
 on examination I found a leech had fastened in the 
 interior of his mouth, close to the root of his tongue. 
 Leeches are here very abundant, and it is no unusual 
 occurrence for both horses and dogs to suffer from their 
 attentions. 
 
 With a heavy load of game we returned to Tangiers 
 by a different route from that by which we had come. 
 One portion of the road was very pretty, being covered 
 wiih dwarf timber, among which (much improving and 
 impailing an Eastern tone to the picture) were feeding 
 a large drove of camels and their young. Thoroughly 
 fatigued, we reached the gates of the city just in time 
 to gain admission. 
 
 While in this portion of Northern Africa I had several 
 days' hog-shooting. The haunts of these animals during 
 the day are the rough sides of hills, in ravines and 
 nullahs, where the brush is dense, consequently there is 
 seldom a possibility of riding to them, and the use of the 
 gun instead of the spear becomes admissible. Hardly 
 any animal is gifted with more vitality, and will carry 
 off more lead ; I remember a veteran boar running the 
 gauntlet of four double guns within easy range, and 
 each shot told, yet the hero went off as if nothing had 
 
$6 All Round the World. 
 
 occurred ; that evening, however, he was found dead two 
 miles • from where he received his death-wounds. At 
 night these animals quit their lairs, and descend to the 
 low grounds to wallow and feed on the fruits in the 
 gardens and crops in the enclosures of the natives. 
 From being so thoroughly nocturnal in their habits they 
 are seldom seen, but the results of their forays are to be 
 met with in every direction. 
 
 The general mode of shooting them is to drive the 
 covers with beaters while the sportsmen stand on the 
 runs, which are usually dry water-courses. As the 
 cover is very dense, the gun should be kept at full 
 cock, for a momentary clatter among the stones is all 
 the warning received, and if your fire is not rapidly 
 delivered the brute is through between your legs (very 
 possibly knocking you over) and out of sight in a 
 moment. 
 
 There is little or no danger on such occasions ; but 
 when the boar is wounded and brought to bay, look out 
 for squalls if you approach him ! 
 
 To the westward of Tangiers many of the consuls 
 have fine gardens situated close to the sea. The rocks 
 beneath are particularly grand, lofty, and rugged in their 
 outline. Among these cliffs are numerous caves haunted 
 by large fiocks of rock-pigeons. As these birds return 
 from their feeding-grounds just before sunset, good sport 
 can be obtained at them. However, there is one objec- 
 tion to this pastime : you will find it impossible to re- 
 cover nearly half the pigeons killed. 
 
 Nowhere have I seen the eagles more numerous 
 than along this coast during the spring and autumn of 
 
Barbary Field Sports. 57 
 
 the year. At these periods they are doubtlessly mi- 
 grating to and from Europe. Hawks of nearly every 
 variety are also abundant, even those of the most choice 
 breeds. 
 
 Although I was not successful in shooting any speci- 
 mens of the bustard proper {Otis tarda), during some 
 parts of the year they are to be found in this neighbour- 
 hood in considerable numbers, increasing in abundance, 
 I was informed, as you proceeded inland. The little 
 bustard (O. tetrax) is, however, plentiful, and I had the 
 pleasure of bagging many ; their flight much resembles 
 that of the curlew, and though perhaps deserving the 
 appellation of a wary bird, with strategy they can be 
 obtained. The best method I found was to walk outside 
 my horse, describing gradually-diminishing circles till 
 within range. On the table the little bustard will be 
 found most palatable, and worthy of more trouble to 
 kill than usually is accorded to game of greater mag- 
 nitude. Storks are also numerous, but do not come 
 under the sportsman's category of game, so I will say 
 nothing further of them. 
 
 In the lower ranges of the Atlas fallow deer are found 
 in considerable numbers ; in the upper ranges a mam- 
 moth stag — at least, so I have been informed on trust- 
 worthy authority. 
 
 Not much is known of the distant interior, particularly 
 towards the east coast, inhabited by the Reefians, a race 
 of freebooters and pirates. It is a well-ascertained fact, 
 however, that the lion is still to be found there. Fourteen 
 or fifteen miles from Tangiers I was shown where the 
 last lion known in that vicinity was killed. The spot 
 
58 All Round the World. 
 
 was just suited for such an episode — an immense rock 
 standing like an island among shrubs, with an open 
 country covered with herds of goats and sheep stretching 
 beyond. 
 
 I wish my young friends could hear the story of 
 that lion's death narrated as told me, surrounded by a 
 dusky crowd of stalwart manly figures, all dressed in 
 bournouses, and leaning with pride, doubtless arising 
 from conscious skill, upon their long single-barrelled 
 guns. I like the Mussulman, it matters not whether he 
 be Turk or Moor, there is a manliness and soldierly 
 bearing about them, at the same time gentleness, that I 
 have never found in others ; but to the story. 
 
 " For many years our douars had been left in peace, 
 our herds wandered far and wide without shepherds, for 
 no protection was necessary. The wild beast had learned 
 to dread the prowess of our young men, and had departed 
 to a country where these were less brave, so no longer 
 did our plains reverberate at night with the lion's roar — 
 no longer did the lover dread to visit by night the village 
 of his future bride, or the hunter fear to secrete himself 
 to watch the grizzly boar that nightly desolated his 
 melons. 
 
 " But a change took place. The mare of the father of 
 Abdoul (pointing out one of the crowd) was missed, a 
 suspicion of her being stolen came over the minds of all, 
 for she was known far and wide as the gentlest, fleetest, 
 most enduring and best bred possessed by the tribe. 
 For some days most diligent search was made un- 
 successfully, -and hope had almost died out of ever hear- 
 ing of her again, when she was discovered dead, fearfully 
 
I I If" 
 
 I 
 
Barbary Field Sports. 59 
 
 mangled, among the woods that gird the slope of those 
 hills. 
 
 "All skilled in the chase visited the spot, and the 
 most experienced were convinced, from various indica- 
 tions, that the poor mare was the unfortunate victim of 
 a beast of prey. 
 
 " The owner vowed by the Prophet to be revenged, 
 and many promised him their assistance. 
 
 " The neighbourhood had almost relapsed into its 
 habitual quiet, and the death of the mare had almost 
 been forgotten, when the douar was alarmed at midday 
 by the hurried entrance of some lads, who had seen a 
 lion pull down a steer. 
 
 "All for some moments was commotion, but an un- 
 usual desire became paramount, to avenge the insult, 
 and if possible rid themselves of so dangerous a visitor. 
 
 " With arms and dogs a large force mustered. On 
 reaching the scene of bloodshed the cowardly marauder 
 fled ; he refused to face our bullets. But we followed, 
 and here, on this very rock, he turned to defy us, his 
 rage being thoroughly roused by our persevering pursuit, 
 and as he stood above, his noble form defined against 
 the clear sky, lashing his flanks with his tail and scorning 
 the cowardly curs that yelped around, he looked every 
 inch a king. 
 
 " But, with the help of Allah, he fell at the first fire, 
 and his rich black mane long decorated the house of 
 our chief; He was the last in this plain ; may he never 
 have a successor ! " 
 
 Hoping to save time I returned to Gibraltar on board 
 a felucca, a mistake I never again would be guilty of. 
 
6o All Round the World. 
 
 for a gale of wind springing up an hour or two after 
 departure, we were kept two days knocking about the 
 Strait, with a most disagreeable sea running, and no place 
 to obtain shelter from the elements but a hole of a 
 cabin, redolent of oil and garlic. Cadiz or Tarifa 
 might several times have been made, but the craft and 
 crew belonged to Gibraltar, and very possibly were 
 known to the Spanish Guarda Costa, for former smug- 
 gling peccadillos. 
 
 All things come to an end, and never was I more 
 grateful than when I stretched my legs upon the mole 
 of dear old Gib. 
 
Afloat in the Mediterranean. 6 1 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 AFLOAT IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AND ASHORE IN 
 NORTH AFRICA. 
 
 THE sail along the North Coast of Africa, from 
 Gibraltar, particularly if you hug the land and are 
 vouchsafed good weather, is delightful. Many times 
 I have made this trip, but my first experience was by far 
 the most pleasant, for the sea was smooth as a mill-pond 
 all the way, and the vessel was navigated as close to the 
 shore as was compatible with safety. With an awning 
 spread over the quarter-deck I never quitted it day or 
 night. The blue waters of the Mediterranean appeared 
 transcendently beautiful and deep in colouring, whether 
 by sun or moonlight. And the Atlas range of moun- 
 tains, ever varying, ever grand, were constantly in sight. 
 How I longed to land, and penetrate, in search of game 
 or adventure, into the deep chasms and spreading valleys 
 which were constantly exposed to sight ! 
 
 After passing Algiers and its white houses, built tier 
 over tier, the coast became less rugged and more green, 
 and the promise of shooting more inviting. Near Cape 
 
62 All Round the World. 
 
 Bona, perhaps a hundred miles to the westward of it, to my 
 great satisfaction on his coming on deck in the morning 
 the Captain informed me that being short of fuel, he 
 intended anchoring to collect drift wood. Soon after 
 a favourable place was found, and never did I listen to 
 cable going through hawsehole with greater pleasure. 
 The bay into which our craft was run was almost land- 
 locked, the hills that surrounded it were green as those of 
 the Emerald Isle, and on the beach were assembled a 
 swarthy crowd of Moors, anxiously scrutinising our move- 
 ments, and all garbed in their favourite bournouse. Not 
 one among us spoke their language ; our intercourse was 
 consequently conducted by signals, yet they understood, 
 and fresh provisions in abundance were brought for our 
 use. While the ship's company were busy I wandered 
 off with my double-barrel ; red-legged partridge and 
 quail I found abundant, but, not having a dog, lost among 
 the brush half the birds I killed. Here I saw several 
 wild boar, but could not succeed in obtaining a shot at 
 them. With a properly organised corps of beaters very 
 different results might be anticipated. On ascending 
 a rocky acclivity I came across a host of apes ; the rascals 
 looked at me in a most threatening manner, as if dis- 
 posed to dispute my right to further progress. One old 
 gentleman was particularly demonstrative, and at length 
 I determined to give him the contents of a barrel. Not 
 over twenty-five yards severed us, and he received a 
 mortal wound ; but never in my life did I regret so much 
 firing a shot, the agony and death-struggle of the poor 
 ape were so human, that I turned from the spot and my 
 victim with feelings anything but enviable. From that 
 
Afloat in the Mediterranean. 62, 
 
 day to this I have not shot one of that genus, nor do 
 I beUeve I could be tempted to do so. 
 
 Here I had my first experience of turtle-catching. 
 The process is simple, yet to become an adept requires 
 considerable practice. In the warm weather, particularly 
 at midday, they float on the surface, enjoying the heat 
 of the sun, apparently asleep. With a boat you approach 
 them, the crew ceasing to pull when sufficient headway 
 has been obtained to bring you alongside your intended 
 victims, while in the bow is posted a man whose duty 
 is to make the capture. If the turtle is a small one it is 
 seized by the back flipper and hauled on board, if a large 
 fellow, the seizer, by a quick turn of his wrist after laying 
 hold of the flipper, places the victim on its back, and, if 
 necessary, obtains assistance to remove it from its watery 
 home. The turtle of the Mediterranean, although good 
 eating, are not to be compared with those of the West 
 Indies, or Malay Archipelago. The harpoon is also 
 used to take them, but this is considered by experts 
 as a slovenly method, and only excusable when all other 
 means fail. 
 
 Although we remained a couple of days, the wooding 
 business turned out a failure, so under a half- head 
 of steam we proceeded, and in due course of time, after 
 running close by Pantaleria, an island where Sardinian 
 convicts are imprisoned — it is far too lovely for such 
 a purpose — ^we reached 'Malta. 
 
 While in this part of the Mediterranean, a rather 
 remarkable instance of canine vindictiveness or revenge 
 took place. Several of my companions had dogs on 
 board. One was a French poodle whose antics and 
 
64 All Round the World. 
 
 tricks made her the pet of all ; another was a retriever, 
 equally well educated; while a Skye-terrier was the 
 third. 
 
 The attentions of the two latter to the lady poodle 
 were very marked, and at length the demon of jealousy 
 being aroused, sundry passages of teeth took place ; the 
 retriever, from his superior size, always worsting the ter- 
 rier. At length, one day, the larger dog seized the 
 smaller, carried him to the gangway and dropped him 
 overboard. Several people saw this take place, but were 
 unable to interfere from the rapidity with which the 
 whole deed was transacted. The excitement on deck 
 brought me from the cabin, when I beheld the poor little 
 terrier swimming in the wake of the vessel. As there 
 was a stiff breeze at the time the Captain was unwilling 
 to lower a boat, and the terrier was consequently lost, 
 very much to the grief of his owner. 
 
 In the autumn and spring of the year, along the coast 
 of Morocco and Algeria, immense hordes of porpoises 
 and tunny-fish pass and re-pass. By day and night they 
 can be distinctly seen, rolling and plunging under the 
 waist or stern of the vessel. From the dolphin striker 
 which projects under the bowsprit, if you are able to 
 hang on by the skin of your eyebrows — for the footing is 
 limited — with the harpoon good sport can be obtained. 
 But the moment you strike, and the victim becomes im- 
 paled, it must be dragged from the water without delay, 
 or it will be certain to escape. 
 
 Close to Cape Bona, as the vessel skirted a headland, 
 I perceived two bottle-nosed porpoises coming towards 
 us. I went forward to the bow where xay harpoon and 
 
Afloat in the Mediterranean. 6^ 
 
 line lay prepared, and three or four of the watch who 
 were lounging on the forecastle laid hold of the slack and 
 waited for the blow to be delivered. Soon the game was 
 within reach, over and over they rolled, almost permit- 
 ting the cutwater to bump them ; at length a chance was 
 offered and I drove the steel home. "Haul !" I shouted 
 to my assistants, and haul they did ; but the foe was too 
 heavy, all their straining and efforts could not get the 
 brute from the water ; long was the struggle and, alas ! 
 the rope broke, when Mr. Porpoise departed at express 
 speed, taking, as a memento of his escape, my good 
 and well-tried harpoon. 
 
 From Cape Bon to Pantaleria is only a few hours, from 
 the latter to Gozo about the same distance. When 
 this portion of the voyage is performed during the 
 migration of quails immense numbers will fly on board, 
 even in sufficient quantities to feed a ship's com- 
 pany. When on board the old government troop-ship. 
 Urgent, close to Pantaleria, a sudden change of wind 
 brought up a disagreeable ground-swell, and the old 
 vessel pitched about in that lumbering manner peculiarly 
 her own. Quail had been seen during the early part 
 of the day, but they had passed onwards disregarding us ; 
 but the change of wind caused them now to act differently, 
 for the new breeze was an adverse one, and the little 
 travelling strangers were glad to rest their wearied wings 
 upon our decks. Poor little creatures, so fatigued were 
 they that without an effort they permitted themselves to 
 be taken. 
 
 Although I consider Valetta the prettiest city with 
 which I am acquainted and one of the very pleasantest 
 
 F 
 
66 All Round the World. 
 
 places to pass a month or two of winter in, it is without 
 exception, as far as field sports go, the worst station it has 
 been my lot to visit. True, at certain times a few migra- 
 tory birds can be killed, but success is so uncertain that 
 one can never be sure of obtaining sport. 
 
 For yachting and boating Malta is eminently suited. 
 At the same time it must not be imagined that it never 
 blows there — aye, it does blow ; and the most veteran 
 sailor must acknowledge that there are pleasanter posi- 
 tions than being caught in a gregale: however, they do 
 not last, but are proportionably violent to the shortness 
 of their existence. One January afternoon I left Malta 
 on board a small vessel ; the wind was fair, and with all 
 the canvas we could set, merrily and swiftly we increased 
 the distance between ourselves and land. When the sun 
 set, the sky foretold no indication of change ; still at 
 midnight we were lying-to under a close-reefed main- 
 sail, with a wild and broken sea every few minutes 
 making a breach over us. In four hours the squall had 
 subsided, and day broke clear and tranquil, while the 
 coast of Sicily, smiling in its luxuriant vegetation and 
 dotted with white cottages, lay close to windward. But 
 during that squall we lost a hand overboard, a fair-haired 
 boy, from fourteen to fifteen years old, the favourite of all. 
 Poor lad ! with others of his watch, he was sent to stow 
 the jib, the craft pitched heavily into an unusually 
 large sea, and he was hurried prematurely into a sailor's 
 grave. Alas ! such is life ; while in the possession of the 
 most robust health, how often are we close to the 
 destroyer ! 
 
An Indian Hunting Encampment. 67 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 AN INDIAN HUNTING ENCAMPMENT. 
 
 Let others boast and proudly toast 
 
 The light of ladies' eyes, 
 And swear the rose less perfume throws 
 
 Than beauty's fragrant sighs ; 
 The ripe, red lips in hue eclipse 
 
 The ruby's radiant gem, 
 That woman 's far the brightest star 
 
 In Nature's diadem. 
 Yet since, for me, no charms I see 
 
 In all the sex can show. 
 And smile and tear alike appear. 
 
 And heedless flash or flow, 
 I'll change my theme, and fondly deem — 
 
 True sportsmen pledge me here, 
 And fill my cup, and drain it up, 
 
 To saddle, spur, and spear. 
 
 But while I sing. Time's rapid wing 
 
 This lesson seems to teach — 
 The joy and bliss of sport like this 
 
 Are still within our reach. 
 Then let 's away at break of day. 
 
 Ride vale and hill-top o'er, 
 Scale mountain's side, or stem the tide. 
 
 To spear the flying boar. 
 
 F 2 
 
68 All Round the World. 
 
 And Time may then bring love again, 
 
 When we at pleasure's shrine, 
 To check his flight for one gay height 
 
 Will wet his wing with wine ; 
 And ere we part pledge hand and heart 
 
 Once more to rally there. 
 To fill the cup, and drain it up. 
 
 To saddle, spur, and spear. 
 
 Indian Hunting Song. 
 
 HAVING been knocked about in different portions 
 of the globe principally on active service, during 
 which my time was fully engaged with business which 
 almost excluded me from field sports, quite three years 
 must be jumped over between the events that I am 
 about to tell of and those of a previous chapter. 
 
 With what pleasure, on obtaining leave of absence, did 
 I look forward to the holidays, when again my gun 
 would become my companion, more especially as India 
 was to be the scene ! The start at length was made ; the 
 sun shone bright and strong, but ere the journey to 
 my intended shooting-ground had been accomplished, a 
 break took place in the weather, which almost induced 
 me to abandon the expedition. 
 
 With the mind vacillating between doubt and hope, I 
 slowly made my way through the pitiless, pelting storm, 
 hoping ere night to come across some native \dllage, 
 from whence I could obtain the information that would 
 lead me to our encampment. The ardour of the chase 
 had led me thoughtlessly forward, neglecting to take 
 notice of the landmarks, and when at last I became 
 thrown out by the boar taking shelter in a thick cover 
 
An Indian Hunting Encampment. 69 
 
 that edged an extensive ravine, I desired to return. 
 North, south, east, and west, all appeared the same, 
 and I had not the slightest idea in what direction to 
 urge my horse. Worse than all, my situation was ren- 
 dered doubly miserable by one of those pelting tropical 
 showers coming on, that so frequently take place at the 
 change of the monsoon, beating the poor verdure with 
 such terrible force that it is only a wonder that each 
 leaf and blade of grass can resist being forced into the 
 bowels of the earth. My poor horse Hamet, who, in 
 the morning, had been all life, fire, and courage, was now 
 fatigued and crestfallen, and but that I occasionally 
 touched his snow-white flanks with my sharp persuaders, 
 and shook him up with the bit, he would doubtless have 
 fallen. I managed, however, to keep moving, each flash 
 of lightning causing him to start with fear, so vivid and 
 near approached the electric fluid. At length the torrent 
 of rain began to slacken, and I was looking forward to 
 the far from enviable position, "a night's bivouac in a 
 strange neighbourhood," abounding with beasts of prey, 
 when my eyes were gladdened and my spirits restored 
 by a sight of three white tents snugly nestling under 
 the shade of a grove of banians, with several horses 
 picketed at regular intervals. I was well aware that 
 countrymen only could be their occupants, and without 
 hesitation determined, according to the hospitable habits 
 of the East, to demand both shelter and food for man 
 and beast. No sooner thought than done ; I directed my 
 course to the largest tent, and, dismounting from my nag 
 and slipping the snaffle-rein over my arm, I called for a 
 horse-coolic, when, who should pop out his head through 
 
70 All Round the World. 
 
 the fly-door but my jolly, good-tempered friend Steer. I 
 had not seen him for more than two years, and on that 
 occasion we parted in Paris, little expecting that the 
 next time we met would be under an Indian sky. For 
 some time neither spoke, so great was our mutual 
 astonishment, but as soon as he had recovered his 
 powers of utterance, he welcomed me, and would hear 
 of nothing else than a promise to remain and join 
 their party for the few remaining days of their hunt. 
 After a due amount of hallooing, a syce* put in his 
 appearance, to whose care my gallant steed was en- 
 trusted, with a caution that if a soil or mark of the day's 
 travel should be found on him on the morrow, the 
 groom's dusky hide would be tanned into leather and 
 his life be considerably jeopardized. Inside I was in- 
 troduced to Barker and McCarthy, both of whom I had 
 frequently heard of as the hardest riding and most inde- 
 fatigable sportsmen in the Presidency. Soon I effected 
 a change of raiment ; one supplying me with unmen- 
 tionables, another a coat, and so on, each vieing with 
 the other who could do the most for the unexpected 
 visitor. " Where are you come from ?" " Where are you 
 going ? " " How did you come here \ " " Take a drink .' " 
 " Have a smoke ? " " What shall it be, brandy or 
 sherry .■' " &c., &c., &c., were showered upon me as quick 
 as each could talk, giving me not a chance to slip in a 
 word even edgeways. As a final chance, and running a 
 risk of being deemed rude, I called them to order, and 
 obtained an opportunity to explain myself. Steer, with his 
 
 * Native groom. 
 
An Indian Hunting Encampment. 71 
 
 usual consideration, calling to the boy who had charge of 
 the commissariat department to supply me with a stiff glass 
 of brandy-pawnee and a cheroot, having a most astute 
 knowledge of what would be beneficial and enjoyable after 
 my ducking. Soon my yarn was spun, and a courier des- 
 patched to inform my comrades of my safety, and with 
 a request that they would strike camp and hurry up and 
 join us. The rain now had entirely ceased, and as we sat 
 down to dinner al fresco, all nature being invigorated, 
 the green of the foliage was doubly brilliant, and each 
 tree appeared to contain a perfect choir of songsters. 
 What a jovial meal we had ; game in profusion, potted 
 meats, pickled lobster, and as fine a mango-curry 
 and muUagatawny soup as ever graced the board of a 
 Governor-General ! Then the fruits and wines — Madeira 
 that had twice doubled the Cape, luxurious port and 
 claret, almost as old as ourselves, and brandy not a whit 
 younger, with an inexhaustible store of Schweppe's in- 
 comparable soda-water. If we indulged, who could be so 
 hardhearted as to condemn .' The conversation turned on 
 the absorbing subjects, the horse, hound, spear, and rifle. 
 My hosts had been out for some weeks, but their desire 
 for sport had not yet flagged, although they had killed 
 an immense quantity and variety of game. The following 
 day had been set aside by them for the destruction of an 
 enormous boar, who for months had roamed the neigh- 
 bourhood, making sad havoc among the natives' sugar- 
 cane, a terror to all, and not unlike Alexander Selkirk, 
 monarch of all he surveyed, but, with a great dislike to 
 society, which he, without reluctance, showed to any un- 
 fortunate darkie whom chance threw in his way. Over 
 
72 All Round the World. 
 
 and over again our glasses were filled, deeds of prowess 
 were recounted, and as the generous wine began more 
 freely to circulate, loose reins were given to both our 
 tongues and imaginations, and I have little doubt, if an 
 outsider could have heard our conversation, he would 
 have put us all down for the veriest set of braggarts that 
 ever stretched their limbs under mahogany. At length 
 wine was discarded as too washy, and the more potent 
 and ever popular brandy-and-soda circulated in place. 
 The programme of to-morrow was not forgotten, and if 
 we could have been taken at our word, no knight of old 
 or gallant crusader could have performed greater or 
 more perilous deeds than the happy quartet there assem- 
 bled. To bed we no doubt got, but how .■■ is the question ; 
 nevertheless we found ourselves with throbbing heads 
 and feverish pulses awake at break of day, very desirous 
 of a dash of brandy in our coffee, or, still better, a 
 goodly draught of hock and seltzer-water. It has been 
 frequently and well stated that there is no rest for the 
 wicked, and doubtless we were classed in that category, 
 for our attendants persisted in reminding us that our 
 horses were saddled and the beaters and shikarees wait- 
 ing. I had already exhausted my entire stock of ammu- 
 nition in shape of bootjacks, boots, &c., that lay within 
 reach, by throwing them at the intruders' heads, when I 
 found that the incessant disturbance had driven the 
 fickle Somnus from my embrace. To be up and doing 
 was certainly better than restlessly kicking about under 
 bedclothes ; so I summoned .my exhausted energy to 
 the rescue and sprang from my couch. Little time was 
 lost in donning my habiliments and gaining the open air. 
 
An Indian Hunting Encampment. 73 
 
 Two of my friends I found on the ground ; the third 
 could not be drawn although several attempts were made, 
 for he became pugnacious ; so we determined to leave 
 him behind, well knowing that an idle day in camp, 
 with no associates and nothing to amuse him, would be 
 a sufficient punishment. 
 
 On inspecting Hamet, I found that he had scarcely 
 recovered from his previous day's fatigue, and as he was 
 entered for several races at the cantonments and I had 
 already backed him for a considerable amount I deter- 
 mined not to go. McCarthy, however, with the charac- 
 teristic kindness of his countrymen, insisted that I 
 should ride a horse of his, a young Australian thorough- 
 bred, of great speed and beauty, that he had lately im- 
 ported. 
 
 Without loss of time Goldfinder was led up, and all 
 his owner said in his praise was but justice. The silky 
 short coat, fine thin mane and tail, deep girth and broad 
 chest, enormous hind - quarters, immensely muscular 
 arms and small, flat legs, spoke doubtless of a pedigree 
 without blot or stain. However, as I gloated over his 
 fascinating shape, I could not help noticing a peculiar, 
 devilish twinkle about his eyes, as the saddle was placed 
 on his back, that practice and experience informed me 
 denoted rather a queer temper. McCarthy observed my 
 stare, and coolly remarked, with the utmost sang froid, 
 " He's a trifle difficult to sit at first ; but it's all over in a 
 minute." Said McCarthy had hunted in his youth with 
 the Blazers,* and considered anything rideable that 
 
 * A celebrated pack of foxhounds in Galway, whose supporters are 
 noted for their hard riding. 
 
74 All Round the World. 
 
 could carry a saddle ; consequently, he never had any- 
 thing but vixens in his stable, for whenever he heard of 
 a nag who had nearly or entirely killed his rider, or 
 whom nobody could handle, and whom the happy possessor 
 would sell for a song to be rid of, McCarthy came to 
 the front and purchased him at his own price. The 
 result was that he was better mounted, and that at a 
 third of the money, than any other officer in the Presi- 
 dency. 
 
First Blood. 75 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 FIRST BLOOD. 
 
 NOW as McCarthy's ideas on this subject were just 
 mine, and as success had always gilded my efiforts, 
 I did not hesitate to try the issue. Without trouble I got 
 up to the horse's -withers, and with a vault put myself in 
 the saddle. The groom, either out of ignorance or think- 
 ing I was seated, let go his head before I could get my 
 feet in the irons, and a series of efforts was performed 
 by the vicious animal that required all the nerve and 
 pluck of which I was possessed to counteract. Of all 
 the manoeuvres that a wicked horse can practise, there 
 are none so troublesome as buck-jumping. For the un- 
 initiated, I will describe the operation. The horse hogs 
 his back, springs rapidly, repeatedly, and perpendicularly 
 into the air, lighting on all fours at the same moment, 
 and, strange to say, the close tight seat, so much to be 
 recommended generally, is here unavailing. For the very 
 life of me I could not get my feet into the irons, and as I 
 had been nearly unhorsed several times, I determined to 
 
76 All Round the World. 
 
 become aggressor, and at least have the satisfaction 
 of drawing blood, even if I did get a spill. My 
 spurs were Latchford's best, and tolerably severe, and 
 as my nag rose for a further essay, I sunk my toes 
 and forced my heels well under and into his flanks. 
 With a snort of pain and rage, he broke into a 
 gallop, the very thing I desired, and without respite 
 I kept him at top speed for at least a couple of miles. 
 When I rejoined my confreres his glossy bay coat was 
 lathered with sweat, his flanks heaved and nostrils stood 
 expanded, but the viciousness had disappeared, and a 
 very child might now have handled him. The effect 
 of the excitement and the rapid passage through the air 
 was most beneficial to myself, for the heated, feverish 
 headache had disappeared, and I was rejuvenated. While 
 my humbled steed underwent a .scrape, I enjoyed an 
 excellent cup of tea, which put me thoroughly to rights. 
 
 Our beaters and shikarees, from the lengthened delay, 
 had become very impatient ; so, to keep them in good 
 humour, we started without further delay. Barker and 
 McCarthy had the, reputation of being second to none 
 in this most exciting and often dangerous amusement, 
 for both, on several occasions, had carried the spear of 
 honour when with the Bengal Club — no small achieve- 
 ment among such noted sportsmen. For myself, this 
 was nearly a maiden effort, and, from my late arrival, 
 I was considered by both a " griffin," a favourite ex- 
 pression for a new arrival, or, more correctly, a green 
 hand. 
 
 The morning, as is frequent after rain, was all that 
 could be desired, cool, bracing, and invigorating, and 
 
First Blood. 77 
 
 merrily we chatted as we rode along, over open savannah 
 covered with brush, or rolling hill-sides clothed with 
 timber, every few steps flushing game, often brilliant in 
 their resplendent plumage. Three or four miles brought 
 us to the place where we intended commencing our beat. 
 As far as I could judge the ground was most favourable ; 
 a long valley, level at the bottom, densely planted with 
 sugar-cane, with about a hundred yards of deep, thick 
 jungle on either side, running along its entire length, 
 which must have been quite a couple of miles. From the 
 upper edge of the valley, on both sides, the plain stretched 
 away for miles, and uninterrupted by anything large 
 enough to deserve the denomination of a tree. In truth, 
 after years of experience, I have never met a place so 
 admirably adapted for our purpose as the Todah Valley. 
 McCarthy soon gave the necessary instructions to the 
 sable beaters, ordering them to go to the top of the 
 ravine, and, extended at regular intervals like a company 
 of skirmishers, beat it from end to end. While waiting, 
 to give them sufficient time to reach the place where 
 they were to commence, a more picturesque sporting 
 tableau could scarcely be conceived. Captain McCarthy 
 — habited in a short fustian jacket, the colour of which 
 nearly approached to the faded tints of withered herb- 
 age, his limbs encased in well-fitting, white buckskin 
 breeches and boots, looked a perfect Apollo in form, 
 though probably a little under medium height, his hand- 
 some sunburnt features radiant with expected excite- 
 ment ; a fine specimen of a handsome, well-bred Irish 
 gentleman — leant upon the neck of his noble horse, a 
 perfect type of the high-class Arab ; while Barker was 
 
78 All Round the World. 
 
 not one whit behind his friend in Nature's gifts, though of 
 a totally different style. The Anglo-Saxon was strongly 
 indicated in his laughing, fair countenance, lit up with the 
 best-tempered pair of dark blue eyes, shaded with a pro- 
 fusion of fair, bright curly locks ; his attire was of the 
 same sporting cut and texture, only, if anything, a little 
 more foppish ; his steed was from the same desert 
 regions, a perfect specimen of that justly-lauded breed. 
 Two more daring or dashing soldiers or horsemen it would 
 be difficult to find, and although years have passed since 
 their life's blood was shed in their country's cause, their 
 names still live in sporting circles as undoubted noblesse in 
 the art of venerie. Poets and authors have lauded the Arab 
 horse, and worthily does this most noble animal deserve 
 all the praise that can be bestowed on him. For those who 
 have not had opportunities of making his acquaintance, 
 a few words of description may not be thrown away. 
 Their general colour is white or gray, occasionally 
 chesnut, and more rarely brown ; height rarely exceeding 
 fourteen hands and a half ; broad, expanded forehead ; 
 remarkably large, bright, intelligent eyes ; fine, tapering 
 muzzle ; immense nostrils and deep jowl ; small pricked 
 ears ; thin withers ; splendid shoulder ; barrel-like car- 
 case ; very compact, muscular quarters ; tail set very 
 high and square, with legs beneath the knee flat as a 
 board ; though scarcely as fast as our best thorough- 
 breds, yet capable of occasionally doing their mile in 
 I "48, as the racing calendar of India will prove ; but in 
 addition to all these good qualities, they stand out 
 paramount in docility, endurance, and courage, for they 
 will face the fiercest beast of prey their rider can charge 
 
First Blood. 79 
 
 them at, relying entirely on the will and discretion of 
 their jockey, a performance which I have seldom found 
 an Australian horse equal to, and still less an English 
 animal. 
 
 Half an hour must have elapsed when the distant sound 
 of the beaters struck welcomely on the ear, and Captain 
 McCarthy proposed an immediate taking to saddle and 
 cessation of conversation. As we did not wish to sepa- 
 rate, we determined all to remain on one side, as there 
 was known to be quite a surplus of game on the beat, 
 and if we failed to kill the veteran to-day, we should find 
 sufficient to amuse us, and defer his fate to a future 
 occasion. The Captain and Lieutenant — the latter was 
 Barker's rank — were soon in the saddle; first having 
 each carefully selected a spear from the half dozen 
 carried by their favourite shikaree or constant hunting 
 attendant, and calling on me to attend them, put their 
 respective horses, Saltoun and Zampa, to a smart canter, 
 striking for the edge of the ravine, where the brush 
 looked thicker and more impenetrable. Louder and louder 
 the discordant but still exhilarating cries of the beaters 
 struck upon our impatient ears. Occasionally a more 
 demonstrative shout would rise, indicating that the quarry 
 was afoot and had been seen. With our nerves strung to 
 the greatest possible tension, keeping the most profound 
 silence, we awaited the result. An occasional rustling, 
 or cracking of some withered limb, would place us upon 
 the qui vive ; but the sound would soon die away, telling 
 that the intruder had preferred passing on, and retaining 
 the shelter of the interwoven scrub to taking the open 
 country. Step by step the beaters advanced, and the 
 
8o All Round the World. 
 
 delay was becoming painful. The swarthy natives 
 having nearly got abreast of our position, we were 
 on the point of moving half a mile farther down, 
 when, to our delight, a grizzled old veteran, his snow- 
 white tusks and jaws bedaubed with saliva, rushed for 
 the open, and with a speed perfectly astonishing for 
 an animal of such ungainly and awkward proportions. 
 Not one of us moved a muscle, well knowing if the 
 boar became alarmed before he got some distance on the 
 plain, he would probably return to the friendly shelter he 
 had just left. On he went in a straight line, evidently 
 determined to make for a belt of bush about three miles 
 distant. As McCarthy detected growing indications of a 
 desire for immediate pursuit, he begged that we would 
 let the brute have a few minutes' more law, adding, ■sotto 
 voce, " Perhaps when you get near him, the cultivation of 
 his acquaintance may not be quite so desirable." At 
 length, with one accord, pursuit was commenced, and 
 settling myself down in the saddle, foot home in the 
 stirrup, and nag well in hand, I settled into a slashing 
 gallop. My mount was excessively restless, probably 
 from his being frequently raced, and with all my exertion 
 I could not get his head down. I was much lighter than 
 my acquaintances, and that, in combination with the 
 irregularity of the surface of the ground, gave me an im- 
 mense advantage, so that, almost before I was aware of 
 it, I was leading by several lengths. Even thus early my 
 nag had made several stumbles from his stargazing pro- 
 pensity, but what to do .?— I would rather break my neck 
 than pull up. I believe I would cheerfully have given a 
 month's pay and allowances on a double batta station to 
 
First Blood. 8 1 
 
 have had on a martingale ; however, I consoled myself 
 that as some distance was yet to be travelled before I 
 came alongside my antagonist, the fatigue would some- 
 what reduce the surplus fire in my now hateful mount. 
 For the first half mile we did not appear to be over- 
 taking our prey, but afterwards each stride visibly short- 
 ened the intermediate space, and, barring accident, I 
 might expect soon to range alongside. Still my steed 
 would keep his confounded snout in the air ; every stra- 
 tagem and effort I knew of was employed, yet I could 
 not bring his head down to its proper place. Not more 
 than seventy yards now intervened, and I had balanced 
 my spear at the proper grip that I might the better be 
 prepared for immediate action, when Goldfinder mis- 
 placed his foot and threw me foi-ward on his withers. 
 Would that I could have been striding my own tried 
 and gallant little horse ! If Richard offered his kingdom 
 for a nag, I believe I would have given my commission, 
 which, to me, was equally valuable. Although I had 
 lost several lengths by the stumble, I was soon back in 
 my saddle, and dashing along at the same break-neck 
 pace. Whenever I could spare my eyes from my horse 
 I fixed them on the boar. He was still running fresh 
 and apparently unfagged, an occasional grunt of defi- 
 ance from him striking upon my ear, sounding as if 
 my foe was throwing back a challenge. Suddenly the 
 quarry'l stride became contracted, and, with his feet 
 well under him, he made a splendid leap over something 
 — what it was, I could not see. 
 
82 All Round the World. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A SHARP BURST. 
 
 AS it is a current saying that "whatever a hog can 
 get over, a horse will have no difficulty in flying," 
 any idea of shirking the leap never entered my head. 
 Getting my mount in hand a little better, as a necessary 
 caution, I ran Goldfinder at it, about the same spot that 
 the boar had taken ; my nag still had his head turned to 
 the skies in search of stars, which he was destined to 
 make both his rider and self see before many moments. 
 To say that he jumped, or made any alteration in his 
 gait, would be simply untrue ; at the same pace he was 
 going, and as if no such place existed, he dropped into 
 the dry crack (for such it was, an obstacle of frequent 
 occurrence throughout the arid plains of India), sending 
 me head-foremost on the opposite side, and mafcing me 
 more suddenly and less ceremoniously acquainted with 
 mother earth than I ever hope to be again ; however, 
 I received no more serious damage than the loss of some 
 hide off the prominent portions of my physiognomy, and 
 
A Sharp Btirsi. 83 
 
 with as much rapidity as I could command picked myself 
 up, that I might be certain of securing my detestable 
 Bucephalus before he had gained his pins. I had not a 
 moment to spare, for he was already half out, and but 
 that the reins had got turned over his head when I got 
 the somersault, I might not have succeeded. So rapidly 
 had the whole scene passed that my friends had only 
 obtained a slight lead, so a sudden turn or trifling mis- 
 hap might yet give me a chance of first blood. Without 
 waiting to see what injury the horse had suffered, I 
 sprung upon his back, and, barring that he moved a 
 little stiff for the first few strides, an outsider could not 
 have remarked any difference. From leading the hunt, I 
 now had the pleasure of whipping up the ruck — a place 
 little to my satisfaction. Master piggy had, so far, not 
 shown any signs of fatigue, and his steady gait and 
 measured stride were indications of an indomitable spirit 
 and formed determination of fighting the enemy when- 
 ever they encroached upon his route, or attempted to 
 impede his progress. Barker led McCarthy by some 
 lengths, but a few strides more would range the leading 
 horseman alongside, and he had already poised his spear 
 and taken his horse to the left, so as to deliver the 
 honoured thrust with decision, when his bright spurs 
 struck the flank of his gallant Arab, who, nobly an- 
 swering the call, put on an additional burst, and the 
 next moment the glittering keen weapon was passed 
 through the hog's flank ; but the thrust was only a flesh- 
 wound. Some irregularity in the pace of the horse, or 
 a sudden swerve in the boar, caused the weapon to slant, 
 and instead of going in between the shoulder-blades and 
 
 G 2 
 
84 All Round the World. 
 
 descending, it had glanced off the right shoulder-blade, 
 and, penetrating through several inches of flesh and 
 hide, had come out beneath. This wound, although a 
 ghastly one, was not necessarily mortal, and as the suc- 
 cessful sportsman parted with his weapon, the boar 
 charged to the left, and, but for the agility of his horse 
 and the promptness of his bridle-hand, would probably 
 have succeeded in effecting damage. Barker was now 
 disarmed, and therefore no longer able to give assist- 
 ance. He had had the honour of first spear, but in 
 taking that had become hors de combat. McCarthy and 
 self therefore only remained to finish the drama, and 
 the uncertain disposition of my horse rendered my ser- 
 vice, in case of emergency, not much to be trusted. 
 The hog's deviation enabled me to cut off an angle, 
 and, if the Captain failed, an opportunity for redeeming 
 myself would be at hand. The pace of our quarry had 
 become considerably slackened ; the wound and loss of 
 blood were telling, and the inconvenience of ten feet 
 of a male bamboo dangling from his brawny side was 
 not calculated to improve at any time a doubtful temper. 
 McCarthy raised himself in his stirrups, took a feeler on 
 his horse's mouth, and being assured that all was right 
 and that the gallant nag was ready for his share of the 
 work, rushed him alongside and buried his blade deep 
 in the infuriated victim's back ; still, he did not fall, but 
 after staggering a few paces, came to bay, steadying him- 
 self, to meet to the best advantage the first aggressor. 
 " Neck or nothing ! " I muttered between my com- 
 pressed lips, and with an unexpressed but fervent desire 
 that Goldfinder would go straight, I charged at my for- 
 
A Sharp Burst. 85 
 
 midable adversary. The shock of the fall or the severity 
 of the pace had been beneficial, for without a swerve 
 my nag headed right at him, and as he rose to clear 
 the hog with a jump, I struck well and home, but still 
 too far in rear to have an immediate effect ; however, 
 I was pleased with the effort, for both McCarthy and 
 Barker simultaneously exclaimed, " Well done !" The 
 hog now squatted on his hams, turning his wicked small 
 eyes, darting rays of hate, at his pursuers ; once he turned 
 round, and, with an angry grunt, ground into shreds the 
 tough spear handle which still adhered to him. McCarthy, 
 however, was ready to go at him again ; a second time 
 he reined his steed to the struggle, the boar staggered 
 forward to meet him, but this last effort only hurried the 
 execution of the death-warrant, for the skilfully-handled 
 blade took the foe in front of the shoulder, and passing 
 downwards pierced the heart. As our victim turned over 
 on his flank, the death-halloo was sounded with all the 
 energy that our united lungs could command, and nu- 
 merous were the congratulations we exchanged on the 
 successful termination of so hard-fought a battle. 
 
 Our horses had all suffered from the severity of the 
 pace, and with one accord we dismounted to slacken 
 girths and turn their heads to the wind, the better to 
 enable them to enjoy any passing draught of air. On 
 examining Goldfinder I found that his escapade in the 
 ravine had not otherwise injured him than depriving 
 him of some hair. The entire run from start to finish 
 was now descanted on, and Barker received due praise 
 for the honour he had earned in drawing first blood, or 
 otherwise taking first spear. I could not forbear during 
 
86 All Round the World. 
 
 this interval of relaxation from having a cut at McCarthy 
 for the confounded brute he had lent me, adding that 
 it was a mercy he hadn't broken my neck ; in fact, I 
 felt a little sore at his treatment, for assuredly I had 
 never straddled such a dangerous, headstrong devil ; but 
 the gallant Captain soon explained all, and that to my 
 satisfaction. He had had the horse in his stable for 
 some months, and when he first procured him his con- 
 duct was similar to his performance of this day, but find- 
 ing he had a bold and determined rider on his back, had 
 gradually succumbed, and had performed on many late 
 occasions most satisfactorily. The groom had, moreover, 
 forgotten to put a ring on one of the reins ; and 
 although Goldfinder's owner had noticed this, he had 
 preferred not acquainting me with this apparently trifling 
 piece of carelessness, fearing it would worry and annoy 
 me, thereby taking much of my interest from the sport. 
 
 The motley crew of beaters at length came up, and 
 numerous and various were their comments upon our 
 success. One of the shikarees assured us that a larger 
 and older boar had broken cover ; but that after going 
 a short way into the open, he became alarmed and 
 returned, charging through their scattered ranks, to the 
 dismay and trepidation of the sable crowd. As soon as 
 our horses were refreshed, and the necessary instructions 
 given for the transportation of our game to camp, we 
 started on our return, deeming that our faithful steeds 
 had worked enough for one day, and, as we had no 
 remounts out, we would defer further execution till the 
 morrow. 
 
 Indian scenery, with its too-frequently scorched 
 
A Sharp Burst. 87 
 
 appearance, still has a fascination. The grass-covered 
 plains, the broken ground, the magnificent giant trees, 
 the solitary watercourses, always embanked with nume- 
 rous flowering shrubs, together form a pleasant land- 
 scape ; and although the sun may be oppressive and 
 overpowering in its rays, its brightness still adds an 
 essential without which the view of the most favoured 
 portions of the globe would look sombre, gloomy, and 
 depressing. 
 
88 All Round the World. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE STORM. 
 
 THE day was not far advanced when we reached 
 our temporary forest home, Hghthearted, joyous 
 and thankful for the excellence of our run and the 
 success of its termination. The fresh air had dissipated 
 the fumes of our last evening's potations much more 
 effectually and rapidly than any specific in the shape 
 of draughts or correctives. Steer was still en deshabille, 
 and in far from an amiable frame of mind at not having 
 witnessed what my friends concurred in calling the fastest 
 and best run of the season. While we were fresh and 
 hungry, anxious for some tiffin, he was fretful and peevish 
 at having been left behind, to toss restlessly on his 
 couch, without the benefit of the fresh air of morning 
 and an opportunity of working off the effects of his 
 nocturnal excesses. Tiffin was rapidly served and dis- 
 posed of, and each betook himself to his favourite book 
 and cigar to while away the remainder of the day. I 
 have previously stated that we were under canvas in a 
 
The Storm. 89 
 
 beautiful grove, but the nature and lay of the ground 
 requires fuller description, that after-events may be 
 more easily understood. The ground on which we were 
 encamped was level and smooth, covered with a close 
 bottom of short grass, the result of the beneficial shade 
 of the mammoth trees ; fifty yards on the left there 
 began a gradual ascent, covered with brush and inter- 
 spersed with broken rock, gradually becoming more 
 rough as the hill ascended, and ultimately terminating in 
 a rocky bluff, fantastic and irregular in shape, the un- 
 doubted retreat of many a skulking jackal and hyena as 
 well as of innumerable reptiles. McCarthy, as I heard 
 afterwards, had objected to taking up his residence so 
 near to a probable ambush, but the vicinity of water and 
 the wishes of the attendants had combined to gain his 
 consent. The afternoon turned out hot and sultry, the 
 morning breeze subsiding into a calm ; within doors, even 
 with an attendant fanning you, but a limited amount of 
 comfort could be enjoyed. We had expected that my 
 companions would have arrived ere this, and, but that 
 we wished to be on hand to welcome them, our pajamas * 
 would have been donned, and a siesta attempted. How- 
 ever, at two o'clock, a chattering among the attendants 
 proclaimed the advent of strangers ; and Beamish, Peel, 
 and Strangeways hove in sight. We were now a jolly 
 party, seven in all, and while the servants were pitching 
 new habitations their masters were pitching into the 
 viands. A meeting such as this, in the greenwood glade 
 or on the swelling prairie, has always its fascination ; 
 
 * A light suit of flannel, generally slept in. 
 
90 All Round the World. 
 
 the farther from the haunts of countrymen the more 
 warm you feel towards them if chance should bring you 
 in contact. You pass a mere acquaintance with a nod 
 of recognition in Regent Street, but if you should en- 
 counter him on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains or 
 in the silent forests of the North West, you would hail 
 his appearance with open arms. 
 
 There is nothing more lively and gay than the camp 
 of the soldier or sportsman in tropical India ; the hordes 
 of attendants, of all classes, castes, sexes, and ages, all 
 engaged in some occupation or another, for the Hindoo, 
 unlike his European brother, strictly confines himself to 
 one line of work, out of which he will not step unless 
 absolute compulsion is used. Hence, while in other coun- 
 tries one or two attendants are all that is required, here 
 it takes a dozen, more or less. Your groom would feel 
 himself insulted if asked to look after your dogs, and 
 your body-servant would never survive being sent to 
 carry water. If you smoke a hookah, a boy is necessary " 
 to look after it and keep it in order. That which is no 
 person's special business is soon neglected, while if you 
 have a particular task allotted to each, they will gene- 
 rally faithfully attend to it. Again, around an European's 
 encampment are numerous animals, such as horses, dogs, 
 cattle, goats and sheep, besides pets in variety sufficient 
 to stock a menagerie. However, the whole makes an 
 effective picture, relieved and improved by the snow- 
 white graceful garments of the natives. Moreover, they 
 are a handsome race — perhaps a little effeminate in 
 features, but their figures are invariably upright and well- 
 proportioned, with a truly stately cairiage. Dinner had 
 

The Storm. 91 
 
 been disposed of with the setting sun, and we all, with 
 one accord, had seated ourselves outside our dining-tent. 
 Days gone by and distant friends formed the principal 
 topic of conversation, for we were unusually quiet, the 
 heat having become oppressive in the extreme, and elec- 
 tricity surcharged the atmosphere. An unnatural and 
 portentous stillness pervaded the scene, only occasionally 
 broken by the shrill, strange cry of a description of 
 lizard, the certain foreboder of rain. McCarthy had left 
 us but a few moments when he returned, with the in- 
 formation that the barometer had fallen, and if not much 
 mistaken we were destined to see an uncomfortable 
 night ; a hint like this from an old stager, was not to be 
 despised, and soon a crowd of half-asleep and wholly 
 unwilling natives were summoned to dig gutters, put up 
 storm-ropes and ease the tent-poles, the further to 
 guarantee the safety of our fragile dwellings in case we 
 should be visited by a tornado. In the course of my 
 experience I have never found anything more abomi- 
 nable, and many of our gallant soldiers doubtlessly think 
 likewise, than being ruthlessly awakened from your 
 peaceful slumbers by a wet tent flapping about your 
 ears, having to grope your way from underneath the 
 ruins, and, perhaps, standing in a state of semi-nudity, 
 exposed to the sweeping blast and penetrating rain. 
 Well was it that McCarthy had given us the hint, for 
 within an hour the storm was upon us, giving no further 
 warning than a deep muttering sound caused by its 
 rapid approach. 
 
 Dry leaves, straw and all light substances, were caught 
 up and wheeled into the air, with a quick spiral motion, 
 
92 All Roimd the World. 
 
 as if by the action of innumerable little whirlwinds, 
 although as yet not a breath of air is stirring around 
 us ; dark, black, impenetrable clouds rise over the tree- 
 tops with a rapidity that shows the power of the pro- 
 pelling wind, and the faint light emitted by the stars is 
 suddenly shrouded in total darkness : a sudden flash of 
 livid lightning illuminates the heavens with a ghastly 
 glare, its dazzling brilliancy causing all to close their 
 eyes ; a noise as of a thousand siege-guns rapidly fol- 
 lows, making the earth tremble with fear at the super- 
 lative voice of the angry thunder. No signal from peak 
 of man-of-war could have been more rapidly answered, 
 for ere the echoes had died away, the rain descended, 
 with a violence and body little less than that of a 
 cataract, while the wind tore round, indicative of a force 
 irresistible. The trees groaned and lashed the air, rub- 
 bing their gigantic limbs together, and evincing a strong 
 inclination to prostrate themselves before the power of 
 the Omnipotent. The din, the noise and tumult, caused 
 by the breaking branches and falling trees, combined 
 with the appalling thunder and falling torrent, made a 
 most impressive, grand, and awful scene. What man who 
 is a witness to such terrific grandeur, can fail to be im- 
 pressed, and more firmly believe in the omnipotence and 
 overpowering strength of the Creator t How much 
 better would it be for all of us if we would think, and 
 cease less soon to forget the beneficial impressions pro- 
 duced on such occasions ! Again and again the gale, 
 with increased power, surges over the surface of the 
 earth, and in each repeated effort increases in its vio- 
 lence till it appears impossible that aught can resist its 
 
The Storm. 93 
 
 influence. Still our tents remain standing, but won- 
 drously changed in shape — now bellying out on one side 
 as if they would burst, at the next moment contracting, 
 causing the occupants to be in constant dread of a 
 collapse. Nevertheless, the scene is not without a certain 
 amount of satisfaction, and imparts the same feelings 
 that the rage of the ocean arouses in a brave heart — an 
 appreciation and admiration of its sublimity. But, for- 
 tunately, these tornadoes do not last long, and in a 
 couple of hours from its advent it had passed away to 
 leeward, leaving naught but the debris and our own 
 memory to recall the episode. Although at the outset 
 they cause discomfort and inconvenience, the after-re- 
 sults fully compensate ; vegetation and animal life receive 
 new vigour, the heated air becomes cool, and the breezes 
 are loaded with fragrance emitted from the formerly 
 parched flora ; the whole woods are animated, insects, 
 lizards, and tree-frogs emit their joyous, harmonious 
 notes, the horses neigh, and the goats bleat, in prob- 
 able anticipation of fresh and succulent herbage for 
 their morning repast. 
 
 The efi'ect was much the same on us frail mortals. 
 Soon we were all congregated ; our former depression of 
 spirits had fled with the storm, our plans were laid for 
 the morrow, and all, with the exception of Peel, deter- 
 mined to visit the Todah valley ; he, however, had dif- 
 ferent views, and being the happy possessor of a newly- 
 imported brace of pointers, resolved to devote himself to 
 the pursuit of the feathered beauties. This gentleman, 
 unfortunately for himself, was never a proficient in the 
 
94 All Round the World. 
 
 saddle, and invariably preferred walking to straddling 
 a horse. Hog-sticking he had attempted several times, 
 but from his deficiency in equitation had received so 
 many and such severe falls, that he was always glad to 
 seize an excuse that would justify his backing out. 
 
A Veteran Boar. 95 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 A VETERAN BOAR. 
 
 ALTHOUGH we all retired late, it did not prevent 
 our putting in an early appearance next morning. 
 The beaters who had to travel to the hunting-ground on 
 foot were dispatched before daylight, and we followed 
 them an hour afterwards. Our horses were all in excel- 
 lent spirits, the freshness of the air and the previous day's 
 rest having most advantageously told upon them, and 
 not one iota less did their riders enjoy the atmospheric 
 change. Our journey was pleasant and merry, each 
 vieing with the other in loquacity and good-humour. 
 Never can I look back on those pleasant times without 
 regret, for they are probably passed never to be repeated. 
 Who is there whose existence, however sad, has not some 
 bright spot worthy of remembrance, that, when recalled, 
 appears as an oasis placed in the middle of a desert! 
 Near the scene of our previous day's exploits, we over- 
 took our sable attendants, who mustered strong, thus 
 increasing the prospect of good sport. Everything was 
 
g6 All Round the World. 
 
 suitable as far as weather was concerned — bright, cool 
 and fresh, and the evening's shower had made the 
 ground in much better order for galloping. As the 
 number of horsemen was also increased, McCarthy, who 
 was universally elected leader, decided that we should 
 separate, and three take each side, while if we spread 
 ourselves along the valley, we could still be within 
 range of each other's vision, and at the same time afford 
 less chance for any game that should be forced afoot 
 getting an opportunity to escape without being seen. 
 Peel had accompanied us thus far, but as we were detailed 
 off for our different posts by our chief 'pro tern,., he 
 started in an opposite direction, where, from the number 
 of cultivated fields and the frequent occurrence of habi- 
 tations, the best promise of feathered game was made. 
 
 Our disposition was as follows : McCarthy, Barker 
 and self took the right side, while Strangeways, Beamish 
 and Steer took the other. As I placed myself at my 
 stand, nearly three-quarters of a mile below where the 
 beaters first broke in, with the captain below me and the 
 lieutenant above, I could not help thinking that the 
 unfortunate piggy who attempted to cross the open 
 to-day would stand an uncommonly good chance of 
 becoming pork. Some time of utter silence slipped by, 
 while I with sharp eye and quick ear tried to detect 
 the slightest sound and note the most trifling move- 
 ment ; so far nothing had broke, unless it was some 
 skulking jackal, or equally ignominious prowler. Again 
 and again some imaginary noise had for the moment 
 made me more alert, but as rapidly the false alarm 
 subsided. The turmoil, proclaiming the distant advance 
 
A Veteran Boar. 97 
 
 of the beaters, was now borne upon the breeze ; first, only 
 an occasional shout of some more powerful and energetic 
 member of the dusky crew, but at length the noise of all 
 was distinctly heard, like the babbling of a distant pack. 
 As I have the heart to love all kinds of field sports, such 
 a scene as the present was most enjoyable ; for although 
 none of the larger game were in sight, but few moments 
 elapsed without crowds of the feathered denizens of the 
 forest being disturbed and compelled to take wing from 
 their shady retreats. The peacock, grand in size and 
 gorgeous in plumage ; the jungle fowl, doubtless the ori- 
 ginal of our domestic poultry, yet the wildest and most 
 difficult of approach of all small game ; the crow pheasant 
 (a member of the cuckoo family), and numerous others, 
 whiz past, all offering tempting shots, but with nothing 
 but a hog spear they might almost roost upon my horse's 
 mane with impunity. The second cheroot had been 
 consumed, and impatience began to manifest itself, when 
 a shout from Barker roused me from my lethargy. "Look 
 out ! look below there ! " And look out I did. My 
 position was well selected, for I could command a good 
 view without being much exposed ; I turned my gaze 
 upwards towards the direction from whence the beaters 
 were advancing, still nothing showed. I was just about 
 to mutter, " What abominable luck ! just as usual," and 
 so on, when the sudden pricking of my horse's ears, and 
 a certain nervousness of his manner, caused me to look 
 to the right, and there, stealing away like a fox from 
 cover, was the largest and most formidable boar I had ever 
 yet seen. I was on the point of shouting the view hallo, 
 but for fear that he had not got far enough, and might 
 
 H 
 
98 All Round the World. 
 
 be prompted, if then disturbed, to make a retrograde 
 movement, I kept silent. As soon as I dared, without 
 fear of alarming my antagonist, I jumped to the ground, 
 and, with the rapidity of a groom, took up a couple of 
 holes in my girths, for well I knew they must be slack 
 from the length of time that had elapsed since the sad- 
 dling had taken place, and more than extra care was 
 wanted to cope successfully with a grizzly savage of such 
 formidable dimensions. With nervous hold I closed my 
 knees as I re-seated myself, and with comparatively slack 
 rein gave head to my clever little horse, who soon settled 
 down to a steady three-quarter gallop. • " Now, boys," 
 I said to myself, "it will take a good man to deprive 
 me of first blood." There was no fear now of the quarry 
 returning, so I gave vent to my overstrung feelings with 
 a joyous " tally ho." 0, McCarthy ! thou prince of 
 sportsmen ! few have ever been seen like thee before 
 or since. Thy eye was sharp as the hawk's, thy ear 
 quick as the kangaroo's ! That one shout was sufficient 
 to give him \yarning, and before I had got two hundred 
 yards from my destined prey, I was aware that he was 
 thundering after me. I had no longer the whole per- 
 formance to myself — a false step, a heavy stumble, or 
 perchance a fall, would give the gallant Captain a fair 
 show for first blood, but still he should not have it if bold 
 riding and willingness to dare aught would bestow it upon 
 me. The ground was admirable, smooth and elastic; 
 a few strides more would bring me alongside. Hold up, 
 my gallant little horse, serve me well this time, and you 
 shall have the first place in my affections ever after. 
 Closer and closer I approach, with the reins well and firm 
 
A Veteran Boar. 99 
 
 in my bridle-hand ; when I lift my steed as to a jump, 
 drawing the claret at the same moment with my per- 
 suaders, and as I do so, with a well-directed thrust I bury 
 the laurel-leaf-shaped spear-head deep in the brawny 
 shoulder of the patriot boar, and ere he could revenge the 
 insult, I was out of reach of his formidable tusks. I could 
 have shouted — I believe I did. I had taken the spear of 
 honour in the face of the acknowledged best hog-sticker 
 in the Presidency. I've had various streaks of good luck 
 in my life, with various joyous sensations, among which 
 I may reckon the feelings of satisfaction each time that 
 I saw my promotion in the " Gazette ;" the feelings of 
 internal pride when I first donned my uniform ; my first 
 successful essay on the racecourse ; but all fell far short 
 of my satisfaction at this moment : and as I wheeled 
 round with the intention of administering the coup de 
 gr&ce, I felt little ambition to dispute with McCarthy the 
 honour of terminating the drama. The boar, as I struck 
 him, charged to the left, but the agility of my horse had 
 prevented this manoeuvre from being effective. Being 
 thus foiled in his intent, Master Piggy continued his course 
 almost at right angles to that which he had previously 
 pursued, and thus afforded my friend a better opportunity 
 of coming in early to join in the meUe. In hog-hunting 
 I have invariably found that if the quarry change the 
 direction of his flight from compulsion or an acquaintance 
 with steel, he afterwards continues for some distance his 
 new course. The Captain was now many strides nearer 
 than myself, but the excitement of the run had put my nag 
 upon his mettle, and as I directed him again to his work, 
 his ardour and spirits knew no bounds, for with each 
 
 H 2 
 
loo All Round the World. 
 
 stride he bore so upon his bit as almost to pull me out of 
 the saddle ; however, there was little need for any further 
 assistance, for McCarthy, ranging alongside, struck strong 
 and true, and though the hog continued about fifty paces 
 farther, the blood streaming from his mouth, he gradually 
 relaxed his pace, and, stumbling over an irregularity 
 in the ground, fell to rise no more. On returning to the 
 cover, we found that Barker was busily employed about 
 half a mile off, and, before we could join him, had 
 numbered another of the tusked gentry with the "have 
 beens." Our horses were still fresh, and we were anxious 
 for more work ; nor were we long disappointed, for a few 
 minutes after a " sounder " broke cover, under the leader- 
 ship of a gaunt flat-sided old lady. The young ones were 
 scarcely half-grown, so that their worthy mamma became 
 the only object of attention, and a spirited race took 
 place. The difference of weight was in my favour, if not 
 the speed of our nags, for by the time I had drawn first 
 blood, after a sharp burst of three quarters of a mile, I 
 led the gallant Captain by ten lengths. Barker also had 
 cut in and brought up the rear a good third, and to him 
 fell the honour of dealing the death-blow. This second 
 essay had blown both horses and riders, and as we 
 dismounted and slackened girths, we agreed over our 
 cigars that enough is as good as a feast ; so that when 
 the beaters joined us, and had received the necessary in- 
 structions for the finding of the different victims, we 
 started for home in the best possible spirits at the result 
 of our forenoon's performances. 
 
 We reached our jungle encampment glittering in the 
 sun, for the luminary was now high in the heavens, and 
 
A Veteran Boar. loi 
 
 the reflected heat from the warmed earth was already- 
 becoming oppressive ; our adventures of the morning had 
 whetted our appetites, and a substantial tiffin, washed 
 down with an abundance of AUsop's pale ale, soon 
 satisfied the inward man ; the cool spring near which we 
 were situated having previously afforded each a luxurious 
 bath. The desire to know the success of the rest of the 
 party prevented us doubtlessly from taking a siesta ; they 
 did not come, and one by one we dropped off to our 
 respective dormitories to enjoy our otium ; probably sine 
 dignitate. Well it was we did so, for neither Peel nor the 
 others turned up till the long shadows of the evening pro- 
 claimed a termination of day. In his hurry to get divested 
 of his equipments. Peel fastened his pointers, coupled 
 together, to an unused tent-peg some fifty paces off, till 
 his dog-coolie returned (who was temporarily absent), 
 that he might the better join in discussing the day's work. 
 The other trio had numerically been more successful than 
 ourselves, but all that they had killed were small, while 
 a large boar, which from their description must have been 
 as big as a jackass, made good his escape. Our gunner 
 had also a heavy bag, and visions oi fricassee and " spatch- 
 cock" floated before our imaginations for the morrow's 
 breakfast. Scarcely time for a change of raiment had 
 elapsed when dinner was announced, and what our service 
 and table lacked in equipments, was amply made up in 
 the abundance and variety of dishes. Again and again 
 the social bottle passed round the table, and as we were 
 to separate on the morrow for different sections of the 
 country, healths, good wishes, and future meetings were 
 drunk ; but hark ! what is that unearthly shout } What 
 
I02 All Round the World. 
 
 on earth is that row ? Our native attendants come 
 tumbling into our tent as unceremoniously as if an evil 
 spirit were after them. Not a word of satisfaction can 
 we obtain ; the entire crowd are terror-stricken and 
 dumb, and the only sound that now strikes the ear is 
 a most unearthly, discordant howling of a dog. At 
 length, one more courageous than his fellows utters the 
 dreaded word " bagh ! " and the dusky crew seem to 
 cower still more at the temerity of the speaker. None 
 of us required further information ; no " griffin " is up 
 country a week but knows that this is native language 
 for tiger. With a simultaneous impulse each seizes 
 whatever weapon he can lay his hand on ; fortunately, 
 several double rifles, already loaded, hang against the 
 tent-pole, and arming ourselves with them, we rush to 
 the scene of action. The moon had now risen bright and 
 clear, still nought could be seen ; only the painful howling 
 of a dog is heard on the hill-side not over two hundred 
 yards from the camp. What can it mean .? Where are 
 the pointers .^ The whole scene flashed upon us like a 
 dream. The unlucky dogs had been left out, and a hungry 
 tiger had pounced upon them, carrying off one bodily, 
 and dragging the other unfortunate by the coupling strap 
 attached to his now, doubtlessly, dead companion. All 
 were in a state of excitement ; Peel stamped and swore, 
 and acted like a maniac ; the younger portion proposed 
 an immediate pursuit, while McCarthy, long accustomed 
 to all the mishaps of the hunting-field, in a cool but 
 stern voice requested those who had not yet procured 
 guns to do so without delay. Still we could hear the 
 painful howling of the unfortunate canine, decreasing in 
 
A Veteran Boar. 103 
 
 volume and frequency as it was dragged farther and 
 farther up the rugged hill-side. The suspense was awful, 
 but, fortunately short, for soon all were on the spot, 
 armed with either rifle or sliot-gun loaded with ball. 
 The fate of the unfortunate dog was truly tragical. His 
 comrade no doubt had been killed in a moment, but for 
 the survivor to be thus dragged, without the power of 
 resistance, to certain death, from the midst of his friends 
 and protectors, without a chance of escape, was truly 
 horrible. With strict injunctions to keep together and 
 act in unison, with a number of the most trustworthy 
 natives, each carrying a lighted brand snatched from the 
 camp fire, we all start, the plaintive moaning of the unfor- 
 tunate pointer being our guide ; luckily the cover was 
 sparse, still the bloodthirsty brute could travel even with 
 such a clog attached to him faster than we could advance, 
 but McCarthy had little doubt, if we pressed on, that the 
 destroyer would be kept too much occupied to mutilate 
 his -living victim. It was with difficulty that Peel could 
 be kept back, each howl seemed to imbue him with fresh 
 frenzy to wreak vengeance on the despoiler, and as argu- 
 ment became useless we had to resort to force. At length 
 we gained the crest of the ridge, and from the distinctness 
 of the less-frequently repeated howls, were evidently 
 nearer the marauder. " On, on, boys ! " was the word ; 
 " we're gaining on him ; give him no rest. See ! what 
 is that .? don't you perceive .' " Something white is 
 rushing towards us, and, wonderful to say, the lost dog 
 bounded into our midst ; never was a friend received 
 with greater pleasure and ecstasy, all crowded around 
 him anxious to pat or caress one who had almost risen 
 
I04 All Round the World. 
 
 from the dead ; nor was the poor brute's glee a bit less 
 demonstrative, and scarcely could he stand still a moment 
 to be looked at ; however, his collar was off, and doubt- 
 lessly in the rough handling he received it had slipped 
 over his head. 
 
The Search for the Murderer. 105 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE SEARCH FOR THE MURDERER. 
 
 MANY hours elapsed, after reaching the tents, before 
 our excitement subsided. Peel still continued 
 half crazed at the loss of his dog, and vowed vengeance 
 on the morrow upon the whole cat tribe for having 
 deprived him of the services of so valuable a servant, 
 and we all with one accord determined to brave the 
 displeasure of our respective commanding officers rather 
 than permit our' friend to attempt alone so dangerous 
 an undertaking as hunting out the midnight marauder. 
 Long were the hours we sat discussing the matter and 
 our intended method of proceeding, and when we sepa- 
 rated to retire to our respective couches the wee small 
 hours of the morning had arrived, guns had been cleaned, 
 fresh ammunition sought out, and everything attended 
 to which could ensure success. McCarthy attempted to 
 induce some of our attendant peons to go and warn 
 the neighbouring villagers that their services would be 
 required to assist in destroying the prowling savage, 
 
io6 All Round the World. 
 
 but neither threats nor promises availed — all had been 
 too much alarmed to venture forth from the safety of 
 the encampment into the darkness ; we had therefore to 
 rest satisfied with the promise of two of the shikarees 
 to start as soon as the first haze of dawn indicated the 
 approach of day. The break of morning is generally 
 the safest hour for travelling in such localities as are 
 inhabited by beasts of prey, for generally long ere then 
 they have satisfied their appetites, and are skulking 
 home to hide themselves in the solitude of their dens, 
 as if ashamed of their bloodthirsty avocation. On the 
 morrow, when we marshalled, all armed to the teeth, 
 and prepared for any emergency, quite a host of darkies 
 were on the ground, no less anxious for success than 
 ourselves, for many a straggler from their flocks had 
 lately disappeared, and the fragments found afterwards 
 removed all doubt of their fate. The destruction of 
 cattle in some parts of India, through the attacks of wild 
 animals, is so enormous as to be incredible ; even the 
 number of human beings carried off is far from small.* 
 In the colony of Singapore and vicinity, where spices and 
 other shrubby plants are cultivated, it is estimated that 
 not less than one human being per diem meets with an 
 untimely end from tigers ; in fact, the' natives are so 
 much in dread of their visits and audacity that they 
 build their dwellings upon poles, which elevate their 
 houses from twelve to fifteen feet above the level of the 
 ground. However, it is seldom in India that a tiger 
 takes to homicide until he becomes old and effete, in fact 
 
 * In one district, from official returns in three years, over three hundred 
 natives and five thousand cattle were killed by tigers. 
 
The Search for the Murderer. 107 
 
 unable to capture more active prey ; but when once he 
 has tasted human flesh, he prefers this description of 
 food to all others. He haunts fords, neighbourhoods 
 of public thoroughfares, or wells, and pounces upon the 
 unsuspecting traveller or letter-carrier, in almost every 
 instance with success. Many are the villages that have 
 become partially depopulated and ultimately deserted 
 because a man-eater has taken up his residence in their 
 vicinity. A curious result is said to follow from this 
 dietary. The criminal, after living for some months in 
 this manner, becomes subject to hide-disease or mange, 
 which, from the loss of hair and skin eruptions, makes 
 his pelt almost useless. 
 
 Seven well-armed Europeans, each provided with a 
 couple of double-barrels, and, from constant practice, 
 nearly all good shots, were a formidable array, and the 
 probability was if the foe showed himself that this day 
 would terminate his career ; however, nothing must be 
 done rashly, for numerous are the fatal accidents that 
 have resulted in following this sport. A tiger, however 
 severely wounded, and on the verge of death, from his 
 enormous strength and activity can, with one blow, 
 finish any man's earthly career. A few years ago a work 
 was published, written by Lieutenant Rice, of the Indian 
 Army, who for a long period was the most successful 
 tiger-slayer in that distant land ; and he, nearly in every 
 instance, followed the sport alone, as far as his own 
 countrymen were concerned, only using a few of the 
 natives as beaters, and success always attended him. 
 Those desirous of information upon this dangerous de- 
 scription of shooting would do well to read his work, 
 
io8 All Round the World. 
 
 and learn how one cool and determined person obtains 
 success. Another peculiarity which is worthy of noting 
 in reference to this subject is that smooth-bore guns 
 loaded with ball are frequently used. This, probably, 
 can best be accounted for from the denseness of the 
 cover in which the haunts of the prey are found, and 
 the necessary short range at which your shots are fired. 
 
 After a lengthened consultation with the principals of 
 the assembled natives, it was decided that a neighbour- 
 ing nullah was the probable lair, and, as the distance 
 to this retreat was little over half a mile, the services 
 of our horses were dispensed with. Arriving at the 
 ground, the situation, as far as human judgment could 
 form an opinion, appeared just suited to form a wel- 
 come shelter ; precipitous banks, overgrown with dense, 
 tangled brush, and covered with innumerable giant 
 boulders, formed many a sheltered nook and cranny, 
 well screened from the oppressive rays of the vertical 
 sun. This nullah, a couple of years before, had been 
 the selected retreat of one of these tyrants. He had 
 paid the penalty of his crimes, and up to- the present 
 time the ravine had been free from these scourges, but 
 it was not unlikely that his successor, who had adopted 
 the same nefarious line of business, had taken possession 
 of the defunct tiger's premises. Our beaters did their 
 work manfully, and, in spite of briars and other obstacles, 
 scoured thoroughly the whole locale, but not a symptom 
 of the presence of our foe could be found, so that 
 after an hour's fruitless labour, disappointed in the 
 results, we had to desist. Again a council of war was 
 held, and a second similar retreat in the vicinity was 
 
The Search for the Murderer. 109 
 
 pronounced as the most probable holding-place ; but the 
 result was a blank. The oppressive heat, the exertion of 
 walking, and possibly the desire for breakfast, induced a 
 unanimous decision for a temporary cessation of hos- 
 tilities, on the express stipulation that all should join in 
 making a further essay in the afternoon. In the meantime 
 natives were despatched a few miles round the neighbour- 
 hood to glean what information could be obtained. 
 Breakfast had been disposed of, and scarcely had we 
 smoked our first cheroot sufficiently low to deserve the 
 appellation of stump, when a courier arrived with the 
 news that he had discovered in the sand surrounding a 
 spring, three or four miles off, undoubted footprints. 
 Boot and saddle were now proclaimed, and immediately 
 afterwards, all mounted, were again en route to the ex- 
 pected rencontre. With what anxiety we all dismounted 
 and inspected the tell-tale tracks ! The signs were un- 
 mistakable and fresh, while the shikarees, who are skilled 
 in such indications, pronounced that they had been made 
 the previous night ; doubtlessly the animal had washed 
 down his feast of dog-meat at this pool before laying up 
 for the day. On more closely examining the ground, 
 old signs were also found so numerous that little doubt 
 remained in our minds that this was a chosen resort after 
 midnight excursions, and further convinced us that the 
 brute was not far distant, for generally carnivora select a 
 retreat within a short distance of water, and invariably 
 slake their thirst at the same place. 
 
 Several pieces of dense thicket were in the vicinity, all 
 of which were carefully searched, but still without results. 
 
no All Round the World. 
 
 and despair had almost again taken possession of us 
 when a native was seen swinging his puggree (the cloth 
 which they tie round their heads) in the air, and violently- 
 gesticulating from a neighbouring height. This exhibi- 
 tion acted like a talisman, for all well knew that it indi- 
 cated good news, and those who had commenced to lag 
 and predict failure now sharpened up their pace, and 
 vied with their comrades in obtaining the news. If we 
 had been unsuccessful in viewing the game, we found 
 that we had unkennelled it, for the tiger, alarmed by the 
 approach of so many, and the noise made by the beaters, 
 had thought proper to steal off, but, fortunately, had 
 been viewed by this field-telegrapher, who had marked 
 him down into a ravine not over half a mile from our 
 present position. With strong hopes of at last gratifying 
 our revenge, we hurried forward, and ere we arrived at the 
 designated place, a second native confirmed the statement 
 of the first, for he had not only seen the tiger into the 
 nullah, but even pointed out his track on a bare piece of 
 sandy soil. The locality was found to be admirably 
 suited for our purpose, so that, if the foe had not passed on, 
 we felt convinced that he could not a second time escape 
 our vigilance. McCarthy disposed each with the discretion 
 of an old hand, and, as the thicket did not cover more than 
 an acre, all were within hailing distance in case of a view 
 hallo or accident. The preconcerted signal having been 
 given, the beaters, with heart and soul, went to their 
 work, and amid shouts and threats of vengeance, steadily 
 advanced towards the position of the guns. On, on 
 they came, and the excitement of all was intense. Every 
 
The Search for the Murderer. 1 1 1 
 
 muscle and nerve was strung to the utmost tension. A 
 few moments more would proclaim the result ; each man 
 stood with his double-barrel, full cock, ready to send a 
 leaden messenger at the hateful canicide. But half of 
 the cover now remained, still nought had been seen, when 
 a shot announced that something was afoot. The oft- 
 repeated echoes had scarcely ceased reverberating when 
 a second fire, from a different quarter, proclaimed that 
 more than one eye had seen the quarry ; and that the 
 villain was a skulking coward — by far the most dangerous 
 description — ^who knew too much to leave the friendly 
 shelter. Again and again the shouts and derisive jeer- 
 ings of the sable attendants rose as they forced their way 
 forward ; yet, still no further chance of a shot was 
 afforded. So far only those that had fired knew what it 
 was at, and the less fortunate were blaming their want of 
 luck. However, a change soon came over the scene, and 
 lively work followed the prolonged inaction. At a point 
 covered by three guns, forth rushed a full-grown panther. 
 Four shots turned him over ere he had gone ten paces, 
 but soon he was up, and, nothing daunted, continued his 
 forward course ; ten strides farther would bring him upon 
 Steer, who only now had one loaded barrel. His gun 
 was pitched forward, and as his tube vomited forth its 
 contents, a cross shot from Barker struck the foe in the 
 loins, and he rolled over to rise no more. This fusilade 
 had brought the whole of our party together, when, to the 
 surprise of all, Strangeways announced that he had fired 
 at a tiger, and not at the defunct. This put a new phase 
 upon the play, and the temporarily deserted posts were 
 
112. All Round the World. 
 
 again manned, the beaters ordered to recommence from 
 the farther end, and afresh scour the thicket with renewed 
 energy and racket. But all was no avail ; the striped 
 beauty had taken advantage of the opportunity and 
 escaped, possibly to fall at some future date before 
 another's rifle. 
 
The Tigers Death. 1 1^ 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE TIGER'S DEATH. 
 
 THERE are no people on the face of the earth so 
 capable of bearing fatigue as the lower caste 
 natives of India ; no day appears too long, no journey 
 too far for their agile frames, and the velocity with which 
 they advance is truly surprising ; frequently have I 
 ridden nine or ten miles within the hour, yet, when I 
 halted, my faithful syce was not far distant. Now, 
 what do you think they live on, to render them capable 
 of enduring, without fatigue, such great exertions ? Beef, 
 you. might imagine, or some other equally strong food ; 
 no ! nothing but vegetable diet, except in rare cases. 
 
 As the beaters entered the cover, one would have 
 thought that they were fresh men, instead of being lately 
 so constantly worked, so great was their energy and 
 desire to see the marauder slain, and no doubt the 
 possibility of having a chance of singeing their inveterate 
 enemy's whiskers,* acted as no mean stimulant. 
 
 * Immediately on the death of a tiger the natives singe his whiskers, be- 
 lieving it to be the greatest insult they can offer their bloodthirsty foe. 
 
 I 
 
114 All Round the World. 
 
 I particularly observed from the first one dusky, hand- 
 some peon, who acted as an accepted chief among his 
 sable associates, and from appearance and bearing was 
 well qualified to fill so important a post. I had noticed 
 him always the first to enter cover, and if a symptom 
 of reluctance or fear showed itself among the others, he, 
 in few words, ridiculed and laughed them out of their 
 timidity. All the natives carried some weapon, many 
 matchlocks,* but in his powerful hand he held a keen- 
 bladed tulwar,t which, doubtless, he could handle with 
 effect. 
 
 The crew of beaters, as they pushed on, continued to 
 shout incessantly. Their previous exertions, even under 
 a vertical sun, had not impaired their vitn. Forward, 
 forward they advance, while my sporting companions 
 remain mute as death — nervously each clasps his trusty 
 weapon ; twice a breaking branch or unexpected sound 
 caused a looked-for advent of game. Not fifty yards 
 now separate the representatives of the two nationalities, 
 and the quarry has not shown itself ; even the rustling 
 of the beaters' steps can be distinctly heard, when, 
 stealthily, slowly, crouching, with belly almost to the 
 ground, and step as silent as that of a flitting phantom, 
 advances from the brush the disturber of our previous 
 evening's peace, his eyes livid with hate and fury ; but 
 in a moment he appears to comprehend the dangers of his 
 situation, for, halting momentarily, he turned to regain 
 
 * Matchlocks are long-barrelled awkward guns, fired by means of a lighted 
 fuse, which is pushed into a pan containing priming, after the manner of 
 flint guns. 
 
 + Tulwar, a very keen-edged scimitar-shaped blade, in the use of which 
 some of the natives are great proficients. 
 
The Tiger s Death. 115 
 
 the friendly cover ; but the pause had been sufficient to 
 afford time for aim — three guns speak almost together, 
 and with deep-muttered growl as he retires, two rugged 
 bullets pierce his brilliantly-coloured coat ; mischief now 
 is in the wind, for, after blood has been drawn, the most 
 adventurous and hazardous had better look well to their 
 future proceedings.* Experience informed us that our 
 swarthy attendants were now in imminent danger; 
 though he would not face the sahibs' f bullets, the dark- 
 skinned natives would stand less ceremonious treatment. 
 Above the ordinary sounds made by the advancing 
 peons rises a shout of extraordinary shrillness, and 
 from my position numerous white - turbaned, white- 
 clothed figures are seen to ascend the Scattered sap- 
 lings, while a wail of anguish issues from their vicinity. 
 This indication is plain, and difference of language fails 
 to prevent a full comprehension that some tragedy is 
 being enacted. Each sportsman rushes from his post 
 to the scene of discord, determined to do all, to brave 
 aught, and bring assistance to whoever has been seized 
 by the savage brute ; but all were too late, for the 
 marauder, who had seized the intrepid fellow whom I 
 had previously mentioned, had been satisfied to give 
 him but one blow with his powerful paw, and a sample 
 of his teeth on the shoulder, afterwards dropping his 
 victim and continuing his retreat. J We found poor Nana 
 
 * The majority of tigers, when hunted, will, if possible, steal off, but once 
 they are wounded, they will attack, indiscriminately man or beast that has 
 the misfortune to come in their way. 
 
 t The correct meaning of this word is master, but the natives make 
 general use of it in speaking of Europeans. ' 
 
 X Such an occurrence as this is extremely common, and the number of 
 maimed hunters to be met who have received their wounds in similar ren- 
 
 I 2 
 
1 16 All Round the World. 
 
 Aboul dreadfully shaken and badly lacerated, but his 
 heart and presence of mind had not left him ; and as 
 we bent over his prostrate figure examining and direct- 
 ing so as to afford assistance to the noble fellow, with 
 glistening eyes and smiling countenance he rejoicingly 
 articulated that he had not succumbed without testing 
 the keenness of his tulwar across the muscular forearm 
 of his assailant. His weapon, which he still retained in 
 his nervous grasp, proved his assertion, for a crimson 
 stain was on its bright blade. Having given orders to 
 have Nana conveyed out of further danger, we re-esta- 
 blished our cordon of beaters, and having been assured by 
 our horse-coolies who remained between this cover and 
 retreat that he had not left, with no lack of former dan 
 and determination we resumed our work. 
 
 Our men had not proceeded over thirty paces, after 
 turning to the right-about, when an angry growl sent 
 them to tree, and many an excited voice proclaimed 
 that the game was in sight, and determined to retreat no 
 farther. Knowing our people to be safe, we now collected 
 and advanced in mass, McCarthy and Barker forming 
 the centre and front. Still we could see nothing ; only 
 an occasional hissing growl admonished us that we were 
 in a dangerous precinct. The peons, who had now in 
 many instances descended and joined our company, 
 tried to point the foe's situation out, but our European 
 eyes,* less keen, failed to see him. At length, after 
 
 contres is truly surprising. Yet when once these people imbibe a taste for 
 field sports, no number of accidents, but only death, will cause them to 
 relinquish the pursuit. 
 
 * The keenness of the vision of the natives is truly surprising, and often 
 have I had game pointed out which every exertion failed to make me see. 
 
The Tigers Death. 117 
 
 moving both to the right and left, a portion of the animal's 
 tail was plainly discerned, moving slowly but regularly 
 to and fro, a certain indication that mischief is brewing. 
 Not more than fifty feet intervened, and two bounds would 
 place him in our midst. Providence, which has gifted 
 me with more than usually sharp vision, at length helped 
 me to distinguish a fawn-coloured patch, traversed by a 
 dark line between the brush and gigantic-leaved grasses, 
 and from its distance from the moving extremity of the 
 carcase I had little doubt it must be in near proximity 
 with a vital portion. This discovery I conveyed to my 
 companions in a subdued whisper, and as I levelled 
 to fire, I cautioned the others to be on the qui vive. 
 Simultaneously with my report the tiger rose rampant 
 on hind limbs, as with the intention of springing upon us ; 
 but McCarthy and Peel's quick shooting brought him 
 down equally rapidly and as the marauder struggled 
 upon the blood-stained soil, a few more bullets gave him 
 the coup de grdce* 
 
 Each, I believe, drew a long and thankful breath at 
 the result ; at least I know I did, for a tiger in this 
 position, wounded and unable to make his escape, is a 
 foe far from contemptible. On examining the carcase we 
 found that the plucky fellow whom he had mauled spoke 
 truly, for a deep gash was found over the exterior muscles 
 
 • Dimensions of an average-sized Tiger. — Length, including tail, 9 ft. 6 in. ; 
 height at shoulder, 3 ft. 2 in. ; girth round chest, 5 ft. 6 in. ; girth of arm, 
 2 ft. 8 in. ; girth of collar, 3 ft. ; length of tail, 2 ft. 9 in. Many, however, 
 have been killed much larger. I have frequently seen hides upwards of 
 1 1 ft. The panther of India is quite as dangerous as the tiger ; in size he is 
 smaller and lighter in build, but appears to be possessed of greater activity, 
 while his vitality is proverbial. 
 
1 1 8 All Rotmd the World. 
 
 of the forearm that must seriously have lessened his tra- 
 velling powers. Thus fell the destroyer of Peel's pointer, 
 and many were the rejoicings and congratulations over 
 our success. On our return to camp, while straggling 
 behind my companions, and traversing an open meadow, 
 I came across a wolf, and as my little Arab was fresh, 
 and would be benefited by a gallop, I determined to try 
 the feat of riding Mr. Lupus down. Two hundred yards 
 was the extent of the law he had, and ere we had gone 
 a mile, I was alongside A few strides more enabled 
 me to send a bullet from my pistol through his value- 
 less hide. This feat I have since performed in America, 
 and any person well mounted can do likewise. How- 
 ever, I must say that the wolf of America, particularly 
 the large grey species, is more fleet and enduring than 
 his Asiatic brother, owing, no doubt, to the effects of 
 climate and superiority of size. 
 
 That night was our last together, and a merry one it 
 was ; the stalwart, giant trees of the tope reverberated 
 with the echoes of old familiar songs ; the happy, reck- 
 less, joyous laugh sounded far and near, and, as is 
 usual on such occasions, it was unanimously sung and 
 doubtlessly recorded without dissenting voice, that all 
 were jolly good fellows. If some travelling stranger 
 should happen to pass this camping-ground, doubtless 
 the dJbris of broken bottles, like tombstones, mark 
 departed spirits. 
 
 Next morning after breakfast we broke up, never to 
 meet again. How sad the words 1 As in Mrs. Hemans' 
 'Graves of a Household,' the majority sleep the calm, 
 still rest of death in different scattered climes ; three fell, 
 
The Tigers Death. 119 
 
 though not with their colours round their breast, yet 
 under the flag they had sworn to defend with Hfe. My 
 little Arab, if he still lives, carries a stranger, and is 
 reined by one who probably knows not of his former 
 prowess in the hunting-field, for before parting with him 
 he won two races at the cantonment meeting, making 
 your humble servant flush of rupees. But whatever 
 prosperity fortune has or may vouchsafe me, never can I 
 forget the picturesque, happy encampment, or the true 
 sterling friends with whom I hunted in the Todah 
 Valley. 
 
120 All Round the World. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 A FOREST SCENE. 
 
 THE diversity of climate and scenery in India is 
 very great. Hitherto my sporting had been con- 
 fined to ridable ground, but if my kind young friends 
 will go with me, I will attempt to give them some idea 
 of the alluvial portions of the country, where the forest 
 grows so densely that the light of the sun is shut 
 out, and where the fat, slimy soil gives forth vapours 
 noxious to nearly all animals except amphibii. Such 
 are the jungly regions formed by the delta of the Ganges 
 — familiarly known as the Sunderbunds. 
 
 I had taken my gun and advanced into the jungle 
 immediately after tiffin, accompanied by two natives, in 
 order to try if we could not furnish our mess with some 
 of the numerous variety of beautiful wild fowl that 
 abound in such immense numbers in the various bayous 
 which are to be found scattered throughout all the low- 
 lying forest lands in the vicinity of large rivers. As it 
 was far from improbable that we might come in contact 
 
A Forest Scene. 121 
 
 with some of the fera natures, I had chosen two of our 
 most faithful attendants, who had previously proved them- 
 selves trustworthy when accident had placed me in a 
 position of imminent danger. Of all the people I have 
 met in different portions of the globe, there are none, 
 in my opinion, for perfection of figure who equal the 
 Bengalese — tall, slim, with good muscular development 
 and handsome faces, the artist might find subjects for 
 his pencil in this Eastern continent, in every way equ^l 
 to the most approved torsos of Italy. Often have I 
 watched the native women, with their scant drapery 
 ' gracefully falling from one shoulder, and their lotas or 
 water-jars balanced on their heads, going or returning 
 from the tanks, their backs, arms, and limbs emphatically 
 showing that nature had used her choicest moulds in 
 their construction. 
 
 Not a breath of air was circulating ; I was suffering from 
 the intense heat, and consequently advanced with slow 
 and exhausted steps. At last we struck a sheet of 
 water, a narrow bayou that penetrated far into the 
 jungle, edged on both sides by a thick growth of man- 
 groves, leaving few spots where it was possible for a man 
 to gain its brink without an immense amount of exer- 
 tion. Near the head of the lake was an open clear 
 space, on which lay the body of a dead buffalo, who 
 had probably received his death-blow from the unerring 
 bullet of some European, and had wandered away to 
 the forest haunts of his youth to yield up his noble 
 spirit. Although we all stood close to this ponderous 
 carcase, an unusually large muggar, or alligator, slowly 
 emerged from his watery retreat, and, either ignorant of 
 
122 All Round the World. 
 
 our proximity or regardless of our presence, advanced 
 upon the mountain of carrion, and commenced, with a 
 rapacity fearfully disgusting, to satiate his noonday 
 appetite. Around on different sides could be seen his 
 numerous confreres intently watching his movements, 
 but afraid to intrude upon his lordly presence, while 
 vultures and adjutants swarmed on every limb, waiting 
 for their turn to share in the offensive banquet. The 
 solitariness and asperity of the spot, the sluggishness and 
 murkiness of the lake, the extreme denseness of the 
 foliage, together with the almost cavernous gloom which 
 such a concurrence of causes produced, were seen in 
 awful contrast with the several varieties of living objects 
 that met the sight on entering this sequestered glade. 
 As such scenes as this are only occasionally to be 
 enjoyed, and that only by the sportsman, far from the 
 haunts of man, they are doubly impressive, and leave 
 behind them indelible impressions, which up to the latest 
 periods of life are never forgotten. The mental associa- 
 tions excited by the scene before me were anything but 
 pleasing, as we here read in one of Nature's most melan- 
 choly pages the sad lesson of animal selfishness and 
 ferocity. In the rational creature, I fear it is the master- 
 spring of motives, intents, and actions, and exists as 
 strongly as it does in the irrational ; in the latter, it is 
 only the more obvious because it is the less disguised. 
 These reflections passed rapidly through my thoughts 
 as I gazed upon the living things which swarmed in and 
 about the dark water, on whose banks the buffalo had 
 breathed his last. , As time elapsed, numerous and varied 
 additions were made to the hungry assembly already 
 
A Forest Scene. 1 23 
 
 collected, various beasts and birds of prey, with reptiles 
 of the most obnoxious and horrible appearance, each 
 hoping for the time when they should be sufficiently 
 strong to usurp the place of honour and keep at a 
 respectful distance the weaker claimants. 
 
 During all this time the large alligator was tearing off 
 immense pieces of putrid carrion, and stowing them 
 away with as much ease and gusto as a gastronome 
 would the most tempting tit-bits. A spirit of hatred 
 and enmity, or perhaps of tyranny and destruction, 
 prompted me to enter the list of claimants for the spoil, 
 not that I could make use of the booty, but perhaps 
 to exult in the pleasure of destruction so common to 
 man, and like the dog in the manger, refuse the food 
 which I myself could only loathe. Towards the ma- 
 jority of animals I have a strong feeling of kindness, 
 amounting to love, particularly if they be of a timid 
 disposition, but for the bloated snake or scaly crocodile, 
 the antipathy which is excited can only be appeased by 
 their destruction. Giving way to these sensations, I 
 raised my heavy rifle, glanced quick and steadily along 
 its unerring barrels, and a dull " thud " answered as an 
 echo to the report. The large, savage eyeball was my 
 target, and the missive sped true to the aim. A few con- 
 vulsive, spasmodic quivers were the result, and the 
 gorged terror of the miasmatic lagoon lay helpless, in 
 turn to become the food of those he had ruled with 
 such tyrant sway during his lifetime. In killing most 
 species of game, I have always felt a qualm at depriving 
 a helpless animal of life, but on this occasion I turned 
 from my handiwork well satisfied with my performance. 
 
1 2,4 All Round the World. 
 
 Towards night, on my return, I visited the spot, and 
 dozens were feeding now where formerly there had only 
 been one. The buffalo had almost totally disappeared, 
 and a large inroad had been made upon the alligator, 
 several of whose children and brothers, with bloody 
 tusks, were tearing away at his vitals. As I returned 
 towards my temporary forest bivouac, I, moralising, 
 thought of the correctness of the proverb, " Hodie mihi, 
 eras tibi," which not inappropriately is inscribed upon 
 the gateway to the graveyard in the Happy Valley, 
 Hong Kong. 
 
Catching a Shark. 125 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 CATCHING A SHARK. 
 
 AGAIN at sea, and the blue line of coast that marks 
 faintly the northern distance is all I expect to see 
 of India Proper for at least some time to come. 
 
 Off to the eastward, with her sails idly flapping in the 
 wind, lies one of the piolate brigs. Staunch crafts are 
 they, and make as good sailors as ever trod a deck, 
 or laid their ship to in a cyclone. All down the Bay of 
 Bengal the weather continued fine — too fine, in fact, to 
 suit those in a hurry. Each day, consequently, was a repe- 
 tition of its predecessor ; eating, sleeping, and smoking 
 occupying the greatest portion of our time. At length 
 the welcome cry of land was heard ; the landsmen 
 strained their eyes to see it, and wished it were closer ; 
 the sailors distinctly made it out, and wished it farther 
 off: At length a little fun took place — fun which had the 
 effect of sweetening some of our tempers, which were 
 beginning to become soured. 
 
 People exhibit their true dispositions, without the 
 
126 All Round the World. 
 
 faintest attempt at disguise, when they have been a 
 few months at sea. Often those who have borne the 
 character of being the jolliest, kindest, and most 
 obliging comrades turn fractious and snappish under 
 the ordeal (a long sea-voyage), unable even to answer a 
 civil question without a display of ill-humour. 
 
 I once sailed in a troop ship round the Cape of Good 
 Hope. The passage was a long one, and there was more 
 bickering and squabbling than I ever previously experi- 
 enced in a similar length of time. Even the ladies, of 
 whom we had over a dozen on board, followed the evil 
 example of the sterner sex, and scarcely were on speak- 
 ing terms with each other when the anchor was dropped 
 in port. 
 
 Any excitement, therefore, on board ship that breaks 
 the monotony of a sea-voyage is most acceptable. 
 
 A day or two after making the coast of Sumatra and 
 approaching the Straits of Sunda, a shark was seen 
 following in the wake of the troop ship. Numerous were 
 the attempts made to capture him, but the scoundrel was 
 too well fed or too dainty to take the most tempting bait. 
 Fowl, turtle, pork, and beef were alternately substituted 
 as lures, but without avail. Doubtless there were so 
 many tit-bits falling from the ship on which Mr. Shark 
 could regale that he did not care to lay hold of any- 
 thing attached to hook or line. The majority on board, 
 with the exception of myself, gave up the task as useless. 
 I planned and plotted his capture, for the specimen was 
 of a rare variety ; but long I was without success. There 
 he remained day after day, either close up to the rudder 
 or under either of the ship's quarters. The weather was 
 
Catching a Shark. 127 
 
 fine, the sea smooth as glass, and every movement of his 
 fins or tail was perfectly apparent to those looking at 
 him from the deck. 
 
 In rummaging over some old effects I found gimp 
 and hooks, originally intended for Lough Corrib pike. 
 I knew the tackle to be strong, and with it I resolved 
 to make one more essay for the capture of our grim 
 attendant. 
 
 That day I was on duty ; and as our commanding 
 officer, one of the best-hearted men breathing, but at the 
 same time a strict disciplinarian, always insisted on the 
 officer on duty remaining on deck during dinner, I 
 thought that while all were below and everything quiet, 
 the opportunity should be taken, and that the results 
 would be more probably successful. 
 
 With a nice little piece of fat pork about the size of a 
 walnut for bait, over went my tackle. The vessel had 
 scarcely steerage way, and slowly I paid off line. The 
 shark was at his accustomed place. He saw the at- 
 traction, slowly swam to it, carefully surveyed it, and 
 again returned to his post. It was no use. Again and 
 again it was dropped under his nose. He had seen 
 enough, and rejected with scor,n the imposition. 
 
 I had thoroughly made up my mind that all chance of 
 success was over, and commenced in consequence throw- 
 ing overboard the remainder of my bait, the first piece of 
 which he took gingerly, the second with more avidity, 
 and the third with considerable energy. Shakspeare's 
 remark, that " increase of appetite doth grow with what 
 it feeds on," was evidently being verified. I sent for a 
 fresh supply of pork. Over a dozen morsels had been 
 
ia8 All Round the World. 
 
 supplied to the shark, and his timidity had vanished ; for 
 ere the ripples that succeeded the splash of their descent 
 had enlarged to the circumference of a foot, the bonne 
 bouche was seized and pouched. 
 
 Again I resorted to my line, shortening it, so that the 
 bait alone would strike the water. Overboard it went. 
 The savage was sold, and in a moment I had him fast. 
 What a struggle his first effort was on finding himself 
 hooked ! He remained on the surface, and beat the water 
 into foam. At length, finding this mode of procedure 
 useless, with a swirl of the tail, he went downwards 
 almost perpendicularly, till he was lost to sight, and the 
 strain on the line alone told that the game was still on. 
 My tackle was too light to put a strong check on. 
 However, I had plenty of line, so determined to play my 
 fish in the thoroughly orthodox way. Well, I paid off to 
 him till I had almost all my line overboard. Despair 
 had all but seized me, for well I knew if compelled to put 
 on a stop that the tackle must break, and my hoped-for 
 triumph be quashed ; but in the very nick of time — not 
 one moment too soon— the quarry turned, and I had the 
 intense satisfaction of feeling that but for some unseen 
 accident I should secure my prize. By this time the 
 poop-deck was crowded. Among the officers were several 
 fishermen. All gave advice ; but remembering the pro- 
 verb of " too many cooks," I did what had previously 
 enabled me to land many a noble salmon. At length 
 my fish was brought alongside ; for after the run, like 
 a coward, he gave up the battle. The first mate stood 
 in the mizen-chains, harpoon in hand, and, as oppor- 
 tunity presented itself, let drive his missile with well- 
 
Catching a Shark. 1 29 
 
 directed aim ; but the harpoon was blunt, and glanced 
 off, doing no other injury than instilling fresh energy 
 into the victim. The result of this mishap was that 
 all my labours had to be begun again, and the shark 
 fought this second battle with greater obstinacy than 
 the first. Again and again I gave and took in line. 
 My foe had been too badly treated when previously 
 alongside to be brought into the same position without 
 resistance. At least ten minutes of this give-and-take 
 business must have occurred, when a rope, with a noose 
 formed by a running bowline knot, was passed down 
 the line. With a little manoeuvring it was coaxed over 
 the shark's head ; by degrees farther backwards, till the 
 dorsal fin was reached, when a quick jerk closed the 
 slip, and the prey was safe from escape. The line 
 was now passed through a block, and a dozen stalwart 
 grenadiers trolled the struggling scoundrel aloft, and 
 ultimately dropped him on deck. The cook, a black 
 man — all ships' cooks appear to be black — stood by, 
 chopper in hand. A grin suffused his ebony counte- 
 nance ; pleasure was expressed in every feature of his 
 face ; his mouth opened from ear to ear ; his dusky eyes 
 rolled about with delight ; it was evident to all that he 
 regarded the present opportunity as one for distinction ; 
 the wrigglings of the shark had scarcely ceased ; forward 
 rushed Sambo to cut off his tail. However " man 
 proposes, God disposes." His foot slipped, and he got 
 such a whack from the caudal appendage of the struggler 
 as, doubtless, he still remembers well. The darkie was 
 game, however. He made a second attempt, which was 
 successful. 
 
 K 
 
130 All Round the World. 
 
 On opening the shark's stomach, a most extraordinary 
 collection of articles was found — pieces of glass, cloth, a 
 portion of a book, and several fowls' heads ; the latter, 
 no doubt, the craniums of the unfortunates who had 
 furnished our mess with curry or spatch-cock. On 
 measurement, this fish was eight feet long — a size at- 
 tained by very few of this particular species. 
 
 The vessel on which this little episode occurred, and 
 on which I enjoyed many happy hours, in a subsequent 
 voyage a year or two afterwards, disappeared — probably 
 foundered. To this day nothing has ever been heard 
 of her. 
 
Tricking an A lligator. 1 3 1 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 TRICKING AN ALLIGATOR. 
 
 HOW was that alligator caught .' Perhaps my 
 readers as well as the friend who asked me this 
 question would like to know, for he was by odds the 
 largest I have ever become on intimate terms with. 
 
 To my knowledge a more picturesque and productive 
 island than Java does not exist, and although situated 
 close to the equator, it is both healthy and cool. The 
 Dutch are its possessors, and well they control and 
 manage the natives and the productions. The Straits of 
 Sunda form the northern boundary of this colony of 
 Holland, and separate it from Sumatra. For ships from 
 the westward of the Cape of Good Hope and bound 
 farther to the east these straits are generally selected as 
 the route to pass through the Malay Archipelago. I 
 had come from the west : our passage had been tedious 
 and rough, our vessel wanted provisions, water, and 
 repairs, so at the picturesque village of Anjer, in Java, 
 and on the Straits of Sunda, we dropped anchor and 
 remained for some days. 
 
 K 2 
 
132 All Round the World. 
 
 Close to where we were moored was the place from 
 whence ships' crews obtain water, a small stream 
 emptying itself into a miniature bay. This spot had 
 long been haunted by an immense alligator, and although 
 innumerable devices had been practised to accomplish 
 his capture, all had turned out unsuccessful. Scarcely a 
 week passed that some depredation was not committed 
 by this brute ; one time a child was a victim, next a 
 washerwoman, and so crafty had the villain become that 
 it was almost impossible for those who from necessity 
 frequented the stream for the purpose of washing to 
 escape his formidable jaws. 
 
 The day previous to my arrival another victim had 
 been added to the already formidable list, and this quiet 
 village was in as great a state of excitement as a Hindoo 
 hamlet would be when a man-eating tiger is known to 
 have taken up his residence in a neighbouring ravine. 
 
 Having called upon the commandant, a splendid 
 specimen of a Dutch naval officer, than whom no better 
 are to be found, after the customary courtesies, I was 
 honoured by an invitation to his table, a pleasure I was 
 not backward to avail myself of, for I had long become 
 disgusted with the usual ship's salt rations, and the pros- 
 pect of a good feed on fresh meat, and doubtless vege- 
 tables, were temptations of no ordinary character ; 
 moreover, the society of a gentleman traveller who had 
 probably buffeted over half the earth could not fail in 
 assisting time to fly both rapidly and pleasantly. 
 
 A more genial host I have seldom met, or one better 
 qualified to relate his experiences ; and when the cheroots 
 and joss stick were placed upon the table the entente 
 
Tricking an Alligator. 133 
 
 cordiale between us was thoroughly established. I know 
 not how many bumpers of Bordeaux had been imbibed, 
 when the conversation gradually changed from foreign 
 lands to field sports, and ultimately to this dreaded 
 alligator. The next day was determined on to make 
 another effort for his destruction ; the modus operandi 
 was settled, and an unfortunate cur dog was to officiate 
 as bait. Poor bow-wow ! I pitied his lot, but the neces- 
 sity of the case justified the means employed. 
 
 That evening we sat late, so very late, that in prefer- 
 ence to- returning to my cabin, I accepted a shakedown, 
 and although I was considerably startled with my first 
 experience of the gecho * lizard, which, soon after retiring, 
 commenced giving vent to his feelings, I slept as soundly 
 as storm-tossed mariners usually do when first on shore, 
 and after a long voyage they experience the comfort of 
 clean linen and a wide bed of sufficient length to stretch 
 their legs in. 
 
 So soundly did sleep visit me that I doubt if I ever 
 turned in my bed till the sonorous Chinese gong of the 
 household summoned me to breakfast, the most enjoy- 
 able of all Oriental meals. It is not necessary to discuss 
 the merit of different curries — the one I then ate was by 
 far superior to any I had previously enjoyed — and the 
 mangoes, pineapples, and mangosteens that graced the 
 table were fit delicacies for angels — the latter espe- 
 cially, to which I award the palm over every fruit with 
 which I am acquainted. From the breakfast-table we 
 
 * The Geckolidae or thick-tongued lizards are common to a great portion 
 of the East. From being harmless they are much encouraged, as they are 
 most destructive to mosquitoes and other insects. 
 
134 All Round the World. 
 
 went to the beach, and just arrived in time to see the 
 attempt to catch Mr. Alligator from throw-off to finish. 
 
 In diproak was the unhappy dog, bound, not hand and 
 foot, but as to predicament similarly situated. Attached 
 to his side was a large shark-hook, filed at the point 
 sharp as a needle. The commandant's appearance was 
 the signal to commence operations, and the Malay crew 
 were not long in gaining the centre of the estuary. With 
 untied legs poor doggy was thrown overboard. Lustily 
 he struck out for shore, and the boat followed at a 
 moderate pace paying out line. The first effort was a 
 failure : the cur gained the shore unhurt, but the cruel 
 capturers were not satisfied ; nolens volens he was again 
 lugged on board and taken still farther out in the stream. 
 A second time overboard he went with a splash. The 
 former swim had not apparently exhausted his energies, 
 for soon but forty or fifty yards separated him from 
 terra firma. All thought the ruse had failed ; public 
 sympathy was strongly excited in the dog's behalf, a 
 few strokes more, and his feet would touch the bottom, 
 when, with a tremendous swirl, fifty times greater than 
 ever fresh run salmon made at a fly, the water appeared 
 to open, and the swimmer with a howl disappeared. The 
 Malays well knew their work ; the boat was kept 
 stationary and line was paid out ; no unnecessary hurry 
 was exhibited, and certainly five minutes elapsed for the 
 prowler to pouch his bait ere a pull was taken on him, 
 and when it was made it was not of the easy de- 
 scription used to hook a trout, by a simple turn of the 
 wrist — no, the slack was gently recovered, ^^'hen a strike 
 was administered that would have driven the hook 
 
Tricking an Alligator. 135 
 
 through an inch plank. As luck would have it, it took 
 effect, and the reciprocating jerks that followed were 
 sufficient to dislocate a man's arm or overturn a canoe. 
 Since this I have learned that the success of the project 
 was all chance — an alligator does not, like a pike, gorge 
 his bait, but tears it to pieces before swallowing. The 
 boatmen, jubilant with their success, soon made for the 
 shore, paying out only sufficient line to retain the neces- 
 sary strain to keep the hook in its hold. 
 
 Dozens of volunteers were there to receive them ; the 
 struggle was long and desperate, the impaled, one 
 moment coming to the surface and lashing the water 
 into foam, the next submerging himself, doubtless with 
 the intention of grappling something at the bottom to 
 give him additional powers of resistance. However, all 
 his strength and strategy were unavailing ; with shouts 
 and jeers he was dragged up the muddy margin, and at 
 length secured by numerous cords wound round each 
 limb and his powerful tail. 
 
 From the beach he was transferred alive to the com- 
 mandant's garden, where he was attached to stakes, his 
 limbs being dragged out from under him. An immense 
 fellow he was, eighteen feet long, and more bulky than 
 usual. However much I dislike his race and all ap- 
 proximate to it, I must do this one the justice to say 
 that he remained game and indomitable to the end. 
 
 As my kind host wished to preserve the skin un- 
 injured that it might be forwarded to the museum at 
 Amsterdam, poison was selected as the best means of 
 terminating the alligator's existence. A dose of strych- 
 nine, sufficiently large to have killed a regiment, was 
 
136 All Round the World. 
 
 therefore administered, placed in a cavity in a bullock's 
 heart ; but, judging from results, the intended victim had 
 no objection to a repetition of a similar dose. At length 
 a corporal's guard was sent for, and over a dozen shots 
 were fired ere the enemy succumbed. After his demise 
 I carefully inspected the carcase when it was divested of 
 the skin ; the head was so solid and hard that, except 
 in the region of the eye, no ordinary projectile would have 
 done him injury ; the hide, especially along the vertebrae, 
 was also capable of repelling a bullet from a musket, for 
 it was not only hard as horn, but several inches thick. 
 
 While at Java, let me say that I enjoyed several 
 days' excellent shooting. About a mile from Anjer, 
 after passing through the cocoa-nut groves that margin 
 the beach, commences an immense lagoon, well stocked 
 with snipe and wild duck. Of the former the painted 
 species will be found the most abundant ; cranes, egrets, 
 and bitterns are also plentiful, while the neighbouring 
 high grounds swarm with common and painted quail, 
 and, where timber grows, with countless squirrels. In 
 this lagoon are plenty of alligators, on the high grounds 
 an abundance of snakes. 
 
 A native wanted my shooting companion and self to 
 try our skill on the former, but when we were shown 
 his ticklish canoe, in which it would be necessary for us 
 to embark, to insure success, without further delay we 
 declined the polite invitation. One snake that I cut in 
 two with a charge of shot was dissimilar to any I have 
 previously or since met with ; it was over five feet in 
 length, and very thick in proportion ; its fangs were ex- 
 tremely large, the head blunt and flat ; while the colour 
 
Tricking an A lligator. 137 
 
 on the back was drab, becoming gradually white as it 
 approached the belly. 
 
 At Anjer I was first introduced to a most delicious 
 beverage — viz., the contents of a decapitated green 
 cocoa-nut with a proportionate mixture of old Jamaica 
 rum. On a warm day nothing can be more delicious 
 or more insinuating ; so take warning if circumstances 
 should place you where it can be enjoyed, for my friend 
 who shot with me, still thirsty and desirous of imbibing 
 more, commenced singing "We won't go home till 
 morning " before we had got our costumes changed pre- 
 paratory to sitting down to dinner. Next morning he 
 assured me, however, that he was without a vestige of a 
 headache. 
 
138 All Round the World. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 FAST ON A CORAL REEF. 
 
 READER, have you ever been, during a calm, on 
 board a steam-ship while it threaded the intri- 
 cacies of coral reefs and shoals that too frequently interrupt 
 navigation in a landlocked tropical sea ? Such was once 
 my fate. The weather had been of that brilliant-heated 
 nature that might have been anticipated in the month of 
 December, when the figure that told our latitude was 
 denoted by a unit. The day had been intensely warm, 
 no place or position in cabin or on deck was bearable, 
 and although an awning covered the poop, the ap- 
 pearance of comfort that various attitudes denoted was 
 only an assumption ; the destruction of Manilla cheroots 
 and the consumption of cool drinks was frightfully 
 great — both, doubtless, being considered excellent repel- 
 lents of the heat emanating from a vertical sun. Not 
 the faintest ripple that spoke of a puff of wind had 
 darkened the water all through the day, the temperature 
 had been stifling, overpowering ; even the Lascar portion 
 
Fast on a Coral Reef. 139 
 
 of the crew appeared to suffer under its influence, and all 
 the ship's company who had duty to perform did it with 
 that apathy that clearly told how little they felt like 
 work, and how distasteful exertion was under existing 
 circumstances. The sun, at length, disappeared beneath 
 the horizon, amid all the glories of a tropical sunset, nor 
 was his disappearance regarded with regret, all hoping 
 that with darkness a mitigation of heat would take place. 
 Nor were our hopes disappointed, for ere the last day- 
 watch terminated, an occasional breath of air reani- 
 mated all, and gave us hopes of a speedy termination 
 to our sufferings- Still the water looked as if oil had 
 been poured over it, so calm and smooth was its surface ; 
 and when a glorious full moon arose, the coast of 
 Sumatra on one side, distant about two miles, and the 
 island of Banca on the other, faint from being farther off, 
 were both to be seen. Who that has ever travelled 
 through the Malay Archipelago can forget the dense 
 tropical verdure that lines the shore of the numerous 
 islands ; the graceful palms waving in profusion to the 
 water's edge ; the rarefied clear sky and the transparent 
 blue water ! 
 
 Soon after eight bells (midnight) I went round my 
 sentries, and finding all correct retired to my berth with 
 the hope of sleeping. Of course, long ere this hour, lights 
 had been extinguished, and the important ceremony of 
 undressing was therefore being performed in the dark, 
 when a tremendous thump, which threw me off my feet, 
 and nearly forced me through the bulkhead, followed 
 by a crashing noise, intermingled with abundant orders, 
 and exclamations from the officer and watch on deck. 
 
140 All Round the World. 
 
 announced that the ship was either on a reef or on shore. 
 Catching up those articles of apparel which came first, 
 in a moment I was on deck ; orders were being issued 
 for the engines to be reversed ; up each hatchway 
 swarmed my soldiers. With quickest steps the crew 
 rushed about performing various services, while the 
 captain, in a state of frenzy, appeared ubiquitous, and 
 our noble vessel, instead of being on a horizontal keel, had 
 her stem stuck up in the air as if star-gazing, while her 
 stern was correspondingly depressed. One glance told 
 the story, we were on a coral reef, hard and fast, and our 
 prospect of getting off uninjured entirely depended on 
 the sea remaining calm. Without confusion the soldiers 
 fell into their respective places, ready to act in whatever 
 capacity their services might be required — such is the re- 
 sult of discipline and education ! For coolness and courage 
 in the hour of danger, I will back my countrymen by 
 long odds against any others in the world. Fortunately 
 the steam-ship had only been going at half-speed, or our 
 situation would have been dangerous in the extreme — as 
 it was, our grip of the reef was so strong that the re- 
 versed engines under a full head of steam failed to release 
 us. Shifting cargo, so as to change the trim of the ship, 
 was next adopted, but without avail ; anchors afterwards 
 were got out astern, and the capstans manned, but with 
 no better success. If the long-wished-for breeze were 
 now to spring up, in an hour or two our temporary 
 home would be in pieces. With reluctance, orders were 
 given for the boats to be prepared for sea. Stewards 
 hurried about looking after stores and water-breakers, 
 while the junior officers examined oars and thole-pins. 
 
Fast on a Coral Reef. 141 
 
 Of coui-se, as long as the vessel remained together, 
 we intended sticking to her, but in case of symptoms 
 of dissolution then a boat excursion of several hundred 
 miles was our only alternative. No one with a particle 
 of feeling could help commiserating our captain ; he was 
 a young man, this was his first voyage in command, 
 and he loved his ship as all good sailors love a noble 
 vessel. Moreover, it was not only the loss of the craft 
 and all his personal effects which he would sustain, but 
 his reputation as a navigator and skill as a seaman would 
 suffer a blemish that perhaps years of future good conduct 
 would not erase. So far, we have only been looking at 
 the dark side ; however, it is well to be prepared for con- 
 tingencies, although on this occasion they did not occur. 
 The traffic on deck was observed to impart a tremulous 
 motion to the ship — could this but be increased, her hold 
 of the coral reef would be lessened. So the captain 
 thought, and so did others. " Come, my lads," I called 
 to my men, " fall in along the bulwarks." With alacrity 
 the soldiers obeyed " Fours deep — close on your centre — 
 quick march — double," immediately followed ; and thus 
 forming the men into a solid mass, they were trotted 
 across decks, the engines at the same time being reversed 
 under a full head of steam. " By Jove ! — she moves ! — 
 keep up the tramp! — well done," for slowly at first, but 
 with gradually increasing pace, the ship commenced to 
 slide ; when gaining velocity, backwards she shot afloat 
 upon her watery home. Some anxiety was felt as to the 
 injury she might have suffered, but the carpenter put 
 this at rest, for having sounded the well, he reported that 
 no leak had been sprung. The coral reef on which we 
 
142 All Round the World. 
 
 had struck was not marked on our charts ; in appearance 
 it resembled a huge mushroom, with the upper portion 
 within a few feet of the surface of the water. With great 
 caution and under half-speed we proceeded to Singapore, 
 on the Straits of Malacca, where divers were employed 
 to inspect the ship's bottom ; all the injury she had suffered 
 was the loss of a few sheets of copper and the carrying 
 away of a portion of her fore foot. But the examination 
 and the performing of some necessary repairs caused 
 a delay of several days, the very thing I desired most, 
 for on my previous visit to this beautiful settlement my 
 stay was so contracted that I had not half the time I 
 wished to visit the surrounding neighbourhood, so pro- 
 ductive of food for the naturalist. 
 
A Battle in a Billiard-Room. 143 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 A BATTLE IN A BILLIARD-ROOM. 
 
 WHO that has visited Singapore can forget the 
 pretty town, the magnificent tropical vegetation, 
 the numerous islands, and shipping of every rig and 
 nationality .■" The costumes here to an European's eye 
 are as quaint as they are numerous. The Tartar and 
 Chinaman, Hindoo and Parsee, Malay and Arab, are all 
 to be found, making as great a Babel of the market-place 
 as that of Gibraltar on a Sunday morning. But although 
 these sights made a strong impression, a little episode in 
 which I played the part of principal left an impression 
 on my mind never to be forgotten. 
 
 I had arrived at Singapore from Hong Kong in charge 
 of invalids, the ship was ordered to the new harbour to 
 take in coals, and I found myself with an abundance 
 of spare time and disposition for wandering. At last the 
 day for our departure approached. I bade adieu to new 
 acquaintances, and I had arranged with an old and tried 
 friend to meet for perhaps the last time and spend our 
 
144 All Round the World. 
 
 final evening together at the billiard-rooms attached to 
 the Esperanza Hotel. At half-past ten I dropped into 
 the place of rendezvous ; the room was unoccupied, 
 except by a Chinese marker and a stranger, who lay 
 apparently asleep on one of the benches. Now, this 
 billiard-room was an immense place. I think it con- 
 tained eight or ten tables, with abundance of space for 
 several others. On entering, the marker was covering up 
 his table, but on stating my desire to play, and thus keep 
 the place open till my friend arrived, the cover was 
 removed and a game commenced. 
 
 My boyish days, except when at school, were all spent 
 in a barrack. Was it, then, to be wondered at that 
 single-stick and foils had become amusements at which 
 I was an adept .'' In fact, few could excel me in either 
 of these pastimes ; and conscious of my science, I took 
 pleasure in practice whenever opportunity occurred. Well 
 that it was so, for but for that skill I should not now be 
 alive to narrate what I am about to tell. 
 
 Our game proceeded without interruption till the 
 Chinaman had scored forty-seven and I forty-eight. 
 Then my antagonist marked three more and proclaimed 
 himself victor. Previous to this I had been in the habit 
 of playing a game of sixty-three points, and on stating 
 so, as well as my belief that, if the other thirteen points 
 were added, I could with facility win, the marker was 
 satisfied to continue the game, provided I agreed to pay 
 whether I lost or won. 
 
 But this arrangement was not permitted to be put 
 in execution, for the unknown who slept upon the bench 
 sprang from his seat, and, rushing towards me, reviled 
 
A Battle in a Billiard- Room. 145 
 
 me in the grossest language as ' a swindler and a cheat. 
 It was no use trying to play, for, without cessation, an 
 entire vocabulary of vituperation was hurled at me. 
 
 Flesh and blood may be over-taxed, and at length my 
 patience gave way, and my tongue became loosed. " You 
 black son of a sea-cook, sit down, or, if you interrupt me 
 
 again, I'll !" &c., &c., I exclaimed. " What you call 
 
 me — a black son of a sea-cook .'' You repeat it, if you 
 dare." I did so. While I was repeating my words, he 
 aimed a blow at me, and I parried. Again he struck 
 at me, with no better results. A third time the attempt 
 was made, and, by way of change, I added to the pro- 
 gramme by making a feint with my left hand, knocking 
 my adversary down with the right. So far I had avoided 
 a contest ; now I was in for it. Soon the foe was on 
 his feet ; and twice more I brought him, by a straight 
 hit from the elbow, to his knees. Finding that the game 
 was decidedly adverse to him, he gathered himself 
 together, rushed to the door of the room, and sounded 
 a war-whoop. But a few moments elapsed before it 
 was answered, and in rushed four Chinamen. They all 
 made for the cue-rack, and each grasped a weapon. 
 I saw from their manner that mischief was intended, 
 so breaking the cue I had played with through the 
 centre, and doubling my shell-jacket around my arm, I 
 retreated into a corner, for my foes were between me 
 and the door. 
 
 From the manner and appearance of my antagonists, 
 I felt that life depended upon my skill and pluck. Who 
 under such circumstances would not be a craven to suc- 
 cumb as long as he had a breath left in him or power to 
 
 L 
 
146 All Round the World. 
 
 raise his hand ? Even a cornered rat will fight. So, little 
 credit is due to me for making as long and desperate 
 a resistance as was in my power. With my back in a 
 corner I quietly waited the issue. With a rush my foes 
 came at me, but my determined appearance and posi- 
 tion caused them momentarily to recoil. Chinamen are 
 cowards, the veriest of curs. I know them well, and have 
 always found them so. The prospect of resistance, even 
 with such tremendous odds in their favour, would have 
 caused them to decline the contest ; but the villain, he 
 whom I struck, urged them on, and fierce and fast 
 became the battle. Their numbers and the length of 
 their weapons impeded them. The position I had 
 selected harassed and crowded the assailants together, 
 and for some minutes I successfully parried all blows, re- 
 turning the compliment when opportunity offered. How 
 long this lasted it would be impossible to say correctly. 
 At length the violence of my exertions commenced to 
 tell. Already my left arm, which I had used as a 
 guard, dropped helpless by my side ; blood from several 
 cuts coursed down my face, and once I had been brought 
 to my knees. In a moment I decided to tiy and fight 
 my way through them. An opportunity immediately 
 afterwards occurred. The instigator was directly in 
 my front, concentrating all his strength for a blow. I 
 received it on my broken cue, so close to his hand that 
 the force of the stroke disarmed him. With the velocity 
 of thought I recovered and struck him at the base of the 
 ear, felling him to the ground. With a rush I sprang 
 over his prostrate figure ; few of the blows aimed at me 
 took effect, and at the greatest speed I could summon I 
 
A Battle in a Billiard-Room. 147 
 
 rushed out of the building. My speed of foot carried 
 me away from the ruck. Only one was able to keep 
 pace ; and as I passed down the covered way which 
 connected the billiard-room with the hotel, I watched 
 my chance, wheeled sharply round and gave him a 
 blow across the cranium which doubtless to this day has 
 left a mark. In the hotel all had retired to rest ; doors 
 and windows stood open, after the manner of the East ; 
 so, seeing no one, I passed on and made for the Masonic 
 Arms, a smaller house, where two friends were staying 
 — the one a surgeon in our army, the other a lieutenant 
 of a Bengal regiment of cavalry. On reaching this esta- 
 blishment my strength failed me, and the landlord (once 
 boatswain to Rajah Brooke's yacht) assisted me to a 
 chair. Soon the surgeon came to me, a glass of brandy 
 and water recalled my scattered senses, and eight or 
 ten stitches in different portions of my head drew the 
 various contused and broken wounds together. When 
 I narrated to L. what had taken place, he advised me 
 to go to the magistrate, and volunteered to accompany 
 me. He was found at his post of duty, and within a 
 few minutes a posse of police, with the gallant surgeon 
 and myself at their head, might have been seen return- 
 ing to the battle-field. You must not imagine that I 
 walked. No, I was far too weak for that ; but a com- 
 fortable Chinese chair, borne by two coolies, performed 
 the duty of conveyance. For some time we unsuccess- 
 fully searched for the would-be assassins. At length 
 the whole party were captured in an outhouse, firmly 
 secured, and marched off to the lock-up. Next morning 
 I had to attend the police court. When the prisoners 
 
 L 2 
 
148 All Round the World. 
 
 were produced, none but those who witnessed their ap- 
 pearance could possibly believe that one man could 
 inflict such injury on six. The instigator (a South 
 American Spaniard) had a fearful wound ; the others 
 were all more or less contused or cut ; and when, un- 
 washed and dirty, they were ranged in the dock, they 
 almost elicited pity, from their woe-begone and haggard 
 appearance. The sentences passed upon them all were 
 adequate to their deserts, and the billiard-room was 
 temporarily closed. 
 
 That the above is true there are abundant witnesses 
 to prove. I do not tell it as a proof of my courage, but 
 as a reason that all should study the art of self-defence, 
 for, if a traveller, you know not what hour your skill may 
 be called upon to save your life. In the neighbourhood 
 where this took place, a few weeks before, a merchant 
 skipper was found murdered. The gang who assailed 
 me were strongly suspected to be the perpetrators. 
 
Chased by a Buffalo. 149 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 CHASED BY A BUFFALO. 
 
 NOT more than ten miles from Hong Kong, inland, 
 the sportsman reaches the margin of Meer's Bay. 
 From the garrison, looking across to Kowloon, nothing 
 but the straggling city of that name, backed by ranges of 
 sterile sun-burnt hills, greets the vision ; but ascend to the 
 summit of these ridges — no easy matter — and the sterility 
 has fled, the placid waters of Meer's Bay lie off, some 
 miles beneath, scattered villages dot its margin, while 
 numerous woods, instead of stunted brush, are to be 
 seen on every side. The repose and picturesqueness of 
 this scene has often delighted me, for the water is blue 
 and pellucid, the vegetation brilliantly green, and the 
 inhabitants' domiciles, at a distance, appear white as 
 snow — a pleasant contrast to the surrounding foliage. 
 From this bay branch off in every direction numerous 
 valleys, many of which are cultivated, rice being pre- 
 dominant in the lower ground, tea and pineapples in the 
 more elevated situations. 
 
150 All Round the World. 
 
 I had succeeded in obtaining leave of absence for a week, 
 and so early a start had companions and self made on the 
 occasion referred to that ere the sun had risen we — for our 
 pai'ty consisted of four sportsmen and numerous coolies — 
 were over the Kowloon ridge, and as the day advanced and 
 the mists gradually evaporated, we looked forward with 
 much pleasure to our holiday and prospects of amusement. 
 
 To describe my friends is necessar}^ Two were 
 commonplace mortals, at least their arms and legs were 
 all in the right places, but the third — well, he was not 
 deformed, but he was the shortest and stoutest man that 
 ever gloried in the use of dog and gun, and he did glory 
 in it. It mattered not how hot the day was, how steep 
 the hills, how boggy the paddy fields, how stiff the brush 
 — on, on, he would toil, from morning to night ; and 
 neither did it signify how many birds he missed — and 
 they were numerous — " en avant " was always his watch- 
 word, and the equanimity of his temper ever remained 
 up to this excursion undisturbed. He was, in fact, a jolly 
 companion, a thoroughly good fellow, the life and soul of 
 every party he attached himself to, and, moreover, a man 
 who had seen much of the world and profited by it, one 
 whom once known never could be forgotten. But he was 
 a foreigner, and, like foreigners, had some ideas which did 
 not exactly tally with our own. Among others was his 
 love of display ; coats with innumerable pockets, powder- 
 flasks and shot-pouches of the newest and most awkward 
 shapes, suspended by cords of green and red, terminating 
 with tassels, hung about his fully-developed person, while 
 drinking-flasks, game-bags, and other additions dangled 
 wherever they could be stuck. 
 
Chased by a Buffalo. 151 
 
 It mattered not how hot it was, and Southern China is 
 not proverbial for coolness, my stout friend would sooner 
 part with his life, suffer a stroke of coup de soleil, than 
 dismantle himself of one of these playthings. Often have 
 I seen him toiling up the side of a hill, every pore of his 
 skin in active operation, with his collar closed to the 
 throat, while we were dressed in the lightest garb, unbut- 
 toned at every possible point where decency would per- 
 mit, or the retention of our clothes on our backs allow. 
 
 To this day I believe he considered that game de- 
 manded this honour and self-sacrifice, that the loss of 
 comfort was necessary to success, and that unless he 
 retained all these cockneyfied addenda, he would be 
 unable to hold his gun straight or pull his triggers. 
 
 Well, the ground we had to get over was traversed, and 
 from our noonday halting-place we determined to com- 
 mence operations by beating a sparse cover, known in- 
 variably to contain pheasants. For over an hour we were 
 unsuccessful ; a few birds were seen, but were so wild 
 that the greatest advocate for long shots would not have 
 dreamt of throwing away a charge after them ; however, 
 in a pineapple grove at the top of a valley, better results 
 were anticipated. In this we were not mistaken, for the 
 moment we reached its rtiargin, not less than a dozen 
 birds flushed, each taking wing at the same moment (in 
 fact, similar to a covey of partridge early in the season), 
 out of whose ranks we tumbled over three ; the remainder 
 were marked down on the slope of a hill, a few hundred 
 yards distant, where were feeding half a dozen water 
 buffaloes, the beast of draft always here employed for 
 ploughing heavy, wet rice lands. 
 
152 All Round the World. 
 
 The dogs were whistled up by our stout friend, to 
 whom they belonged ; the coolies were called from cover, 
 and with confident hopes of success we started for the 
 marked birds. Off went the brace of pointers through 
 the long, coarse grass, when their master waved his hand 
 as a signal that their services were again required. For- 
 ward we advanced in line ; back and forth the canines 
 quartered their ground, with nothing to interrupt their 
 progress, except here and there an occasional dwarf pine. 
 Now these trees were not above fifty feet high, very 
 sparse of limbs except at the summit, and the interval 
 between each tree was probably over one hundred yards. 
 In skirmishing order we advanced. By this time the 
 dogs had commenced to wind their game, when the con- 
 founded buffaloes closed on their centre, tossed up their 
 heads, sniffed the air, and pawed the ground. Such 
 conduct was not to be mistaken ; their intentions were 
 evidently hostile, nor were we long kept in suspense of 
 their modus operandi. The patriarch of the drove, a giant 
 old bull, stepped to the front, glorious in his hairless, mud- 
 baked coat, and advanced with measured steps upon the 
 now standing pointers. For their safety we had no fear, 
 for the water-buffalo is not fleet, and very awkward, but 
 that the brutes would flush our game ere we were within 
 shooting distance amounted to a certainty. It was no 
 use hallooing or gesticulating ; onward came the foe, the 
 dogs looked uneasy, commenced to waver, and ulti- 
 mately, as the pheasants flushed, completely wheeled to 
 the right-about and fled, followed by the bull at his best 
 pace. For some minutes our shooting assistants satisfied 
 themselves by keeping sufficiently in advance of their 
 
Chased by a Buffalo. 153 
 
 pursuer to avoid being run over, but their patience be- 
 came so thoroughly taxed that as a last resource they 
 sought their jolly stout owner for protection. With de- 
 spair written on our friend's countenance, he exhausted 
 his vocabulary of terms to drive his dogs from him ; all 
 was of no avail, and worse than that, the huge, awkward 
 buffalo changed from the former objects of its ire and 
 came straight at their owner. For a moment my friend 
 hesitated. Only for a moment did he appear in doubt, 
 when, suddenly spinning round, he bolted down hill for 
 the nearest tree with all the velocity and impetus that 
 his legs and weight could command, closely followed by 
 his cloven-footed foe. 
 
 Never to this day have I seen a more ludicrous scene ; 
 if I should live to the age of Methuselah never shall I 
 again ; and the rest of our party were possessed of the 
 same opinion. I do not believe, even supposing the situa- 
 tion had been one of most imminent danger, either, of us, 
 from the immoderate fit of laughter with which we were 
 seized, could have gone to his assistance. But such a race 
 between two welter weights could not last long ; the tree 
 was reached, and clasping its stem with his right hand, 
 our friend drew himself round and behind it with the false 
 hope that the pursuer would pass onwards. Mr. Buffalo, 
 it is true, overshot his mark, and had to go some distance 
 before he could pull up, but he was not thus to be 
 cheated, so came back to the pursuit with more mea- 
 sured and cautious steps ; for almost a minute each 
 surveyed .the other — ten yards did not intervene between 
 them — first from one side of the tree, then from the 
 other, a stare was given, when again down went the 
 
154 AU Round the World. 
 
 bull's head, and with tail straight on end, he re-dashed at 
 his intended victim ; fast and furious became the strife, 
 round and round the tree our friend most agilely skipped, 
 while the bull, unwieldy from his great length, was 
 frequently nearly overrun by our stout but active com- 
 panion. Half a dozen, possibly more, evolutions of this 
 rotary description were accomplished, when, as if by 
 mutual consent, both called a halt, perfectly blown from 
 the violence of the exercise. Still our friend had not 
 lost his voice : between every gasp for air he swore 
 vociferously, first at the bull, then at the dogs, and lastly 
 at our unfeeling selves for not coming to his aid. But he 
 had to be careful ; the eyes of the pursuer were still upon 
 him ; time was again about to be called as up, and the 
 pursued had better retain his breath rather than waste it 
 in anathemas. Again the foe's head was lowered, again 
 the demon of destruction took possession of him, and the 
 activity of our now profusely warm friend was put to a 
 further ordeal. Fancy any one chased round a tree by 
 an ordinary cow — if the pursued was not in imminent 
 danger, the scene would be ludicrous ; but the two prin- 
 cipals, as on this occasion, were remarkable for their 
 unwieldiness and excessively low-comedy appearance ; 
 surely, therefore, forgiveness can be found for our ap- 
 parent want of feeling for indulging in laughter. The 
 spinning round a second time ceased, each surveyed the 
 other with increasing hate, while want of breath from 
 fatigue was apparent. The tactics now were altered : 
 evidently the bull had projected a deep plot of ven- 
 geance, but our companion was about to practise a 
 deeper ; each looked at the other from either side of the 
 
Chased by a Buffalo. 155 
 
 tree, a kind of bo-peep amusement undertaken to take 
 the other at a disadvantage. This halt restored my 
 friend's exhausted wind, and with its return his tongue 
 was again loosened, nor was his vocabulary more choice, 
 only seasoned with an occasional German interjection to 
 make up for deficiencies in the English language. The 
 finale, however, was now at hand. The previously 
 unused gun, which had been retained in his left hand 
 apparently forgotten, was called on for aid ; an oppor- 
 tunity to use it as desired presented itself, and at less 
 than ten yards the centre of the foe's tail was made the 
 target. The aim was just such as was required, the 
 caudal appendage was nearly severed, and the bull, 
 thoroughly discomfited, took to his heels and fled, 
 bellowing with pain and wrath, down the face of the 
 hill, as quick as his short club-looking legs could go, 
 followed by both dogs, now giving tongue in pursuit like 
 a brace of beagles. The wind-up was as ludicrous as the 
 episode, and, rolling in the grass, all three of us only 
 laughed the louder as our friend joined us and hurled 
 at our devoted heads every imprecation, in Dutch and 
 English, known to him. Shoot with us, or be our com- 
 panion again he never would, so indignant and sulky he 
 left for our place of rendezvous. But at night, when we 
 rejoined him with a tolerably large bag, over a glass of 
 generous wine, his wrath became appeased to such an 
 extent that his jolly laugh might have been heard 
 the longest and loudest at the ridiculous appearance 
 he must have cut, and the amusement he afforded his 
 friends. 
 
 Strange to say, ere we sat down to dinner, an old 
 
156 All Round the World. 
 
 Chinese woman, leading the identical bull, now tho- 
 roughly submissive and crestfallen, visited our quarters, 
 and importuned a cumshaw for the injury her brute had 
 suffered. This was really adding insult to injury, and I 
 almost expected to see our jolly friend have a fit of 
 apoplexy, so great was his wrath and indignation at 
 such a preposterous demand upon his purse. 
 
 In the Happy Valley at Hong Kong now sleeps the 
 subject of this episode, among hundreds of Europeans, 
 all premature victims to the treachery of a Southern 
 Chinese climate. May the sod lie lightly on them all ! 
 for, as a rule, better and more hospitable people than 
 the merchants of this distant colony are nowhere to be 
 found. 
 
Among Chinese Pirates. 157 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 AMONG CHINESE PIRATES. 
 
 ON the seaboard side of the island of Hong Kong 
 is situated a village of considerable magnitude, 
 called by the English, Stanley, by the Chinese, Chuck- 
 choo. Close by, on an eminence overlooking the place, is 
 a barrack, more intended for a sanitarium than a strong- 
 hold. Victoria, the capital, it is true, is not possessed 
 of much attraction, but life at Stanley was complete 
 isolation — the majority of officers who had been stationed 
 there had either become drunkards or gamblers, or, not 
 unfrequently, prematurely went to an early grave. 
 
 Well, what do you suppose were my feelings as, one 
 evening, while dressing for mess, the orderly corporal of 
 my company shoved the order-book in my hand, in which 
 I saw myself detailed to proceed on the morrow to take 
 command of this wretched place .■■ Disgust in the most 
 superlative sense. 
 
 Soon I was en route. The sail round the south side of 
 the island of Hong Kong is very pretty ; the hills cer- 
 
158 All Round the World. 
 
 tainly are sterile, but their outlines are bold and grand, 
 while the water, for clearness and brilliancy of colouring, 
 can most favourably compare with the ever-lauded 
 Mediterranean. About three hours' voyage landed me at 
 my destination, where I was greeted by my predecessor 
 and the temporarily attached assistant surgeon. Let me 
 describe the latter. He was about six feet four in height, 
 with the frame of a Hercules and an eye dark as the 
 raven's wing, flashing with courage and intelligence when- 
 ever he spoke. A finer or nobler specimen of a High- 
 lander I never saw ; a more true, brave, and generous- 
 hearted friend I never met. I became an inmate of his 
 bungalow till my own was put in order, and the first 
 night, as we discussed our late dinner, I found there was 
 a bond of sympathy between us that was calculated to 
 ripen into a lasting friendship. What was that bond .' 
 you will ask. Why, we were both ardently devoted to 
 the sports of the field and the use of the gentle, delicate 
 fly-rod. For a couple of weeks time sped on rapid wing ; 
 each had so much to tell of his favourite pursuit that 
 night after night, aye, well on into the wee sma' hours, we 
 would sit on the bungalow verandah in our loblolly chairs, 
 encased in panjamas, smoking cheroots and sipping weak 
 brandy-pawnee, spinning or listening to each others yarns. 
 Such was our occupation, the midnight relief had just 
 marched past, and the cheery notes of the distant sentries 
 were sounding the musical chant of " All's well," when B. 
 turned abruptly to me with the enquiry, " Have you ever 
 been to Lemma Island .'' " On answering in the negative, 
 he continued, " Then there we will go to-morrow, if the 
 weather is favourable, for though it's a long pull from 
 
Among Chinese Pirates. 159 
 
 here, the trip is worth the trouble, for I can show you 
 a small snipe marsh where I have twice obtained four or 
 five couple of long-bills." A bargain was struck on the 
 spot. A day's change, at least, was a treat, and although 
 a general order existed that both should not leave the 
 detachment together, we laughed at the distant prospect 
 of court-martials, and determined with one accord to 
 accept all risks. 
 
 After discussing our chutney and curried prawns at the 
 morrow's breakfast, the fast boat was announced as wait- 
 ing. So, whistling my dear and ever-true pointer Sancho 
 to my heels — B. armed with a shot-gun, I with a revolver, 
 which I carried merely for protection, for we had agreed 
 to take shot about— we hastened down to the place of 
 embarkation. 
 
 From Stanley, Lemma Island could distinctly be seen : 
 it lay about eight miles off, almost directly to the south- 
 ward. Its general appearance is less rugged than Hong 
 Kong, while its length is about seven miles. After a sail 
 of three hours, the keel of our boat grated on the desired 
 landing-place, and as we disembarked, instructions were 
 given to the crew to proceed along the shore to a known 
 inlet, where we would join them before sunset. As we 
 started inland, the boat pushed off; so, for a time at 
 least, we were separated from the rest of the world. 
 
 The sun that day was not overpoweringly hot ; a cool, 
 strong breeze played over our faces as we breasted the 
 opposing hill-side. Sancho, old pet, ranged far and 
 wide, hoping that his previous experience would assist 
 him to find a point. Up higher, higher, we ascend. 
 Sancho finds no game, and we at length reach the sum- 
 
i6o All Round the World, 
 
 mit. From here we have a grand view. Stanley, with 
 its snow-white barrack buildings, looked no larger than 
 a flock of scattered sheep on a hill-side. Away to the 
 eastward was a square-rigged clipper ship on her home- 
 ward voyage, freighted with the wealth of the Celestial 
 Empire. Think how many perils she has to encounter 
 ere again she floats in the waters that gird her ocean 
 birth-place ! To the westward opens Hong Kong har- 
 bour. Half a dozen American and European ships can 
 be seen, while the interval between them is crowded with 
 every description and size of Chinese shore-boat. On 
 turning to the other side, looking down the declivity 
 opposite to which we had ascended, a few hundred feet 
 beneath where we stood, lay nestled in the hills one 
 of the pleasantest, cleanest Chinese villages, partially 
 hidden by noble banyan trees, it has ever been my lot 
 to look at. But that the climate is unhealthy, it would 
 be an admirable place to which a man, regardless of 
 amassing wealth and gaining reputation, might retire, 
 with, perhaps, some fair being for companion. By the 
 village, through the fields, we tramped, over hills, down 
 ravines, till at length we reached the snipe-ground B. had 
 mentioned. It was a hollow, between hills, sixty acres or 
 so in extent, the greater portion of which was cultivated 
 with rice ; a part, however, was even too wet for that 
 water-loving cereal. In the tilled and unreclaimed land 
 we found birds ; and when we rested, after an hour's work, 
 we had seven brace of snipe and a pair of teal. Satisfied 
 — yes, deeming ourselves well rewarded — we turned our 
 faces towards the place of rendezvous, little doubting we 
 should find the boat ready to receive her freight. As we 
 
A mong Chinese Pirates. 1 6 1 
 
 descended towards the sea, a glorious Oriental sunset 
 greeted us, and we both halted to see old Sol retire 
 to rest behind the mighty ocean, attended by legions of 
 clouds decked in the most refulgent coloured armour. 
 
 But time hurries on apace, night quickly follows sunset 
 in tropical climates, and nearly a mile intervened between 
 us and the boat. Both of us were youthful and active, 
 and less than fifteen minutes placed us upon the shingle 
 beach of our rendezvous. But where is the boat .' Surely 
 some mistake has taken place. The scoundrelly crew 
 cannot have left without us. " Confound them ! " " They 
 deserve to have their heads punched ! " were the ejacula- 
 tions that fell from our lips. But talking was but a waste 
 of time. Let us decide what is to be done, and let us do 
 it quickly. In a minute our determination was that each 
 should go along the coast jn opposite directions, as, 
 possibly, the boat might have come a less distance 
 or gone farther. If either should find the boat, he was to 
 return to his companion, keeping close in shore ; but if 
 unsuccessful after searching for two miles, each was to 
 turn to the right-about, and meet where we then were 
 about to part. 
 
 B., whistling "Bonnie Dundee," with his gun on his 
 shoulder, took the western route ; I, with Sancho at my 
 heels, the eastern. Darkness had now dropped her sable 
 mantle over the landscape, and many were the falls and 
 bruises that I got as I threaded my intricate way through 
 the almost insurmountable boulders that lay along the 
 beach. I knew that the night was not going to be dark, 
 because the moon rose early. Still, I wished most cor- 
 dially that it rose earlier. I went through a mile of 
 
 M 
 
1 62 All Round the World. 
 
 most fatiguing clambering till at length I found myself 
 in such a cul de sac that a retrograde movement was ab- 
 solutely necessary. To avoid a repetition of such acci- 
 dents, I made a dHour inland. As soon as I reached soil, 
 I found walking much more favourable, for there was 
 nothing to oppose my progress but a sparse covering of 
 brush. But if the change was agreeable to me, it appeared 
 quite the reverse to my dog. Occasionally he would go 
 before me a few paces and return growling, showing 
 every indication of anger. This conduct of Sancho's 
 struck me as strange, indeed more than strange, indicative 
 of trouble, for, poor old veteran, his knowledge of life 
 had long taught him not to proclaim a false alarm. Still 
 I saw nothing, but for the sake of caution I determined 
 to return to the boulder-covered beach. In carrying out 
 this decision, I turned suddenly round, and behind me, 
 just showing over the rise in the land I had quitted, 
 appeared the figures of several Chinamen. (I may as 
 well tell my readers that this was in the year 1857, at a 
 time when a price was paid for every European's head.) 
 At once I knew that I was followed, and that with no 
 amiable intention. Drawing my revolver from my belt 
 and cocking it, I resolved to pursue my way, and only 
 use my weapon if compelled to do so. I made, however, 
 for the shore, not that it offered greater security, but 
 intuition told me that from the sea alone help could 
 be expected. Fain would I have turned, but I felt I had 
 a duty to perform, and do it I would. The boulders 
 again impeded my progress, and the rising tide caused 
 my steps to be necessarily nearer the bluffs that de- 
 scended to the beach. 
 
Among Chinese Pirates. 163 
 
 After such a warning as I had received, of course I 
 kept my eyes about me, and instead of two or three 
 assailants I became convinced that there were at least a 
 dozen. Their numbers made them brave, and no longer 
 was any great amount of strategy practised to prevent 
 their presence being known. I had almost made up my 
 mind to place my back, against a rock and fight it out, 
 for I felt I had been headed off from further progress, 
 when a boat shot round a point not fifty yards off. B. 
 was in her, and, rushing through the surf and water waist- 
 deep, I clambered on board. To explain my escape to 
 him at that moment was unnecessary, for my pursuers, 
 baulked in what they had considered a certain prize, lost 
 their prudence, and, yelling, rushed upon the beach. A 
 couple of gingalls which they carried sent their messen- 
 gers whistling by us, and thus gave us fair grounds for 
 retaliation. 
 
 B. stood up in the stern sheets ; not thirty yards from 
 us stood conspicuous the largest of our assailants. 
 Quickly B.'s gun was pitched to his shoulder, and with 
 the report arose a most unearthly yell. Never have I 
 heard a more frightful cry from those who have fallen 
 beside me in the battle-field, or from the raving madman 
 confined in a strait-jacket. B.'s gun was loaded with one 
 of Eley's heavy-shot wire-cartridges. 
 
 In a few hours we reached the detachment, and just as 
 we were about to land, I attempted to fire my revolver. 
 Every barrel missed. 
 
 M 2 
 
164 All Round the World. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 SHOOTING NEAR HONG KONG. 
 
 IN speaking of Hong Kong, the uninitiated are apt to 
 think that it is the last place in the world which 
 choice would lead one to visit, but when you have tra- 
 versed that mountainous and picturesque island, wandered 
 through its numerous valleys, rested from the noonday 
 sun in some of its innumerable villages, or drank the 
 cool waters that trickle down its many rugged ravines, 
 more especially if in the society of some of its merchant 
 princes, whose wealth is unbounded and good-fellowship 
 beyond comparison, I must be a false prophet indeed, or 
 else you will most assuredly, in after years, look back 
 with delight and satisfaction to the period you spent 
 upon the Chinese coast. 
 
 From my youth upwards I have always kept a diary, 
 as I should recommend all sportsmen to do, and when I 
 take a cast back through musty and soiled pages, I find 
 that my double-barrels did as much good and constant 
 work, when living on the confines of the Celestial 
 
Shooting near Hong Kong. 1 65 
 
 Empire, as they have executed before or after in the 
 many chmes and distant lands it has been my lot to 
 visit. 
 
 All may not have the same opportunities as I had, 
 for I, shortly after arrival, made the acquaintance of 
 a thorough sportsman and kind-hearted, worthy gentle- 
 man, who kept an excellent kennel of both pointers and 
 setters, and who kindly took me by the hand, and as 
 chaperon introduced me to all the best localities for 
 game, which he had found out through his own inde- 
 fatigable exertions and love of adventure, during a long 
 residence in this colony. I should have some hesi- 
 tation in pointing out these hunting-grounds, for fear 
 my worthy friend should object to the world being in- 
 formed of the result of his labours ; but, alas ! he now sleeps 
 peacefully in the Happy Valley, where neither dog nor 
 gun can disturb him, warmly remembered by all. who 
 knew him, and much regretted by every one who had 
 the honour of calling him friend. No true man or 
 sportsman should pass his last resting-place without 
 dropping a tear; and often have I regretted that cir- 
 cumstances have not carried me back to that far Eastern 
 land, that I might pay this rightful tribute to the kindest 
 friend, the most unselfish man, I ever met. If this in- 
 troduction be deemed irrelevant, I warn my readers that 
 I make this rhapsody the penalty for which I give my 
 experience. 
 
 Early one bright November morning I sailed with 
 three companions from Hong Kong harbour, on board 
 the good fast boat ' Pat-wan.' My esteemed friend, D., 
 was one of my associates. The others were both mer- 
 
1 66 All Round the World. 
 
 chants from Canton, keen sportsmen and good fellows. 
 A fresh, fair wind was blowing as we got under weigh, 
 and as the large matting-sails bellied out to the wind, 
 our craft cleft the water like a thing of life. I doubt 
 much if there is a more secure or beautiful harbour than 
 the one through which we were now running, nor can a 
 greater or more numerous variety of all kinds of boats 
 and shipping, whether European or Asiatic, be seen 
 anywhere else. The powerful steamship, strong as tim- 
 ber and iron can make it, capable of encountering the 
 much-dreaded typhoon ; the graceful snake-like clipper ; 
 the heavy, lumbering, native-built East Indiaman ; the 
 opium schooner, model of fleetness and symmetry'; the 
 Shantung junk, the piratical and smuggling fast boat — all 
 lay in one heterogeneous mass, with a perfect mosquito 
 fleet of man-of-war's boats, flower boats, sampans, mer- 
 chants' and captains' gigs, threading the intricate paths of 
 open water left between the larger and markedly dissimi- 
 lar crafts. The flag of England may predominate, but 
 the stars and stripes, tricolour, flaunting yellow ensign 
 of Spain, with the representative emblem of every na- 
 tionality in the world, can here be found, flying at the 
 peaks of trading vessels, for the owners of these crafts 
 are all intent on money-making, and ready to charter to 
 any nationality to carry tea, silk, and opium, or some- 
 times even do a little piratical business, if nothing else 
 offers. 
 
 As we cleared the labyrinth of shipping, our stem was 
 pointed for the Capsheemoon Pass, a distance of about 
 six miles, and gallantly did we advance ; but even after 
 leaving the roadstead, our way was not uninterrupted. 
 
Shooting near Hong Kong. 167 
 
 First we steered through a fleet of fishing-boats ; next a 
 crowd of merchant junks, heavily freighted with the 
 weahh of this Eastern clime, or some rapid steamboat 
 or mandarin snake boat shoots past — all on a visit to 
 the European emporium. What between luffing and run- 
 ning off our course to avoid collisions, more than an 
 hour elapsed before we got through the passage, when, 
 from the effect of the high lands shutting out the regular 
 course of the wind, it was necessary to make several 
 tacks to get a good offing for the place we intended to 
 run to. Castle Peak Bay was our destination, and so, 
 holding old Lin Ting on the south, we gallantly ran 
 down for our anchoring ground. As it was only mid- 
 day when we reached our journey's end, it was universally 
 agreed that tiffin should be served before we commenced 
 operations. The word of command was rapidly passed 
 forward, and almost as quickly was served under the awn- 
 ing upon the flush deck one of those sumptuous meals for 
 which the Orient is justly celebrated. Curry, that stand- 
 ing and incomparable dish ; pillaw, cold vae3Xs,pdtedefoie 
 gras, &c. &c. forming no inconsiderable portion ; and if 
 our provender was good, no less were the liquids-^ruby 
 claret, sparkling Moselle and old Otard or United Vine- 
 yards' brandy, were in profusion. However, one drink 
 stood paramount, and I can confidently recommend it as 
 worthy of the votaries of Diana, viz. Moselle and soda- 
 water. We all thought so, and many were the pear- 
 shaped gentry that disgorged their effervescing contents 
 to gratify our fastidious tastes. After feeling the inward 
 man refreshed, we disembarked, and soon stood on terra 
 firma, longing to commence the anticipated sport. Doe 
 
1 68 All Round the World. 
 
 and Die, a setter and pointer, were selected for our d^b{lt, 
 and Sancho, a young liver-coloured pointer, a present 
 from my friend, I determined to take, for the benefit he 
 would receive from the example of his well-broken com- 
 panions. The ground we were about to shoot over was 
 undulating and grassy, there being no high land in the 
 immediate vicinity, save the old Peak, from which the 
 place takes its name. A good deal of the vicinity had 
 been previously cultivated, but from unproductiveness, or 
 other causes, was now neglected ; still, the diminutive 
 stone fences which characterise this country remained, 
 and the intricate covering of briars and creepers, which 
 almost hid them from view, was found a frequent shelter 
 and resting-place of our quarry. Among the varieties of 
 game which we expected to find were the lordly pheasant, 
 refulgent in gorgeous plumage. He is indigenous to this 
 locality, where he grows to a much greater size than I 
 have ever seen him elsewhere, weighing frequently four 
 pounds and a half, and sometimes even more. I killed 
 a cock in the Shangmoon Valley, not over ten miles from 
 our present beat, which handsomely turned down the 
 scale at five and a half Still, these birds are not very 
 abundant here, this locality being scarcely far enough 
 inland, where the covers are more extensive and better 
 suited for their propagation. Frankolin, however, are here 
 tolerably numerous, few days passing without a dozen or 
 more falling to the sportsman's aim. They are larger than 
 the partridge of England, lie remarkably close, and, 
 when flushed, beat all the game birds put together in the 
 velocity of their flight. To be successful, you must 
 shoot quick, and cover them well, as they will carry 
 
Shooting near Hong Kong. 1 69 
 
 off as much lead as a wild goose. Then the quail — the 
 little migratory darlings— if you only chance to hit the 
 time of their arrival, they will give you as much popping 
 to do as can be stood up to. In Malta, on the coast of 
 Spain, and among the Greek islands, I have enjoyed some 
 splendid sport with them, and made wondrous bags, but 
 here in Southern China they are ten to one in compari- 
 son of numbers. Don't be impatient. I have not com- 
 pleted my list. Snipe — the idol of the shooter — also 
 abound. Can any one tell to what land the bird is 
 a stranger ">. Here there are two species — the common 
 bird, so numerous in Ireland, and the painted species, 
 larger than the former, more beautiful in plumage, but 
 lacking the velocity of flight ; and last, though not least, 
 the delicacy of flavour after passing through the cook's 
 hands. Then as to the web-footed gentry, their name 
 is legion, and their varieties are without number. Peli- 
 cans, geese, mallard, widgeon, and teal, being frequently 
 seen in such hordes that the water is obscured. If you 
 imagine that I am romancing, you have but in the 
 winter to take a trip up the Broadway running from the 
 back of Macao to Canton. Defer your opinion till then, 
 and I fear not the result. There is but one place where 
 such a sight can be seen, as well as in China, and if you 
 have time and means, place yourself upon the margin of 
 any of the numerous sloughs in the western prairies of 
 America, a little after sunset, late in autumn, when the 
 weather from appearances promises a rapid approach of 
 winter, and I presume to predict, if you should live to the 
 age of Methuselah, and have true sporting proclivities, the 
 sight you will then witness never can be forgotten. But to 
 
170 All Roiind the World. 
 
 return to the land of small-footed women and tails ; 
 seldom, if you go sufficiently inland, will a day pass 
 without seeing deer, and probably getting a shot at 
 them ; even on the island of Hong Kong a number 
 are to be found. Some of my regiment, on more than 
 one occasion, brought them to bag in the woods that 
 encircle the Happy Valley, where they used frequently 
 to hunt them with a pack of dwarf beagles. Another 
 species, larger and scarcer, the Formosan deer, is also to 
 be found ; on the mainland it resembles our fallow deer 
 in size, make, and colour. I only once had the fortune 
 to kill one, and it was deemed quite an exploit. It hap- 
 pened in this wise : I was shooting pheasants in the 
 upper portion of Shangmoon Valley, and my luck had 
 been anything but gratifying ; the heat was oppressive, 
 from the circulation of the air being shut out by the 
 numerous mountain ridges, and I had begun to fabricate 
 excuses for discontinuing my unprofitable business, con- 
 soling myself with the idea that I could make up in the 
 afternoon for the lost morning hour. When about to 
 retrace my steps to the Joss house, where I had left 
 my attendants, with instructions to prepare breakfast, I 
 observed a crowd of Celestials, with banners flying and 
 other insignia of pomp, descending an opposite de- 
 clivity. From what I knew of the manners of this 
 strange people, I concluded it was a funeral party, and 
 silently watched their grotesque proceedings. On they 
 advanced, making the rocks reverberate with their dis- 
 jointed bowlings ; a deer was unkennelled by their 
 approach, and made direct for my resting-place. Be- 
 neath was a stream which he had to ford if he continued 
 
Shooting near Hong Kong. 171 
 
 his course. When the antlered gentleman reached the 
 water, he stood and gazed with apparent curiosity at the 
 mixed crowd of ragamuffins who had ousted him fropi 
 his lair. Some minutes elapsed ere he made up his 
 mind to wet his feet, which delay I turned to account by 
 slipping an Eley green cartridge into each barrel, having 
 taken care to avail myself of the friendly shelter of some 
 brush. As the mob advanced closer upon him, deeming 
 his safety imperilled, he crossed the brook and offered 
 me as beautiful a side shot, at thirty-five yards, as the 
 most fastidious could desire. Simultaneously with the 
 report his graceful form bit the dust, and I had the 
 satisfaction of forwarding to the garrison as magnificent 
 a piece of venison as ever graced a mahogany table. 
 But to return to our friends, who are doubtlessly im- 
 patiently waiting to commence work. The dogs were 
 thrown off, and but httle time was lost before we had 
 evidence that the quail had arrived. Die was the first 
 to stand, and no sooner had she assumed her rigid posi- 
 tion than both Doe and Sancho backed. Soon a bird 
 was on the wing, and as rapidly cut down. Moi"e than 
 an hour passed, with little other diversity than when bad 
 shooting was made, and the luckless traveller would run 
 the gauntlet of our crowd ; many a good-natured joke 
 and happy salvo of wit greeted the "wiping of each 
 other's eyes," and our attendant coolies commenced to 
 groan under replenished game-bags. What is there 
 more delightful than a party of happy friends meeting 
 to enjoy the paramount pleasure of a day's shooting ? 
 A person of great literary talent once wrote that the 
 chase has a striking resemblance to war ; for my part I 
 
172 All Round the World. 
 
 cannot see it, for I never yet was under fire without feeling 
 a nervous and a strong desire for the termination of the 
 programme. I have heard many boast that they gloried 
 in the whistle of the bullet or the wicked, venomous 
 screech of the shell. Bah ! I cannot believe such state; 
 ments. Nature has not gifted me with less courage 
 than my fellows ; still, I never could overcome an uncon- 
 querable dislike to witness brains and blood scattered 
 around, or a disfigured, inanimate form drop from the 
 ranks, perhaps of one as unfitted as myself to go 
 to his final reckoning. But what are the dogs about, 
 standing as stiff as posts } and although we are close up, 
 never a feather can we see. Heigh on ! Good dogs ! 
 Not a step will they move ! All our inducements 
 can't make them advance. " Look out for a partridge ! " 
 exclaims our veteran leader ; previous experience warned 
 him what it was. One of our number headed the 
 canines. Still nothing flushed ; each tuft of grass is 
 kicked ; back and forth we walk, when, birr, with double 
 the noise of an old cock-pheasant, and with a little of 
 the rapid action of a high-pressure engine. Master Fran- 
 kolin rushes, on rapid wings, for a new abode ; bang ! 
 bang ! speak the guns, and at last he is cut down ; the 
 less-experienced having missed their bird like men, and 
 our veteran leader tumbling him all of a heap, the unfor- 
 tunate victim turning a succession of somersaults ere the 
 velocity with which he was going became fully retarded. 
 I never yet knew a novice succeed in his first effort to 
 kill this description of game, for their flight is so rapid, 
 the rumpus they make on taking wing so great, and the 
 whole performance so sudden, that the tyro is certain to 
 
Shooting near Hong Kong. 173 
 
 get disconcerted. Have you ever witnessed the pace with 
 which a flight of teal, with a gale of wind at their stern, 
 descend upon a sheet of water ? If so, their velocity is 
 the best comparison I can offer. We had now evidently 
 struck the haunts of the frankolins, for several more 
 were killed, and not a few escaped scot-free. One 
 remarkable peculiarity about them is, that you will 
 never flush them in coveys ; at the same time, where 
 you find one, more may confidently be looked for. 
 I remember once having crossed over to Kowloon, which 
 is on the opposite side of the harbour, and on the main- 
 land, to try and pick up a few snipe, as a bonne bouche 
 to finish a repast I was about to give some friends. 
 A good supply of No. g and my sixteen-bore I con- 
 sidered the most suitable for my purpose. Sancho, 
 whom I had taught to retrieve, among other accom- 
 plishments, as the wet paddy fields are often far from 
 agreeable to tramp over, was my companion. In cross- 
 ing a ridge of rough ground that divided one flat marsh 
 from another, he pointed respectively three frankolin, 
 and although I was within easy shooting distance of 
 each, and most thoroughly dusted their jackets, making 
 the feathers fly, I had not the fortune to secure one. 
 The vitality of this bird is truly amazing, and unless you 
 break a wing, or otherwise render him hors de combat, 
 you are extremely unlikely to see him again, for once 
 he is started, he knows no bounds to his journey. 
 
 Onward our party continued. After picking up plenty 
 more quail, our canines stopped on the edge of a slope 
 densely covered with dwarf brushwood, principally com- 
 posed of the beautifully brilliant azalia which grows 
 
1 74 All Round the World. 
 
 here in the greatest profusion wherever the soil is 
 moist. I cannot say I was surprised, for an internal 
 whispering had told me what to expect. A brace of 
 pheasants took wing, several misses were made, but the 
 duo were knocked down ; one quivered on the grassy- 
 open, while the other fell in the underbrush. The 
 services of Doe were brought into requisition, and after 
 losing a quarter of an hour, we were compelled to retire 
 with only one bird. However, Doe was not satisfied, 
 and he remained behind to make a final effort for the 
 recovery of the wounded game, while we continued our 
 work ; in little more than ten minutes the sagacious dog 
 joined us, triumphantly bearing the wounded bird, and 
 so little was he injured by the setter's teeth that he 
 made several abortive efforts to escape before he was 
 safely deposited in the game-bag. That night, on count- 
 ing our spoil, we found three pheasants, nine partridges, 
 and almost a hundred quails — pretty good shooting, I 
 think, you will agree, for four guns during an after- 
 noon. 
 
Drifting to Death. 1 75 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 DRIFTING TO DEATH. 
 
 IT is well known that a swimmer may incur consider- 
 able danger by bathing in the presence of a faith- 
 ful dog, because the instinct of these animals causes 
 them to believe their master is in peril, and by mis- 
 directed efforts, instead of saving, they complete the 
 catastrophe they wish to avert. Such a misadventure 
 once occurred to me, and as the circumstances were 
 peculiar, the narration of the same may not be without 
 interest. 
 
 While in China, on returning from drill in the after- 
 noon, my house-boy informed me that a coolie had just 
 arrived from Shangmoon side, and that both snipe and 
 quail had arrived in considerable numbers. Such a 
 chance for a day's sport was not to be disregarded ; so 
 hurrying over to the colonel's, I got the requisite permis- 
 sion to absent myself for a day. 
 
 At the Club House I mustered a couple of com- 
 panions, neither of whom I had ever been with before. 
 
1 76 All Round the World. 
 
 but as they bore the reputation of being good sportsmen 
 and crack shots, I was only too glad to accept their 
 society. Soon all preliminary arrangements were made ; 
 I was to dine with them, take a sofa afterwards so as to 
 be up by break of day, and the earlier ready for a start. 
 
 With my dogs, for I had a brace, I turned up for 
 dinner. The meal passed pleasantly, and a couple of 
 arrivals (warm-hearted, chatty fellows), when the wine 
 was placed on the table, dropped in and caused us to 
 disregard the fleeting hours, till it was so late that we 
 unanimously agreed not to go to roost but make a night 
 of it — not a very judicious course for those who wished 
 to make clean shooting. 
 
 With daybreak we sallied down to Peddar's wharf; the 
 wind at the time was gusty, and the appearance of the 
 fleeting clouds which scudded overhead ominous of a 
 coming blow. 
 
 Now Pirates' Bay, where we intended landing, was a 
 good six miles off across the channel which severed the 
 island of Hong Kong from the mainland, a portion of 
 which is a deep indentation in the land, enclosed on two 
 sides by precipitous lofty hills. 
 
 But few boats were knocking about, owing to the 
 earliness of the hour, and all which we hailed civilly 
 declined to undertake our hire ; at length, after consider- 
 able delay, a more adventurous craft came past, and 
 after a little pressing and abundant promises of cum- 
 shaw, she was backed alongside, and we seated ourselves 
 in the stern sheets, which were covered over with matting, 
 to protect passengers from the sun's rays. 
 
 Before going further, it may be well to state that there 
 
Drifting to Death. 177 
 
 are no better boatmen in the world than the Chinese ; 
 the aquatic residents on that coast are at it from their 
 infancy, and when they cannot go under canvas, Euro- 
 peans had better take warning and douse their sails also. 
 Well, we got on for a mile or two safely enough ; a few 
 small seas came over us, but more capable from their 
 magnitude of damping our guns than our ardour ; so 
 forward for our destination we pushed, close-hauled 
 occasionally, when the squalls freshened too much, luffing 
 up a little closer to the wind. 
 
 Our boat was a stiff, weatherly craft> and with her 
 reduced sail, and the comparatively smooth water that 
 surrounded us, we had nothing to fear ; but some persons 
 will be fastidious^dirty particular, as a friend of mine 
 used to say ; so what should one of my friends do but 
 insist on steering, because a few sprays had damped his 
 well-trimmed and much-loved whiskers. Now these 
 appendages were his treasures, his first thought in the 
 morning, his last at night, and possibly received many a 
 furtive glance during the day, whenever he chanced to 
 be in the vicinity of a glass. It was of no use attempt- 
 ing to dissuade him from his resolution ; all the argu- 
 ments I could use to the contrary were thrown away ; 
 further opposition on my part I felt would lead to a 
 rupture, so sooner than such should take place, I tacitly 
 gave my consent for him to take the tiller-lines, the cox- 
 swain's seat, and become our Palinurus. 
 
 This change of steersmen was soon effected, and from 
 the time it took place the gusts of wind appeared to 
 freshen. For fifteen or twenty minutes we did well 
 enough, at length a harder squall than had previously 
 
 N 
 
178 All Round the World. 
 
 been experienced threw us almost on our beam-ends. 
 "Luff!" was the word, and luff it was, till so much luffing 
 was done that on righting to an even keel, the boat 
 gibed, and being trimmed so as to sail on the tack we 
 had pursued, the craft turned her keel to the heavens, 
 and we went out from under the awning in what the 
 fishes must have considered a most ungraceful and 
 highly-ludicrous manner. 
 
 On coming to the surface and wiping the brine out of 
 my eyes I was grabbed by the shoulder by our would-be 
 helmsman, the one who had placed us in our present 
 predicament, and, worse than all, he could not swim, nor 
 would he leave go his hold. Argument and remonstrance 
 were useless, shake him off I could not, selfish enough I 
 should have been to try it ; but a drowning man will 
 grasp at a straw, and certainly from my personal ex- 
 perience he will cling to any one that can swim, whether 
 he causes his destruction or not ; so ceasing to exhaust 
 myself by remonstrance, I struck out and gained the gun- 
 wale of the topsy-turvy boat, my friend clinging to me as 
 tightly as ever did the old man of the sea to Sindbad. 
 
 At the time this catastrophe happened, the tide was 
 running out, and there we were, for all managed to reach 
 the boat, hanging on to our reversed cockle-shell, with 
 my dogs swimming round about, every now and then 
 paying me a visit, with the intention, evidently marked 
 in their countenances, of asking how I was, and whether 
 I required their assistance. But here our trouble did 
 not cease, too many of us clung to the same side of the 
 boat, placing more weight on it than on the other, and 
 when an unusually high sea would sweep past, the boat 
 
Drifting to Death. 179 
 
 would turn over and right herself, but from her great 
 sheer it was impossible to bail her out, for the sea made 
 a clean breach midships. 
 
 Again and again from this rotary movement we were 
 all thrown from her, and as time elapsed, and all, dogs 
 included, became exhausted, the latter would persistently- 
 come to me and endeavour to rest their exhausted 
 bodies by placing their limbs upon my shoulders. 
 
 One moment the boat had her keel down, next up- 
 wards. When the former was the case, I used my en- 
 deavours to shove the unfortunate canines on board ; 
 when the latter position was in the ascendant, they had 
 to swim, for the craft was deep and sharp, with but 
 little flooring, and consequently little resting room to 
 be obtained in the vicinity of her keel. 
 
 During every minute for a quarter of an hour our boat 
 changed its position, and would doubtlessly have con- 
 tinued to do so but that we managed more equally 
 to distribute the weight along each gunwale ; but 
 before that was accomplished, what between my friend 
 clinging by me, and the dogs swimming to me, I was 
 about "played out." At last the distribution of weight 
 gave me release, the pets were placed inside, and my 
 friend was given a good hold by the stern. Time fled 
 on rapid wing, minutes became hours, already we had 
 drifted by the familiar objects that mark the outer 
 harbour of Hong Kong ; Stone Cutter's Island dis- 
 appeared from view, and still no friendly sail was at 
 hand. 
 
 Although sharks are not particularly numerous here, 
 I expected a bite every moment, because I had white 
 
 N 2 
 
1 8o All Round the World. 
 
 trousers on. Not I alone, but all appeared to labour 
 under the same conviction, nor did we hesitate to convey 
 our conviction to one another. Our position was truly 
 unenviable, for we were drifting out to sea before a rapid 
 tide, and the only prospect before us, unless a ship 
 should heave in sight, of outliving one another, depended 
 on the amount of vitality each possessed. 
 
 Landmarks which I well knew glided past ; farther and 
 farther our temporary support drifted on ; still no craft 
 came to our aid, and truly we felt that we were alone on 
 the bosom of the waters. At length one of our party, 
 not he who had steered, spoke in serious words ; they were 
 to the effect that his strength was giving way, and he felt 
 that in a few minutes he must relax his hold. I begged 
 of him not to do so ; I entreated him to show his pluck, 
 reminded him of his wife and children, and how they 
 depended on him for their support. My entreaties had 
 their effect, for still he clung to the wreck. We must have 
 been in this predicament over two hours, when a Chinese 
 junk hove in sight. Closer and closer it approached, at 
 length scarcely a hundred yards divided us, when up 
 went her helm and off she stood upon another tack, 
 alike disregarding our shouts and signals. My last 
 hopes vanished with her. I felt convinced that I was 
 now performing my last exploit. And when the heart- 
 less Celestials, whom I Avas sure had seen us, turned 
 their, rudder towards myself and companions, I hurled 
 a deep and heartfelt anathema after them. 
 
 Our last hopes appeared to fade out, with the junk ; 
 farther and farther she receded from us ; at length her 
 hull disappeared, and nought but the mat sails could be 
 
Drifting to Death. 1 8 1 
 
 seen to mark her existence. Again and again I tried to 
 reanimate my companions, no easy task, for both ap- 
 peared to have lost hope, and with it the desire of con- 
 tinuing existence. My last effort had been made ; 
 supplications and entreaties were exhausted ; I believed 
 momentarily that one or both would have relaxed their 
 hold, to enter eternity, for the ordeal was a severe trial 
 of endurance, and one was far from being strong, the 
 other without any knowledge of the art of swimming. 
 As sea after sea broke over us — and with the passage of 
 time they were becoming larger as we drifted farther 
 from land — my dogs required more constant attention ; 
 scarcely would they be placed in the boat, resting on the 
 seats, when a more angry wave than its predecessor 
 would carry them beyond us ; and they, poor creatures ! 
 would invariably swim back to me for help. Again 
 and again this had been repeated, and I had almost 
 ceased to feel capable of placing them in the submerged 
 boat, when, as we drifted by a point of land, the ex- 
 treme end of a diminutive island, a square-rigged ship, 
 studding sails set, with her stem pointed at us, hove in 
 sight. 
 
 With eyes strained almost to bursting, all gazed upon 
 her ; with over-taxed hopes, all prayed that she might 
 not go by us: on — on — she came, stately with her 
 majestic spars. But, alas ! she veered to the right, and if 
 she continued her present course, she would probably 
 pass more than a mile from us. If the decks were 
 deserted, if the watch were not on the alert, it was quite 
 possible we might drift past unobserved. At length we 
 were abreast of this vessel — no indication on her decks 
 
1 82 All Round the World. 
 
 told us that her occupants were aware of our vicinity 
 — what was to be done to attract attention ? Each in 
 his turn raised himself and shouted ; but the weak and 
 worn-out voices never reached their destination. At 
 length one of the Chinese boatmen divested himself of 
 his outer garment ; he waved it in the wind, and just as 
 our hopes of succour were dying out, a boat was lowered 
 from the vessel's waist, several seamen sprang into her, 
 and ere half an hour passed, we were all, dogs included, 
 on board the 'Flying Mist,' on her passage from San 
 Francisco to Hong Kong. At the gangway the captain 
 met us ; he was just such a man as it was desirable to 
 come in contact with under such circumstances — hospi- 
 tality occupied a large part of his big heart. 
 
Wild Duck Shooting. 183 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 WILD DUCK SHOOTING. 
 
 A MONTH or more after the shooting incidents last 
 narrated, after the manner of ardent devotees of 
 the chase, when the ladies had left the table, and we had 
 concentrated the sundry decanters at one end of the board, 
 and lit, from the ever-ignited, smouldering joss-stick, our 
 inimitable cigars of the brand of Contrabandistas, the 
 most fragrant of all Manillas, conversation turned upon 
 our mutual hobby. Long shots and short ones, heavy 
 bags, strange adventures and shooting companions, were 
 all discussed ; even the relative merits of respective gun- 
 makers fell in for their share of criticism, and so the 
 happy hours fled with rapid stride, and even after the 
 obsequious, trim-clad Chinese lad had several times 
 announced that the ladies expected us for tea in the 
 drawing-room, our topic had not become worn out ; 
 although courtesy demanded our compliance. However, I 
 fear that we were far from gallant companions, for soon 
 after imbibing the cup that cheers but not inebriates, we 
 
184 All Round the World. 
 
 made our exit for the well-sheltered verandah, to loll 
 with luxury in that perfection of lazy persons' lounges, 
 loblolly chairs, with which every gentleman's house- 
 hold in that warm climate is numerously supplied. With 
 the increase of cooling draughts, warmer got our theme, 
 till at length we had definitely arranged that next day, 
 weather propitious, we would start for Deep Bay, dis- 
 tant about thirty miles, to wage war upon the numerous 
 ducks and geese which generally frequented that neigh- 
 bourhood at this season of the year. 
 
 Now, this trip was a hazardous undertaking, and 
 recruits had to be beaten up, for in numbers there is 
 strength, and a jaunt in any direction exceeding a few 
 miles was always extremely dangerous, and even more 
 so than usual at this period, for a premium of three 
 hundred dollars was on each European's head that could 
 be sent to the Chinese government. Still, what will a 
 sportsman not risk rather than be debarred the enjoy- 
 ment of his favourite pleasure ! Early rising, uncomfort- 
 able quarters, exposure to wet and storm, are all smiled 
 at, and even the luxurious couch, the handsomely 
 furnished chamber and recherclii table, are often, for a 
 period, temporarily foregone. 
 
 As my good old friend and companion had a deserved 
 reputation for his success and knowledge of the haunts 
 and habits of game, he had no trouble in procuring 
 recruits ; so that on the morrow, when, at the appointed 
 starting time, I arrived at our place of rendezvous, two old 
 friends were already on the ground, amid a pile of wine- 
 cases, boxes of potted meats and vegetables, gun-cases, 
 and all the etceteras of a sportsman's paraphernalia. 
 
Wild Duck Shooting. 185 
 
 discussing the prospects, and anticipating with pleasure 
 the deeds of prowess we were about to perform. Soon 
 we were all — four in number — transferred on board the 
 clipper-built 'Lorcha,' and as her crew shook out her 
 immense matting sail, the wind laid her over, the smooth 
 water splitting before her sharp bow, and bearing us 
 forward for our proposed destination, as soon as head- 
 way was obtained, at fully eight or nine knots per 
 hour. Lounging on the deck in every attitude of repose, 
 enjoying the balmy breeze and beautiful scenery that 
 surrounded us, we quickly gain the Capsheemoon Pass, 
 where the panorama, beautiful before, even improves ; 
 for countless are the rugged mountain-peaks and nume- 
 rous the islands that form the background of the land- 
 scape, while innumerable craft of every size, shape, and 
 nationality, glide swiftly by in close proximity, good 
 evidence of the immense carrying trade of the interesting 
 and strange inhabitants of this far-distant and little- 
 known land. An old and favourite shooting resort, 
 Castle Peak, bears on the right ; while Linting, once the 
 rendezvous of fleets of wealthy East Indiamen, looms 
 ruggedly on the left, now long deserted and divested of 
 the busy bustle of commerce for the safer anchorage and 
 pleasanter island of Hong Kong. On, on we glide, with 
 little change, save additional motion, for we are gradually 
 gaining open, unsheltered water, till the skilful pilot deems 
 we have made sufficient offing, alters our course, and bears 
 up for Deep Bay, which, by the way, is very shallow as far 
 as depth of water is concerned, and must have gained its 
 name from the great distance it runs inland. With 
 a good breeze upon our beam, we lay over to port, and 
 
1 86 All Round the World. 
 
 rapidly draw in upon the shore, our sail level as a flat 
 board, till scattered villages and numerous paddy-fields 
 show, bespeaking the abundance of population and 
 untiring energy of the industrious natives. Chinese 
 villages are generally very picturesque, the style of 
 architecture quaint and pretty, while the situations are 
 always admirably chosen to please the eye, having abun- 
 dance of scattered shade-trees and wood around. Which 
 of us does not well remember the old willow-pattern on 
 China ware, once so popular and universal .■' What child 
 has not gazed with wonder and astonishment upon its 
 bad perspective and curious details .'' Nevertheless, 
 making allowance for all its faults, it has a marvellous 
 resemblance to many a celestial homestead I have visited 
 in my lengthened sojourn in that densely populated 
 country. 
 
 Having advanced as far as navigation would permit at 
 the then state of the tide, we grounded on an oyster 
 bank, where we were compulsorily detained for several 
 hours ; and as the day was now too far advanced to 
 commence work, cigars and other etceteras, with the 
 additional accompaniments of pleasant companionship, 
 did not cause us to regret the detention, and swiftly 
 passed the hours, time being enlivened with many a 
 merry song or sparkling joke, racy anecdote, or remi- 
 niscence of far-distant homes. 
 
 On rising before the sun on the morrow, we found our 
 crew had not been idle, for we had advanced ten or 
 twelve miles farther, and were now safely moored in the 
 channel of a considerable river which flowed through 
 the centre of a large rushy marsh, intersected in every 
 
Wild Duck Shooting. 187 
 
 direction by watercourses ; in truth, just such surround- 
 ings as a duck-shooter would choose, and as we supped 
 our morning cup of coffee in the twiHght, flight after 
 flight of the web-footed gentry whistled by, intent with 
 preoccupied thoughts, and consequently fearless of dan- 
 ger, to gain some oozy mud-bank or sheltered feeding- 
 ground. 
 
 After a consultation, it was decided that we should 
 separate, two of our party going up stream, the remainder 
 down ; and as I and my worthy friend, the projector of 
 this escapade, were assigned to each other's companion- 
 ship, we soon crossed the bulwarks and seated ourselves 
 in our skiff, behind four stout Chinamen, whose sinewy 
 arms made the well-seasoned ash oars bend under their 
 muscular exertions, while our stem was pointed for the 
 more open water. 
 
 It would scarcely be fair to neglect to mention a very 
 important personage who accompanied us, viz. a French 
 poodle, who, in our estimation, and in the estimation of 
 all who knew her, was supposed to know more than all 
 the dogs of her day. This animal was an untiring swim- 
 mer, up to every trick, and comprehended almost every 
 word that was said to her ; still she was ladylike in 
 being fond of having her own way, and even occasionally 
 would display a most provoking amount of obstinacy. 
 But being well acquainted with her peculiarities, I was 
 induced to take her, as we were without a retriever, for I 
 was aware that, if the spirit moved her propitiously, she 
 would make herself most useful. As we proceeded 
 rapidly down the stream, with a favourable tide, sundry 
 shots were obtained and several single birds were picked 
 
1 8 8 All Round the World. 
 
 up, but none of the flocks we had earlier observed had, 
 so far, come within reach. My companion, besides his 
 ordinary twelve-bore gun, had a double barrel of six 
 gauge, from the well-known establishment of Egg, and 
 as he had frequently used it with good results at long 
 ranges, we both had great hopes of successfully bringing 
 it into play. On approaching the more open water, a 
 dense phalanx of teal were seen hovering over a mud- 
 bar, and with powerful stroke and keen expectation we 
 directed our course for this miniature regiment. Again 
 and again the ever-varying flock rose and descended 
 with rapid swoop, the light glancing off" their metallic- 
 coloured plumage as if from a mirror, and recalling 
 remembrances of the appearance of a flight of golden 
 plover. As teal in these waters are seldom wary, no 
 care was taken to conceal ourselves. The only caution 
 we adopted was that the Chinamen lay on their oars 
 when we had obtained good headway, which, with the 
 force of the current, rapidly hurried us forward. Yard 
 by yard we steadily advanced till but sixty intervened, 
 and the ducks, which had previously alighted, indi- 
 cated symptoms that our presence was disagreeable. D. 
 pitched his gun, and two reports followed with little 
 interval, the first shower of shot being delivered while 
 the birds rested, the second as they hurriedly rose to 
 quit so dangerous a neighbourhood. The result was 
 that thirty-two plump beauties were bagged, with at 
 least a fourth more disabled, which were unfortunately 
 lost ; a termination which too frequently follows long 
 shots from large guns. The bar which we had now 
 reached appeared a favourite resting-place for wild fowl, 
 
Wild Duck Shooting. 189 
 
 and in little over an hour more than a dozen of the web- 
 footed genus were added to our already extensive bag. 
 However, as day advanced, the game became more wary, 
 and we consequently determined to go on a voyage of dis- 
 covery in quest of fresh scenes and less-watchful ducks. 
 
 The tide was now out, and as we glided along the shore 
 of numerous slobby mud-banks, we observed sundry 
 Chinamen gathering shell-fish over the treacherous, 
 oozy surface. Their manner of progression was novel 
 and curious. Each searcher had an apparatus like a 
 large hand-sleigh, with an upright at the back extre- 
 mity, on which he leaned his chest, propelling the vehicle 
 with his feet in rear. Nor was this all. Ducks and 
 geese, which were feeding in thousands on these slippery 
 banks, did not appear in the least to regard the presence 
 of John Chinaman, while plying his avocation ; long 
 association, previous security and uninterruption, had 
 gained these wary birds' confidence, and with simply a 
 flutter or quack, they cleared the path for the shell-fish 
 hunter to progress. No man with the smallest amount 
 of invention could fail to turn such a discovery as this 
 to advantage. D. had been a sailor, and well knew all 
 the intricacies of knots and splices ; a couple of these 
 hand-sleighs lashed together, with a seat between them, 
 was all that was requisite, but to make the trial less liable 
 to failure it was better still for the gunner to don the 
 outer raiment of a native. Having consulted one of our 
 oarsmen, who spoke our lingo, we made arrangements 
 for opening negotiations for the temporary use of these 
 novel machines, and quickly had a couple alongside our 
 boat. With many an intricate and skilfully devised knot. 
 
190 All Round the World. 
 
 brace and counter-brace, the construction was fabricated ; 
 my friend had already put one of the boatmen's common 
 garments over his own — no easy matter, for he was portly, 
 in truth very portly, though short in stature — and with 
 his redoubtable heavy gun, he determined on making 
 the first essay. Before starting, however, an additional 
 improvement was suggested, viz. : a stool for him to sit 
 on, which was received with approval, renewed ties and 
 bights being placed around its legs to keep it firm in the 
 proper place. Never shall I forget, to the last day I live, 
 the imposing appearance of my companion, as he started 
 with a smile of satisfaction on his lip, and an injunction to 
 me not to let the cat out of the bag when we got home, 
 as the escapade could be repeated on the morrow. With 
 two of the lusty Chinamen propelling him forward over 
 the slimy surface, with rapid, sleigh-like motion, ere going 
 much over a hundred yards, a shot was obtained, and six 
 or more curlew were cut down at short range, ignorant 
 from where came the death-dealing hand. Soon all were 
 gathered up, and " en avant " was the cry ; but whether it 
 happened from the knots being insecure, or the lashing 
 breaking, or the propelling force not acting simul- 
 taneously, dreadful to narrate, the two mud-boats parted, 
 and my stout, jolly, kind, good-hearted friend disappeared 
 between them into a bed of the foulest, softest, most 
 beastly filth that ever edged a sea-girt shore. If my 
 fears were great, the consternation of both the attendant 
 Chinamen was even greater, and if they had dared, doubt- 
 lessly would with the first impulse have deserted their 
 frail and treacherous crafts rather than bear the brunt 
 of the irritated barbarian's wrath; but go they could 
 
Wild Duck Shooting. 191 
 
 not without their boats ; their locomotion was stopped, 
 and with assumed submissive aspect, they resigned 
 themselves to the force of circumstances. D. plunged 
 and snorted ; never did war-horse, in all the glory of his 
 strength, or mired buffalo, with all his power, perform 
 more astonishing feats of prowess and agility. First one 
 leg and then the other was withdrawn, each in its turn to 
 sink deeper as weight was placed upon it to assist in re- 
 gaining the lost throne of eminence. Danger being out 
 of the question, I could only lie down and laugh at the 
 absurdity of the whole affair ; nor for the life of me could 
 I do aught else. Never, in the course of my life, could I 
 remember seeing so close an approach to the perfection 
 of low comedy. Protracted and violent was the struggle, 
 and when at length dear old D. had regained his 
 seat, the comicality was none the less, for from head to 
 foot, over face and hands, was the black, slippery, ill- 
 smelling matter, completely obscuring features, and 
 hiding entirely the colour of his garments. The cher- 
 ished fancy of his brain, the possession of innumerable 
 wild fowl, had fled, and all the treasures of a hunter's 
 cupidity were now but vanity, the essence of vanity. 
 
 What a spectacle did he present, mud from head to 
 foot ! Even his gun, the powder-flask and shot-belt which 
 were suspended around him, had so changed their shape 
 and appearance that the most astute never could have 
 recognised them ! There are some persons so physically 
 constructed that it is impossible for them to suppress 
 laughter when aught risible strikes their fancy, and so 
 it is with your humble servant. I should have been 
 extremely sorry to forfeit the friendship of my friend, 
 
192 All Round the World. 
 
 and I was aware that to be made a butt of was his 
 horror, and would probably cause him much annoyance. 
 Still to witness his rotund figure, besmeared countenance, 
 and woeful expression, as he was propelled towards the 
 boat was so ludicrous, so absurd, that I was obliged to 
 give way to my feelings. Old Neptune, grown as hoary 
 with sea-grass as a ship's bottom after a five years' cruise, 
 could not have figured in a more comical light. 
 
 Of course our shooting for that forenoon was at an 
 end, and in no loquacious humour we retraced our way 
 to the ' Lorcha.' Poor D. being outraged at my want 
 of sympathy, disgusted at my heartlessness, and in a 
 bad temper with his own lack of skill and discretion, 
 brooded over his misfortunes, and nursed his wrath till 
 he should come across some one on whom to vent it. As 
 we approached the craft, our friends were seen on deck, 
 who naturally anxious to learn of our success, rose to 
 receive us, but no sooner had their eyes rested on the 
 mud-stained sportsman than peal after peal of laughter 
 resounded, each more violent than its predecessor, till 
 both appeared on the verge of a fit, and as their hilarity 
 increased so did D.'s wrath, till, unable to suppress it 
 any longer, he poured a volley of abuse on his China 
 boy, who was assisting to unrobe him. However, D.'s 
 rage was like a summer's shower, of short continuance, 
 for after he had undergone a good tubbing and change 
 of raiment, and imbibed a drink and lit a cigar, his jolly 
 old phiz was illuminated with a smile, and as he narrated 
 all the particulars of the escapade, he laughed as heartily 
 as his listeners at the absurdity of the whole affair. 
 
 That afternoon I started alone to look for snipe on 
 
Wild Duck Shooting. 193 
 
 the paddy-fields, and was most successful, for the game 
 was abundant and tame, the weather being mild, bright, 
 and warm. These enclosures are eminently suited for 
 snipe-shooting, as the ground is clear and unobstructed, 
 for each is small and divided from the other by a flat 
 bank, on which the walking is good. As I advanced, 
 bird after bird flushed, of both the painted and common 
 species, till my game-bag was expanded to its most 
 capacious limits. As the evening drew on, several 
 bunches of teal passed within gun-shot, of which I was 
 able to make a good score, till I was ultimately obliged 
 to cease by the weight of my burthen. The sun was 
 'now setting, and admonished me that it was time to 
 return, and as I turned my steps homewards, the view 
 which presented itself, illuminated by all the rich glow of 
 a tropical sunset, called me to a halt. The better to 
 appreciate its beauty, I rested upon a rock, and still 
 think I never enjoyed a more lovely panorama. Ver- 
 dant, well-cultivated land, with numerous hamlets of 
 snow-white cottages nestling under the giant foliage- 
 covered branches of many varieties of trees ; a still, 
 placid bay, unrippled by the most gentle breeze, formed 
 the fore and middle-ground ; while distant irregular 
 mountain-peaks, marked by deep contrast of light and 
 shadow, composed the distance — the whole forming a 
 picture worthy the skill of any artist — but still there 
 was a want, a necessity, not easy to be supplied — no 
 lowing herds of cattle, no happy groups of children, 
 no industrious farmer unhitching his companion horses, 
 or frugal housewife, or healthy dairy-maid relieving 
 the patient cows of their milky stores, such as is seen at 
 home, broke the monotony. With all the gorgeousness 
 
 o 
 
194 All Round the World. 
 
 of tropical flora, all the brilliancy of tropical light, still on 
 every Eastern scene there is a stamp of semi-barbar- 
 ism, semi-civilisation that cannot fail, in the eyes of all, 
 when we think of our native land, to detract materially 
 from the foreign picture, unless the spectator be one of 
 those unhappy beings whose existence has been a blank 
 or series of misfortunes, inducing him to abhor all that 
 may remind him of the ties that bind the heart to home, 
 nationality, and friends. 
 
 That evening, one of our crew, who had been on shore, 
 brought us the startling intimation that a piratical junk 
 was in the neighbourhood, that they were aware of 
 our presence, and intended, during the night, paying us 
 a visit. Of course, such a warning was not to be dis- 
 regarded, and steps were forthwith taken to afford us 
 the best chances of making a successful defence. The 
 neighbourhood bore a bad character, and the conduct 
 of the few natives with whom we had come in contact 
 plainly showed that their feelings towards us were far 
 from amicable. Moreover, but a short time previously, 
 a yacht belonging to a wealthy mercantile house, on a 
 trip from Macao, with none but her Chinese crew on 
 board, had been captured, all the hands killed except 
 one, the craft run ashore, pillaged and stripped of her 
 copper ; and, although every exertion had been made by 
 the gunboats, the marauders were still at large, and were 
 believed to reside in this neighbourhood. After seeing 
 that the watches were properly set, and cautioning our 
 crew against surprise — for on them we had the greatest 
 reliance, the inhabitants of Hong Kong and those of the 
 coast, although of the same nationality, being always 
 at bitter enmity with each other — we retired to our crib 
 
Wild Duck Shooting. 195 
 
 to reload and overhaul our arms, that they might be 
 in the most effective state if called upon' for service. 
 With danger many become reckless, and the prospect 
 of using our guns on larger game than wild fowl did 
 not prevent us from passing a jolly evening. The jovial 
 cup went round and round, and cigar after cigar was 
 demolished, till the atmosphere of the close cabin was 
 so dense that the figures of companions loomed big 
 and indistinct, the smoke appearing as if it might have 
 been cut with a knife. All went merry as a wedding- 
 bell, and half-an-hour more would have placed us in 
 the arms of Morpheus, when the shrill clear voice of 
 the watch on deck was heard challenging some un- 
 known intruder. With one impulse we all tumbled 
 up the companion, to learn the cause of alarm, which 
 soon was obvious, for about a hundred yards astern 
 loomed the figure of a large junk. Now, whether this 
 was only a trader or a I'obber was doubtful, but time 
 would show. During this delay, D., who from age and 
 experience was acknowledged commander, instructed me 
 to look well to the masthead, and if I could see a figure 
 there — a position always secured on such occasions by 
 a villain with a stink-pot ; a piece of crockery containing 
 liquid fire which ignites when thi'own upon the deck — 
 to pepper him with both barrels of his heavy six-bore 
 gun, loaded with swan-drops. 
 
 Slowly' and steadily the supposed foe advanced, till 
 within thirty paces, when she bouted ship at being 
 challenged, and lit a port fire. The light soon illumi- 
 nated both their deck and ours, giving a good view of 
 the numerical strength of both parties ; but whether the 
 supposed foes were disappointed with our appearance, 
 
 2 
 
196 All Round the World. 
 
 or were not what we suspected, they gradually paid off 
 to the wind and rapidly disappeared from view. From 
 our ignorance of the language and manners of the 
 Celestials, it would be difficult to come to a conclusion 
 whether their intentions were hostile or not, but our crew 
 continued to insist that they were undoubted lallaloons.* 
 The excitement of this little incident had banished sleep, 
 so instead of retiring, we determined to make a night 
 of it, the better to be prepared for another visit, or to 
 be earlier ready for the morning shooting. Before day 
 broke, wild fowl were distinctly heard upon the %\'ing, 
 and as a considerable change had taken place in the 
 atmosphere, indicated both by our own feelings and an 
 observable fall in the thermometer, sharp work was ex- 
 pected. The duo who had gone up the water being 
 well pleased with their previous day's work, preferred 
 their former beat ; so D. and self started downwards, 
 for the bank near which we had killed the teal. On our 
 way we cut some rushes to form screens at the most 
 favourable stands. All this time, although day had 
 scarcely yet broken, flock after flock hurried past, but 
 from the uncertainty of the light and the probable diffi- 
 culty in gathering the slain, we desisted from shooting. 
 On rounding the last point of land that severed us from 
 our ground, our patience was doubly rewarded, for thou- 
 sands of birds sat upon the water and beach, pluming 
 and dressing their feathers in conscious security. Nor 
 did they appear to regard our presence, for many, and 
 those closest to us, remained with their heads under 
 their wings, dreaming doubtlessly of far-distant northern 
 haunts upon the banks of the Amoor, or others of the 
 
 * Pirates. 
 
Wild Duck Shooting. 197 
 
 numerous rivers that pursue their solitary course through 
 the sparsely populated plains of Siberia towards the 
 Arctic seas. Getting good way on our boat, the oars 
 were unshipped, and a preconcerted signal agreed upon 
 for opening fire. Foot by foot we steadily approached, 
 till but thirty-five paces intervened, when each aiming 
 low, our two right-hand barrels responded to the pres- 
 sure on the trigger, cutting a lane through the uncon- 
 scious broad bills, and as they rose, almost with the 
 voice of thunder, off the water, each left-hand barrel 
 repeated the performance, bringing down in all attitudes 
 maimed and wounded. Over thirty birds fell to this 
 fusilade, and among their numbers was to be found 
 almost every variety, from the handsome plumaged 
 widgeon and teal to the larger mallard. 
 
 Except on American prairies, in autumn and spring, 
 at the periods of migration, I know of no place where 
 such fine duck-shooting can be obtained as here ; but 
 the preference, even if the numbers should be much 
 less, must be given to America, for few of our race can 
 continue to breathe the noxious miasmas that night and 
 morning arise from the paddy-fields without his consti- 
 tution and health becoming seriously impaired. In fact, 
 two of the gentlemen who then shot with me found pre- 
 mature graves, and in each instance their medical at- 
 tendants affirmed that they had contracted the disease 
 which had deprived them of life by their too-frequent 
 trips in pursuit of their favourite sport. 
 
 Our work commenced successfully, and how often does 
 a good deb'dt tend to make us continue to perform well ; 
 both shot better than usual, and it soon appeared that 
 we had but to point our guns to cut down the swift- 
 
198 All Round the World. 
 
 winged game. Later in the day, finding that the boat 
 alarmed the birds, we placed our screens, and dismissed 
 it to wait till wanted. The poodle that I have men- 
 tioned did excellent work, entering quite into the spirit 
 of the sport, and appeared perfectly delighted at the fun 
 of retrieving and wooling the dead, dying, and cripples. 
 As time advanced, the birds became more wary, and 
 frequently would alight just beyond gunshot. However, 
 I adopted a plan which succeeded admirably, id est, 
 toling the game up.* The poodle's greatest pleasure 
 appeared to be in carrying stones which had been spit 
 on, more particularly if large and almost impossible to 
 get in her mouth. Now this little eccentricity I turned 
 to advantage, for I kept her busy on the beach, lugging, 
 hauling, and fetching. The movements of the dog 
 evidently excited the curiosity of the duck, for when 
 they would perceive her, they would bunch together, 
 and swim towards her, curious to see what all the fuss 
 was about, nor ^\'ould they halt till within easy range. 
 Again and again was this device practised, till nearly 
 two-score birds had been killed. But the dog's retrieving 
 qualities were soon tested too severely. A cormorant, 
 which is about the size of a goose, and provided with 
 a most formidable hooked bill, with which it can bite 
 most severely, came skimming by ; with the same feelings 
 which cause the sportsman always to shoot at a hawk I 
 gave him a barrel, and tumbled him over with a broken 
 wing. The poodle was sent to fetch him, and after a 
 long chase succeeded in collaring the bird. But the 
 cormorant didn't see it in the same light, and bravely 
 
 * A common method in America, and frequently very successful. 
 
Wild Duck Shooting. 199 
 
 resisted ; both wings and bill were brought into play, 
 feathers and wool flew ; the dog was determined, and 
 so was the bird. A more perfect example of " pull devil 
 pull baker " scarcely could be imagined ; first one had 
 the advantage, then the other, till Master Canine suc- 
 ceeded in getting the bird by the neck and triumphantly 
 landed him. But one pill was a dose ; the poodle had 
 never previously been so roughly handled, and all my 
 future efforts ever after failed in making her carry aught 
 that bore feathers. 
 
 On joining my companion, I found he had done 
 almost as well as myself, for conjointly we could number 
 over seventy birds ; and as the sun was getting too 
 powerful to be pleasant, we started for our ' Lorcha,' 
 which we soon gained, having the assistance of a favour- 
 able tide and wind. On getting on board, we met our 
 friends, who had also done well, and, as our stock of 
 game was as great as we could make use of, without a 
 single demur we hoisted anchor and set sail for Hong 
 Kong, which, without accident, we safely reached that 
 evening, in time to enjoy another social evening and 
 fight our battle over again. 
 
 Persons residing in or visiting Hong Kong can always 
 in winter enjoy a good day's duck-shooting if they take 
 a trip through the Broadway, or Southern passage, 
 which leads up to Canton. So great is the quantity 
 of birds to be found there that I have been informed 
 on no less authority than that of a naval officer once 
 serving on that station, that he killed over a hundred 
 birds at one discharge of a small carronade loaded with 
 duck-shot. 
 
200 All Round the World. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 FIRST HURDLE RACE IN JAPAN. 
 
 " T E T go the anchor," when sung out by a cheery 
 J — ' voice, is most melodious ; and seldom are the 
 words unwelcome. On the occasion to which I allude 
 they were not, and as the chain rattled out through the 
 hawsehole, as if in echoing response to the Commander's 
 voice, making the ship reverberate from stem to stern, I 
 believe there was not one soul on board that did not feel 
 thankful, and why .'' Twenty-four hours previously we 
 had been tossing about off Cape Itsu, in fact between it 
 and a dangerous archipelago of islands, of whose pecu- 
 liarities we had no chart, while the wind was raising 
 as big a rumpus as it is possible for it to get up ; in- 
 deed, blowing a regular typhoon, accompanied by such 
 torrents of rain as are only known to the visitors of the 
 tropics. During the day we had passed up from the 
 outer to the inner bay of Yeddo. Previous to this trip, 
 I had sworn by the beauty of the Dardanelles, vowed 
 by the grandeur of the Bosphorus ; but all my previous 
 
First Hurdle Race in Japan. 10 1 
 
 expectations, aye, though impressed upon me by such 
 language as issues from the unmatchable Byron — fell to 
 the ground when I beheld the constantly changing pano- 
 rama of the termination to our voyage. Can I describe it ? 
 — I will try. The foreground of the picture was composed 
 of the most placid cerulean-blue water, the intermediate 
 of the most variegated and beautiful woodlands, inter- 
 sected by numerous openings, all rejoicing in an appa- 
 rently abundant harvest, while superbly magnificent and 
 ever-beauteous Mount Fusiama backed the distance, dis- 
 tinct, but soft in outline, regular in shape, as if the pro- 
 duction of some giant mathematician ; while the summit 
 sides were intersected with frosted rays of silver (the 
 snows remaining from the previous winter), that looked 
 like the airiest and brightest plumes that ever graced 
 the hat of fair lady or gallant general. You may be a 
 wanderer from youth to the age allotted man to live ; 
 yes, you may travel the world from pole to pole, visit 
 every nook, every corner of this earth, and I doubt much 
 whether a more beauteous, more grandly magnificent 
 scene can be beheld from shipboard than such as is seen 
 as you pass the narrows that lead into the inner bay of 
 Yeddo ! 
 
 Scarcely had the reverberated echoes of the descending 
 anchor died away when a host of European visitors 
 arrived on board ; the majority sought news. A small 
 clique sought me, and what for.' — to get me to act as 
 clerk of the course, at a proposed race-meeting, the 
 first ever held in Japan, and also to ride a horse. To 
 the first duty I readily consented, to the second it is 
 possible I should have objected, but when the petitioner 
 
202 All Round the World. 
 
 was a big-hearted American, who had, under the instruc- 
 tions of the gallant Commodore Tatnall, then command- 
 ing the American fleet in Chinese waters, assisted to 
 tow many of my countrymen from under the destructive 
 fire of the Tachoo forts, when through treachery our 
 little fleet was so sadly discomfited, I struck my opposi- 
 tion, and promised to do the best in my power to 
 bring his horse in a winner. 
 
 In Japan — it was so then, I believe it is so now, and 
 trust it may ever be the case — the best, warmest of kindly 
 feelings existed between the American residents and the 
 representatives of my own land. The race-meeting had 
 been determined on by both nationalities, and our kind, 
 good-hearted consul at Kanagawa, once an officer in the 
 Guards, had been selected for judge. The ground chosen 
 was only a short way from Yokohama ; the Japanese 
 authorities had assisted in laying out the course, and, 
 considering the time and opportunities, had succeeded in 
 making a suitable place of operations in no ways dis- 
 creditable to their ingenuity and the occasion. 
 
 The early races of the meeting passed off to the satis- 
 faction of all, the Japanese officials kept the ground free 
 from intrusion, and entered with the greatest pleasure 
 into the sports. It might be three o'clock, perhaps later, 
 when the saddling bell sounded for the grand performance, 
 that in which I was to figure, nothing less than a hurdle 
 race, with about eight flights in a mile. Up to this period 
 I had not seen my mount, still I felt no uneasiness, for 
 I was assured he was a good one, who only wanted some 
 one on his back to make him go, and that with such he 
 could jump anything, from a five-barred gate upwards. 
 
First Hurdle Race in Japan. 203 
 
 The competitors, nine or ten in number, had assembled ; 
 their costumes were more varied than picturesque, but 
 still my nag had not put in an appearance. Better late 
 than never, at length he came, and, O shades of Rosinante, 
 what a brute ! not out of condition certainly, but such 
 legs, and as long as if they had been supplied with stilts 
 from les Landes. Moreover, he was as light in the body 
 and girthing, yes, and more so than any weedy screw 
 that ever looked through a halter at home, while his 
 temper was such that the horse-coolies who led him were 
 kept constantly on the qui vive. 
 
 To mount took me several minutes, and I doubt if 
 I should have succeeded but for the application of a 
 twitch. I tried a preliminary canter, but found it no go, 
 and inwardly I wished my acquaintance — I won't say 
 what or where. In the meantime I had taken measure 
 of my antagonists ; of one only had I anything to fear ; 
 his mount was far superior to my own ; the remainder I 
 expected would kiss mother earth at the first fence. My 
 conjecture was correct, as the result proved. 
 
 The starter tried to marshal us in line. I had drawn 
 second place from the inside, but to occupy it was the 
 difficulty. I made one or two attempts, and in doing so 
 endangered all I came near, so at last I retired to the 
 rear ; when dojng so my steed seemed to think that he 
 had gallantly acquitted himself, and as a reward should 
 be allowed to go home. It was no use my differing in 
 opinion, the Latchfords had not the desired effect ; the 
 more I plied them the harder he backed. He had got 
 his legs in for the retrograde action and would not exercisfe 
 them otherwise. At length I got two horse-coolies, each 
 
204 All Round the World. 
 
 armed with a telling bamboo, to take Rosinante by the 
 head, who were further instructed, when the flag fell, to 
 lay on the beast's rump with all the vim that their biceps 
 possessed. It was my only chance to get under way. 
 The first hurdle was a rasper, stiff and strong as logs and 
 wattles could make it ; but by this time so thoroughly 
 had my determination been aroused that I believe I 
 would have rushed him at a ckevaux de frise. 
 
 The flag fell, the ruck started, and, bang ! bang ! went 
 the canes over my steed's extremities. Well under his 
 flanks I got my spurs, and if nothing more suffered, the 
 hide certainly did. The locality my nag thought con- 
 siderably too warm, so with a buck jump and a couple 
 of lashes at the coolies he followed his competitors. 
 
 How the first fence thinned out the aspirants for turf 
 honours was beautiful to behold ; only one got over safe, the 
 one I had previously supposed the most dangerous. At 
 the jump I rushed ; the vixen rose at it, and then appeared 
 to change his mind. The impetus, however, took the fore- 
 quarters over while the hind ones remained on the obstacle. 
 With hand, spur, and whip I got him over, very much, 
 I think, to the brute's surprise, for as soon as all four legs 
 were again on terra firma, he struck out into a good 
 wholesome gallop, requiring all my power to keep him 
 together. The sole survivor and only remaining an- 
 tagonist was at least a hundred yards ahead. The 
 ground was soft — very soft, I may say — and his nag 
 was going with a slack rein, yawing about like a ship at 
 sea, the rider anywhere to be found between his mount's 
 ears and tail. The second, third, and fourth hurdles were 
 jumped by both successfully. The gap I did not try to 
 
First Hurdle Race in Japan. 205 
 
 close — to do so would have smothered any chance I 
 possessed ; therefore I put my trust in Providence, and 
 hoped for squalls. As my antagonist approached the 
 second last hurdle, I saw him using the steel freely and 
 his horse's tail go up.* He reached the jump, bungled, 
 and nearly fell over it. My mount was still fresh, for I 
 had kept him well together. This hurdle I got over 
 swimmingly, which I hoped the foe would fail in doing 
 when he came at the last. Providence had so ordained 
 it, for if evef a man came a cropper and made a breach, 
 such was done on this occasion, and I cantered through 
 the gap up to the winning-post before my adversary had 
 wiped the stars out of his eyes, for he had got such a 
 purl as previous experience had told me generally illu- 
 minated our optics with an extensive view of the plane- 
 tary system. 
 
 I was glad to win the race for two reasons — firstly, that 
 I might hand over to the owner the purse ; and, secondly, 
 that my reputation as a steeplechase rider should not 
 suffer in the eyes of a crowd of griffins. 
 
 * Generally an indication of exhaustion. 
 
2o6 All Round the World. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 VOYAGE THROUGH THE JAPANESE INLAND SEAS. 
 
 UNFORTUNATE indeed must be the man who has 
 no memories to recall of unalloyed happiness ! In 
 the calendar of my life no part so thoroughly deserves 
 to be marked with a red letter as the months I passed 
 in the realms of the Tycoon. 
 
 There are few more beautiful views to be seen than 
 surround the beholder who stands upon the deck of a 
 vessel anchored off Kanagawa. To the right extends a 
 straight line of coast in the direction of Yeddo, thickly 
 wooded almost to the water's edge, and closely dotted 
 with the clean, neat, and picturesque residences of the 
 inhabitants ; to the left the coast-line sweeps round with 
 abrupt curve to Yokohama, green bluffs dotted with 
 foliage, giving a charm to the scene which is heightened 
 to perfection by the glorious towering summit of Mount 
 Fusiama, grand in its size, magnificent in its altitude. 
 Like a potentate, it appears to rule all the surrounding 
 country. 
 
Voyage through the Japanese Inland Seas. 207 
 
 From a distance Fusiama looks as if it were a solitary- 
 excrescence in the centre of a vast plain ; but such is 
 not the case, for numerous hills, which elsewhere would 
 be worthy of attention, help to make portions of the 
 base of this wonderfully shaped sacred mountain. 
 
 The first time I saw this mountain was under most 
 advantageous and peculiar circumstances. Our vessel 
 having been caught in a typhoon the day previously, 
 as we were doubling Cape Itsu, the violence of the 
 wind, the near approach of night, and our captain's 
 ignorance of the rocks, currents, and islands, that 
 abounded in the vicinity (for in those days no trust- 
 worthy charts of this coast were to be obtained), induced 
 him to order the ship to be put about, so as to obtain an 
 offing till favoured with daylight. And well it was that 
 he did so, for the v/inds and waves held high revels, and 
 the rain descended as if the flood-gates of heaven had 
 been opened ; sail after sail was taken in, neither watch 
 obtained their allotted period below, and our noble 
 vessel strained and groaned under the severe lashing 
 which the disturbed elements vouchsafed her. 
 
 With little warning, except a sudden fall in the baro- 
 meter, the storm commenced, and it terminated as 
 abruptly, for when day broke the wind had died out, the 
 waters had subsided, and the atmosphere was unusually 
 clear. Not having undressed during the night, as our 
 position was one of considerable danger, the first faint 
 lines in the East that ushered in the rising of the sun 
 found me on the poopdeck for the purpose of enjoy- 
 ing a cheroot and a cup of coffee. 
 
 As the sombre shades of night chased each other to 
 
2o8 All Round the World. 
 
 the westward, and the sun had nearly approached the 
 Eastern horizon, before us, on our port-bow, appeared 
 the summit of Mount Fusiama — the base being wreathed 
 in clouds. Its colour was of the palest blue, except 
 where snow rested in the ravines ; its shape a triangle, 
 with the upper point squarely cut off — a staff officer's 
 cocked hat, with its numerous, white, streaming plumes 
 floating from the crown, is the nearest simile I can think 
 of, to convey to the reader a good idea of this distant 
 charming vision. 
 
 After spending some weeks at Kanagawa, where 
 pleasure had predominated over work, the yamoon of our 
 Consul being my principal residence, I received orders 
 to proceed to Nagasaki, on board one of the P. and O. 
 steam-vessels chartered by Government. Instead of 
 following the coast, the inland sea was to be our route, 
 and three Japanese pilots were sent on board by the 
 Custom House to superintend our navigation. One or 
 two Dutch and English men-of-war had previously 
 passed through this landlocked channel ; but with these 
 exceptions, we were about to visit localities unknown to 
 Europeans. With break of day we got under steam, 
 rejoicing at the prospect of adventure and novelty ; on the 
 bridge, calm and serious with the responsibility of their 
 position, sat the three subjects of the Emperor ; between 
 them rested their compass and their charts. 
 
 The outer and inner bay of Yeddo is connected by a 
 channel much resembling the Bosphorus, with the excep- 
 tion that the line of shore is not so precipitous and 
 rugged, while the vegetation is of a deeper green and 
 more abundant. The bluffs that margin the waters of 
 
Voyage through the Japanese Inland Seas. 2,09 
 
 the grand Mississippi before its junction with the turbid 
 Missouri have often recalled to my mind this far Eastern 
 locality. On gaining the entrance to the outer bay, our 
 stem was pointed to Simoda, where we arrived in a few 
 hours, and came to anchor. As our stay was uncertain, 
 none were able to leave the ship ; but abundant amuse- 
 ment was obtained by pistol practice at the numerous 
 divers that constantly were floated past in the tideway. 
 
 Two sharks, about eight or nine feet long, honoured 
 us with their presence, and appeared carefully to ex- 
 amine the ship, which, no doubt, they regarded as a 
 new species of sea-monster with which they had no 
 previous acquaintance ; but their inspection was brought 
 to an abrupt termination, for one of my companions 
 gave the larger a pill from his Colt's revolver, which 
 struck near the junction of the vertebrse with the head, 
 thus at the same moment terminating its curiosity and 
 its life. 
 
 From the appearance of these fish, I should pronounce 
 them to be the common blue shark, sometimes seen in 
 our home waters, and frequently to be met with all along 
 the Atlantic seaboard of the American continent. 
 
 The following morning, with a fresh and fair breeze, 
 we tripped our anchor and headed for Cape Itsu. The 
 nearer we approached that inhospitable, bleak, iron- 
 bound headland the fresher it blew, and when we had 
 at length doubled it, on altering our course to the south- 
 east, we found ourselves opposed to a heavy gale, and a 
 most uncomfortable short tumbling head sea ; moreover, 
 the barometer continued to fall rapidly, an indication that 
 an unpleasant night was before us. Hereupon the pilots, 
 
 P 
 
2, 1 o All Round the World. 
 
 beckoning the captain to them with various pantomimic 
 gestures, gave him to understand that shelter had better 
 be sought. Our course was now changed several points 
 more to the east, sufficient fore-and-aft canvas was 
 set to steady the vessel, and in a couple of hours we 
 were approaching what appeared the ugliest piece of 
 coast-navigation I had ever set eyes on. The Japanese 
 still coolly retained their positions on the bridge ; not a 
 word escaped them, and nought but an occasional wave 
 of the hand to the men at the wheel indicated that they 
 ■were possessed of life. On our part, all felt most un- 
 comfortable ; doubts and fears would constantly arise in 
 our minds that these swarthy Orientals might be mis- 
 taken as to locality, or purposely running the ship on 
 shore. 
 
 Half a mile did not intervene between us and a long, 
 apparently unbroken line of sunken rocks, the loftier of 
 which would occasionally show their heads through the 
 hollow succeeding an unusually large wave. Closer and 
 closer we approached, and just as we imagined destruc- 
 tion was imminent, a clear channel of blue water became 
 apparent, through which we threaded our way, imme- 
 diately afterwards entering between two bluff headlands, 
 one of which was crowned with a detached rock, much re- 
 sembling a martello tower, into a beautiful, calm, narrow 
 bay, running quite a couple of miles inland.* At the upper 
 end of this bay, shut in among green hills, and close to a 
 most picturesque village, embedded in trees, and embel- 
 lished by a handsome temple, we dropped anchor. It 
 
 * The entrance to this bay in more than one respect reminded me of the 
 entrance to Balalilava Harbour. 
 
Voyage through the Japanese Inland Seas, in 
 
 would be difficult to say whether the surprise of the 
 peaceful inhabitants at our appearance, or our own at 
 the sequestered tranquillity of the pretty spot we had 
 reached, was the greater. Evidently our advent was 
 regarded with great suspicion, for no visitors came near 
 us till evening. 
 
 In the meantime I went ashore with my gun, landing 
 several hundred yards from the village. Along the 
 margin, in the wash of the miniature waves, were feeding 
 numerous flocks of waders, several of which I killed, but 
 without finding a new species. I remained for some 
 minutes on the margin of a stream, close to where it 
 entered the sea, admiring and amused by a colony of 
 land-crabs. Immediately on my approach, they would 
 retreat to their holes, in a few moments returning to see 
 if the intruder had departed. These small crustacese are 
 evidently largely gifted with curiosity ; they are of a 
 most active and quarrelsome disposition, and possessed 
 of insatiable appetites. 
 
 On ascending to the higher grounds, which were 
 covered with beautiful dwarf azaleas in abundant blos- 
 som, I much regretted being without a dog, as I saw 
 plenty of convincing proofs that pheasants were nume- 
 rous, and probably then lying perdus in the timber that 
 grew along the ravines and watercourses ; however, a 
 frankolin gave me an easy shot, but so unexpectedly and 
 rapidly did it flush that I missed it with both barrels. 
 
 After a wearisome climb I reached the summit of the 
 nearest hill. The view was grand in the extreme. 
 Beneath my feet the angry sea, white with foam, lashed 
 the iron-bound coast, while behind the undulating lands 
 
 P 2 
 
212 All Round the World. 
 
 were cultivated with a care and neatness that at once 
 predicted abundant crops as the probable result of good 
 husbandry. 
 
 The few inhabitants that I met, who previously had 
 possibly never seen an European, regarded me with 
 awe and astonishment. One whom I tried to ask for a 
 light refused to hold communication with me, but slowly 
 retreated backwards, muttering something unintelligible 
 between his teeth, and finally made rapidly off, stopping 
 every moment to convince himself that either I was not 
 following or that he was not dreaming. 
 
 On my return homewards, close to a spring, I killed a 
 frankolin ; the sandy edges around the water bore proofs 
 that some of the deer family were in the habit of coming 
 there to slake their thirst. Near the confines of cultiva- 
 tion, where the arable and wild land joined, a cock 
 copper pheasant crossed me, and dropped into some 
 millet. As I did not feel justified in trampling down the 
 grain, I could not get him again on the wing, so unwill- 
 ingly relinquished the search. 
 
 On arriving at the ship I found it surrounded with 
 native boats of every shape and size, and filled with 
 hosts of occupants of both sexes, all apparently decked 
 in holiday garb. One of the pilots had been on shore ; 
 he had evidently reported favourably of us, and hence 
 this influx of visitors. 
 
 After considerable palaver, some of the notables were 
 induced to cross the gangway; their manners were digni- 
 fied, yet gentle and unobtrusive, and their astonishment 
 at the vessel's magnitude, at her engines, and, lastly, at 
 our saloon and cabin, was more than funny — it was 
 
Voyage through the Japanese Inland Seas. 21^ 
 
 serious. Half an hour's sojourn convinced them that 
 nothing was to be dreaded from us, so that the tabooing 
 we had previously suffered from was removed, and all 
 that were so disposed were permitted to come on board. 
 They were an excellently behaved company, for though 
 on every hand were ranged what to them were wonders, 
 still all were satisfied with looking, and abstained from 
 touching. Would my own countrymen, under such cir- 
 cumstances, have been equally considerate ? 
 
 The gilt buttons of our military clothing particularly 
 attracted the young ladies ; women are as fond of finery 
 in Japan as at home, and never was brilliant ring coveted 
 more by city belle than were these ornaments of our 
 costume. Having more than a dozen spare ones below, 
 I distributed them to the best-looking. The treasures 
 were accepted with a timid, bashful grace, while a bril- 
 liant blush suffused their faces. These fair ones, particu- 
 larly when young, are very pretty, and not nearly so 
 dark as the sterner sex. How they laughed and giggled 
 as we showed them different articles of our apparel, and 
 when a glove was placed on one of their hands, all fairly 
 screamed with pleasure ! The dress of the Japanese 
 women, both north and south, is almost the same ; the 
 richness of embroidery, material, and ornaments denoting 
 their rank. It is strange, but nevertheless true, that 
 the costume of our " girl of the period " much reminds 
 me of the millinery fashions prevailing in that distant 
 archipelago. 
 
 Bottles, tins, in which meats and condiments had been 
 preserved, were welcome gifts, a wine-glass or tumbler 
 a most valuable present ; and with such odds and ends all 
 
a 14 All Round the World. 
 
 went away loaded, not forgetting to leave in return little 
 souvenirs quite as valuable in our eyes. Unluckily the 
 assassinations of Europeans that have occurred in this 
 distant land have given stay-at-home persons the im- 
 pression that the Japanese are treacherous and blood- 
 thirsty ; my experience has taught me to believe exactly 
 the reverse, for, although they are proud, high-minded, 
 and recklessly brave, they are kind, hospitable, and 
 gentle. And I believe that, when they have used their 
 weapons against their Western visitors, some imaginary 
 insult, or some mistake resulting from ignorance of their 
 habits, has been the cause of provocation. English and 
 Americans, as a rule, are too prone to treat all with dark 
 skins as inferiors, and therefore browbeat, bully, and 
 even strike those whom Nature has thus painted. Such 
 I know to be the case, and have on more than one 
 occasion been surprised to see the admirable command 
 of temper the injured persons have displayed. 
 
 Leaving our shelter at daybreak, by midday the 
 estuary that commands the entrance into the midland 
 seas was reached. Bungo Channel is, I believe, the name 
 it bears. Many whales were seen during the run, and 
 report says that it is a favourite breeding-place for these 
 mammals. 
 
 As the land gradually closed in, cultivation and nume- 
 rous villages became apparent, and as far as we could 
 judge, prosperity and happy peaceful homes were scat- 
 tered far and wide. How different is this from China ! 
 All the result of the labour of man's hand there is in a 
 state of decay, speaking of past grandeur ; here all is in 
 perfect order, clearly telling of present greatness. 
 
Voyage through the Japanese Inland Seas. 1 1 5 
 
 In Japan agricultural implements may be more rude 
 and primitive than in Europe, their invention and manu- 
 facture less complicated and highly finished, still they 
 are suited to the wants of the population, and as they 
 know no better, they are satisfied. Having within their 
 reach the summit of their ambition, we have a right to 
 expect that they are happy. For my own part, I believe 
 them to be as happy and contented a population as is 
 anywhere to be found on the face of the earth. 
 
 Another characteristic which cannot fail to strike the 
 stranger is their extreme cleanliness. All classes appear 
 equally to love washing, and to practise it. Even the 
 coolies and lowest grades invariably looked clean. Their 
 last work, when the labour of the day terminates, is 
 to wash off the perspiration and filth that results from 
 their toil. 
 
 While on deck, watching with pleasure the ever- 
 changing panorama, my attention was called by the 
 boatswain to a scene I had frequently heard of, but 
 never before witnessed. In fact, previous to this day, I 
 had believed that such only existed in the productive 
 imagination of lovers of the marvellous. It was a contest 
 between a whale and some threshers. I do not say thresher- 
 sharks, because I believe the fish I speak of and the well- 
 known species which bears that name are different. 
 
 The sailor's yarn goes on to say that the sword-fish 
 and thresher enter into an alliance, hunting in couples. 
 When these allies fall in with the whale, he of the sharp 
 nose pokes the unhappy monster up from below, while 
 every time the unfortunate blubber-coated gentleman 
 comes to the surface the thresher, springing from the 
 
2,1 6 All Round the World. 
 
 water, falls upon his back. Thus between the two, the 
 persecuted whale is forced to disgorge his food, on which 
 the unprincipled colleagues feed. 
 
 The scene I beheld was certainly sufficiently similar to 
 permit the fabrication of a more extraordinary story. 
 But we were too far off to witness the details, which 
 must have been well worthy of the observation of all 
 enquirers into the minutiae of the economy of animal life. 
 
 The entrance to the Inland Sea is apparently well 
 fortified. The smoothness and landlocked appearance 
 of the water within make it resemble one of our Scotch 
 lakes. Several of the views, looking through vistas of 
 well-wooded islands, were really beautiful, and the lofty 
 mountains in every direction, softened by climate and 
 distance, made a charming background. 
 
 At sunset we anchored in front of a large town, 
 densely populated, with numerous handsome yamoons 
 surrounded by trees close to the shore. Half the popula- 
 tion appeared out for a holiday, for the water was covered 
 with boats, all the occupants being in gala dress. Few 
 minutes elapsed after the anchor was down before we 
 were surrounded by the astonished crowd, who advanced 
 closer and closer, till unfortunately the engineer per- 
 mitted the escape of the waste steam, which so intimi- 
 dated all, that the most ludicrous scene of confusion 
 occurred in their efforts to gain the shore. 
 
 The next day, under weigh by an early hour, we 
 recommenced threading new intricacies and beholding 
 fresh beauties. Towns and hamlets were scattered on 
 every side, while large junks floated by or lay at anchor. 
 I think we are still very ignorant of the resources and 
 
Voyage through the Japanese Inland Seas. 217 
 
 population of Japan, and that it is possible, by a closer 
 contact with them, for us to learn, from this great Eastern 
 people, much which might be of benefit to our over-popu- 
 lated island. The town we next anchored at to spend 
 the night must have been inhabited by a branch lodge 
 of the far-famed Rollicking Rams. Off they came in 
 scores to greet us, chanting their impressive songs to the 
 time of the scullers who propelled their boats.* Many of 
 them had grog with them, which was willingly tendered 
 for our consumption ; still, although saki is not a bad 
 tipple, our Japanese friends showed a marked preference 
 for what we had. They kept going and returning till so 
 late an hour, that prudence forbade any more visitors 
 being received. Long after midnight I heard a party on 
 shore singing, not " We won't go home till morning," but, 
 as my imagination told me, a correspondingly festive 
 ditty, suited to the longitude of Japan. 
 
 During the remainder of our journey, the same scenes 
 of loveliness, the same hospitable receptions by the 
 people, were repeated, so that we were all fascinated 
 with Japan and her inhabitants. And when anchor was 
 dropped in Nagasaki Bay, I can safely venture to assert 
 there was not one on board who did not wish to have 
 the same cruise over again. 
 
 Before leaving this highly favoured and charming 
 country, I will mention that many of our evenings were 
 spent in witnessing our horse-coolies wrestle. They had 
 built a ring, a little larger and much resembling a cock- 
 pit, which they floored with sand, and in this they per- 
 formed their deeds of prowess. 
 
 * Boats are always sculled in Japan, not rowed. 
 
21 8 All Round the World. 
 
 Having several Devonshire and Cornwall men with 
 me, I induced those that professed a knowledge of this 
 art to enter the lists. They did so, and invariably were 
 thrown ; and it was done with such apparent ease, and 
 always by antagonists less than themselves, that I 
 actually imagined that our countrymen did not exert 
 themselves. At length I could stand it no longer. 
 Determined to do credit to my race, I entered the 
 arena as a combatant. For a long time no foe offered. 
 Afterwards I found my rank was the objection. How- 
 ever, after much palaver, a little fellow — very little 
 indeed — was coaxed in. Numerous were his salaams, 
 expressive of the honour I, a Yaconin, was about to do 
 him in accepting him for an antagonist. 
 
 Wishing with all my heart that this mosquito of a 
 fellow had been twice the size, we embraced. With but 
 little exertion, I threw him. Again we laid hold of each 
 other for a second trial. The tables, however, were 
 turned, and I found myself sprawling on mother earth 
 without knowing how I got there. A third time the 
 second performance was repeated ; and I retired crest- 
 fallen, while my successful adversary carefully brushed 
 off from my clothes every speck of dust, and mumbled 
 unintelligible words expressive of the honour he had 
 received. 
 
 I feel now convinced that this little creature permitted 
 me to throw him on the first occasion, hoping that I 
 would then be satisfied, and not urge any more trials. 
 
 Possessed of the greatest admiration for Japan and the 
 Japanese, I predict they will yet rank among the most 
 enlightened nations of the earth. 
 
El Dorado. 219 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 EL DORADO. 
 
 CALIFORNIA, of which San Francisco is the mer- 
 cantile capital, is so much changed of late that 
 the reader must not go there now with the expectation of 
 beholding the scenes that frequently occurred a few years 
 back. 
 
 The discovery of gold in any part of the world has 
 always had the effect of drawing together crowds of the dis- 
 solute, idle, and " ne'er-do-wells." Ballarat, in Australia, 
 passed through a similar ordeal to San Francisco, in 
 California. Nor can this be wondered at when it is 
 known that the gold fever invariably first seizes the bad 
 and reckless of every nationality. 
 
 Because California is a portion of America, I would 
 not for a moment have the reader to imagine that the 
 education and proclivities of the people of the United 
 States have anything to do with the reckless and anti-law 
 abiding scenes that have taken place on the Pacific slope. 
 
 Commerce was prosperous, gold plentiful, new " leads " 
 
220 All Rotmd the World. 
 
 daily reported, and the influx of immigrants into this 
 El Dorado was immense at the date of my visit. Money 
 was so abundant that it was no unusual thing to see 
 a pinch of gold dust tendered for admission at a theatre 
 door. The fever for excitement ran high, and gambling 
 became an overruling passion with a large portion of the 
 community. Having no intention of remaining in San 
 Francisco, I only made such a stay as would enable me 
 to procure necessaries that were absolutely required for 
 carrying out my future projects. 
 
 Against gambling I would warn all. I have been 
 guilty of the vice, and have repented my folly. Do, 
 therefore, as I recommend, not as I have done. 
 
 One evening, when the performance was over at the 
 theatre, wishing for further excitement, as the night was 
 yet early, I consented to go with a friend to a gambling- 
 house which received a large amount of patronage from 
 the heterogeneous population. Faro was the game ; and 
 after witnessing the proceedings for some minutes, I 
 made a bet and won. Again and again the operation 
 was repeated with like success. Luck evidently ap- 
 peared on my side ; and ere I arose from the table, I 
 was the winner of a considerable sum. I retired with my 
 gains, and next evening returned to the same work. I 
 was not successful on this occasion ; and as one or two 
 disputes had taken place, I resigned my seat, but re- 
 mained as a spectator. In the same room where Faro 
 was being played, a select few were indulging in a 
 favourite American game called " poker." The players 
 were of strongly contrasted appearance. One was hand- 
 some, and sufficiently aristocratic-looking to represent 
 
El Dorado. aai 
 
 the oldest Anglo-Saxon family ; another, olive-brown in 
 complexion, might have sprung from the Hidalgos of old 
 Spain ; a third had " villain " stamped upon his counte- 
 nance, while the rest were more commonplace, or possessed 
 less distinguishing characteristics. A remark made by 
 one of the party induced me to overlook their play. A 
 short stay informed me that the ill-favoured person 
 was winning. His manner at once told me that he was 
 in better society than he was usually accustomed to. 
 Again and again his gains were drawn in by him, and 
 some vulgar joke or a proposal to stand drinks followed 
 each of these proceedings. To a casual observer, all 
 apparently were satisfied ; still I observed a sterner ex- 
 pression settling on the face of the handsome contestant. 
 Once or twice he made remarks on the provoking per- 
 tinacity of adverse luck ; yet I must say that he lost 
 his money, apparently, without regret, and with the 
 most gentlemanly sang f raid. 
 
 My interest had become excited, and consequently I 
 felt inclined to see the affair out, when to my astonish- 
 ment I saw the person whose appearance had elicited my 
 interest, with a rapidity that was surprising, drive through 
 and pin to the table with a large clasp-knife the hand of 
 the common-looking fellow who had been previously win- 
 ning. At the same instant a revolver was pointed at the 
 head of the cheat (for such he was proved to be), and a 
 wholesome piece of advice given him that, if he attempted 
 to stir or draw a weapon, his brains would spatter the wall. 
 
 In a moment all was uproar and confusion, all the 
 occupants of the room rushing towards the point where, 
 like statues, stood the principals. On the face of one was 
 
22a All Round the World. 
 
 stamped cool determination to do all he said, on the fea- 
 tures of the other flitted vindictive malice, accompanied by- 
 spasms of pain, arising from the wound he had received. 
 
 The owner of the establishment, who in turn officiated 
 as barman, banker, or croupier, was a powerful, burly, 
 bullet-headed fellow. He is still, I believe, alive. With the 
 voice of a bull, ferocity and decision being equally appa- 
 rent in it, he laconically asked, " What's the cause of this 
 muss 1 " " Search this blackguard's sleeve — that of the 
 hand I hold pinned to the table ; the villain has been 
 cheating all night, till I obtained this opportunity of 
 exposing him ! " quietly but firmly uttered the fair-haired 
 stranger. True enough, two cards were found ; indig- 
 nation became rampant, and some benevolent parties 
 considerately proposed to lynch the delinquent. How- 
 ever, the cur escaped, and doubtless, if alive, vividly re- 
 members the lesson he then received. 
 
 Game in California was then very abundant ; and as I 
 always possessed a strong preference for out-door life, es- 
 pecially when shooting could be enjoyed, day after day I 
 wandered off" at an early hour, often not returning till 
 after dark. A voyage along the coast, when the weather 
 permits, will produce abundant amusement ; for seals a-nd 
 sea-fowl are to be found everywhere, and fish are ex- 
 tremely numerous. But leaving the water, inland was gene- 
 rally my selection ; and what a shooting-range was there ! 
 Every sheltered valley swarmed with bii'ds — the Cali- 
 fornia solitary partridge, mallard, duck, teal, and snipe, 
 being the most numerous ; while deer were far from 
 uncommon, and hares dodged in and out of every patch 
 of brush. Scarcely a day passed without somebody 
 
El Dorado. a 23 
 
 seeing a grizzly bear, and seldom a week elapsed with- 
 out accidents from their pursuit being reported. Near 
 Sacramento I met a cavalcade. The specimens of 
 humanity that composed it were of the very roughest 
 description ; regular " leather-stockings," in all the glory 
 and attractiveness of greasy, dirty, well-worn buckskin 
 clothing. Between them they led, or rather dragged 
 along, an unfortunate mammoth grisly bear, cut, bruised, 
 and apparently half-starved. The hardy rough mus- 
 tangs that each of the wild mountaineers bestrode 
 exhibited plainly that theirs was no easy indolent life, 
 that short commons and hard work made up the greater 
 portion of their existence. Yet their eyes were bright, 
 and they raised and replaced their feet with an air that 
 clearly indicated good health and powers of great 
 endurance. 
 
 Although fossil remains of horses have been found in 
 America, there is nothing to justify the supposition that 
 these quadrupeds existed on the Western Continent 
 when first visited by Europeans. 
 
 Soon after, however, Spanish horses were introduced, 
 and all those to be found in Texas, Sonora, and Cali- 
 fornia, ranging about wild, have the form, shape, and 
 peculiarities of their European progenitors. 
 
 But to return to the capturers of bruin. I passed the 
 night with them, and a daring, reckless crew they were. 
 All, with the exception of a Milesian, were descended 
 from families that had settled in Missouri when that 
 State was a territory and formed the western boundary 
 to civilisation on the American continent. Each was 
 over six feet high, straight as a lath, spare, muscular, but 
 
224 Ail' Round the World. 
 
 powerful, ready either to fight Indian or Catamount at 
 the shortest notice. 
 
 One of this party had his face bound up, and an arm 
 in a sling. This— and his being by some years the older 
 — enlisted my sympathies, so I volunteered to stand him 
 a drink. Even bad whisky will unloose the tongue, and, 
 when not too frequently taken, promote feelings of good 
 fellowship. Hitching up his belt, and producing a plug 
 of tobacco, nibbled around like a ship-biscuit that had 
 been left in the way of rats, he took an enormous chaw, 
 offered me the balance to help myself from, and then spoke 
 thus : — " That's an almighty big bar ; he's not perhaps 
 the heaviest I have seed, but by long odds he's the tallest ; 
 and when his dander is riz, you had better believe he's 
 all there ; and we had the hardest kind of time in fixing 
 him. It was him that chawed me up, smashed my arm, 
 and near took my scalp off, till this hoss most thought 
 he was a dead coon. A Greeser (Mexican) that lives on 
 Bolt's ranche knowed this bar for many a day, for he 
 would just come round the homestead and help his-self. 
 Bars have a wonderful amount of sense ; they know a 
 Greeser, they does. If Missouri or Kentucky folks had 
 been living on that ranche, he wouldn't have come it that 
 style, you bet. Well, I and the boys come across his 
 track, but for two days we seen nothing of him. At 
 length, when out berrying, I ran most agin him, for the 
 critter was on the same errand. We both seen the other 
 together, and he riz on his hunkers, grunted, and jist as 
 I thought he was on to me, he gave a snort, and made 
 tracks as if skeered. You see, stranger, that bar seed I 
 was no Greeser. Well, I didn't shoot, for an old load 
 
El Dorado. 225 
 
 was in the rifle ; and altho' she do carry plumb centre, 
 she jist wants to be kindly treated to be relied on ; so 
 I went home and wiped her out, after which I came 
 back with the boys to the huckle-berry patch, but the 
 bar had gone ; and we giv up looking after a bit, 
 thinking luck was agin us. Scattering over the place to 
 get a feed, for the berries was prime, as I stepped out 
 from behind a log, jist facing me, looking as pleased as 
 a well-fed nigger at meeting an acquaintance, was the 
 grizzly. Quick as a steel trap I drew a bead, fair 
 plumb on his breast, atween the shoulders ; darn me 
 if I didn't think to drop him in his tracks, but I didn't 
 hold straight. A kind o' buck fever must have been 
 over me, and before I could turn he was on me like a 
 wild cat. The first sweep he gave raised my hair ; 
 the next I knowed, I was doubled up under him, and the 
 plaguy critter was chawing my arm. I tried my best 
 to get at my bowie, but I was that cramped I couldn't 
 reach it. But the boys heard the shot. Up they come, 
 Jake first — that big un standing with his back agin the 
 fire there — he's a bully boy, he is ; and he let drive. 
 However, the shot didn't drop the varmint, but it most 
 did as good, for it took the plaguy critter off me, and after 
 them ; but they give him it hot and strong till he caved 
 in ; and as they thought he might be playing possum, 
 they muzzled him, and tied his legs ; and so it proved, 
 for you see he's not a darnt bit the worse, altho' he's got 
 five shot-holes in him. Why the boys didn't kill him, 
 you see, they thought that a heap of dollars might be 
 got if we took him all right into Sacramento or San 
 Francisco." 
 
 Q 
 
226 All Round the World. 
 
 The party were not wrong in their conclusion, as I 
 afterwards learned. The last I heard of poor bruin was 
 that he and a bull were pitted against each other to 
 form the object of attraction for a choice assembly of 
 brutes met together on a Sunday afternoon. 
 
 After a delay of some months in the hills, a report 
 of gold being unusually abundant in Sonora caused me to 
 direct my steps southward. 
 
A Day in Sonora. 227 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 A DAY IN SONORA. 
 
 SONORA ! What a euphonious word. I never Hsten 
 to it without pleasure, for it recalls both music and 
 the dark-eyed beauties of Andalusia ; but Sonora is far 
 from old Spain, across the Atlantic, across the North 
 American Continent, bordering on the placid margin of 
 the blue Pacific. 
 
 The catalpas, a tree far excelling in fragrance and 
 beauty the horse-chesnut, were in blossom as I threaded 
 my way along a path just discernible from the sur- 
 rounding savannah. My horse was foot-sore, leg-weary, 
 and heartsick, for he had performed a long and tedious 
 journey on soft food, while my saddle had badly galled 
 his withers. Poor faithful steed ! It bled my heart to 
 mount you in your distressed condition, but I had no 
 alternative. Day after day, as lassitude became more 
 apparent in your limbs, and your once bright eye 
 became more filmy, I frequently argued with myself 
 the charity of turning you loose to wander at pleasure ; 
 
 Q 2 
 
228 All Round the World. 
 
 but if I had done so, you never would have reached a 
 settlement, possibly you would have been devoured by 
 wild animals, and I should not have been here penning 
 your troubles and my respect for your, memory. 
 
 The country through which for some days I had been 
 travelling was open park land, bounded on the east by 
 rugged hills. Game was abundant. Hares (Lepus 
 townsendii) quitted their form on every side, coveys 
 of Californian quail (Perdrix californii) flushed almost 
 under my horse's hoofs, while the fleet antelope (Antilo- 
 capra) bounded past, swift as the wind. But a listless 
 stupor was over me. I cared not for the most tempting 
 shot ; my gun was a nuisance to carry, and but that it 
 might be required for protection, I believe willingly it 
 would have been dropped. 
 
 And why, you will ask, had I got so reduced in pluck .' 
 Simply for this reason : I was suffering from an attack of 
 fever and ague, a disease difficult to get rid of, and one 
 which of all others depresses the spirits most, and makes 
 the victim reckless and careless of consequences ; more- 
 over, the despondency of the horse, perhaps, was im- 
 parted to the rider, for it was really a doubtful matter 
 which of the two felt the most sorrowful and woe- 
 begone. 
 
 Thus the day had glided by ; all nature was bright 
 and cheerful ; every animal, tree, and shrub happy and 
 fresh-looking under the invigorating influence of the early 
 summer sun, making the contrast between the travel- 
 stained wanderer and sweat-soiled steed the more conspi- 
 cuous and disparaging. At length the increasing shado\\s 
 told that it was time to choose a halting-place — a matter 
 
A Day in Sonora. 229 
 
 of no great difficulty, for the surface of the country was 
 so similar that, excepting you chanced to seat yourself 
 in a nest of ground cactus, there really was no choice of 
 situations. Attending first to the wants of my horse, 
 and relieving his poor back as much as possible by 
 changing the position of the saddle, I turned him loose 
 to obtain his supper. Having disposed of this duty, the 
 all-important fire was my next thought. There was 
 plenty of wood around ; still I could not find any 
 sufficiently dry and inflammable to start a blaze, and so 
 in pursuit of this necessary material I wandered almost a 
 mile from my selected camping-ground. As I advanced, 
 on opening from the sparse timber to the grass land, 
 a hundred yards to my right, I observed over a dozen 
 wild cattle assembled in a close body, with a splendid 
 bull, the evident leader of the troop, stationed about forty 
 yards in their front, facing towards the timber, lashing 
 himself into a fury with his tail, tearing the sod with both 
 hoof and horn, and expressing unmistakably that mischief 
 was brewing. In juxtaposition, still and braced, stood a 
 grizzly bear, angular and starved in looks, with a coat so 
 ragged and unkempt that at once I concluded he was 
 either a time-worn veteran or the victim of some slowly 
 consuming wound. 
 
 Both foes were so intent on the other that I had little 
 difficulty in obtaining a favourable position for viewing 
 the action that was pending, for bruin evidently meant 
 mischief, and the bull appeared no way loth to accept 
 the gauntlet. 
 
 A short time before, over the camp fire, I had listened 
 with great interest to a genuine mountain man — one who 
 
230 All Round the World. 
 
 had passed a lifetime on the eastern and western slopes 
 of the Rocky Mountains — as he described such a rencontre 
 as was about to take place. Little then did I suppose I 
 should have the fortune to witness one of those scenes 
 seldom viewed but by the venturous naturalist, hardy 
 trapper, or skulking aborigines. 
 
 At length both foes appeared to consider that time 
 was up. The bear, with quiet measured step, had 
 lessened the intermediate space, and fire flashed from 
 the bull's eyes. With a sudden spring and head lowered, 
 the latter rushed to the contest, and was received by 
 bruin in a half-erect position, the fore-paws being used 
 as buffers to lessen the concussion. However, the force 
 nearly bore him to the ground, but his tactics now were 
 changed ; his immense claws were fastened in the bull's 
 withers, and all his strength was exerted to prevent the 
 head of his antagonist being raised. Long and doubtful 
 was the struggle. The success of the bear appeared to 
 depend on his being able to retain his grip, that of the 
 bull in getting free, so that he might procure impetus to 
 renew the charge. Thus far I doubt if bruin had been 
 punctured, whereas the blood flowed profusely from the 
 hold he had established on his antagonist. When the 
 contest had been continued some moments, the bull 
 dropped on his knees ; down, down almost into the earth 
 went his head ; but this was but a ruse to obtain pur- 
 chase, for with the celerity of a steel spring upwards 
 went his head, and the bear was thrown clear several 
 feet. Master Grizzly would now have declined the con- 
 test if optional ; but no such idea was in the mind of 
 the foe, for after backing a few strides, with lowered head 
 
A Day in Sonora. 23 1 
 
 and irresistible foi'ce, a second charge was made, fairly 
 driving the discomfited and disappointed marauder to a 
 headlong retreat. The rest of the herd, who had stood 
 aloof earnest spectators, now joined in the pursuit, and — 
 would you believe it ? — I, sick, weary, and footsore, found 
 myself following up at the tail of the hunt at the best 
 pace I could command, and I doubt not occasionally 
 yelling a view halloa. For a mount that would have 
 enabled me to see the termination I would have given a 
 good deal ; as it was, my locomotion was so slow that 
 both pursuers and pursued soon were lost to view. 
 
 On returning to camp, to my surprise, I saw a stranger 
 closely examining my trifling traps that had been left on 
 the ground. Unperceived, with great interest 1 watched 
 his proceedings. Having apparently satisfied his curi- 
 osity, he lit his pipe, and made himself comfortable, when 
 a few moments after I walked up to him. On inspection, 
 he turned out to have the most cut-throat expression 
 I ever previously beheld ; so much so that I at once con- 
 cluded that he was one of those villains outlawed from 
 the settlements, living as best he could, and even taking 
 life if anything could be gained by it — for such characters 
 were far from uncommon then in this locality. Our 
 greeting was laconic and to the point, and in the very 
 plainest possible words I told him that his society was 
 disagreeable ; however, he was not the person to take a 
 hint or feel insulted : provokingly he listened to all I had 
 to say, but showed no disposition to change his quarters. 
 
 At length the night wore on. I ate my meal in silent 
 dignity, while my visitor kept talking incessantly, 
 although I never vouchsafed an answer. About the 
 hour when I would have gone to sleep he was joined by 
 
232, All Round the World. 
 
 a comrade, a half-breed, if possible, more repulsive-look- 
 ing than himself They evidently were associates of long 
 standing, and sundry were the meaning glances I ob- 
 served pass between them. Not relishing my situation, 
 I determined to be particularly guarded and on the alert. 
 Once or twice the half-breed arose, and, making some 
 paltry excuse, endeavoured to establish a position in my 
 rear, which I frustrated ; ultimately I informed both that 
 any renewal of such conduct would at once provoke 
 hostilities. With obsequious politeness they assured me 
 my alarm was needless, that it was insulting them to 
 express suspicions, that they were persons of undoubted 
 respectability and character ; but there was an unnatural- 
 ness in their assertions, a suspicious restlessness in their 
 manner, a watchfulness upon all my movements, of 
 which none but a fool could fail to see the import. Thus 
 midnight was reached. More closely I drew my serrape 
 about me, the watch-fire was reduced to embers, but all 
 my tendency to sleep had vanished. With one hand I 
 had inserted the bowl of my pipe into my bullet-pouch, 
 for it performed the duty of tobacco-bag also, when 
 several voices, at a considerable distance, jabbering 
 Spanish, were heard. Sharp as my ears were, still more 
 'cute were those of my would-be companions ; with a 
 spring both were on their feet, and next second in full 
 retreat. The spirit of the devil almost tempted me to 
 take a flying shot at them as the last glimpse of the 
 scoundrels disappeared in the darkness. There was 
 something so comical in the precipitancy of their flight 
 that I could not help laughing, at the same time con- 
 gratulating myself that I had easily got rid of what I 
 was certain were dangerous parasites. In a few minutes 
 
A Day in Sonora. 2;^^ 
 
 I was joined by the Sonorians ; without difficulty I 
 learned that they were in pursuit of two men who had 
 committed robbery and all but murder. With a collec- 
 tion of all the words of dead or modern languages I 
 could command, I assured them that they were certain of 
 success if pursuit were promptly carried on ; that at best 
 the villains had only a few minutes' law, but, with the 
 apathy of their race, all came to a halt, dismounted, and 
 huddling over the fire, smoked in silence ; and if I 
 reverted to the subject of pursuit, a yawn, stretch of the 
 arms, and " mucho fatigato " was my answer. 
 
 In the morning, before leaving, I picked up a piece ot 
 paper from the place where renegade No. i had been 
 seated, the edges of which were scorched as if the re- 
 mainder had been used to light a pipe ; this scrap was a 
 portion of a letter. The few words that were indited on 
 it spoke a volume : — " Shall I still continue to address 
 your letters to Sacramento .'' remember what anxiety 
 your absence causes me. My son, do return, for you are 
 all an aged mother has to live for. — MARTHA." 
 
 Away beyond the limits of civilisation, where no laws 
 exist, how many reckless, desperate, hardened villains 
 are to be found ; yet many of these men have mothers, 
 sisters, and wives pining away life in the hope of a return 
 which is destined never to be realised, for the career of 
 the object of their solicitude has been such that the 
 summary treatment of lynch-law would be instantly 
 awarded them if recognised in any frontier settlement or 
 seaport,' thereby cutting them off from the rest of the 
 world, and a chance of leaving those associates who first 
 led them to wage war on their fellow-men. 
 
234 All Round the World. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 THE PARKS OF AMERICA. 
 
 IT is not to artificial grounds made, decorated, and 
 enclosed by man's labour, that I wish to draw at- 
 tention, but to enclosures far more secluded, far more 
 extensive, and infinitely grander — the emanation alone 
 of the great Creator. 
 
 In America are to be found many tracts of land in the 
 vicinity of the large cities that can compare with the parks 
 of Europe, and in one or two instances most favourably, 
 but it is away from the busy haunts of man, away from 
 the hum and bustle of commerce, out of sound of the 
 murmur of population, across the Mississippi, across 
 many hundred miles of prairie, to the sequestered, 
 luxuriant meadows that lie between the eastern and 
 western ridges of the Rocky Mountains that I would 
 carry the reader. 
 
 The Rocky Mountains, which form, as it were, a back- 
 bone to the great North American continent, are divided 
 into numerous ridges, between which are situated the 
 
The Parks of America. 2,^^ 
 
 parks I wish to describe. A river generally runs through 
 each of these, the banks of which are fringed with 
 verdant meadows, of less or greater width, girded around 
 with gentle slopes, which increase in steepness and barren- 
 ness as they grow higher and higher. In these park 
 lands a delightful evenness of temperature is generally 
 enjoyed, for the surrounding elevations shut out the cold 
 blasts of winter and the heated breezes of summer. 
 Moreover, snow never lies on them long, and the melting 
 of the glaciers in the summit ridges produces an abundant 
 supply of water throughout the dry season. Nearly 
 every description of vegetation which grows in the Western 
 States is to be found on these enclosed plains, and from 
 the atmosphere being moist and humid it flourishes with 
 great luxuriance. 
 
 Some of the parks are situated on debatable ground, 
 between two hostile Indian tribes, and they frequently 
 then become the scenes of fearful conflicts. Again some 
 reckless braves in pursuit of game will wander from their 
 tribe, and take up a residence in a park the property of 
 another race. A general mustering of the rightful owners 
 will consequently take place to repel the intruders, for the 
 Indian is jealous of his landed rights, and more especially 
 of those territories which constitute their best hunting- 
 grounds. 
 
 Numerous white men, sometimes alone, more frequently 
 in small parties of two or three (more especially in old 
 times, when a beaver-pelt was worth four times its present 
 value), have spent years of their lives immured in these 
 seldom-visited wilds, the events and experiences of one 
 day being so similar to its predecessor that the passage 
 
236 All Round the World. 
 
 of time would be unnoticed, till the size of their packs or 
 the reduction of their supplies of ammunition told them 
 that the trading fort must be visited. Instances have not 
 been wanting of men turning perfect hermits, and isolating 
 themselves from the outer world in some of these spots, 
 trapping game for food, and using the bow and arrow as 
 their weapon of defence. I once met a Frenchman who 
 had devoted himself to such a life. His residence was on 
 a diminutive island, in the centre of a small lake, formed 
 by an obstructing beaver-dam, which caused an overflow. 
 With a primitive log canoe he passed to and from the 
 mainland. By chance I came across him setting a snare 
 for some of the numerous Lepus family. He had not 
 noticed my approach, and he started when I spoke, turned 
 round towards me, and drew himself to his full height, 
 wheeled to the right-about, with the precision and 
 bearing of a soldier, and would have gone, only I detained 
 him by laying my hand on his sleeve. With a gesture of 
 impatience, defiance flashing from his eyes, he a second 
 time faced me ; in his countenance was a look (it might 
 have been the result of madness) which plainly said, 
 "Trifle notwithme.'' After a moment's pause,he muttered 
 in clear, sonorous, haughty accents, " Pardon, Monsieur," 
 and soon afterwards the last of his tattered clothing dis- 
 appeared behind some intervening brush. How I longed 
 to question him, to ask him of his previous history, the 
 cause of his solitude ! That he was a soldier, I had 
 no doubt — one of rank, I thought probable. The mili- 
 tary air, intonation, and look were all his ; why, I can- 
 not say, but I feel convinced that he was one of those 
 extraordinary men who sprang up and passed away with 
 
The Parks of America. 237 
 
 the First Napoleon, to whom a word of praise from their 
 Emperor was the greatest honour. From a trapper who 
 frequently visited this locality, I learned that there had 
 been two of these isolated unknowns, but that one had long 
 since disappeared. Doubtless the tax gatherer, Death, had 
 taken possession of the tenement of the missing refugee. 
 Possibly, after all, he might have been no hero, but an 
 outlawed villain. 
 
 If man occasionally wanders to these parks to pass 
 the sunset of life, the wild animals of the forest and plain 
 do so likewise. The giant buffalo bull, grand* in his 
 proportions and magnitude, fierce in his aspect, from his 
 matted, dishevelled, hoary coat, when no longer able to 
 retain place with the migrating herd, and contend success- 
 fully for the choicest herbage, or the favours of the dusky 
 fair ones of his race, seeks out these retreats, to pass the 
 remaining portion of his days amid plenty, free from the 
 dangers, bustle, and excitement which he so thoroughly 
 enjoyed before decay had placed its stamp upon him. 
 Poor old fellow ! he now looks gaunt and ragged, but well 
 he may do so, for only conceive the life of incident and 
 danger he has passed through ! From the day when his 
 mother anxiously guarded him, with all the maternal 
 solicitude that generally characterises the brute creation, 
 when the grey wolf and cayotte prowled in their rear, 
 willing but fearful to make an onslaught on the parent 
 and child, to the period when he reached maturity, and 
 possibly fled with countless thousands of his fellows, 
 before the sons of man, ever too prone to shed blood ; or 
 when later in life, fierce and ardent, he fought and sub- 
 dued those less powerful than himself, and triumphantly 
 
238 All Round the World. 
 
 carried off, from numerous claimants, the lady of his 
 choice, from day to day, from year to year, constant and 
 unremitting adventure has been his lot. But the sun of his 
 existence is now declining towards the horizon ; but a 
 short period is before him ere his whitened bones will alone 
 remain to tell the passer-by that once he existed. Look 
 well, traveller ; perhaps, even now, those clumps of buffalo 
 grass conceal some foe, desirous enough to make a meal on 
 the veteran's carcass, but fearful to risk a contest in which 
 the issue might still be doubtful. I have never gazed on 
 the teeming herds of wild buffalo which I have frequently 
 encountered on the plains of the far West without think- 
 ing how wonderfully they differed in habits, bearing, and 
 inclinations from domestic cattle. On the latter is planted 
 indelibly the brand of serfdom ; on the former, of reckless 
 independence. In fact, each look what they are — ^the one 
 the servants and property of man ; the other free agents, 
 conscious of their power, conquerable by death alone, the 
 untrammelled and unsubdued children of the boundless 
 demesnes of the Creator. 
 
 Whether it be that age causes animals to become reck- 
 less, or that their lengthened sojourn in the world has 
 familiarised them with their strength, and imparted to 
 them a knowledge of their powers of destruction, or that 
 the lassitude resulting from infirmities causes their tempers 
 to become soured, I know not. But when the old bull 
 buffalo has separated himself from the herd, and retired, 
 as it were, into private life, he becomes most pugnacious, 
 and fearlessly attacks all intruders ; fortunately his 
 activity has deserted him at this soured portion of his 
 existence, and but little exertion is necessary to avoid 
 
p 
 
 a 
 H 
 
 H 
 
 a 
 o 
 
 S 
 
 H 
 K 
 H 
 
The Parks of America. 239 
 
 his onslaught. I once saw one of these hero-veterans die 
 a natural death, an unusual occurrence, for their enemies 
 are numerous and always ready to attack them when in 
 that weak state that precedes dissolution. Well, my hero 
 was standing on a mound, a setting fiery sun slowly dipped 
 the western bounds of the landscape behind him, and 
 made his huge outline loom doubly grand. Food had 
 been scarce with me, and consequently I made a more 
 than usually careful stalk to get within range ; the game's 
 position was such that I almost doubted the possibility of 
 success, yet closer and closer, without causing any visible 
 alarm, I advanced. At length, when I had decided 
 that the range did not require lessening, I felt convinced 
 that I had been seen ; for the head and eyes were turned 
 towards me, but no angry shake of the horns, paw of the 
 ground, or flash of the eye evinced hostility, and, more- 
 over, the figure appeared to lessen with each respiration, 
 and an air of incapacity for further exertion was indelibly 
 stamped upon the veteran monarch of the prairie. My gun 
 was for the moment forgotten, and I gazed with wonder, 
 and possibly with sorrow, at the apparent approach of 
 death. By degrees the veteran's fore legs were placed 
 farther and farther apart ; rapidly diminishing strength 
 instinctively compelled this method of supporting the 
 towering figure ; at length the body swayed, and, with a 
 lurch like a foundering ship, rolled on its side, and life 
 departed from the carcass at the same moment. Up to 
 the termination of the career of the noble brute he had 
 remained upon his limbs, defying decay with his last 
 breath. With sorrow I looked upon the body, regretted 
 that life had fled ; although, at the same time, I had 
 
240 All Round the World. 
 
 been drawn to the spot with the intention of executing 
 the office in which I had been forestalled. Befitting 
 was such a death to the greatest hero, succumbing only 
 when nature refused to grant further support, yielding 
 up the life and strength he had gloried in without a sigh 
 of regret. 
 
 Sometimes the cow buffalo also finds her way to these 
 parks ; when she is about to become a mother, she finds 
 herself, through weakness, unequal to the exertions ne- 
 cessary to keep up with the ever-travelling herd ; but 
 when the ordeal of child-birth is over, and the offspring 
 is able to contend successfully for the necessaries of life 
 among its fellows, both mother and baby wander back to 
 the great plains, to attach themselves to the first herd 
 that chance throws in their way. 
 
 Such a cow and calf, when met, are a prize of great 
 value to the hunter ; both are generally in the best con- 
 dition, and fit food for the daintiest epicure ; but the 
 mother is strong and fleet, so is the child, and if the 
 sportsman's horse have suffered from short-commons, or 
 a dose of overwork, the owner may as well relinquish, 
 without trial, all hope of ranging alongside of them 
 within shooting distance. 
 
 Deer also visit these abodes of shelter, as well as the 
 buffalo. The wapiti, handsome in shape, noble in size and 
 bearing, and strongly resembling our red deer of the 
 Scottish Highlands, abound in these mountain-fastnesses. 
 From the luxuriant grasses and shrubs that grow in the low 
 grounds they obtain abundant food, on the sloping irregular 
 declivities, they have playgrounds that delight them, and 
 on the upper crags that form the boundaries, safety from 
 
The Parks of America. 241 
 
 pursuit is within easy access. So seldom in these soli- 
 tudes do they hear the report of a gun, still less see 
 man, that not unfrequently they will advance towards 
 the hunter, every lineament of their features marked 
 with curiosity, surprise, and even indignation ; but this 
 is only when the cause of their inquisitiveness is to lee- 
 ward of their position, for should the relative situations 
 become changed, so that one breath of air tainted with 
 man's presence reach their sensitive organ of scent, with 
 the speed of a race-horse the neighbourhood will be de- 
 serted, for the protecting monitor. Nature, true to her 
 darlings, whispers warning words, so impressive that 
 they are never for a moment disregarded. 
 
 The life of deer, when free and untrammelled by walls 
 and boundaries, must be more than usually happy ; with- 
 out care, and perfectly independent, their wants are easily 
 satisfied ; their food is the fresh crisp vegetation, and their 
 dwelling-place the boundless plains or the picturesque 
 mountain sides ; while the air they breathe is unpolluted 
 by noxious gases tainted with man's inventions and 
 manufacturing instincts. They bathe in the brooks at 
 will, sport in its pellucid current, love and are loved ; and 
 being without ambition, they commit no offences, which 
 afterwards fill a guilty conscience with painful remorse. 
 
 After a stormy night, during which I had not obtained 
 an hour's rest, first from the determined efforts my horse 
 continued making to break away, and, secondly, from 
 the torrents of rain that descended, my bivouac-ground 
 being very exposed, I took my double-barrel Dougall 
 rifle,* and, while my nag was enjoying his morning meal, 
 
 * A low trajectory of 14 bore. 
 
 R 
 
242. All Round the World. 
 
 I determined to see what addition I could make to our 
 larder. The uneasiness of my animal was soon ex- 
 plained ; bear-tracks were found abundant in the vicinity, 
 and the imprints were so large that any brute of peace- 
 ful habits must of necessity have a dislike to the possibi- 
 lity of making an acquaintance with such a bruin. I closely 
 surveyed the neighbourhood in the hope of introducing 
 the contents of my low trajectory to Mr. Ursus ferox, 
 but I was not in luck. The atmosphere was delightful, 
 every respiration appearing to imbue me with fresh powers 
 of walking, so I wandered on, for I had no fixed course, 
 and entered a piece of open timber land. The birds 
 carolled forth their morning prayer, the industrious agile 
 squirrels skipped from limb to limb, occasionally halting 
 to chaff me for my travel-stained and begrimed appear- 
 ance. Even the snakes were out in force, but one soon 
 gets used to them, and dreads them so little that a kick 
 from your long-booted foot is frequently the only notice 
 they receive. In fact, all animal life was having a jubi- 
 lee ; and the foliage, bright with autumn tints, and the 
 grasses, brilliant from the late rains, formed a suitable 
 playground for their frolics. Lost in thought and ad- 
 miration, I was recalled from my dreams by a stone, at 
 a distance of over one hundred yards, rolling down a 
 declivity, and crushing the brush in its course. Anxiously 
 looking round for the cause, before me I saw standing a 
 splendid wapiti, nearly five feet high at the shoulder, 
 bearing a head of horns not under forty pounds weight, 
 and considerably palmated. The stag saw me, yet ap- 
 peared unalarmed, for he arched his back and stretched 
 himself. Advancing closer towards him, not so much 
 
The Parks of America. 243 
 
 with the object of lessening the distance of range as to 
 see how near I could approach without alarming the ani- 
 mal, to my surprise he struck the ground with his fore 
 foot and showed every indication of a disposition to dis- 
 pute my rights of intruding into his demesne. But, poor 
 creature, he knew not the fearful odds he had to contend 
 with. Sixty yards now only intervened between us, so 
 I pitched my well-tried friend to my shoulder, and ere 
 the smoke had cleared off the ground, his beautiful 
 dusky form was lying prostrate, apparently dead. Having 
 reloaded, a performance that should be alv/ays enacted 
 immediately, and before moving one inch towards your 
 game, I advanced with my butcher-knife drawn to cut 
 his throat. Depositing my rifle on a bunch of grass, 
 straddling the victim, I raised his head, the keen edge 
 soon brought blood, but ere the incision was an inch 
 deep, the wapiti rose with a bound to his feet, giving me 
 a tremendous purl ; the deer at the same time almost 
 pitching on my prostrate body, his shoulder being tre- 
 mendously smashed. On the spur of the moment I 
 made a grasp at one of the hind legs, which I suc- 
 ceeded in seizing, and, having severed the hamstrings, 
 I prevented his escape and his power of doing mischief 
 Leaving my filthy rag that did the duty of pocket- 
 handkerchief fastened to one of the horns, to warn off 
 wolves, for these skulkers are ever suspicious, I returned 
 to camp for my horse to bring home the game. It 
 was almost sunset before I was back where this little 
 adventure took place. The spot I had marked well in my 
 memory, and my bump of locality I believe is unusually 
 large. Already I saw a tree that I recognised ; my quarry 
 
 R 2 
 
244 All Round the World. 
 
 was only a few yards beyond it — yes, there it was, but in 
 possession of one whom I had no doubt would refuse to 
 listen to priority of ownership. 
 
 Over the carcass lay an immense grisly bear, his lips 
 curled up so as to show his teeth, while a couple of grey 
 wolves with watering mouths looked on, at a respectful 
 distance. Dismounting, I fastened my horse with the 
 lariat line, and unperceived, for I was favoured by the 
 wind, I stole within forty or fifty paces of the would-be 
 thieves. Bruin had evidently just arrived, for the car- 
 cass was intact. The presence of the wolves evidently 
 was disagreeable to him, for although for a moment 
 he would lick the blood-stained parts around the throat, 
 every now and then he would lift his head, fix his 
 diminutive eyes upon his attendants, and raise his 
 upper lip so as to expose a powerful set of grinders. 
 For ten minutes I watched this picture ; at length the 
 bear rose, and, laying hold of the dead deer by the nape 
 of the neck, showed an evident intention of carrying off 
 the plunder. As day was declining, I determined without 
 further delay to assert my claim. A good broadside 
 shot offered itself, and with the report my foe fell to rise 
 no more, and the brace of skulkers made tracks for safer 
 quarters. 
 
 In these retreats an animal is said to exist which the 
 mountain men very much fear, and call a carcaju. Fre- 
 quently at night I have heard the most unearthly howl- 
 ing, such as, when once heard, can never be forgotten, 
 and I have been informed that it emanated from this 
 creature. From description I believe it must be nearly 
 allied to the caracal ; but why should it be dreaded. 
 
The Parks of America. 245 
 
 unless much larger and more powerful than that animal ? 
 One of my temporary companions, a half-breed French- 
 man, who was considered an excellent hunter, returned to 
 camp one day earlier than usual. From his manner I 
 saw that something unlooked-for had occurred ; and when 
 questioned, he informed me he had seen a carcaju. On 
 enquiring why he had not shot it, he appeared to think 
 that any attempt to do so would be futile, and probably 
 lead to his own destruction. 
 
 A few days after this I made an early start to visit a 
 stream where beaver signs were extremely numerous. 
 On my route across a rocky spur, I saw a couple of big- 
 horns. These must not be confused with the Rocky 
 Mountain sheep, for the animals that bear these names 
 among the western hunters are perfectly different, al- 
 although both belong to the goat family. They, how- 
 ever, frequent the same localities, the habitat of the latter 
 possibly extending farther north. Both these races are 
 the most wary, and consequently the most difficult game 
 to stalk on the American continent. Descending at break 
 of day to the lower grounds to feed, ere the sun has 
 dried up the morning dews, they are en route for the 
 highest and most inaccessible crags. Sometimes, as you 
 thread your way through the rocky canons,* away, 
 hundreds of feet aloft, on a pinnacle of crag, or on a 
 detached portion of rock, which the slightest exertion 
 would apparently hurl into the valley beneath, will be 
 seen one of these animals ; but invariably far beyond 
 rifle range. I made repeated efforts to accomplish the 
 destruction of some of them, but failed so often that I 
 
 * Deep fissures, in which rivers run. 
 
246 All Round the World. 
 
 almost gave up in disgust. At length I was rewarded 
 The plan of operations which brought success was thus 
 arranged. On a clear beautiful night I started from 
 camp ; all animated nature was hushed to sleep, ex- 
 cepting the tree-frogs and the "whip-poor-will" (a 
 variety of goat-sucker), which kept inconstantly sighing 
 out the melancholy note from which it derives its name. 
 After a severe struggle, not unaccompanied by falls and 
 bruises, I reached the first line of rocks ; after resting, I 
 again pushed upwards, till I thought I had gained suffi- 
 cient elevation ; so in my blanket I lay down in the 
 most sheltered retreat I could find — for these elevated 
 regions are cold — to wait for the break of day. 
 
 My plan, you will see, was to get above the game. 
 From my own observation, and from remarks which I 
 had heard, I concluded that these wary gentry dreaded 
 danger only from beneath, and that, if I could obtain 
 greater altitude than them, I should be successful. At 
 length day broke — how long it is in coming under such 
 circumstances !— and to my chagrin I was enveloped in 
 mist, so dense that I could not see twenty yards from 
 me ; however, with the sun, the curtain of vapours rose, 
 and rolled farther up the rugged slopes. With anxious 
 and careful eye I surveyed every side ; but not a sign 
 could I behold of the creatures I sought. Determining 
 on a return to camp, already I had commenced my 
 descent, when, turning an angle, hundreds of feet be- 
 neath me, I saw three big-horns. One, the old gentleman 
 of the party, stood on the edge of a precipice, the other 
 two were lying down a few yards apart from him. There 
 are moments of pleasure in a sportsman's life that leave 
 
The Parks of America. 247 
 
 a lasting impression on the tablets of his memory, such 
 as death alone can erase : such was this scene. For 
 possibly thirty minutes I gazed on the happy family. 
 Still the veteran remained like a statue ; the affairs of the 
 lower world were evidently of great interest, or its inha- 
 bitants were in his opinion a dangerous race who re- 
 quired much watching. Satisfied as far as seeing was 
 concerned, availing myself of every obstacle that would 
 shield me from observation, with the cunning and blood- 
 thirstiness of the snake, I neared my victims. The stalk 
 was an easy one, the face of the soil appeared formed 
 for it. The point I had marked with my eye as the 
 best place to shoot from was reached ; with care I pro- 
 truded my head over it, and the figures of the tableau 
 remained unaltered in position. As I raised my rifle, 
 and glanced through the sight, I can still well remember 
 that gentle monitor, conscience, whispering to me that 
 I was about to commit a bloodthirsty deed, such as 
 we men would condemn in the most wholesale man- 
 ner if perpetrated by any of the inferior members of the 
 brute creation. But still the admonition stayed not my 
 purpose, nor disconcerted my aim. Against the ribs, at 
 the back of the shoulder, I aligned my aim ; an imper- 
 ceptible pressure of the finger was answered by a report, 
 and with it a harmless animal had been deprived of 
 life. As the father lay struggling on the ground, the 
 wife and child fled — they to lose their guardian and 
 natural protector, I to be no richer except by a few 
 pounds of meat, and to be able to say I had performed 
 such a deed. 
 
 But leaving the big-horns, I got to the beaver-dam in 
 
2,48 All Round the World. 
 
 due time, and, reaching the margin of the water, hid 
 myself in a dense growth of willow. My presence was 
 unknown to the community, for I had not been there 
 more than a few minutes when two musk-rats (musquash) 
 swam by. These pretty httle animals are widely scat- 
 tered over the American continent, and their pelt forms 
 a considerable article of commerce. They are most 
 expert swimmers and divers, with a quizzical expression 
 of countenance which is both attractive and ludicrous. 
 At maturity they are about the size of a. half-grown cat, 
 and, when obtained young, make admirable pets ; however, 
 their strong musky odour is much against their popula- 
 rity for such a purpose. Still no beavers showed them- 
 selves, although I had been more than a couple of hours 
 in my ambush, and I had lost several shots both at deer 
 and ducks from my desire not to alarm the neighbour- 
 hood. However, patience meets its reward, and about four 
 in the afternoon, a fine specimen of the beaver swam past, 
 soon followed by a second and third. During the noon- 
 day heat doubtless they had been taking their siesta, and 
 were now turning out for business or pleasure. Soon a 
 dozen were in view, swimming to and fro, occasionally 
 diving, but never remaining long under water. They 
 appear to live a most happy life, the various members of 
 the community being on terms of the strongest friend- 
 ship with each other. 
 
 However, I did not see dam-building, or any of the 
 skilful engineering qualities with which they are ac- 
 credited, and I have long come to the conclusion that 
 such rumours have emanated from the brain of imagina- 
 tive persons. The dams which the beaver has the credit 
 
The Parks of America. 2,49 
 
 of building are thus formed : The spring and autum- 
 nal floods carry down immense quantities of timber, 
 which in a bend or narrow place in the' river form 
 what the Canadian lumbermen call a choke — id est: 
 the logs get jammed together, and, by the cur- 
 rent's pressure by degrees become most firmly locked. 
 The beavers which principally feed on the willow and 
 osier, cut down the limbs that are within their reach ; 
 the leaves and tender shoots and bark are gnawed off 
 for food, and the remainder floats down the stream, and 
 by the pressure of the water is driven into the crevices 
 between the larger logs, thus filling up intervening spaces, 
 and forming an interlacing net-work. With continued 
 accessions of small branches soon the whole becomes 
 an immovable mass, and a permanent dam is formed, 
 which so obstructs the water as to form, if the vicinity 
 is level, an overflow. These extended sheets of water 
 are called beaver-dams. 
 
 The first cool weather in autumn brought a flock of 
 wild geese from the north, which in a few days increased 
 to thousands. Ducks also made their appearance. All 
 were in the finest condition, and far from wary. I 
 observed not less than nine distinct species oiAnser. To 
 this may be added twenty-seven species of ducks, among 
 which were to be found the genuine canvas-back, and a 
 bird much resembling the eider-duck. Two species of 
 swans are also numerous. On a cold day these various 
 aquatic fowls might be seen going south in armies ; with 
 a rise in the thermometer the course of their legions , 
 would be reversed. Strange to say, they do not always 
 confine their society to their own race ; on one occasion 
 
250 All Round the World. 
 
 I counted five different species feeding together in the 
 utmost harmony. But my residence in the parks was 
 at an end. ' I had killed all the game I wanted, and 
 could have killed more ; and now in my own land I 
 often sigh for the howling of the wolf, a serenade that 
 would recall rough but true men — and dangerous, fatigu- 
 ing, but happy days. 
 
A Hunting Misadventure. 25 1 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 A HUNTING MISADVENTURE. 
 
 ALL those portions of the American continent which 
 were settled by the French, and which have not 
 since received an influx of emigrants from other coun- 
 tries, remain almost unchanged and unimproved. A few 
 scattered log-dwellings and a few acres of cultivated 
 land alone attest the presence of man. 
 
 How different are those parts which are colonised 
 by the descendants of English, Scotch, Irish, or Ger- 
 mans ! The forest rapidly disappears before them, and 
 comfortable houses, smiling cottages, commodious barns, 
 well-enclosed and highly cultivated fields, in a short 
 space of time cover the entire surface of the land, which 
 a few years previously was merely a wilderness. 
 
 Vincennes, in the State of Indiana, was settled by the 
 French. The town has of late years become of some 
 importance, because the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad 
 runs through it ; but down on the Watash River, not five 
 miles off, is to be found the primitive forest, only here 
 
252, All Round the World. 
 
 and there broken by the Frenchman's shanty and dimi- 
 nutive corn-patch. I once lived in this neighbourhood, 
 for game was abundant, and fishing excellent ; but even 
 with all these inducements, fever and ague were too 
 prevalent, mosquitoes, jiggers, and ticks too abundant, 
 to permit my stay to be of length. 
 
 In Vincennes there lived a gentleman who had once 
 been an officer in the Prussian army. His love of 
 hunting amounted almost to a mania, and he practised it 
 at no inconsiderable expense ; the better to indulge his 
 foible, he kept a pack of — what shall I call them i" — cer- 
 tainly not hounds ; perhaps curs is the most applicable 
 name. Well, K. had a good heart, but he had very bad 
 sight, with a great aptitude for firing snap shots. Several 
 times this little peculiarity had got him into trouble, for 
 he almost killed one friend and severely peppered several 
 others. At length his reputation became so notorious 
 that no one could be induced to accompany him when in 
 pursuit of game. This was to him a source of great 
 grief, because he was of convivial habits, and loved dearly 
 to show to the world what a wondrous clever pack he 
 possessed, and how ably he hunted them. Soon after 
 my arrival in Indiana, I made K.'s acquaintance ; 
 and although numerous hints from outsiders were given 
 me as to the uncertainty of life, more especially when 
 with such a hunting companion, I would not be warned, 
 but put down all as malicious scandal, and therefore 
 refused steadfastly to be prejudiced against him until 
 I had ocular demonstration of the fact. 
 
 One fine morning, in the month of November, I was 
 awoke in that delightful portion of my sleep (which, with 
 
A Hunting Misadventure. 253 
 
 subalterns, is so often disturbed by the ration bugle 
 when they happen to be orderly officers) by a most 
 discordant to-tooing on an old cracked horn within 
 the sacred precincts of my bed-room. Solicitations for 
 ten minutes' respite for forty more winks, for sufficient 
 time to recall my scattered senses, were of no avail ; 
 so, rather than insult my friend by throwing a boot 
 at him^ — being a foreigner, I did not know how he might 
 receive such a welcome — I sprang from my couch, made 
 a hurried toilet and a hearty breakfast. Then, instead 
 of indulging in an after-breakfast pipe, the most de- 
 lightful of all the pipes of the day, I determined to lose 
 no time, and postponed my smoke till I was in my 
 saddle. 
 
 My mount was a pony, of about fourteen hands — 
 handsome, good, and a great pet. I had not long 
 possessed her, but already knew her valuable qualities 
 so well that I would not have taken for her double 
 the price she had cost me. Little did I imagine that 
 this would be the last time I should cross my little 
 mare. 
 
 The hunting-ground was reached, and this was our 
 plan of operations. K. was to take the pack and 
 make a drive down wind, while I remained by a favourite 
 pass, which, previous experience told us, the deer were 
 certain to traverse. In fifteen or twenty minutes after 
 taking my stand, a solitary doe came in sight. With the 
 most guarded caution she approached my ambuscade. 
 Again and again she hesitated, but the yelping of the 
 curs reminded her that her present course was scarcely 
 optional — that she had either to go forward or run the 
 
254 All Round the World. 
 
 gauntlet. At length her decision was formed. Forward 
 towards my shelter she came. A few more strides 
 brought her within easy range as to distance, but difficult 
 for certain shooting from intervening brush. My first 
 barrel, however, failed to do more than slightly alter her 
 course ; but as she passed me in more open ground, the left 
 brought her tail down, caused her to spring several feet in 
 the air, and stumble on to her knees, from which position 
 she recovered, and was soon lost to view. Having re- 
 loaded, I quickly followed the hoof-tracks, and an old 
 skirter of this pack of unmentionables overtook me ; and 
 ere he had gone a hundred yards, from the intonation of 
 his voice, I knew he had reached the quarry. Hurrying up 
 to the scene of action, I found the doe at bay, bidding 
 the cur defiance with her feet, which she used most 
 skilfully. The dog, however, was not to be beaten off. 
 My presence gave him fresh courage ; and after a couple 
 of unsuccessful attempts, he laid hold, and I got a chance 
 to blood my knife. Soon afterwards I brought up my 
 pony ; and, placing the carcass across his loins, made it 
 fast to the D's in the cantle of the saddle. On returning 
 to my post, I again heard the curs running, and evidently 
 heading in my direction, The better to be able to use 
 my gun, I made my nag fast to a sapling, and started 
 at the double to cut off" an angle ; but I had not gone 
 more than a hundred yards when, heading directly for 
 me, I saw ten or twelve deer. Unfortunately they had 
 seen me, and, sheering off" to the left, passed close to the 
 pony. To this moment I cannot tell the reason, but the 
 little animal appeared suddenly seized with fright. She 
 reared, backed, and struggled, till the bridle broke, and 
 
A Hunting Misadventure. 255 
 
 off she went in the direction of the hunt, bucking and 
 kicking, evidently with the intention of divesting herself 
 of the load. Soon she succeeded, for the saddle turned 
 round, and the deer got underneath her belly, where it 
 remained only for a few minutes before it was torn off. 
 Not wishing to walk home, I hurried after the mare, but 
 shouts and kind words were unavailing. The little 
 blackguard, glorying in her freedom, only cocked her tail 
 the higher, and accelerated her pace. Cogitating over my 
 unfortunate predicament, I heard a couple of shots close 
 at hand, and knowing full well that none but K. could 
 have fired them, I pushed forward, and soon joined 
 him. From his statement, he had just fired at a tremen- 
 dous buck, with enormous horns. He was certain we 
 should find him dead close by, and said that we had 
 better wait till some of the hounds returned to assist our 
 search. After an unusual amount of to-tooing, one of 
 the so-called hounds joined us ; but no exertion would 
 induce him to take up the trail. " Very odd," said my 
 frie.nd ; " the scent must be very bad to-day." " Very 
 curious," said I ; " my little mare has just passed this 
 way ; did you see her ? " " No," he responded ; " no- 
 thing passed but the buck I shot at." 
 
 A horrible thought crossed my mind — so horrible that 
 I tried to banish it — no less than that the big buck was 
 my pet pony. It was of no use. My suspicion I could 
 not conceal, but K. was obdurate ; the idea was absurd : 
 could he disbelieve his eyes .' ultimately we almost 
 got to high words. No deer-track could I find, but that 
 of the pony was plainly visible. The cur would not 
 acknowledge the passage of game. There was no room 
 
256 All Round the World. 
 
 for doubt ; still I hoped that my friend had seen so 
 badly that he had not held his gun straight. More of 
 the mongrels now joined us, not one of whom could be 
 induced to open. Several casts were made to the right 
 and left, but without success. Farther into the woods 
 we advanced in the supposed correct direction, when, to 
 my horror and indignation, I beheld my pet writhing in 
 a death-struggle ! Even then my German friend swore 
 by all that is high and low, that some one else must be 
 the assassin, for that he had fired at a buck. 
 
 To waste my breath in argument with such a man was 
 absurd. I therefore said little, but thought a great deal. 
 At length a convulsive struggle indicated that death had 
 relieved my unfortunate favourite. When I held 2l post- 
 mortem examination, the result showed me that not 
 only had the charge of buck-shot been well placed for 
 inflicting a mortal wound, but that a portion of it 
 had ripped my saddle in numerous places. I fervently 
 wished that the mare had been without a breast-strap, 
 for then, when the saddle turned round with the deer, 
 most probably she would have got rid of both ; and I 
 should have suffered only my loss in horseflesh, without 
 the destruction of my saddle. 
 
 That day was the last which I passed shooting in the 
 society of the Prussian, and, reader, take my advice, be 
 most particular not to trust yourself in the company of 
 careless persons carrying fire-arms ! There is scarcely a 
 sportsman, however young he may be, who cannot recall 
 some terrible accident caused by such people. 
 
 Before leaving Vincennes, I will add a little shooting 
 episode that happened on the grand prairie. 
 
A Htuiting Misadventure. 25 7 
 
 The morning dawned as wintry and wild as if my 
 location had been in the Arctic regions, and, as travelling 
 was out of the question, for I was en route to visit a 
 friend, I was unwillingly detained captive for the day. 
 A prairie farm in winter is far from an interesting 
 domicile for any one, more particularly if confined to the 
 house. After hours of, inertness and a heavy consump- 
 tion of tobacco, I decided to face the elements, draped 
 in white, preferring to do so rather than roast over an 
 uncomfortably hot fire in an uncommonly cold house. 
 
 Putting on as much clothing as if destined for picket 
 duty before Sevastopol in winter, I went to the place 
 usually selected by the prairie chickens {Tetrao cupido) 
 for feeding. Here a portion of the corn had been cut, and 
 still stood in shucks, with the ear on. Arriving at the spot, 
 although the snow was flying with considerable violence, 
 I saw several chicken on the wing, indications which I 
 favourably construed into promise of sport. Selecting the 
 most suitable stand, I was not long tasked with delay, for 
 birds commenced passing in every direction : even those 
 that I flushed only flew a short distance before return- 
 ing. It appears to me that I never saw game tamer, my 
 white dress over head and body approximating so closely 
 to that of the ground that many, doubtless, supposed 
 me to be anything else you like to imagine rather than a 
 sportsman. Even some headed straight for the shuck be- 
 hind which I stood, and, doubtlessly, would have alighted 
 if they had not been disturbed by my movement or the 
 report of my gun. One in particular, which came while 
 I was loading, after being frightened from my shelter, 
 went to the next stook and commenced feeding with 
 
 s 
 
258 All Round the World. 
 
 perfect indifference. But such an ordeal is trying to a 
 man's constitution, and to retain a sufficiency of animal 
 heat required more vitality than I possessed, so that 
 after an hour's work I was compelled to desist, with 
 fingers stiffened, and toes nearly paralysed. For the last 
 ten minutes, half the time was occupied in fumbling to 
 place caps on the nipples, an amusement far from 
 pleasant or soothing to an irascible temperament. 
 Having obtained quite as many birds as I required, 
 with satisfaction I returned to the influences of the fire, 
 and uncomfortable shelter of the homestead. 
 
 Here, as in other parts of the world, I heard the old 
 story of milk snakes, or of reptiles that suck milk 
 from cows when in the pasture-fields, still I cannot 
 believe these assertions, and I will give my reasons for 
 my incredulity. In the first place, there are two distinct 
 snakes called by this name in America, perhaps more. 
 At the north end of Lake Simcoe, in Canada, a variety 
 of snake, excessively numerous there, and which I should 
 denominate the brown water-snake, was pointed out to me 
 as a milk snake. In Southern Illinois, Iowa, &c., a 
 handsome dark-blue snake, very rapid in his progression, 
 and not at all unlike the common black snake, is always 
 called a milk snake ; and to both these varieties, in their 
 different localities, is attributed the crime of sucking the 
 cows. That the emigrant on Lake Simcoe Qr the 
 squatter of the Western States believe this, there is no 
 doubt ; and like many yarns equally improbable, they 
 are accepted, and handed down from father to son, 
 without the idea ever entering their heads to examine 
 whether it be possible. Both the brown and dark-blue 
 
A Hunting Misadventure. 259 
 
 snakes in question live principally on frogs, and their teeth 
 are so situated that, when once they lay hold of their 
 victim — if it is large and sufficient to open the mouth to 
 its full extent — they can with difficulty leave go, without 
 cutting or tearing. Now, a cow's teat is of such a size 
 that, if the snake took hold of it, the milk could not be 
 extracted unless the reptile closed its mouth for the 
 purpose of suction, and scarification of the part would be 
 the result. Cattle and horses have a great dislike to 
 snakes, and will not at any time approach them volun- 
 tarily, being able to detect their presence by smell. On 
 the western prairies, where stock-raising is the principal 
 occupation of the farmer, snakes abound, many of them 
 poisonous — such as the rattlesnake, mocassin, copper- 
 head — still it is unusual, owing to this power of scent 
 which stock possess, for an animal to be bitten. Now, 
 can it be for a moment supposed that a cow would sub- 
 mit to an operation that would cause it pain, and that 
 from a creature for whom it has the greatest antipathy .? 
 
 However, the snakes to which my informant alluded are 
 not the same as those I have mentioned. I cannot help 
 believing that whether the reptile was white or black, 
 short or long, this antiquated story is no more than a 
 fabrication. 
 
 While shooting in this neighbourhood, the person who 
 accompanied me, killed a very light slate-coloured snake, 
 nearly six feet long, which he called a milk snake. My 
 attendant assured me that this variety was in the habit 
 of sucking the cattle. But it probably got the appel- 
 lation from its colour, and imagination attributed to it 
 the milking proclivities. 
 
 S 2 
 
i6o All Round the World. 
 
 Snakes have long been the subjects of wonderful and 
 impossible stories ; for instance, in Texas and other por- 
 tions of the United States, as well as at the Cape of Good 
 Hope, a most dangerous description is said to exist, called 
 the hoop-snake. It is supposed to be very long, and to 
 have the greatest antipathy to equestrians, whom it pur- 
 sues in the following novel manner : Taking its tail in its 
 mouth, it forms a hoop, and follows its victim, trundling 
 over rough and smooth grolind with great velocity ! How 
 delightful to be coursed by such a customer ! Everybody 
 dislikes snakes ; they have no friends ; all will go out of 
 their way to kill them : and, doubtless, they deserve 
 much antipathy ; but give a dog a bad name, and crimes 
 and misdemeanours of which he is perfectly innocent 
 will be saddled upon him. I very much believe the 
 unfortunate snakes are saddled with numerous misdeeds 
 of which they are entirely innocent, particularly that of 
 sucking cows. 
 
Career of an Emigrant. 16 1 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 CAREER OF AN EMIGRANT. 
 
 A SLIGHT sketch of the hardships and trials which 
 the emigrant has to struggle through may be 
 interesting to many. His life is not all sunshine, as 
 some may imagine, and pleasure and rest are only 
 obtained after days and years of toil and industry. 
 
 Let us suppose the emigrant to have reached Canada 
 with his family, and arrived at the site where his des- 
 tined home is to be ; that he is a man of small means, in 
 fact, with not more than sufficient to buy his seed-corn, 
 procure one or two head of cattle and hogs, and sufficient 
 provisions to last his household for, say, six months^-the 
 season, autumn. Just think what trials and anxieties 
 are before this little coterie. First, the house has to be 
 built. How many a hard blow, how many a blistered 
 hand, aye, and how many a heartache must take place 
 before that is accomplished ! Hour after hour, day after 
 day, the woods resound with the monotonous click of 
 the axe ; but how slowly does the work advance ! for he 
 
262 All Round the World. 
 
 knows not that sleight and skill that is so characteristic 
 of the native American backwoodsman. At length suffi- 
 cient space is cleared for the future domicile, enough 
 trees have been cut and notched of which to compose it, 
 and the light of heaven is no longer shut out by the 
 foliage, but cheers the labourer and those depending on 
 him, during their mid-day meal. If the emigrant have 
 neighbours — and all who live within five or six miles are 
 deemed so — he informs them that he is ready to " raise " 
 his house. This summons is invariably attended to, and 
 a dozen or more sturdy workmen soon have the logs 
 placed in their respective positions, and before many 
 hours the sides of the new dwelling are up. But sup- 
 posing the settler has taken up land away off in the forest, 
 far from where assistance can be obtained, he must make 
 use of every available mechanical power that can be 
 formed with axe and timber to place the unwieldy logs in 
 their destined positions. This is slow and tedious work. 
 The first roof is generally composed of bark, or black ash 
 roughly riven into planks ; this afterwards gives place to 
 shingles, when time and experience have taught him how 
 to make them. But logs are not all straight, and many 
 are the openings in the walls which must be closed before 
 winter sets in. This process is called chinking, and is 
 performed by forcing into the crevices chips or rude laths 
 of timber, which are afterwards daubed over with clay or 
 lime. The fire is made on the floor, and the chimney, 
 which seldom satisfactorily performs its duty, projects 
 into the room, and is a composition of thin laths and clay 
 or lime placed in alternate layers. Then the doors and 
 windows are sawn out, a casing put in, and the ami- 
 
Career of an Emigrant. 263 
 
 grant's first home is fit for the reception of its future 
 occupants. Tables, chairs, stools, and other interior 
 necessaries are easily formed, but of course they are 
 most primitive in construction, still they answer the pur- 
 pose, or must do so until time has given the labourer a 
 few good crops, or his character for industry and honesty 
 has become established at the nearest store, when pos- 
 sibly credit can be obtained. But although the house is 
 up, work does not cease. Morning, noon, and night, the 
 axe must be at work, till sufficient space for the first 
 crop is cleared. To accomplish this, not only have the 
 trees to be felled, then cut into logging lengths, the 
 boughs and limbs lopped off and piled, but possibly the 
 surface of the land has to be underbushed. Those trees 
 that, from their splitting easily, are suitable for rails are 
 saved for that purpose, while the others, generally 
 through the assistance of neighbours and their ox-teams, 
 are drawn together, piled one upon another, and, when 
 sufficiently dry, burned. A good burn can seldom be 
 obtained till the timber has been cut at least a year, 
 otherwise the logs have to be piled and replied, fired and 
 refired, before all are consumed. One thing' you cannot 
 get rid of, viz. the stumps. They must be seen to form a 
 correct opinion of their unsightliness ; and worse still, they 
 take years to decay, some varieties of timber lasting an 
 ordinary lifetime. During the process of firing, as log- 
 heaps are frequently built beside stumps, they get charred 
 and blackened, and burnt into distorted shapes, such as an 
 imaginative mind can fabricate into all sorts of spectres. 
 When the land is fit for cultivation, it has to be fenced. 
 This generally is done by splitting ash, hickory, or elm 
 
264 All Round the World. 
 
 into rough rails from ten to twelve feet long, which are 
 placed upon the ground, the end of one rail resting on that 
 of the other, like a succession of letter W's, till sufficient 
 altitude is obtained. Rail-splitting is laborious work, 
 and many a day's pounding with a gigantic mallet, there 
 called a beetle, has to be done ere a large log is dismem- 
 bered into rails of the requisite size. A fence of brush 
 is sometimes temporarily employed ; but it is dangerous 
 to trust your maiden crop to such a fragile enclosure. 
 Cattle and hogs are not easily excluded from such 
 tempting food as green wheat or corn. You may not 
 possess any stock yourself, yet your neighbours possibly 
 do, and as the habits of all are very erratic in wild land, 
 the unfortunate settler who has trusted to a brush fence 
 may awake in the morning to find the result of all his 
 labour and toil, the hope of his family for next year's 
 subsistence, totally destroyed. To prepare the land after 
 clearing for the reception of the first crop, the ashes that 
 remain after burning are well scattered, when, if oats or 
 wheat are to be sown, they are generally scattered broad- 
 cast, and not unfrequently harrowed in with a branch ; 
 when a better implement is not obtainable. If the emi- 
 grant have sufficient funds to purchase a yoke of cattle, 
 when he has learned to drive them — no easy matter — 
 they will be found most useful ; in fact, the first purchase 
 that all should desire to make is a pair of these useful 
 animals — without them I should deem it almost an im- 
 possibility for any one to succeed ; but patience and 
 determination will accomplish much. In the meantime, 
 how are the family living .' what is their food ? Pork, 
 flour, and corn-meal — and, believe me, there are few 
 
Career of an Emigrant. 265 
 
 articles of human diet that are capable of being less 
 metamorphosed Jay human ingenuity than the afore- 
 mentioned. Occasionally a duck, grouse, or even deer 
 may fall to the settler's gun, and if in the vicinity of 
 water, fish may easily be captured. But as a rule, those 
 who devote themselves to field sports become idle and 
 improvident, aud lose caste among their neighbours. A 
 garden has also to be prepared, although the variety 
 that it will produce is not great ; still, potatoes, cabbage, 
 and pumpkins will be. found acceptable additions to the 
 table ; beans also can be grown, and are a useful article 
 of diet, combined with pork, for those who have to work 
 hard in winter. In Yankeeland, pork and beans is a 
 standing dish, and, when properly cooked, is not to be 
 despised. In choosing the situation of a residence, high 
 ground should be selected, more especially if on the 
 margin of a river or lake. Freshets will occur on the 
 breaking up of winter, and it is far from agreeable or 
 conducive to comfort to have one or two feet of water in 
 the interior of your dwelling. 
 
 Sheep can seldom be kept when the country is new, 
 for they form so great an attraction to wolves that these 
 gentry are almost certain, sooner or later, to pay them 
 a visit, which will not cease till they have destroyed all. 
 Poultry, if unmolested, will do well ; but the skunk, grey 
 fox, and several varieties of hawk, are apt to be trouble- 
 some in their attentions to them, more especially to the 
 young birds and chickens. If one or two of these ma- 
 rauders be occasionally shot and hung up in a conspi- 
 cuous place as a warning to their mates, beneficial results 
 have frequently followed. A disagreeable incident that 
 
266 All Round the World. 
 
 too frequently occurs is the straying off of the milch 
 cattle and working oxen. Sometimes they will be gone 
 for days ; to obviate this as much as possible, the ring- 
 leader of the mischief, which is generally an old cow, has 
 a bell attached by aleather collar to her neck, the tinkling 
 of which can, in calnyweather, be often heard half a mile 
 off. With what pleasure have I listened to the tinkling 
 of a cow bell ! Every note speaks of your approach to 
 man's dwelling, and probably a resting-place ; nothing 
 but the deep voice of the honest watch-dog speaks so 
 emphatically to the wearied and perhaps homeless 
 wanderer. 
 
 Although timber is abundant, to provide the neces- 
 sary quantity of fire-wood for a family's use is no 
 small labour, for it has to be cut into lengths and split, 
 and afterwards piled within easy access of the door, and 
 the consumption of fuel during a Canadian winter is 
 sufficient to astonish the uninitiated. A good fire always 
 gives an air of comfort ; therefore few regret the toil that 
 is required to produce it. As grain cannot well be used 
 without grinding, the more accessible and close the 
 settler is to a mill so much the better ; for many trips will 
 have to be paid to it, and bush-roads are not generally 
 to be commended for affording the means of rapid 
 transit. If the mill be on navigable water, a sale may 
 possibly be found for some of the settler's choice timber, 
 thus bringing an ever-welcome supply of cash to his 
 pockets. Considerable outlay can be saved by the 
 manufacture of your own sugar : this takes place in 
 the spring of the year, when the warm sun causes a thaw 
 during the day ; the sap then commences to ascend the 
 
Career of an Emigrant. 267 
 
 trees, and by tapping or notching the bark of the hard 
 maple, and driving in a spill underneath where the inci- 
 sions are made, a bucket or even more liquid may be 
 obtained in the course of a few hours. The sap is then 
 collected from the rude buckets into which it has fallen, 
 underneath the respective trees, and is deposited in a 
 large kettle to boil ; thus, by degrees the moisture evapo- 
 rates, the remains first becoming molasses, ultimately 
 sugar. Care must, ■ however, be taken that the whole 
 does not boil over ; this can be obviated, if a person 
 cannot be spared to be in constant attention, by hanging 
 a piece of fat pork over the caldron so as to fall a few 
 inches beneath the level of the rim ; on the sap boiling 
 up to the pork, it will cease to ascend any' further. 
 Making maple sugar is laborious work when done on 
 an extensive scale, for the trees and fire require constant 
 attention, and collecting sap and possibly having to 
 carry it a hundred or more yards, through slush and 
 brush, is no joke. In the second season sundry out- 
 houses are generally erected, for we will suppose that 
 the emigrant is at length the possessor of a few head 
 of stock. Among these, pigs will probably be found 
 the most remunerative, for they require little or no food, 
 except in winter, and become fat on what they obtain 
 in the bush ; instead, therefore, of having to purchase 
 your supply of pork, it is provided at home — a saving of 
 the most expensive item in a family's expenditure. The 
 only -drawback to the propagation of pigs are their 
 predatory habits and their liability to be eaten by bears. 
 The former proclivity it is almost impossible to prevent ; 
 the latter misfortune must be guarded against by the 
 
268 All Round the World. 
 
 destruction of bruin, a feat well worth the trouble, for the 
 hide will sell for a considerable sum, and the flesh make 
 an acceptable addition to the larder. If a bear once 
 obtains a relish for pork, day after day he will desire to 
 gratify his appetite, and a young porker must pay the 
 penalty. I have even known bruin come to a pig-sty 
 that had a covering of logs, roll them on one side, and 
 carry off a victim. In fact, I shot a bear one night in the 
 very act of committing such a depredation. The pig- 
 sty was under the gavel window of a shanty in which 
 I was spending the night. The father and mother had 
 gone with a grist to the mill, which was some distance off, 
 and consequently they were not expected back till the 
 morrow. Th^ pigs had been for half an hour unusually 
 noisy, when one of the children rushed into my rude 
 dormitory and informed me that a bear was endeavouring 
 to get into the hog-pen ; taking my gun, I went to the 
 window before mentioned, and there I saw Mr. Bruin, for 
 the moon was bright, lifting or rolling on one side the 
 logs that had been placed as a protection against his 
 inroad. Soon he had made an opening and descended 
 into the pen, returning immediately with a porker, when 
 I gave him his quietus in the shape of an ounce and a 
 half of buck-shot fired within three or four yards. 
 
 The persons who emigrate to Canada must be pre- 
 pared and able to work hard, to labour night and day for 
 some years — more particularly if they go where land 
 is cheap ; by that time, what with the influx of emigration, 
 and the increase of population, farms advance in value, 
 for markets are established nearer at hand, and the stamp 
 of civilisation becomes more apparent. The first years 
 
Career of an Emigrant. 269 
 
 have been spent in struggling and toiling to make both 
 ends meet ; but during the latter years plenty of food, if 
 that constitutes happiness, is obtainable. With some 
 classes this is all that is desired ; with the educated, and 
 those who know the advantage of mixing with others 
 than boors, I feel confident in saying, their aim in life 
 points a little higher. 
 
 Courteous Reader, — We have now made the tour of 
 the world together. We began our sporting experiences 
 in Scotland, when, as a mischievous school-boy, I 
 slaughtered an unfortunate robin, but by degrees I learnt 
 to fly at higher game, and before I left my native land, 
 the antlered deer had fallen a victim to my gun. Going 
 abroad, we have fished in the blue depths of the Mediter- 
 ranean ; we have hunted with a pack of staunch British 
 hounds on the soil of sunny Spain ; we have climbed the 
 rocky hills of North Africa in pursuit of game. Thence, 
 we have passed to India, beyond all question the 
 favourite locale of the military sportsman, for there 
 ranges the tusked wild boar, whom we scorn to slay with 
 bullet, but rejoice to spear; there crawls the repulsive 
 alligator, and there lurks the stealthy tiger. In China the 
 game we followed was of a more inoffensive description, 
 but in the Flowery Land, and still more in the fascinating 
 islands of Japan, we were repaid for the comparative 
 tameness of the sport by the interesting character of the 
 country and the people. Then we crossed the greatest 
 ocean in' the world, the mighty Pacific, disembarked at 
 
270 All Round the World. 
 
 the Golden Gate, the land of auriferous wealth and 
 American enterprise, penetrated into the fastnesses of the 
 interior, encountered the buffalo and the grisly bear 
 amid the illimitable prairies, or the sheltered valleys of 
 the Rocky Mountains, and, lastly, turning our faces home- 
 wards, we have traced the slow progressive stages where- 
 by the Canadian backwoodsman teaches the gloomy and 
 barren wilderness to smile with abundant harvests of 
 golden grain. Reader, we must now part ; I thank you 
 heartily for your companionship, and wish you a sincere 
 farewell ! 
 
 THE END. 
 
 rKINTHD BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, IIUKE STREET, STAMFpKD STREET, 
 AND CHARING CROSS. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
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