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INDIAN MEMORIES 
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF 
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 THE END OF THE NIGHT WATCH — FOR BEARS 
 
INDIAN 
 MEMORIES 
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF SOLDIERING, 
 SPORT, ETC., BY LIEUT.-GENERAL 
 SIR ROBERT BADEN-POWELL K.C.B. 
 WITH 24 ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR 
 <& AND 100 IN BLACK & WHITE $ 
 ffi m BY THE AUTHOR © <B 
 
 HERBERT JENKINS LIMITED 
 12 ARUNDEL PLACE HAYMARKET 
 LONDON S.W. SB <8> MCMXV 
 
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 THE ANCHOE PBESS, LTD., T1PTRFE, ESSEX. 
 
TO 
 
 THE MEMORY OF 
 
 MY MOTHER 
 
 WHO THOUGHT MY LETTERS 
 WORTH KEEPING 
 
FOREWORD 
 
 PERHAPS the only redeeming point about these 
 " Memories " is that they are largely ex- 
 tracted from diaries and letters which were 
 not written with the idea of anyone ever seeing them 
 except my mother. To some extent they tell 
 directly against me, since they show me to have been 
 just the ordinary silly young ass who enjoyed sense- 
 less ragging, was fond of dogs and horses, and 
 thought very little as he went through the ordinary 
 every-day experiences of a subaltern in India. 
 There is nothing very romantic or very exciting 
 about them, and there is much that is silly, but at 
 the same time such things have, I think, seldom been 
 set down in writing just as they occurred to one at 
 the time. They may at any rate serve to remind 
 other old officers besides myself that they themselves 
 once felt and did as subalterns now think and do. 
 As we get into our crabbed old age, we are apt to 
 forget that we were once youngsters, as I had almost 
 forgotten that I once enjoyed having " all my 
 face except a small patch on the left side scraped 
 bare in a glorious rough and tumble." 
 
viii FOREWORD 
 
 With very few exceptions the illustrations are 
 reproductions of sketches which I sent home to 
 show what India was like, and they have the virtue 
 of being done on the spot. 
 
 These Reminiscences were in print in July 1914, 
 but their publication was deferred owing to the out- 
 break of war. The results of the campaign to date 
 in no way modify the opinions therein expressed on 
 the character and training of the British officer and 
 
 soldier of to-day. 
 
 Robert Baden-Powell. 
 Ewhurst, 
 East Sussex. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 FOREWORD - vii 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 I ENTER THE ARMY 
 
 My First Lesson in Tactics — Dr. Haig-Brown and the Flank Attack — 
 Oxford Declines Me — My Surprise Pass — I Embark for India — 
 " Pandemonium " — A Bay of Biscay Storm — An Embarrassing 
 Episode — The Missing Lieutenant — A Sea Tragedy — Port Said — 
 A Wonderful Telescope — " Man Overboard " — A Confused i 
 Sentry 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 ARRIVAL IN INDIA 
 
 The Odour of India — The Heat Overcomes Our Vanity — Jubbulpore 
 and the Bees — Lucknow — Signs of Tragedy — Engaging Servants 
 — Kicking Out the Overplus — A Subaltern on Natives — Inmates 
 of My Garden — Crib Fights a Jackal — A Confidential Document 
 — A Disaster — The General and My Caricatures — A Cure for 
 Fever — Sir Baker Russell — Riding Down a Delinquent — A 
 Mishap — An Unorthodox Colonel — Then and Now — Cultivating 
 Intelligence ----------13 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 THE SPORT OF KINGS AND THE KING OF SPORTS 
 
 The Shaping of the Subaltern — Polo Fever — The Keenness of the 
 Ponies — A Savage Contestant — A Filial Subaltern — A Polo Ban- 
 quet — Mr. Winston Churchill's Remarkable Speech — Winston 
 a Prisoner for the First Time — " I am India-rubber " — The 
 Pursuit of the Pig — The Attractions of India — A Born Sportsman 
 — A Splendid Sport — A Brutal Father — A Boar Puts a Gun out 
 of Acton — Tiger and Boar — Sir Samuel Baker's Experience — 
 Tommy Atkins After Pig ---.---30 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE KING OF THE JUNGLE 
 
 The Boar's Quickness — His Tushes — A Remarkable Courage — The 
 Duke of Connaught's Adventure — An Enthusiastic Ally — My 
 First Adventure with Pig — A Humiliating Discovery — A 
 Typical Run — The Kadir Cup Won for Me — The Pinner Pinned 
 — A Lucky Misadventure — Pigsticking on Foot 52 
 
x CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 LIFE IN THE PLAINS 
 
 A Soldier's Holiday — The Tragedy of My Lunch — Summary Ven- 
 geance — The Forgotten Sentry — The Death of Jock — An Unlucky 
 Day — The Land of Practical Jokes — Milk for Rosie — The Call of 
 Christmas — Sir Baker Russell and the Mules — The Duke of 
 Connaught in India — His First Pigsticking Adventure — Swim- 
 ming Rivers — A Dodge to Obtain Prestige — The German 
 Emperor Amused — No Rations in Eternity — Our Methods in 
 India — The Joys of the Cavalry Brigadier — A Lost Station — I 
 Disturb the Colonel — Snipe and Gin — Lemon Pudding and 
 Mustard — A Stolen Bicycle — Wunhi's Tea-House — Regimental 
 Friendships ---------- 70 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 DISEASE AND THE DRAMA 
 
 The Scourge of India — A Sergeant Orders His Own Funeral — The 
 Tragedy of the Ball — A Brave Doctor — An Erratic Visitant — 
 The Tragic Drama — The Adjutant's First Question — Scene- 
 Painting Extraordinary — The Simla Theatre — Strenuous Rehear- 
 sals — Pantomime at 100 Degrees — On Tour — Overlooking the 
 Viceroy — " Do Your Blacks Run ? " — The Criterion at Quetta — 
 A Laughing Dialogue — Asleep on the Stage — An Embarrassing 
 Greeting — The Question of Health — Some Bacteriological 
 Observations — Sir Baker and the Doctor — An Explosion — A 
 Solomon in Judgment — The Regimental Doctor 90 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 HOW INDIA DEVELOPS CHARACTER 
 
 Killing Ennui — Tommy Atkins as a Sportsman — Spies in Disguise 
 — A Sham Fight — The Perfect Soldier — Learning to Observe — 
 Night Operations — The Man who Made Grimaces — The Modern 
 Training — Interesting the Men — Sir Bindon Blood's Views on 
 Cavalry — An Irate General — The Woman Abroad — The Scout 
 Mistress — The Rani's Answer — A Fearless Rani — Colonel Alex- 
 ander Gardner — His Romance — A Tragedy - - - - 106 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 WHEN THE TRIBES ARE OUT 
 
 The Afghan War — The Great March — Ordered up to Kandahar — A 
 Warlike Atmosphere — The Expedition of 1842 — The Camel and 
 His Ways — Kandahar — A Dangerous City — Theatricals under 
 Difficulties — A Serious Mistake — Afghan Nerve — Attacked by 
 Ghazis — The Crack of Doom — The Field of Maiwand — A Broken 
 Square — A Heroic Chaplain — A Narrow Escape - - - 123 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 THE AFTERMATH OF WAR 
 
 The Image of War — Patrols and Picnics — A Curious Superstition — 
 Jock Fights a Wild Cat — Afghan Depredations — Relics of 
 
CONTENTS xi 
 
 Alexander the Great — Camp Rumours — Abdurrahman Waits — 
 The Horses Stampede — A Subaltern's Opinion of the Government 
 — A Study in Contrasts — Rifle Stealing — An Ingenious Plan — 
 Further Losses — I Shoot Myself — I Hear my Death Announced — 
 Digging for the Bullet — Convalescence — Stalked by a Leopard — 
 A Rough and Tumble __,._---- 139 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 LIFE IN THE HILLS 
 
 Civilisation v. Vagabondage — My First Meeting with Lord Roberts — 
 His Advice — Sir George White's Unconventionality — Disguised 
 as War Correspondents — We are Sumptuously Entertained — We 
 are Discovered — A Hasty Trip to Simla — Ragging — An Enthusi- 
 astic Fire Brigade — My Death is Announced — " The Bounding 
 Brothers of the Bosphorus " — A Mess-Room as Sheepfold — 
 " Ding " McDougal, Practical Joker — I Flee from Society — And 
 Do Not Regret It — A Novel Umbrella — The Drawbacks of 
 Education — My Post Bag - - - - - - -161 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 " TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT " 
 
 A Possible Interrogation — I Go in Pursuit of Tigers — Smith- 
 Dorrien at Work — The Party Meets — The Old Hands — A Native 
 Weakness — How to Beat for Tigers — A Dead Enemy — A Native 
 Village — Nearly a Fatality — Camp Literature — I Become Doctor 
 — I Get a Bear — Camp Life — A Panther's Wings — The Mahout — 
 The Tables Turned — Table Delicacies — Jungle Yachts — The 
 End of the Ghost --. 181 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 A FRONTIER ROW 
 
 The Value of the North- West Frontier — Village Warfare — Readiness 
 and Efficiency — How an Irishman Got a Dog and a Breakfast 
 for Nothing — Trouble in the Buner Country — The Subaltern in 
 War-time — The Pessimistic Afridi — A Terrified Jehu — Sniping 
 — The Morning of the Fight — Sir Bindon's Dispositions — The 
 Artillery Triumphs — Touching the Button — Rock-rolling — An 
 Exciting Race — The Bravest Man I ever Saw — The Enemy in 
 Retreat — An Exhausting Climb — The Tribute of a Foe — The 
 Trophies of War — Our Casualties ------ 205 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE JUNGLE PEOPLE AND SOME OTHERS 
 
 Curious Playmates — The Tragic Story of Algernon — Snakes and 
 Their Ways — An Unpleasant Bedfellow — An Ungrateful Patient 
 — Some Good Friends — The Clown's Mishap — A Murderer — A 
 Curious Trait — Bucephalus — A New Use For a Melon Bed — A 
 Horse for a Lady — The Soul of the Camel — The Bullock's Quest 
 — Buckhunting with Cheetahs — Black Buck Shooting — The 
 Panther's Ruse — The Moses of the Jungle — A Sprightly Com- 
 panion — A Panther in Search of His Tail — The Trial that Failed 224 
 
xii CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 "THE ELEPHANT'S A GENTLEMAN" 
 
 My Sentiment About the Elephant — His Mathematical Mind- 
 Dandelion's Idiosyncrasies — Her Courage in the Face of an 
 Enemy — The Elephant who Died — A Problem in Sanitation — 
 The Jungle Ship — Sea Legs — The Genius of the Elephant — His 
 Timidity — Jock's Victory — The Duchess of Connaught's Adven- 
 ture — The Elephant's Caution — He Utilises Human Material — A 
 Malefactor Flogged by Elephants — The Elephant in War — An 
 Elephant Fight --------- 245 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 NATIVE HOSPITALITY AND TRADITIONS 
 
 The Interest of the Native — Animal Fights — A Game Country — A 
 Puzzled Sportsman — An Up-to-Date Rajah — Impressing the 
 Shopkeeper — The Indian Nautch Dance — A Dreary Perform- 
 ance — Thomas Atkins, Linguist — An Interrupted Picnic — 
 The Lord of the Land Objects — His Sportsmanship — A Shoot- 
 ing Competition — Alexander the Great — The Tradition Con- 
 cerning His Invasion — His Dying Requests — Swordsmanship — 
 The Native During Manoeuvres — Too Eager — The Ghoorka's 
 Anger — Unofficial Weapons — An Antiquated Transport — The 
 Sporting Beluchis — Regimental Feuds — An Unexpected Cavalry 
 Charge — Clever Jackal-Calling — Pirates — Native Servants — The 
 Detection of Crime - - - - - - - - -257 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE CALL OF KASHMIR 
 
 A Strange Disease and Its Cure — Roughing It in Luxury — My Outfit 
 — My Views on the Tonga — The Blasted Way — Crazy Bridges — 
 Prince Louis' Double — The Great Unwashed — My Fleet 
 Weighs Anchor — Spearing Fish — Srinagar — Something about 
 Kashmir — Kashapa and the Devil — Itinerant Tradesmen — A 
 Clever Dealer — I Fall — The Ruins at Pandritan — A People 
 Without a Conscience — The Boatwomen — An Interrupted 
 Sermon — The Ubiquitous Tourist — My Entourage — Essential 
 Qualities in a Wife — How the Day Begins — Jack's Way with 
 Natives — A Chance of Bears - - - - - • - - 288 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 
 The Lunghi Valley — Omar by the Camp Fire — Philosophic Carriers 
 — The Efficacy of Castor Oil — A Good Camping Rule — A Bear 
 at Last — A Mud Slide — An Excellent Fellow — A Test of Eye- 
 sight — The Man with the Funny Face — I Indiscreetly Heal the 
 Sick — I Become Famous — A Jungle Doctor — My Practice In- 
 creases — A Question of Date — How I got the News of Omdurman 
 — My Appetite — A New Use for Oil Tins — A Courteous Governor 
 —The End of the Trip— The Balance Sheet - - - - 316 
 
 APOLOGIA 352 
 
 INDEX - - 353 
 
COLOURED PLATES 
 
 TO FACE PAGE 
 
 The end of the night-watch — for Bears . . . . Frontispiece 
 
 Some types . 18 
 
 How I ate my Christmas dinner with my regiment, and the con- 
 veyances that took me there and back — 
 
 i. Departing in style 
 ii. Travelling modestly | 
 
 iii. Arriving in humility L .... 76 
 iv. Sleeping under difficulties l 
 
 v. Returning like a zoological specimen ' 
 
 A Hindu Temple 120 
 
 A sunset impression, Kashmir 162 
 
 Gateway of the Fort, Patiala 206 
 
 Buck-hunting with a cheetah 236 
 
 The genius of the elephant in overcoming difficulties . * . 248 
 
 Our prehistoric transport 278 
 
 My tent, looking from the breakfast table towards the Liddar. 
 
 James going to get more stewed peaches . . . .294 
 
 My Doonga 294 
 
 Fort Hari Parbat, Srinagar 296 
 
 Dais Village 296 
 
 The Ruins of Pandritan (the little temple in the yellow tank). Date 
 
 about 500 to 800 a.d 304 
 
 The entrance to the Liddar Valley, looking north. The red line 
 
 shows my track 308 
 
 The Liddar Valley, my outfit passing some gipsy drovers . . 311 
 
 Sir Henry Irving in disguise looking for throats to cut . . 312 
 
 The post office and club at Achibal 334 
 
 My beaters at lunch 334 
 
BLACK AND WHITE ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Tailpiece ........... 1. 
 
 Title-page iii. 
 
 Kashmir girl viii. 
 
 A perilous descent .......... xvii. 
 
 Tailpiece ........... xix. 
 
 Dr. Haig-Brown, strategist ........ 2 
 
 The night of the storm . . . . . . . . . 7 
 
 The bewildered sentry . . . . . . . . . n 
 
 Tailpiece . . . . . . . . . . 12 
 
 An undignified entry 14 
 
 The retirement of the unsuccessful , . . . . . 16 
 
 Crib's victory ' . . . . . 19 
 
 Riding down a delinquent . . . . •■ ' . . . 24 
 
 Joseph Chamberlain and the policeman . . . . . 29 
 
 A race for first spear ......... 37 
 
 Knocked out .......... 45 
 
 It took half an hour to kill him ....... 47 
 
 " Oh lor ! what's this ?"........ 51 
 
 The man seized the boar's lower jaw with both hands ... 53 
 
 I looked a funny object ........ 64 
 
 I lay on my back, still clutching the spear . . . . 68 
 
 Swimming horses . . ~ . . . . . . . 79 
 
 My tea-house sign 87 
 
 Tailpiece ........... 89 
 
 Tosser and Pitcher in The Area Belle . ■ . . . . - . 97 
 
 The disregarded cue . . . . . - , . . . g8 
 
 " Hullo, Private Willis !"....". . . 99 
 
 Comrades 
 
 105 
 
 Our plan of attack ... ..... 112 
 
 Tailpiece ........... 122 
 
 Sketch map of the Afghanistan campaign 125 
 
 Plan of the Battle of Maiwand . . . . • . - 135 
 
 " You've broke my toe, you b iron-gutted beggar " . . 138 
 
 " If anybody ever talks to me again about the honour and glory of 
 
 soldiering, I'll be b y rude to him." .... 141 
 
 xv 
 
xvi BLACK AND WHITE ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 One of our sentries 
 
 An Afghan sentry 
 
 Jack thinks it's dinner time 
 
 Sheep-stealing by officers 
 
 My walking-kit 
 
 The local umbrella 
 
 The metamorphosis of the wanderer 
 
 Tailpiece .... 
 
 Bala Khan directing operations 
 
 A bird's-eye view of a tiger beat 
 
 Bagging a panther 
 
 Dandelion was as firm as a rock 
 
 The spoil .... 
 
 Smelling out a tiger's wing-bone 
 
 Me! 
 
 My Mahout, Kumala Din 
 
 Hunting the hunter 
 
 With a whisk of his tail he disappeared 
 
 A Buner standard-bearer 
 
 The bravest man I ever saw 
 
 The 5th Bengal cavalry 
 
 Mare baiting : Algernon's fun 
 
 " A fizzer under a saddle " 
 
 The cheetah's approach 
 
 In full cry .... 
 
 An unrehearsed effect 
 
 The panther who reasoned 
 
 The triumph of mind over matter 
 
 The elephant fight 
 
 Tailpiece .... 
 
 The officers who met us 
 
 Our host the Maharajah 
 
 A good sportsman 
 
 A realistic sham fight 
 
 A Ghoorka out for blood 
 
 The excitement of manoeuvres 
 
 A regiment of inveterate sportsmen 
 
 Native officers in plain clothes 
 
 Native football 
 
 Kashmir carriers 
 
 The Kashmir girl does her hair in plaits 
 
 Baramoola 
 
 My doonga 
 
 Spearing fish . 
 
 Kashmir children 
 
BLACK AND WHITE ILLUSTRATIONS xvii 
 
 One way of travelling in Kashmir 
 
 A Kashmir spade ........ 
 
 My household goods on the move ..... 
 
 The natives have eyes in their knees when Jack is about 
 Samud Khan, my shikari ...... 
 
 A tonga . . . . . 
 
 How they frighten birds in Kashmir .... 
 
 Beaters going home, as their chaplis render them useless on slippery 
 
 country . 
 
 Going up is simple enough, but the real difficulty lies in coming down 
 The making of a calf ..... 
 
 A difference of opinion as to a right of way 
 
 The work of a " stop " in a bear-drive in four acts 
 
 Unintentional tobogganning 
 
 Sabhana, our guide 
 
 The bear charges the beaters 
 
 Got him at last 
 
 Our pack of bear-hounds ! 
 
 Went away smiling 
 
 Spearing a fish 
 
 The chief imports of Kashmir 
 
 Tailpiece 
 
 PAGE 
 303 
 
 3°5 
 309 
 312 
 314 
 315 
 
 318 
 
 320 
 322 
 325 
 
 326 
 
 327 
 328 
 
 331 
 332 
 338 
 341 
 
 343 
 345 
 35o 
 35? 
 
INDIAN MEMORIES 
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF 
 SOLDIERING SPORT, ETC. 
 
CHAPTER I 
 
 I ENTER THE ARMY 
 
 My First Lesson in Tactics— Dr. Haig-Brown and the 
 Flank Attack— Oxford Declines Me— My Surprise Pass 
 — I Embark for India — " Pandemonium " — A Bay of 
 Biscay Storm— An Embarrassing Episode— The Missing 
 Lieutenant— A Sea Tragedy— Port Said— A Wonderful 
 Telescope— " Man Overboard "—A Confused Sentry 
 
 MY first lesson in tactics was learned under 
 the direction of that famous old trainer 
 of boys, Dr. Haig-Brown, at the old 
 Charterhouse in London. The fight between the 
 butcher boys of the neighbouring Smithfield Market 
 and the boys of Charterhouse had become a standing 
 institution, and very often these battles raged for 
 days together. On this particular occasion the 
 Smithfield boys had taken possession of a waste 
 piece of ground, " Over Hoardings," adjoining our 
 football ground, from which they attacked us with 
 showers of stones and brickbats whenever we 
 attempted to play. This was responded to from our 
 side in like manner, with occasional sorties by strong 
 bodies of us over the wall. With four or five other 
 boys too small to take part in the actual fray, I was 
 looking on at the battle when we suddenly found the 
 headmaster alongside us, anxiously watching the 
 progress of the fight. He remarked to us : 
 
 " I think if you boys went through that door in the 
 side wall you might attack the cads in flank." 
 
2 I ENTER THE ARMY 
 
 " Yes, sir," one of us replied, " but the door is 
 locked." 
 
 The worthy Doctor fumbled in his gown and 
 said : " That is so, but here is the key " : and he 
 sent us on our way rejoicing, and our attack was a 
 complete success. 
 
 It was thirty years later that I referred to this 
 incident at a dinner given me by my old schoolfellows 
 after the South African War, at which the Doctor 
 
 0- ©"■:■ ' >V"»." 
 
 Dr. Haig-Brown, strategist. 
 
 himself was present. He then corroborated my 
 story and went further by reminding us of the names 
 of the other boys who formed the flank attacking 
 party. 
 
 It was on the occasion of this battle that the 
 Doctor gave one of his characteristic replies. An 
 enraged citizen came to him and complained that 
 when he was harmlessly riding past the scene of the 
 encounter on the top of an omnibus, one of his eyes 
 had been nearly knocked out by a stone. The Doctor 
 expressed his regret for the untoward incident, but 
 assured the man that he was very lucky not to have 
 
AN ASTONISHING RESULT 3 
 
 lost both his eyes if he was so regardless of his safety 
 as to ride on an omnibus when a battle was going on 
 between the boys of the Charterhouse and the 
 butcher lads of Smithfield. 
 
 From Charterhouse I went up to Oxford, but my 
 learning was apparently not considered of sufficient 
 merit to admit me to Balliol or Christchurch, where I 
 desired to go. The author of Alice in Wonderland 
 was my examiner in mathematics, and he found out 
 what I could already have told him, but what I 
 hoped he would not discover for himself, that it was 
 a subject about which I knew little or nothing. 
 I had a vague hope that my father's reputation as 
 Savilian professor of geometry might carry me 
 through that gate to the University. But my hopes 
 were vain and I had for the time to take up my 
 position as an unattached member. 
 
 Within a few days of my joining I went up for the 
 Army examination to test my possibilities in that 
 line, but without any special hope of passing in my 
 first attempt. A few weeks later I happened to be 
 on Dr. Acland's yacht in the Solent, on which also 
 was Dean Liddell of Christchurch. On reading his 
 morning paper he remarked to me that in the list of 
 those who had passed for the Army he noticed one of 
 my name, and to my astonishment I found that I had 
 passed, and not only passed but that I was very 
 near the top of the list. I had gone in for both 
 examinations, for cavalry and for infantry, and I had 
 come out unaccountably high up in each. I did 
 not know then, and I have not been able since to 
 imagine how this came about. I can only suppose 
 that the examiners must have misread my examina- 
 tion index-number, and that some other clever 
 
4 I ENTER THE ARMY 
 
 young fellow is now eking out a precarious existence 
 as an author or a play-actor, who ought really to have 
 been in the position occupied by myself. But such 
 is life, and I do not regret it. 
 
 Successful candidates were all drafted to Sand- 
 hurst for a two years' course of instruction before 
 actually joining the Army, but by some strange luck 
 the first six were excused this preliminary and were 
 at once gazetted to regiments. Thus, although I 
 left Charterhouse only in June, I had my commission 
 in September and was in India, a full-blown officer 
 of the 13th Hussars, in November. That was where 
 my luck in promotion began, and it never deserted 
 me in any single step in rank during the rest of my 
 service. 
 
 During the South African campaign a well-known 
 General gave it as his opinion, in terms more forcible 
 than polite, that the rising generation ought to be 
 provided by Nature with velvet cushions to sit upon. 
 He had gone through rougher times as a subaltern 
 than falls to the lot of many young officers nowa- 
 days. The incidents of my first voyage to India, even 
 though it seems but a year or two ago, remind me 
 that times have indeed changed. The old Serapis, 
 which we considered a magnificent ship in her day, 
 was under 5,000 tons in size and fitted with masts and 
 sails to help her little engines push her along, her 
 speed averaging about nine knots. 
 
 We left Queenstown on November 3, 1876. My 
 quarters were in a kind of den below the water-line 
 along the keel of the ship and close to the rudder 
 and screw ; it was called " Pandemonium " because 
 it was a deep, dark, underground place, and from 
 want of ventilation almost as stuffy and hot as its 
 
PANDEMONIUM 5 
 
 namesake. Here we were jammed together in small 
 compartments holding three or four apiece ; but so 
 unpleasant was it that the merciful authorities 
 allowed us to sleep on the stairs or in the passages, 
 wherever we liked, in fact. Often during the night 
 we would be roused by the ship's officers and master- 
 at-arms, etc., going their rounds, to enquire why we 
 were sleeping there. If the answer was " Pande- 
 monium," the reason was considered sufficient and 
 nothing further was said, otherwise such sleepers-out 
 would be ordered back to their cabins. 
 
 We did not, however, make ourselves miserable 
 about our surroundings and, using " Pandemonium " 
 merely as a store-room and place of refuge in the 
 event of an attack by stronger forces, we would 
 raid the happier mortals who lived on the decks above 
 in comparative comfort in the "horse-boxes," as 
 the cabins were called. 
 
 The Serapis had hardly entered the Bay of Biscay 
 when we came in for a tremendous westerly gale. 
 Having always heard of the terrors of the Bay we 
 expected it as a necessary evil in crossing that well- 
 known part of the ocean, and treated it as part of the 
 day's work. Having crossed it over twenty times 
 since then, I now realise that it was quite an excep- 
 tional storm. In those days it was a three or four 
 days' steaming to cross the Bay, and on this occasion 
 it was prolonged by heavy labouring of the vessel, 
 which finally resulted in our having to heave to for 
 half a day owing to the heavy seas. These had 
 stove in two boats on the davits and carried away the 
 ladders leading from the upper deck into the waist. 
 
 The crew of a troopship was then a very small one, 
 because each blue- jacket was backed by half a dozen 
 
6 I ENTER THE ARMY 
 
 soldiers to help him in his various duties ; but, as 
 might have been expected, on this occasion, when 
 their help was most needed, all the soldiers were more 
 or less helpless with sea-sickness, and consequently 
 the sailors were considerably overworked. At one 
 period of the gale our bowsprit was ducked under and 
 snapped off, but hung there by its shrouds banging 
 against the stem of the vessel. A number of men 
 went out into the netting to get in the wreckage, when 
 another sea came up and lifted them all from their 
 perch and hurled them back on to the fo'c's'le, where 
 they were all more or less damaged but fortunately 
 not carried away into the sea. 
 
 From early training and knocking about in small 
 boats at sea I was a pretty good sailor, so I took 
 matters easily and wedged myself in between the 
 mast and a table in the saloon in a comfortable 
 armchair, and did myself well with a good novel, 
 undisturbed by the creaking of the ship and the 
 groanings in the cabins around me. In the ladies' 
 cabin, where a number of the officers' wives had their 
 sleeping places, the chaplain of the ship was endea- 
 vouring to comfort some of the more nervous passen- 
 gers. In the midst of his ministrations an extra 
 lurch of the ship flung open the doors of the side- 
 board in the dining saloon and a regular avalanche of 
 metal dish covers and side dishes came crashing and 
 clattering into the saloon. Part of the same sea struck 
 the skylight on deck and smashed in some of the glass, 
 producing a downpour of water which somewhat 
 flooded the place. The ladies took the whole 
 contretemps as a sign that the end was come and, 
 bursting out of their cabins in all states of deshabille, 
 they came crying out for help and comfort. One of 
 
AN EMBARRASSING SITUATION 7 
 
 them rushed to me, asking if there was any danger, 
 and I said, " Certainly not, if you sit in this chair and 
 read this excellent book," handing her my novel. It 
 certainly comforted her, but I regretted my self- 
 sacrifice afterwards, as I was not able to find an 
 
 The night of the storm. 
 
 equally comfortable place nor another book, and the 
 lady rather cut me for the rest of the voyage out, 
 through shame for her exhibition of weakness. So I 
 failed to score all round ! 
 
 We were glad to get out of that gale into the 
 calmer Mediterranean, and when we arrived at 
 Malta we had to leave some twenty blue-jackets 
 behind, to recover from their various injuries, frac- 
 tures, and contusions, and to ship others in their places. 
 
8 I ENTER THE ARMY 
 
 Like details of a dream the incidents of an ordinary 
 voyage are of very little interest to outsiders, but 
 that they were important to oneself is shown by the 
 fact that I recorded them carefully in my diary or 
 letters home, and though they hardly redound to 
 my credit, they at any rate shed a light on the irre- 
 sponsible nature of the human beast at the age of 
 eighteen. For instance : " I spent last night in attend- 
 ing on officers who slept in hammocks, swinging them 
 until they were sea-sick." 
 
 When we were ready to weigh anchor at Suez, 
 where we called for letters, one of the naval lieuten- 
 ants was missing and it was found that he had gone 
 ashore with a lot of other officers but had not returned 
 with them. Some people got anxious, because, not 
 so very long before, an officer of the 12th Lancers 
 was murdered here by the natives on the quay. 
 However, by looking through telescopes we presently 
 saw him in a sailing boat with two natives, and he was 
 rowing ; so we waited for about an hour until he got 
 alongside. The boatmen had started from the shore 
 in good time to catch the ship, but having come a 
 quarter of the journey they refused to go any further 
 without extra pay, and kept stopping and demanding 
 more money. However, at last we got him on board, 
 and while he was down in his cabin getting money to 
 pay the men the ship started and left them without 
 anything. 
 
 Port Said struck me as a most wretched, stinking, 
 filthy, picturesque, sandy place. All the people 
 looked just like those in pictures of Egypt — 
 Europeans, Turks, Nubians, and Egyptian officials 
 being all jumbled up together. There was nothing 
 to do on shore except to go and look at the roulette 
 
AN OCEAN TRAGEDY 9 
 
 tables, of which there are two or three in the town. I 
 found the way to win money was to back the colour 
 which was going to lose the smallest sum for the bank. 
 By some wonderful coincidence the wheel always 
 stopped in favour of the bank and in that way one 
 picked up a few francs, but it was not very exciting. 
 I enjoyed watching the people outside more than the 
 play inside the shanties. 
 
 In the Red Sea we had it awfully warm for three 
 days, the thermometer registering 96 at dinner ; this 
 in damp air is equal to ten degrees higher in a dry 
 climate. Four or five children died and several 
 ladies were ill, continually fainting. Worst of all, all 
 the cooks got so ill that they had to go into hospital ; 
 one of them went mad, jumped overboard and was 
 never seen again. The soldiers then took charge of 
 the cooking under the direction of a steward, and the 
 feeding was not exactly luxurious in consequence. 
 " Pandemonium " was unbearable at night, but a lot 
 of us made our sleeping places in the stern-windows of 
 the main deck. The iron ports of these windows were 
 let down until they hung out horizontally from the 
 ship's side with chains to support them. The win- 
 dows were all close together, with only six or eight 
 inches between, so that some fellows put their mat- 
 tresses out across the ports and lay in the cool outside 
 the ship. There was some little risk , for, if you were a 
 restless sleeper, you might roll off your bed and over- 
 board, and this actually happened to an officer of the 
 109th Regiment, whose mattress was found in the 
 morning doubled down in the centre and empty, and 
 the regiment had lost the number of its mess. 
 
 One morning we sighted a steamer on the horizon 
 astern of us, and through my glass I saw she had a 
 
io I ENTER THE ARMY 
 
 blue funnel. Now, just as we left Suez three days 
 before I had noticed this steamer with the blue funnel 
 just coming out of the Canal and taking up an 
 anchorage in Suez Bay, and I noticed that her name 
 was the Diomed. On seeing her funnel appear over 
 the horizon I knew what her name must be, though 
 she was yet too far off for it to be read. So I 
 went up to a fellow who was very proud of his 
 telescope and considered mine very much inferior to 
 his, and challenged him to read her name at that 
 distance. He confessed he could not . I spelt it out 
 letter by letter and told him it was the Diomed, and 
 when she came up with us he saw with his own eyes 
 that it was so. This took him down a peg. 
 
 One roaring hot day, as I was sitting on deck trying 
 to get cool, the bo'sun came rushing up singing out : 
 " Man overboard ! " There was an instantaneous 
 waking-up of everybody on deck. I looked at the 
 sentry guarding the lifebuoy, and saw him merely 
 leaning on the rail looking down at the water in a very 
 calm sort of way, so I went up to him and told him to 
 let go the lifebuoy, but he said he had already done 
 so, and there it was about one hundred yards away, 
 but no one near. We looked in every direction for 
 the drowning man, but could not see him. Then a 
 lifeboat suddenly made its appearance, rowing as 
 hard as anything. The engines were sent full speed 
 astern, but the ship had got such an impetus on that 
 she did not stop for two minutes forty-five seconds. 
 The lifeboat was in the water fully manned in one 
 minute forty-five seconds from the alarm being given. 
 The lifeboat rowed to the buoy and then started 
 rowing round looking for the man. However, a 
 signal was run up telling them to come back to the 
 
VAGUE, BUT WELL-INTENTIONED n 
 
 ship, and then we knew that there was not actually a 
 man overboard. The alarm was only given for 
 practice. The boat picked up the buoy, brought it 
 alongside and was hoisted up on the davits in 
 exactly fifteen minutes from the first alarm. The fun 
 was that directly the alarm was given several of the 
 officers sitting about the deck had their coats off and 
 
 The bewildered sentry. 
 
 were up on the rail only waiting to see where the man 
 was to jump in. 
 
 In this age of hurry, where ships keep time as 
 railway trains are supposed to do, they lower the 
 boats only in harbour or in rivers, and thereby lose 
 the efficiency acquired by practice at sea. The 
 ways of the sea are a closed book to the average 
 landsman and apt to confuse his mind. The sentry 
 placed over the life-buoy was a case in point. One 
 
12 I ENTER THE ARMY 
 
 day the orderly officer asked him what he would do 
 at the alarm being raised of " Man overboard." On 
 one side of him was the life-buoy, on the other the 
 dial recording the degree to which the ship rolled. 
 The man, utterly fogged, and confusing it with the 
 street fire-alarms at home, replied : " I breaks the 
 glass and pulls the 'andle, sir ! " 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 ARRIVAL IN INDIA 
 
 The Odour of India — The Heat Overcomes Our Vanity — 
 Jubbulpore and the Bees — Lucknow — Signs of Tragedy 
 — Engaging Servants — Kicking out the Overplus — A 
 Subaltern on Natives — Inmates of My Garden — Crib 
 Fights a Jackal — A Confidential Document — A Disaster 
 — The Genera] and My Caricatures — A Cure for Fever 
 — Sir Baker Russell — Riding Down a Delinquent — A 
 Mishap — An Unorthodox Colonel — Then and Now — 
 Cultivating Intelligence 
 
 I CAN remember to this day the smell of India 
 which assailed our nostrils before we had set 
 foot ashore at the Apollo Bunder, and, though 
 it is very many years ago, I can well remember the 
 bother which my companion and I had in getting our 
 baggage safely ashore, loaded on to a bullock-wagon 
 and conveyed from the docks to Watson's Hotel. 
 We had donned our best uniforms and were not a 
 little proud of ourselves in the early part of the day ; 
 but as hour followed hour in that soggy heat we 
 seemed to melt into the thick tight-bound cloth, and 
 we wished we had something more seasonable to wear. 
 By nightfall we were dog tired and our pride had all 
 leaked out, and under the cover of darkness we 
 willingly climbed up on to the pile of baggage on our 
 bullock-cart and allowed ourselves to be ignomin- 
 iously carried through the back streets of Bombay to 
 the great hotel. 
 
 13 
 
14 ARRIVAL IN INDIA 
 
 Then followed a long journey by train up country 
 via Jubbulpore to Lucknow, where the regiment was 
 stationed. In Jubbulpore we stopped the night at 
 the Dak Bungalow, a small, bare, scantily furnished 
 rest-house where you could get a meagre meal and 
 
 An undignified entry. 
 
 bad accommodation. Twenty years had elapsed 
 since the Mutiny, but our knowledge of India was 
 chiefly derived from reading accounts of that 
 episode, and therefore when left alone for the night 
 in this empty-looking house, with doors and windows 
 open to the night, we naturally imagined the possi- 
 bility of having our throats cut at any moment, and 
 
A CHOICE OF EVILS 15 
 
 therefore we slept with our pistols handy, when, as a 
 matter of fact, we were as safe as if we had been in a 
 hotel in London ; but it added a touch of romance to 
 our journey, and every minor experience was to us of 
 great moment at that time. 
 
 The Marble Rocks at Jubbulpore were the great 
 sight of the place. They were rocky cliffs standing up 
 out of a lake where boating parties could go for 
 picnics to observe their beauty ; but we were warned 
 against the danger of approaching too close to the 
 cliffs, as a tragedy had occurred there shortly before, 
 due to the bees that build their nests in the crevices 
 of the rocks. A swarm of these had attacked some 
 sight-seers in a body, and they had to dive overboard 
 in order to escape them. The bees appeared to 
 follow one man and kept so near to him that, when- 
 ever he put his head above the surface, they went for 
 him, and he was eventually drowned in his efforts to 
 escape them. 
 
 Lucknow still showed the marks of the Mutiny of 
 twenty years before. The palace at Dilkoosha near 
 the cantonments, and the Residency in Lucknow 
 itself still stood in ruins as they were left after the 
 fight, knocked to pieces by shell fire, and thickly 
 pitted with bullet marks. Naturally they were of 
 intense interest to us as visible reminders of the 
 struggle which had taken place for the maintenance 
 of British supremacy in India. 
 
 My first night at Lucknow was spent at the hotel, 
 for we arrived about eleven p.m. and were told that 
 the cantonments were five miles away. Next morn- 
 ing we started off and found the mess and the 
 adjutant's house, but everybody was out. Later we 
 met the adjutant riding along the road. It was odd 
 
16 ARRIVAL IN INDIA 
 
 to see a fellow and his horse all decked out in the 
 things I knew so well by sight but whose fitting-on 
 I did not understand. He soon showed us an un- 
 occupied bungalow. We sent a bullock-cart to fetch 
 our luggage from the station and returned to the 
 hotel for our light luggage. When we returned to 
 the bungalow we found it filled with natives ; we 
 thought at first they meant to stop us from [entering, 
 but we found they were servants in want of places. 
 One little man came up to me and said that he was 
 
 The retirement of the unsuccessful. 
 
 Wilson's late bearer, so I took his letters of recom- 
 mendation and found a good one from Wilson, one 
 from General Havelock's aide-de-camp saying he had 
 been Havelock's bearer, and about fifty others. I 
 engaged him and he immediately called to a lot of 
 other niggers and said these were all my servants, 
 handed me their characters and said I could turn 
 away any I did not want. However, I kept the lot, 
 and the moment I had engaged them they all set to 
 work to kick out the crowds of unsuccessful candi- 
 dates. By that evening all my boxes were unpacked 
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 17 
 
 and a little furniture in the way of tables, chairs, 
 bedstead, etc., were all in their places. 
 
 My first impression of the natives does not seem 
 to have been favourable. In a letter home, written 
 soon after my arrival, I find the following passage : 
 " I like my native servants, but as a rule the niggers 
 seem to me cringing villains. As you ride or walk along 
 the middle of the road, every cart or carriage has to 
 stop ?nd get out of your way, and every native, as he 
 passes you, gives a salute. If he has an umbrella up 
 he takes it down, if he is riding a horse he gets off 
 and salutes. Moreover they do whatever you tell 
 them. If you meet a man in the road and tell him to 
 dust your boots, he does it." 
 
 It is very different nowadays, when the natives 
 are put on a higher standing with the Europeans. In 
 some quarters it is complained that they are allowed 
 to become too familiar : in a native state under 
 native rule they still carry out the practice of saluting 
 their own rajahs and any white man who comes 
 there, but in British India they now treat a white man 
 merely as an equal. Theoretically this is as it should 
 be, but practically, until they are fit to govern them- 
 selves, it is a danger — to themselves. 
 
 It is generally acknowledged that to be able to rule 
 a man must first have learnt how to obey. In the 
 training of the average Indian boy there is not as yet 
 any discipline nor any attempt to inculcate in him 
 a sense of honour, of fair play, of honesty, truth, and 
 self discipline and other attributes which go to make 
 a reliable man of character. 
 
 Without a healthy foundation in these a scholastic 
 education is apt to develop the microbe of priggish- 
 ness, and swelled head. 
 
18 ARRIVAL IN INDIA 
 
 I liked to sit in the verandah of my bungalow, 
 watching all that went on in my garden. There was 
 a squirrel just out in front, three of them had made 
 their nests in the verandah roof ; a bulbul bird whose 
 horn made him look as if his mouth were wide open ; 
 then there was a hoopoe with his handsome crest who 
 had a nest in the thatched roof of the house. There 
 were also a crow and a hawk, always on the look-out 
 to pick up something — you could not drop a piece of 
 paper without one being there at once to take it. 
 There was also a fly-catching bird, who looked some- 
 thing like a big swallow. In the garden were five 
 mongoose, living in different holes and corners. A 
 great friend of mine was a cheeky little black and 
 white robin. In the corners of the verandah were 
 two doves' nests. There were a cheeky sort of bull- 
 finch and a mina, a big kind of starling or blackbird. 
 He is as common as a sparrow in India and full of 
 jabber. There was also a little blue bird, like a 
 humming-bird, who sat with his head turned up, 
 chattering to himself all day, and a green parrot who 
 came to steal the plums from our tree — he had to be 
 shot. Finally there was a beastly old white hawk 
 with a yellow bald head, in character much the same 
 as the brown hawk. 
 
 My captain had two dogs, and while he was away 
 on leave I looked after them ; and when he came back 
 he gave me one which he called " Child of the Arid 
 Desert," so for short I called it " Crib." Then 
 Mansell, a brother officer, gave me a very small puppy 
 which I named " BoswelTs Life of Johnson," but it 
 passed away in the innocency of childhood, for, eating 
 too much at dinner one day, its stomach became too 
 big, and so it died. Master Crib was a fine bull 
 
A POPPY AMONG CORNFLOWERS 
 
 SOME TYPES 
 
CRIB 19 
 
 terrier. One day he killed a jackal which was about 
 four times his size and which fought desperately, but 
 poor old Crib had to lie on my bed for two or three 
 days afterwards, as every leg, as well as his tail, nose, 
 etc., was in a sling. Crib was wonderfully active 
 and killed any sparrows or rats that came into my 
 room. He had a tremendous grip with his jaws, and 
 he got hold of things in his mouth so well that you 
 could carry him by them and swing him about all 
 over^the place. It was a sight to see him in the 
 
 
 
 Crib's victory. 
 
 morning when I came out to mount preparatory to 
 riding down to the school. He would run at me first 
 and seize my toe in his mouth and shake it, and then 
 run at the pony and mouth him too and lick his nose, 
 and then run at the syce and lick his bare legs. 
 Finally as soon as I was mounted, he would run up the 
 steps and wait for me to call him, and then off we 
 would all go as hard as we could to the riding school, 
 where, directly I dismounted, he turned away and 
 went straight off home again. 
 
 Fortunately for me I did not join the regiment all 
 alone, but had a companion tenderfoot with me, 
 " Tommy " Dimond. We went through all our early 
 miseries of riding-school, garrison class, elementary 
 drills and first experiences together. These made a 
 
20 ARRIVAL IN INDIA 
 
 strong tie of comradeship between us, which lasted 
 for many years, until the dreaded scourge of cholera 
 caught him. 
 
 At Lucknow I had to make up for being excused 
 from military training at Sandhurst by going through 
 an eight months' course of garrison instruction. It 
 might have been a dreary round of work had it not 
 been that many of my fellow students were lads of 
 cheerful character, and they considerably lightened 
 the hours of study with a freshness which perhaps did 
 not appeal quite so much to those charged with our 
 education. If I can evade the law of libel by not 
 mentioning names I should say that the present 
 Director of the Territorial forces was the leading 
 spirit in the lighter line taken in our course of work. 
 He composed a most dramatic and very musical 
 oratorio, which was performed by the whole class 
 when we had had enough of a lecture. 
 
 He also wrote a very fine book on the subject of the 
 course generally, and of the different instructors in 
 particular. It was a confidential document, only to 
 be read by the students. He left spaces in which 
 illustrations would come in to complete the essay, 
 and sent the book to me to be completed in this way. 
 After I had finished the illustrations, which were 
 mostly somewhat exaggerated portraits of the differ- 
 ent officials, not always quite complimentary to 
 them or to their doings, I sent the volume back to him 
 by the hands of a native messenger. As natives never 
 grasp English names I merely told him to take it to 
 the gentleman who lived in the red house — most of the 
 houses in Lucknow were white. As it happened 
 there were two red houses, a fact which I had for the 
 moment forgotten, one of them where Bethune lived, 
 
THE CARICATURED GENERAL 21 
 
 the other where our head-instructor lived. Naturally, 
 according to the law of perversity, the native went to 
 the wrong red house, and so the fat was in the fire, 
 and next day a number of us were under arrest and 
 haled before the General. Fortunately he was a man 
 of some humour and we got off with a wigging. 
 
 I afterwards found that I did not deserve to escape 
 so lightly, for I had often drawn pictures of the 
 General himself and thrown them away. But when 
 I was leaving Lucknow a year or two later I went to 
 pay my farewell call on him as in duty bound. He 
 invited me into his sanctum and there produced a 
 portfolio of, as it seemed to me, all the scraps and 
 sketches I had ever drawn. He explained that the 
 orderly whose duty it was to sweep up the lecture- 
 room had orders always to save any pictures and to 
 bring them to him for his collection. Although people 
 had laughed at my caricatures no one laughed more 
 heartily than the General himself, but he warned me 
 that caricaturing was not always a safe game to play, 
 and, acting on his advice, I have seldom indulged in it 
 since ; for I know that most people, however large- 
 minded and cheery they may be, are very liable to be 
 hurt by even harmless little exaggerations of their 
 failings. 
 
 During my first year in India it seemed to me that 
 I was being plugged full of medicine almost every day, 
 sometimes for liver, sometimes for fever, and some- 
 times for my inside. When I had fever I would 
 proceed to treat it in a way that will make many 
 smile. My way was at dinner to eat very little, 
 drink some good champagne, and before going to bed 
 to have for twenty minutes a boiling hot bath with a 
 cold stream on one's head, then a dose of castor oil 
 
22 ARRIVAL IN INDIA 
 
 and then to bed in flannel clothes. Next day I would 
 lie down and take quinine and then the fever went. 
 But my old liver hurt sometimes, especially after 
 jogging about on duty or in the riding-school, and I 
 became so wretchedly thin that I had to have my 
 pantaloons taken in and I could put three fingers 
 between my legs and my top boots, which once were 
 quite tight. 
 
 Sir Baker Russell, who was a Major in the 13th 
 Hussars soon after I joined, and later became our 
 Colonel, had made a great name for himself as a fight- 
 ing man, both in the Mutiny, where he began as a Cor- 
 net of the Carabineers, and afterwards in Canada, in 
 Ashanti, and in the Egyptian Campaign. Of a very 
 striking and commanding figure, with a strong, deter- 
 mined face and a tremendous voice, he was the beau- 
 ideal of a fighting leader. Personally I know that if 
 he had ordered me to walk over a cliff or into a fire 
 I would have done so without hesitation, and I believe 
 that officers and men would have followed him any- 
 where. He had a magnetic attraction which would 
 have led men to do anything that he commanded. 
 He had a fierce exterior, but a warm and kindly 
 heart beneath it, and I never knew a better friend. 
 He used to say of himself that up till twelve in the 
 morning he was a devil, after which he was an angel. 
 This was very true, except that the temper of the 
 devil was short and quick and not malignant. 
 
 On one occasion we arrived wet and weary at a 
 camp-ground where the commissariat officer of the 
 district was supposed to have arranged to have a 
 camp all ready pitched for us, with rations and forage 
 prepared also. But when we got there we found 
 no preparation of any kind for our arrival, and we 
 
SIR BAKER RUSSELL ANGRY 23 
 
 had to make the best of it under the circumstances. 
 Next day, when we were trying to dry our clothes 
 in the wind, and were making some sort of arrange- 
 ments for feeding the men and grazing the horses 
 pending the arrival of supplies, one of our men fell 
 dead in a fit. The Colonel was not slow to make 
 capital of this, and he telegraphed to the General of 
 the district expressing his opinion of the want of 
 organisation in the place, and in alluding to the hard- 
 ships which men and horses were suffering he pointed 
 out that already one man was dead of exposure. 
 
 Within a few hours a young gentleman in plain 
 clothes strolled into our camp and went jauntily 
 up to the Colonel, asked him how he was, and then 
 said that he was a commissariat officer and had come 
 to see how we were getting on. The Colonel replied 
 he was getting on very nicely, thank you, and so 
 was the regiment and were grateful for his kind 
 enquiries. " You, sir, are only a civilian, that is 
 evident by your dress, but by G — ! if the com- 
 missariat officer should ever dare to show his d 
 
 nose within a mile of my camp, I should have him in 
 arrest and shoved in the guard-room, not only as 
 incompetent and unfit to be an officer, but as little 
 better than a murderer. If, as you say, you are a 
 commissariat officer, go back to your quarters, put 
 on your uniform at once, consider yourself under 
 arrest, and come back here and tell me why the 
 h , etc., etc." 
 
 On parade, if his feelings got the better of him, over 
 some error or stupidity on the part of an officer, he 
 would look at him for a moment with withering glance, 
 then invariably he would jam his helmet down on 
 his head and ride for that officer as hard as he could 
 
24 ARRIVAL IN INDIA 
 
 go. If he had collided the results would have been 
 disastrous to the man charged. It was therefore 
 usual either to meet him or to evade him. On one 
 occasion I remember well his suddenly going for 
 my comrade, " Ding " MacDougal, at full gallop. 
 When he was within a yard of that unfortunate 
 officer, MacDougal jammed one spur into his horse 
 
 Riding down a delinquent. 
 
 and made it leap to one side, which resulted in 
 the Colonel missing him completely and charging 
 into the ranks behind him. Here he knocked over 
 a man, Corporal Bower, and his horse, heavily 
 shaking up the poor unfortunate rider. In a moment 
 the Colonel was off his horse, supporting the Corporal 
 across his knee and saying : " My poor, dear man, 
 I am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." Feeling 
 rather pleased that his charge had not been altogether 
 without success, he had lost his rage and, turning 
 round (I can see him now), he shook his fist good- 
 
A BEWILDERED TRUMPETER 25 
 humouredly at MacDougal, saying : " Ding, you 
 devil, why did you get out of the way ? " 
 
 Ding explained to him later, during lunch, that he 
 had become so accustomed to seeing a boar coming 
 at him in just the same way (and Sir Baker, with his 
 huge moustache and eager rush, was not altogether 
 unlike the vision of a boar with his tushes charging 
 towards one) that he had merely dodged him from 
 sheer force of habit, to save himself and horse. 
 
 Sir Baker Russell was not an orthodox colonel. He 
 was in no way guided by the drill book, and knew 
 little and cared less for the prescribed words of 
 command ; but he had a soldier's eye for the country 
 and for where his men ought to be in a fight, and he 
 led them there by his own direction rather than by 
 formal formations as laid down in the book. 
 
 On one occasion we were inspected by a General 
 whose life had been passed at infantry work. Sir 
 Baker hoped, in making the regiment march past, 
 to impress him by its steadiness. Therefore when it 
 came to our galloping by in a succession of squadrons 
 he meant us to go at a steady canter, each squadron 
 in rigid formation. So he turned to his trumpeter 
 and cried : " Sound the canter." Well, there is no 
 trumpet call laid down for the canter, and the 
 trumpeter therefore sounded the next best to it, which 
 was the gallop. We in the regiment, anxious to make 
 a good show, pressed forward at once at a sharp 
 gallop. The Colonel, seeing this from his post along- 
 side the General, shouted to his trumpeter, " Sound 
 the canter ! " The trumpeter again sounded the 
 gallop. Hearing the gallop repeated we imagined 
 that it meant we were not going fast enough, and 
 therefore we just let ourselves go, and by the time 
 
26 ARRIVAL IN INDIA 
 
 we reached the saluting point opposite the General 
 and Sir Baker, the whole regiment was a rushing 
 tornado of men and horses in a whirl of dust, and we 
 dashed past in a dense, confused mob. The Colonel, 
 however, was not at a loss, and turned to the General 
 with a well-assumed smile, and puffing out his chest, 
 said : " There, sir ! You never saw a regiment 
 gallop past like that before. That is something 
 like." The General, being completely ignorant on 
 the subject, took his cue from the Colonel and said : 
 "No, that is splendid ; I never saw anything so good 
 in my life," and reported upon it accordingly. 
 
 Sir Baker was beloved of the men. The regiment, 
 being the 13th Hussars, was nicknamed "■ The 
 Baker's Dozen." He practised many things which in 
 those days were looked upon as heresy, but are 
 recognised to-day as producing the highest efficiency, 
 that is, regard for and development of the human side 
 and the individuality of the men themselves. Thus 
 when we paraded for a field-day we generally did so 
 at a rendezvous some two or three miles from 
 barracks, and each man made his own way to the 
 spot individually, instead of being marched there, and 
 one of the standing orders in the regiment was this : 
 " It is as great a crime for a hussar to be before his 
 time as after it." This entailed strict punctuality 
 on the part of the men in being at the appointed 
 place at the appointed time. They had to judge for 
 themselves how long it would take them to get there 
 without hustling their horses, and they took their own 
 line of country and used their own senses in arriving 
 at the place properly and up to time. 
 
 On one occasion the Colonel had to lecture one of 
 his men for some minor misbehaviour. The man was 
 
THEN AND NOW 27 
 
 a splendid type of old soldier, a wonderful boxer, 
 swordsman, rider ; and marksman, but he was very 
 fond of his mug of ale. When he was brought up for 
 having had a drop too much, the Colonel remarked 
 to him : " My good man, I only wish I could drink 
 as much as you do and keep as good a nerve. Tell 
 me how you manage it and I will let you off." Ben 
 Hagan, for that was the fellow's name, explained his 
 secret. It was to fill a hand-basin with beer every 
 night before turning in and to place it underneath his 
 bed. Then his first act on waking in the morning 
 was to pour it down his throat. He believed that the 
 only way to preserve health and nerve was to take 
 big doses of really stale beer the first thing in the 
 morning. 
 
 It is curious, looking back on those days, to see 
 what an enormous change has come over the men 
 with respect to temperance and sobriety. It was the 
 natural thing for every man to go to bed " half 
 cocked," as they called it, and it was not entirely 
 unknown amongst the officers too I When a regi- 
 ment went on service from England, it was usual for 
 a certain number of men to be retained or to be 
 borrowed from another regiment to collect all the 
 drunken ones for transhipment to the train or ship 
 on the morning of embarkation. Even then there 
 was generally a large number of deserters who did 
 not turn up at all to go abroad. Nowadays a regi- 
 ment goes off for foreign service just as if it were going 
 off to a review or to manoeuvres : not an absentee, 
 not a man the worse for liquor. The men are of a 
 better class and tone, and facilities are given them 
 for keeping up their sober habits. In barracks they 
 have proper supper-rooms where they can get 
 
28 ARRIVAL IN INDIA 
 
 moderate refreshments of all kinds at moderate 
 prices. Formerly they were not allowed to have 
 beer with their dinners, and they naturally adjourned 
 as soon as dinner was over to the canteen to get their 
 beer, remaining there, being treated or standing 
 treat, for the rest of the afternoon, until they were 
 full. 
 
 Later, in my own regiment, the 5th Dragoon 
 Guards, I have had to present a pair of white gloves 
 to the Canteen Steward because not a single man 
 visited the canteen in twenty-four hours : and they 
 are not the worse men because they can be trusted 
 out of sight of their officers and non-commissioned 
 officers. 
 
 That idea of Sir Baker Russell's of letting men 
 make their own way to parade, etc., was acted upon 
 by me in after years by making it imperative for 
 every man to go a ride by himself of about one 
 hundred and twenty miles, and to take a week in 
 doing it. This tended to make men self-reliant, 
 reliable, intelligent, and smart. At first it was feared 
 that many of them, finding themselves away from all 
 regimental restraint, would break out and make an 
 orgy of it ; but I have never heard a single com- 
 plaint of the men on this head. They knew they 
 were trusted to carry out this duty of riding off to 
 report on some distant object, whether a railway 
 station, a bridge, or a piece of country, and they took 
 a pride in themselves and their horses while away, 
 because they knew that the good name of the regi- 
 ment was in their hands. We found it in practice 
 the very best reformer for a stupid man that could be 
 devised. He had no one to lean upon for advice or 
 direction, he merely had his plain, simple orders, 
 
DEVELOPING INTELLIGENCE 29 
 
 which he had to exercise his intelligence in carrying 
 out. 
 
 This same practice I carried out also with the 
 South African Constabulary after the Boer War. 
 The men were generally sent out in pairs on long 
 patrols of two to three hundred miles ; but if a man 
 
 Joseph Chamberlain and the policemen. 
 
 were really a stupid fellow he was sent out alone. I 
 remember well, when conducting Mr. Joseph Cham- 
 berlain on trek through the Transvaal, that we saw a 
 solitary constable riding across the veldt. Mr. 
 Chamberlain asked me what might be the duty of 
 such a man, and I replied that he was probably a 
 stupid man sent out to develop his own intelligence. 
 We signalled the man to us and on enquiry we found 
 that it was so. He had been ordered on a three 
 hundred miles ride to pick up information at various 
 spots, but with strict orders that he was not to have 
 the help of any other constable. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THE SPORT OF KINGS AND, THE KING OF SPORTS 
 
 The Shaping of the Subaltern — Polo Fever — The 
 Keenness of the Ponies — A Savage Contestant — A 
 Filial Subaltern — A Polo Banquet — Mr. Winston 
 Churchill's Remarkable Speech — Winston a Prisoner 
 for the First Time — " I am India-rubber " — The Pursuit 
 of the Pig — The Attractions of India — A Born Sports- 
 man — A Splendid Sport — A Brutal Father — A Boar 
 Puts a Gun Out of Action — Tiger and Boar — Sir Samuel 
 Baker's Experience — Tommy Atkins After Pig* 
 
 I WAS once invited by the German Emperor to 
 express my opinion on the lance used by His 
 Majesty's cavalry. I replied that with all 
 deference I considered it rather too long for practical 
 use. He asked where I had my experience and I 
 said from the pigsticking in India. We used in 
 that country both the long and the short spear, but 
 our long one was as nothing to compare with his 
 lance for length, and even ours was considered 
 unwieldy by some people. 
 
 The Emperor agreed it might be so, but that one of 
 his reasons for using a long lance, at any rate in peace 
 time, was to give the right spirit of confidence to 
 his men. He said : "I find that for every inch that 
 you put on to a man's lance, you give him two feet 
 of self-esteem " ; and there is a good deal in that. 
 
 It is, however, an undoubted fact that in pig- 
 sticking and in poio, just as in hunting at home, the 
 
 30 
 
THE BRITISH CAVALRY OFFICER 31 
 British officer has the benefit of an exceptionally 
 practical school for the development of horseman- 
 ship and of handiness in the use of arms when 
 mounted, and it is a form of training which appeals 
 to every young officer so much that he learns for 
 himself instead of having the knowledge drilled into 
 him. Consequently it is a genuine, permanent 
 education to him instead of a form of ephemeral 
 instruction. 
 
 I believe in our cavalry officers as against those of 
 any nation for all-round, good efficiency, and much 
 of it I am convinced is due to this self-education in 
 the practical side of their profession.* 
 
 If polo and pigsticking have not altered the 
 history of British India, they have at any rate 
 altered the lives and careers of many young officers. 
 
 In addition to the natural training involved they 
 have completely driven out from the British subaltern 
 the drinking and betting habits of the former 
 generation, and have given him in place of these a 
 healthy exercise which also has its moral attributes 
 in playing the game unselfishly ; and above all the 
 practice of quiet, quick decision and dash that are 
 essential to a successful leader of men. 
 
 When I first joined the 13th Hussars, John 
 Watson, afterwards the well-known polo player and 
 Master of the Meath Hounds, was Senior Subaltern. 
 And well he played his part, for with an iron will and 
 an iron hand and a flow of language above the 
 average he wheeled us into line pretty sharply. In 
 the morning he would ride out and lay a course for a 
 
 * The above was written before war broke out with Germany. Sir 
 Philip Chetwode's report that our cavalry can now go through the 
 Uhlans "as if they were brown paper," points the efficacy of practical 
 training over the theoretical idea of the Kaiser. 
 
32 THE SPORT OF KINGS 
 
 paper-chase which all of us attended in the afternoon. 
 He did not lay the line for nothing, but generally 
 went over a pretty tricky piece of country with 
 " gridirons," i.e., several parallel water-courses, which 
 were liable to catchyour horse tripping, or "Absalom " 
 jumps, where you took a fence under overhanging 
 boughs. John Watson himself was always there 
 behind the pack with a hunting crop to see that 
 none missed their opportunities, and it did us all a 
 world of good. 
 
 One of the main pleasures of life in India for the 
 young officer is polo. The game is indigenous to the 
 country and has for centuries been played in Persia. 
 The first record of its introduction into British 
 notice was in 1862, when a team of Manipuris played 
 an exhibition game on the racecourse at Calcutta. 
 It was afterwards taken up by the nth Bengal 
 Lancers and eventually by the 9th Lancers and 10th 
 Hussars. It first made its appearance in England in 
 1874, when the 5th Lancers took it up as a game. 
 It was particularly popular among the Manipuri 
 tribes in Upper Bengal. There the polo ground is 
 the village street, the ponies are little rats of twelve 
 hands high, and the players play with short mallets 
 which they use indiscriminately with either hand. 
 When I first joined, a large number of players played 
 on either side, and the rules were not very strict 
 about the size of ponies, or as to crossing, oft-side 
 and the like. But as regiment began to play against 
 regiment, and eventually tournaments developed, the 
 rules crystallised and the game became more and more 
 one of skill and discipline. 
 
 Polo is without doubt the finest game that has ever 
 been invented. It even moved one enthusiastic 
 
THE PLEASURES OF POLO 33 
 
 sportsman of the 9th Lancers to turn his hand to 
 
 poetry. This is what he wrote : 
 
 " On a ground three hundred yards by two 
 
 POLO is the game for me — is it the game for you ? " 
 
 At this point his muse deserted him, but what he had 
 written he had written. In those brief lines he 
 records in one's memory the regulation size for a 
 polo ground, and he propounds a big question for 
 anyone to think out. It develops riding and 
 straightness of eye and hand as well as the moral 
 qualities of pluck and patience and unselfish playing 
 for the side and not for yourself. In fact the 
 morale in polo is of far greater value than outsiders 
 might reasonably think. I have played in teams 
 where one faint-hearted player was as good as two 
 or three goals against us, because, if the game went at 
 all badly for our side at first, he would lose heart 
 altogether and make no attempt to retrieve our 
 fortunes. 
 
 One team against which we had often to play 
 possessed a back with an infernally bad temper, and 
 once his feelings were aroused he was quite useless as 
 a player ; and thus our aim was to bump him or catch 
 his stick as early as possible in the game, since it put 
 him out of conceit with himself and with everybody 
 else. 
 
 Part of the pleasure attaching to polo was that 
 involved in getting a raw pony and training it for the 
 game. It was a real satisfaction to a poor man to 
 pick up ponies in all sorts of out-of-the-way places, 
 such as country villages, fairs, etc., and then to break 
 them in, make them handy, balance them, and educate 
 them into playing the game. This training was not 
 only a pastime of itself but incidentally an education 
 
 D 
 
34 THE SPORT OF KINGS 
 
 to the rider as well. We felt almost inclined to pity 
 
 the millionaire who bought his ready-made polo 
 
 ponies, since he could not know the satisfaction of 
 
 using the instruments made by his own hand for the 
 
 purpose. 
 
 The ponies themselves seem to enter truly into the 
 game and really to enjoy it. My ponies were at all 
 times pets and companions ; indeed, my last two in 
 India, handsome grey Arabs, were as tame as dogs, 
 and used to go out for walks with me, running with 
 me, stopping and turning as I did, and coming to 
 hand when whistled for, as sensible and as jolly as 
 could be. I had reason to judge of the keenness of 
 ponies for the game when on one occasion I was 
 racing with another player for the ball. As my pony 
 was gradually inch by inch passing his, it suddenly 
 turned its head and, gripping hold of my fore-arm, 
 dragged me off my mount and held me firmly, refusing 
 to let go in spite of the efforts of its rider, and only a 
 smashing blow on the nose caused it to relax its grip 
 and release me. My arm was black and blue for a 
 week afterwards. 
 
 Robert Watson, the gallant old father of our 
 Senior Subaltern, whose fame still lives in Kildare, 
 was playing polo when well over seventy years of 
 age. I remember that we subalterns read with 
 enthusiasm how, when the fine old veteran had a 
 fall in the game and broke his leg, John Watson 
 nearly killed himself in riding down the man who had 
 done it. The amenities of polo in those days were 
 not so polished as they are to-day. 
 
 The inter-regimental polo tournament is the great 
 event of the year for all regiments in India, and on 
 one occasion it was held at Meerut while my 
 
SUPPRESSING MR. CHURCHILL 35 
 
 regiment was stationed there. All the teams visiting 
 the place for the occasion naturally made use of our 
 mess, and we formed a very large and happy family. 
 On the night after the final tie had been decided, 
 we had a grand dinner to signalise the event. The 
 health of the winning team was drunk collectively 
 and individually with all honours, and each member 
 of it in turn tendered his thanks to the assembled 
 company. Then the winning team proposed the 
 health of the losers, and they naturally returned 
 their thanks in a similar way, and proceeded to 
 propose the toast of the runners-up, and so it went 
 on during the greater part of the evening until every 
 team in the place had had its health proposed, and 
 speeches had been made without number, all harping 
 on the one topic of polo. 
 
 When all was over and a sigh of relief was going 
 round, there suddenly sprang to his feet one of the 
 members of the 4th Hussars' team, who said : 
 " Now, gentleman, you would probably like to hear 
 me address you on the subject of polo ! " It was 
 Mr. Winston Churchill. Naturally there were cries 
 of : " No, we don't ! Sit down ! " and so on, but 
 disregarding all their objections, with a genial 
 smile he proceeded to discourse on the subject, and 
 before long all opposition dropped as his honied 
 words flowed upon their ears, and in a short time 
 he was hard at it expounding the beauties and the 
 possibilities of this wonderful game. He proceeded 
 to show how it was not merely the finest game in the 
 world but the most noble and soul-inspiring contest 
 in the whole universe, and having made his point 
 he wound up with a peroration which brought 
 us all cheering to our feet. When the cheering and 
 
36 THE SPORT OF KINGS 
 
 applause had died down one in authority arose and 
 gave voice to the feelings of all when he said : " Well, 
 that is enough of Winston for this evening," and the 
 orator was taken in hand by some lusty subalterns 
 and placed underneath an overturned sofa upon which 
 two of the heaviest were then seated, with orders 
 not to allow him out for the rest of the evening. 
 But very soon afterwards he appeared emerging 
 from beneath the angle of the arm of the sofa, 
 explaining : "It is no use sitting upon me, for I'm 
 india-rubber," and he popped up serenely and took 
 his place once more in the world and the amusement 
 that was going on around him. I have often re- 
 membered the incident on occasions since then 
 when in politics or elsewhere he has given proof of his 
 statement. 
 
 Other incidents followed on that cheerful evening, 
 such as polo pony races over jumps made up of furni- 
 ture round the billiard room, and a musical ride on 
 camels in the ante-room, but none of them made such 
 an impression on my memory as did the first great 
 speech of the future First Lord. 
 
 India as a country has its attractions for almost 
 every kind of visitor, whether from the point of 
 history, romance, religion, soldiering, scenery, or 
 ethnology, but I am sure that the point which appeals 
 to every young Briton who goes there is the sport 
 which can be obtained by the poor man in so very 
 many different branches. There are big game and 
 wild-fowl shooting, racing and polo, but 
 
 The sport that beats them o'er and o'er 
 Is that wherein we hunt the boar. 
 
 To the uninitiated, the term " pigsticking " con- 
 veys a very poor idea of what it really is. If its 
 
THE ART OF PIGSTICKING 37 
 
 nature were more generally known it would prove 
 attractive to a wider circle of sportsmen. There is 
 no doubt that pigsticking as a sport far transcends 
 any other. It is carried out by a party of three or 
 four sportsmen mounted on horses and armed with 
 spears, who ride down and fight with the wild boar 
 of the country. The boar bears little resemblance 
 to the " common or garden " pig of England, since 
 he is a fine, upstanding, active and courageous wild 
 beast. He can gallop as fast as a horse, and can 
 jump anything that comes in his way. When he is 
 
 
 
 A race for first spear. 
 
 tired of running, and sometimes before, he turns and 
 comes for his pursuer, using his tushes with terrible 
 force and accuracy on horse or man. The hunters in 
 following him have all their work cut out to overtake 
 him in the run. Therefore it becomes an exciting 
 race with them to see who can reach him first and 
 wound him with his spear. The honours of the run 
 go to him who first succeeds in doing this. But it 
 involves, in addition to galloping, much twisting and 
 turning as the pig " jinks " to the right or left to 
 evade his pursuer. There is a good deal of negotiat- 
 ing of obstacles, which, if not to compare with the 
 fences of an English hunting country, are at any rate 
 
38 THE SPORT OF KINGS 
 
 often formidable in their nature, giving one a chance 
 of a heavy fall on ground which is harder than the 
 average skull. 
 
 When the pig takes to righting there is much for 
 every one of the party to do in the way of spearing 
 him, while saving his horse, and of backing up the 
 other men and helping them out of dangerous predica- 
 ments. It is a rough, wild sport, with perhaps a taint 
 of barbarism about it if examined critically and in 
 the abstract. But in actual fact it is neither so cruel 
 nor so one-sided as one might be apt to think. I 
 have somewhere stated that it is a good sport because 
 it pleases the majority of those involved in it. There 
 is no doubt that it is the most exciting work that a 
 man can go in for. At the same time the horse with- 
 out a doubt enjoys it almost as much as his rider, and 
 the pig, too, being endowed with a fighting and blood- 
 thirsty nature as well as a particularly tough and 
 unfeeling nervous system, seems to revel in the fight 
 up to the bitter end. 
 
 I see in one of my letters to my mother in which I 
 had dwelt on these points I wrote : " You may think 
 it a cruel form of sport as you sit in your armchair 
 at home, but I am perfectly certain that if you were 
 riding with me here and saw one of these shaggy old 
 devils coming at me you would be the first to cry : 
 ' Stick him, Robert, stick him ! ' " 
 
 Pigsticking and foxhunting are continually being 
 compared, but there can really be no true comparison 
 between them, an important difference being that in 
 the one a man may hang away from the hunting and 
 have his fun in the gallop and jumping, whereas in the 
 other the whole of the fun lies in actually hunting 
 the animal yourself. To shine as a pigsticker it is 
 
THE SPEED OF THE BOAR 39 
 
 essential that a man should be able to kill his pig 
 single-handed. There is a good deal of woodcraft 
 required in the finding of the animal, and there is 
 plenty of hard riding and keen sight and knowledge 
 of the pig's ways to be exercised in following him 
 unaided, and finally a certain amount of skill, 
 quickness, and determination are required for 
 spearing and attacking the fighting boar successfully. 
 The fun and excitement to be got from this lone 
 hunting is even better than that to be derived from 
 hunting in company. Where you get a party of 
 four men after a pig, all of whom have gone through 
 this apprenticeship, you are sure to have a ding-dong 
 struggle for the honours of the run and a clean, 
 merciful end for the boar. 
 
 The pace at which a boar can travel is to a stranger 
 perhaps one of the most surprising points about him. 
 The actual speed and its duration depend to a great 
 extent on the breed and condition of the pig, the 
 state of the ground, and how he is being hunted ; but 
 under general conditions a single rider will find it hard 
 to beat him in pace for the first three-quarters of a 
 mile, and if he should try saving his horse in the first 
 burst, merely using sufficient speed to keep the boar in 
 view, he will find that when he wants to overhaul him 
 the pig has got his second wind and is quite prepared 
 to go on for miles at a steady, lobbing canter. 
 
 The boar had a great reputation amongst the 
 ancients for rugged, uncompromising courage. The 
 story of Adonis being killed by a boar is said to be 
 merely allegorical, as describing the beautiful summer 
 being ended by rough winter, Adonis signifying the 
 sun and the boar being typical of hard and stormy 
 weather. Plutarch in writing of Sertorius describes 
 
40 THE SPORT OF KINGS 
 
 how Attis, a Phrygian, and another man in Arcadia 
 were killed by boars. Attis brought it on himself ; 
 he was a Phrygian shepherd who would keep singing 
 songs in praise of the mother of the gods, and this 
 wearied Jupiter to such an extent that he sent a 
 boar along as being the most reliable agent to kill 
 that Phrygian shepherd. 
 
 Topsell in his Natural History pays tribute to the 
 boar thus : " The swine, being the discourse of 
 this beast. Although the differing kinds of it be not 
 so many as in others, yet, because there are some 
 things peculiar to the boar, therefore he deserveth a 
 special story by himself." 
 
 The boar possesses the nastiest temper of any 
 living animal. The moment he is put out by any 
 little annoyance he is liable to use his tushes, 
 usually in an indiscriminate manner. He will attack 
 anything, from his youngest son to an elephant. 
 When galloping after a "sounder " I have seen the 
 boar running amongst his young family, pitching 
 them right and left out of his way. As a rule, it is 
 very hard to get elephants to face a pig in the jungle. 
 They know the danger. On one occasion a particu- 
 larly staunch elephant was employed in beating a 
 jungle, and on finding a pig she stood her ground. 
 The boar promptly attacked her, and she received 
 such a severe cut in her leg that she could never be 
 got to face a pig again. Camels, also, whose very 
 appearance suffices to scare most animals, have on 
 more than one occasion been the victims of savage 
 onslaughts by boars. 
 
 Once in 1885, during a grand field-day at Delhi 
 in the presence of all of the foreign delegates, a boar 
 suddenly appeared and charged the horses of a 
 
CHARGING A R.H.A. GUN 41 
 
 R.H.A. gun, throwing two of them down and 
 
 effectually stopping the advance. The headquarter 
 
 staff and the foreign officers, who were spectators of 
 
 the deed, seized lances from their orderlies and, 
 
 anxious to sustain the credit of their respective 
 
 armies, dashed after the boar, who had cantered off 
 
 in search of more guns to disable. His pursuers were 
 
 too quick for him, however, and he was speedily put 
 
 out of action amidst a chorus of vivas, sacres, and 
 
 houplas. The honours of the run were secured by 
 
 Colonel Bushman, the Deputy Adjutant-General, 
 
 who was a fanatical believer in " the queen of 
 
 weapons," the lance. 
 
 Hans Breitmann tells how, , when he was serving 
 
 as a Uhlan during the Franco-Prussian War, pigs 
 
 were constantly keeping the outposts on the qui 
 
 vive. With his usual originality he accounted for 
 
 the number of sows in the Ardennes in the following 
 
 lines : 
 
 And all dese schweinpig sauen, 
 Vot you see a running round, 
 Is a great metempsygosis 
 Of the Frantsche demi monde. 
 
 With his singular pluck and aggressiveness the wild 
 boar is without doubt the King of the Jungle, not 
 excepting such popular heroes as the lion or tiger or 
 buffalo. 
 
 Mr. Inglis describes a pitched battle between a 
 tiger and a boar, which he watched from a hiding hole 
 near a pool, where the wild beasts came to water. 
 " When the boar saw the tiger the latter roared. 
 But," says Mr. Inglis, " the old boar did not seem to 
 mind the roar so very much as might have been 
 anticipated. He actually repeated his ' hoo ! hoo ! ' 
 
42 THE SPORT OF KINGS 
 
 only in a, if possible, more aggressive, insulting, and 
 defiant manner. Nay, more, such was his temerity 
 that he actually advanced with a short, sharp rush in 
 the direction of the striped intruder. Intently peering 
 through the indistinct light, we eagerly watched the 
 development of this strange rencontre. The tiger 
 was now crouching low, crawling stealthily round 
 and round the boar, who changed front with every 
 movement of his lithe and sinewy adversary, keeping 
 his determined head and sharp, deadly tusks ever 
 facing his stealthy and treacherous foe. The bristles 
 of the boar's back were up at a right angle from the 
 strong spine. The wedge-shaped head, poised on the 
 strong neck and thick rampart of muscular shoulder, 
 was bent low, and the whole attitude of the body 
 betokened full alertness and angry resoluteness. In 
 their circlings the two brutes were now nearer to each 
 other and nearer to us, and thus we could mark 
 every movement with greater precision. The tiger 
 was now growling and showing his teeth ; and all 
 this, that takes such a time to tell, was but the work 
 of a few short minutes. Crouching now still lower, 
 and gathering his sinewy limbs beneath his lithe, 
 lean body, he suddenly startled the stillness with a 
 loud roar, and quick as lightning sprang upon the 
 boar. For a brief minute the struggle was thrilling 
 in its intense excitement. With one swift, dexterous 
 sweep of the strong, ready paw, the tiger fetched the 
 boar a terrific slap right across the jaw, which made 
 the strong beast reel ; but with a hoarse grunt of 
 resolute defiance, with two or three sharp digs of the 
 strong head and neck, and swift cutting blows of the 
 cruel, gashing tusks, he seemed to make a hole or two 
 in the tiger's coat, marking it with more stripes than 
 
A BOAR FIGHTS A TIGER 43 
 
 Nature had ever painted there ; and presently both 
 combatants were streaming with gore. The tremen- 
 dous buffet of the sharp claws had torn flesh and 
 skin away from off the boar's cheek and forehead, 
 leaving a great ugly flap hanging over his face and 
 half blinding him. The pig was now on his mettle. 
 With another hoarse grunt, he made straight for the 
 tiger, who very dexterously eluded the charge, and, 
 lithe and quick as a cat after a mouse, doubled almost 
 on itself, and alighted clean on the boar's back, 
 inserting his teeth above the shoulders, tearing with 
 his claws, and biting out great mouthfuls of flesh 
 from the quivering carcase of his maddened antag- 
 onist. He seemed now to be having all the best of it, 
 so much so that the boar discreetly stumbled and fell 
 forward, whether by accident or design I know not, 
 but the effect was to bring the tiger clean over his 
 head, sprawling clumsily on the ground. I almost 
 shouted : ' Aha, now you have him ! ' for the tables 
 were turned. Getting his forefeet on the tiger's 
 prostrate carcase, the boar now gave two or three 
 short, ripping gashes with the strong white tusks, 
 almost disembowelling his foe, and then, exhausted 
 seemingly by the effort, apparently giddy and sick, he 
 staggered aside and lay down panting and champing 
 his tushes, but still defiant, with his head to the 
 foe. But the tiger, too, was sick — yea, sick unto 
 death. The blood-letting had been too much for 
 him. And now, thinking that it was time for the 
 interference of a third party, I let the two mutually 
 disabled combatants have the contents of both my 
 barrels, and we had the satisfaction presently of 
 seeing the struggling limbs grow still, and knew that 
 both were ours." 
 
44 THE SPORT OF KINGS 
 
 Lying by a water-hole on a moonlight night one 
 sees the deer come timidly down, with their ears 
 pricking and turning to catch the slightest sound 
 and their delicate nostrils sniffing the breeze in every 
 direction. It is a time of much hesitation with them 
 in approaching the water, and when they get there 
 they only sip in a nervous, hasty manner, ready to 
 dart away at the slightest alarm. Jackals, though 
 far more cheeky, are none the less fearfully shy, and 
 are constantly on the alert for danger, and the 
 leopard carries out all his movements with a creeping 
 stealth and a watchful looking round as though he 
 had someone on his trail all the time. The only 
 animal who cares for nothing is the old boar ; he 
 comes swaggering down the path and all others slink 
 out of his way and leave the water when he comes to 
 drink. This he does in an offensively hearty way. 
 If an alarm is sounded, he merely looks up and 
 bristles all over, angry and eager for the fray, where 
 others would dart or sneak away. It is a well 
 ascertained fact that, of all animals, the boar does not 
 fear to drink at the same pool with a tiger ; nay, a 
 case is on record of his having taken his drink with a 
 tiger on each side of him. 
 
 One night I was fortunate in seeing a whole party 
 of pigs come down to drink. Loitering about near 
 the water, they rooted up the ground and occasion- 
 ally nudged each other with their tushes. They 
 were of all kinds, young and old. Presently two 
 young boars got quarrelling with each other and 
 made a desperate rush together, cutting at each other 
 with their budding tushes. Those around them 
 immediately suspended their rooting operations, and 
 stood in a sort of semi-circle watching while the two 
 
A PIG FIGHT 45 
 
 combatants set to, for all the world like a couple of 
 boys boxing before their elders. It was quite a little 
 fight, and they went at it with the greatest energy 
 and rage, each trying to gouge out the other's eyes, 
 or to gash him in the neck. They could not do each 
 other very much real damage, but before long their 
 heads and throats were glistening in the moonlight 
 with trickles of blood, which their little razor-like 
 tushes managed to draw from frequent cuts and 
 scratches. That is the upbringing of a young boar. 
 
 
 
 i^i< 
 
 Knocked out. 
 
 On one occasion in my experience, a sportsman, 
 fresh from England, was sitting quietly on his mare 
 outside the cover during a beat (of course taking no 
 pains to conceal himself), looking with rather a 
 contemptuous eye on all the preparations for killing 
 a miserable pig, when an old boar looking out from 
 the bushes spied him and without thinking twice 
 about it went straight for him. The sportsman 
 gaily advanced at a canter to meet him, in spite of all 
 his companions' advice not to head him. The boar, 
 however, had no intention himself of being headed, 
 
46 THE SPORT OF KINGS 
 
 and putting on an extra spurt charged straight for 
 the mare's forelegs and knocked them clean from 
 under her ; the fall that followed was " imperial," 
 and the sportsman, who had pitched on his head, 
 only came to his senses some twenty minutes later, 
 with quite fresh opinions about the Indian boar. 
 
 Another time a boar, hearing the coolies beating 
 through the jungle towards his haunt, looked out to 
 see if the coast were clear for a bolt across the open. 
 Nothing was to be seen except one native gentleman 
 stepping along the high road nearly half a mile away. 
 Still, this was not to the boar's taste, so he went 
 straight for the wretched man and gave him one 
 gash that floored him with his thigh laid open, and 
 then went on his way rejoicing. 
 
 Major Gough (better known as " Gofty ") avers 
 that a boar once charged him for three miles (more 
 or less) ! He saw the brute come as a mere speck 
 over the distant horizon ; it came on and on, nearer 
 and nearer, faster and faster, until it rushed right 
 on his levelled spear. 
 
 Major Hogg writes : "I remember on one oc- 
 casion the beaters paused on the brink of a large 
 nullah covered with bushes and grass, and pointed 
 out to me a dark object rather more than a hundred 
 yards off, which they said was a boar and which they 
 were afraid of. On riding up to about sixty yards 
 the boar sat up on its haunches like a dog, and when 
 we were within thirty yards he charged as straight 
 as an arrow and as hard as he could. He was, of 
 course, checked by a spear, but owing to the thick 
 cover we took half an hour to kill him, and not before 
 he had ripped three horses. 
 
 ■' On another occasion I was riding alone after a 
 
A DANGEROUS GAME 47 
 
 boar which had taken the beaters three hours to 
 dislodge from a steep hill covered with jungle. When 
 he found I was gaining on him, and when I was still 
 about fifty yards from him, he stopped short, wheeled 
 round and charged. I speared him through the back 
 and forced him on to his knees, but he broke my 
 horse's off hind fetlock with his tusk. He then got 
 one of the Shikaris down and nearly killed him, 
 ripping him in five places, and cutting an artery in his 
 arm before I could get up and spear him on foot." 
 
 \ 
 
 VSH^iMl- 
 
 It took half an hour to kill him. 
 
 Sir Samuel Baker, who had as much experience as 
 most people of wild boar hunting in Europe, Asia, 
 and Africa, has also shown his high opinion of the 
 animal in his writings. He maintains that most 
 wild animals are not inclined to attack a man unless 
 wounded or provoked. " The buffalo/' he says, 
 " is a stubborn and powerful antagonist, but, for a 
 really firm and determined fighter who does battle 
 for the love of the thing, the boar stands foremost 
 among all animals. There is an immense amount of 
 character in the pig. Not only is it a fierce antag- 
 onist, but it is a clever and thoughtful creature. It 
 is all very well to quote the term ' pig-headedness/ 
 
48 THE SPORT OF KINGS 
 
 but there is a meaning in the name which commands 
 respect. A pig knows its own mind, which is more 
 than many human beings do. When it has made up 
 its mind it acts without any trace of hesitation, and 
 in this respect it sets a bright example to many of our 
 generals and so-called statesmen." 
 
 The above was written many years ago, before 
 " Wait and See " was the British policy, and before 
 I was a General, so the allusions are evidently not 
 intended to be personal. When Sir Samuel Baker 
 was at Khartoum he stayed with the Vice-Consul, 
 Mr. Petherick, who had quite a menagerie of animals 
 on his premises. In a walled enclosure he kept two 
 very large wild boars. One night one of these 
 managed £o get out, and, finding one of Sir Samuel's 
 men asleep on his mat, he attacked him and gashed 
 him so badly that for many weeks afterwards he lay 
 helpless. " A few days after this occurrence," writes 
 Sir Samuel, " I was sitting with Lady Baker in a large 
 covered rakouba, or raised square, ascended by a 
 broad flight of steps, when 1 heard a great noise in 
 the farther end of the courtyard, and I saw the bricks 
 falling from the top of the wall, showing that the 
 boars were once more breaking out. Before the 
 men had time to interfere the larger boar had 
 effected a breach and made its appearance in the 
 courtyard. The people immediately retreated under 
 shelter, but the brute, having surveyed the scene, 
 perceived us sitting above the flight of steps. With- 
 out a moment's hesitation it charged at full speed 
 across the yard from a distance of about sixty paces. 
 The rakouba was about fifteen feet square, and, as 
 we had lately arrived from Abyssinia, there were 
 numerous trophies of the chase arranged about the 
 
TOMMY ATKINS PIGSTICKING 49 
 
 pavement. x\mong these were many horns of rhino- 
 ceros. Fortunately a long horn weighing about ten 
 pounds was close at hand. This I immediately 
 seized with both hands, and was just in time, when the 
 boar was halfway up the steps, to hurl it with all my 
 strength. It was a lucky shot, the heavy horn 
 struck exactly between the eyes on the forehead and 
 knocked our assailant down the steps, at the bottom 
 of which he lay, kicking convulsively but thoroughly 
 stunned and unconscious. My men now rushed 
 forward and we secured the fore and hind legs with 
 ropes, and dragged the beast to a neighbouring stall 
 and locked it in. When the door was cautiously 
 opened next morning, my men, who were prepared 
 for an attack, found the boar dead. I was rather 
 proud of my shot on this occasion, as I seldom throw 
 a stone at an enemy without hitting a friend by 
 mistake. Some persons are good at one sport, some 
 at another, but throwing a stone to hit was never my 
 pride, as I have generally failed in performance. But 
 this boar was within five feet, which is just about my 
 distance for accuracy." 
 
 It would probably be something of a shock to the 
 professional pigsticker to see Tommy Atkins joining 
 in the fun, armed only with a sabre. I remember 
 that there appeared in regimental orders one evening 
 a notice that the regiment was to parade on the 
 following morning at daybreak, mounted, with full 
 water-bottles and ten rounds of blank ammunition 
 per man. Rations were to go by cart, and " officers 
 and troop sergeant-majors may carry hog-spears in 
 place of swords." A unique and eventful day 
 resulted. 
 
 The jungle, a large tract of heavy grass and 
 
 E 
 
50 THE SPORT OF KINGS 
 
 jhow (tamarisk) bush, was attacked with all military 
 precaution and completeness. The regiment pro- 
 ceeded through it in line at half-open files ; patrols 
 of four officers each were posted or moved well in 
 advance of the line, so that when a boar was scared 
 by the noise of the approaching line, the nearest 
 patrol would ride after him and endeavour to bring 
 him to account. 
 
 The operation was so successful that in a short 
 time each of the parties was away after its own 
 particular boar. Pigs were still seen, however, 
 running away ahead of the line with no one to hunt 
 them. The Colonel, who had hitherto been directing 
 operations, gave the order for the M.C.O.'s to take 
 patrols of men with them and see what they could do 
 with their sabres against the pigs, and parties went 
 scouring across the country with the utmost en- 
 thusiasm and delight. 
 
 They galloped here, they galloped there, 
 They fought, they swore, they sweated. 
 
 To this day I can hear ringing in my ears the 
 strident commands of Sergeant Fray to his squad : 
 " Here he goes ! Right wheel, you beggars — right 
 
 WHEEL ! " 
 
 When the " Rally " sounded, the bag, beyond those 
 killed by the spear parties, was not a large one ; 
 still, that night the babel in the bivouac was almost 
 ludicrous. Every man wanted to tell the tale of his 
 own adventures with the Indian pig : one how his 
 troop-mare, C. 16, had turned her tail upon the foe, 
 and with her iron-shod heels had sent his front teeth 
 rattling down his throat ; another strove to tell how 
 he had stood the attack of " not only one, but four 
 
SWOPPING STORIES 51 
 
 bloomin' swine, all of a go," and how single-handed 
 he had beaten them all off. There were some fine 
 lies swopped that night, and for months afterwards 
 that was the day of days in the regiment, for every 
 man had been given an opportunity of going for a 
 Pig- 
 
 
 Oh lor ! What's this ? 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE KING OF THE JUNGLE 
 
 The Boar's Quickness — His Tushes — A Remarkable 
 Courage — The Duke of Connaught's Adventure — An 
 Enthusiastic Ally — My First Adventure with Pig — A 
 Humiliating Discovery — A Typical Run — The Kadir 
 Cup Won for Me — The Pinner Pinned — A Lucky Misad- 
 venture — Pigsticking on Foot 
 
 ONE of the traits of the boar that usually 
 strikes the beginner is his apparent ability 
 to be at one moment some yards away and 
 the next right under your horse ; and another is the 
 power and accuracy with which, by a rapid twist of 
 his head, he inflicts his murderous gash. This 
 quickness and handiness with his tushes is learned 
 and practised from his earliest youth, and is brought 
 into use in his fights with rivals as he grows older. 
 Boars do not, as many people think, use their 
 upper tushes in cutting an enemy. These are too 
 blunt and thick for that purpose and merely exist 
 to sharpen and protect the lower tushes. A very- 
 old boar with perfect upper tushes, but whose lower 
 ones were broken off, once got beneath my horse and, 
 although he marked him with streaks of foam from 
 his jaws, he failed to inflict the slightest scratch. 
 Another old boar, who had both his lower tushes in 
 good condition, but one of the upper ones broken off 
 and the other very blunt, was pursuing his angry way 
 
 52 
 
A GREAT FIGHT 53 
 
 across a field, having twice been speared, when he 
 saw two natives at work. He charged one and 
 inflicted several severe wounds. The other, coming 
 to the assistance of his comrade, was also laid out 
 flat on his back, and the boar lay on him and pro- 
 ceeded to dig at his chest with his tushes. The man 
 
 The man seized the boar's lower jaw with both hands. 
 
 seized the boar's lower jaw with both hands and 
 partially held it from him until he was rescued. In 
 spite of this, however, he was more or less badly 
 gashed in fifteen places. 
 
 The courage of the pig is at no time better shown 
 than when he is disabled by wounds and unable to 
 run further. He stops to fight his way to some 
 cover, where he may stand at bay. With feet 
 planted wide apart and head lowered, he stands 
 
54 THE KING OF THE JUNGLE 
 
 clashing his tushes together, his restless little blood- 
 shot eyes watching every movement of his foes. At 
 the nearer approach of one he rushes out and charges 
 with an unexpected vigour ; then he will trot back 
 to his old position and watch and wait. If a rider 
 try to come up behind him, he will be round and on 
 him in the twinkling of an eye. He never seems to 
 lose heart and always keeps his head. He will throw 
 himself time after time on to the spears with reckless 
 courage, and even when being held off by a spear 
 through his body he will endeavour to work himself 
 up the shaft to get within cutting distance of horse 
 or hunter. Wounds that would at least disable 
 any other animal seem to have little effect upon him. 
 Even with a splintered skull he has been known [to 
 charge with undiminished vigour. 
 
 Once when hunting with the Delhi Tent Club 
 the Duke of Connaught had an exciting adventure. 
 A pig had been started in a very difficult bit of 
 country. As Lord Downe came up with him he 
 turned and, in spite of being smartly speared, 
 inflicted a frightful gash upon the horse's hock. The 
 next to come up was Dr. Kavanagh, who was charged 
 in his turn but was successful in checking the boar 
 with a point in the head ; but the spear was driven 
 in so deeply that it was wrenched from its owner's 
 hand and remained sticking out of the boar's skull. 
 In spite of this the valiant fellow again started for 
 the jungle. At this moment the Duke came up and 
 speared him with such effect that he seemed to 
 relinquish all idea of flight and, having got rid of the 
 spear in his head, set about charging his enemies. 
 One of the party he unhorsed, another he pursued 
 for some distance, and eventually, after a good 
 
THE HORSE AND THE SPORT 55 
 tussle, was killed on foot, the Duke giving him his 
 coup de grace. 
 
 It is in the last stages of the hunt, when driven to 
 bay, that the boar shows to the fullest extent that 
 stubborn courage and reckless fierceness so charac- 
 teristic of him, and which give him first place among 
 animals of the chase. It is impossible not to feel 
 pity as well as admiration for such a plucky beast. 
 
 M. Levesque says : " J'ai beaucoup frequente 
 les sangliers, et, parmi nos animaux sauvages, je 
 n'en connais aucun que je trouve aussi estimable. 
 C'est un brave, un chevalier sans peur et sans 
 reproche, qui se bat courageusement jusqu'a la fin, 
 et meurt comme un heros." 
 
 The attraction of sticking this ',' hero " exists not 
 only in the sporting risks, but also in the spirit of 
 camaraderie that is engendered between horse and 
 rider. If you watch a seasoned pigsticker at the 
 cover side you will immediately recognise the 
 sporting spirit that inspires him. I picture to myself 
 the brown Waler mare whose well-loved form I shall 
 never forget ; the way*she would get to cover, 
 larking and playing about, pretending to imagine a 
 boar in every bush, snatching at her bit as if the 
 hard-baked soil before her were nothing but an ex- 
 panse of soft turf, jigging and squirming as she goes 
 along, with mischievous enjoyment at the effect of 
 these antics upon her rider, who, however great his 
 popularity at last night's mess table, is little better 
 than a worm at five a.m. on a hot morning. 
 
 Once posted outside the covert, her whole de- 
 meanour changes ; she restrains her ebullitions of 
 gaiety, and, as the distant cries of the beaters in the 
 jungle strike her ear, she becomes motionless as a 
 
56 THE KING OF THE JUNGLE 
 
 statue, while a slight tremor of her limbs and a 
 quick, eager glancing of the eye from point to point, 
 betray her readiness for the fray. As a jackal 
 hitches by with drooping brush, or a peacock scuttles 
 in undignified haste across the open before the din of 
 the beaters, her ears prick and her head goes up for a 
 momentary scrutiny of the fugitive, and at once 
 returns to its position of watchfulness. At length a 
 sudden quick throbbing of the heart, a jerk up of the 
 head, with ears flung forward, warn the rider that 
 a pig is afoot, and in a few moments more she is 
 bounding away in pursuit, almost regardless of her 
 rider's wishes in the first mad rush of her joy. 
 
 Her keen and evident determination to beat the 
 other contestants for the " first spear " would almost 
 lead one to think she was throwing every ounce of 
 her energy into the opening burst, did we not know 
 from experience that she will retain a small reserve 
 in hand for the final rush up to the pig at the critical 
 moment. 
 
 On a " jink," although the reins may be loose upon 
 her neck, she will fling around endeavouring to 
 emulate the quickness of the pig in turning. When 
 the quarry "shoots" himself, as none but a pig 
 can, over a mud wall, she flies the fence cleanly with 
 just sufficient impetus to clear a hidden ditch or 
 danger on the other side. She is always on the 
 alert for an ugly hole or a yawning nullah, into 
 which she will drop and spring out again on the 
 other side. 
 
 Once when dashing across an open plain of grass 
 the pig suddenly disappeared and a moment later a 
 wide, steep-sided kunkur hole lay beneath the mare's 
 nose. It was equally impossible for her to stop or to 
 
A HUMILIATING MISTAKE 57 
 
 clear it, so she quietly dropped into it, knowing that 
 the boar was unable to get out and had to be tackled 
 there — and we fought our battle out in the pit and 
 won it. 
 
 When the time arrives for fighting and receiving 
 the charges of the boar, the mare sets to work 
 temperately and coolly, obeying every touch of her 
 rider's hand and leg, yet at the same time exercising 
 her own wits when a sudden leap or turn will land 
 her clear of an ugly rush from the foe. 
 
 With such an ally as this, success in the pig- 
 sticking field is assured to the hunter. 
 
 One's first impressions generally remain clear, and 
 though I have hunted many a pig in my time the 
 incidents of my first run remain strong in my 
 memory. It took place within a few miles of 
 Muttra. A number of my brother officers had gone 
 out to the meet and I, being occupied with some 
 work in barracks, followed a little later. Coming in 
 sight of them across the plains, I was making my way 
 towards them when a huge pig jumped up out of the 
 grass and went away in front of me. I tally-ho 'd 
 him away and followed like blazes after him, and two 
 more of my comrades, answering to the cry, came 
 tearing after me. We ran the pig for a long way as 
 hard as we could go, and at last Blagrove pressing to 
 the front got his spear well into him, and soon after 
 McLaren got another chance at him which brought 
 him to bay, and he was soon polished off between us. 
 But we found to our dismay that he was a " she," 
 but very like a boar owing to her crest, grey colour, 
 and tushes. It is a very common thing to find an 
 old barren sow with tushes, and consequently she is 
 easily mistaken for a boar. But it was rather 
 
58 THE KING OF THE JUNGLE 
 
 disappointing to find one's first attempt thus made 
 somewhat ridiculous. In India it is as bad to kill 
 a sow as in England it is to shoot a fox. Before long 
 we sighted another pig, and this time a genuine boar 
 without a mistake. As it was my first time out I 
 hung back a little in order to learn from the others 
 how to do it. As we tore along after the pig, which 
 was some way off, and were going as hard as our 
 horses could lay legs to the ground, " Papa " 
 (Braithwaite) who was leading went suddenly head 
 over heels, horse and all ! He had tumbled over a 
 huge boar that was lying hidden in the grass. Horse 
 and man picked themselves up quickly, and in a few 
 moments we were all away after this new quarry. 
 For two miles we ran him before he was brought to 
 bay, but being beginners we did not play the game 
 very well, and before long three of us had plunged our 
 spears into him and had let them go, and there he was 
 with three spears sticking in him like pins in a pin- 
 cushion, charging anyone who came near. 
 
 At last one of our fellows dismounted, and as the 
 boar charged him he received him on the point of his 
 lance and so killed him. 
 
 Here is a typical run taken from one of my letters 
 of the time : 
 
 " I was pigsticking with Cruikshank the other 
 day and we had about one hundred coolies beat- 
 ing through high crops for pig. We had gone a 
 long time without seeing any, till at last a man 
 working in an open field which was surrounded by 
 fields of thick eight-feet high crops, shouted to us 
 that two fine pigs had crossed a corner of his field 
 about a quarter of an hour previously. So we went 
 to the corner and found their tracks. They were 
 
A FALL 59 
 
 those of a good boar and a very big sow, which had 
 been going lame. We then started to track them 
 and for over a mile we followed up the trail through 
 thick crops over some hard open ground, through 
 long grass and through some water, till they led into 
 a thick crop standing out in the open. I circled 
 round the field, and finding no signs of their having 
 gone out on the far side I took up the tracking again 
 and followed the pigs into their lair in the centre of 
 the crop while Cruikshank kept watch at a corner 
 of the field. The boar when disturbed left the cover 
 within ten yards of my pal, and away he went after 
 him and I followed with a very bad start. 
 
 " I was riding ' Budderoo,' who was the sort of horse 
 who invariably puts his forefeet into the middle of 
 any hole or ditch that he may come across, and 
 consequently comes head over heels every time. 
 However, I had got into his ways and whenever we 
 approached a small obstacle I used to ram him at it 
 and give him the spurs as if it were something very 
 big, and then he cleared it like a bird. After running 
 about three quarters of a mile the pig got into a large 
 field of Indian corn, and kept twisting and turning 
 about in this, trying to elude me. At last I saw a good 
 chance at him as he was going straight for a short 
 distance. I shoved ' Budderoo ' along as hard as I 
 could where I saw the pig was by the waving of the 
 crop, when crash ! bang ! we came on a little mud 
 bank, not two feet high in the middle of the crop, and 
 over we went a clean somersault. I was on my feet 
 before the horse was on his, and kicked him up on to 
 his legs again. 
 
 " When I mounted I saw that Cruikshank was still 
 hustling the pig at the far end of the field, and just as 
 
60 THE KING OF THE JUNGLE 
 
 I came near him, I heard a sudden angry ' gruff, 
 gruff,' close to me and there was a big pig right under 
 me ! I dropped the point of my spear into his back 
 in the nick of time to save my horse, and sent it 
 right through him, killing him dead. And then I 
 found that after all it was the big lame sow, and not 
 the boar, who at almost the same moment appeared 
 breaking away over the open and making for some 
 awfully broken raviney ground. What a yell we 
 gave, and what a race we had to see who could get 
 him first ! At it we went, hammer and tongs, both 
 horses doing their utmost ; but finally ' Budderoo ' 
 dropped astern and old Grex ranged up alongside 
 the boar and gave him one which astonished him. 
 For a moment he stopped thunderstruck, and then, 
 with his ears pricked and bristles on end, he came at 
 me ' like a thousand of bricks,' but only got another 
 stab for his pains. He then plunged into a crop of 
 millet standing about twelve feet high, and very 
 thick. Into this my horse followed him beautifully, 
 crashing blindly through the vegetation, till we 
 suddenly came upon him at bay in a small opening. 
 The moment he saw me he charged at me with a sort 
 of roar of rage. But I got him through the back and 
 pinned him to the ground, and we very soon finished 
 him off." 
 
 On another occasion my friend and I, hunting in a 
 very thickly bushed country, got on to a splendid 
 boar. Between us we pressed him and pushed him 
 along at a great pace through the bushes, and more 
 by luck than good management we succeeded in 
 keeping in touch with him until finally, disgusted 
 with our attentions, he turned and charged me. My 
 spear went well into his back, but he passed right 
 
AN ARMISTICE 61 
 
 under my horse, breaking the spear in doing so and 
 carrying it off, still sticking in his ribs. Then he 
 turned on my friend and charged him, but the horse 
 he was riding being strange to the game did not like 
 the looks of the infuriated monster coming at him 
 with what appeared to be a big club swaying in 
 front of him, and he very naturally turned tail and 
 bolted before the apparition. Several times his 
 rider tried to bring him to face the pig, but it was no 
 use, so he gave me his spear and I went again at 
 the brute and he promptly turned and charged me all 
 right. I made a good thrust at his shoulder, but the 
 spear glanced off without effect, so I quickly turned, 
 and following him up gave him another on the top 
 of his back between the shoulders, again without 
 success. The spear was as blunt as a lump of lead 
 and would make no impression on his tough hide. 
 It was difficult to know what to do with one spear 
 gone, the other useless, and only one horse capable 
 of facing the animal. 
 
 However, he ran into a thick isolated patch of bush 
 and there stopped to see what we should do. We 
 took counsel and agreed to leave him there while we 
 retired to camp and furnished ourselves afresh with 
 spears and horses. We called up the beaters, who 
 by this time were not far away, and made them form 
 a cordon round the cover to prevent his coming out. 
 Then we galloped back to the camp a mile distant 
 and re-armed ourselves. On our return, we found 
 that things had been happening. The boar had come 
 out and had charged my shikari, who, however, was 
 an old hand, and, as the boar came at him, he not 
 only jumped to one side but managed to grasp the 
 broken shaft of the spear as the boar ran by and 
 
62 THE KING OF THE JUNGLE 
 
 dragged it from him. The pig then went for an old 
 coolie beater, and sent him flying head over heels 
 backwards with a terrible gash on his thigh, and 
 having contented himself with this display of 
 temper he had turned and taken refuge again in the 
 clump of bush. Our first care was for the wounded 
 native who looked like bleeding to death. So we 
 rigged up an impromptu tourniquet and stopped the 
 bleeding, then readjusted the flap of thigh where the 
 thigh-bone was exposed and stitched it in place with 
 half a dozen stitches, after carefully washing out the 
 wound. We bound the whole thing up in as 
 businesslike a way as possible under the circum- 
 stances and sent the old boy ofi on a bedstead to the 
 neighbouring village, and I am glad to say the old 
 chap recovered in spite of our ministrations. Then 
 we mounted and got to work again on the pig. 
 
 There was no driving him out of his refuge, partly 
 because he found it safe and undisturbed and partly 
 because the beaters were not quite so bold as they 
 had been, owing to this casualty among their number, 
 and they very readily adopted our suggestion of 
 setting fire to the bush on its windward side instead 
 of beating into it. This very soon had the desired 
 effect, and the old boar came bounding out appar- 
 ently as fresh as ever, and if anything a little more 
 savage. We were after him in a trice, but so soon as 
 he found he was being hunted he turned upon us and 
 came at us bristling with rage, but it brought about 
 his end, for with fresh horses and sharp spears we 
 quickly settled the business. 
 
 I once had the luck to get the Kadir Cup, very 
 much to my surprise and delight. In fact, I 
 could hardly believe it for a long time afterwards. 
 
IN THE FINAL 63 
 
 It is the Pigsticking Challenge Cup for the long spear 
 in North India. There were fifty-four horses running 
 for it. The whole field were divided by lot into 
 parties of four. Then each of these parties had an 
 umpire to look after it. Each umpire took his party 
 about in the jungle, and when he saw a pig he told 
 the party to ride. The moment the word " Ride ! " 
 was given, away they all went and the man who first 
 speared the pig won the heat. There were fourteen 
 parties in the first round and I rode in three different 
 parties because I had three horses entered. I was 
 lucky enough to win the first round in each of my three. 
 Then all the winners of the first round, fourteen of 
 them, were divided into four parties again, so I had 
 a horse running in three of them. 
 
 The four winners in this round were then to contest 
 together for the Cup. " Squeers " was the first horse 
 of mine that I rode in this round. I got up to the 
 pig first, made a lunge at him and missed, and 
 the spear catching in some grass was twisted out 
 of my hand and the next chap came up and stuck 
 the pig. So I lost that heat. But I won both my 
 others with " Patience " and " Hagarene." So out 
 of the four horses competing in the final for the Cup 
 two were mine. As I could not ride two at once 
 Ding MacDougal rode "Patience" and- I rode 
 " Hagarene." 
 
 Such excitement ! There were twenty elephants 
 with onlookers, fellows up in trees and others riding 
 their horses to see the fun. Away went a great 
 boar ! " Ride ! " At the word away we went too. 
 " Hagarene " soon got away from the rest, as she was 
 tremendously fast and keen. The pig dashed across 
 open ground into a very thick, coarse jungle, but I 
 
64 THE KING OF THE JUNGLE 
 
 was pretty close to him and could just see him every 
 now and then through the great tussocks of grass six 
 feet high. " Hagarene " bounded through them ; 
 then across twenty yards of open ground, and another 
 
 patch of jungle thicker than the other and steeply 
 banked. Down we went — no, we didn't, though very 
 nearly ! One of the grass tussocks had a solid pillar 
 of hard earth concealed in it which the mare struck 
 with her chest, but she managed to recover herself. 
 Now we were close on to him, and I got the spear 
 ready to reach out and stick him. 
 
A MUD BATH 65 
 
 At that moment a green sort of hedge appeared in 
 front and almost as the pig disappeared through it 
 " Hagarene " leapt over it, and there, ten feet below 
 us, was the shining surface of the river ! The pig 
 went plump in under water and " Hagarene " and 
 I did the same, almost on top of him. Right down 
 we went under water to any depth ; a deal of 
 struggling, striking out, swimming in heavy clothes, 
 hanging on to weeds, etc. At last I emerged on 
 the far bank and saw " Hagarene " clambering out 
 too and away she went full split for camp. I could 
 just see the pig skulking away back where he had 
 entered the water among some reeds, and as the 
 other men in the heat came up to the hedge and 
 looked over I pointed out the pig, and away they 
 went. MacDougal got first to him, speared him 
 and so won the Cup for me. 
 
 I looked a funny object when all the other fellows 
 came up to congratulate me. There I was covered 
 with mud and water and garlanded with green weeds, 
 but still the happiest man among them ! 
 
 Another year I entered once more for the Kadir 
 Cup Competition and was lucky in getting into the 
 semi-final tie for the cup. In my heat there were 
 three competitors and curiously enough the other 
 two were also in my regiment. We were started 
 after a pig and early in the run one of them fell, and 
 his horse being lame he was unable to go on, so that 
 it lay between the other one and myself. It was a 
 hard, ding-dong race, neck and neck between us for 
 a long way, but neither of us could get ahead and 
 the pig managed to keep on just out of reach of both 
 of us. At last he was showing signs of getting tired 
 and we were creeping up to him, each eager to get 
 
 F 
 
66 THE KING OF THE JUNGLE 
 
 first spear, when suddenly my companion's horse put 
 his foot in a hole and rolled head over heels with him 
 and I was left with the tired pig just in front of me 
 with nothing to do but to go on and stick him and 
 win the heat. But on giving a parting glance at my 
 companion I saw that he was lying badly knocked 
 out with his head close to his horse's hind feet, and it 
 looked to me as if the first kick which the horse gave 
 in its struggle to get on to its feet would probably 
 knock his brains out : so I sprang off my horse and 
 went to his assistance and so lost my chance of the 
 boar. The umpire gave us half an hour for the fallen 
 runner to recover, then we mounted again and 
 another boar having been found we two were 
 started after him. My rival got away with a good 
 start and slipped steadily away from me, overtook 
 and speared the pig in right good style and so beat 
 me. But I was not altogether sorry, as having won 
 the Cup before it was just as well that another should 
 win it now, so long as it came to the regiment. 
 
 On my return to India after some years of absence 
 I was a little anxious, when it came to pigsticking, 
 as to whether my nerve still held good, for if once 
 you are apprehensive about the ground that you are 
 travelling over and begin to think how you will pick 
 your way, your doom as a pig-sticker is sealed. The 
 only way to hunt a boar is to keep your eye on him 
 and not on the ground, and to trust to your horse to 
 do the rest. 
 
 The night before the meet I could hardly sleep for 
 anxiety, and was thinking much about it again 
 while waiting for a pig to break. But the moment 
 his dusky form appeared lolloping away through the 
 long yellow grass, all these anxieties disappeared. 
 
MY DEATH PROCLAIMED 67 
 
 I forgot everything except that the pig was before 
 me, and had a howling good run. The pig after 
 being wounded took to a belt of jungle, and fearing 
 lest he should run through it without stopping I 
 galloped round the far side to view him coming out. 
 However, he did not come out and we knew that he 
 must be lying " doggo " inside. 
 
 We reformed our party outside while the beaters 
 were put through the jungle in line to drive him out. 
 They came right through but no sign of the pig. 
 Feeling sure that he was still in there we turned the 
 beaters about and sent them through a second time. 
 Still no pig ! Certain that he was still there I dis- 
 mounted and went in with the beaters myself, spear 
 in hand. I was in the centre of the line and, when 
 we reached the middle of the jungle, I noticed that 
 the beaters on either side of me began to edge away 
 outwards, and I guessed therefrom that they knew 
 pretty well where the boar was to be found. He did 
 not require much rinding, for without any warning 
 he suddenly charged me out of a bush. I had my 
 spear lowered just in time to receive him, and the 
 point went deep into his chest, but his enormous 
 weight and impetus threw me over backward, and I 
 lay on my back, still clutching the spear and just 
 able to hold him off at a sufficient distance by a few 
 inches to prevent him from slitting me open. The 
 natives, stout fellows, immediately raised a howl : 
 " The Colonel is killed ! " and proceeded to leave the 
 jungle as rapidly as possible, but I was quickly 
 relieved from my position by my companions running 
 in on foot with their spears and polishing off the boar 
 as he stood over me. 
 
 Then they asked me : " Is this the way you always 
 
68 THE KING OF THE JUNGLE 
 
 finish pig, taking him on foot ? " and in order to give 
 colour to my action I had to say : " Of course, it is 
 the only way." The worst of it was that after this 
 I had to live up to my reputation, and whenever we 
 got a pig badly wounded or going to bay in a difficult 
 place, we had to jump off and tackle him on foot. 
 But we soon got not only reconciled to it but 
 
 <^>\V, 
 
 I lay on my back, still clutching the spear. 
 
 desperately keen on this addition to the ordinary 
 excitement of a pigsticking run. 
 
 As regards killing wild boar on foot one might well 
 take a lesson from the natives of some of the islands 
 in the South Pacific. One of their most prized 
 ornaments for neck wear are the curved tushes of 
 wild boars. These animals they hunt down through 
 the thick bush with dogs and beaters, and it is the 
 custom for the best hunters amongst them to stand 
 in the pathways of the bush and meet the boar 
 
A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION 69 
 
 single-handed, armed only with a short sword, with 
 which they stab them in the back as they charge. A 
 well-delivered thrust aimed into the right spot, viz. , the 
 spine between the shoulders, will drop the boar dead 
 on the spot, just as it does cattle in the cattle yards 
 of Fray Bentos in South America. But if the sports- 
 man miss his stroke he is absolutely certain to be 
 overthrown by the rush of the heavy animal and 
 probably gashed to death in the stomach or thigh by 
 its keen tushes. 
 
 A recent account by Lewis Freeman gives a graphic 
 description of this exciting form of sport. He tells 
 how the native in waiting for the charge plants his 
 feet firmly in the ground, scraping a shallow depres- 
 sion in the soil to give the toes a firm hold on the 
 earth. " As the boar charges the right foot is 
 advanced half a pace, and the left leg straightened 
 into a brace, the right arm holding the cutlass 
 straight in the front is stiffened into a bar of steel, 
 and as the pig rushes for him the point of the cutlass 
 is dropped into the back between the shoulder-blade 
 and the first rib, and the blade and handle of the 
 knife are buried up to the wrist of the arm that 
 drives it, and the charging animal crumples up into 
 an inert mass without uttering a sound." But it 
 needs a cool and confident man to do the trick. 
 
 I could go on for the rest of the book on the 
 subject of pigsticking, but I will be merciful. Those 
 who wish for more on the subject will find it all in 
 the recent fascinating volume by Major A. E. 
 Wardrop, R.H.A., Modern Pigsticking. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 LIFE IN THE PLAINS 
 
 A Soldier's Holiday — The Tragedy of My Lunch — 
 Summary Vengeance — The Forgotten Sentry — The 
 Death of Jock — An Unlucky Day — The Land of Practical 
 Jokes — Milk for Rosie — The Call of Christmas — Sir Baker 
 Russell and the Mules — The Duke of Connaught in India 
 l_ — His First Pigsticking Adventure — Swimming Rivers — 
 A Dodge to Obtain Prestige — The German Emperor 
 Amused — No Rations in Eternity — Our Methods in 
 India — The Joys of the Cavalry Brigadier — A Lost 
 Station — I Disturb the Colonel — Snipe and Gin — Lemon 
 Pudding and Mustard — A Stolen Bicycle — Wunhi's 
 Tea-House — Regimental Friendships 
 
 MR. RUDYARD KIPLING has assured us 
 that " single men in barracks don't grow 
 into plaster saints," which is quite true. 
 It is equally true that they do not degenerate into 
 idlers, and never was this so true as to-day. The 
 soldier's day begins early and it is a peculiarly 
 arduous one. In a letter to my mother, written 
 from the Plains, and which she has preserved, as 
 only mothers can preserve every scrap and line their 
 unworthy male progeny send them, I describe a 
 day's work soldiering in India. I wrote : 
 
 " Food is somewhat of a difficulty here in Quetta, 
 especially luxuries. To-day is a holiday in India, 
 Thursday is always a holiday for the troops, and to- 
 day is Thursday, therefore to-day is a holiday. 
 
 I will just tell you how I spent my holiday. 
 
 70 
 
A SHAMELESS ROBBERY 71 
 
 First, let me say that, as to-day is a holiday, I had 
 ordered to be prepared at my house for lunch a 
 cake, a tin of biscuits, and a bottle of raspberry 
 vinegar, the only luxuries that can be obtained 
 here. Well, although the day is a holiday, I had 
 to be up at 5 for a musketry parade which lasted 
 until 6.45. After that breakfast at 7, then orderly 
 room from 8 to 8.30, then ball-firing on the range, 
 two miles away, from 8.30 to 12. Then home to 
 the much desired cake, biscuits, and raspberry 
 vinegar : after which there would be rest until two, 
 when I had to give a musketry lecture, followed 
 by an hour's drill, after which I go to the races, then 
 dinner, then the regimental theatre and possibly 
 supper, and so to bed to be ready for next morning's 
 parade at 5 a.m. and a day that is not a holiday. 
 To revert, however, to those biscuits, cake, and rasp- 
 berry vinegar. I had happened to remark to some- 
 one what a lunch I was going to treat myself to 
 after my labours of the morning, so when I struggled 
 into my hovel shortly after noon, worn-out and 
 fasting, what was the sight that met my aching eyes ? 
 On my bed lay Jock and a young friend named 
 Beetle fast asleep, both of them with very full 
 tummies, and mixed up with them, also fast asleep 
 with distended tummy, lay the Boy, who lives in the 
 next hovel to me and is the owner of Beetle. My 
 box of biscuits lay empty on the floor, also the 
 raspberry vinegar bottle. Some crumbs in the 
 plate showed where the cake had been. 
 
 " Of course I had a bucket of water over the trio 
 in about a minute, but it didn't bring me back my 
 mixed biscuits, cake, and raspberry vinegar ; and 
 only made my bed uninhabitable. However, the 
 
72 LIFE IN THE PLAINS 
 
 Boy is on duty to-morrow and I have seen grapes 
 and melons going to his hovel. I don't order any 
 lunch for myself to-morrow ; you can imagine what 
 I mean to do." 
 
 Such are the little attentions that one gets from 
 his " comrades in arms," during the time he is 
 absent upon the business of Empire ! We were 
 always on our guard against each other, as few 
 opportunities of scoring off a pal were allowed to 
 pass by. One night after turning in I was awfully 
 thirsty and there was no water in my bottle, so I 
 sent my man into the next-door hovel to ask the 
 Boy for some. He promptly sent me back a glass- 
 ful, thinking that I should drink it off in the dark ; 
 but as I held it up to the light I saw about two 
 inches of castor-oil floating on the top. Of course 
 at that I had to turn out of bed and go and give him 
 a good walloping. 
 
 History sometimes repeats itself. An instance of 
 this occurred at Jullundur. 
 
 We were the guests of .the Devonshire Regiment, 
 who were stationed there, and personally I was 
 specially looked after by a subaltern — one Harris. 
 That was in 1881. Eighteen years passed and in 
 1899 I marched through Jullundur again with 
 my regiment, camping there for a night. Again 
 we found the Devonshire Regiment there and again 
 Harris looked after me. They had been to many 
 places in the interval, but at first glance it seemed 
 a parallel case to that of the officer in Crete who was 
 in command of the guard at the Customs House 
 when the Allied Powers took over the island. A 
 British guard came on duty in place of the Turkish 
 one. The Turkish officer in command welcomed the 
 
THE DEATH OF JOCK 73 
 
 relief with joy. He explained that fifteen years 
 before he had gone on guard, expecting to be relieved 
 in twenty-four hours ; but apparently his existence 
 had been forgotten at headquarters, and he had 
 remained there ever since — and was still a sub- 
 lieutenant. 
 
 One evening Jock went out for a stroll with our 
 doctor, but disappeared just before he got back to 
 camp. He was absent all night and next morning 
 we found him about half a mile from camp with a 
 nasty wound in his shoulder, evidently a stab. The 
 wound was dressed and did not seem to hurt him 
 very much ; indeed that evening he came to a nigger 
 entertainment that we were giving and played with 
 the different performers and attacked me with the 
 greatest fury every time I touched my tambourine, 
 to the great delight of the audience. But next 
 morning he could not eat, and kept drinking water 
 every minute. Then his lower jaw got paralysed 
 and we had to pour soup down his throat. He rode 
 on one of my carts on the march, but was so weak 
 that he could hardly stand, then his hind-quarters 
 got paralysed and he was in such pain, and the vet. 
 said he could not recover, so I had him shot. 
 
 That day was a curiously unlucky one for my 
 troop. One of the men, our best runner, dropped 
 down dead while we were striking the tents, and we 
 had to take him along in the squadron cart, and at 
 the end of the march I had to bury him and read the 
 service over him. Then a horse in my troop was 
 seized with inflammation and died, also a baggage 
 pony died suddenly, as well as a camel. The 
 odd thing was that the next day another man not 
 belonging to the regiment but marching with the 
 
74 LIFE IN THE PLAINS 
 
 troop dropped down dead with a burst blood-vessel. 
 All this coupled with Jock's death made the twenty- 
 four hours rather tragic. 
 
 India is the land of practical jokes, and taking 
 advantage of my simple nature people were always 
 playing off their silly practices on me. As an 
 instance, while at Meerut we instituted in the 
 regimental lines a first-class dairy for supplying 
 the men with good milk instead of the infected stuff 
 they were liable to get from the native bazaar. 
 We did this in order to lessen the chances of typhoid, 
 which played so much havoc with our young soldiers. 
 Our dairy soon obtained a great reputation, because 
 for those who liked it we sterilised the milk and 
 cream. We also had what was popularly supposed 
 to be two grades of butter, one of which commanded 
 a very high price by reason of its popularity with 
 people outside the regiment. As a matter of fact 
 it was exactly the same butter but with a little more 
 saffron dye, which made it look nicer, and people 
 maintained that it was quite a different quality 
 and were therefore willing to pay for it several 
 pence a pound more. However, that has little to 
 do with my story. The point was that we were at 
 Meerut, half-way up India, and could supply good 
 milk to our friends. Meerut was a stopping place 
 for the mail train from Bombay on its journey up 
 country. 
 
 One day I received a telegram from a friend far 
 up in the North telling me that his sister was arriv- 
 ing from England with her children and would be 
 coming through Meerut on a certain day : would 
 I kindly go to the train and meet her and give her 
 a few bottles of our excellent milk for her children ? 
 
MILK FOR ROSIE 75 
 
 I had some of the best sterilised milk prepared and 
 put in bottles which I slung along the handle-bars 
 of my bicycle, and I pedalled off to meet the mail 
 train. As I passed by a neighbour's house some of 
 them were playing tennis on the front lawn, and they 
 waved to me as I went by, asking where I was going 
 to with all the milk. As they knew my friend I 
 pulled up and explained to them that I was going to 
 the station to meet his sister, but I had no idea what 
 her married name was. Could they tell me ? Of 
 course they could, the lady was Rosie ; but what was 
 her surname ? They puzzled and thought and could 
 not remember who it was she had married. So my 
 only information was that her name was Rosie 
 and that she had two or three children. 
 
 I met the train and walked all down it, looking 
 at every likely looking woman, and finally, summon- 
 ing all my courage, I went and asked each in turn 
 if her name was Rosie. It was quite strange the 
 different ways in which they received my question. 
 The worst of it was that not one of them seemed 
 pleased and not one of them responded. The con- 
 sequence was that after wasting a lot of time and 
 all my temerity I came away without discovering 
 Rosie and without delivering my milk, as, by the time 
 I had done with them, they were in that state when 
 they would not accept even my milk as an apology. 
 
 As I re-passed my friends' house they were all 
 sitting on the wall waiting for me. They gave me 
 three cheers and asked how Rosie was looking, 
 and then I knew that I had been had. But it is a 
 silly game, that of practical jokes, and I never in- 
 dulged in it myself — except of course when necessary 
 to pay out other people. 
 
76 LIFE IN THE PLAINS 
 
 One might reasonably imagine that it would be 
 difficult to maintain the jollity which is usually 
 associated with the old English Christmas in that 
 land of sun and summer, but we evidently had a very 
 hearty attempt at it, since my letter to my mother 
 says : "I awoke with a head that defies description 
 and a face that has only a little bit of skin left on 
 the left side of it, and hair that is all stuck together 
 with blood. One knee is stiff and straight, there is 
 a bruise and a lump the size of my fist on my leg, 
 and every inch of my wretched body is aching ; 
 but I am not so badly off as some others and the fun 
 we had was worth it." 
 
 It was at that Christmas, too, that we had our first 
 chance of going to church, which had been impossible 
 for us for the past two years owing to our being 
 on service. We did not keep a parson and the 
 Colonel read the service. " My wig ! he did look 
 fine with all his orders, decorations, and medals 
 quite hiding his uniform " (this from my diary). He 
 used to take the service also in camp in Afghanistan, 
 and one day, when he began with his enormous 
 voice, the mules in the baggage lines all started 
 whinnying, thinking he must be giving the order 
 to feed. So he broke off in the middle of " Dearly 
 beloved brethren " and shouted out : " Fall out a 
 corporal from each troop and go and stop those 
 mules making that damned noise ! " 
 
 When in command of a brigade of native cavalry 
 temporarily organised for manoeuvres, I found myself 
 at Christmas time within a reasonable distance of 
 my own regiment, so I made a plan to spend Christ- 
 mas evening among my own comrades. This in- 
 volved a cross-country journey by means of such 
 

 
 Departing in Style 
 
 5. 
 
 Sleeping under Difficulties 
 
 HOW I ATE MY CHRISTMAS DINNER WITH MY REGIM, r 
 
Travelling Modestly 
 
 in Humility 
 
 KA 
 
 Returning like a Zoological Specimen 
 
 r, AND THE CONVEYANCES THAT TOOK ME THERE AND BACK 
 
MY VARIED CONVEYANCES 77 
 
 vehicles as I could get hold of, travelling day and 
 night to and from my destination. A native rajah 
 in the neighbourhood of my brigade camp gladly 
 sent me on the first stage of my journey in his own 
 carriage with a beautiful pair of white horses, with 
 their tails dyed pink, which a rajah considers highly 
 ornamental. But at the end of the first stage I 
 had to content myself with a humbler turn-out, and 
 towards the end of my journey was glad to get any- 
 thing that had wheels and an animal to drag it. 
 
 Starting out again in one of those gharries in which 
 the natives of the country travel, I felt more like 
 a caged beast than anything else, since they are 
 closely barred in order to prevent thefts of the 
 passenger's luggage while he may be dozing. As it 
 was pouring with rain while I was doing this par- 
 ticular stage, I was fortunate in being able to lay 
 hands on a truss of straw, with which I plaited up 
 a kind of shelter between the bars of my cage. 
 Eventually I got hold of what may be called the 
 sleeping car of the country, that is a kind of four- 
 wheeled cab with a board between the two seats 
 which enables one to lie down and imagine one is 
 sleeping as one bumps along. In the result I got 
 three and a half hours with the regiment and the 
 remaining forty-six and a half I spent travelling ! 
 
 I had the good fortune to be attached to the staff 
 of the Duke of Connaught during his first term of 
 service in India, when he was Major-General com- 
 manding at Meerut. It was typical of him that he 
 had at once thrown himself into the interests of life 
 in India, and had rapidly picked up a knowledge of 
 the natives and of their language. His first intro- 
 duction to the regiment was when he came out and 
 
78 LIFE IN THE PLAINS 
 
 met us on the line of march, and was very much 
 interested in our camp and method of moving through 
 the country. Later he visited us in our quarters at 
 Muttra and took part with us in our sport in the pig- 
 sticking field. 
 
 We had one splendid run. There was a party of 
 four of us, the Duke, McLaren, Dimond, and myself, 
 after a young and very speedy boar, who led us a 
 tremendous dance at a great pace through rather 
 tricky country full of clumps of thorn bushes, which 
 were continually delaying us at the critical moment, 
 so that the boar kept getting a fresh start every time 
 when we were gaining ground upon him. Eventu- 
 ally, feeling himself done, he turned in a ravine and 
 stood at bay. The Duke was first to come up with 
 him, although he had not once been first in the whole 
 of the run, and that is what frequently happens in 
 pigsticking. The man on the fastest horse may lead 
 the way, but very frequently the sharp twists and 
 turns of the pig, when, tired of being hunted, he is 
 about to charge or stand at bay, put the leader 
 off and give an opening to one who has been riding 
 second or third. 
 
 The Duke was not slow to seize his opportunity, 
 and delivered a thrust which secured him the honours 
 of first spear ; the others on the field then closed in 
 and gave the boar his quietus. Thus the Duke 
 won his first spear in his first run. 
 
 A part of my duties, in which I was intensely 
 interested, was the very valuable practice of swim- 
 ming rivers with horses, and it was one which was 
 formerly very much neglected in our Army. I 
 remember hearing great stories of what a certain 
 foreign power was doing in that way, and went over 
 
TRICKING THE ATTACHES 79 
 
 myself to see how they carried it out. A number of 
 official guests were warned that on a certain morning 
 at a certain hour a cavalry brigade would swim across 
 a wide river. A special train carrying the foreign 
 attaches and other guests would arrive at the river 
 bank at the hour named to see the practice carried 
 out. Not being one of the elite I took an earlier 
 train and was there an hour before the time. 
 
 Then I saw how they managed these things. A 
 quarter of an hour before the special came on the 
 
 Swimming horses 
 
 scene, a brigade was marched through the river by 
 a ford, leaving only about one hundred or two)hun- 
 dred men and horses on the bank who were really 
 good swimmers. Then the train came in, and the 
 attaches had the pleasure of seeing a number of men 
 and horses swimming splendidly across the deep 
 part of the river. This looked to them like the rear 
 guard of the brigade, which was already standing 
 dripping wet on the bank. When they reached home 
 they reported that they had seen the brigade swim 
 across the river, or at least, owing to their train 
 arriving a little late, they only saw the tail end 
 actually in the water. But I had seen what I had 
 
80 LIFE IN THE PLAINS 
 
 seen and I knew the truth. Although I knew how 
 to pass the inspection of swimming, it was the kind 
 of test that would not wash on service, so in India 
 we carried out many experiments and many prac- 
 tices in teaching our horses and men to swim. 
 
 Fortunately in India every barrack is equipped 
 with a swimming bath in which it is possible to 
 teach every man to swim, if he cannot already do so. 
 Then at certain times of the year the great irrigation 
 canals were cleared by running the water out of them. 
 As they were out of use for some weeks for this pro- 
 cess, it was possible to get the authorities to allow 
 them to be filled gradually and to let in just as much 
 or as little water as we wanted for teaching our men 
 and horses to swim through a short space at first, 
 gradually increasing it until they got the whole 
 width of the canal. When they were perfect at 
 this work we would take them to flowing rivers and 
 repeat the experiment, until they were really able 
 to tackle almost every river they were likely to come 
 across. It is not a thing which can be done without 
 practice ; but when men and horses are at home at 
 the work it is a most valuable addition to their 
 training and efficiency. 
 
 Our methods, however, are not always 
 approved of by other nations. The German 
 Emperor once pointed out to me on a big 
 parade of his troops how he placed the infantry 
 in the front line and the cavalry, artillery, engineers, 
 and other corps in the second line. He gave the 
 place of honour to the infantry in order to emphasise 
 the fact that they are the arm to win the battles, 
 while all others are the servants of the infantry to 
 help them in their aim. But, he said : " You in 
 
 
A SUPERSTITIOUS GENERAL 8t 
 
 England are not practical. You give the place of 
 honour on the right of the line to the artillery, next 
 come the cavalry, then the engineers, and after them 
 the infantry. Why is this ? " I was a little non- 
 plussed myself for an answer, because I fully agreed 
 with His Majesty that the infantry are the important 
 arm, so I made a shot at an answer, the first that 
 came into my head, and said : "I expect, sir, that 
 we do it alphabetically in England." This reply 
 fortunately exactly met the case in his estimation, 
 and he chuckled over it for a considerable time 
 afterwards.* 
 
 Sometimes there are forces at work that even the 
 most far-seeing administration cannot be expected 
 to guard against. Mother Shipton and her 
 prophecies are now probably forgotten ; but they 
 exercised a terrifying influence in the early 'eighties. 
 I think one of her jingles ran : 
 
 The world to an end shall surely come 
 In eighteen hundred and eighty-one. 
 
 In England many people, in the most abject fear, 
 spent the fateful nights in the churches, chapels, 
 and fields awaiting the awful event. At Quetta, 
 being rather out of the world, we had forgotten the 
 fate that was hanging over us. We were, however, 
 much puzzled at the strange delay that occurred 
 about that time in the issue of rations and forage. 
 Nor were we able to understand it until the report 
 got about that a certain general officer was so con- 
 vinced of the accuracy of Mother Shipton's pro- 
 phecies that he had decided not to give the necessary 
 
 * He has no doubt since realised that even though put in the background 
 on parade and considered "despicable" by him, the British infantry are 
 equal to any in the world. 
 
 G 
 
82 LIFE IN THE PLAINS 
 
 orders for the issue of rations, etc., beyond the date 
 
 the old lady had fixed for the end of all things, as 
 
 food and forage were not likely to be required in 
 
 eternity. 
 
 I have been asked what is the best sensation I 
 have enjoyed. Well, there is one which comes 
 to me when I suddenly meet some old friend whom 
 I have not seen for years, and it is one which I have 
 also experienced when leading a well trained brigade 
 of cavalry at a gallop. To put it as politely as I 
 can, it is the sensation that your chest is going to 
 burst and your inside to fall out with pleasure. 
 There is a tremendous feeling of exultation in moving 
 that great, rushing, thundering mass of men and 
 horses just by a wave of your hand. I trained my 
 brigade to that, and I never used a word of command 
 nor a trumpet call, but did the whole thing by 
 signalling with my hand. This I began years before 
 at Colchester with my squadron there, and people 
 used to laugh at the idea until the general, Sir 
 Evelyn Wood, came along and saw there was some- 
 thing in it. He made me try it in manoeuvres against 
 the rest of the regiment, and, as luck would have it, 
 it was a misty day and while we were silently moving 
 about, working entirely by signals, we could hear 
 the regiment wherever it went by the sound of the 
 officers shouting the words of command. This 
 gave us all we wanted to know as to their where- 
 abouts, and we were able quietly to circle round them 
 and charge down unexpectedly from their flank and 
 rear. This system of directing a large body has 
 since become usual in other branches of the service, 
 and General Babington applied it with complete 
 success to leading a cavalry division in manoeuvres. 
 
A MISSING STATION 83 
 
 I enjoyed the same sensation on another occasion. 
 It was when my regiment travelled down from 
 Northern India to Bombay for embarkation to South 
 Africa. We were moved by rail, in troop trains. 
 These trains generally travel by night so as to inter- 
 fere as little as possible with the ordinary day traffic, 
 and the men are disembarked into rest camps by 
 day. The train joggles along from station to station 
 in a leisurely way, going into sidings even to let 
 goods trains pass. 
 
 The story goes that one dark night the train 
 pulled up on the open line and ran back for a bit, 
 then stopped, ran on again, then ran back, and 
 stopped again while guard and engine-driver got 
 down and searched with lamps. "What's up? 
 Have you dropped something ? " asked one of the 
 men. " No, but there's a station somewhere about 
 here, and I think we must have run through it without 
 stopping. But they haven't got any lights up, so 
 we can't find it." 
 
 So it may be imagined the journey was not 
 altogether an exciting one, and I was getting 
 as bored as most people with it when the brilliant 
 idea struck me that although I was godson of the 
 founder of locomotives I did not know how to drive 
 one. No opportunity like the present. So I got on 
 terms with the driver and took my place on the 
 footplate, and was very soon, in my own estimation, 
 quite a capable driver. 
 
 We all know the Punch story of the nervous 
 passenger who remarked to the old lady, his fellow 
 traveller, on the terrific pace that they were going, 
 when she proudly replied : " Ah, that's my son driving, 
 and he's the boy to go when the liquor's in him." 
 
 I rather fancy from what I got afterwards that our 
 
84 LIFE IN THE PLAINS 
 
 Colonel woke up realising that the train had suddenly 
 exchanged her demure progress for a new life, and 
 was rocking and tearing along at 70 miles an hour. 
 He asked the reason and got the answer that 
 probably I was at the lever. There was no com- 
 munication cord in that train ! 
 
 But the thrill came when we ran down the ghats. 
 The ghats are the cliffs and gorges which lead from 
 the great plateau of India down to the coast level. 
 The railway zig-zags down these at pretty steep 
 gradients, round hairpin corners, over lofty bridges 
 and viaducts. Flying down these, with the brakes 
 on, is something like an emotion, but the climax comes 
 when before you in the moonlight you see the sudden 
 black abyss of a chasm with nothing across it but 
 the two rails shining like silver wires. The bridge 
 being an open lattice one is practically invisible. 
 For a brief moment you wonder whether it is there 
 or has been carried away, and you feel inclined to 
 yell with exultation as she jumps on to it with a 
 spring and a roar and screams across the depths. 
 
 Snipe shooting was one of the delights of the 
 Indian plains. But as a rule there were not more 
 than three or four snipe jheels (bogs) within reach of 
 cantonments, and it meant very early rising on Thurs- 
 day morning (the weekly holiday) for a fellow to get 
 out and to be hrst on the ground, when there were 
 possibly a dozen others at least at the same game. 
 
 Mickie Doyne in my regiment volunteered to take 
 me out for a week-end to a distant jheel, where 
 nobody else was likely to go. He said that he would 
 be responsible for the feeding arrangements, I had 
 nothing to do but to bring my gun and ammunition. 
 After a long journey by dog-cart, with horses previ- 
 ously laid out in stages, we got there, and set up 
 
MUSTARD AND LEMON PUDDING 85 
 our camp. " How about supper ? " " Yes, here's 
 the bread, and I've brought some Hollands gin. 
 The water here seems all right, if a little thick perhaps, 
 but still it's wet. Meat ? Oh, we will get that when 
 we get the snipe to-morrow." 
 
 But that was the extent of his commissariat — 
 some bread and some gin ! No butter, or any such 
 luxuries. All my questions were met in the same 
 way. " Jam ! what do you want with jam ? Tea ! 
 why tea, when you've got gin ? " " Lard ! what for ? 
 For cooking the snipe ! Try gin." 
 
 So we did and the result was excellent. The 
 system was afterwards adopted in the mess, and has 
 since, I believe, been taken up by the Ritz Hotel ! 
 From such small acorns do oaks grow. 
 
 This is not the only dish in whose invention I 
 have had a share. Once when dining with a friend 
 lemon pudding was offered to me. I took it and 
 asked for mustard to go with it. This caused a 
 certain amount of curiosity, and I maintained in the 
 most natural way that of course mustard was the 
 right thing to take with lemon pudding. I was so 
 serious about it that no one smiled or disbelieved. 
 The consequence was that when I came to dine at 
 the same house a year or two later I found mustard 
 was handed round with lemon pudding as the regular 
 thing ! 
 
 It was not an unusual thing when dining out with 
 friends to bicycle to the party instead of using a 
 horse or a trap. On one occasion when I had done 
 this, and had left my machine outside in the verandah 
 of the house where I was dining, I found on starting 
 to return home that it had disappeared. I assumed 
 that my servant had come and taken it away. 
 
86 LIFE IN THE PLAINS 
 
 On returning home, I found that this was not the 
 case, so at early dawn I went back to my 
 host's house to see if there were any signs of the lost 
 machine. It was not anywhere about the premises, 
 so I proceeded to track it. 
 
 This would not usually be an easy thing to do on 
 the hard surface of an Indian cantonment road, 
 but I found that the machine had moved off while 
 the dew was still on the road, and so by looking 
 along the surface some distance ahead I could just 
 see a faint mark of where the wheels had gone. 
 The front wheel of my bicycle was locked by a 
 catch which prevented the wheel from turning to 
 either side, and thus it could not be ridden or guided. 
 From the track I soon discovered that the thief 
 who had taken it had not discovered this catch and 
 was therefore unable to ride the machine. He had 
 walked beside it, but there were no striking points 
 about his footmark to show whether he was a native 
 or a Britisher. He had not at any rate the nailed 
 boots of the soldier, nor had he the bare feet of a 
 native, so I followed the tracks of the wheels for 
 a considerable distance along the mall. The tracks 
 took me past the turning which led to the native 
 city and past those which led to the cavalry bar- 
 racks, and eventually turned up a road which led 
 to the barracks of a certain infantry battalion, 
 and there they got lost on hard ground. I therefore 
 wrote a note to the adjutant asking for search to 
 be made, and in a short time received my bicycle 
 safely back. It had been found under the bed of 
 one of the soldiers, who said it had been put there 
 by somebody while he was asleep ! 1 was not very 
 particular as to how it got there so I had it back 
 
THE LAND OF HOSPITALITY 87 
 again in my possession. A little tracking knowledge 
 is sometimes a useful thing ! 
 
 The close intercourse that necessarily arises be- 
 tween Europeans stationed in a small cantonment in 
 India brings about a form of friendliness and hospi- 
 
 & 
 
 
 V 
 
 f% 
 
 
 13 
 
 A 
 
 
 iv 
 
 
 W 
 
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 1* 
 
 
 
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 C 
 
 
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 IV 
 
 
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 P 
 
 
 
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 R 
 
 t: f 
 
 
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 My tea-house sign. 
 
 tality which cannot be equalled in other parts of the 
 world, and, though as in all small communities there 
 is bound to be a certain amount of tittle-tattle and 
 of prying into one's neighbour's affairs, yet this is 
 entirely counterbalanced by the amount of sympathy 
 and real life-long friendship that is engendered by 
 such close communication. Open-house is natural 
 to India, where all the windows are doors, and all 
 
88 LIFE IN THE PLAINS 
 
 the doors are open to the air ; but open-house is also 
 prevalent in the other meaning of the word, for 
 hospitality has no limit in that country. In Meerut 
 I was known as " Wunhi," the name being derived 
 from my part in the play of The Geisha. As my 
 house lay on the direct road from cantonments to 
 the polo ground it was always open to all comers who 
 wanted refreshment. This was an understood thing, 
 whether I was at home or not. It naturally received 
 the name of " Wunhi's tea-house." The only 
 stipulation I made for people using it was that which 
 I had painted up on either door-post of the entrance. 
 
 Friendships exist between certain regiments which 
 have begun under different circumstances long ago, 
 but they continue through generations of soldiers 
 until their origin is lost in the mists of antiquity. 
 The 13th in the Peninsula were brigaded with the 
 14th Hussars, or Light Dragoons as they were in 
 those days : owing to the wear and tear of service 
 they were known as " The Ragged Brigade." The 
 friendship between the 13th Hussars and the 9th 
 Lancers showed itself in their meeting in Afghanistan 
 and again two years later, and this was accentuated 
 by the frequent competition between the officers 
 of both regiments in the polo field and at pig- 
 sticking. But as regimental friendships exist, so 
 also do regimental feuds. In the old days, when the 
 War Office had no human feeling within its walls, 
 these feuds and friendships, besides many minor 
 things that are dear to the soldier, were entirely 
 ignored, and it was thought that regulations were 
 the only means of solving differences. 
 
 On one occasion the authorities found out their 
 mistake when they tried to station two antagonistic 
 
REGIMENTAL FEUDS 89 
 
 regiments in the same place. The fights between 
 the two became so bad that at length one regiment 
 was removed to another station, and we were sent 
 to replace them. The first evening after our arrival 
 one of our men, when out for a walk, was set upon by 
 three or four of the regiment already stationed there. 
 They had not known of the departure of their rivals 
 and took our man to be one of their hated enemies, 
 but in setting on him they set on the wrong man for 
 such an encounter. He was Gauld, formerly in a 
 Highland regiment and now a farrier in my squadron. 
 In peace time he was gentle, in fact he knitted many 
 a pair of stockings for me, but when roused his 
 farrier's sinews were used with an extraordinary 
 amount of pugilistic cunning, and he very soon 
 polished oh; his assailants in a manner that aston- 
 ished them. When they found he did not belong to 
 the regiment they hated so much they were all 
 apologies and admiration, and this started quite a 
 good feeling between ourselves and our neighbours. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 DISEASE AND THE DRAMA 
 
 The Scourge of India — A Sergeant Orders His Own 
 Funeral — The Tragedy of the Ball — A Brave Doctor — 
 An Erratic Visitant — The TragicDrama — The Adjutant's 
 First Question — Scene-Painting Extraordinary — The 
 Simla Theatre — Strenuous Rehearsals — Pantomime at 
 ioo Degrees — On Tour — Overlooking the Viceroy — 
 " Do Your Blacks Run ? '• — The Criterion at Quetta — 
 A Laughing Dialogue — Asleep on the Stage — An Em- 
 barrassing Greeting — The Question of Health — Some 
 Bacteriological Observations — Sir Baker and the Doctor 
 — An Explosion — A Solomon in Judgment — The Regi- 
 mental Doctor 
 
 THERE is a dark side underlying the bright- 
 ness of life in India, and that is the 
 sudden disease and death and the quick 
 burial which causes so many breaks of friend- 
 ship in that land of sun and sorrow. Death seems 
 to come so suddenly and so frequently into one's 
 ken. Men half -mad with heat are apt to shoot 
 themselves, pigsticking kills many of its devotees, 
 enteric seems to catch the younger men, and cholera 
 snatches all. I remember the case of a sergeant 
 actually ordering his own funeral. A man had died 
 suddenly in the night of heat apoplexy. In the 
 morning the sergeant read the orders to his troop 
 for the funeral to be held that evening, then dropped 
 dead himself with heat apoplexy and was carried 
 
 to his last resting-place in the same procession. 
 
 90 
 
CHOLERA 91 
 
 No man is ever safe, and if he escape himself he 
 never knows when a friend may be stricken. 
 ' Tommy " Dimond " joined " with me. We came 
 out in the Serapis together, rode together on the 
 bullock-cart through Bombay, shared our trials as 
 last-joined subalterns, were house-mates and stable 
 companions, class-mates at the garrison school, 
 began our pigsticking and polo together, rose to 
 regimental staff -billets, so that we were naturally 
 fast friends and likely to be so for life. But death 
 came and took him. 
 
 He was one who went in very little for social 
 amusement ; being strong and sturdy he was natur- 
 ally more given to hardship and sport ; but on this 
 occasion he forewent his custom and attended a ball 
 with another major in the regiment. Returning 
 home to his bungalow in the early hours of the 
 morning, he was suddenly taken ill, as was also his 
 companion. A r doctor who was present at the ball 
 came to see them and after a short visit sent for 
 another doctor and went back himself to his own 
 house. The second doctor came and remained with 
 the two men, until a few hours later they both died. 
 Wondering at the absence of the first doctor he went 
 to see him, only to find him also dying ! He had 
 felt the disease upon him but had not mentioned 
 it, so that the two officers should have the fullest 
 attention. 
 
 Cholera is so erratic in its methods as to be as inter- 
 esting as shells, for whose eccentric action there is no 
 accounting, argue how you will. At Lucknow when 
 we were there cholera almost invariably started "in 
 a certain bungalow in the barracks, so much so that 
 this bungalow was at length condemned, pulled down 
 
92 DISEASE AND THE DRAMA 
 
 and re-built, and within a week of its being re- 
 occupied the first case of the season again took place 
 in it. On one occasion only the men in alternate beds 
 along one side of the bungalow were seized with the 
 disease. In a certain camp cholera appeared one 
 day in all the tents on one side of the main street 
 and in none on the other. Cholera attacked our 
 regiment one night, taking twelve men in the married 
 quarters, and no further cases occurred. Very 
 frequently when cholera was rife amongst the natives 
 it made no attacks amongst the white troops, and 
 vice versa. It was a most unaccountable disease. 
 For some years it practically disappeared, and enteric 
 seemed to have taken its place. Talking with a 
 doctor on the subject he said that medical methods 
 had now completely stamped out cholera and would 
 probably do the same for enteric before long. Within 
 a few months the worst outbreak of cholera we had 
 had for many years seized upon the 8th King's 
 Liverpool Regiment, and enteric flourishes to-day. 
 
 Naturally the spirits of the men go down when 
 disease is rife, and also, per contra, disease becomes 
 prevalent when the men's spirits are down. This 
 is apt to be the case towards the end of the long hot 
 weather, when heat and fever have worked out their 
 vitality. It was then that we did our utmost to keep 
 up the men's cheerfulness by holding theatricals, 
 concerts, sports, etc. Probably people at home in 
 reading of our many amusements imagine that in 
 India we must be a frivolous lot, but there was in 
 reality a deep import underlying our merriment. 
 We worked hard, almost desperately, at theatricals 
 and the like, fighting against the ennui which is the 
 breeding ground of sickness. 
 
SCENE-PAINTING EXTRAORDINARY 93 
 
 On joining the regiment one of the first questions 
 asked me by the Adjutant was : " Can you act, or 
 sing, or scene paint ? " This struck me as curious 
 and incongruous. I thought that he would only 
 care for my ability to drill, to ride, or to shoot. But 
 later on I realised the inner meaning of the idea. 
 I began as scene-painter in our regimental theatre, 
 and in that capacity was afterwards invited up to 
 Simla for the theatre there. It was not on account 
 of my excellence as a painter, but on account of the 
 rapidity with which I was able to work at scene- 
 painting owing to my ambidexterity. It was easy 
 for me to slam away with a paint brush in each hand 
 because I unfortunately do not know which is my 
 better hand, the right or left, so I use them both. 
 In this way I did the work at double the pace of the 
 ordinary painter ; the quality may not have been 
 good but the quantity was all there. I even went 
 so far on occasion as to strap a brush on to each 
 foot, and sitting on a crossbar between two ladders 
 I managed to paint a woodland scene in record time 
 with four brushes going at once ! At least it was 
 meant to be a woodland scene, but I think rather 
 required a notice on the programme to that effect, 
 before people quite understood what it represented. 
 I was a futurist before my time. 
 
 Theatricals thus formed a very important item 
 in Indian life, and the importance is increased by the 
 fact that very few professional companies can afford 
 the expense of journeying through India, only to 
 find small stations and therefore small audiences 
 to play to. But at Simla there is a very good theatre 
 managed by a committee of residents who cater for 
 the good of the whole community by getting up a 
 
94 DISEASE AND THE DRAMA 
 
 series of performances throughout the summer 
 season. They call upon the vast field of amateur 
 talent all over the country for supplying the best 
 performers for the different plays they initiate. 
 In this way one received many invitations to visit 
 the Hills, for a week or so at a time, to take part in 
 such theatricals. 
 
 Performers were under an obligation to learn their 
 parts, and to be thoroughly up in them before they 
 came up to Simla; thus a week's rehearsal was 
 generally sufficient to bring them together in the play 
 and to insure a really good representation. The 
 whole thing was taken quite seriously both by the 
 management and by the cast. Rehearsals were 
 strenuous, the dresses elaborate and the scenery of 
 a very high order, to meet the demands of a pretty 
 critical audience. It therefore became a pleasure 
 to the players, as well as to the public, to have a 
 share in such well-ordered entertainments. 
 
 One of the first performances that I was let in 
 for in the regiment was that of Fra Diavolo, a burles- 
 que, followed by a pantomime harlequinade in which 
 I was appointed to the part of the " Clown," with 
 A. M. Brookneld, afterwards M.P., as Pantaloon. 
 This gave me plenty of healthy gymnastic exercises 
 in the way of jumping through clocks and shop win- 
 dows, and rolling through cellar flaps head over 
 heels. As the pantomime took place in May, with 
 the thermometer ranging close on ioo°, I very soon 
 lost what little flesh 1 had, and was little better than 
 a bag of bones by the end of the run of four nights. 
 
 We stuck at nothing in the way of theatricals. 
 Trial by Jury was only a step to The Pirates of Pen- 
 zance, H.M.S. Pinafore, and Les Cloches de Corneville, 
 
OVERLOOKING THE VICEROY 95 
 
 with full chorus, all got up regardless of expense. 
 After very successful runs in our regimental theatre 
 we took our company round to other stations and in 
 this way paid expenses, and were able to fit up a 
 really fine theatre for ourselves. 
 
 I am perfectly convinced that the innumerable 
 smaller concerts and dances which we got up almost 
 every week had a real effect in maintaining amongst 
 the men a healthy spirit of cheeriness, as well as 
 esprit de corps, and consequently told favourably 
 on their health and on the well-being of the regiment. 
 
 One of the first plays that I saw in India was 
 Walpole by Lord Lytton, father of the then Viceroy 
 of India. It was a most powerful play, but one 
 which needed perfect acting and staging to make it 
 effective, otherwise it could easily be made ridiculous. 
 On this occasion it left nothing to be desired, because 
 the company were all selected performers and 
 excellent in their several parts. Under the critical 
 eye and close interest of Lord Lytton himself it was 
 a splendid success. 
 
 I remember his visiting Lucknow when my regi- 
 ment was there, and one of our number unwittingly 
 insulted him. Pat Constable, a tall, splendidly- 
 made, smart-looking officer, was possessed of im- 
 measurable swagger, and he walked into the 
 Audience Chamber preening himself, adjusting his 
 belts, etc., and strode straight past the Viceroy 
 without noticing him. On arrival at the far end 
 of the room he was met by an agitated aide-de- 
 camp who said : " You have gone past His Excel- 
 lency without bowing to him. Why was this ? " 
 Constable, not in the least disconcerted, answered : 
 ' 'Oh,did I really ? I'm awfully sorry, I never saw him. ' ' 
 
96 DISEASE AND THE DRAMA 
 
 On another occasion at mess, when we had as one 
 of our guests the Colonel of a native infantry 
 regiment, Constable, having nothing in common with 
 him, had failed to find any subject for conversation 
 during the first part of the meal ; wishing, however, 
 to be kindly and affable, he turned to the guest and 
 said : " Colonel, I take a great interest in your 
 branch of the service, and I have always wondered 
 what you do when the trumpet sounds ' the trot.' 
 Do your blacks run ? " The poor colonel's feelings 
 are not to be described. 
 
 When we were at Quetta there was only one real 
 house in the place and that was the Residency. 
 There were a few mud huts, which served as hospital 
 and barracks for our men, but most of us lived in 
 tents. There was a good deal of sickness among 
 the men, so we had to take up sports and theatricals, 
 to keep them happy and healthy. To this end we 
 started to build a theatre, but there were difficulties 
 in the way, as timber was unprocurable. There was 
 not, as a matter of fact, enough wood in the place 
 to make regular coffins for those who died, and they 
 were buried on planks covered in canvas. There- 
 fore we made our theatre out of an old brick kiln 
 for stage and dug out the fronts seats and built 
 up the back with mud bricks, and made a kind of 
 out-door amphitheatre of it, over which by means of 
 ropes and pulleys we were able to drag a canvas roof, 
 made from tents. Since so much of it had to be 
 dug out we called it " The Criterion," after the under- 
 ground theatre at Piccadilly Circus. 
 
 One of our most successful pieces at The Criterion 
 in Quetta was The Area Belle, and it was the more 
 successful for an unrehearsed effect which took place 
 
INFECTIOUS LAUGHTER 97 
 
 at one of the performances. Troop Sergeant-Major 
 Slater was playing the part of the policeman, and, 
 being well-furnished with human tissue, he filled 
 the part to perfection. I was a simple Highlander 
 in rather a scanty kilt for my inches. Earlier in 
 the play, pretending to feel the draught, I had tied 
 
 Tosser and Pitcher in The Area Belle 
 
 a comforter round each knee to promote warmth. 
 The policeman and I were in conversation when he 
 happened to catch sight of my knees, and then he 
 began to shake like a jelly, and finally went off into 
 howls of laughter. I don't know why, but I caught 
 the infection at seeing him shake so, and that sent 
 me off ; and finally, in a few moments, the whole 
 house was rocking and crying in unison with us. And 
 all about nothing at all. Still it was quite a success. 
 
 H 
 
98 DISEASE AND THE DRAMA 
 
 One of the greatest delights of theatricals is, I 
 think, the unrehearsed effects obtained. Once when 
 playing the part of a man dressed as a monkey I 
 fell asleep on the stage, and the other actors had to 
 give me a prod as well as my cue. This took place 
 on the night before my examination in tactics, and 
 is evidence that my nerves were not unsettled by the 
 prospect of the morrow. 
 
 The disregarded cue. 
 
 The sins of one's youth find one out ! The play- 
 acting propensities of my younger days in India 
 told against me badly on one occasion when I 
 returned there after twelve years' absence. I now 
 came out to that country to take command of a very 
 distinguished cavalry regiment. I was holding 
 court in the regimental orderly room, with officers 
 and sergeant-majors assembled to hear me lay down 
 the law to them, when a gentleman was announced 
 as being at the door desirous of seeing me. 
 
AN AWKWARD SITUATION 99 
 
 I was pompously telling the orderly to let him wait 
 when he suddenly appeared within the room, and 
 rushed at me with both hands extended — a clean- 
 shaven, longish-haired, disreputable-looking person — 
 crying out : " Hullo, Private Willis, how are you ? 
 Well, I am glad to see you, my dear old boy ! " 
 
 I draw a veil over my debasement before the eyes 
 of my new corps. What, for the moment, they must 
 have thought about me and my past I have never 
 dared to think, but I hastened to explain to them, 
 
 " Hullo, Private Willis ! " 
 
 when my exuberant friend had departed, that during 
 my last visit to India a professional theatrical com- 
 pany had come to play Iolanthe at Meerut. On the 
 day of the performance one of their actors fell ill 
 and I was asked, at short notice, to play his part — 
 — that of Private Willis, the sentry outside the 
 Houses of Parliament. And I shan't forget that 
 performance in a hurry ! I learnt it up somehow in 
 the course of the afternoon, never having seen the 
 play in my life, and went on without having had even 
 one rehearsal. I got through my bit fairly creditably 
 under the circumstances, up to the point where I 
 
ioo DISEASE AND THE DRAMA 
 
 gave the cue for the lady to come on : but she failed 
 to come. In place of her the stage-manager's head 
 only appeared, telling me in a stage whisper to " gag 
 a bit, she ain't ready." So I gagged a bit, and 
 fortunately it was a soldier audience to whom I was 
 playing, including, indeed, the Duke of Connaught, 
 and it was easy to interpolate a little dissertation on 
 the joys of sentry-go. 
 
 But somehow the same stage-manager, who also 
 played the parts of leading comedian, second villain, 
 and call-boy, felt grateful to me for rilling the gap, 
 and even after a lapse of so many years he had felt 
 impelled to come and greet me on my arrival. He 
 meant well, but very nearly ruined my reputation. 
 
 " It is just as much part of the soldier's duty to 
 be healthy as to be a good horseman or a good shot : 
 and it is just as much the duty of the officer to teach 
 him how to be so and to see that he is so as to teach 
 him to ride or to shoot or to be efficient in other 
 ways." This was a warning which I once published 
 on the subject of sickness. In the South African 
 campaign we had eighteen thousand admitted to 
 hospital for wounds, but nearly four hundred thou- 
 sand for sickness, though South Africa is not such a 
 very unhealthy country. 
 
 In India enteric fever is far more deadly in its 
 results than cholera used to be, and, although it is 
 not so startling in its action, it kills a far greater 
 number of men in the course of the year. It has 
 therefore been the aim of all officers to endeavour 
 to save their men from this scourge. The men 
 themselves, trained in the ordinary Board School 
 education in England, had absolutely no idea of 
 looking after their own health, and had to be treated 
 
PRECAUTIONS AGAINST DISEASE 101 
 almost like children in the matter of warning against 
 things that were bad for them. Had they possessed 
 some knowledge of hygiene and sanitation some 
 50 per cent, of the sickness and a large number of 
 lives might have been saved.* 
 
 In our regiment, as in most others, we took very 
 strong precautions against disease among the men. 
 For the two years during which we were in one station 
 I kept a constant record of the number of cases of 
 enteric, each day, week, and month, noting with them 
 the direction of the wind, state of barometer, and 
 the particular barrack in which cases occurred ; and 
 of the respective barracks I took note of the height 
 of the flooring above ground, the nature of the roofing, 
 whether thatched or tiled, the dryness or dampness 
 of weather and ground, and upon these observations 
 we got some quite useful and suggestive information. 
 
 We came to the conclusion in the regiment that 
 probably a good deal of disease was caused by the 
 men being careless what they ate and drank when 
 out walking in the native town away from barracks. 
 Therefore we started for their benefit a bakery, under 
 white supervision, where they could get all the cakes 
 and tarts which were dear to them ; also we had our 
 own soda water factory, where lemonade, gingerbeer, 
 and other fancy drinks were manufactured from the 
 cleanest materials ; and, as already stated, we started 
 our own dairy to insure that the milk, cream, and 
 butter should be prepared in the cleanest possible 
 way and free from all chance of contamination. In 
 spite of all these precautions there was still a certain 
 amount of disease in the regiment, so in addressing 
 
 * A wonderful development in this direction has taken place in the 
 present campaign, thanks to the practical work of the Army Medical 
 Staff, and to the better understanding of officers and me». 
 
102 DISEASE AND THE DRAMA 
 
 the men on the subject I suggested that the experi- 
 ment should be made of seeing whether the disease 
 actually came from their going about in the native 
 city. I pointed out that they were grown-up men and 
 not children, and I should not therefore order the 
 city to be out of bounds for them, but I thought 
 it would be wise if they tried the experiment of not 
 going there for a fortnight, and if no further cases 
 of sickness occurred it would show that the disease 
 originated there. A few days after this one of the 
 men was admitted to hospital badly bruised and 
 knocked about, but he refused to give the cause of 
 the injury. It afterwards transpired that he had 
 gone down into the native quarter, and the other 
 men on hearing of it had given him a bit of their 
 mind ! 
 
 I shall not readily forget the occasion when Sir 
 Baker Russell, the General Commander-in-Chief in 
 Bengal, came round to the barracks to look into the 
 statistics, and how he made himself master of them. 
 He then tackled the principal medical officer, without 
 saying that he had any special information. 
 
 The medical officer was one of the good old school, 
 whose whole attention was directed to the cure of 
 disease without any regard for its prevention. 
 
 " Does the direction of the wind have any effect 
 upon the number of cases of enteric ? " inquired Sir 
 Baker. 
 
 " No, no, General," he replied airily, " not at 
 all." 
 
 " Has the elevation of the barracks any effect ? ,; 
 
 Again the reply was in the negative. 
 
 " Does it make any difference whether barracks 
 are tiled or thatched ? " 
 
A DIPLOMATIC COLONEL 103 
 
 " No, no," replied the medico, now becoming 
 flustered at the questions put to him by the General ; 
 " it has no effect whatever." 
 
 After a few more questions Sir Baker turned on 
 him in that inimitable manner of his, which made a 
 man feel that he was reading his very soul, and 
 inquired : "Do you know anything about the 
 subject ; have you ever made a special study of it ? " 
 
 " Well, no -" began the medico. 
 
 Then Sir Baker turned and rent him with a volume 
 of abuse which seemed to make even the birds in 
 the trees tremble ; for the wrath of Sir Baker 
 Russell was a thing that all men strove to avoid. 
 
 I remember his quaint way of dealing with a 
 delicate case which came before him, when one of 
 the soldiers' wives complained against another. The 
 two ladies were brought before Sir Baker. 
 
 " Well, Mrs. Bell, and what is your complaint 
 against Mrs. Clapper ? ". 
 
 " Oh, sir, Mrs. Clapper she says I was a draggle- 
 tailed lady-dog ! " 
 
 " Well, but you are not, are you, Mrs. Bell ? " 
 
 " No, sir, I'm no lady-dog." 
 
 " No, of course you are not. I'm perfectly cer- 
 tain you're not a draggle-tailed lady-dog ; quite 
 positive. So good morning, Mrs. Bell ; go away, 
 and don't think anything more about it." 
 
 One institution which was really a good one in the 
 old days has unfortunately been done away with 
 under the modern developments of organisation, 
 namelyt he regimental surgeon, since nowadays the 
 doctors form one general corps. The regimental 
 doctor used to be a great institution in every regi- 
 ment. He knew every man, woman, and child and, if 
 
104 DISEASE AND THE DRAMA 
 
 he was a good fellow, as he usually was, he was a kind 
 of recognised friend and adviser to all. In those 
 days the colonel was more out of touch with his 
 young officers than he is to-day. It would then have 
 been unthinkable that a colonel could be in the 
 regimental polo team, or could take part in sport 
 with his subalterns as is usual now. Therefore it, 
 was that in any of his financial, love, or other troubles 
 the young officer generally consulted the regimental 
 doctor and looked to him for advice, moral just as 
 much as medical. 
 
 Our doctor in the 13th was typical of his kind. 
 Generous-hearted and sympathetic to a degree, 
 he had only one fault. Through having Hungarian 
 blood in him he was very quick in his temper, and 
 if anyone did not exactly agree with him he was at 
 once eager to fight a duel. I have often read in 
 novels how people turned pale with anger and let their 
 eyes blaze, but I have seldom seen it in actual life 
 except in the case of this doctor. With him it was a 
 frequent occurrence, and I am not likely to forget 
 the night when, after he had made a glowing speech 
 in proposing the health of one of us at the mess, and 
 had made to sit down complacently at the end of 
 it, full of " beans and benevolence," he found that 
 owing to someone having removed his chair he sat 
 on nothing before reaching the hard ground. Then 
 his " beans and benevolence " went to the winds ; 
 he sprang up, really pale and shaking with rage. 
 He looked round for a second to find who had played 
 this trick, but seeing no clue to it in the delighted 
 faces all round, he rushed to the mess butler and 
 urged him with a promise of fifty pounds to give 
 him the name of the culprit. He looked as if he 
 
A CHALLENGE 105 
 
 would have killed him then and there had he known 
 who it was. As it was, he merely challenged the 
 coward, whoever he might be, to fight him next 
 morning with pistols. But next morning would 
 have found him the same genial, kindly fellow that 
 he was at heart. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 HOW INDIA DEVELOPS CHARACTER 
 
 Killing Ennui — Tommy Atkins as a Sportsman — Spies 
 in Disguise — A Sham Fight — The Perfect Soldier — 
 Learning to Observe — Night Operations — The Man 
 Who Made Grimaces — The Modern Training — Interest- 
 ing the Men — Sir Bindon Blood's Views on Cavalry — An 
 Irate General — The Woman Abroad — The Scout 
 Mistress — The Rani's Answer — A Fearless Rani — Colonel 
 Alexander Gardiner — His Romance — A Tragedy 
 
 THERE is no doubt that the best preventative 
 of disease in India is plenty of work, occupa- 
 tion and exercise. It is the ennui that kills. 
 The difficulty is to make the work interesting so 
 that it does not become a treadmill of drudgery. 
 For the officers shooting, pigsticking, and polo all 
 offer their attractions and make them far more 
 healthy as a rule than are the men. Our Colonel 
 was so fully impressed with the value of keeping 
 up the health of his officers that, instead of keeping 
 the weekly holiday as determined by regulations 
 on Thursday, he moved it to Friday, and thus 
 made the week-end into an outing by removing the 
 mess into the jungle and leaving only the orderly 
 officer to take charge of the regiment during Friday, 
 Saturday, and Sunday. Those of the men who were 
 good shots and capable of looking after themselves 
 were also encouraged, during the hot weather, to 
 go and live out in camp for several days at a time. 
 
 106 
 
KEEPING FIT 107 
 
 The Government allowed a certain number of 
 sporting guns for this purpose, and a large number 
 of the men availed themselves of the privilege and 
 made themselves into self-reliant, capable bushmen. 
 
 There was too much of a tendency to coddle the 
 men during the hot weather. Native syces, or 
 grooms, were supplied by Government to look after 
 their horses ; but we made the men groom and feed 
 their horses regularly, as it gave them exercise and 
 occupation. At least once a week we had all-night 
 field-days. Then also a great deal of our drill and 
 instruction was competitive between squads, sec- 
 tions or troops. Latterly the system of teaching the 
 men to be scouts came in as an additional form of 
 training, which appealed to the men and gave them 
 plenty of outdoor exercise by day and by night. 
 
 It was reported to me sub rosa that one of the men 
 when in hospital confided to his nurse : " This new 
 Colonel is the devil to work us ; but the worst of it 
 is, the more we work the more healthy we are." 
 
 The need of a practical training in scouting had 
 often been in my mind even as a young officer, and 
 I had carried out a good deal of it in my early days 
 in India. But its importance was brought home to 
 me more especially in the campaign against the 
 Matabele in 1896, where I found that, although we 
 had plenty of men who were willing and eager to 
 undertake adventurous rides against the enemy, 
 they were seldom able to bring back the sort of 
 information that we wanted and not be led away by 
 chances of little fights and scraps on their own. So 
 when I got to India after Matabeleland I set to work 
 systematically to train the men in the points in 
 which I found them deficient in practical soldiering. 
 
108 HOW INDIA DEVELOPS CHARACTER 
 People seemed to think, and indeed many outsiders 
 still do, that if a man could march past and look well 
 on parade, he was therefore a perfect soldier ; but 
 in reality he was only a part of a machine. This 
 was all very well for show purposes but not the 
 slightest use against a really active fighting enemy 
 in the field. Our men came to us as lads from their 
 Board Schools, well grounded in the three R's of 
 reading, writing, and arithmetic, but without any 
 manliness, self-reliance, or resourcefulness. These 
 were points which we had to put into them and which 
 could not be merely taught in theory ; but they 
 came through the practice of the different duties 
 which go to make up effective scouting. 
 
 I remember in Ireland, during the early days of 
 my attempts, taking my squadron out of barracks 
 at Dundalk in the late evening. We swam our 
 horses across the tidal river before getting on to our 
 ground among the hills. Here we had plenty of 
 moorland where men could easily lose their way 
 unless they watched their courses by the stars. 
 They were given duties to perform generally in pairs 
 or singly, in order to develop their self-reliance 
 and intelligence. As they were out all night they 
 brought rations with them and learnt how to make 
 their fires in hidden places and to cook their food for 
 themselves. Their ingenuity was exercised in finding 
 fuel, and I complimented one patrol in particular 
 for the excellent fire which they had made, whose 
 embers could have cooked a splendid meal. My 
 admiration was lessened when later a farmer came 
 to the Colonel demanding compensation for a gate 
 which they had pulled down and burnt. 
 
 In India night operations of this kind were of 
 
THE DROWNING MAN TURN 109 
 course the delight of the men, especially as we 
 generally acted in opposing forces of a few scouts 
 against each other on two sides. On one of these 
 occasions I bivouacked with one party of scouts, and, 
 knowing that the other side were as yet a good many 
 miles distant, I suggested to them to have a little 
 camp fire to themselves with songs and chat. We 
 talked on many subjects of interest, but I could not 
 help noticing that one of the men was continually 
 leaving the circle and going out into the darkness 
 for a few minutes and returning again. At last, 
 noticing his continued restlessness, I feared he might 
 be ill, and I told my sergeant to question him. I 
 overheard his reply. " Oh no, there is nothing the 
 matter with me, but that beggar Fox is on the other 
 side, and I can't help feeling he is creeping around 
 and watching us." There is no doubt the men got 
 to take an intense interest in scouting, which out- 
 weighed all other considerations with them. 
 
 I did not allow a man to take up scouting unless 
 he was capable both as a horseman, marksman, 
 and swimmer. In this latter particular a man was 
 merely questioned as to his capabilities, but the time 
 arrived when we actually put him to the test. 
 On one occasion in the course of our work we had 
 to swim a big canal, and one of the scouts in swimming 
 over was apparently playing the fool, diving down 
 and bobbing up again, making most fearful grimaces, 
 which drew roars of laughter from his assembled 
 comrades, until it suddenly struck them that he was 
 actually in distress, when some of them promptly 
 went to his rescue and brought him ashore. On 
 inquiry it turned out that he had never learnt to 
 swim, but like the man who volunteered to play 
 
no HOW INDIA DEVELOPS CHARACTER 
 the violin, "he had never tried but he supposed that 
 he could ! " 
 
 One of the points of modern training of soldiers 
 which astonishes an outsider is the amount of tactical 
 instruction which is given to the men themselves. 
 In the course of manoeuvres the tactical situation 
 and object of the day's work is carefully explained 
 to the men in the beginning of the day. And then 
 from time to time a halt is called and further ex- 
 planations are given of the progress and developments 
 that have taken place. In this way every individual 
 man understands what is going on, and therefore 
 plays his part in the general scheme with far greater 
 interest and intelligence. 
 
 In cavalry manoeuvres we introduced an extra 
 bit of realism which was of additional interest and 
 practical value. We allowed each side to use three 
 spies in disguise, whose duty it was to find out all 
 they could about the enemies' moves. This was 
 good practice for the spies and sharpened their 
 intelligence and, at the same time, was valuable 
 in teaching the men to be cautious when speaking 
 to strangers. It is a common fault with soldiers 
 that, when they understand a field-day and take 
 an interest in it, they are ready to answer questions 
 and to explain the scheme to any onlooker who shows 
 a desire for information. For this reason in South 
 Africa our plans were often given away to specious 
 gentlemen who were in reality Boer spies. But in 
 manoeuvres, with the knowledge that spies were 
 about, men became very cautious about giving away 
 information, and in many cases, thinking that they 
 were speaking with such people, they made up wonder- 
 ful yarns in order to mislead them. Soldiers are 
 
TACTICS in 
 
 rapidly learning that cunning which completes the 
 four C's of soldiering, viz., Courage, Commonsense, 
 Cheerfulness, and Cunning.* 
 
 In India when we had had a field day it was usual 
 to issue in the evening, for the information of all 
 ranks, a short narrative illustrated by a sketch plan 
 of what had gone on during the day, pointing out 
 the reasons, mistakes, and good points of the actions. 
 I take one from many examples ; a non-military 
 reader can easily grasp it. " The Southern division 
 in column of route on the main road learnt that the 
 enemy's division was about two miles distant to its 
 left. Leaving the road our division formed into 
 preparatory formation with one brigade in front and 
 two in the second line. Our scouts soon signalled 
 that the enemy was in sight approaching our left front. 
 Our guns came into action at once against the enemy's 
 main body, and were replied to by his artillery 
 almost immediately due north of them. Our divi- 
 sion took ground to the right and thus drew the 
 enemy on to attack it. Then the enemy formed line 
 preparatory to charging, but our division still kept 
 on its course across the front of the enemy in pre- 
 paratory formation, thus causing him to alter his 
 direction (which it was almost impossible to do in 
 good order when committed to line), and at the same 
 time drew him across the fire of our guns. At the last 
 moment our division, wheeling each brigade into line 
 to its left, charged the enemy in double echelon in 
 good order, and was awarded the victory." 
 
 It will be seen that in carrying out this plan the 
 
 * If ever a campaign showed the value of these attributes the present 
 war has done so, and has proved that our men are possessed of all, 
 especially the very important one, under the circumstances, viz., Cheer- 
 fulness. 
 
ii2 HOW INDIA DEVELOPS CHARACTER 
 enemy were not only drawn across the front of our 
 guns, but also across that of their own artillery, 
 and were thus prevented from firing into our division. 
 The General Commanding expressed himself highly 
 
 
 a V 
 
 9f'% 
 
 Our plan of attack. 
 
 pleased with the whole manoeuvre, and especially 
 with the good scouting of Lieutenant Garrard's 
 patrol, which gave exact information as to the where- 
 abouts and movements of the enemy/' 
 
 Another method of interesting the men in their 
 regiment and in military history generally was this. 
 At the commencement of each month a calendar 
 was printed and issued to every man for that month, 
 giving all events of interest which had happened 
 
CULTIVATING INTELLIGENCE 113 
 
 to the regiment during its career in that month. 
 Taking haphazard the calendar for October, the 
 following incidents occur. 
 
 These I enumerate here without going into detail 
 as given in the copy issued to the regiment : 
 
 Oct. 1 710. The regiment was employed in cover- 
 ing the siege of Mons till its surrender on the 20th 
 October. 
 
 Oct. 1796. The regiment proceeded to Ireland 
 to suppress Rebellion, the French being prepared to 
 assist the Irish. 
 
 Oct. 1812. The regiment covered the retreat of 
 General Hill's column from Burgos, etc. 
 
 Oct. 1816. The King of the Belgians appointed 
 Colonel. 
 
 Oct. 1854. The regiment landed in the Crimea 
 and took part in the charge of the heavy brigade 
 at Balaclava on the 25th. 
 
 Oct. 1893. Regiment landed in India. 
 
 Before undertaking a long march in India to 
 attend manoeuvres, or on change of station, each man 
 was supplied with a leaflet giving an account of the 
 country through which the march would take him, 
 giving its history, especially from the military point 
 of view, with descriptions of any battles and events 
 leading up to them which would be of interest to 
 the reader. The dates and distances of the different 
 marches day by day were also given for their 
 information. 
 
 Sir Baker Russell used to say that the duty of 
 cavalry was to look smart in time of peace and to 
 get killed in war. We hear from time to time that 
 modern conditions of war render cavalry obsolete ; 
 yet each new campaign proves the contrary. Sir 
 
 I 
 
114 HOW INDIA DEVELOPS CHARACTER 
 Bindon Blood, although he had not served in the 
 cavalry himself, was broad-minded enough to recog- 
 nise value in that force, and in forming his columns 
 for fighting over the Malakand Pass he insisted on 
 having a certain proportion of cavalry with him, and, 
 although there was much opposition and criticism 
 of the idea, he showed the wisdom of his prevision. 
 At a critical period of the fighting he was able to 
 deliver an unexpected charge of cavalry upon these 
 mountain warriors, who had never seen any number 
 of horsemen before, and the effects were very far- 
 reaching. It was both refreshing and encouraging 
 to see the General, after having thus used cavalry 
 on active service, coming out in peace time to watch 
 that arm at its drills and training, in order that he 
 might himself improve his knowledge of the details 
 of its work. It is not every infantry general who 
 would take the trouble to do this. 
 
 His inspection of a regiment was of a far more 
 practical type than was customary in the old days. 
 Formerly it would have been thought unfair to a 
 regiment to inspect it without first sending a definite 
 programme of all that the General intended to see 
 during his annual inspection of the corps and its 
 barracks. This programme, which I actually re- 
 member as a printed one, was handed to the regi- 
 ment weeks beforehand, so that everybody had ample 
 opportunity for working up and rehearsing his 
 own particular share in the demonstration of the 
 great day. Everything had to be spick and span, 
 horses had a good drink of water the last thing before 
 the General came round, in order to fill up the hollows 
 in their flanks, every subaltern had his card on which 
 the Sergeant-major had noted the different items 
 
A TRAP FOR CATCHING GENERALS 115 
 
 of information about which the General was likely 
 to ask questions. It was certain always that the 
 General would ask the price of one or other article 
 of the soldier's kit. It was said of one subaltern that 
 in reply to the General's question : " How much does 
 a towel cost ? " the poor boy, utterly at sea, suggested 
 four shillings. The General stormed out : "Do 
 you pay four shillings yourself ? " and the subaltern, 
 quick to see some error, hurriedly ejaculated : " Yes, 
 sir, four shillings — a dozen." 
 
 As a subaltern of experience and observation I 
 very soon realised in the course of a few inspections 
 that a General felt bound to find fault with something 
 or other in each troop, and he would hover about until 
 he could find something unsatisfactory. He would 
 be glad to let off a little steam over that, and then 
 to go off elsewhere. So I made it my business to 
 oblige him, and though I had things as good as could 
 be where it was essential, 1 took care to have a dirty 
 stable lantern where the General could not miss 
 seeing it. He would jump to this at once. " What's 
 this ? Just look at that. I have never seen such a 
 filthy, disgraceful sight in all my life. Aren't you 
 ashamed of it yourself, sir ? Your horses are in 
 good condition, your men are smart and clean, 
 your stables are in good order. I'm surprised that 
 you should allow such a thing as this dirty lantern 
 to be here. I am surprised ; it just spoils what 
 would otherwise be a very good troop." And with 
 that he would strut off to try and find fault with the 
 next troop, outwardly fuming, but inwardly pleased 
 that he had discovered something wrong, and which 
 when he came to put it on paper appeared too silly 
 for serious notice. 
 
n6 HOW INDIA DEVELOPS CHARACTER 
 
 You hear varied opinions about India as a place 
 for women. Most men will tell you it is no place 
 for ladies ; many of the ladies themselves will tell 
 you it is a delightful country. One thing is certain — 
 they cannot remain on the Plains in the hot weather. 
 They have, therefore, to leave their husbands at 
 their duty with their regiments, or in their offices, 
 while they flock to the hill-stations and start addi- 
 tional homes in the cooler climate. There they can 
 be extremely useful to their mankind, because, when- 
 ever a married man wants a little leave, it needs but 
 a telegram from his wife in the hills to say that she 
 is desperately ill, and his senior officer cannot well 
 refuse to let him go. When some of the unhappy 
 single officers have seen themselves done out of their 
 leave in this way, and have had to do duty for their 
 married comrades, they eventually get driven in 
 self-defence to take a wife themselves, and that is 
 another reason why India is a good country for 
 ladies — from their point of view. 
 
 Of course we in England know that the ladies 
 in India, unlike those at home, are entirely given 
 up to frivolity and scandal ; we are perfectly sure 
 of that, just as sure of it as was that prelate who, 
 on the voyage out to take over his see in India, wrote 
 an encyclical, or whatever it is called, to his future 
 subjects, telling them that they must at once put 
 a stop to all their former immorality ! He was rather 
 surprised to find himself coldly received, and his 
 sermons not well attended. It is possible that he 
 did not stay long enough in the country to realise 
 that society was no worse in India than anywhere 
 else, possibly rather the other way, because troubles 
 come more frequently there, home is further away, 
 
WOMEN AND THE BOY SCOUTS 117 
 and dangers are closer at hand. These facts pro- 
 mote stronger sympathies, more lasting friendships 
 and greater personal pluck and self-sacrifice than 
 elsewhere, among women as among men. I do not 
 say that there are no frivolities, no back-bitings, no 
 tea-table talk, because no doubt these do exist, but 
 to nothing like the extent that some people would 
 make out. 
 
 The greatest complaint in the country amongst 
 the women is that there is so little for them to do, 
 their occupations and amusements are necessarily 
 limited by climate and locality, and it seems to an 
 outsider that their main object in life is to get all the 
 pleasure they can out of theatricals, dances, and 
 picnics, without any serious aim in their occupation. 
 Still, if one could look below the surface, there is 
 much good work going on as well. Soldiers' wives and 
 children and the men in hospital are the care of the 
 better class of officers' wives ; while devoted women 
 doctors and teachers are doing an enormous amount 
 behind the zenana screens to educate and bring 
 out the native ladies to be more of a power in the 
 land, and there is no doubt that their work is begin- 
 ning to tell and will tell more widely in the next 
 generation or two. 
 
 A new occupation also has lately started, for- 
 tunately for me, in a direction in which I have a say 
 personally, and that is in the development of the 
 Boy Scout Movement. This at first glance would 
 appear to be entirely men's work ; but, as we find 
 in England, there are many centres in which there 
 are plenty of boys but no men to take them in hand. 
 The ladies have come forward and proved themselves 
 most able organisers and instructors of scouting 
 
n8 HOW INDIA DEVELOPS CHARACTER 
 work, and their field in this direction is now enlarged 
 by the institution of the Wolf Cubs, or branch of 
 Junior Scouts for small boys of from nine to eleven, 
 who are more particularly amenable to instruction 
 by ladies. Also the Girl Guides have now made a 
 great start in India, and promise to exercise a most 
 valuable influence in the education of girls in that 
 country. The principles on which they are trained 
 are very much the same as those which guide the 
 education of the Boy Scouts, but the details are those 
 which apply to womanhood, in the shape of nursing 
 and housekeeping, and the many details connected 
 therewith. 
 
 In these directions there is great scope for active 
 and enterprising women, where their time will be 
 well spent in doing a national work instead of in 
 loafing and frivolity. What is to be the future of 
 the native women, when once they come to the fore 
 after being educated by their Western sisters, is 
 a very big problem. The possibilities before them are 
 very great, for they are naturally adaptable and 
 quick to learn. They have, moreover, pluck and 
 devotion equal to that of any other race, if we can 
 judge by the instances which have made their 
 reputation in history, in spite of the bonds which 
 have been so tightly drawn round them in the past. 
 I will merely quote two out of the many which 
 could be cited. 
 
 When the Sikhs were fighting against us in 1846 
 they were under the rule of a queen, the Rani 
 Jindan. She was a very strong lady politically, 
 and she had a notion that her great rival in power 
 was her own army, which was growing a bit too 
 strong for her. She therefore rather welcomed the 
 
AN AMAZON'S ANGER 119 
 
 chance of its suffering at the hands of the British, 
 so she took care not to equip it too well. Just before 
 the battle of Sobraon the Sikhs, realising that they 
 were becoming inefficient from want of food and 
 ammunition, sent a deputation to Lahore, where the 
 Rani then was, to address her on the subject. She 
 received the deputation in the great hall ; she herself 
 remained behind a screen, as was the custom for 
 ladies, while their spokesman represented their 
 difficulties. When he was but half-way through his 
 speech she slipped off her petticoat and, rolling it 
 up in a ball, hurled it amongst the astonished deputa- 
 tion, accompanied by a torrent of abuse, telling them 
 to " get out and take to wearing petticoats them- 
 selves, as they were nothing better than a pack of 
 old women, and that if they were afraid to fight she 
 would go and lead the army herself." This so 
 roused them that they gave the equivalent to three 
 cheers and told her they would hammer the English 
 somehow, even without any food or ammunition. 
 And they went back — and got hammered. 
 
 The other case was that of the wife of Dhyan 
 Singh, as recorded by Colonel Alexander Gardner. 
 This old warrior, who was at the time an officer in 
 the Sikh Army, describes how Rajah Dhyan Singh 
 was treacherously murdered by Lehna Singh and 
 Ajit Singh. Dhyan's wife was the daughter of the 
 Rajput Chief of Pathankot. When she heard of 
 the death of her husband, she vowed that she 
 would be burnt on a funeral pyre, and, though a 
 very young girl, she showed no hesitation about 
 doing so ; but said that before she became sati, that 
 is, a self -immolated widow, she would like to have the 
 heads of Lehna Singh and Ajit Singh, the murderers. 
 
120 HOW INDIA DEVELOPS CHARACTER 
 
 Colonel Gardner says in the simplest way : "I 
 myself laid their heads at the feet of Dhyan Singh's 
 corpse that evening The sati of his widow then took 
 place, and seldom if ever have I been so powerfully 
 affected as at the self-immolation of the gentle and 
 lovely girl, whose love for her husband passed all 
 bounds. During the day, while inciting the army 
 to avenge her husband's murder, she had appeared 
 in public before the soldiers, discarding the seclusion 
 of a lifetime. When his murderers had been slain 
 she gave directions as to the disposition of his pro- 
 perty with a stoicism and self-possession to which 
 no one beside her could lay claim. She thanked 
 her brave avengers and declared that she would tell 
 of their good deed to her husband when in heaven. 
 There was nothing left for her, she said, but to join 
 him." There was a little girl of nine or ten present 
 at the scene who was passionately fond of the mur- 
 dered rajah. She tried to get upon the pyre with the 
 young widow, but was prevented by the onlookers, 
 whereupon she ran away to the battlements of the 
 city and threw herself from them. Colonel Gardner 
 writes : " We picked her up more dead than alive, 
 and the beautiful devotee seated on the pyre con- 
 sented to take the child in her lap to share her doom. 
 She placed her husband's diamond egret in her 
 turban and she then fastened it with her own hands 
 in the turban of her step-son, Hera Singh ; then 
 smiling on those around she lit the pyre, the flames 
 of which glistened on the arms and accoutrements, 
 and even, it seemed to me, on the swimming eyes 
 of the soldiers. So perished the widow of Dhyan 
 Singh, together with thirteen of her female slaves." 
 I always regret that when I first went to India I did 
 
w 
 
 $y> 
 
 s^ 
 
 >*-» 
 
 A HINDU TEMPLE 
 
A ROMANCE 121 
 
 not get the opportunity of seeing Colonel Alexander 
 Gardner, who died shortly afterwards in Srinagar, 
 and was buried in the British cemetery at Sialkote". 
 He was a wonderful character. In his old age, 
 at ninety-three, he was as upright as a ramrod and 
 stood six feet four in his stockings. He spoke 
 English with some difficulty, having spent practically 
 all his life in Afghanistan and Northern India, and 
 when he spoke it was with a strong Scottish accent. 
 He had gone as a boy sailor to the coast of Asia 
 Minor, had sought adventures ashore and had thence 
 drifted into Persia, where he took service as a 
 soldier and gradually established himself as a man 
 of standing and authority. Then he became an 
 Afghan and married under romantic circumstances. 
 
 He had been told off with some of his horsemen 
 to capture a great lady of a political rival's family, 
 and was successful only after a desperate fight 
 extending over many miles. He was specially told 
 off to take charge of the lady during the escape from 
 her would-be rescuers, and as he rode alongside her 
 camel he noticed a very beautiful girl who was her 
 companion, and at the end of the enterprise he asked 
 for this girl as his wife in return for his services on 
 the occasion. It turned out a very happy marriage 
 for* the time that it lasted. 
 
 He was continually employed in forays and border 
 wars and saw an immense amount of fighting. One 
 time when away from his fortified home, engaged 
 in one of these raids, he received a message recalling 
 him to his chief, who was being hard pressed by 
 enemies. He reached his chief just in time to find 
 him surrounded by the enemy, with only twelve 
 survivors left of his bodyguard, with whom he was 
 
122 HOW INDIA DEVELOPS CHARACTER 
 
 trying to cut his way through. Gardner succeeded 
 in reaching him and rescuing him. But his chief 
 told him with a stony countenance that his own fort 
 had been taken by the enemy and his wife and baby 
 murdered. Gardner stated that he felt a stern 
 pleasure when, on reaching his home, he saw that 
 the number of dead enemies far exceeded that of 
 the defenders ; but these had all been slain to a man, 
 with one exception. An old priest had endeavoured 
 to save the child, but had all his fingers cut off and 
 his arm nearly severed by a scimitar in doing so. 
 
 Gardner then migrated to the Punjab and joined 
 the service of the great Sikh leader Ranjit Singh, 
 and was a General in the Sikh army when they were 
 fighting against us at Sobraon, but was not in the 
 field himself, being employed at Lahore in command 
 of the reserves. At that time there were no less than 
 forty-two European officers in the service of Ranjit 
 Singh. Gardner's knowledge of the inner life of 
 the Indians was probably unrivalled by that of any 
 other white man, and equally his experience in 
 actual fighting in the field. He bore the scars of 
 some twenty wounds on his body, and owing to a 
 severe wound in his throat he carried a pair of iron 
 pincers with which he had to hold his neck whenever 
 he wanted to swallow or to drink. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 WHEN THE TRIBES ARE OUT 
 
 The Afghan War — The Great March — Ordered up to 
 Kandahar — A Warlike Atmosphere — The Expedition of 
 1842 — The Camel and His Ways — Kandahar — A 
 Dangerous City — Theatricals Under Difficulties — A 
 Serious Mistake — Afghan Nerve — Attacked by Ghazis 
 — The Crack of Doom — The Field of Maiwand — A 
 Broken Square — A Heroic Chaplain — A Narrow Escape 
 
 IN India every star pales before the sun of war. 
 It is scarcely realised, yet it is none the less 
 a fact, that there was hardly a single year 
 throughout the long reign of Queen Victoria in which 
 there was not war in some form in one part or 
 another of Her Majesty's empire. 
 
 If no other quarter was able to supply it the 
 North- West Frontier of India generally managed to 
 have one on hand. Pigsticking, big-game shooting, 
 polo, theatricals ; all are forgotten when the Tribes 
 are out and the excitement of war is upon the land. 
 The hours are then occupied in speculating as to who 
 will get staff-appointments, what regiments will be 
 ordered to the front and, tragedy of tragedies, who 
 will be left behind. 
 
 In 1880 we were at war with the Afghans under 
 Ayub Khan. It happened this way. Owing to 
 supposed machinations of the Russians with the 
 Ameer of Afghanistan, an expedition was sent to 
 Kabul in November 1878. This force passed through 
 
 123 
 
124 WHEN THE TRIBES ARE OUT 
 
 the Khyber Pass and took up its position at Jelalabad 
 and other places on the road to Kabul. At the same 
 time Sir Donald Stewart marched a force through 
 the Bolan Pass into Baluchistan and seized 
 Kandahar. Sir Frederick (now Earl) Roberts, 
 with a third force, marched up into the Kuram 
 valley and on into Afghanistan, defeating the 
 Afghan troops at Paiwar Kotal. 
 
 Under these defeats the Ameer Shere Ali fled the 
 country and died soon afterwards. He was succeeded 
 by his son, Yakub Khan, who then made terms with 
 the British, whose troops left the country, while 
 Major Cavagnari was installed as British Resident 
 at Kabul. A few months later this officer and his 
 staff were massacred, whereupon a fresh expedition 
 was sent into Afghanistan under Sir Frederick 
 Roberts who, after defeating the Afghans at Charasia, 
 took the city of Kabul and captured Yakub Khan. 
 His force was then cut off by a rising of the Afghans ; 
 but was relieved by Sir Donald Stewart from 
 Kandahar. 
 
 Abdurrahman was now made Ameer (1880) on 
 condition that he remained an ally of the British ; 
 but Ayub Khan, a son of the late Ameer, had 
 meantime raised a force in Persia and advanced from 
 Herat against Kandahar. A British force, con- 
 sisting of about 2,500 British and native troops 
 under General Burrows, went out to oppose him. 
 They met near Maiwand in a heavy mist and our 
 force was surrounded and defeated with heavy loss. 
 In this fight 961 of our officers and men were killed 
 and 168 were wounded or missing. 
 
 Kandahar was then besieged by the Afghans, and 
 two columns were sent to its relief, one under Sir 
 
THE AFGHAN WAR 125 
 
 Frederick Roberts from Kabul, the other from India 
 under General Phayre. The 13th Hussars were 
 ordered from Lucknow to join the latter force and, 
 together with the 78th Highlanders, formed its rear 
 guard as it entered Afghanistan through Baluchistan. 
 Sir Frederick Roberts' force of 10,000 men, by a 
 
 AFGHANISTAN 
 
 INDIA 
 
 INDIAN 
 
 Sketch map of the Afghanistan campaign. 
 
 rapid march of 313 miles from Kabul through the 
 mountains, which has become famous, won the race 
 and attacked and defeated the Afghans with heavy 
 loss. This practically ended the war. Our force, 
 marching" up through the difficult Bolan Pass and 
 over the Kojak range, reached Kandahar after it was 
 all over. 
 
 I had just then returned to India from sick-leave 
 only to discover on my arrival at Lucknow that the 
 regiment had already a few days previously gone on 
 to the front. I find in my diary the following entry 
 
126 WHEN THE TRIBES ARE OUT 
 (which leads me to think that I was in those days a 
 fairly callous beggar) : 
 
 " Here's a jolly lark ! A telegram came at twelve 
 last night ordering me to get two chargers and to go 
 up to Kandahar immediately, so I am off to-morrow. 
 To-day I am busy fitting out with warm clothes, 
 horses, camp equipment, etc." 
 
 That day a new doctor had arrived at Lucknow 
 for the regiment, and as I was the only officer there 
 he reported himself to me. He was accompanied 
 by a lad of apparently about fourteen. After some 
 conversation, in the course of which he agreed to join 
 me in my journey to overtake the regiment, I 
 asked : " What will you do with your son ? ,; 
 " My son ? This is not my son. This is an officer 
 who has come to join the 13th." And so the youth 
 turned out to be McLaren, who on account of his 
 appearance was fated ever afterwards to be called 
 " the Boy." 
 
 We arranged to start without delay and next day 
 saw us en route by train for the North- West Frontier. 
 
 McLaren had no horses but trusted to getting 
 some at Lahore, where we stopped a day ; and he 
 picked up two. Next day we went on by train to 
 Multan and thence up the new Kandahar line as far 
 as Sibi, the base of supplies for Afghanistan. The 
 train simply stopped in the middle of the desert 
 among a heap of baggage, bales of clothes, thousands 
 of ponies, camels, mules, and millions of flies, etc. 
 There were no houses, simply sand and rocks — and 
 flies. In fact, the natives say of it : " When God 
 had made Hell He found it was not bad enough, so 
 He made Sibi — and added flies." 
 
 Here we pitched our tent and had rations served 
 
SIGNS OF WAR 127 
 
 out to us, just the same as to the men. Next day 
 we went on to the end of the temporary line to the 
 foot of the mountains, Pirchowkee. Here the rail- 
 way ended, no station or anything ; we simply got 
 out of the train, saddled our horses, and rode to camp 
 a little way off, where transport ponies were supplied, 
 seven between two of us. We slept the night there 
 in a shed and then packed our things on to the 
 ponies, ourselves on to our horses, and started the 
 march early in the morning. We went through 
 mountains, along the course of a river which we 
 crossed twelve times that day in twelve miles, and 
 stopped for the night at a " station," i.e., three 
 tents and a food store. 
 
 For six days we marched, mainly along the gorge 
 through which the river ran, over boulders, sand, and 
 stones all the way. It was a jolly life, although the 
 scenery generally was beastly — arid rocks and 
 boulders. For the last march the road was perfectly 
 straight for eighteen miles, over white boulders in 
 the glaring sun, with a low ridge of mountains five 
 miles away on either side, and not a sight of vegeta- 
 tion all the time. 
 
 Here we began to get into touch with active service. 
 For the first time we saw everybody walking about 
 with revolvers on. We always carried them. At 
 the first camp we stopped at, some friendly natives 
 came in all covered with wounds which they had just 
 got from some Afghans, and we passed another 
 wounded man on the road. We were told that in 
 going up the road the 13th found the bodies of three 
 men with their hands tied and their throats cut. 
 
 I met two fellows who said that they thought 1 
 might catch the regiment up at Quetta if I hurried, 
 
128 WHEN THE TRIBES ARE OUT 
 so I left my pals (Fraser our doctor, Moore our 
 "vet." and McLaren, all going to join the 13th), 
 and went on with two horses and one pony. I 
 shoved a pair of panniers on " Clown," my second 
 charger, in which were my clothes and the horses' 
 blankets, and I put my tent and bedding on the pony, 
 and myself, Jock, and regimental saddle on " Hag- 
 arene," and with my bearer and one syce I started 
 off. I left these to come over as best they could, and 
 I plugged on in double marches, doing forty-four 
 miles in two days over very bad ground, which 
 brought me to Quetta. The pony caved in on the 
 way and did not get in. 
 
 To my great disappointment I found that the 
 regiment had been gone three days and that it also 
 had been doing double marches. As it would be 
 impossible to catch it up, I remained at Quetta for a 
 few days and the other fellows joined me on the 
 following day. It was great fun, that ride by my- 
 self — twenty miles of it was across sandy desert and 
 I met several small parties of Afghans, some of them 
 armed. They do not go for Europeans at all, but 
 still I watched their shadows after we had passed 
 each other to make sure that they did not come at me 
 from behind and stick me, as they would have done 
 had they been Ghazis. After Quetta, we were not 
 allowed to travel alone, as that was the enemy's 
 country, and every party had sent with it an escort 
 of native cavalry. 
 
 The 9th Lancers arrived from Kandahar whilst we 
 were at Quetta, twelve days' march distant. They 
 had been up there two years on service and were a 
 very ragged-looking crew in consequence, but fine 
 and healthy. They had met the 13th and camped 
 
THE CAMEL AFTER DEATH 129 
 together for one night, and I believe it was a very- 
 wonderful night for both ! We had in our mess 
 champagne and glasses, neither of which they had 
 seen for years, and I believe they made the most of 
 the occasion, as they said they did. Also our band 
 played to them, and they had not heard a band for a 
 long time, and our men groomed their horses for 
 them because the two regiments were old friends. 
 
 It was interesting at Quetta to see reminders of 
 the former expedition of 1842 in the shape of mud 
 platforms on which the tents of the forts used to 
 stand. Evidently they did themselves well in the 
 way of number and size of tents, and in placing them 
 high above the surrounding ground and fitting them 
 with good fire-places and chimneys. 
 
 By the time we were ready to leave Quetta, our 
 party had grown to seven, together with half a dozen 
 men of the 13th who had been left behind with fever. 
 We had awful work to get over the Kojak, a high 
 range of mountians which divides British territory 
 from Afghanistan. We had eleven bullock-carts, 
 five ponies and mules, and twelve camels. The steep 
 rough road was a tremendous strain on all the 
 animals, especially the camels, when the road was at 
 all wet. Their feet seem to slip in all directions and 
 they were very apt to split themselves by their legs 
 sliding apart. 
 
 An' when 'e comes to greasy ground 'e splits 'isself in two. 
 
 The consequence was dead camels on either side of 
 the road all the way along and a splendid aroma. I 
 estimated that there was a dead camel to every yard 
 of road over that pass, and climbing up it in a hurry 
 one was afraid to pant for fear of sucking in the awful 
 
 K 
 
130 WHEN THE TRIBES ARE OUT 
 smell. We should never have got over the pass had 
 we not met with a company of native infantry and a 
 lot of tame Afghans, whom we set to work to haul up 
 the carts. When we were over, the going down the 
 other side was just as bad, the road being terribly 
 steep and zig-zagging down the precipice. The carts 
 had ropes behind with men hanging on to prevent 
 them from running away down hill and going over 
 the cliff instead of turning at the corners. We got 
 into camp long after dark, in a storm of sleet, and 
 had to keep a pretty good look-out for Afghan 
 thieves, who were all round trying to steal rifles if 
 they got a chance. 
 
 Kandahar was to me a wonderfully interesting 
 place, but not quite so large as I had expected. 
 It was a city of flat-roofed houses and narrow alleys 
 closely bottled-up by huge grey walls with towers. 
 We quartered at a place called Kokoran, a village 
 about seven miles to the front of Kandahar. It was 
 much better being there, as we were in wild open 
 country where it was comparatively healthy. In 
 Kandahar there was a good deal of sickness ; the 
 nth Devonshire Regiment lost eighty-five men in 
 less than three months and the 78th Highlanders 
 also lost a great number. At one place on the march 
 where they had camped we saw written up on the 
 rocks, " Kilts for sale here," meaning that a lot of 
 men had died. The ground round about us was the 
 scene of Lord Roberts' fight when he relieved 
 Kandahar a few months previously. The Afghans 
 after their defeat fled up into the neighbouring 
 mountains and hid in the caves. One of the Ghoorka 
 regiments on their own initiative followed them and 
 got right away from their officers, and nothing was 
 
THE DANGERS OF KANDAHAR 131 
 known of them until a good many hours later, when 
 a few came in to Kandahar to ask for food and 
 ammunition for the rest, as they had marked all 
 the Afghans down into different caves and were 
 quietly waiting for them to come out again to be 
 killed. 
 
 One day our doctor picked up a visiting-card of 
 McLean's, the man who was a prisoner in Ayub 
 Khan's camp and was there murdered. He found 
 the card near a well-hole out in the fields, probably 
 where he had taken refuge and been captured. 
 
 Kandahar itself, which I visited many times, was 
 a strange place and more than a trifle dangerous. All 
 the officers and men went about armed, most 
 officers carrying a hog-spear, some of them revolvers. 
 I had a long stout stick with a lanyard to it, and a 
 beautiful smile which I expected would disarm any- 
 body ! But amongst the crowd there were very 
 often fanatics or Ghazis who were only too anxious 
 to stick their knives into a European, as they 
 believed that if they were then killed in consequence 
 of their act they would go straight to Heaven. 
 
 A stable in the city containing all the ordnance and 
 commissariat stores was covered thickly with shot- 
 marks received during the siege. The sand-bags 
 were still up on the ramparts, and everywhere were 
 to be seen signs of the fighting that had so recently 
 taken place. Outside the main gate was a rough 
 gallows where Ghazis were strung up every few 
 days. All the soldiers had to carry revolvers or 
 bayonets when they went for a stroll. Even when a 
 man was going only ten yards from the barrack-room 
 to' get water from the stream he would carry a drawn 
 bayonet in his hand. It was a very necessary 
 
132 WHEN THE TRIBES ARE OUT 
 precaution, as the fanatics generally pounced on 
 them without warning. 
 
 One day the sentry of the main gate was stabbed 
 in the back by a Ghazi and killed on the spot. The 
 Ghazi then walked into the guard-room, threw his 
 blood-stained knife on the table and gave himself 
 up to be hanged. The sentries were all doubled in 
 consequence and worked back to back. The sentries 
 at Kokoran, instead of carrying their carbines, 
 carried drawn swords as being more handy for a 
 hand-to-hand contest. We got up a small theatrical 
 performance, and it was amusing to see the men going 
 to rehearsal just outside the fortified buildings in 
 which we lived, each man carrying his sword in his 
 hand. The swords were stuck into the ground to 
 mark out the limits of our stage, and at the same time 
 be handy in case of attack. 
 
 When they propose to go to Heaven the Ghazis 
 dress themselves in clean white clothes and refuse to 
 take food or to cut their hair until they have suc- 
 ceeded in killing an unbeliever. It is then best for 
 them to get killed themselves before they have time 
 to meet with temptation, and to commit further sins. 
 A Ghazi came hovering round our camp one day, but, 
 failing to find a white man unprepared for his rush, 
 he stabbed one of our native followers, believing him 
 to be a native Christian. He then gave himself up, 
 and was tried and condemned to death. He was 
 asked why he had killed one of his own religion. 
 The news that he had done so horrified him, and he 
 asked if he might be released, as it was all a mistake, 
 and he would have every chance now of going to the 
 wrong place. On the occasion of his execution 
 another man was to be hanged, a Hindu native 
 
AT THE CRACK OF THE WHIP 133 
 follower who had murdered an Afghan woman. 
 When they were on the scaffold some of the supports 
 gave way and the whole thing collapsed before the 
 execution had been completed. So the two prisoners 
 were put on one side while the scaffolding was again 
 erected. Then the difference of character between 
 the two men showed itself. The Afghan, though bleed- 
 ing from a wound in the head incurred in the fall, 
 started to work in helping to re-build the gallows, 
 while the Hindu cowered in misery awaiting his end. 
 
 At Quetta again we were bothered by Ghazis. 
 On one occasion a gunner had a lucky escape. When 
 walking down a native street in the bazaar there was 
 a sudden flash of light on the wall alongside him. 
 This gave him such a start that he involuntarily 
 jumped away from it, and the next moment a big 
 knife descended harmlessly over his shoulder, just 
 grazing him when otherwise it would have plunged 
 into his back. The Ghazi was seized before he could 
 do any further harm and was afterwards hanged. 
 
 On the occasion of his execution there were two 
 others also to be hanged. Three gallows posts were 
 therefore erected in the market-place, each with a 
 separate drop worked by a separate man. When the 
 three criminals were placed ready with the nooses 
 round their necks the Commissioner directed that 
 the drops should be pulled simultaneously when he 
 gave the signal by cracking his hunting crop. Two of 
 the executioners watched him, the other only listened 
 for the crack. The Commissioner slung the lash 
 round his head but failed to make the required noise, 
 consequently two malefactors were at once dangling 
 in the air, while the third, with the listening execu- 
 tioner, still remained awaiting the fatal signal. 
 
134 WHEN THE TRIBES ARE OUT 
 
 The attempts by the Ghazis on the lives of white 
 men were finally put a stop to by the proclamation 
 being made that any man hanged in future would 
 have a dead dog buried with him ; as this would 
 entirely prevent his soul getting to Heaven the murder 
 of white men lost its charm for them. 
 
 My diary tells me that I was entirely opposed to 
 the authorities upon the question of making a fuss 
 about Afghanistan. With all the assurance of a 
 subaltern I wrote : 
 
 " I do not know what is the good of keeping this 
 country ; it is nearly all a howling desert, with a little 
 cultivation along the few river banks. However, 
 personally, I do not mind how long they keep it, it 
 is a jolly climate. These Afghans are awful-looking 
 sportsmen, fine big fellows with great hooked noses 
 and long hair, in loose white clothing, and very 
 murderous. Since we have been here six of our 
 native servants have disappeared and have never 
 been seen again. One of them was the head cook 
 of our mess ; we suspected a village near by of 
 murdering him, for he went to buy eggs, so we sent a 
 squadron out there with the political officer and they 
 searched the place, but of course found no signs of 
 the old boy ; if they had they would have probably 
 hanged some of the villagers and burned the place." 
 
 I had a very interesting three days' outing at 
 Maiwand with a reconnoitring squadron. With us 
 went General Wilkinson, Colonel St. John, and 
 several other swells. A few miles from Kokoran we 
 came across the marks of gun wheels where our guns 
 had made their escape from the massacre. They 
 had come round the end of a spur of mountains, which 
 made rather a long detour, and it was said that the 
 
THE FIELD OF MAIWAND 135 
 
 Afghans had come a shorter cut through the moun- 
 tains and so harassed their retreat. Therefore we 
 made a bee line for the mountains to see if we could 
 discover the short cut, and before long we came on 
 wheel marks, which we afterwards discovered were 
 those of Ayub Khan's guns. Following these up 
 we came to a pass in the mountains which the 
 
 
 
 Plan of the battle of MaiwandS 
 
 Afghans had used, but of which our people had no 
 knowledge. It was a wonderfully picturesque, steep, 
 rocky gorge, and as we passed through it we could 
 see a number of ibex outlined on the cliffs above us 
 watching our progress. The battlefield was a big, 
 open, sandy and stony plain, and we camped about a 
 mile from it. 
 
 Everything was very much as it had been left after 
 the fight. Any amount of dead horses were lying 
 about, mummified by the sun and dry air. There 
 had been no rain and apparently very little wind 
 
136 WHEN THE TRIBES ARE OUT 
 
 since the battle was fought, and the footmarks and 
 wheel tracks were perfectly clear in every direction. 
 Lines of empty cartridge cases showed where the 
 heaviest fighting had taken place : wheel-tracks and 
 hoof-marks showed where the guns had moved, dead 
 camels and mules showed the line of the baggage 
 train. Dead men lay in all directions ; most of them 
 had been hurriedly buried, but in many cases the 
 graves had been dug open again by jackals. Clothes, 
 accoutrements, preserved food, etc., were strewn all 
 over the place. In one spot the whole of an Afghan 
 gun team, six white horses with pink-dyed tails, had 
 been killed in a heap by one of our shells. 
 
 The British brigade in marching early in the 
 morning had sent out a reconnoitring party to visit 
 the only watering place on the desert to the westward, 
 and this patrol had returned saying there were no 
 enemy there. It was therefore at once assumed that 
 no enemy were in the neighbourhood, but, as sub- 
 sequently transpired, the patrol had not been to the 
 right place and the enemy were there all the time. 
 That morning a heavy mist hung over the plain 
 and the Afghan army had crossed just in front of the 
 advance of the brigade, neither party being aware 
 of the other's presence. Our advance guard, seeing 
 a few men retiring into the mist, had fired after them. 
 This had brought the Afghans back to attack us. 
 
 Unknown to the British a deep ravine ran in a 
 horse-shoe form almost entirely round the spot on 
 which the brigade was standing. The brigade formed 
 a square to receive the attack, expecting to see the 
 enemy coming across the open, instead of which the 
 Afghans poured down the nullah by thousands un- 
 seen, and then suddenly made their attack from three 
 
THE GALLANT BERKSHIRES 137 
 sides at once. Some Bombay cavalry, ordered out 
 to charge them, swerved under their attack and 
 charged into the rear of our own men, and the 
 native infantry broke and ran with them through 
 the ranks of the Berkshire Regiment, the 66th. 
 These stuck to their post as well as they could but 
 were driven back, and then held one position after 
 another to cover the retreat of the remainder, but 
 in the end were practically wiped out in doing so. 
 They made their last stand at a long, low mud wall 
 and ditch. It was at this spot that one of the men 
 waved his hand cheerily to the Horse Artillery 
 getting their guns away, and cried that historic 
 farewell : " Good luck to you. It's all up with the 
 bally old Berkshires ! " They were all killed here, 
 and the shortest way of burying them was to throw 
 down the wall on the top of them. 
 
 Sir Oliver St. John was present at the fight and 
 succeeded in getting away, splendidly helped by a 
 great Afghan orderly. This man, finding that his 
 master's collie dog was missing when they were in 
 full flight, turned back to the scene of the fight and 
 recovered the dog and brought him with them. The 
 Roman Catholic chaplain to the troops also behaved 
 with conspicuous gallantry, carrying on his back a 
 big skin of water and helping the wounded with it. 
 He would probably never have escaped himself had 
 not some gunners seized him and put him on to one 
 of their limbers, which was making its way to the 
 rear. 
 
 I had to make two maps of the battlefield for 
 General Wilkinson and the Commander-in-Chief. 
 The Colonel also asked me to do one for him to send 
 to Sir Garnet Wolseley. I brought back some 
 
138 WHEN THE TRIBES ARE OUT 
 
 mementos from the battlefield, a shell, also the 
 hoof of a horse of E. Battery Royal Horse Artillery 
 — he belonged to the one gun which went to the 
 front and fired on the Afghan rear guard and so 
 began the battle. I have also a belt stained with 
 blood and a leaf out of Sir Garnet Wolseley's pocket- 
 book, which was found close by one of the officers. 
 
 After kicking horse: "You've broke my toe, 
 you b iron-gutted beggar." 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE AFTERMATH OF WAR 
 
 The Image of War — Patrols and Picnics — A Curious 
 Superstition — Jock Fights a Wild Cat — Afghan Depreda- 
 tions — Relics of Alexander the Great — Camp Rumours 
 — Abdurrahman Waits — The Horses Stampede — A 
 Subaltern's Opinion of the Government — A Study in 
 Contrasts — Rifle Stealing — An Ingenious Plan — Further 
 Losses — I Shoot Myself — I Hear my Death Announced 
 — Digging for the Bullet — Convalescence — Stalked by 
 a Leopard — A Rough and Tumble 
 
 THE process of settling the country after war 
 was like Jorrocks' fox-hunting, "the image 
 of war with only twenty per cent, of its 
 danger ! " It was the best possible form of military 
 training for us youngsters ; it taught us by actual 
 practice in the field rather than through the tedium 
 of barrack-square instruction all the dodges and all 
 the responsibilities of soldier-craft ; it put us into 
 closest touch and comradeship with our men, a big 
 step to successful work in campaigning ; and it 
 showed us that the Drill Book is not a fetish that will 
 carry you through every difficulty if you only adhere 
 blindly to its letter, but is rather a statement of 
 general principles which will guide you aright if you 
 appreciate their spirit ; that Tactics are after all not 
 so much a science as the application of common- 
 sense to the situation. 
 I found myself thoroughly happy in the life I was 
 
 139 
 
140 THE AFTERMATH OF WAR 
 
 leading. " I enjoy this business awfully, there is 
 always something to do," I wrote in my diary. 
 There was indeed no lack of occupation. One day 
 we would be hunting up one of the bands of robbers 
 in an adjacent pass, only to find that " the brutes 
 had gone," as I phrased it, so I made a map of the 
 pass for Sir Baker instead. Another day I would be 
 sent out reconnoitring with a troop ; or enjoying 
 a picnic as if war were a thing unheard of ; a third 
 would find me in charge of an in-lying picket, which 
 meant sitting all ready in my tent, with my horse 
 saddled the whole day and my troop the same, ready 
 to turn out and to march within two minutes of the 
 alarm. Then at dusk we would go out of camp about 
 a mile, post vedettes and send out patrols every hour 
 throughout the night to examine the neighbourhood. 
 We would take two tents with us but keep dressed 
 with our horses saddled, all ready to turn out. At 
 daybreak we would move out to examine a post 
 some five miles off and then back to camp. Some- 
 times it was so cold at night that instead of putting 
 up the tent our men would prefer to roll themselves 
 up in it on the ground. They had to wear Balaclava 
 caps, that is, knitted night-caps which came down 
 all over their head and neck, with eye-holes to look 
 out from. We succeeded in getting a great deal 
 of experience, as we were constantly expecting 
 attacks, and the long and bitterly cold nights on 
 outpost duty hardened us thoroughly. 
 
 At Kokoran we had some pretty bad weather, 
 first in the shape of heavy snow ; but living in 
 tents was not so bad as we had expected because, by 
 building round our tent a low wall of mud bricks 
 about two feet high, and making a fire-place at the 
 
 
STUNNED BY HAIL-STONES 141 
 
 end, one kept very warm in spite of the cold weather 
 outside. Then came gales, and downpours of rain 
 and sleet which meant much discomfort for us living 
 in the open. On one occasion our native grass- 
 cutters were caught in a kind of blizzard and one of 
 
 " If anybody ever talks to me again about the honour and glory of 
 soldiering, I'll be b y rude to him." 
 
 them was stunned by hail-stones and frozen to 
 death. I have not forgotten his return to the 
 regiment. He was brought in by his fellows across 
 the back of a pony, and one of the men who had 
 charge of the grass-cutters took him in his arms and 
 carried him through the horse lines trying to find 
 which troop he belonged to, calling out as is usual 
 
142 THE AFTERMATH OF WAR 
 
 with soldiers when they have found something : 
 " Does anybody own this ? " Finally, being unable 
 to find an owner, he put the poor thing in a sack and 
 buried him outside the camp. 
 
 This soldier was one of the old type that are seldom 
 met with nowadays, a splendid rider and swords- 
 man, very smart and clean in his ways and devotedly 
 loyal to his officers. With his brick-dust face and 
 red hair he was just the type of British soldier that 
 one likes to have with one on service. He had a 
 peculiar superstition that you should never pass by a 
 dead body on the right-hand side of the road, so on 
 the line of march whenever he saw the corpse of a 
 native — and one passed a good many of them — on the 
 wrong side of the road, he would carefully dismount 
 and carry or drag it across to the other side and 
 deposit it there. Fortunately for him, by the time 
 we returned from Afghanistan most of the remains 
 had been buried, otherwise he would have had the 
 trouble of doing the whole of the work over again. 
 
 Men become curiously callous about death when on 
 service. I remember one of our officers shouting 
 violently for his servant, and unable to get his 
 attendance. He was very angry with the absentee, 
 until someone told him the man had died of cold, 
 on which the officer said: "Why couldn't some- 
 body have told me before instead of letting me shout 
 myself hoarse ? Where is he now ? " He found the 
 poor body being used by his fellow servants as a 
 saddle rack on which to clean their saddles until it 
 was time to take him out to be buried. 
 
 My little dog Jock was a great comfort and 
 companion to me at this time, and he distinguished 
 himself at Maiwand by having a fight with a wild 
 
THE BOTTOMLESS PIT 143 
 
 cat which nearly put an end to his career. He 
 formed a great attachment for my charger, and 
 when she was still in the riding school he used to 
 trot off at her heels from the stables to the school 
 and keep the same position all through her training 
 lessons, faithfully following her in all her evolu- 
 tions as she was walked and trotted to and fro, 
 circling and turning for an hour or two in every 
 direction. 
 
 I took a lot of trouble about the horses of our 
 troop, feeding up the thin ones and giving extra 
 work to the fat ones, visiting them at night to see 
 that they had blankets and were able to lie down, etc. 
 All this took up much time but it brought its reward 
 in the shape of special praise for our troop from the 
 General at the inspection. 
 
 Sometimes we would form a picnic party and I 
 remember one that was nearly fatal to Jock. We 
 had lunch in an orchard, but before that we climbed 
 half-way up a mountain to look at a great cave there. 
 This continued for some few hundred yards and 
 then branched off into four passages, one of which was 
 said to have no end to it. In one place they pointed 
 out there was a sort of bottomless pit. Of course 
 Jock ran up to see too, and, with one short squeak, 
 immediately fell down into it. We gave him up as 
 lost and peered over the edge to look at his mangled 
 remains, when we saw him running about ten feet 
 below us hunting imaginary cats. The hole in that 
 part was not very deep although in one corner it 
 became a well, so Jock scrambled up again out of the 
 place all right, though all night he kept me awake 
 with his groaning, as he had sprained both his fore- 
 legs, but he soon recovered. 
 
144 THE AFTERMATH OF WAR 
 
 We were hard up for news just then ; the telegraph 
 had broken down, the rivers were so swollen that no 
 travellers had come up lately, and about three out of 
 every four mail runners seemed to get caught and 
 killed by Afghans. 
 
 One night a sentry over our transport animals 
 was attacked by an Afghan with a long knife and 
 was wounded in the arm ; he shot at the fellow but 
 missed him. The Afghan was probably coming to 
 steal a mule or camel. Several had recently been 
 stolen in Kandahar. A camel and some mules had 
 disappeared a few nights previously, stolen by 
 Afghans from a spot from which one would have 
 thought it would have been impossible to do so. 
 The transport animals were herded inside the 
 circular enclosure of a mud wall about seven feet 
 high. The gate was barred, and the sentry walked 
 round and round the place keeping a constant 
 watch on it. The thieves worked it thus. One 
 got over the wall with one end of a rope in his 
 hand and one remained outside with the other 
 end. A third got on the top of the wall and lay 
 flat there with a pot of water. The two on each 
 side then sawed the rope backwards and forwards 
 while the top man watered the wall at that spot. 
 In this way they managed to cut down through the 
 wall by sawing the rope across it. Then they made 
 another cut a few feet further on and knocked down 
 the piece of wall between the two cuts, thus making 
 a doorway through which they were able to run out 
 some of the animals from inside. Of course they 
 kept a good look-out for the sentry and every time 
 he came by they lay low, and he had no warning 
 of what they were doing until he heard the rumbling 
 
ALEXANDER THE GREAT 145 
 
 of the falling wall and the rattle of the hoofs of the 
 animals as they were led away. 
 
 The first intimation that we were shortly to leave 
 Kandahar and return to India came to us indirectly. 
 One day the price of jam went down to one rupee a 
 pot, which showed that the Parsee merchants were 
 expecting that we should leave soon and were selling 
 off accordingly ; and they generally know things be- 
 fore anybody else does. In the bazaar at Kandahar 
 one of the money-changers had an old Greek coin 
 lying amongst his cash, for which I gave him a rupee. 
 Later I found that a very large number of such coins 
 had been bought here, as they were those of Alexander 
 the Great. When I was at Chakdara in 1897 a 
 Greek signet ring was found while the troops were 
 digging rain-trenches round their tents. This helped 
 to give colour to the contention that Alexander's 
 route into India was through the Swat Valley at 
 the Chakdara crossing. Very little money is used 
 in this part, people much prefer to barter and 
 exchange things. For instance, an Afghan who had 
 a pony for sale would not take rupees for it, but was 
 very glad to exchange it for an English coat, waist- 
 coat, and breeches. 
 
 Rumour is nowhere busier than in camp, and we 
 were always hearing of what was about to, but never 
 did, happen. The following is a characteristic page 
 from my diary. 
 
 " Here's a jolly lark ! A heliogram has just come 
 ordering us to be ready to march at a moment's 
 notice within the next forty-eight hours, but as it was 
 sent by the last rays of the setting sun, I do not 
 suppose they will turn us out until to-morrow morn- 
 ing at any rate. However, I have been down to my 
 
 L 
 
146 THE AFTERMATH OF WAR 
 
 troop and warned them to be ready, and my servant 
 has meantime got my necessary things packed for 
 two mules. The worst of it is we have no clue as to 
 where we are to go ; some say it is only to Maiwand 
 again to bury the dead whom we found lying about 
 there last time. The General believes that we are 
 going to take a certain town about seventy miles off 
 where the people are said to have captured our native 
 cook and refused to give him up without a ransom of 
 300 rupees. We are all in great hopes that at last 
 we are going to get a shot at the Afghans — the wo^rst 
 of it is it looks as if it were going to snow like fits." 
 
 Then follows the inevitable climax — or rather 
 anti-climax : 
 
 " Still here. The orders were never carried out 
 after all, but we know now that we are to evacuate 
 Kandahar and to return to Quetta. Report says 
 that the first brigade starts in two days, if so, we 
 shall start four days afterwards, being the rear 
 guard. However, I am glad we are not on the march 
 just now ; the mornings are fine but in the afternoon 
 it pours, with thunder storms and hail. Three days 
 ago it came down in sheets and hailed tremendously 
 for two or three hours. We are on the side of a hill 
 but in spite of that the whole place was flooded, 
 about two to three feet of water in one great sheet 
 carrying away the tents, etc. It also undermined 
 our big outer wall, which fell in in two places, making 
 a gap of about fifty yards : then in another place 
 the near wall bulged so badly that we pulled it over 
 with a rope. The orderly belonging to the 8th 
 Bengal Cavalry, who brings out our letters from 
 Kandahar here, was carried away and drowned, 
 although mounted and having no regular river to 
 
THE LOAN OF A BONNET 147 
 
 cross. The men's barrack-room and the native 
 buildings here were flooded with water, and when 
 that ran off a sea of mud was left. I saw my sergeant- 
 major just now examining all the likely lumps of 
 mud for one of his boots which was missing ; he 
 went about with a kettle pouring water on to each 
 lump as the easiest way of dissolving it and showing 
 what it contained ! " 
 
 One night I had to wear a bonnet in a piece that 
 we were acting ; I had one of my old maps of the 
 Maiwand battlefield and thought it would make 
 good stiffening for the bonnet, so I sent it over to 
 the tailor to make up. Later he told me that there 
 were sergeants and other people wanting the loan of 
 the bonnet after I had finished with it. At first I 
 was greatly puzzled : but I discovered that it was to 
 copy out the map of the battle to send home to their 
 pals. 
 
 The Artillery had a lot of ammunition for which 
 they could not get carriage down country, so they 
 used it up by practising battering the walls of the 
 deserted city of Old Kandahar. I sent a sketch of it 
 to the Graphic as " a parting shot at Kandahar." 
 Abdurrahman with 5,000 men of the Afghan army 
 was camped about twenty miles off waiting for us to 
 clear out before he took possession of Kandahar, 
 everything having been arranged peaceably by the 
 political officers. 
 
 One night towards the end of our time it blew a 
 hurricane and hailed heavily. I heard the orderly 
 officer being called about midnight, so I got up and 
 went out with him and found that nearly all the 
 horses in my troop and the next one had broken loose 
 and were galloping about in the dark. A tent had 
 
148 THE AFTERMATH OF WAR 
 
 blown straight up into the sky and had flown right 
 over one troop and dropped in the middle of 
 mine and the next, and had naturally frightened the 
 horses out of their lives. They had strained at their 
 head and heel ropes and, the ground being wet, had 
 torn the pegs out and were rushing all over the place. 
 Some of them had the sense to form up amongst the 
 other horses and had remained there until fastened 
 up again, others returned when the trumpeters 
 sounded " Feed," but a number had galloped off into 
 the country and the men had to go out to find them 
 and collect them. 
 
 All were eventually recaptured except one, A. 44, 
 the horse ridden by the Regimental Sergeant-Major 
 and therefore about the best in the regiment. I was 
 very anxious to find this horse, so I took a long ride 
 round on " Dick " to see if I could find its tracks any- 
 where. I had long practised the art of tracking 
 and was now able to put it to some use : also I had 
 taught " Dick " among other circus tricks to stand 
 alone when I left him and wait till I returned. 
 These two accomplishments came in useful on this 
 occasion. After some searching I came across the trail 
 of a horse galloping away from the camp. I followed 
 this up for two or three miles until it struck up into 
 the mountains over such steep rugged ground that I 
 left " Dick " standing where he was and clambered 
 on foot after the runaway. After a time I spied him 
 outlined against the sky, right on the top of the 
 mountain, and after a long time I got to the place and 
 found him standing there shivering with cold, 
 apparently dazed and very badly cut about the legs 
 with the iron tent peg which was still hanging on to 
 his head rope. It was an awful job to get him down 
 
A SUBALTERN ON THE GOVERNMENT 149 
 the mountain side, but at last I managed it, and was 
 very pleased when I got him safely back to camp. 
 The Colonel also was delighted. 
 
 A British subaltern is apt to fall into the error of 
 hasty judgment, especially where his own immediate 
 affairs are concerned. A little matter of transport 
 seems, if I may trust my diary, to have drawn from 
 me the following uncompromising opinion of the 
 ruling powers of India : 
 
 " We are on our way down from Kandahar. The 
 dirty Government sent us up here with orders to 
 bring our whole kit, which means they give us 
 three and a half mules for transport to each subaltern. 
 Now they suddenly tell us we shall have to go back 
 on a reduced scale : each mule is supposed to carry 
 about 160 pounds so we came up with 560 pounds, 
 and now they say we must only take 160 pounds, 
 including one's tent and bedding — the tent weighs 
 80 pounds and bedding about 40 — which does not 
 leave much margin for three boxes of uniform, 
 clothes, boots, books, horse-clothing, servants' bag- 
 gage, stable gear, etc. It is not because they have 
 not enough transport animals either, for the snivelling 
 fiends are offering to take it down for us if we like to 
 pay ! It would cost me about £16 to take down the 
 things that I brought up here as far as Sibi where the 
 railway begins. However, I am going to chuck 
 away my old things, load up my second charger with 
 baggage and buy a pony or mule of my own, and by 
 so doing shall save something ; but is it not beastly 
 of the Government ? " 
 
 It was rather amusing to us to see it stated in the 
 newspapers at home that the chief reason why 
 Kandahar had been held so long was that the officers 
 
150 THE AFTERMATH OF WAR 
 
 and men liked it so much that they were unwilling to 
 leave it. As a matter of fact the opposite was the 
 case. Officers and men alike were most anxious to 
 get back to India out of that unhealthy desert. At 
 one time, for instance, there was immense excitement 
 at Kandahar because three days had passed without 
 the nth Regiment losing a single man. However, the 
 
 One of our sentries. 
 
 balance was restored on the fourth day by five men 
 dying. We of the 13th were lucky, losing only one 
 man up there through pneumonia. The nth lost an 
 average of one man a day all the time they were 
 there, and all the other regiments lost large numbers. 
 When at last we received orders to leave Kokoran 
 and Kandahar the 13th was ordered to form the rear 
 guard and to parade at a certain hour so as to move 
 off. from Kokoran immediately in the rear of the 
 
A QUESTION OF ROUTE 151 
 
 infantry, but the Colonel had told me to find out the 
 best road to follow, and I found that by one particular 
 short cut we could save at least two hours' marching. 
 So he ordered the regiment to delay its departure 
 accordingly. The General heard of this and asked 
 his reason. When the Colonel gave it the General 
 
 An Afghan sentry. 
 
 said that his staff officers knew the country perfectly 
 well and would not have given the order for parade 
 for that hour had it been possible to economise time 
 as he suggested. The Colonel replied more politely 
 but generally to the effect that he did not care what 
 the staff officers' ideas of the country were, he knew 
 better and proposed to rest his men and horses until 
 the last moment : and he used my short cut accord- 
 ingly, and we were exactly at the right time at the 
 
152 THE AFTERMATH OF WAR 
 
 appointed place. I mention this little incident 
 because it was from it that I date my ultimate 
 promotion at the hands of Sir Baker Russell. 
 
 On the day we were to march from Kokoran our 
 mounted sentries were relieved by those of the 
 Afghan army of Abdurrahman, and it was an 
 amusing contrast to see the Hussars, who for this 
 occasion were dressed in full kit, relieved by rough- 
 looking " catch-'em-alive-o' " warriors who while 
 on duty carried umbrellas to protect themselves 
 from the sun. After we had marched out some 
 distance I suddenly recollected that we had left in our 
 mess a coloured print from the Graphic of Millais' 
 " Cherry Ripe." I somehow did not want it to fall 
 into the hands of the Afghans, so I rode back and 
 fetched it away with me, and for a long time after- 
 wards it decorated my tent and bungalow ; so, 
 accidentally, I was the last Britisher to leave Kan- 
 dahar. 
 
 The march down country was chiefly remarkable 
 for the number of attempts made by the hill tribes to 
 steal horses, rifles, and ammunition from the troops. 
 The Afghans are wonderfully keen thieves and will 
 risk anything to get a rifle or ammunition. Many of 
 them come into the camp as spies, working as 
 camel-men or mule-drivers. They find out how the 
 arms are stowed at night and then let their friends 
 outside know, and this has been the cause of many 
 very clever thefts of rifles from time to time. 
 
 In one regiment the rifles were piled up round the 
 poles of the tents and then locked there by a chain 
 which was passed through the trigger guard of each 
 rifle and then padlocked. In the big two-pole 
 tents this seemed to be an absolute safeguard, 
 
THIEVING EXTRAORDINARY 153 
 especially with the men sleeping all round the tent 
 and the entrances laced up. But the thieves got 
 over the difficulty in this way. With their knives 
 they cut all the tent ropes on one side of the tent and 
 threw the tent over on the top of the sleeping men. 
 Then, seizing the rifles underneath the canvas, they 
 simply slipped them off the foot of the tent poles 
 still chained together, made off with the two bundles, 
 loaded them on to camels and were well away before 
 the men had struggled out from under the canvas 
 trap in which they found themselves. 
 
 On another occasion in a regiment which had 
 suffered from these thefts the men dug a hole under 
 the floor of each tent and buried their rifles there and 
 slept on the top of them, but even this precaution did 
 not stop the thieves, for having found out exactly 
 where the rifles were stowed they carefully and 
 silently dug from outside the tent a small tunnel 
 leading down to where the rifles were buried, and 
 thus abstracted them without disturbing the men 
 sleeping above them. 
 
 Having seen in South Africa the way of stopping 
 diamonds from being stolen by the diamond- thieves, 
 which was by lighting up the whole place brilliantly 
 at night, I used the same principle when marching 
 with my regiment through Northern India. Rifles 
 are of no use at night for sentries, since they carry far 
 and may miss a foe and hit a friend, so every night 
 we had all the rifles collected and stacked in front of 
 the guard tent and carefully covered by tarpaulins. 
 A ring of lamps was posted round them and two 
 sentries were placed in charge with shot-guns loaded 
 with slugs and with orders to fire on anyone entering 
 the circle of light. This had the desired effect, as we 
 
154 THE AFTERMATH OF WAR 
 
 never lost a rifle during our long march, and yet a 
 native regiment which was brigaded with us and was 
 largely composed of men of similar propensities, who 
 ought to have been able to catch their thieves, lost 
 rifles on more than one occasion. 
 
 During the march down the Afghans gave us a lot 
 of work at night. They would creep into camp in 
 spite of the fact that there were sentries every 
 hundred yards with two or three natives in between, 
 and the tents were pitched in a square with the 
 horses and mules inside it. At one camp four rifles 
 and a heliograph were stolen out of a tent in my troop 
 which was inhabited by four infantry soldiers 
 attached to us. Later an Afghan galloped up in the 
 middle of the night, cut the head and heel ropes of 
 the end horse in my horse lines and was trying to 
 make off with it when two of our men went for him 
 and he galloped away. 
 
 That same night we also had a camel, a pony, and a 
 donkey stolen. The next night I had two grand 
 horses put at the flanks of my troop line ; one was an 
 animal that would never leave the stable under any 
 persuasion unless he saw all the rest of the troop 
 going ; the other was quiet enough in the day, but 
 went mad with excitement at night and would yell, 
 kick, and bite at anyone who went near him. Some 
 thieves tried to cut them adrift early in the evening 
 but could do nothing with either, and had to bolt on 
 the approach of the sentry. They had better luck in 
 E troop, where they cut a horse's lines and were 
 walking off with him when the sentry saw the horse 
 going but did not see the men, so he called to the 
 sergeant of the guard that a horse had broken loose 
 and was trotting away from the lines. The sergeant 
 
I SHOOT MYSELF 155 
 
 went out and made a detour to catch the horse, and 
 to his surprise found it in the charge of three 
 Afghans, who promptly heaved stones at him and 
 bowled him over. However, they let go the horse, 
 which went straight back to his lines. 
 
 This was all early in the evening. I got up about 
 1.30 to go round the sentries and if possible to do a 
 bit of thief-catching. I hid myself in a good spot 
 between two horses and waited for ever so long with a 
 sword ready ; but none came, so I left them and 
 went to another place. I had not been gone ten 
 minutes before four Afghans were seen by the 
 sentry crawling along the ground at that very spot, 
 and the idiot did not shoot one of them : so I turned 
 in disgusted at 3.30. Next night, however, I was 
 resolved I would get one, and after mess went to my 
 tent to get my revolver out. I was examining it 
 previous to loading, to see it was properly oiled, 
 when T heard the sentry close by challenge someone 
 in the dark. I knew what that meant, for generally 
 the Afghans work in pairs ; one of them will crawl 
 about in front of the sentry and attract his attention, 
 while the other sneaks up behind the man and stabs 
 him, or goes for the horse and cuts it loose, and gets 
 away with it. As I ran out of my tent to help the 
 sentry I clicked my pistol to see if it worked right 
 before shoving the cartridges in. By Jove, it did 
 work all right ! To my great surprise it went off 
 and hit me in the left leg. At the same time that 
 this happened Tommy Tomkins, the man in my troop 
 who is so fond of corpses, ran up with his gun and 
 made a corpse of one of the two Afghans, while the 
 other got away safely. I found afterwards that my 
 servant had loaded the pistol for me in anticipation 
 
156 THE AFTERMATH OF WAR 
 
 of my wanting it, when I had left it purposely 
 unloaded. The bullet went in at the top of the calf 
 and settled somewhere down about my heel. The 
 doctor, after probing for it nine times without 
 success, said it was not worth while bothering to cut it 
 out as it would be quite comfortable there. The only 
 drawback was that I had now to ride in a dhooli, 
 that is a covered stretcher, instead of on horseback 
 with my troop. 
 
 While I lay in my tent next morning waiting to be 
 carted off I heard the voices of two of my men close 
 by. " Have you heard the news, Tom ? Mr. 
 Poul has shot himself." " No, has he ? " " Yes, 
 and the corpse is in there." Then there was some 
 fingering at the lacing at the back of my tent with a 
 view to a peep, till I called to ask who was there, 
 and some startled scampering took place. 
 
 At length there came a day when it was possible 
 to feel the bullet inside my leg. It was where I had 
 expected to find it, just below the ankle-joint and 
 not where the doctor had assured me it was, close 
 to the knee. After fingering it about for some little 
 time, the medico assured me it would require but a 
 very simple operation to get it out. " A slit with a 
 penknife through the skin would do it," hs said; 
 " you will merely have to squeeze with finger and 
 thumb and the bullet will squirt out like a cherry 
 stone." He would come along in the afternoon and 
 do it for me. 
 
 I thought little or nothing of it until his servant 
 arrived with a huge case of instruments which he 
 laid out in my room, and then prepared basins, 
 waterproof sheets, sponges and all the paraphernalia 
 of a major operation. Then the assistant doctor 
 
PROBING FOR A BULLET 157 
 
 came upon the scene and talked about the weather 
 to such an extent that I began to realise that some- 
 thing serious was on hand. Finally the boss doctor 
 himself arrived ; he had been lunching, and when he 
 lunched he lunched well. He asked if all was ready 
 and whether or no I wanted chloroform. I said 
 certainly not, as it was only a small matter like 
 squeezing out a " cherry-stone," and that 1 should 
 like to watch how it was done. He asked with some 
 concern if there was any brandy in the place. I 
 said: "Yes, but I shall not want it." He said: 
 " No, but I do." And he took it. A pretty stiff 
 nip too ! 
 
 The junior doctor then took his seat upon me, and 
 the old one got to work, jabbing a knife into me. He 
 apparently took a bad shot the first time and jabbed 
 it in again in another place, and then proceeded to 
 do the " squeezing the cherry-stone " business. He 
 found that the bullet had no intention of popping out 
 as he expected, but was in reality embedded under- 
 neath a thin muscle and had got a hardened shell 
 round it. This needed a certain amount of mining 
 operation with a thing like a spoon with sharp edges. 
 His hand was not steady, and he kept diving into the 
 wrong place and then correcting his aim. Finally he 
 commenced what turned out to be like the old 
 Moore and Burgess entertainment, "ten minutes 
 genuine fun without vulgarity." I had got the 
 corner of my pillow in my mouth, and the servant 
 mopped my brow and fanned me, but all came right 
 in the end, and after a good deal of jabbing and 
 digging and pulling with tweezers the old boy 
 triumphantly held up the bullet before my eyes. 
 And I was mighty glad to see it ! 
 
158 THE AFTERMATH OF WAR 
 
 Sir Oliver St. John took me in at the Residency at 
 Quetta and made me comfortable while I was getting 
 over my wounded leg. And I shan't forget my first 
 day in his charming garden. I was brought in on 
 my stretcher and left on the lawn under the shade of 
 a tree to enjoy life by myself. Presently I saw with 
 some apprehension a great big leopard stalking quietly 
 about among the flower-beds. Suddenly he saw me, 
 and, after looking at me coldly for a few moments, he 
 gradually crouched lower and lower until he was 
 flat with the ground, and then he calmly proceeded to 
 stalk me, creeping nearer and nearer, inch by inch, 
 and going more and more slowly as he got the nearer. 
 All I seemed to see was a horrid grinning mouth, 
 yellow-green eyes, and ears laid back, with a black 
 tip of tail switching to and fro behind him. Mean- 
 time I was lying perfectly helpless in my cot and 
 fascinated with terror ; for, although I knew him to 
 be a tame beast, with these grown-up cats you never 
 know where you are. Nearer andnearer he came! Then 
 he seemed to knot himself together , and with one mighty 
 bound he was on top of me, with all the weight of a 
 nightmare. I no longer pretended coolness, but simply 
 yowled for help, with his grinning face about an inch 
 from my own. Fortunately help was close at hand, and 
 Sir Oliver's Afghan orderly, the same who had rescued 
 his dog on the battlefield at Maiwand, ran up and 
 tackled the leopard. In a few moments they were 
 wrestling and rolling over each other, in what 
 appeared to be a desperate struggle, but which, as a 
 matter of fact, was all play, for they were the best of 
 comrades. However, to prevent recurrence of such 
 an incident the leopard was after this chained up to 
 its tree, and I used to watch it by the hour and try to 
 
MY FIRST TRIAL AS A SCOUT 159 
 sketch it in its beautiful, graceful movements and 
 positions. I was genuinely sorry when some weeks 
 later it got its chain caught up in the tree and so 
 hanged itself. 
 
 It was at Quetta that I got my first trial as a 
 Scout. Some of our regiment were told off to act as 
 enemy in some night operations for the protection 
 of the cantonment, and we were told to creep in as 
 far as possible and find out how the sentries, supports, 
 and pickets were posted. Eager to do the work well, 
 we of course started the moment that we were allowed 
 to try and carry out our duties. Naturally the 
 sentries were very much on the qui vive, and a good 
 many of our scouts were observed by the sentries 
 and either captured or driven back. Some of us 
 managed to find out a good deal as to the location of 
 the enemy's outposts and were then glad to lie down 
 and have a sleep on some heaps of bhoosa (chopped 
 straw) . Waking up some hours later, from the cold, 
 I thought it might warm me up to go and try again 
 to get more information. Knowing pretty well 
 where the sentries were posted, I was able to evade 
 them and to crawl past them to one of the supports. 
 
 Having had all their excitement in the earlier part 
 of the evening in driving us back, they apparently 
 supposed we had retired for good and therefore the 
 look-out was not so sharply kept as in the earlier part 
 of the night. I had therefore no difficulty in getting 
 past the support, and then in keeping along in rear to 
 find the position of other supports, and eventually 
 by following one of their visiting patrols I found the 
 exact location of the reserve. Having gone as far as 
 I could, I left my glove under a bush on the bank of 
 the ravine by which I had arrived, and made my way 
 
160 THE AFTERMATH OF WAR 
 
 back with my report to my own people, just as dawn 
 was breaking. Later on, when the dispositions of 
 both sides were being criticised by the General, a 
 doubt was expressed whether our scouts had really 
 gathered their information from personal observation 
 or had merely made guesses of the outposts, since 
 the defenders maintained that it was impossible for 
 scouts to get through at the spots mentioned. I 
 was able, however, to prove our case by directing them 
 where to find my glove. 
 
 I was at that time a smoker, but I afterwards 
 learnt from some American scouts how helpful it was 
 on such occasions to be able to smell the where- 
 abouts of the enemy's outposts and thus to creep 
 past them. These scouts did not smoke because 
 they held that such practice is apt to destroy or to 
 deaden very much the sense of smell. I therefore 
 gave up smoking and have never taken to it since, 
 and I certainly found the value of being able to smell 
 an enemy at night ; it has been useful to me on more 
 occasions than one. But whether it is actually the 
 case that smoking handicaps one in this way I cannot 
 say. 
 
 V 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 LIFE IN THE HILLS 
 
 Civilisation v. Vagabondage — My First Meeting with 
 Lord Roberts — His Advice — Sir George White's Un- 
 conventionally — Disguised as War Correspondents — 
 We are Sumptuously Entertained — We are Discovered 
 — A Hasty Trip to Simla — Ragging — An Enthusiastic 
 Fire Brigade — My Death is Announced — " The Bound- 
 ing Brothers of the Bosphorus " — A Mess Room as 
 Sheepfold — " Ding " McDougal, Practical Joker — I 
 Flee from Society — And Do Not Regret It — A Novel 
 Umbrella — The Drawbacks of Education — My Post Bag 
 
 WHEN I ultimately reached the happy posi- 
 tion of being able to dispense leave to 
 others instead of seeking for it myself, 
 I made it a rule that, if a subaltern desired to go to 
 a hill station to see a little gaiety and social life 
 and so restore his health and vitality, he might have 
 a month in which to do it ; on the other hand if he 
 wanted merely to go and amuse himself big-game 
 shooting or exploring the mountain regions of 
 Kashmir I would give him — four months or even 
 more if he could be spared ! 
 
 Although I went once or twice myself to hill 
 stations such as Simla, Mussoorie, or Nairn Tal, I 
 could not say I liked them except for their climate 
 and their glorious mountain scenery. These could 
 all be much better enjoyed if we went off into camp 
 and left the starchy formality and the round of 
 social entertainments far behind. At the same 
 
 161 M 
 
162 LIFE IN THE HILLS 
 
 time, in spite of the heat and of the sickness and 
 sudden death of comrades incidental to it, I liked 
 my summers in the plains, with the sport and keen 
 hard exercise. 
 
 My first meeting with Lord Roberts was at Simla 
 at a ball at Government House, on one of those 
 occasions when I had forsaken the camp in favour 
 of " starchy formality." I had not at that time 
 learned many words of Hindustani. My partner 
 had sent me to the refreshment buffet for an ice, 
 and I was trying to make the native waiter under- 
 stand what I wanted, when a stranger with a 
 soldierly figure alongside me gave the order to the 
 man in Hindustani, and then kindly patting me on' 
 the shoulder he said : " Young fellow, you will 
 make your life happier here if you learn a bit of 
 the language. Who are you and where are you 
 staying ? " I thanked him and gave him my name 
 and thought no more of it ; but the next morning 
 I received a little note from Sir Frederick Roberts 
 giving me the name of a teacher of native languages 
 who would help me. 
 
 Many people do not bother to learn Hindustani, 
 thinking that many of the natives will understand 
 English for all practical purposes. This is so to a 
 certain extent, but very few people in Northern 
 India who want a good trustworthy servant will 
 take one who speaks English. For some hidden 
 reason, English-speaking and roguery seem to go 
 together in an individual. Also it is worth knowing 
 the language because it makes all the difference 
 in the interest, pleasure, and success of going out 
 in the district, whether for shooting, pigsticking, 
 sketching or sight-seeing. If you can talk with the 
 
A TRAGIC ACCIDENT 163 
 
 natives you get much more fun and enjoyment for 
 your money. 
 
 One of the leading lights at Simla at that time was 
 
 the Military Secretary to the Viceroy. Like all 
 
 his family, he was a wild kind of sportsman, 
 
 but with the warmest, kindliest heart below it all! 
 
 When I went to Simla I was brought there in a 
 
 dhooli, utterly down with sickness and fever. As I 
 
 passed along the road below Government House, 
 
 hearing that I was a young officer of a cavalry 
 
 regiment, he told the bearers to bring me to 
 
 his house, and there he put me up and looked after 
 
 me like a brother, although I was a comparative 
 
 stranger to him. 
 
 In my convalescence I tackled some of the 
 books in the library and amongst them I found 
 a volume of Lindsay Gordon's poems. Some of 
 these referred to men who had died violent deaths, 
 and others dealt with the regret a man feels for past 
 incidents in his life. These passages I found under- 
 lined and scored with pencil marks, with notes written 
 on them showing that a meaning attached itself to 
 them outside the covers of the book. Seeing me 
 looking at the book one day he took it from me and 
 gave me another copy for myself. I found after- 
 wards that he had accidentally killed his best friend, 
 a brother officer, by charging him in a frolic on 
 the way home from polo, and that this had never 
 really got off his mind. Though externally he 
 seemed a cheery, devil-may-care character, yet he 
 never could forget the loss of his friend and the 
 feelings that it awoke. 
 
 At Simla, Agnew, who was then A.D.C. to Sir 
 George White, the Commander-in-Chief, and I went 
 
164 LIFE IN THE HILLS 
 
 out to camp in the mountains. Everywhere were 
 lovely deodar woods with views that made one 
 gasp with delight ; and it was splendid exercise 
 climbing up and down the mountainside after 
 pheasants. It was just glorious ! Sir George White 
 suddenly turned up in our camp one day all alone. 
 He had walked over from Simla, which meant a 
 sharp descent of some two thousand feet, and then 
 an equally sharp climb of another two thousand in 
 a walk of something like twelve miles. He was 
 wonderful in the way of taking exercise, and used 
 to run his start off their legs in going for exercise 
 round the various roads in the neighbourhood of 
 Simla. There is a tunnel by which the main road 
 goes through the hillside at one spot, but it is so 
 narrow that a policeman is stationed at each end 
 to keep the traffic going alternately one way or the 
 other. On the occasion of a large garden party, 
 when all the rank and fashion of Simla in their 
 rickshaws were about to pass through the tunnel, 
 the policeman stopped them and held up the traffic, 
 and the news spread that the Lord Sahib was coming 
 through. The "Lord Sahib," I may remark, is 
 the title given by the natives both to the Viceroy 
 and to the Commander-in-Chief. Everybody waited 
 expectantly to see one or other of these magnates 
 riding through with all his glittering staff, instead 
 of which there came from the tunnel a single, solitary 
 figure, a tall, thin man in a singlet and flannels, run- 
 ning in more senses than one, and not a little startled 
 to find himself in the presence of Simla's society, 
 collected as if to receive him. It was Sir George 
 White. 
 
 On returning from our camp to Simla, Agnew and I 
 
DISGUISED AS A CORRESPONDENT 165 
 found that a theatrical performance was to take place 
 that night at the theatre, so we agreed to disguise 
 ourselves as two War Correspondents en route to the 
 Front. He was to be English and I Italian. We did 
 this just to puzzle the party to whose box we were 
 invited. We sat down to dinner at Agnew's house 
 in our disguises, and we were about three-quarters 
 of the way through our meal when suddenly his native 
 servant burst into an unnatural squeal of laughter, 
 for he had suddenly recognised me through my dis- 
 guise, having evidently until then supposed I was 
 a stranger. 
 
 We went to the theatre, and to the box where our 
 friends were already arrived, and, having gained 
 the assistance of an aide-de-camp of the Commander- 
 in-Chief, we got him to introduce us as two news- 
 paper men who had letters of introduction to Sir 
 George White, who hoped that they would receive 
 us and make us comfortable. This they did and 
 were most affable and charming to us, explaining 
 all the details of life in India in general and in 
 Simla in particular. Encouraged by our success here 
 we persuaded the aide-de-camp to take us round 
 between the acts and introduce us to many other 
 friends in other parts of the house, and none of 
 them seemed to harbour any mean suspicion of us. 
 Emboldened by this we went to our own supper 
 party, to which we had invited our friends. In the 
 meantime I wrote a note to a young officer of my 
 regiment who was then on leave in Simla, and asked 
 him to go and act on my behalf as host, as I was 
 detained on business. I begged him to be particu- 
 larly polite to two newspaper men, one an Italian 
 who had letters of recommendation to me. He was 
 
166 LIFE IN THE HILLS 
 
 most polite ! When we arrived at the door he not 
 only welcomed Agnew in high-flown English, but 
 he turned to me and in the most atrocious French 
 endeavoured to express his greetings. This very 
 nearly finished me. Although I was able to control 
 the. muscles of my face the tears were streaming 
 down from under my gold-rimmed spectacles, and 
 as I mopped my eyes he asked with extreme solici- 
 tude: "Est que vous etes malade aux yeux? " 
 And I replied in my best Italian-English : " Yees, 
 I am a little bit sick in the eyes." This became 
 thereafter a regular phrase in Simla if you asked 
 anybody how he was feeling. 
 
 We had a glorious supper with our friends, talking 
 all sorts of nonsense to them without being suspected 
 until the end of the meal. Then I pretended to get 
 a little the worse for so much good entertaining. 
 The ladies hastily withdrew and the men were getting 
 angry when we pulled off our wigs and disclosed 
 ourselves. From this it will be seen that we were 
 capable of being pretty frivolous, but I really think 
 a few days of it do a man a power of good, and I 
 was just about to return to Meerut to settle down to 
 the gruelling round of winter drills and work. 
 
 In India, as elsewhere, ragging breaks the mono- 
 tony of existence, especially for the victim. A fellow 
 seldom gets ragged without having given some cause 
 for it ; either he is dirty and wants washing, or he 
 has got some characteristic which needs toning 
 down. I got plenty of it and I know how good it 
 was for me. I have often heard it spoken of 
 by outsiders as bullying, but personally I have never 
 known it take that line. 
 
 I remember a horrid game we had at the School 
 
I AM BROUGHT IN DEAD 167 
 
 of Musketry at Hythe. Certain of us formed our- 
 selves into a fire brigade for the purpose of saving 
 life in the event of a conflagration, and we took every 
 opportunity of keeping ourselves fit for work by 
 practice. As soon as we saw a party of officers com- 
 fortably settled to whist in the ante-room after mess, 
 or congenially playing billiards together, a cry of 
 " Fire ! " was raised, and immediately one party 
 detailed for catching the victim rushed out and took 
 up position below the mess-room window, while the 
 second party of rescuers, shouting, "Smith's on 
 fire ! " would rush and seize Smith from amongst 
 his friends and carry him to the window and throw 
 him out, to be caught by those below. In the many 
 times that we did it, it only happened once that we 
 threw a man out of the wrong window. The party 
 were waiting for him at the next ; they got nothing 
 and he got a bad fall. But we were not a bit 
 sympathetic, beyond explaining to him that it was 
 our mistake and not his. 
 
 I took care to be particularly energetic in these 
 rescues in order to avoid being rescued myself, but 
 I fancy I must have overdone it, for one day while 
 lying asleep in the sun on the lawn some of those 
 who had been victims stalked and captured me, and, 
 before I well understood what they were at, they had 
 bound me to a plank, head and foot, a rope round 
 every inch of me. A gag was put in my mouth, 
 a sheet thrown over me, and I was carried to the 
 guard-room with the information to all whom it 
 might interest that I had fallen out of a window and 
 broken my neck ! To add realism to the affair 
 they had taken off my boots and socks and left 
 my bare feet sticking out of the end of the sheet, 
 
168 LIFE IN THE HILLS 
 
 and I was left for some time stretched on the table 
 before somebody had the curiosity to have a closer 
 look, and noticed that I was trying to signal for help 
 with my toes, 
 
 A new and original game was introduced into the 
 mess by a brother of our Colonel who came to stay 
 with him. We believed him to be a quiet, harmless 
 planter from Behar, and so he seemed throughout 
 the evening both during and after dinner, when he 
 remained watching us playing the fool in various 
 ways for our own amusement. But evidently 
 our ways did not strike him as original, and he 
 therefore invited us to play the great game of " The 
 Bounding Brothers of the Bosphorus/' and when 
 he had once shown us we joined most heartily in the 
 sport. The game had few rules about it, but a 
 certain amount of etiquette. The apparatus re- 
 quired was that all the furniture should be piled in a 
 heap about the centre of the floor and a writing 
 table placed a couple of yards from it. You were 
 expected then to clap your hands three times, 
 that was the etiquette of the game, then run at the 
 table and turn head over heels on it on to the pile 
 of furniture, shouting as you did so : "I am a bound- 
 ing brother of the Bosphorus ! " That was all. 
 Quite simple, but how it hurt when you landed on 
 the upturned legs of a chair or the side of a table ! 
 
 Another man with original ideas, I remember, 
 appeared one evening at the Curragh to add a zest 
 to life after mess. He suggested that we should 
 each put down a coin of the realm in a plate, and then 
 sally out to catch sheep, and the one who first brought 
 a sheep into the mess-room should take the pool. 
 No sooner said than done ! We all flung our coins 
 
 
WE BORROW SOME SHEEP 169 
 
 into the plate and started off, but as we hurried by 
 one of the nearest of the officers' huts we heard a 
 plaintive bleating coming from his bath-room and 
 we found that he had already taken the precaution 
 of securing a sheep before starting the idea of a pool. 
 Naturally we released the sheep and wrecked his 
 quarters ; still the idea was one that appealed to us, 
 and we then continued our hunt on this dark and 
 
 Sheep-stealing by officers. 
 
 windy night. I knew that in such weather sheep 
 were wont to gather by the covered cab-stand. I 
 secured my animal and after infinite labour of pulling 
 and hauling I eventually carried it home on my back, 
 to the detriment of my mess uniform, only to find 
 the mess-room already half filled with bleating, woolly, 
 smelly monsters. Before long the whole place was a 
 jam of sheep with a lot of very happy, dirty-looking 
 officers contemplating their captures. One had 
 unfortunately split his overalls in the effort, and in 
 
170 LIFE IN THE HILLS 
 
 order that he might not feel himself out of fashion 
 in this respect it became etiquette for all overalls 
 to be split for that evening. A good time for the 
 tailors next day ! 
 
 Having wandered back to the happy days at the 
 Curragh, another incident suggests itself to me. 
 At one time bridge-building was much indulged in 
 by the troops, and the officers, in order not to be 
 behindhand in the art, started out one evening after 
 mess to build a bridge. They went round their 
 own and their neighbours' stables and collected 
 every kind of dog-cart and vehicle that they could 
 find. Then mounting on the roofs of two neigh- 
 bouring huts they endeavoured to construct a bridge 
 from one to the other composed of carts. They 
 worked all night and by daylight had completed the 
 abutments, but there were not sufficient whole 
 vehicles left to complete the span ; but it was a fine 
 attempt, and photographic record was taken of their 
 handiwork. 
 
 Looking back on this it is amazing to think that 
 grown-up men could be such fools, or could be amused 
 by such nonsense. Yet I will wager that there is 
 not a man alive who enjoyed it as much as I did. 
 
 " Ding " McDougal was celebrated for his origin- 
 ality and want of taste in developing some of these 
 weird performances. I remember him at a great 
 ball in India going and standing under the chandelier 
 in the centre of the ball-room and quietly twisting 
 it round and round in one of the intervals between 
 the dances. When the next dance began he stood 
 there holding it until all the couples were merrily 
 at it, then he let go and the chandelier spun round 
 and round at a fearful rate, sending a spray of hot 
 
THE VAGARIES OF DING 171 
 
 candlewax in all directions on the shoulders of the 
 women and the uniforms of the men. How they 
 cursed him ! But they forgave him and laughed. 
 
 He also excelled himself one day when we had 
 arrived in a new station and were invited to become 
 honorary members of the Club. The secretary was 
 showing us over the premises and we were in the 
 dining-room, which opened into the ante-room. In 
 this room was seated a dignitary of the Church with 
 a tall hat and curved brim with strings leading from 
 the brim to the top. This attracted Ding's atten- 
 tion. He walked up behind to examine it more 
 carefully, and having had a good look at the hat, 
 suddenly bashed it down on to the owner's head, 
 and then retired into the dining-room and pelted 
 him with oranges while he was struggling to get his 
 hat off his eyes. Of course we were asked not to 
 become members of the Club after that. 
 
 Ding always was a nuisance, especially at polo. 
 He was a brilliant player and might have been 
 invaluable to the regiment, but he let us down on 
 more than one occasion by bringing into the match 
 a wild, tearing, racing pony which he wanted to 
 qualify for a polo pony race, or for sale as one which 
 had played in first-class polo. Play, indeed! It 
 was as much as he could do to get it on the ground 
 at all — and he was as good a rider as any in India — 
 much less get it to go for the ball. It was all very 
 well for him, but it did not help us to win the match. 
 
 But I was never one for the gaiety of social life 
 when there was a chance of getting out into the 
 wild, and as I have said, my experience of the hill 
 stations is not a very large one. On one occasion 
 I went to Mussoorie, a straggling station about three 
 
172 LIFE IN THE HILLS 
 
 miles in length, situated on a woody ridge. The 
 paths were rough with grit and exceedingly dusty ; 
 house refuse was chucked about on the slopes ; 
 untidy little shanties were all over the place and 
 smells were everywhere. The " society " was ex- 
 tremely mixed and included many with very foreign- 
 sounding names, who adorned themselves with all 
 the finery they could lay their hands on in imitation 
 of fashionable dresses — with a special eye for hats — 
 and their manners were of the highest class. There 
 were comparatively few English people. 
 
 On the night of my arrival I found that I was 
 expected to attend a grand Masonic banquet, at 
 which I was called upon to make a speech, and after 
 that to continue being funny until one o'clock in the 
 morning. This was merely the beginning. Invita- 
 tions floated in upon me for every night of the 
 following week, not to mention the cards and notes 
 reading, " Mrs. So-and-So wants me to bring you to 
 tea to-morrow, etc." They were all very kind and 
 I accepted every one with a grin, in some cases 
 two or three invitations for the same night. One 
 day, according to my diary, I seem to have taken 
 myself to task. 
 
 " You have accepted all these festivities," I told 
 myself. " You are engaged for a farewell dinner to 
 Colonel B. to-night, you are asked to come with a good 
 repertoire of songs and musical sketches ; to-morrow 
 
 you are to lunch with Mrs. , to tea with Mrs. 
 
 , to dine at the . Are you to do all these 
 
 things ? " . 
 
 " No ! " replied my alter ego. 
 
 " Well then, if it is not a rude question, what are 
 you going to do ? " 
 
I BOLT TO THE WILD 173 
 
 " I am going to make a bolt of it." 
 
 That is exactly what I did. Outside, the wild was 
 calling, and I packed up my kit, left a note to say 
 I was off to Chakrata, thirty-eight miles distant, and 
 started off secretly in a howling rain-storm. My 
 outfit consisted of James (my kitmutgar), " Special " 
 (my Arab pony), Jack (my pup), together with 
 four coolies, laden as follows : 
 
 My walking kit. 
 
 1. My clothes and bedding. 
 
 2. My despatch box and tea basket. 
 
 3. Our food and cooking-pots. 
 
 4. The ponies' blankets, corn, etc. 
 
 Down we trudged through the driving rain, wetted 
 to the skin in the first five minutes. The path we 
 pursued was cut in the steep hill-side with no view 
 but that of whirling mist and rain. In the evening 
 we by luck chanced upon an empty road engineer's 
 bungalow, where we laid a roaring fire, before which 
 I dried my clothes, then enjoyed a cold dinner and 
 slept in comfort. 
 
174 LIFE IN THE HILLS 
 
 The next day I was reminded of the civilisation 
 I had left by a picturesque looking old temple and 
 bang alongside of it a little modern building 
 like a Methodist chapel, but labelled " school." I 
 thought how much better the old was than the 
 new. For these people our modern efforts are not 
 required, their old style is more in keeping with 
 their character and country. It would be, I argued, 
 much better to convert our own people from drink- 
 ing and irreligion than these from a faith that for its 
 grip upon the herd is a much better one than our own. 
 
 That night I slept in a little engineer's bungalow 
 perched in a grand situation, overlooking a deep- 
 down valley with its fields terraced one above the 
 other like steps leading from the heights into the 
 depths below. Here I stayed a whole day. Occa- 
 sional showers and mists rolled across the mountains 
 and filled the valleys, now wrapping us in a white 
 fog, then breaking into holes through which I obtained 
 startling glimpses of brilliant green sunlit country 
 spread out far below. And so I continued day after 
 day at an altitude of some thousands of feet. 
 
 One day I chanced upon a beautifully situated 
 little dak bungalow, seven thousand feet up. It 
 was a clean little house, with a dining-room in the 
 centre and a bed and bathroom at each end, with 
 kitchen, stables, etc. The bungalow looked across a 
 little strip of lawn, on which " Special " grazed, down 
 into a deep valley below. Ranges of hills rose one 
 above another until they seemed piled up in the sky, 
 and if only the weather had been less misty I could 
 have seen above them a grand line of snow peaks. 
 I spent a delightful, lazy day at the bungalow, 
 writing and sketching, with Jack in close attendance 
 
THE PEACE OF THE MOUNTAINS 175 
 upon me. It was bright and warm, with cool, fresh 
 air, and no sound but the buzz of the bees (we got 
 excellent honey from the village a thousand feet 
 below), and the distant tinkle of a cow-bell, varied 
 by an occasional swish of "Special's" tail. Gazing 
 over the immense hills, and looking almost sheer 
 down into the deep valleys between, I felt like a 
 parasite on the shoulders of the world. There was 
 a bigness about it all that opened and freshened the 
 mind. It was like a cold tub for the soul. 
 
 The next day I could not tear myself away, so 
 voted myself another holiday. I obtained a splendid 
 view from the hill behind the bungalow. What I 
 had been thinking were giants (seven thousand 
 foot hills) I found were mere dwarfs and children. 
 Above them towered a far higher crowd of heights 
 and shoulders, twelve thousand to fourteen thousand 
 footers, I should think, and away above them were 
 furled the white mists that veiled the old hoary : 
 headed twenty thousand to twenty-five thousand 
 footers. 
 
 It is curious that all over these hills are innumer- 
 able paths, and you meet men staggering up and 
 down them with enormous loads on their backs, 
 generally bundles of twigs with leaves on, or great 
 slabs of slate. But I do not believe they are taking 
 them anywhere in particular. They are just like 
 ants going about aimlessly with their burdens. 
 They clothe their upper bodies in coarse dirty sacking 
 or canvas and leave their legs all bare to be admired, 
 for they are splendidly made. 
 
 The ladies of the country dress in a skirt and a 
 waistcoat (generally without any buttons on it) 
 and a long white linen coat with a band round the 
 
176 LIFE IN THE HILLS 
 
 waist, and on ordinary occasions a handkerchief 
 tied over their heads. Altogether very like Monte- 
 negrin women, bar the forage cap. 
 
 ^v 
 
 
 
 , - ix» -»<^<-m3 
 
 The local umbrella. 
 
 The last day I was there was a festive occasion, 
 a matinee going on somewhere, I should guess, as all 
 I met had enormous hats on. Things that looked 
 like small victorias without wheels and made of red 
 woollen coils with white wings of linen streaming 
 
AN UNINSPIRED GUIDE 177 
 
 behind — a sort of indescribable head-gear. As often 
 happens, as in Malta, for instance, although the 
 men have often good features, the women are all 
 hideous. 
 
 In the rain the natives all wear roofs or envelopes 
 on them in lieu of umbrellas. They are the shape 
 of an envelope, with one side and one end slit open, 
 and made of a thatch of big leaves laid on like 
 fishes' scales. The wearer walks about with the 
 upper part resting on his head : both hands free. 
 If stood up on end it makes a sentry-box, if stood 
 on its open side it makes a tente d'abri. There's a 
 tip for the Military Equipment Company — it has 
 already gone to the Boy Scouts. 
 
 One evening after a bath and delicious change 
 into dry flannels, I sauntered out to look again at 
 the old temple alongside the Methodist Chapel. 
 
 I saw also the village schoolmaster — a native, 
 of the oily sort, dressed in European clothes, walking 
 out round the village, with an umbrella up, but his 
 brass lota in his hand. Again an instance of the 
 attempt to blend the old and the new. 
 
 While I was looking at the quaint old temple, a 
 studious-looking native came and wanted to talk, 
 so I asked him if he knew how old the temple was, 
 and he said : " Lord of the poor, it is many years 
 old." Then I pointed out some carved panels and 
 asked the meaning of the different figures on them. 
 " That, most mighty, is the figure of a man. 
 This other one is not of a man but of a bird." 
 " M'yes. I can see that much for myself. But have 
 they no story ? What is the bird doing, for instance ? " 
 
 II Nothing, your Highness ; there is no story about 
 them. Perhaps he-who-is-my-father-and-mother 
 
 N 
 
178 LIFE IN THE HILLS 
 
 would now like to look at something more of interest, 
 
 our modern school ? " " Oh, get out " 
 
 Really, in fine weather, for an artist, this little 
 village, so close to Mussoorie, would give a very 
 good subject for a picture — the overhanging roofs 
 with wooden fringes supported by numerous struts, 
 the rich coloured woodwork of the deep balconies 
 and their quaint carving and dark shadows. The 
 houses are like big dolls' houses, too small to 
 stand up in ; and in order to see out of the little 
 peep-hole windows of the upper storey the inmates 
 sit on the floor. 
 
 I was concerned about poor Jack, who was in a 
 very bad way with a cough ; it seemed to shake the 
 life out of his small body. I boiled some bran and 
 made a big hot poultice in a towel, which I wrapped 
 all round him. I also put hot bran in a bag and made 
 him inhale its steam. He took it very well, whining 
 at the first heat of it, but settling down to endure 
 it quite quietly, poor little chap. The next day 
 I sent him on ahead in his travelling carriage, a 
 basket stuffed with hay and covered with a mackin- 
 tosh, carried on a coolie's back, with a letter to the 
 steward of the Club telling him what to do. 
 
 Even from the verandah of this bungalow the 
 hills all round were beautiful to look at. Clouds were 
 lying thick along their tops, but the lower slopes 
 were marvellous in colour : purple, blue, and violet, 
 that could scarcely be exaggerated in painting ; 
 but quite beyond me to attempt. The nearer slopes 
 were exactly like green velvet bunched up in folds, 
 whilst some eight hundred feet down was the river. 
 
 I was told before starting that the " road wasn't 
 anything attractive," none of the bungalows were 
 
THE CALL OF THE WILD 179 
 
 " what you would call prettily situated except per- 
 haps Churani Pani," and Lakwar, the one I 
 was in, was "positively beastly." Well, inside it was 
 dark, ill- ventilated and full of flies ; but from the 
 verandah the view was quite good enough for me. 
 
 
 The metamorphosis of the wanderer. 
 
 One man to whom I had confided my intention to 
 bolt from Mussoorie had laughed when I said I 
 proposed to take six days going and returning and 
 offered to bet I would be back in three or four days ; 
 but at the end of eight days I was sorry to be so 
 near home, in fact, if it had not been for Jack and 
 the uncertainty of news (as to whether I was in 
 command of the District yet), I should have been 
 inclined to stay out yet another few days. 
 
180 LIFE IN THE HILLS 
 
 In my spare time I studied Hindustani, and could 
 already read and write fairly well. 
 
 When at last I returned to the Club and civilisation 
 it was to find 4 telegrams, 10 official letters and 
 44 private ones awaiting me. " What a treat ! ,: 
 is the comment I made, according to my diary, and 
 thus I returned from the wild, unchastened in spirit 
 and very vigorous in mind and body. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 " TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT " 
 
 A Possible Interrogation — I Go in Pursuit of Tigers — 
 Smith-Dorrien at Work — The Party Meets — The Old 
 Hands — A Native Weakness — How to Beat for Tigers — 
 A Dead Enemy — A Native Village — Nearly a Fatality — 
 Camp Literature — I Become Doctor — I Get a Bear — 
 Camp Life — A Tiger's Wings — The Mahout — The 
 Tables Turned — Table Delicacies — Jungle Yachts — 
 The End of the Ghost 
 
 WHEN I had been in India for some five 
 years, 1 began to think of the future. 
 Some day I might die, and I should look 
 exceedingly foolish in the other world if, on being 
 asked how I had enjoyed tiger shooting when I was 
 in India, I had to confess that in all the years I had 
 been there I had never tasted this form of sport. 
 
 April is the month for tiger shooting. It is also 
 the month for pigsticking and hitherto I had always 
 indulged in this last form of sport. So I determined 
 to break away from my usual pigsticking, and to 
 take a turn in the jungle. I had an excellent 
 opportunity offered me, because there was going to 
 Nepaul a party that had, in the previous year, had 
 exceptionally fine sport, bagging over thirty tigers 
 in a fortnight. Sir Baker Russell had been one of 
 the party ; but he was not able to go on this 
 occasion, and I was therefore to take his vacant 
 place. 
 
 181 
 
182 TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT 
 
 On April 12, '98, 1 left Meerut and reached Bareilly 
 the next morning. With the usual perverseness of 
 Indian railways the train which was to take me on 
 from that place to Pillibhit on the Nepaul border 
 started half an hour before my train got in, which 
 condemned me to wait more than ten hours before 
 there was another train to carry me on. However, 
 I did not much mind the delay, as it gave me a 
 chance of seeing my friends in this station, including 
 Smith-Dorrien of the Derbyshire Regiment, who had 
 just returned from the front in Chitral and was 
 shortly to go off to Egypt on service there. I will 
 not say he was a lucky beggar, because I felt that of 
 all men he deserved to get on. [N.B. — Written 
 before this war.] 
 
 During the few days which he was spending with 
 his regiment between the two campaigns, he was 
 hard at work for the welfare of his men, working up 
 their coffee-shop and canteen comforts and his 
 cycling club, through which they could develop 
 health and amusement. I was glad of the chance of 
 seeing how he worked these things, and I afterwards 
 cribbed many of his ideas for doing the same in my 
 own regiment. In fact I arranged, then and there, 
 for the purchase of a dozen bicycles towards starting 
 our regimental biking club, which was afterwards 
 an enormous success, because we developed it into 
 a despatch-riding unit, which effected a great 
 saving of horseflesh and became a most efficient 
 means of carrying out communications for service. 
 At Bareilly I picked up two more of our party, 
 Major Ellis and Major Olivier, Royal Engineers, who 
 were both of them old tiger-shooters. A few miles 
 down the line we were joined by McLaren, of my 
 
THE OLD HANDS TALK 183 
 
 old regiment, and St. John Gore of the 5th Dragoon 
 Guards, and these completed our party. 
 
 During the rest of the journey we three beginners 
 sat agog while Ellis and Olivier told yarns of tiger- 
 shooting and of its dangers, each capping the other 
 with something more wonderful in the way of 
 adventures and close shaves. When they had 
 worked us up into a complete state of trepidation, 
 some of us volunteered to shoot quail for the pot 
 while the rest were out tiger-shooting, and being 
 of a modest disposition myself I agreed to look 
 after camp for the whole lot of them, as it seemed to 
 me that in a jungle so full of tigers as this one 
 appeared to be you had every chance of coming 
 upon a tiger even when you were merely harmlessly 
 quail shooting. For my part I felt inclined to let 
 sleeping dogs lie. 
 
 We arrived at the end of our railway journey late 
 in the afternoon and found that our faithful ser- 
 vants, who had been sent on before with our camp 
 equipment, had got dinner all ready for us at the 
 side of the line, and after a few more yarns on the 
 subject of tiger-shooting we turned in. It was 
 warm weather, and we slept in the open, that is we 
 slept as well as the yowling pariahs would let us. 
 Next morning we went on to our camp, which we 
 found pitched in a temporary native cattle village, 
 just in Nepaul. Native servants may always be 
 trusted to find the dirtiest bit of ground in the 
 country to pitch your camp on ! If they cannot 
 find a cattle-standing they will choose a native 
 village, and in time you become an epicure in odours. 
 
 Bala Khan, a local native gentleman and sports- 
 man, joined us here. He reported twelve tigers to 
 
184 TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT 
 be about in the district, but probably none in 
 to-morrow's beat. At dinner somebody remarked 
 that I was wearing M. C. C. (Marylebone Cricket 
 Club) colours without being entitled to them ; but 
 " the Boy " explained that I probably did belong to 
 the M. C. C, viz., the Margate Cycling Club ! 
 
 Bala Khan directing operations. 
 
 It was a great delight to be in shirt-sleeves and 
 cowboy hat, in camp once more. Our kits were 
 generally much alike, especially as regards thick 
 pads on the back to prevent sun-stroke, a very 
 necessary precaution. 
 
 Half our elephants not having arrived we went out 
 with the fifteen we had, each of us in a howdah, on 
 top of an elephant. A howdah is a cane-sided, 
 
A TIGER BEAT 185 
 
 boat-like car with seat for yourself and one behind 
 for a native. It is fitted with gun-racks, cartridge- 
 pockets, etc. My general armament consisted of a 
 •500 express, and a Paradox, or 12 bore, firing ball. 
 The other equipment carried in the howdah was a 
 chagul, or water-bottle, full of tea and lime juice ; 
 a blanket to roll up in if attacked by bees ; an 
 umbrella, gloves, and blue spectacles for protection 
 against sun, a dry shirt, a towel, a camera and 
 sketch-book, a yard measure, and a skinning knife. 
 
 Off we went, across country very like English 
 park-land ; but without the " antlered herds," and 
 plus the scent of flowering grass, a scent just like 
 that of the powder some women use ; it reminded 
 me at once of — well, to continue. All the country 
 here had been under water during the rains for a 
 width of ten miles and to a depth of twelve feet. All 
 green, wild, and gamey looking, very like Mashona- 
 land. 
 
 At a small straw-hut camp of cattle-grazers the 
 natives, women as well as men, came out quite 
 cheerily to talk and told us they had that morning 
 seen a tiger near by. 
 
 We went into the sal-forest, with its long stems, 
 small branches, and big, fresh, light-green leaves, 
 and on reaching a boggy stream with a tropical 
 jungle of canes, ferns, and reeds, we took up positions 
 for finding a tiger. Gore, Olivier, and I were posted, 
 I in the stream, they on each bank. The line of 
 elephants beat up the stream from about a mile 
 lower down ; the Boy in advance on one flank, the 
 Khan on the other, and Ellis working the line. 
 
 There we sat for an hour — watching. The twitch 
 of a leaf, or the rustle of the beautiful dark peacock- 
 
186 TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT 
 green doves pricked our excitement. But no tiger. 
 At last we could hear the line of elephants crackling 
 along ; but very cautiously. Then silence again. 
 Suddenly a bellowing roar — a screaming trumpeting 
 of elephants — yells of mahouts — bang goes a rifle — 
 jabbering — orders shouted — on come the elephants 
 — crash, splash — bang, bang — something tears 
 through the bush across my front and then fifty 
 yards to my left a grand, great tiger springs gaily 
 across the pathway. I banged at him as he dis- 
 appeared into the jungle, and then turned my 
 elephant and followed up with all speed. I saw him 
 canter, tail up, and enormous he looked too, into a 
 fresh patch of high grass and weeds. Again we 
 formed to beat him out, three of us going on about 
 half a mile while the line beat him up. Presently 
 we in advance heard a rifle report and then a 
 second. The mahouts shouted to each other and 
 we learned that the old brute had turned and charged 
 the line of elephants and had fallen to Ellis's gun. 
 
 It was now three o'clock and, while the mahouts 
 got a great net round him (the only way to get 
 sufficient hold of him, and an enormously massive 
 brute he was), and hoisted him on to a pad-elephant, 
 we squatted down to lunch on cold chicken and 
 lime juice and soda. We found our new camp 
 situated on a knoll in the sal-forest with a glimpse of 
 the hills between the trees. It was known as 
 Sinkpal Guree ; Stinkpal would have been more 
 appropriate. Voltaire says : " Le corps d'un en- 
 nemi mort sent toujours bon." He cannot have 
 smelt a tiger the day after it was shot. The next 
 morning we were quite reconciled to leaving our 
 beautiful camp on this account. 
 
 
WE BAG OUR QUARRY 187 
 
 When necessary to move camp, we would select a 
 
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 When the beat was over we would rush for the new 
 spot and find everything in readiness. The tents 
 and other paraphernalia were carried on our camels 
 
188 TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT 
 
 and bullock carts, and our drinking water (we brought 
 our own in iron tanks) on a bullock dray. 
 
 During the night of the second day our missing 
 elephants arrived in camp, which was very satis- 
 factory as it meant a far better chance of sport. To 
 counterbalance this good fortune, we found Ellis 
 looking very grey and tired ; he had got a touch of 
 fever, and had to lie up for the day in camp. We 
 others started with twenty-seven elephants in a 
 blazing hot sun. Our pad elephants carried us at 
 first, this being far more comfortable both for 
 elephant and man than a howdah, for a longish ride. 
 These are elephants with big mattresses or pads 
 fastened on their backs and are used for beating 
 the jungle and for carrying home the game when 
 shot. 
 
 Although the days should seem long with so little 
 shooting, as a matter of fact they do not. The sun 
 is blazing hot, and the elephants move so slowly, 
 but they are such interesting beasts to watch that the 
 time slips by very comfortably. Also one lives in 
 constant hope of a tiger, and there is always a world 
 of pretty scenery about. 
 
 The few small patches of cultivation had " mach- 
 ans," look-out platforms from which the natives 
 watch their crops and flocks against wild animals. 
 The natives were wilder-looking than those of the 
 plains, the men with shock-heads of hair ; yet their 
 huts were much neater and more comfortable, having 
 a small verandah in front, clean wattle and daub 
 walls, and a small " hall " inside the door with a 
 room opening off to each side of it. 
 
 On reaching the forest we got off our pad-elephant 
 cover-hacks and on to our howdahs. Again the 
 
THE ELEPHANT'S INTELLIGENCE 189 
 same plan of beating, two of us as stops posted at 
 the mouth of a swampy stream, the remainder of 
 the elephants beating it in line towards us. This 
 waiting for a tiger " donne une emotion," as the 
 Frenchman would say, especially when the line 
 approaches and you hear the elephants breaking 
 down small trees and dead branches, with a noise 
 just like guns firing, in order to frighten the tiger, 
 and then they come in sight in a close and formid- 
 able line that must push the brute on to you if he is 
 there. 
 
 This time he was not ; but at the last moment, 
 when the line was only about thirty yards from me, a 
 panther jumped up close to Gore, who had two shots 
 at him in the long grass ; but though we beat care- 
 fully for him we did not see him again. Then we 
 moved off two miles, and halted for lunch on the 
 bank of a river, where our elephants bathed while we 
 enjoyed the scenery and a cool breeze. 
 
 About sunset we turned homewards, doing 
 " general shooting." Beating out one bit of cover 
 we got shots at a lot of jungle fowl, just like small 
 English fowls ; they cluck and crow the same, 
 except that they say cock-a-doo instead of cock-a- 
 doodle-doo, but they fly like pheasants. We got 
 seven of them. On the way home my elephant trod 
 on a thorn. He stopped and held up his foot and 
 would not budge till the mahout had got down and 
 examined it. The mahout saw the thing but it was 
 broken short off in the foot, so he could not get it out. 
 He told the elephant it was all right, and the old brute 
 went on quite happily again and we got back to 
 camp after dark through a crowd of dancing fire-flies. 
 As Sir Baker Russell had not come on this shoot, 
 
igo TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT 
 the other fellows took to calling me " the General- 
 Sahib." But one night Olivier appeared at dinner 
 in a black velveteen coat ! We could not live up to 
 such form. As a matter of fact I had not any coat 
 to wear in camp so I felt I could not pretend to the 
 exalted position in the face of such rivalry, and I 
 determined to resign. 
 
 Although the sun was very hot in the day, yet the 
 air was cool whenever there was a breeze, whilst at 
 night it was quite cold. I put on a blanket about 
 midnight and a resai (quilt) about 3 a.m. 
 
 One morning before breakfast the Boy and I 
 drove off on a pad-elephant to the neighbouring 
 village of Dais, to see how the people lived and 
 whether they had any curios worth buying. The 
 houses are very neat and clean inside as well as out. 
 They were divided by partitions into several rooms, 
 one of which is the kitchen, well kept and tidy, 
 which, however, they did not like us to enter. They 
 had a few muzzle-loading guns and some inferior 
 tulwars. Their ordinary working tools, axes and 
 koorpies (grass-cutting chisels) they would not sell, 
 but the Boy bought a cow-bell, and I got a carved 
 club and a quaint iron lamp. We gave them two 
 rupees for the lot, at which they grinned and ex- 
 amined the rupees as if they had never seen such 
 things before. The women and children were 
 quite friendly and, after getting over their first 
 shyness, they crowded round and grinned to see 
 us so interested in their household odds and ends. 
 These people have the Chinese eyes of the Ghoorkas 
 and Thibetans, but the taller physique of the 
 Hindus. The women wear two braids of hair 
 looped across their foreheads. 
 
ATTEMPTS ON MY LIFE 191 
 
 That day we beat a large swamp south of the 
 camp, where the grass and reeds were so vast in 
 extent and thick and high that the elephants were 
 often completely out of sight in it. It was on our 
 return to camp that the incident occurred that 
 nearly brought my life and my diary to an abrupt 
 termination. Another sportsman riding up along- 
 side me on his elephant with his rifle lying across his 
 howdah accidentally let it off. Fortunately I was 
 thin and the bullet passed across my front without 
 perforating my corporation. I do not think I am 
 fated to be shot accidentally ; for this is not the only 
 time that I have escaped that sort of an end. Apart 
 from the ordinary shaves incidental to cover-shooting 
 at home, I have had others. I was missed by a mule 
 once. I am probably the only man who has been 
 shot at by a mule, although many have experienced 
 narrow escapes from asses. We had just buried a 
 man during a fight in the Matoppos, and his rifle had 
 been strapped on to the pack-saddle of a mule ; but 
 no one had noticed that the rifle was loaded and at 
 full cock. We noticed it a few moments later when 
 the mule walked on and in brushing past a bush 
 caught the trigger of the rifle on a twig, and the 
 bullet passed " between my ear and my skull," as 
 the Zulus say when they wish to indicate a narrow 
 shave. When forming a force for the defence of 
 Mafeking I went to inspect them in the manual and 
 firing exercise. They were put through the actions 
 of " Ready," " Present," and " Fire." Two or three 
 of them did more than merely go through the 
 action, they actually did fire, having forgotten to 
 unload their rifles after a previous lesson in how to 
 load. As I did not happen to be standing in front 
 
192 TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT 
 
 of a firer, I got nothing out of it ; the firers got a good 
 deal — of advice. 
 
 One night I heard a horrible noise which I took to 
 be my bearer clearing his throat, so I shouted to 
 him in plain terms what I thought of him and his 
 ancestors, and what I would do if he didn't move 
 further afield to carry on his concert. There was 
 no reply, till breakfast time, and then poor Ellis 
 mildly asked why he should be called a " soor " 
 
 
 
 Bagging a panther. 
 
 because he couldn't " help " having fever. The 
 word " help " has a double meaning, it is what our 
 dog used to say, as almost any dog will, when he had 
 been eating grass or was otherwise not feeling quite 
 well. 
 
 The flies were a great nuisance, at one time forcing 
 us to change our camp. At meals it was a case of 
 one hand hurrying the food into you while the 
 other kept the flies momentarily at bay. Somebody, 
 who went in for statistics about flies, has found that 
 if you kill two bullocks and give one to a lion to eat 
 and the other to a pair of flies, the flies and their 
 progeny will make a close race of it with the lion ; 
 
CAMP LITERATURE 193 
 
 both parties taking about two days to carry out the 
 job. Such is the rate of increase among flies. We 
 had been in this particular camp for three days and 
 there was more than one pair in residence when we 
 arrived. 
 
 I generally rode with the Boy. The literature he 
 had brought for light reading in camp and on the 
 elephant was very instructive, viz., the British 
 Almanac. He was always bringing out most instruc- 
 tive remarks, but neither he, nor any of us, not even 
 our four Whitakers, Encyclopaedias, etc., could 
 answer Bala Khan when he asked us the simple 
 question : " How far is the moon from the earth? " 
 Most of us knew the distance of the sun, and the 
 books gave us the distances of all the planets ; but 
 none give the moon. 
 
 We beat a likely looking river-bank jungle without 
 result, and afterwards some swamps, but never saw 
 a sign of a tiger. The grass was much higher, more 
 abundant and green this year than usual ; generally 
 most of it is burnt by the end of April. On the 
 way to our new camping-ground at Toti I sus- 
 tained a severe loss, namely, the old belt I wore 
 in Matabeleland. The hole at which I wore it 
 there speaks volumes for the large amount 
 of exercise and the small amount of food we 
 had, and the consequent reduction of my 
 " capacity." 
 
 At Toti Camp, too, I definitely resigned my position 
 as " Sir Baker Russell," and they then made me 
 doctor of the expedition. I got to work on Ellis 
 with a Dover's Powder and mustard leaf, having 
 diagnosed his fever as influenza, followed by Pyretic 
 Saline next morning. For Olivier I prescribed 
 
 o 
 
194 TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT 
 
 three drops of chloroform in half a bottle of 
 soda-water for headache without fever ; but I do 
 not suppose he took it. One of the cart-men, to 
 whom I was called, I found lying covered with a 
 sheet. He was supposed to be dead, having had a 
 cart fall over on to him. Finding no bones broken 
 I made him a liniment of vinegar and whiskey, 
 and gave him a podophyllin pill. He eventually 
 recovered from all of them. 
 
 Dandelion was as firm as a rock. 
 
 Our starts were invariably late, as we had to wait 
 for the return of the shikaries who go out at dawn to 
 look for tracks of tiger and then return with their 
 " khubber " or news. One morning they found 
 fresh tracks of two tigers. We got to the place, a 
 most likely looking nullah, in the forest, and beat it 
 carefully out, but nothing came. Then we tried a 
 second even better nullah, which almost felt as if it 
 held a tiger. We saw fresh spoor in several places, 
 but never a glimpse of a tiger. 
 
THE CLEVERNESS OF DANDELION 195 
 
 After lunch we reformed the line in the forest and 
 went straight through, beating up several likely- 
 looking bits of reed en route. I was moving as half 
 forward on the left when a shout from the line 
 warned us a bear had been seen. I was at the 
 moment in a deep ravine with steep sides. My 
 mahout looked anxiously round to find a good way out, 
 and seeing none he put " Dandelion," my elephant, 
 straight at it and we began to climb. Holding tight 
 inside my howdah I could see nothing in front till 
 suddenly " Dandelion ■ ' stopped and stood like a rock 
 hanging on in an almost perpendicular position. I 
 knew that with " Dandelion " this " freezing " was 
 like a setter's " point " and meant game afoot. I 
 jumped up and at first could see nothing, till a 
 moving tuft of fur along the top of the bank above 
 me showed where a great black bear was rolling along 
 at a lumbering canter. I let fly at him with the 
 Paradox at about forty yards and heard it thud into 
 him. He fell for a moment, and then was up again 
 and moving on when I gave him the second barrel 
 and he turned head over heels and then rolled 
 end over end close past us down to the bottom of 
 the nullah. Even then he struggled a bit and I 
 gave him another shot (which missed !) and another 
 which hit him in the shoulder close by the first ; my 
 second shot had hit him in the neck. Then I 
 jumped down and went and examined him. He was 
 a very big black bear, measuring seven feet two 
 inches, with a good coat. After this the world 
 seemed more cheerful and I thoroughly enjoyed the 
 view of him during the remainder of the homeward 
 beat, as he reposed on the top of a pad elephant. 
 
 It was evident that the floods or something had 
 
196 TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT - 
 vastly changed this country since the previous year. 
 Smith-Dorrien's diary of his party's trip shows that in 
 addition to a total of twenty-three tigers they used 
 every day to shoot several buck, besides seeing 
 unlimited numbers of them. We would see only 
 
 The spoil. 
 
 about five or six in a whole day. One beast that I 
 saw every day, and would like to get, was a very 
 handsome little dove. I had never seen him any- 
 where before. He lived only in the thickest swamp 
 jungles, and was very shy. He generally dashed 
 away the moment the elephants began beating and 
 there was seldom more than one of him in a beat. I 
 was often tempted to have a whang at him as he came 
 
A SENSE OF SMELL 197 
 
 whizzing past, but no general shooting was allowed 
 during a tiger beat, and I never saw him at other 
 times. 
 
 After dinner our skin-curer was showing us the 
 small bones, said to be rudimentary wing-bones, 
 which he had cut out of the previous days' tiger, 
 when one of them was dropped on the ground. For 
 a long time we searched in the grass with a lantern, 
 but in vain, till, going down on all fours, I played at 
 being a dog and, after a little " niffing " about, I 
 soon winded the missing link. These rudimentary 
 
 S^%#fe 
 
 
 Smelling out~"a7tiger's wing-bone. 
 
 wing bones are said to connect tigers with the 
 grifhn. 
 
 Our want of luck now resulted in a council of 
 war, and it was resolved to move on to Calcutta 
 (not the Calcutta) two marches from Camp Akadbully, 
 where we then were, where the jungle had been burnt 
 and two tigers at any rate were known to be. Al- 
 though we were getting no sport, yet the time was 
 very enjoyable and slipped by very quickly. Every 
 day was exactly like the last, and this was our 
 routine as noted in my diary. At dawn we awoke 
 and had tea, during which we would lazily chaff each 
 other and enjoy the cool air. The country round was 
 full of the noise of birds, the jungle fowl, especially, 
 
198 TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT 
 
 making it quite civilised with their cock-crowing. 
 The blue, misty view was very good too. At about 
 eight we would think of dressing, after which we 
 breakfasted in the open. By nine a dead stillness 
 would come over the forest and the sun was already 
 high and strong. Half an hour later the howdah 
 elephants came round to our tents to be loaded up 
 with guns, water-bottles, etc. Then came the pad 
 elephants and we mounted and rode off, umbrellas 
 up and goggles on, Ellis and the Khan on one 
 elephant, Gore and Olivier, the Boy and self. 
 
 This was the worst part of the day. From ten to 
 twelve it was dead, sweltering heat and no breeze. 
 About an hour's ride would bring us to the cover. 
 Here we would mount our howdahs and carry on the 
 beat. This was rather like a game. As in all 
 games, including the game of soldiering, you ought 
 to play for your side and not for yourself, the aim 
 being to get the tiger killed by the party, not merely 
 to get a shot at him yourself. A line of a dozen pad 
 elephants beat out the cover. The two forward 
 guns or stops are sent ahead to head him and stop 
 him going away forward. Two side guns act 
 principally as stops at all likely points of escape on 
 either flank. Guns with the line prevent him from 
 going back. The thing is to hold him in till the 
 guns are in a circle round him and he cannot escape. 
 We did it awfully well, but then we never had the 
 tiger to put in the centre. 
 
 The elephants move very slowly in the jungle, 
 about one and a half to two or three miles an hour, 
 thus much time is wasted in getting from one beat 
 to another. 
 
 About two o'clock we would halt for lunch under 
 
KEEPING COOL 199 
 
 a tree. One elephant carried a box of eatables and 
 drinks, claret and two bottles of soda-water per man, 
 and ice, which we got every two or three days from 
 the railway thirty miles distant. Lunch never took 
 more than half an hour, and then on we would go 
 beating till sunset. Then back to camp to tea. The 
 Khan would sit and talk and drink soda-water and 
 ice, while we had angostura bitters and soda. After 
 tea there was the tub, then dinner at 7.30 and bed 
 at nine. 
 
 Me! 
 
 During the heat of the day I wore a handkerchief 
 dripping wet under my topee and it kept the back 
 of my neck very cool, which is important when the 
 sun is so powerful that your guns are too hot to hold 
 without gloves. You cannot carry your white 
 umbrella while shooting, it is too conspicuous. 
 
 Olivier left us early on the 24th, his leave being 
 up, and to signalise his departure Ellis, who had 
 been getting gradually better, in spite of my medi- 
 cines, now complained of feeling very weak and 
 knocked up. So we left him in camp with mosquito 
 curtains and a book, and with orders to move to the 
 
200 TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT 
 new camp after the heat of the day was over. Of 
 course he started bang in the middle of it after 
 all. 
 
 The men of this country are lithe, well-made 
 chaps, not so squat as the Ghoorkas we enlist into 
 our regiments, but with the same Chinese face. 
 Their dress shows off the symmetry of their limbs 
 at any rate. On nearing our camp in the afternoon 
 Bala Khan called at a village where a good local 
 shikari lived. This man, a cheery, well-fed Ghoorka, 
 was delighted to see us, as a tiger had killed one of 
 his cows the previous day and another the day 
 before. It lived about a mile away in a little gully, 
 and drank at a certain stream. He knew all about 
 it and climbed on to an elephant to show the way. 
 What a change he brought on us. The day was no 
 longer hot, or the way long. We were all very wide 
 awake. When we got to the forest he showed us the 
 stream where the tiger drank, as a kind of proof of 
 words. " Where is his lair ? " we asked. " Oh ! 
 there," he replied, pointing generally all over the 
 forest. " And where shall we post ourselves ? " 
 " Oh ! anywhere. He'll walk past all right. A 
 most confiding tiger this ! And the biggest you ever 
 saw," etc., etc. Needless to say we beat and beat 
 and never saw a sign of him. 
 
 Next we moved from Daka-ki-garhi to Calcutta, 
 Ellis going with the baggage. Calcutta was a big 
 open plain south of the forest in which we had been. 
 The people were more like the ordinary Hindus, 
 they lived in wretched straw huts, had less cattle 
 and more cultivation than our late neighbours. 
 The plain was dotted with solitary peepul trees, 
 and big ant-heaps five to eight feet high, similar to 
 
THE MAHOUT 201 
 
 those in South Africa. I was sorry to see the moun- 
 tains dropping away into the distance again. 
 
 It is wonderful how the mahout drives his elephant. 
 He sends him on by digging his toes in behind his 
 ear, stops him by digging his ankus or hook into the 
 front of his forehead and pulling backward, hits him 
 hard with the flat of the hook on the side of the head 
 when correcting him ; and does much by word of 
 command. 
 
 My mahout, Kumala Din. 
 
 On the 6th Ellis left for Bareilly, unable to get 
 better in camp and evidently wanting better medi- 
 cines than I was able to give him ; better doctoring 
 he could not get. 
 
 One day we mounted our elephants and, for a 
 change, beat outside the forest, a swamp that runs 
 for three or four miles along the edge of the forest. 
 It was about two or three hundred yards wide, with 
 reeds ten to twelve feet high, in most places dangerous 
 bog. Having beat a lot of it without result we were 
 wearily on our way to beat the same bit again. At 
 last I felt hopeless and was dozing in my howdah as 
 " Dandelion " plodded slowly back to our post, when I 
 
202 TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT 
 
 was suddenly awakened by a rifle crack, quickly 
 followed by others from the people away behind us. 
 This is what happened. A tiger, tired of being 
 hunted by us, changed places, and quietly followed 
 us in our procession across the open plain. The 
 Khan happened to see him, and he and Gore saluted 
 the beast with a volley at two hundred yards, which 
 the tiger acknowledged with a whisk of his tail and 
 a smile as he lightly slipped away into the jungle. 
 
 Boiling with impotent rage we set to work and 
 fired his jungle-home and watched for his coming 
 
 
 
 Hunting the hunter. 
 
 out, but it was a hopeless job in the huge bog. As 
 a bonfire it was a great success. The forest took 
 fire, and the view from camp that night was very 
 fine. Gore remarked : "By Jove ! We shall be 
 put down for six new Nepauls, as sure as fate." 
 
 N.B. — It is customary, when through your own 
 carelessness you damage any article in the mess, 
 that you pay for six new ones to replace it. 
 
 After our return to camp, between tea and 
 sundown, we three, accompanied by Bala Khan, 
 walked out and shot a few quail. Quail shooting is 
 a nice sporting pastime, but these asses with me must 
 needs make foolery of it all by pretending that we 
 were tiger shooting. When a quail fell wounded you 
 would hear : " For goodness' sake, don't go in on foot 
 
THE COMMISSARIAT 203 
 
 to him. Wait till the elephants come up," etc. 
 Even the Khan himself entered into the spirit of the 
 thing. I did expect better sense from the Boy, for he 
 could play golf without even wanting to put on black 
 crape weepers, and that's more than 1 could do. 
 
 We greatly missed Ellis with his rich Hibernian 
 intonation and his : "Now, what I'm going to tell ye 
 is thrue, Johnnie. There's only three sardines left 
 
 With a whisk of his tail he disappeared. 
 
 for the five of ye, so it's no use for anny Johnnie 
 to take more than his fair share, or there won't be 
 enough ! Oi'll take wan and that will make the 
 division easier for the four of ye." 
 
 We were not to get any more of his surprise 
 delicacies, which were brought specially for Sir 
 Baker Russell's benefit. One night we had mince- 
 pies made with apricot jam and pie crust ; they had 
 got pounded on the journey into a solid mass and 
 were served up scalding hot. Luckily we dined in 
 the open and so had no carpet, and were able to say 
 
204 TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT 
 with Dr. Johnson, to his hostess, when he had done 
 with a cup of over-hot tea: " A fool, madam, would 
 have swallowed it." A fool might also have swallowed 
 the oysters that figured on our bill of fare another night, 
 but he would have been a number-one-sized fool. 
 
 While sitting in the howdah during a beat one is 
 visited by many strange characters ; spiders with 
 gold spots, spiders with long bodies with a splash 
 of whitewash on them, opal coloured spiders, praying 
 manthis looking like dead straws, and a, to me, new 
 kind of manthis, which I called the " Interested 
 Manthis " because he looks about him ; all these 
 and many others come to one, not to mention flies, 
 fleas, bugs, and bushticks. 
 
 On April 30 we were back again in civilisation 
 and our shoot was ended. We reached Bala Khan's 
 villa at Sherpur before noon, where he made us at 
 home during the day. The villa appeared like a 
 small square room, full of chandeliers and lamps 
 and coloured glass balls, with little rooms round it. 
 We lunched, dozed, and talked to the Khan and 
 his sons. One of them could talk English and 
 would suddenly spring upon us, d ftropos des bottes, 
 such a statement as : " The wind is now blowing 
 very furiously." 
 
 At Puranpur we were seen into the train by the 
 Khan and his sons, after being decorated by him 
 with tinsel necklaces, and having our handker- 
 chiefs perfumed with pungent sandalwood scent. 
 We noticed while at the Khan's house that the 
 hot weather had really begun, but by living out 
 in it we had got acclimatised. Now that we were in 
 a house and looked out at the glare or went out into 
 it, we realised that summer had set in. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 A FRONTIER ROW 
 
 The Value of the North-West Frontier — Village Warfare 
 — Readiness and Efficiency — How an Irishman Got a 
 Dog and a Breakfast for Nothing — Trouble in the Buner 
 Country — The Subaltern in War-time — The Pessimistic 
 Afridi — A Terrified Jehu — Sniping — The Morning of 
 the Fight — Sir Bindon's Dispositions — The Artillery 
 Triumphs — Touching the Button — Rock-rolling — An 
 Exciting Race — The Bravest Man I Ever Saw — The 
 Enemy in Retreat — An Exhausting Climb — The Tribute 
 of a Foe — The Trophies of War — Our Casualties 
 
 WE as a nation are exceptionally fortunate in 
 having a valuable training ground for our 
 officers in the North- West Frontier of India, 
 with real live enemies always ready to oblige in giving 
 us practical instruction in the field in tactics and 
 strategy, transport and supply, sanitation and ambu- 
 lance work, and general staff duties. If Waterloo 
 was won on the playing-fields of Eton, there are 
 many victories before us that will have been won 
 in the more practical fields of the North-West 
 Frontier. 
 
 Half of our good soldiers have made their names 
 in the first instance in this arena. Critics love to 
 disparage our " Sepoy Generals " ; but though 
 their tactics may not be suitable to European 
 warfare, they have at any rate learnt to handle men 
 in difficult circumstances. They have had to adapt 
 their common-sense to the situation ; they have 
 
 205 
 
206 A FRONTIER ROW 
 
 been faced with intricate problems of organisation 
 and supply, and above all they have learnt to know 
 themselves under the ordeal of war, which cannot 
 be imitated even in the best manoeuvres. Those 
 that have stood the test must ipso facto be the more 
 valuable soldiers for any field. Scarcely a single 
 year has passed during the last century in 
 which there has not been some fighting on this 
 frontier. 
 
 A peace advocate has suggested that, in order to 
 stop the numerous little wars in which we indulge 
 so frequently in different parts of our Empire, every 
 officer should on joining the service be awarded 
 half a dozen war medals, and that one should then 
 be taken from him for every campaign in which he 
 subsequently takes part. The idea in the promoter's 
 mind was that wars are brought about by officers 
 on the hunt for medals. 
 
 This can scarcely be said to be the case in the 
 Afridi and neighbouring countries. Why, the people 
 there just live to fight. It is their only joy and their 
 only business, their only relaxation. Consequently it 
 means constant preparedness and constant efficiency 
 on the part of our troops, ready to spring into action 
 on the shortest notice to protect the loyal tribes. 
 Even the most optimistic politician would hesitate 
 to assume that, in India, there would be six months' 
 notice in which to train our forces. It is thanks 
 to this readiness and efficiency on the part of our 
 frontier forces that the frequent outbursts by the 
 Hill men are so promptly stamped out in the spark, 
 before they can become the blaze which they would 
 quickly do under any " Wait and See " policy. The 
 average British citizen scarcely realises how much 
 
GATEWAY OF THE FORT, PATIALA 
 
A FIGHTING ATMOSPHERE 207 
 
 he owes to the frontier forces in keeping his money 
 market steady at home. 
 
 I remember sitting on the ramparts of Fort 
 Jamrud, at the entrance to the Khyber Pass, on a 
 calm and peaceful evening. Suddenly the crack 
 of a rifle echoed round the neighbouring cliffs, 
 followed by another and another. 
 
 " What is up ? " I inquired in some excitement. 
 
 " Oh, it is only that the women from that village 
 over there are going down to the stream to get 
 water. The other village is firing at them : they 
 do it almost every day. You see, there is a long- 
 standing feud between them. They have been at it 
 for years." 
 
 It was characteristic of the country that these 
 villages, only about a mile or two apart, though 
 both were under British protection, were always 
 banging away at each other. Sunk paths had been 
 dug by both to their respective water supplies for the 
 protection of water-carriers, and their daily work 
 was constantly carried out under fire. 
 
 Fort Jamrud stood by like a policeman, watching 
 but not interfering unless they actually broke 
 the law. The one law that they understood and 
 respected was that the Government road, the Great 
 Unbroken Road, was sacred ground. It ran between 
 the two villages, and the moment one of the villagers 
 set foot on the road he was in sanctuary and might 
 not be fired upon. 
 
 This incident is merely typical of the restless 
 righting atmosphere in which the whole of the border 
 tribes are bred and brought up. 
 
 It might seem to many that the soldier's life is 
 one continual round of efforts to find sport and to 
 
208 A FRONTIER ROW 
 
 enjoy himself. Few people realise that it is at the 
 same time a profession in which there is plenty of 
 hard work even in the piping times of peace. 
 
 Thirty years ago it was different, since the officer 
 was then more or less an amateur, and that 
 tradition still lives outside the Army. His men 
 were then long-service men, trained to vigorous 
 discipline by the adjutant and sergeant-majors. The 
 commanding officer relied upon his adjutant, and the 
 officers relied upon their sergeants, to know the work 
 and to do it. In many regiments it was not good 
 form to take an evident interest in your work ; and 
 to talk shop at mess involved a fine. But the men 
 were smart on parade and marched past like clock- 
 work. Things have changed since then. The officer 
 is now a professional soldier. He has, even in the 
 junior ranks, responsibility upon him. It is his 
 fault if his men or his horses are not properly 
 trained, or fail in efficiency at manoeuvres ; he re- 
 cognises this and works in season and out, studying 
 and instructing, and he takes a pride in his results ; 
 thus duty comes first in his programme and relaxa- 
 tion second. The result is an army of keen 
 experts, accustomed to act on their own initiative in 
 the field as well as in camp. I have to admit that 
 the men are better horsemen, better men-at-arms, 
 better scouts, and better behaved than their pre- 
 decessors, much though I loved these and deplored 
 their departure.* 
 
 A characteristic frontier row was that in the Buner 
 country. On January 5, 1898, I left Meerut, going 
 merely as a student to the front. It was a long and 
 
 * These words were in print before the present war broke out, and 
 results to date do not encourage me to modify one of them. 
 
THE CHARM OF THE IRISH 209 
 cold journey northward, past Umballa, Lahore, 
 Rawal Pindi to Nowshera. 
 
 On my way up in the train we stopped, at about 
 five a.m., at a small roadside station where the up 
 and down trains crossed one another. In the hovel 
 which stood as a refreshment room I sat down to 
 coffee with a stranger who was travelling down- 
 country. He was strongly sunburnt, bearded and 
 long-haired, dressed in a battered old helmet, 
 poshteen (native fur-coat) and worn nether-clothes. 
 In our hurried, scratchy meal of three minutes 
 duration his brogue told me he was an Irishman, 
 while he himself told me how he was just from 
 Central Persia, and was full of enjoyment at getting 
 back to civilisation once more. Then a whistle 
 sounded and he rushed out to catch his train as it 
 was moving off. " Pay my bill for me, my dear 
 fellow, and good luck to ye," he shouted as he ran off 
 along the platform. There a friendly dog ran up to 
 greet him. " Begob," he cried, " but that's a good- 
 looking baste," and seizing it by the scruff of the neck 
 he bundled himself and it into the train and was gone 
 — the richer by a breakfast and a dog, all free, gratis, 
 and for nothing. 
 
 The first glimpse of war came at Jhelum, where 
 the typical British subaltern on service got into the 
 carriage, helmet, pistol, poshteen, pipe, and putties, 
 but without a fox-terrier for once. He had his roll 
 of blankets and a Union Jack. While I was Sherlock- 
 Holmesing the reason for the flag, whether it was for 
 a general or for a funeral, he asked me to excuse him if 
 he turned in to sleep, as he was tired — had brought down 
 Hickman's body, killedin a fight up the Khyber the day 
 before yesterday, and was now off back to Peshawur. 
 
2io A FRONTIER ROW 
 
 It is always interesting to note the attitude of the 
 average subaltern when there is a chance of fighting. 
 Even the veriest youngster becomes something of a 
 veteran in his demeanour, short of speech, with a 
 certain underlying grimness of purpose in his bearing. 
 On the other hand, when you encounter a group of 
 men talking wisely of war, of strategy and tactics, 
 but in particular of the service they have seen, you 
 may always be sure they are non-combatants. 
 
 At Mardan I learnt that General Sir Bindon Blood 
 and his column had marched the previous day to 
 Katlunga en route to the Buner country and that 
 the road was merely a track. Leaving bearer and 
 baggage at the Dak Bungalow at Mardan, I took a 
 tum-tum, a kind of broken-down dog-cart, to 
 Katlunga. It was hard to find a driver to take one ; 
 they were afraid of small parties of the enemy being 
 about, or that they would be shot at when they got 
 near the hills. At last I got a man to go, but after 
 trying for a mile or two found that he could not get 
 his horse to go. Luckily at this juncture a very 
 tattered-looking shay, with a wild-looking Afridi 
 driver, came jogging along empty from the direction 
 of Katlunga. On being promised double fare he 
 agreed to take me there ; but he added that nothing 
 would tempt him to go beyond that place, not 
 Rs. ioo ! I said nothing. At Katlunga I found, as 
 I had expected, that Sir Bindon had gone on that 
 morning to Sanghao, close to the pass which he was to 
 attack at dawn next day and about eleven miles 
 distant. 
 
 So Beatty (Transport Officer) gave me tea while 
 his orderly gave a feed to the wretched pony of my 
 tum-tum, and off we went again. The poor driver 
 
A FATALIST 211 
 
 was now very sorry for himself and said that this 
 night would be his last. If the enemy did not catch 
 us en route and cut him up — he did not seem to care 
 what became of me — the cold would at any rate make 
 an end of him. I cheered him as well as I could by 
 telling him that he could only die once, and this was 
 not a bad opportunity, and that if we got into camp 
 all right I would present him with one of my own 
 blankets, which I afterwards did — my dear old 
 brown rug. It was an awful drive with the half- 
 dead pony, frightened driver, rotten cart, and bumpy, 
 bad road, and a chance of Ghazis. 
 
 The sun set and the moon rose and we toilfully 
 bumped along : but I liked it. At last, close under 
 the mountains, we sighted the layer of smoke from 
 our camp, and, at the same time, the bivouac fires 
 of the enemy twinkling all along the heights, which 
 gave me a throb of pleasure ; but the driver merely 
 moaned hopelessly. About a mile from camp the 
 pony gave out and I walked in, the driver carrying 
 my bedding. 
 
 Sir Bindon was most kind. I put up in Fraser's 
 tent, and met Fitzgerald (of the Blues) and Bunbury 
 (Political Officer) at dinner. In camp were two 
 Brigades (Generals Jeffry and Meiklejohn) including 
 the West Kents, the Buffs, the Highland Light 
 Infantry, the 20th and 21st Punjab Infantry, the 
 16th Native Infantry, the 10th Field Battery, R.A., 
 and two mountain batteries, a few native cavalry 
 of the 10th Lancers and Guides, and a battalion 
 of native Sappers. 
 
 While we were at dinner — bang ! bang ! bang ! The 
 enemy were firing into camp from the neighbouring 
 heights. Nobody seemed to take much notice. 
 
212 A FRONTIER ROW 
 
 This fun is called " sniping." Every ten minutes 
 they would give us a dozen shots or so, which some- 
 times were replied to with a sharp little volley from 
 the Lee-Metfords of one of our piquets. Some shots 
 fell among our horses, but did no damage. 
 
 At ten we turned in, and I slept like an angel, only 
 to half- wake once to hear the snipers still at it ; but 
 they did us no harm. One wit turned out of his 
 tent and called to the snipers : "A little more 
 elevation, you ! " 
 
 It was a clear, frosty, iced-champagne sort of morn- 
 ing. Of course our first anxiety on awaking was to see 
 if the enemy were still intending to hold the pass. 
 Fraser poked his nose out of the tent door, whilst I 
 put my head out under the fly where I lay. There 
 on the skyline we could see their standards, so all 
 promised well for a fight. 
 
 I did not wait for reveille to wake me, nor did I 
 take long to put on my clothes, having most of them 
 on already. While we were at breakfast, the leading 
 troops were already filing out of camp. Cavalry Scouts 
 first, then the Field Artillery, Sappers to make paths, 
 etc. ; everybody cheering each other or themselves. 
 
 The Buner country which Sir Bindon was about 
 to attack is divided from our territory by a pre- 
 cipitous range of mountains passable at three or 
 four places, and then only by very difficult tracks. 
 The General had sent small forces against each pass 
 simultaneously to make feints and, if they found it 
 feasible, to invade the country at several points. 
 The Sanghao pass he had selected for his main attack, 
 because it offered a better chance for the artillery. 
 Though called a pass it was merely a foot-track which 
 went through a narrow gorge about half a mile long, 
 
THE SCENE OF THE FIGHT 213 
 
 then turned to the right in a small basin in the hills 
 and ascended the heights by zigzags. 
 
 The enemy were holding the heights on their side of 
 the basin, and we proposed to make the near side our 
 artillery position, while our infantry got through the 
 gorge and scaled the heights, one battalion (the 
 20th Native Infantry) being meantime sent up the 
 mountain to our left, to seize the peak, 2,500 feet 
 high, and thence to enfilade the enemy. 
 
 The scene of action was only a mile from our 
 camp, and it was so cold that we walked instead of 
 riding. We found the mountain batteries moving 
 just in front of us, and the Highland Light Infantry 
 alongside us, with their pipers playing gaily and the 
 men cheering. Enough row to dishearten the Buners 
 before a shot was fired. Suddenly boom went the 
 first gun, the field artillery came into action at 
 nine o'clock exactly, and began shelling the standards 
 grouped on the sky-line. These standards were tall 
 narrow triangular flags about twelve feet high, with 
 tufts of black fur at the head of the flag-pole. 
 
 Presently we climbed the stony scrub-grown hill 
 in front of the enemy's position, from which we got 
 an excellent view. They were 1,200 yards from us 
 and several hundred feet higher than we were, with a 
 steep, open, stony slope leading up to their position, 
 on which our men could get very little cover from 
 their fire. The enemy had made low stone breast- 
 works and little forts (sangars) on all the best points 
 of their position, and we could see their heads looking 
 over them all along the line. In fact they were all 
 outside on the face of the ridge till the artillery 
 opened fire. 
 
 By 9.30 the mountain batteries had clambered 
 
214 A FRONTIER ROW 
 
 up our hill with their mules and come into action 
 just above us, while the Buffs climbed higher up on 
 the same hill to a position whence they could bring 
 effective long-range volleys to bear on the enemy's 
 sangars. With all three batteries in action there was 
 
 A Buner standard-bearer. 
 
 an infernal din ; every discharge went booming and 
 re-echoing all round the basin of hills, and the shells 
 exploding at the other end doubled the row. With 
 eighteen of these banging off one after another the 
 row was incessant. The practice they made too was 
 excellent : each shot burst directly against a sangar 
 or over a group of standards, and the enemy 
 
ADVANCING TO THE ATTACK 215 
 gradually got very chary of showing themselves. But 
 directly there was a lull in the firing up came all 
 their heads again. Here and there a man got up on 
 a rock and waved his sword and harangued his pals 
 or yelled at us, while others in the sangars stood up 
 and reloaded their long muzzle-loading jezails. 
 
 They fired a few shots at us now and then, but the 
 distance was too great for them : nevertheless we 
 found it best not to stand in too much of a group near 
 the General, as some whistled over us. It was 
 curious to see how coolly the enemy took the artillery 
 fire, with the shells bursting close round them : 
 they evidently watched the guns, and directly one 
 fired they bobbed down till the shell had burst, when 
 up they all came again like jacks-in-the-box ; I saw 
 one or two hit while doing this. 
 
 During this preliminary artillery fire, the infantry, 
 almost unseen by the enemy, were creeping into the 
 basin below, through the gorge : first the 21st 
 Punjabis, then the Highland Light Infantry, then 
 the West Kents and finally the 16th Bombay 
 Infantry ; but it took them over two hours to do 
 this half mile of narrow rocky defile, which had been 
 barricaded by the enemy. Meanwhile, over a mile 
 away to our left, the 20th Native Infantry (Afridis) 
 had been sent to climb the mountains and make 
 a flank attack on the enemy's position. They started 
 at nine ; but, although they were good hill-climbers, 
 it was past eleven before they were on the ridge 
 ready to commence work. 
 
 There was a bit of a lull in the artillery fire at about 
 11.30, when the General, from his post of observation, 
 seeing that all was ready, signalled for the attack to 
 begin. Just like " touching the button," we did the 
 
216 A FRONTIER ROW 
 
 rest. The West Kents moved up out of the basin 
 at its far right-hand end to the so-called pass on the 
 enemy's left. The 21st Punjab Infantry and the 
 Highland Light Infantry commenced to clamber up 
 the face of the centre of the position, while the 20th, 
 upon the mountain, advanced against the peak 
 which was held by the enemy's right party. 
 
 The enemy at once rose to the occasion. Fresh 
 standards began to appear at all points, coming up 
 from their hiding places behind the ridge, until there 
 were twenty-nine of them fluttering and waving in 
 the breeze. The men crowded into the sangars and 
 began blazing away with their long guns at the 
 troops below. Then one or two came out and 
 prized up great rocks and sent them hurtling down 
 the steep face of the mountain. It was fascinating 
 to watch one of these rocks rolling over and over, 
 faster and faster, knocking chips off other rocks as it 
 bounded from them in its mad descent, then taking 
 a clear leap over a cliff of a hundred feet or so and 
 splashing down among the stones of a water-course, 
 going faster till it was flying through the air, then 
 plunging out of sight into a ravine, to reappear a 
 second later, tearing on lower down, banging from one 
 side to the other of the nullah till it disappeared out 
 of sight in the thick bush of the basin below us. 
 
 The troops, having been warned of these rock- 
 rolling games by experience in previous fights, always 
 kept well out of ravines, but it served the enemy's 
 ends all the same because, by keeping on the spurs, 
 the troops necessarily exposed themselves all the 
 more to the rifle fire. But on this occasion the enemy 
 did not get a fair chance with their rifles, as our 
 guns and our long-distance infantry firing started 
 
THE BRAVEST MAN I EVER SAW 217 
 with redoubled vigour, now the attack had begun, 
 and did not leave the enemy alone for a second. 
 They could not put their heads over a sangar with- 
 out being fired at, and our troops had now got the 
 range accurately. 
 
 It was an exciting race to see which regiment 
 would get at the enemy first, but it was a very, very 
 slow one. Our men crept up in thin little lines like 
 ants, just the same colour as the rocks, the glisten 
 of their bayonets, which were now " fixed," serving 
 best to show us where they were. My new German 
 field glasses were perfect beauties. I could see the 
 enemy and their gesticulations to one another as 
 if they were close by. I could almost understand 
 what they were talking about. 
 
 At one point several of the enemy in one of the 
 sangars stood up and began openly firing and hurling 
 rocks down on the 21st, without as usual bobbing 
 down again to take cover. Some of the mountain 
 guns turned on them accordingly, and one shell burst 
 just on the sangar and another a moment later just 
 in front of it. Three men jumped out of the sangar 
 and rushed, through the smoke and dust, down the 
 face of the hill towards our men. Presently two of 
 them stopped, ran along the hill and then turned up 
 again over the crest ; but the third man kept on. 
 He was a splendid sight, with his loose blue clothes 
 flying out behind him and a big glittering sword in 
 his hand. He sprang rapidly from point to point, 
 still going downwards. At first it seemed as if he were 
 making for a big rock to roll down, but he passed it. 
 Coming to a bit of a precipice, he stopped a moment 
 to find a way of descent ; then, after carefully creeping 
 down, once more he took up his running, leaping pace. 
 
218 A FRONTIER ROW 
 
 We now realised that his intention was to come down 
 and attack the British force single-handed. Mean- 
 time spits of dust kept jumping up near him : our 
 men were firing at him but it did not seem to affect 
 him in the least. Suddenly he stopped and went a 
 
 The bravest man I ever saw. 
 
 bit slower. He was hit. He halted for a minute, 
 and tearing a piece off his puggree he bound it round 
 his wounded knee. Then picking up his weapon he 
 came on again, shaking his sword threateningly and 
 eager to get at us. It was a grand sight to see this 
 one plucky chap braving certain death for his faith. 
 Suddenly he tumbled forward, rolled over a rock, 
 and lay in a huddled heap — dead ! 
 
THE ENEMY WITHDRAWS 219 
 
 Now began a great fusillade up on the peak on the 
 enemy's right. The 20th up near there had helio'd 
 to us that the enemy were holding the peak, and now 
 they were driving them out. Unfortunately we could 
 see nothing of the fray, it was all beyond the crest : 
 but we could hear the cheering and yells and tom- 
 tomming of hand-drums, which the 20th carry. 
 
 Suddenly there broke out a lot of firing at the 
 other flank of the position ; the West Rents were 
 getting close up to the top of the pass, which was 
 barricaded and held by the enemy. The guns soon 
 cleared the way, however, with a few well-placed 
 shells, dropping them one after another exactly into 
 the right spot. 
 
 Then the volleys began again, quite loud and 
 distinct on the high peak, and soon we saw our men 
 not only on the top but also on the enemy's side of it. 
 One or two of the standards in the central part of the 
 position began to move : they disappeared below 
 the skyline, and did not come up again. Soon the 
 others followed suit and in a short time none remained 
 visible. The 20th on our left and West Rents on the 
 right, who had now crowned the pass, were firing 
 volleys down into the valley at the back of the 
 position. The enemy had left it. There was cheer- 
 ing all over the place. 
 
 The Highland Light Infantry and the 21st were 
 still toiling up the face of the position, but they 
 reached the crest a few minutes before two o'clock 
 and laced in a few volleys. 
 
 The guns with one accord cocked their muzzles 
 a bit higher and sent their shells high over the ridge 
 to burst well on in the valley beyond, among the 
 flying enemy. 
 
220 A FRONTIER ROW 
 
 We climbed down into the basin, where we found 
 an orderly with sandwiches and drink ; the field 
 hospital there reported no casualties so far. Then 
 we started up by the path of the West Kents. It was 
 already crowded with carriers laden with the blankets 
 and coats of the regiments in front, which they were 
 bringing up to enable the men to bivouac for the 
 night. Mules were trying to go up, but it was found 
 impassable for them. The Sappers, too, were at 
 work on the path, so there was a regular jam of us 
 all. Scrambling over rocks, crawling under bushes, 
 climbing, and blowing like a grampus, I got along 
 well, and in an hour I was at the top of the pass, 
 minus a pound or two of adipose tissue, but plus a 
 great feeling of delight at seeing well into the Buner 
 country. 
 
 The enemy had got away out of sight, taking then- 
 dead and wounded with them — bloodstains on the 
 rocks showed that they had some — and the West 
 Kents were already two miles down the valley in 
 pursuit of them and occupying a large village, 
 which they found full of supplies and sheep, etc. 
 
 Making my way down the face of the heights to 
 get back to camp I found it very steep. I followed 
 much the track of the Ghazi who had charged down ; 
 it was marvellous how he could have come so fast. 
 At the place where he had gone slowly I had to 
 hang on by my eye-lids, and the man coming after 
 me said it was too " hairy " altogether, and took 
 his boots off for it. Even then he did not succeed 
 until he was, I believe, handed down by four sepoys. 
 
 I went to the place where my friend the Ghazi 
 had fallen and found him there, a fine-looking chap 
 of about thirty : he had been first wounded in the 
 
THE SEPOYS PLEASED 221 
 
 right thigh, and then in the face. He was a real 
 hero. I quite envied him, for he was the bravest 
 man I ever saw. Two sepoys of the regiment that 
 shot him came down to have a look at him, and paid 
 what I thought a very good mute act of respect to a 
 plucky enemy, by stretching him out and laying his 
 sheet over him. It seemed strange to me, while 
 looking on the impressive sight of the man who had 
 deliberately courted death for his faith, and had 
 found it, to hear Tommy Atkins from the Boro' 
 Road " Wot-cheering " his pal on the next hill. 
 
 After a very warm bit of work in climbing down I 
 at last reached the " basin," which was now crowded 
 with the mule transport, all being turned back from 
 the pass till the road could be made. I got into the 
 backward stream and went with it through the 
 entrance gorge. Though amongst mules, there was 
 no danger of being kicked, they had not room to kick. 
 
 I turned out again to see the regiments returning 
 to camp drumming and cheering, as happy as 
 possible. The 20th swaggered in with three stan- 
 dards and a sword. This latter they had taken from 
 a Ghazi who had charged them and whom they had 
 captured. They did not fire at him but let him come 
 right up to them, and then several went for him at 
 once and disarmed him. The sepoys were pleased 
 with themselves, but very annoyed with the artil- 
 lery, who, they said, had fired too much and had 
 driven out the enemy without giving the infantry a 
 fair chance of going at him with the bayonet. The 
 enemy left twenty killed and sixty wounded. 
 
 We had only one casualty, one man of the 
 Highland Light Infantry shot through the chest, also 
 one man and two mules fell down the cliffs and were 
 
222 A FRONTIER ROW 
 
 killed. One officer was hit on his field glasses and one 
 sepoy was knocked over by a stone. This absence 
 of casualties was due to the work of the artillery, who 
 never allowed the enemy to do any straight shooting. 
 
 That night I had a hospital stretcher to sleep on, 
 instead of the ground, as the previous night, and I 
 looked forward to sleeping well after one of the most 
 enjoyable days I had had for a long time, and I was 
 not disappointed. I never turned over till reveille, 
 and then I turned out and, after a cup of cocoa, was 
 off homewards before the others were up. News 
 arrived in the night that the cavalry had got over 
 the next pass (Pirsan) all right and were well in the 
 enemy's country. I sent my blankets in the rickety 
 cart in which I had come, and rode the General's 
 pony as far as Katlunga, having a sowar orderly as 
 escort and to take the pony back. 
 
 This was the sort of field day which is a very 
 frequent exercise with the troops in those parts and 
 has been so for a hundred years past. From Pesha- 
 wur as a centre I attended many of them in the 
 Sanghao Pass, the Malakand, the Bara Valley, etc. 
 The week before I reached Peshawur the inhabi- 
 tants had been disturbed by a good deal of firing in 
 the night, the morning explanation of which was 
 that a party of Afridis had surrounded the guard- 
 house of one of the regiments and had attempted to 
 rush it in order to obtain a few rifles : but the 
 sentry was too alert for them, he sprang into the 
 guard room and slammed the door in their faces. 
 The guard promptly opened fire on the marauders 
 through the windows, to which they replied for some 
 time, and then found it advisable to clear back to 
 their hills before they got cut off. 
 
TENNIS IN WAR-TIME 223 
 
 Peshawur, being so central to the raids and rows 
 of the frontier, is very little disturbed by war. I 
 was sitting watching a tennis tournament there one 
 afternoon with a number of ladies, nurses, and 
 children. The booming of guns could be heard in 
 
 The 5th Bengal Cavalry. 
 
 the distant passes, and there passed along at the back 
 of our seats a procession of dhoolies, stretchers, 
 and ambulances, bringing in dead and wounded 
 from the field. But it created very little excite- 
 ment, and the game went on without interruption, 
 for that to the players was an everyday incident. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE JUNGLE PEOPLE AND SOME OTHERS 
 
 Curious Playmates — The Tragic Story of Algernon — 
 Snakes and Their Ways — An Unpleasant Bedfellow — 
 An Ungrateful Patient — Some Good Friends — The 
 Clown's Mishap — A Murderer — A Curious Trait — 
 Bucephalus — A New Use For a Melon Bed — A Horse 
 for a Lady — The Soul of the Camel — The Bullock's 
 Quest — Buck-hunting with Cheetahs — Black Buck 
 Shooting — The Panther's Ruse — The Moses of the 
 Jungle — A Sprightly Companion — A Panther in Search 
 of His Tail — The Trial that Failed 
 
 THE worst nightmare that I can imagine is 
 an India without animals, tamed and 
 untamed. It is a popular idea that the 
 sportsman's only interest in birds, beasts, and fishes is 
 as objects for his bloodthirsty skill in killing them. 
 A big-game hunter must know a good deal about the 
 habits of the beasts he tracks, and soon he becomes 
 keenly interested in them as personalities. I have 
 already told something of the remarkable personality 
 of the pig — by the way, I can never quite forgive Mr. 
 Rudyard Kipling for leaving out of The Jungle 
 Book due mention of the king of the country he was 
 writing about. Although I have given much space 
 to the boar, but not more than he deserves, it 
 may be interesting here to show another aspect of 
 his remarkable personality. 
 I had in my possession at one time a young wild 
 
 boar whom, for want of a better name, I called 
 
 224 
 
THE EDUCATION OF ALGERNON 225 
 Algernon. He lived loose in my compound and, 
 although surrounded by men and horses at all 
 times of the day, he never showed any disposition 
 towards becoming tame. It is true he would come 
 out when one brought food to him, and I think he 
 knew the difference between a white man and a 
 black ; for when I offered it to him he would approach 
 very suspiciously and make snaps at the food and dart 
 away again. When, however, my native servant 
 took the food out, the little brute went straight for 
 him, cutting at his legs with his diminutive tushes, 
 and driving him off with much skipping and laughter 
 before feeling sufficiently master of the situation to 
 tackle his meal. 
 
 It was an interesting sight to watch this future 
 little fighter training himself and developing his 
 activity by galloping round and round in circles, 
 and especially in a figure of eight past an old stump 
 of a tree, which he used to cut at with his tushes in 
 passing, first to the right hand then to the left, so 
 that he could deliver a cut truly and well when going 
 at full speed. He was also wonderfully active in 
 jumping fences about the grounds. 
 
 We had an old English mare which spent part of 
 the day grazing in the compound. She was an 
 exceptionally good pigsticker, owing to her natural 
 hatred of the pig, which was so great that she needed 
 no guiding or spurring when out hunting ; she wanted 
 to catch him on her own account as much as for the 
 rider's sake. When this mare saw Algernon playing 
 about the compound she used to go for him with 
 all the speed and vice at her command, and I 
 thoroughly believe that Algernon enjoyed the fun of 
 leading her on and running away before her. He 
 
 
 
226 THE JUNGLE PEOPLE 
 
 would jink and turn and take impossible fences in 
 order to puzzle her, and she followed him with ears 
 back and teeth showing, anxious to trample and bite 
 him if she could only reach him, which he took good 
 care she never did. But Algernon, in spite of his 
 cunning and his merry ways, met with a tragic end. 
 A lot of the dogs of the regiment got together when 
 we were away at a field day and hunted poor 
 Algernon down. He had evidently fought them 
 bravely, but was left bleeding and so severely torn 
 by them that we had to put him out of his misery. 
 
 Mare-baiting: Algernon's fun. 
 
 The deed was done not with a pistol or a club, but, 
 as was due to his race, with a spear through the 
 heart. 
 
 Snakes are one of the great drawbacks to life in 
 India in the rainy season. They get swamped out 
 of their holes then and are apt to prefer a dry house 
 to a wet garden. Often too in the summer, when 
 everything is baking hot, they like to slide into the 
 cool, wet bathroom and lie alongside your tub. 
 If they were harmless it would not matter, but so 
 many of them are nasty poisonous fellows. The 
 hooded cobra is common, and so is the krait, a 
 little thin chap of active habits. He has an un- 
 pleasant way of lying stretched out perfectly straight 
 along the edge of a rug, so that you don't notice 
 
THE WAYS OF SNAKES 227 
 
 him till you step on him as you are going to bed ! 
 He is very clever at climbing up a door, wriggling up 
 between a half-open door and the door-post until he 
 gets to the top, and there he stretches himself flat 
 along the top of the door and falls off on to you when 
 you shut it ! A native messenger, opening the 
 orderly room door one morning early, found a krait 
 coiled round the bolt. He only found it when he had 
 caught hold of it and had got bitten. He died 
 within a few hours. 
 
 One of our hospital servants sleeping on his 
 bedstead out in the open for the sake of coolness 
 was found dead next morning with a swollen arm 
 and two tiny punctures in it, showing where the 
 cobra, who had apparently endeavoured to share his 
 bed, had bitten him. 
 
 There was a great hubbub in my compound one 
 evening, and one of my syces was brought into the 
 house to be doctored. He had put his hand into a 
 hole in the wall where he kept his horse-brush and 
 had been bitten by a cobra who was lying in there ; 
 an immense cobra, judging from the pain of the bite. 
 To cut and suck the wound was the work of a 
 moment for me — except that I got somebody else 
 to do the sucking. Then I reluctantly got out my 
 treasured bottle of old brandy and poured some of it 
 down his throat and had him walked up and down 
 with orders that he must be heartily smacked and 
 kept awake at any cost. More brandy was ad- 
 ministered and the result was that instead of showing 
 any signs of dying he got into the singing stage, and 
 then became abusive, and finally wanted to fight any 
 six men, black or white, who would care to face him. 
 As he seemed now in a promising condition for 
 
228 THE JUNGLE PEOPLE 
 
 living, we left him and sallied out to kill the snake. 
 We jabbed and pried the hole without result, and 
 finally, after rigorous search, we discovered a little 
 scorpion there which had been the cause of all the 
 trouble. The subsequent smacking which that syce 
 got was not entirely meant to save his life, but in 
 some sort to get a return for the bottle of brandy 
 lost to me and for the trouble and anxiety he had 
 caused. 
 
 In India I possessed no better friends than the 
 horses I owned and rode. If you want to know to 
 what degree of intelligence and sportsmanship a 
 horse can attain you must play polo or stick pigs. 
 The man who has never pursued the boar may be 
 inclined to regard the horse as a mere pawn in the 
 game, participating only by virtue of his rider's 
 guidance ; but, as I think I have shown in a former 
 chapter, he is capable of thoroughly enjoying the 
 sport. 
 
 Horses have their idiosyncrasies just as men and 
 subalterns, and the more you become the pal of your 
 steeds, the more you will learn of their characters. 
 My second charger, the "Clown," was a very jolly 
 horse, but he had a weakness for lots of hair on his 
 heels, which in consequence looked more like a cart- 
 horse's, and he strongly objected to anyone cutting 
 or pulling it out. One morning I had three farriers 
 up from the barracks who came and did it to make 
 him presentable. As I was breakfasting at the mess, 
 a syce came running in to say that ' ' Clown' ' was dying. 
 I went out to see him and found him lying senseless 
 in his stable. He had tried all he could to stop them 
 clipping him and at last had tried, apparently, to 
 jump out of his skin, and in doing so had caught his 
 
JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE 229 
 
 head an awful crack against the wall, which had 
 stunned him. One of the farriers, instead of being 
 alarmed, utilised the occasion, saying : " Come on, 
 boys, let's clip him while he's silly," and they did so. 
 He recovered consciousness in about a quarter of an 
 hour and was led about staggering as if he were 
 drunk. For some weeks he had to have cold water 
 trickling on his head, and he finally recovered 
 entirely ; but he had cracked his skull and one could 
 feel the break across his forehead. 
 
 Shortly after this the "Clown" sadly disgraced 
 himself by killing one of Christie's syces by kicking 
 him in the spleen. I had gone to Christie's bungalow 
 to see him and he said : " Come for a drive with me, 
 and my syce shall take the " Clown " back to your 
 bungalow." I was at that time standing behind the 
 horse, leaning with my arms on his croup, looking 
 along his back, no one holding him, for he was the 
 quietest animal possible and had never attempted 
 to kick in the saddle. We went for our drive and 
 when we came back we heard that the syce had been 
 kicked by him and was very bad. Later on he died. 
 It was agreed by all that the syce must have done 
 something extraordinary to frighten the horse. 
 
 I once owned a horse who had formerly been 
 trained by a native. He was a splendid pigsticker, 
 but he hated having his bridle put on, and he was 
 a real fighting savage when one tried to do it. We 
 found the only way was to throw him down before 
 attempting it, and then to sit on his head and prise 
 his mouth open and force the bit between his 
 unwilling teeth. After that, when you were once 
 on his back, he was a charming mount and a perfect 
 pigsticker. But he had an evil, villainous touch of 
 
230 THE JUNGLE PEOPLE 
 
 the savage in him, and though, in the course of time, 
 I fell with or off most of my horses, this one was too 
 clever to fall himself, and his nasty temper so im- 
 pressed me that I, for my part, never dared to fall 
 off him for fear he should eat me. When following 
 a boar he seemed eager to vent all his rage upon it, 
 and would follow its every twist and turn, straining 
 every nerve to overtake and kill it. 
 
 On one occasion I bought a mare on her advertised 
 description. She arrived by train with a note from 
 her late owner saying that her only fault was that 
 she was difficult to mount, being extremely nervous. 
 As she had been two days on the journey, and boxed 
 up most of the time, I rather expected that the 
 difficulty of mounting her would not, at any rate, be 
 lessened. But I was somewhat surprised to find 
 that, beyond a sort of stiffening of herself and an 
 apprehensive look at me out of the corner of her eye, 
 she took my mounting quite quietly and without a 
 movement. As I settled myself comfortably in the 
 saddle, I thought : "It just shows that her last 
 master had not that indefinable something that binds 
 a lover of horses to his horse, that mutual sympathy 
 that will — well, I think we might go ahead now." 
 The mare was still standing like a rock, so I gave her 
 just a gentle kick with my heels to give her the office 
 to move. She moved all right, and so did I ; that 
 indefinable, bond was somewhat loosened. What 
 happened was not quite explainable, it was so 
 sudden. 
 
 At any rate, the next moment I found myself 
 landed, and standing on my feet near her head ; and 
 then she went bang, tearing mad. Not a bit content 
 with depositing me, she wanted to complete the job 
 
A DAUGHTER OF BUCEPHALUS 231 
 
 and get rid of her saddle. What a time we had ! 1 
 will not go into it here, but we had ten minutes' 
 genuine fun while she worked off some of her 
 hysterics, for that I verily believe is what buck- 
 jumping amounts to. When she had done we 
 exercised her by lunging her until she was tired and 
 glad to rest. Thereupon I essayed to mount her, and, 
 after she had fought and struggled a bit, I managed 
 to get into the saddle and she went like a lamb. Day 
 after day we had the same struggle at mounting : two 
 men held her, we blindfolded her and fed her on 
 carrots the while, but mounting was always a sort 
 of volcanic performance. But she never repeated 
 the standing rigid and the violent buck of the first 
 day, and the moment that one was on her back she 
 was a charming animal, highly strung, but sensible, 
 clever, and docile. 
 
 One day, when riding alone out on the plains, I was 
 obliged to dismount to pick up something, and the 
 thought came to me : " How shall I ever get on her 
 again without help ? " However, I made the at- 
 tempt, and she stood quite still and quiet, and I at 
 last discovered that the whole cause of the unusual 
 trouble at mounting was that she hated having her 
 head held by other people. It is true she was not 
 quite so nice when a stranger wanted to mount her, 
 but she had no objection to her groom, or to myself. 
 She was therefore not unlike Bucephalus, as des- 
 cribed by an ancient historian. 
 
 " Of Alexander's horse ' Bucephalus,' so long as 
 he was naked and without furniture, he would surfer 
 any man to come on his back ; but afterward, being 
 saddled and furnished, he could endure none but 
 Alexander, his Master. For, if any other offered 
 
232 THE JUNGLE PEOPLE 
 
 to come near him for to ride him, he first of all 
 terrified him with his neighing voice and afterwards 
 trod him under foot if he ran not away. 
 
 " When Alexander was in the Indian war, and 
 riding on this horse in a certain battle, he performed 
 many valiant acts, and, through his own improvid- 
 ence, fell into a certain ambush of his foes, from 
 which he had never been delivered alive but for the 
 puissancy of his horse, who seeing his master beset 
 with so many enemies received divers darts into his 
 own body, and so with violence pressed through the 
 middest of his enemies, having lost much blood and 
 received many wounds, ready to die for pain, nor 
 once stayed his course till he had brought his 
 master, the King, safe out of the battle and set him 
 upon the ground, which being performed, he gave up 
 the ghost and died, as it were comforting himself 
 with this service, that by his own death he had saved 
 the life of such a King. For which cause, after 
 Alexander had gotten the victory, in that very place 
 where his horse died he built a city and called it 
 ' Bucephalon.' " 
 
 A melon-bed serves only one useful purpose so far 
 as I know, and that is to cure a fidgety horse of his 
 restlessness. I saw one so used by Gopi Singh, the 
 aide-de-camp of His Highness the Rana of Dhole- 
 pore, in this wise. He was riding a j erky, fidgeting 
 horse, which, considering the heat of the morning, 
 was, as the British soldier would describe it, "a 
 regular treat." At last his patience came to an end, 
 and he quietly remarked: "I'll frighten the brute 
 into keeping quiet." Taking him short by the head 
 he rammed him at a low fence surrounding an 
 open melon bed ; the horse cleared the fence but 
 
A HORSE TO SELL 233 
 
 floundered heavily amongst the melons. Gopi seemed 
 to land on his feet clear of the horse, with the reins in 
 hand, and in a few seconds he had got it on to its legs 
 again, and was in the saddle and back over the fence. 
 The horse went like a sheep for the rest of the ride. 
 
 The true key to horsemanship seems to me to be a 
 thorough knowledge of the psychology of your 
 mount. Like a woman, a horse is subject to 
 moods, and, to continue the analogy, it is necessary 
 to coax them out of him with subtlety and a 
 knowledge of what is likely to do the most good and 
 at the same time do little or no harm. 
 
 In India, when anyone has a horse or other 
 property to dispose of, he inserts an advertisement 
 to that effect in the daily newspapers, giving full 
 details as to nature, quality, and price. This 
 system is carried out to a far greater extent in India 
 than in England, and since the advertisement nearly 
 always bears the name of the advertiser, fair and 
 satisfactory sales as a rule result. Owing to the 
 great distances that lie between the stations, many 
 of the buying and selling transactions are carried on 
 by post. Thus a varied, and often amusing, corre- 
 spondence comes to the man who has offered his 
 belongings to the bids of the public. A short time 
 back one seldom advertised a horse for sale without 
 receiving by return of post a communication from 
 some harmless old Anglo-Indian idiot, whose hobby 
 it was to ask a string of questions about every horse 
 that he saw advertised for sale, such as : " Has he 
 two white hind legs ? Has he a white nose ? Does 
 he rear ? " and other such odd questions as must in 
 some instances have subjected him to a good deal of 
 banter. 
 
234 THE JUNGLE PEOPLE 
 
 I have before me a correspondence that took 
 place between a certain sporting surgeon-major and 
 an equally sporting old lady. The doctor had 
 advertised a horse for sale as " a dun S. B. G." (stud- 
 bred gelding) " aged, good hack and pigsticker, and 
 a fast trapper, believed sound, price 200 Rs." The 
 would-be Amazon immediately wrote : " Please 
 
 A fizzer under a saddle." 
 
 state colour and sex of the horse you advertise, and 
 tell me, is he perfectly free from tricks and vice in 
 harness ? You say he is aged ; what is his age ? Is 
 he a willing and free mover ? Is he clean-skinned 
 and healthy ? Has he any defects about his body ? 
 Will there be any reduction in his price ? Will you 
 give your word that he will suit (sic) ? And what 
 about the railway fare — who stands that ? ,; 
 
 This catechism might have taken many an owner 
 rather aback, but the doctor at once perceived the 
 
THE OONTa 235 
 
 proper treatment to adopt, and replied as follows : 
 " Madam, In reply to your letter of the 9th inst., I 
 beg to state that my dun S. B. gelding, aged twenty 
 years last grass, is in harness as docile as the 
 sheep, but a nzzer under the saddle. Barring 
 an attack of Acaris scabiei his skin is as spotless 
 as that of the proverbial lamb, and as for health he 
 does not know what dyspepsia is. His only defect 
 is that his tail is set crooked. As regards his breed, 
 he is by Will-o'-the-Wisp out of Brian Boriuhe. For 
 a horse of his singular parts I could not think of 
 accepting a reduction. Hoping to have the pleasure 
 of sending him to you. I am, etc., etc." 
 
 Of the camel little can be said to his advantage. 
 He is not a lovable beast. " 'E's a devil an' an 
 ostrich an' a orphan-child in one." He has, however, 
 one supreme quality — philosophy. He is the most 
 stolid of beings, apparently entirely indifferent as 
 to what is going on round him so long as he can chew 
 the cud and curl his lips in contempt at men. 
 Wounds he will accept with philosophic calm, 
 merely giving expression to a grunt or an annoyed 
 gurgle when he finds that his inside has been 
 perforated by a bullet, and this is the only sign he 
 makes. Such an animal is extremely useful in war. 
 
 Another beast valuable for draught purposes in 
 war time is the bullock. He has all the stolid 
 characteristics of the camel, only more so. He does 
 not even grunt when perforated. He is invaluable 
 for taking into action the guns that the elephant has 
 hauled to the scene of operations ; for the elephant, 
 in spite of his size, is useless " when the guns begin 
 to shoot." 
 
 From long association with the bullock — and I 
 
236 THE JUNGLE PEOPLE 
 
 once went so far as to lecture on the subject — I am 
 convinced that he came into the world in order to 
 look for a suitable spot in which to lie down and die. 
 When he is pulling his great antediluvian wooden 
 " hackery " (cart) with its great creaking wheels, he 
 does it in an uninterested way, at the rate of a mile 
 an hour, with his nose near the ground, always looking 
 for the place. Mile after mile, day after day, 
 sometimes for years he patiently carries on his 
 quest, quite unmoved by all that goes on around 
 
 <**- _ 
 
 The cheetah's approach. 
 
 him, till one day he finds the spot. There is no 
 excitement, no cheering or skipping about ; he 
 simply lies down on it, chews the cud and quietly 
 dies, entirely unresponsive to kicks and twistings of 
 his tail. He is merely carrying out his destiny. 
 
 The Maharajah of Patiala introduced us to a novel 
 form of sport when he gave us an exhibition of buck- 
 hunting with cheetahs. The cheetah is exactly like 
 a big deer-hound with a leopard's skin and tail, and 
 a cat's head. He is carried on a bullock cart, with 
 his eyes hooded with a leathern cap. When a buck 
 is seen the cart is slowly driven round him in a grad- 
 ually decreasing circle. The buck does not suspect 
 a cart, and will let it come within fifty or sixty 
 

 . \ 
 
HUNTING WITH A CHEETAH 237 
 
 yards of him. The leathern cap is then taken off 
 the cheetah's eyes, his head is turned by the keeper 
 towards the buck and he is released. He at once 
 
 In full cry. 
 
 slips off the cart and walks towards the buck with a 
 quick, springy step and, on getting within thirty or 
 forty yards of his prey, he makes a rush at an 
 incredible speed, overtaking the buck, who is no 
 
 ^k<ii< 
 
 Aif unrehearsed effect. 
 
 slow mover, with enormous, sinuous bounds, till he 
 springs on to his back and, biting his neck, kills him. 
 In the first run our cheetah, " going all he knew," 
 came suddenly head over heels in a bit of rough 
 ground, and shook himself so severely that he did not 
 
238 THE JUNGLE PEOPLE 
 
 run well for the rest of the evening. In one run the 
 cheetah overtook the buck and, springing on to his 
 back, brought him to the ground ; but missing his 
 grip he slipped off and the buck sprang up and was 
 away again before he could catch him. Directly the 
 cheetah finds the buck has the best of him he stops 
 short in a most unenterprising way, and makes no 
 further effort to catch him. His keeper then comes 
 after him, offering him a ladle full of blood or a bit 
 of cheese, and so recaptures him. 
 
 One of the minor pleasures of cantonment life in 
 India is the sport of black buck shooting ; it gives 
 one healthy exercise with an object, and good meat 
 and pretty horns as a reward for good work. To 
 many there is a sameness about the sport which 
 makes it pall after a time ; but, personally, I never 
 failed to enjoy the stalking for which it opened a 
 field. Once at Muttra I undertook to shoot a black 
 buck within a quarter of an hour of leaving my house. 
 It looked an impossible feat if I took the ordinary 
 roads into the country round about ; but, instead 
 of doing that, I rode down to the river bed and 
 straight across into a wilderness of ravines on the 
 opposite bank. Here within ten minutes of starting 
 I came across a fair buck. It was in the rainy 
 season when the grass was up and green, and I had 
 had my khaki clothing dyed a brilliant olive to match 
 the surroundings. I was creeping cautiously to- 
 wards my quarry when I heard a sort of snort behind 
 me. Looking quickly over my shoulder, I found 
 that I was being followed by a chinkara, or ravine 
 deer. His curiosity was excited by seeing what he 
 supposed to be a big lump of grass on the move. 
 Twisting my forward half round I had a hurried 
 
BLACK BUCK 239 
 
 snapshot at him which luckily struck him through 
 the heart. He had a splendid head of his kind, 
 which when measured proved to be almost a record 
 for India. It was a remarkable fluke to get him thus 
 close to the house and without stalking him myself. 
 
 Among the several black buck I have shot, none 
 gave me greater satisfaction than the one I got when 
 on the line of march with my regiment. Far out on 
 the plain near our road we could see a fine buck 
 keeping abreast of us as we went along, evidently 
 very lively and very startled at our presence there. 
 I rode off in his direction, with a sort of hope of 
 getting a shot at him with my pistol, but he would 
 not allow me to come anywhere near him, and there 
 was little or no cover by which I could approach. At 
 one point on the plain, however, there was a pair of 
 brick pillars supporting a wheel above a well, and 
 presently I managed to bring these in line between 
 the buck and myself, and thus concealed from him I 
 galloped as hard as I could up to the well and sprang 
 off my horse. Cautiously peeping round I saw the 
 buck standing at a distance of about eighty yards 
 from me, facing my way and gazing suspiciously at 
 the cover behind which I was hiding. I took aim 
 and fired, and the buck turned and sprang away, 
 galloping a few yards and then jumping a low mud 
 wall. I turned at once and mounted my horse to go 
 after him, but when I looked for him after mounting 
 I could see no sign of him anywhere about the plain, 
 and on riding up to the wall I found him lying dead 
 just beyond it. The shot had entered at the point 
 of the shoulder and the bullet had shattered itself 
 into his heart. 
 
 Once I made a lucky shot and got a really big 
 
240 THE JUNGLE PEOPLE 
 
 black buck when riding home after dark. It was 
 bright moonlight and the animal ran across the road 
 in front of me and then stood gazing while I passed. 
 I took as good an aim as the light would allow, when 
 it was very difficult to see my sights, and fortunately 
 shot him dead. My luck was not out when, on 
 another occasion, I was pursuing a small herd of buck, 
 and from my horse I fired at one just at the moment 
 when a smaller buck came in between us. The small 
 buck bowled over dead, shot through the neck, and I 
 was looking regretfully at the larger buck who was 
 galloping away in the distance, when suddenly he 
 sank and rolled over also. My bullet had gone through 
 the neck of the first buck and into the one beyond, 
 and so I got two at one shot. 
 
 The jungle animals will often show something 
 which, if not actual reasoning power, is certainly 
 closely akin to it. I very well remember a panther 
 whose strategy very nearly saved his skin. During 
 a tiger beat a panther was seen by the line, but just 
 at the end he turned back between the elephants. 
 The beat was changed about, and we forward guns 
 were sent to await him at the opposite end of the 
 cover. I was posted on a high river-bank. As the 
 line approached the panther was reported just in 
 front of it moving towards us. Presently I saw him, 
 or rather the spot where he was, the grass waving 
 and just a sort of outline of his back as he cantered 
 along between me and the next gun. 
 
 Cramming our hathies (elephants) along at full 
 speed we shoved on and in a few minutes had posted 
 ourselves round the grass on its landward side. The 
 line of beating elephants formed in the grass and very 
 soon Mr. Spots was seen moving before them 
 
MR. SPOT'S RUSE 241 
 
 towards us. His spots were not noticeable ; he looked 
 merely like a great tawny cat, just like a lioness. I 
 could not shoot for some time as he kept in a direct 
 line between me and the beating elephants. When 
 
 \r- 
 
 -3 
 
 M, 
 
 i*i&v& 
 
 1 m v<i -f 
 
 w -?> i_r> 
 
 The panther who reasoned. 
 
 he moved to the flank of them I fired, and almost at 
 the same moment Gore, to whom he was nearest, 
 fired too, and he fell in a heap. 
 
 All the elephants formed up round him and we sat 
 admiring his fine spotted skin while he gave a few 
 final gasps. To make sure that he was dead my 
 
 R 
 
242 THE JUNGLE PEOPLE 
 
 mahout threw his iron driving hook (gusbar or 
 ankus) on to the beast a couple of times, recovering 
 it again by its lanyard, and he did not move. As 
 he still gasped, we cleared the ring of elephants from 
 one side of it for somebody to give a final shot as 
 coup de grace. Somebody, it was not I, fired, and 
 missed ; at least the shot went through his ear. 
 The panther, thereupon, finding his little ruse 
 was no good, got up and trotted away ! Another 
 shot fired after him annoyed him and he turned round 
 and came for us. Yet another shot rolled him over, 
 but still he came on, then two simultaneous shots 
 dropped him stone dead. If he had not turned back 
 his ruse would in all probability have saved his life. 
 
 Once when out shooting and pigsticking in the 
 Kadir near Meerut a native gave us information 
 that there was a panther in a certain bit of grass 
 jungle which he pointed out to us. Let me here say 
 what is the difference between a panther and a 
 leopard. It is a frequent topic for argument 
 between people who fancy themselves in natural 
 history. My version, and it is quite good enough 
 for all ordinary purposes, especially as it auto- 
 matically guides you in sticking to the point with 
 which you began your argument, is this : the two 
 animals are one and the same generically, but the 
 panther living at ease in the plains grows fat and big, 
 while the leopard living a hard life in the mountains 
 and crags remains thin and active. The memoria 
 technica for remembering this is that the panther, 
 being fat and big, pants ; while the leopard, skipping 
 about the crags, leps from rock to rock. 
 
 This is a digression. To continue my story. 
 We directed our elephants into the patch of high 
 
HUNTING A TAIL 243 
 
 grass in which the panther was said to be. Presently 
 as we swished through it my animal gave a sudden 
 half-shy and then paused, sniffing with her trunk. 
 Peering down into the grass I suddenly saw a small 
 patch of spotted, furry hide alongside a tuft of grass ; 
 it looked like the forefoot of the panther and was 
 twitching as if about to start to run, so I took quick 
 aim and fired with my rifle though the grass immedi- 
 ately behind it in order to hit the animal in the body. 
 No result. The small patch still remained twitching 
 and finally moved, and then I saw that it was a 
 wee little panther cub just able to crawl. So I slid 
 off my elephant and picked it up and took it home 
 with me. 
 
 The cub grew and flourished and became, as a 
 kitten, a great favourite with everybody, especially 
 with my fox-terrier pup. These two spent most of 
 their time gambolling and rolling over together, 
 with intervals in which both lay fast asleep to 
 recuperate. After a time the kitten began to grow 
 into a lumbering hobbledehoy, with great loose 
 limbs and strong j aws, and in size about double that 
 of the dog. Then their games began to result very 
 frequently in yowls on the part of the dog. The 
 cub's mouthing became painful to him, as indeed 
 it also did to me, and my hands soon began to be 
 punctured and torn with his endearments. 
 
 Then he developed the stage of being hunted by 
 his own tail. He would career round the garden at 
 full speed, and into the house, on to the table in my 
 sitting-room, whisk round swishing everything off 
 with a crash, then with a bound he would clear the 
 sofa and pounce on to the matting, which he would 
 scrabble up with his claws ; then out of the window 
 
244 THE JUNGLE PEOPLE 
 
 like a streak of yellow paint, into the verandah and 
 on to my breakfast table, where a smash up of 
 crockery sent him off in a pretended panic round the 
 garden again. I could never feel angry with him, he 
 made me laugh so. He was at no time what could 
 be called down-hearted. He used to walk out with 
 me and the dogs ; but as he grew older, instead of 
 becoming more obedient like the dogs, he became 
 more and more wild and unruly. 
 
 One day when out walking I met some ladies whom 
 I knew. I stood talking to them with the panther 
 and dogs at heel. Presently the breeze caught the 
 lace edging of a lady's petticoat, which at once 
 attracted the interest of Mr. Spots. He pricked his 
 ears, his head gradually went more and more side- 
 ways as he gazed with fascination on the twinkling 
 lace. " What is it ? " he thought. " Is it alive ? No. 
 Yes, it must be. I believe the darned thing is 
 laughing at me." Phit — chumm ! and he suddenly 
 sprang, claws and all, at the lace. The lady whisked 
 her skirt out of the way with a scream. This was 
 too much ; he set to work to claw the whole thing in 
 dead earnest, and I don't know where he would have 
 stopped if I had not got him by the collar and hauled 
 him off by main force. But in spite of these little 
 outbreaks he was a great delight to all of us. 
 Shortly afterwards I had to leave India and I offered 
 my charming panther to anyone who would like 
 to have him. I gave a twenty-four hours' trial of 
 him to anyone who thought of taking him. Lots 
 of people tried him but none applied for him as a 
 permanent gift, so I eventually sold him to Jamrach. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 " THE ELEPHANT'S A GENTLEMAN " 
 
 My Sentiment About the Elephant— His Mathematical 
 Mind — " Dandelion's " Idiosyncrasies — Her Courage in 
 the Face of an Enemy— The Elephant Who Died— A 
 Problem in Sanitation— The Jungle Shirj— Sea Legs— 
 The Genius of the Elephant— His Timidity— Jock's 
 Victory— The Duchess of Connaught's Adventure— 
 The Elephant's Caution— He Utilises Human Material— 
 A Malefactor Flogged by Elephants— The Elephant in 
 War — An Elephant Fight 
 
 OF all the animals in India none exceed the 
 elephant in personality, and therefore he 
 must have a chapter to himself. 
 I could never bring myself to shoot an elephant. 
 I have been among them in the wilds and have had 
 to do with them tamed ; I love to watch them, and 
 I like to use them, but my respect for them is far too 
 great to allow me to shoot them. It strikes me as an 
 impertinence to put an end to a wise old creature a 
 hundred and fifty years old and of such massive 
 proportions. He is a link with prehistoric times, and 
 I would as soon blow up the Tower of London as 
 shoot him. I have been glad to find myself sup- 
 ported in this idea by that splendid young sportsman 
 and explorer, the late Boyd Alexander. He, too, 
 confessed his dislike for shooting an elephant, and 
 when he had actually done so his remorse for bringing 
 about death on so large a scale forbade him from ever 
 repeating the experiment. 
 
 245 
 
246 THE ELEPHANT'S A GENTLEMAN 
 
 There is something uncannily human about the 
 mind and doings of an elephant, and no one recog- 
 nises this more fully than the mahouts, the men who 
 look after them, whose influence over the great 
 beasts is remarkable. If any have doubts on this 
 subject they need only go to Burmah and watch 
 the elephants piling teak, to see that they have a 
 mathematical mind and an idea of arranging the 
 
 The triumph of mind over matter. 
 
 logs with absolute symmetry and of applying their 
 strength in the best way for balancing and levering 
 the heavy timber. 
 
 The elephant which I used in Nepaul had a name 
 which resembled " Dandelion/' and therefore I always 
 called her by that name. She was a delightful beast 
 to ride, and seemed to enjoy raising you on her 
 trunk to put you on her back, and would then carry 
 you with the greatest care, yet with speed and ease, 
 through the jungle. When standing at the jungle 
 side it seemed impossible for her to be still for a 
 single moment. She was perpetually dancing a 
 
THE ELEPHANT WHO DIED 247 
 kind of shifty jig from one foot to the other. When 
 she was not blowing sniffs of dust over her shoulders, 
 she kept swishing the flies off with the branch of a 
 tree. Quick and restless, she was never still ; but 
 the moment game was afoot she " froze," and stood 
 like a rock. 
 
 It did not matter what the nature of the game 
 might be, peacock or jackal, partridge or tiger, all 
 were alike to her ; and pushing through the jungle 
 she feared none of them. A wounded tiger might 
 charge, roaring and clawing, and spring at her head, 
 but she stood it like a rock. One animal alone she 
 did fear, and that was a boar. It was enough for 
 her to scent him or to hear him rushing through the 
 underwood, and she would turn tail in the neatest 
 way and shuffle off in the greatest haste for safety. 
 
 The elephant is a noble animal for transport, since 
 .he can carry such enormous weights and can drag 
 what would break the hearts of many horses. But 
 he has his drawbacks wheri on service. He takes a 
 great deal of feeding with expensive fodder. When 
 he gets a sore back it is an enormous thing to deal 
 with ; and when he dies he is an awful clog on the 
 sanitary arrangements. One died at Kandahar in 
 1 881, and I have not got the remembrance of him 
 out of my nostrils yet. He was too big to move, so 
 they tried to burn him, but only succeeded in 
 roasting portions of him ; the remainder they tried 
 to bury by piling pyramids of earth over him, but, 
 as the days passed, the earth was found not to conceal 
 all that was underneath it. When a change of wind 
 came and blew in the direction of Kandahar, it 
 became a question whether or not the city should be 
 evacuated. In the end adventurous spirits were 
 
248 THE ELEPHANT'S A GENTLEMAN 
 sent with slabs of guncotton on the end of poles ; 
 these they inserted in strategical spots within the 
 carcase and blew it to bits. The different portions 
 were then harnessed on to camels and towed away to 
 places where they could be buried separately. 
 
 I have often thought, when out pigsticking in the 
 Kadir, how like to a ship an elephant is, from a 
 spectator's point of view. The great sea of long 
 grass, with the distant belts of trees on either bank 
 of the Jumna, might .veil be the Thames at the Nore, 
 with a fresh breeze blowing across it. Then comes 
 an elephant " reaching " across, only the upper part 
 of him showing above the grass, heaving along and 
 passing my horse exactly like a sailing-vessel passing 
 a fishing-boat. When you are on the elephant he is 
 even more like a vessel, as he rolls along surging 
 through the grass and from time to time swishing 
 water from his trunk over his chest. Even when he 
 is halted he keeps rolling and heaving about like a 
 ship at anchor in a breeze. When you change from 
 your pad elephant to the one with a howdah, he is 
 run alongside, and as the two roll together you step 
 on board just as from a tender to a ship. When the 
 elephant is moving about the jungle, as you stand 
 in your howdah you feel just as if you were standing 
 on the bridge of a steamer. At first it is difficult 
 to keep your balance, but having got your " sea- 
 legs," you feel it when you get on terra firma again 
 at the end of the day. The ground seems to be 
 heaving and rocking and you walk as if filled with 
 new wine. 
 
 Elephants are very clever at getting over bad 
 ground. They push their way through impenetrable- 
 looking thorn jungle. In places where young trees 
 

 THE GENIUS OF THE ELEPHANT IN OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES 
 
THE GENIUS OF THE ELEPHANT 249 
 
 are growing close together they just shove their 
 foreheads against them or twist them with their 
 trunks and send them crashing down with a snap 
 like a pistol-shot in order to make a path for them- 
 selves. 
 
 When they come to a deep nullah they gently 
 slide down into it with their forelegs, kneeling with 
 their hind legs until sure of their balance. In 
 climbing out they reverse the process, kneeling with 
 their forelegs and helping themselves with their 
 trunk, and it often feels to the man in the howdah 
 that the whole show is going over backwards. They 
 use their trunk as a fifth leg, especially in boggy 
 ground. When an elephant gets bogged, a pole is 
 thrown down before him and he walks out on it as 
 if on a tight-rope. 
 
 Once when we were pigsticking one of our men 
 fell with his horse in the very thick, high tiger-grass. 
 On recovering himself he could not find his spear. 
 An elephant was brought up and was told to search 
 for the missing weapon, and, after fumbling about 
 with his trunk in the jungle of grass, he presently 
 lifted out the bamboo and handed it up to his 
 mahout. But the head of the spear had broken off 
 and was missing. Again he was told to search and 
 for a long time he searched without effect, but at last 
 to our surprise up came his trunk with the missing 
 spear-head. I do not know how the mahout conveyed 
 to the beast the idea of what he wanted him to 
 find, for neither he nor the elephant could see the 
 article ; he could only feel for it. 
 
 Clever and astute as they are, elephants are at the 
 same time strangely timid. I remember once, when 
 strolling down a road in the neighbourhood of 
 
250 THE ELEPHANT'S A GENTLEMAN 
 Lucknow with my little fox terrier, we met a very 
 highly-bedecked rajah riding on a huge elephant 
 covered with gold trappings and coloured cloths. 
 He was coming along with great majesty, the native 
 wearing a highly supercilious air as he looked down 
 on the white man. But he reckoned without the 
 little dog. The moment Jack saw this huge monster 
 approaching me, he ran out barking and snarling at 
 it. The elephant stopped in his tracks, shied 
 violently, nearly upsetting the whole paraphernalia, 
 then, whisking round with incredible quickness, he 
 scuttled off at a great pace down the road, kicking 
 up a mighty dust, absolutely regardless of all the 
 kicking and hitting and swearing on the part of his 
 mahout. 
 
 Elephants are not entirely respecters of persons, 
 nor are they always on their best behaviour. 
 Occasionally they go " mast," that is half -mad, for a 
 day or two, and then there is no holding them. The 
 worst of it is that the fit often comes on quite 
 suddenly. The Duchess of Connaught had an un- 
 pleasant experience of this in India. Her Royal 
 Highness, with Lady Baker Russell, was mounted on 
 an elephant to look on at some pigsticking, and all 
 was going very well when their mount suddenly took 
 it into his head that he had had enough of that fun 
 and was going to look for something more exciting on 
 his own account. An elephant has a large head, and 
 when he gets a notion into it it takes a deal of banging 
 to knock it out again. His mahout tried that course 
 with the iron hook which the driver uses for pulling 
 up his animal. But on this occasion it had no effect, 
 and the elephant began to shamble off in a new 
 direction. In response to the outcry of the mahout 
 
A MURDERER 251 
 
 another elephant was quickly rushed in pursuit and 
 he was fortunately ranged up alongside of the run- 
 away before he got up speed, and thus the ladies 
 were safely transhipped from one to the other. 
 
 It was not a pleasant experience, because, although 
 a ride on a runaway elephant on an open plain 
 might be an exciting if not an alarming adventure, it 
 meant every probability of a catastrophe in a wooded 
 country where he might run among trees. And 
 that was the case here. Luckily the ladies got off 
 with nothing worse than a few minutes' excitement. 
 The elephant went on and was absent without leave 
 for several hours before he was recaptured and 
 brought back. 
 
 An elephant will never go on to dangerous ground 
 without first very carefully testing it. Thus if you 
 try to ride him over a small bridge, he will stop and 
 tap it very carefully with his trunk to see that it is 
 sound enough to bear his weight, and even then he 
 will put one foot very carefully forward to test it 
 before he will allow his full weight to go on to it. 
 Similarly in crossing a river he is most careful not to 
 get into a quicksand. 
 
 When my regiment were on the march near Delhi 
 and were fording a river, it happened that one of the 
 baggage elephants felt himself sinking in the mud. 
 Seized with panic, he made a grab at the nearest 
 coolie, who was wading near him, and with his trunk 
 shoved him down under his feet. As quick as 
 lightning he grasped another and yet another and 
 jammed them down in order to give himself a more 
 secure foothold. He killed the coolies and saved 
 himself. But, as is the case when an elephant 
 disgraces himself, he was tried by a sort of jury of 
 
252 THE ELEPHANT'S A GENTLEMAN 
 mahouts and they condemned him to wear a heavy 
 chain bracelet round each of his fore-legs for the 
 rest of his natural life, a hundred years or so. 
 
 I once saw an elephant flogged. We were resting 
 in the midday heat in camp, and this elephant was 
 standing lazily munching some sugar-cane while his 
 mahout lay on the ground alongside him asleep. 
 For some reason the elephant did not like this man 
 and, seeing his chance, he suddenly pounded his 
 great foot down on to him, meaning to crush him. 
 Fortunately for the man he was lying a few inches 
 beyond the reach of the elephant's foot, so, instead of 
 catching him fully, it merely tore the flesh off one 
 thigh. There was immediately a hullabaloo in camp, 
 and the elephant was seized and marched off between 
 two other elephants and tied up to a tree some 
 distance from the rest. Then the other nineteen 
 elephants were formed in a long string, and each one 
 was armed with a short length of chain which he 
 carried in his trunk ; they then marched past the 
 culprit, and each one, as he went by, slung his trunk 
 round and gave the victim a tremendous wallop 
 with the piece of chain. Some of them seemed to do 
 it with a peculiar kind of vicious pleasure which 
 made him squirm. 
 
 Elephants are used for dragging the heavy siege 
 guns while on the march along the road, but, as I 
 have said, they cannot be trusted in action as, owing 
 to their timid disposition, they are quite apt to turn 
 tail and bolt with the guns just at the time they 
 would be wanted to advance. 
 
 There is something stupendous about a fight 
 between elephants. It is not a thing that any 
 human being has been privileged to see in the jungle, 
 
DUTCH COURAGE 253 
 
 but it is a very usual form of entertainment offered 
 by rajahs for the amusement of their guests on great 
 occasions. Picture to yourself a deep courtyard among 
 the outlying walls of a native palace. The tops of the 
 walls all round are lined with a crowd of onlookers 
 in the brightest of garments, which gleam in the 
 sunlight in brilliant contrast to the sombre shadows 
 of the blank walls and of the empty arena below 
 them. This last is simply an earth-floored court- 
 yard with a small mound at one end. The mound 
 is a kind of pedestal, just large enough for an 
 elephant to take his stand upon it. It is the 
 "sanctuary." The animals seem to understand 
 that when one of them takes refuge there he is no 
 longer to be attacked ; he has given in and has 
 acknowledged himself defeated. 
 
 Many elephants require to be dosed with raw 
 arrak (rum) shortly before they are brought into the 
 arena, in order to develop a sufficient fighting spirit 
 for the encounter. The amount of the nip has to be 
 nicely adjusted according to the temperament of the 
 subject, just as is the case with the human being. 
 I knew a No. 1 at polo who played a dashing game 
 if he had a glass and a half of port inside him ; one 
 glass was too little to rouse him, two glasses made 
 him sleepy. So it is with the elephant— sub- 
 stituting the word " bottle " for " glass." 
 
 Presently the great doors are opened and a dirty 
 grey monster comes shambling in, napping his ears 
 and moving in an undecided, leisurely way across the 
 court, stopping every now and then to look around 
 in an irritated sort of way to see if there is no way 
 out of the place. Meanwhile a second combatant 
 has come shuffling into the "ring," looking for trouble 
 
254 THE ELEPHANT'S A GENTLEMAN 
 
 and seeing insult in the .other's presence. Wagging 
 and nodding their heavy heads, both of them come 
 towards each other at a shambling run till they collide 
 in the middle of the ring, forehead against forehead 
 with a mighty thud. 
 
 For a minute or so they push and heave, each 
 trying to shove the other backwards, their respective 
 trunks feeling around all the time to get a grip on 
 the other's neck or foreleg. Then they draw back 
 a pace and hurl themselves forward again in a dull 
 and heavy shock amid the cloud of dust which now 
 surrounds them. They both have great tusks 
 which have been cut off at a length of about two feet 
 and ferruled with ornamental metal-work. This is 
 to prevent their goring each other. However, in 
 the crash of the collision a great chunk of ivory flies 
 off one of the tusks, and in a few moments it is 
 evident that the elephant who has suffered the loss 
 recognises its benefit to him. He has now a sharp, 
 jagged end to his tusk, and he proceeds to do all he 
 can to take advantage of it, and, beating down with 
 his trunk any attempt to " clinch " on the part of 
 the other, he directs all his energies to stabbing him 
 in the eye with this new weapon of offence. 
 
 His opponent quickly appreciates the danger and 
 tucks his head down and round and does all he can 
 to grip the aggressor in order to save himself. In a 
 few minutes dark little streaks glisten wetly in the 
 sun as they run down his face, his head is gashed and 
 bleeding from the assault : but he presently gets a 
 firm hold on the opponent's neck with his trunk, and, 
 lowering himself on to his knees, by sheer weight he 
 forcibly drags the other down also. The fight then 
 becomes a wrestling match between the two monsters, 
 
LEVIATHANS AT WAR 255 
 
 locked tightly in each other's trunks, on their front 
 knees, pushing and heaving with their enormously 
 powerful hindquarters, each endeavouring to twist 
 the other off his balance. The swaying and jerking 
 and pushing goes on interminably. One wonders 
 how many tons of energy are being used between 
 them. 
 
 For ten minutes the mighty straining goes on 
 between the titans, now on their feet and now on 
 
 The elephant fight. 
 
 their knees, till gradually their efforts slacken. They 
 break away for a minute with lowered heads ; 
 "sharp-tusk" again lunges forward, and "blunt- 
 tusk," turning his head to avoid more gashing, 
 receives the charge rather sideways and gets swung 
 partly round. His attacker is quick to see this and 
 presses home on his ribs in a final attempt to push 
 him over. The other gives ground, staggering, but 
 just saves himself from falling ; but he feels that he 
 has had enough, for the spirit, in both senses of the 
 word, is dying down. He shambles off towards the 
 sanctuary and clambers wearily on to it, while the 
 other stands stupidly watching him. 
 
256 THE ELEPHANT'S A GENTLEMAN 
 
 The fight over, the gates are opened and a crowd 
 of men armed with flaming torches on poles and with 
 long spears come in and drive both elephants close 
 against the wall of the arena. From the top of the 
 wall the two mahouts step lightly down on to the 
 backs of their respective animals. The moment 
 they have got astride their elephants' necks all 
 possibility of trouble is over, their mounts are at 
 once amenable to reason and shuffle demurely off to 
 their stables. 
 
 It is difficult to say what the elephant thinks of 
 the whole thing. His face and eye give very little 
 indication of what is going on in that great brain of 
 his, but one cannot help feeling that after all an 
 indignity has been put upon him and that the whole 
 show, though interesting to watch, is a cruel one. 
 Especially if one can imagine what enormous 
 headaches the combatants must have the next day ! 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 NATIVE HOSPITALITY AND TRADITIONS 
 
 The Interest of the Native — Animal Fights — A Game 
 Country — A Puzzled Sportsman — An Up-to-date Rajah 
 — Impressing the Shopkeeper — The Indian Nautch 
 Dance — A Dreary Performance — Thomas Atkins, Lin- 
 guist — An Interrupted Picnic — The Lord of the Land 
 Objects— His Sportsmanship — A Shooting Competition 
 — Alexander the Great — The Tradition Concerning 
 His Invasion — His Dying Requests — Swordsmanship — 
 The Native During Manoeuvres — Too Eager — The 
 Ghoorka's Anger — Unofficial Weapons — An Antiquated 
 Transport — The Sporting Beluchis — Regimental Feuds 
 — An Unexpected Cavalry Charge — Clever Jackal- 
 Calling — Pirates — Native Servants — The Detection ©f 
 Crime 
 
 TO me an interesting item in India was the 
 study of the natives themselves, and their 
 variety is unlimited. To begin with, there 
 were the native gentlemen and rajahs, and some of 
 these were charming fellows. There are a large 
 number of states in India ruled by their own native 
 rajahs or princes under the British suzerainty, and 
 in most of these an up-to-date method has been 
 adopted with all the modern improvements for educa- 
 tion, sanitation, manufactures, arts and sciences, 
 in place of the former tyranny and extortion which 
 used to prevail so generally. On the whole the natives 
 in these states appear to be better behaved than 
 those which are more directly under our government. 
 There are many people who would be glad to see the 
 
 257 s 
 
258 NATIVE HOSPITALITY AND TRADITIONS 
 
 whole of India ruled by native princes in the same 
 manner, for it is believed that in this way there could 
 be no cause for discontent or unrest. 
 
 Bhurtpore, not far from Muttra, where we were 
 stationed, was one of these native ruled states, and 
 the rajah, with typical hospitality, gave the officers 
 of the regiment a standing invitation to come to 
 Deeg or Bhurtpore whenever they felt inclined 
 for pigsticking, and he placed house, servants, and 
 food at their disposal on these occasions. On one 
 occasion the Duke and Duchess of Connaught paid 
 a visit to Deeg, and were there entertained by the 
 rajah to what a native considers the highest form 
 of sport, and that is fights between different kinds 
 of animals, beginning with quails, and going on to 
 partridges, fighting-cocks, rams, black buck, buffalo, 
 horses, and elephants. The rajah also had a strong 
 brigade of cavalry of his own which he drilled and 
 commanded himself, spending much of his time daily 
 in doing the detail work of stable and regimental 
 management. 
 
 The pigsticking in that neighbourhood was of the 
 best, because it was a difficult country, very wild 
 and full of pig, and those pig of a particularly fighting 
 species, so that we never had a blank day and never 
 a day without considerable excitement. There was 
 also a large lake at Bhurtpore with a bund or cause- 
 way running across the centre of it. This lake was 
 covered with wild fowl, and the shooting was extra- 
 ordinarily good when the rajah caused both ends of 
 the lake to be beaten simultaneously by elephants 
 wading about among the rushes and reeds : duck, 
 teal, and snipe flying to and fro from end to end 
 without going away elsewhere. The guns stationed 
 
AN UNEXPECTED BAG 259 
 
 on the bund in this way got plenty of sport. The 
 key to success in duck-shooting there was to have 
 linen covers for your gun barrels to prevent the 
 sun from shining on them, which has the effect of 
 frightening the duck away from the gun. They 
 do not mind the man, but they object to the flash. 
 I remember one sportsman who, having omitted 
 this precaution, could not understand why no duck 
 came near him though they kept streaming over 
 guns not far away. The birds were so persistent 
 in avoiding him that he gave it up as a bad job and 
 simply lay on his back and fired into the air just for 
 the sake of something to do. Once when he was 
 doing this an unfortunate bunch of duck happened 
 to fly over him, and three of them got it in the neck. 
 No one was more surprised than the firer, and the 
 unexpectedness of the bag went a long way to 
 compensate him for the first part of the shoot. 
 
 Another rajah with whom we stayed was the 
 Maharajah of Patiala, an important Sikh state 
 whose loyal adherence to the British Government 
 in 1857 was a most important factor in rendering 
 possible the siege and capture of Delhi. The 
 maharajah lives in a large modern bungalow-house, 
 surrounded by some beautiful flower gardens laid 
 out very much in European fashion. There was a 
 touch of the native about it also, for some of the 
 flower beds had patterns made of broken bits of 
 black and white glass, or the remnants of whiskey 
 and mineral water bottles. He has in his grounds a 
 club with dining-room, billiard-room, baths, smoking- 
 room and bedrooms, entirely designed for the 
 entertainment of his European guests. Then there 
 are extensive stables and kennels, a stud-farm on 
 
260 NATIVE HOSPITALITY AND TRADITIONS 
 modern lines, and a cricket ground with pavilion. 
 The whole place, gardens and buildings, is lit with 
 electric light. The establishment is run by an 
 English secretary and a professional trainer and 
 cricketer. 
 
 The maharajah and his officers are all nice, 
 
 The officers who met us. 
 
 cheery, gentlemanly Sikhs, and they received us with 
 friendly hospitality. Most of them spoke English 
 well and were generally dressed in English riding 
 clothes, except for the head-dress, all of them 
 wearing the characteristic Sikh turban of twisted 
 linen in delicate tints of pink, primrose, pale lilac, 
 etc. These officers, although they did not take meals 
 with us, joined our table towards the end of our own 
 meal in a friendly way, but to eat or drink with us 
 
GORGEOUS APPAREL 261 
 
 would have been against their religion. In the 
 evening they dressed in military uniform, very much 
 the same as the British mess dress, but again with 
 turbans on their heads. One of them, an old Colonel 
 of Artillery, was from his good-nature and general 
 popularity an object of continual chaff with the rest. 
 
 rw 
 
 Our host the Maharajah. 
 
 He turned up after dinner in full native costume 
 of a gorgeous kind, instead of being dressed in uni- 
 form like the others. Consequently they all tackled 
 him and searched beneath his gorgeous apparel 
 to see whether he was not really dressed in uniform 
 underneath. 
 
 For entertainment they gave us an excellent day's 
 pigsticking, lending us horses and spears for the 
 
262 NATIVE HOSPITALITY AND TRADITIONS 
 
 purpose. My horse, I think, was the very best I 
 have ever ridden for pig, and the maharajah after- 
 wards presented me with the spear I had used, with 
 the addition of a silver band to it recording the 
 results of the day. He himself came out with us 
 but did not carry a spear, because he said it would 
 not be fair for him to run when he knew every inch 
 of the country so well, but he carried in his hand 
 an iron-bound club with which to protect himself 
 should a boar turn upon him. 
 
 A good sportsman. 
 
 The fat old Colonel, whom they nicknamed the 
 Hathi, or elephant, was as good a sportsman as 
 any, in spite of his weight and years, and Preetab 
 Singh, one of the maharajah's generals, was also a 
 splendid rider to pig. He had a narrow escape of 
 a bad fall in one of the runs, for in galloping through 
 some long grass in a field he suddenly came on an 
 open well, but his active little horse was quick enough 
 to see it, and to leap the obstacle successfully in 
 his stride. In the day and a half hunting we had 
 there we got twenty-one boars, all good big ones. 
 One particularly fine fellow measured thirty-six and 
 
A WEARYING DANCE 263 
 
 a half inches high, six feet one inch long, five feet in 
 girth, fourteen inches fore-arm, and weighed three 
 hundred and eight pounds. 
 
 In the evening after dinner we were invited into 
 the rajah's palace and he received us in his audience 
 chamber, a great empty room, hung with hundreds 
 of glass chandeliers, whose total value is said to be 
 one hundred thousand pounds. There were also 
 any number of clocks, but none of them going. The 
 walls were decorated with German oleographs in 
 gold frames, and pictures from Christmas numbers 
 of the illustrated papers. In one room were the 
 contents, many of them in packages still unopened, 
 of an English hardware shop which had been bought 
 up by a previous maharajah when on a visit to 
 England. He had done it by way of impressing the 
 shopkeeper with his rank and dignity. 
 
 At the far end of the room a sort of low stage was 
 curtained off and dimly lit with native lanterns, and 
 heavily scented with musk, which the natives dearly 
 love. When we were all seated, the English visitors 
 in the front row, with His Highness and the native 
 military and civil officers behind, the lights were 
 switched off and the curtain drawn aside for the 
 nautch, or native ballet, to take place on the stage. 
 A native lady appeared, very fully dressed in yellow 
 muslins and heavily ornamented with silver bangles 
 on the wrist and ankles. She was young and, as 
 far as one could see through the paint, rather pretty, 
 and contrived to throw some grace into what is 
 otherwise a very ungraceful and inartistic perform- 
 ance. It can scarcely be called a dance according 
 to Western ideas, for it is just a series of fantastic 
 jerks and wriggles and movements with the arms 
 
264 NATIVE HOSPITALITY AND TRADITIONS 
 
 and hands, the body being poised and pirouetting 
 on the balls of both feet, which scarcely leave the 
 ground, but stump the floor and make the little bells 
 on them jingle. The movements are extremely 
 slow and the only thing that kept us awake at all 
 was the chorus of native ladies of maturer age and 
 inferior beauty who yowled a dismal measure at the 
 back of the stage, to the accompaniment of native 
 drums, tom-toms, and flageolets, 
 
 Many of the native princes and their officers speak 
 English, and conversation with them presents no 
 difficulty even to the youngest subaltern ; but 
 with the ordinary native the officer finds himself 
 up against the wall of a foreign tongue. With 
 the British soldier, however, it is something of 
 a tradition that language shall be no bar to his 
 intercourse with other races, and it is astonishing 
 to observe the ease with which he makes himself 
 understood. I have seen men who had passed 
 stiff examinations in classical Hindustani fail to 
 awaken in the eyes of a native that look which 
 shows understanding. Suddenly a private or 
 N.C.O. who did not know a. dozen words of the 
 language would take the matter in hand and 
 instantaneously the face of the native would be 
 wreathed in the smiles that betokened a thorough 
 understanding. It is the peculiar gift of the British 
 soldier that he can readily make himself understood 
 by natives in whatever part of the world he may be 
 serving. In the South Seas, China, Malay States, 
 etc., " Pidgin English " has become the universal 
 international language. It is even the official 
 language in the late German colonies of Melanesia.* 
 
 * I believe that in France our men have now established a form of 
 language by which they get on well with their French and Belgian allies. 
 
THOMAS ATKINS, LINGUIST 265 
 Soldiers have a similar sort of jargon or some way 
 of expressing themselves which makes their mean- 
 ing understood where highly taught linguists fail. 
 Two remarks I heard in one day, when we were 
 breaking camp to leave Maiwand, fixed themselves 
 in my memory. Steevens, our mess waiter, seeing a 
 native in charge of three transport mules overloading 
 one of them with some of the baggage, expostulated 
 with him, saying : " Here, Johnnie, you aren't going 
 to put the whole b — y sub (all) on ek (one) , are you ? " 
 Grayland, a man in my troop, originally a gypsy, 
 I believe, was going about the camp ground that same 
 evening saying to the native camp followers : " Have 
 any of you blokes seen my chota (little) 'ubble- 
 bubble (British nickname for a native narghili-pipe) 
 anywhere about ? " How the natives, who knew no 
 English, could understand him seems incomprehen- 
 sible, but they did. 
 
 One of the secrets of our successful rule in India 
 has been a careful observation of the rights of the 
 native, individual as well as collective. Though it 
 used to be otherwise, even the youngest among the 
 British officers are as scrupulous in this direction 
 as the most important of the big- wigs. On the other 
 hand the native can be as good a sportsman as any- 
 one, and none proved this to my mind more con- 
 clusively than a grey-headed old Afghan who shortly 
 after the Afghan War proved that the spirit of the 
 hardy mountaineers was in no way diminished by 
 the defeats they had suffered. 
 
 A few miles from Quetta we discovered among the 
 hills a charming little valley where there were some 
 small villages and a number of vineyards and 
 orchards. Some of us made our way out there one 
 
266 NATIVE HOSPITALITY AND TRADITIONS 
 
 Sunday for a picnic. After settling ourselves 
 comfortably in a charming orchard by a running 
 stream, we were unpacking our lunch, when a number 
 of men of the village came out to us headed by an old 
 white-bearded Afghan. He quietly and calmly told 
 us to '" Be off out of that," as it was his property and 
 no man had any business there. This was rather a 
 rebuff for us, who thought we had conquered the 
 country after the two years of fighting of the Afghan 
 War, and we were not at all disposed to go at his 
 bidding, and we told him so. He was not greatly 
 abashed, however, and said that although we might 
 have conquered the country collectively, we had not 
 done so with him individually. This suggested an 
 idea which we then propounded to him, and it was 
 that one of us should fight with him, or with one of 
 his men, and the winner should have the sole right 
 of using the place for that day. To our surprise 
 he at once acquiesced and offered himself to wrestle 
 any one of our number who was willing to oppose 
 him. Accordingly our biggest man stepped for- 
 ward and accepted the challenge. They had a 
 great tussle, but our man was not in it. The old 
 grey-beard had him over and down in half a minute, 
 and repeated his victory in the second try almost 
 as quickly. So, obedient to our pact, we proceeded 
 to gather up our things preparatory to moving off ; 
 but then, the old Afghan showed himself to be a 
 gentleman, for having proved that he was the pos- 
 sessor of the place, he now gave us leave to remain 
 there for the day, and a very happy day it was. 
 Acting on the advertisement which was then in vogue 
 on the London omnibuses telling of the place whereat 
 to spend a happy day, we called the valley Rosherville. 
 
A SHOOTING MATCH 267 
 
 In the course of the afternoon the villagers chal- 
 lenged us to a shooting match, and they brought 
 out their long jezails. These are guns about six 
 feet long, with highly ornamented stocks and a pair 
 of hinged prongs on the fore-end of the gun, which 
 act as a support to it while the firer squats behind 
 to fire. Their target was a small round hole cut 
 in the face of the cliff, in which a stone was placed. 
 Their aim was to knock this stone out of the hole 
 with their bullets, and this they succeeded in doing 
 pretty often up to a range of about a hundred and 
 fifty yards, and we with our Martinis or sporting 
 rifles had to shoot as straight as we could to equal 
 them. In the course of the day we changed weapons, 
 but neither of us could get on very well with the 
 strange guns of the other. 
 
 With the Afghan's gun the difficulty lay in its 
 being a matchlock — the gun only went off some time 
 after you had pulled the trigger — which was trying 
 to the nerves and to steadiness. Still, our opponents 
 were very pleased with us when we showed that we 
 could shoot fairly well ; but their admiration was 
 greatly increased when we took to shooting at rocks 
 far away up on the mountain side, which were alto- 
 gether beyond the reach of their own guns. We 
 found them good fellows, and we parted the best of 
 friends at the end of the day. 
 
 These hillmen, however, are seldom to be trusted, 
 and it was not so very long after our visit that an 
 officer in the garrison whilst going to this place was 
 murdered by the villagers. 
 
 While at Narkanda I used to sit in the small 
 market square of the village and hear the elders 
 telling stories to the rest. One evening they 
 
268 NATIVE HOSPITALITY AND TRADITIONS 
 
 questioned me about the Russians, who were just then 
 threatening the countries beyond the Himalayas. 
 They had evidently heard that they made slaves of 
 the people and were apt to flog them, and they were 
 hoping that this would never be their fate. Then 
 one of them told me how by tradition they knew that 
 the Russians had endeavoured to invade India 
 through some passes to the north of their village, 
 and he pointed out on the opposite mountain side 
 the spot where the Russians had endeavoured to 
 come through, but had been driven back by the 
 villagers getting on to the cliffs above them and 
 hurling huge boulders down upon them. The old 
 boy said with some glee that if they tried it again the 
 present generation of villagers would serve them the 
 same way. He said that eventually these same 
 Russians had taken another route and had finally 
 come down through the Swat Valley and had traversed 
 the Punjab as far as the Beas River. I then realised 
 that the Russians of whom they were speaking 
 were in reality Alexander the Great and his force. 
 There are many traditions and stories of Alex- 
 ander still circulating among the natives. One 
 which is quoted by Mr. Haughton in The Folklore 
 of Kashmir purports to give the account of Alex- 
 ander's death. He was devoted to his mother, and 
 when he was dying he made some peculiar requests 
 to his people. One was that when dead he should be 
 carried through the Treasury, naked, with both his 
 arms stretched out. Secondly that his mother was 
 to give a feast to those who had not lost a son or a 
 parent ; and thirdly that she was to report to him 
 on the seventh day at his tomb the names of those 
 who came to the feast. These duties were faithfully 
 
THE WISDOM OF ALEXANDER 269 
 
 carried out, and then it was seen what was the 
 reason for his requests. When carried through the 
 Treasury, it was found impossible to get him through 
 the door with his arms outstretched, and therefore 
 the walls had to be broken away on either side to 
 give sufficient room. This enabled a large crowd 
 of onlookers to see into the Treasury, and they 
 realised from this exhibition that though a man 
 might collect all the treasures of the world during 
 his lifetime, he went out of life as bare and empty- 
 handed as he originally came into it. This was a 
 lesson to them not to bother about getting riches. 
 His mother on inquiring for those who had not lost 
 relatives to come to the feast very soon found that 
 none such existed and that therefore she was not 
 alone in her grief at losing a son ; and she had to 
 confess in praying to his tomb that her sorrow was 
 the same as that of others. 
 
 Our native cavalry in India are, as all the world 
 knows, soldiers by birth and upbringing, and splendid 
 horsemen and swordsmen. One point among others 
 in which they differ from our regular cavalry is that 
 they are allowed to keep their swords always sharp ; 
 thus they are accustomed to having a dangerous 
 weapon in their hand, and they know how to handle 
 it with safety to themselves and their mount ; and 
 they have learnt the art, which is not altogether 
 an easy one, of keeping it always as keen as a razor. 
 They have, in fact, a saying that a really disgraceful 
 thing is "as disgraceful as having a blunt sword." 
 The moment they are off parade the sword is taken 
 out of its scabbard and carefully wrapped in oiled 
 muslin, and hung up so that nothing shall dull its 
 edge. 
 
270 NATIVE HOSPITALITY AND TRADITIONS 
 
 On the weekly holiday most native cavalry regi- 
 ments practise mounted sports, at which tent-pegging 
 and using the sword form the principal competitions. 
 It was from them that we learnt the sport of tent- 
 pegging, which has become so universally popular 
 throughout the mounted branches of the service. 
 They are also particularly good with their swords, 
 especially at cutting sheep in half, which needs 
 considerable skill rather than strength for success- 
 ful work. They have a large number of cuts in 
 their exercises which are quite unknown in the 
 British sword exercises. One of these is a particularly 
 dangerous one, since the swordsman only delivers 
 it after he has passed his adversary, dropping a sharp 
 and heavy cut straight down on to the shoulder of his 
 opponent with fatal effect. It was as a safeguard 
 against this particular cut that our cavalry in India 
 took to wearing shoulder-scales made of steel rings. 
 In my regiment we added this cut to our repertoire, 
 using as a dummy opponent a figure made of soft 
 potter's clay. 
 
 Swordsmanship is very popular amongst the 
 natives and to an extent possibly unsuspected by 
 the Europeans in India. In Meerut alone there 
 were three schools of swordsmanship in the native 
 city, and through the kindness of our superintendent 
 of police who had spent his life amongst them, and 
 therefore knew of these things, we were able to get 
 some of their most skilled exponents of the art to 
 come and give a demonstration in our barracks. It 
 was quite an eye-opener to all of us to note the 
 various kinds of feints, cuts, and guards of which 
 these men were masters. Often and again our men 
 almost boo'd certain hits as being unfair, but when 
 
INDIAN CAVALRY 271 
 
 we explained to them that this is what they would 
 meet with if we ever had to fight such men in earnest 
 they realised that the sword exercises as laid down 
 for the British soldier were merely a set of general 
 principles which would not necessarily meet every 
 kind of attack to which he might be exposed. The 
 story is well known and typical where the cavalry 
 soldier returning from the charge at Balaclava 
 explained how he had got wounded. He said : 
 " When I met the Rooshian I gave him cut two, 
 and instead of guarding with three, he cut one at 
 me, and of course he wounded me, the silly fool ! " 
 
 There was one favourite cut with the natives in 
 which your opponent seemed to take a slog at your 
 ankle and by a dexterous turn of the wrist he drew 
 his sword through the opposite side of your neck, 
 which would have puzzled a man who was only accus- 
 tomed to offering certain guards to certain known 
 cuts. 
 
 Another peculiar weapon in the hands of our 
 native troops is the steel ring with a sharp edge to 
 it which the Sikhs wear round the outside of their 
 puggaree. This they are able to throw with great 
 force and great accuracy to a considerable distance, 
 with its edge leading. At their sports they use as 
 a target a plantain stuck upright in the ground. 
 This the quoit cuts clean in half. 
 
 I have said that the native cavalry are brought 
 up to their life from childhood, and one realises the 
 truth of this in marching through the country in 
 which they are recruited. As one passes through 
 or goes into camp near any village the old men come 
 out to welcome the regiment and to present a short 
 address to the Colonel. There will be very few among 
 
272 NATIVE HOSPITALITY AND TRADITIONS 
 
 the old grey-beards who have not medals on their 
 breasts showing that they have fought for the Empire. 
 The younger men are generally troopers on leave, 
 or lads who are going to become troopers. They 
 all take charge of the horses of the regiment and 
 proceed to groom and feed them. The small boys 
 come and fraternise with the men, hoping for 
 the greatest treat of all, and that is to be allowed 
 to ride one of the horses to the watering-place and 
 back. The heads of the village usually have a small 
 tent or shamiana rigged up where they receive the 
 officers, present their address, and offer sweetmeats 
 and refreshment. One cannot but be struck by the 
 loyal good feeling and comradeship which possesses 
 these servants of the King. 
 
 The native soldier is particularly interesting dur- 
 ing manoeuvres. Although as a true Oriental he 
 generally disguises his real feelings, whatever they 
 may be, under a mask, he here forgets in the excite- 
 ment of the moment that it is a game of make- 
 believe, and shows some of the fighting spirit that all 
 the while underlies his somewhat subservient appear- 
 ance. During the Attock manoeuvres the Afridi 
 company of each native battalion was let loose in 
 the mountains to act as an enemy against us, pur- 
 suing their own natural tactics for mountain fighting. 
 They adopted their own national dress, and once 
 they were up in the hills they behaved exactly as if 
 on active service against an invader. On one 
 occasion I went up with them to see how they carried 
 out their tactics, and it was a most interesting 
 experience. At one time it even became exciting, 
 for after popping away with their rifles and blank 
 cartridge on columns of regular troops in the valley 
 
REALISTIC MANCEUVRES 273 
 
 below, they began to get more bloodthirsty as they 
 saw their fire made no impression on the enemy. 
 The troops began slowly but surely to climb the 
 heights which they were holding. Behind them were 
 some of their native tom-tom drummers, and these 
 began drumming louder and louder and more furi- 
 
 ously, yelling their war songs and gradually exciting 
 the whole of the firing line, till, forgetting that it was 
 not real war, and that they were not free Afridis, 
 they began to lever up great boulders and to roll 
 them down the mountain-side on the advancing 
 troops. This was practical manoeuvre with a venge- 
 ance ! As the Ghoorkas came pressing on up the slopes 
 against them, one great hook-nosed giant near me, 
 
 T 
 
274 NATIVE HOSPITALITY AND TRADITIONS 
 with his eyes gleaming and his teeth glistening in a 
 grin of rage, hurled a great rock down at the advanc- 
 ing riflemen. It bounded from point to point, and 
 finally glanced off the head of a little Ghoorka, 
 cutting open his scalp. The Ghoorka's action was 
 typical of his kind. Up till then he had been cheer- 
 
 A Ghoorka out for blood. 
 
 fully panting up the mountain-side, kneeling to fire 
 when told, and advancing with the rest in good 
 order. Now this was all over. He stood for a 
 moment and looked up with the blood running down 
 his forehead, and with a grin of anger on his face ; and 
 while both hands were searching at his belt he seemed 
 to say : " That lets you out, you swine ! " Then hav- 
 ing found his kookri — the great curved knife — he 
 put it between his teeth and proceeded to scramble 
 up the rocks with such a speed as brought him very 
 
A FREE FIGHT 275 
 
 quickly to the crest. There was a rush of Afridis 
 together to meet him, all throwing down their rifles 
 and drawing their knives. In another few moments 
 there would have been mincemeat, but one Afridi 
 native officer fortunately kept his head. Thrusting 
 
 The excitement of manoeuvres. 
 
 his own men back he ordered the Ghoorka, as an 
 officer, to halt, about face, and retire. Then he 
 seized a huge rock himself and hurled it at his own 
 drummer, who still was tom-tomming and shrieking 
 war-cries at the top of his voice. In that way he 
 silenced him and closed the incident. 
 At some manoeuvres near Aligarh we found a 
 
276 NATIVE HOSPITALITY AND TRADITIONS 
 
 group of buildings being held by some native infantry. 
 A few squadrons of native cavalry were dismounted 
 to attack them on foot. Getting excited, these 
 charged close up to the walls, and here, instead of 
 having a few harmless blank cartridges fired over 
 their heads " to mark the situation," as an umpire 
 would say, they were received with a volley of stones 
 to mark it more seriously. To this they promptly 
 responded, " playing the like." It is when one 
 has seen how easily men lose their tempers even in a 
 game of war that one can realise how the lust of blood 
 can seize even the most peaceful and unemotional 
 when " the real thing " is on. I remember some 
 harmless manoeuvres in which my regiment was sup- 
 posed to make an attack against a body of High- 
 landers; the Highlanders for some reason or other 
 did not like these supposed attacks, and instead of 
 taking it kneeling, as they are expected to do accord- 
 ing to the rules, one or two of them fixed then- 
 bay onets, contrary to all orders for manoeuvres, 
 and rushed out to meet the charge with a counter- 
 charge on their own account. The moment they 
 did this, the same enthusiasm seized their comrades, 
 who rushed forward in a great wave of angry, cheer- 
 ing men. The 13th seemed at once to catch the 
 infection, and instead of pulling up as they should 
 do at a hundred yards' distance, they at once began 
 to draw their swords and press forward to make a 
 real charge of it. It was only the strongest inter- 
 vention of the officers, coupled with a flow of the 
 warmest language, that stopped them in the nick of 
 time. 
 
 H One of those regimental feuds which begin on 
 such small premises was very nearly initiated in this 
 
A CAVALRY CHARGE 277 
 
 same fight between a distinguished infantry regiment 
 and my own, because one of our scouts was captured 
 by two of the mounted infantry. The tempers of 
 both sides were up, our man violently refused to be 
 a prisoner, and as he tried to make off the infantry 
 man had a shot at him with blank cartridge, but at 
 such close range that his face was peppered with 
 grains of powder driven into the flesh. The hussar 
 was taken to hospital, and it was only due to the 
 tact and kind attention paid to him by the officers 
 of the other regiment that ill-feeling was diverted 
 and no feud resulted. 
 
 Charges between bodies of cavalry often come 
 nearer the real thing than is intended owing to the 
 dense clouds of dust in which they often have to 
 operate, and I remember that in attacking a native 
 cavalry regiment on one occasion, as we advanced 
 with all our dust blowing before us, the enemy had 
 thought better to decline our onset and were wheeling 
 away when we suddenly came on the top of them in 
 the midst of our charge. Instead of pulling up the 
 men forgot that we were in play, and, seeing their 
 opportunity, as they thought, they put on an extra 
 spurt and crashed into the wheeling squadron, 
 rolling numbers of them over through catching them 
 in flank. It was all over in a second or two, our 
 men were jumping off their horses and picking up 
 those whom they had overthrown. Fortunately 
 none were killed, though a good many were con- 
 siderably knocked about. But there was no denying 
 the exaltation of the moment, the taste of war 
 though it was peace. 
 
 Talking of tom-toms, it is a strange thing what an 
 effect the sound of the drum has on a man of almost 
 
278 NATIVE HOSPITALITY AND TRADITIONS 
 any nationality under the sun. He must be a queer 
 creature whose heart is not stirred when he hears 
 the drums in the streets of a peaceful town in 
 England. I know I myself have been stirred by a 
 band of Boy Scouts with no better instruments than 
 a dozen kerosene tins drummed in perfect time and 
 harmony. 
 
 In India one knows the weird effect of the throb- 
 bing sound of the native drums beating in the distant 
 bazaar. Among the Arabs the thrumming of their 
 drums in camp and the shrieking of their flageolets 
 give a weird music which stirs these otherwise per- 
 fectly stolid characters to the depths. And on the 
 West Coast of Africa great hollowed-out tree-trunks 
 are used for giving out booming sounds which can be 
 heard through forest and bush, and carry their 
 meaning far and wide for war or peace, for warning 
 or welcome. 
 
 When in such manoeuvres we depend for transport 
 principally upon the lumbering two-wheeled bullock- 
 cart of the country. It is almost prehistoric in 
 design, as will be seen from the accompanying 
 sketch, but it is wonderfully well-balanced and 
 capable of carrying a huge load. It is also extremely 
 picturesque, although this quality has nothing to 
 do with its persistent use for military purposes. 
 
 Although a good, sometimes a splendid, soldier, 
 the native has occasionally little weaknesses that are 
 embarrassing to his officers. The 15th Bengal 
 Lancers is a regiment of Moltani Beluchis, grand, 
 wild-looking chaps, with long hair and great baggy 
 yellow breeches stuffed into their boots. There is 
 also a joke against them to the effect that, although 
 as a rule perfectly steady on parade, the march, 
 
k 
 
THE NATIVE OFFICER 279 
 
 etc., if any game crosses their path it is too great 
 a temptation to their sporting instincts to be with- 
 stood, and they are liable to break the ranks and 
 tear away in pursuit. 
 
 Most native cavalry regiments have ten white and 
 seventeen native officers ; ressaldars are captains 
 of troops, and jemadars lieutenants. The men pay 
 for their own horses, arms, and saddlery by deposit- 
 ing two hundred and fifty rupees in the Regimental 
 
 W£v. 
 
 A regiment of inveterate sportsmen. 
 
 Fund on joining. Very few of the native officers 
 receive direct commissions, most of them obtaining 
 them after serving in the ranks. They have their 
 own tents and servants, but no mess. When they 
 go out shooting and the like they wear the plain 
 clothes of the native. 
 
 The natives have taken up with great spirit very 
 many English games and pastimes, and the Parsee 
 cricketers are of course well known in England. 
 Polo-playing and pigsticking are as much the games 
 of the natives as they are of the British. Many of 
 
280 NATIVE HOSPITALITY AND TRADITIONS 
 them are good shots at big game. The Ranah of 
 Dholpur was a wonderful shot with the rifle ; to hit 
 coins thrown up in the air was an easy feat with 
 him, and a favourite pastime of his was to stand 
 under a tree and shoot bottles which had been 
 thrown over it from behind him. Even his wife the 
 
 
 
 V.' 'A^Al.- 
 
 Native officers in plain clothes. 
 
 Rani came out of the seclusion of the women's 
 apartments to become an expert rifle-shot herself. 
 
 Among the humbler class it is everywhere a common 
 sight to see natives of all kinds and all builds playing 
 at football. 
 
 At the great Church Mission school in Kashmir, 
 where there are six hundred pupils, the boys have 
 taken up most kinds of British sport, including that 
 
JACKAL CALLING 281 
 
 of boxing, and as they have also taken up the prac- 
 tice of the Boy Scouts' training we now frequently 
 hear of their doing " good turns " in helping the poor 
 and saving life, and in doing service for the state. 
 
 There is interesting life below the surface, much 
 of which is unknown to Europeans. I remember 
 
 
 J<W 
 
 Native football. 
 
 once, when on manoeuvres near Delhi, seeing some 
 remarkable jackal-calling by " Jogis," a wandering 
 tribe of wild-looking gypsies. After hiding them- 
 selves, their well-trained dogs and us in the high 
 grass, one of them went out into an open patch 
 of ground and, shaking a bunch of leaves, he 
 imitated the cries of two jackals righting. It was 
 so like the real thing that in a few minutes a jackal 
 came dashing up to join in the fray. The moment 
 
282 NATIVE HOSPITALITY AND TRADITIONS 
 he appeared the man was flat on his face, throwing 
 up dust to hide himself. The jackal rushed into the 
 dust and, before he had fully realised the situation, 
 the dogs had been loosed on him from their hiding 
 places all round. A jackal is far too crafty ever 
 to be caught by traps. 
 
 The Jogis are also fond of carrying out a more 
 dangerous form of sport, namely, that of crocodile 
 hunting. They build for themselves small rafts 
 largely composed of bundles of reeds and branches 
 of bushes. In these crazy craft, armed only with 
 a big heavy harpoon and axes, they sally forth on 
 water haunted by crocodiles, and when they come 
 across one basking either on the mud bank or on 
 the surface of the water they let their craft drift 
 silently within striking distance, and then let him 
 have it. The results are sometimes a triumph for 
 the hunters, sometimes for the croc, but in any case 
 one thing is certain, the experience is always exciting. 
 
 Another interesting people among these nomad 
 tribes are the cattle-thieves, who do their business 
 in many parts of Bengal. Their chief opportunity 
 is when the rivers are in full flood. They then round 
 up a whole herd of cattle at a time and drive it 
 straight into the river and swim across out of reach 
 of pursuit. Often in the larger rivers where many 
 islands exist they will be too cunning to swim to the 
 opposite bank, since in these days of telephone and 
 telegraph the police of one district hearing of a cattle 
 raid can report to those across the water almost 
 before the thieves can set foot on the opposite shore, 
 but with islands to help them the raiders can spend 
 days and weeks swimming from island to island, often 
 during the night, until they are out of reach of 
 
RIVER PIRATES 283 
 
 pursuit. This involves great daring, endurance, and 
 swimming power on their part, but still the adven- 
 turous life appeals to them, and even the smallest 
 boys take part in the raids and ride on the backs 
 of the cattle when swimming the rivers. 
 
 Another interesting class of law-breakers on the 
 great rivers of India have until quite recently been 
 the pirates of the Jumna and Ganges, and their work 
 had been so adroitly carried out that it had gone on 
 for years under the eyes of the authorities without 
 being suspected, and it has only been within the 
 last five years that the police have exposed and put 
 a stop to their practices. The reports of Mr. 
 Bramley, the Sherlock Holmes of the Indian Police, 
 on this subject are of intense interest and read like 
 a romance. The large majority of the licensed boats, 
 of which there are an immense number on these 
 big rivers, was contracted for and worked by the 
 gang, which had a very widespread organisation. 
 For years the ferry boat would carry out its work 
 effectively, and then, at some great fair or festival 
 perhaps, being overcrowded for the occasion, the boat 
 would sink or capsize and all hands would be drowned. 
 That is what was supposed. But it eventually 
 transpired that the boatmen on these occasions 
 always managed to save themselves. 
 
 As a matter of fact they had blown-out goatskins 
 ready as life-buoys to support themselves and all the 
 jewellery and money which they had collected from 
 the passengers before they pulled out the plugs and 
 allowed the boat to sink in mid-river. 
 
 Native servants in India are often supposed to 
 be most awful rogues and vagabonds, and so they 
 are unless you get good ones ; but when they are 
 
284 NATIVE HOSPITALITY AND TRADITIONS 
 good they are excellent. You can trust them with 
 all your money and trinkets and, although they may 
 rob others on your behalf, they are entirely honest 
 towards their own masters. They are patient and 
 clever at their work. Your kitmutgar, with three 
 bricks as his kitchen range and a bit of cow- dung for 
 fuel, will cook you a dinner in camp just as good as 
 you would get in a well-ordered kitchen at home. 
 Your syce will run for miles to take charge of your 
 horse at the end of a ride, and prefers to sleep in 
 its stall to living in a separate house. Your bearer's 
 good qualities shine when you are sick and he proves 
 himself a capable and attentive nurse. 
 
 Once I remember a theft taking place amongst 
 my household, and in calling it " household " I 
 do so with reason because one was obliged to have 
 at least a dozen men about the place, since the 
 sweeper (mehter) would never dream of bringing 
 in water for your bath, nor would your bearer or 
 kitmutgar. Your syce will look after his own horse 
 with devotion, but will not bring its grass, which has 
 to be done by another man, a grasscutter, and so on. 
 The natural trades union of caste in India is far more 
 strict in its slavery than its more artificial imitation 
 in Western countries. 
 
 I had lost three hundred rupees, which had 
 been stowed in a bag in a cupboard in my room. 
 None of the servants knew anything about it when 
 asked, but it was obvious that no stranger could 
 have come in without their knowledge, so instead 
 of sending for the police I called in the assist- 
 ance of one who is far more dreaded by the 
 natives — that is, the soothsayer. His powers of 
 detection are supposed to be those of one who is 
 
A SOOTHSAYER'S METHODS 285 
 
 gifted with second sight. His usual modus operandi 
 is to make all the suspects sit in a circle, and he gives 
 to each a small handful of rice to chew. At a given 
 signal each man spits out his mouthful and it is 
 examined by the soothsayer. He immediately 
 points out the guilty one. It is said that when a 
 man is in a state of complete funk his saliva glands 
 strike work, and consequently the man whose con- 
 science is not quite clear yields dry rice on such 
 occasion and is therefore easily identified. 
 
 In my case, however, the soothsayer said that as 
 a first step he would have a prayer-meeting of the 
 servants in one of their houses to implore the deity 
 to explain what had become of the money, and if he 
 could not tell them the soothsayer himself would 
 apply the ordeal which could not fail to show up the 
 delinquent. The prayermeeting, however, decided 
 the case. The soothsayer presently came to me and 
 said that their God had made it manifest that I 
 was bringing a false charge. The servants were all 
 loyal to me ; the money had never been stolen but 
 was there in the house. It was probable that some 
 mischievous djinn, or devil, had come in the night 
 and had transferred my money from the cupboard 
 into my gun case, where I should now find it. And I 
 did. Of course the soothsayer went away the richer 
 by a double fee — one from me and the other from 
 the grateful servants, with whom he had connived. 
 
 The faithfulness of native servants to their white 
 masters was put to the highest test and proved 
 in hundreds of cases during the Mutiny, when, at 
 the risk of their own lives, they hid away white women 
 and children from men of their own creed and colour. 
 The Mutiny, it may be remembered, broke out in a 
 
286 NATIVE HOSPITALITY AND TRADITIONS 
 
 certain native cavalry regiment stationed in Meerut, 
 and an interesting point to us in the 13th was that 
 Sir Baker Russell at that time joined the service 
 in the Carbineers, who were the British regiment 
 in the same station. The Carbineers had only 
 just arrived in India from England when the out- 
 break occurred, and were naturally very much at 
 sea, with ofhcers who knew nothing of the country 
 and men who were nearly all new recruits and armed 
 with blunt swords. It is scarcely to be wondered 
 at that they were unable to do much to prevent the 
 well-equipped native squadrons from escaping to 
 Delhi after having murdered their British officers. 
 One moral of this to me was that British regiments 
 in India ought to keep their swords sharp ready for 
 active service, or as an insurance against the repeti- 
 tion of any such outbreak, and when I commanded 
 a regiment I took care to have this done. I only 
 then realised that with the plant available it 
 took nearly three weeks to get the weapons of the 
 whole regiment made effective. I had no sooner 
 got the work completed than a peremptory order 
 came from headquarters directing me to have them 
 blunted again, as the sharpening of the blades would 
 reduce the natural life of a sword, which in the 
 estimates was expected to last some twenty-five or 
 fifty years ! I blunted some, but as I kept one of 
 my four squadrons always ready for instant service, 
 one hundred and twenty swords were always keen 
 and ready for work. 
 
 One of the causes of the Mutiny as exploited by 
 the ring-leaders was that the cartridges of powder 
 which were used by the men in loading their muskets 
 were wrapped in paper which had been greased with 
 
CHUPATTIES 287 
 
 the fat of cows. These animals are of course con- 
 sidered sacred in India. The fact that the men had 
 to bite off the end of the cartridges before loading 
 was shewn to mean that the British were secretly 
 intending to break the caste of the native soldiers 
 by making them eat some of the sacred animal, 
 and that this would send them all to Gehenna. 
 
 The Brahman's dislike for even touching leather 
 is so great that in putting on his shoes he will always 
 catch hold of them with a piece of cloth, such as the 
 end of his puggree or the tail of his shirt. 
 
 At the same time that the outbreak began in 
 Meerut a small chupattie, or cake, was handed 
 about in every village through Northern India. 
 No one knew the meaning of it, but took it as a 
 portent or sign that they were all called upon to be 
 interested in some great event. When they heard 
 of the Mutiny they naturally inferred that this must 
 be the event, and many were led on that account to 
 take part in it. These portents have gone through 
 the country on other occasions but without result. 
 I remember when the muddy imprint of a human 
 hand was to be seen on every blank wall, but nobody, 
 not even the native detectives, knew what it meant. 
 The signal was supposed to come from somewhere in 
 Northern India to the village chowkedar, or parish con- 
 stable. He merely knew that it was his duty on receiv- 
 ing such a sign to pass it on to the chowkedars of the 
 three neighbouring villages. Published in this way it 
 spread with the greatest rapidity through the country. 
 
 Reverting to the faithfulness of servants. On my 
 return to India, after twelve years' absence, my 
 former bearer came on board and took charge of my 
 things without a word of warning on either side. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE CALL OF KASHMIR 
 
 A Strange Disease and Its Cure — Roughing It in 
 Luxury — My Outfit — My Views on the Tonga — The 
 Blasted Way — Crazy Bridges — Princedoms' Double — 
 The Great Unwashed — My Fleet Weighs Anchor — Spear- 
 ing Fish — Srinagar — Something about Kashmir — Kash- 
 apa and the Devil — Itinerant Tradesmen — A Clever 
 Dealer — I Fall — The Ruins at Pandritan — A People 
 Without a Conscience — The Boatwomen — An Inter- 
 rupted Sermon — The Ubiquitous Tourist — My Entour- 
 age — Essential Qualities in a Wife — How the Day 
 Begins — Jack's Way With Natives — A Chance of Bears 
 
 THERE are times in every man's life when his 
 whole being cries out for a steady spell of 
 doing nothing in particular, at least nothing 
 that matters. Nowhere is this so acutely felt as in 
 India. A feeling of staleness comes over you, and 
 instinctively you look round for an antidote. If 
 the call of the wild then makes itself heard the 
 right thing is to yield to it and obey, for to many 
 that is the one effective antidote for staleness. It 
 is to me. I had been thinking a good deal of 
 Kashmir in the summer of 1898, and, curiously 
 enough, soon afterwards I was prostrated by an 
 attack of this strange disease. I decided to take a 
 trip to Kashmir, to loaf in the lowlands, with the 
 object of getting a month's complete laziness and 
 change of climate — and I got it. 
 
 To enjoy laziness one must be comfortable, and to 
 
 288 
 
LUXURIOUS CAMPING 289 
 
 be comfortable much attention must be devoted to 
 the details of camp-equipment. People talk of 
 "roughing it " in camp ; roughing it does not exist 
 for any but the ignorant. The experienced camper 
 knows what to take and he also knows that the 
 necessaries are sometimes luxuries. On this particu- 
 lar trip I took with me the following : 
 
 Shikar clothes. 
 
 A suit of civilised do. and evening suit, etc. 
 
 3 pr. shooting boots (i pr. grass soles), i pr. chaplis. 
 Tent for self, and 1 for servants. 
 
 Bedding. 
 
 Mosquito curtain, and mosquito head net. 
 
 Old kid gloves for mosquitoes. 
 
 Eau de luce, ditto : Keating : Izal (most useful). 
 
 L.M. carbine and cartridges. 
 
 12 bore gun „ ,, 
 
 Field glasses. 
 
 Kodak. 
 
 Medicine case, including castor oil, quinine, etc., for natives. 
 
 4 cases of stores, including 12 tins soup, Bologna sausage, tea, 
 cocoa, butter, milk, biscuits, 12 pots jam, lard, 7 lb. flour, sugar, 
 7lb. dog biscuit, candles, soap (bar), matches, 1 brandy, 4 whiskey, 
 baking powder. 
 
 4 waterproof sheets, cloak, cover coat, umbrella. 
 
 Ulster. 
 
 Folding bath. 
 
 ,, table. 
 
 ,, chair. 
 Fishing rod and fishing spear. 
 Filter. 
 Padlocks. 
 
 Candle lanterns, and bull's-eye lantern, candlesticks with globes. 
 Cooking pots. 
 
 Crockery and cutlery and table cloths and tin opener, corkscrew, 
 hammer and chisel. 
 
 Books : Hindustani grammar : English history. 
 Fuzees. 
 Axe and hoe combined (can be got in Srinagar). 
 
 I discovered when it was too late that I ought 
 to have taken medicines for villagers, especially 
 
 u 
 
2go THE CALL OF KASHMIR 
 
 ointment for sores, pills, quinine and spongeopiline. 
 An artist's umbrella would have proved a great boon, 
 and straps inside coat so as to hang it on shoulders 
 would have added to my personal comfort. 
 
 I left Murree on August i in the mail tonga to 
 drive to Kashmir, 160 miles distant. The only 
 other passenger was a native gentlemen, a Custom's 
 officer in Kashmir, and a very decent fellow. He sat 
 with his servant on the back seat. The tonga is a 
 two-wheeled shandrydan drawn by two ponies, one 
 in the shafts, the other hitched on outside, like the 
 horses in Hungary. The ponies are changed every 
 six miles, and are almost always either jibbers or 
 kickers or are lame. Our graven-image of a driver, 
 an old hillman with a beard dyed bright red, drove 
 them with the greatest coolness, treating each 
 according to his temperament. But the dirty little 
 tongas and the starved, dangerous, suffering ponies 
 are a disgrace to a civilised Government, or rather 
 to a civilised public, because it is we travellers 
 who ought to insist on things being better done. 
 The tongas and the road to Mussoorie are a disgrace, 
 the railway to Naini Tal is equally bad : all far 
 worse than in the wildest hinterland in South Africa. 
 In India, if things possess any movement at all, they 
 seem to go backward ; but the way of the country is 
 to let things slide and to leave it to our successors to 
 improve matters. 
 
 However, minor discomforts are soon forgotten in 
 such scenery. Once on the banks of the Jhelum the 
 road never leaves the river, which for the first forty 
 or fifty miles runs in a deep valley between steep, 
 bushgrown or partly-cultivated heights. It is about 
 one hundred yards wide, and a continuous succession 
 
ROAD-MAKING 291 
 
 of rapids. Gradually the valley narrows into a 
 gorge, the heights become mountains, and the river 
 a torrent between cliffs. The waters were full of float- 
 ing logs, beams and tree-trunks, all being sent down 
 to the plains. At one point, where there was a big 
 eddy circling them round, we saw men swimming on 
 mussuks — sheepskins filled with air — fishing out some 
 of the logs. Exciting work in these rapids and not 
 a little dangerous. 
 
 The road is cut out of the side of the heights 
 running along the river. After the long descent 
 from Murree it is level and good enough for biking ; 
 in fact, but for the warmth of the valley in the 
 middle of the day, biking would be the most enjoy- 
 able way of doing this part of the trip. The road 
 must be a very expensive one to keep up, as in 
 almost every mile of it one came across land- 
 slips and washouts resulting from the recent rain. 
 At one place, where it crossed a side-gully, the 
 bridge had been swept away. A gang of coolies 
 was at work making a temporary road. A great 
 rock still blocked the way, and we got the men to 
 blow it up with a charge of blasting powder, and a 
 lot of them took our tonga, the ponies having been 
 taken out, and hauled it over the bad part. I gave 
 the men a rupee, and two small boys, who helped by 
 shouting at the men, got a halfpenny each ! They 
 were really keen on the job, not eye-serving at all. 
 
 We stopped for the night at Garbi dak bungalow, 
 having driven 102 miles since 2 a.m. These dak 
 bungalows, which are dotted about every twelve or 
 fifteen miles, are very nice, clean, and prettily- 
 situated little houses, with a cook and supplies ready. 
 
 At Garbi the river is crossed by a native rope 
 
292 THE CALL OF KASHMIR 
 
 bridge. You have to walk a tight rope with a rope 
 along each side as a handrail. The whole thing 
 sways about under you over the rushing torrent, and 
 not only do many tourists find themselves unable to 
 cross such a crazy structure, but some of the natives 
 even will not venture. The dodge is to go very slowly 
 
 ,r~- 
 
 Kashmir carriers. 
 
 and keep your eye on one point in front. There are 
 two or three of these bridges along this part of the 
 Jhelum, in addition to others of a different variety. 
 One for instance is a single rope from which, supported 
 by a hooked stick, hangs a loop. You put your leg 
 through the loop and sitting thus haul yourself 
 across hand over hand. 
 
 Another at Uri is simply a rope ladder without a 
 handrail, stretched horizontally across the stream. It 
 assists the operation of Nature by killing at least one 
 
A PRINCE'S DOUBLE 293 
 
 traveller per annum. Guide books of routes in 
 Kashmir state at the head of the list of marches : 
 " There are bridges on this route." At first glance 
 you would imagine this to mean that the bridged 
 route would be the one to take, but as a matter of 
 fact it means just the opposite ; so many tourists 
 have not heads able to face the bridges and prefer 
 to take roads where there are no bridges. 
 
 Early the next morning we continued our drive 
 for the remaining sixty miles to Baramoola, the 
 scenery getting wilder and more beautiful as we went. 
 Magnificent mountains and deodar-wooded slopes, 
 ragged cliffs and boiling torrents, then peaceful 
 valley scenery ; farms and crops among the hills 
 and the river broad and calm for the last six or eight 
 miles. 
 
 The people one meets vary very much in appear- 
 ance and dress ; perhaps the Jewish face and 
 voluminous white clothes predominate among the 
 men ; but there are some like quick, neat French or 
 Italians. Occasionally you will encounter a great 
 swaggering giant with heavy black brows and beard, 
 who looks as if he would much rather cut your throat 
 than not. I met one tall, handsome fellow whose 
 face I knew. I felt an impulse to call him " Sir." 
 Then 1 remembered that it was the double of Prince 
 Louis of Battenberg that was before me. The 
 women are very delicate and refined looking. Many 
 wear their mouths open like consumptives. Some 
 have their hair cocked up under their head-kerchief 
 and look like the native Jewesses of Tunis. One 
 little girl I saw had a most becoming cap and rough 
 hair. Others wear their hair plaited in a number 
 of braids and pigtails. But they are all alike in one 
 
294 THE CALL OF KASHMIR 
 
 respect, they are filthily dirty. The children are less 
 dirty than their elders because they have not been 
 so long on the earth to get soiled. They are such 
 cheery, confiding, taking little creatures. 
 
 At Baramoola one enters the Vale of Kashmir, 
 an open plain thirty miles across, through which the 
 Jhelum flows. It is surrounded on all sides by 
 
 The Kashmir girl does her hair in plaits, to which continuations of plaited 
 wool are added. 
 
 mountains. Srinagar, the capital, is fifty miles up 
 the Jhelum from Baramoola. 
 
 Baramoola is a small town situated where the 
 Jhelum widens into a broad, slow river running from 
 the open plateau of the Valley of Kashmir. It is a 
 grand place for earthquakes, and is accustomed to 
 being destroyed by them. I had heard somewhere 
 that the last quake had caused landslips which had 
 exposed a lot of ground like the diamondiferous blue 
 
MY TENT, LOOKING FROM THE BREAKFAST TABLE TOWARDS 
 THE LIDDAR. JAMES GOING TO GET MORE STEWED PEACHES 
 
 MY DOONGA 
 
A LOST OPPORTUNITY 295 
 
 clay of Kimberley. 1 looked everywhere for it, but 
 without success, and thus perhaps lost the chance of 
 a lifetime. Its architecture consists of rather ordin- 
 ary wooden houses ; but its smells are an outstanding 
 
 
 Baramoola. 
 
 feature, by no means ordinary. The timber bridge, 
 which here crosses the Jhelum, is quaint in itself 
 and rather reminded me of the Galata Bridge at 
 Constantinople, as an interesting place to sit and 
 watch the curious variety of wayfarers. 
 
 At Baramoola I found my doonga, a boat rather 
 
2g6 THE CALL OF KASHMIR 
 
 like a large punt, all ready under Ahmed, the boatman. 
 James, my kitmutgar (cook), who had gone on a week 
 ahead, was there with my dog Jack and the stores. 
 My boatmen, unlike others, had not their families 
 on board, which was a great blessing ; otherwise 
 there would have been continual jabbering and 
 squalling. As it was, whenever they wanted to 
 smoke and talk, they went out to the kitchen doonga 
 and sat with the other servants, and so I had a 
 perfectly quiet time. They proved very clean after 
 all. In fact, dining as I did at my neat little table 
 
 My doonga. 
 
 in absolute quiet, the running river in reach of my 
 hand, mountains, trees, and the bright moonlight, I 
 seemed to have struck my ideal of a " good time." 
 
 My bearer having turned up, I ordered my fleet 
 to get under way for Srinagar. As the gong at the 
 police guardroom was striking five I heard the flap 
 of our bow warp, a bit of thin cord, as it was cast-off 
 and flung on the deck. Then we slid away without a 
 sound, two men towing with a string from the bank. 
 
 The Jhelum River is about 200 yards wide, with 
 green grassy banks, and runs through flat, cultivated 
 country. Farms, villages, cattle, orchards on every 
 hand, and woodland trees such as walnut, plane, 
 and poplar all help to improve the landscape, and 
 beyond all, on every side stand the mountains backed 
 up and overtopped by the higher snow peaks. A 
 
•; *• 
 
 X 
 
 
 FORT HARI PARBAT SRINAGAR 
 
 V 
 
 >. 
 
 DAIS VILLAGE 
 
FISH-SPEARING 297 
 
 warm sun and a cool air. What more could one want ? 
 
 About midday the river emerged into the Woolar 
 Lake, a fine lake fifteen miles wide, but dangerous on 
 account of sudden squalls and a sea sufficient to 
 swamp a doonga. Consequently boats usually cross 
 a small corner of it and go by the Naroo " Canal," a 
 stream through swamps and water overgrown with 
 the water-nut plant. On this floating plant one 
 sees a bird that might be a cross between a magpie 
 and a pheasant with a touch of the dove thrown in. 
 
 I got Ahmed to make me a native fishing spear, and 
 when punting through the shallows I managed to get 
 several small fish, weighing nearly a pound each, but 
 very bony. Very many years ago, when I was 
 mudlarking in Portsmouth Harbour, I learned the 
 value of killing fish by spearing them. Grey mullet 
 are very good eating, but very shy and difficult to 
 catch with hook and line. Occasionally they could 
 be got with fine tackle and a bit of dough, and 
 sometimes with a small white fly. But in Ports- 
 mouth Harbour by mooring our boat alongside the 
 old man-of-war hulks we could always get them with 
 a spear as they fed along the bottoms of the old 
 ships, and by frequent practice we became adepts at 
 the sport. 
 
 This stood me in good stead when I got to Kash- 
 mir, for here I found that the natives did much the 
 same thing. Standing on the prow of your punt, 
 with a long, light spear in hand, while your native 
 boatman poled you gently along, you would peer 
 down into the water until you saw a fish, and then 
 with a gentle, well-aimed shove you could secure 
 your prey. Meeting an ardent fisherman near my 
 camp one day I challenged him to a match, he fishing 
 
298 THE CALL OF KASHMIR 
 
 with his rod and line, I with my spear. In the result 
 
 he got more fish, but I got the greater weight. 
 
 The mosquitoes on these swamps are marvellous 
 for number, size, and voracity, coupled with audacity. 
 I wore gloves, veil, and two pairs of socks, and the 
 crew lit a fire of smoky stuff. So I got along with 
 
 Spearing fish. 
 
 comparatively few bites, though the crew themselves 
 were in a continuous state of slap, scratch, and 
 swear. The noise of the mosquitoes at sundown was 
 like that in a railway station where several trains are 
 ready to start with steam up. 
 feThe scenery generally is like that of North Italy, 
 while the river itself continually reminded me of the 
 Thames. The splendid massive Chinar (plane) trees 
 
MIXED MOORING DISCOURAGED 299 
 looked just like elms in the distance, and they 
 improved on nearer acquaintance because of their 
 pretty foliage of serrated leaves. 
 
 Long before reaching Srinagar we could see Hari 
 Parbat, its citadel, but there is no sign of the city 
 itself until you are in it. Then it is a little dis- 
 appointing. The river runs for two miles straight 
 through the middle of it. There are dilapidated 
 wooden houses, the roofs covered with earth and 
 consequently grass-grown, and windows with carved 
 lattice work, which would be picturesque but that 
 they are invariably pasted over with newspaper on 
 the outside to keep out the draught. The waterside 
 walls and steps are crowded with boats and barges, 
 carrying an enormous river-borne population. All 
 the children apparently live in a state of bathing. 
 Beyond the city for a mile and a half the river runs 
 through the English part of Srinagar, with poplars 
 and chinar trees in abundance. English villas on 
 the towpath, house-boats and doongas all along the 
 banks, make it look exactly like Teddington, 
 provided you keep your eye off the background of 
 mountains. 
 
 Before reaching this part of the river we turned 
 off into a side canal which brought us to the Chinar 
 Bagh (grove of plane trees) which was the camping 
 ground assigned to bachelors. At Srinagar, I should 
 explain, there were two camping-grounds, one for 
 the married and one for the others. Mixed mooring 
 was discouraged. Being a bachelor I had perforce 
 to go to Chinar Bagh, where I found the whole bank 
 lined with doongas of others whose tents were 
 pitched on shore under the splendid trees. The 
 Kashmiris take life cheerily. All the evening from 
 
300 THE CALL OF KASHMIR 
 
 five until half -past nine, bedtime, there passed by us 
 
 a continuous string of boats full of people homeward 
 
 bound from an outing on the Dal Lake, most of them 
 
 singing, some of the songs having a rather pleasant 
 
 refrain. 
 
 From Takt-i-Suleiman (Solomon's seat), a hill of 
 about 800 feet, overlooking the city and valley of 
 
 cs£*&. 
 
 Kashmir children. 
 
 Kashmir, with an old Buddhist temple on the top, is 
 to be seen a splendid panorama of plains resembling 
 those of North Italy, backed up all round by 
 mountains. The city of Srinagar looks very pic- 
 turesque with its steeples of many temples, and 
 river flowing through the centre. The Dal Lake, 
 composed chiefly of swamp, with its pleasure gardens 
 and islands, is where Noor Mahal had her love 
 scenes, quarrel and reconciliation with the Emperor 
 Jahangir. It also contains the market gardens of 
 
THE EUROPEAN QUARTER 301 
 Srinagar, species of rafts made of rushes and water 
 weeds, just like the floating gardens in China, where- 
 on excellent vegetables, tomatoes, etc., are grown. 
 
 The Jhelum flows round the south of Takt-i- 
 Suleiman in a curiously winding series of curves, 
 from which it is said the pattern of Kashmir shawls 
 was originally derived. 
 
 The European quarter is at the foot of Takt-i- 
 Suleiman, and consists of about fifteen or twenty 
 houses, English villas in nice gardens, but too shut 
 in with trees for my liking. The Srinagar people 
 have gone mad on poplar avenues, and they run 
 in every direction. Every boundary is a line of 
 poplars, planted about two feet apart, and reach- 
 ing a height of from sixty to eighty feet. Going 
 among the houses one finds beautiful green turf 
 everywhere, English flowers in the gardens, and 
 the trees in the orchards laden with peaches, apples, 
 pears, and plums. In our garden a splendid chinar 
 tree overshadowed a family breakfast table, on which 
 a white-haired old lady was arranging flowers. 
 People from the boats on the river were living in 
 tents everywhere. There were two churches, a 
 subscription library, a polo ground, golf links and 
 kennels with a pack of hounds ! All handy to the 
 Residency, where Colonel Sir Adalbert Talbot, the 
 British Resident, lived. 
 
 Why a Resident ? Well, here is the history of 
 Kashmir somewhat condensed : 
 
 The vale of Kashmir was originally a lake in 
 which the Devil (named Zaludban) lived. Kashapa, 
 grandson of Brahma, visited the country and, finding 
 the Devil there, sat down for a thousand years~m 
 devotion and got the gods to help him turn out 
 
302 THE CALL OF KASHMIR 
 
 Zaludban, which he did by draining off the lake 
 through the gorge at Baramoola. So the country 
 was called Kashap's Mir (country). It was first a 
 Hindu country, then Rajputs ruled for 633 years 
 up to 3121 B.C. It is an oldish country : the 
 Kashmiris still sing of the loves of King Bambro 
 and Lolare, who lived about 2000 B.C. Asoka 
 conquered the country in 1394 B.C. and introduced 
 Buddhism. Srinagar was founded about A.D. 500. 
 The country became Mohammedan in the 14th 
 century (1323 A.D.) and Hindus were forced to 
 change their religion, so that to this day their 
 descendants still respect Hindus. The Emperor 
 Akbar conquered Kashmir in 1587, and so it was 
 under the Moguls till 1752, when the Pathans seized 
 it. In 1819 the Sikhs obtained possession. After 
 the battle of Sobraon the British agreed, for a 
 consideration, to recognise the independence of 
 Kashmir under British suzerainty. The amount of 
 the consideration was 750,000 Rs. A Resident is 
 appointed to see that the maharajah behaves him- 
 self, and to act as adviser in developing the country. 
 While camped in the Chinar Bagh I was besieged 
 by shoals of jewellers, shawl-dealers, shoe-makers, 
 shikaris, etc. But I was busy and bad-tempered. 
 On land I posted a man to warn them off, and when 
 they turned my flank and came alongside in boats I 
 heaved water over them. Eventually I was weak 
 enough to parley with one man who had photos of 
 the place to sell ; in a moment four or five boats had 
 run up, and like vultures the dealers gathered round 
 me and had their wares out on the grass to tempt 
 me, and beautiful things some of them were too, and 
 I had a present or two to make, and — well, I fell ! 
 
A CLEVER TRADER 303 
 
 The man who dealt with me had strips of cloth 
 held up all round us by coolies, so that rival traders 
 could not see the amount of our transactions. He 
 was a really clever dealer. Having discovered 
 beforehand who I was, he began by asking about most 
 fellows in the regiment. Then incidentally he got out 
 something similar to what he had made for one of 
 
 One way of travelling in Kashmir. 
 
 them, and then he thought perhaps I would like to 
 see a half-finished thing he was making for the Duke 
 of York. He was going to make another like it but 
 smaller for his shop. He would send it to me at 
 Meerut to look at and if I liked it I could keep it, if 
 not return it, and so on. 
 
 I find the following entry in my diary under the 
 date of August 7. " One of the many evenings for 
 which one has been truly thankful and glad to be 
 
304 THE CALL OF KASHMIR 
 
 alive,' ' which shows that I appreciated the beauty 
 of my surroundings. As this was written I was 
 sitting under the branches of my gigantic tree, my 
 fleet — I had just taken on a dinghy which brought 
 the number up to three bottoms — moored to the 
 bank, my dinner table and bed set out on the 
 " velvet " turf on the bank under the same trees. 
 The setting sun and the mountains on every side 
 had done their best to satisfy my eye and had fully 
 succeeded. Similarly James had done his best to 
 satisfy my " capacity," and with a mutton chop, 
 stewed peaches, and a bottle of local Kashmir claret, 
 had also succeeded, more especially as he accom- 
 panied them with a clean table-cloth and fixings. 
 
 The next morning we visited the ruins at Pan- 
 dritan, the little temple in the yellow tank whose 
 trefoil-pointed doors have puzzled the antiquarians 
 but are exactly in keeping with my antiquarian 
 ideas, whatever they may be worth. By the way, 
 the two guide-books I have seen both refer to this 
 mystery, but neither notices that one of the four 
 doors has a Buddha sculptured in the trefoil. This 
 village was originally the capital of Kashmir, but 
 was destroyed by order of Abimanyu, another Nero, 
 who could burn a city for his own pleasure. There 
 is also a gigantic " lingam " idol (broken), and the 
 feet of a sitting statue that must have been twenty 
 feet high. 
 
 A courteous native met me in the fields and told 
 me my boats were not far off. He was a dealer in 
 wood-carving, and, having heard I had started, 
 followed me out. His boat, full of samples, pres- 
 ently came along, tied to mine. His things were 
 very taking, and — again I fell. 
 
•<i 
 
A NAIVE ADMISSION 305 
 
 The people in this country ought to be very happy, 
 and apparently they are, for in every direction I 
 heard singing ; even the mosquitoes were singing. 
 One reason, possibly, for their being happy is that 
 the Kashmiris have no consciences. They admit 
 themselves that they are liars and thieves. A native 
 proverb says : "If you find a snake don't kill it ; 
 
 A Kashmir spade.^ 
 
 but if you find a Kashmiri it is another matter " ; 
 another states that " Many chickens in a house 
 befoul it : many Kashmiris in a country spoil it." 
 
 Getting under weigh in the morning was a beauti- 
 fully simple operation. The usual routine was that 
 I awoke about daybreak, the crew then being at 
 their prayers, with one eye on Heaven, the other on 
 me. As soon as I rolled out of bed their prayers 
 came to an end, my bed was handed into the doonga, 
 
 x 
 
306 THE CALL OF KASHMIR 
 
 and before I had well started my toilet on board 
 the mooring pegs had been pulled up and we were 
 under weigh. The kitchen boat presently ranged up 
 alongside, and my chota-hazri was brought on board. 
 After which Jack and I landed and walked for a 
 couple of hours. Then came a tub, clean flannels and 
 breakf ast,and subsequently a settling down for the day. 
 
 The boatwomen of Kashmir are famed for their 
 beauty. I saw many hundreds of them, but must 
 have missed the famed ones. They were handsome 
 in a way, strong-featured and strong-bodied and, 
 as I have before remarked, very dirty, very like 
 gypsies. They were dressed in a dirty night-gown, 
 many sizes too large for them, with a white (?) cloth 
 thrown over the back of their head. Some wear a 
 small, flat red turban under it. They work just the 
 same as men in the boats, taking their turn at 
 punting, towing, and steering, as do also the children. 
 
 The boatmen are of splendid physique and gener- 
 ally nice, respectable, intelligent fellows. My two 
 headmen were very capable, they could cook, look 
 after my clothes, boots, etc., and the two lads under 
 them were very hard-working, cheery fellows, whose 
 great delight was to carry my spear when they were 
 towing and to look out for unwary fish as they went 
 along. 
 
 The verandah of my doonga was a charming place 
 on which, to spend a happy day ; I could sit there for 
 hours and enjoy watching the view continually 
 changing. Jack also liked lying with his head over 
 the side, peering down into the water. So little did 
 I like the idea of ending this ideal boat-life that I 
 gave orders to the crew that they were to go slowly, 
 and still further delay the inevitable. 
 
THE UBIQUITOUS TOURIST 307 
 
 At Bidjbehara, which I found too tempting to be 
 resisted and stopped there a whole day, our charming 
 bagh was invaded towards evening by the Resident 
 of Kashmir and his camp, and 40,000 coolies (more or 
 less), escort, tagrag and bobtail. 
 
 Just opposite to where I lay moored was a Hindu 
 temple. I had been interested in watching the ways 
 of the devotees, and I took my dinghy and rowed 
 unobserved close under their bank and listened to 
 what they were saying. A priest came to them 
 while they were eating their midday meal. He 
 talked, not directly to them at first, but rather at 
 them, steadily harping on one thing. " Life is 
 vanity, the great river flowing by is like the Destiny 
 of Life ; it rolls on ceaselessly, unmoved by the 
 desires, or prayers, or tears of men ; quiet but 
 irresistible ; calm but inscrutable." They seemed 
 to forget their meal as his impressive refrain began 
 to hold their attention. 
 
 " Aye, brothers/' he continued, " look at those 
 straws, those bubbles borne along by the current. 
 What are we but such as they ? borne along by 
 Father Destiny, the Great River, whence ? it matters 
 not : whither ? we know not : what use for us to 
 have ambitions, loves or hates ? Can we, mere 
 straws, turn the Great River to suit our little aims ? 
 Do you, my brothers, not see the might of the great 
 God ? Yes, in your heart you begin to comprehend 
 his greatness and your own littleness. He comes to 
 you — he comes " 
 
 Yes, he does, or the next thing to him does. An 
 English tourist, kodak in hand, nose in the air, walks 
 in, stepping through the assemblage as if they were 
 so much dirt, and proceeds to " snap" their best idol. 
 
308 THE CALL OF KASHMIR 
 
 The spell was broken. Poor old priest, I quite felt 
 for him. All his high-falutin thrown away. The 
 disenchantment was complete. The women covered 
 up their faces from the white man, and the men 
 resumed their eating and began jabbering to each 
 other their various experiences of the " mad sahib 
 logue " they have met. 
 
 Eventually I reached Kunbul, the port of Islama- 
 bad. My general plan now was to leave the fleet 
 here as a base for supplies, while 1 made short trips 
 into the mountains which closed in on every side, 
 and offered most tempting scenery for nearer 
 investigation. At Islamabad, a fair-sized town, dirty 
 of course but not quite so smelly as most of them, 
 there were a number of Hindu pilgrims camping for 
 the day on their way back from the cave of Amar- 
 nath, among them fakirs or religious mendicants in 
 most fantastic guise. At Bawan, at the entrance to 
 the Liddar Valley, I fixed my camp in a grove of 
 immense chinar trees with a stream of running water 
 gurgling through it. On first coming into the bagh 
 from the sunlight it seemed quite dark under the 
 trees. I say " camped " ; but my breakfast-table 
 was spread in the open, and I did not have my tent 
 pitched at all. The climate was perfect, hot enough 
 in the day to keep you sitting in the shade, cold 
 enough at night for a blanket, or two even for those 
 who wear two. My bed was placed under a tree to 
 keep off the moonlight and the dew, which was very 
 heavy. 
 
 My " outfit " now consisted of eleven carriers, at 
 four annas (sixpence) per march of about twelve 
 miles, and my bearer and kitmutgar. We had to 
 take all food with us, and thus I had got a flock 
 
~ £ 
 
 
309 
 
 MY ENTOURAGE 
 of chickens, each carrier carrying one in his hand on 
 the march ! They are fine, strong fellows, who carry 
 huge loads which they pack into a neat little frame- 
 work of bent sticks tied up with cord, which they 
 make in a few seconds from the bark of the bushes 
 
 
 My household goods on thejmove. (i) My bedroom. (2) My study and 
 library. (3) My kitchen. (4) My bearer. (5) My mansion itself. 
 
 about them. They all wear putties round their legs. 
 Their loads were apportioned as follows : 
 
 1 Carried my bedding and clothes. 
 
 2 Carried despatch box, servants' blankets. 
 
 3 Cooking pots, etc., in a basket (kiltee). 
 
310 THE CALL OF KASHMIR 
 
 4 Stores. 
 
 5 Tent. 
 
 6 Bath and small sundries. 
 
 7 Table, chair-bedstead. 
 
 8 Tiffin basket. 
 
 It was about this time that I came to the conclusion 
 that I ought to be married. I felt acutely the need 
 of a wife who could sketch landscapes.* There was 
 more than enough for one man to attempt in the 
 sketching line here, especially when he is no good at 
 landscapes or trees. 
 
 The stream that ran through the camping bagh 
 at Bawan had rather a curious origin. When 
 Kashapa had finished his prayer of 1,000 years long 
 he was at Bawan, breakfasting, and happened to 
 have an egg in his hand, when he saw the water, in 
 which lived the Devil, running out of the Vale of 
 Kashmir. In his excitement he shouted: "By 
 gum ! we've done the Devil this time ! " or words to 
 that effect, and dashed the egg down on the ground. 
 It must have been very under-done, for it at once 
 developed into a stream of water, which has flowed 
 happily ever since. 
 
 The lumbardar (headman) of the village and also 
 the guide (self-constituted) to the ruins have very 
 interesting visitors' books, handed down to them by 
 their fathers : in these are the autographs of John 
 Lawrence, Hugh Gough, Neville Chamberlain, Digh- 
 ton Probyn, Hardinge, Lieut. Frederick Roberts, 
 Lord Lansdowne, and others, dating back to about 
 1830. 
 
 ■ It is curious how comfortable and simple marching 
 becomes when the whole party have got into the 
 
 * I have recently had to revise my standard of the qualities of a 
 desirable wife. 
 
HOW IT IS DONE 311 
 
 routine of it. I would give only one word of com- 
 mand, " James," and that does the whole thing. 
 
 When the morning star begins to wane in the 
 coming dawn I would wake up and shout : " James." 
 Jack, who has watched for this, would immediately 
 jump on to my bed, stretch himself and go to sleep 
 again. So would I — for about seven minutes. 
 
 Then James hands in a plate of grapes and dis- 
 appears. All my servants had, after a painful 
 amount of drilling, got into the way of doing what I 
 want and nothing more, and then disappearing again, 
 instead of their usual system of fiddling about eye- 
 serving. While I am at the grapes, and Jack at the 
 skins, the bearer would be putting my hot water and 
 washing-things ready outside. Then I up and 
 dress, by which time the table, which stands on a 
 big waterproof sheet as carpet out in the open, is 
 laid with cocoa, eggs, and toast. 
 
 During breakfast the tents have been struck and 
 packed up and sent off on their road, as well as all 
 the other kit. Every carrier knows his own load, 
 picks out his things directly they are available, 
 packs them up, and off he goes. One man waits to 
 take the table, chair, carpet, and tea-things. The 
 whole thing is done in about fifteen minutes and 
 not a word is spoken. 
 
 My tiffin-basket is really a tea-basket ; it has a 
 kettle and a spirit-lamp, which enables me to make 
 my own tea. It has quite sufficient storage for what 
 food I want. I have added to its equipment an 
 aluminium cigar-case which holds toast or biscuits, 
 and an old tooth-powder box containing salt and 
 pepper mixed. 
 
 My tiffin man also carries a clean shirt and a 
 
312 THE CALL OF KASHMIR 
 
 change of chaplis and socks, and therein lies my 
 secret of walking, viz., a change of footgear. I was 
 known at Charterhouse for playing football with two 
 pairs of boots, one pair on, the other in waiting ready 
 to be changed into at half-time. I always consider 
 
 
 The natives have eyes in their knees when Jack is about. 
 
 a change of footgear the most important item in a 
 long walk. 
 
 The natives have eyes in their knees, at least their 
 knees seem the first part of them to get out of Jack's 
 way when he runs ahead to clear the road for me. 
 On coming to a string of men he prances at the leader 
 grinning from ear to ear, but not barking. The 
 
f^T^fe 
 
 en 3 
 D ° 
 
 is 
 
 ° en 
 
 z < 
 
 " o 
 o « 
 
 y - 
 
 X. 
 
 V^' 
 
 C^SK*'- ." ^ '■ 
 
 f 
 
 'i^V 
 
 
 
 / * 
 
 ~ 
 
 ^U/t 
 
 .5i 
 
 
 
 
 *^5^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 JftVj 
 
 
 
 
 «™A V 
 
 r 
 
 
 t 5 
 
 -' / . 
 
 <^ 
 
 H' 
 
 s 
 
NEWS OF BEARS 313 
 
 smile is enough. Their knees run away with them 
 to the side of the path and Jack trots on master of 
 the road. The only sign of exultation that he gives 
 are two single wags of his tail to one side, just a sort 
 of wink to me. Then he will trot along in a kind of 
 sideways manner, his hind-feet moving on a parallel 
 track with his forefeet, one ear inside out, and head 
 low. Don't tell me a dog isn't thinking deeply to 
 himself when he goes like that ! 
 
 After going about ten miles 1 look out for a place 
 to halt in. One that affords (1) shade all day ; 
 (2) a stream ; (3) a view. There I bathe, change 
 clothes, have tiffin, read, write, and draw till about 
 3.30. Then I make tea, after which I pack up and 
 move on to where I find the camp pitched and another 
 tea ready. Then comes a hot bath, dinner, letters, 
 and finally I turn in. 
 
 One day, looking at my map, I thought how good 
 it would be to get off the beaten track and see 
 something of the mountains about Dedhoof Nag. 
 Seeing a native I asked him if he knew a way up 
 yonder mountain. "Yes, of course," he replied; 
 " did I want to go shooting ? " " No, only to look." 
 " Well, that's a pity, because on a mountain behind 
 that, at Dedhoof Nag, a lot of horses have just been 
 killed by bears." A good name for a place where 
 one might expect to find the remains of a horse. 
 He was a shikari, disengaged, so I took him on then 
 and there and made my plans accordingly. I sent 
 back a coolie with a note for our boatmen to send 
 up guns, warm clothes, and servants' tent. Mean- 
 time we marched on another six miles up the Liddar 
 Valley among snow mountains, rugged peaks, deodar- 
 forested slopes and roaring river below. We were 
 
314 THE CALL OF KASHMIR 
 
 already getting up in the world and it was quite 
 
 cold. 
 
 The scenery where the Lunghni Valley joins the 
 Liddar is absolutely perfect. We pitched the camp 
 there and determined to sit down and look at the 
 
 Samud Khan, my shikari. 
 
 view, or rather views, for in each of the four different 
 directions they are splendid, but impossible for me 
 to paint. In the afternoon I visited the fields near 
 Shutkoti to see where the bears had been at work 
 in the crops. 
 
 That night, with my shikari, Samud Khan, I 
 went to a field much frequented by two bears and sat 
 up watching for them half the night ; but none 
 
THE WAYS OF THE BEAR 315 
 came. It was a beautiful night, and I was interested 
 to see the whole hillside ablaze with small bonfires 
 intended to keep the bears out of the crops ; one 
 man always on duty, going from fire to fire stoking 
 them up, shouting all the time. 
 
 Half an hour after we left the bears came and fed 
 within ten yards of where we had been sitting ! 
 
 A tonga. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 
 The Lunghni Valley — Omar by the Camp Fire — Philo- 
 sophic Carriers — The Efficacy of Castor Oil — A Good 
 Camping Rule — A Bear at Last — A Mud Slide — 
 An Excellent Fellow — A Test of Eyesight — The Man 
 with the Funny Face — I Indiscreetly Heal the 
 Sick — I Become Famous — A Jungle Doctor — My 
 Practice Increases — A Question of Date — How I got the 
 News of Omdurman — My Appetite — A New Use for 
 Oil Tins — A Courteous Governor — The End^ofXthe 
 Trip — The Balance Sheet? 
 
 EVERY turn in the Liddar Valley brought us 
 on to something new and more charming 
 in the way of scenery. I found a forest 
 of deodars one day, covering a great amphitheatre 
 of mountain side. There were thousands of them 
 ranged there, every tree was like its fellow, 
 tall, symmetrical, and grand, quite as awe-inspiring 
 in their way as the mountains themselves. Those 
 hoary -headed old grandfatherly peaks, looking 
 away" in cold sublimity across a waste of ages, 
 are far out of touch with us little parasites 
 crawling about their feet. But the deodars are a 
 little more of this world, they seem like an army 
 corps of grenadiers standing ready waiting for 
 orders. At a word one could imagine them all on 
 the move at once. 
 
 We packed up and started off up the Lunghni 
 
 316 
 
THE LEGS OF SAMUD KHAN 317 
 Valley, at first alongside the splendid rushing tor- 
 rent, among beautiful woodland scenery, crossing 
 the stream by a fallen tree which Jack crawled across 
 in abject terror; then on his own account he went 
 back across it and returned. He did this two or 
 three times until he could do it quite comfort- 
 ably ! We ascended steadily for four thousand feet 
 through the forest, the deodars standing strictly 
 to " attention " while we passed. Very blowing 
 work, the last mile or so, not so much because 
 I am fat and pursy, but because of the altitude, 
 somewhere between nine thousand and ten thou- 
 sand feet. Samud Khan had horrid long legs 
 and the stride of a gillie on the moors on the 12th 
 of August. I was very glad to find that I could 
 get along with him much better than I had expected 
 on this my first day's real walking for ever so long. 
 
 We saw lots of pleasing wild flowers by the way. 
 Purple anemones, lilac-coloured marguerites, snap- 
 dragon, yellow crowsfoot and an inferior pink imita- 
 tion of the "Pride of the Table Mountain "—still, 
 a handsome flower all the same. None of these 
 bore the names I give them, but they looked like 
 them in bloom. There were also real forget-me- 
 nots, buttercups, clover, bluebells, cornflowers, 
 strawberry flowers, everlastings, dwarf-sunflowers, 
 etc. 
 
 That wife of mine will have to be able to draw 
 sunset effects on the hills and in the forest. They 
 are wonderful. I wish I could give you an idea of 
 them. 
 
 We continued our march up the Lunghni Valley — 
 for scenery the most beautiful walk I have ever had. 
 Unfortunately, this year, the mountains that are 
 
318 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 
 usually covered with snow were almost clear of it. 
 The path was very rough and steep in places. We 
 toiled up to ten thousand feet, then promptly dropped 
 down again one thousand feet, and then gradually 
 made it up again. At one spot a tornado had floored 
 hundreds of deodars, and it was hard work clamber- 
 ing over their bodies. 
 
 How they frighten birds in Kashmir by means of a cracker made of plaited 
 strips of bush ten feet long. 
 
 On arriving at the selected spot I found my tent 
 pitched, the tea-table spread, and bath ready (al 
 fresco), and, after enjoying these to the full, I sat, 
 first sketching and then simply staring at the view, 
 to the total disregard of lots of letters which I ought 
 to have been writing ; but I did not care. 
 
 That evening at sunset the elements tried to get 
 up a thunderstorm. Clouds rolled up all over the 
 mountains and turned the sky salmon pink in one 
 
A COMFORT AND AN ANXIETY 319 
 part and the next bit deep, steel blue. Then great 
 lumps of white, woolly cloud rolled across with all 
 sorts of coloured lights upon them, whilst the thunder 
 rumbled behind the scenes. Suddenly the whole 
 show cleared away again and let the stars have their 
 turn at showing themselves off. 
 
 After a charming little dinner (during which a 
 woodcock flew by) I sat me down by a roaring log- 
 fire, in my comfortable arm-chair, Jack lying along- 
 side, very excited to see the sparks flying. My 
 lantern hung from my alpenstock, and by its light 
 I read with much enjoyment " Omar Khayyam," 
 which I had in the Persian with Whinfield's transla- 
 tion to it. My comfortable arm-chair was one of the 
 many things given me by friends that go to make 
 this trip so completely comfortable. My field-glasses 
 were the wonder of everybody, and like Selous' wife 
 in Storm and Sunshine in Rhodesia were "at once 
 my chief comfort and my chief anxiety." I was so 
 afraid of losing them. They were destined, a year 
 later, to be of inestimable value to me in the 
 South African campaign. Then I got married : 
 wedding trip on the Sahara, strap left undone, 
 case overturned when riding, glasses gone ! Retrac- 
 ing our tracks, lamentations, swear-words all useless. 
 Gone ! 
 
 On rainy days we made little progress, as the carriers 
 could not do much on the slippery ground. When 
 the mist hung over the mountain-tops the rest of 
 the ground looked very like a Scottish moorland, 
 and the illusion was helped by a dwarf yew growing 
 among the boulders, and a crimson wild flower 
 exactly like heather all over the place. 
 
 Among the piles of stones live numerous marmots, 
 
320 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 brown and black animals as big as large cats and 
 very shy. Samud Khan and I went after them with 
 a gun and got three. They have good fur, but these 
 were apparently at that time changing their coats, 
 and so were not much good for rug making. 
 
 We were now close to Dedhoof Nag, and found 
 that the report of red bears was exaggerated ; one 
 only had been there, and it would require several 
 days to get on his track. I had no licence for shoot- 
 
 Beaters going home, as their chaplis render them useless on 
 slippery country. 
 
 ing red bears, only one for black, and red bears' 
 coats were not in good order at that time of year. 
 My supplies would not last many days, and the 
 difficulties of the road had already delayed us for 
 two days beyond our scheduled time. These con- 
 siderations determined me to let the red bear go — 
 and he went. I decided not to go over Dedhoof Nag, 
 but camped on the road turning towards Islamabad 
 and supplies over the Liwapatur ridge, and I pro- 
 posed to go for black bears on the other side of it. 
 During the night there was a heavy downpour 
 
NATIVE WAYS 321 
 
 of rain, which induced a lot of mountain ponies to 
 come two or three times to take refuge under the 
 lee of my tent, and among the tent ropes. My poor 
 carriers were sleeping out in it all, with nothing but 
 their blankets. I knew I could not get them all 
 into my tent, and the aroma of even a few of them 
 would necessitate my going out into the rain myself. 
 So I let things slide till the morning, when I purposed 
 giving them a day's pay extra to comfort them. 
 But it was very little comfort they required. They 
 were all as cheery and talkative as possible, and did 
 not mention the rain until I asked them if they had 
 not got wet. " Oh yes, a little, but you cannot 
 expect always to be dry, and we always get a ducking 
 on this old mountain." 
 
 They were much amused at my servants from the 
 plains, who cowered in their tent and wrapped up 
 their heads when the rain began. When it came 
 down in earnest they ran out and busied themselves 
 at doing nothing with my tent ropes till their 
 wretched linen garments were soaked through, and 
 then they huddled up again in their tent and deve- 
 loped graveyard coughs for which they eventually 
 had to be dosed with castor oil. There is nothing 
 like castor oil for anything from a toothache to a 
 broken leg. 
 
 The silence on the mountain is remarkable. 
 There are no birds, no trees to rustle, and it was too 
 high for us to hear the noises from the valley below. 
 The steep stony ridge above our camp was one which 
 is usually covered with snow ; but the only sign of 
 this was one small glacier we passed. On reaching 
 the top, it was to find it was a real top. We were 
 not to find, as so often happens, still another shoulder 
 
 Y 
 
322 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 or crest to surmount. Here suddenly before you 
 was space, on this occasion all cloud, but here and 
 there a rift showing the country beyond, spread 
 out like an emerald-green and peacock-blue ocean, 
 with its horizon high up in the sky, the most extensive 
 view I have ever seen. We were twelve thousand 
 feet up. I got badly blown the last few hundred 
 yards, my heart thumping the wind out of me till 
 I almost felt sick. Then down a very steep descent 
 
 Going up is simple enough, but the real difficulty lies in coming down. 
 
 over a waste of boulders, between grand crags, and 
 with occasional glimpses, through holes in the 
 clouds, of the country below. 
 
 I had started with English walking brogues, but 
 I soon changed into chaplis, which are excellent 
 footgear on this stony country. 
 
 After an hour and a half we got down among 
 deodar woods again and " pretty " scenery, brawling 
 torrents, woodland, grass and ferns, etc., on the 
 southern slopes of Liwapatur. 1 breakfasted in 
 
A SULKY MOUNTAIN 323 
 
 the deodar woods overhanging a mountain stream, 
 my menu consisting of grilled chicken, poached 
 eggs, and (of course) stewed peaches. 
 
 Whenever possible I sent my baggage and tent 
 on to the camping place I had selected, with orders 
 not to camp within one mile of any village. Thus 
 one avoids smells, bad water, and visits of headmen 
 and others with presents of bad fruit, for which they 
 expect backshish and a letter to say they have done 
 you excellent service. 
 
 Out of the deodars into ordinary woods, we 
 descended into a warmer and closer atmosphere. 
 Finally the valley opened out a little and the path 
 occasionally became level for a few yards. Cows, 
 children, millet fields we saw, and grass and wild 
 flowers waist-high. Scattered about were trees — 
 walnut, mulberry, plum, pear, and apple. There 
 were one or two small hamlets, one of which, called 
 Hamgalpao, proved to be the home of Samud Khan. 
 Here his brothers and nephews met us, all of them 
 shikaris, his brother Sabhana a celebrated one just 
 back from Ladakh. They showed me to my camp- 
 ground, a lovely spot, my tent being situated on a 
 grass knoll with trees all round. A mountain stream 
 gurgled past within a few yards of it, in which I 
 bathed. On the other bank of the stream, which I 
 crossed with the aid of a sapling, beneath two shady 
 trees close together, I came to my table, chair, des- 
 patch box and string hammock (slung) . As I sat I 
 could look up to where the mountain hid its silly old 
 head in the clouds. " Sulky old beast," I muttered. 
 " Why didn't you come out and be looked at ? ' 
 The " sulky old beast " came out after all at sunset. 
 
 Early one morning I set out with my shikari and 
 
324 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 a local native to wait for a bear which the latter 
 said came along the path " every morning at day- 
 break. Of course he did not come, but we found 
 his tracks when it got light, where he had passed 
 during the night within one hundred and fifty yards 
 of my tent. 
 
 After a cup of cocoa I started up the hill above my 
 camp, and after a stiffish pull the shikari posted me 
 " where three bears had been killed last year." 
 Then forty beaters beat out the jungle all up the 
 hillside to where I was posted. Two doves came out ! 
 
 Then came another climb up to a higher point in 
 the forest, with the same result, minus the doves. 
 After a repetition of it all yet a third time, I began 
 to see that there were no bears. It was then noon, 
 so I had breakfast, deciding that I had had about 
 enough of such exercise for one day, and that we 
 would drop gently down again to camp, which was 
 about fifteen hundred feet below us. But the 
 shikari's brother said : " Now I know where the 
 bears are ; just a little higher up. It's a hot day 
 and they've gone up to get cool." 
 
 First we went down a precipitous, slippery grass 
 slope. Going down, down, down was awful. Then 
 we began the re-ascent, which is always so annoy- 
 ing, but I was getting my wind now, and my legs 
 were — the following sketches show what they had 
 become. 
 
 Arrived at the top of a gorge, all in forest, we took 
 up our position on a narrow ledge on a high rock 
 looking down it, the two shikaris and I. I had 
 " melted " so that I wanted to change my shirt, 
 for the third time. Not having a dry one left, I 
 put my coat on next to my skin and put my shirt 
 
BEARS 325 
 
 on to dry over that. I then sat tight on top of the 
 rock while the beaters clambered up through the 
 forest, shouting and whistling with wonderful shrill- 
 
 The making of a calf. 
 
 ness. " Stops " were posted on both sides of the 
 gorge, tapping trees with sticks to prevent the 
 bears breaking out to either side. 
 Suddenly the stops at one side began shouting ; 
 
326 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 there was a crash of branches and a black lump 
 came bundling down the side of the valley through 
 the underwood at a great pace, straight towards 
 our rock — a rough, shaggy, half-grown bear. 
 
 
 
 f 
 
 7 >^%*M 
 
 >m 
 
 \ 
 
 ^ < 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 <v 
 
 A difference of opinion as to a right of way 
 
 r 
 
 " Here, look out, my boy, we are here ! " 
 " Yes, I know," was his unuttered reply. " That's 
 just what I'm coming for." 
 
 And he made a determined clamber of it and the 
 next moment was on the ledge with us ! There 
 wasn't room for us all there, so the old shikari who 
 was nearest to him let him have one on the top of 
 
A SEVERE FALL 327 
 
 the head with his alpenstock, followed immediately 
 by one better on the side of the head, which knocked 
 
 Act I. 
 
 Act III. Act IV. 
 
 The work of a " stop " in a bear-drive in four acts. 
 Act I. : " Have the beaters found him ? " Act II. : " I'll stop him 
 coming this way ; " taps hollow tree-stump. Act III. : " Shoo ! get 
 along with you." Act IV. : " Will the sahib hit him ? " 
 
 poor bruin sideways into space, and he fell with 
 a heavy thud, and a yowl like a dog, into the 
 
328 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 undergrowth below us. He was too young to 
 shoot. 
 
 Very soon afterwards more shouting from the 
 " stops," and a big bear could just be seen dodging 
 about among the bushes. He got away through 
 
 Unintentional tobogganning. 
 
 them. I sent a couple of snap-shots after him just 
 to show that I had noticed him, but did him no 
 harm. Then the beaters got nearer and nearer, 
 making a hideous din, whistling, shouting, hammer- 
 ing hollow trees that gave out a wonderful " boom," 
 and one bull-voiced individual kept letting out a 
 most blood-curdling cry of " Oola — oola ! " It had 
 a grand effect, for suddenly, out of the underwood 
 
A MUD SLIDE 329 
 
 before us about eighty yards off, dashed a great big 
 bear heading towards us. I fired and he rolled 
 over with a yell ; but was up again in a second and 
 scurrying back towards the beaters. As he was 
 climbing out of a watercourse I gave him another 
 which toppled him backwards. But he scrambled 
 up again and dashed straight at the line of beaters 
 so that I could shoot no more and he got away through 
 them. Then the fun began. I took off my shirt 
 and started with the shikaris to follow him up. 
 We got on to his track, blood-spoor, and followed 
 it, now up, now down, through heavy brushwood, 
 over rocks, along slippery hillsides. It was exercise 
 with a vengeance. At one spot the hillside was 
 slippery black mud. It gave with me, and down I 
 went on my back at forty thousand miles an hour. 
 Luckily one shikari was below me and had his alpen- 
 stock well into the ground and his knees bent, and 
 I brought up against him all standing, or rather 
 sitting. But my back ! A moment before a torso 
 of alabaster, now it might be called a study of the 
 nude carved in bog-oak. 
 
 Well, we had a long hunt, and then after a con- 
 sultation the shikaris agreed that my dodge was to 
 go down, round the bottom of the mountain, and 
 up on to a certain spur, and the beaters would drive 
 him out to me. I was so done I could hardly get 
 down, and as for getting up the spur again after I 
 had toiled down 1 I sat down and looked at it 
 hopelessly. Then I tried a step or two up, and I 
 got up all right to the appointed place, changed my 
 shirt again, but no bear came out. Eventually 
 my shikari, who had continued on the spoor, came 
 down and said he had followed it away up the 
 
330 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 mountain to some big caves where it had gone in. They 
 had lit fires to smoke it out, but the caves were too deep. 
 
 My old bulleted leg was now too dicky to take me 
 a yard except in the direction of camp. I got 
 down the hill somehow, and back to my tent, after 
 a really grand day's exercise. I reckon we did about 
 twenty miles, and most of it climbing. 
 
 I had a regular carnival in the stream, incidentally 
 almost breaking my nose on the bottom. I lost 
 count of the number of " goes " I had of fried- 
 buttered toast spread with honey, cups of tea, 
 apples and grapes. I had been out from 4 a.m. 
 until 5 p.m. tracking the wayward bear ! 
 
 Next day was a day of rest, though indeed I did 
 not feel a bit tired and the game leg was as right as 
 ever. The English mail, letters and newspapers, 
 arrived the previous night and, not feeling sleepy, 
 I sat up half the night reading them. I was in 
 that state when one is too tired to sleep. An even- 
 ing stroll up the dingle at the back of my camp 
 was, bar the distant church bells, exactly like an 
 English country Sunday. While I was sketching 
 her house a woman came through the field of high 
 millet, and had it not been for her face and dirty 
 clothes she would have looked rather like the pictures 
 of Pharaoh's daughter which one sees on chocolate 
 boxes, coal-scuttles, etc. 
 
 My coolies made a pair of shoes out of one long piece 
 of cord, which is made of the grass growing round. 
 They fitted comfortably (when you got used to the 
 string between your toes), and though I could not 
 quite walk on the ceiling with them I felt confident 
 that I could walk up a plate-glass window all right. 
 They were the best shoes I ever had. 
 
SABHANA'S WIT 331 
 
 Two days later we had another beat for bears. 
 We went further and worked along the top of a 
 beautiful ridge three thousand feet above the camp. 
 There is a note of laconic joy in my diary ; it says : 
 " Such views ! A long day, splendid exercise (shirt 
 perpetually changed)." The only bear we saw was 
 
 Sabhana, our guide. 
 
 my wounded one and he dived into his cave, from 
 which we could not get him out with either stones, 
 poles, or fire : nor could we tackle him inside — it 
 was a narrow hole between rocks with ramifications 
 under the side of the hill. Sabhana proved an excel- 
 lent chap, very intelligent and witty. He kept 
 the beaters in roars of laughter with his jokes, 
 g The next few days were devoted entirely to 
 
332 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 beating for bears, and to disappointment. Once 
 we devoted a whole day to following a burly fellow 
 at whom I did not so much as get a shot. He was 
 a very big, bobbery chap, who, when pressed, would 
 turn and charge the line of beaters. Twice he was 
 
 
 \ 
 
 1U ! 
 
 
 ¥\%vw^^m his 
 
 ill 
 
 The bear^charges the beaters. 
 
 near me, although invisible in the bush ; but the 
 heavy thud of his galloping was just that of a grazing 
 carthorse when he suddenly takes it into his head 
 to gallop round his meadow. 
 
 One evening in the middle of dinner a native ran 
 in from the field across the stream to say that a 
 
A TEST OF EYESIGHT 333 
 
 bear had just come into his crop. Away went Samud 
 Khan and I, I in my evening dress : I always dine 
 in evening dress ; some might call it " night-dress." 
 We crept all about the fellow's field, but divil a 
 bear. Then it came on to rain and we got back well 
 wetted. So I changed and began dinner over 
 again. 
 
 Nothing in particular happened during the next 
 few days. It rained and I enjoyed the seclusion 
 of my tent with a jolly big fire at the door. Then 
 we had another bear-drive and I admired the clouds 
 rolling up the mountains and the yellow and lilac 
 country below ; but there were no bears. I also 
 did some reading, including Colonel French's lecture 
 on Cavalry Manoeuvres and Henderson's Strategy 
 and its Teaching, just to remind me that I was a 
 soldier as well as a vagabond. Then I had to do a 
 little doctoring. Poor Jack was suffering from a 
 bad eye. I really thought he had lost it from a 
 thorn or something. I bathed it with tea, and after- 
 wards with a lead lotion, and it got better and Jack 
 began to enjoy life again. 
 
 How far can one see a man ? From my position 
 on the ridge one day, looking on to the Liddar, I 
 could see a bridge over it, and two or three people 
 crossing it at different times. My shikari has good 
 sight, but could only see the piers of the bridge, 
 and said the roadway had, he thought, been carried 
 away by the floods. I bet him a rupee it was there. 
 My field glasses proved that I was right. With 
 them I could even see which way the planks of the 
 roadway were laid ! I had also pointed out some 
 cattle which he and his assistant could not at first 
 see. Then we had a match at counting them, wherein 
 
334 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 we ran a dead heat ; but I eventually won the com- 
 petition in an underhand way by spotting the 
 herdsmen in charge of the cattle. We all looked 
 in vain for him till I noticed a bush on the hillside 
 above the cattle, and I Sherlock-Holmesed that the 
 man would like to be in the shade and, at the same 
 time, in a position commanding a view of his charges, 
 so I made a shot at it, and said he was by the bush : 
 and when we turned the glasses on we found I was 
 correct. The distance according to the map was 
 apparently over three miles. 
 
 There was a good deal about this spot that reminded 
 me of England. Besides blackberries, hazel-copses, 
 brier-roses, and yew trees, etc., we found cackling 
 old blackbirds in the jungle, and round my camp there 
 were wood-pigeons who were never tired of cooing 
 out that they were " Pleased to see you ! very pleased 
 to see you ! " Nice of them, but they would not 
 have been so pleased to see me had they known that 
 it was only fear of frightening away the bears that 
 prevented me from shooting one or two of them for 
 food. Chicken, always chicken, was the only meat 
 one could get there ; not that I minded, it was all 
 the same to me, still it was rather the " same," all 
 the same. 
 
 I sent my bearer to put the fleet out of com- 
 mission. I had decided not to boat any more, the 
 month for which I had engaged them being nearly 
 up. The next day the boatmen turned up in camp 
 to " say good-bye," i.e., to get some backshish, or 
 any old clothes, which they are very keen on, although 
 they do not seem to wear them. I gave them an 
 old Bee clock, value when new about three shillings, 
 that did not go very well. That and some lead lotion 
 
THE POST OFFICE AND CLUB AT ACHIBAL 
 
THE WATCHMAN'S DESPAIR 335 
 for one of their children's eyes was all they got for 
 their thirty-mile walk, but they went away quite 
 happy. 
 
 Day dawning was a beautiful sight, the Pir Punjal 
 getting up blazing red long before my side of the 
 vale, in the deep shadow of its mountains, thought 
 of waking. There were grain store-houses in most 
 of the fields. On the flat roofs of these the watch- 
 men lived in little huts made of straw, and kept 
 fires going all night and shouted, whistled and blew 
 horns to frighten away the bears ; but, as one man 
 said : " What is the good ? the bears come and eat 
 by the light of the fire, and if I shout at them they 
 look at me and growl ! " 
 
 Again I sat up, a whole night this time, for bears ; 
 but without result. The shikari became very un- 
 happy, and to humour him I had to simulate great 
 anger. I did not really care a bit, I was getting 
 good exercise and splendid views, which was all I 
 wanted ; but I could not explain this to the shikari, 
 and anger was my only alternative. 
 
 At last I tore myself away from the camp above 
 Aieen and walked down into the Vale of Kashmir 
 to Achibal. Achibal is much praised in the guide 
 books and much disappoints one in consequence. 
 It is a small pleasure-garden surrounding a tank that 
 receives a volume of water bubbling up from under 
 a rock. The chief and best feature of the place is 
 the excellent quality of the fruit and vegetables 
 grown by the custodian — peaches, pears, plums, and 
 grand tomatoes. There were fruit trees everywhere. 
 I kept knocking down apples and pears with my 
 alpenstock to eat as I went along. 
 
 One day when passing through a village where we 
 
336 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 were to get our beaters, a man was brought to me 
 for treatment who, two or three months before, 
 when out with a sahib bear-shooting, had been 
 mauled by a bear. The bear had apparently held 
 his head in its paws while it took a mouthful out 
 of his face, which included one eye, half a nose, and 
 part of his cheek. Poor chap ! he looked just as 
 
 W does when making his " funny face." I had 
 
 to give him a solution of Izal as a lotion, and some 
 castor- oil to take internally. He was very nearly 
 all right, but would not have been happy if I failed 
 to give him some kind of medicine. 
 
 Passing the ziarat (shrine) just opposite the 
 village, all the beaters went up and touched the step, 
 evidently invoking protection of the saint, a thing 
 they do not often do ; but with such a standing 
 reminder in the village of the chances of human life 
 when beating for bears, they were more apt than 
 usual to remember their duty towards their gods. 
 
 That day we beat the wooded side of a hill, and 
 after a time I saw a bear running up through the 
 bush above us, about eighty yards away. I had a 
 shot which brought him snarling down on to his 
 nose and then brought him galloping down towards 
 us. He looked exactly like repeating the little 
 bear's game and coming in on to my " stand." The 
 shikari stood ready with the alpenstock, but the 
 beast passed just below, where it was so steep that 
 I could not see him. Then he showed for a moment 
 as he jumped from bush to bush across a water- 
 course, and I fired a snap-shot at him which made 
 him snarl, but I thought I had missed him. Luckily 
 a few yards on he got into a watercourse, out of 
 which he had to climb. I could see his head and 
 
I BAG A BEAR 337 
 
 shoulders above the bank, and I plugged him with a 
 nice steady shot that sent him with a yowl head over 
 heels backwards into the nullah : this being steep 
 he went on rolling out of sight into the bush below. 
 
 My gun-carrier said, more in sorrow than in anger : 
 " Bug gaya " (He's got away). And in the excite- 
 ment of the moment I talked English to him and 
 said : " I bet you what you like he hasn't ' bugged,' 
 all the same." I knew that last shot had sickened 
 him. 
 
 There was so much yelling from the beaters down 
 below that we thought he must have got among 
 them. My shikari dashed down the hill and I after 
 him, but my gun-carrier, wearing ordinary shoes, 
 slipped about and could not travel, so I took the 
 gun from him and went on after the shikari. There 
 he was below me taking aim into the bush with an 
 old gun he had taken from a beater. I thought to 
 myself : " That man is going to lose his face ; either 
 the gun will miss fire and the bear will come out and 
 take a mouthful, or the gun will go off and burst." 
 The gun missed fire, but the bear didn't come out ; 
 he could not — he was stone dead. I was glad to 
 find that all my three shots had hit him well. The 
 first in the shoulder, smashing his leg ; the second 
 in the ribs ; the third through the heart. Not so 
 bad for my " rifle," which is merely an ordinary 
 regimental carbine. But since wounding my first 
 bear when I had only service ammunition, I had sent 
 in to Srinagar to the excellent " Whiteley " of the 
 place, Samud Shah, and had got some " sporting " 
 ammunition which made all the difference. 
 
 While I was sketching the dead bear there was a 
 yelling from the beaters up the hill to say that 
 
 z 
 
338 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 another bear, of course a " monster/' had passed 
 my original position and got away. Another two 
 beats produced nothing, and then came driving, 
 blinding rain, under which we eventually retired 
 home, finding bright, clear sunshine below. 
 
 Got him at last. 
 
 On the way down one of the beaters slipped and dis- 
 located his shoulder. He was brought to me just out- 
 side the ziarat. I laid him on his back and took off 
 my right chapli, as it was his right arm that was out. 
 The crowd, eager to help, dashed at my other chapli 
 and had that off too. I sat down by him, as if for 
 American cock-fighting, stuck my heel into his arm- 
 
MY EMBARRASSING FAME 339 
 
 pit, and then pulled tug-of-war with his arm, while 
 the shikari held him down. He did not like it, 
 poor chap, but in a moment it was all over, the arm 
 came in with a click. The crowd cheered, he fainted, 
 his mother sobbed. Then there came a discussion 
 as to whether he was not dead : then they began 
 to get excited and not to like me any more, but in 
 the midst of it he sat up looking very sheepish at 
 finding himself all right and not half the hero he 
 had been a minute before. Afterwards I gave him 
 some Jacob's oil to rub on the shoulder, and castor — 
 well, no, I was beginning to run short of that, so 
 I let him off it. 
 
 Although I only undislocated the arm at 5 p.m. 
 in the afternoon, the next morning, before I went to 
 the mountain at 7 a.m., poor creatures were coming 
 in to be cured of their various ailments. My fame 
 as a doctor had already spread. They were beyond 
 laughter and treating with castor-oil. There was 
 one poor old boy all warped and gnarled with chronic 
 rheumatism, who had hobbled in four miles. Jacob's 
 oil and flannel bandage treatment was what I 
 prescribed. Another young fellow had been carried, 
 a mere skeleton suffering from ulcers in his legs. 
 He had evidently long resigned himself to die, the 
 best thing for him, but they had roused him to think 
 of living once more because there was a white man 
 there with wondrous drugs. It was not only his 
 anxious look that appealed to me, but those of his 
 mother and womenkind, who had broken through 
 their custom of hiding away from a white man, and 
 were hovering round looking for a hopeful sign. 
 Solution of glycerine and carbolic acid and my good 
 wishes were what he got. Another, a strong-looking 
 
340 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 man, was spitting blood. I gave him ice-cold water 
 to drink and had it applied on chest and back. I 
 only wished I had possessed a big supply of medicines 
 to give the poor things. The fellow with the dis- 
 located arm came grinning to show me that it was 
 now just as strong as the other. 
 
 The next day I had more patients. Another case 
 of rheumatism called for more Jacob's oil and flannel 
 and sweating. An emaciated boy was carried in with 
 a painful swelling of the thigh. I ordered milk, fomen- 
 tation, and gentle massage with Jacob's oil. A man 
 with an open sore on ankle got solution of Izal. 
 In the evening I walked down to the village to see 
 my patients, and got a lot of new ones, more sores, 
 abscesses, opthalmic eyes, rheumatism, and fever. 
 I had come to be regarded as something between a 
 wizard and a panel doctor. 
 
 When bear driving there are long waits while the 
 beaters are getting to their places. It suddenly 
 occurred to me one day to write a book on scouting. 
 So during these waits I jotted down in my note-book 
 first heads for chapters, and finally subjects of para- 
 graphs. In a very short time I had finished it, 
 ready for a shorthand writer to take down from dicta- 
 tion. Thus I killed two birds with one stone : I got on 
 paper what 1 had long wanted to put before my men, 
 and which brought me later the price of a polo-pony. 
 
 As a reward for my ministering to the sick, there 
 was sent to me at the end of a long day a very big 
 bear. Venit — vidi — vici. He looked out of the 
 jungle quietly, just as an old boar does, then he began 
 to move as if to pass between me and the beaters. 
 If I waited to fire it would be at the risk of hitting 
 a beater, so I took him where he was, looking towards 
 
THE PURSUIT 341 
 
 me, with only his ears and forehead above the grass, 
 and missed him ! Just like me ! I can sometimes 
 hit a bird flying, but never one sitting. So it was 
 with the bear ; when he turned to bolt for the jungle 
 I banged a second shot at him which hit him in the 
 
 Our pack of bear-hounds ! 
 
 withers and checked his pace and, just as he plunged 
 into the jungle, I changed his plunge into a dive 
 with a shot from behind, and he fell dead a few yards 
 further on. When I got down to where he lay with 
 the beaters jabbering round him, he looked like a 
 respectable old gentleman who had for once imbibed 
 too freely, and was lying in the gutter in his glossy 
 
342 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 black clothes with a ribald crowd jeering round him. 
 Instinctively I looked round for his tall hat and for 
 a hansom to take him home. 
 
 On returning to camp I found lots of patients, 
 including two new ones from a new village. One 
 was a case of hepatitis ; being out of podophyllin, 
 I prescribed castor oil, hot fomentation and, as he 
 looked sad, a little whiskey and water to take if 
 his caste allowed of it ; if not, to rub in externally ! 
 The other had a nasty abscess on the forearm, 
 to which I applied a poultice made of oatmeal 
 porridge, having nothing else to make it with. 
 Soon I had twenty regular patients upon my books, 
 and I foresaw that I should either have to leave the 
 district or start a brougham. I had no particular 
 ambition to become a jungle doctor, remembering 
 that by profession I was an inflictor, and not a 
 healer of wounds. These considerations, added to 
 the fact that I had beaten out most of the covers in 
 the neighbourhood, determined me to move my camp 
 to the next valley, a similar little basin in the hills 
 called Bringhin, which possessed a view almost 
 identical with the valley of my miracles. 
 
 On my arrival at Bringhin the headman of the 
 village told me he had just received notice that a 
 Sahib was coming on the following day to shoot this 
 valley ; but as I was now in possession he would 
 send a messenger to stop him. That proved a lucky 
 move of mine ! 
 
 My bearer brought, as part of my stock in trade on 
 this trip, a big umbrella, which I had in Nepaul. 1 
 jeered at him at first for doing so ; but I found it 
 of the greatest comfort in camp. I rigged it up on 
 my alpenstock, on the " lawn," and it gave me shade 
 
MISSING BEARS 343 
 
 for writing or drawing when there did not happen 
 to be any good trees handy. 
 
 Good apples and pears grew about in the jungle 
 here. I wonder somebody does not start a cider 
 factory in Kashmir. There would be a great sale 
 for the stuff among the regiments in India ! 
 
 In response to messages I had sent saying there 
 were bears in my neighbourhood, Major Heneage 
 of the 5th D.G. joined me. At first we had some little 
 
 Went away smiling. 
 
 difference of opinion as to the date. There was no 
 rancour, as we were both anxious for accurate informa- 
 tion. I thought it was the nth. Heneage thought 
 it was the 9th, so we eventually agreed to split the 
 difference and call it the 10th. In the result it 
 was a day which might just as well have been left 
 out, a veil might well be drawn over it. I saw three 
 bears at different times and missed them. Of course 
 I could give a thousand reasons why I missed them ; 
 but it does not alter the fact that they went away 
 smiling. Two of them crossed a narrow path in the 
 
344 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 bush on which Heneage was also posted lower down, 
 so I could not fire till they were entering the bush 
 on the other side. The shikari said I hit one in the 
 head. We plunged into the jungle after him, but 
 I knew that I had not, and we failed to find him. 
 The third Heneage shot at and I tried acting as 
 second barrel to him and failed ! After this Heneage 
 very wisely said : " Let's talk about botany." 
 
 In anticipation of the anniversary of our both 
 joining the service I had bought a fattened sheep. 
 He had been killed and we feasted. Our menu was : 
 
 Potage, Mulligatawny ; Roti, Gigot de Mouton ; 
 Legumes, Chou, Pommes de Terres ; Salade aux 
 Tomates ; Entremets, Plum Poudin ; Fromage, 
 Old Dutch ; Dessert, Peches, Pokes, Raisins (grapes), 
 Pommes, Prunes, Acrotes (Kashmiri for Walnuts, 
 French forgotten) ; Cafe noir ; Vins, Whiskey 
 ecossais. 
 
 One day the lumbardar (headman) of the village, 
 Shah Wali Khan, presented himself as a candidate 
 either for backshish or medicine ; but he looked an 
 expensive patient. He was as big as a hippopotamus 
 and asked for medicine to take down his " corpora- 
 tion." I said I had nothing to meet his case. He 
 said that was all nonsense, the last doctor who came 
 (he classed me as a doctor) gave him forty-two pills 
 in one day, and they did him a power of good. So 
 I gave him a mustard leaf, and though it could 
 cover only a tiny percentage of the vast acreage 
 available, I hoped its sting would convince the old 
 man that it was doing him a wonderful amount of 
 good. The following day he came and simply loaded 
 me with thanks and praise ; he had, in spite of his 
 layers of defensive tissue, felt the sting of the leaf 
 
A PARTING 345 
 
 right through him : it had already begun to do its 
 work : he felt thinner and pounds lighter : the 
 previous man's pills had been good but they were as 
 nothing compared to this bit of magic which went 
 straight to the hearrof the evil. 
 
 n 
 
 Spearing a fish. 
 
 On what Heneage knew to be the 13th and I 
 was convinced was the 15th, but which we agreed 
 to call the 14th, we left Bringhin and all its bears 
 behind. We walked the seven miles to Pangut, where 
 we fished, he with a rod, I with a spear. After 
 breakfast we parted, he for Srinagar, whilst I directed 
 my steps towards a little village some sixteen miles 
 off called Vernag, which is an old garden of 
 
346 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 Jehangire (1612) at the extreme end of the Vale of 
 Kashmir. 
 
 I stopped a day at Vernag getting carriers, a work 
 of difficulty, as the road out of Kashmir (via Jammu) 
 was private, the property of the maharajahs, and 
 the Government was not helpful. A special permit 
 is necessary before you can go by that road. As it 
 went out by Sialkote, our future home, I wanted 
 to see it, else any other route would be preferable. 
 The Maharajah lives at Srinagar all the summer, and 
 at Jammu, close to Sialkote, in the winter. I was 
 unfortunate in being on the road just when he was 
 moving. He himself always goes by the tonga 
 road, by which I came up ; but his wives, court, 
 tagrag and bobtail go by my road and all the avail- 
 able carriers are used by them. 
 
 As I walked up the Banihal Pass (9,200 feet), the 
 weather, which for three days past had been cold, 
 cloudy and rainy, as if ashamed of its behaviour to me, 
 cleared up into a brilliant clear day, and as I mounted 
 to the top of the pass a glorious view of the Vale of 
 Kashmir unfolded itself, more especially of the moun- 
 tains beyond. During the past three days these had 
 put on a brilliant covering of brand-new snow 
 and looked splendid. It was a view to remember. 
 At last I unwillingly turned my back on this fitting 
 finale to the long succession of minor beauties I had 
 seen in Kashmir ; and I trotted down the treeless 
 3,000 feet of steep hill leading among the Jammu 
 Hills towards India. 
 
 Every three or four hundred yards are small block 
 houses built for natives to take shelter in when using 
 the pass in winter, the blizzards and snowdrifts being 
 fatal. On the pass we came on a very old, feeble 
 
NEWS OF OMDURMAN 347 
 
 man sitting by the roadside singing prayers quietly to 
 himself. He joined our party for a bit as wayfarers 
 will and told us he was walking from Srinagar, fifty 
 miles distant, to some native state ten days' march 
 beyond Jammu (that is, nine marches, eighteen of 
 his, from where we were), to look for his son who had 
 left him a year ago. At first I thought of doing 
 his job for him by post and telegraph ; but he did 
 not know what town or village his son might be in, 
 and was rather hazy about which state. Caste 
 prevented him from using my milk or mutton, so 
 when he sank down again at the roadside I left him 
 to pray, the richer by twopence and my good wishes. 
 At the village of Deogul (alias Banihal), I made love 
 to the Tehsildar by calling him " Ap " (you) instead 
 of " Turn " (thou) and by shaking hands with him. 
 I thus got him to complete my number of carriers 
 (fourteen) to go right through to Jammu with me. 
 I was no longer dependent on the chance of getting 
 men at each village and could camp where I liked. 
 This Tehsildar told me that the British had had a 
 big fight in Egypt in which they had killed twenty- 
 four thousand of the enemy, and had lost twelve 
 officers and a lot of men. I had not seen a news- 
 paper lately, so I was somewhat sceptical ; but 
 it was true, after all, and it was thus that I 
 obtained the first news of the battle of Omdur- 
 man fought and won by Lord Kitchener on 
 September 2nd. The Tehsildar added about ten 
 thousand to the enemy's losses ; but that was a 
 detail. About five miles beyond Ramsu, lying 
 under a rock alongside my tent-site, having arrived 
 before us, was my old friend of the Banihal Pass. 
 ' Tired ? " " No, Sahib, I've been walking all my 
 
348 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 life, I oughtn't to be tired now. But I was wanting 
 food yesterday. To-day I'm all right." This cost 
 me twopence more ! The guide-book calls the 
 distance from Ramsu to Ramban thirteen miles, 
 Cowdra (my lunch-carrier) said it was twenty-six. 
 When we had come about seven I asked him how 
 far on. " Oh, about seven." " Then we've come 
 nineteen ? " I queried. " We've come about eight," 
 was the reply. " But that makes the total fifteen, 
 and you said twenty-six." " Oh, well, God knows 
 the distance." That is his invariable way out of a 
 difficulty. He knows no arithmetic and is bad at 
 guessing distances, and when in a hole falls back 
 on his Maker. I found by experience that the dist- 
 ance is about twenty miles, very easy walking, the 
 last seven being along the green slopes of the full- 
 flowing sunny Chenab river, a contrast after the 
 boiling torrent, with its precipices and tough old pine 
 trees all in the shade of the steep mountain above. 
 
 At Ramban I slept for the first time for two 
 months under a roof, in the rest-house, a clean, empty 
 native house. My room had five windows and two 
 doors, so it was well ventilated. 
 
 One day an old woman passed me on the road, 
 with some odd-looking fruit in her bundle. She 
 handed me over two and was packed up and trotting 
 on again before I could pay her. I sent a halfpenny 
 after her, and she hurried back with a sort of: 
 " Begad, you want to play the game of seeing who 
 can be most generous, do you, sir ? " and started 
 unpacking again and overwhelming me with fruit. 
 They looked like a cross between an apple and a 
 small pumpkin, and tasted like an apple made of 
 wood. They are called " Bee." 
 
CURIOUS MERCHANDISE 349 
 
 Curiously enough I always find that when living 
 a real outdoor life like this, with lots of exercise, 
 I take much less food and sleep than usual. My 
 lunch-carrier remarked on it one day, saying that 
 he had always thought that the strength of Sahibs 
 he had served with came from the amount of food 
 they ate ; but it seemed to him that the less I ate 
 the faster I walked. 
 
 I told him, one day, that I might possibly go to 
 England next year instead of coming to Kashmir. 
 He promptly sniggled to himself ; and when I 
 asked what he was laughing at he said that so many 
 of his Sahibs had made that announcement to him, 
 and their going home always resulted in their coming 
 out again with a wife : and then they gave up 
 shooting expeditions and only visited the easier 
 parts of Kashmir. He has not married himself. 
 It was too expensive and he was saving up for it. 
 He would have to give one hundred and twenty to 
 two hundred rupees (ten or twelve pounds) to the 
 parents of a young lady of such standing as would 
 be received by his family. This really seems a 
 very sensible plan in several ways. 
 
 The exports of Kashmir are walnuts, and the 
 imports empty kerosine-oil tins, forty-two in one 
 carrier's load. There may be others of which I 
 have not heard. I have met hundreds of carriers 
 laden up with oil tins but do not know for what 
 they are used except that a few Hindoo temples 
 are roofed with them, to look like silver. I suppose 
 the silversmiths use the rest in making silver things 
 for the English visitors. 
 
 When I arrived at Nagrota it was with the know- 
 ledge that, alas ! it was to be my last camp. I 
 
350 A HUNTER AS PANEL DOCTOR 
 walked in five miles to Jammu, through the town 
 and on two miles across the splendid suspension 
 bridge over the Tawi to the railway station, where 
 I put up for the day. I found on my arrival that it 
 was September 26th and not the 27th, as 1 had 
 thought ! I had got a day out again somehow. I 
 paid off my fourteen carriers at six annas a day and 
 
 
 The chief imports of Kashmir. 
 
 some backshish thrown in, also the four permanent 
 coolies and shikari. The latter hung about, as 
 all Kashmiris do, trying to get some extra backshish, 
 a knife, waterproof-sheet, old clothes, anything, 
 in fact. They are awful beggars. 
 k Then I sent a note to the Governor of Jammu and 
 asked him if he could help me to a carriage to drive 
 round the city. A polite note and a grand landau 
 with two servants, etc., came back, and I drove 
 round in great style. The town is very clean and 
 well looked after, with numbers of well-kept Hindu 
 
THE BILL 351 
 
 temples. The palace is a large courtyard surrounded 
 by native two-storied houses with a few good bal- 
 conies. The square was filled with orderlies, horses, 
 elephants, etc., ready should the rajah want to go 
 out. The red house outside the town is the Crown 
 Prince's palace. 
 
 I saw the Dewan and thanked him for his carriage. 
 James gave me my last dinner in the waiting-room, 
 cooked in the verandah on a range made in two 
 minutes with a few bricks and stones. Then off 
 by 10 p.m. train to Sialkote. 
 
 My expenses during the two months' trip amounted 
 to six hundred and sixteen rupees (about thirty- 
 nine pounds). The items of expenditure were as 
 follows : 
 
 Rupees 
 
 Rail fare to R. Pindi and back 90 
 
 „ „ „ „ 2 servants 48 
 
 Two ekkas to Baramoola, servants 4° 
 
 Tonga seat for self 38 
 
 Food en route, etc. 18 
 
 1 month hire of doonga and men's rations 24 
 
 „ „ „ kitchen boat „ „ „ 18 
 
 „ „ „ dinghy „ „ „ 5 
 
 Beaters for bear-shooting, 10 days 7° 
 
 License ditto 21 
 Pay of shikari i| months at 20 Rs., and rations at 3 Rs. 37 
 
 „ „ 4 permanent coolies at 6 Rs., rations at 2 Rs. 50 
 
 Pay of carriers when marching 22 
 
 „ „ „ Vernag to Jammu 65 
 
 Cost of stores 5° 
 
 „ „food 20 
 
 616 
 
APOLOGIA 
 
 YES, India is a land of mystery and romance 
 beneath its sun-dried face. The modern 
 white man there seems out of place. Tommy 
 Atkins drinks his beer in a canteen which was once 
 the palace of a King ; the subaltern hunting his pig 
 pops over the tombstone of a Grand Mogul ; and 
 even Jack in gazing at the mosque of Shah Jehan 
 is thinking, " What a place for rats ! " 
 
 I feel ashamed. I will close my book of memories. 
 They are to me a summer's day of much sunshine 
 and few clouds. They have little value for anybody 
 else. Even their soldiering lessons may be getting 
 out of date, since, as Lord Sydenham expresses it of 
 soldiers who have left the Service, I am already " if 
 not obsolete, at least obsolescent." But at any 
 rate, if the reader has had the perseverance to wade 
 all through them — for my part I only read the 
 right-hand pages of a book — he will at least have 
 learnt that snipe may be stewed in gin and that 
 mustard may be taken with lemon pudding ! 
 
 fe,^€ 
 
INDEX 
 
INDEX 
 
 Abdurrahman, Ameer, 124, 147, 
 
 152 
 Abimanyu, another Nero, 304 
 " Absalom " jumps, 32 
 Achibal, 335 
 Acland, Dr., 3 
 
 Adjutant's first question, the, 93 
 Adonis killed by a boar, 39 
 Advertisement, the result of an, 
 
 234. 235 
 Afghan disturbs a picnic, an, 265, 
 
 266 
 Afghan guns, 267 
 Afghan helps to build the gallows 
 
 on which he is to be hung, 133 
 Afghan thieves, 144, 152-155 
 Afghan War, the, 123-160 
 Afridis, 206, 222, 273-275 ; their 
 
 principal object in life, 206 
 Agnew, Captain Ouentin, 163-166 
 Aieen, 335 
 
 A jit Singh murders Dhyan Singh, 119 
 Akadbully camp, 197 
 Akbar, the Emperor, conquers 
 
 Kashmir, 302 
 " Algernon " and the old mare, 225, 
 
 226 
 Alexander the Great in India, 145, 
 
 232, 268, 269 ; the death of, 268, 
 
 269 
 Alexander, Boyd, his dislike of 
 
 shooting elephants, 245 
 Aligarh, manoeuvres near, 275, 276 
 Amamath, the cave of, 308 
 Amateur theatricals, 92-100, 132 
 Animal fights as entertainments, 
 
 258 
 Ant-heaps, 200 
 Army examination, the unexpected 
 
 result of an, 3 
 Asoka conquers Kashmir, 302 
 Assurance of a subaltern, the, 134 
 Atkins, Tommy, linguist, 264, 265 
 
 pigsticking, 49-51 
 Attis, a bore, 40 
 Ayub Khan, 124, 131, 135 
 
 Babington, General, 82 
 
 Baden-Powell, Mrs., the author's 
 mother, 38, 70, 76 
 
 Baden-Powell, Professor, 3 
 
 Baden-Powell, Lt.-Gen. Sir Robert, 
 K.C.B., at Charterhouse, 1-3, 312; 
 his first lesson in tactics, 1 ; at 
 Oxford, 3 ; takes the Army 
 examination, 3 ; his unexpected 
 pass, 3 ; is excused going to 
 Sandhurst, 4, 20 ; commissioned 
 to the 13th Hussars, 4, 31 ; his 
 first voyage to India, 4-10 ; ex- 
 periences a storm in the Bay of 
 Biscay, 5-7 ; a good sailor, 6 ; 
 and a distressed lady, 6, 7 ; on 
 the disadvantages of gallantry, 7 ; 
 his impressions of Port Said, 8 ; 
 in the Red Sea, 9 ; and his 
 " wonderful " telescope, an early 
 example of his cunning, 9, 10; 
 his first arrival in India, 13 ; his 
 ignominious entry into Bombay, 
 13 ; joins his regiment, 15 ; is 
 engaged by his servants, 16 ; his 
 first impression of India and the 
 natives, 17, 18; his early 
 military training, 19, 20 ; his 
 companions in adventure, 20 ; his 
 caricatures, 20, 21 ; an escapade 
 and its consequences, 20, 21 ; his 
 cure for fever, 21 ; on the sobriety 
 of the modern soldier, 27, 28 ; 
 on developing intelligence and 
 self-reliance, 29 ; is consulted 
 by the German Emperor on a 
 military matter, 30 ; on the plea- 
 sures and lessons of polo, 31-36; 
 on pigsticking and the boar, 30, 
 31, 36-69, 90, 91, 106, 181, 224- 
 226, 247, 258, 261, 262, 279 ; his 
 early pigsticking experiences, 57- 
 62 ; wins the Kadir Cup, 62-65 ; 
 introduces a novelty in pigstick- 
 ing, 67, 68 ; his description of a 
 " holiday," 71 ; on the polite 
 
 355 
 
356 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Baden-Powell, Lt.-Gen. Sir Robert, 
 K.C.B. (contd.) 
 
 attentions of one'? friends, 71, 72 ; 
 his innocence is imposed upon, 
 74, 75 ; his Christmas journey 
 to his regiment, 76, 77 ; pig- 
 sticking with the Duke of Con- 
 naught, 77, 78 ; and a poser from 
 the German Emperor, 80 , 81 ; on 
 sensations pleasant and otherwise, 
 82-84 ; drives a train, 83, 84 ; 
 introduces a new dish, 85 ; on 
 sociability in India, 87, 88 ; his 
 Adjutant's first question, 93 ; 
 his services as scene-painter, 93 ; 
 his ambi-dexterity, 93 ; his early 
 theatrical performances, 94 ; 
 brings down the house, 97 ; his 
 " disreputable " friend, 99, 100 ; 
 on sickness among troops, 101- 
 103 ; on regimental surgeons, 
 103-105 ; on the training of 
 scouts, 107, no; his method 
 at inspections, 114, 115 ; in the 
 Afghan campaign, 126-160 ; at 
 Kandahar, 131 ; his stout stick 
 and beautiful smile, 131 ; at 
 the battle-field of Maiwand, 134- 
 138 ; his map-making, 137, 140, 
 147 ; tracks a runaway horse, 
 148, 149 ; on the meanness of 
 the Government, 149 ; is the last 
 to leave Kandahar, 152 ; shoots 
 himself, 155-159 ; hears his own 
 death announced, 156 ; is stalked 
 by a leopard, 158 ; his first trial 
 as a scout, 159, 160 ; his sacrifice 
 to efficiency, 160 ; his first 
 meeting with Lord Roberts, 162 ; 
 learns Hindustani on the advice 
 of Lord Roberts, 162, 180; dis- 
 guises himself as a War Correspon- 
 dent, 165, 166 ; on ragging, 166- 
 168 ; flees from Society at Mus- 
 soorie, 173 ; goes tiger-shooting, 
 181-204 ; is nearly shot by a man 
 and by a mule, 191 ; acts as a 
 doctor, 193, 194, 321, 336, 338- 
 340, 342, 344, 345 ; shoots a 
 bear, 195 ; on the value of the 
 North West Frontier, 205 ; on 
 " Sepoy Generals," 205 ; on 
 officers old and new, 208 ; at a 
 row in the Buner Country, 208- 
 223 ; on a subaltern in war-time, 
 210 ; and his pet boar, " Alger- 
 non," 224-226 ; on snakes, 226- 
 228 ; and his horses, 228-235 ; 
 
 Baden-Powell, Lt.-Gen. Sir Robert, 
 K.C.B. (contd.) 
 
 on the key to horsemanship, 233 ; 
 on camels, 235 ; on the value of 
 bullocks, 235, 236 ; on hunting 
 with cheetahs, 236-238 ; on 
 black buck shooting, 238-240 ; 
 on the strategy of a panther, 240, 
 242 ; and his pet panther, 243, 
 244 ; on elephants, 245-256 ; and 
 the smell of a dead elephant, 247, 
 248 ; attends an elephant fight, 
 252-256 ; on native Princes, 257- 
 264 ; is entertained by the 
 Maharajah of Patiala, 259-264 ; 
 his description of a nautch dance, 
 263, 264 ; on the success of 
 British rule in India, 265 ; at 
 an interrupted picnic, 265, 266 ; 
 on Indian soldiers, 269-279 ; on 
 native swordsmanship, 269-272 ; 
 on drums and their effect, 277, 
 278 ; on native servants, 283- 
 285 ; in Kashmir, 288-351 ; 
 meets Prince Louis of Batten- 
 berg's double, 293 ; fish-spear- 
 ing, 297 ; falls under the wiles 
 of native dealers, 302-304 ; on 
 the character of the Kashmiris, 
 305 ; he reaches Kumbul, 308 ; 
 on the desirability of a wife who 
 can sketch, 310, 317 ; his precious 
 field-glasses, 319 ; glissading on 
 his back, 329 ; finds cord shoes 
 the best, 330 ; his long sight, 333, 
 334 ; at Achibal, 335 ; undis- 
 locates a beater's arm, 338 , 339; 
 his fame as a doctor spreads, 339 ; 
 writes his book on Scouting, 340 ; 
 his unfailing prescription, 342 ; 
 differs with Major Heneage as 
 to the date, 343 ; celebrates an 
 anniversary, 344 ; his inadequate 
 remedy for corpulence, 344 ; on 
 the view from the top of Banihal 
 Pass, 346 ; meets a generous 
 woman, 348 ; on the effect of 
 eating on walking, 349 ; on the 
 exports and imports of Kashmir, 
 349 ; at Jammu, 350 ; his ex- 
 penses for a two months' trip, 
 
 351 
 Baker, Lady, charged by a boar, 48 
 Baker, Sir Samuel, 47-49 
 " Baker's Dozen, The," the 13th 
 
 Hussars, 26 
 Bala Khan and tiger-hunting, 183- 
 
 204 
 
Baluchistan, 124 
 
 Bambro, King, and Lolare, 302 
 
 Banihal Pass, 346, 347 
 
 Bara Valley, 222 
 
 Baramoola, 293-295 
 
 Bareilly, 182 
 
 Battenberg, Prince Louis of, 
 
 double, 293 
 Bawan, 308, 310 
 Bay of Biscay, a storm in the, 
 
 5-7 
 Bear-hunting, 195, 313-315, 320, 
 
 324-344 
 Beatty, Mr., Transport Officer, 210 
 " Bee " fruit, 348 
 Beer, stale, as a tonic, 27 
 Bees attack a man, 15 
 Bethune, General, his early work, 
 
 literary and musical, 20 
 Bhoosa, 159 
 Bhurtpore, the Rajah of, and his 
 
 hospitality, 258, 259 
 Bicycle, tracking a lost, 85-87 
 Bicycling, regimental, 182 
 Bidjbehara, 307 
 Birds, Indian, 18, 56, 84, 85, 197, 
 
 247, 259 
 Black buck shooting, 238-240 
 Blagrove, Colonel, 57 
 Blood, Sir Bindon, on the value of 
 
 cavalry, 114 ; and trouble in the 
 
 Buner Country, 210-215 
 Boar attacks its young, a, 40 
 Boar, the education of a young, 44, 
 
 45 
 Boars, wild, 30, 31, 36-69, 90, 91, 
 
 106, 181, 224-226, 242, 247, 258, 
 
 261, 262, 279 
 Boer War, the, 4, 29, 100, no 
 Bolan Pass, 124, 125 
 Bombay, 13 
 Bonnet, a mysteriously popular, 
 
 147 
 " Boswell's Life of Johnson," a 
 
 dog that died of too much dinner, 
 
 18 
 Bower, Corporal, is knocked over 
 
 by Sir Baker Russell, 24 
 " Boy, The," see McLaren, Captain 
 Boy Scouts, 117, 118, 177, 278, 281 
 Brahman's dislike to touch leather, 
 
 287 
 Braithwaite, Captain, " Papa," 58 
 Bramley, Mr., the Sherlock Holmes 
 
 of the Indian Police, 283 
 Breitmann, Hans, and the pigs, 41 
 Bridge-building by officers, 170 
 Bringhin, 342, 345 
 British rule in India, 265 
 
 INDEX 357 
 
 British soldiers as linguists, 264, 265 
 Brookfield, Mr. A. M., M. P., as 
 
 pantaloon, 94 
 " Bucephalus," 231, 232 
 Buck, 196, 237-240 
 Buck-hunting with cheetah, 236-238 
 his Buck-jumping, 231 
 Buffaloes, 47 
 
 Bullock-carts, 13, 236, 277 
 Bullocks, 235, 236 
 Bunbury, Mr., Political Officer, 211 
 Buner Country, a row in the, 208- 
 
 223 
 Burrows, General, 124 
 Bushman, Colonel, on " the queen 
 
 of weapons," 41 
 
 Cake and raspberry vinegar, 71 
 
 Calcutta, Nepaul, 197 
 
 Calendar, a regimental, 112, 113 
 
 Camels, 129, 235 
 
 Caricatures, and a useful lesson, 20, 
 
 21 
 Carriers, native, 309-312 
 Cattle-thieves, 282, 283 
 Cavagnari, Major, the British Resi- 
 dent at Kabul, 124 
 Cavalry : Sir Baker Russell on the 
 
 duty of, 113 ; Sir Bindon Blood 
 
 on the value of, 114; Indian, 
 
 269-273, 276-279 
 Chakdara, crossing the, 145 
 Chamberlain, Mr. Joseph, and the 
 
 S. A. C, 29 
 Chamberlain, Sir Neville, 310 
 Charasia, the Afghan defeat at, 124 
 Charterhouse, the author at, 1-3,312 
 Cheetahs, 236-238 
 Chenab river, the, 348 
 " Cherry Ripe," Millais, 152 
 Chinar Bagh, 299, 302 
 Chinar trees, 298, 299, 308 
 Chinkara deer, 238, 239 
 Cholera, and its uncertainty, 90- 
 
 92, 100 
 Christmas in India, 76, 7/ 
 Churani Pani bungalow, 179 
 Church Mission Schools in Kashmir, 
 
 the, 280, 281 
 Churchill, Mr. Winston M.P., on 
 
 polo, 35 ; on the us;Jessness of 
 
 trying to suppress him, 36 
 Cobra, 226-228 
 Commissariat officer and Sir Baker 
 
 Russell, 23 
 Connaught, the Duchess of, on a 
 
 runaway elephant, 250, 251 ; at 
 
 Deeg, 258 
 
358 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Connaught, the Duke of, 54, 55, 77, 
 
 78, 100, 258 
 Constable, Lieut. Pat., and Lord 
 
 Lytton, 95 ; and the Colonel, 
 
 96 
 Cord shoes, 330 
 
 Corpse used as a saddle rack, a, 142 
 " Crib," a bull terrier, 18, 19 
 Crocodile-hunting, 282 
 Cruikshank, 58-60 
 Curios from Dais, 190 
 Curragh, The, 168-170 
 
 Dais, 190 
 
 Dak bungalows, 291 
 
 Daka-ki-Garhi, 200 
 
 Dal Lake, 300 
 
 Dancing elephant, a, 246, 247 
 
 Dead dog, to be buried with a, 134 
 
 Dealers, the wiles of Kashmiri, 302, 
 
 3°3 
 Deeg, 258 
 Deer, 44, 238, 239 
 Delhi, the capture of, 259 
 Deodar woods, 164, 316, 318, 322, 
 
 323 
 
 Deogul, the Tehsildar of, 347 
 Dholpur, the Ranah and Rani of, 
 
 280 
 Dhyan Singh, the murder of the 
 
 Rajah, 119, 120 
 Didhoof Nag, 313-315, 320 
 Difference between a panther and a 
 
 leopard, the, 242 
 Dimond, Major, joined the 13th 
 
 Hussars, 19, 91 ; the death of, 91 
 " Ding," see MacDougal, Major 
 Disease in India, the suddenness of 
 
 its attack, 90, 91 
 Doctor, the author as a, 193, 194, 
 
 321, 33 6 - 338-34°. 34 2 » 344, 345 
 
 Dodgson, Rev. C. L. (Lewis Carroll), 
 the author of Alice in Wonder- 
 land, 3 
 
 Doonga, a, 295, 296, 306 
 
 Downe, Lord, 54 
 
 Doyne, Mickie, his commissariat, 84 
 
 Dragoon Guards, the 5th, 28 
 
 Drill Book, the, 139 
 
 Drums, the effect of, 277, 278 
 
 Duck-shooting, 259 
 
 Earthquakes, 294 
 
 Elephants, 189, 195, 198, 201, 245- 
 
 256 
 Ellis, Major, and tiger-shooting, 
 
 182-201, 203 
 English ladies in India, 11 6-1 18 
 
 English tourist, a Hindu sermon 
 
 stopped by an, 307, 308 
 Enteric fever, 90, 92, 100, 101 
 Enthusiasm, misplaced, 167 
 Escapade and its consequences, an, 
 
 20, 21 
 Expenses for a two months' holiday, 
 
 the, 351 
 Exports and imports of Kashmir, 
 
 the, 349 
 Extracting a bullet, 156, 157 
 Eyes, the natives' extra, 312 
 
 Fakirs, 308 
 
 Fever, a treatment for, 21, 22 
 
 Field-glasses, the author's most 
 
 precious possession, 319 
 Fight between a tiger and a boar, a, 
 
 4 r "43 
 Fight between elephants, a, 252-256 
 Fights between the Charterhouse 
 
 boys and the butcher boys, 1-3 
 Fire Brigade, an enthusiastic, 167 
 Fish-spearing, 297, 298 
 Fitzgerald, Captain, of the Blues, 
 
 211, 212 
 Flies, 192, 193, 204 
 Flogging an elephant, 252 
 Flowers, Indian, 317 
 Folklore of Kashmir, The, 268 
 Football at Charterhouse, 312 ; 
 
 Indian, 280 
 Fraser, Surgeon-Major, 126-128, 131 
 
 211 
 Fray, Sergeant, pigsticking, 50 
 Freeman, Lewis, 69 
 French, Sir John, 333 
 
 Ganges, the, 283 
 
 Garbi, 291 
 
 Gardner, Colonel Alexander, of the 
 Sikh Army, 11 9-122 
 
 Gauld, Farrier, pugilist and knitter, 
 89 
 
 Generous woman, a, 348 
 
 German Emperor, the, on the length 
 of the lance, 30 ; on the placing 
 of troops on parade, 80 
 
 Ghazi, a brave, 217, 218, 220, 221 
 
 Ghazis, 131-134, 217-221 
 
 Ghoorkas, 200, 273-275 
 
 Gin, snipe cooked in, 85, 352 
 
 Girl Guides, 118 
 
 Godfather, the author's, see Ste- 
 phenson, Robert 
 
 Gordon, Lindsay, poems of, 163 
 
 Gore, Major St. John, tiger-shoot- 
 ing, 183-204, 241 
 
INDEX 
 
 359 
 
 Gough, General Sir Hugh, V.C., 
 
 310 
 Gough, Major, charged by a boar for 
 
 three miles, 46 
 " Gridirons," parallel water-courses, 
 
 32 
 Griffin and tiger, 197 
 Gypsies, 281, 282 
 
 Hackery, 236 
 
 Hagan, Ben, and his basin of beer, 
 
 27 
 Haig-Brown, Dr., gives a lesson in 
 
 tactics, 1, 2 ; a characteristic 
 
 reply of, 3 
 Hamgalpao, 323 
 Hardinge, Sir Arthur, 310 
 Hari Parbat, 299 
 Harris, Captain, 72 
 Haughton, Mr., The Folklore of 
 
 Kashmir, by, 268 
 Havelock, General, 16 
 Heneage, Major, with the author 
 
 in Kashmir, 343-345 
 Herat, 124 
 Hickman, Colonel, the death of, 
 
 209 
 Hindustani, the author learns, 162, 
 
 180 
 Hogg, Major, on pigsticking, 46, 47 
 " Holiday," the description of a, 
 
 70-72 
 Horse, selling a, 234, 235 
 Horses, 59-64, 78-80, 143, 148, 149, 
 
 225, 228-235, and women, a 
 
 comparison, 233 
 Horsemanship, the true key to, 
 
 233 
 Hussars, the 13th, 4, 19, 28, 31, 88 , 
 91, 125, 126, 150 
 
 Ibex, 135 
 
 India rubber, Mr. Winston Churchill 
 
 and, 36 
 Indian boys and their need of 
 
 training, 17 
 Indian cavalry, 269-272, 276-279 
 Indian princes, 257-264 
 Indian soldiers, 269-279 
 Indian women, 11 8-120 
 Inglis, Mr., his description of a tiger 
 
 and boar fight, 41-43 
 Interest in the regiment, 112, 113 ; 
 
 in work, the key to success in 
 
 training, 1 07-1 12 
 Irishman gets a breakfast and a 
 
 dog gratis, an, 209 
 
 Islamabad, 308, 320 
 
 " Jack," the author's dog, 173, 174, 
 178, 179, 250, 296, 306, 31 1 -3 1 3, 
 
 317. 319, 333 
 Jackals, 44, 56, 136, 247, 281, 
 
 282 
 Jahangir, the Emperor, and Noor 
 
 Mahal, 300 
 Jammu, 346, 347, 350, 351 
 Jamrud, Fort, 207 
 Jeffry, General, 211 
 Jehangire, 346 
 Jehu, a terrified, 210 
 Jelalabad, 124 
 Jezails, 215 
 Jhelum, 209 
 
 Jhelum, the river, 290-308 
 Jindan, the Rani, and her army, 
 
 118, 119 
 " Jock," the author's dog, 71, y^, 
 
 74, 128, 142, 143, 352 
 " Jogis," jackal-calling by, 281 
 
 282 
 Jubbulpore, 14, 15 
 Jullundur, 72 
 Jumna, the, 283 
 Jungle fowl, 197 
 
 Kabul, 124, 125 
 Kadir Cup, the, 62-66 
 Kandahar, 124, 125, 128, 130-152 
 Kashapa and the devil, 301, 302 
 Kashapa's egg, 310 
 Kashap's Mir, 302 
 Kashmir, 161, 280, 288-351 
 Kashmir boatmen and boatwomen, 
 
 306 
 Kashmir dealers, the wiles of, 
 
 302-304 
 Kashmiris and mosquitoes singing, 
 
 305 
 Kashmiris have no consciences, 
 
 305 
 Katlunga, 210, 222 
 Kavanagh, Dr., pigsticking with 
 
 the Duke of Connaught, 54 
 Khyber Pass, 124, 207 
 Kipling, Mr. Rudyard, 70, 224 
 Kitchener, Lord, and the battle of 
 
 Omdurman, 347 
 Kojak mountains, 125, 129 
 Kokoran, 130-152 
 Kookri, 274 
 Krait, 226, 227 
 Kumala Din, 201 
 Kunbul, 308 
 
360 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Kuram valley, 124 
 
 Ladakh, 322 
 
 Ladies' work with Boy Scouts and 
 Girl Guides, 117, 118 
 
 Lahore, 126, 209 
 
 Lakwar bungalow, 1 79 
 
 Lansdowne, Lord, 310 
 
 Lawrence, Sir John, 310 
 
 Lehna Singh murdered Dhyan 
 Singh, 119 
 
 Lemon pudding and mustard, 85, 
 352 
 
 Leopard, the author stalked by a, 
 158 
 
 Leopards, 44, 158, 242 
 
 Leopards and panthers, the differ- 
 ence between, 242 
 
 Levesque, M., on the boar, 55 
 
 Liddar Valley, 308, 313, 314, 316 
 
 Liddell, Dean, his startling an- 
 nouncement, 3 
 
 " Light literature," The British 
 Almanac, 193 
 
 Liwapatur ridge, 320, 322 
 
 Lolare and King Bambro, 302 
 
 Lucknow, 14-16, 125, 126 
 
 Lunghni Valley, 316-319 
 
 Lytton, the first Lord, 95 
 
 Lytton, the second Lord and first 
 Earl, 95 
 
 MacDougal, Major ('■ Ding "), 
 and Sir Baker Russell, 24, 25 ; 
 pigsticking, 63-65 ; as a practical 
 joker, 170, 171 ; at polo, 171 
 
 McLaren, Captain (" the Boy "), 
 pigsticking, 57 ; as a practical 
 joker, 71, 72 ; joins the 13th 
 Hussars, 126-128 ; on a tiger- 
 hunt, 182-204 
 
 McLean murdered in Ayub Khan's 
 camp, 131 
 
 Maf eking, 191 
 
 Mahouts, 201, 246, 249, 250, 252, 
 256 
 
 Maiwand, 124, 134-138, 142, 146 
 
 Malakand Pass, 114, 222 
 
 " Man overboard," 10, 11 
 
 Manipuri tribes, the, and polo, 32 
 
 Manoeuvres, no, 272-277 
 
 Map, a new use for a, 147 
 
 Map-making, by the author, 137, 
 140, 147 
 
 Marble Rocks at Jubbulpore, the, 
 
 15 
 
 Mardan, 210 
 Marmots, 319, 320 
 
 Matabeleland, 107 
 
 M. C. C, a new interpretation, 
 
 184 
 Medical Officer, Sir Baker Russell 
 
 and the, 102, 103 
 Meerut, 74, 77, 166, 182, 270 
 Meiklejohn, General, 211 
 Melon-bed for a fidgety horse, a, 
 
 232, 233 
 Military training, the author's 
 
 early, 19, 20 
 Mince-pies, unconventional, 203 
 Missing Lieutenant, the, 8 
 Moor, army " vet.," joins the 13th 
 
 Hussars, 128 
 Mosquitoes, 298, 305 
 Mother Shipton's prophecies, 81, 82 
 Mule, Attack on the author by a, 
 
 191 
 Mules disturb a service, 76 
 Multan, 126 
 
 Murder of Rajah Dhyan Singh, 119 
 Murder of McLean in Ayub Khan's 
 
 camp, 131 
 Murree, 290, 291 
 Mussoorie, 101, 171, 172, 178-180, 
 
 290 
 Mussuks, 291 
 Mustard and lemon pudding, 85, 
 
 352 
 Mustard leaf a cure for corpulence, 
 
 a, 344 
 Mutiny, the Indian, 14, 15, 22, 259, 
 
 285-287 
 Muttra, 78, 258, 259 
 
 Nagrota, 349 
 
 Naini Tal, 161, 290 
 
 Narkanda, 267 
 
 Naroo " Canal," 297 
 
 Native rule in India, 258 
 
 Nautch dance, a, 263, 264 
 
 Nepaul, 182, 183 
 
 New dish, the author introduces a, 
 
 85 
 Noor Mahal and the Emperor 
 
 Jahangir, 300 
 North West Frontier of India, the 
 
 value of the, 205 
 Nowshera, 209 
 
 Officers, past and present, 31, 208 
 
 Oil-tins, the chief import of Kash- 
 mir, 349 
 
 Old temple, an, and a new chapel, 
 174, 177, 178 
 
 Oliver, Major, tiger-shooting, 182- 
 199 ; his velveteen coat, 190 
 
INDEX 
 
 361 
 
 Omdurman, the battle of, 347 
 On guard for fifteen years, 73 
 " Oola-oola," the grand effect of, 
 
 328. 329 
 Open-house in India, 87, 88 
 
 Paiwar Kotal, 124 
 
 " Pandemonium " on the Serapis, 
 
 4.5 
 
 Pandritan, the rums at, 304 
 Pangut, 345 
 
 Panther, a pet, 243, 244 
 Panther and the petticoat, the, 244 
 Panther, the strategy of a, 240, 242 
 Panthers, 189, 240-244 
 Panthers and leopards, the differ- 
 ence between, 242 
 " Papa," see Braithwaite, Captain 
 Parsee cricketers, the, 279 
 Patiala, the Maharajah, of, 236. 
 
 259-262 
 Peepul trees, 200 
 Peshawur, 209, 223 
 Petherick, Mr., Vice-Consul at 
 
 Khartoum, 48 
 Petticoat, the Rani Jindan's, 119 
 Phayre, General, 125 
 Picnic, an interrupted, 256, 266 
 " Pig-headedness " a virtue, 47, 48 
 Pigsticking, 30, 31, 36-39, 90, 91, 
 
 106, 181, 242, 258, 261, 262, 
 
 279 
 Pillibhit, 182 
 Pir Punjal, 335 
 Pirates, 283, 
 Pirchowkee, 127 
 Podophyllin, castor oil a substitute, 
 
 for, 342 
 Polo, 31-36, 91, 106, 171, 279 
 Ponies, polo, 33, 34, 171 
 Poplar avenues in Srinagar, 301 
 Port Said, a wretched, stinking, 
 
 filthy, picturesque, sandy place, 
 
 8, 9 
 Practical jokes, 71, 72, 74, 75, 165, 
 
 166, 170, 171 
 Preetab Singh, 262 
 Price of a wife, the, 349 
 Princes, Indian Native, 257-264 
 Probyn, Sir Dighton M., 310 
 Puglist and knitter, 89 
 Punch, 83 
 Puranpur, 204 
 
 QuAiL-shooting, 202 
 " Queen of weapons," the, 41 
 Quetta, 70-72, 81, 96, 127, 129, 133, 
 146, 159, 265 
 
 Quoits, Sikhs', 271 
 
 Ragging, 166-168 
 
 Ramban, 348 
 
 Ramsu, 347, 348 
 
 Ran jit Singh, 122 
 
 Raspberry vinegar and cake, 71 
 
 Rawal Pindi, 209 
 
 Red Sea, the horrors of the, 9 
 
 Regimental friendships, 88, 89 ; 
 surgeons, 103-105 ; calendars, 
 112, 113 ; bicycle clubs, 182 ; 
 feuds, 276, 277 
 
 Roberts, Earl, in the Afghan War, 
 124, 125, 130 ; the author's first 
 meeting with, 162 ; advises the 
 author to learn Hindustani, 162 ; 
 at Bawan, 310 
 
 Rope bridges, 292, 293 
 
 Rosherville valley, 266 
 
 Rosie, milk for, 74, 75 
 
 Roulette, how to win at, 9 
 
 Ruins at Lucknow, the, 15 
 
 Russian invasion, a, 268 
 
 Russell, Lady Baker, on a runaway 
 elephant with the Duchess of 
 Connaught, 250, 251 
 
 Russell, Sir Baker, Colonel of the 
 13th Hussars, 22 ; in the Indian 
 Mutiny, 22 ; the beau ideal of a 
 leader, 22 ; a devil and an angel, 
 22 ; and the commissariat officer, 
 22,23 ; riding down a delinquent, 
 23-25 ; and " Ding " MacDougal, 
 24, 25 ; and the General at an 
 inspection, 25, 26 ; beloved by 
 his men, 26 ; on punctuality, 
 26, 28 ; and Ben Hagan, 26, 27 ; 
 acts as chaplain, 76 ; Commander- 
 in-Chief in Bengal, 102 ; and 
 the medical officer, 102, 103 ; 
 on the duty of cavalry, 113 ; 
 the author makes a map for, 
 1 40 ; and the author's subse- 
 quent promotion, 152 ; and tiger- 
 hunting, 181, 189; delicacies for, 
 203 ; joins the Carbineers, 286 
 
 Sabhana, a celebrated Shikari, 323, 
 
 33 1 
 St. John, Sir Oliver, 134, 137 
 Samud Khan, a shikari, 313, 314, 
 
 317-320, 323. 324. 333. 335. 337. 
 
 344, 350 
 Sandhurst, the author excused 
 
 going to, 420 
 Sangars, 213-217 
 Sanghao, 210, 211, 222 
 
362 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Scene-painter, the author as a, 93 
 Scorpion taken for a cobra, a, 227, 
 
 228 
 Scouting, 107-112, 159, 340 
 Scouting, the author's book on, 340 
 Sea-sick, swinging hammocks to 
 
 make officers, 8 
 Sensations, enjoyable and otherwise, 
 
 82-84 
 Sentry, the confused, and the life- 
 buoy, 11, 12 
 Sentry, the forgotten, 73 
 " Sepoy Generals," 205 
 Sepoys much annoyed with the 
 
 artillery, 221 
 Serapis, the, 4-10 
 Sermon, a native, disturbed by a 
 
 tourist, 307 
 Servants, native, 16, 283-285 
 Sheep-stealing as an after-dinner 
 
 game, 168-170 
 Shere AH, 123, 124 
 Sherlock Holmes of the Indian 
 
 police, the, 283 
 Sherpur, 204 
 Shoes made of cord, 330 
 Shooting match, a, 267 
 Short cut, a, 151, 152 
 Shutkoti, 314 
 Sialkote, 346, 351 
 Sibi, 126, 149 
 Sickness among troops, 90, 91, 
 
 101-103 
 Sikh's quoits, deadly weapons, 271 
 Simla, 93, 161-166 
 Slater, Troop Sergeant-Major, at 
 
 amateur theatricals, 97 
 Smell of a dead elephant, the, 247, 
 
 248 
 Smell of a dead tiger, the, 187 
 Smell of India, the, 13 
 Smith-Dorrien, Sir H., and the 
 
 welfare of his men, 182 ; his 
 
 diary of a tiger-shooting trip, 196 
 Smoking, the author gives up, 160 
 Snakes in India, 226-228 
 Snipe cooked in gin, 85, 352 
 Snipe-shooting, 84, 85 
 Snipers, 212 
 
 Sobraon, the battle of, 302 
 Sobriety of the modern soldier, the, 
 
 27, 28, 31 
 Sociability in India, 87, 88 
 " Society " of half-castes, 172 
 Soldier of the old type, a, 142 
 Sooth-sayer, an Indian, 284, 285 
 South African Constabulary, the, 29 
 Spiders, 204 
 
 Sport, 36-69, 84, 85, 90, 91, 106, 
 161, 171, 181-204, 224,242, 258- 
 263, 278-282, 3I3-3I5. 326, 324- 
 
 344 
 Srmagar, 294, 299-302, 337, 345- 
 
 347 
 Stephenson, Robert, the author's 
 
 godfather, 83 
 Stewart, Sir Donald, 124 
 Strategy and its Teaching, 333 
 Strategy of a panther, the, 240-242 
 Subalterns' attitude when there is 
 
 a chance of war, 210 
 Suez, 8-10 
 
 Surgeons, regimental, 103-105 
 Swat Valley, the, 145 
 Swimming horses, 78-80, 108 
 Swordsmanship, Indian, 269-272 
 Sydenham, Lord, 352 
 
 Tactics, Dr. Haig-Brown gives a 
 
 lesson in, 1-3 
 Takt-i-Suleiman, 300, 301 
 Talbot, Sir Adalbert, the British 
 
 Resident in Kashmir, 301, 307 
 Tawi suspension bridge, 350 
 Tehsildar, a, 347 
 Telescopes, rival, 10 
 Temperance in the army, 27, 28, 31 
 Temple, an Indian, and a Methodist 
 
 chapel, 174, 177, 178 
 Theatricals, Army, 92-100, 132 
 The four C's of soldiering, 111 
 Tiger, a most confiding, 200 
 Tigers, 41-43, 181-204, 247 
 Tomkins, Tommy, his curious haste, 
 
 155 
 
 " Tommy," see Dimond, Major 
 
 Tom-toms, 277 
 
 Tongas, 290 
 
 Toti, 193 
 
 Tragedy at sea, a, 9 
 
 Umballa, 209 
 
 Umbrellas, curious native, 177 
 Unlucky day, an, 73, 74 
 Uri, 292 
 
 Vanity overcome by heat, 13 
 Vernag, 345, 346 
 Victoria, Queen, 123 
 Village feuds, 207 
 
 War Correspondents, the author 
 and a friend disguise themselves 
 as, 165, 166 
 
 Watson, Lieut. John, a good sports- 
 man, 31, 32, 34 
 
INDEX 
 
 Watson, Robert, 34 
 
 White, Sir George, his unconven- 
 
 tionality, 163-165 
 Wife, the desirability of one who 
 
 can sketch, 310, 317 
 Wife, the price of a, 349 
 Wilkinson, General, 134, 137 
 Wilson, Lieut., 16 
 Wing-bones of a tiger, 197 
 "Wolf Cubs," 118 
 
 363 
 
 Wolseley, Lord, 137, 138 
 Wood, Sir Evelyn, 82 
 Woolar, Lake, 297 
 Wunhi and his tea-house, 88, I 
 
 Yakub Khan, 124 
 
 Zaludban, the devil, 301, 302 
 Ziarat, a, 336, 338 
 Zulus, 191, 192 
 
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