No man, I assert, with the heart of a sportsman in him, could brook to find himself distanced at every spear, run after run, without a chance of occasional success. Disgusted and dispirited, would he not send his dozens of brutes to the devil, and procure one good one in their stead? If H. W. R. conIceives that I have the smallest pleasure in killing a hog by myself, even on a hunter, he knows about as much of me as he does of the Emperor Nicholas. If he means to say that I had a brute with me fit to contest a spear, he knows very little of the carriage horses I have out. The truth is, I went out to meet a few friends, and not hogs. The boar, the mighty boar, is, as he observes, certainly an old friend, and too old a friend for me to wish to take liberties with, unless he is to fall under the united exertions of good horses, good spears, and good men. Then indeed does hoghunting rank with the finest sports in the universe. If the mighty boar is to be rode single-handed, and sacrificed at leisure, and such termed sport, why then, all I have to add is, that I most willingly give up my share of it to those that can enjoy it. As your correspondent may say that this is my opinion only, I will just tell him that in one of the Nuggur Hunt meetings it was proposed that no uncontested spear should be allowed a place on the list, and what is more,

the proposition would have been carried at once, had it not interfered considerably with the amusement of one gentleman-a stranger -who appeared to have a peculiar penchant for sticking hogs by himself, and it would consequently have appeared as directed solely at him. It is high time, after having promised only a line, to bid your Magazine and its contributors a hearty, and, I hope with sincerity, a long farewell. The long list of enjoyment to be had in old England will readily account for such a sincere hope. When I do, however, return, I trust I shall find H. W. R. and several other friends as devoted to hog-hunting as ever. That I shall retain till old age floors me the thirst for sport which ten years in India, in spite of the insinuation to the contrary, has not, I can truly assert, quenched in the smallest degree, is the fondest wish I can cherish. It is the mainspring of the move I am so soon about to make, and let but nerve hold on, a right good hunter underneath me, and hurrah for the stiffest fences, the strongest fox, and staunchest pack of foxhounds that old England can produce! There is but one thing more I require, and that is, a right good place at the finish, for yours for

the last time.

NIMROD IN THE EAST. December 26th.

MR. EDITOR,

I send you the performances of a gallant little Arabian, whose speed and bottom combined have proved him the best of his size in India. Feramorz is a chestnut galloway, measuring 13h. 2in. He first started at Nagpoor for the Galloway Maiden, 8st, each, one

and a half mile heats. On the 15th December, 1828, was beaten by Dubashee in 3m. 12s. and 3m. 3s. He won the Ladies' Purse, 600 Rs. and 60 subscription, one and a half mile heats, weight for inches, carrying 7st. 3lbs., beating Octavian, Dubashee, and Escape, in 3m. 2s. and 3m., and

was drawn for the Handicap on the 19th November.

On the 22nd, at 7st. 10lbs., he beat Symmetry, a feather, and Octavian, 8st. 2lbs., for a Handicap of 600 Rs. and 60 subscription, two mile heats, in 4m. 6s. and 4m. 7s. On the 5th day of the meeting, carrying 6st. 6lbs., he beat Oc-. tavian, 7st. 6lbs., in 4m. 4s. and 4m. 2s., for the Kampee Whim Plate, 800 Rs. and 10 G. M. subscription, two mile heats.

At Hydrabad, January, 1830, he was beaten by Little Tough, carrying 8st. 4lbs. each, in 3m. 5s., and 3m. 8s., for the Galloway Plate, winning the first heat in 1m. 6s. He won the Give and Take, two mile heats, 1000 Rs. and 100 Rs. subscription, at 7st. 7lbs., beating Phantom, 8st. 2lbs., Little Tough, 6st. 9lbs., in 4m. 8s. and 4m. 2s.

At Hazareebaug Races, on the first day, he beat Viva a Post Match, 50 Gold Mohurs, one and a half miles, in 3m. 2s. On the 2nd, at 8st. 7lbs., he won the Galloway Plate, 400 Rs. entrance, heats one and three-quarter miles, beating Symmetry, 8st., in 3m. 32s. and 3m. 40s. On the third day he won the Rajah's Plate, 500 Rs. at 8st. 7lbs., beating Symmetry and another. On the fourth day, on the Kamptee Course, he

walked over for the Ladies' Purse, 7st. 6lbs., 500 Rs., 50 subscription, one mile heats; and on the same day won a Handicap, 200 Rs., 20 Rs. entrance, in 3m. 3s. at 8st. 7lbs., beating Escape, 8st., and Symmetry, 7st. 10lbs. On the sixth day he walked over for the Winner's Plate, 600 Rs., thus winning every race he was entered for during the meeting.

On the 8th December, 1830, at Benares, he was beaten by Brian Boron and Gildrig, 8st. 7lbs. each, R. C. heats. He won the Galloway Plate, 15 Gold Mohurs, and three Gold Mohurs subscription, at 7st. 9lbs., beating three others easily.

On the second day of the Gazeepoor meeting, at 7st. 9lbs., he won the Galloway Plate, 25 Gold Mohurs and three Gold Mohurs entrance, one and three-quarter miles and 21 yards heats, in 3m. 33s. and 3m. 34s., beating Goodytwo-shoes, Scorpion, and two others. On the third day he was beaten by Brian Boron, but beat Gildrig, two mile heats, 8st. 7lbs. each, in 4m. 14s. and 4m. 31s. ; and on the fifth day, at 8st., beat Brian Boron, 8st. 7lbs., a match 50 Gold Mohurs, P. P. one and threequarter miles and 21 yards, in 3m. 39s.

Yours, MOOSAFUR.

VOL. II.

U

MAHRATTA

I continue a journal of the sport we meet with while out in the districts, although 1832 has not yet produced a day worthy of being recorded, but we live in hopes of something brilliant occurring before this is despatched to your editorial box.

In January two unfortunate bears were the only victims, and neither of them made a good die of it; a third, which escaped after being severely wounded, was nearly taking liberties with one of the party, whose gun fortunately received the gripe intended for himself.

In February we had four days' hunting, and killed nine hog, all sows. The ground being a perfect bowling-green, I suppose 2m. 2s., or thereabouts, might have been the average duration of each run, but, as I do not sport a ticker, I cannot take an affidavit on the subject. While beating a date grove on the last day, our hunting was agreeably interrupted by two tigers stalking out into the plain. They were marked into covert and One contrived to steal

beat up. out of shot; and the

away other, although hit twice, even

COUNTRY.

tually escaped. He passed within three yards of the tree in which my friend was seated, who planted a ball in his shoulder that made him lay up in a bush close at hand. From this he was driven with some difficulty, and offered a fair shot to me at a distance of about 40 yards. I hit him apparently in the back of the neck, for when he reared the branches of the date trees above him were spattered with blood to the height of several feet from the ground. We thought it was all up; but no, he got into a thick covert, from which he charged out and slightly clawed a silly old man who looked into the bush to see whether the tiger was dead or not. This was a sickener; we had no elephant, and it was too dangerous to go up on foot where it was impossible to see three yards in front, so we left him with heavy hearts, and the only traces we could discover next day were marks of blood in the thicket where he had been last seen. Except shooting some antelope and small game, nothing was done till the end of the month, when we shot five bears. They were all found among high cliffs, and we

generally sniped at them from a considerable height, which they could not possibly reach if inclined to charge, thereby losing the only sport in bear shooting-the excitement which a slight sense of danger produces when on a level with them. On one occasion we found three asleep so closely huddled together, that we imagined there was only one enormous bear; and after firing every barrel we had, two rolled over in their last agonies, and the third rose from under them and made his escape. An old female with three cubs refused to bolt from her den till speared, when she rushed out looking very savage with the bamboo in her mouth, and was knocked over with the first volley; the other two, one of which was an unusually large male, were regularly smouched, and the only sport was to watch the great awkward brutes rolling down the hills when a successful shot made them lose their footing.

It is a most mistaken notion that the Indian bear (Ursus labiatus) is is a harmless animal: although he feeds entirely on vegetable substances and insects, yet he frequently attacks men out of mere wantonness, and I have met with repeated instances of people being killed by bears without having previously molested them.

The old male we shot the other day killed three unfortunate shepherds last month, whose only offence was driving their goats to feed in his dominions; yet what a contemptible animal the bear of this country is compared to those of Europe and America, which carry off horses and bullocks, and grow to the enormous weight of 700lbs.

March commenced with the death of a tiger shot from a tree; two balls fired at the same instant dropped him as if by lightning,

and no wonder, for his spine was broken in two places. This was tame enough, certainly. Apropos of tame game, I recollect a ludicrous circumstance occurring at a shooting party some years ago. A Frenchman armed up to the teeth and most bloodthirsty for the chase, but still not the most sporting man I have ever met with, accompanied us. He had not distinguished himself much during the day except in discussing tiffin, where he excelled, but on our way home he made ample amends. An ill-fated, wild looking black sheep started up suddenly before him; Monsieur just waited to bawl out, "Mouton sauvage, tirez, tirez," and then bang bang went both barrels into him. A cloud of wool from the unhappy sheep followed each discharge, and the exulting Frenchman threw himself on his fleecy prey in an ecstasy of delight.

On the 23rd, while listening to the strains of a pretty little nautch girl, who was vainly trying to persuade us that screeching was music, or shuffling her feet about dancing, word was brought of a tigress eight miles from camp well surrounded.

To the winds with our intended lecture on the graces; la prima donna, with all her rascally fiddlers, fifers, and tom-tom tormentors, were bundled out sharp, and we were soon at the ground. An elephant had arrived the day before, but was a stupid raw brute, and would not beat the thick cover in which the tiger lay. She had been repeatedly caught in nets, and would not bolt, so there was nothing for it but to make her house too hot to hold her. A few rockets set the jungle on fire, and when the flames had seized the bush in which she lay, not till then, she showed herself and dashed out with a roar.

A