at first as stones, but in reality are much worse: a man hunting for the few first times reckons on falls, and as long as the ground is not stony, expects to get off without much harm. As holes are unaccompanied by stones, they do not at first appear so terrific, but give me the worst stones, and let any one take my share of holes! In the one the horse sees what he has to do; in the other, when partly covered with grass, if he had a dozen eyes in his head they would be of no more use than the two Nature has furnished him with already. In short, one does not ride in safety for twenty yards together where holes abound, and the way of crossing them, bad as it is, is to go straight, and never attempt to avoid them; if your horse can see them he will; if he can't, it scarce ever happens that you can, at least in time to do any good; there is nothing for it then but to trust to Providence or " right-about-face" home. In short, what I have said on riding may be wound up and better expressed than I can do in the only answer the Meltonian gave to the question how he would go at three tremendous raspers "that were pointed out to him-"I say, B., d-n it, but that's a settler. How

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the devil would you go at that? "Hold him up and cram him at it." Of the "Hunter"-under which designation God knows how many horses are daily bought and sold with as much pretension to the name as they have to that of "racer"-it would be scarcely fair to pass by without a line or two; 14 hands, or one inch more added to it, is quite high enough for a man not much exceeding 10 stone. I have seen and hunted with, often enough, that capital sportsman, Major Pr, and although he weighed nearly 14 stone without saddle or bridle, mounted his horse

VOL. I.

Bandycoot only 14st. 14lb.-he was more than a match for the light weights on any but their best cattle, which will give a tolerable idea what, as John Dockery calls them, our cats can do, small as they are. The short, compact, the multum in parvo, are the ones for my money. If intended for a strong country, turning the toes in is no fault. I don't say it's better than standing straight, though almost all the best I've seen tended a little to the "in." The "outs had better be left alone; they may do for the "turf,' but not the "field"―fetlocks inclining to the short, and the more upright the better-though this does not do for nullahs.-Bending fetlocks two minutes" cram over rocks are enough to "peel," though in spite of no skin they are often good goers, always springy and generally safe over any ground. "Short action saves many a "fall" over "holes," and is, I think, much preferable to " 'long strides" anywhere. If one is not lucky enough to hit on good action altogether, the hind legs should decide the question; let him paddle a little in front, it does not so much matter, the hind legs are the ones for shoving him uphill, depend on it; and with the right action there one will not be far out. For a young hand an old hunter is the thing, and although they are not to be had for nothing, such is the satisfaction in riding them in comparison with "fresh horses," which after all may or may not turn out good ones, that the difference of price should not be thought of for a moment. The sportsman that can take the field with three old hands, all so good as to be scarce a matter of choice which to mount, does the thing in a style that a man really fond of hog-hunting should spare no ex

I

the

pense to accomplish. I would sooner have the three known ones than the most likely looking six fresh ones that could be picked out in Bombay, and that's saying a good deal; the making a hunter being in my opinion the proper office for the groom, certainly not for the men that wish to enjoy hunting. Whilst on the subject of horses I can't help giving my friends a hint that to add to the diseases to which our good little prads are liable a new one has been lately found to exist. I never heard of it till a few days ago, on a hunting tour, when I had it from my friend Mr. S-s-; he'll excuse me giving so much of his name. I've done it, not exactly because I could not relate the discovery of the disease without it, but to prove what I advanced in my last letter, "that the Guzerattees ride like devil;" not that I suppose any one is inclined to dispute the point, but lest it should so happen, I give fair warning I could give, in addition to my friend's, such a host of names that would very soon settle the question; but there's nothing like proving one's assertions as often as possible. Well, but to return to the disease; it's nothing more or less than the "flaps," and what the deuce the said "flaps" are or is, is a cut above me! But the discovery that such a thing does exist, I certainly can relate, and as so doing may attract attention to the subject, here goes. A gentleman in Guzerat who, like most others, professes and possesses no great skill in veterinary matters, seeing one of his horses apparently a little "queerish," thought the best thing he could do would be to take the advice of some one who at any rate professed to know what to order in such cases. Accordingly a European who lived at

hand was sent for and requested to give his opinion as to what was the matter with the horse. Thus called upon, he began to examine the patient with all the solemnity the occasion could possibly call for. There's nothing like a little action when the importance of the case may be reasonably said to deserve it, and so our friend, the would-be farrier, without delay put himself into what at Winchester we used to call "teapot action," with this exception that the left hand and arm, instead of gracefully representing the spout of the said

I

teapot," was rather ungracefully applied to his head, on which the repeated scratches clearly indicated either that the horse was in a bad way or that some difficulty existed in determining the exact disease. The owner of the horse taking for granted his cattle was too good for this world and about to leave it, naturally enough requested he would say as soon as possible what was really the matter. never knew much good done by pressing a man; in all the cases I ever saw it only made him take a longer time to deliberate, and so it did here.-Well, at last, after a few nods and turns of the head, sure indications that the eventful judgment was about to be pronounced, quickly followed by a short "ahem!" or two, "Why, Sir," said he, "you may depend on't that there horse has got the Flaps!" "And what the devil's the flaps, eh?" anxiously inquired Mr.-, and well might he, I think; but as for telling the name of the disease and then to be asked what the devil it's composed of? no, no, that's a little too much, and so convinced was our friend the farrier of the extravagance of the proposition, that no persuasion could induce him to do more than reiterate his former opinion:

"Why, Sir! I mayn't know much about what it is or what it ain't, but you may depend upon it he's got the Flaps!" I've now done my utmost at any rate to throw what light I can on the subject, but as there is no such awful sounding disease mentioned in White, it is to be hoped some able hands may take up the question, and if any specific is found out as a cure, it will of course be before long in the Magazine; though I can't help thinking if such a discovery was possible, my friend, who related me the rise, progress, &c., of this terrible sounding malady, would have before this found it out, for I never to my recollection saw a sportsman with so many specifics-they are worth any money, but to do him justice his specific for killing hogs I saw several times most efficacious, and I recommend any young hand in want of a "landmark" just to fix his eyes on the tail of my friend's horse, and I'll answer for it he'll not be long in getting on good terms with the best boar in India.

The very sound of the word "boar" has recalled in an instant so many pleasing recollections of past efforts that I cannot help giving a short account of one 'splendid fellow," who, though he didn't patronise the "legging system," showed such determined bravery that the annals of sporting would be incomplete without him. The "Hunts of which I made so much mention in my last, had met in the course of a sporting tour at the village of Merichgaum, and in a very short space of time roused several fine hogs. The canes were so thick and numerous, that it was with great difficulty any could be persuaded to "beat," and when they did, it was only to dust well the adjoining field. We had been at this harassing work for some

time when a huge monster on a sudden dashed out in a style that, in the absence of the actual sight, imagination can alone do justice to. The oldest sportsman had not seen a more glorious sight! the unexpected appearance of an animal of such size had its instantaneous effect; astonished as every one was for the moment, we were in motion before he had passed us a few yards, and had but a short distance more existed between us and the next cane field the chase would have ended in as small proportion of time as he was large. Not many minutes were lost in arranging the beaters, and the process of refinding was soon in due progress; the line had advanced with an uproar that one would have thought sufficient to have roused any animal in the world, within a few yards of the end of the field-anxiety had turned the face of every one to deadest white, and doubts even were beginning to be entertained, when a rush that would have frightened an elephant was distinctly heard increasing in form every instant as he passed down the line, and in another moment the boar was out of cover in the midst of us. He charged furiously the first horse within his reach, who, by a sudden turn very nearly pitching his rider off, escaped like a godsend, with nothing more than a large patch of mud left by the brute as he grazed in passing. We had scarce congratulated our friend on his narrow escape when a sickening sight presented itself. In the apparently momentary course down the line he had ripped no less than three persons, who were carried out by their companions to the spot where we were standing; they were immediately conveyed to the tents close at hand for surgical assistance; but before the

wounds of the second patient were sewed up, the first was dead! To one who has not witnessed accidents of this kind it is scarce possible to believe the rapidity with which the wounds were given a boar scarce ever returns on his fallen enemy-whatever damage is done, is in the charge, and in this manner he passed from one to the other. To give a more correct idea of this animal's powers in using his tusks, I need but say that on one man alone there was a gash on the head, one on each arm, the same on each leg, besides a cut to the very bone in his calf, all of which was the work of an instant! The sufferers being left in the best hands possible, more effectual means were taken to dislodge the boar, who had made good the next cane with only a slight scratch from a spear thrown as he was charging the hedge. An elephant, an old tiger hunter, with six camels, were formed in line and put in, every person on foot having been previously sent away. It rarely occurs that a man has an opportunity of witnessing so unusual a sight as the present formidable array presented; the scene altogether was one that cannot be described. All being in readiness, and each camel provided with a rider, the word was given to advance! Let any one imagine to himself a line of camels drawn up in battle array, the van filled by as fine an elephant as ever stepped. Imagine the anxiety of every man burning to join in the chase of so splendid a boar; imagine the grandeur of the scene when the word to advance was given, the cracking of the canes and the trumpeting of the elephant, who knew full well his game was at hand; imagine, I repeat, if he can, the furious charge of the boar from one end of the field to the other, straight

for the elephant, and in another moment under his legs!-of all the sights a man may live to see, one such as that charge is worth a thousand-the elephant, probably expecting a tiger, seemed thunderstruck, and in spite of the efforts of the mahout wheeled round like a shot and away for the hedge. The camels, who had hitherto understood carrying baggage to have been their only destined employment, were not long in following the "vanguard,' with the exception of one or two, who, as if to pay off their riders, actually sat down. The elephant being once more brought to the scratch, the boar was on the alert in an instant, and again charged full at his adversary, and passing at speed through his legs-brake cover. There were but two roads near the point where he "broke," the one leading to the village, the other to our tents not a hundred yards distant, and, as is always the case, he took the very one that least suited us-slap for the tents. Now came the tug of war! The "Halloos" of the men on trees soon gave notice of the advance of the boar, and the running and hustling in the encampment presented a fit subject for Hogarth. The road, more of a pathway, was so narrow as to admit but one rider at a time; there we were like a flock of geese, and had he but turned he might with very little trouble have put the whole of his pursuers out of the power of doing much mischief, at least during that chase. Forward we went straight through the encampment, in amongst tent ropes, camels, tattoos, bullocks, and God knows what; such charging and bolting, tearing up of tent pegs, and smashing of "traps"-in short, such a total discomfiture of the "economy "of a camp never before was seen. The boar having