riders were coming from different directions into one point, the foot of a small hill over which the hog was making the best of his way, the interest was kept up intensely till the moment of their closing. Both had some considerable distance to go with bad ground, and a more beautiful sight than the run afforded, as each rider occasionally disappeared in a deep nullah and again emerged, both making play in good earnest, cannot well happen. After a severe struggle, Recorder gained the hill just before his antagonist, and the spear was finally decided in favour of the Captain. It appeared afterwards that the latter had pushed his horse to the utmost to gain the hill first, for Recorder, like many other horses, got disheartened when passed, although he had splendid bottom as long as he could keep the lead, and I need hardly say to those that know him, that to dispossess him of the lead at any time required a horse very superior to those usually in the field. Had the Chancellor arrived at that point first, there can be little doubt whose would have been the spear, but as it was, his opponent had the start, and kept it, although from the different directions they had come there were considerable doubts whose would be the fortune of the day to the last. If there was one horse in the field more likely to defeat his antagonist than another, it was the Chancellor, and had it rested with the riders, the Captain-as good a workman as ever sat in a saddle would have found he had full employment on his hands in the person of as awkward a

customer as could well be desired. Some of the party were so late in returning home that the place of the black boar was supplied by lanterns at the flag-staff head, and even with this. assistance half-past

eight and nine o'clock had struck before the whole were assembled. Total killed this day, 5.

Sept. 16.-The fatigue of yesterday seemed far from diminishing the ardour of the party-indeed, if possible, the longing for sport was increasing. The horn sounded to horse at nine-boots and spurs were in requisition in a moment; and the bajree being the point of attack, each man was soon at his station.

Of all the awkward-looking falls ever witnessed, one that happened to my often-mentioned friend the Captain this day beats them hollow. Of five horses brought with him, towards the end of the day he was reduced to a grey galloway, as nice a piece of blood as a man could mount, but far over-weighted with very nearly 12 stone on his back. What with saddle and bridle, my friend could not have weighed much less, but the idea of giving up the sport as long even as the little fellow could hold out, never entered into his head, and what's more, never would. A fine hog went away for the grove, pursued by at least five riders. About 150 yards, or perhaps a little more, from the grove itself, ran an awkward nullah, soft at the bottom, with as ugly banks on each side as need be. Leaping was out of the question, it being at least 40 feet wide, and there was nothing for it but to go down into it and up again. A hog goes a tremendous pace at any time, but the spirit he has always in him when close on a cover can only be understood by those who have witnessed it. Let him have run for ten miles, the go he has in him for the last 200 or 300 yards into cover is amazing. The order in which the riders came out of the nullah I don't exactly recollect, nor is it material-suffice it to say, the little grey galloway charged it

with the best (he had racing speed), and bounded well into the middle of it with a resolution that would disgrace no horse. There ended his career for the time at least for finding the weight of his rider, whatever it might be on hard ground, far above his powers in deep sand, down he came head over heels, apparently entangled with his master. To extricate himself took no great time, and when fairly clear, a sight presented itself that was enough to turn the boldest man sick. The spear was standing with its point uppermost, exactly as if it had gone clean through the body, nor was the contrary discovered till some motion on the part of our dismounted friend took away its prop, and down it fell to the heartfelt satisfaction of all who were present. Excepting a slight stunning and a heavy blow on the arm from the horse's legs, no damage was done; but how the spear had got into the frightful position it was when first seen, is difficult to explain. Whilst this was going on in the nullah, a ludicrous accident happened on the bank. Mr. C., who had mounted a black horse, the only one of his stud at that late hour in a rideable condition, found, long before his arrival at this eventful nullah, that the order of things was quite reversed, and that instead of having the command of his horse he had as little to say to him as the rest of the riders had to the hog, who during the confusion had joined his brother grunters in the Grove. Finding all chance even of a ninth spear (for which early poke, with the hog sprawling on the ground too, I recollect seeing two good folks at a certain party on the point of quarrelling) out of the question, Mr. C., like a good general, began to manoeuvre, in order to take advantage of his intimate knowledge

VOL. I.

of the practicable points of the above-mentioned nullah, and was accordingly to be seen screwing, or rather attempting to screw, his unruly steed to a spot where a descent might securely be effected, trusting to the sand to do the rest for him, or at any rate something towards defeating the object of his black steed, which appeared to be nothing more or less than making himself intimate with the recesses of the Grove itself, which, I before observed, consisted of trees sufficiently well adapted for cooling the courage of the hardiest rider. In reliance on a good bridle and tolerable strength of arm, he had reckoned on being able at any rate to turn him, although pulling up was quite out of the question; but, like many others, he had reckoned without his host-he had as much chance of turning the black as he had of turning the nullah itself out of the way. As is invariably the case on such occasions, the horse, as if to show his utter contempt for his master, bore down for the very worst place the nullah could boast of. he came, thundering like a carthorse, directly for a number of narrow channels cut by the rush of the rain into the nullah, and on the very bank itself. He nearly fell into the first, and had just power left to scramble out, when down he went fairly into the next, and he was firmly stuck to the depth of the top of the saddle, still standing, but so jammed that the rider himself had the greatest difficulty in extricating his own legs, which being cased in large jack-boots, fast pressed to the saddle, did not facilitate the operation: he succeeded, however, in the end, without having received the slightest injury from an accident which certainly at first promised not as well as it turned out. In spite of these mistakes,

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On

eight hogs were numbered with the dead this day.

Sept. 17.-At work again at the usual hour: the Captain, not the worse for yesterday's roll, with the exception of his arm in a sling, was with the first in the field. A fine day's sport wound up with six hogs killed.

Sept. 18.-A halt was voted this day, and not without reason, having been hard at it for seven successive days. Captain H., together with Captain P., left us for Ahmednuggur, to the deep regret of every individual; the latter gentleman has not been mentioned hitherto for the same reason which applies to many others. Nothing out of the way had happened to him, and as usual he had done his duty-for so heavy a weight for an Arab as 14 stone, without either boots, saddle, or bridle, he is a surprising goer, and a better and keener sportsman is not to be met with.

As spears were interdicted today, the ponies were in request for coursing. We seemed really

to have started under most favourable auspices, for foxes and hares appeared literally in waiting for us. The dogs were run to a standstill, a sufficient signal for a return to the tents.

Sept. 19.-On the field this morning at nine precisely. It looked as if the whole country was determined to witness our two last days' sport, for although the number of beaters had been daily increasing until the last day, when about 280 were counted, they came to-day in swarms; 350 men were put into line in the first cover, extending no small distance, four and five yards being about the space between each man, the riders taking up their position immediately in advance. Of all good covers there is nothing like grain; the suddenness with which the

hog springs on his legs-the alarm of the beaters on the spot, together with the great and tremendous rush of the animal itself, strewing, for the moment, the grain in his course, is a sight rarely to be equalled-the management required to prevent his breaking through the line-the intense anxiety and eagle-eyed watchfulness for a view-and, O ye gods! the thrilling feel and furious dash of the sportsmen the instant the hog is descried fair away-are things that must be seen and felt, and are not to be profaned by an attempt to describe them.

Any sportsman that wishes to see what can be done with beaters should join the Hunt on their meetings at the Grove-the line is preserved in a style quite extraordinary compared with the little order kept at hog-hunts in general; great patience has been used, and with an effect that should and must show how much more is to be brought about with natives in that way than with the scampering up and down, the bawling and noise, which so often accompanies any trifling disorder in the line. The coup d'œil this day was really grand, and the sport seemed to reward the party for the trouble they had taken. No accidents of any kind happened, and by the close of the day eleven fine bristlers had been slain.

Sept. 20.-This was the ninth and last day-the same number of beaters were on the ground by nine, and after a hard day's work we bade adieu to the bajree with four hogs killed-a somewhat reduced number in comparison with yesterday's success. It had been before determined on to give over at the end of this day-enough to satisfy the most greedy had been done; besides which, we had tried most of the grain. In the Grove