TENNIS. 127 



of omission as " maiiana " and " cosa d'Espana " do in 



Spain. 



After taking leave of the Maharanee I returned to the 

 public garden, and found the Raja, Bhurie Singh, and Alan 

 waiting for me to play tennis. Both of our friends, the Raja 

 especially, play an excellent game, and have a better cutting 

 service than many English amateurs. Several of the towns- 

 people stood around and watched us ; and the steps of the 

 adjoining bandstand were crowded with children in bright 

 coloured dresses. They followed the game with evident 

 interest. The Maharaja's band was in attendance, and 

 played the latest opera-bouffe tunes. The bandmaster and 

 men are nearly all natives of Chamba, and play really well 

 The Maharaja's National Anthem is founded on a Scotch 

 air. and, as becomes a Highland chieftain, he also has his 

 pipers. I am not much of a judge of bagpipes, but they 

 seemed to drone and skreel as well as the genuine Scotch 

 article. Their weird notes are at all events in harmony 

 with these wild mountains ; which is certainly not the case 

 inside a Scotch dining-room, when the Laird's piper inarches 

 round and deafens the guests. 



November 28th, — The Maharaja sends a message that last 

 night a leopard was caught in a wooden trap. The beast 

 is uninjured and the Maharaja proposes to let him loose 

 and shoot him on the plain. Shortly after luncheon a bugle 

 sounded, and the townspeople began to assemble to witness 



