236 HUNTING CAVALCADE. 



voice, was entertaining her sovereign with 

 lyrics in his own praise. Within the enclosure 

 we found a dozen or so of falconers, with the 

 Meer's favourite hawks, his immediate personal 

 attendants, besides the Meer-moonshee, or chief 

 secretary, and the Mooktyar Kar ; and as soon 

 as His Highness' toilet was finished, which 

 occupies some time, the order to mount was 

 given. I was directed to lead the way, as my 

 horse has a tendency to fighting with others, 

 and the Meer is rather nervous on that point. 

 An Afghan Jemadar, with about a dozen well- 

 mounted Sowars, formed the Meer's body-guard. 

 The Jemadar was one of the handsomest men I 

 ever saw, and one of the finest riders. I cannot 

 though speak favourably of the appearance of 

 His Highness' mounted troops ; in fact, with few 

 exceptions, they are a rabble, very like what 

 the Pindarries were of old, and like them in 

 their habits too, — their miserable-looking 

 horses possessing astonishing powers of en- 

 durance, and making marches of 50 or 60 miles 

 without a halt. The hill Beloochees, who lived 

 by plunder, were mounted on small mares of 

 high blood, accustomed to long abstinence fi'om 

 water, and to subsist on scanty forage, and fed 



