POLO IN INDIA 269 



and altogether far from smooth. In an open space on the edge of 

 the terrace there were two carpets, upon which my chair was 

 placed ; and I was then ushered forward with great dignity by my 

 shikari, Sumhud Khan. Meanwhile the dance continued, and I 

 was watching it with great interest when the distant strains of more 

 music reached my ears. This was the Zillah Sahib, on a small 

 pony, ' attended by a brilliant staff' to use the correct expression 

 and preceded by music which certainly made up in volume what it 

 lacked in melody. The sounds grew nearer, buc our other band 

 was not to be outdone, and stuck manfully to its own tune, so that 

 the effect, if not exactly pleasing, was certainly impressive ; and, 

 in the absence of speaking trumpets, my introduction to the Zillah 

 Sahib was carried out in dumb show. By this time the dancer 

 who, in addition to performing many vigorous and intricate steps, 

 had been gradually working his way into a huge coat with tight 

 sleeves, some two yards long succeeded in reaching the cuffs and 

 finding his hands again, whereupon he retired, and the ground 

 was cleared for polo. 



I was surprised at the good looks of some of the ponies, having 

 rather expected to see under-bred beasts with cat hams and goose 

 rumps, like the pictures one sees of Turcoman horses. On the 

 contrary, these little ' tats,' though very small 12 hands 2 inches, 

 and less showed any amount of quality, and a few were real little 

 pictures, handsome enough for the Park at home. When they 

 began playing, too, they slipped along at a wonderful pace, and 

 moved with the straightest, truest action imaginable. They were 

 half buried in huge saddles with a high pummel in front, and made 

 of a number of folds of thick cloth. All had heavy cruppers and 

 a broad surcingle over everything. As far as I could see the 

 riders all used snaffles, and the reins were apparently made of 

 thick rope, lapped round with coloured cloth, and only just long 

 enough to reach over the pony's neck, with a single tail in con- 

 tinuation, which must be very awkward for guiding an unwilling 

 mount. I rode one of the ponies back to my camp and felt far 

 from comfortable, being perched up on the great saddle nearly a 

 foot above the pony's back with a useless end of rope in my hands 

 instead of reins. If the little beasts were not just as keen as their 

 riders about the game, I fancy it would be no easy matter to 

 coerce them, as, apart from the question of reins, it would be no 

 use to ' sit down and ride ' the pony ; all your exertions would lose 

 themselves in the layers of cloth on which you were sitting. 



