POLO IN INDIA 271 



with rather a scuffle with others, after it was struck behind the 

 goal. At any rate goals appeared to be numerous, and, after each 

 of them, the most peculiar part of the performance took place. One 

 of the players on the winning side, not necessarily the striker of the 

 goal, taking the ball in his left hand, started from the back line, 

 close to the boundary wall, on the right hand side of the ground 

 the way he was going, and galloped off as hard as he could send 

 his pony along. As he got mid-way he transferred the ball into 

 the hand in which he held his stick, and, tossing it into the air, hit 

 it as it fell with all his strength. They very seldom missed it, and 

 made splendid strokes, driving it nearly to the further end of the 

 ground. It was very pretty to watch, and I was quite pleased 

 when a goal was obtained that I might watch the hit-off. Whilst 

 the game progressed the combined bands played a selection of 

 music which depended for \\.<$> piano, crescendo, forte, &&& fortissimo 

 effects on the character of the play, a good run being greeted with 

 a banging of tom-toms and loud trumpetings, whilst a sudden drop 

 to pianissimo condemned a bit of slow play or a total miss. To 

 give the players their due most of the music was of a very vigorous 

 character. The gallop and hit-off, especially if the latter was 

 successful, were the occasions of redoubled efforts ; but the 

 moments for which the musicians really longed were when the 

 Rajah galloped with the ball ; then two enormous horns, about 

 twelve feet long, with bells at the end which could have covered a 

 small boy like an extinguisher, were reared slowly up to a horizontal 

 position, the tom-tom wallahs grasped their sticks, and the Zillah 

 Sahib's chief trumpeter distended himself with air, and, as their 

 ruler started on his ride, every musician chose the note which 

 experience told him was the most powerful that his instrument 

 could produce, and blew his immortal soul into it. The great 

 horns gave a mournful bellow, the trumpets brayed forth a brassy 

 howl, the reeds squeaked in anything but unison, whilst as to the 

 tom-toms, if the former wearers of the drum-heads could but have 

 heard the hideous sounds that were to be produced by their 

 remains, they would have been filled with consternation. 



So the game progressed, amid much excitement, till there came 

 a truly civilised pause for refreshment, which appealed to my 

 sympathies in a most natural manner. They did not run to 

 whisky and soda, however, and, instead of cigarettes, passed 

 round a large bubble-bubble. Then there was more galloping, 

 more hitting-off of the ball, with the usual accompaniment of 



