India. 35 



The monotony of the long homeward-bound voyage 

 from India by a sailing ship used to be very pleasantly 

 broken by a day or two's stay at St Helena, at which there 

 was stationed a wing of an infantry regiment, and a battery of 

 Garrison Artillery. Of course, the officers used to have 

 races on this rock, as the French are pleased to call it ; in 

 fact, one or two winners were pointed out to me among 

 the crowd of scarecrow ponies which took passengers from 

 the port, James Town, to Le Tombeau, where Napoleon's 

 body was laid for some time, and Longwood, which had been 

 his residence. The native grooms always accompanied their 

 fare for the three or four-mile journey, and kept up, no 

 matter how fast the pace, by hanging on to their animal's 

 tail, the hair of which was of course purposely kept long. 

 The only travellers who now go to St Helena are passengers 

 by the intermediate steamers of the* Castle and Union lines. 

 The island is well worth a visit. 



India is an admirable training ground for youngsters, 

 who get, there, chances of learning to ride and shoot which 

 those in the army would very seldom obtain in England. 

 Besides, the fact of, practically, everyone in India owning a 

 horse or pony, and of having, to a great extent, to superin- 

 tend the stable management of one's own animals, and to 

 conduct one's own shooting expeditions, gives one every 

 opportunity of acquiring a good insight into the nature of 

 horses and guns, by whose aid we are able to enjoy the best 

 forms of sport the world can afford. Without India, English 

 officers would be little if anything better than those of 

 continental armies. Few of them, except in the mounted 

 branches, would be able to ride, and still fewer to shoot, 

 except at a target. Lawn tennis would be more cultivated 

 than ever, and cycling would no doubt be adopted as a 

 substitute for horse exercise. The difficulty of getting into 

 the army, and the hard work demanded from its officers 

 deter the sons of monied men from entering it a fact which 

 is amply proved by the fewness of the candidates for cavalry 



