198 Among Men and Horses. 



does such funny things at racing that he might be thought, 

 even out of India, grasping, if not 'thick '; and yet, a moment 

 after, he would be ready to give the money thus won and 

 more besides, if an appeal for any deserving object were 

 made to his good-nature. The explanation of these seem- 

 ing contradictions in his character, appear to be that the 

 spirit of rivalry is so strong in him that he is apt to take 

 the readiest means to be first in every contest. 



The paper-chasing which is carried on at Calcutta during the 

 cold weather furnishes good sport. The country is a c made ' 

 one, and the jumps, which are principally stiff mud walls, 

 and hurdles about twenty in number, varying in height from 



3 feet 6 inches to 4 feet 4 inches. The distance is from 3 to 



4 miles, and the pace is as fast as the horses can go. From this 

 description my readers will see that this paper-hunting is 

 a close imitation of steeple-chasing. The horses are almost 

 all well bred or thoroughbred Colonials. There are big fields, 

 often from forty to fifty starters, of whom there is always a fair 

 proportion of ladies. At Lucknow, under the management 

 of the i6th Lancers and i8th Royal Irish, the paper chasing 

 was conducted on the same lines, except that the course was 

 flagged out, instead of paper being laid down. I very rarely 

 attended any of these events ; for my time in the early morn- 

 ings was always occupied by the horses I had in training. 

 My wife, however, was a very keen paper-chaser. On the 

 mornings of the meet she used to be up at five o'clock, and 

 having dressed and had her cup of tea and slice of hot buttered 

 toast, went off in her dog-cart to find her horse ready saddled 

 at the starting-post. The word 'go' was uttered not later 

 than seven o'clock, and then ensued an amount of hard and 

 zealous riding which would genuinely surprise many an old fox- 

 hunter, could he but see it. These Australasian horses, even 

 when only lately landed, are wonderful jumpers, principally, I 

 think, from the lightness and obliquity of their shoulders. It 

 certainly appears to me that the fact of the large majority of 

 them being allowed to wander over large tracts of country in 



