194 THE IMAGE OF WAE 



ordered to a station as nearly as possible in the 

 middle of the great peninsula. By the advice of 

 an old qui-hij I had taken out a couple of English 

 greyhounds, of good pedigree, which he assured me 

 I should find better for the liver than medicine. My 

 hounds had borne the voyage well, and arrived at my 

 new home in good condition, owing to my great care 

 on their journey up-country, which was both long 

 and hot. 



Arrived at my station and settled down, I was 

 naturally desirous of trying them, and accordingly 

 one hot April morning I had my horse saddled, and 

 soon after five o'clock I started for some barren un- 

 dulating country a mile or two from my bungalow. 



For some time I saw nothing. At last a hare 

 jumped up. The greyhounds, of the best blood in 

 England, soon raced up to her, but after a turn or 

 two she suddenly disappeared ! When I arrived at 

 the spot I found the dogs looking as astonished 

 as myself over an open hole. I confess I was quite 

 unprepared for this unsportsmanlike manoeuvre, which 

 soon became familiar to me. 



Before long I viewed a fox. The Indian foxes, as 

 I have said before, are exceedingly swift. Conse- 

 quently they generally give a good run, and in the 

 hot weather not infrequently beat good greyhounds, 

 who become so distressed by thirst and exhaustion 

 as to give up the chase. On this occasion the ground 

 was soft and sandy, and consequently favourable to 

 the hounds. Greyhounds suffer fearfully from the 

 stony ground in India. I have often seen their 

 claws nearly cut off. This time they soon turned 

 and re-turned the fox, and wound up by running 

 alongside of him, snapping at him but not daring 



