388 RIDING AND HUNTING ABROAD. 



At Singapore, drag-hunting provides good sport in 

 which ladies participate, and show their fine horse- 

 womanship to admiring friends, when the run finishes 

 over the fences on the racecourse. At Shanghai we 

 can* go paperchasing on China (Mongolian) ponies, 

 which, despite their want of pace and somewhat three- 

 cornered appearance, are very clever over bad ground. 

 The ladies whom I had the pleasure of meeting in 

 Shanghai, like those in India, were all devoted to 

 riding, and I had many merry scampers across country 

 with them. In the country round Tientsin, we had 

 often to jump over ponderous coffins, for John China- 

 man has a provoking way of omitting to bury his 

 relations, after he has stowed them away in their long 

 homes. 



Having to stay for a month at Suez, I was greatly 

 disappointed to find no better mounts than the very 

 knowing Egyptian donkeys. As I had never ridden 

 that kind of animal before, I sent my syce, Motee, to 

 hire a couple for the day. To my surprise, the donkey 

 owner came to tell me that I could not ride any of his 

 animals unless he accompanied me ! I assured him 

 that I was capable of managing an ass, and would take 

 every care of the beast entrusted to me. He smiled, 

 apparently at my presumption, and as I saw that he 

 would not let me have my way, I consented to the 

 infliction of his company. At the appointed time he 

 appeared on foot, leading two mokes and armed with 

 a long thick stick. As he was evidently going to walk, 

 I whispered to Motee to gallop after me as hard as he 



