26 FOX-HOUND, FOREST, AND PRAIRIE. 



ing waters. The beach, too, was light as day, and for a mile 

 was crowded as even Epsom was never crowded. Thousands 

 upon thousands of upturned dusky faces absolutely shone out 

 in the glare, contrasting so vividly with the mass of white 

 drapery that not even the cloud of many-coloured turbans 

 served to suppress them. 



Soon the order was given for the catamaran races to begin ; 

 and two by two they dashed past through the surf from the 

 shore to the line of boats and back again to the beach. At the 

 same time balls of Greek fire were launched on to the open 

 space which constituted the arena, and gave a wild, unearthly 

 appearance to the canoes and their extraordinary occupants. 

 The Madras catamaran boasts not of the outrigger balance-pole 

 that floats alongside that of Ceylon and prevents it upsetting. 

 Here it is apparently but a hollowed log of wood, manned (if 

 the term may be applied to such uncanny amphibious bipeds) 

 by naked kneeling savages, who are satisfied if but a part of 

 their journey is performed in their frail craft. Yelling, scream- 

 ing, and struggling, they strove, pair against pair, amid the roar 

 of the breakers and the sulphurous foaming of the surf, and 

 dashed straight at the huge boiling waves ; now overwhelmed, 

 but emerging, still seated on their rickety craft ; now knocked 

 over and separated, one or both, from their boat ; now scattered 

 far on either side, and content to make their way on shore, 

 there to await the drifting up of their property. Sometimes a 

 more than usually cunning or plucky couple would meet an 

 insurmountable breaker by racing at it with all their might ; 

 then, just as it towered over their heads, and they seemed on 

 the point of being demolished, plunge out of their places and 

 dive, canoe in hand, through the heart of the resistless monster 

 — rising again amid the Greek fire, and discernible only by the 

 shower of green flame they appeared to shake from their heads, 

 and resuming their wild career towards the goal and the victor's 

 rupee. Often there would be two or three catamarans over- 

 turned almost together, and as many couple of occupants at one 

 time struggling in the waves ; but they were struggling only 



