SOME EARLY EXPERIENCES 47 



application. I was always going off, but one day 

 one of my brother officers, whom we christened 

 " Von Moltke," a keen student of military history, 

 and caring nothing for sport, asked for leave and 

 was promptly refused. " What the devil do you 

 want leave for?" said the Colonel sternly. "I 

 shall not give it, you are wanted here." 



In the autumn of 1887 I made ready to go to 

 India, but on a vacancy occurring in the first 

 battalion the Colonel asked me to take it, and so, 

 much to my regret afterwards, I did so. About 

 this time, too, I met Colonel Cumberland, who was 

 about to undertake a long journey across Europe 

 and Asia through the Pamirs down to India. At 

 this time no one had made the expedition from the 

 Russian side, and he asked me to accompany him. 

 I applied to the War Office for permission, stating 

 that I would make topographical maps of the whole 

 route, which would have been of service to them, if 

 I was " seconded " for a year. They granted the 

 permit, and I was in the seventh heaven of delight ; 

 but just at the last moment the Colonel thought 

 otherwise, and put in a veto on the grounds that I 

 had not served long enough for such a privilege. 

 The chance never occurred again, and the refusal 

 was a great disappointment to me. 



I served for five years in the Seaforths, during 

 which time I published Game Birds and Shooting 

 Sketches, which was a success owing to its being 

 the first of those modern books dealing with the 

 natural history of our islands. Late in 1892 I 

 began to feel that moving from one country town 

 to another and doing the usual round of military 

 life was not my metier. I passed the exams, and 



