FAREWELL TO THE SPEAR. 95 



twelve assembled round the breakfast-table in a 

 large tent pitched under a giant banyan-tree. At 

 the conclusion of the meal, an old colonel in the 

 Madras staff-corps, a keen sportsman, but more 

 noted for his good shooting than for the quality 

 of his horse-flesh, called me aside and asked me 

 if I would mind riding a horse of his that day. 

 Knowing the dear old gentleman's character, I 

 was not particularly keen to accede to his request ; 

 but eventually consented. He then informed me 

 that my mount was an awful savage; that he 

 had bought him as a cast-horse from the artillery 

 (from which I found he had been cast for debility) 

 for the sum of two rupees ! and that he could not 

 do anything with him ; that when he attempted 

 to mount, the brute bit at him, and before he got 

 fairly seated in the saddle, there was such an 

 amount of bucking, kicking, rearing, and every 

 form of equine gymnastics, that it invariably 

 ended by the old gentleman being deposited on 

 the ground. 



4 Well,' I thought, 'this is a pleasant prospect. 

 It would be just like my luck to get my neck 

 broken by the brute just as I'm going home.' 



However, I had not much choice after having 

 given my promise, and so said I would do my best 

 not to let the c caster ' get rid of me. Soon after 

 the redoubtable animal was brought up. I said I 



