WILD DOGS 161 



came out shooting, starting in a closed carriage or 

 in doolies, and after a few miles, when they were 

 well away from the small town, all the purdahs were 

 thrown aside ; they would emerge dressed in khaki 

 saris, and join in the sport and climb ladders and 

 enjoy it all. The two Princes were wonderfully 

 good riders, the Raja having won, I believe, several 

 pig-sticking cups. They rode out to the shoots 

 and lent me a very nice horse to ride with them. 

 The first day I went with them I thought I had never 

 been such a mad ride before, but soon looked upon 

 it as the usual thing. The moment they were in 

 the saddle they started off at full gallop, raced along 

 for all they were worth, through little narrow paths 

 in long grass, over ploughed land, up rocky hills 

 and down the other side, down steep banks of nullahs 

 with stony bottoms, splashed through the water, then 

 scrambled out again, over sheet rock and through 

 jungle, and never once drew rein until they arrived 

 at their destination. Most of the way was a single 

 path and we rode close on each other's heels. The 

 Raja went first to lead the way, I came next in the 

 cloud of dust his horse threw up, and what the last 

 of the line did, when there was the dust of about six 

 horses, I cannot imagine. The first ride was six 

 or eight miles and the clever horses did not make a 

 single mistake. We pulled up suddenly and jumped 

 off. Able to speak for the first time since the start, 

 I wanted to know what was the hurry. None, as 

 we sat and waited for the Ranees an hour and more. 

 The horses were streaming and looked as if they had 



had buckets of water thrown over them, and I said 

 M 



