HOW TO EAT AND DEINK FOR HUNTING. 103 



arrival at Calcutta, "is jist the finest climate under tlie 

 sun. But a lot of young fellows come out here, and 

 they dhrink and they ate, and they ate and they dhrink, 

 and they die. And thin, they write home to their 

 friends a pack o' lies, and say, it 's the climate as has 

 killed ^em!" 



But to return to the saddle. Instead of preaching from 

 it abstinence to hunting-men, they ought, on the contrary, 

 to be urged to enjoy the greatest amount of gratification 

 that can possibly be derived from eating and drinking, 

 not for a single day, week, month, or year, but through- 

 out their whole lives. 



To enable themselves, however, to ascertain this 

 amount, it is necessary for them to put into a pair of 

 scales, to be accurately weighed against each other, the 

 enjoyments of temperance, and the sorrows and anguish 

 of intemperance. If, on doing so, they ascertain that 

 the balance is in favour of eating, drinking, and tobacco- 

 smoking ad libitum., they will act wisely in indulging in 

 all three to the utmost possible extent. If, on the con- 

 trary, they ascertain that some of these pleasures last 

 only for a few seconds, some for a few minutes, and none 

 for more than one or two hours, while, on the other 

 hand, the afflictions caused by intemperance endure for 

 months and years ; — that " felo-de-se " they put an end 

 to hunting, spoil cricket, stop shooting, and last, but 



