32 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF POLO. [Chap. II. 



most brilliant run, and thus earn all the kudos from 

 the on-lookers. Only his own side, and perhaps his 

 opponents, would know that he was really the most 

 useless man in the team. When I speak of a man 

 who does no real work, I refer to one who is always on 

 the look-out for openings, and who, when he cannot 

 dash in at the ball, canters about and does not try to 

 hinder an opponent (Fig. i8). He ought, on the 

 contrary, to be always busy, and should never lose a 

 chance of hustling any opponent who has the remotest 

 chance of getting to the ball. He should be constantly 

 on the move, particularly when he occupies the place of 

 2 or 3, in which case he should almost invariably gallop. 

 No. I has to adapt his pace to that of the opposing 

 Back. Back has a more cautious game to play ; for 

 while defending his own goal, and watching for his 

 opportunity, he must necessarily be often standing still 

 or moving slowly. The duties of No. 3 in the old 

 game were to stick to his own place at all hazards, to 

 back up his No. 2, to support his Back, and to stop the 

 opposing No. 2. The Back used to play the part of a 

 sort of modified goal-keeper, and hardly ever went up 

 into the game. These arrangements were good as far 

 as they went, and were undoubtedly a great improve- 

 ment on the ancient game of every one for himself. 

 We have now made a still further advance by recog- 

 nising the fact that to play polo in the best manner, we 

 must do so on more elastic lines. In the hurry of a 

 hard-fought galloping game it is absolutely impossible 

 to always keep our exact place. For example. No. i 

 temporarily gets into the place of No. 2, and No. 2 into 

 that of No. I. If, in such a case, they are attacking 

 hard, and the ball is travelling towards the adversaries' 



