POLO IN THE ARMY. 277 



that the game Is of recent growth, and that men who 

 have never belonged to a polo playing regiment, often 

 pay more attention to its drawbacks than to its more 

 than compensating advantages. Fortunately the 

 Commander-in-Chief has the interests of polo at heart, 

 as we know by the wise legislation he instituted for 

 the benefit of the game a few years ago when there 

 was an outcry about the prevalence of bad accidents 

 in India. He insisted on helmets being worn as a 

 head protection, stricter umpiring, severer penalties 

 for fouls, and he made the captains of clubs respon- 

 sible for the warning off of dangerous and badly 

 trained ponies. If any question concerning polo crops 

 up at home during the next few years, officers may 

 rest assured that Lord Roberts will deal with it as 

 ably as he did in India. 



I do not think that the Regimental Tournament 

 at Hurlingham will be stopped ; but if it be forbidden, 

 some officers will be largely to blame, for the follow- 

 ing reason : It is well known that for a polo team to 

 become expert at the game, especially if they have not 

 played much together, it is necessary for them to get 

 practice against good teams. Hence the temptation 

 to allow a regimental team to go to London for a 

 week or two before the tournament, because as a 

 rule they can play only among themselves near their 

 barracks. I have known cases of a regimental team 

 being practically on leave for a month previous to the 

 tournament, living in London, and amusing them- 

 selves, while their brother officers were doing their 

 work, in the busiest time of the year. This of course 

 is altogether wrong. Besides it gives such a team an 

 undue advantage over other teams which go to London 



