54 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS. 



my horse, which lay where he fell. I had shaken him on his 

 legs, and was about to remount, when my friends came up. 

 One of them was our regimental doctor, and he naturally 

 inquired after my health. I replied that I was all right, 

 though a good deal knocked about. On attempting, however, 

 to raise my left hand to gather up my reins, I found it was 

 powerless, and the doctor then called out that I had broken 

 my collar-bone, and was all down on one side. True enough, 

 this was the case. He dismounted, and unrolling my muslin 

 turban he trussed me up, and with his assistance I mounted 

 his horse and returned to camp, where I was laid up for 

 some weeks. 



Our dogs frequently started off in pursuit of some unlucky 

 mongoose, an animal like a large blue ferret. The poor beast 

 was at once pulled to pieces, much to our regret, for they 

 are inveterate enemies to snakes, with which the country is 

 infested. 



I was awoke when in bed one night by the growling of 

 a small dog which lay at my feet. My bed was the only 

 furniture in the room, the floor of which was covered with a 

 bamboo matting. At first I suspected thieves, but at length 

 observed the dog fix its eyes in the corner of the room, where 

 stood a tumbler of oil with a wick burning. Near the lamp 

 I saw a snake close to the wall, and, snatching up my sword 

 from under the mattress, I jumped out of bed. The snake 

 wriggled under the matting, and as I could see where he was, 

 I gave a smart cut down on him. The sword went through 

 the matting and into the plaster floor ; but on my attempting 

 to withdraw it I gave the lamp a jerk and extinguished it. 

 The situation was unpleasant. My feet were bare and un- 

 protected, the room was dark, I could not tell how the snake 

 had fared. I managed, however, to regain my bed, and 



