SPORTING REMINISCENCES. 133 



was cocked and brought to the port, but I prevented 

 him from further hostile demonstrations by a salute 

 in mother tongue. Our meeting was strange, both 

 took a pretty good stare, and then mutually men- 

 tioned each other's name, for we had met before, and 

 where ? in no less distant a portion of the earth 

 than in the realms of the Tycoon. A restless spirit, 

 a crack shot, and passionately fond of field sports, 

 the world was his demesne and where game was 

 abundant, there he would be found, whatever were 

 the dangers that surrounded it, laughing at hard- 

 ship and privation, the bitters that make the sweets 

 of life the more enjoyable by contrast. 



Securing rny animals, I accompanied him to the 

 party to which he had attached himself; they had 

 only lately left civilization, and through his interest 

 my equine companions got a feed of corn, to which 

 they had long been unaccustomed ; the night passed 

 discussing old friends, a flask of brandy, and a pack- 

 age of kill-a-kinnick tobacco ; and when on the mor- 

 row I shook his sterling hand at parting, before re- 

 commencing my journey, he presented me with a 

 couple more feeds of grain, which, without doubt, ma- 

 terially assisted my four-footed friends in rapidly 

 traversing the balance of the debatable ground. 



