THE GYMKHANA AT LUXOR 123 



buffaloes were simultaneously tied up to the same 

 post, surrounded by the relatives of the owners, 

 who had now swarmed down the course. Mr. 

 Darling dashed into the thick of the melee, anxious 

 to do his duty, but got so mixed up among the 

 buffaloes that he was lost sight of for quite a while, 

 emerging without accident at last, which is almost 

 a wonder, for the brutes, though wonderfully 

 docile, have perniciously long horns, and, in their 

 excitement over their gallop, were tossing their 

 heads about in all directions. 



" The Donkey Boys' Tandem Race was amusing 

 enough. Each donkey had to carry double, the 

 riders being mounted back to back, and the wisest 

 of the competitors distinguished himself immedi- 

 ately after the start by getting rid of both his 

 jockeys and then rolhng in the pleasant sand. 

 Various other funny casualties took place as the 

 race progressed, for this time they went down 

 the course, round a post, and back again; but 

 finally the same brown donkey that had won be- 

 fore walked in with great ease, to the huge joy 

 of those who bestrode him. 



After seeing all this, a horse race seemed almost 

 commonplace, and certainly the runners were any- 

 thing but racing-like, but there was a good field 

 of them, and in a false start nine or ten raced it 

 out, the second past the post being discovered 



