THE KADIR CUP 201 



not be a good horse in India. All the money is 

 on the polo. Since hired chargers came in the 

 class of horse has gone down. I cast no slur on 

 the depots from whom I have had some of my best 

 horses. 



Your bill for the meet will come to about 120 

 rupees for the four days. This includes 32 rupees 

 for your two nominations. If you are inclined to 

 grumble at the bill, remember that a big camp . in 

 the jungle, fifty elephants, and all the preservation 

 and lease of 5000 acres cost money. 



I cannot close without a word about the elephants. 

 We always spent a week with them beforehand 

 beating in pig. They were a constant joy ; their 

 drill an anxiety. We envied, but never equalled, 

 Mr. Clutterbuck's skill, as with outstretched arms 

 he worked his stately crashing line through the 

 jungles of the Terai. 



Once when Mr. Norton was hunting the country, 

 an elephant, when fetching forage, became " must," 

 got rid of his mahout, and took up his abode in a 

 village some ten miles away. He was a tusker too 

 big to tackle without risk to borrowed animals. 

 Norton wired for professional elephant - catchers. 

 They came, and we were again at the village. The 

 old brute was in the main street, his pad-ropes 

 trailing as he rocked to and fro. He recalled 

 the picture of the " Fighting Temeraire." The 

 inhabitants of the village were perched in trees 

 and on the walls like the monkeys in the " Hunting 

 of Kaa." 



C of the I.C.S. was with us. We had difficulty 

 in preventing him from assaulting the elephant 

 with his spear on his horse ; he was sure the brute 

 was a cur. 



