-.88 RIDING AND HUNTING ABROAD. 







At Singapore, drag-hunting provides good sport in 

 which ladies participate, and show their fine horse- 

 womanship to admiring friends, when the run finishes 

 over the fences on the racecourse. At Shanghai we 

 can go paperchasing on China (MongoHan) ponies, 

 which, despite their want of pace and somewhat three- 

 cornered appearance, are very clever over bad ground. 

 The ladies whom I had the pleasure of meeting in 

 Shanghai, like those in India, were all devoted to 

 riding, and I had many merry scampers across country 

 with them. In the country round Tientsin, w^e had 

 often to jump over ponderous coffins, for John China- 

 man has a provoking way of omitting to bury his 

 relations, after he has stowed them away in their long 

 homes. 



Having to stay for a month at Suez, I was greatly 

 disappointed to find no better mounts than the very 

 knowing Egyptian donkeys. As I had never ridden 

 that kind of animal before, I sent my syce, Motee, to 

 hire a couple for the day. To my surprise, the donkey 

 owner came to tell me that I could not ride any of his 

 animals unless he accompanied me ! I assured him 

 that I was capable of managing an ass, and would take 

 every care of the beast entrusted to me. He smiled, 

 apparently at my presumption, and as I saw that he 

 would not let me have my way, I consented to the 

 infliction of his company. xA.t the appointed time he 

 appeared on foot, leading two mokes and armed with 

 a long thick stick. As he was evidently going to walk, 

 I whispered to Motee to gallop after me as hard as he 



