26 THE HUNTING GROUNDS 



beaten veterans, bearded like the Druids of old, who 

 had passed a quarter of a century in the country ; 

 and smooth-faced youngsters, who had not yet passed 

 the first year of their griffinage ; yet all were in 

 the same state of excitement at the thoughts of the 

 morrow's sport. 



As we sat, waiting until dinner was announced, 

 enjoying the murmuring, gurgling melody of our 

 hookahs, or the fragrant weed in the shape of a 



Manilla or Trichinopoly cheroot, N , who was 



the originator of the expedition, proceeded to unfold 

 the programme of the morrow's sport. 



We were to partake of an early breakfast at three 

 A.M., and mounting our hacks, were to proceed to 

 the scene of action, near Raneepet, a village about 

 twelve miles distant, where our tents and best cross- 

 country horses had been despatched the day previous. 

 Our shekarries and beaters had marked down several 

 sounders (herds) of hog in a long strip of low jungle 

 contiguous to some tolerable riding ground, and had 

 formed a chain, so as to prevent them making their 

 way back into the denser cover. 



As the moon was nearly at the full, and the dis- 

 tance but short, beating was to commence at day- 

 light, and first-rate sport was anticipated, for we 



had some old hands amongst us — such as J) , 



S , N , C , and , who were well 



known as the best spears and the boldest riders in 

 the Deccan, where hog-hunting, ever the favourite 

 sport, was carried on in the greatest perfection, so 



