Mr. Rowland Hudson. 171 



and engaged until the fighting elephants could be 

 brought up. It was risky work drawing charges, as. 

 they did, from the furious brute in deep ground, and 

 sometimes in long grass. He several times got within 

 a few yards of them, and had any of their animals fallen,, 

 he would have smashed up horse and rider in a few 

 seconds. H.R.H "spotted" Mr. Hudson's taste for 

 horses, and at the breaking up of the party gave him a 

 very handsome gold-mounted riding whip as a souvenir. 

 In his own part of Ireland, to which he returned 

 in 1881-82, Mr. Hudson is known as a grand man 

 for " opening a countr}-," as it is called, which means 

 watching how hounds are running, keeping just near 

 enough to them, never trying impossible places, and 

 never turning from anything that can be jumped. In 

 1882 he was selected to play for Ireland in the Inter- 

 national Polo Tournament at Hurlingham, but was 

 obliged to decline, as he could not spare the time. He 

 was captain of the Westmeath polo team in 1881-82. 

 He is a capital shot both with the smooth-bore and 

 rifle, and has played for the last two seasons in the 

 Westmeath first cricket eleven. I think I may safely 

 say that, as an all-round sportsman, he would take a 

 deal of " beating " in an}' companj-. 



