' The Buffs! 65 



Tweed, says that salmon fishing is a delightful sport : beau- 

 tiful scenery, charming company, delicious bannocks and 

 haggises, and unrivalled whisky. But as the only ' sawmon 

 fesh ' Joe ever brought back from these expeditions was a 

 kippered one, which he took home to show his friends that 

 he had really been on the river ; I do not think that he 

 knows very much about the gentle art. 



Although my serious outdoor occupation during the cold 

 months in India was racing and chasing, I did a good deal 

 of race reporting for local papers. I also occupied myself 

 with the study of Oriental languages, and was fortunate 

 enough to obtain a Government grant of £300 for having 

 passed the High Proficiency examinations in Hindi and 

 Urdu. I made several shooting excursions into the Hima- 

 layas during the hot weather when there was no racing. 



During the year which I spent in ' The Buffs,' I was very 

 happy, and I parted with regret, on both sides, from Colonel 

 Morley and his officers. My reason for leaving the service 

 was that after I had exchanged into 'The Buffs' from the 

 Bengal Staff Corps, I found that I would have to retire on 

 a pension of £200 on reaching the age of forty years, on 

 account of not getting my majority before that time. 

 This rule, I may remark, was introduced by Mr Cardwell to 

 relieve the congestion in the junior ranks due to the abolition 

 of the purchase system. As I had still three years to run, I 

 thought it best to employ them to some good purpose and to 

 take a bonus, than to wait until I got turned out. 



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