208 Among Men and Horses. 



on India, in which country the very thought of walking gives 

 one prickly heat. Finding that a little of it went a long way 

 in Calcutta, I passed Hancock on to my friend, Captain 

 Astley, 'the Mates'' brother, who, like a true sportsman, is 

 always ready to help a lame dog over a stile. 



Captain Astley remains absolutely unspoiled by the snob- 

 ishness and slavish regard to conventional ideas which 

 surround us on every side ; and is consequently refreshingly 

 different from ordinary ' sealed-pattern ' men, who remind me 

 of the story told about the last joined subaltern that alto- 

 gether failed to learn the names of his company ; because, 

 so he pleaded to his captain, they were all dressed so much 

 alike. ' The Mates' ' brother is the greatest living authority 

 on cock-fighting. For many years he has kept in India 

 hundreds of ' war birds,' with which he spends most of his 

 spare time fighting matches and mains at Lucknow and 

 other great centres of cocking, against the birds of Native 

 princes and fanciers, who justly regard him as the grand- 

 master of their craft. He is an enemy of humbug ; is no 

 respecter of persons ; has a marvellous fund of quaint and 

 original anecdote ; and has been a kind friend to me, and 

 to many more deserving objects. 



Captain Astley, who is now in the Pay Department, is an 

 old nth Foot man. He is a slight, rather tall, active-looking 

 man, with greyish hair, clean-cut, well-bred features, pleasant 

 smile, and an upright, distinguished bearing. When he first 

 went to Meerut, where his regiment was stationed, he arrived 

 with about 500 fighting cocks, the noise of whose crowing was 

 so loud, that the inquisitive ladies of the place sent emissaries 

 to find out what Captain Astley wanted with such an enor- 

 mous poultry yard. He gravely informed his questioners 

 that he kept it, so as to have a constant supply of fresh eggs, 

 which were the only food allowed to him by his doctor. The 

 ladies thereupon intimated that they, too, would like to eat 

 fresh eggs ; but he explained that his hens (which were all 

 cocks) laid only just enough for his own requirements, 



