112 CATCHING A TARTAR. 



The Goorkha, although he enjoys his tot of grog, seldom 

 commits himself by exceeding when on duty, but on festive 

 occasions he may at times indulge rather freely. The amount 

 of liquor some of their hard heads can stand, without being 

 " overcome," is astonishing. In this respect, however, they 

 are beaten hollow by the Bhotias the half-breed (Himala- 

 yan-Tibetan) inhabitants of the high villages situated imme- 

 diately below the snowy ranges of the mountain provinces of 

 Kumaon and Gurhwal. I was told of a Goorkha having 

 backed himself for a wager to drink against one of these half- 

 bred Tartars a trader at the Bagesur fair in Kumaon, where 

 numbers of Bhotias and Tibetans annually assemble to barter 

 their commodities. As far as quantity was concerned, the 

 result was about a tie ; but the Bhotia walked unsteadily off 

 as the winner of the stakes, which were the price of the 

 liquor consumed, apparently not much the worse for this big 

 drink, from the effects of which the Goorkha never recovered. 

 He had " caught a Tartar," and no mistake. On the winner 

 being afterwards had up before the court that investigated 

 the matter, and fined for the part he had taken in it, his 

 defence was rather characteristic of the astuteness of the 

 Bhotia trader. He said he considered himself to be the 

 injured party, for it was hard enough on him to have lost his 

 stakes, without being punished besides, as, the loser having 

 died, he, the winner, had had to pay for the liquor. 



With my long experience of the characteristics and merits 

 of the Goorkhas, and the interest I consequently and naturally 

 take in their welfare, I think I may presume to say that, 

 with an army which must necessarily be composed chiefly of 

 mercenaries, it behoves the Indian Government to make the 

 Goorkha battalions as attractive as possible to such trusty 

 and valuable soldiers. And one way at any rate, and an easy 

 one, would be encouraging the men in their innate love for 

 wild sport as much as possible, by allowing them free access 

 to the Government forests, of course only during the proper 



