ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 183 



ordinary leather collar was not good enough for this dog, and 

 a pure silver one was made for it, with the adopted master's 

 name and regiment engraved thereon. In the chill of early 

 morning, when taking exercise with his horses, it wore a 

 coat of dark blue and white like theirs, with the letters 

 * H. H.' embroidered in one corner ; and the coat wrapped 

 a sleek body now, not to be known for the same. From the 

 first ' Tim/ as he was named, took up his sleeping quarters 

 at Captain H.'s feet, whence he could never be dislodged, 

 and he was as his shadow by day. When a year's furlough 

 became due the pair of them went home ; there was never 

 any idea of aught else. The best of it all was that a com- 

 plete and mutual change of front was thus brought about 

 between the dogs and Captain H., for they ceased to growl 

 at him now that what had repelled them in him was gone. 

 As for him, he became a thorough-going dog-lover — all 

 Tim's doing ; nor could he now understand his former atti- 

 tude towards dogs, the only explanation of the change being 

 that Tim was the only dog who had ever unmistakably 

 seemed to want his friendship. Truly, Tim stood for more 

 than a mere dog : he was an era in a man's soul. 



Of another tour one thing only stands out in clear relief 

 before my memory's eye — my first, but not last, fright with 

 a snake. 



Having travelled all night we had settled ourselves to 

 rest during the heat of the day under a great shady clump 

 of bamboos, with rugs and pillows spread about on the 

 lovely green grass beneath. Such tempting retreats are 

 apt to be snaky, and we ought to have hesitated. F. was 

 tying flies, an art in which he was an adept, and I was lying 

 back on my pillows reading, when the one under my head 

 moved, as if pressed down without any movement on my 

 part. Moreover, an earthy odour was noticeable, and I 

 had heard what that odour generally betokened — a snake. 

 Straining my eyes sideways and upwards, there, sure enough, 



