76 The Hunting Grounds 



choose the smallest and ugliest old men to make 

 doctors of, as then there was no fear of the women 

 falling in love wi j them ? Ugh ! Ugh ! Ugh ! But 

 I paid her out in her own coin." And the Doctor's 

 grunts reminded me of a cat well pleased. 



"Bravo! Doctor," I exclaimed, "you have done 

 remarkably well, and deserve a leather medal for 

 your gallantry in the attack ; as, besides getting us 

 the nautch, you have done your best to disgust the 

 young lady with the thougkts of her future husband, 

 which perhaps may prove to our advantage, for she 

 may now feel disposed to take a more favourable 

 view of mankind in general, as up to the present 

 time she has certainly been, like the flower, * doomed 

 to blush unseen' and waste her sweetness upon such 

 disgusting lumps of humanity as the Begum's blubber- 

 lipp'd guardians of the fold." 



"Yes," said Jock, "I think old Bones' has 

 played his game with a great deal of management, 

 and shown that, although he is perhaps a rum one 

 to look at, he is a good one to go. So here's your 

 health ! Stick to your present mode of treatment, 

 and I'll warrant you'll soon gain the patronage of 

 the whole sex." 



It was now late, and, as we should have to be in 

 the saddle some time before dawn, the party broke 

 up, each retiring to his tent. 



