Peshawur and the Khyber Pass 49 



and when we are near enough to see what is happening, 

 a series of jumps splashes scrambles, and a marked 

 check in the hounds' pace, show that a brook of sorts 

 must lie down there. 



The nearer we come the less we like it, for though 

 it proves to be jumpable, it is banked up high on either 

 side, and both take-off and landing are awkward and 

 slippery. A waler is soon floundering about in the 

 middle, several horses have refused it altogether, two 

 or three jump it standing, and get across more by luck 

 than management on to terra firma. Our M.F.H. 

 took a fall on the opposite side, and cantered off in the 

 wake of the pack with a muddy back. 



After a good deal of scrambling, we four found 

 ourselves on the right side : the far-sightedness of 

 those of the field who had kept bearing away to the 

 right, where there was a bridge, became apparent. 



We still streamed on merrily, and turning sharp 

 to the left we gained our first experience of riding over, 

 or rather through, paddy (rice) fields. It is grown, 

 so to speak, under water, by means of flooding the 

 low ground from brooks or tanks on a higher level ; 

 each little field is banked round in order to be more 

 or less independent of its neighbours, and 'the water 

 is let in or drained off, as the case may be, at the 

 native's will. 



Sahibs wade and splash about all day in this mud 

 and water after snipe ; now we were called upon to 

 ride to hounds through it. The little banks and 

 ditches nearly hidden in " greenery " were terrible 



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