5 A Sportswoman in India 



pitfalls. An unfortunate lady whose pony " forgot 

 to jump " one of these grips was properly baptised 

 from head to toe in mud and water. 



Some sound ground once more enabled us to get 

 on terms with the pack ; but even here, especially 

 when we got at all low down, there were traps for 

 the unwary, and again and again a soldier who knew 

 the country would shout a warning to others who, 

 like myself, had not ridden across it before. 



Pit where the buffalo cooled his hide, 



By the hot sun emptied and blistered and dried; 



Log in the plume grass, hidden and lone ; 



Dam where the earth-rat's mounds are strown ; 



Cave in the bank where the sly stream steals ; 



Aloe that stabs at the belly and heels ; 



Jump if you dare on a steed untried 



Safer it is to go wide go wide ! 



Hark from in front where the best men ride : 



" Pull to the off, boys ! Wide ! Go wide ! " 



Again we were among crops and floundering on, 

 crawling over the little " bunds " or small banks, our 

 M.F.H. on his raking, yawing chestnut still going 

 great guns and heading the right-handed division, An 

 unseen hole put M. down in a soft, earthy bed, 

 but a good-natured man picked her up and held her 

 mount while she scrambled into her saddle. 



Meanwhile, our jack was heading more towards 

 Peshawur ; and after pushing along over a few more 

 fields, we found ourselves in the peach-gardens, acres 

 and acres of orchard-like country. We ducked under 

 the boughs and rode between the trees as best we 



