Peshawur and the Khybcr Pass 51 



could, till a friendly path came in sight ; hounds still 

 raiding along at top speed. We cantered down it, 

 when horrors ! the canal glistens in front of us 

 too wide to think of jumping that. The hounds tail 

 over, one after another ; just to the right lies a 

 horrible little footbridge made of a few logs and 

 some earth anything but " confidential " to look at. 

 I afterwards found these were nothing accounted of 

 in the P.V.H. Seeing several bold spirits venturing 

 across, and many more pushing to the fore, I hastened 

 up without loss of time, and following our second 

 whip, walked my pony slowly across. It was barely 

 two feet wide in one place, and shook all over ominously. 

 I would no more have thought of riding a hunter over 

 it at home than I would of jumping a telegraph wire. 

 Just as I was over, a vast splash rent the air ! poor 

 Captain N., on a country-bred, had disappeared 

 from view, and with him a big piece of earth off 

 the side of the bridge, like a large bite out of a slice 

 of cake ! There was no time for condolence or chaff. 

 As soon as we saw the pair, with the help of a couple 

 of natives, on a fair way to getting out, we were off. 



This bridge being useless, most of the field galloped 

 off down stream to find another ; but several thrusters 

 and one lady on an Arab pushed their horses down 

 the bank of the canal, plunged into it, swam across, 

 and with much difficulty scrambled out on the opposite 

 side, without a dry stitch on them. 



We turned away from the peach-gardens by-and- 

 by, and were thankful to be in open country again, 



