346 A Sportswoman in India 



conceivable liqueur under the sun, one after another, 

 in spite of my repeating ( Brandy ! ' every time. 

 My temper rose. I explained volubly. The man 

 disappeared ; reappeared. I saw him coming up the 

 room, and on a tray a bottle labelled cherry brandy. 

 He advanced upon his doom, walked into the jaws 

 of death all unconsciously. ... It was a case of boot 

 and broken bottle. 



" I remember up in King's office one day a native 

 spat on my wife's dress a dirty little beast with 

 nothing on but a pair of blue cotton trousers. 

 Think of it ! on a nice muslin frock. I pommelled 

 him in the face till I was sick of it. He went down- 

 stairs ; it was a sight to see those blue trousers move 

 there was no after-thought. He was like a dog 

 who's had a stable-brush thrown at him." 



Natives are exceedingly practical. A sahib accidentally 

 shot a boy one day when he was out in the jungle. 

 The next morning he received a deputation from the 

 man's relatives, who handed him a written document 

 in the form of a valuation of the deceased's life, 

 soliciting payment for the same, to which was appended 

 a receipt for the amount demanded. It ran in this 

 form : 



To CAPTAIN F. 



To one bloody murder committed. Five Rupees. 

 Contents received on the day of , 1 8 



