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L'& 


Presented  to  the 

UNIVERSITY  OF  TORONTO 
LIBRARY 

by  the 

ONTARIO  LEGISLATIVE 
LIBRARY 


1980 


EDMUND    LODER 


AUi  Rights  Re8Ebved 


Mil    EDMUND    LODKR,    BT. 
From  a  Porlrail  by  II.  J.  Hudson. 


D  D  U  I  ^3 


EDMUND    LODER 

NATURALIST,   HORTICULTURIST, 
TRAVELLER  AND  SPORTSMAN 


A    MEMOIR 
BY  SIR  ALFRED  E.  PEASE,    BT- 


0556c 


WITH  CON'TRIBUTIONS  BY 

ST.   GEORGE    LITTLEDALE.   CHARLES    G.    A.    NIX, 
LORD  COTTESLOE,  J.  G.  MILLAIS  i-  W.  P.  PYCRAFT 


WITH   A    PORTRAIT 


LONDON 
JOHN  MURRAY,  ALBEMARLE  STREET,  W. 

1923 


First  published  1923 


/^ 


LJ 


Printed  in  Great  Britain  by 
Hazell,  Watson  &  Viney,  Ld.,  London  and  Aylesbury. 


PREFACE 

It  is  not  easy,  and  generally  it  is  not  desirable,  to  write  a 
man's  Life  witliin  a  year  or  two  of  his  death.  Neither 
persons  nor  events  can  be  dealt  with  in  the  way  which  is 
possible  when  Time  has  carried  us  to  a  point  from  which 
an  extended  view  may  be  had  of  the  country  which  lies 
behind  us.  Yet,  in  this  case,  to  have  waited  in  order  to 
compose  a  better  picture  was  to  risk  the  probability  of 
there  being  no  surviving  contemporary  of  Edmund  Loder 
able  or  willing  to  undertake  the  task.  When  a  man  dies 
who  has  passed  his  seventieth  year,  the  majority  of  his 
companions  have  already  gone  ;  those  who  remain  are 
no  longer  young  and  what  they  have  to  do  must  be  done 
quickly.  Besides,  it  was  a  natural  desire  that  his  sur- 
viving friends  should  read  some  history  of  that  happy 
past  in  which  they  had  a  share. 

Only  those  who  have  ever  attempted  to  write  a  Memoir 
can  appreciate  all  the  difficulties  which  confront  the  author. 
There  are  some  which  are  common  to  all  biographers,  but 
I  have  had  special  ones.  Those  chapters  for  which  I 
alone  am  responsible  had  to  be  written  whilst  I  was  residing 
abroad,  away  from  local  colour  and  suggestion,  removed 
from  all  opportunity  of  conversation  with  any  member  of 
Sir  Edmund's  family  or  with  a  single  one  of  his  friends  ; 
nor  have  I  had  access  to  my  own  journals  and  correspon- 
dence nor  to  a  library  of  any  description.  One  troublesome 
question  aJways  arises  in  work  of  this  kind,  namely,  the 
size  and  design  of  the  instrument  that  is  to  bring  a  subject 
into  view  which  has  passed  beyond  the  range  of  unaided 
sight  and  is  henceforth  intangible.     If  it  is  to  imprint  a 


vi  PREFACE 

full  record,  only  an  instrument  constructed  with  a  great 
expenditure  of  time  and  care  by  the  most  skilful  is  likely 
to  be  anything  but  unwieldy.  It  is  possible  to  devise 
one  which  contracts  into  a  small  field  a  definite  picture, 
but  in  such  a  miniature  it  is  only  the  most  prominent 
features  in  the  panorama  of  a  man's  life  and  few  of  the 
finer  ones  which  can  be  discerned. 

No  biographer  escapes  criticism.  A  common  remark 
among  critics  is  that  the  attention  of  the  writer  should 
have  been  given  to  greater  condensation  and  selection. 
In  the  following  pages  some  of  the  extracts  may  appear 
superfluous  to  my  readers,  yet  in  every  case  I  have  had  a 
reason  for  the  quotation.  There  is  not  one,  I  hope,  which 
will  not  interest  someone,  and  not  a  few  appear  because  of 
a  belief  that  if  they  may  seem  of  little  value  now  they  are 
more  than  likely  to  become  interesting  hereafter.  In  any 
case  the  question  of  the  form  in  which  a  Memoir  should  be 
presented  is  one  on  which  there  are  such  vast  differences 
of  opinion  that  an  author  cannot  expect  to  please  all, 
whatever  plan  he  may  adopt. 

Loder's  early  diaries,  written  when  he  was  very  young, 
already  indicate  the  wide  range  of  his  observations  and 
a  certain  facility  in  writing.  This  power  of  expressing 
himself  he  subsequently  made  very  little  use  of  and  is 
one  he  never  cultivated.  The  earliest  journal,  which  I 
have  had  in  my  hands,  was  written  when  he  was  23 
years  old  and  deals  with  a  transitional  period  in  the 
history  of  America,  just  after  the  Civil  War  and  during 
the  opening  up  of  the  Wild  West.  I  often  quote  very 
fully  from  these  and  also  from  the  journals  of  his  later 
travels,  yet  I  have  given  but  a  fraction  of  what  was  inter- 
esting to  myself.  Whatever  others  think,  I  hold  that  re- 
cords in  which  you  find  the  original  words  in  their  unstudied 
simplicity  are  of  more  value  as  history  and  in  revealing 
character  than  is  the  narrative  form  with  attention  to 
literary  style.     The  latter  is  the  easier  road  to  popular 


PREFACE  vii 

favour  and  makes  a  lighter  book.  Public  taste  is  change- 
able, and  I  have  thought  more  of  what  might  interest 
kindred  spirits.  We  all  are  aware  of  the  kind  of  personal 
histories  and  reminiscences  which  command  the  best 
market  at  the  present  moment.  Edmund  Loder's  life, 
though  crammed  with  interest,  does  not  lend  itself  to  such 
treatment  even  if  I  could  \\Tite  in  that  way,  and  if  I  could 
cater  to  that  taste  I  trust  I  should  not. 

It  is  said  that  it  would  be  good  for  us  to  see  ourselves 
as  others  see  us,  but  is  it  certain  that  it  would  not  be 
equally  good  for  us  to  be  seen  by  others  as  we  see  our- 
selves ?  Most  men's  deficiencies  are  recognised  by  them- 
selves as  well  as  by  others,  but  the  majority  of  persons  must 
be  conscious  of  qualities  and  of  capacities  which  escape 
the  observation  even  of  their  friends.  Many  Englishmen, 
and  Edmund  Loder  was  one  of  these,  are  masters  of  the 
art  of  hiding  some  of  the  best  and  most  endearing  qualities 
of  the  heart.  I  dare  to  hope  that  here  and  there  I  have 
been  able  to  show  that  deeper  and  more  tender  side  of 
Loder's  character  which  he  would  only  discover  to  those 
with  whom  his  relations  were  very  close. 

Mr.  Charles  G.  A.  Nix,  Mr.  J.  G.  Millais,  Lord  Cottesloe, 
Mr.  St.  George  Littledale,  and  Mr.  W.  P.  Pycraft  have 
each  contributed  chapters  on  certain  periods  in  Sir  Ed- 
mund's life,  or  on  subjects  which  I  did  not  feel  competent 
to  deal  with,  and  to  them  I  express  my  gratitude  for  their 
assistance.  In  perusing  their  contributions  there  has  been 
one  satisfaction,  personal  to  myself.  Each  of  these 
intimate  friends  of  Sir  Edmund's  corroborates  my  apprecia- 
tion of  his  character.  So  that  however  much  my  tribute 
to  his  memory  falls  short  of  what  it  should  have  been,  their 
testimony  supports  mine  that  Edmund  Loder  was  a  remark- 
able Englishman,  and  they  severally  demonstrate  that 
my  affection  and  admiration  have  not  been  allowed  to 
exaggerate  his  virtues  nor  to  magnify  his  powers. 

Sir  Edmund  Loder's  widow,  Marion  Lady  Loder,  died 


viii  PREFACE 

after  my  manuscript  was  in  the  publisher's  hands.  With- 
out her  sympathy  and  assistance  I  could  neither  have 
commenced  nor  finished  my  task.  For  the  help  received 
from  other  members  of  the  family  I  tender  my  warmest 
thanks. 

Alfred  E.  Pease. 

PiNCHINTHORPE    HoUSE, 
GUISBROUGH, 

YOBKSHLRE, 

July  30,  1922. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER 

I.    Edmund  Loder 

Being  a  general  review  of  the  subject  of  the  memoir — hig 
personality,  pursuits  and  achievements       .  .       pp.   1-33 

II.    The  Family  of  Loder 

Being  an  account  of  its  origin,  with  some  notice  of  Giles 
Loder,  of  Sir  Robert  Loder,  Bt.,  M.P.,  of  the  Busks  and  other 
allied  families         ......       pp.  34-56 

III.    The  Home  Scenes  of  his  Life 

His  preference  for  Sussex — The  High  Beeches,  Whittlebury 
and  Leonardslee     ......       pp.  57-70 

IV.  Childhood,  Eton  and  Cambridge  (1849-1872) 

Licludes  a  record  of  his  attainments  and  athletic  per- 
formances    .......       pp.   71-88 

V.    America  and  the  Wild  West  (1873) 

Being  an  accoimt  of  his  travels  with  the  Hon.  Arthur 
Pelham  in  the  Eastern  and  Western  States — Extracts  from 
his  diaries — Bufialo-hunting  on  the  Prairies — Experiences 
among  the  Mormons  and  in  the  Rocky  Mountains 

pp.  89-141 

VI.    The  Great  Pilgrimage  (1874  and  1875) 

Being  his  travels  and  sporting  experiences  in  Sweden, 
Finland,  Russia,  India,  Cashmere,  Burma,  Simiatra,  Java, 
Malaya,  China,  Japan  and  America — with  extracts  from  his 
letters  and  diaries        .....      pp.   142-203 

VII.    Loder  and  Littledale  (1875) 

A  chapter  of  reminiscences  contributed  by  Mr.  St.  George 
Littledale pp.  204-208 

VIII.    Marriage  and  Wedding  Tour  (1876  and  1877) 

Includes  Sir  Edmund  and  Lady  Loder's  experiences  in 
Spain,  Algeria,  Tunisia  and  Sardinia     .  .       pp.  209-219 

ix 


X  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER 

IX.    Floore  and  Sundry  Expeditions  (1877-1889) 

Life  and  pursuits  in  Northamptonshire — Expeditions  for 
Cacti  to  the  Mexican  Frontier,  1878 — to  the  Dolomites  for 
Alpine  plants,  1883 — After  Rocky  Mountain  WTiite  Goats, 
1887 pp.   220-232 

X.    After  Arui,  Admi  and  Reem  (1891,  1893,  1894 
and  1895) 

Being  an  account  of  travel  and  sport  in  the  Aures,  the 
Sahara  and  the  Tunisian  Djereed  .  .       pp.  233-256 

XI.    Reminiscences    (1892-1915) 

With  a  Prefatory  Note  by  A.  E.  P.,  chiefly  concerned 
with  Schwarzensee  in  Styria  .  .  .       pp.  257-260 

A  chapter  contributed  by  Mr.  Charles  G.  A.  Nix  ;  includes 
recollections  of  Deerstalking,  Chamois  Hionting,  Fishing  and 
Gardening  ......       pp.   261-274 

XII.     SOMALILAND     AND     BRITISH     EaST     AfRICA    (1896- 

1897  and  1907-1 90S) 

Being  an  account  of  big-game  hunting  beyond  the  Haud  in 
Somaliland  and  in  Kenia  Colony  .  .  .       pp.  275-296 

XIII.  LoDER  AS  A  Marksman 

Being  a  chapter  contributed  by  I/ord  Cottesloe 

pp.  297-302 

XIV.  Rhododendrons 

Being  a  chapter  contributed  by  Mr.  J.  G.  Millais,  giving 
an  account  of  Sir  Edmund's  achievements  in  this  branch  of 
horticulture pp.  303-310 

XV.    The  Museum  at  Leonardslee,  by  Mr.  W.  P. 

PycRAFT pp.   311-328 

XVI.     Robin  Loder  (1889-1917) 

Being  an  accoimt  of  Sir  Edmund  Loder's  only  son 

pp.  329-337 

XVII.    "He  Passeth  On  Also"  (1920) 

Being  a  brief  account  of  the  last  months  of  Sir  Edmund 
Loder's  life  and  of  his  death  .  .  .       PP.  338-342 

Index pp.  343-356 


EDMUND  LODER 

A   MEMOIR 


CHAPTER  I 

EDMUND    LODER 

"  Sir  Edm\ind  was  always  good  to  me,  always  inspiring  and  always 
keenly  interested  in  my  work  ...  he  was  regarded  among  -as  as  a  livino 
and  QincKKNTNG  spieit,  a  wise  coxnsrsELLOR  and  a  stavtsck  friend. 
Tr\ily  the  world  is  the  better  for  his  having  lived  in  it." — W.  P.  Pycratt. 

These  few  and  simple  words  express  what  every  personal 
friend  of  the  late  Sir  Edmund  Loder  felt  about  him.  It 
is  what  many  tried  to  say,  or  expressed  in  other  language, 
in  the  numerous  letters  ^\Titten  to  Lady  Loder  after  his 
death,  not  only  by  his  famihars,  but  also  by  those  who 
represented  scientific  societies  at  home  and  abroad.  It 
would  require  more  qualifications,  especially  scientific 
ones,  than  are  probably  possessed  by  any  living  man  to 
write  Loder's  life  with  an  adequate  description  of  the 
work  he  accomplished.  I  claim,  however,  one — that  of 
being  of  the  number  of  his  intimate  friends.  Death  ends 
no  true  friendship.  "  Love  is  not  Time's  fool."  Loder 
lives  very  happily  in  our  memory,  and  remains  such  a 
perennial  source  of  pleasure  and  comfort  to  us  that  it  is 
a  natural  wish  that  some  account  of  an  inspiring  life 
should  be  made  accessible  to  others.  Besides,  he  passed 
through  Time  a  living  proof  "  That  goodness  is  no  name 
and  happiness  no  dream"  and  ever  using  "words  which 
are  things." 

However  inadequate  the  monument  I  attempt  to  raise, 

1 


2  EDMUND   LODER  [ch.  i 

its  inscription  represents  at  least  my  mite  "  of  praise  in 
payment  of  a  long  delight." 

Friendship  is  a  very  distinct  human  relationship.  It 
may  not  be  the  most  sharply  defined  nor  the  closest  of 
all ;  yet  the  closest  of  all  shall  scarce  do  without  it.  It 
differs  from  others  in  this  :  that  a  man  cannot  choose 
his  friend.  A  friend  you  must  know,  you  must  love 
and  you  must  trust ;  your  friend  must  know,  love  and 
trust  you  in  similar  degree.  Time  alone  declares  if 
friendship  exists,  and  death  but  gives  some  measure  of 
its  strength. 

When  a  man  dies  having  completed  the  allotted  span, 
few  are  likely  to  remain  who  are  able  to  relate  the  history 
of  his  whole  life  from  a  personal  and  intimate  acquain- 
tance with  it,  from  first  to  last. 

The  friendship  between  Loder  and  myself  grew  out  of 
a  companionship  which  had  its  beginning  in  Algeria  some 
twenty-seven  years  ago.  There  are  older  friends  of  his 
surviving :  The  Hon.  Arthur  Pelham,i  who  shared  in  his 
earlier  travels  and  adventures,  can  date  a  close  friendship 
with  Loder  from  Eton  days.  The  great  explorer  and 
hunter  Mr.  St.  George  Littledale  can  date  his  from  "  the 
seventies."  In  February  1875  Edmund  Loder  notes  in 
his  diary,  when  hunting  tiger,  ibex,  sambur  and  chital 
in  the  Neilgherries,  "  to-day  I  met  a  man  named  Little- 
dale."  Among  his  most  intimate  and  surviving  friends 
are  some  who  were  his  near  neighbours  in  Sussex  :  such 
as  Mr.  Charles  G.  A.  Nix  of  Tilgate  Forest  Lodge,  who  has 
contributed  a  chapter  to  this  biography,  and  Mr.  John 
G.  Millais  of  Compton's  Brow,  Horsham,  who  has  also 
helped  me  in  my  work.  Mr.  Edmund  Meade  Waldo  is 
another  friend  of  many  years'  standing ;  Mr.  C.  F.  Lucas 
of  Warnham  Court,  Horsham,  and  Mr.  I.  S.  Oxley  of 
Monks  Badcornbe  were  other  kindred  spirits  who  were 
often  associated  with  him  in  deer-stalking  and  other  pur- 
suits— the  latter  was  a  fellow-competitor  at  Bisley  ;  Sir 
Robert  Harvey,  Bt.,  of  Langley  Park,   Slough,  and  Sir 

1  Fourth  son  of  the  third  Earl  of  Chichester. 


HIS  NATURE  3 

Edmund    had    much    in    common    especially    as    regards 
shooting  and  gardening. 

Amongst  those  who  have  passed  away  there  was  Clinton 
Dent,  one  of  Loder's  constant  companions  in  his  under- 
graduate days  at  Cambridge.  Clinton  Dent  became  a 
distinguished  surgeon  and  rendered  great,  and  I  believe 
gratuitous,  services  at  St.  George's  Hospital.  Dent  was 
also  President  of  the  Alpine  Club.  Sir  Edmund  used  to 
recount  with  glee  how  he  went  off  to  his  friend  to  obtain 
relief  after  a  hunting  accident  by  having  some  deeply  em- 
bedded broken  thorns  extracted,  and  was  welcomed  with 
"  Ah  !  I  have  often  wished  to  get  my  '  knife  into  you.'  " 
The  late  F.  W.  Maitland,  another  Eton  and  Cambridge 
friend,  took  high  honours  in  two  triposes  and  was  later 
Professor  of  Law. 

Those   I    have   mentioned   were   some   of   his    lifelong 
friends,  so  that  I  cannot  claim  to  be  one  of  his  oldest. 

When  Loder  and  I  joined  camps  for  the  first  time  he 
would  be  about  43  years  of  age  and  I  about  36.  Now, 
friendship  is  "  the  dear  peculiar  bond  of  youth "  ;  it 
requires  some  similarity  in  experience,  some  identity  of 
tastes  and  an  instinctive  sympathy  to  create  between 
two  men  in  middle  life  that  relationship  which  gives  con- 
stant mutual  satisfaction  and  comfort.  "  For  grafts  of 
old  wood  to  take  there  must  be  wonderful  congeniality 
between  the  trees."  It  is  very  generally  observed  that 
one  practical  test  of  friendship  between  two  men  is  to 
throw  them  together  in  travel,  camp  life,  sport  and  adven- 
ture and  to  see  if  it  remains  unimpaired  amidst  success 
and  misfortune,  the  vicissitudes  and  hardships  of  travel 
and  the  competitions  of  the  chase.  Looking  back  to  all 
our  wanderings  together  and  to  hundreds  of  camps  I 
cannot  remember  a  word,  a  gesture,  an  action  ever  dis- 
turbing for  a  single  instant  the  perfect  understanding 
between  us.  There  is  nothing  which  either  of  us  could 
ever  wish  to  forget.  Moreover,  it  may  be  asserted  with 
confidence  that  all  those  who  have  been  his  companions 
under    this    test    could    give    similar    testimony.     Other 


4  EDMUND   LODER  fen.  i 

travellers  may  decide  whether  this  is  a  great  deal  to  say 
or  not ;  it  is  my  witness  to  the  sweetness  of  his  nature. 
Surely  it  is  extremely  rare  for  a  man,  especially  for  one 
ever  eager  for  success,  to  be  without  a  grain  of  envy  or 
jealousy  in  his  composition  ;  yet  Loder  was  one  of  this 
rare  company. 

The  most  equable  tempers  are  soured  at  times  by  long 
spells  of  what  appears  unmerited  misfortune  or  hardship  ; 
I  have  seen  Loder  temporarily  depressed  by  continued 
failure  in  persistent  effort,  but  I  never  remember  to  have 
seen  him  out  of  temper  in  consequence.  No  man  showed 
greater  satisfaction  in  his  own  success  nor  more  anxiety 
for  the  success  of  his  companions.  Many  of  the  best 
sportsmen  are  very  competitive  ;  some  of  these  regard 
being  "  first  there,"  obtaining  the  "  best  beat  "  and  the 
"  best  head  "  as  part  of  the  game  ;  if  they  fail,  the  failure 
of  a  comrade  is  actually  some  consolation.  The  tendency 
of  some  of  these  is  to  become  jealous  and  secretive  even 
when  they  remain  "  good  fellows  "  in  every  other  respect, 
and  quite  dehghtful  when  they  have  it  all  their  own  way. 
Edmund  Loder  was  not  the  least  like  this.  He  was 
co-operative  ;  he  placed  every  discovery,  all  information, 
every  device  at  the  disposal  of  his  friends.  He  might 
grumble  at  or  find  fault  -with  a  bad  guide,  interpreter  or 
shikari  as  he  would  show  appreciation  of  any  man  pro- 
ficient in  his  metier,  but  he  never  visited  bad  luck  on  his 
servants.  If  incompetence  reached  the  point  of  being 
ridiculous  it  generally  gave  him  infinite  amusement. 
Being  genuine  and  just,  he  attached  to  himself  all  who 
served  him,  white  or  black.  In  addition  he  had  such  a 
full  reservoir  of  interests  that  when  foiled  in  a  main 
objective,  his  mind  found  refuge  in  the  pursuit  of  other 
subjects.  At  no  time  and  in  no  place  could  you  be  dull 
in  his  company.  The  very  emptiest  desert,  with  the 
vault  above  it,  held  for  him  a  hundred  wonders  to  be 
noted  and  to  be  discussed.  His  sense  of  humour,  which 
was  always  present,  came  to  the  rescue  in  unpleasant 
situations. 


TESTIMONY   OF  HIS   ASSOCIATES  5 

I  have  known  many  great  men  and  can  count  some  of 
the  greatest  of  the  great  of  my  time  among  my  personal 
friends,  yet  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that,  although 
Loder  passed  his  life  out  of  the  reach  of  the  public  eye, 
he  was  one  of  the  greatest  Englishmen  of  his  generation. 
For  the  many  and  quite  different  ways  in  which  he  was 
successful  he  was  the  most  wonderful  man  I  have  known. 

I  quote  a  few  sentences  from  the  testimony  of  others, 
some  of  which  have  appeared  in  print  and  some  of  which 
are  taken  from  private  letters  of  men  who  have  authority 
to  speak. 

Mr.  W.  P.  Pycraft  in  a  pubhshed  obituary  notice  uses 
this  language  : 

"  With  the  death  of  Sir  Edmund  Loder  there  passed 
from  amongst  us  a  great  Englishman.  He  will  be  reckoned 
among  those  who  were  honoured  in  their  generations 
and  were  the  glory  of  their  times." 

Another  writes  : 

"  The  whole  world  of  Natural  Science,  as  of  other 
spheres  in  which  he  was  active,  will  mourn  ...  for  he 
was  one  who  bettered  every  subject  he  touched." 

Another : 

"  His  knowledge  of  conifers  and  rhododendrons  was 
probably  unrivalled  in  this  country." 

Another : 

"He  was  indefatigable  in  entertaining  his  friends,  and 
no  one  could  pay  a  visit  to  Leonardslee  without  coming 
away  feeling  that  they  had  acquired  a  vast  amount  of 
knowledge  from  his  inexhaustible  store." 

Another : 

"  It  often  puzzled  me  how  Sir  Edmund  found  time  to 
work  out  in  such  a  minute  and  thorough  manner  the  many 
problems  he  set  himself  to  solve." 

Another  remarks  on  his  vast  and  varied  knowledge  and 
says  most  truly  "  he  carried  his  knowledge  lightly." 


6  EDMUND   LODER  [ch.  i 

I  think  the  following  is  a  remarkable  testimony  coming 
from  such  a  source.  It  is  taken  from  The  Times  notice  of 
Sir  Edmund's  death  and  is  from  the  pen  of  his  neighbour 
Mr.  J.  G.  Millais  : 

"  It  has  been  my  good  fortune  to  know  nearly  all  the 
most  brilliant  students  and  writers  who  have  specialised 
both  in  outdoor  and  museum  natural  history  during  the 
past  forty  years,  and  whilst  many  have  done  more  in 
writing  standard  works  on  various  subjects  than  Sir 
Edmund  Loder,  none  of  them  brought  to  the  task  more 
brilliant  gifts  or  were  more  accurate  either  in  the  observa- 
tions or  the  conclusions  from  the  works  of  previous  writers. 
Though  I  have  known  Sir  Edmund  for  nearly  thirty  years 
and  have  constantly  discussed  with  him  questions  relating 
to  zoology  and  botany  I  have  never  known  him  to  make  a 
single  err  or. ^^ 

A  reserved  and  somewhat  abrupt  manner,  due  to  his 
natural  shyness,  when  among  strangers  has  been  noticed, 
yet  immediately  he  felt  at  home  he  becam.e  delightful 
company.  This  shyness  covered  great  sensitiveness  and 
an  understanding  heart.  I  often  observed  in  him  a 
gentleness  reflected  in  his  voice,  when  moved  by  what 
was  beautiful  in  nature  or  art  and  when  quoting  poetry. 
With  regard  to  poets  he  was  especially  fond  of  Byron, 
and  found  himself  expressed  in  his  poems  throughout  his 
life.  He  knew  "  Childe  Harold's  Pilgrimage  "  by  heart, 
and  in  these  introductory  pages  I  shall  quote  lines  which 
I  have  heard  him  repeat  or  which  he  has  copied  into  his 
diaries,  for  they  reveal  to  us  something  of  his  mind  and 
of  his  heart.  He  carried  with  him  his  B3^ron  and  his 
Shakespeare  on  every  journey,  and  recited  over  camp 
fires  or  on  the  march  passages  he  felt  beautiful  and  verses 
which  were  quaint  or  amusing.  A  great  deal  of  Byron 
he  admitted  to  be  boring,  but  of  Byron's  best,  "  Thoughts 
that  breathe,  and  words  that  burn,"  he  never  tired.  In 
Loder 's  own  copy  of  Byron  many  passages  are  marked. 
Often  a  single  line  such  as  "  She  walks  the  waters  like  a 
thing  of  life,"  in  the  stanza  beginning  "  A  sail  !    a  sail  !  " 


HIS   FAVOURITE  POETS  7 

or  a  verse  for  its  power  of  language  such  as  the  one  in 
"  Don  Juan  "  commencing  "  Then  rose  from  sea  to  sky 
the  wild  farewell,"  or  any  lines  which  amused  him  such  as 
the  description  of  the  fourth  day  in  the  open  boat  when 
Juan's  spaniel  "  spite  of  his  entreating "  is  killed  and 
portioned  out  "  for  present  eating "  and  the  sixth  day 
comes  (Canto  2,  stanza  Ixxi) : 

On  the  sixth  day  they  fed  upon  his  hide, 

And  Juan,  who  had  still  refused,  because 
The  creature  was  his  father's  dog  that  died. 

Now  feeling  all  the  vulture  in  his  jaws, 
With  some  remorse  received  (though  first  denied) 

As  a  great  favour  one  of  the  fore-paws. 
Which  he  divided  with  Pedrillo,  who 

Devour' d  it,  longing  for  the  other  too.^ 

I  have  been  warned  that  the  prominence  I  have  given 
to  Loder's  fondness  for  Byron  might  raise  suspicions 
among  those  who  were  strangers  to  his  character  as  to  his 
own  standard  of  morality.  However  ridiculously  false 
any  approach  to  such  a  deduction  would  be,  the  risk  of  it 
may  justify  me  in  saying  this  much  about  Byron  :  Byron 
was  a  sinner  and  openly  confessed  he  was  a  most  miserable 
one ;  he  recognises  the  retribution  of  Heaven  as  just, 
and  because  he  believed  in  virtue  and  had  a  soul  almost 
his  whole  life  was  spent  in  the  hell  of  remorse.  Half- 
maddened  by  the  irreparable  ruin  that  his  alleged  immoral 
relationship  with  his  half-sister  had  brought  to  this  woman, 
whom  he  loved  the  best  and  to  the  end,  and  writhing  under 
the  savage  treatment  of  a  world  he  hated  for  its  hypocrisy 
and  cruelty,  he  perversely  took  a  delight  in  representing 
himself  as  far  worse  than  he  was  and  in  outraging  society's 
standard  of  decency.  I  presume  he  thought  that  the 
hatred  of  his  enemies  became  an  even  more  hideous  thing 
when  it  grew  out  of  falsehood  and  flourished  in  a  malig- 

1  There  are  not  so  many  passages  marked  in  "  Don  Juan  "  as  I  should 
have  expected.  Most  of  Byron's  ballads  are  marked,  such  as  "  The  Isles 
of  Greece  "  and  "  Beware  !  Beware  !  of  the  Black  Friar,  who  sitteth 
by  Norman  stone."  He  marked  some  of  Byron's  marvellous  "  Notes," 
e.g.  the  one  to  "  Don  Juan,"  canto  v,  stanza  cxlvii. 
2 


8  EDMUND   LODER  [ch.  i 

nance  which  he  dehberately  provoked.  Let  those  who 
judge  him  for  his  sins  ask  themselves  if  they  have  done 
for  humanity  as  much  as  the  poet  and  soldier  who  fought 
oppression  and  slavery,  who  gave  his  life  for  freedom  at 
Missolonghi,  who  has  opened  countless  hearts  to  the 
noblest  aspirations  and  men's  eyes  to  behold  the  beautiful 
and  the  sublime. 

Loder  loved  the  mixture  of  art,  beauty  and  quaintness 
in  Shakespeare's  Sonnets,  and  quoted  and  discussed  them. 
He  could  repeat  most  of  Calverley's  verses,  and  one 
or  two  of  Calverley's  pieces  which  I  have  never  seen  in 
print,  quite  equal  to  those  which  have  been  published. 
Calverley's  peculiar  turn  of  genius  and  humour  appealed  to 
him  with  its  touches  of  pathos  and  sentiment.  Nothing 
could  be  more  suited  to  such  verses  than  Loder 's  voice 
and  cadences  used  with  complete  comprehension  of  the 
art  and  quaintness  of  the  poem  when  he  recited  such 
bits  as  the  one  beginning 

When  the  yoiing  Augustus  Edward 
Has  reluctantly  gone  bedward, 

or  Calverley's  "  Shelter."  The  last  I  often  persuaded 
him  to  repeat  to  me  in  arid  places,  for  it  is  a  delicious  little 
pond  picture  and  Loder's  voice  soothing  and  refreshing  to 
a  hot  and  thirsty  wayfarer.  I  give  it  here  because  I  think 
others,  like  myself,  cannot  see  it  in  print  without  hearing 
his  voice  and  seeing  him  by  his  ponds  and  water-lilies 
where  were  the  haunts  of  his  Capybara,  Coypus  and 
Beavers.  I  also  see  him  on  his  little  Barb  with  a  string  of 
camels  in  the  desert. 

SHELTER 

By  the  wide  lake's  margin  I  mark'd  her  lie — 
Tiie  wide,  weird  lake  where  the  alders  sigh — 
A  yoiuig  fair  thing,  with  a  shy,  soft  eye  ; 

And  I  deemed  that  her  thoughts  had  flown 
To  her  home,  and  her  brethren,  and  sisters  dear, 
As  she  lay  there  watching  the  dark,  deep  mere, 

All  motionless,  all  alone. 


HIS   FAVOURITE   POETS  9 

Then  I  heard  a  noise,  as  of  men  and  boys. 

And  a  boisterous  troop  drew  nigh. 
Whither  now  will  retreat  those  fairy  feet  ? 

Where  hide  till  the  storm  pass  by  ? 
One  glance — the  wild  glance  of  a  hunted  thing — 
She  cast  behind  her  ;    she  gave  one  spring  , 
And  there  follow' d  a  splash  and  a  broadening  ring 

On  the  lake  where  the  alders  sigh. 

She  had  gone  from  the  ken  of  ungentlemen  ! 

Yet  scarce  did  I  mourn  for  that ; 
For  I  knew  she  was  safe  in  her  own  home  then 
And,  the  danger  past,  would  appear  again 
For  she  was  a  water-rat. 

Loder's  knowledge,  acquirements  and  performances  were 
in  reality  far  greater  than  he  displayed,  but  he  never 
hesitated  to  face  all  comers  with  the  truth.  He  was  in- 
variably right  when  serious  and  in  a  scientific  mood,  always 
truthful  and  had  always  observed  and  accomplished  the 
things  he  stated  he  had  seen  and  done.  There  is  no  false 
shame  in  such  simple  natures  ;  it  is  not  vaunting  when 
a  man  asserts  "  no  one  has  seen  or  done  a  thing,"  for 
another  who  has  seen  or  done  it  to  say  "  I  have  "  and  to 
relate  facts  without  exaggeration. 

When  Loder  did  not  know  he  said  so  at  once  ;  he  never 
affected  any  knowledge  ;  indeed,  he  was  almost  impatient 
to  appear  as  if  he  knew  nothing  about  any  subject  he 
was  not  quite  sure  of.  This  does  not  mean  that  he  was 
a  pedant  nor  that  he  was  incapable  of  embellishing  an 
anecdote  or  an  exploit,  as  we  all  may  do  in  attempts  to 
amuse  or  in  moments  of  enthusiasm.  He  had  also  a 
remarkable  power,  as  if  emanating  from  a  faculty  of 
arranging  his  memory,  of  giving  or  finding  at  a  moment's 
notice  a  correct  reference.  It  was  as  if  he  had  a  vast 
library  in  his  brain  and  knew  the  name  of  every  author 
and  volum.e  and  the  place  of  each  book  or  paper  on  its 
shelves,  and  could  with  the  velocity  of  thought  take  any 
one  down.  But  it  was  more  than  this,  for  it  applied  to 
men  and  things,  so  that  on  the  instant  he  would  say 
"  So-and-so  in  Brazil  is  the  only  man  who  knows  much 


10  EDMUND   LODER  [ch.  i 

about  this,"  or  "  The  only  specimens  of  that  are  in  such 
museums,  or  such  Botanical  Gardens." 

He  recognised  the  limits  to  human  knowledge  and 
accomplishment ;  he  dismissed  and  swept  aside  all  that 
his  intelligence  proclaimed  beyond  his  reach.  He  had  a 
curious  way  of  casting  out  for  ever  any  study  he  had 
finished  or  any  pursuit  he  had  dropped. 

It  was  thus  with  astronomy.  For  years  he  had  studied 
with  his  own  very  carefully  equipped  observatory  until 
he  had  become  no  mean  astronomer.  Having  "  done 
with  it,"  it  was  with  difficulty  you  could  get  him  to  men- 
tion the  science  ;  he  would  scarcely  answer  a  simple  ques- 
tion about  the  stars.  If  I  pressed  him  for  the  name  of 
a  star  he  w^ould  come,  gaze  for  a  minute  and  blow  out  "  I 
suppose  that  is  so-and-so,"  turn  on  his  heel  saying  some- 
thing about  trillions  of  miles  and  a  million  times  the 
volume  of  the  earth.  Yet  at  the  beginnings  and  endings 
of  African  nights,  it  might  be  as  the  violet  shadows 
climbed  to,  or  shrank  from,  the  golden  crests  of  the  sand 
dunes  with  transparent  bushes  of  white-blossomed  broom, 
pale  dhrin  grass,  green  and  yellow  m.ethenon  and  the 
sparkling  metallic  "  had,"  touched  by  the  first  or  last  lights 
of  day,  I  have  seen  in  him  something  of  that  which  once 
lured  him  to  the  stars  as  he  repeated  to  me  such  stanzas 
as  that  which  begins  "  Ye  stars  !  which  are  the  poetry 
of  heaven,"  or 

The  moon  is  up,  and  yet  it  is  not  night ; 
Sunset  divides  the  sky  with  her  ;    a  sea 
Of  glory  streams  along  the  Alpine  height  i 
Of  blue  Friuli's  mountains  ;    Heaven  is  free 
From  clouds,  but  of  all  colours  seems  to  be — 
Melted  in  one  vast  Iris  of  the  West, — 
Where  the  Day  joins  the  past  Eternity, 
While,  on  the  other  hand,  meek  Dian's  crest 
Floats  through  the  azure  air — an  island  of  the  blest  ! 
A  single  star  is  at  her  side  and  reigns 
With  her  o'er  half  the  lovely  heaven  ; 

^  There  is  in  the  great  sand-dune  region  of  the  Sahara  known  as  the 
Erg  a  singular  resemblance  between  the  towering  sand  mountains,  on 
the  horizons  of  that  strange  desert,  and  distant  alps,  for  in  certain  lights 
their  crests  glisten  white  like  snow. 


THE   ABORTIVE   SARDINIAN  TRIP  11 

and  so  he  would  quote  stanza  after  stanza — not  always 
consecutively,  but  seizing  out  of  his  memory  any  which 
fitted  his  humour  or  the  occasion. 

Fox-hunting,  which  he  had  once  delighted  in,  he  "  put 
down  "  when  age  and  other  pursuits  decided  its  fate  ; 
just  as  we  do  with  an  old  favourite  horse  or  hound.  He 
announced  this  decision  to  me  in  a  letter  and  that  he 
was  sending  to  me  his  last  hunter  "  Lady  Bird,"  one  of 
the  last  two  which  he  had  brought  to  Leonardslee  from 
Northamptonshire.  From  that  day  forward  I  seldom 
heard  him  mention  the  sport,  unless  it  came  up  in  general 
conversation. 

A  few  years  later,  in  1901,  an  accident  to  his  camp 
equipment  caused  him  to  abandon  for  ever  every  idea  of 
setting  forth  again  to  distant  lands.  There  were  several 
animals  he  had  not  obtained  and  which  he  thought  of 
making  the  objects  of  future  expeditions  ;  one  of  these 
was  the  Sardinian  mouflon.^ 

Previous  hunters  of  the  Sardinian  mouflon  among  his 
acquaintance  had  sometimes  had  trouble  with  the  brigands ; 
when  not  actually  held  up,  as  some  had  been,  their  sport 
had  been  spoilt  by  these  gentry.  The  expedition  had  to 
be  then  or  never,  for  the  brigands  which  infested  the 
island  were  that  year  under  lock  and  key  for  six  weeks 
or  so,  and  such  a  chance  might  not  occur  again.  The 
information  was  received  from  an  Italian  gentleman,  a  con- 
nection of  Mr.  Charles  Nix,  Loder's  neighbour  and  friend 
with  whom  the  trip  was  to  be  undertaken.  At  the  time 
appointed  for  starting.  Sir  Edmund  was  staying  with  his 
brother  and  sister-in-law  Lord  and  Lady  Rendel  at  Cannes 
and  was  to  join  Mr.  Nix  at  Nice.  Loder  had  sent  out 
by  sea  in  the  Linnet  his  camp  kit,  favourite  tent,  rifles, 
his  Byron  and  his  Shakespeare,  also  his  beloved  "  boto  " 
(of  which  more  anon — page  24)  and  other  old  com- 
panions.    The  Linnet  was  burnt  at  sea  in  the  Bay  of 

1  He  had  at  one  time  and  another  both  the  Sardinian  and  Corsican 
mouflon,  and  hybrids  between  these  varieties,  in  his  grounds  at  Leonarda- 
lee,  but  had  never  seen  either  in  their  native  habitat. 


12  EDMUND   LODER  [ch.  i 

Biscay.  His  kit  had  been  insured  and  some  of  it  was 
salved  in  a  damaged  condition.  It  remained  a  joke  among 
his  friends  that  when  offered  a  sum  of  money  or  his 
damaged  and  till  then  inseparable  companions,  his  best 
deer-glass,  Byron,  Shakespeare  and  "  my  boto,"  etcetera, 
he  preferred  the  money.  No  doubt  Lady  Loder,  who  always 
dreaded  the  long  separations  that  these  expeditions  in- 
volved, must  have  afterwards  regarded  this  catastrophe 
as  a  blessing  in  disguise.  When  subsequently  I  suggested 
another  trip  he  said  quietly,  "  No  ;  all  my  things  are  lost 
or  damaged — I  shall  never  go  any  more."  I  knew  that 
was  final ;  so  he  went  no  more  a-roving.  He  always  had 
the  strength  of  mind  to  come  to  a  decision  and  to  abide 
by  it.  Some  might  call  this  trait  in  his  character  obstinacy. 
Whatever  it  is  called,  this  sharp,  short  way  saved  his 
time  and  prevented  further  worry.  These  pursuits,  how- 
ever dear  they  had  been,  were  buried  without  fuss  and 
he  turned  to  other  occupations.  Some  of  these  were 
never  put  down.  In  early  youth  he  had  taken  to  garden- 
ing. As  the  years  passed  he  devoted  himself  more  and 
more  to  his  flowers,  his  plants  and  his  trees — "  The  tie 
which  bound  the  first,  endures  the  last." 

His  daughter  Patience  (Mrs.  W.  Otter)  in  some  notes 
she  sent  me,  to  which  I  shall  refer  again,  thus  describes 
how  the  garden  that  had  been  his  delight  in  the  sunsliine 
of  youth  became  his  refuge  in  the  last  storm  of  life  : 

"  The  years  slipped  by  and  after  a  time  Father  came 
to  realise  that  he  was  not  quite  so  strong  as  he  had  been. 
He  had  a  pony  '  Toby  '  to  ride  about  the  Garden,  up  and 
down  the  hills.  Toby  had  to  wear  a  net  muzzle — som^eone 
asked  the  reason  why — '  He  eats  the  shrubs,'  Father  said. 
'  But  does  that  matter  much  ?  there  seem  to  be  a  good 
many,'  asked  his  friend.  '  No,'  answered  Father,  laugh- 
ing, '  it  wouldn't,  only  Toby  always  chooses  the  rare  ones.' 

"  The  Garden  was  really  his  greatest  interest,  and  during 
those  terrible  years  of  war,  when  the  blow  fell  which 
broke  his  heart  it  was  to  his  garden  he  went  for  comfort 
and  found  it,  I  think,  and  strength  as  well  to  take  up  life 


HIS   RAPIDITY   OF   BRAIN  13 

again  and  to  face  the  world  like  so  many  fathers  who 
had  given  their  best." 

His  daughter  says  something  more  about  the  garden, 
but  I  shall  leave  it  for  the  end  of  the  book. 

"All  agree  that  Loder's  brain  was  brilliant,  but  it  was 
the  rapidity  with  which  it,  and  its  ministers  his  eyes  and 
hands,  worked  that  was  phenomenal.  Within  an  hour  he 
seemed  to  fix  in  his  memory  all  that  was  worth  remember- 
ing out  of  any  volume.  He  got  at  the  kernel  of  a  question 
or  at  the  basis  of  a  theory  in  a  flash.  When  puzzled 
with  a  problem  he  plunged  into  it  and  got  to  the  bottom 
of  it,  if  it  had  any  bottom,  at  one  stretch,  long  or  short, 
of  rapid  effort.     But  he  not  only  knew ;    he  did.'^ 

I  had  written  this  in  my  diary  abroad  months  before 
I  read  Millais'  article  in  Country  Life,  in  which  he  gives 
a  much  fuller  and  more  exact  description  of  these  powers. 
He  says : 

"  he  studied  astronomy.  .  .  .  When  he  took  up  zoology 
and  botany  he  did  it  first  by  acquiring  a  great  library 
and  then  reading  every  book  on  the  subject  before  begin- 
ning to  propound  his  o^vn  new  theories.  His  memory  and 
analytical  powers  were  extraordinary  and  he  seemed 
almost  incapable  of  making  mistakes.  One  wet  day  we 
sat  in  the  library  at  Leonardslee  and  I  gave  him  a  new 
book  on  Africa  I  had  brought  with  me.  He  kept  turning 
the  pages  at  such  a  rate  that  he  did  not  seem  to  be  reading 
it  at  all,  and  when  he  threw  it  down  after  an  hour,  I  asked 
him  what  he  thought  of  it.  Then  he  began  :  '  You  will 
see  the  author  says  on  page  22 ' — then  followed  an 
analysis  of  the  writer's  views,  which  he  proved  were 
completely  wrong,  as  was  the  case.  '  On  page  35  ' — a 
further  long  quotation  from  the  book,  almost  word  for 
word,  and  his  own  reason  for  disagreement.  And  so  on 
throughout  the  whole  volume,  examining  every  error  and 
praising  every  good  point,  as  if  he  knew  the  whole  of  it 
by  heart.  I  confess  it  amazed  me,  and  though  I  had  read 
the  book  twice  very  carefully,  Edmund  Loder  had  read 
and  digested  the  whole  matter  in  one  hour,  and  what  is 


14  EDIVIUND   LODER  [ch.  i 

more,   could  remember  all  about  it  afterwards." — J.  G. 
MiLLAis  in  Country  Life,  May  22nd,  1920. 

I  have  known  one  or  two  men  with  phenomenal  memories. 
One  was  the  late  Sir  Robert  Fowler  of  Gastard,  who 
knew  most  of  the  Latin  poets  and  Homer  by  heart.  He 
read  chapter  iii  of  Hallam's  Middle  Ages  three  times 
through,  and  ever  after  could  repeat  it  word  for  word  ; 
but  he  was  not  rapid  in  assimilating  a  book.  There  are 
some  weird  kinds  of  powers  ;  some  almost  distressing.  I 
was  at  school  with  a  boy  who  actually  knew  the  whole 
of  Bradshaw's  Railway  Guide  off  by  heart — at  least  I 
never  knew  him  at  fault  with  the  time-table  of  the  re- 
motest provincial  station  ;  he  was  good  at  games,  but 
the  exciting  event  of  his  school  life  was  noting  the  changes 
in  the  month's  issues  of  that  awful  but  indispensable 
volume.  But  Loder's  gift  seemed  an  easy  and  natural 
one. 

We  have  already  seen  that  Loder  was  an  astronomer, 
he  understood  optics  and  optical  instruments,  he  was  an 
expert  photographer,  a  great  zoologist,  a  practical  natura- 
list, a  botanist,  a  great  horticulturist  and  arboriculturist, 
he  understood  ballistics,  was  a  skilled  mechanic  and 
armourer.  In  addition  he  was  a  thoroughly  equipped  and 
experienced  sportsman,  a  hard  rider  to  hounds,  a  good 
shot  with  a  gun  and  one  of  the  best  with  a  rifle,  a  good 
fisherman  ;  he  had  been  a  fine  athlete,  and  till  quite  late 
in  life  was  an  energetic  dancer.  Edmund  Loder  could 
draw  well  and  knew  more  than  most  people  guessed  about 
art,  music,  gems,  jade,  carving  and  curios.  I  have  seen 
it  solemnly  stated  in  print  that  he  was  "  without  literary 
tastes  "  ;  this  is  an  error.  He  knew  the  insides  of  count- 
less books  and  had  great  powers  of  discrimination  as  to 
their  intrinsic  merits  ;  he  was  a  good  judge  too  of  the 
accessories  to  literature,  illustrations,  processes  and  the 
like.  I  confess  I  am  not  quite  clear  as  to  what  is  meant 
when  I  hear  the  remark  "  he  had  no  literary  tastes  "  ; 
applied  to  Loder  it  is  only  possible  to  think  of  it  in  the 


HIS   ALOOFNESS   FROM  POLITICS  15 

sense  that  he  himself  had  no  taste  for  writing  books  ;  it 
is  the  only  sense  in  which  the  allegation  is  true.  Millais 
writes  of  him  thus,  though  I  do  not  think  he  kept  up  his 
classics  to  this  extent  in  the  years  in  which  I  knew  him  : 

"  It  was  a  com.mon  thing  to  hear  him  quote  long  pas- 
sages from  Ovid  and  Horace,  and  his  well-worn  copies  of 
such  ancient  writers  were  full  of  comments  in  his  own 
handwriting  on  his  favourite  passages." 

Millais  ascribes  his  not  having  written  much  probably  to 
the  fact  of  his  being  hypercritical  of  his  own  work,  and 
deplores  the  loss  to  science  in  consequence.  I  have  always 
felt  that  however  imperfect  a  book  may  be,  if  it  con- 
tains something  worth  preserving  for  posterity  or  is  of 
some  use  to  the  living,  it  justifies  its  existence.  But  if, 
as  Millais  points  out,  a  man  cannot  tolerate  any  error 
and  will  not  take  the  risk  of  making  mistakes,  he  is  not 
likely  to  write  at  all ;  for  no  man  can  write  a  book  with- 
out small  mistakes  and  few  write  one  without  an  occa- 
sional big  one.  No  doubt  tliis  view  of  Loder  is  true  to 
a  certain  extent,  but  my  own  opinion  is  that  he  had  not 
time  to  give  to  so  slow  a  process  as  writing.  A  pen  was 
too  slow  a  tool  for  even  his  own  notes  and  memoranda, 
and  as  a  rule  he  used  a  pencil.  A  pen  was  a  drag  on 
quick  brains,  eyes  and  hands  which  his  eager  tempera- 
ment could  not  endure  for  long. 

Sir  Edmund  Loder  could  not  have  achieved  so  much 
had  he  been  a  public  man.  To  men  like  him,  with  definite 
views  of  what  is  worth  seeing,  doing  and  living  for,  it  must 
seem  that  at  least  half  of  any  public  man's  time  is  abso- 
lutely wasted.  With  the  exception  of  attending  the  local 
Bench  and  having  been  once  High  Sheriff  for  Northamp- 
tonshire, he  took  no  part  in  public  life.  When,  in  1888, 
he  succeeded  his  father,  who  had  represented  Shoreham 
from  1880  till  its  disfranchisement  in  1885,  he  was  offered 
immediate  election  to  the  Carlton  Club.  This  was  a 
somewhat  unusual  proposal,  but  he  declined  it  without 
hesitation.     The  only  occasion  in  his  life,  I  believe,  on 


16  EDMUND   LODER  [ch.  i 

which  he  appeared  on  a  poHtical  platform  was  once  during 
his  brother  Mr.  Gerald  Loder's  contest  at  Brighton  in 
1889.'  This  brother  made  me  smile  when  he  said  "  I 
only  once  got  him  down  to  the  House  of  Commons  and 
then  only  as  far  as  the  lobby."  I  remember  also  a  single 
occasion  during  the  years  I  was  in  the  House  when  he  got 
as  far  and  no  farther  than  the  outer  lobby,  and  had  only 
come  to  get  me  away  from  the  place  !  This  did  not  arise 
from  any  contemptuous  indifference,  too  common  nowa- 
days, to  public  affairs,  for  he  formed  very  shrewd  opinions 
of  his  own  on  questions  of  the  day  ;  it  was  attributable 
rather  to  an  innate  shrinking  from  publicity  and  from  a 
dislike  of  being  at  the  beck  and  call  of  anybody.  Like 
others  who  stand  aloof  from  politics  he  was  able  to  enjoy 
detached  views  on  many  questions,  but  he  w^as  a  Con- 
servative and  a  staunch  Unionist.  He  insisted  on  having 
his  liberty,  and  had  no  taste  for  public  contention  and 
for  spending  his  years  "  in  wTetched  interchange  of  wrong 
for  wrong."  His  political  opinions  never  interfered  with 
his  personal  relationships.  I  have  heard  him  argue  his 
point  of  view,  but  never  once  have  observed  the  slightest 
bitterness,  however  strongly  he  felt  he  was  right. 

Sir  Edmund  Loder  was  essentially  a  man  who  is  at  his 
best  at  home.  He  cared  little  for  society,  though  he 
enjoyed  such  things  as  a  day  at  Lord's  on  the  occasion 
of  the  Eton  and  Harrow  or  Inter -University  matches. 
When  in  town  and  there  was  good  cricket  to  be  seen  at 
Lord's,  he  would  sometimes  persuade  me  to  come  with 

1  Mr.  Gerald  W.  Erskine  Loder,  the  fourth  of  the  Loder  brothers, 
born  in  1861,  represented  Brighton  for  sixteen  years.  Possessing  great 
ability  and  a  charming  personality  and  being  a  clear  thinker  and  speaker, 
he  early  made  his  mark  in  the  House  of  Commons.  It  is  almost  certain 
that  had  he  remained  in  Parliament  he  would  have  come  into  the  front 
rank.  His  disappearance  from  public  life  was  due  to  reasons  of  health. 
Having  sat  opposite  him  in  the  House  for  some  years  I  can  say  that 
his  retirement  was  felt  by  all  parties  to  be  a  great  loss,  for  he  had  won 
the  respect  and  warm  regard  of  all.  He  was  good  all  roimd  at  sport  and 
games,  especially  with  rifle  and  racquet,  and  has  travelled  too,  but  is 
distinguished  from  his  brothers  chiefly  by  his  association  with  public 
affairs.     (See  also  page  47  for  reference  to  him  as  a  tennis-player.) 


TESTIMONY   OF   CHALMERS    MITCHELL  17 

him  and  would  make  straight  for  his  brother  Wilfrid. 
Wilfrid  Loder  was  sure  to  be  there  ;  he  was  a  great 
enthusiast  for  the  game,  and  Edmund  Loder  would  say 
"  We  must  find  Wilfrid,  he  -will  know  all  about  it,"  and 
when  he  had  found  liim  he  was  posted  up  in  all  the  cricket 
news  of  the  day.' 

Club-life  had  no  attractions  for  him.  He  was  for  over 
thirty  years  a  member  of  the  Athenaeum,  but  was  quite 
unknown  there,  and  probably  did  not  enter  its  doors  half 
a  dozen  times.  Yet  when  something  took  him  perforce 
into  an  assembly  of  kindred  spirits,  such  as  the  Council 
Meetings  of  the  Zoological  or  Horticultural  Societies  and 
the  Annual  Rifle  Association  meetings,  he  entered  into  the 
business  with  remarkable  zest  and  effect.  Mr.  P.  Chalmers 
Mitchell,  Secretary  to  the  Zoological  Society,  writing  to 
me  after  Sir  Edmund's  death  says  : 

"  He  hardly  ever  missed  a  meeting  of  the  Garden 
Committee  or  of  the  Council,  coming  to  London  specially 
for  them.  I  think  all  who  served  with  him  would  agree 
that  he  was  one  of  the  most  valuable  Members  of  the 
Council.  But  it  was  more  by  constant  advice  on  detail 
than  by  any  striking  suggestion.  His  knowledge  of 
gardening  and  of  outside  construction  was  most  useful 
to  us.  I  was  especially  struck  by  one  quality  :  A  Com- 
mittee of  persons  who  know  a  good  deal  about  the  subject 

1  Wilfrid  Hans  Loder,  bom  1851,  was  of  bis  brothers  the  nearest  to 
him  in  age.  He  had  never  been  what  may  be  called  a  "  good  "  cricketer, 
though  he  got  his  XXII  at  Eton  ;  he  made,  however,  a  study  of  cricket 
and  racing.  Of  racing  he  was  very  fond,  not  for  society  and  amusement 
so  much  as  for  the  science  of  it,  pure  and  simple.  He  studied  form  and 
kept  up  the  practice  of  making  up  his  own  weights  for  the  principal 
handicaps  as  soon  as  ever  entries  were  published,  and  his  judgment  of 
weights  was  extremely  good.  He  himted  regularly  till  within  about 
a  year  of  his  death,  and  was  considered  the  best  shot  with  a  gun  which 
the  family  produced.  There  were  few  better  shots  than  Wilfrid  Loder 
at  driven  grouse.  For  many  years  he  was  one  of  the  lessees  of  the  Hunt- 
hill  Moors  in  Forfarshire  ;  and  for  some  of  this  time  his  brothers  Alfred, 
Gerald  and  Sydney  were  associated  with  the  shooting  syndicate.  In 
1889,  with  8  guns,  they  shot  8,200  brace  of  grouse.  Wilfrid  Loder  was 
the  one  "  business  man  "  in  the  family,  being  a  partner  in  the  banking 
firm  of  Prescott,  Cave  &  Loder.  His  death  in  1902  made  the  first  gap 
in  the  remka  of  the  seven  brothers. 


18  EDMUND   LODER  [ch.  i 

under  discussion  very  often  has  difficulty  in  coming  to  a 
conclusion.  Loder  was  never  like  that :  he  would  listen 
patiently  to  both  sides,  make  his  own  suggestions  and  in 
a  very  short  time  would  make  up  his  own  mind — and  in 
consequence  often  that  of  the  Committee." 


In  contemplating  the  vast  improvements  to  the  garden 
and  the  great  change  for  the  better  in  the  arrangements, 
for  the  health  and  comfort  of  all  the  creatures  in  this  great 
collection  as  well  as  for  the  pleasure  and  instruction  of 
the  public,  it  is  pleasant  to  know  that  Loder's  heart  and 
hand  contributed  to  this  work  in  no  small  measure.  It 
is  true  here  as  elsewhere  that  "  he  bettered  everything 
he  touched." 

Loder's  friends  have  claimed  that  he  was  a  great  Eng- 
lishman. What  do  they  mean  ?  What  is  greatness  ?  In 
the  sense  of  being  powerful  or  famous  the  word  is  not 
applicable.  Power  and  fame  may  be  won  or  may  be 
fortuitous,  may  be  achieved  by  merit  or  reached  by  trickery 
or  crime.  Riding  alone  one  afternoon  with  the  late 
Colonel  Theodore  Roosevelt,  I  asked  him  how  he  had 
become  so  famous  and  so  powerful.  He  liked  the  ques- 
tion, because  he  knew  I  was  fond  of  him  and  interested 
in  everything  which  concerned  him.  In  the  course  of  an 
hour  or  so  he  related  to  me  in  his  own  inimitable  way  the 
history  of  his  life  from  childhood,  the  environments  and 
experiences  which  had  influenced  his  opinions  and  his 
tastes,  and  of  his  ascent  to  the  highest  place.  When  he 
had  reached  the  end  of  his  story  he  said,  "  You  see  I 
became  a  big  man  only  through  the  accident  of  circum- 
stance." And  so  it  appeared,  if  judged  by  his  own 
account  of  the  events  which  turned  public  attention  to 
him.  He  added  a  moment  after,  "  And  I  like  power — 
all  men  like  power  and  enjoy  influence."  But  Roosevelt 
was  a  great  man,  had  the  world  never  heard  of  him  or 
had  circumstances  never  brought  him  an  opportunity  to 
seize.  Circumstances  may  have  brought  him  into  public 
view,  but  the  public  recognised  he  was   a  great  man  as 


HIS   MEMORY  19 

soon  as  it  observed  him — his  greatness  preceded  fame  and 
power.  For  a  man  to  be  great  in  mind  and  great  in 
performance,  he  must  have  more  than  ordinary  physical 
vitality  as  well  as  great  activity  of  brain.  Roosevelt's  great 
qualities,  in  addition  to  phenomenal  vitality,  were,  I  think, 
a  passion  for  truth  and  justice,  and  a  detestation  of  cant, 
pretence  and  humbug ;  he  possessed  clean,  clear  common 
sense  combined  with  a  prodigious  memory.  The  intense 
love  of  collecting  information — or  indeed  of  collecting 
anything,  from  postage  stamps  and  butterflies  to  pictures 
and  wild  beasts — is  but  a  manifestation  of  the  inbred 
passion  for  hunting,  found  in  such  men  as  Roosevelt.  I 
am  endeavouring  to  measure  Loder's  greatness  by  the 
standard  of  men  who  are  generally  recognised  as  great. 
Loder  had  all  the  qualities  just  mentioned,  and  also,  vnth 
Roosevelt,  "  the  genius  of  taking  pains."  Mention  has 
already  been  made  of  Loder's  memory  in  relation  to  facts, 
figures  and  books,  but  here  is  an  illustration  of  how  it 
applied  to  other  things.  When  he  was  in  Colorado  in 
1878  he  remembered  shooting  a  Prong-horn  Antelope  in 
1873,  in  strange  country,  and  also  the  spot  where  he  had 
hung  it  in  a  tree  and  had  had  to  leave  it.  Five  years 
after,  he  went  straight  to  the  tree  and  there  was  the  skele- 
ton of  his  buck.  Some  men  I  have  known  would  not 
have  found  the  tree  five  hours  after. 

Whilst  Roosevelt,  whose  eyesight  was  defective,  did  not 
appear  to  me  to  be  a  quick  observer,  Loder  was  a  very 
rapid  and  accurate  one  ;  on  the  other  hand,  Roosevelt, 
who  despised  no  source  of  information,  had  the  gift  of 
collecting  and  remembering  an  enormous  number  of  the 
results  obtained  by  the  observations  of  others,  often 
confirming  them  by  his  own,  and  collating  them.  Thus 
Roosevelt  \N'ith  his  clear  and  equitable  sense  made  better 
use  of  his  knowledge  than  most  original  and  superior 
observers,  giving  to  the  world  at  large  the  harvest  of  his 
labour  and  thought.  Loder  was  long-sighted,  but  in 
practice  one  might  say  his  sight  was  perfect,  save  in  mist 
or  rain,  for  he  had  glasses  to  suit  all  distances  and  pur- 


20  EDMUND   LODER  [ch.  i 

poses,  e.g.  for  shooting  he  had  a  bifocal  lens  for  his 
right  eye,  enabling  him  to  see  a  thread  line  on  his  back 
or  Lyman  sight  and  also  to  see  his  target  as  well  as  his 
foresight ;  for  his  left  eye  he  had  a  simple  lens  with 
which  to  observe  the  whole  field  of  vision.  He  was  an 
expert  with  the  deer-glass,  but  he  had  what  is  of  impor- 
tance for  success — trained  sight.  Quick  and  accurate 
sight  is,  given  good  eyes,  largely  a  matter  of  experience 
and  practice — knomng  what  to  look  for,  where  to  look  for 
it  and  how  to  detect  it.  For  instance,  an  experienced 
shikari  or  traveller  in  the  desert  is  instinctively  and 
half-consciously  continually  scanning  the  horizon,  and 
will  immediately  catch  sight  of  a  very  tiny  flash  of  light 
there  which  an  untrained  eye  would  not  be  likely  to  notice 
even  if  it  was  looking  in  that  direction,  and  which  if 
detected  would  convey  no  meaning  ;  such  an  eye  would 
not  be  watching  for  a  signal.  The  initiated  know  for 
certain  what  the  object  is,  though  it  is  totally  invisible  to 
the  eye  and  may  be  invisible  to  binoculars — it  is  gazelle 
or  antelope.  I  have  seen  many  men  puzzled  by  being 
told  "  there  is  a  gazelle  "  near  the  horizon  just  as  much 
as  if  you  told  them  you  could  see  a  rabbit  three  miles 
away — certainly  no  eye  could  see  the  gazelle,  yet  one 
movement  in  the  sun  has  betrayed  it  and  sent  a  heliograph 
message  with  a  flash  of  light  off  the  white  of  its  flank  or 
stern.  In  this  sense  Loder's  sight  was  fully  trained. 
Possessing  very  similar  qualifications  of  greatness,  these 
two  men  were  very  different  in  their  outlook  on  life  and 
in  many  of  their  pursuits.  One  hardly  ever  heeded  the 
public,  certainly  not  to  the  extent  of  caring  what  the 
public  thought  about  him ;  the  other  thinking  almost 
always,  even  when  out  shooting,  what  the  public  would 
think  of  his  success  or  failure.  Roosevelt  amused  me  one 
day  when  he  knocked  down  a  nasty  lion,  at  some  sixty 
yards'  range  in  the  open,  by  turning  round  to  me  and 
saying  immediately,  with  a  grin  and  showing  his  teeth, 
"  That's  one  for  Wall  Street."  I  gathered  from  Roosevelt 
that  nothing  would  have  pleased  his  political  opponents 


HIS   SELF-EFFACEMENT  21 

more  than  the  news  that  a  lion  had  got  him  instead  of 
his  getting  a  lion — I  really  believe  he  felt  that  with  every 
well-placed  shot  he  laid  low  one  of  the  corrupt  crowd  he 
struggled  against.  Fancy  thinking  about  Wall  Street 
at  such  times  ! 

Loder  was  without  even  the  usual  moderate  dose  of 
desire  for  importance  and  publicity  common  among 
Enghsh  people  :  he  never  allowed  himself  to  be  coaxed 
or  pushed  into  any  position  of  power.  J.  G.  JMillais  says 
of  him  that  "  he  was  too  English  "  ;  ^  and  further,  "  in 
public  he  preferred  self-effacement.  The  only  time  I  ever 
heard  him.  make  a  speech  he  was  simply  a  bundle  of 
nerves,  and  though  he  knew  more  than  anyone  present, 
he  had  little  to  observe  ;  but,"  he  adds,  "  this  does  not 
detract  from  the  charm  or  even  the  greatness  of  English 
character."  Perhaps  Byron  indicates  his  mental  atti- 
tude towards  "  Statesmen  "  and  "  Sophists  "  : 

"  Envied,  yet  how  unenviable  !    what  stings 

Are  theirs  !     One  breast  laid  open  were  a  school 
Which  would  unteach  mankind  the  lust  to  shine  or  rule." 


And 


"  Away  with  these  !    true  Wisdom's  world  will  be 
Within  its  own  creation,  or  in  thine, 
Maternal  Nature  !   for  who  teems  like  thee  ?  " 


It  has  been  said  that  Roosevelt  was  "  too  American  " 
in  his  love  of  fame  ;  yet  the  world  requires  great  men 
to  serve  it  in  the  blaze  of  publicity,  and  a  man  will  not 
perform  his  ser\ice  worse  for  enjopng  the  limelight  in 
which  he  works.  But  does  not  our  faith  in  Britain  rest 
largely  on  the  knowledge  that  three-fourths  of  her  great- 
ness and  strength  lies  hidden  in  the  homes  and  lives  of  her 
people  of  every  class,  shrinks  from  public  view  and  is 
by  its  very  privacy  kept  clean  ?  In  the  great  trials  of 
nations,  when  peoples  are  put  to  the  test,  this  latent 
greatness  breaks  forth,  always  with  surprise,  and  is  ever 

^   "  Edmund  Loder  was  too  English  in  his  natural  reserve  and  so  the 
outside  world  did  not  know  him," — J.  G.  Millais  in  Country  Life. 


22  EDIVIUND   LODER  [ch.  i 

invincible.  The  unknown  warriors  save  us,  unknown 
teachers  have  taught  us  and  unknown  men  have  made 
our  country  worth  living  in  and  dying  for.  We  follow 
unconsciously  more  great  private  examples  than  public 
ones,  we  are  infected  with  inspirations  and  turn  to  ideals 
which  emanate  from  the  unprinted  words  and  unadver- 
tised  lives  of  such  men  as  the  one  I  "\mte  of. 

Although  well  built,  with  a  tall  (6  ft.  1|  in.),  agile  frame 
and  a  youthful  freshness  which  was  maintained  to  the 
end  of  his  hfe,  Edmund  Loder  cannot  be  said  to  have  been 
physically  a  strong  man.  In  Cashmere  in  1874,  in  following 
a  wounded  bear,  he  strained  his  heart,  which  had  been  highly 
tried  before  in  athletic  competitions,  and  from  the  effects 
of  this  he  never  entirely  recovered.  In  1915  this  heart- 
strain  again  showed  itself,  being  brought  on  by  deer- 
stalking, and  he  dropped  one  more  delightful  pursuit. 
It  seems  probable  that  had  he  given  up  deer-stalking 
sooner  he  might  have  lived  many  years  longer  than 
he  did. 

No  one  acquainted  with  Sir  Edmund  would  deny  the 
impressiveness  of  his  personality,  though  probably  no  one 
can  define  in  what  it  consisted.     My  own  opinion  is  that 
it  arose  partly  from  an  expression  in  his  very  light- blue 
eyes,  an  expression  hke  no  other  I  have  seen,  unless  it 
was  transmitted  to  the  eyes  of  his  son  Robin  Loder.     I 
cannot  describe  it ;    it  was  rather  fixed,  but  not  staring 
— it  was  rather  as    if,  when  he  looked    at    you,  he  was 
looking  inwardly  as  well  as  outwardly.     But  apart  from 
his  eyes,   the  general   impression  was  one  of  abounding 
vitality.     His  vitality  was  so  great  that  it  is  difficult  to 
conceive  that  he  is  dead.     Comparing  this  feeling  vdth 
that  of  others,  we  find  we  cannot  think  of  him  without 
seeing  him  with  the  inward  eye  and  hearing  him  with  the 
inward  ear,   almost  as  distinctly  as  if  he  were  actually 
present.     In  many  cases  we  strive  in  vain  to  conjure  up 
the  precise  image  and  the  very  voice  which  death    has 
placed  beyond  our  sight  and  hearing.     In   Loder's  case 
no  effort  whatever  is  needed.     My  daughter  a  year  after 


HIS   PERSONALITY  23 

his  death  and  several  years  after  having  seen  him  wrote 
to  me  : 

"  I  still  cannot  realise  he  too  has  gone,  he  always  seems 
to  me  such  a  tremendously  living  personality,  so  full  of 
vitality.  I  can  always  hear  his  voice  and  see  his  eyes 
twinkle,  whenever  I  think  of  him.  There  are  not  many 
like  him  in  life." 

His  own  daughter  wrote  : 

"  From  my  earliest  childhood's  days  my  Father  stood 
out  as  a  personality,  a  little  awe-inspiring  perhaps,  but  a 
personality,  and  it  is  as  such  that  I  remember  him  best." 

Edmund  Loder  was  a  man  of  simple  tastes.  As  taste 
differs  according  to  locality  and  seasons,  and  quot  homines, 
tot  sententice  is  true  of  it,  I  can  only  venture  my  opinion 
that  his  taste  was  good  in  every  direction. 

In  small  things,  as  in  great,  it  was  discriminating  and 
practical.  For  instance,  if  an  acknowledged  independent 
authority  existed  to  determine  such  matters,  it  might 
declare  all  Western  male  attire  to  be  appallingly  hideous  ; 
but  if  it  "has  to  be,"  then  Loder's  dress,  especially  for 
country  wear  and  travel,  were  as  pleasing  as  could  be  in 
colour  and  material  and  certainly  right  for  his  purposes, 
though  few  men  ever  gave  less  time  to  such  things,  or 
put  them  off  and  on  with  greater  expedition.  He  carried 
time-saving  methods  into  trifles.  He  held  to  the  Vic- 
torian creed  in  such  matters,  such  as  a  "  uniform  "  for 
Church  and  Town.  Whatever  moderns  may  think  about 
it,  it  saved  worry  as  well  as  time.  On  mornings  when  he 
had  to  betake  himself  by  train  to  the  Metropolis,  he 
would  present  himself  before  you  in  his  top  hat,  black 
coat,  dark  trousers,  overcoat,  with  an  umbrella  and  a 
pair  of  gloves  in  his  hand — strike  an  attitude  which 
announced  "  London  to-day  and  properly  turned  out, 
don't  you  think  ?  "  It  had  all  gone  on  in  about  five 
minutes  and  hjs  worry  about  clothes  was  over  for  the 
day.  His  evening  dress  went  on  as  fast,  but  there  was 
one  point  about  that  where  I  discovered  some  vanity — 
3 


24  EDMUND   LODER  [ch.  i 

it  was  as  regards  his  white  tie.  I  do  not  naturally  notice 
such  things,  though  I  once  did  remark  on  a  man 
who  had  one  of  satin  with  pink  spots  on  it,  and  I  am  no 
judge,  yet  when  Loder  sometimes  called  my  attention  to 
the  beauty  of  his  bow,  assuring  me  every  time  that  it  was 
not  "  made  up,"  I  used  to  gaze  at  it  without  discovering 
anything  about  it  which  made  it  remarkably  superior  to 
others,  but  he  several  times  said  to  me,  "  You  see  it  is 
one  tiling  you  learn  to  do  really  well  at  Eton." 

However  engrossed  in  work,  he  stopped  at  once  for 
meals  or  morning  prayers  and  went  straight  to  his  place. 
Visitors  have  remarked  to  me  that  he  read  prayers  and 
said  grace  at  meals  very  fast.  I  suppose  he  did,  but  the 
reply  to  this  was  "  Sir  Eddie  does  everytliing  fast  but 
well  "  ;  his  voice  was  always  in  the  right  key  for  prayers, 
his  bearing  and  expression  reverent.  For  him  to  have 
adopted  an  adagio,  or  a  clerical  drawl,  or  to  have  done 
anything  for  calculated  elfect  would  have  been  an  affec- 
tation quite  foreign  to  his  nature.  He  had  few  idiosyn- 
crasies, beyond  preferring  his  soup,  liis  tea  and  his  coffee 
nearly  cold,  and  the  peculiarity  of  the  mixture  he  put 
into  his  water-bottle  in  hot  countries.  For  many  years 
he  rejoiced  in  the  possession  of  a  cat-skin  "  boto  "  ("  my 
boto  ")  which  he  had  acquired  in  the  Pyrenees,  together 
with  skill  in  the  Pyrenean  art  of  allowing  the  jet  of  liquid 
to  go  straight  down  his  gullet.  This  bottle  throughout 
its  long  and  ubiquitous  career  imparted  the  most  atrocious 
feline  flavour  to  the  strongest  mixtures  he  put  into  it. 
He  would  pour  into  it  tea,  sour  wine,  lime-juice  and 
coffee  and  shake  them  together,  partly  in  an  annuall}'' 
dwindling  hope  of  drowning  the  cat,  but  mainly  from  the 
conviction  that  the  only  way  of  dealing  with  a  desert 
or  tropical  thirst  was  to  make  drinking  as  objectionable 
as  possible.  When  suffering  from  thirst  on  a  hot  march 
to  distant  wells,  we  would  screw  up  our  courage  for  facing 
the  "  boto  "  by  suggesting  to  each  other  more  pleasing 
drinks.  "  What  will  you  take  ?  " — "  Iced  laager  or 
shandy-gaff,  please  ;    and  you  ?  " — "  Thank  you,  I'll  have 


HUNTING   CRAFT  25 

a  cold  whisky-and-soda  with  a  slice  of  lemon  in  it,  or 
a  lemon  squash."  Or  we  would  discuss  whether  grapes 
and  melons  or  peaches  and  green  figs  made  the  best  base 
for  iced  sherbet.  Gradually  we  worked  ourselves  up  to 
the  necessary  pitch  for  contemplating  the  boto— then  he 
would  hand  it  to  me  and  say  "  Have  a  smell  at  that  "  ; 
he  would  laugh  mth  delight  to  see  how  a  little  went  a 
long  way  and  how  few  ever  wanted  a  second  squirt  of 
the  nectar  loderi. 

Without  being  Spartan  he  was  in  all  his  habits  very 
temperate— he  smoked  very  little,  but  was  the  last  of 
my  acquaintances  who  preferred  Manilla  cheroots  to  all 
other  forms  of  tobacco.  At  meals  he  was  often  so  absorbed 
m  conversation— and  he  was  a  great  and  interesting 
talker  when  in  congenial  company,  and  a  good  listener— 
that  he  would  sign  away  with  bis  hand  one  dish  after 
another. 

So  far  as  Edmund  Loder  acquired  fame,  it  was  chiefly 
amongst   the   highest    class    of  horticulturists,    zoologists 
and  scientists,  or  among  travellers,  big-game  hunters  and 
riflemen.     It  is  always  difficult  to  place  a  man  in  any 
class,  and  I  am  not  qualified  to  ascribe  to  Loder  his  in 
any  of  these.     Even  if  you  have  had  a  long  and  varied 
experience  of  naturalists  and  big-game  hunters  it  is  im- 
possible to  be  famihar  enough  with  all  the  best  to  make 
fair  comparisons.     Yet  unless  we  aUude  to  our  observa- 
tion of  others  in  similar  spheres  of  activity  whose  names 
and  performances  are  kno^vn,  how  can  any  idea  be  given 
of  a  man's  merits  ?     Probably  there  are  and  have  been 
many  m.en  who  as  sportsmen-naturalists  had  some  superior 
points  of  excellence  and  who  have  scored  greater  success 
in  the  field,  but  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  a  better  combina- 
tion than  Loder  was  of  science  with  practice— knowledge 
of  natural  history  and  of  the  game,  practical  skill,  resource, 
energy,  perseverance,  experience  and  good  marksmanship  ;' 
and  he  had  a  fine  record  of  success.     Possibly  his  friend 
Lord  Cottesloe,  who  has  as  complete  a  knowledge  of  the 
rifle  and  of  ballistics  as  any  living  sportsman,  may  be  a 


26  ED5IITND   LODER  [ch.  i 

better  marksman  at  game  than  Loder  was.     Loder  had 
a  fine  record  of  deer-stalking  in  Scotland  and  was  a  deadly 
shot  on  a  forest,  but  his  brother  Mr.  Sydney  Loder  has 
killed  up  to  now,  to  his  own  rifle  and  all  hy  stalking,  1,173 
stags  in  32  seasons  :    has  any  other  man  done  that  ?      It 
is  an  average  of  over  36  stags  a  season.     I  have  known 
men  more  rapid  and  deadly  with  their  fire  at  moving  and 
galloping  game  than  Sir  Edmund  ;    I  never  once  saw  him 
attempt  shooting  from  horseback  at  the  gallop  or  other- 
wise, but  for  a  quiet  shot,  even  if  it  had  to  be  quick,  at 
any  sportsman's  range,  as  a  judge  of  range    and    target 
in  the  field,  he  was  as  near  perfection  as  a  man  m.ay  be. 
His    stalking    craft,    resourcefulness    and    rapid    decision 
made  him  a  deadly  antagonist  matched  against  almost  any 
beast.     I  say  "  almost  "  any  beast  because  there  are  some 
animals  so  clever  and  with  senses  so  acute  that  no  man 
is  a  deadly  match  for  them  ;    such  is  the  old  ram  of  the 
Barbary  breed.     By  this  is  meant  that  an  old  male  Bar- 
bary  sheep  carrying  a  good  head  in  the  Atlas  range,  being 
as  a  rule  the  sentinel  for  his  flock,  will  in  the  majority  of 
eases  elude  the  hunter's  eye  or  glass,  and  if  detected  or 
spied  wall  oftener  than  not  escape  being  stalked,  by  his 
situation  or  by  stratagem,   and  that  when  shot  at   will 
generally  present  such  a  poor,  and  often  moving,  target 
that  he  will  more  frequently  get  away  than  fall  to  the 
rifle  ;    yet  Loder  was  successful  with  this  noble  game. 
There  are  the  professional  hunters,  men  of  vast  experience 
and  skill,   some  of  whom  arc  also  excellent  naturalists. 
You  meet  such  men  in  East  and  South  Africa  and  else- 
where ;    but  their  experience  and  scientific  knowledge  are 
more  or  less  local  and  confined  as  a  rule  to  one  continent. 
Their   fame,    unless    they    are    writers    or    collectors    for 
museums  in  Europe  and  America,  hardly  reaches  the  out- 
side world.     Wide  and  varied  experience  is  more  likely 
to  be  found  among  amateurs.     Even  amateurs  who  had 
very  busy  lives,  with  httle  time  comparatively  in  which 
to  indulge  their  passion  for  travel  and  sport,  have  accom- 
plished extraordinary  things.     A  very  notable  example  of 


HUNTING    CRAFT  27 

these  is  Mr.  Ed^vaid  North  Buxton,  who  has,  moreover, 
pubhshed  dehghtful  descriptions  of  his  many  experiences, 
some  of  which  are  quite  unique  in  this  department  of  sport. 

But  even  among  amateurs  there  cannot  be  very  many 
who,  Hke  Loder,  in  addition  to  having  been  a  hard  rider 
to  hounds,  a  good  fisherman,  with  a  fine  deer- stalking 
record  in  Scotland,  with  a  capital  one  of  chamois  in 
Europe,  ha\ing  had  success  with  izard  and  ibex  in  the 
Pyrenees  and  on  the  Spanish  side,  had  hunted  big  game 
all  round  the  world,  so  to  speak,  from  the  days  when  he 
stalked  American  bison  on  the  prairies  in  the  old  buffalo 
days,  and  to  those  when  he  hunted  big  game  of  Africa 
as  late  as  1908,  or  who  could  show  a  finer  and  larger 
number  of  typical  heads  and  specimens. 

'■  The  man  in  the  street,"  if  asked  who  was  the  greatest 
naturalist-hunter  of  our  time,  would  probably  say  "  Fred 
Selous,"  who  had  been  both  a  professional  and  an  amateur. 
The  fame  of  Selous  arises  partly  from  his  gift  of  de- 
scribing what  he  had  seen  and  done  and  from  the  romance 
which  attaches  to  ha\dng  done  his  early  hunting  in  dis- 
tant, and  at  that  time  little-knowTi,  regions  of  South 
Africa.  He  had  been  a  professional  ivory-hunter  when 
there  were  many  others,  some  of  whom  I  have  known 
as  old  men,  who  probably  had  records  quite  as  good, 
but  had  no  chroniclers.  Selous  brought  all  the  lessons 
of  his  African  experiences  to  the  pursuits  which  he  con- 
tinued as  an  amateur.  But  Selous  was  not  only  a  hunter, 
an  observer,  a  collector  and  a  wTiter,  for  he  attracted 
attention  by  his  honesty  and  independence  of  judgment 
as  a  pioneer  in  Rhodesia,  and  in  the  part  he  took  in  South 
African  pohtics,  and  last  but  not  least  by,  when  old, 
returning  to  Africa  and  laying  down  his  life  for  his  country 
as  a  gallant  soldier.  Selous  was  not  a  remarkable  shot 
compared  with  many  Afrikanders  ;  if  more  reliable,  he 
was  slower  than  most  big-game  hunters  I  have  known, 
but  he  was  a  hard,  persevering,  observant  and  brave 
sportsman.  It  is  often  said  that  his  bag  of  lions  was 
the  biggest  that  any  sportsman  had  made.     I  have  known 


28  EDMUND   LODER  [ch.  i 

a  good  many  whose  bags  of  lions  are  larger,  and  some 
who  were  as  good  field  naturalists. 

Major  J.  Stevenson  Hamilton,  a  mutual  friend  of  Loder's 
and  my  own,  for  instance,  has  killed  by  himself  between 
50  and  60  lions,  47  of  which  he  has  walked  up  alone  on 
foot  in  South  Africa.  In  the  three  months  of  Augnist, 
September  and  October  1920  he  walked  up  and  shot 
16  lions  in  the  Transvaal.  Major  Hamilton  has  had 
many  experiences  in  the  Sudan  and  elsewhere,  and  there 
are  few  better  authorities  on  African  zoology.  Yet 
Hamilton  would  say  that  there  is  another  man  living 
named  Fraser,  whom  I  knew  in  my  Transvaal  days, 
whose  knowledge  is  probably  superior  to  that  of  any  man 
past  or  present.  Fraser  is  now  growing  old,  but  is  a 
man  of  remarkable  physique  and  with  abnormal  powers 
of  observation  ;  he  has  spent  twenty  years  in  South  Africa 
and  twenty-five  previously  in  India  ;  he  can  write  excel- 
lent descriptive  letters,  sketches  and  paints  beautifully, 
and  has  a  most  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  life- 
histories  and  habits  of  South  African  fauna,  yet  he  never 
has  and  never  will  make  use  of  his  knowledge  and  talents 
for  the  benefit  of  the  outside  world.  The  secrets  he  has 
discovered  and  the  knowledge  acquired  in  his  long  life 
of  diligent  and  intelligent  observation  in  the  wilds  will 
die  with  him.  This  all  goes  to  show  the  difficulty  of 
making  comparisons. 

Where  we  place  men  whom  we  know  in  any  list  depends 
on  the  qualities  to  which  we  attach  the  higher  values.  Keen- 
ness, skill,  courage,  endurance,  perseverance,  powers  of 
observation,  scientific  knowledge,  physical  activity,  length 
and  variety  of  experience  all  go  to  the  making  of  the 
accomplished  hunter-naturalist.  Loder  had  an  outfit  of 
all  these  qualifications.  In  regard  to  one  of  them  he  was 
singular ;  for  whilst  he  thoroughly  enjoyed  facing  an 
elephant  or  a  rhinoceros,  he  avoided  lions.  In  my  trips 
with  him  he  only  killed  one,  very  neatly,  with  his  -256 
Mannlicher.  I  sometimes  begged  him  to  track  up  with 
me  fresh  lion  spoor  when  the  tracks  indicated  a  large 


HUNTING  CRAFT  29 

troop ;  he  invariably  said  "  No."  Once  when  I  said 
"  Why  ?  "  he  rephed,  "  I  don't  want  to  get  bitten ; 
besides,  I  want  to  go  home  after  this  trip."  He  was 
persuaded  that  anyone  who  persisted  in  walking  up  Hons 
on  foot,  whatever  his  skill,  would  be  caught  sooner  or 
later,  and  more  likely  than  not  the  first  time ;  for,  said  he, 
"  No  man  except  by  a  fluke  can  put  a  bullet  into  a  charg- 
ing lion's  brain,  and  that's  what  you  have  got  to  do." 
Loder  was  made  for  killing  lions,  for  he  had  presence  of 
mind  and  was  a  sure  shot,  and  the  trick  is  done  by 
getting  dose  up  for  the  first  shot.  Yet  he  would  not 
try. 

All  travellers  and  sportsmen  experience  occasional 
defeat  and  bitter  disappointments.  Edmund  Loder  took 
his  with  a  sporting  and  philosophic  cheerfulness.  As  I 
write  an  occasion  comes  to  my  mind  when  on  an  April 
day,  under  a  roasting  sun  and  on  burning  rocks,  he  and 
I  met  at  ijoonday.  We  had  hunted  for  a  month  or  more 
through  perhaps  a  hundred  miles  of  mountain  ranges, 
often  seeing  vrild  sheep,  ^  but  without  either  of  us  getting 
a  shot  at  an  old  ram.  We  had  worn  out  all  our  clothes 
and  boots,  we  were  very  red  and  very  thin.  That 
morning  we  had  started  before  davm  at  opposite  ends  of 
a  long  ridge  of  cliffs  and  terraces  where  in  former  expedi- 
tions we  both  had  been  successful.  But  apparently  the 
mountains  held  not  a  sheep  that  day.  We  sat  down  in 
silence  and  looked  over  the  barren  foothills  below  us  to 
the  quivering  desert  beyond.  After  awhile  I  asked,  with 
a   groan,  the  question  in  Arabic  we  had  so  often  put  to 

1  In  the  Aures  and  other  Atlas  Mountain  groups,  the  Barbary  Wild 
Sheep  {Ovis  lervii,  known  to  the  Arabs  of  North  Africa  as  the  Larrowi, 
El  Arroui,  or  Fechstal,  to  the  Chouias  and  Berbers  as  Outhathou  or 
Aoudad  and  to  the  French  as  mouflon  a  manchettes)  is  extraordinarily 
nomadic.  Shepherds  are  ubiquitous  and  nomadic  too.  Some  of  them 
carry  gvms.  Arab  himters  lie  vip  or  pursue  the  wild  sheep  with  flint- 
locks and  dogs,  so  that  the  sheep  are  ever  on  the  qui  vive  and  migrate 
from  one  mountain  to  another  on  the  slightest  disturbance.  This  sheep 
is  found  in  certain  moxmtain  ranges  from  Morocco  to  Tripoli,  in  certain 
regions  of  the  central  Sahara,  also  in  ranges  to  the  east  and  the  west  of 
the  Nile  in  Egypt  and  well  into  the  Sudan. 


30  EDMUND   LODER  [ch.  i 

our  shikaris  when  one  Djebel  after  another  had  failed  us  : 
"  To  which  mountain  now  ?  Where  shall  we  go  ?  "  He 
rephed  with  a  loud,  cheerful  laugh,  "Djebel  Biskra." 
This,  then,  was  the  climax  to  our  tremendous  labours — 
so  we  both  laughed,  went  down  the  mountains,  struck 
camp  and  made  our  first  march  for  the  shade  of  the  palms 
and  the  flesh-pots  of  Biskra. 

Loder  made  one  remark  about  the  failure  of  this  trip  : 

"  We  know  the  game  and  have  done  all  that  can  be 
done  and  worked  ourselves  silly — and  look  here  !  Some 
damned  fool  will  come  out  from  England  who  knows 
nothing,  and  rmi  into  a  great  ram  the  first  day  and  kill 
him  by  a  fluke." 

He  judged  right  as  regards  Dame  Fortune,  for  the  very 
thing  happened.  The  "  damned  fool  "  was  a  friend  of 
mine  who  had  never  fired  a  rifle  at  anything  more  lively 
than  an  iron  target  as  a  volunteer  in  his  undergraduate 
days  at  Cambridge.  He  came  out  to  Algeria,  and  passing 
through  Algiers  he  bought  the  only  rifle  he  could  find — it 
was  of  a  very  antique  military  pattern  with  an  enormously 
long  barrel  (he  said  it  was  a  Wetterh) — and  with  it  some 
equally  antique  very  short  cartridges  loaded  with  a  solid 
ball  with  a  pinch  of  black  powder  behind.  He  told  me  he 
was  anxious  to  shoot  mouflon  ;  he  said  this  as  you  might 
say  "  I  want  to  get  a  few  couple  of  rabbits."  I  explained 
to  him  that  it  required  great  skill  and  perseverance  to  get 
a  shot  at  aU,  and  that  "  that  thing  "  was  no  use.  I  offered 
him  my  mules,  shikari  and  men  as  well  as  camp  outfit,  also 
a  good  rifle  ;  the  last  he  haughtily  declined,  the  rest  he 
accepted,  and  off  he  set  with  a  mutual  friend  of  ours  to  a 
mountain  which  I  indicated  as  offering  as  good  a  chance 
as  any.  Within  three  or  four  days,  instead  of  weeks,  he 
was  back  again  at  Biskra  with  a  splendid  head.  He  and 
his  companion  had  quarrelled  after  two  nights  in  camp 
over  a  pat  of  butter,  hence  their  precipitous  return.  He 
was  much   more    intent   on  describing   the  pat-of-butter 


HUNTING   CRAFT  31 

battle  than  on  satisfying  my  curiosity  as  to  how  he  had  got 
his  mouflon.  I  had  to  hsten  to  his  history  of  adventures 
in  the  order  of  his  estimate  of  their  interest ;  the  first 
story  was  to  this  effect : 

because  he  was  in  camp  had  left  all  his  manners 


behind — that  on  the  breakfast  table,  before  sunrise,  had  been 
placed  a  beautiful  and  only  pat  of  butter  purchased  at  the 

last  moment  when  leaving  Biskra,  and  that  instead 

of  cutting  a  piece  off  one  end  of  it,  as  a  gentleman  would, 
had  jobbed  his  knife  into  the  middle  of  it,  and  when  told 
not  to  forget  himself  nor  to  behave  as  a  cad  just  because  he 
was  in  camjJ,  he  had  turned  nasty  in  a  most  unaccountable 
way." 

I  had  the  other  man's  version  later — equally  amusing, 
but  I  got  the  facts  about  the  mouflon  at  last.  My  friend 
with  his  Wetterli  had  reached  the  top  of  the  first  ridge  of 
the  mountain  at  sunrise,  and,  standing  up  his  full  six  feet 
two  of  height  on  the  skyline  with  the  first  rays  of  the  sun 
blazing  in  his  face  and  on  the  two  yards  or  so  of  Wetterli, 
surveyed  the  scene.  He  at  once  saw  five  sheep  (four  ewes 
with  a  ram)  bundling  and  bounding  off  over  rocks  and  ter- 
races as  hard  as  they  could  go  one  after  another  ;  they  were 
on  a  ridge  across  a  deep  valley  and  must  have  been  nearly 
opposite  him  when  he  first  came  on  to  the  skyline.  My 
friend,  still  standing  up  of  course,  let  drive  at  them,  or  at 
what  he  could  see  of  them  against  the  sun,  having  just  time 
to  get  a  pull  on  the  trigger  (and  it  required  a  long  and  strong 
pull)  ere  they  disappeared,  and  he  dropped  one  Sit  four  to 
five  hundred  yards'  range — at  which  distance  the  great  blob 
on  his  rifle,  that  did  duty  for  a  foresight,  must  have  blocked 
out  an  acre  or  so  of  the  mountain.  Crossing  the  valley 
and  climbing  to  the  place,  he  found  he  had  killed  the 
old  ram — and  with  a  bullet  in  the  eye  !  When  I  related 
to  Loder  the  literal  fulfilment  of  his  prophecy  and 
within  a  mile  of  the  place  where  he  made  it,  he  remarked, 
"  Well,  a  bullet  must  go  somewhere. ''^ 

Sir  Edmund  Loder's  life  was  a  very  full  and  a  very  inter- 


32  EDMUND   LODER  [ch.  i 

esting  one.  A  happy  life  too  till  the  war  ended  its  bright- 
ness as  it  did  that  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  other  lives. 
No  doubt  as  it  is  with  others  he  came  into  old  age  uncon- 
sciously with  a  surprise  to  find  himself  already  there. 
Fortune  smiled  on  his  birth  ;  he  was  blest  in  his  wife  and 
in  his  children,  who  loved  what  he  loved.  Lady  Loder 
added  unusual  charm  and  sweetness  to  a  beautiful  home, 
and  moreover,  being  not  only  fond  of  but  clever  with  rifle, 
gun  and  rod,  shared  for  many  years  his  sport  and  was  ever 
a  most  delightful  hostess  to  his  friends.  To  his  two  chil- 
dren he  was  devoted.  I  can  almost  hear  now  the  daughter 
and  father  talking  and  laughing  together,  and  without  an 
effort  the  picture  comes  of  a  summer  evening,  his  daughter  ^ 
playing  the  piano  to  him,  he  standing  by  her  in  the 
window,  with  a  lovely  background  of  the  hills  and  woods 
of  Leonardslee.  He  took  the  greatest  pride  in  his  son's 
success  at  Eton  and  Cambridge,  and  it  was  a  source  of  the 
utmost  satisfaction  to  him  that  similar  tastes  to  his  own 
for  natural  science  developed  in  his  only  boy.  For  some 
years  before  Robin  Loder  died  he  had  reached  an  age  when 
he  became  "  at  once  a  brother  and  a  son."  It  is  not  too 
much  to  say  that  Robin's  death,  fighting  in  Palestine,  was 
a  blow  from  which  his  father  never  recovered. 

I  hope  in  the  following  pages  to  give  more  than  an  out- 
line of  Sir  Edmund's  life,  but  the  intimate  things  of  a  man's 
home  and  family,  like  his  inmost  thoughts,  are  his  private 
possessions.  Enough  will  appear  to  reveal  what  manner 
of  man  he  was.  He  lived  and  died  a  member  of  the  Church 
of  England,  accepting  his  religion  and  duty  very  simply. 
He  avoided  religious  controversy  as  an  unprofitable  pur- 
suit as  well  as  speculating  on  "  what  none  yet  ever  knew  or 
can  be  known."  In  1919  he  remarked  to  one  of  his  friends 
that  useless  speculation  as  to  the  future  life  had  helped 
more  than  anything  else  to  fill  the  lunatic  asylums.  He 
once  said  to  me,  "  Religion  in  practice  here  is  included  in 
one  word— conduct. ^^ 

1  His  daughter  Patience  married  Mr.   WaJter  Otter,  son  of  the  late 
Mr.  Francis  Otter  of  Horsham. 


HIS   FAITH  38 

I  have  heard  him  repeat : 

' '  When  elements  to  elements  conform 
And  dust  is  as  it  shoxild  be,  shall  I  not 
Feel  all  I  see,  less  dazzling  but  more  warm  ? 
The  bodiless  thought  ?     The  spirit  of  each  spot  ? 

Of  which,  even  now,  I  share  at  times  the  immortal  lot." 

And  it  is  for  such  as  I  am  among  his  friends  to  say  : 

"  And  can  I  deem  thee  dead 
When  busy  Memory  flashes  in  my  brain  ? 
Well — I  will  dream  that  we  may  meet  again." 


CHAPTER   II 

THE    FAMILY    OF    LODER 

"  Mui'us  aeneus  conscientia  sana  "  (the  motto  of  the  Loders). 

It  was  Giles  Loder,  the  grandfather  of  Sir  Edmund,  born 
in  1786,  who  built  up  from  its  foundations  the  family  for- 
tune. The  stock  from  which  he  descended  was  an  old 
Dorsetshire  family  and  perhaps  originally  came  from  the 
parish  of  Loder.  During  many  generations  the  Loders 
were  settled  at  Hazelbury  Bryan,  near  Sturminster  Newton 
in  North  Dorsetshire,  and  the  Registers  there  carry  the 
records  of  the  family  back  to  the  sixteenth  century.  The 
family  later  spread  into  the  adjoining  county  of  Wiltshire, 
and  when  Giles  Loder  finally  returned  after  his  career  in 
Russia,  it  was  at  Wilsford  near  Salisbury  that  he  settled 
down.  Judging  from  his  life's  work  and  from  the  general 
character  of  his  descendants,  I  cannot  picture  him  as  being 
anything  else  but  an  extremely  energetic  and  enterprising 
man,  endowed  with  great  mental  and  physical  activity. 
Moreover,  a  determined  man,  putting  his  heart  into  his  work 
and  bent  on  success.  He  began  his  Russian  experiences 
as  what  in  old  days  was  called  a  "  Merchant  Adventurer  " — 
Guilds  of  Merchant  Adventurers  still  exist  in  England,  at 
least  in  name.  In  Russia  he  had  a  most  successful  business 
career,  and  on  leaving  that  country  continued  his  activities 
in  London.  He  married  twice.  His  first  wife  (the  grand- 
mother of  Sir  Edmund  Loder)  was  Elizabeth,  a  daughter 
of  John  Higginbotham  of  St.  Petersburg.  John  Higgin- 
botham  settled  in  Russia,  having  married  a  daughter  of 
a  W.  Mashmeyer.  A  portrait  of  W.  Mashmeyer  in  the 
possession  of  the  Higginbotham  family  exhibits  a  strong 
resemblance  in  face  and  build  between  him  and  his  great- 

34 


GILES   LODER   IN   RUSSIA  35 

great-grandson  Sir  Edmund  Loder — he  is  very  tall  and  slim 
with  a  somewhat  narrow  face,  and  the  likeness  is  there  in 
spite  of  powdered  hair  and  a  light-blue  coat  with  lace  frills. 
John  Higginbotham  had  several  children,  of  whom  one, 
John,  married  Amelia  Schleich,  the  daughter  of  the  Burgo- 
meister  of  Ulm  in  Wiirtemberg.  This  John  Higginbotham 
(Sir  E.  Loder's  great-grandfather)  was  born  in  St.  Peters- 
burg and  lived  in  his  house  on  the  Vassili  Ostrov  (William's 
Island)  opposite  the  Palace  of  Menshikoff .  The  next  house, 
which  is  the  corner  house  towards  the  River  Neva,  was 
bought  by  Giles  Loder,  and  he  married  his  neighbour's 
eldest  daughter  Elizabeth  Higginbotham,  who  was  born  in 
1796  (?).  Elizabeth  Loder  had  several  brothers  and  sisters. 
Her  youngest  brother  William  Higginbotham,  born  in  1813 
on  the  day  of  the  Battle  of  Leipzig,  lived  to  the  age  of  94 
and  saw  four  generations  of  Elizabeth  Loder's  descendants. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  Loder  had  three  sons,  Edmund,  Alfred 
and  Robert,  Robert  being  much  the  youngest.  William 
Higginbotham,  their  uncle,  was  but  four  years  older  than 
the  eldest  of  the  Loder  children,  and  was  much  with  the  two 
elder  boys  while  they  lived  next  door  to  each  other.  After- 
wards he  went  to  Dorpat  to  study  German  and  medicine, 
and  then  to  pursue  his  medical  studies  at  the  Universities 
of  Berlin,  Vienna,  Paris  and  London.  From  London  it 
was  his  intention  to  go  to  Australia,  but  his  mother  set  her 
face  against  this  plan,  and  through  the  mediation  of  his 
sister  Sophie,  who  held  the  appointment  of  English 
governess  to  the  Grand  Duchess  Alexandra,  the  Emperor 
Nicholas  I  called  him  back  from  London  to  St.  Petersburg 
and  appointed  him  Court  Physician,  and  special  medical 
attendant  to  his  daughters,  the  three  Grand  Duchesses, 
Marie,  Olga  and  Alexandra.  The  three  sisters  were  all  very 
beautiful,  and  Alexandra  had  in  addition  a  most  "  lovely 
and  queenly  figure."  Their  mother,  the  Empress,  was  a 
very  vain  woman  and  frequently  had  her  portrait  painted. 
But  she  never  stood  herself  for  the  figure  ;  the  beautiful 
Alexandra  had  to  pose  for  her  mother,  and  only  the  face 
in  the  portraits  is  that  of  the  Empress.     At  the  Empress's 


36  THE   FAMILY  OF   LODER  [ch.  ii 

small  and  select  receptions  in  her  salon  every  evening,  if 
one  of  the  ladies  wore  a  dress  a  second  time,  she  never  let 
the  event  pass  without  some  such  cutting  observation  as, 
"  I  have  seen  this  frock  before." 

Sophie  Higginbotham  had  many  worries  over  this  frock 
business,  and  her  wardrobe  M^as  so  enormous  that  in  these 
days  it  would  be  unthinkable  to  possess  so  many  dresses. 

The  Czar  Nicholas  was  verv  English  in  his  tastes  and 
preferences.  William  and  Sophie  Higginbotham  were 
great  favourites  with  him  and  were  the  recipients  of  many 
favours  and  presents  from  him  and  the  Imperial  family.  In 
1844  William  Higginbotham  co-operated  with  the  Grand 
Duchess  Marie  Nicolayerna  of  Leuchtenberg  in  instituting 
the  first  trained  nurses,  Sisters  of  Mercy,  in  Russia ;  and 
fifty  years  later,  at  the  Jubilee  of  this  Institution,  the 
Emperor  Alexander  III  honoured  him  with  the  Star  of  the 
Holy  Order  of  Vladimir.  This  was  the  last  decoration  which 
William  Higginbotham  received,  for  he  had  long  before 
retired  from  his  professional  work.  In  1881  he  was  present 
in  London  at  the  Medical  Congress  as  the  delegate  of  Russia 
and  after  thirt}'^  years  again  met  his  nephew  Robert  Loder. 
The  last  occasion  had  been  in  1851,  when  he  and  his  sister 
Sophie  had  come  over  for  the  Great  Exliibition  and  when 
Sir  Edmund  Loder  was  quite  a  baby.  At  that  time  there 
were  no,  or  very  few,  railways  in  Russia  and  William  and 
Sophie  Higginbotham  travelled  with  the  Emperor  Nicholas 
and  the  Empress  Alexandra  in  a  coach  from  St.  Petersburg 
to  Cologne  (?  or  to  whatever  the  nearest  point  to  the  railway 
may  have  been),  the  Imperial  family  remaining  in  Germa-ny. 
Giles  Loder's  first  wife  died  in  1848,  when  he  was  62  years 
of  age.  Of  the  children  she  bore  him,  only  one,  Robert, 
survived  Giles  Loder.  In  1849  Mr.  Giles  Loder  married 
again,  Elizabeth,  the  widow  of  Captain  John  Bott,  and  she 
survived  her  husband.  Giles  Loder's  death  took  place  on 
August  19th,  1871,  and  his  widow  died  in  1877.  During 
the  latter  part  of  his  life,  his  town  house  was  1  Clarendon 
Place,  Hyde  Park,  and  liis  country  home  at  Wilsford. 

The  only  surviving  son  of  the  first  marriage  was  Robert 


ROBERT  LODER— THE  BUSKS        37 

LoDER,  born  in  1823,  who  inherited  the  bulk  of  the  large 
fortune  accumulated  by  his  father.  A  son  named  Edmund 
had  died  when  young,  and  it  was  after  this  favourite 
brother  that  Robert  Loder  named  his  eldest  son,  the 
subject  of  this  memoir. 

When  once  labour  and  self-denial  have  laid  a  good 
foundation  of  capital,  little  more  effort  and  sacrifice  are 
required  for  the  construction  of  a  fortune,  and  its  enlarge- 
ment, than  what  is  represented  by  such  expressions  as 
avoidance  of  extravagance,  and  careful  attention  to  its 
management  and  growth.  Thus  it  came  about  that  Giles 
Loder  was  able  to  leave  a  fortune  to  his  son  Robert,  who 
was  48  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death. 

In  1847,  at  the  age  of  24  years,  Robert  Loder  had 
married  Maria  Georgiana,  the  fourth  daughter  of  Mr. 
Hans  Busk,'  and  on  August  7th,  1849,  Edmund  Giles 
Loder  was  born  at  16  Montagu  Street,  Portman  Square, 
the  home  of  his  aunt,  Julia  Clara,  Mrs.  William  Pitt 
Byrne,  his  mother's  sister. 

It  is  evident,  when  we  look  at  the  record  of  Sir  Ednmnd 
Loder's  maternal  descent,  that  he  owed  at  least  some  of 
his  special  gifts  and  characteristics  to  his  mother's  family 
as  well  as  certain  tendencies  or  preferences  in  his  tastes 
and  pursuits.  When  his  grandfather  Hans  Busk  died  on 
February  8th,  1862,  in  his  ninetieth  year,  it  was  said  of 
him  m  The  Court  Journal : 

"He  has  indeed  left  few  survivors  possessing  higher 
classical  attamments,  a  truer  love  for  literature  or  endowed 
with  sounder  general  erudition.  As  a  linguist  he  had 
not  many  equals;  having  travelled  much,  he  conversed 
fluently  in  most  of  the  languages  of  Europe.  In  eariy 
lite  he  resided  for  some  years  in  Russia  and  was  at  one 
time  a  member  of  the  Empress  Catherine's  celebrated 
Uievalier  Guard— an  honour  few  Englishmen  have  shared. 
It  was  at  that  time  accorded  only  to  those  who  could 
trace   their    pedigree    in   an   unbroken   line    through   ten 

1  The  father  of  Mr.  Hans  Busk  was  Sir  Wadsworth  Busk,  sometime 
Attorney-General  of  the  Isle  of  Man. 


38  THE  FAMILY   OF  LODER  [ch.  ii 

descents.  He  had  been  on  terms  of  intimacy  with  most 
of  the  hterary  and  political  celebrities  who  flourished  in 
the  earlier  part  of  the  present  century,  and  he  had  shared 
the  friendship  of  Edmund  Burke,  Sir  Philip  Francis, 
Charles  James  Fox,  Sheridan,  Canning,  Perceval,  Wilber- 
force  and  Wyndham  as  well  as  that  of  Byron,  Moore, 
Scott  and  of  many  others  whose  minds  were  similarly 
attuned  to  his  own.  .  .  .  His  son  Captain  Hans  Busk  is 
the  well-known  originator  of  England's  Volunteer  Army." 

The  last  named.  Captain  Hans  Busk,^  was  Edmund 
Loder's  uncle  and  probably  gave  his  nephew  some  new 
ideas  and  interests.  Captain  Busk  was  a  prominent  man 
in  his  day,  having  original  ideas  and  getting  them  materia- 
lised ;  he  lived  till  February  1882.  He  was  the  author 
of  The  Rifle,  The  Organisation  of  Rifle  Corps,  and  of  other 
writings  in  aid  of  the  chief  work  of  his  life.  It  is  inter- 
esting to  find  "  Uncle  Hans  Busk,"  when  his  nephew 
Edmund  was  nearly  10  years  old,  bringing  down  the 
Victoria  Rifle  Corps^  to  "The  High  Beeches,"  Robert 
Loder's  country  place  in  Sussex,  on  May  26th,  1859,  to 
celebrate  their  24th  anniversary. ^  I  read  that  Mr.  Robert 
Loder  entertained  the  Corps  and  that  in  return  "  they 
gave  an  exhibition  of  their  target  shooting  and  went 
through  some  infantry  evolutions  in  the  forest  on  the 
estate."  Also  that  "  Captain  Norton,  the  well-known 
Peninsula  veteran,  observed  that  the  corps  reminded  him 
of  the  old  95th  (the  present  Rifle  Brigade)  in  their  palmiest 
days."  After  this  highest  of  all  praise  Edmund  Loder's 
little  sister  Ethel  (afterwards  Lady  Burrell '),  aged  6,  out 
of  compliment  to  her  father's  guests,  arrayed  in  the 
uniform  of  the  corps,  appeared  as  a  vivandiere  and  marched 
"  at  the  head  of  the  corps  with  the  most  perfect  self- 
possession.  .  .  .  Deputations  from  Brighton  and  various 
places,  where  volunteer  corps  are  forming,  were  present 

1   He  was  always  Captain  Hans  Busk. 

*  1859  is  the  date  generally  given  as  the  year  when  Volunteer  Rifle 
Corps  were  first  formed.  In  1860  the  first  National  Rifle  Shooting  Match 
for  Volunteers  took  place  at  Wimbledon. 

»  Died  September  25th,  1921. 


ROBERT  LODER— THE  BUSKS        39 

and  received  from  Captain  Busk  information  as  to  the 
best  mode  of  forming  Rifle  Corps  and  Rifle  Clubs.  He 
stated  that  in  1804,  when  the  population  of  England  was 
only  nine  millions,  we  had  341,580  trained  volunteers." 

Amongst  "  Uncle  Hans'  "  other  services  to  his  country 
was  his  work  for  Life-boats,  and  not  content  with  Life- 
boats he  set  to  work  to  raise  a  flotilla  of  Life-ships.  The 
first  of  these  ships,  the  Peronelle,  he  designed  liimself. 
With  the  Peronelle  he  personally  demonstrated  her  life- 
saving  capabilities  under  circumstances  where  no  ordinary 
life-boat  could  be  available  or  of  use.  He  rescued  the 
crew  of  a  French  vessel,  twenty  miles  west  of  the  Caskets  ; 
and  in  very  heavy  weather  saved  the  ship  itself,  which 
otherwise  would  have  foundered,  by  "  frapping  "  her  with 
haw^sers  round  and  round  her  huU  and  by  carrying  out 
repairs  to  her  rudder  and  other  vital  parts. 

Edmund  Loder's  "  Aunt  Juha  "  is  also  an  interesting 
personality,  and  as  she  was  one  of  his  godmothers  is 
entitled  to  a  place  in  his  biography.  Julia  Clara  Busk 
was  born  in  May  1819  and  married  in  1842  Mr.  William 
Pitt  Byrne,  son  of  the  founder  of  the  Morning  Post  and 
an  intimate  friend  of  William  Pitt,  after  w^hom  he  named 
his  son.  Mr.  Wilham  Pitt  Byrne  died  in  1861.  "  Aunt 
Julia  "  before  her  husband's  death  had  become  a  Roman 
Catholic  and  was  a  personal  friend  of  Cardinal  Wiseman. 
She  wrote  many  books ;  her  first  was  published  in  1855, 
A  Glimpse  behind  the  Grilles  of  Religious  Houses  in  France. 
In  the  following  year  she  published  her  Flemish  Interiors, 
which  attained  great  popularity  and  would  have  secured 
her-  fame  had  not  she  guarded  the  anonymous  character 
of  all  her  works.  Among  many  of  her  subsequent  books 
the  one  which  attracted  most  notice  was  Gheel  the  City 
of  the  Simple.  Her  last  book,  published  about  1892, 
obtained  much  notice  from  the  Press  ;  this  was  Gossip  of 
the  Centw^y.  She  must  have  published  a  dozen  books  or 
more,  and  some,  such  as  Pictures  of  Hungarian  Life,  were 
also  illustrated  by  herself. 

In  passing  it  is  curious  to  note  that  Edmund  Loder's 
4 


40  THE   FAMILY   OF   LODER  [ch.  ii 

wife's  father,  his  father's  wife's  father,  and  his  grandfather's 
wife's  father  were  all  associated  with  Russian  affairs. 

When  old  Mr.  Giles  Loder  died  in  1871  his  son  Robert 
was  aged  48,  with  a  large  family  of  seven  sons  and  two 
daughters.  The  eldest  son  Edmund  was  22  years  of  age 
at  this  time.  I  gather  that  whilst  Mr.  Giles  Loder  lived 
he  kept  a  careful  eye  on  his  descendants  and  their  future, 
and  that  he  neither  "  lived  up  "  to  his  fortune  nor  pro- 
vided the  means  for  any  extravagance  to  his  son.  Robert 
Loder  appears  never  to  have  had  a  big  allowance,  for  an 
only  son  and  the  heir  to  such  wealth  ;  yet  the  father 
provided  funds  for  a  style  of  living  suitable  to  his  son's 
situation  and  responsibilities  and  for  the  education  of  his 
numerous  grandchildren.  I  have  also  the  impression  that 
Robert  Loder  had  been  brought  up  under  a  fairly  strict 
and  very  methodical  regime  and  that  even  after  his 
marriage  a  fatherly  hand  held  the  purse-strings.  Robert 
Loder,  when  he  inherited  the  bulk  of  his  father's  estate, 
while  spending  freely  and  benevolently,  observed  those 
regular  habits  and  kept  to  rules  without  which  order 
and  peace  are  impossible  in  large  establishments,  on  big 
estates  and  with  a  numerous  family.  Without  method, 
punctuality  and  discipline  in  great  households,  life  be- 
comes too  difficult  and  too  complicated  to  be  worth  living, 
and  the  fortunes  of  careless  men  have  a  mysterious  way 
of  disappearing. 

Sir  Robert  Loder  was  a  man  of  many  interests  and 
pursuits.  He  was  an  enthusiastic  politician  ;  as  a  Loder 
would,  he  threw  Iiimself  heart  and  soul  into  the  struggle 
at  election  times.  On  such  occasions  his  energy  knew  no 
bounds  ;  he  spoke  at  many  meetings  and  was  indefatig- 
able as  a  canvasser.  He  stood  only  once  for  Parliament 
and  was  elected  as  one  of  the  Conservative  Members  for 
Shoreham  (the  Rape  of  Bramber)  in  1880  and  sat  until 
the  borough  was  disfranchised  in  1885.^ 

1  It  is  somewhat  interesting  to  note  the  course  of  the  political  contests 
during  the  last  years  of  Shoreham's  existence  as  a  parliamentary  borough. 
In  1876  Sir  Percy  Burrell,  Bt.,  M,P.  for  Shoreham,  died,  and  was  sue- 


SHOREHAM  41 

Shoreliam  has  often  been  cited  as  a  sample  of  a  "  pocket 
borough  "  returning  two  Members  to  Parliament.  Mr. 
E.  V.  Lucas  in  his  charming  book  Highways  and  Byways  in 
Sussex  alludes  to  one  candidate,  a  Mr.  Gould,  who  about 
the  year  1701,  having  never  been  to  Shoreham  before, 
"  directed  the  crier  to  give  notice  with  his  bell  that  every 
voter  who  came  to  the  Kjng's  Arms  would  receive  a 
guinea  in  wliich  to  drink  Mr.  Gould's  good  health.  The 
fact  being  made  public,  the  elected  candidate,  Mr.  Gould, 
was  unseated.  At  the  following  election,  such  was  the 
enduring  power  of  the  original  guinea,  he  was  elected 
again."  ^  I  suppose  that  there  is  something  curious  in 
this  story  to  a  younger  generation  than  mine,  but  to 
Victorians  there  is  nothing  extraordinary  at  all  in  it.  In 
my  time  tens  of  thousands  of  pounds,  not  a  few  hundred 
guineas,  were  spent  in  the  purchase  of  votes  in  some 
constituencies.  Up  to  about  1885,  at  Northallerton, 
where  elections  often  depended  on  a  single  vote,  a  railway 
porter  had  through  long  custom  obtained  the  prescriptive 

ceeded  by  his  brother  Sir  Walter  Biirrell,  who  defeated  the  Liberal 
candidate,  Mr.  Egerton  Hubbard,  at  this  bj^-election.  Shortly  after- 
wards Mr.  Stephen  Cave,  M.P.,  the  other  Member  for  Shoreham,  announced 
his  intention  of  not  standing  again.  Mr.  Robert  Loder  was  a  great  friend 
and  had  long  been  a  neighbour  of  Sir  Walter  Burrell,  and  was  adopted 
as  the  second  Conservative  candidate  at  the  general  election  of  1880. 
The  result  of  this  election  was  : 

Sir  Walter  Burrell,  Bt.   (C.)  .  .  .  .      2,445 

Mr.  Robert  Loder  (C.) 2,195 

Mr.   Egerton  Hubbard  (L.)  .  .  .  .      2,095 

After  Shoreham  was  disfranchised  in  1885,  most  of  the  old  constituency 
was  merged  in  the  new  division  of  "  Mid-Sussex."  Sir  Walter  Burrell 
had  the  first  claim  to  stand  for  the  new  constituency,  but  he  decided 
to  retire  from  Parliament.  Mr.  Robert  Loder  therefore  had  the  chance 
of  the  seat  if  he  liked  to  stand  ;  bvit  after  hesitating  he  made  way  for 
Sir  Henry  Fletcher,  who  had  originally  been  selected  to  stand  for  another 
constituency.  The  Bm-rells,  the  Loders  and  the  Hubbards  were  not  only 
neighbours,  but  closely  connected  by  family  alliances  ;  for  in  1872 
Edmvmd  Loder's  sister  Ethel  had  married  Mr.  Charles  Raymond  Burrell 
(who  afterwards  succeeded  to  the  Baronetcy)  and  Edmund  Loder  him- 
self married  in  1876  Mr.  Egerton  Hubbard's  (the  Liberal  candidate's) 
sister.  Miss  Marion  Hubbard. 

^  See  E.  V.  Lucas's  Highways  and  Byways  in  Sussex. 


42  THE   FAMILY   OF   LODER  [ch.  ii 

right  to  poll  last,  a  right  that  had  sometimes  a  pecuniary 
value    of   over   thirty    pounds.     There    is    nothing    more 
remarkable   in  these   methods   than  those   by  which,   in 
later    reigns    than    Queen    Victoria's,    individuals    have 
entered  the  Upper  House  of  Parliament.     And  as  regards 
the  Lower  House,  votes  are  now  bought  wholesale  at  the 
public  expense  instead  of  in  detail  by  private  expendi- 
ture.    The  only  practical  question  is  under  which  system 
you    get    the    best    Parliament    or    Government.     Future 
historians,   if  there   are  any,   may  answer  this  question. 
A  vote  used  to  be  "  yours  "  to  give,  to  sell  or  to  keep  in 
your  pocket,  and  was  valued  and  prized  ;    to-day  it  has 
become  of  so  Jittle  account  that  in  the  more  advanced 
democracies  of  Europe  (e.g.  certain  cantons  in  Switzer- 
land) the  indifference  of  voters  and  the  disinclination  to 
use  their  votes  have  led  to  the  voter  being  compelled  by 
law  to  go  to  the  poll— yet  under  this  liberty-respecting 
provision  the    authorities   have  not  yet  discovered  how 
to  force  the  voter  to  mark  his  ballot  paper  or  how  to 
prevent    him    from    spoiling    it.     Obstinacy    remains    a 
powerful  defence  to  the  weak,  as  it  is  to  the  horse  with- 
out a  thirst,  brought  to  the  water. 

Shoreham,  though  shorn  of  its  ancient  privileges,  re- 
mains an  interesting  town.  Mr.  Lucas  says  its  church  is 
"  the  noblest  in  the  country,"  and  it  is  alluded  to  in  Swin- 
burne's "  noble  poem  "  which  begins  : 

"  Strong  as  time  and  as  faith  sublime — clothed  round  with  shadows  of 
hopes  and  fears, 
Nights  and  morrows  and  joys  and  sorrows,  alive  with  passions  of  prayers 

and  tears — 
Stands  the  shrine  that  has  seen  decline  eight  hundred  waxing  and 
waning  years." 

A  poem  slightly  different  to  one  said  to  be  engraved  on  a 
tombstone  in  the  adjoining  churchyard,  which  gives  verba- 
tim a  dialogue  between  an  infant  deceased,  aged  8  months, 
and  its  parents,  from  which  the  following  quotation  suffices  : 

"  '  I  trust  in  Christ,'  the  blessed  babe  replied. 
Then  smiled,  then  sigh'd,  then  clos'd  its  eyes  and  died." 


ROBERT   LODER'S   PURSUITS  43 

Robert  Loder  attended  the  House  very  regularly,  but 
rarely  spoke.  His  interests  were  chiefly  agricultural ;  he 
was  himself  a  keen  farmer,  and  as  a  breeder  of  shorthorns  he 
achieved  success.  He  was  fond  of  hunting,  and  for  two  or 
three  seasons  was  Master  of  the  Crawley  and  Horsham 
Foxhounds,  but  he  had  at  the  same  time  a  fondness  for 
greyhounds  and  a  love  of  coursing  which  would  have 
shocked  John  Jorrocks.  As  a  coursing  man  he  probably 
made  his  greatest  mark  in  the  world  of  sport. 

Below  ^  I  give  a  few  of  the  performances  of  his  greyhounds 

1   Coursing  by  Mr.  Loder 

"  Cactus"  (whelped  1846;  height  23 in.,  weight  about  451b.). 

Nov.  1847  :  Was  drawn  in  her  second  covirse  for  the  Oaks  at  Everleigh. 
In  the  same  month  was  drawn  in  the  deciding  course  for  the  Champion 
Puppy  Stakes  at  Newmarket. 

Jan.  1848  :  Won  three  courses  for  the  Fisherton  Delamere  Cup  at 
Deptford  Tun. 

Oct.  :  Ran  third  for  the  Druid  Cup  at  Amesbury. 

Dec.  :    Won  the  Netheravon  Cup, 

"  Czar"  (running  weight  61^  lb.,  height  20J  in.). 

Nov.  1847  :   Won  the  Derby,  8  dogs,  at  Everleigh. 

Feb.  1848  :    V/on  the  Cup,  16  dogs,  at  Everleigh. 

Oct.  :    Ran  up  with  Royalist  for  the  Druid  Cup  at  Amesbury. 

Dec.  :    Won  the  Bottisham  Stakes,  8  dogs. 

Feb.  1849  :    Ran  up  with  "  Crenoline  "  for  the  Altcar  Stakes. 

Oct.  :  Ran  foiu-th  for  Druid  Cup  at  Amesbury,  winning  20  courses 
and  losing  5. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  South  Lincolnshire  Club  held  on  Jan.   30th 
Feb.  1st  and  2nd,  1867,  Mr,  Loder's  white-and-black  bitch  "  Likely  Spot  " 
(by  "  High  Pressure  " — "  Fly  ")  won  the  South  Lincolnshire  Cup,  beating 
"  Bobby  "  (late  "Simon  Pure  "),  "  Beetroot,"  '•  Judice  "  and  "  Chemine." 

At  the  same  meeting  Mr.  Loder's  blue  bitch  "  Lavender  "  (by  ''  Rock  " 
— "Gipsy")  ran  second  for  the  Holbeach  Town  Cup,  beatmc  'Sally 
Sikes,"  "  Mischief  "  and  "  Minnie." 

In  the  Crown  Lodge  Cup  at  the  same  meeting,  Mr.  Loder's  "  Lobelia  " 
won  two  courses. 

At  the  Ashdo%vn  meetmg  on  March  5th,  6th,  7th  and  8th,  1867,  "  Likely 
Spot  "  divided  the  Swinley  Stakes  and  "  Lavender  "  ran  second  for  the 
Rubbing  House  Stakes. 

At  the  Wiltshire  Champion  (Amesbury)  meeting  in  October  1868 
Mr.  Loder's  "Light  Blue"  (by  "Don  Felix" — "Gipsy")  divided  the 
Bulford  Stakes. 

Among  other  dogs  owned  by  Mr,  Loder  were  "  Landlord,"  "  Landlady," 
"Linguist,"  "Lady's  Carriage,"  "Lobelia"  (late  "Petunia"),  "Lady 
B.,"  etc,  ^ 


44  THE  FAMILY   OF   LODER  [ch.  ii 

at  two  periods.  Already  when  he  was  very  young 
(1847-9)  he  had  evidently  two  very  good  dogs  in 
"  Cactus  "  and  "  Czar,"  and  some  twenty  years  later  in 
1867  a  number  of  useful  greyhounds  which  made  their 
mark.  This  will  be  sufficient  to  indicate  Sir  Robert's 
activities  in  this  direction. 

He  enjoyed  shooting  too  and  was  a  good  shot ;   whether 
he  was  as  good  with  a  rifle  I  have  not  heard,  but  he  probably 
did  little  Avith  the  rifle  until  his  boys  in  1872  persuaded  him 
to   take   the   deer-forest    of   Amat   in   Ross-shire,    which 
Edmund  and  his  brother  Wilfrid  "  found  "  for  him.     For 
fourteen  years  Amat  was  a  delight  to  all  the  family  and 
ever  remained  a  place  of  happy  memories.     Robert  Loder, 
as  one  would  expect  of  a  Loder,  was  fond  of  his  gardens,  and 
these  were  especially  famous  for  their  fruit.     He  had  a  head- 
gardener  called  King,  whom  I  picture,  perhaps  mistakenly, 
as  of  that  class  who  are  by  a  polite  fiction  the  proprietors, 
and  the  "  families  "  who  employ  them  merely  their  visitors 
—of  course  always  known  as  "  Mr."— Mr.  King's  hothouses, 
Mr.  King's  gardens  and  Mr.  King's  grapes.     Mr.  King  was 
a  successful  gardener  and  a  constant  exhibitor  and  prize- 
winner at  the  Crystal  Palace,  which  was  the  great  Show  in 
those  days.     Edmund  Loder  used  to  tell  a  story,  of  which 
I  have  been  reminded  by  one  of  his  brothers,  which  brings 
back  the  infectious  laugh  which  followed  its  recitation — it 
is  not  a  long  one.    One  day  Mr.  Loder  received  this  laconic 
telegram  from  his  gardener  :  "  King  first,  Queen  second." 

In  1873  Mr.  Robert  Loder  bought  the  splendid  estate  of 
Whittlebury  in  Northamptonshire  from  Lord  Southampton. 
It  was  a  v/onderful  property  in  the  middle  of  the  Grafton 
country,  and  as  Whittlebury  eventually  was  inherited  by 
Sir  Edmund  Loder  (and  became  his  "  white  elephant  ") 
I  shall  give  a  few  particulars  about  it  which  may  help  to 
explain  some  later  allusions.  The  park  was  some  660  acres 
in  extent  with  the  high  road  running  through  it.  The  red 
deer  in  the  Park  were  very  fine  indeed.  The  stags  did  not 
run  into  twenty  points,  but  the  heads  were  wide  and  regular, 
with  good  beam  points,  and  they  carried  heads  of  up  to 


PURCHASE   OF  WHITTLEBURY  45 

sixteen  points.  There  were  also  fallow  and  Japanese  deer, 
and  at  one  time  roe.  Later  Edmund  Loder  sent  mule 
deer  to  his  father  from  America,  which  quickly  died  out 
and  also  wapiti,  which  lasted  some  time.  The  wapiti 
mthstood  cold,  but  suffered  from  the  damp.  It  was  hoped 
that  they  would  interbreed  with  the  red  deer,  but  though 
a  wapiti  bull  ran  with  the  red  hinds  the  experiment  failed. 
The  story  of  the  end  of  the  roe  deer  is  as  follows,  and  I  have 
to  leave  the  reader  to  discover  its  moral — but  the  injustice 
to  all  concerned,  excepting  the  villain  of  the  piece,  is 
apparent. 

One  of  the  roe  bucks  had  become  rather  tame  ;   people 
passing  through  the  Park  used  to  feed  it,  and  eventually 
it  expected  to  be  given  something  when  it  came  up  and 
'  asked  "  for  it.     One  day  a  tramp  walking  through  the 
Park,  instead  of  giving  the  beautiful  little  supphant  the 
usual  titbit,  gave  him  a  cut  with  his  stick  ;   the  indignant 
little  buck  went  back  a  few  steps  and  charged,  not  very 
viciously,  but  sufficiently  hard  to  get  his  horns  into  the 
tramp's  trousers  with  the  result  that  he  tore  off  a  consider- 
able   and    important  area    of   the  commercial    traveller's 
indispensables.     Weary    Willie's    chance   had    come ;     he 
went  straight  off  to  a  lawyer,  and  it  cost  Sir  Robert  a  pretty 
penny  before  the  matter  was  settled  ;    and  the  roes  were 
banished  for  ever  from  the  Park.     Besides  the  fine  oaks 
there,  there  were  very  high  old  elms,  and  the  jackdaws  out 
of  these  provided  a  special  kind  of  sport  and  required  skill 
in  shooting.     Whittlebury  had  peculiar  attractions,  and 
while  Sir  Robert  had  his  attack  of  "  bricks-and-mortar  " 
fever,  he  added  not  a  few  others.     Among  these  additions 
were  a  tennis  court  (real  tennis,  not  lawn  tennis)  and  a  bowl- 
ing alley.     The  bowling  alley  was  outside  and  alongside 
the  tennis  court,  and  was  made  after  the  plan  of  one  Sir 
Robert  had  seen  at  Lord  Lathom's.     The  tennis  court 
fitted  into  the  house  ;    and  in  this  respect  was  probably 
unique,  for  you  could  sit  in  the  smoking-room  and  watch 
the  game  through  a  large  glass  window,  v/hich  looked  into 
the  Dedans  and  the  court.      I  have  heard  one  or  two 


46  THE   FAMILY   OF    LODER  [ch.  ii 

different  accounts  of  the  origin  of  this  once  famous  court, 
but  each  claims  the  birth  of  the  idea  in  accidental  games — 
just  as  tradition  asserts  was  the  case  in  the  origin  of  the 
real  Tennis  itself.  When  Edmund  Loder's  young  bro- 
ther Gerald  was  at  Cambridge  (1881  to  1884)  his  brother 
Alfred  used  to  come  up  and  stay  with  him,  and  the  two 
brothers  often  went  together  to  the  Cambridge  tennis  courts 
to  see  their  friends  play.  One  Easter  vacation,  the  lawn 
tennis  court  at  Whittlebury  not  being  ready,  they  rigged  up 
a  sort  of  net  in  a  back-yard  surrounded  with  buildings  and 
played  a  rough  sort  of  improvised  tennis,  cracking  their 
jokes  about  "  pent-house  "  and  "  dedans,"  the  latter  title 
being  bestowed  on  a  small  shed.  Another  story,  which 
may  be  pieced  into  the  evolution  of  the  idea,  I  had  from 
Mr.  Reginald  Loder,  who  told  me  that  one  day  he  and  a 
brother  were  "  playing  a  kind  of  squash  racquets  in  an 
unfurnished  bedroom  in  a  wing  of  the  house  "  (recently 
constructed,  I  imagine),  when  their  father  came  along  and 
caught  them.  At  first  he  was  inclined  to  be  cross,  then  he 
watched  them  play.  That  evening  he  asked  his  son  Reg- 
inald if  he  would  like  a  racquets  court  built.  He  im- 
mediately took  the  matter  up,  and  at  the  end  of  a  fortnight 
this  idea  was  changed  to  one  of  a  real  tennis  court.  As 
everyone  knows,  tennis  courts  are  not  to  be  found  in  many 
places,  but  there  was  one  already  in  this  neighbourhood  at 
Easton  Neston,  Sir  Thomas  Hesketh's,  some  four  or  five 
miles  away.  In  any  case  the  court  was  decided  on  and 
the  best  advice  sought  for.  "  Bill  "  Marshall  was  ^  an 
authority  on  the  subject — and  I  think  the  Queen's  Club 
Courts  were  the  first  he  built — and  he  was  consulted.  He 
was  a  cousin  of  Julian  Marshall,  the  author  of  a  standard 
work,  The  Annals  of  Tennis,  a  frequenter  of  the  tennis 
court  at  Lord's  and  who  reported  tennis  matches  for  the 
Field.  Oddly  enough  Sir  Robert's  foreman  builder's  name 
was  also  Marshall,  and  this  Isaac  Marshall  was  sent  to 
Cambridge  to  take  the  measurements  of  the  courts  there 

1   I  write  "  was,"  for  he  died  whilst  this  volume  was  in  preparation 
(1921). 


AMATEUR   TENNIS   CHAMPIONS  47 

and  to  other  places  as  well.  Alfred  and  Gerald  Loder 
attended  to  all  details,  the  latter  already  being  a  player, 
having  taken  up  the  game  at  Cambridge.  The  result  was 
one  of  the  very  best  tennis  courts  in  the  kingdom.  It  is 
mentioned  in  the  Badminton  Library  volume  of  Tennis 
(1890  ?)  as  one  of  the  five  courts  which  "  most  nearly  ap- 
proached perfection  ^vith  regard  to  dimensions,  light  and 
relative  pace  of  walls  and  floors."  ^ 

In  1883  the  brothers  got  up  a  tennis  week  at  Easter, 
which  became  an  annual  meeting,  and  was  attended  always 
by  some  of  the  best  players  and  exponents  of  the  game. 
Amongst  such  visitors  were  the  champions,  Alfred  Lyttel- 
ton,  J.  M.  Heathcote,  Tom  Pettit,  the  great  American 
player.  The  players  during  these  Tennis  Weeks  included 
both  Arthur  and  Gerald  Balfour  and  "  Johnny  "  Cobbold 
(J.  D.  Cobbold  of  Holy  Wells).  When  the  Whittlebury 
Court  was  opened  in  1881,  with  the  first  game  played  by 
Alfred  and  Gerald  Loder,  their  brother  Edmund  would  be 
about  32  years  old.  Few  men  would  dream  at  that  age  of 
learning  this  great  game,  with  its  demand  on  every  muscle, 
on  quick  eyes,  enduring  skill,  resourceful  intelligence  and 
continual  practice,  but  he  made  a  start  and  played. 
After  a  few  years  he  gave  it  up,  recognising  that  he  was  too 
old  to  become  a  good  player.  He  had,  however,  acquired 
a  knowledge  of  the  technique  of  tennis  which  enabled  him 
to  watch  matches  with  interest  and  pleasure.  He  never 
missed  the  Tennis  Weeks  and  thus  saw  the  game  played  at 
its  best.  Viscount  Grey  of  Fallodon,  himself  a  great  tennis- 
player,  having  won  the  Amateur  Championship  five  times, 
the  Gold  Racquet  at  Lord's  once  and  the  Silver  Racquet  at 
least  fourteen  times,  has  told  me  that  the  great  players  from 
1878  to  1888  were  George  Lambert,  who  was  champion  till 
Tom  Pettit  beat  him  in  1885,  while  J.  M.  Heathcote  held  the 
Amateur    Championship  ^     for    many    years.     By    1885 

1  The  other  foiir  were  :  Mr.  Gundry's,  Bridport,  the  Manchester  Court, 
Mr.  Cazalet's  at  Fairlawn,  and  the  newly  erected  tennis  court  at  Prince's 
Club. 

^  At  this  time  synonymous  with  winning  the  M.C.C.  Gold  Racquet  at 
Lord's. 


48  THE   FAMILY   OF   LODER  [ch.  ii 

Alfred  Lyttelton  had  beaten  Heathcote  and  he  held  the 
Amateur  Championship  till  1896/  "  and,"  says  Lord  Grey, 
"  would  have  held  it  much  longer  if  he  would  have  kept  in 
practice.  His  style  was  magnificent  and  he  was,  I  consider, 
the  greatest  amateur  player  there  has  been."  He  also  adds, 
"  G.  Lambert  till  Pettit  beat  him  was,  I  should  say,  15  better 
than  any  other  professional  contemporary  with  him  ;  and 
Alfred  Lyttelton  15  better  than  any  amateur,  just  as  Heath- 
cote had  been  before  him." 

It  is  sad  to  think  that  this  splendid  court,  planned 
and  built  with  so  much  labour  and  skill,  exists  no  more. 
After  Sir  Edmund  Loder  sold  Whittleburv,  the  new 
owner  ruthlessly  destroyed  it  to  make  more  bedrooms  \ 
Can  the  reader  imagine  a  man  with  the  heart  to  pull  down 
such  an  accession  to  a  country  house  ?  One  interesting 
item  of  history  is  worth  recording  in  connection  with 
Whittlebury  Tennis  Court.  Few  persons  associate  Ed- 
ward VII  ^\dth  tennis,  yet  when  I  was  an  undergraduate  at 
Cambridge  in  the  years  1876  to  1879  and  occasionally  played 
in  the  Old  Tennis  Court,  the  marker  there  used  to  tell  me 
stories  about  the  then  Prince  of  Wales  when  he  was  an 
undergraduate  and  a  frequent  player  in  that  court.  The 
last  game  probably  ever  played  by  King  Edward  VII  (then 
Prince  of  Wales)  would  be  in  1887,  when  he  came  over  on 
October  21st  of  that  year  and  played  a  game  at  Whittle- 
bury, and  is  said  to  have  enjoyed  his  game  in  that  beautiful 
court.  The  last  Tennis  Week  was  held  in  1888,  some  six 
weeks  before  Sir  Robert  Loder's  death.  Of  the  brothers 
Gerald  Loder  kept  the  game  up  till  recently,  playing  at 
Queen's  Club,  Prince's,  Brighton  and  Lord's.  Besides  hav- 
ing played  in  other  English  courts  and  many  courts  abroad 
he  has  seen  almost  every  match  for  the  Championship 
played  in  England  since  the  celebrated  contest  at  Hampton 
Court  in  1885  when  T.  Pettit  beat  George  Lambert  and 
carried  the  honours  to  America. 

What  with  the  hunting,  the  shooting,  the  Park  and  many 

1  When  Sir  Edward  Grey  (now  Viscount  Grey  of  Fallodon)  beat  him 
and  won  the  Gold  Prize  M.C.C.  Championship. 


1 


EDMUND  LODER'S  PREFERENCE  FOR  SUSSEX    49 

other  attractions,  to  anyone  not  acquainted  with  Sir 
Edmund's  character,  Whittlebury  would  have  appeared 
just  the  place  to  appeal  to  him.  But  from  the  first  his 
heart  was  in  Sussex.  In  the  year  when  his  father  bought 
Whittlebury,  the  news  reached  him  at  San  Francisco,  and 
in  a  letter  to  his  father,  dated  June  24th  of  that  year,  he 
congratulates  his  father  on  his  purchase  and  "  hopes  it 
will  be  all  he  is  looking  for,"  and  proceeds,  "  from  what  I 
heard  of  it,  it  must  be  a  very  nice  place,  but  I  sincerely 
hope  that  in  consequence  of  this  purchase  you  will  not  find 
it  necessary  to  get  rid  of  our  old  home  The  Beeches."  As 
the  years  passed,  Edmund  Loder's  aversion  to  Whittlebury 
grew.  There  is  little  doubt  that  years  before  his  father's 
death  he  had  made  up  his  mind,  if  he  survived  him,  that  he 
would  not  live  there.  It  was  too  big  for  his  ideas  of  a  home  ; 
he  had  better  things  to  do  with  his  money  and  his  time, 
even  had  he  been  able  without  worry  to  maintain  a  great 
establishment.  As  things  turned  out,  whilst  he  was  heir 
to  Whittlebury,  an  estate  which  his  father,  in  spite  of  the 
general  shrinkage  of  agricultural  and  land  values  during 
the  eighties,  may  have  estimated  was  worth  something  like 
what  it  had  cost  him,  he  was  left  with  a  very  different 
income  with  which  to  keep  it  up  from  that  which  Sir  Robert 
had  had  at  his  disposal.  It  took  him  till  almost  the  end  of 
his  life  to  sell  the  entire  property,  and  this  was  of  course 
done  at  a  great  sacrifice. ^  It  is  one  thing  to  possess  such 
a  place  with  a  large  fortune  and  another  to  own  it  after  a 
widow  and  eight  other  children  have  been  provided  for  out 
of  the  said  fortune. 

It  is  evident  that  Sir  Robert  took  great  pains  to  make  a 
fair  will.  From  the  expression  of  his  last  \^ashes  and  hopes 
it  is  clear  that  he  imagined  he  had  placed  his  heir  in  a 
position  to  keep  up  Whittlebury  and  to  make  it  a  centre 
where  the  family  traditions  could  be  maintained,  and  he 
certainly  inserted  provisions  in  his  will  which  he  considered 

1  For  some  years  the  Comte  de  Paris,  the  Duke  of  Buckingham's 
tenant  at  Stowe,  rented  some  of  the  Whittlebury  shootings  from  Sir 
Edmund. 


50  THE   FAMILY   OF   LODER  [ch.  ii 

would  secure  a  considerable  proportion  of  his  fortune  going 
with  the  title. 

It  has  been  said  that  Sir  Robert  over-estimated  certain 
foreign  interests  which  his  eldest  son  was  to  succeed  to. 
However  this  may  be,  the  intentions  of  testators  have  a 
nasty  way  of  miscarrying,  and  this  has  been  the  fate 
of  some  of  Sir  Robert  Loder's  in  regard  to  his  successors. 

Sir  Robert  did  not  leave  Sussex  to  go  and  reside  at 
Whittlebury  till  1877.  On  July  27th,  1887,  he  was 
created  a  baronet ;  the  same  year  saw  the  birth  of  Edmund 
Loder's  son,  named  Robert  after  him,  and  the  following 
year,  1888,  on  May  27th,  he  died  suddenly  at  his  seaside 
place.  Beach  House,  Worthing.^ 

I  seldom  met  Sir  Edmund's  mother  ;  the  only  times  I 
remember  seeing  her  were  when  accompanying  Sir  Edmund 
on  his  visits  to  her  at  her  house  in  Grosvenor  Square,  on 
which  occasions  she  and  her  son  were  mostly  engrossed  in 
conversation.  Lady  Loder  was  then  advanced  in  years 
and  I  cannot  of  my  own  knowledge  say  much  about  her, 
beyond  that  she  struck  me  as  a  tall,  rather  thin  lady,  very 
active  in  body  and  mind  for  her  age,  and  with  a  shrewd 
understanding  of  affairs,  but  evidently  proud  of  her  son  and 
glad  to  have  his  opinion.  In  any  case  I  am  more  concerned 
with  what  she  was  like  in  the  years  when  she  was  at  the 
head  of  a  great  house  caring  for  a  large  family  and  training 
her  children.  She  appears  to  have  been  an  excellent 
manager  and  housekeeper,  and  though  there  was  never 
anything  very  frugal  about  it,  she  certainly  ran  the  establish- 
ment in  a  way  that  saved  her  husband  a  great  deal  of  worry 
and  expense.  Mr.  Loder  left  the  bringing  up  of  the  boys 
and  girls  entirely  to  their  mother,  and  never  interfered 
unless  she  called  him  in  as  a  "  specialist  "  to  give  one  of  the 
boys  a  wigging.  I  gather  too,  that,  occupied  as  he  was,  he 
did  not  give  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  his  children  unless 
they  were  ill,  when  he  was  most  sympathetic  and  concerned, 
until  one  after  another  they  earned  his  notice  by  some 

1  Beach  House,  Worthing,  was  purchased  by  Sir  Robert  in  1878,  and 
after  his  death  was  the  residence  of  his  widow.  Lady  Loder. 


SIR   ROBERT   AND   HIS   FAMILY  51 

achievement  or  exploit.  One  of  the  younger  sons,  Reginald 
Loder,  told  me  that  he  did  not  remember  attracting  much 
attention  from  his  father  until  he  started  to  ride,  but  that 
when  once  he  could  ride  a  pony  well  Sir  Robert  became 
very  proud  of  him  and  took  him  out  hunting  as  a  "  sort  of 
show  piece."  At  some  stage  of  his  childhood  Edmund 
got  at  his  father's  heart-strings  in  some  similar  way,  for 
he  was  taken  about,  and  the  proud  parent,  much  to  the 
amusement  of  the  rest  of  the  family,  could  not  resist  telling 
even  comparative  strangers  about  "  my  son  Edmund  "  and 
what  the  prodigy  had  said  or  done.  Sometimes  in  recent 
years  when  Sir  Edmund  had  said  something  clever  or 
achieved  a  success  I  have  heard  his  relations  and  even  his 
children  cry  out  with  glee,  "  My  son  Edmund  "  !  When 
thus  acclaimed  he  bowed  and  siniled  in  a  most  amusingly 
satisfied  way.  Each  of  the  seven  sons  in  turn  must  have 
secured  a  place  in  their  father's  pride  as  well  as  in  his  affec- 
tion, for  each  distinguished  himself  in  some  way. 

Sir  Robert  Loder  always  read  family  prayers  himself 
every  morning.  Grace  was  said  before  and  after  meals  by 
one  of  the  children,  in  French,  if  they  were  present,  and  all 
had  to  go  regularly  to  church  on  Sunday  mornings.  Sir 
Edmund  too,  through  all  his  active  life  and  with  all  his 
varied  experience,  held  to  these  habits,  and  this  in  spite  of 
a  growing,  if  not  a  general  negligence  of  these  religious  cus  - 
toms  in  the  world  around  him — a  change  perhaps  not  so 
much  due  to  indifference  as  to  a  general  revolt  against 
formalities  with  their  tendencies  to  become  little  else.  It  is 
not  for  one  generation  to  judge  another  in  such  matters, 
but  those  who  have  seen  the  old  time  and  the  new,  and 
were  thus  brought  up,  will  be  the  last  to  doubt  the  value, 
rehgious,  moral  and  disciplinary,  of  these  habits.  The  late 
Sir  Frank  Lockwood,  an  intimate  friend  of  my  own  and  one 
of  the  most  charming  of  men,  once  said  something  to  me  on 
this  subject  which  I  have  always  remembered.  Sir  Frank 
made  no  profession  of  religion  whatever,  but  when  shooting 
with  my  father  in  Scotland  or  staying  with  me  in  Yorkshire 
I  noticed  he  never  missed  family  prayers,  whoever  else  did. 


52  THE  FAMILY   OF   LODER  [ch.  ii 

A  few  months  before  he  died  I  was  staying  with  him  near 
his  grouse  moor  and  sitting  alone  with  him  in  the  dining- 
room  after  dinner,  when  he  startled  me  by  saying :  "  Do 
you  know,  there  is  one  thing  I  envy  you — I  have  never  been 
religious.  I  reverence  religion,  but  it  is  beyond  me — I 
don't  understand  it,  but  I  would  like  to  have  family 
prayers  every  day,  if  I  could,  but  how  could  I  ?  People 
would  set  me  down  as  a  hypocrite  or  as  mad.  But  I  see 
it  is  good  for  a  family  and  a  household."  Perhaps  to  be 
quite  accurate  I  should  add  that  during  the  last  year  or  two 
of  Sir  Edmund's  life  he  ceased  going  regularly  to  church. 
But  this  was  not  like  many  of  us  who  have  lived  in  out~of- 
the-world  places  a  good  deal,  and  much  with  nature  far 
from  the  temples  made  with  hands,  and  who  do  not  feel  at 
home  in  a  church.  These  are  easy  to  understand,  for  after 
all  the  Founder  of  Christianity  preached  his  best  sermons 
out  of  doors  and  not  in  the  Temple.  To  many  men  comes 
a  time  when  tranquillity,  even  solitude  or  silence,  appeals  to 
them.     Edmund  Loder  knew  these  lines  by  heart : 

"  All  heaven  and  earth  are  still — though  not  in  sleep, 
But  breathless,  as  we  grow  when  feeling  most  ; 
And  silent,  as  we  stand  in  thoughts  too  deep  : — - 
All  heaven  and  earth  are  still  :    from  the  high  host 
Of  stars,  to  the  lull'd  lake  and  mountain  coast. 
All  is  concenter'd  in  a  life  intense, 
Wliere  not  a  beam,  nor  air,  nor  leaf  is  lost. 
But  hath  a  part  of  being,  and  a  sense 

Of  that  which  is  of  all  Creator  and  defence. 

"  Then  stirs  the  feeling  infinite,  so  felt 

In  solitude,  where  we  are  least  alone  ; 

A  truth  which  through  oui-  being  then  doth  melt, 

And  purifies  from  self  :    it  is  a  tone, 

The  soul  and  source  of  music,  which  makes  known 

Eternal  Harmony  and  sheds  a  charm 

Like  to  the  fabled  Cytherea's  zone. 

Binding  all  things  with  beauty — 'twould  disarm 
The  spectre  Death,  had  ho  substantial  power  to  harm. 

"  Not  vainly  did  the  early  Persian  make 
His  altar  the  high  places,  and  the  peak 
Of  earth-o'ergazing  mountains,  and  thus  take 
A  fit  and  unwall'd  temple,  there  to  seek 
The  Spirit,  in  whose  honour  shrines  are  weak. 


MOTHER   AND    SON  53 

Uprear'd  of  human  hands.     Come  and  compare 
Colixmns  and  idol-dwelKngs,  Goth  or  Greek, 
With  Nature's  realms  of  worship,  earth  and  air. 
Nor  fix  on  fond  abodes  to  circumscribe  thy  pray'r  !  " 

But  I  do  not  think  it  was  so  much  this  in  Edmund 
Loder's  case,  for  when  abroad  with  him  I  observed  that  he 
took  every  opportunity  on  ship-board  or  in  hotels  for  at- 
tending divine  service.  His  heart  was  affected  by  an  old 
injury  in  a  way  that  brings  on  discomfort  and  breathless- 
ness,  which  makes  any  constraint  often  intolerable.  Again, 
many  sensitive  men  cannot  bear  certain  hymns  and  prayers 
which  call  up  such  pain  as  he  suffered  in  the  death  of  his 
only  son  Robin — "  it  may  be  a  sound — a  tone  of  music — 
summer's  eve — or  spring,  a  flower — the  wind — the  ocean 
which  shall  wound  or  call  up  to  view  the  mourn'd,  the  loved, 
the  lost — too  many  !  yet  how  few  !  " 

As  for  Edmund  Loder's  mother,  she  was  always  very 
fond  of  him,  and  to  her  love  was  added,  as  he  grew  up,  a 
great  respect  for  his  steadiness  and  cleverness.  It  may  be 
that  in  after  years  the  close  relationship  of  mother  and  son 
suffered  to  some  extent  from  circumstances,  some  of  which 
were  unavoidable.  Though  he  was  a  man  as  liberally 
tolerant  as  is  possible  in  regard  to  the  religious  opinions  of 
others,  his  mother's  fondness  for  ritualistic  practice  and  her 
eventual  going  over  to  Rome  were  a  little  disturbing.  I 
think,  even  when  young,  she  had  been  rather  a  rigid  re- 
ligious disciplinarian.  Her  children  were  allowed  no  games 
on  Sundays  ;  they  learnt  the  collect  for  the  day  and  listened 
to  a  dissertation  on  it.  Her  husband  was  very  "  English  " 
in  everything,  and  preferred  the  straightforward  English 
Church  services,  and  his  son  Edmund  was  like  him  in  this 
respect.  Lady  Loder's  two  sisters,  Mrs.  William  Pitt  Byrne 
and  Miss  Rachel  Busk,  had  long  before  Sir  Robert's  death 
become  Roman  Catholics.  She  spent  the  winter  of  1893-4 
in  Rome  with  these  two  sisters,  and  whilst  there  had  a  very 
nasty  accident,  falling  and  breaking  her  arm,  coming  down 
the  steps  of  St.  Peter's.  Her  son  Reginald  went  out  from 
England  and  brought  her  home.     Her  children    often  ex- 


54  THE   FAMILY   OF   LODER  [ch.  ii 

pected  she  would  go  over  to  the  Roman  Church,  and  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  she  long  delayed  this  step  out  of 
respect  for  her  husband's  memory  and  convictions.  This 
long  delay  may  be  accounted  for  partly  by  the  circumstances 
attending  Sir  Robert's  death.  But  some  fifteen  years  after 
this  event  the  step  was  taken,  and  it  made  her  very  happy 
and  comforted  her  in  her  old  age. 

I  go  back  to  the  day  of  Sir  Robert's  death.  Lady  Loder 
had  persuaded  her  husband  to  give  some  thousands  of 
pounds  towards  the  building  of  a  new  church  at  Worthing, 
where  they  had  their  seaside  place.  Beach  House.  When 
the  church  was  completed,  there  was  some  trouble  over 
getting  the  Privy  Council  to  allot  it  a  parish,  but  on  Trinity 
Sunday,  1888,  about  a  year  after  completion,  the  diffi- 
culties having  been  surmounted  it  was  opened.  In  the 
early  hours  of  that  morning  Lady  Loder  went  to  Com- 
munion, some  of  the  family  later  and  Sir  Robert  at  9  o'clock. 
He  returned  to  Beach  House  much  agitated,  but  took  a 
stroll  in  the  garden  with  one  of  his  sons,  to  whom  he  expressed 
his  indignation  at  the  vestments  and  incense,  and  said  the 
service  was  like  a  Roman  Catholic  one  and  that  he  would 
never  go  there  again.  What  had  upset  him  most  was  the 
tinkling  of  a  bell  at  the  consecration.  Apparently  he  felt 
he  had  done  wrong  as  a  loyal  English  Churchman  in  pro- 
viding funds  for  a  church  where  illegal  practices  and 
disloyal  services  were  carried  on.  He  lunched  quietly  at 
home  and  then  went  out  to  the  club  to  write  some  letters, 
asking  one  of  his  sons  to  call  for  him  at  3.30  to  go  for  a  walk. 
When  the  son  arrived,  as  he  passed  the  window  vv'here  Sir 
Robert  had  been  writing,  he  saw  that  all  was  not  well  with 
his  father.  He  went  to  his  aid,  to  find  that  he  had  had 
a  stroke.     Sir  Robert  died  the  same  night  at  10,30. 

The  story  of  this  day  affects  me  and  arouses  a  sympathy 
for  all  who  were  concerned,  but  one  reason  for  relating  it 
is  that  it  reveals  the  depth  of  feeling  and  the  strength 
of  convictions  that  Sir  Robert  Loder  had  ;  a  sensibility 
and  conscience  that  would  otherwise  hardly  be  realised 
bv  those  who  know  members  of  this  familv  as  men  averse 


THE   BROTHERS  55 

to  emotional  demonstration  and  as  a  rule  wearing  the 
Englishman's  protection  of  reserve. 

I  think  Sir  Robert  maybe  set  down  as  belonging  to  a  class 
of  English  country  gentlemen,  not  of  rare  type  in  the  reign 
of  Victoria,  but  as  a  particularly  good  example  of  it.  A 
good  husband,  a  good  father,  a  good  administrator,  exacting 
good  conduct  and  regular  habits  from  those  over  whom  he 
was  placed,  a  good  and  improving  landlord  and  serving  his 
country  where  opportunity  was  given,  by  personal  service 
and  a  liberal  benevolence.  His  life  would  seem  to  have 
been  fully  occupied  with  public  and  private  duties,  hospi- 
tality and  engagements,  but  so  organised  as  to  include  many 
opportunities  for  agricultural  pursuits,  for  sport  and  social 
enjoymento  He  was  nearly  65  years  of  age  when  he  died 
at  Beach  House  on  May  27th,  1888.  He  was  buried  at 
Whittlebury.  At  the  time  of  his  father's  death  Edmund 
Loder  was  nearly  39. 

I  must  not  omit  all  reference  to  Sir  Edmund's  brothers, 
of  whom  he  was  very  proud.  It  cannot  be  often  that  seven 
brothers,  whilst  varying  in  their  performance,  exhibit  such 
a  family  likeness  as  regards  ardour,  vitality  and  attain- 
ment. Reference  has  already  been  made  to  several  of  them, 
and  each  in  turn  no  doubt  will  be  mentioned  in  later  chap- 
ters where  they  touch  this  history  of  their  brother,  more 
especially  in  those  places  in  which  outdoor  pursuits  are  dealt 
with.  The  Loder  vitality  is  sufficiently  demonstrated  by 
the  brothers'  achievements  in  "  the  field."  All  the  seven 
brothers  have  been  adepts  with  rifle  and  gun,  and  all  have 
records  as  athletes  or  as  excelling  in  some  pursuit.  It  is  an 
error  to  imagine  that  success  in  sport  is  the  result  of  mere 
physical  gifts  or  can  be  reached  without  high  moral  qualities 
and  a  large  dose  of  intelligence. 

Of  Sir  Edmund's  two  sisters  only  one  survives,  Etheldreda 
Mary,  Lady  Burrell,'  the  widow  of  Sir  Charles  Raymond 
Burrell  of  Knep,  who  died  in  1899;  she  is  the  mother  of 
the  present  Baronet,   Sir   Merrick  Burrell.     The  Burrells 

^  Etheldreda,  Lady  Burrell  died  soon  after  I  had  written  this  in  Sep- 
tember 1921. 
5 


56  THE  FAMILY  OF  LODER  [ch.  ii 

and  the  Loders  have  been  neighbours  and  friends  through 
several  generations.  The  other  sister,  Adela  Maria,  died 
March  22nd,  1915;  she  married  in  1883  Major-General 
the  Hon.  A.  Stewart,  who  died  in  1896.  Three  years  after, 
in  1899,  she  married  Colonel  Basil  Lloyd  Anstruther.  Of 
this  large  family  of  brothers  and  sisters  there  are  still 
living  Gerald,  Reginald  and  Sydney  Loder. 


CHAPTER  III 

SUSSEX — THE    HIGH    BEECHES,     WHITTLEBURY    AND 
LEONARDSLEE — BIRTH    OF   EDMUND    LODER 

"  God  gave  all  men  all  earth  to  love. 
But  since  man's  heart  is  small. 
Ordains  for  each  one  spot  shall  prove 

Beloved  over  all. 
Each  to  his  choice,  and  I  rejoice 

The  lot  has  fallen  to  me 
In  a  fair  ground — in  a  fair  ground — 
Yea,  Sussex  by  the  sea." 

RuDYAED  Kipling. 

In  the  two  previous  chapters  I  have  attempted  to  give 
some  idea  of  Loder's  personality  and  some  account  of  his 
family ;  in  the  present  one  I  intend  to  allude  to  the  home 
scenes  in  which  he  passed  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  We 
have  just  seen  that  Sir  Robert  Loder  left  his  old  home  The 
High  Beeches,  near  to  Crawley  in  Sussex,  in  1878  and 
afterwards  resided  at  Whittlebury  until  his  death  in  1888. 
Up  to  the  time  of  Edmund  Loder's  marriage,  in  1876,  The 
High  Beeches  had  always  been  his  home.  His  father 
having  bought  Whittlebury  in  1873,  it  was  natural  that 
when  his  son,  Edmund  Loder,  married,  he  should  wish  to 
provide  him  with  a  home  in  the  same  county  of  North- 
amptonshire. Sir  Robert  purchased  a  property  of  about 
300  acres  near  Weedon  called  Floore,  and  there  his  son 
P-^dmund  settled  down  with  his  wife  in  a  not  very  large 
house.  Floore  was  their  home  for  twelve  years— that  is, 
till  Sir  Robert's  death  in  1888. ^  Very  soon  after  his  father's 
death  Sir  Edmund  acquired  from  his  wife's  family  her  old 

^  Sir  Robert  left  Floore  to  his  son  Sydney  Loder,  who  let  it  for  some 
years  and  then  sold  it.  The  High  Beeches  he  left  to  his  son  Wilfrid 
Loder.     The  present  owner  is  Wilfrid  Loder's  son.  Major  Giles  Loder. 

67 


58  THE   HOME   SCENES   OF   HIS   LIFE         [ch.  iii 

home,  Leonardslee,  near  Horsham,  situated  some  five 
miles  only  from  his  old  home,  The  High  Beeches,  and  there 
he  lived  out  his  days. 

If  the  following  facts  are  borne  in  mind  it  will  prevent 
any  confusion  in  following  the  course  of  Loder's  life  in  Eng- 
land ;  his  three  homes  were  : 

For  26  years,  1849-76 — The  High  Beeches,  Crawley,  Sussex. 
For  12  years,  1876-88 — Floore,  Weedon,  Northants, 
For  32  years,  1888-1920 — Leonardslee,  Horsham,  Sussex. 

70  years. 

Thus,  for  58  of  his  70  years  his  home  was,  where  his  heart 
always  was,  in  Sussex. 

All  persons  susceptible  of  sentiment  know  how  the  heart 
clings  to  the  haunts  of  childhood  ;  more  especially  does  a 
child's  affection  hold  close  a  country  home,  for  nature's 
beauty  appeals  in  a  thousand  ways  to  the  fresh  innocence 
and  natural  instincts  of  early  youth.  The  High  Beeches 
and  the  country  around,  where  Loder's  childhood  was 
passed,  became  for  him  the  "  one  spot  "  of  earth  "  beloved 
over  all."  Here  passed  the  days  of  youth  and  of  romance, 
here  he  found  and  won  the  partner  of  his  life,  making  her 
home  at  Leonardslee  his  own  ;  to  be  hers  again  when  he 
should  be  there  no  more.  It  was  most  beautiful,  he  left 
it  yet  more  so  after  more  than  thirty  years  of  loving  care, 
and  in  return  it  gave  him  continual  joy  of  the  purest  kind. 
Heaven  smiled  upon  him  at  his  birth  in  placing  him  "  in 
a  fair  ground — in  a  fair  ground." 

The  High  Beeches,  with  the  adjoining  property  of  Den- 
combe,^  is  a  very  charming  place  ;  the  house  stands  high 
and  overlooks  some  eighteen  miles  of  beautiful  country 
with  the  Brighton  Downs  and  the  Devil's  Dyke  in  the 
distance.     Were  I  writing  only  for  the  survivors  of  Loder's 

1  The  High  Beeches  was  bought  by  Sir  Robert  Loder  soon  after  his 
marriage  in  1847;  the  property  of  Dencombe,  adjoining,  he  purchased 
much  later. 


SUSSEX  59 

own  generation  my  task  would  be  simpler,  but  it  seems 
almost  necessary  to  say  something  of  "  the  time  and  place  " 
in  which  he  lived.  At  least  it  generally  requires  some  effort 
for  one  generation  in  thinking  of  an  older  one  to  realise 
the  changes  in  scene  as  well  as  of  habits  that  mark  the 
passage  of  even  fifty  years.  Many  of  the  things  which  men 
of  Loder's  generation  accomplished  with  great  effort  are 
now  done  with  ease,  comfort  and  expedition,  but  much  that 
was  familiar  to  our  eyes  in  our  youth  and  much  that  we  did 
can  never  be  seen  or  done  again.  What  men  do  now 
in  superterrestrial,  subterranean  and  submarine  adven- 
ture and  exploration  were  things  only  in  our  dreams  or 
creatures  of  our  imagination — the  wild  and  almost  ridiculous 
subjects  of  our  "  books  for  boys."  We  lived  in  the  days  of 
terrestrial  discoveries,  and  that  age  with  its  fascination  is 
practically  over.  It  is  not  easy  for  men  whose  youth  was 
spent  in  the  thrilling  years  of  African,  Asiatic,  Australasian, 
Arctic  and  American  explorations  to  believe  that  any 
similar  period  of  adventure  and  romance  can  recur.  During 
the  seventy  years  of  Loder's  life,  the  whole  world,  from 
being  comparatively  little  known  and  holding  innumerable 
secrets,  became  well  known. 

Inland  from  the  sea,  Sussex  has  escaped  the  ravages  of 
our  time  better  than  most  English  counties.  It  is  hard 
to  believe  that  it  ever  was  more  beautiful  than  during  the 
first  half  of  Loder's  life.  There  must  have  been  a  period, 
previous  to  the  last  century,  when  the  district  around 
Leonardslee  suffered  severely  through  the  felling  of  its  oaks 
for  the  Navy,  and  of  its  timber  generally  to  provide  charcoal 
for  Sussex  furnaces  and  foundries.  But  a  hundred  and 
fifty  years  had  given  time  for  the  recovery  from  any 
desolation  wrought  by  the  iron  industries.  Such  traces  as 
survive  of  ironworking  in  the  county  add  rather  than 
detract  from  its  valley  scenery.  The  uninform.ed  would 
never  guess,  for  instance,  that  the  chain  of  ponds  and  lakes 
in  the  main  valley  at  Leonardslee,  studded  with  gem-like 
nymphaea,  reflecting  gigantic-leaved  gunhera  and  aquatic 
wonders  of  plant  life  along  their  borders,  had  been  evolved 


60  THE   HOME   SCENES   OF  HIS   LIFE         [ch.  iii 

out  of  the  old  "  Hammer  Ponds  " — the  ancient  reservoirs 
which  ensured  the  continual  running  of  the  water-wheels 
which  drove  the  batteries  of  stamps  which  crushed  the  ore.  ^ 
As  for  the  country  south  and  south-east  of  Horsham  and 
the  Forest  Ridge,  it  would  be  difficult  to  match  it  with  any 
other  sample  of  English  scenery ;  and  within  it  there  is 
nothing  better  than  the  property  of  Leonardslee,  where 
Loder  made  his  home,  beautifying  it  with  his  consummate 
knowledge,  skill  and  understanding. 

Among  our  counties,  some  seem  separated  from  others 
as  entities,  and  Sussex  is  one  of  these.  It  is  in  situation, 
character  and  history  intensely  English.  Physically  too 
it  is  distinct,  with  its  long  seaboard  of  chalk  and  sandstone 
cliffs,  its  Downs,  its  Weald,  its  inland  forests  of  beech  and 
birch,  of  pine  and  fir.  Sussex  still  abounds  with  pictur- 
esque villages  and  commons,  it  is  rich  in  old  castles,  old 
abbeys,  old  churches  and  old  parks,  in  Saxon  camps  and 
older  forts  and  "  rings  "  and  the  vestiges  of  the  Roman  and 
British  past.  Traversed  by  the  great  highways  of  the  world 
which  lead  to  the  heart  of  our  Empire,  it  yet  remains  a 
bit  of  the  Old  England,  holding  here  and  there  some  perfect 
relic,  typical  of  her  rural  past.  It  may  be  that  up  to  the 
very  end  of  Loder' s  life,  in  quiet  places,  the  Sussex  oxen 
were  ploughing  and  some  of  those  ancient  troglodytes,  the 
South  Down  shepherds,  were  tending  their  sheep,  Pyecombe 
crook  in  hand.  Some  lanes  there  are  still  in  these  days  of 
tarmacadam,  into  which  no  noise  and  stench  of  motors 
can  enter,  lanes  of  the  good  old  sort  which  inspired  the 
libel  "  Soseks  full  of  dirt  and  myre."     Whether  a  man 

1  I  have  within  the  present  century  seen  at  the  mines  in  Transylvania 
and  Hungary  wooden  stamps  worked  in  this  primitive  way  ;  in  principle 
the  process  differs  little  from  that  in  operation  in  the  mighty  stamping 
batteries  of  the  Transvaal  Goldfields.  In  Transylvania  all  the  processes 
were  very  primitive — dogs  drew  little  barrow-loads  of  ore  out  of  little 
hill-side  drifts  ;  the  ore  was  then  carted  by  bullocks  to  where  a  water- 
wheel  worked  iron-shod  wooden  stamps  ;  there  the  ore  was  crushed  and 
loaded  into  little  einspanner  ox-wagons  and  taken,  often  many  miles, 
to  the  Government  Concentration  works — the  miners  being  paid  accord- 
ing to  the  yield  of  gold,  of  silver  and  of  lead  obtained  from  the  concen- 
trates. 


SUSSEX   CLIMATE  61 

come  from  Yorkshire,  the  Highlands,  the  Alps  or  the  Andes 
he  may  not  smile  in  the  presence  of  a  man  of  Sussex  at 
Gilbert  White,  not  even  when  he  describes  the  South 
Downs  as  a  "  chain  of  majestic  mountains."  The  Downs 
have  a  beauty  of  their  own.  Looking  southwards  from  the 
wooded  highland  round  Leonardslee,  or  from  the  house 
itself,  they  form  a  distant  but  charming  background  ;  there 
is  distinction  in  their  swelling,  rising  and  falling  lines  as  in 
the  colours  they  put  on  ;  "  peculiarly  sweet  and  amusing," 
Gilbert  White  says. 

At  Leonardslee,  Nature  lent  herself  in  every  direction  to 
Loder's  taste,  his  humour  and  his  art.  A  Sussex  sky  is  as 
sunny  as  any,  if  not  the  sunniest  in  England.^  For  our 
latitudes,  the  air  is  warm,  the  mean  temperature  being  but 
a  degree  or  two  below  that  of  the  Scilly  Isles.^  The  rainfall 
is  a  mean  between  that  of  the  wetter  climates  of  western 
and  the  dryer  climates  of  eastern  England.  The  wild  plant 
life  declares  it  a  gardener's  soil,  for  some  1,159  species  of 
wild  flowering  plants  are  found  within  its  borders.  In  spite 
of  deforestation,  enough  magnificent  timber  remains  to 
proclaim  that  it  can  produce  the  best. 

To  men  of  Loder's  nature,  mountains  and  hills,  forests 
and  prairies  are  emptied  of  more  than  half  their  delight  if 
deprived  of  animal  and  bird  life  ;  even  the  river  and  the 
lake  lose  their  interest  without  the  living  creatures  in  them 
and  about  them  which  belong  to  them  or  for  which  they 
are  a  suitable  home.  To  such  men  even  the  beautiful 
Alpine  scenery  of  Switzerland  is  depressing.  To  me  the 
great  grey  snow-topped  mountains  are  a  melancholy 
spectacle  associated  ever  in  my  mind  with  the  massacre 
and  extermination  of  all  that  life  which  when  we  were  young 
gave  enchantment  to  them — often  to  our  view,  always  to 
the  imagination.     The  lammergeyer  and  the  eagle  soar  no 

^  Certain  stations,  such  as  those  at  Falmouth,  Newquay  and  Wey- 
mouth, boast  the  highest  records  of  sunshine,  but  Brighton  is  not  far 
behind  these,  with  its  score  of  some  1,800  hours  of  sunshine  in  the  year  ; 
and  the  Sussex  average  is  no  less  than  1,600  hours. 

^  The  mean  annual  temperatiure  of  the  Scilly  Isles  is  52^°  Fahr.,  that 
of  Susses  is  somewhere  about  50°  to  51°  Fahr. 


62  THE   HOME   SCENES   OF   HIS   LIFE       [ch.  iii 

more  into  the  blue  above  them,  the  steinbok  stands  no 
more  a  sentinel  on  the  heights,  no  bears  haunt  the  fast- 
nesses of  the  rocks,  nor  wild  boars  the  forests  on  their  slopes. 
You  know  that  on  most  of  them  you  might  spy  all  day  and 
never  see  one  chamois  nor  even  a  marmot.^  For  the 
sportsman-naturalist  there  is  little  inducement  to  climb 
where  nature  is  thus  despoiled.  Even  in  the  short  season 
of  Alpine  flowers,  these  can  hardly  chase  melancholy  from 
places  thus  emptied  of  their  life.  Yet  the  Alpine  Club 
man  and  many  a  tourist  find  full  satisfaction  and  delight 
in  them,  such  as  the  born  naturalist  and  hunter  does  in 
other  ranges,  as  grand  and  beautiful  as  these.  Byron 
understood  the  nature  of  a  man  like  Loder,  and  I  find  these 
lines  copied  into  one  of  Edmund  Loder' s  journals  : 


"  To  sit  on  rocks,  to  muse  o'er  flood  and  fell. 
To  slowly  trace  the  forest's  shady  scene. 
Where  things  that  own  not  man's  dominion  dwell, 
And  mortal  foot  hath  ne'er  or  rarely  been  : 
To  climb  the  trackless  mountain  all  unseen, 
With  the  wild  flock  that  never  needs  a  fold, 
Alone  o'er  steeps  and  foaming  falls  to  lean  : 
This  is  not  solitude  :    'tis  but  to  hold 
Converse  with  Nature's  charms  and  view  her  stores  unrolled." 

*  In  Switzerland  there  still  are  chamois  and  they  may  often  be  seen, 
but  the  system  (supposed  to  be  democratic,  but  which  is  the  very 
bolshevism  of  sport)  by  which  they  are  still  kept  in  existence  is  horrible 
in  the  extreme.  A  canton  is  closed  against  chamois-hunting  till  sTirviving 
stocks  or  migrants  have  multiplied  sufficiently — usually  a  period  of  some 
seven  years  or  so — it  is  then  declared  open  for  about  fourteen  days. 
During  these  two  awful  weeks  the  mountains  are  covered  with  men, 
with  rifles  and  guns,  who  massacre  everything,  sparing  neither  age  nor 
sex.  Every  visible  creature,  after  being  chevied  from  pillar  to  post  and 
blazed  at  from  every  side,  having  been  butchered,  the  canton  is  bottled 
up  for  another  seven  years.  Foreigners  are  not  allowed  to  participate 
in  these  slaughters  and  so  far  have  never  clamoured  to  be  admitted  to 
the  shambles.  During  the  War,  1914-18,  quite  a  number  of  steinbok, 
distiu-bed  by  the  Italian  and  Austrian  mountain  fighting,  sought  refuge 
on  the  Swiss  side,  but  the  Swiss  frontier  posts  shot  them  down  and  thus 
probably  the  last  chance  of  the  steinbok  being  re-established  in  Swit- 
zerland was  lost. 

Since  writing  this  note  I  have  heard  that  the  steinbok  is  being  re- 
introduced into  what  is  to  be  a  national  natural  preserve. 


NATURE   AND    SUSSEX  63 

So  he  peopled  his  park,  his  hills,  his  open  plateaux,  his 
valleys,  his  woods,  his  lakes  and  his  streams  with  such  a 
variety  of  creatures  as  could  never  have  lived  in  such 
health  and  happiness  and  mixed  beauty  elsewhere  in  Eng- 
land. Sussex  is  fitted  for  wild  life.  Red  and  fallow  deer, 
from  old  time,  have  thrived  particularly  well  in  Sussex 
parks.  Mr.  C.  F.  Lucas  of  Warnham  Court,  Horsham,  has 
some  of  the  finest  red  deer  in  England.  Lord  Leconfield's 
Petworth  fallow  deer  are  said  to  be  the  best  in  England,  and 
roe  are  there  too.  At  Parham,  which  belonged  to  the  late 
Lord  Zouche,  one  of  Loder's  friends  as  well  as  his  neighbour, 
besides  the  deer  there  is  a  heronry  ^  with  a  curious  history, 
an  enchanted  forest  and  other  wonders.  All  this  was  in 
favour  of  Loder's  schemes,  but  where  else  has  man  ever,  in 
so  limited  an  area,  created  such  a  wonderful  combination 
of  gardens  with  natural  loveliness  and  made  it  the  home 
of  such  a  great  number  of  beautiful,  curious  and  rare 
creatures  ? 

The  Leonardslee  estate  lies  a  little  south  of  St.  Leonard's 
Forest,  which  is  well  worth  seeing.  I  have  ridden  through 
it  in  various  directions  with  Sir  Edmund  in  order  to  see 
his  favourite  "  natural  wild  stretches,"  apparently  in 
primeval  state,  of  birches  and  pines  in  heather  and  bracken 
or  where  old  and  seedling  trees  (usually  birches)  grew  in 
sweet  confusion.  A  good  idea  of  the  Forest  can  be  obtained 
by  taking  the  road  from  Horsham  to  Pease  Pottage.  As 
to  who  St.  Leonard  was,  who  gave  his  name  to  the  Forest 
and  to  Sir  Edmund  and  Lady  Loder's  property  hard  by, 
I  am  not  quite  clear  ;   perhaps  he  is  the  same  good  gentle- 

1  Lord  Zouche  was  a  descendant  of  Robert  Curzon,  the  traveller  and 
author  of  The  Monaste'ries  of  the  Levant.  The  heronry  at  Parham  dates 
from  about  1841 — the  herons  coming  from  Michelgrove,  deserting  their 
heronry  owing  to  some  of  the  nest-bearing  trees  having  been  felled  ;  the 
heronry  at  Michelgrove  had  only  been  in  existence  some  twenty  years, 
having  been  established  by  the  migration  of  all  the  Penshurst  (Lord  de 
Lisle  and  Dudley's  place  in  Kent)  herons.  The  original  heronry  at 
Penshurst  had  lasted  200  years,  having  been  started  with  herons  imported 
in  the  reign  of  James  I  from  Corby  Castle  in  Wales. 

Lord  Zouche  died  some  eight  years  ago  ;  the  present  owner,  Lady 
Zouche,  is  a  distant  cousin  of  the  last  Lord. 


64  THE   HOME   SCENES   OF  HIS   LIFE       [ch.  iii 

man  who  has  attached  his  name  to  some  of  our  Yorkshire 
monastic  buildings  and  chapels.  Whoever  he  was,  the 
Forest  is  named  after  him  because  he  killed  the  Dragon 
which  haunted  it ;  he  was  wounded  in  the  combat,  and 
wherever  his  blood  fell,  there  lilies  of  the  valley  sprang  up. 
Judging  from  the  lilies  he  must  have  been  a  full-blooded 
saint  and  his  wounds  severe  and  numerous.  It  is  said  too 
of  the  Forest  that  nightingales  never  sing  within  it,  owing 
to  the  curse  of  a  hermit  whose  nocturnal  devotions  they 
disturbed — without  vouching  for  the  cause,  I  am  told  the 
fact  is  there.  In  E.  V.  Lucas's  book,  already  referred  to, 
I  read  his  history  of  a  seventeenth  century  "  Serpent " 
(or  "  Dragon  ")  that  lived  in  the  Forest  about  1604,  with 
his  transcription  of  a  certificate  given  by  those  who  "  have 
scene  this  serpent."  The  description  is  very  detailed, 
and  a  careful  consideration  of  it  convinces  me  that  "  this 
serpent  "  was  an  escaped  cobra.  It  "  is  reputed  to  be  nine 
feete,  or  rather  more  in  length."  "  The  scales  along  his 
backe  seem  to  be  blackish,  and  so  much  as  is  discovered 
under  his  bellie,  appeareth  to  be  red."  "  He  is  of  counten- 
ance very  proud  and  at  the  sight  or  hearing  of  man  or 
cattel  will  raise  his  necke  upright ;  and  seem  to  listen  and 
looke  about  with  great  arroganey."  "  There  are  likewise 
on  either  side  of  him  discovered,  two  great  bunches  so  big 
as  a  large  foote-ball  "  (query,  what  was  the  regulation  size 
of  foote-balls  circa  1604  ?)  "  and  (as  some  thinke)  will  in 
time  grow  to  wings ;  but  God,  I  hope,  will  .  .  .  that  he  shall 
be  destroyed  before  he  grow  so  fledge."  This  story  reminds 
me  that  some  years  ago  a  terrified  countryman  came  to  see 
me,  asserting  that  he  had  just  seen  at  the  bottom  of  a  hedge 
about  a  mile  from  my  house  a  frightful  serpent  about  20 
feet  long  and  as  thick  as  his  leg  ;  he  had  fled,  and  told  me 
he  had  no  idea  that  there  were  such  awful  creatures  in 
Cleveland.  I  went  off  to  see  if  I  could  account  for  his  tale, 
and  discovered  that  it  was  a  dead  python  about  14  feet 
long  and  that  it  had  been  thrown  out  dead  or  dying  from  a 
touring  menagerie.  I  have  seen  and  killed  much  bigger 
pythons  than  this,  and  saw  one,  killed  by  Captain  Elphick 


LEONARDSLEE  AND  ST.  LEONARD'S  FOREST  65 

near  Kaap  Muiden  in  the  Transvaal,  which  was  the  longest 
I  have  known — about  27  feet  long. 

The  following  I  take  from  Sir  Edmund  Loder's  own  notes 
made  in  1913,  as  giving  the  conditions  under  which  he 
pursued  his  hobby  of  acclimatising  rare  and  beautiful 
plants  and  trees. 

"  Leonardslee  is  270  feet  above  sea-level :  9  miles  from 
the  northern  slopes  of  the  South  Downs  and  13  miles  in  a 
direct  line  to  the  sea  near  Shoreham.  The  ground  planted 
occupies  both  sides  of  a  valley  running  nearly  north  and 
south.  It  is  partially  sheltered  from  south-west  gales  by 
trees  and  by  the  configuration  of  the  ground.  The  soil 
varies  considerably  in  different  parts,  generally,  however, 
containing  sand,  mixed  more  or  less  with  clay.  Geologic- 
ally it  is  '  Upper  Tunbridge  Sand  '  and  '  Cuckfield  Clay.' 
The  natural  growth  is  heather,  bracken  and  birch-trees." 

The  following  particulars  are  taken  from  the  same  notes  : 

"  Average  Rainfall  at  Leonardslee 

1882  to  1912  inclusive   .  .  .  29-65  in. 

The  greatest  Rainfalls  in  this  period  were  : 

in  1903 38-42  in. 

in  1912 37-87  in. 

The  smallest  Rainfalls  were  : 

in  1893 23-42  in. 

in  1905  .....  24-74  in." 

It  is  said  that  on  Christmas  Eve,  1860,  the  thermometer 
fell  to  zero,  when  bay  and  laurel  trees  were  killed  or  much 
injured  and  Phoiinia  serrulata  was  killed  to  the  ground. 
Similar  damage  was  done  to  bays  and  laurels  in  1894,  but 
not  to  Photinia.  In  this  year,  on  January  5th,  1894,  28° 
of  frost  were  registered,  and  again  on  February  7th,  1895, 
without  injuring  the  camellias. 

"  Much  damage  is  done  to  young  growths  of  flower-buds 
and  flowers  by  spring  frosts  : 

17  degrees  of  frost  were  registered  March  21st,  1899 
15  „  „  „  March  29th,  1901 

12  „  „  „  March  15th,  1908' 
11             .,              „              „              March  18th,  1910^ 

13  „  „  „  April    13th,  1913 

1  Technically  winter  and  not  spring  dates. 


66  THE   HOME   SCENES   OF  HIS  LIFE       [ch.  iii 

"  Bracken  has  been  killed  at  the  bottom  of  the  valley  by 
the  frosts  on  June  22nd  (the  longest  day),  1908,  and  on 
June  14th,  1911. 

"  The  greatest  frosts  recorded  up  to  1913  in  recent  years 
have  been  : 


1912  February  3rd 

1911  February  1st 

1910  November  21st 

1909  January  28th 

1908  January  11th 


Degrees 

.  21 

.  11 

.  12 

.  18 

.  18 

1907     January  24th  and  25th         .          .  16 
1906     December  28th  .          .          .          .18 

The  highest  temperatures  have  been  : 

August  14th,  1911  .  .  .  .94 

September  3rd,  1906     .  .  .  .93 

The  lowest  maximum  temperature  for  a  year 

was  June  11th,  1903     .  .  .  .82. 


5> 


It  is  not  easy  to  describe  Leonardslee,  and  my  account 
is  of  a  clear  picture  in  my  memory,  as  it  was  before  the 
war.  The  main  feature  is  a  very  long  deep  valley,  narrow 
and  wild  at  the  high  end,  running  down  from  north  to 
south,  deepening,  widening  and  opening  itself  more  and 
more  to  the  sun.  In  the  bottom  a  stream  flows  down 
through  a  chain  of  pools,  ponds  and  lakes,  the  waters 
becoming  larger  and  wider  as  the  valley  broadens  out. 
In  one  section  of  the  upper  stream  and  pools  the  beavers 
have  their  home  and  holts,  and  there  they  have  built 
their  dams,  and  here  you  may  see  neatly  cut  stumps  of 
larch  and  of  birch  trees  which  have  been  gnawed  down. 
Above  stream  there  is  a  colony  of  Coypus,  giant  water- 
rats,  and  below  the  beavers  dwell  a  numerous  tribe  of 
the  more  gigantic  Capybara,^  the  aquatic  guinea-pig  of 
South  America  and  the  largest  of  all  existing  rodents, 
sometimes  4  feet  long.  This  valley  is  the  divide 
between   the   highlands   to   the   west   and   east.     On   the 

^  Capybara,  4  ft.  long  and  weighing  about  10  stone  ;  as  Loder  used  to 
say,  "  the  same  as  his  own  weight,"  for  it  was  curious  his  weight  kept 
under  11  stone  from  the  time  of  his  running  races  at  Eton  till  he  died. 


LEONARDSLEE  67 

edge  of  the  western  plateau  stands  the  house,  commanding 
an  extensive  view  of  the  valley,  of  the  lake  with  its 
various  waterfowl  below,  of  the  hills,  of  woods,  and  to 
the  right,  away  over  miles  of  Sussex,  to  the  Downs.  On 
the  east  side  of  the  valley,  where  it  is  widest,  the  slopes 
rise  from  the  water  with  open  stretches  of  grass,  heath 
and  bracken  among  birches,  tall  old  beeches,^  ancient 
hollies  and  pines,  till  the  timber  closes  thick  round  the 
crown  of  the  hill.  Here  you  may  watch  a  herd  of  Japanese 
deer  or  of  Indian  blackbuck  or  of  spotted  axis  (cheetal) 
in  repose,  or  feeding  and  moving  from  shadow  into  sun- 
light and  into  shade  again  ;  or  as  you  climb  the  bank 
you  will  put  up  numbers  of  wallaby,  hidden  in  the  bracken, 
some  with  baby  kangaroo  heads  peeping  out  of  their 
pouches — they  sit  up  and  watch  you  with  round  black 
eyes  before  bounding  off  in  great  leaps.  Beyond  the 
woods  on  this  side  is  a  plateau,  a  miniature  prairie  ;  here 
I  have  often  seen  many  animals  grazing,  various  deer, 
with  mouflon,  ibex,  wild  sheep  and  kangaroos.  Beyond 
the  tableland,  the  grass  slopes  down  to  other  smaller  and 
shallower  valleys  and  beyond  again  are  the  wooded  hills. 
It  is  from  the  front  of  the  house,  which  faces  the  valley, 
and  from  the  large  windows  of  the  dining-  and  drawing- 
rooms,  that  you  can  see  most  of  this  (not  the  plateau), 
or  looking  left-handed,  across  to  woodlands,  spaced  and 
striped  with  sunlit  glades  where  onwards  from  late  spring 
are  great  masses  of  azaleas  and  rhododendrons  of  all 
colours,  shining  with  white  and  gold  and  flecking  with 
flames  the  dark  heather  which  carpets  the  hill.  In  summer 
other  colour  is  there,  for  ramblers,  climbing  briars  with 

1  In  1912  one  of  the  beech-trees  was  110  ft.  in  height,  girthing 
10  ft.  4  in.  at  5  ft.  from  the  ground.  There  were  at  the  same  date  also 
the  following  measiorements  recorded  : 

Pinus  pinaster,  77  ft.  high  ;  Deodara,  77  ft.  high  ;  Cryptotneria  japonica, 
69  ft.  high  ;  Abies  nordmanniana,  82  ft.  high  ;  Sequoia  sempervirens, 
80  ft.  high  ;  Thuya,  73  ft.  10.  in,  high  ;  Larix  europcea,  98  ft.  high  ; 
and  many  other  very  high  trees  in  the  grounds.  One  tulip-tree  in  1912 
was  97  ft.  high  and  11  ft.  in  girth  at  5  ft.  from  the  ground.  Even  some 
of  the  rhododendrons  have  stems  girthing  over  2  ft. 


68  THE   HOME   SCENES   OF  HIS   LIFE       [ch.  iii 

Viturnum  plicatum  climb  high  up  into  the  trees.  On  the 
north  side  of  the  house  is  the  main  entrance  ;  from  this 
side,  the  first  object  which  catches  the  eye  is  an  enormous 
thermometer  fixed  on  one  of  the  great  beeches  on  a  lawn 
opposite  the  front  door.  Though  a  considerable  way  off, 
it  can  be  read  from  the  windows  more  easily  than  one 
held  in  the  hand.  This  was  one  of  Loder's  practical 
devices  for  obtaining  information  as  to  how  the  temperature 
was  likely  to  affect  his  plants  and  trees.  It  was  of  many 
other  uses — no  need  here  to  go  out  and  poke  the  ground 
in  your  pyjamas  to  see  if  it  was  a  hunting  morning. 
Beyond  the  thermometer  are  borders  of  flowering  shrubs, 
Japanese  maples,  bamboos  and  flowers,  and  behind  these 
rise  the  rocks  of  the  Alpine  Garden,  and  beyond  is  the 
Park.  To  the  right  of  this  lies  the  valley,  and  here  is 
the  sea  of  rhododendrons  and  much  else  among  the  high 
trees.  You  can  leave  the  house,  too,  on  the  east  side  by 
a  side  door,  passing  tall  camellia-trees  covered  with  flowers, 
and  go  under  the  rose-covered  pergolas  to  the  homes  of 
the  rarer  rhododendrons. 

It  was  not  long  after  his  marriage  that  he  first  met 
Mr.  Mangles,  "  the  Father  of  the  Auclandi  cult,"  and  other 
amateurs  of  the  rhododendrons.  He  became  first  a 
collector  of  rhododendrons  and  azaleas,  and  then  as  time 
went  on  he  became  more  and  more  interested  in  the 
results  of  hybridisation.  After  years  of  experiment  he 
obtained  the  reward  of  his  labours  in  producing  the  most 
surpassingly  beautiful  rhododendron  of  our  time,  the  one 
which  bears  his  name,  as  well  as  many  other  lovely  hybrids. 
Gardening  fascinated  him,  and  is  a  pure  and  beautiful 
joy  in  many  hves.  To  him  it  opened  his  mind  to  a  charm- 
ing avenue  of  perpetual  interest  in  his  travels  abroad 
and  in  each  garden  he  visited.  He  increased  his  know- 
ledge not  only  by  the  study  of  the  best  books  of  which 
he  was  a  collector,  but  was  in  constant  touch  with  the 
English,  Japanese,  Dutch  and  other  foreign  nurserymen 
and  corresponded  with  the  curators  of  Botanical  Gardens 
at  home  and  on  the  Continent.     He  would  spend  days 


LEONARDSLEE  69 

at  Kew,  Edinburgh  and  Cambridge  or  travel  to  Geneva 
and  even  to  JMexico  to  get  something  new  in  the  way  of 
information  or  of  plants.     I  remember  his  making  a  very 
complete  tour  of  the  beautiful  gardens  in  Cornwall  between 
Falmouth  and  Penzance,  where  he  was  a  delighted  wit- 
ness of  what  could  be  achieved  in  that  wild  and  sunny 
climate   with   sub-tropical   plants   and   trees.     He   would 
go  to  see  what  his  friend  Mr.  J.  C.  Williams  at  Caerhays 
was  doing,  for  he  had  similar  hobbies,  and  like  Sir  Edmund 
had  made  a  special  study  of  rhododendrons  and  narcissi. 
I  have  known  it  said  that  whilst  Sir  Edmund  Loder  would 
take  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  see  something  at  a  dis- 
tance, he  could  not  be  induced  to  visit  some  very  beautiful 
gardens  and  collections  near  at  hand.     This  I  am  inclined 
to  believe,  though  it  sounds  curious,  but  he  was  like  that : 
he  knew  what  he  wanted  to  do,  and  nothing  would  per- 
suade him  to  do  a  thing  till  it  suited  him  or  the  inclina- 
tion came  to  do  it. 

The  library  windows  look  out  to  the  west ;  under  them 
is  a  small  colony  of  the  queer  little  jerky  prairie  dogs 
(there  is  a  larger  one  elsewhere) ;  beyond  them  an  avenue 
of  botanical  wonders,  sub-tropical  shrubs  and  trees  in 
great  variety,  leads  to  the  mouflon  rocks,  and  farther 
west  again  is  more  open  grass  and  bracken  fringed  with 
high  trees — a  favourite  spot  for  the  great  kangaroos, 
Peruvian  cavies,  springbok  and  wild  turkeys.  I  have 
put  up  hog  deer  here  too  and  seen  the  bush  turkey's  tall 
heat-generating  nests  on  the  slopes  hard  by  ;  where  are 
also  the  emu  paddocks  and  enclosures  for  ravine  deer 
and  other  species  of  the  hardier  gazelles.  This  somewhat 
long  description  of  the  grounds  in  which  Loder  spent  so 
much  of  his  home  life  does  not  give  even  a  list  of  half 
the  gardens  and  subjects  of  interest,  and  says  nothing  of 
the  side  shows,  such  as  the  most  complete  collection  of 
coniferae  in  England.  But  as  most  of  the  animals  were 
sold  after  Loder's  death  and  no  man  can  tell  what  changes 
may  come,  I  wished,  if  it  were  possible,  to  give  some  slight 
idea  of  what  the  place  was  like  when  he  was  the  spirit 


70  THE   HOME   SCENES   OF   HIS   LIFE        [ch.  iii 

of  it.  I  myself  feel  as  if  his  spirit  still  was  there,  for  I 
can  think  of  no  corner  of  Leonardslee  without  seeing 
him  in  it. 

I  now  must  turn  back  to  the  year  1849,  the  year  of  his 
birth,  and  follow  him  where  possible  through  the  seventy 
years  of  his  life.  In  1849  Queen  Victoria  was  30  years 
of  age  and  had  reigned  12  years  ;  Loder  lived  through 
52  years  of  her  reign. 


CHAPTER  IV 

CHILDHOOD— ETON    AND    CAMBRIDGE — 1849-1872 

"  Our  first  gay  stage  of  life  is  when 

Youth,  in  its  dawn,  salutes  the  eye — 
Season  of  bliss  !     Oh  who  wouldn't  then 
Wis?i  to  cry,  '  Stop  !  '    to  earth  and  sky  ?  " 

Moore  :    Round  the  World  Goes. 

The  London  season  was  over,  and  the  West  End  quiet  and 
no  doubt  sultry,  when  on  August  7th,  1849,  the  hero  of 
this  history  made  his  appearance  in  this  very  mysterious 
world.  The  precise  spot  on  which  he  should  arrive  had  been 
carefully  fixed  by  his  parents  and  relations,  namely, 
16  Montagu  Street,  Portm.an  Square,  the  home  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  William  Pitt  Byrne,  the  last-named  becoming  at  once 
and  for  the  rest  of  her  days  the  new  arrival's  "  Aunt  Julia." 
There  had  been  a  Giles  in  every  generation  of  the  Loders,  so 
that  this  name  fell  to  him  as  of  right,  being  the  first-born 
of  the  new  generation.  The  name  of  Edmund  was  chosen 
for  him  by  his  father,  after  a  favourite  brother  of  his,  who 
had  died  young.  St.  Giles's  Day,  September  1st,  was 
selected  for  the  christening  at  St.  Andrew's  Church,  and 
on  that  day  the  child,  being  thus  named  Edmund  Giles,  was 
baptised  by  the  Rev.  James  Murray  with  water  out  of  a  shell 
brought  for  the  occasion  "  from  the  banks  of  the  Jordan 
and  which  had  been  blessed  by  the  Latin  Patriarch  of  the 
Holy  Sepulchre."  His  sponsors  were  his  great-uncle,  Mr. 
Philip  Loder,  his  Aunt  Julia  and  a  Miss  Randall.  These 
important  preliminaries  to  the  journey  of  life  are  usually 
carefully  recorded,  but  in  this  case,  as  in  many  others, 
there  is  very  little,  if  anything,  related  in  writing  about 
Edmund  Loder' s  childhood.  There  being  now  no  surviving 
6  71 


72  CHILDHOOD  [ch.  iv 

members  of  the  family  very  near  to  him  in   age,    there 
remains  Httle  but  the  oral  traditions  which  have  come  down 
to  the  present  time.      These  are  scanty,  but  support  the 
dictum  that  the  child  is  father  of  the  man.     His  sister 
Ethel,  Lady  Burrell,  though  considerably  younger,  is  to- 
day the  only  living  witness  of  his  later  nursery  days .      The 
maximum  strength  of  the  nursery  party  in  his  time  was  four. 
Besides  his  little  sister  Ethel  and  himself,  there  were  his 
brother  WiKrid,  two  years  younger  than  himself,  and  his 
brother  Alfred,  six  years  younger.     His  sister  remembers 
that  there  were  the  usual  little  disagreements  and  "  scraps  " 
common  to  all  nurseries,  but  cannot  recollect  "a  cross  word 
from  Eddie."     Eddie,  though  high-spirited  and  vivacious, 
seems  to  have  been  born  a  philosopher.     It  is  remarked  of 
him  at  a  very  tender  age,  that  when  he  was  aware  that  his 
conduct  merited  correction,  which  it  is  alleged  was  not 
often,  he  reduced  the  consequent  trouble  to  a  minimum  by 
quietly  climbing  down  from  his  high  chair,  saying,  "  Corner, 
s'pose."     This  is  characteristic  of  his  attitude  towards  the 
disagreeable  throughout  his  life.     I  have  often  seen  him 
meet  his  troubles  half-way,  or  indeed  the  whole  way,  when 
they  were  the  consequence  of  some  misfortune  or  mistake. 
He  would  put  his  head  on  one  side,  with  his  hand  on  his 
hip,  and  reflecting  a  moment  accept  the  inevitable  and  make 
the  best  of  it.     I  have  frequently  heard  him  make  such 
admissions  as  "  If  I  had  that  to  do  over  again  I  should  do 
it  differently,"  as  if  he  liked  everyone  concerned  to  know 
it.      It  remained  an  attractive  trait  in  his  character  and  an 
attitude  too  where  there  was  risk  of  friction  that  was  very 
disarming  and  very  conciliating. 

Sliding  down  banisters  is  one  of  the  forbidden  delights 
of  very  small  boys.  The  steep  staircase  outside  the  nursery 
door  at  The  High  Beeches  was,  however,  temptation  in  an 
entirely  irresistible  form  for  a  child  so  full  of  Ufe  and  so 
fearless  as  Eddie  Loder.  Unfortunately  the  run  was  too 
precipitous  to  do  the  course  with  full  abandon  without 
the  danger,  after  passing  the  post,  of  bumping  into  the  door 
of  his  father's  sanctum.     When  the  bump  did  occur,  the 


THE   DUKE   OF   WELLINGTON'S   FUNERAL       73 

father  promptly  emerged  with  a  sHpper  and  appHed  it  to 
what  had  bumped  his  door  and  sent  Eddie  upstairs.  But 
the  boy,  like  the  one  who  suffered  pain  more  amidships 
after  too  much  plum  pudding,  considered  the  game  was 
"  worth  it." 

There  are  events  which  happen  to  us  at  three  years  old, 
and  even  earlier,  which  we  recollect  more  or  less  distinctly. 
Sir  Edmund  Loder  always  asserted  he  remembered  being 
present  at  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  funeral,  but  without 
any  exact  recollection  of  what  happened.  The  funeral  of 
the  Iron  Duke  was  on  November  18th,  1852,  when  Eddie 
Loder  was  between  three  and  four  years  old.  The  Duke  had 
died  at  Walmer  Castle  on  September  14th  ;  the  body  had 
lain  in  state  at  Chelsea  Hospital  from  November  10th  to  the 
17th.  The  Public  Funeral  Procession  began  at  7  in  the 
morning  and  the  body  was  not  laid  in  the  vault  at  St.  Paul's 
till  3  p.m.  :  after  having  been  taken  on  its  last  long  journey 
through  the  streets  on  a  great  car  drawn  by  twelve  horses. 
The  fact  of  the  little  boy  having  been  there  is  recorded  in 
his  mother's  diary.  From  this  it  appears  that  he  was  taken 
up  to  London  for  the  occasion.  A  room  had  been  engaged 
on  the  second  floor  of  126  Piccadilly,  from  which  three 
generations  of  Loders  viewed  the  procession.  A  very  early 
start  had  to  be  made,  as  the  cortege  was  timed  to  pass 
this  point  at  9  a.m.  The  passing  lasted  one  hour  and  a  half 
and  bands  played  continuously. 

The  next  event  in  his  life  which  is  mentioned  is  more  than 
two  years  later,  when  in  May  1855  his  parents  took  him  to 
the  great  Paris  Exhibition.  It  appears  his  father  accom- 
panied some  of  the  live  stock  from  his  farm  on  this  journey, 
so  that  Eddie  Loder  had  the  honour  and  excitement  of 
making  his  first  trip  overseas  with  a  prize  pig  and  other 
exhibits.  The  pig  won  a  prize  at  Paris,  which  was  a  100 
franc  gold  piece.  The  party  stayed  a  fortnight  in  Paris  and 
one  day  Eddie  got  lost,  but  at  five  years  old  knew  enough 
French  to  inquire  his  way  to  their  hotel  and  to  reach  it 
safely.  It  was  more  than  twenty  years  before  he  found 
himself  in  Paris  again  and  he  was  then  on  his  honeymoon, 


74  CHILDHOOD  [ch.  iv 

in  1876.  Lady  Loder  has  told  me  that  he  remembered  a 
good  many  places,  but  most  particularly  a  shop  in  the  rue 
St.  Honore  where  he  had  seen  in  the  window  a  revolving 
roller  which  pressed  out  liquid  chocolate — this  wonder 
having  left  a  more  lasting  impression  on  the  mind  of  the 
little  boy  than  anything  else  and  throwing  the  Great 
Exhibition  into  the  shadier  part  of  his  memory. 

Beyond  the  fact  that  he,  with  the  rest  of  the  family, 
went  every  autumn  to  stay  with  his  grandfather  Mr.  Giles 
Loder,  at  Wilsford  House,  near  Salisbury,  I  have  no  record 
of  his  movements  and  experiences,  until  the  Paris  Prize  Pig 
and  Chocolate  expedition  just  mentioned.  But  in  1856 
he  began  to  see  more  and  more  of  the  big  world,  for  his 
father,  having  set  about  rebuilding  the  High  Beeches, 
moved  all  his  family  to  Hampton  Lodge,  Western  Road, 
Brighton,  where  no  doubt  he  found  delight  in  the  goat 
carriages,  piers,  shells  and  other  novelties  of  the  seaside. 

On  February  20th  of  the  next  year  (1857)  a  third  httle 

brother  arrived  ;    he  w^as  christened  Robert  Clare,  but  did 

not  long  remain  with  them.     This  spring  all  the  children 

were  taken  ill  with  whooping-cough,  and  the  baby  died 

of  this  distressing  malady.     I  mention  this  as  the  family, 

eventually  of  seven  brothers  and  two  sisters,  maintained 

their  ranks  intact  until  the  first  years  of  the  next  century. 

Long  before  this  Indian  Mutiny  year  of  1857  Eddie  had 

learnt  to  ride.     For  some  years  he  was  not  allowed  stirrups, 

with  the  consequence  that  his  pony  soon  discovered  he 

could  unseat  him  and  did  so  many  times  a  day.     To  ride 

bare-back   to   begin   with,    after   the   panier    or   Spanish 

child's  saddle  stage  is  past,  and  then  without  stirrups,  is 

the  best  way  for  a  boy  to  learn  to  ride,  and,  what  is  almost 

as  useful  in  after  life,  how  to  fall  off.     This  education  for 

a  boy  is  not  always  so  good  a  one  for  a  pony  ;  yet  as  most 

small   ponies   are    (or   were   in    our    day)    so    imperfectly 

broken   and    "made,"   a  few   more   tricks   hardly   count 

against  the  feats  of  agility  they  inspire  in  the  rider.     The 

great  thing  for  a  child  is  to  be  familiar  and  fond  of  his 

pony  and  to  have  a  small  and  narrow  one  with  a  good 


LEARNING   TO   RIDE  75 

temper.     Most  small  ponies  are  (or  were)  too  wade  and 
fat,  with  bad  mouths  and  rough  paces  ;    I  think  the  best 
are  to  be  found  among  the  small  Welsh  or  Exmoor  ponies. 
Riding  without  stirrups  is  supposed  to  spoil  a  boy's  hands 
and  a  horse's  mouth,  but  hands  are  born  and  not  made. 
Good  hands  go  with  sensitive  natures  and  sympathetic 
temperament.     You   cannot   spoil    good    hands   and   you 
cannot   make    bad    ones   good.     Thus    very   early   Eddie 
Loder  learned  to  ride  well  and  to   ride  alone.     Almost 
every  day,  when  he  was  7  and  8  years  old,  he  went  by 
himself  the  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the  High  Beeches 
for   his   lesson   of    an   hour   at   the    Rectory   at    Staple- 
field,  tumbling  off  and  tumbling  on  as  often  as  his  pony 
elected   to   impose   these   exercises.     He   would   take   his 
pony  and  ride  round  by  the  lanes  where  the  stonebreakers 
were — and  there  were  many  in  those  days  on  the  roadsides 
— and  persuaded  them  to  keep  any  curious  flints  they 
found  in  the  great  heaps  they  worked  at. 

Unlike    most  little   boys    of  later   generations   he   was 
kept  at  home  till  he  was  nearly  13  years  old  ;    having, 
during  the  last  two  years  before  going  to  Eton,  a  tutor, 
Mr.   Crofts,   to   prepare   him  for   his   school  career.     His 
remaining  thus  at  home  in  the  country  until  he  went  to 
Eton,  instead  of  going  to  a  preparatory  school,   almost 
certainly  accounts  for  the  extraordinary  development  of 
his  faculties  and  of  those  interests  which  later  filled  his 
life    with    delightful    occupations    and    with    such    varied 
studies.     It  probably  accounts  too  for  a  certain  marked 
independence  of  character.     These  are  the  receptive  years 
in  which  a  mind  is  stored,  or  not,  with  general  knowledge 
of  the   kind   without   which  lives    are   the   poorer.     The 
reader  must  forgive  me  if  I  obtrude  my  own  opinion  on 
this  subject  and  for  claiming  Loder  as  an  illustration  in 
support  of  it.     I  am  open  to  the  charge  of  partiality,  for 
I  bring  to  the  consideration  of  it  a  similar  experience  to 
Loder's,  having  been  kept  at  home  under  a  tutor  till  I 
was  more  than  12   years   old.     I  owe  at  least  half  the 
pleasure  and  interests  of  my  life  and  by  far  the  happiest 


76  CHILDHOOD  [ch.  iv 

memories  of  my  boyhood  to  the  three  last  years  at  home. 
There  are  certainly  two  sides  to  the  question  ;    and  what 
is  best  for  one  boy  is  not  always  best  for  another.     It 
may  be  that  the  average  boy  "  gets  on  better  at  school  " 
and  is  "  turned  out  better,"  in  the  opinion  of  masters,  if 
he  is  caught  and  broken  young.     It  may  be  that  school- 
masters have  agreed  on  the  treatment  which  gives  the 
best  average  results,  as  doctors  do.     Opinions  are  never 
likely  to  agree  as  to  the  exact  age  at  which  it  is  best  to 
catch,  break  and  train  any  animal.      Much  depends  on 
nature  and  disposition,  and  upon  what  you  want  it  to  do 
and  to  be.     It  must  be  remembered  that  in  the  fifties  and 
sixties  preparatory  schools  were  few  and  inferior  to  what 
they  have  been  since.     Yet  I  still  hold  the  view  that  the 
years   from   9    to    12    are   the   most   impressionable    and 
critical  in  a  boy's   life,   and   that   for  boys   with   happy 
homes,  and  especially  with  country  homes  and  brothers 
and  sisters,  they  are  the  ones  above  all  others  best  spent 
at  home.     It  is  because  these  years  are  so  important  to 
the  evolution    of   character  and  the  moulding  of  habits, 
mental   and  social,   that   all  schoolmasters  and  most  so- 
called    "  educationalists  "    insist    on    boys    being   sent   to 
school  at  9  or  10  years  of  age  or  even  earlier.     I  fully 
admit  that  under  this  system  the  public  schools  turn  out 
a    splendid    set    of    well-instructed,    disciplined,    manly 
Englishmen,  with  a  high  code  of  honour,  morality  and 
conduct.     But  I  maintain  that  in  the  seven  years,  12  to 
19,  a  not  inferior  result  in  these  respects  could  be  obtained, 
without  the  loss   of  all   that  is   entailed  in  the   absence 
from  family  life   and  a  country  home   during  the  most 
receptive  period.     In  these  precious  years  a  keen  boy  at 
home  becomes  familiar,  with  unconscious  ease,  with  his 
country,  his  own  people,  the  humbler  classes  around  him, 
with  animal  and  bird  life  ;    he  is  a  collector  of  everything 
from    eggs    and    butterflies    to    ferrets    and    terriers  ;     he 
knows   the  haunts   and  habits   of  most  living  creatures, 
watches  and  takes  a  part  in  all  that  interests  him  in  the 
stable,  the  farm,  the  joiner's  or  blacksmith's  shop.     He 


HE   GOES   TO   ETON  77 

goes   to   school   with   his   mind  stored   with  general   and 
famihar  knowledge   and   experience  to   an   extent  which 
can  never  be  reached  by  any  effort  in  after  life — a  wealth 
of  education   that   whatever   else   schoolmasters   possess, 
most  of  them  cannot  appreciate.     He  will  as  a  rule  be 
even  better  instructed  in  most  school  subjects  if  he  has 
been  well  taught  at  home.     Much  more  could  be  said  in 
regard  to  the  family  aspect  and  the  relationship  between 
parents  and  sons.     It  is  true  that  a  boy  is  more  easily 
and  thoroughly  weaned  (if  more  cruelly)  from  home  and 
country  affections  at  8  or  9  years  old,  and  that  he  falls 
into    line  with  less  effort  at  the  earlier  age  ;    but  it  is 
equally  true  that  the  highest  education  (I  do  not  mean 
instruction)  suffers  irremediably  under  the  system.     How 
many  boys  nowadays  leave  school  without  knowing  the 
very  simplest  things — not  even  the  names  of  birds,  trees, 
flowers,  hardly  those  of  their  neighbours  and  the  village 
people  !     People  are  people — birds  are  birds — and  hounds 
are  spotted  dogs  ;    they  have  no  fluency  in  foreign  lan- 
guages, and  no  desire,  generally  speaking,  to  get  out  of 
the  mould  into  which  they  were  squeezed  when  small  and 
tender.     A  man  like  Loder  when  asked,  as  I  have  heard 
him  asked,  "  But  how  do  you  know  that  ?     I  wish  I  knew 
these  things,"  replies  truly,  "  But  I  don't  remember  when 
I  did  not  know  them."     We  know  enough  about  little 
Eddie    Loder    to    ascribe    to    these    years    much    of    his 
enthusiasm  for  natural  beauty,  natural  science,  an  inde- 
pendence of  judgment  and  an  individuality  of  character, 
due  to  his  liberty  from  school  life. 

On  May  7th,  1862,  he  went  to  Eton  and  to  the  Rev. 
John  Hawtrey's,  into  whose  house  were  taken  some  forty 
of  the  younger  boys.  There  being  in  those  days  a  first 
and  second  form,  Hawtrey's  House  took  the  place  of  a 
preparatory  school.  Later  he  went  to  the  Rev.  E.  D. 
Stone. 

Loder  made  no  great  mark  in  school  work  at  Eton. 
Though  he  had  brains  much  above  the  average  and  was 
industrious,  his  mind  was  bent  on  subjects  which  inter- 


78  ETON   AND   CAMBRIDGE  [ch.  iv 

ested  him  rather  than  on  any  great  effort  to  distinguish 
himself.  He  pursued  studies  which  do  not  carry  you  up 
the  school  ladder,  such  as  drawing,  for  which  he  took 
many  prizes,  including  the  School  Drawing  Prize.  Al- 
though he  made  time  for  cricket  he  often  spent  his  half 
holidays,  in  summer,  sketching.  He  was,  before  he  left 
Eton,  a  budding  astronomer  and  had  saved  up  his  money 
and  had  become  the  proud  possessor  of  a  telescope.  The 
growth  of  his  love  for  natural  history  continued,  and 
some  of  the  obstacles  placed  in  his  path  by  the  authorities 
are  "  peculiar  and  amusing."  He  collected,  among  other 
things,  butterflies  and  caterpillars  :  I  can  imagine  his 
contempt  for  the  ignorance  of  the  highly  placed,  who 
confiscated  his  caterpillars  as  being  "  poisonous."  Yet 
such  notions  persisted  in  our  day  and  perhaps  do  still 
in  those  high  spheres.  Caterpillars  provide  varied  enter- 
tainment to  schoolboys  ;  we  raced  them  and  had  large 
studs.  I  won  many  stakes  with  one  which  was  a  stayer, 
with  a  magnificent  stride,  till  I  painted  liim  with  my 
colours,  and  used  too  much  Chinese  white,  which  shor- 
tened his  stride  and  ended  his  turf  career — he  was  never 
the  same  animal  after. 

Though  Loder  made  time  for  both  cricket  and  football, 
he  does  not  appear  to  have  excelled  in  either.  He  was, 
however,  among  the  best  athletes  in  the  school.  In  1867 
when  17  he  entered  for  fourteen  events  in  March  and 
April,  and  won  ten  of  them,  was  second  in  another  and 
third  in  another.  The  following  year,  1868,  he  competed 
not  only  at  Eton,  but  elsewhere,  at  Richmond  and  East- 
bourne and  other  Athletic  Meetings,  and  he  won  fouileen 
out  of  nineteen  competitions  for  which  he  entered.  At 
these  athletic  sports,  in  the  long  jump  he  did  19  feet 
more  than  once,  and  in  the  high  jump  5  ft.  1  in.  The 
following  were  amongst  his  best  performances  at  school 
when  18  or  19  years  old  : 

1st  in  the  100  yards  in  lOf  sec.  (on  grass  in  South 
Meadow). 

1st  in  the  484  yards  in  58  sec. 


ETON   DAYS  79 

In  this  last  race,  which  was  intended  to  be  a  quarter- 
mile  race,  the  course  was  found  when  remeasured  to  be 
484  instead  of  440  yards,  and  Loder  has  put  down  his 
time  of  58  seconds  as  equivalent  to  a  quarter  in  52§  sec. 
In  the  hundred  yards  race,  above,  he  beat  Philpot,  who 
afterwards  at  Cambridge  was  the  best  man  at  both  the 
100  yards  and  the  quarter-mile.  It  was  towards  the  end 
of  his  Eton  days  his  association  with  Arthur  Pelham, 
who  was  also  an  athlete  and  a  competitor  with  him, 
ripened  into  a  friendship  which  lasted  his  lifetime.  There 
exists  in  an  old  Eton  Chronicle  a  long  set  of  verses  on 
the  consulting  of  the  Pythian  god,  who  gives  his  "  tips  " 
for  the  races.  I  transcribe  three  of  the  verses,  in  which 
the  names  of  the  two  friends  appear  : 

"  Up  came  a  youth  of  lofty  grace 
WTio  said,  '  As  nothing  shorter 
Is  half  as  suited  to  my  place, 

Please  may  I  win  the  Quarter  ?  ' 

"  To  whom  the  prophet, — '  Yes,  you  may  ; 
It  needs  no  shrewd  foreboder 
To  guess  upon  that  trying  day 
A  victory  for  Loder,' 

"  The  dreaded  answer  soon  he  saw 
Engrav'd  on  broad-ruled  vellum  ; 
'  Though  he  has  striven  well  before 
The  race  is  not  for  Pelham.'  " 

At  Eton  Loder  won  the  long  jump  in  1868  with  18  ft. 
8  in,,  and  he  was  third  in  the  high  jump,  after  terrific 
competition,  with  5  ft.  1  in.  These  are  all  excellent  per- 
formances for  a  boy,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1868  Edward 
Hawtrey  (son  of  the  Master,  the  Rev.  John  Hawtrey), 
who  was  later  a  celebrated  long-distance  runner,  took 
pains  to  train  Loder  and  Pelham  in  quarter-mile  running 
and  induced  them  both  to  compete  in  London  for  the 
Public  Schools  Quarter-mile,  a  race  arranged  by  the 
London  Athletic  Club,  to  promote  inter-school  sports.  If 
this  was,  as  I  think  it  was,  the  first  attempt  of  the  L.A.C. 
towards  this  end,  the  first  race  was  not  very  encouraging, 


80  ETON   AND   CAMBRIDGE  fcH.  iv 

for  Loder  and  Pelham  were  the  only  runners  to  come  to 
the  post,  and  the  race  was  won  by  Loder,  in  the  worst 
time  I  can  find  among  his  records,  viz.  57  seconds.  In 
April  1869  Loder  ran  at  the  Amateur  Champion  Meeting. 
In  the  hundred  yards  he  ran  a  dead  heat  with  J.  H. 
Hague  for  second  place,  being  only  1  yard  behind  J.  G. 
Wilson,  who  was  the  best  man  at  either  of  the  Universities 
at  that  distance.  On  running  off  the  dead  heat  Loder 
won  by  a  yard  and  made  the  same  time  as  the  winner, 
J.  G.  Wilson,  viz.  10|  sec. 

Thus  before  he  went  to  Cambridge  there  was  evidence 
that  Edmund  Loder,  when  at  his  best,  was  in  the  first 
class  of  athletes  for  his  age.  He  had  with  9|  yards  start  at 
Richmond  in  April  1868  beaten  a  really  first-class  runner, 
J.  K.  Barnes  (he  had  1|  yards  start),  in  a  120  yards  race, 
after  a  dead-heat  time  11 1  sec.  It  remains  somewhat  a 
mystery  why  he  was  not  more  successful  at  Cambridge 
and  how  he  failed  to  get  his  Blue. 

At  Cambridge  he  won  a  great  many  races  and  jumping 
competitions.  He  started  off  by  winning  the  quarter- 
mile,  the  hundred  yards  and  the  long  jump  at  the 
Trinity  and  King's  College  Sports.  He  won  many  Stran- 
gers' Races  and  other  competitions.  Both  he  and  Pelham 
spent  a  good  deal  of  time  at  Tenner's  in  winter  \\ith  their 
mutual  friends  Clinton  Dent  and  F.  W.  Maitland,  and  kept 
themselves  in  exercise  by  throwing  the  hammer.  Mr.  Pel- 
ham ascribes  Loder's  failure  to  get  liis  Blue  to  probably 
two  things  :  that  Loder  had  done  his  best  time  on  grass 
and  that  his  style  was  better  suited  to  a  grass  than  to  a 
cinder  course,  and  that  in  not  a  few  cases  men  reach  the  full 
development  of  their  running  powers  very  young  and  some 
do  not  improve  after  19.  Loder's  father  put  down  a  cinder 
path  at  home  for  his  son  to  practise  on,  so  that  it  was 
not  the  want  of  training  on  cinders  that  accounts  for  this 
curious  difference.  Having  been  a  quarter-mile  and 
hundred  yards  runner  myself,  I  could  always  do  a  better 
hundred  and  quarter  on  cinders  in  shoes,  but  best  on 
grass  if  the  turf  was  dry  and  good  without  shoes.     How- 


ATHLETICS   AT   CAMBRIDGE 


81 


ever,  after  tabulating  the  Oxford  and  Cambridge  Inter- 
University  records  in  the  years  1868-70  it  seems  to  me 
that  in  that  particular  period  Loder  was  outclassed. 


0.  and  0.  1868-1870. 

Event. 

Loder's  best  record. 

51  to  53  sec. 

Quarter-mile 

His    best    time    was    484 
yards     in    58    sec.   =  ? 
52f  sec. 

10  sec.          .... 

100  yards 

10    sec. 

20  ft.  8  in.  to  21  ft.  3  in. 

Long  Jump 

19  ft.  2  in. 

5  ft.  U  in.  to  5  ft.  7  in. 

High  Jump 

5  ffc.    1  in. 

A  man,  however,  who  can  run  the  quarter  under  54 
seconds  and  the  hundred  yards  under  10^  seconds,  and 
who  can  jump  over  5  feet  in  height  and  over  19  feet  in 
length,  is  active  enough  when  it  comes  to  the  chase  to  "  take 
the  shine  out  of  "  most  professional  hunters  and  to  beget  a 
wholesome  respect  in  natives  on  those  occasions  when 
great  activity  is  required  or  called  into  play.  Loder 
kept  up  his  interest  in  athletics  and  to  the  end  of  his  life 
could  as  a  rule  give  you  the  names  of  the  best  performers 
with  the  best-known  records  of  performances. 

Of  the  brothers  Alfred  Loder  attained  to  the  highest 
distinction  as  an  athlete.  He  was  at  Jesus  College,  Cam- 
bridge, and  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  University  in  my 
Cambridge  days.  He  was  two  years  my  senior,  having 
been  born  in  1855,  was  a  man  of  splendid  physique  and 
the  champion  hurdle  racer  of  his  day.  At  the  Inter- 
University  Sports  he  won  the  hurdles  two  years  in  suc- 
cession ;  in  1876  he  broke  all  records  by  winning  the 
race  in  16  seconds,  a  time  never  beaten  until  the  next 
century  and  I  believe  only  recorded  twice  between  1864 
and  1900.^  He  was  a  good  tennis  (real  tennis)  player, 
and  with  a  rifle  on  a  deer  forest  was  almost  or  perhaps 
equal  to  his  brother  Edmund  as  well  as  being  a  good  shot 
with  a  gun.     He  died  in  1905. 

1  Another  man  I  knew  well  won  the  Inter-University  Hurdles  in  the 
worst  time  recorded,  Tom  Milvain,  a  very  good  man  with  the  gloves,  or 
without  them,  and  at  one  time  M.P.  for  Durham  City. 


82  ETON   AND   CAMBRIDGE  [ch.  iv 

Reginald  Loder,  the  fifth  of  the  brothers,  was  also  an 
athlete  and  as  a  boy  good  at  the  hurdles,  like  his  brother 
Alfred  ;  and  good  at  the  high  jump,  the  long  jump  and 
the  hundred  yards  like  Edmund  was  before  him.  He  won 
all  these  events  at  Cheam  or  at  Eton.* 

There  is  little  to  say  of  Edmund's  Eton  days,  but  I  might 
relate  one  amusing  story  he  used  to  tell  better  than  I 
can,  of  how  he  and  his  friends  when  in  Lower  School  had 
been  forbidden  to  bring  in  their  white  mice  and  turn 
them  loose,  and  brought  in  something  else  as  a  substitute. 
They  got  hold  of  the  watercress -man  and,  partly  with 
bribes  and  partly  by  hustling  him  into  Lower  School 
amongst  themselves,  induced  him  at  a  given  signal  to  call 
out  his  "  Any  watercreee-a-ses."  It  is  also  said  that  he 
used  to  shoot  sparrows  with  an  air-gun  across  the  street 
and  always  succeeded  in  avoiding  detection.  Whether 
Edmund  Loder  got  the  right  amount  of  birching  for  which 
he  rendered  himself  liable,  history  does  not  relate,  but 
the  story  is  told  that  his  brother  Alfred,  having  cleverly 
stolen  the  birch  rod  with  which  he  had  been  castigated, 
most  unfortunately  for  himself  was  so  intoxicated  with  his 
success  that  he  waved  it  in  triumph  in  the  street  and  was 
promptly  swished  again. 

After  leaving  Eton,  Loder  had  a  short  course  with  a  tutor 
at  Littlehampton,  probably  to  prepare  him  for  his  Trinity 
Entrance  examination  or  his  Matriculation.  He  went  up 
to  Trinity,  Cambridge,  in  October  1869  with  Pelham.  He 
had  rooms,  which  subsequently  I  believe  I  knew  well,  in 
the  Great  Court ;  a  very  long,  low  sitting-room  close  to 
the  Chapel  with  a  very  small  bedroom.     His  friends  do  not 

^  Reginald  Loder,  born  1864,  played  in  the  winning  House  team  at 
football  when  at  Eton  and  was  also  in  Lower  Boys'  winning  football 
and  cricket  teams,  yet  was  a  "  wet  bob  "  (nine  of  the  Monarch)  and  held 
a  commission  in  the  Eton  Vokinteers — the  last  being  a  great  honour, 
as  one  commission  only  is  given  each  year.  He  won,  in  1893,  the  Running 
Deer  and  the  Running  Man  competitions  at  Bisley,  and  both  with  record 
scores.  He  lives  at  Maidwell  Hall  in  the  Pjrtchley  coimtry,  hunts  regu- 
larly and  has  done  some  big-game  shooting.  He  has  inherited  to  the 
full  the  Loder  love  of  horticulture,  has  a  beautiful  collection  of  siirubs 
and  a  wonderful  Alpine  Garden  ;   he  also  takes  a  part  in  county  work. 


CAMBRIDGE   DAYS  83 

remember  that  he  had  very  many  books,  but  recollect  well 
enough  such  things  as  his  microscope  and  an  astronomical 
telescope,  four  or  five  feet  long,  with  a  four-inch  reflector. 
The  Irish  Question  was  as  lively  in  those  days  as  before 
and  since.  I  remember  distinctly  the  Fenian  rising  of 
1868  and  the  excitement  of  the  following  years.  On  one 
occasion,  Pelham  relates,  it  being  a  fine  starry  night,  Loder, 
as  he  often  did,  at  least  subsequently,  carried  out  his 
telescope  and  mounted  it  on  a  stand  in  the  Great  Court  on 
one  of  those  sacred  grass  plots  on  which  the  undergraduate 
never  places  his  foot  but  at  the  risk  of  6s.  8d.  a  time.  To  the 
College  Porter's  horror  (Hoppett  would  be  his  name  if  I 
remember  right,  for  he  still  dwelt  in  the  guardroom  in  the 
Gate  in  my  time),  his  mind  being  affected  by  the  Fenian 
scare,  he  saw  something  like  a  small  cannon  on  that  sacred 
ground  and  pointed  in  the  direction  of  Trinity  Chapel ; 
muttering  probably  a  short  prayer,  he  screwed  up  his 
courage  and  crept  stealtliily  towards  the  dreaded  object. 
Loder  was  aware  of  being  stalked,  but  continued  his 
observations — and  awaited  results.  The  Porter  drew 
near  and  at  last  stretched  out  his  hand  to  seize  the  Fenian, 
when  he  realised  who  it  was — "  Mr.  Loder  lying  on  a  rug 
and  looking  at  stars  and  such  like  " — and  drew  back 
his  hand  with  "  Beg  pardon,  sir." 

Loder  at  Cambridge  continued  to  indulge  in  such  studies 
and  pursuits  as  appealed  to  him,  and  here  his  taste  for 
natural  science  began  to  develop.  He  gave  much  of  his 
time  to  astronomy,  with  how  much  aid  from  those 
attached  to  the  Cambridge  Observatory  I  do  not  know. 

Besides  his  work  at  astronomy  and  with  the  microscope, 
he  continued  drawing  and  painting  wliilst  at  Trinity,  and 
I  think  had  taken  up  photography  seriously  before  going 
down.  He  showed  no  great  keenness  for  the  orthodox 
classical  and  mathematical  studies,  and  feeling  no  necessity 
or  inclination  to  take  up  a  profession  went  through  his 
examinations  in  a  more  or  less  perfunctory  way  and  was 
quite  satisfied  with  an  ordinary  B.A.  degree  at  the  end  of 
his  time.     Yet  he  was  always  generally  busy  reading  up 


84  ETON   AND   CAMBRIDGE  [ch.  iv 

some  subject  or  doing  something  in  his  own  way.  He 
practised  more  than  he  played  cricket,  when  at  Cambridge, 
and  used  often  to  be  seen  at  Fenner's,  where  he  had  a  pro- 
fessional bowler  to  bowl  to  him  at  the  nets.  It  was  mostly 
in  the  Long  Vacations  that  he  played  in  matches  ;  and  it  is 
still  remembered  that  he  made  some  good  scores  for  the 
Brighton  Etonians — a  somewhat  ephemeral  club  of  which 
it  was  cruelly  said  "  that  it  was  neither  Brighton  nor  Eton- 
ian," though  it  promoted  some  very  good  matches  in  and 
near  Brighton  while  it  existed. 

The  four  close  friends,  Loder,  Pelham,  Clinton  Dent  and 
Maitland,  were  fond  of  sculling  and  canoeing  on  the  Cam, 
but  I  think  none  of  them  took  up  rowing  seriously  ;  they 
went  for  long  walks  together,  and  a  walk  to  Ely  was  their 
substitute  for  penance  each  time  Ash  Wednesday  came 
round.  The  four  sometimes  forgathered  in  Loder's  rooms, 
but  more  often  met  in  Sidney  Street,  where  Dent  and  Mait- 
land lodged.  Maitland  took  high  honours  in  two  Triposes, 
worked  hard  and  could  not  give  up  much  time  from  read- 
ing to  join  fully  in  the  activities  of  his  friends,  though  he 
had  similar  tastes  and  had  been  a  good  runner. 

One  story  survives  of  Loder's  undergraduate  days  which 
is  worth  preserving.  He  was  invited  by  a  friend  (who 
remains  nameless)  to  shoot  near  Cambridge — we  v/ill  say 
at  Six-Mile  Bottom  (I  have  shot  there  myself  and  in  those 
days  there  was  no  better  partridge  shoot  in  England).  The 
invitation  was  accepted,  but  it  was  somewhat  astonishing 
in  the  afternoon  of  a  perfect  day  to  be  suddenly  urged  by 
his  host  to  "  run  as  hard  as  he  could  " — but  he  did  as  his 
host  bade  him,  for  his  friend  had  at  once  set  him  the 
example.  It  was  only  in  the  excitement  of  being  chased  he 
discovered  that  his  host  had  no  shooting  rights  there  at  all, 
and  had  given  him  an  excellent  day's  poaching  and  plenty 
of  exercise.  The  host  happened  to  be  one  of  the  best  mile 
runners  of  his  day,  and  though  Loder's  best  distance  was 
the  quarter,  he  also  escaped  the  pursuers.  It  is  sometimes 
very  useful  to  be  fleet  of  foot. 

During  the   Long   Vacation   of  1870,    on   August   7th, 


LODER'S   COMING   OF  AGE  85 

Edmund  Loder's  coming  of  age  was  celebrated  by  a  great 
fete  at  the  High  Beeches  ;  "it  was  a  pouring  wet  day, 
which  spoilt  everything,"  appears  to  be  the  only  record  of 
this  important  family  event.  Wet  or  fine  I  undertake  to 
say  that  the  hero  of  the  day  was  better  pleased  to  see  the 
end  of  it  than  the  beginning,  but  "  good  days  and  bad  days 
all  ahke  get  over."  This  was  an  exciting  time  in  the  out- 
side world,  for  the  Franco-German  war  broke  out,  with 
British  sympathies  mostly  on  the  German  side  ;  though 
by  the  time  Paris  had  capitulated  on  January  28th,  1871, 
an  event  simultaneous  with  Bourbaki's  terrible  retreat  into 
Switzerland,  public  opinion  had  commenced  to  change,  and 
after  May  10th,  when  Alsace  and  Lorraine  had  been  torn  out 
of  the  side  of  France  by  the  Treaty  of  Frankfort,  it  may  be 
said  to  have  veered  round. 

In  1871,  on  August  19th,  Edmund  Loder's  grandfather, 
Mr.  Giles  Loder,  died  and  Mr.  Robert  Loder  inherited  a 
large  fortune.  In  the  following  year  Edmund  Loder  had 
left  Cambridge  and  settled  down  at  home  and  continued  to 
study  astronomy,  which  had  become  his  chief  hobby.  He 
erected  an  observatory  in  the  garden  and  he  was  supplied 
with  a  large  telescope,  and  many  a  night  he  spent  there 
when  everyone  else  was  asleep.  This  was  soon  followed 
by  a  larger  observatory  and  a  still  more  elaborate  tele- 
scope, and  eventually  his  first  visit  to  America,  to  be  dealt 
with  in  the  next  chapter,  was  partly  prompted  by  his 
desire  to  see  the  works  of  the  celebrated  lens  manufacturer, 
Alvan  Clark.  He  had  also  become  an  expert  with  the 
microscope  and  made  his  own  slides,  and  he  worked  hard 
at  photography  and  became  very  proficient. 

Meanwhile  a  rival  pursuit  had  sprung  up  which  was 
destined  to  play  a  far  larger  part  in  his  life  than  astronomy 
(a  science  he  continued  to  be  interested  in  for  many  years, 
but  which  he  gradually  dropped).  This  was  deer-stalking 
and  what  may  be  called  its  attendant  science,  rifle  shooting. 
It  was  in  this  year  1872,  when  he  was  23  years  of  age, 
that  he  induced  his  father  to  take  a  deer  forest  in  Ross- 
shire,  and  from  that  time  onwards  stalking  was  the  form 


86  ETON   AND    CAMBRIDGE  [ch.  iv 

of  sport  which  delighted  him  most.  Until  the  very  last 
years  of  his  life  he  never  missed  a  season's  deer-stalking, 
except  when  he  was  abroad  ;  and  on  every  occasion  which 
I  can  remember  his  being  abroad  in  the  deer-stalking  season, 
he  was  stalking  chamois  or  other  game.  The  Forest  of  Amat 
and  Corriemulzie  was  the  selection  of  Edmund  and  his 
brother  Wilfrid,  who  went  off  to  find  one  to  their  taste  and 
made  a  selection  that  the  family  never  regretted.  Amat 
and  Corriemulzie  were  rented  from  Mr.  George  Ross  of 
Pitcalnie  from  1872  to  1885  (inclusive  of  both  seasons)  ;  and 
in  1876  Mr.  Loder  took  in  addition  Glen  Diebidale  from  Sir 
Alexander  Matheson  and  remained  the  tenant  till  1885. 
In  1885,  when  these  tenancies  ran  out,  Mr.  Loder  rented  the 
Forest  of  Glenavon  in  Forfarshire  from  the  Duke  of  Rich- 
mond (I  think),  and  continued  the  tenancy  till  his  death  in 
1888.  After  Sir  Robert's  death  Sir  Edmund  took  places 
for  himself;  Kintail  Forest  was  taken  by  him  and  his 
brother  Reginald. 

Among  Sir  Edmund  Loder's  brothers,  Mr.  Sydney  Loder 
heads  the  record  as  a  deer-stalker.  He  was  at  Magdalene 
College,  Cambridge,  when  his  father  died  in  1888.  Since 
that  year  he  has  had  a  deer  forest  every  season — thirty-two 
seasons  to  date  (1921) — and  probably  holds  the  record  for 
Scotch  stags,  namely,  1,173  stags  killed  by  himself  and 
all  killed  by  stalking.  I  asked  him  to  give  me  the 
measurements  of  some  of  his  heads  which  he  considered 
the  best.     I  give  two  : 


(1) 

A  14-pointer  killed  in  1912. 

Length  of  right  horn 

.     37| in 

Length  of  left  horn 

38    „ 

Beam  above  brow  .          . 

.        51  „ 

Inside  width  between  horns 

.      32    „ 

(2) 

A  9-pointer  killed  in  1914. 

Length  of  right  horn 

.      39f  „ 

Length  of  left  horn 

.      39|  „ 

Beam  above  brow  . 

^2     5J 

Inside  width  between  horns 

002  )» 

MAJOR   EUSTACE   LODER  87 

Here  are  two  of  his  performances  with  salmon — in 
Norway  :  (1)  In  1883,  July  4th,  he  killed  with  rod  and  line 
on  the   River   Nansen    a   fish  4   ft.  5  in.  in   length   and 

29  in.  in  girth,  weighing  54  fb. 

(2)  In  1898  (also  on  July  4th)  one  evening  he  saw  only 
three  fish,  and  he  hooked  and  landed  them  all  in  this  order  : 

30  lb.   40  ft.  35  lb.     Total  :  105  ft. 

In  one  place  or  another  reference  has  been  made  already 
to  all  the  brothers  except  to  Major  Eustace  Loder,  whose 
name  is  probably  the  one  with  which  the  public  is  most 
familiar  on  account  of  his  success  as  an  owner  and  breeder 
of  race-horses.  This  chapter  will  finish  with  a  brief 
reference  to  him.  He  was  a  twin  with  Sydney  Loder,^ 
born  in  1867,  and  was  the  only  regular  soldier  of  the  seven 
brothers  and  served  for  eighteen  years  in  the  12th  Lancers. 
Like  the  rest  of  his  family  he  was  very  fond  of  deer-stalking 
and  of  his  gun.  He  rode  and  won  in  regimental  races,  and 
was  a  familiar  figure  with  the  Kildare,  Meath  and  Pytchley 
hounds.  It  was,  however,  on  the  turf  that  he  won  his  title 
to  lasting  fame.  In  1906  he  won  the  Derby  and  the  Grand 
Prix  with  "  Spearmint,"  but  it  was  with  "  Pretty  Polly  " 
he  made  one  of  the  greatest  sensations  of  recent  times  by 
winning  with  her,  a  mare  of  his  own  breeding,  the  Thousand 
Guineas,  the  Oaks,  the  Leger,  the  Coronation  Stakes  at 
Ascot,  the  Coronation  Cup  at  Epsom  and  the  Champion 
Stakes  at  Newmarket.  This  wonderful  mare  won  for  him  in 
stakes  £37,295.  She  has  had  nine  foals,  the  best  of  which,  so 
far,  have  been  "  Molly  Desmond  "  and  "  Polly  Flinders." 
As  I  write  a  two-year-old  colt  of  hers  by  "  Lomond  "  is  in 
training  and  may  be  worth  watching.  But  "  Pretty  Polly  " 
was  not  a  mere  fluke  of  judgment  in  breeding,  for  Major 
Loder  owned  many  good  horses  bred  by  himself  and  in  his 

1  Sydney  Loder  is  well  known  in  the  hunting  world  and  hunts  regularly 
from  his  place  at  Market  Harborough.  In  another  sphere  he  has  made 
his  mark,  for  he  has  been  a  successfiil  philatelist.  He  specialised  in 
British  stamps  and  at  the  age  of  16  years  had  the  best  collection  in  the 
world.  In  its  own  class  his  collection  won  three  Gold  Medals — in  London, 
Vienna  and  Turin,  and  the  Championship  of  the  World  in  London  and 
New  York. 

7 


88  ETON   AND   CAMBRIDGE  [ch.  iv 

time  won  most  of  the  important  stakes.  She  was  not  the 
only  famous  mare  he  bred  ;  there  is  "  Hammerkop,"  who 
produced,  after  Major  Loder's  death,  for  his  nephew  Major 
Giles  Loder,  the  winner  of  last  year's  (1920)  Derby,  "  Spion 
Kop."  To  breed  race-horses  with  continual  success  requires 
not  only  a  great  knowledge  of  the  animal  but  also  of  men. 
A  man  without  judgment,  or  the  man  who  is  without  the 
resolution  to  follow  his  own  judgment,  succeeds,  if  he 
succeeds  at  all,  by  good  luck  alone.  And  it  is  not  only 
Judgment  as  to  horses  and  their  mating  which  is  required, 
but  of  the  men  to  whom  a  stud  is  confided,  the  trainers 
who  are  to  prepare  horses  for  their  career  and  the  jockeys 
to  ride  them.  Nothing  must  be  left  to  chance  which 
intelligence  can  direct  or  control.  Major  Eustace  Loder 
died  on  July  27th,  1914. 

We  may  now  pass  on  to  the  next  year,  1873,  and  to 
Edmund  Loder's  first  visit  to  America. 


CHAPTER   V 

AMERICA    AND    THE    WILD    WEST— 1873,    AGE    23 

"  Push  off,  and  sitting  well  in  order  smite 
The  sounding  furrows  ;    for  my  purpose  holds 
To  sail  beyond  the  sunset,  and  the  baths 
Of  all  the  western  stars." 

Tennyson:   Ulysses. 

In  what  way  to  present  Loder's  experiences  and  adven- 
tures abroad  has  been  no  easy  question  to  decide.     I  have 
access  to  most  of  his  diaries   and  to  certain  letters   he 
wrote  home.     His  eariier  journals  are  very  fuJl,   but  as 
the  years   pass   the   entries   become   fewer '^  and  '  shorter, 
until  his  diaries  contain  little  more  than  brief  notes  and 
memoranda.    From  these,  the  first  journals  of  his  travels 
I  have  decided  to  quote  very  freely  for  several  reasons! 
Events  have  moved  so  fast  in  the  States  that  Loder's 
observations    and    experiences    relate    to   a   past    that   is 
quite  dead,  and   throw  light  on  the  everyday  conditions 
of   that  period  in  a  way  which  is  at  least  different  to 
ordinary  history.     For  instance,   I  intend  to  quote  him 
almost   in   full   when   he   relates   his   adventures    on   the 
prairies    and    his    buffalo-hunting,    as    the    time    he    was 
there  may  be  described  as  the  last  moments  before  the  old 
and  oft-described  life  on  the  prairies  disappeared  for  ever 
and  when  the  new  order  had  not  yet  sprung  into  existence 
I  have  found  the  whole  of  the  journal  interesting.     I  shall 
^ve  a  sufficient  variety  of  extracts,  I  hope,  to  entertain 
the   reader  1    and    to    exhibit    the    versatihty   of   Loder's 
mmd.     He  shows  an  interest  in  everything,  from  Univer- 
sities and  sermons  to  the  construction  of  railway  cars 

nrlfp^'n""'  °^  *T'^  f  """^  ^PP'^'  *°  ^^  '^^^^'^'  ^"*  °^^^y'  «ke  myself, 
prefer  the  ongmal  and  unstudied  relation  of  experiences. 

89 


90  AMERICA   AND   THE   WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

and  the  analyses  of  mineral  springs.  Most  of  such  matters 
I  shall  pass  over,  but  I  have  reproduced  such  descriptions 
as  those  he  gives  of  the  sermons  at  Salt  Lake  City  in 
order  to  show  what  he  could  put  down  from  memory,  as 
well  as  his  impressions  of  a  most  singular  religion  and  people. 
The  value  of  his  observations  depends  partly  upon  the  time 
at  which  they  were  made,  partly  upon  their  accuracy,  and 
partly  on  the  fact  that  they  record  a  great  advance  in 
American  manners  and  civilisation  when  his  account  is 
compared  with  the  accounts  given  by  Charles  Dickens  and 
by  other  writers  of  an  earlier  period.  A  great  deal  of  the 
ugly  side  of  American  life  had  disappeared.  The  hideous 
system  of  slavery  had  brought  its  Nemesis  in  the  long  and 
terrible  Civil  War.  The  blot  was  removed  from  the 
American  flag  and  the  fratricidal  strife  had  other  purifying 
results.  I  quote  some  of  his  references  to  the  Indians, 
which  sometimes  show  in  eloquent  words  where  his  sym- 
pathies lay.  The  treatmxcnt  of  the  red  man  by  the  white 
will  always  be  sorry  reading,  and  we  Englishmen  who 
were  the  Red  Indians'  friends,  as  long  as  they  were  useful 
to  us,  have  no  cause  to  boast  over  the  Americans.  Men 
of  our  blood  made  treaties  with  them,  and  the  Indians  set 
their  hands  to  these  engagements  in  simple  trust  and  only 
learned  from  the  white  man  how  to  break  faith  and  how 
to  wriggle  out  of  solemn  promises.  Where  I  have  quoted 
Loder's  own  words  in  the  following  pages  I  do  not  confine 
myself  to  his  diaries,  but  have  used  on  occasion  sentences 
from  his  letters  and  notes,  when  they  give  more  information 
or  a  clearer  account  of  what  he  did  and  saw.  I  have  in 
certain  passages  inserted  sentences  from  a  letter  or  other 
source,  but  have  always  used  his  own  words. 

On  April  19th,  1873,  Edmund  Loder  and  his  friend  the 
Hon.  Arthur  Pelham  embarked  at  Liverpool  on  board  the 
Cunarder  the  s.s.  Scotia  for  America.  "  For  years,"  says 
Loder,  "  we  had  been  reading  and  hearing  of  its  wonders, 
and  at  last  we  were  to  see  them  with  our  own  eyes."  He 
has  noted  how  little  he  could  see  too,  and  the  immensity 
of  the  United  States  ;    "  they  would  make  52  kingdoms 


THE  SCOTIA  91 

as  large  as  England  and  14  States  as  large  as  France." 
He  estimates  that  if  a  train  could  go  at  the  rate  of  a  good 
English  train  it  "  would  take  six  days  and  nights  to  cross 
the  United  States  from  New  York  to  San  Francisco,"  and 
"  a  steamboat  can  go  90  miles  up  the  Thames,  but  steamers 
trade  up  the  Mississippi  for  2,130  miles."  They  were 
within  sight  of  Sandy  Hook  at  11  p.m.  on  April  29th,  and 
landed  the  next  day,  "  without  much  trouble  at  the 
Customs — a  tip  of  $5  saved  my  large  deal  case  from  being 
interfered  mth  " — the  case  contained  their  camp  equip- 
ment and  saddlery. 

"  The  Scotia  is  the  only  paddle-steamer  now  crossing 
the  Atlantic.  She  is  a  very  strong  and  steady  ship,  but 
a  very  expensive  one.  She  was  burning  during  this  voy- 
age 160  tons  of  coal  per  diem  (1,700  tons  in  11  days),  while 
many  screws  burn  less  than  70  tons.  Her  engines  are 
very  fine  (the  largest  of  any  paddle-steamer  except  the 
Great  Eastern),  although  old-fashioned  ;  they  have  a 
12-foot  stroke  and  are  said  to  have  cost  £80,000.  The 
Scotia  is  292  feet  long  and  2,100  tons  (crew  60  and  800 
passengers).  Captain  Lott  commanding.  She  ran  15 
knots  per  hour  with  a  fair  wind  on  April  23rd,  and  also 
on  April  29th  with  a  very  light  wind.  The  runs  on  these 
days  were  respectively  340  and  345  knots — her  worst  run 
was  on  April  25th,  190  knots. 

"  There  was  no  one  of  any  note  on  board,  if  we  except 
George  Routledge,  the  publisher." 

They  had  a  taste  of  very  heavy  weather,  such  as  that 
which  makes  passengers  begin  to  ask  the  officers  "  whether 
there  is  any  fear,"  to  which  says  Loder  the  "  stern  reply 
is  "  "  plenty  oi  fear  but  no  danger."  He  and  his  friend 
are  good  sailors  and  he  notes  many  details  about  "  this 
magnificent  ship — an  enormous  steam  whistle  like  those 
on  our  locomotives,  only  ten  times  as  large  "  ;  in  fog  "  it 
is  blo"\\qi  for  about  fifteen  seconds  in  every  minute  night 
and  day — most  people  find  it  impossible  to  sleep  while  the 
fog-whistle  is  going,"  but  it  did  not  interfere  with  his 
rest,  and  "  I  vnW  answer  for  my  friend  Arthur  Pelham, 
who  is  the  best  sleeper  I  know." 


92  AMERICA   AND   THE   WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

He  gives  a  very  fiill  account  of  New  York  and  describes 
the  hotels  and  much  else.^  He  is  taken  aback  at  the 
prices.  "  Eatables  seem  to  be  about  double  London 
prices — two  chops  for  $1,  wine  (of  which  we  have  had  none) 
about  three  times  our  prices.  Books,  which  I  thought 
would  be  cheap  here,  are  also  dear."  A  fellow-passenger 
had  paid  $30  for  a  pair  of  boots  :  "I  suppose  they  were 
not  ordinary  walking  boots."  This  is  rather  a  nice  re- 
mark :  "  The  people  are  much  more  civil  and  obliging  than 
I  expected ;  they  will  always  direct  one  at  once  to  any 
place  one  wants  to  find."  Such  terms  as  "  Segar  Stores," 
"  Book-Bindery  "  and  "  Foreign  and  Domestic  Fruit  " 
amuse  him. 

"  The  horses  on  an  average  seem  far  superior  to  London 
horses.  They  all  look  very  well  bred ;  I  have  not  seen 
anything  like  an  English  cart-horse  even  in  the  heaviest 
drays.  The  horses  they  use  are  light,  but  are  said  to  be 
very  wiry  and  strong.  They  are  nearly  all  in  first-rate  con- 
dition. Very  few  of  the  carriage  horses  have  collars,  and 
their  tails  are  allowed  to  grow  right  down  to  the  ground." 

After  descriptions  of  all  they  saw  and  did  and  of  those 
people  to  whom  they  had  introductions  and  from  whom 
they  received  much  kindness  and  counsel,  he  ends  his 
entries  at  New  York  with  : 

"  We  had  lunch  at  Brooklyn — steak  for  two,  fried 
potatoes  and  four  glasses  of  lager  beer  for  75  cents. 

"  We  went  to  the  Chestnut  Street  Theatre  this  evening 
and  saw  Robert  McWade  in  Rip  Van  Winkle.  His  acting 
was  fair,  that  of  the  others  moderate.  We  were  amused 
at  seeing  the  sign  of  the  Inn  before  his  sleep  was  a  por- 
trait of  George  III,  afterwards  of  George  Washington."  ^ 

1  "  You  pay  by  the  day,  12s.  to  £1  a  day.  Almost  all  American  hotels 
have  a  fine  hall,  often  with  marble  pillars  and  floors,  and  fitted  with  seats 
all  round  the  walls.  In  these  halls  large  numbers  of  townspeople  con- 
gregate about  7  or  8  o'clock  at  night  to  smoke  and  talk  over  the  news  of 
the  day,  and  I  am  sorry  to  say  to  chew  tobacco  and  spit." 

2  Some  things  he  admires  seem  strange  ones  now.  "  Some  of  the  stores 
here  (Philadelphia)  are  splendid.  We  went  into  one  like  Verity's  in 
Regent  Street,  where  we  saw  the  most  splendid  gas  chandeliers  I  ever 
looked  at — hundreds  of  them." 


AMERICAN  TRAITS  93 

"  I  am  very  much  astonished  by  the  Americans  them- 
selves ;  in  the  tramway  and  railway  cars  very  few  are 
what  we  should  call  gentlemen  in  England,  but  the  people 
met  are  universally  quiet  and  well  behaved.  Smoking  is 
not  allowed  in  any  of  the  cars  and  no  spitting  by  the  com- 
monest .  .  .  they  make  no  noise  and  are  seldom  talking." 

Subsequently,  after  further  experience,  he  writes  : 

"  Of  the  regular  Yankees  with  the  well-known  nasal 
twang  I  met  very  few.  In  the  saloon  or  on  the  deck  of 
a  Cunard  steamship,  one  sees  perhaps  more  of  America's 
lounging  class  than  can  be  met  on  any  other  spot  of  the 
world.  An  American  in  America  is  generally  a  very 
pleasant  fellow.  It  is  true  that  in  many  points  his  habits 
and  views  may  differ  from  ours  in  a  manner  very  shocking 
to  our  insular  prejudice,  but  meet  him  wdth  fair  allow- 
ance for  the  fact  that  there  may  be  two  sides  to  a  question 
and  that  a  man  may  not  take  a  bath  every  morning  and 
yet  be  a  very  good  fellow — and  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten 
you  will  find  him  most  agreeable :  a  little  inquisitive 
perhaps  to  know  your  peculiar  belongings,  but  equally 
ready  to  impart  to  you  the  details  of  every  item  connected 
with  his  business.  He  will  very  likely  call  you  '  Captain  ' 
or  '  Colonel  '  and  expect  you  to  do  the  same  to  him.  iVt 
present  and  for  many  years  to  come  it  is  and  will  be  a 
safe  method  of  beginning  any  observation  to  a  Western 
American  with  '  I  say.  General,'  and  on  no  account  ever 
get  below  the  rank  of  field  officer  when  addressing  any- 
body holding  a  socially  smaller  position  than  that  of  a 
bar-keeper.  .  .  .  There  are  not  many  commandments 
strictly  adhered  to  in  the  United  States,  but  had  there 
ever  existed  a  '  Thou  shalt  not  tub  '  the  obedience  ren- 
dered to  it  would  have  been  delightful.  ...  'I  would 
like,'  said  an  American  gentleman  to  an  English  traveller, 
'  I  would  like  to  show  you  round  our  city  and  will  call 
for  you  at  the  hotel.'  '  Thank  you,'  said  the  English- 
man ;  '  I  have  only  to  take  a  bath,  and  will  be  ready  in 
half  an  hour.'  '  Take  a  bath  !  '  answered  the  American. 
'  Why,  you  ain't  sick,  air  you  ? 


5    5> 


Loder  quotes  in  full  the   description  of  Washington  in 


94  AMERICA   AND   THE   WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

Dickens's  American  Notes  as  at  least  partially  applicable 
when  he  was  there,  some  thirty  years  later.^ 

At  Washington  they  had  letters  of  introduction  to  Fish, 
Secretary  of  State,  Bancroft  Davis,  Under-Secretary  of 
State,  and  to  Delano,  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  and  Loder 
describes  ail  they  saw  with  this  official  help.  They  are  at 
the  Ebbett  Hotel,  where  he  remarks :  "  We  are  waited  on 
at  meals  entirely  by  coloured  gentlemen ;  they  do  their  work 
exceedingly  well  and  quietly."  A  jjropos  of  the  Capitol, 
after  noting  how  dazzlingly  bright  it  is  in  the  sunshine,  he 
says,  "  whilst  the  400  feet  dome  is  made  of  stone,  that  of 
St.  Paul's  Cathedral  is  of  wood  covered  with  lead." 

"  We  went  into  a  railway  office  to  inquire  about  a  train 
and  had  a  long  conversation  with  the  man  there,  who  had 
been  all  through  the  wars  serving  in  the  Southern  army. 
He  seemed  to  think  that  if  they  could  have  got  a  few  more 
gunboats  besides  the  Alabama  the  result  of  the  war  would 
have  been  different.  He  did  not  think  much  of  a  Yankee  or 
of  Yankee  fighting,  and  said  that  if  the  Americans  were  to 
go  to  Avar  with  a  foreign  power  the  Southerners  would  have 
to  do  all  the  fighting.  Talking  about  the  small  progress  the 
Yankees  are  making  against  the  Modcc  Indians,  he  said  the 
troops  were  very  demoralised  and  '  Show  a  Yankee  a  dollar 
and  he  will  go  up  to  his  neck  in  filth  to  get  it.'  " 

"  In  the  evening  (being  a  Sunday)  we  went  to  the  Church 
of  the  Epiphany  in  G.  Street,  which  is  called  an  Episcopalian 
church.     The  service  was  almost  the  same  as  in  the  author- 

1  "Take  the  worst  parts  of  the  City  Road  and  Pentonville,  preserving 
all  their  oddities,  but  especially  the  small  shops  and  dwellings,  occupied 
there  (but  not  in  Washington)  by  fiu-niture-brokers,  keepers  of  poor 
eating-houses  and  fanciers  of  birds.  Burn  the  whole  down  ;  build  it 
up  again  in  wood  and  plaster  ;  widen  it  a  little  ;  throw  in  part  of 
St.  John's  Wood  ;  put  green  blinds  outside  all  the  private  houses,  with  a 
red  curtain  and  a  white  one  in  every  window  ;  plough  up  all  the  roads  ; 
plant  a  great  deal  of  coarse  turf  in  every  place  where  it  ought  not  to  be ; 
erect  three  handsome  buildings  in  stone  and  marble,  anywhere,  but  the 
more  entirely  out  of  everybody's  way  the  better  ;  call  one  the  Post 
Office,  one  the  Patent  Office,  and  one  the  Treasury  ;  make  it  scorching 
hot  in  the  morning,  and  freezing  cold  in  the  afternoon,  with  an  occasional 
tornado  of  wind  and  dust ;  leave  a  brick-field  without  the  bricks,  in  all 
central  places  where  a  street  may  naturally  be  expected  ;  and  that's 
Washington." 


GENERAL   SHERMAN  95 

ised  English  Prayer  Book  ;  a  few  prayers  were  different 
and  they  sang  part  of  the  ciii  Psalm  after  the  second  lesson. 
We  had  a  charity  sermon  preached  by  a  clergyman  not 
belonging  to  this  church.  .  .  .  The  clergyman  of  the 
church  added  a  few  words  afterwards.  Both  sermons 
were  extempore.  The  collection  was  entirely  made  in  paper 
money." 

"  Davis  gave  us  a  letter  to  General  Sherman,  Com- 
mander-in-Chief of  the  United  States  Army.  Besides 
being  a  splendid  soldier  and  a  perfect  gentleman  he  is  a 
most  agreeable  man.  He  behaved  in  the  kindest  possible 
way  to  us.  We  had  a  most  interesting  conversation  with 
him  about  the  late  war.  .  .  .  He  showed  us  maps  of  the 
campaign  drawn  by  his  o^vn  hand  and  gave  us  advice  as 
to  our  tour  in  Virginia.  He  kindly  told  us  that  if  we  were 
going  to  hunt  buffalo  on  the  plains  and  wanted  any  horses 
or  assistance  from  any  of  the  military  posts,  he  Avould  be 
happy  to  write  a  letter  to  the  commanding  officer  of  any 
of  the  posts.  Our  names  must,  however,  come  to  him 
through  our  minister,  so  he  advised  us  to  call  on  Sir 
Edward  Thornton."  (They  obtained  all  they  wanted  in 
this  direction,  as  will  appear.) 

"  Washington  seems  to  be  a  deadly  lively  kind  of  a 
place.  .  .  ." 

"  This  evening  we  went  to  see  a  piece  performed  at  the 
Opera  House  called  The  Prairie  Scouts  in  which  Buffalo 
Bill  and  Texas  Jack  appear  in  their  own  characters.  Some 
of  it  was  exceedingly  amusing.  Three  times  in  the  course 
of  the  evening  Buffalo  Bill  and  Texas  Jack  turn  up  just  at 
the  right  time  and  kill  the  same  16  Indians  between  them." 

One  day  when  Loder  had  been  out  hunting  in  England 
his  neighbour  Mr.  Hubbard  had  enticed  him  into  a  promise 
to  visit  his  nephew,  whom  he  said  was  farming  with  a 
Mr.  Arthur  Moorsom  near  Gaines\ille.  At  no  time  was  it 
easy  to  extract  a  promise  out  of  Loder,  but  once  made,  or 
indeed  when  less  than  half  a  promise,  he  left  no  stone 
unturned  to  fulfil  it.  With  a  great  deal  of  trouble  they  got 
to  Gaines\ille  and  then  had  to  walk  miles  on  a  shocking  road, 
which  they  could  not  leave  on  account  of  the  density  of 
the  woods  on  either  side.  On  arriving  Hubbard  was  not 
there,  but  had  gone  to  England  ! 


96  AMERICA   AND   THE   WILD   WEST        [ch.  v 

"  Moorsom  (with  whom  Hubbard  had  been)  gave  us  some 
lunch  and  talked  about  his  farm.  He  says  the  ground  is 
a  good  deal  washed  out ;  they  used  to  grow  tobacco  here, 
but  not  since  slaves  have  been  done  away  with.  They  have 
also  taken  crop  after  crop  of  wheat  and  of  maize  out  of  the 
land,  without  putting  anything  into  it — it  still,  however, 
grows  very  good  crops.  He  is  trying  to  get  his  farm  all 
down  to  grass  as  he  is  so  near  to  Washington  and  Balti- 
more, where  there  is  a  great  demand  for  dairy  produce.  He 
kindly  drove  us  over  to  Gainesville  in  his  buggy.  This 
did  not  help  us  in  point  of  time,  as  we  could  walk  faster 
than  he  could  drive." 

And  to  Loder's  "  horror  "  they  missed  their  train,  and 
attempted  to  walk  on  to  Manassas  Junction  to  catch 
another  one,  9  miles  to  go  in  If  hours  on  the  railway  track. 

"  It  is  onl}^  a  single  track,  they  do  not  cover  the  sleepers 
and  the  space  between  is  half  filled  with  large  and  sharp 
stones  .  .  .  the  ground  on  either  side  was  quite  im- 
practicable. We  tried  our  best  all  the  way  and  it  was  the 
hardest  walk  I  ever  took." 

They  lost  the  race  by  a  few  minutes,  and  were  held  up  at 
Manassas  for  30  hours.     Here  are  their  experiences  there  : 

"  Manassas  is  a  wretched  place  with  500  inhabitants, 
many  of  them  blacks,  70  houses  and  CO  dogs.  The  station 
consists  of  a  wretched  inn,  two  bar  rooms  and  a  store  room. 
At  6  p.m.  we  had  something  to  eat  which  they  called 
'  supper,^  We  were  disturbed  by  a  row  in  the  passage  above 
and  went  up  and  saw  a  man  called  W^ill  Rowdy,  all  over 
blood,  struggling  with  a  man,  whom  we  found  out  was  his 
father.  It  appears  that  W^ill  Rowdy  had  been  drinking 
and  had  quarrelled  with  a  man  named  Peat  and  had  begun 
to  fight,  when  the  father  interfered.  .  .  .  Rowdy,  after  a 
violent  struggle,  got  free  and  rushed  wildly  about  looking 
for  Peat,  who  had  msely  retired.  He  rushed  up  some  stairs 
and  then  turned  back  and  hit  the  barman,  who  was  standing 
by,  a  terrific  blow  on  the  eye,  cutting  it  severely.  Rowdy 
then  turned  down  the  stairs  towards  the  supper  room  and 
looked  in  there  to  see  if  he  could  find  Peat,  and  then  came 


WILL   ROWDY  97 

right  at  me,  as  I  was  standing  on  one  of  the  lower  stairs. 
I  thought  he  intended  to  pay  me  the  same  comphment  as 
he  had  the  barman,  so  I  stood  quite  still  and  looked  at  him 
and  said  '  You  had  better  not  hit  me  ' — he  looked  at  me 
and  rushed  on.  "We  went  back  to  '  supper,''  but  were 
again  disturbed  by  his  rushing  into  the  room.  .  .  .  All 
the  men  there  seemed  to  be  afraid  of  him,  he  seems  to  be  a 
desperate  character ;  he  killed  a  man  with  a  pistol  only  last 
autumn,  and  yet  he  is  out  of  prison  now.  I  was  told  it 
cost  his  father  a  power  of  money  to  get  him  out  !  !  .  .  . 
The  conversation  about  him  at  supper  was  instructive 
enough  ;  all  seemed  to  agree  that  he  ought  to  be  shot  as  he 
was  a  disgrace  to  the  place,  and  several  said  they  would  kill 
him  if  he  interfered  \vith  them." 


The  next  day  he  notes  : 

"  We  heard  this  morning  that  Rowdy  had  finished  up 
last  night  by  quarrelling  with  two  more  men  and  that  in 
the  last  fight  he  got  a  real  good  licking." 

In  my  experience  of  such  society,  the  Will  Rowdys  are 
almost  always  "  put  down  "  as  nuisances  ;  it  is  the  common 
fate  of  rowdy  dogs  too.  Some  years  ago  I  was  looking  at  a 
very  good  foxhound  in  the  kennels  and  said  to  the  huntsman, 
"  Does  Crowner  often  behave  like  that  ?  "  as  the  hound 
marched  backwards  and  forwards  through  the  pack  with 
his  heckles  up  growling  and  spoiling  for  a  fight.  "  Yes,  he's 
always  like  that,  and  it  is  a  certainty  they'll  kill  him," 
replied  the  huntsman.  A  few  weeks  after  they  not  only 
killed  him,  but  ate  him  ! 

Loder  notices  a  war  cemetery  close  to  Manassas : 
"  Several  battles  were  fought  near  Gainesville  and  Manassas 
Junction." 

"  There  is  a  very  large  and  beautiful  cemetery  here  where 
56,000  [he  queries  the  correctness  of  the  figure  given  to  him] 
Confederate  soldiers  were  buried."  He  describes  all  the 
pretty  views  and  what  he  saw  at  Richmond,  he  notes 
that  a   good   many   of  the   shopkeepers   are  Englishmen 


98  AMERICA   AND    THE   WILD   WEST        [ch.  v 

and,  as  he  often  does,  gives  his  hotel  bill ;    here  is  one  as 
a  sample  : 


Board  one  day  and  two  meals 

.       5.00 

Ale  (2  glasses)          .... 

50 

Expenses        ..... 

75 

Hack  (2  persons,  2  hours) 

.       3.50 

Omnibus,  2  persons  and  baggage 

50 

10.25 

They  visit  the  battle-fields  : 

"  The  country  all  around  is  like  a  vast  deserted  camp, 
being  covered  with  long  lines  of  earthworks  and  crumbling 
forts.  Driving  do\vn  the  Jerusalem  plank  road  we  reached 
the  two  forts  which  we  so  often  saw  mentioned  in  the  papers 
at  the  time  of  the  war.  Fort  Hell  and  Fort  Damnation. 
The  former,  properly  called  Fort  Sledwick,  was  one  of  the 
most  advanced  points  of  the  United  States  lines.  The  two 
armies  were  here  so  near  together  that  the  men  could  talk 
to  one  another  from  behind  their  covers  and,  a  mutual 
agreement  not  to  fire  having  occasionally  been  made, 
tobacco,  sugar  and  coffee  would  be  exchanged — after 
which  the  men  would  retire  to  their  picket  lines  and  active 
hostilities  would  be  resumed." 

Does  not  this  call  up  memories  of  certain  incidents  in 
the  late  war  and  even  more  those  of  the  last  war  with  the 
Boers  in  South  Africa — those  Sundays  when  the  British 
poured  down  from  their  positions  and  spent  the  day  with 
their  then  "  enemies  "  and  making  their  exchanges,  to 
resume  the  fight  at  midnight  ? 

"  We  next  visited  the  Crater,  a  huge  hole  in  the  ground. 
It  was  a  Confederate  battery,  which  a  Federal  regiment 
undertook  to  blow  up.  W^ith  great  difficulty,  an  under- 
ground passage  nearly  800  feet  long  was  constructed  so  as 
to  get  under  the  fort,  and  this  was  charged  with  320  kegs 
of  powder,  each  containing  25  ft. — 8,000  Ife.  in  all.  The 
mine  was  exploded  in  the  early  morning  of  July  30th,  1864. 
The  explosion  Avas  tremendous  ;  the  pit  formed  by  it  is  still 
about  200  feet  long,  50  feet  wide  and  25  feet  deep.     This 


I 


LEXINGTON  99 

mine  was  no  use  to  the  Federals,  but  a  very  large  number 
of  men  on  both  sides  lost  their  lives.  There  are  still  lots  of 
holes  to  be  seen  where  shells  have  exploded." 

"  It  is  a  small  town,  built  on  a  very  hilly  piece  of  ground, 
some  parts  of  the  town  being  divided  from  the  rest  by  very 
deep  gullies — with  muddy  streets  and  a  good  many  nasty 
smells  ...  an  immense  quantity  of  tobacco  is  manufac- 
tured .  .  ,  there  are  more  black  people  than  whites." 

"  Walked  to  Montecello,  about  2|  miles,  the  residence  of 
the  late  Mr.  Jefferson,  the  author  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  and  the  founder  of  the  University  of  Virginia. 
From  the  top  of  the  hill  on  which  the  house  is  built  we  got 
a  very  fine  view.  The  house  is  in  a  dilapidated  condition. 
In  the  evening  (Sunday)  we  attended  a  service  in  a  large 
room  in  the  University  building,  and  on  walking  back  saw  a 
congregation  of  blacks.  We  went  in  and  heard  a  sermon 
preached  by  a  black.  He  ranted  a  good  deal  and  I  could 
not  follow  him  in  his  arguments  at  all." 

"  Called  on  Dr.  Cabell  (at  the  University)  and  he  offered 
to  show  us  over  the  University  buildings.  .  .  .  From 
the  top  of  the  Dome  of  the  Library  there  is  a  fine  view  of 
the  Blue  Ridge.  At  12  o'clock  we  had  lunch  with  Dr. 
Cabell  and  met  a  Dr.  Parry  of  Philadelphia  there.  It 
was  not  easy  to  get  a  full  account  of  the  University  out 
of  Dr.  Cabell,  although  I  asked  him  a  good  many  ques- 
tions. There  are  now  about  350  students,  before  the  war 
there  were  upwards  of  600.  We  heard  that  the  men 
who  have  graduated  in  Medicine  here  are  a  good  deal 
thought  of  in  all  parts  of  the  State.  Dr.  Parry  did  not 
quite  understand  how  they  could  teach  medicine  here 
properly  as  Charlottesville  is  a  very  small  place  and  has 
no  hospital." 

"  Saw  a  man  brought  into  gaol  with  his  arms  tied  ;    he 
I     had  been  caught  horse  stealing  and  had  been  locked  up, 
f!     but   had   broken   out,   and   now  has   been   caught   again 
horse  stealing." 

"  We  started  (from  Goschen)  at  5.30  for  Lexington  by 
stage  coach.  The  road  is  very  bad  and  the  stage  has 
no  springs,  but  is  suspended  by  strong  leather  straps. 
This  kind  of  travelling  is  well  described  by  Dickens  in  his 
American  Notes  ;  the  bumping  and  pitching  is  sometimes 
tremendous.  At  8  o'clock  we  arrived  at  Rockbridge  Baths 
(11  miles).     We  stopped  here  a  few  minutes  and  were 


100  AMERICA   AND   THE   WILD   WEST        [ch.  v 

treated  to- some  whisky  and  water  by  two  young  fellows 
who  were  travelling  by  the  stage.  The  scenery  up  to 
this  point  is  very  fine ;  the  road  passes  through  the 
Goschen  Pass,  which  is  very  much  like  Killiecrankie. 
There  were  lots  of  rhododendrons,  but  they  were  not  in 
bloom  yet.  ...  At  11.30  we  got  to  Lexington,"  and 
there  they  went  supperless  to  bed. 

"  Lexington,  May  14th. — This  morning  we  went  to  call 
on  General  Lee,  to  whom  we  had  letters.  .  .  .  He  came 
into  the  town  with  us  and  to  the  Livery  stables.  W^e  then 
hired  two  horses  and  after  lunch  rode  to  the  Natural 
Bridge  15  miles  .  .  .  the  Bridge  is  very  fine.  At  first  one 
does  not  realise  its  grand  height.  It  is  180  feet  from  the 
water  to  the  inside  of  the  arch,  227  feet  to  the  road,  80 
feet  span  and  80  feet  wide.  The  river  runs  along  between 
very  steep  rocks.  .  .  .  The  Bridge  is  on  private  pro- 
perty and  we  paid  50  cents  each.  There  are  some  very 
fine  Lignum  and  Arbor  Vitse  trees  near  the  Natural  Bridge. 
In  riding  we  saw  a  great  many  birds  with  beautiful  colours, 
and  in  coming  back  I  shot  a  rabbit  in  the  leg  with  my 
little  Deringer.  .  .  .  We  enjoyed  our  ride  very  much,  but 
do  not  like  the  saddles  and  the  stirrups  of  the  country." 

"  Lexington,  May  15th* — Went  to  call  on  General  Lee, 
who  is  President  of  the  Washington  and  Lee  Institute 
and  son  of  the  old  General  Lee,  who  is  buried  here.  We 
met  General  Lee  as  he  was  coming  to  call  upon  us.  He 
took  us  over  part  of  the  Military  Institute  of  Virginia, 
which  was  burnt  down  during  the  war.  The  students 
were  playing  baseball,  which  is  the  great  game  here. 
General  Lee  offered  us  some  lunch,  but  seemed  doubtful 
whether  he  could  give  us  much  as  his  sister  was  away 
and  he  a  lonely  bachelor.  He,  however,  produced  two  very 
good  pint  bottles  of  champagne  and  one  of  sherry,  some 
tinned  lobster  and  sardines  and  bread  and  butter." 

They  take  the  stage  back  through  the  Goschen  Pass, 
but  the  stage  breaks  down  and  they  pass  the  night  at 
Milboro.  The  next  day  they  go  to  Warm  Springs  by 
stage  ;  they  try  their  luck  there  shooting,  but  with  little 
result :  "  the  ground  is  covered  with  dry  crisp  leaves 
and  small  dead  twigs  so  that  I  had  no  chance  of  coming 
upon  a  deer.     I  walked  away  for  hours,  but  the  weather 


THE   HOT   SPRINGS  lOi 

was  pleasant  and  I  got  some  very  pretty  views."     One 
of  these  he  thinks  is  Hke  the  "  view  from  the  top  of  Sgaith 
Crome,  Perthshire,  only  there  are  no  lakes  here.     I  prefer 
the  Scotch  view.  ...  I  saw  scarcely  any  small  birds  at 
all  of  any  kind."     He  gives  a  full  account  of  the  springs, 
the  Warm  Springs,  the  Hot  Springs,  the  Healing  Springs ; 
he  samples  them,  takes  their  temperatures  carefully  w-ith 
his  own  thermometer  and  gives  the  analysis  in  some  cases. 
These  springs  are  separated  by  distances  of   from  three 
to  five  miles  ;   the  trouble  he  took  to  inform  himself  about 
them  is  so  characteristic  that  I  have  thought  it  worth 
noting.     He  came  across  a  puzzle  which  he  did  not  solve 
till  he  reached  San  Francisco  when  he  had  his  own  ther- 
mometer tested  by  the  American  standard,  e.g. : 

"  While  at  the  Hot  Springs  to-day  I  tried  the  tempera- 
ture of  some  of  the  springs— the  thermometer  was  in  what 
they  call  the  warmest  about  15  minutes,  and  rose  to  103° 
F. ;  they  caU  this  one  108°  F.  When  I  arrived  at  the 
Healmg  Sprmgs  I  tried  the  temperature  of  one  of  the 
Sprmgs  and  found  it  83°  F. ;  the  thermometer  was  left 
m  f  of  an  hour." 

I  was  amused  at  the  following  entry,  for  I  never  knew 
Loder  take  a  hot  drink  at  any  time  ;  he  is  sampling  the 
water  of  a  warm  (not  a  hot)  spring : 

"  I  let  the  water  cool  down  before  I  drank  it— it  has 
not  much  taste." 

He  stayed  at  Healing  Springs  and  was  the  first  visitor 
of  the  season,  found  the  landlord  very  obliging  and  civil 
and  pays  $4  for  two  dinners,  one  supper,  one  breakfast 
and  Ins  room  ;  and  as  he  did  not  feel  well  after  his  labours 
and  samplings  had  a  wood  fire  lighted  in  his  room.  He 
had  left  Pelham  behind,  at  Warm  Springs.  He  reads 
over  his  fire. 

"I  asked  the  landlord  to  lend  me  a  book— he  kindlv 
borrowed  one  from  one  of  his  friends.     It  is  the  Life  of 


102  AMERICA   AND   THE   WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

General  R.  E.  Lee  by  John  Esten  Cooke.  I  have  been 
much  interested  with  it ;  it  is  worth  anyone's  while  to 
read  it  [no  doubt  he  read  it  through  that  evening  and 
remembered,  too,  all  that  interested  him  in  it].  The  land- 
lord here  had  five  brothers  in  the  Southern  army  ;  one 
died,  one  was  wounded,  none  were  killed  in  battle  ;  he 
himself  having  a  mail  contract  was  exempted  from 
service." 

Loder  whilst  waiting  for  Pelham  visits  "  The  Cascades." 

"  They  are  very  pretty  indeed,  the  rocks  on  each  side 
are  very  fine,  cedars  and  rhododendrons  grow  out  from 
between  the  rocks.  The  body  of  water  is  not  large,  not 
so  large  as  in  the  West  Burn  at  Auchlyne  after  a  spate. 
Wliile  sitting  quite  still  on  a  rock  watching  the  falls  I  saw 
a  humming-bird  hover  over  a  flower  just  exactly  as  a 
humming-bird  moth  does.  In  fact  I  thought  it  was  a 
large  moth  at  first  until  it  settled  on  a  branch  of  a  tree 
within  20  feet  of  me.  It  seemed  a  little  smaller  in  the 
body  than  the  smallest  gold-crested  wren  and  was  of  a 
light  slate  colour.  I  could  see  no  bright  colours  on  it. 
About  a  quarter  of  an  hour  afterwards  a  second  humming- 
bird made  its  appearance  and  hovered  over  the  same 
flower  that  the  first  had  sucked  out  of.  It  then  darted 
to  a  flower  growing  out  of  the  rock,  less  than  a  yard 
from  my  side ;  it  only  remained  an  instant  and  then 
flashed  out  of  sight.  I  had  time,  however,  to  see  that 
this  was  a  very  beautiful  bird — all  its  feathers  seemed  to 
be  like  the  wings  of  the  diamond  beetle  and  I  think  its 
head  was  marked  with  red.  It  seemed  a  trifle  larger 
than  the  first." 

Pelham  joins  him  and  they  drive  on  to  Corington  and 
then  to  Staunton.  He  describes  the  journey  and  scenery; 
of  Corington  he  remarks  that  it  is  a  "  very  small  "  city 
"  with  streets  very  much  ploughed  up  "  where  he  saw 
"  some  boys  tilting  at  a  ring." 

"  There  is  a  nice  park  with  Virginian  deer  in  it.  The 
new  City  Hall  which  is  now  nearly  finished  will  be  a  very 
fine  building  indeed.  ...  In   the  evening  we  went  to  a 


NIAGARA  103 

theatre,  just  opposite  the  City  Hall,  and  saw  a  piece  called 
The  Angels  of  the  Prairie.  The  plot  is  founded  on  fact ; 
the  lawless  deeds  of  a  family  of  the  name  of  Lowery. 
There  was  a  great  deal  of  pistol  shooting,  as  in  the  Scouts 
of  the  Prairies,  at  Washington." 

"  Made  a  mess  in  hiring  a  hack  and  had  to  pay  $4-| 
for  carrying  us  from  the  Ferry  to  the  Post  Office  and 
round  to  the  Westminster  Hotel." 

"  In  the  evening  we  went  to  a  theatre  in  Broadway 
called  '  Wallacks  '  to  see  Southern  act  as  Lord  Dundreary. 
I  had  seen  him  act  before,  but  not  in  this  character.  I 
did  not  believe  it  was  the  same  man.  The  play  was  very 
successful." 

At  New  York  they  finish  their  preparations  for  the 
West ;  having  tried  all  over  the  town  for  cartridges  for 
their  English  revolvers  in  vain,  they  have  to  buy  new 
ones,  "  about  $35  each — we  think  they  are  first-rate,"  and 
then  they  took  their  tickets  ($79.90  each)  to  Denver  via 
Albany,  Niagara,  Chicago,  St.  Louis  and  Kansas  City. 

Loder  describes  all  he  did  and  saw  at  Niagara  in  detail. 
His  great  surprise  with  the  falls  and  rapids  was  to  find  them 
pretty.  He  expected  them  to  be  grand  and  imposing, 
but  not  pretty.  He  gives  the  story  of  the  Irishman : 
"  Pat,"  said  an  American  to  a  staring  Irishman,  lately 
landed,  "  did  you  ever  see  such  a  fall  as  that  in  the  old 
country  ?  "  "  Begorra  !  I  niver  did  ;  but  look  here  now  ? 
why  shouldn't  it  fall  ?     What's  to  hinder  it  from  falling  ?  " 

On  May  27th  he  notes  that 

"  Terrapin  Tower  was  removed  a  few  days  ago  as  it 
was  not  safe.  The  brother  of  the  proprietor  of  the  Hotel 
(International)  took  me  to  see  a  very  fine  pair  of  elk 
horns  [I  think  at  this  time  Loder  always  uses  the  Ameri- 
can name  "elk"  for  "  wapiti  "J.^  They  are  the  finest 
horns  I  have  yet  seen;    $75  were  given  for  them." 

^  Wapiti  (Cervus  canadensis  typicus).  Sir  Edmund  Loder  afterwards 
possessed  some  magnificent  wapiti  heads  ;  one  of  these  was  a  1 7-pointer 
with  an  extreme  width  from  horn  to  horn  of  61  inches  and  from  tip  to 
tip  of  53  inches.  Another  13-pointer  measured  64i  inches  in  length  of 
outside  curve  of  horn.  The  latter  heads  the  list  of  Rowland  Ward's 
Records  (1914). 

8 


104  AMERICA   AND   THE   WILD   WEST        [ch.  v 

At  Chicago :  "  Yesterday  it  was  87°  F.  in  the  shade  at 
noon,  and  at  3  p.m.  it  was  35°  F.  Last  year  on  one  day 
it  was  102°  F.  in  the  morning  and  45°  F.  at  4  p.m.  We 
bought  6  ft),  of  Oriental  gunpowder,  and  some  revolver 
cartridges.  Pelham  also  bought  a  Winchester  repeating 
rifle  for  $44.  .  .  .  They  are  building  very  fast,  but  many 
buildings  are  standing  just  as  the  fire  left  them  and  in 
these  streets  there  are  very  large  gaps." 

He  was  at  Chicago  about  twenty  months  after  the  fire 
and  gives  many  particulars  of  it.  It  broke  out,  he  says, 
on  October  8th,  1871  ;  10,000  houses  were  destroyed,  in- 
cluding houses  built  as  fire -proof,  but  "  even  they  could 
not  resist  the  heat  five  minutes,"  and  nearly  1,000  people 
lost  their  lives  ;  "  nearly  200  miles  of  new  streets  have 
been  rebuilt  and  these  in  the  most  solid  and  substantial 
manner  ;  and  the  hotels  are  the  largest  and  the  finest  in 
the  world."  He  thinks  Chicago  must  be  the  first  busi- 
ness to^^^\  in  the  world,  and  he  puts  down  the  annual 
export  of  grain  at  70  millions  of  bushels  and  of  cattle  at 
three  million  head. 

"  Some  of  the  streets  are  untidy  and  dirty.  We  went 
by  car  to  the  Botanical  Gardens,  a  little  way  out  of  the 
town.  There  is  a  fine  Arboretum,  but  there  are  not 
enough  labels  on  the  trees."  They  cross  the  river  by  the 
ferry  ;    "  the  Bridge  is  a  long  way  from  finished." 

For  the  days  following  their  arrival  at  Kansas  City, 
which  they  left  on  June  1st,  I  shall  give  a  much  fuller  quota- 
tion of  Loder's  account  of  his  experiences  whilst  buffalo- 
hunting,  for  he  and  Arthur  Pelham  must  have  been  among 
the  last  Englishmen  to  hunt  the  American  bison  on  these 
prairies.^ 

1  The  American  "  buffalo  "  is  of  course  not  a  biiffalo,  but  a  bison 
{Bos  bison).  There  are  two  forms  of  the  bison  in  America,  the  Prairie 
Bison  [Bos  bison)  and  the  Wood  Bison  {Bos  bison  athabascce).  The  latter 
variety  is  found  in  the  forest  mountain  regions  of  the  North-West  and 
is  a  larger  animal  than  the  one  of  the  plains.  The  American  bison  is  a 
not  very  distant  relation  of  the  European  bison  or  "  Aurochs  "  ;  in 
general  character  the  two  races  resemble  each  other,  but  the  European 
bison  {Bos  bonasus)  stands  higher,  does  not  fall  away  so  much  behind 


KANSAS   AND   THE  PRAIRIES  105 

The  prairies,  the  Red  Indians  and  the  buffaloes  were 
soon  to  vanish  for  ever  from  these  plains,  and  they  were 
witnesses  of  one  of  the  last  scenes  in  this  tragedy  of 
*'  civilisation." 

"  The  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad  runs  from  Kansas  City 
to  Denver,  which  is  at  the  foot  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  a 
distance  of  650  miles,  and  for  the  whole  of  this  distance  it 
has  prairie  on  all  sides  of  it — one  vast  grass  field.  The 
grassy  plains  or  prairies  extend  some  700  miles  from  east  to 
west  and  some  1,000  miles  from  south  to  north,  far  into  the 
British  Possessions. ^ 

"  Only  those  who  have  been  alone  on  the  prairie  can 
realise  that  never-ending  vision  of  sky  and  grass  with  a  dim 

and  has  a  less  full  and  shaggy  neck  and  shoulder  "  mane  "  than  the 
American  bison.  The  American  bison  has  peculiar  eye-sockets  like  trun- 
cated cylinders.  The  only  remaining  region  where  the  "  Aurochs  "  is 
found  in  its  primitive  state  is  in  the  Caucasus.  Previous  to  the  war 
(1914)  the  "Aurochs"  was  protected  in  Lithuania,  and  this  form  was 
slightly  different  to  the  Caucasian  one  ;  it  is  extremely  doubtful  if  any 
of  the  Lithvianian  herds  remain.  I  read  in  European  newspapers  in  1920 
that  the  Bolshevists  had  them  shot  down  for  food  and  exterminated 
them.  The  Caucasian  herds  may  have  suffered  during  and  since  the  war 
in  a  similar  way.  Previous  to  1914  the  "Aurochs"  was  "Imperial" 
game  throughout  the  Russian  Empire.  There  are  specimens  of  the 
"  Aurochs  "  at  Woburn  in  the  Park,  and  I  have  also  seen  specimens 
at  the  Regent's  Park  Zoological  Gardens  and  believe  there  are  one  or  two 
still  there.  It  may  be  observed  that  "  Aurochs  "  as  a  name  is  no  more 
applicable,  scientifically,  to  the  European  bison  than  "  buffalo  "  is  to  the 
American  bison.  The  Indian  bison  is  not  scientifically  a  bison  but  an 
ox,  but  will  always  be  called  a  bison,  just  as  the  Americans  will  continue 
always  to  caU  their  bison  a  buffalo  and  as  we  shall  persist  in  calling  the 
European  bison  an  "  Aurochs." 

1  "  At  this  time  (1873),"  writes  the  Hon.  Arthur  Pelham,  "  there  was 
a  tract  of  land  apparently  nearly  dead  level,  but  gradually  rising  from 
the  Missouri  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  occasionally  crossed  by  shallow 
streams  running  from  west  to  east.  Roughly  speaking  this  tract  was 
800  miles  N.  to  S.  and  600  from  E.  to  W.,  and  it  was  chiefly  inhabited 
by  large  herds  of  buffalo  (bison)  with  a  few  hiondred  Indians.  The  smaller 
aniirials  comprised  wolves,  coyotes,  prairie  dogs,  also  there  were  rattle- 
snakes. The  wapiti  (called  elk  by  the  Americans)  were  only  to  be  found 
in  the  north-western  part  of  the  prairie.  The  buffalo  wintered  as  far 
south  as  Texas  and  in  the  spring  travelled  slowly  north,  retiring  in  the 
autvunn  to  their  southern  winter  quarters."  (Mr.  Pelham  has  omitted 
the  Prong-horn  Antelope  in  his  list  of  prairie  animals,  probably  taking 
the  fact  as  common  knowledge.) 


106  AMERICA   AND   THE  WILD   WEST        [ch.  v 

and  ever-shifting  horizon — it  is  a  vast  sea  of  grass,  now 
level  and  low,  now  undulating  and  ocean-like  in  everything 
except  motion — sometimes  sandy  and  barren  and  at  others 
putting  forth  tall  grass  with  almost  tropical  luxuriance. 

"  Two  wild  creatures  have  made  this  grassy  ocean 
their  home,  the  Indian  and  the  buffalo.  The  history  of 
both  is  sad.  Back  into  ages  at  whose  birth  we  can  only 
guess,  back  into  that  dim  night  which  hangs  for  ever  over 
all  we  know  or  shall  know  of  early  America — '  the  time 
before  the  white  man  came  ' — this  prairie  was  here  when 
the  stones  of  the  Pyramids  were  yet  unhewn,  here  as  it  is 
to-day,  treeless,  storm-swept  and  desolate.  Over  the 
grassy  ocean  of  the  West  there  has  moved  from  time 
immemorial  a  restless  tide.  Backwards  and  forwards, 
now  north  now  south,  wandered  millions  on  millions  of 
dusky  buffalo.' 

"  At  last  the  white  man  came  and  the  scene  w^as  changed  ; 
human  life  scattered  over  a  vast  area,  animal  life  counted 
by  tens  of  millions  take  a  long  time  to  destroy,  and  it  is  only 
now  that  the  long  struggle  of  the  wild  dwellers  of  the 
"v\'ilderness  may  be  said  to  have  reached  its  closing  hour. 
It  is  no  mere  fancy  to  class  together  the  Red  man  and  the 
buffalo.  The  buffalo  was  the  Indian's  only  friend.  Its 
skin  made  him  a  tent,  its  robe  a  blanket  and  a  bed,  its 
undressed  hide  a  boat,  its  short  curved  horn  a  powder 
flask,  its  meat  his  daily  food,  its  sinew  a  string  for  his  bow, 
its  leather  a  lariat  for  his  horse,  a  saddle,  bridle,  rein  and 
bit.  Its  tail  formed  an  ornament  for  his  tent,  its  inner 
skin  a  book  in  which  to  sketch  the  brave  deeds  of  his  life, 
the  '  medicine  robe  '  of  his  history.  House,  boat,  food, 
bed  and  covering — every  want  from  infancy  to  age  and 
after  life  had  passed  ;  wrapt  in  his  buffalo-robe  the  red 
man  slept  the  sleep  of  death. 

"  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  second  day  in  the  train 
(from  Kansas  City)  we  were  in  sight  of  the  Rocky  Mountains; 

1  Loder  told  me  that  even  up  to  about  1872,  during  the  migrations 
north  in  the  spring,  and  south  in  the  autumn,  of  the  '"  great  herd,"  it 
was  calculated  that  in  the  dense  masses  that  blackened  the  whole  of  a 
horizon  there  would  be  from  half  a  million  to  a  million  buffalo  in  sight  at 
one  time.  I  once  saw  a  mass  of  what  I  calculated  to  be  about  17,000 
hartebeeste,  wildebeeste  and  zebra  together  on  the  Kapiti  Plains  in 
British  East  Africa,  and  this  wonderful  sight  is  but  one-fiftieth,  or  less, 
of  what  the  prairie  gave  on  occasion. — A.  E.  P. 


BUFFALO   CITY   IN   1873  107 

straight  ahead  was  Gray's  Peak— away  to  the  right  Long's 
Peak,  and  ninety  miles  away,  but  looldng  quite  close,  rises 
Pike's  Peak  glittering  splendidly  in  the  morning  sun.     We 
had  come  into  prairie  country  soon  after  leaving  Kansas 
City  and  into   buffalo  grass  after  leaving  Ellis.      About 
half-way  between  Kansas  City  and  Denver,  looking  out  of 
the  window  of  the  car,  I  saw  my  first  buffalo,  a  single  old 
bull.     We  were  quite  close  to  Buffalo  Station,  so  we  decided 
to  get  out  there.     Before  stopping  I  asked  the  conductor 
how  large  a  place  Buffalo  was  ;    he  said  I  should  find 
a    family   there.      I   asked    'only    one?'    and    he    said, 
'  Only  one ;    you    mil    find    some    hunters    there.'    '  This 
station,  hke  many  of  the  prairie  stations,  was  nothing  more 
than  a  pumping  station  with  a  well  120  feet  deep,  with  a 
water  tank  for  the  engines.    A  man  of  the  name  of  Jem 
Thompson  lived  here  with  his  wife,  baby  and  sister,  who 
sleep  in  a  small  plank  shed — they  live,  cook  and  eat  meals 
in  a  railway  car,  which  has  been  drawn  off  the  track— 
everybody  (i.e.  at  Buffalo  City)  has  meals  in  this  car.     This 
man  has  charge  of  the  pump,  which  was  worked  by  an  old 
blind  mare.     There  is  also  a  telegraph  signal  office  and 
clerk,  and  a  small  store.     In  a  small  hut  close  by  were 
quartered  a  sergeant  and  five  soldiers  to  protect  the  station 
from  Indians.     There  are  also  three  men  who  hunt  for  a 
man  named  Kay  Hall,  who  live  in  dug-outs.     Thompson 
employs  three  men  to  hunt  for  him ;  they  go  out  for  three 
or  four  days  at  a  time  ;    he  provides  them  with  a  waggon, 
provisions  and  ammunition,  and  they  hunt  buffalo  and  bring 
in  the  skins  to  him.     When  we  arrived  these  hunters  had 
been  away  only  three  hours.     As  they  were  away  we  slept 
in  their  tent.     A  man  who  works  for  Thompson  slept  in 
this  tent  with  us  ;   Pelham  and  I  sleep  in  one  wide  bed  on 
one  side  and  he  sleeps  on  the  other.     The  bed  consists  of 
several  blankets  laid  on  the  ground  and  one  to  cover  over. 
Close  by  the  station  there  are  large  stacks  of  dried  hides  ; 
these  had  all  been  brought  in  quite  recently.     An  old  man, 
a  tanner,  lives  in  a  tent  in  the  middle  of  the  hide  stacks! 
The  three  hunters   had  killed  between  2,000  and  3,000 
buffalo  during  the  last  two  months.     They  only  take  the 
skins  and  leave  the  carcasses  to  rot  on  the  plains.     The 
hunters  when  they  see  a  herd  stalk  it,  and  as  they  are  gener- 
ally good  shots  usually  manage  to  kill  one  dead.     When  a 
buffalo  falls  to  a  stalk  the  rest  of  the  herd  as  a  rule  stand 


108  AMERICA   AND   THE   WILD   WEST        [ch.  v 

round  smelling  at  the  body  ;  the  hunters  then  kill  as  many 
as  they  can.  A  single  man  sometimes  kills  a  great  many  at 
one  stand.  Kay  Hall  told  me  that  a  short  time  ago  he 
killed  40  buffalo  in  8  or  10  minutes — he  fired  about  60  shots  ; 
they  were  about  200  yards  off.  Some  men  have  killed  70 
at  a  stand.     One  man  killed  1,500  in  six  weeks. ^ 

"  The  Americans  here  use  Sharp's  rifles  (an  American 
make)  almost  entirely. 

"It  is  this  slaughter  of  buffalo  which  makes  the  Indian 
so  angry  and  creates  such  a  bad  feeling  between  the  red 
and  the  white  man. 

"  Tuesday,  June  3rd. — Hired  a  team  of  two  mules  and  a 
waggon  from  one  of  Kay  Hall's  hunters.  Pelham  and  I, 
accompanied  by  Thompson,  who  rode  a  pony,  set  off  to 
see  if  we  could  find  them  [i.e.  Jem  Thompson's  hunters,  who 
had  started  the  day  before].  Not  far  from  the  station  we 
came  to  a  prairie-dog  village;  the  first  animals  we  saw 
after  this  were  antelopes  ^ ;  they  have  hollow  horns  like 
oxen  ;  they  are  very  difficult  to  get  at  in  the  open  plains, 
but  are  very  inquisitive  and  many  a  one  has  been  allured 
within  distance  by  a  very  simple  dodge.  The  hunter  lies 
down  as  flat  as  possible  and  waves  a  flag,  made  by  tying  a 
piece  of  red  cloth  to  his  ramrod.  An  antelope  wondering 
what  the  new  object  is  comes  nearer  and  nearer  till  at  last 
the  hunter  jumps  up  and  gets  a  fair  shot  before  the  animal 
has  recovered  from  his  surprise.  '  Flagging  antelopes  ' 
has  been  done  so  often  here  that  it  very  seldom  succeeds 
now.  The  next  animal  was  a  skunk,  which  came  skuttling 
across  in  front  of  us.     I  fired  at  it  with  my  revolver  at  about 

1  When  T  had  a  place  in  B.E.A.  (Kitanga,  Mua  Hills)  I  had  a  neigh- 
boiir  named  Werner,  who  with  his  son  were  always  shooting  the  zebra 
which  invaded  his  farm.  I  used  to  watch  them  from  my  place  amd  hardly 
ever  saw  them  shoot  except  near  their  crops  within  a  few  hundred  yards 
of  their  house.  He  told  me  that  he  had  killed  800  in  eight  months  and 
could  make  no  impression  on  them — he  sold  me  his  place  in  consequence 
and  went  back  to  South  Africa.  But  this  gives  me  some  idea  of  what 
the  figure  1,500  buffalo  in  six  weeks  means — it  is  at  the  rate  of  a  thousand 
a  month  and  over  33  a  day. — A.  E.  P. 

2  Antelope — the  Prong-horn  or  Prongbuck  {Antilocapra  americana) 
represents  a  separate  family  ;  unlike  true  antelopes  they  shed  their  horns 
(every  year),  and  unlike  the  Bovidse  their  horns  are  forked.  The  females 
as  a  rule  are  hornless  or  carry  very  rudimentary  horns.  A  good  head 
will  carry  horns  from  14  to  15  inches  long  on  the  outside  curves  but  over 
20  inches  has  been  recorded, — A.  E.  P. 


BUFFALO-HUNTING  109 

30  yards'  distance  and  killed  it,  but  not  instantly,  so  I  could 
not  take  the  beautiful  skin — one  whiff  at  a  distance  of 
20  yards  gave  me  a  sufficient  warning. 

"  It  is  not  at  all  safe  to  go  about  the  plains  in  small  parties ; 
Indians  may  turn  up  at  any  moment.^  The  red  man  has 
been  very  badly  treated  and  is  always  ready  for  revenge. 
Only  a  month  or  two  before  our  arrival  a  band  of  Indians 
fell  on  a  hunter  and  his  wife  and  another  hunter  ;  the  two 
men  were  found  scalped,  but  the  woman  is  supposed  to  have 
been  carried  off  alive.  I  heard  about  it  from  the  brother  of 
one  of  the  murdered  men,  who  came  to  the  station,  and  from 
his  own  lips. 

"  In  the  afternoon  we  came  across  a  single  old  bull 
buffalo,  and  not  at  all  unlikely  to  have  been  the  very  one 
I  saw  from  the  train — the  first  I  ever  saw.  We  crawled  up 
to  him,  as  he  was  feeding  in  a  little  hollow.  Pelham  won 
the  toss  and  fired  at  him  at  about  180  yards.  He  mis- 
judged the  distance  a  little  and  the  ball  struck  the  ground 
below.  As  he  turned  to  gallop  off  I  gave  him  a  ball  in  the 
hind  leg  at  about  200  yards.  Pelham  fired  again  and  I  think 
hit  him,  but  I  do  not  think  that  at  that  distance  his  Win- 
chester rifle  would  do  much  harm.  I  also  fired  again  and 
missed  [Loder  was  shooting  with  a  Westley  Richards  Ex- 
press rifle]. 2  This  made  him  very  lame,  but  still  he  could 
go  faster  than  we  could  on  foot,  so  Thompson  rode  after 
him  on  his  pony  and  galloped  alongside  of  him,  firing  into 
his  shoulder  all  the  bullets  he  had  for  his  rifle  and  then  all 
but  six  he  had  for  his  revolver — these  he  kept  in  case 
Indians  came  along.  The  bull  had  now  been  hit  by  some  25 
bullets  large  and  small,  but  showed  no  intention  of  dying,  but 

1  Mr.  Pelham  was  on  foot  one  day,  some  miles  from  the  station,  and 
suddenly  saw  a  band  of  Indians  on  horseback  on  the  horizon  with  their 
rifles  glittering  in  the  sun  ;  he  lay  down  flat  on  the  ground  and  they  did 
not  see  him,  and  soon  after  disappeared  out  of  sight,  much  to  his  relief. 

^  "  At  Chicago,"  says  Loder  elsewhere,  "  Pelham  bought  one  of  the 
Winchester  repeating  rifles."  I  have  seen  one  of  them  in  Reilly's  shop 
in  Oxford  Street  (not  the  Reilly  at  502).  These  rifles  look  very  nice,  but 
they  are  heavy  and  weigh  about  11  lb. — the  magazine  holds  16  shots; 
the  bore  is  44  and  they  take  a  rim  cartridge,  a  little  larger  than  my  re- 
volver cartridges,  but  not  nearly  so  large  as  the  cartridge  for  Colt's  pistols. 
They  do  well  enough  for  emything  but  buffalo  ;  the  hide  on  a  bufialo 
bull's  neck  is  f  of  an  inch  thick.  Of  his  own  rifle,  the  Westley  Richards 
Express,  Loder  says  after  he  had  had  experience  of  it,  "I  like  my  rifle 
Tery  much." 


110  AMERICA  AND   THE  WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

stood  still,  snorted  and  looked  very  savage  indeed.  I  went 
to  Thompson's  assistance  as  fast  as  possible  and  at  about 
100  yards  took  a  steady  shot  and  he  fell  dead.  He  was 
a  very  fine  bull,  about  8  or  9  years  old.  We  skinned  him, 
took  his  tenderloin,  tongue  and  hum.p,  and  cut  off  his  head 
and  tail.     The  head  I  sent  to  Denver  to  be  stuffed. 

"  Wednesday,  June  4th. — I  got  up  early  and  saw  31 
buffalo  feeding  towards  the  station  ;  they  were  then  about 
2 J  miles  off,  E.,  and  about  300  yards  from  the  track.  I 
got  on  to  Thompson's  pony  and  rode  down  [the  line]  1-J 
miles,  tied  her  to  a  telegraph  pole,  crawled  out  on  to  the 
prairie  and  waited  till  they  fed  up  to  me.  Distances  here 
are  most  deceiving — when  a  buffalo  is  100  yards  off  he 
looks  as  if  he  was  treading  on  you.  It  is  rather  startling 
when  a  herd  comes  on  towards  you.  I  waited  till  they 
seemed  to  be  almost  upon  me,  but  I  believe  they  were  a 
hundred  yards  off.  I  whistled  low  to  make  them  stop 
and  then  picked  out  a  big  one  which  gave  me  a  good 
broadside.  I  fired  and  struck  the  shoulder  rather  too 
high,  but  the  Express  bullet  did  its  work  well,  for  he 
separated  from  the  herd  at  once  .  .  .  and  fell  dead  in  200 
yards.  The  rest  of  the  herd  ran  N.,  then  turned  W.  and 
then  S.W.  and  came  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the 
Station.  Everyone  turned  out  and  I  heard  dozens  of 
shots  fired,  but  only  one  buffalo  was  killed.  .  .  .  Later 
on  in  the  day  four  bulls  made  their  appearance  to  the 
west,  feeding  towards  the  Station.  Pelham  went  along 
the  track  and  lay  down,  I  went  to  the  north  and  did 
ditto.  Kay  Hall  went  in  the  centre  with  his  16  lb.  Sharp 
rifle.  Instead  of  letting  them  feed  up  to  wdthin  100 
yards,  as  they  certainly  would  have,  he  fired  at  250  yards, 
struck  a  bull  rather  too  high  and  broke  his  shoulder.  I 
fired  at  the  largest  bull  of  the  four  and  wounded  him 
severely.  The  first  wounded  bull  ran  about  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  and  then  lay  down  and  died.  Pelham  went  after 
the  bull  I  had  wounded,  but  could  not  get  up  with  him. 
There  is  a  young  buffalo  calf  here  which  was  caught 
about  a  month  ago.  It  is  quite  tame  and  runs  about 
with  two  ordinary  calves,  but  is  much  tamer  than  they 
are."  In  a  letter  home  lioder  says,  "  Ask  Papa  if  he 
would  like  a  buffalo  calf;  they  get  very  gentle  and  tame 
and  yet  they  look  such  ferocious  animals." 

"  Thursday,  June  5th. — I  got  up  early  again  and  spied 


BUFFALO-HUNTING  111 

a  herd  of  17  bulls  about  three  miles  off,  E.,  not  far  from 
the  track,  also  150  far  off,  S.E.  ...  I  had  to  walk  4| 
miles  before  I  got  up  to  them.  I  shot  one  and  wounded 
another,  which  I  did  not  get.  ...  At  dinner-time  we 
saw  5  bulls,  S.,  feeding  towards  the  Station.  Pelham 
went  out  ...  he  hit  one  pretty  hard,  but  it  did  not  stop. 
"  Friday,  June  6th. — Got  up  early  again  and  spied  a 
herd  about  I5  miles  off  feeding  away  from  the  Station, 
E.,  and  a  short  distance  from  the  track.  ...  I  got  up 
with  them  at  2^  miles.  I  shot  from  the  track  and  killed 
one  and  Avounded  another.  ...  If  I  could  have  followed  it 
for  an  hour  or  two  I  think  I  would  have  got  it,  but  as  it 
was  going  away  from  the  Station  and  I  had  not  had  any 
breakfast  I  let  it  go.  After  breakfast  I  had  a  sail  in  the 
sail-car  ;  we  did  not  go  very  fast  as  the  wind  was  light, 
but  they  have  run  from  the  next  station — 15  miles — in 
26  minutes  and  also  up  to  45  miles  an  hour." 

Loder  had  now  had  about  enough  of  this  moderate  sort 
of  sport,  though  later,  buffalo  were  to  afford  them  more 
excitement  when  hunted  from  horseback.  In  one  place 
he  says  : 

"  It  is  not  bad  fun,  but  one  soon  gets  tired  of  it  as  the 
ground  is  not  suited  for  stalking,  and  it  is  only  because 
the  brutes  are  half  blind  that  one  can  get  up  to  them. 
Antelopes  are  very  hard  to  stalk." 

I  have  quoted  very  fully  as  I  do  not  know  where  else 
is  a  correct  and  unvarnished  story  of  this  kind  of  hunt- 
ing. Loder's  account  of  this  will  check  any  exaggerated 
ideas  of  the  sport.     He  continues  : 

"  I  determined  I  would  go  on  to  Denver  by  the  5.20 
p.m.  train,  as  I  have  killed  enough  buffalo,  leaving  Pelham 
behind  to  follow  me  when  he  has  killed  a  bull." 

In  a  subsequent  entry  he  records  : 

"  On  the  19th  June  Pelham  shot  a  very  fine  bull — the 
head  he  sent  to  Denver  to  be  stuffed,  and  it  is  said  to 
be  a  better  one  than  mine." 


112  AMERICA   AND    THE  WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

Pelham  did  not  rejoin  Loder  till  June  25th  at  San 
Francisco.  Loder's  best  Prairie  Bison  head  gives  a  horn 
measurement  of  16|  inches  in  length,  15 1  inches  in  cir- 
cumference and  25 1  inches  from  tip  to  tip  between  the 
horns — as  to  strength  of  horn  this  must  be  near  the 
record. 

"  While  I  was  at  Buffalo  City  a  great  many  Emigrant 
trains  passed  by,  quite  half  a  dozen,  on  their  way  west. 
Some  were  going  to  settle  in  Colorado.  I  was  told  a 
great  many  came  back  again.  The  mosquitoes  have 
bitten  me  terribly.  We  did  not  see  any  Indians,  but 
heard  of  them  at  35  miles  distance  both  S.E.  and  N.W. 
There  are  a  great  many  antelope  on  the  plains,  but  I 
never  got  near  one." 

He  arrived  at  Denver  the  next  morning  (June  7th)  at 
7.30. 

"  When  I  got  up  this  morning  we  were  still  on  level 
prairie,  but  more  sandy  and  not  so  green  as  that  round 
Buffalo.  Last  evening  we  saw  several  antelope,  and 
people  shot  at  them  with  revolvers  from  the  train.  We 
saw  no  buffalo.  About  30  miles  from  Denver  we  came  in 
sight  of  the  snow-capped  peaks  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
Pike's  Peak  and  I  beheve  Gray's  Peak  looking  quite  close 
although  the  former  is  some  80  miles  off.  The  scenery 
this  morning  with  the  sun  in  the  east  was  something 
splendid.  . 


55 


He  goes  to  the  gunmaker  to  whom  he  had  sent  his 
buffalo  head. 

"  In  his  shop  I  saw  two  Ute  Indians — they  were  dressed 
in  true  Indian  costume ;  one  of  them  had  vermilion  painted 
on  his  cheeks  ;  both  were  short  men  with  wide  noses, 
not  at  all  handsome.  Gore  [the  gunmaker]  said  that  he 
had  twice  sent  word  to  the  stuffer,  who  lived  3  miles  away, 
to  come  for  the  head.  ...  He  then  had  the  cheek  to 
tell  me  that  it  was  a  fine  head  and  would  be  worth  $40 
when  stuffed,  and  that  if  I  had  not  come  to-day  he  would 
have  had  it  thrown  into  the  river,  as  it  stunk  !  But  he 
bent  my  Express  bullet  mould  into  shape  and  charged 


SIEGE   OF  DENVER   BY   INDIANS  113 

nothing — a  man  at  Buffalo  who  cast  150  bullets  for  me 
had  bent  it. 

"  I  have  made  friends  with  a  gunmaker  of  the  name 
of  M.  L.  Rood  in  F  Street.  ...  I  met  a  hunter  in  his 
shop  who  knew  the  country  about  Hall's  Gulch.  ...  He 
thought  that  game  was  scarce  round  Hall's  Gulch  as  there 
are  many  mining  camps  up  there.  He  said  that  there 
were  bear  to  be  found  in  Red  Mountain  to  the  N.W.  of 
the  t^vin  lakes. 

"  In  Denver  there  seem  to  be  a  good  many  Chinese — 
most  of  those  I  noticed  take  in  washing  and  ironing.  It 
was  at  Denver  that  I  first  saw  any  quantity  of  Indians. 
There  were  great  numbers  of  them  in  the  town  wliile  I 
was  there;  they  were  mostly  Utes.  No  Indians  hke 
white  men,  who  have  taken  away  their  hunting  grounds 
and  ploughed  them  up  and  who  are  fast  destroying  the 
buffalo,  .  .  .  Every  time  a  red  man  sees  a  rotting  car- 
cass on  the  plains  he  mutters  a  curse  on  the  white  man 
m  his  heart,  for  he  well  knows  when  the  buffalo  is  gone 
his  o^m  end  is  not  very  far  off.  '  What  shall  we  do  ?  ' 
said  a  young  Sioux  warrior  to  an  American  officer  on  the 
Upper  Missouri,  some  years  ago,  '  what  shall  we  do,  the 
buffalo  is  our  only  friend  ?  When  he  goes  all  is  over 
^yith  the  Dacotahs.  I  speak  thus  to  you  because  you, 
like  me,  are  a  Brave.'  The  Utes  gave  a  good  deal  of 
trouble  while  the  Pacific  Railway  was  being  built  and 
actually  besieged  tliis  town  of  Denver,  so  that  the  people 
were  nearly  starved.  They  are  very  quiet  now  and  have 
not  fought  with  white  men  for  some  time,  but  often  have 
a  battle  with  their  old  foes  the  Arrapahoes.  While  I  was 
at  Denver  there  was  a  fight  only  12  miles  off  between 
two  bands  of  Utes  and  Arrapahoes.  The  Utes  lost  16 
warriors,  but  managed  not  to  let  the  Arrapahoes  get  any 
scalps.  I  do  not  know  how  many  Arrapahoes  were  killed, 
but  the  Utes  took  a  scalp  and  carried  off  30  to  40  horses." 

In  a  later  account  he  says  : 

"  A  few  days  after  leaving  Denver  I  went  by  stage  into 
the  mountains ;  just  in  front  of  us  was  marching  the 
victorious  band  of  Utes,  300  warriors  in  war-paint  carry- 
ing off  the  scalps  and  horses  they  had  taken  into  their 
own  country." 


114  AMERICA   AND   THE  WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

At  Denver :  "I  bought  from  a  Ute  who  was  in  this 
fight  a  bow  and  arrow  and  the  scalp  of  an  Arrapahoe 
Indian  taken  by  a  son  of  the  Chief  of  the  Utes  in  a  fight 
with  the  Arrapahoes  in  Whiskey  Gap  in  Wyoming  Terri- 
tory. 

"  Sunday,  June  8th — Trinity  Sunday. — Found  a  church 
and  went  there.  The  singing  was  very  good.  The  choir 
consisted  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  city.  They  did 
not  use  Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern,  but  both  the  hymns 
which  were  sung  are  in  Ancient  and  Modern.  I  put  my 
boots  outside  my  door  last  night  hoping  that  I  should 
find  them  cleaned  this  morning,  but  nothing  happened 
to  them — they  were  not  even  stolen."  (He  managed  to 
get  them  cleaned  in  time  for  church  by  applying  at  the 
hotel  office.)  "  On  going  to  my  room  soon  after  church 
I  found  it  just  as  I  left  it  after  getting  up  ;  I  therefore  sent 
for  the  chambermaid.  In  most  American  hotels  there  is 
the  same  difficulty  about  boots,  and  one's  wash-basin  is 
seldom  emptied  more  than  once  a  day. 

"  About  I  of  an  hour  after  leaving  Denver  we  reached 
Golden  City,  which  is  just  inside  a  low  range  of  hills,  the 
first  beginning  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  ;  here  we  changed 
cars  and  got  on  to  the  narrow-gauge  track.  A  short  time 
after  leaving  Golden  City  the  train  enters  a  splendid 
rocky  canon  which  it  follows  right  up  to  Black  Hawk. 
...  In  the  plain  before  reaching  Golden  City  I  saw  a 
tortoise  swimming  in  a  pool,  and  in  the  canon  I  saw  two 
different  kinds  of  Swallo^^i:ail  butterflies.  All  along  the 
first  part  of  the  cafion  large  trees,  either  Arbor  Vitae  or 
trees  very  like  them,  grow  out  from  between  the  rocks, 
which  are  often  beautifully  coloured  with  moss  and 
lichens,  while  some  are  finely  coloured  naturally.  One 
sees  traces  of  gold  mining  all  up  the  cafion,  and  in  a  great 
many  spots  it  is  still  going  on.  At  Black  Hawk  the 
track  ends." 

He  describes  Central  City  and  Black  Hawk  (practically 
one  town)  and  gives  some  particulars  about  the  gold- 
mines. 

"  It  seems  a  flourishing  place,  rather  untidy  of  course, 

as  it  only  dates  from  1860."     He  then  returns  to  Denver. 

"  Went  to  Rood's  and  found  some  Indians  in  his  shop 


DENVER  AGAIN  115 

buying  a  rifle.  There  were  a  great  many  Utes  in  the 
town  this  morning.  I  believe  they  have  just  been  paid 
their  annuities  by  the  Government  and  so  are  flush  of 
cash.  I  saw  one  who  had  a  breech-loading  rifle  in  his 
hand  (of  the  same  sort  which  Jem  Thompson  had  at  Buffalo, 
which  takes  a  similar  cartridge  to  the  Winchester)  buy 
another  rifle,  a  muzzle-loader,  the  price  of  which  was 
$12,  for  which  he  paid  in  greenbacks.  Another  Indian 
came  in  soon  after  and  bought  a  similar  rifle  for  5  buck- 
skins. He  was  anxious  to  exchange  an  old  horse-pistol 
for  different  things  of  a  value  of  about  $2.  He  was 
offered  a  knife  worth  $1,  but  wanted  two,  and  would  not 
swop.  Another  Indian  took  a  great  fancy  to  a  rifle  of 
a  rather  better  kind  with  a  set  trigger  ;  the  price  of  it 
was  $15,  but  he  was  only  prepared  to  give  $12.  They 
were  all  verj^  well  dressed ;  perhaps  they  had  their  best 
clothes  on.  Most  of  the  men  and  some  of  the  squaws 
were  painted,  some  with  vermilion,  others  with  ochre  and 
vermilion.  The  rifles  they  were  buying  were  of  an  in- 
ferior quality  and  had  only  one  backsight.  The  squaws 
were  riding  about  in  great  force  ;  they  ride  just  like  the 
men  and  are  very  difficult  to  distinguish  from  them. 
The  men  all  carried  a  bow  in  a  case  and  arrows  in  a  quiver 
slung  over  the  left  shoulder." 

There  is  another  entry  after  this  which  rather  puzzles 
me,  for  I  never  saw  a  telescope  sight  on  a  rifle  till  some 
twenty  years  later ;    it  is  as  follows  : 

"  I  walked  to  Borecherdt's,  the  taxidermist,  who  lives 
where  the  Colorado  Central  R.  crosses  the  Platte  River, 
about  two  miles  from  here.  He  had  returned  yesterday 
from  a  hunting  trip.  He  had  taken  seven  or  eight  gentle- 
men from  Denver  to  hunt  buffalo  near  Fort  Wallace. 
Although  they  saw  lots  of  buffalo  they  did  not  kill  any,  as 
a  lot  of  Indians  kept  riding  round  them  in  such  a  way  that 
they  thought  it  prudent  to  retire.  He  has  a  Remington 
rifle  of  16  Ife.  weight,  with  a  telescope  sight  and  set  trigger  ; 
it  cost  $130.  He  says  it  is  a  very  good  one.  The  telescope 
sight  seems  very  good  indeed.  Borechert  seems  able  to 
stuff  well,  but  charges  high.  He  charges  20  to  25  dols.  for 
setting  up  a  buffalo  head  and  $10  for  an  antelope  head — he 


116  AMERICA   AND   THE   WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

makes  a  plaster  cast  and  stretches  the  skin  over  it.  He  has 
sold  this  year  over  150  heads  of  buffalo  at  from  $35  to  $50 
each.  They  charge  as  high  as  $70  at  the  gunmaker's  for  a 
head.  Borchert  [Loder  spells  this  name  in  three  ways] 
says  that  a  good  elk  (wapiti)  head  sells  for  as  much  as  $80 
here.  If  an  elk  is  shot  in  July  with  the  velvet  fresh  on  the 
horn  he  can  skin  the  velvet  off,  preserve  it  and  the  soft  horn 
and  put  the  velvet  on  again." 

"  After  dinner  I  walked  up  to  the  races  and  saw  a  half- 
mile  flat  race.  The  horses  were  ridden  by  boys,  some 
white  and  some  black.  The  start  was  very  bad  and  the 
horse  that  got  the  best  start  won.  Time  for  the  half- 
mile,  53  sec.  The  race  was  run  round  two  bad  corners  on 
a  clay  track.  After  this  was  a  trotting  race  with  four- 
wheeled  waggons,  for  horses  who  had  never  beaten  2.40. 
It  was  won  by  a  horse,  who  had  the  inside  place,  in  2.46|. 
The  next  was  a  trotting  race  in  two-wheeled  waggons  for 
horses  who  had  never  beaten  three  minutes.  Two  horses 
out  of  the  three  broke  several  times,  the  one  who  trotted 
fairly  all  the  time  won  in  2.51." 

He  revisits  Rood's  and  relates  more  about  the  Indians' 
purchases. 

"  One  of  them  bought  a  rifle,  price  $15,  for  15  fb.  of 
buckskin — buckskin  is  selling  at  $1^  per  lb." 

"  At  the  races  ^^esterday  I  met  a  young  man  who  is  going 
with  the  Scientific  Exploring  Expedition  which  is  being  sent 
into  the  Rocky  Mountains  by  the  Government.  There  are 
about  50  in  the  party,  all  well  armed." 

He  secures  at  Cheyenne  a  berth  in  one  of  two  Pullman's 
cars  :  "  In  these  were  a  party  of  five  musicians,  an  old  man, 
a  Russian,  a  very  first-rate  violin  player,  a  Madame  de 
Renter,  two  Frenchmen  and  another.  .  .  .  They  were 
very  pleasant."  The  next  morning,  after  crossing  the 
Laramie  Plains  the  evening  before,  he  woke  up  very  cold 
at  three,  dressed  partly,  and  slept  again  till  six,  and  on  wak- 
ing found  they  were  "  on  the  barren  sage  plains,  mere  dust 
with  patches  of  strong-smelling  sage.  I  saw  no  animal 
except  a  rabbit."  He  describes  the  mountain  scenery  after 
Green- River  Station  and  says,  "  All  along  tliis  part  of  the 


SALT   LAKE   CITY  117 

track,  on  either  side,  are  to  be  seen  ruined  adobe  houses. 
A  great  many  of  the  places  which  now  are  only  small 
stations  .  .  .  have  been  good-sized  and  flourishing 
'  cities.'  ...  All  about  Evanston  coal  is  found." 

Later  he  describes  the  very  fine  rock  scenery  of  Echo 
Caiion,  Weber  Cailon,  Devil's  Gate,  etc.  He  mentions  a 
tax  of  50  cents  charged  against  his  gun-case  on  all  his  rail- 
way journeys  since  leaving  Buffalo. 

'^  It  is  a  tax  the  baggage  master  is  allowed  to  take.  The 
conductor  we  had  on  the  train  at  Ogden  had  been  scalped 
by  Indians.  A  few  years  ago  he  was  fishing  with  two  other 
men  within  sight  of  a  railway  station,  when  suddenly  they 
were  attacked  by  a  band  of  Indians  and  all  three  were  shot 
through  the  body  with  arrows.  The  Indians  scalped  them 
all  and  left  them  for  dead — this  man,  however,  recovered 
and  seems  to  be  in  very  good  health.  He  brushes  his  hair 
over  the  place  where  he  was  scalped  and  one  can  see  noth- 
ing of  it." 

"  The  line  runs  along  the  Great  Salt  Lake  nearly  the  whole 
way  from  Ogden  to  Salt  Lake  City ;  the  Wahsatch  Moun- 
tams  rise  up  nobly  in  the  east.  There  are  several  mountain- 
ous islands  in  the  Lake,  which  make  it  look  very  fine.  The 
shores  are  flat  and  low,  and  the  plain  all  round  is  covered 
with  sage.  I  put  up  at  the  Walker  house  in  East  Temple 
Street."  ^ 

He  goes  round  the  town — 

"  and  up  the  hill  at  the  end  of  East  Temple  Street  .  .  . 
the  town  when  looked  down  on  in  this  way  looks  very 
pretty  .  .  .  like  a  lot  of  houses  planted  in  the  middle  of 
gardens,  and  indeed  it  is  so.  .  .  .  Most  of  the  streets  "  (which 
he  describes  as  very  wide  and  very  dusty)  "  have  rapid 
streams  of  water  running  down  the  sides.  In  the  middle 
of  one  street  there  is  a  stream  about  12  feet  wide  running 
at  least  14  miles  an  hour.  ...  I  also  went  to  the  Museum, 
a  small  affair,  but  it  contains  a  good  many  curiosities.  It 
IS  kept  by  a  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young— Mrs.  Young  was  a  nurse 
to  a  family  who  lived  in  London,  near  Kensington  Gardens  ; 
she  left  England  in  June  1862  and  arrived  here  in  October. 
They  crossed  the  continent  in  two  months,  which  was  con- 
sidered very  good  work.     At  the  Museum  they  have  a  live 


118  AMERICA  AND   THE   WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

Cinnamon  Bear  and  a  Black-tailed  Deer  mth  very  long 
ears.^ 

"  Coming  back  to  the  hotel  I  nearly  got  into  a  scrape. 
About  70  yards  from  the  hotel  a  man  came  up  to  me  and 
shook  hands  with  me.     I  said  I  did  not  recognise  him. 
He    said  he   was    sure    he    had   met  me  quite  lately,   he 
thought  at   the    Occidental  Hotel   at    San   Francisco.     I 
told    him    he    must   be   mistaken,   as   I    had   never  been 
there.      He  then  begged  to  be  allowed  to  introduce  me 
to  a  Californian  gentleman  who  was  standing  by.     They 
asked  me  if  I  had  visited  the  Cotton-wood  mine  and  the 
Muna  mine   in  the   neighbourhood.      I    said  I   had  not. 
They  advised  me  to  go  and  see  one  of  them,  as  they  were 
very  rich  mines.     They  then  asked  me  to  step  upstairs  to 
the  assay  office ;  they  would  show  me  some  ore  they  had 
brought  in  yesterday.      I  did  not  like  to  be  uncivil,  and 
as  the  stairs  were   just   opposite   I   made  no   objection. 
They  led  me  into  an  ordinary  dwelling-room  with  decanters 
of  sherry  on  the  sideboard.     One  of  them  pretended  to  look 
for  the  ore  in  the  sideboard  drawer,  but  could  not  find  it  and 
supposed  someone  had  taken  it  a,way.     They  then  asked  me 
to  drink,  but  I  only  poured  out  a  little  iced  water  and  drank 
that.     At  the  table  in  the  same  room  were  some  men  playing 
rouge  et  noire.     They  went  on  playing  and  said  nothing 
all  the  time  I  was  in  the  room.     One  of  my  two  friends 
asked  me  if  I  knew  that  game.     I  said  that  I  knew  all  about 
such  games,  but  that  they  were  not  in  my  line.     Presently 
one  of  them  tried  to  put  some  counters  into  my  hand,  and 
when  I  declined  said  '  Be  sociable  now.'     I  saw  it  was  time 
to  be  going,  but  soon  after  I  had  come  into  the  room  one  of 
them  had  gone  to  the  door  and  pushed  a  bolt  across,  so 
that  no  one  could  come  in  and  I  was  not  quite  certain  that  I 
could  get  ow/."     (The  men  went  on  pressing  him.)  .  .  . 
"  Soon  after  I  got  up  pretty  quickly,  said  I  must  wish  them 
good  morning."     (Loder  made  for  the  door,  unbolted  it  and 
got   away.)      "  I  thought  I  was  pretty  well  out  of  that 
business. 

1  The  Black-tailed  Deer  {Mazama  columbiana)  has  much  smaller  ears 
than  the  Mule  Deer  {Mazama  hemionus)  ;  it  is  just  possible  that  Loder 
at  that  time  had  only  seen  the  White-tailed  Virginian  Deer  (Mazama 
virginiana)  with  much  shorter  ears,  and  as  the  Mule  Deer  has  a  black 
tip  to  its  tail  mistook  a  Mule  Deer  for  a  Black-tailed  one.  The  tail  of  a 
Black- tailed  Deer  is  a  bigger  tail  with  the  upper  side  black. — A.  E.  P. 


THE   OLD   TABERNACLE  119 

"  The  night  I  arrived  there  was  a  dance  in  one  of  the 
rooms  of  the  hotel  ;  I  watched  it  for  some  time.  The}-  all 
seemed  to  dance  very  well,  but  in  a  peculiar  manner  •  I 
suppose  It  was  'German.'  The  musicians  sometinies 
played  valse  music,  sometimes  polka.  The  dancers  did  not 
keep  round  the  room,  but  went  a  little  way  in  one  direction 
then  came  back  again,  very  often  turning  in  the  reverse  way' 
Collisions  were  rather  scarce.  Every  now  and  then  they 
seemed  to  dance  some  land  of  figure  and  seemed  to  change 
partners.  Altogether  the  dancing  was  very  dijfferent  to 
ours,  and  I  do  not  think  I  could  manage  it  without  a  little 
practice. 

''Sunday,  June  15th.— After  breakfast  I  walked  to  the 
labernacle   and   found  that   the  '  Meeting  '   was  held   at 
10  a.m.  m  the  old  Tabernacle  ;  this  is  a  much  smaller  build- 
ing than  the  new  one.     It  has  an  oval  ceiling  inside  and  is 
very  good  for  sound.     It  has  a  nice  little  organ,  and  the  choir 
(men  and  women)  sang  very  weU.     The  service,  or  meetintr 
began  vnth  a  hymn,  then  a  man  came  forward  to  the  readiirg 
desk  or  pulpit  and  said  a  prayer— he  then  called  upon 
another  to  address  the  meeting,  which  he  did  for  about 
an  hour.     He  gave  us  an  account  of  how  he  first  heard  the 
preaching  of  a  Latter-day  Saint  when  he  was  a  boy  of  about 
16      It  was  m  a  public  square  and  the  mob  were  unruly 
and  would  not  hear  what  the  Saint  had  to  say.     He  was  at 
that  time  a  Baptist,  at  least  his  father  and  mother  were  • 
he  had  not  been  baptised  because  his  father  did  not  believe 
m  infant  baptism.     He  was  in  the  habit  of  reading  books  on 
and  against  all  the  various  creeds,  written  by  infidels  and 
all  sorts  of  people.     People  told  him  that  it  would  end  in  his 
grmvmg  up  an  infidel,  but  he  said  this  could  not  be  as  he 
believed  m  God,  but  he  would  not  embrace  any  creed  until 
he  had  examined  them  all.     About  this  time  the  Chartists 
came  under  his  notice  and  he  attended  their  services,  and 
their  minister  seeing  his  regular  attendance  asked  him  to 
jom  the  Chartists,  but  he  refused,  telling  him  that  his  in- 
tention was  not  to  join  any  sect  or  creed  as  yet.     He  now 
made  the  acquaintance  of  a  Latter-day  Saint  and  argued 
with  him,  but  soon  found  when  he  referred  to  the  Bible 
that  whereas  the  Saint  used  the  exact  words  of  the  Bible  he 
himself  was  often  using  inexact  quotations,  which  he  had 
been  taught.     He  now  began  to  see  the  light  dawn  upon  him 
and  betook  himself  to  prayer,  and  every  time  he  prayed 
9 


120  AMERICA  AND   THE   WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

more  light  seemed  to  shine  upon  him.  He  reminded  his 
audience  that  he  rose  to  speak  (after  being  called  upon  to 
do  so)  without  any  preparation,  '  taking  no  thought  of  what 
he  should  say,'  feeUng  sure  that  God  would  inspire  him  and 
put  into  his  mouth  words  which  it  would  be  profitable  for 
them  to  hear.  He  was  with  the  Saints  when  they  Avere 
expelled  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  from  Navoo,  Illinois. ^ 
He  was  lyirig  sick  in  a  loft  when  a  cannon  shot  landed  in  it. 
Some  of  the  brethren  wished  to  fight,  but  Squire  W>lls, 
who  was  then  not  a  member  of  the  church,  counselled  them 
not  to  do  so,  saying  that  it  was  the  Lord's  doing.  The 
preacher  then  argued  that  the  mob  thought  that  they  were 
doing  just  as  those  did  who  crucified  Christ.  He  had  no 
hard  feelings  against  them— why  should  he  ?  Was  it  not 
written,  '  If  ye  suffer  punishment  having  done  wrong  and 
bear  it  patiently  '  it  is  quits,  you  are  even  now  ?  '  But  if  ye 
suffer  punishment  and  have  done  no  wrong  and  bear  it 
patiently  ve  shall  have  your  reward  in  heaven.' 

"  No  other  church  except  this  had  the  privilege  of  being 
taught  by  inspired  teachers,  no  one  had  been  inspired  in 
any  other  church  for  many  hundred  years.  The  Mormons 
having  all  these  great  advantages,  being  God's  chosen 
people,  ought  to  be  more  careful  than  the  gentiles  how  they 
lived  ;  they  had  not  the  same  excuses  as  the  gentiles,  they 
had  more  enlightenment  and  therefore  they  ought  to  take 
advantage  of  it.    Amen. 

"Another  gentleman  was  then  called  to  preach;  he 
rose  and  said  :    '  I  also  rejoice  that  I  have  been  called  to 

1  The  f  otinder  of  the  sect  of  Mormons  was  Joseph  Smith,  who  pretended 
to  supernatm-al  ],owers  if  I  remember  right.  About  the  year  1828  he  dug 
a  hole  in  a  forest  and  discovered  gold  tablets  covered  with  undecipherable 
writing,  and  his  discovery  aroused  excitement  and  interest.  Retirmg 
to  the  forest  again,  he  returned  next  with  the  revelation  of  the  writings, 
revealed  to  him  by  an  angel,  and  this  became  the  Book  of  Mormon,  Joe 
Smith  had  got  hold  of  an  old  impublished  Biblical  novel  and  concocted 
the  Book  of  Mormon  therefrom.  The  sect  settled  at  Navoo  in  Illinois 
and  was  persecuted  ;  but  raised  a  fighting  force  which  was  long  a  match 
for  the  local  Government  forces.  They  trekked  west  to  Salt  Lake  into 
the  unknown  to  escape  persecution  and  made  a  treaty  with  the  Utes 
(hence  the  name  Utah),  and  there  w-ith  the  aid  of  polygamy  they  multi- 
plied and  prospered  exceedingly.  As  a  counter  to  the  American  legal 
ban  on  polygamy  they  devised  a  system  of  (1)  legal  marriages,  (2)  eternal 
marriages,  (3)  levitical  marriages.  Joe  Smith  was  murdered  in  1844. 
This  note  is  written  from  memory,  but  I  tliink  is  substantiaUy  in  accord 
with  facts. 


THE  MORMONS  121 

belong  to  the  chosen  people,  and  I  rejoice  that  thus  far  we 
have  defeated  the  evil  designs  of  our  enemies.  We  have 
been  called  a  bold  people.  I  should  rather  say  afree  people 
We  are  hampered  by  no  priestcraft  or  kingcraft-  here 
everyone  is  for  himself.  I  should  say  we  are  a  thrifty  and 
mdustrious  people.  I  think  we  have  just  as  much  right  to 
revelation  as  the  ancient  Jews  had :  God  is  the  same  now 
as  he  was  m  the  days  of  Abraham.  If  angels  ever  did  appear, 
what  is  to  lunder  them  from  appearing  now  ^  I  was 
reading  about  Joseph  Smith  only  last  week  ;  "  Old  Joe  " 
they  call  him.  Where  do  you  think  I  read  about  him  ?  In 
the  Btble.  There's  a  funny  place  to  read  about  "  Old 
Joe  Smith."  I'll  tell  you  how  it  was  :  I  went  into  the 
store  and  found  a  book  like  this,  with  *'  Bible  "  in  gold 
letters  outside— got  up  in  the  first  style.  Inside  I  found  the 
story  of  "  Old  Joe  "  and  B S 

"  '  Now  a  man  who  calls  himself  a  historian  ought  to 
stick  to  the  truth  ;  if  a  man  has  prejudices  he  ought  not 
to  write  history.  Now  this  book  was  full  of  libels  "  Our 
enemies  revile  us  in  every  possible  way.  But  never  mind 
them,  be  industrious  and  prosper,  stick  to  the  Mormon 
creed  :    ''  Mind  your  own  business.  "     Amen.' 

''  During  the  sermon  the  gentleman  cleared  his  throat 
and  spat  on  the  floor  and  rubbed  it  in  with  his  foot  before 
he  contmued.  After  this  sermon  a  hymn  was  sung  and 
then  another  man  said  a  prayer,  and  the  meeting  closed 
At  2  p.m.  another  meeting  was  held  in  the  new  Taber- 
nacle, which  will  hold  18,000  people." 

Loder  attends  this  one  too  and  notes  that  there  were 
about  8,000  people  present.  He  also  gives  a  rough  sketch 
plan. 

''  The  organ  is  a  very  fine  one  and  the  choir  is  large 
and  very  good.  Brigham  Young  was  not  at  the  meeting 
—he  had  just  returned  from  the  funeral  of  one  of  his 
17  wives.  The  service  began  with  a  hymn,  and  then 
Austen  [should  be  Orson]  Pratt  stepped  into  the  pulpit 
and  began  to  preach.  On  the  table  in  front  of  the  Bishop's 
seat  were  a  great  many  metal  mugs  and  two  large  dishes 
ot  breaa  covered  with  a  cloth.  As  soon  as  the  sermon 
Degan,  ail  the  Bishops  stood  up  and  broke  the  bread  into 
small  pieces  and  put  them  into  a  number  of  bread-baskets 


122  AMERICA  AND   THE   WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

When  they  had  done  the  sermon  was  stopped  and  one  of 
them  said  a  prayer  over  the  bread  and  water,  after  which 
the  sermon  continued.  The  bread  and  water  was  handed 
round  by  many  men  and  every  one  of  the  Mormons  took 
it.  They  seemed  to  take  a  good  drink  at  the  water  as 
it  was  a  warm  day,  and  I  saw  two  men  pass  a  tankard 
backwards  and  forwards  till  they  had  emptied  it.  The 
man  who  showed  strangers  to  their  seats  and  who  hap- 
pened to  sit  himself  by  me  was  one  of  the  Paynes  from 
East  Grinstead  [in  Sussex,  near  Loder's  home].  He  had 
been  living  for  25  years  at  Woolwich  ;  he  left  England 
7  years  ago.  He  is  a  shoemaker  and  tells  me  he  has  done 
splendidly  here  and  has  made  thousands  of  dollars.  I 
asked  him  who  were  the  men  breaking  up  the  bread  in 
the  Tabernacle  :  he  told  me  they  were  Bishops,  '  rather 
different  from  the  Bishops  in  the  old  country  ;  all  those 
men  are  working-men  with  from  6  to  12  wives  apiece  and 
from  20  to  60  children  each.' 

"  Austen  [Orson]  Pratt  preached  a  rather  long  sermon  ; 
he  seemed  very  much  in  earnest,  but  I  did  not  think 
very  clever.  He  has  been  all  over  the  world  and  14 
times  to  England.  He  has  the  gift  of  the  gab  '  con- 
siderable,' but  I  did  not  think  he  proved  anything  in  his 
arguments.  He  reasoned  on  the  Mormon  belief,  taking 
the  prophecies  of  Isaiah  and  showing  how  they  were 
being  fulfilled  by  the  Mormon  people.  He  said  :  '  We 
are  here  assembled  in  the  only  House  of  God  in  the  world. 
I  know  there  are  many  so-called  Houses  of  God  in  all 
the  towns  of  this  continent,  you  will  find  it  written  in 
letters  on  many  of  them,  some  of  them  are  very  fine  and 
costly  buildings,  but  this  is  the  only  House  of  God  which 
is  or  has  been  on  earth  for  many  hundreds  of  years.  Did 
God  command  anyone  to  build  any  of  the  so-called  God's 
Houses  in  the  various  towns  ?  No.  Did  he  ever  give 
anyone  instructions  how  to  build  it  ?  No.  What  does 
the  prophet  say,  4th  chapter,  5th  and  6th  verses  ?  "  And 
the  Lord  shall  create  upon  every  dwelling  place  of  Mount 
Zion  and  upon  her  assemblies  a  cloud  and  smoke  by  day 
and  a  shining  of  a  flaming  fire  by  night,  for  upon  all  the 
glory  there  shall  be  a  defence.  And  there  shall  be  a  taber- 
nacle for  a  shadow  in  the  daytime  from  the  heat  and 
for  a  place  of  refuge  and  for  a  covert  from  storm  and 
rain  !  "     Well,  this  is  a  tolerable  place,  I  guess  I  never 


ORSON   PRATT'S   SERMON  123 

heard  of  anyone  coming  to  any  harm  here  in  a  storm — 
and  mark  you,  not  only  in  the  Tabernacle,  but  in  your 
own  dwelling-houses.  Now,  where  else  will  you  find  a 
town  like  this  ?  No  need  of  candles  or  gas — the  town 
and  country  around  illuminated  with  a  flood  of  holy  light ! 
See  what  it  says  in  chapter  60  :  "  Arise,  shine,  for  thy 
light  is  come  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is  risen  upon  thee. 
For  behold  the  darkness  shall  cover  the  earth,  and  gross 
darkness  the  people  ;  but  the  Lord  shall  arise  upon  thee 
and  his  Glory  shall  be  seen  upon  thee.  And  the  Gentiles 
shall  come  to  thy  light,  and  kings  to  the  brightness  of 
thy  rising."  But  you  will  ask  where  is  the  cloud,  where 
is  the  pillar  of  fire  ?  I  do  not  see  any  cloud,  all  is  clear 
between  me  and  my  audience.  The  time  is  not  yet 
come,  that  is  the  reason.  But  it  will  come,  and  even 
kings  will  come  to  see  it.  And  what  says  the  prophet 
in  chapter  ii,  2nd  verse  :  "  And  it  shall  come  to  pass 
in  the  last  days,  that  the  mountain  of  the  Lord's  house 
shall  be  established  in  the  top  of  the  mountains  and 
shall  be  exalted  among  the  hills  ;  and  all  nations  shall 
flow  unto  it."  Again,  49th  chapter  and  19th  verse : 
"  For  thy  waste  and  desolate  places,  and  the  land  of  thy 
destruction,  shall  even  now  be  too  narrow  by  reason  of 
thy  inhabitants  and  they  that  swallowed  thee  up  shall 
be  far  away."  Then  again  :  "  I  will  lift  up  my  ensign  to 
the  nations  and  set  up  my  standard  to  the  people  ;  I  will 
reveal  unto  them  the  abundance  of  peace  and  truth,  and 
I  will  bring  you  into  the  wilderness  of  the  people,  and 
there  will  I  plead  with  you  face  to  face."  You  see  it  was 
to  a  high  place,  a  very  elevated  region,  a  desolate  country 
that  the  Lord  was  going  to  bring  his  people  quickly,^ 
— which  he  translated  to  mean  by  means  of  railroad- cars. 
Also  a  prophecy,  '  Go  through  the  land,  through  the  gate 
of  the  mountains,'  which  he  said  meant  the  Pacific  Rail- 
road. He  said  the  electric  telegraph  was  not  given  to 
men  for  commercial  use,  but  the  day  would  come  when 
the  people  all  over  the  world  would  ask,  '  What  news 
from  Zion  this  morning  ?  What  are  the  Lord's  people 
doing  ?  What  is  the  last  new  wonder  ?  '  He  also  quoted 
another  passage  about  going  to  a  distant  land  lying 
beyond  the  rivers  of  etc.  He  said  if  he  looked  at  the 
map  in  that  position,  what  land  did  he  see  in  that  direc- 
tion ?     Why,  none  other  than  the  land  of  North  America 


124  AIMERICA   AND   THE   WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

— the  form  of  the  continent  of  North  and  South  America 
always  reminded  him  of  some  great  bird,  an  eagle  with 
its  wings  stretched  out.  Orson  Pratt  is  one  of  the  original 
12  Apostles  in  1849  with  Brigham  Young  as  president — 
he  is  now  a  man  with  a  white  moustache  and  whiskers 
and  long  white  beard.  He  looks  something  like  Phelps, 
Master  of  Sidney  (Cambridge).  He  spoke  earnestly 
enough  and  was  ready  in  his  quotations,  still  it  did  not 
seem  to  me  that  any  of  his  argument  was  sound.  .  .  . 

"  I  met  Payne  in  the  street  and  walked  with  him  for 
about  an  hour.  He  was  going  to  England  very  soon, 
but  has  been  unwell  and  therefore  put  off  his  visit  till 
next  year,  when  he  probably  will  go  as  a  missionary. 
He  said  they  go  forth  in  the  same  way  as  Christ  and  his 
Apostles,  without  purse  or  scrip.  .  .  .  He  pointed  out 
to  me  some  of  the  different  houses,  one  very  nice  one, 
which  belonged  to  an  Englishman,  Hussey,  the  banker 
here — he  had  made  all  his  money  here.  There  are,  he 
thought,  as  many  single  women  here  as  in  any  other  town 
of  the  same  size.  The  number  of  men  who  had  one  wife 
was  about  equal  to  the  number  of  those  who  had  several. 
He  knew  of  instances  of  seven  wives  living  in  one  house 
as  comfortably  as  possible,  but  generally  if  a  man  wished 
to  keep  more  than  one  wife  he  nmst  have  different  houses 
for  them.  Brigham  Young  had  17  wives,  one  of  which 
he  buried  to-day ;  he  has  about  60  children ;  several 
men  have  between  50  and  60  children.  Many  of  Brigham 
Young's  sons  are  '  very  fine  boys,'  some  of  them  40  years 
old. 

"  The  men  sit  altogether  in  the  front  part  of  the  Taber- 
nacle, the  women  sit  behind  ;  the  colour  in  the  hats  and 
bonnets  of  the  women  both  in  the  choir  and  in  the  con- 
gregation was  astonishing — every  colour,  the  brightest 
red,  green,  yellow,  blue,  was  there  with  flowers  of  every 
hue  as  well. 

"  Monday,  June  16th. — After  breakfast  I  went  over  the 
way  and  found  Payne's  boot  store  and  talked  with  him 
while  he  cut  out  leather.  He  told  me  that  there  were 
many  gambling-houses  in  the  town  and  that  they  often 
made  raids  upon  them.  The  gambling-house  men  as 
well  as  those  who  are  caught  gambling  are  fined  $100 
every  time  they  are  caught.  He  himself  is  a  regular 
sworn-in  policeman.     I  told  him  how  I  was  got  up  into 


GAMBLING  DENS  125 

a  gambling  room  on  Saturday  and  how  I  got  out  of  it ; 
he  thought  I  got  out  of  it  very  well — he  said  he  would 
not  have  liked  to  be  in  my  place  at  all.  [Payne  relates 
an  experience  of  his  own.]  .  .  .  Payne  also  told  me  that 
the  Mormons  were  going  to  hold  a  meeting  to  consider 
the  best  means  of  doing  away  with  every  drinking  bar 
and  gambling  table.  There  is  a  Welshman  here  who  left 
Wales  as  an  ordinary  miner  ;  he  now  owns  a  mine  and 
is  rolling  in  wealth,  is  a  Bishop  of  the  Mormon  church, 
and  has  a  great  many  wives  and  children. 

"  After  dinner  this  afternoon  a  very  inoffensive-looking 
man  addressed  me  as  I  was  strolling  along  and  said  it 
was  very  hot,  and  other  small  talk,  and  strolled  by  the 
side  of  me.  [Loder  recounts  how  this  individual  got 
on  to  the  subject  of  nriines  and  then  of  a  '  special  friend  ' 
and  the  special  friend's  club  and  so  forth,  and  proceeds, 
quoting  his  companion  :] 

"  Now  there  it  was  all  gentlemanly,  nothing  but  gentle- 
men there  ;  as  nice  a  club-room  as  he  ever  saw  ;  if  I 
would  only  step  up  here,  he  would  just  show  it  to  me. 
I  turned  round  and  looked,  and  behold  !  it  was  the  same 
staircase  I  had  been  taken  up  on  Saturday.  I  said,  '  Oh, 
I  have  been  up  there,  I  have  seen  the  room  '  ;  he  saw 
it  was  no  go.  .  .  .  This  afternoon  a  man  came  out  of 
a  shop  and  handed  to  me  his  card  and  asked  me  to  step 
in  and  examine  his  chromos,  prints  and  jewellery  (exactly 
as  Payne  had  described  the  thing  in  his  adventure).  I 
declined  to  go  in,  saying  that  I  was  travelling  and  did 
not  want  to  purchase  jewellery  or  pictures.  .  .  . 

"  This  morning  I  bought  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  the 
pamphlets  of  Orson  Pratt — they  were  $1*50  each.  This 
evening  I  walked  down  to  the  Depot  to  see  if  Pelham 
would  come  by  the  train  ;  he  did  not  arrive  and  I  walked 
back.  It  was  very  warm,  and  when  I  returned  I  went 
down  to  the  bar  and  paid  the  largest  price  I  ever  paid 
for  a  glass  of  beer.  The  glass  was  a  thin  one  holding 
about  f  of  half  a  pint.  The  beer,  which  they  called 
draught  Bass,  was  not  good,  and  they  charged  25  cents 
(  =  1*.  5d.),  that  is,  3  shillings  a  pint  or  6  shillings  a  quart 
and  £l  4*.  a  gallon  !  "  ^ 

1  During  the  years  1903-5,  when  I  was  in  the  Eastern  Transvaal, 
the  price  of  beer  (per  bottle — exclusive  of  the  bottle)  was  never  less  than 
4s.  a  pint,  but  it  was  Bass. — A.  E.   P. 


126  AMERICA   AND    THE   WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

When  Edmund  Loder  wanted  to  leave  Ogden,  where  he 
only  spent  one  night,  he  found  he  was  short  of  cash  for  his 
journey  to  San  Francisco,  but  he  discovered  that  the 
"■  Ticket  Agent  "  was  in  the  same  hotel  with  him  and  he  got 
him  to  advance  him  the  price  of  his  ticket — "  $55  in 
greenbacks  " — and  left  his  gun  and  rifle  with  him  ;  security 
Loder  was  likely  to  redeem  pretty  quickly  !  He  left  Ogden 
on  the  18th,  and  travelling  straight  through  arrived  at  the 
Ferry  at  Oakland  Point  on  the  evening  of  June  20th.  He 
describes  the  journey  through  the  great  American  desert 
and  "  dreary  sage  bush  plains  "  and  gets  up  in  the  mornings 
at  4  a.m.  not  to  miss  any  scenery — he  notes  the  apparent 
richness  of  the  grazing  grounds  of  the  Humboldt  Valley  and 
complains  of  the  interference  of  the  snow  sheds  with  the 
views  when  they  get  high  up.     After  Truckle  he  says  : 

"  In  the  next  60  miles  there  are  over  40  miles  of  snow 
sheds — they  continue  for  12  miles  or  so  without  a  gap,  then 
after  one  has  had  a  glimpse  at  the  scenery  through  a  gap 
of  200  yards  or  so,  it  is  snow  sheds  again  for  another  hour 
or  so.  .  .  .  At  Summit  (over  7,000  feet)  we  had  breakfast. 
They  keep  a  tame  deer  and  bear  here." 

In  the  afternoon  thev  reach  Sacramento  : 

"  It  is  almost  one  continuous  grain  field  from  Sacramento 
to  San  Francisco.  Oats,  barley,  bearded  wheat,  are  all 
the  crops  I  saw,  except  near  San  Francisco  a  little  Indian 
corn  and  potatoes  .  .  .  the  straw  is  short  and  everything 
looks  dried  up." 

He  makes  friends  on  this  journey  with  a  Mr.  Miles,  a 
man  in  the  "  iron  business  in  Chicago,"  and  finds  him 
very  agreeable  company.  There  were  also  with  them  four 
Canadians  who  had  come  "  from  the  Red  River  country 
and  had  been  travelling  14  days  and  nights — a  surveying 
party  who  are  going  to  survey  for  the  Canadian  Pacific 
Railway." 

"  A  Japanese  has  also  been  travelling  with  us.  .  .  .  The 
Japanese  is  dressed  in  European  dress,  with  frock  coat  and 
tall  hat — he  has  been  three  years  away  from  Japan  and  was 


SAN  FRANCISCO  127 

sent  by  his  Government  to  study  farming,  as  practised  in 
Europe  and  America.  He  was  Ih  years  in  various  parts  of 
England  and  Scotland— was  at  Windsor  and  saw  the  model 
farm  and  has  talked  to  the  Queen  and  to  the  Prince  of 
Wales.  He  speaks  very  highly  of  Scotch  Lowland  farming, 
and  he  is  sending  over  specimens  of  English  and  American 
farming  implements  to  Japan." 

Later  the  Japanese  gentleman,  who  was  in  the  same 
hotel,  gave  Loder  his  card,  "  Naoki  Ewayama— Tokei— 
Japan,"  and  said  he  would  be  very  glad  to  receive  him  in 
Japan  and  he  could  always  be  found  through  the  Custom 
House  officers  at  Yokohama  or  at  Yeddo.  Loder  in  return 
gives  him  his  town  address,  42,  Grosvenor  Square,  as  Naoki 
Ewayama  "  knows  Grosvenor  Square." 

"  I  found  Mr.  Walker,  Harrison's  friend,  ...  he  had 
seen  my  name  in  the  paper  among  the  arrivals.  He  asked 
me  to  come  with  him  to  his  house  at  San  Rafael  and  spend 
Sunday  ;  I  accepted  his  kind  offer.  I  then  had  my  hair 
cut  and  shampooed  for  $1  and  went  off." 

He  describes  the  Bay  and  the  garden  "  and  a  patch  of 
real  green  turf,  but  all  has  to  be  well  watered  "  ;  he  also 
writes  of  four  friends  of  Mr.  Walker's  staying  or  calling- 
one  is  a  Mr.  MciKinley,  one  named  Guthrie  (son  of  Dr. 
Guthrie),  and  another  named  Brown  (son  of  Dr.  Brown  of 
Edinburgh).  "  We  had  a  pleasant  evening  with  whist  and 
music. "  After  going  to  a  "  small  but  neat  wooden  church  " 
on  Sunday  he  finds  some  copies  of  The  Times,  and  in  one  : 

"On  the  24th  May  at  the  French  Chapel  by  M.  le 
Chanoine  Toursel ;  Marius  Garcin  de  Clamensanc,  Ancn. 
Membre  du  Conseil-General  des  Basses-Alpes,  Chevalr.  de 
la  Legion  d'Honneur ;  to  Merielle,  only  daughter  of  the  late 
William  Pitt  Byrne,  Esq.,  M.A.,  of  Montagu  St.,  Portman 
Square,  and  widow  of  the  late  Valere  Hayman,  Esq." 

This  wedding  had  taken  place  from  the  Loders'  house  in 
Grosvenor  Square.  Mr.  Walker  appears  to  have  made 
Loder's  time  in  San  Francisco  a  great  success  ;  among  other 
things  he  enjoyed  was  watching  the  sea-Hons  on  the  rocks. 


128  AMERICA   AND   THE   WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

He  takes  his  thermometers  to  an  optician's  and  tests  them 
against  a  "  standard  thermometer  there — in  reading  mine 
subtract  ^°  F.  from  the  Maxm.  and  add  2°  and  ^°  F.  to  the 
Minm.  Thermometer." 

"  This  afternoon  I  walked  as  far  as  Woodward's  Gardens. 
They  have  a  fair  collection  of  animals,  but  the  great  object 
of  interest  is  a  large  tank  containing  several  sea  lions  :  some 
of  them  are  very  large.  Pelham  arrived  to-night  (June 
25th) ;  he  had  got  off  the  train  when  it  was  stopping  while 
the  engine  was  taking  in  water  a  short  distance  beyond  a 
small  station  and  had  got  left  behind  ;  he  had  to  walk  on 
to  Rocklin,  and  slept  there." 

Pelham  had  not  great  luck  on  the  plains.  Buffalo  were 
not  so  often  seen  as  when  Loder  was  there,  and  "  the  hunters 
did  not  treat  him  very  well — if  they  saw  any  they  went 
after  them  themselves."  He,  however,  shot  one  very  fine 
bull.  They  go  together  to  Callistoga,  and  from  there  by 
stage  to  see  the  Geysers. 

"  We  had  six  horses  and  were  driven  by  the  celebrated 
'  whip  '  Foss.  He  took  us  along  at  a  capital  pace  along  a 
narrow  and  difficult  road  6  miles  in  30  minutes  to  Foss-ville, 
where  we  changed  horses.  The  hotel  here  belongs  to  Foss. 
.  .  .  There  is  a  tame  deer  here  and  some  small  white  pigs 
in  a  kind  of  cage." 

The  next  stage  is  12  miles  uphill  to  Summit  (2,000  feet 
above  Callistoga). 

"  About  a  mile  before  reaching  Summit  we  come  to 
'  Whisky  Spring,'  a  fine  spring  of  clear  water  bubbling  up 
close  to  the  road.  Here  Foss  stops,  waters  the  horses, 
produces  a  whisky  bottle  and  invites  each  passenger  to 
drink  a  glass." 

Loder  describes  the  scenery  and  the  road,  but  prefers  the 
last  8  miles  for  both  scenery  and  timber. 

After  visiting  Geyser  Canon  and  going  up  a  mountain  he 
says  :  "  About  half-way  up  we  came  to  some  fine  pine  trees, 
like  stone  pines  ;  they  grew  large  cones,  as  large  as  a  man's 


THE   GEYSERS  129 

head.  We  looked  for  some  seed  and  I  collected  about  30." 
He  is  at  the  Geysers  at  5.30  a.m.  the  next  morning  :  "  The 
temperature  (of  the  air)  was  on  45°  F.  in  the  shade 
at  5.30,  so  the  steam  from  the  Geysers  made  a  great  deal 
more  show  than  they  did  two  hours  later  in  the  sunshine." 
On  the  return  journey,  driven  by  Foss  again,  he  remarks  : 
"  We  came  down  the  mountain  at  a  rattling  pace.  At  the 
Castoga  Hot  Springs  Hotel,  Foss  gave  each  of  his  passengers 
one  of  his  photos."  They  go  back  to  San  Rafael  and  San 
Francisco.  He  revisits  the  sea-lions  at  Cliff  House  ;  they 
go  to  the  Alhambra  "  theater,"  where  the  "  pieces  and  per- 
formances were  both  very  moderate  "  ;  reads  books  in  the 
Mercantile  Library,  sends  the  %oo  which  he  had  borrowed 
to  Ogden,  gets  a  Times  from  home  with  the  announcement 
of  his  sister's  (Lady  Burrell's)  baby  (Sybil)  being  born  on 
June  7th,  and  borrows  all  the  money  he  requires  from 
Walker,  and  then  they  go  with  a  Mr.  Chapman,  to  whom 
Walker  has  introduced  them,  to  see  something  of  ranch  life, 
Chapman  being  the  manager  of  the  Chowchilla  Ranch  in 
which  Harrison  has  an  interest.  They  stay  at  Merced,  12 
miles  from  the  ranch.  At  the  ranch  they  drive  round  it 
one  day  "  about  40  miles  "  ;  he  looks  at  a  fine  shorthorn 
bull  and  some  Leicester  sheep  which  a  man  named  Cameron 
had  brought  from  New  Zealand — Chapman  gave  $150  apiece 
for  them.  I  gather  from  Mr.  Pelham  and  Loder's  letters 
home  that  this  ranch  was  one  of  100,000  acres,  with  45 
miles  of  fence  on  the  San  Joaquin  (Sanwankeen)  River,  and 
that  the  valley  of  this  name  was  the  ranch- — that  it  had 
been  bought  in  1867,  that  the  head  of  cattle  on  it  already 
numbered  6,000  with  2,000  calves  born  that  year,  and  that 
they  intended  to  run  a  breeding  stock  of  10,000  head  of 
cattle  and  25,000  head  of  sheep.  From  here  he  visits 
Cameron's  and  inspects  artesian  wells  ;  he  notes  the  bore 
of  the  pipes  (9  inches)  and  the  wells  as  being  from  200  to 
250  feet  deep. 

"  Sunday.  July  6th. — Rode  out  on  an  English  saddle  to 
a  Rodao.  The  Vaccaros  lassoed  some  bull  calves  and  cut 
and  branded  them." 


130  AMERICA  AND   THE  WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

He  was  very  much  smitten  with  the  beauty  of  the  lasso- 
throwing,  and  spent  the  afternoon  of  that  day  practising 
himself ;  the  next  afternoon,  after  a  morning  looking  at 
ducks  and  curlew  and  shooting,  he  practises  again. 

From  Merced  they  go  by  stage  to  Whitens  and  Hatchers 
and  on  to  Clarke's,  starting  at  6  a.m.  and  arriving  at 
8  p.m.  (about  60  miles  in  14  hours).  Among  those  on  the 
list  of  passengers  on  the  stage,  Germans,  an  Italian,  and 
English,  is  Lieut. -Colonel  Deveish  Meares,  20th  Regiment, 
stationed  at  Bermuda,  and  Loder  finds  they  have  several 
mutual  acquaintances.  Colonel  Meares  remains  in  their 
company  for  the  next  two  or  three  weeks.  The  Mariposa 
and  the  Aleveras  Groves  of  Big  Trees  as  well  as  the  Yo 
Semite  have  been  so  often  and  so  much  described  that  I 
shall  quote  little  from  this  part  of  Loder's  diary.  Most  of 
the  sight-seeing  is  done  on  horseback.  The  big  trees  are 
apparently  very  much  what  he  expected,  but  he  is  much 
struck  with  the  splendour  generally  of  the  timber  apart 
from  the  noted  groves.  On  his  way  to  Clarke's  he  notes 
that  a  great  many  of  the  trees  are  25  feet  in  circumference 
and  from  200  to  250  feet  high,  also  that  the  largest 
of  the  Aleveras  Grove  (he  refers  to  the  exhibit  at  the 
Crystal  Palace)  "  is  only  61  feet  in  circumference,  while 
several  of  those  we  saw  (at  Mariposa)  were  90  and  109 — 
one  of  the  Aleveras  is  327  feet  high,  the  tallest  of  the  Mari- 
posa 275  feet  high."  He  sends  some  seeds  to  King,  the 
gardener  at  home.  After  "  doing  "  the  Yo  Semite  ^  the 
following  days  were  spent  in  inspecting  gold-mines. 

"  Sunday,  July  13th. — Rode  to  Hites  Cove,  22  miles, 
Pelham,  Colonel  Meares  and  myself.  Saw  the  quartz  mill 
there.     The  mine  is  said  to  be  very  profitable,  but  I  could 

1  In  a  letter  home  referring  to  the  view  from  Glacier  Point  he  says  : 
"  I  suppose  this  is  unique,  4,000  feet  perpendicular.  .  .  .  The  Nevada 
and  Vernal  Falls  would  be  beautiful  on  any  scale,  even  if  they  were  re- 
duced to  7  feet  and  3  feet  instead  of  being  as  they  are  700  and  300  feet. 
The  Yo  Semite  Fall  here,  has  less  water  but  falls  1,600  feet  at  once,  then  a 
cascade  400  feet  and  a  final  leap  of  400  feet."  He  regrets  not  having  seen 
another  fall,  because  it  was  dry  and  only  falls  for  a  short  time  annually, 
3,800  feet,  "  only  200  feet  short  of  three-quarters  of  a  mile  perpendicular." 


HALL'S   GULCH  131 

not  get  any  exact  information.  They  crush  18  to  20  tons 
a  day.  There  is  a  good  profit  on  it  if  it  yields  10  to  12  dols. 
to  the  ton — perhaps  this  mine  may  average  15  or  16  dols. 
a  ton." 

The  men's  wages  run  to  about  "  90  dols.  a  month."  At 
Mariposa  he  looks  at  "  hydraulic  mining  "  and  also  did  a 
little  panning  himself,  and  they  got  enough  "  colour  "  to 
take  away  three  little  packets.  Then  they  visit  Chinamen 
"  sluicing  " — one  Chinaman  was  making  5  to  6  dols.  a  day.^ 

He  now  makes  his  way  back  to  Denver  ;  on  reaching 
Ogden  recovers  his  guns  and  separates  from  Pelham  (who 
goes  to  Salt  Lake  City),  and  at  Laramie  he  leaves  Colonel 
Meares.  At  Denver  he  is  unwell,  but  after  a  few  days, 
when  Pelham  rejoined  him,  starts  "  at  6  a.m.  in  the  Fair- 
play  Stage  for  Godfrey's  Ranch.  The  stage  was  a  sorry 
affair  with  two  horses.  The  scenery  in  Bear  Creek  is  very 
fine."  He  arrives  at  Godfrey's  Ranch  about  10  p.m.  "  We 
got  nothing  but  wretched  accommodation  there  "  in  a  little 
shanty. 

They  now  walked  to  Hall's  Gulch  and  were  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  went  to  stay  with  a  Mr. 
Jebb  and  a  General  Hail.  General  Hall  was  an  American 
and  a  General  of  some  distinction  in  the  U.S.  Army,  and 
Jebb  an  English  connection  of  Mr.  Pelham  ;  an  interesting 
man,  a  memoir  of  whom  was  published  by  his  widow.  ^ 

Hall,  when  hunting  bear  in  the  mountains  here,  dis- 
covered gold,  and  with  his  friends  formed  a  company. 
Hall  and  Jebb  started  the  mine  under  great  difficulties, 
camping  in  the  snow  in  March  of  this  year,  and  getting 
up  a  steam  saw-mill  had  got  to  work  in  April.  By  July 
of  the  same  year  (1873)  when  Loder  and  Pelham  arrived, 
Loder  says  "  there  was  quite  a  town,  250  men  at  work, 
with  lodgings  for  them  all  and  a  store  where  one  could 

^  "  Being  in  California  we  wished  to  see  the  whole  business  of  gold- 
mining  and  to  learn  the  difference  between  panning  out,  placier-mining, 
sluicing,  hydraulic-mining  and  quartz-mining." 

*  John  Gladwyn  Jebb,  a  relation  of  the  Tutor  at  Trinity  College,  Cam- 
bridge. 


132  AMERICA   AND   THE   WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

buy  nearly  everything.  In  the  beginning  of  July  a  large 
house  was  begun  for  General  Hall  and  was  finished, 
furnished  and  fit  to  live  in  in  a  fortnight,"  and  they  had 
on  July  23rd,  when  Loder  and  Pelham  arrived,  just 
completed  four  miles  of  tramway  and  bridges.^  Hall's 
and  Jebb's  house  was  9,500  feet  above  the  sea,  and  as 
soon  as  Loder  arrived  the  first  thing  he  did  was  to  walk  up 
the  hill,  as  he  calls  it,  11,500  feet  high,  behind  and  to  the 
south  of  the  house ;  on  the  edge  of  the  snow  and  timber 
line  he  found  a  mountain  bison's  skull.  Wapiti  came  some- 
times within  a  mile  of  the  house,  and  no  doubt  Loder 
and  Pelham  thought  they  were  on  the  edge  of  good 
hunting  country.  Hall  took  them  a  six  hours'  ride  over 
the  mountains  to  Georgetown  and  procured  for  them 
three  ponies  and  two  pack  mules  and  a  man  to  go  v/ith 
them.  Two  days  later  Loder  and  Pelham  camp  on  the 
Snake  River  (9,000  feet  up)  and  Loder  caught  seven  trout 
for  supper.  This  hunting  and  exploring  trip  seems  to 
have  been  rather  a  failure.  Their  first  day  on  the  moun- 
tains they  saw  nothing  and  their  man  "  George  "  lost  his 
horse,  which  broke  away  from  a  tree  to  which  he  had 
been  tied  and  escaped  into  the  timber  with  George's 
saddle  and  blankets.  George  seems  to  have  been  an 
obstacle  to  their  success.  The  following  days,  having 
gone  off  with  one  of  their  ponies,  he  spent  in  a  vain 
search  for  his  horse,  and  when  he  did  turn  up  he  did  not 
know  how  to  reach  a  newly  discovered  lake  for  which 
they  were  making.  I  will  give  one  illustration  out  of  a 
series  of  misfortunes. 

"  For  reasons  best  known  to  himself,  George,  instead 
of  following  up  Lake  Creek  as  soon  as  it  began  to  get  dark, 
tried  a  short  cut  of  his  own.  Before  long  it  became 
quite  dark  and  we  went  stumbling  helplessly  along  over 
huge  rocks  and  thick  grooves  of  quaking  asp.  Our  mules 
became  unruly  and  Pelham  had  a  hard  Job  to  drive  one 

^  The  company  here  was  called  the  Hall  Valley  Silver-Lead  Mining 
and  Smelting  Co.  The  Valley  is  some  65  miles  west  of  Denver,  in  Fark 
Co.,  Colorado. 


HUNTING   IN   THE   ROCKIES  133 

back  which  made  a  dart  down  a  steep  hill.  Not  long 
after,  the  other  mule  rushed  madly  down  a  very  steep 
and  rough  hill,  thickly  covered  with  both  fallen  and 
growing  quaking  asps.  It  was  now  pitch  dark  ;  I  was 
afraid  of  losing  the  pack  off  the  mule,  if  not  mule  and 
all,  so  I  stuck  the  spurs  into  my  horse  and  followed  the 
mule  in  its  wild  career  through  the  bush.  After  a  fearful 
ride  I  came  up  with  it.  .  .  .  I  made  an  effort  to  get 
up  the  hill,  having  found  out  where  the  others  were.  I 
thought  I  should  have  to  stop  down  at  the  bottom  all 
night,  but  at  last  found  myself  nearly  at  the  edge  of 
the  timber.  Even  out  of  the  timber,  climbing  a  rocky 
hill  proved  no  easy  task  in  the  dark.  However,  I  struggled 
to  the  top  at  last,  and  after  a  council  of  war  we  decided 
to  camp  just  where  we  were  on  the  top  of  the  hill  with- 
out water.  I  would  have  given  a  good  deal  for  a  cup 
of  tea  after  my  exertions.  ..." 

The  next  morning  one  of  the  mules  got  into  a  bog  and 
turned  over  on  its  back,  wetting  and  spoiling  "  all  our 
sugar,  salt,  flour,  etc.  etc."  Then  Loder  rides  on  alone 
to  find  the  lake  and  at  last  they  reach  i^.  On  getting 
there  they  found  one  Hall  there,  the  discoverer  of  the 
lake :  "  he  is  considered  one  of  the  best  hunters  in 
Colorado."  The  following  days  they  all  "  hunt "  in  dif- 
ferent directions  without  success  ;  "  George  "  alone  gets 
a  shot,  and  misses  it.  Hall  then  undertakes  to  take  them 
to  the  next  gulch,  where  he  was  sure  of  finding  wapiti 
and  game.  Their  experience  on  the  new  ground  was  not 
very  encouraging.  "  We  all  came  back  after  dark  in 
pouring  rain,  no  one  had  seen  anything."  Loder  goes  to 
bed  "  while  Pelham  stood  by  the  fire  till  his  clothes  were 
dry."  After  another  try  they  moved  on  to  Salt  Lick  Gulch 
— they  had  now  finished  their  bacon  and  wanted  meat 
badly.  George  went  off  from  this  camp  to  have  another 
try  to  find  his  horse,  and  eventually  returned  with  it  at 
sunset  one  evening.  "  It  was  very  wild  and  would  not 
let  him  catch  it,  but  it  followed  his  pony — the  saddle 
cloth  and  one  of  the  stirrup  irons  was  gone  and  the  saddle 
was  under  his  belly."     The  next  thing  to  be  lost  was 


134  AMERICA   AND   THE   WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

Pelham's  revolver  and  then  Pelham  got  lost  himself,  but 
turns  up  at  Hall's  Gulch  soon  after  Loder's  return  there. ^ 
Loder  hunts  from  Hall's  Gulch,  finds  some  mountain 
bison  skulls,  a  very  beautiful  elk  horn,  and  loses  his 
"  deer- stalking  knife  which  I  got  from  McLeay's,  Inver- 
ness," sees  antelope  (kills  one  galloping)  and  a  certain 
number  of  elk  and  buck,  but  without  being  able  to  get 
a  sporting  chance  of  a  shot  until  on  August  9th,  when 
out  with  Jebb  he  spied  with  a  glass  five  or  six  mountain 
sheep  (generally  known  as  Bighorn,  Ovis  canadensis) 
feeding. 

"  I  left  Jebb  there  with  the  telescope  to  watch  them 
and  ran  back  a  mile  or  so  to  fetch  the  horses.  When  I 
came  back  to  Jebb  he  told  me  that  there  were  23  sheep, 
now  in  sight,  all  '  bucks.'  We  made  all  haste  to  get  to 
them,  but  had  two  very  deep  valleys  to  cross.  We  tied 
up  our  horses  at  the  edge  of  some  dead  timber  about  f 
of  a  mile  from  the  sheep,  and  then  stalked  them  on  foot 
— the  sun  had  already  set  when  we  got  within  shot  of 
them.  We  noticed  one  buck  much  larger  than  the  rest, 
and  him  we  tried  to  get.  Wliilst  waiting  for  a  favour- 
able target,  some  of  the  sheep  fed  on  to  our  left,  got 
our  wind,  and  started  the  lot  and  they  ran  together." 

Jebb  pointing  out  the  big  one  to  Loder,  the  latter  fired 
and  got  the  big  one  and  Jebb  another.  It  came  on  dark 
and  they  were  long  before  finding  their  horses,  and  did 
not  make  their  quarters  till  11  p.m.  Loder  estimated 
the  weight  of  his  sheep  at  240  lb.  clean,  the  other  weighed 
clean  207  lb.  After  a  day  on  the  hills  on  August  12th 
he  records  : 

^  The  Lost  Park.  Loder  mentions  this  valley  in  a  letter,  in  the  region 
they  were  hunting  in.  "It  is  surroxinded  with  such  steep  mountains 
that  one  cannot  take  mules  in  and  out.  A  party  of  hunters  are  said  to 
have  got  in  with  their  mules  by  juimping  down  ledges,  etc.,"  but  they 
never  got  their  mioles  out.  Game  in  this  Lost  Park  is  plentiful.  A  herd 
of  mountain  bison  has  been  seen  in  it  ;  "  they  are  like  the  buffalo,  but 
more  active  and  are  fast  dying  out.  Very  few  people  have  ever  seen 
them.  Jebb  killed  one  some  time  ago.  I  foxind  a  very  old  skull  of  one 
11,000  feet  up  above  the  timber  line." 


FORT  MACPHERSON  135 

"  Came  back  to  the  Gulch  at    sunset  and  found  that 

there  had  been  a  row.     Some  roughs  had  come  in  a  few 

days  before  with  the  intention  of  starting  a  whisky  store 

and  gambhng  shop,   and  they  brought  in  with  them  a 

lot  of  bullies  to  back  them  up,  in  case  of  need,  who  were 

working  on  the  tramway.     Three  of  the  leaders  had  been 

turned  off  for  bad  behaviour  and  the  cook  had  been  given 

orders  not  to  give  them  any  more  food.     This  afternoon 

they    threatened    the    cook    with    loaded    revolvers    and 

began   talking    loud    about    '  firing   the    Gulch,    starting 

burial  grounds,  running  the  Gulch,  etc'     They  also  fired 

off  their  revolvers,   but  not  at  any  one.     Jebb,  leading 

a  few  men  he  got  together,  rushed  upon  them  and  took 

their  arms  away  and  kept  them  in  close  custody.     Jebb 

then  went  to  the  store,  and  the  whisky  barrels  were  rolled 

into  the  road  and  fired  into,  Jebb  leading  off  with  his 

Express  rifle.     The  three  captives.  Hall,  Boys  and  another, 

instead  of  keeping  quiet  continued  talking  loud,  swearing 

that  the  men  who  had  interfered  with  them  were  as  good 

as  dead  men  and  that  when  they  got  away  Hall  and  Jebb 

had  better  look  out.     Colonel  Hall  intended  to  send  them 

with  a  strong  guard  to  Fairplay.     In  the  night,  however, 

the  Vigilance  Committee  had  a  meeting  and  decided  that 

the  lives  of  several  men  in  the  Gulch  would  be  in  great 

danger  if  they  were  allowed  to  go,  and  so  they  hanged 

Hall  and  Boys  and  let  the  third  go. 

"  Wednesday,  August  l3th.~When  we  got  up  this 
morning  we  found  that  the  Vigilance  Committee  had 
hanged  Hall  and  Boys.  I  went  down  and  found  no  one 
about  except  Mrs.  O'Donnell,  who  asked  me  to  come 
down  and  see  the  men  hanging  before  the  rest  were 
about.  We  went  down  through  the  timber,  and  in  the 
road  met  Mr.  Wood  coming  up.  .  .  .  We  heard  that  the 
men  had  been  cut  down  and  buried,  but  we  found  they 
had  only  been  cut  down  and  were  lying  there." 

After  a  very  rough  journey  Loder  and  Pelham  reach 
Denver  again;  there  he  adds  an  Arrapahoe  scalp,  an 
Indian  bow  and  arrows,  and  a  buffalo  robe  to  his  collec- 
tion. 

After  a  rough  journey  from  Denver,  Loder  and  Pelham 
reached    Fort    Macpherson    in    Nebraska    and    presented 
10 


136  AMERICA   AND   THE   WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

General  Sherman's  letter  of  introduction  to  General 
Reynolds,  who  was  in  command  here  with  a  cavalry 
regiment  as  the  garrison.  They  were  now  in  true  Indian 
country,  the  principal  tribes  being  the  Sioux  and  the 
Pawnees.  It  was  a  dangerous  country  at  this  time  for 
small  parties  of  white  men  to  move  about  in  without 
a  military  escort.  Loder  and  Pelham  were  most  hos- 
pitably entertained  and  every  effort  was  made  to  give  them 
a  good  time  in  this  the  last  sporting  venture  of  their  trip. 
I  shall  give  most  of  their  experiences  in  Loder' s  own 
words  : 


"  August  18th.^ — I  saw  General  Reynolds  and  gave  him 
General  Sherman's  letter.  General  Reynolds  sent  Adju- 
tant (Lieut.)  Johnstone  to  us,  who  at  once  made  all 
necessary  arrangements  to  start  at  6  a.m.  the  next  morn- 
ing. We  found  a  great  many  agreeable  men  among 
the  officers — General  Dudly,  Colonel  King,  Major  Moore 
and  others.  General  Dudly  took  us  to  his  house  in  the 
evening,  gave  us  two  Apache  arrows  each  and  lent  me 
his  carbine. 

"  There  has  just  been  a  great  massacre  of  Pawnees  near 
here  by  the  Sioux.  The  Pawnee  warriors  were  most  of 
them  out  on  a  hunt  when  the  Sioux  fell  on  their  camp 
and  killed  and  scalped  60  people,  most  of  them  squaws 
and  papooses — Pallardy,  our  guide,  was  there  shortly 
after  and  picked  up  one  of  the  Sioux  knives,  which  I 
now  have." 


The  next  day  they  started  for  the  Medicine  stream  in 
charge  of  the  Adjutant  (Lieut.  Johnstone),  with  an  escort 
of  a  sergeant  and  sixteen  troopers,  two  waggons,  each 
drawn  by  six  splendid  mules,  a  cook,  teamsters  and  men 
to  go  with  the  led  horses.  Three  troop  horses  each  were 
allotted  to  Loder  and  Pelham  for  buffalo-hunting.  The 
Medicine  is  a  tributary  of  the  Platte  River,  It  is  one  of 
a  number  of  streams  which  are  very  innocent-looking  and 
shallow,  but  which  after  a  storm  are  liable  to  become 
raging  torrents. 


SHOOTING   BUFFALO   FROM  HORSEBACK      137 

"  A  few  weeks  before  I  arrived,"  says  Loder,  "  a  most 
extraordinary  catastrophe  occurred.  Major  Moore  (who 
told  me  about  it)  was  camping  with  his  command  on  the 
banks  of  the  Black  Willow  Creek,  a  small  stream,  very 
like  the  Medicine  and  only  a  few  miles  away.  About 
midnight,  just  after  a  change  of  guard  had  been  made, 
an  alarm  was  given  and  those  who  were  awake  rushed 
to  the  doors  of  their  tents  and  saw  a  great  wave  of  water 
rushing  and  foaming  down  upon  them  ...  in  two  hours 
the  whole  valley  (here  nearly  two  miles  wide)  was  filled 
with  water  and  in  the  bed  of  the  stream  was  20  feet  deep. 
Six  men  and  28  horses  were  drowned.  Everything  but 
one  waggon  was  swept  away.  j\Iajor  Moore  and  most  of 
the  men  saved  themselves  by  climbing  into  some  trees 
which  were  growing  out  of  the  river  bank.  Pallardy, 
afterwards  our  guide,  was  sitting  on  the  top  of  the  only 
waggon  which  was  not  washed  away,  but  he  expected  to 
feel  it  go  over  every  moment. 

"  Tuesday.  August  19th.~  ...  At  2.30  p.m.  we 
reached  our  camping  ground  on  the  Medicine,  and  lay 
down  in  the  shade  and  I  read  a  book.  .  .  .  Thermometer 
85°  at  3  p.m.,  75°  at  8  p.m.,  66°  in  tents  at  4  a.m." 

Buffalo  were  seen  in  the  distance  this  day,  but  they 
struck  camp  and  marched  for  Red  Willow  Creek  the  next 
morning. 

"  After  we  had  marched  for  four  hours  we  came  in  sight 
of  several  herds  of  buffalo.  The  prairie  here  is  very 
different  from  the  Kansas  prairie.  It  is  more  broken 
with  hills  and  the  grass  is  far  longer  in  some  of  the  narrow 
valleys  and  canons  ;  I  have  seen  grass  as  much  as  8  feet 
high.  It  will  average  about  18  inches  on  the  prairie 
about  here,  but  is  a  great  deal  trodden  down  by  buffalo. 
.  .  .  Pelham  and  I,  Pallardy  and  three  soldiers  rode  off 
to  chase  a  herd  of  about  60  buffalo  which  were  feeding 
in  a  low  bit  of  ground  where  we  could  approach  pretty 
near  to  them  without  being  seen.  The  men  were  armed 
\Adth  their  cavalry  carbines,  but  Pelham  and  I  carried  our 
revolvers   as   they   are   easier  to   manage   on   horseback.  ^ 

1  It  must  be  remembered  that  at  this  time  there  were  no  handy, 
powerful,  small-bore  rifles  and  carbines  ;  but  stiU  I  think  Loder  made 
a  mistake  in  preferring  a  revolver  to  a  carbine.     Shooting  from  horse- 


138  AMERICA   AND   THE  WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

A  buffalo  looks  a  great  clumsy  animal,  but  in  reality  he  is 
very  active.  Even  on  flat  ground  he  is  astonishingly 
fast,  but  down  a  slope  on  rough  ground  it  takes  a  very 
good  horse  to  overtake  him  and  on  very  broken  ground 
no  horse  has  a  chance.  Buffalo-shooting  from  horseback 
is  not  difficult  if  you  have  a  really  good  buffalo  horse. 
After  you  have  once  put  one  of  these  horses  in  chase  of 
a  buffalo  he  does  not  require  any  more  guiding  ;  he  will 
gallop  up  close  alongside,  giving  you  an  easy  shot  with  a 
rifle  at  the  beast's  shoulder,  and  as  soon  as  you  have 
fired  these  horses  swerve  away  from  the  buffalo  so  quickly 
that  they  would  throw  the  rider  unles  she  was  expecting 
it.  They  are  taught  to  spring  aside  in  this  way  in  order  to 
avoid  the  charge  which  buffalo  will  sometimes  make  as 
quick  as  lightning  as  soon  as  he  feels  himself  hit.  If  the 
buffalo  is  not  killed  by  the  first  shot,  the  horse  comes  up 
again  at  once  on  the  other  side,  and  so  on  till  the  buffalo 
falls.  We  had  no  trained  horses  with  us,  all  ours  were 
cavalry  chargers.  The  one  I  rode  was  very  fast,  but 
could  not  stay  long  ;  he  got  very  excited  at  the  sight  of 
a  buffalo,  but  I  never  could  get  him  to  go  very  near  them, 
and  one  ought  to  be  rather  close  to  do  any  damage  with 
a  revolver.  In  fact  I  found,  what  with  managing  one's 
horse  and  the  loading  and  firing  of  the  revolver  and 
guarding  against  prairie-dog  holes  and  taking  care  not 


back  at  the  gallop  is  a  very  easily  acquired  accomplishment,  even  with  a 
full-length  sporting  rifle,  if  you  have  a  good  horse.  It  is  surprising  how 
seldom  one  misses  even  small  animals,  such  as  gazelle,  cheetah,  jackals 
and  hysenas,  if  you  get  dead  behind  them  and  shoot  over  your  horse's 
head  ;  with  big  game  and  dangerous  game,  much  depends  on  your  horse's 
knowledge  of  the  sport  and  of  your  ways,  but  if  you  have  a  beast  twenty 
yards  off  on  the  near  side  of  your  horse  and  are  going  the  same  pace  you 
will  kill  him  as  often  as  you  will  a  rabbit  at  this  distance  with  a  scatter 
gun  ;    and  to  my  mind  the  sport  is  quite  as  exciting  as  pig-sticking. 

The  best  weapon  I  have  found  to  be  a  '256  Mannlicher  rifle  with  the 
barrel  cut  four  inches  shorter  than  the  regular  rifle.  Loder  put  me  up 
to  this  in  1893 — and  rightly  told  me  that  I  should  find  my  rifle  equally 
effective  for  all  sporting  purposes  and  its  balance  and  handiness  im- 
proved by  the  alteration.  When  thus  shortened  under  Loder's  super- 
vision, the  rifle  weighed  6i  lb. — a  weight  that  allows  of  using  it,  if  neces- 
sary, with  one  hand.  A  short  '350  Mannlicher  may  be  better  for  dangerous 
game  such  as  lion  or  leopard.  You  should  never  ride  behind  dangerous 
game — always  on  the  flank,  and  whenever  possible  have  it  on  your  left 
hand.— A.  E.  P. 


CHARGE   BY  A   BUFFALO   BULL  139 

to  be  in  the  way  when  a  buffalo  charged,  one  had  as 
many  things  to  do  at  one  time  as  one  could  conveniently 
manage. 

"  Pallardy,  who   is  a  practised   buffalo  hunter,  led  us 
in  the  most  skilful  manner,  winding  along,  keeping  to  the 
lowest  ground,  taking  care  that  there  was  always  some 
rise  between  us  and  the  herd.     At  last  we  were  within 
100  yards  of  where  they  were  feeding,  quite  unconscious 
of  danger,  on  the  other  side  of  a  large  knoll,  which  hid 
us  from  their  sight.     Here  we  stopped  for  a  moment  to 
tighten  our   girths  and  look   to  our  revolvers    and    car- 
bines, and  then  with  a  whoop  and  a  cheer  rode  at  the 
herd.      After  a  very  fast  scamper  of  about  half  a  mile 
I  came  up  with  a  young  one  and  fired  my  revolver  into 
his  shoulder  ;    he  went  head  over  heels  like  a  ninepin. 
A  few  seconds  after  I  fired  a  second  shot  and  dowTi  went 
a  two-year-old   heifer — she  had  been  hit  by  one  of  the 
soldiers'  carbines  at  the  same  time  that  I  fired.     Pallardy 
also  had  to  shoot  the  first  one  [which  had  not  been  killed 
by  Loder's  first  shot].     I  then  made  for  a  tremendous 
bull,  the  largest  buffalo  I  ever  saw.     After  a  long  chase  I 
got  alongside  of  him,  but  my  horse  would  not  go  close, 
so  that  I  could  not  hit  him  where  I  wanted.     But  at  last 
after  firing  a  great  many  rounds  out  of  my  revolver  he 
stood  still  and  charged  at  me.     I  was  looking  out  and  got 
my  horse  out  of  the  way.  .  .  .     Every  time  I  came  near 
he  charged.     Several  times  he  broke  away  and  galloped 
in  the  direction  the  herd  had  gone.     After  one  of  these 
spurts,   when  the   horse  was   rather  blown,   just  after  I 
had  headed  him,  he  made  a  tremendous  charge  down  a 
hill  at  me.     The  horse,   who  was   panting  a  good  deal, 
did  not  see  him  coming  and  answered  very  slowly  to  my 
spur,  and  when  I  did  get  him  to  start  the  bull  gained  so 
quickly  on  him  that  it  was  touch  and  go — but  a  tremendous 
dig  with  the  spurs,  both  at  once,  saved  us.     I  leaned  back 
as  I  made  the  last   despairing   dig  with  the   spurs   and 
fired  my   revolver  into   the   bull's  face,  which  then   was 
not    more    than    a    foot    from   my    horse's    tail.      As    a 
soldier  now   came   up  with   his   carbine,   we  soon   after- 
wards killed  him.     He  was  a  splendid  animal.      I  would 
have    given    anything   for    the    skin    off    his    head    and 
shoulders,  but   the   weather   was    so    hot   it   would   have 
been  useless." 


140  AMERICA   AND   THE   WILD   WEST         [ch.  v 

The  diary  recounts  similar  hunts  on  the  following  days 
from  other  camps,  alludes  to  falls  and  lost  horses,  hats, 
and  other  incidents  of  the  chase.  Loder  tries  stalking 
both  antelope  and  buffalo  once  or  twice  with  little  success, 
but  I  think  if  I  give  two  more  extracts  it  will  give  the 
reader  a  good  idea  of  the  sport  which  Loder  and  Pelham 
had  and  what  a  hunter's  life  was  like  in  the  old  days. 

A  few  days  after  the  buffalo  hunt  just  recorded,  Loder 
had  rather  an  amusing  experience  which  might  have 
turned  out  otherwise  than  funny  : 

"  We  had  started  in  chase  of  a  herd  of  buffalo  ;  Pallardy 
taking  the  lead  on  a  rather  nice-looking  young  horse, 
and  I  was  riding  close  behind  him.  All  of  a  sudden  the 
herd  disappeared  down  a  bank,  20  feet  deep  and  nearly 
as  steep  as  a  wall.  I  kept  an  eye  on  Pallardy,  expecting 
he  would  turn  off  to  the  right  or  left,  as  it  seemed  an 
impossible  place  for  a  horse  to  go  down  without  breaking 
his  neck.  But  on  went  Pallardy  as  straight  as  a  line. 
There  was  no  time  for  thinking,  as  we  were  going  a  racing 
pace,  so  down  I  rode  too — it  would  never  have  done  for 
an  English  foxhunter  to  have  been  cut  out  by  an  Ameri- 
can !  Luckily  both  of  us  got  down  safely  and  were  soon 
galloping  alongside  of  the  buffalo.  After  the  chase  was 
over  and  we  were  cutting  up  one  of  the  beasts  which  v/e 
had  shot,  I  found  that  Pallardy  had  had  no  choice  about 
riding  down  the  bank — his  horse  was  running  away  Avith 
him,  and  down  he  had  to  go  whether  he  liked  it  or  not  !  !  " 

On  Saturday,  August  23rd,  they  started  back  for  their 
old  camp  down  the  Red  Willow,  and  on  the  way  he  and 
Pelham  had  a  good  hunt  after  a  herd  of  bulls.  Loder 
had  to  give  up  following  a  bull,  "  as  he  took  to  the  very 
rough  country  full  of  deep  cafions  near  the  creek." 

"  Pelham  got  one  bull.  I  rode  to  the  left  after  this 
with  Pallardy  and  two  soldiers,  and  after  a  time  we  saw 
a  herd  of  about  100  buffalo  coming  full  tilt  towards  us 

with  Sergeant following  them — so  we  moved  on  into 

their  line  and  went  for  them.     I  killed  a  very  fast  young 
cow  after  an  exciting  chase.     At  the  beginning  of  my 


LODER  RETURNS  TO  AMAT        141 

chase  I  fired  my  revolver  at  an  old  bull  who  was  in  my 
way  and  he  swung  round  and  knocked  a  yearling  two  or 
three  times  head  over  heels  and  stunned  it  for  a  moment. 
This  herd  was  feeding  very  nearly  in  our  camping  ground. 
"  In  the  afternoon  I  went  up  a  hill  at  the  back  of  our 
camp  and  saw  in  the  distance  with  my  telescope  2,000  or 
3,000  buffalo  feeding  our  way.  Some  soldiers  who  had 
been  out  on  foot  now  came  back  and  reported  elk  down 
the  creek  ;  so  I  took  one  of  them  and  went  off.  I  saw 
elk  tracks  but  no  elk.  The  big  herd  of  buffalo  was  now 
within  two  miles  of  the  camp."  ^ 

There  seem  to  have  been  some  White-tailed  Deer  about, 
but  apparently  none  were  got,  though  Loder  mentions 
Pallardy  having  wounded  a  splendid  12-pointer. 

There  is  little  more  I  need  quote  from  the  diary.  They 
make  their  way  back  to  civilisation,  visit  the  stockyards 
at  Chicago,  arrive  at  New  York  on  August  30th,  enjoy  a 
trip  up  the  Hudson.  Of  the  scenery  there  Loder  says 
"  nothing  can  be  finer."  They  watch  cadets  drill  at  West 
Point :  "  the  views  from  here  as  well  as  the  grounds  were 
charming."  There  is  a  long  account  of  a  seance  with 
"  Dr.  Slade  the  well-known  medium,"  which  did  not 
impress  Loder  very  much.  They  drive  about  with  "  Joe 
Busk,"  whom  I  take  to  be  a  relation,  and  then  they  sail 
for  Liverpool,  on  the  Cunarder  the  Russia,  on  Septem- 
ber 3rd.  Edmund  Loder  arrived  at  Liverpool  on  Sep- 
tember 13th,  and  was  out  deer-stalking  on  his  father's 
Forest  of  Amat  with  "  Mr.  Harrison  "  on  Glencalvre,  and 
on  September  17th  I  find  he  enters  "  Shot  a  fine  6-pointer 
at  178  yards  on  Glencalvie  "  24  days  after  he  had  killed 
his  last  buffalo  in  Nebraska.     Will  anyone  do  that  again  ? 

1  Loder  and  Pelham  with  their  party  killed  a  nmnber  of  buffalo  in 
Nebraska,  but  felt  justified  as  the  meat  was  wanted  at  Fort  Macpherson. 
Loder's  own  bag  was,  I  think,  five,  and  Pelham's  about  the  same  as  far  as 
I  can  make  out.     The  latter  killed  one  old  bull  about  200  yards  from  camp. 


CHAPTER  VI 

A    PILGRIMAGE 

"  Where  rose  the  mountains,  there  to  him  were  friends  ; 

"Where  roll'd  the  ocean,  thereon  was  his  home  ; 

Where  a  blue  sky,  and  glowing  clime,  extends, 

He  had  the  passion  and  the  power  to  roam  ; 

The  desert,  forest,  cavern,  breaker's  foam. 

Were  unto  him  companionship  ;    they  spake 

A  mutual  language,  clearer  than  the  tome 

Of  his  land's  tongue,  which  he  would  oft  forsake 
For  Nature's  pages  glass'd  by  sunbeams  on  the  lake." 

In  June  1874,  when  24  years  of  age,  Loder  left  England 
to  see  the  world  and  returned  home  for  Cliristmas  in 
December  1875.  Four  closely  written  quarto  journals 
and  a  number  of  long  letters  to  his  parents  and  brothers 
are  the  chief  sources  from  which  the  account  given  of  his 
travels  in  this  chapter  is  taken.  The  mass  of  information 
given  in  his  diaries  is  so  great,  his  experiences  are  so 
varied  and  the  countries  visited  so  numerous,  that  even 
in  a  long  chapter  and  with  comparatively  few  extracts, 
chiefly  from  his  letters  home,  only  a  bare  idea  of  what  he 
accomplished  can  be  given.  Though  we  find  liim  in 
Finland  and  among  the  Lapps  in  the  summer  of  1874,  he 
is  hunting  in  Sumatra  witliin  that  year  and  in  the  autumn 
of  1875  he  is  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  ;  in  the  intervals 
he  had  crossed  Europe,  had  seen  a  great  deal  of  India 
and  of  Indian  Society,  had  hunted  in  Cashmere,  in  the 
Neilgherries  and  elsewhere,  had  been  with  an  Eclipse 
exDedition  to  the  Nicobar  Islands,  he  had  travelled  in 
Burma  and  in  China,  explored  the  volcanoes  of  Java, 
visited  Japan  and  the  Malay  Peninsula.  All  this  was  at 
a  time  when  travelling,  especially  in  the  East,  was  a  very 

142 


LODER'S   TRAVELS  143 

much  slower  and  more  arduous  undertaking  than  it  has 
been  since.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  information 
which  is  easy  of  access  now  in  thousands  of  books  was 
then  either  impossible  or  difficult  to  obtain.  To  take 
one  small  illustration  :  the  knowledge  which  we  now 
possess  as  regards  the  various  species  of  wild  animals,  on 
wliich  subject  Loder  became  later  a  great  authority,  has 
only  been  acquired  slowly  and  painfully,  through  the  hard 
work,  observation  and  collecting  done  by  naturalists, 
scientific  travellers  and  hunters.  Most  of  this  knowledge 
has  been  garnered,  thrashed  and  sorted  during  the  last 
thirty  years,  in  which  task  Loder  played  a  great  part. 
This  is  particularly  true  with  regard  to  such  families  as 
those  of  the  deer,  sheep,  goats  and  related  families  of 
ruminants  such  as  the  antelopes,  but  the  remark  applies 
also  to  the  best-known  species  of  mammalia  and  even  to 
the  elephant,  the  rhinoceros  and  hippopotamus.  A 
simple  way  of  testing  the  truth  of  this  statement  is  to 
compare  Rowland  Ward's  first  edition  of  Records  of  Big 
Game,  published  in  1896,  and  the  last,  published  in  1914. 
Edmund  Loder' s  travels  in  1874  and  1875  fall  into  three 
divisions  : 

(1)  Those  with  his  brother  Wilfrid  in  Sweden,  Finland, 
and  Russia  in  the  summer  of  1874,  and  those  which  he 
made  subsequently  alone. 

(2)  In  India,  Cashmere,  the  Andamans  and  Nicobars, 
and  in  Burma,  Sumatra,  Java,  China  and  Japan. 

(3)  In  the  U.S.A.  and  Canada. 

I  intend  to  concentrate  attention  on  (2),  viz.  on  his  jour- 
neys and  experiences  in  Asia  ;  but  shall  make  allusion  to 
the  earlier  and  later  travels  as  well. 

Though  many  of  Loder' s  journeys  were  made  on  wheels, 
on  horseback  and  on  foot,  I  calculate  that  he  travelled  at 
an  average  rate  of  between  60  and  70  miles  a  day  during  a 
little  more  than  a  year  and  a  half  in  days  when  railways  in 
the  East  were  few  and  trains  and  steamers  slow.  Some  of 
his  sea  voyages  as  well  as  his  river  journeys  were  made  in 
open  boats,  such  as  the  native  sampans  in  the  Javanese 


144  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

Archipelago.  Those  famihar  with  Loder's  ceaseless  energy 
of  mind  and  body  would  expect  him  to  do  all  that  any 
human  being  could  accomplish  against  time  ;  but  a  study 
of  these  diaries  reveals  this  instructive  fact,  that  the 
vast  general  knowledge  which  he  carried  so  lightly  in  after 
years,  as  well  as  his  practical  skill  in  almost  every  activity 
of  life,  were  gained  by  a  constant  application  of  his  brain  to 
study  and  reflection  and  by  persevering  effort  and  experi- 
ment. He  is  always  on  the  hunt  for  books,  he  seeks 
information  from  anyone  he  meets,  and  at  this  time  takes 
pains  to  note  down  all  that  interests  him.  In  little  things 
the  labour  he  gives  himself  is  extraordinary,  taking 
barometer  readings  for  altitudes  throughout  railway 
journeys  or  noting  the  readings  for  the  various  crater  edges 
and  crater  bottoms  of  the  Javan  volcanoes,  or  registering 
day  and  night  readings  of  his  thermometers.  As  has  been 
pointed  out,  he  was  an  extremely  rapid  reader  and  absorbed 
all  worth  remembering  in  any  book  into  his  memory.  For 
the  edification  of  those  who  may  have  remarked  in  a  notice 
of  him  after  his  death  certain  remarks  as  to  his  want  of 
taste  for  literature,  I  give  one  illustration.  He  was  at 
Shanghai  in  1875  from  the  1st  to  the  5th  of  September,  did 
a  great  deal  there  and  met  many  people,  yet  he  finds  time 
to  go  to  the  Club  to  read,  and  "  among  "  the  books  he  reads 
there,  those  he  "  likes  very  much  "  are  : 

"  Travels  in  the  Regions  of  Timoor,  by  Atkinson  ;  Travels 
in  Siberia,  by  the  same  author  ;  The  Marvellous  Country^ 
by  Cozzens  ;  Six  Months  in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  by  Bird  ; 
Prairie  and  Forest,  by  Gillmore  ;  The  Straits  of  Malacca, 
Indo-Chinu  and  China,  by  Thompson ;  Japan  and  the 
Japanese,  by  Aime  Humbert." 

On  shipboard  he  writes  in  his  diary  that  he  "  began  "  at 
2  a.m.  on  August  23rd  Moore's  Life  of  Byron,  and  the  same 
day  enters :  "  Finished  this  afternoon  Moore's  Life  of 
Byron  " — and  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  he  slept  part  of 
the  night  and  went  to  meals. 

To  those  who  know  the  East,  there  will  be  little  new  in 
Loder's  descriptions  of  places,  and  few  will  be  quoted  at 


EXPERIENCE   GAINED   IN  TRAVELS  145 

length.  To  modern  big-game  hunters  Loder's  first  youth- 
ful efforts  all  alone  to  obtain  sport  may  appear  to  yield  poor 
results.  Pioneers  generally  do  have  a  poor  and  unprofitable 
time.  In  no  other  direction  is  it  truer  than  in  regard  to 
exploration  and  big-game  hunting  that  others  reap  the  fruits 
of  the  great  labours  of  the  forerunners.  Loder  was  alone, 
but  never  appears  to  have  felt  lonely,  for  he  made  acquaint- 
ances and  some  lasting  friendships.  I  can  only  remember 
one  instance  where  he  was  not  welcomed  or  received  with 
kindness  and  hospitality.  I  found  the  following  note  at 
the  end  of  his  journals,  made  after  his  return  home  : 

"  The  question  which,  I  think,  has  been  asked  me  the 
oftenest  since  I  have  been  back  is  '  Didn't  you  feel  lonely 
in  those  out-of-the-way  places  ?  '  I  can't  say  I  did  in 
Cashmere.  Amidst  such  scenery  as  that  I  do  not  think  any 
true  traveller  ever  does.  The  enthusiasm  or  rather  the 
excitement  which  I  feel  when  amongst  big  mountains  must, 
I  think,  be  experienced  by  nearly  everyone  who  visits  such 
scenes,  or  the  great  labour  required  to  reach  them  would  not 
be  so  cheerfully  undergone." 

And  then  he  quotes  Byron's  "  Where  rose  the  mountains  " 
and  the  lines  which  are  placed  at  the  head  of  this  chapter. 

It  will  be  seen  that  he  had  many  disappointments.  He 
failed  to  get  either  markhor  or  ibex  in  Cashmere,  he  failed 
to  get  his  bison  in  India,  he  failed  to  obtain  his  elephant 
in  Sumatra,  he  failed  in  securing  a  really  good  wapiti  in 
America  (and  had  to  return  another  year  there  to  shoot  one 
such  as  he  wanted)  ;  he  gave  up  the  chances  of  much  sport 
to  join  the  Eclipse  Expedition  to  the  Nicobar  Islands,  and 
black  clouds  obscured  the  eclipse.  But  in  spite  of  these 
and  other  failures  he  purchased  experience  and  laid  up  a 
large  store  of  pleasures  of  memory,  which  enriched  his  whole 
after  life. 

In  reading  and  re-reading  these  diaries  I  have  found  the 
enormous  amount  of  matter  and  the  number  of  subjects 
a  great  difficulty  from  the  point  of  view  of  selection  for  this 
memoir.     I  will  indicate  a  very  few  of  the  subjects  which 


146  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

he  writes  of  in  great  detail  and  which  I  do  not  deal  with  in 
these  pages.     During  his  travels  in  Northern  Europe,  at 
Trollhatten  he  discusses  canals  and  the  wonderful  locks  on 
the  Gotha  River ;    at  Lulea  timber,  railway  and  mining 
propositions  ;    estimates  working  costs  and  freights,   de- 
scribes saw  mills,  Swedish  machinery,  conditions  of  labour, 
furnaces,  smelting  processes,  the  respective  values  of  various 
forms  of  transport  fitted  for  such  wild  countries,  and  the 
respective  chances  of  strong  tugs  on  rivers  or  the  practica- 
bility of  employing  donkeys.     He  visits  iron  mines,  and  at 
Hendersoma  he  finds  a  "  Professor  "  whose  relationship  to 
the  mine  is  not  stated,  but  who  is  "  quite  a  character,  some- 
thing between  St.  John  the  Baptist  and  Robinson  Crusoe." 
Out  of  Crusoe  the  Baptist  he  obtains  all  he  requires  for 
his  calculations  of  costs  and  profits.     On  his  voyages  he 
describes  the  machinery  and  construction  of  the  vessels  he 
sails  in  and  compiles  a  list  of  all  the  largest  liners  of  the  day. 
In  Asia  he  studies  and  describes  the  cultivation  of  tea  and 
tobacco,    and    the    trade    in    such    articles ;    he    explores 
volcanoes,    and    gives   accounts  of   eclipses,  occupations, 
astronomical  instruments,  the  arts  and  manufactures  of  the 
countries  he  visits,  and  there  are  always  descriptions  of  the 
objects  of  interest  and  of  the  people  wherever  he  may  find 
himself.     He  collects  for  himself  and  for  friends  at  home, 
horns,  Lapp  boots,  stamps,  beetles,  skins,  shawls,  photo- 
graphs, curios  of  all  sorts,  and  keeps  a  careful  account  of 
his  expenditure.     There  is  one  curious  omission  when  one 
thinks  of  his  subsequent  interest  in  botany  and  flowers,  for 
he  hardly  ever  notes  anything  in  regard  to  the  flora  and 
vegetation  of  the  East.     He  notices  of  course,  as  other 
travellers  would,  rhododendrons  in  India,  edible  rhubarb 
growing  wild  in  Cashmere  and  such  things,  but  evidently 
at  this  time  he  had  no  great  knowledge  of  trees  and  plants. 
In  July  Loder  and  his  brother  sailed  from  Stockholm  to 
Abo,  where  they  had  been  in  the  company  of  Count  Sparre 
and  a  young  Englishman,  G.  Turner  of  the  Indian  Civil 
Service,  "  who  is  going  to  Russia  to  find  out  if  he  can  get 
across  Asia  to  Yarkand  and  India  "  ;  from  Abo  they  go  to 


AT   ST.   PETERSBURG  147 

St.  Petersburg.  There  they  are  met  by  his  uncle  and  aunt 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Higginbotham.  At  this  time  Loder  had  in- 
tended to  go  down  the  Volga  to  Nijni  Novgorod,  then  to 
Astrakhan,  and  across  the  Caspian  Sea  to  Resht,  thence  across 
Persia  to  Bushire,  and  so  into  India,  but  a  letter  from  his 
father  persuades  him  to  make  straight  for  India.  If  he 
wants  to  be  in  time  for  shooting  in  Cashmere  his  father  con- 
siders he  should  lose  no  time.  The  two  brothers  whilst  at 
St.  Petersburg  enjoyed  themselves ;  their  two  cousins,  the 
Misses  Higginbotham,  acting  as  their  guides  to  all  the  sights 
of  the  then  wonderful  city.  Edmund  Loder  was  very  much 
struck  with  the  beauty  of  St.  Isaac's  Church,  and  each  time 
he  returns  to  examine  it  admires  it  more  and  more  ;  he  says, 
"  I  admire  the  proportions  even  more  than  the  magnificence 
of  the  materials.  The  monolith  granite  columns  of  the 
portico  and  the  pillars  of  lapis  lazuli,  of  malachite,  etc.,  are 
fine  to  the  extreme." 

Then  he  parts  from  his  brother  and  sets  out  alone  for  the 
East,  visiting  Berlin,  Munich,  Innsbruck,  Verona,  Padua 
and  Bologna  on  his  way  to  Brindisi,  and  has  a  great  deal 
to  say  about  these  places  and  more  about  the  scenery  he 
passes  through.  He  complains  of  the  journey  through 
Italy  being  very  hot  and  tiring,  and  adds  "  the  refresh- 
ments are  the  worst  I  have  seen."  On  his  way  to  Brindisi 
he  met  a  Captain  Macaulay,  also  bound  for  Bombay,  and 
long  before  they  landed  in  India  this  acquaintance  had 
ripened  into  friendship.  From  Brindisi  they  sail  on  the 
Simla  for  Alexandria. 

"  The  Simla  is  an  old  and  very  well  known  ship  (about 
1,100  tons) ;  for  many  years  she  was  one  of  the  P.  &  O.  crack 
boats.  Her  engines  are  very  old-fashioned  and  do  not  work 
directly  on  the  screw  shaft,  but  are  connnected  with  cog- 
wheels ! — things  never  seen  now  in  marine  machinery.  The 
captain  told  me  these  wheels  were  the  plague  of  his  life  ; 
from  the  time  they  came  into  port  to  the  time  they  came 
out  of  it,  it  was  hammer,  hammer  away  all  day  mending 
and  replacing  cogs.  Still  the  old  ship  went  along  at  the 
regular  10-knot  pace  of  the  P.  &  O." 


148  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

On  July  23rd  he  lands  at  Alexandria,  describes  the  sights 
and  smells  and  says  "  a  little  of  Alexandria  goes  a  long  way." 
The  rail  journey  to  Suez  took  ten  hours,  and  there  he  goes 
on  board  the  Bokhara. 

"  The  cabins  are  arranged  for  four  people  each.  .  .  . 
Our  numbers  are  so  few  that  everyone  has  a  cabin  to  him- 
self. There  may  be  forty  passengers,  not  more — three 
ladies  and  four  children.  We  have  our  dog,  which  barked 
over  my  head  all  night,  a  lot  of  sheep,  which  got  loose  and 
were  running  all  over  the  deck  yesterday,  a  fine  herd  of 
pigs,  which  get  washed  every  day,  and  a  lot  of  rabbits.  .  .  . 
Captain  Macaulay  is  quite  a  friend  of  mine  now.  I  shall 
very  likely  after  coming  out  of  Cashmere  go  to  his  station, 
Dera  Ismail  Khan,  for  markoor  shooting.  He  has  been  17 
years  in  India  and  has  never  been  ill  there  ;  in  one  place 
he  and  one  other,  out  of  120  Englishmen,  alone  escaped 
cholera,  .  .  .  There  is  also  on  board  Colonel  Thuillier, 
Surveyor -General  of  India  ...  he  was  with  Lord  Mayo  at 
the  time  of  his  murder.  He  remembers  Sir  Percy  and  Lady 
Burrell  out  there." 

Like  many  other  travellers  he  puzzles  over  the  question 
why  the  very  blue  Red  Sea  is  called  Red ;  the  only  thing 
red  about  it  is  that  it  is  red-hot.  Various  are  the  origins 
ascribed  to  the  name,  one  being  the  occasional  film,  of 
reddish  dust  that  is  seen  on  its  surface  after  sand-storms, 
but  a  more  probable  suggestion  for  the  name  is  the  redness 
of  the  mountains  on  both  litorals. 

Loder's  description  of  v/hat  he  did  and  saw  in  India 
would  alone  fill  a  volume  and  undoubtedly  interest  those 
who  enjoy  "  travels "  and  like  diaries.  The  extracts  I 
make  here  are  selected  mainly  for  the  purposes  of  revealing 
his  character  and  youthful  powers  of  observation  and  for 
recording  experiences  and  incidents  of  travel  peculiar  to 
that  time.  Many  things  which  he  dwells  on  and  which  I 
have  to  pass  over  recall  a  day  that  is  dead.  At  Aden  the 
"  hab-a-dibe  "  Somali  boys  are  no  longer  allowed  to  swarm 
round  the  liners  braving  the  sharks,  nor  to  clamber  up  the 
masts  and  dive  from  dizzy  heights  for  silver  coins.  The 
mystery  of  the  Aden  Tanks  and  the  interest  in  their  dis- 


INDIA  149 

covery  by  our  friend  the  late  Sir  Lambert  Playfair  has 
passed,  and  it  is  many  years  since  it  could  be  stated, 
as  it  is  by  Loder,  "  all  the  water  for  drinking  purposes  is 
brought  by  ships  from  Bombay,  1,400  miles." 

After  exploring  Bombay,  he  leaves  for  Jubbulpoor  (615 
miles),  1  and  there  he  rides  "  the  worst  horse  you  ever  saw  " 
to  the  Marble  Rocks  :  "  you  will  find,"  he  says,  "  a  picture 
and  description  of  them  in  Forsyth's  Central  India,  a  book 

I  left  in  London."  In  remarks  on  Indian  Rainfalls  he  notes  : 
"At  Cherapoonjee  in  Assam  the  average  rainfall  is  527 
inches.  In  1861,  805  inches  fell,  that  is  67  feet ;  in  the 
month  of  July  alone,  there  were  366  inches,  or  more  than 

II  inches  a  day." 

He  makes  another  stay  at  Meerut  and  thence  proceeds 
to  the  then  terminus  of  the  railway  at  Lahore.  From 
Lahore  he  journeys  on  in  a  one-horse  dak-gharry  170 
miles  to  Rawul  Pindee  *  and  then  on  another  40  miles  by 
hill-cart  to  Muree,  where  he  has  to  wait  for  the  arrival 
of  his  rifles  from  England.  These  had  been  shipped  from 
Southampton  when  he  left  St.  Petersburg,  and  his  diaries 
are  full  of  his  anxiety  about  them.  One  other  trouble 
weighs  on  his  mind  throughout  the  two  years  of  his 
absence,  and  is  so  characteristic  of  him  that  it  is  worth 
mentioning — his  diaries  teem  with  the  subject.  An 
optician  near  London  named  Wray  had  undertaken  to 
make  him  a  large  "  object  glass  "  for  his  observatory 
telescope.  For  eighteen  months  Loder  fidgets  about  this 
object  glass — whether  Wray  is  really  making  it,  whether 
he  can  make  it,  and  how  he  is  getting  on  with  it.  He  is 
distressed  that  letters  from  home  report  nothing,  or  no- 
thing definite,  on  this  important  matter,  and  in  his  letters 
he  is  always  imploring  one  or  other  member  of  the  family 
"  to  find  out."  It  is  not  till  he  finds  himself  at  Boston 
at  the  end  of  the  next  year  that  he  gets  any  peace  of 

^  At  Jubbulpur  Loder  had  letters  to  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Coote  and  was 
entertained  by  them.  Of  Mrs.  Coote  he  says  :  "  A  charming  person, 
quite  young.     Colonel  Coote  has  been  32  years  in  India  and  Burma." 

2  I  retain  Loder's  old-fashioned  spelling  of  names  and  animals. 


150  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

mind   on  this   subject ;    there  is   then  this   entry  in  his 
journal,  after  going  to  the  great  optician  Alvan  Clark  : 

"  Alvan  Clark  has  an  8-inch  O.G,  about  9  feet  6  inches 
focus,  all  but  finished,  which  I  can  get  for  £150.  If  Wray 
has  done  nothing  yet  I  shall  telegraph  for  it." 

This  persistence  of  mind  will  probably  bring  him  back 
to  many  of  his  friends  as  it  does  to  me. 

During  his  weeks  of  waiting  for  his  rifles  at  Muree  he 
is  entertained  by  Mr.  Lesley  Probyn,  Colonel  Johnstone 
and  "  the  Maclagans,"  and  receives  hospitality  from  Sir 
Henry  and  Lady  Davies  at  Government  House,  and 
others.  On  one  occasion  we  find  him  dining  with  Colonel 
Younghusband  (Captain  Cautley,  A.D.C.,  a  Colonel  and 
Mrs.  Miller  being  also  there).  With  the  Davies  he  plays 
whist  and  he  likes  them  :  "  Lady  Davies  is  very  pleasant 
— he  is  generally  voted  a  stick,"  but  Loder  does  not 
agree,  and  found  him  pleasant  enough  and  enjoyed  being 
with  him.  He  remarks  that  "  Badminton  is  a  great 
game  here."  Loder's  generation  will  remember  this  game 
as  the  short-lived  precursor  to  lawn-tennis.  Loder  has 
now  an  Indian  servant  called  Antony,  who  gives  him  some 
trouble  and  inspires  the  following  a  propos  Indian  ser- 
vants and  some  others  : 

"  If  they  are  steady  and  honest  they  are  stupid  and 
useless,  because  one  can  do  everything  quicker  and  better 
than  they  can  ;  if  they  do  their  work  well  and  smartly 
they  are  sure  to  have  some  bad  quality  hidden  for  a  time 
— they  are  either  thieves  or  drunkards.  My  man  Antony 
is  as  smart  a  servant  as  I  ever  saw,  but  I  know  he  drinks 
and  would  not  trust  him  further  than  I  can  see  him. 
He  has  great  temptations  to  drink  here,  for  I  am  waiting 
to  hear  of  the  arrival  of  my  rifles  at  Bombay  .  .  .  still, 
when  he  is  three-parts  tipsy  and  looks  as  bad  as  possible 
he  has  all  his  wits  about  him  and  puts  my  studs  into  my 
shirt  all  right  and  does  not  hand  me  a  boot  when  I  want 
to  brush  my  hair." 

After  many  recorded  warnings  he  at  last  cures  Antony 
for  a  time  of  his  nasty  habit  by  treatment  so  drastic  and 


A  DRUNKEN  SERVANT  151 

so  unusual  in  Loder's  ways  with  subordinates  that  I 
record  it  with  its  beneficial  results.  When  at  Amritsar 
in  the  following  November  there  is  this  entry  : 

"  Here  my  servant  got  beastly  drunk.  ...  I  almost 
made  up  my  mind  to  send  him  about  his  business.  He 
IS  an  uncommonly  useful  man  when  sober,  so  I  deter- 
mmed  to  try  the  effect  of  a  good  licking.  So  when  I 
found  h)m  lying  in  this  state  I  kicked  him  till  he  got  up, 
and  then  nearly  knocked  him  down  with  a  sounding  box 
on  the  ear,  but  just  picked  him  up  again  with  a  corre- 
spondmg  slap  on  the  other  side  ;  in  this  way  I  played 
upon  him  as  long  as  I  conveniently  could  and  finished 
up  by  knocking  him  down  and  leaving  him  on  the  ground." 

Subsequently  at  Delhi  after  no  signs  of  relapse  Antony 
admitted  to  Loder :  "Master  gave  me  good  sense  the 
other  night.  I'll  not  drink  any  more  hquor."  But  alas  ! 
before  the  winter  was  over  he  fell  again  and  was  dis-' 
missed. 

He  does  not  get  much  encouragement  as  to  the  pros- 
pects of  sport  from  his  friends  at  Muree  : 

"Everybody  here  with  one  accord  repeats  the  same 
tale—  I  suppose  you  know  you  have  not  come  out  here 
m  the  right  season  for  big  game.'  They  say  the  grass  is 
so  high  that  one  can  only  shoot  in  the  hot  weather  when 
It  has  either  died  down  or  has  been  burnt  for  miles." 

On  the  other  hand,  the  following  bag  got  by  a  man 
named  Wilson,  whom  he  meets  at  Muree,  must  have 
whetted  his  appetite  for  Cashmere.  In  the  previous 
"  April  Wilson  got  8  ibex  and  13  bears  and  a  total  bag 
of  31  head."  He  hunts  all  over  Muree  in  vain  for  a 
Shakespeare,  but  picks  up  Kinloch's  book  on  Big  Game 
and  reads  it. 

On  September  4th  his  rifles  arrive  and  he  sets  out  with 
Antony  another  khitmagar,  a  bheestie  and  twelve  coolies 
carrying  his  tent  and  bedding  with  his  stores  packed  in 


152  A  PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

kiltas.^  The  track  was  along  the  River  Jhelum  and  he 
does  the  thirteen  marches  to  Baramoola  in  six  and  a 
half  days. 

Loder's  main  hope  was  to  obtain  the  Cashmere  stag 
{Cervus  cashmirianus),  commonly  known  as  barasingh.* 
It  must  be  remembered  he  was  a  hunter  of  red  deer  ;  each 
man  who  loves  a  rifle  has  a  favourite  use  for  it.  He  had 
made  up  his  mind  that  the  rutting  season  would  give  him 
the  best  chance  of  obtaining  barasingh,  as  the  stags  are 
"  roaring  "  during  the  mating  season  and  betray  their 
whereabouts.  The  barasingh's  call  and  challenge  is  not 
a  roar  like  a  Scottish  stag's  or  the  Maral's,  but  a  sort  of 
squeal.  Judging  from  my  own  experience  in  strange 
country,  it  is  rather  doubtful  if  the  roaring  season  is  the 
best,  for  stags  are  then  restless  and  on  the  move  day  and 
night  in  great  Asiatic  mountains  and  forests  ;  the  stalker 
too  often  after  great  labour  to  reach  the  place  where  a  stag 
has  been  roaring,  gets  there  only  to  find  that  the  beast 
is  roaring  on  another  mountain.  However,  a  sportsman 
has  the  encouragement  of  locating  stags  and  the  excite- 
ments of  stalking  against  time  in  constant  uncertainty. 
Loder  was  too  early  for  the  roaring  of  the  Cashmere  stags, 
so  he  "  put  away  "  time  after  the  bears.  The  chances 
he  got  by  day  at  bears  were  few  and  far  between.  The 
most  favourable  time  for  killing  bears  in  Cashmere  is  on 
bright  moonlight  nights  when  they  are  up  the  walnut  trees 
or  going  to  and  returning  from  the  native  cornfields. 

Loder  was  unlucky  with  the  moon,  but  succeeded  in 
getting  both  the  black  and  the  brown  bears,  though  only 
after  many  disappointments,  some  due  to  the  mistakes 
of  his  shikaries  and  some  to  his  own  lack  of  experience 
at  this  game.  Few  men  in  their  sport  have  been  less 
helped  by  luck  than  he  was,  and  he  bought  his  wonderful 

^  Kiltas  :  wicker-work  baskets  covered  with  leather  and  fitted  with 
a  lid  ;  the  kiltas  are  carried  on  the  back,  the  rest  of  the  bunderbus  on 
the  men's  heads. 

2  The  barasingh  of  Cashmere  must  not  be  confused  with  the  barasingh 
of  India  (the  Swamp  Deer,  C.  duvauceli).  The  Cashmere  stag  is  also 
called  Hangul. 


BEARS   IN  THE  LOLAB  VALLEY  153 

experience  and  reached  success  by  indomitable  persever- 
ance and  skill.  Many  pages  of  his  diary  are  devoted  to 
the  bears,  but  one  or  two  extracts  from  his  letters  will 
suffice. 

*'  LoiiAB  Valley,  September  22nd. 

"  I  date  this  letter  as  above,  but  I  am  not  at  all  sure 
of  the  date,  as  it  is  about  eighteen  days  since  I  left  Muree 
and  civilisation.  I  am  not  writing  in  very  good  spirits, 
as  I  have  had  the  very  worst  possible  luck  in  shooting  ; 
but  that  I  -will  come  to  presently. 

"  From  Muree  to  Baramoola  is  125  miles  (about)  and 
is  divided  into  thirteen  marches.  I  made  six  double 
marches  and  one  single  march  and  so  got  to  Baramoola 
on  September  10th,  The  scenery  all  along  the  route  is 
fairly  pretty  but  nothing  wonderful.  .  .  .  Some  of  the 
marches  are  very  stiff  ones  on  account  of  the  badness  of 
the  track  and  the  number  of  steep  descents  and  ascents 
across  ravines,  besides  which  the  sun  is  tremendously 
hot.  .  .  .  One  day  we  had  very  hard  work  :  I  got  the 
mules,  etc.  (four  to  assist  the  heavily  charged  fourteen 
coolies),  off  at  6  a.m.  from  Ghurree  and  made  a  rapid 
march  of  eight  miles  to  Huttian  at  9.30  a.m.  At  2  p.m. 
I  got  the  mules  off,  but  before  they  had  gone  a  couple  of 
miles,  when  they  were  going  along  a  narrow  path  on  the 
side  of  a  very  steep  slope,  two  of  them  jostled  each  other 
and  one  went  over  the  edge  of  the  path  and  rolled  head 
over  heels,  head  over  heels,  for  three  or  four  hundred  feet. 
The  mule  of  course  was  smashed  up  and  killed,  but  some- 
how or  other  his  load  was  very  little  damaged.  Beside 
other  things,  he  was  carrying  a  soft  carpet-bag  in  which 
were  two  deer-stalking  telescopes,  and  on  the  top  of  the 
load  was  the  heavy  12-bore  rifle.  (By  the  time  they  got 
going  again  it  was  nearly  dark.)  .  .  .  We  were  still  a 
long  way  from  Chikotee,  the  next  rest-house.  I  hurried 
on  and  got  in  about  8  p.m.  Here  I  found  Capt,  Cautley, 
who  was  coming  the  other  way,  and  he  gave  me  some 
supper  and  after  that  I  went  to  sleep.  The  next  morning 
I  found  my  servants  and  mules  had  come  up.  .  .  .  How 
they  got  there  in  the  dark  I  do  not  know  ;  the  road  at 
last  is  frightful,  steep  descents  full  of  big  stones  and 
rocks. 

"  At  Baramoola  one  gets  into  a  boat  and  is  towed, 


154  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

punted  or  rowed  along.  The  boats  are  long  flat-bottomed 
things.  The  boatman  and  family  live  on  the  stern  and 
one  has  the  bows  to  oneself.  ...  I  had  one  for  myself 
and  one  for  the  servants.  The  dinner  is  cooked  in  their 
boat,  and  when  ready  the  boats  are  brought  alongside 
one  another  and  it  is  served  on  one's  tent  table — altogether 
it  was  a  pleasant  mode  of  travelling  after  the  long  hot 
marches.  .  .  .  The  next  morning  we  got  to  Sopoor,  a 
scattered  town  just  where  the  river  (Jhelum)  runs  out  of 
the  Walur  Lake.  Instead  of  going  direct  to  Srinagur  I 
decided  to  go  to  Alsoo  on  the  north  of  the  Lake  and  from 
there  march  ten  miles  over  the  hills  to  a  small  village, 
Derdapoora,  in  the  Lolab  Valley  and  see  if  I  could  not  get  a 
few  bears,  as  it  is  hardly  yet  the  right  time  for  barasingh, 
ibex,  or  markhor.  .  .  .  [He  reaches  and  leaves  Alsoo.]  I 
had  a  couple  of  native  shikaries  (Cashmeeries),  Lolab  men, 
who  are  supposed  to  be  good  for  bears.  We  had  a  stiff 
climb  for  two  or  three  hours  and  then  had  a  fine  view  of 
the  pretty  valley  of  Lolab,  a  fine,  flat,  cultivated  plain  ; 
with  many  tillages,  surrounded  by  mountains  none  of 
them  very  high,  but  many  of  them  covered  with  high 
timber.  The  villages  are  all  hidden  in  large  groves  of 
fine  walnut-trees  and  at  this  time  of  year  the  walnuts 
are  just  ripe,  and  the  bears  come  from  the  hills  at  night 
to  the  outskirts  of  the  villages  and  eat  the  corn,  walnuts 
and  fruit.  I  stayed  five  days  at  Derdapoora  and  got 
nothing,  although  every  night  except  one  I  heard  two  or 
three  bears  and  was  within  ten  yards  of  one  at  least  each 
night,  but  as  there  was  no  moon  I  could  never  see  to  shoot. 
"  Two  or  three  nights  I  slept  by  the  side  of  a  field  of 
Indian  corn  rolled  up  in  my  blanket,  and  twice  a  bear 
came  and  I  could  hear  him  tearing  down  the  corn  with 
his  teeth  and  crushing  the  corn  with  his  teeth  with  a 
ghastly  kind  of  noise  in  the  dead  of  night,  like  the  crunch- 
ing of  bones.  The  bear  always  gets  the  wind  sooner  or 
later  and  goes  off." 

He  describes  missing  one  near  at  hand  at  dusk,  and  how 
one  close  above  him  in  a  walnut-tree  got  his  wind  and  in 
"  less  than  two  seconds  he  was  down  the  height  of  20  feet 
and  gone.     They  are  as  quick  and  active  as  cats." 

He  tries  various  camps  near  villages  and  returns  to  one 


BEARS  155 

at  a  village  called  Siver  ;  by  this  time  there  was  a  fair 
moon,  and  he  gets  one  small  black  bear  and  wounds  a 
big  one. 

"  Altogether  after  hard  work  almost  all  night  and  day 
for  eight  or  nine  days  I  have  got  one  tiny  black  bear's 
skin.  ...  I  cannot  say  much  for  the  skill  of  my  shi- 
karies  ;  they  are  pleasant,  willing  men,  very  keen  after 
sport  and  with  capital  ears  for  hearing  bears  at  night, 
but  I  think  they  are  a  little  clumsy  and  not  careful  enough 
about  wind.  .  .  .  There  are  two  sorts  of  bears  here,  the 
black  and  the  red  (or  brown)  bear.  I  have  seen  several 
of  each.  .  .  .  The  men  seem  a  good  deal  afraid  of  them, 
but  I  am  nearly  sure  they  are  almost  always  harmless 
when  left  alone  and  very  seldom  charge  when  wounded. 
.  .  .  Sometimes  they  do  some  damage  ;  an  officer  was 
killed  here  one  night  last  year,  and  on  the  day  I  left 
Muree  a  native  was  killed  or  badly  mauled.  .  .  .  To 
complete  my  bad  luck  in  the  shooting  line,  a  cat  scratched 
in  under  my  tent  last  night  and  stole  away  my  parcel 
containing  the  skins  of  the  various  birds  I  have  shot 
and  has  torn  them  up,  scattering  the  feathers  about  all 
round  the  camp." 

Later  he  writes,  after  wounding  a  very  large  brown 
bear  (which  he  lost)  : 

"  About  an  hour  after  this  we  heard  a  bear  up  in  a 
tree,  and  this  time  I  had  no  difficulty  in  getting  close 
under  the  tree  and  could  see  the  bear  moving  about.  .  .  . 
I  fired  a  shell  at  him,  hit  him  rather  far  back  and  he 
began  to  come  down  the  tree  slowly.  I  came  up  close, 
and  seeing  him  quite  plainly  in  the  moonlight  I  gave 
him  the  other  shell  in  the  ribs  at  a  distance  of  about  four 
yards  and  he  fell  at  my  feet  quite  dead.  The  shikari 
behind  me  thinking  I  was  going  to  be  clawed  lost  his  head 
and  let  off  my  second  rifle  uncommonly  close  to  my  head, 
in  fact  I  was  in  much  greater  danger  from  him  than  from 
the  bear.  He  was  a  full- sized  black  bear,  which  are  never 
very  big  in  Cashmere  ;  this  one  weighed  220  ft.  [His 
bag  of  bears  was  eventually  four  brown  and  two  black 
ones.] 


166  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

"  A  great  many  things  are  wonderfully  cheap  in  Cash- 
mere. Coolies  for  beaters,  all  day  for  2  annas  (Sd.). 
My  two  boats  each  60  feet  long  and  7  feet  wide  with  a 
couple  of  families  on  board  Is.  a  day  each.  Chickens 
from  l|d.  to  3d.  each.     Sheep  1*.  to  25." 

Loder  reaches  Srinagur  on  September  25th,  and  goes  off 
with  two  shikaries,  Summat  Khan  and  Sultana,  recom- 
mended to  him  "  by  Captn.  Groeme  (?  Graeme),  who  gets 
long  leave  every  year  and  spends  it  in  Cashmere,"  to 
Keoge  Nag — and  camps  at  8,000  feet — to  try  for  markhor. 
The  markhor  of  the  Kajnag  is  the  variety  known  as  the 
Pir  Panjal  Markhor  (Capra  falconeri  cashmiriensis)  with 
more  or  less  kudu-like  horns. 

"  In  the  early  morning  of  October  1st  I  and  the  shi- 
karies started  up  the  mountain  from  this  camp,  in  search 
of  markhor  (which  Keoge  Nag  is  famous  for),  and  in  the 
course  of  the  day  we  reached  a  height  of  12,200  feet  above 
the  sea.  The  slopes  on  this  mountain  are  very  steep  and 
bad,  loose  stones,  and  long  slippery  grass  and,  high  up, 
large  rocks.  There  are  also  a  lot  of  dry  weeds  with  large 
leaves  (wild  rhubarb)  which  make  a  great  rustling  when 
trod  upon  and  make  stalking  difficult.  I  wore  grass 
shoes  (sandals  made  of  plaited  rice  straw).  .  .  .  All  this 
day  we  climbed,  walked  and  spied,  but  saw  no  markhor  ; 
the  last  hour  we  came  down  in  the  dark,  which  was  really 
dangerous.  The  next  morning  I  went  up  again  a  different 
ravine  to  about  the  same  height  as  the  day  before,  and 
this  day  we  saw  in  the  distance  seven  markhor  moving 
off  westward.  We  could  not  get  at  them.  About  an  hour 
afterwards  we  saw  seventeen  more  also  making  the  same 
way  and  watched  them  all  over  a  skyline  (except  one 
inferior  one  who  laid  down).  This  one  I  stalked  and 
was  just  getting  to  a  place — it  was  not  so  very  steep — 
where  I  should  have  had  a  fair  chance,  when  he  heard 
us  rustle  some  dry  leaves  and  I  had  to  shoot  at  once  at 
him  lying  at  150  yards.  I  hit  him  and  we  found  several 
pieces  of  flesh  in  the  bush  behind  where  he  was  and  a 
large  piece  in  a  bush  40  yards  away,  but  we  never  saw 
him  again  after  a  second  after  I  fired.  I  sent  one  of  the 
men  down  to  camp  for  blankets  and  food  and  we  camped 


MARKHOR  157 

out,  about  10,500  feet  above  the  sea.  It  snowed  and 
hailed  a  little  in  the  night,  but  not  enough  to  do  any 
harm.  The  next  morning  we  went  up  again  bearing  in 
the  direction  we  had  seen  the  markhor  go.  This  day  we 
went  up  to  13,200  feet ;  about  midday  it  came  on  to 
snow  and  blow  and  hail  and  it  became  even  colder  than 
usual." 

In  fog  and  snow  he  gets  momentary  glimpses  of  three 
markhor;  he  then  camps  high  in  another  ravine,  and 
calls  his  camp  "  a  precious  cold  one  "  : 

"  Besides,  the  tent  was  sopping  wet  and  I  felt  the  cold 
a  good  deal.  ...  I  get  up  every  morning  at  4.  .  .  .  I 
have  some  trouble  with  the  servants,  as  they  feel  the 
cold  a  good  deal.  This  ravine  is  full  of  ice  or  frozen  snow 
— a  small  glacier  about  3  or  4  miles  long  and  from  a  100 
to  40  yards  wide.  This  of  course  tends  to  make  the  air 
cold." 

He  has  several  blank  days  seeing  cheetah  tracks  in  the 
fresh  snow :  "  this  the  shikaries  thought  might  partly 
account  for  our  not  seeing  markhor,  as  they  are  much 
afraid  of  cheetahs."  After  persistent  bad  luck  and  hard- 
ships he  writes  : 

"  I  gave  the  order  to  strike  camp  the  next  morning  and 
march  straight  away  eastwards  over  Keoge  Nag  towards 
barasingh-ground  70  miles  away.  .  .  .  After  we  got  up 
about  12,000  feet  we  saw  two  fine  markhor,  but  they 
went  over  the  top — I  think  they  heard  the  coolies,  although 
they  were  about  three  miles  off.  About  an  hour  after- 
wards we  came  in  sight  of  two  markhor — a  small  one 
lying  down  and  one  really  magnificent  ^  one  feeding.  They 
were  about  400  yards  off  and  in  a  place  where  one  might 
get  within  100  yards  if  only  the  wind  were  steady,  which 
it  certainly  was  not  and  I  think  now  I  ought  to  have 
tried  the  shot  even  at  that  distance.  But  the  shikaries 
persuaded  me  to  try  the  stalk,   and  before  we  had  got 

^  He  estimates  the  horns  to  have  been  50  inches  long,  "  and  instead  of 
being  close  together  as  most  markhors'  are  they  had  a  fine  spread  of  full 
3^  feet  at  the  tips — I  expect  he  would  have  weighed  about  17  stone 
clean  !  !     Alas  !  " 


158  A  PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

half-way  I  felt  sure  we  were  done,  and  when  at  last  we 
looked  over  the  rock  about  100  yards  from  where  we  had 
seen  them  they  were  gone,  and  gone  fast  too,  for  we  saw 
them  again  2,000  feet  above  us  going  over  the  top.  We 
went  up  to  over  14,000  feet  and  saw  their  tracks  in  the 
snow  and  saw  that  they  were  jumping  and  going  at  a 
tremendous  rate." 

Snowstorms  and  bitter  wind  prevented  his  camping 
and  altered  his  plans,  and  he  hunts  a  huge  brown  bear 
on  his  way  down  to  the  timber  line  and  lost  his  coolies, 
made  a  big  fire  and  "  lay  down  for  the  night  blanketless 
and  supperless  11,000  feet  up  on  a  snowy  night."  In  the 
night  two  of  the  servants  turned  up  with  food  and  blan- 
kets and  lanterns.  He  marches  several  days  via  Lolab 
Valley,  and  on  October  11th  he  camps  at  10,000  feet 
about  ten  miles  beyond  Walur  Lake,  making  his  way  to 
the  Machil  Hills  for  barasingh. 

"  I  found  a  Major  McKinnon  and  his  wife  camped  here  ; 
he  has  been  here  three  days,  but  has  only  seen  two  small 
stags  and  has  not  heard  them  roar  yet.  ...  As  he  is 
looking  about  for  game  here  I  shall  go  on  some  miles  to 
another  camp  to-morrow." 

He  had  an  exciting  time  with  two  bears  the  next  day 
and  got  a  good  one,  putting  four  bullets  into  the  shoulder 
within  a  few  inches  of  each  other. 

"  This  is  curious,  as  I  fired  at  her  once  standing,  t^vice 
coming  straight  at  me  and  twice  slanting  away,  the  four 
last  when  she  was  going  at  a  great  lumbering  gallop.  As 
soon  as  we  had  skinned  the  bear  twenty-five  to  thirty 
vultures  came  down  and  in  less  than  ten  minutes  had  eaten 
up  every  bit  of  flesh.  .  .  .  Barasingh  do  not  appear  to 
be  at  all  numerous,  and  in  fact  all  game  seems  to  require 
either  a  lot  of  work  or  a  lot  of  luck  to  get." 

The  next  day  he  bags  three  brown  (or  red)  bears  with 
thirteen  shots,  all  in  a  very  few  seconds,  the  greater  part 
of  them  when  the  bears  were  on  the  move — "  eleven  bullets 


BARASINGH  159 

hit,  the  first  and  one  other  missed  ;  the  men  loaded  and 
handed  me  the  rifles  well."  He  is  disappointed  at  the 
size  of  Cashmere  bears  ;  his  bears  run  to  about  250  lb., 
and  grizzly  bears  he  has  been  told  run  from  1,200  to 
1,600  ft).,  and  even  to  2,000  Yh^ 

In  this  letter  to  his  brother  Wilfrid  he  turns  to  many 
subjects  : 

"  I  do  not  hear  anything  about  my  8-inch  object  glass. 

"  Please  see  that  my  name  has  been  put  down  by 
Uncle  Hans  for  the  Universities  Club  in  Suffolk  Street. 

"  I  hope  to  get  a  good  letter  from  you  telling  me  all 
about  the  stalking  at  Amat. 

"  You  remember  the  silver-plated  biscuit  tin  I  had  once. 
I  got  it  for  the  Varsity  J-mile  Handicap.  It  was  put 
away  somewhere  at  42  Grosvenor  Square.  Please  stir  up 
a  hunt  for  it.  For  a  shooting  trip  out  here  a  companion 
would  be  rather  in  the  way  than  otherwise,  but  I  cer- 
tainly should  Uke  one  in  America.  I  must  not  hurry 
over  such  countries  as  China  and  Japan,  where  there  is 
so  much  to  see  and  where  I  am  not  likely  to  be  again. 
The  elder  Lydekker  is  out  here  geologising,  your  friend 
Barclay  has  been  laid  up  at  Srinagur  with  rheumatic 
fever — I  have  not  seen  either  of  them. 

"  How  did  the  stags  in  the  Park  [Whittlebury]  do  this 
year  ?    did  the  draining  improve  their  heads  ?  " 

The  next  letter  is  posted  at  Lahore  a  month  later, 
November  9th,  1874.  He  discusses  the  news  from  Scotch 
forests  : 

"  I  do  not  expect  22  stags  will  be  killed  on  Coriemulzie 
this  year  as  I  did  to  my  own  rifle  last  year  between 
Sept.  20th  and  Oct.  loth.  .  .  .  Certainly  deer-stalking  is 
a  splendid  sport,  and  for  a  continuance  year  after  year  I 
do  not  think  there  can  be  any  equal  to  it.  Now  the 
markhor  is  a  splendid  animal  and  a  rare  one  also,  but  it 
requires  all  that  to  induce  one  even  for  a  few  days  to  go 

^  He  had  been  misinformed  :  1,200  lb.  would  be  a  great  weight  for 
a  grizzly.  Kodiak  bears  (C7.  arctus  middendorfi)  may  run  over  1,6001b. 
and  up  to  2,000  lb.  Few  bears  except  Alaskan  and  Polar  bears  weigh 
over  1,000  lb. 


160  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

through  that  tremendous  exertion  which  climbing  in  such 
mountains  entails.  Walking  on  Benaig  and  Ben  More 
is  hard  enough,  but  it  is  nothing  at  all  to  slipping  on 
grass  slopes  and  climbing  on  steep  banks  of  loose  stones, 
never  getting  a  really  firm  foothold  all  day." 

He  describes  his  attempts  to  find  barasingh  from  different 
camps  and  "  never  seeing  one.''''  "  At  last  one  day  we 
heard  a  roar  (as  we  were  sitting  on  the  top  of  a  hill)  in 
the  valley  below  us.  We  had  a  dreadful  climb  down 
some  2,000  feet."  He  found  the  stag  always  on  the 
move,  and  eventually  had  to  stand  on  a  steep  slope  with 
slippery  footing  and  shaking  from  his  rapid  descent  and 
to  shoot  through  a  birch-tree  at  a  good  stag  about  150 
yards  off.  "  I  had  to  fire  as  quickly  as  possible,  and 
missed  him."  However,  his  luck  changed,  and  the  next 
day  he  gets  his  first  stag,  a  moving  one,  with  three  bullets 
behind  the  shoulder,  the  last  two  shots  at  the  gallop. 
This  stag  of  10  points,  a  beautifully  shaped  head  and 
like  most  at  this  season  much  out  of  condition,  was  a 
large  beast ;  and  weighed  in  three  portions  he  scaled 
27  stone  "  clean."  Subsequently  he  sees  a  good  many 
fine  stags,  but  has  few  shots  and  then  difficult  ones  in 
bush  when  he  was  "  blown."  He  loses  the  chance  of  a 
shot  at  a  very  fine  stag  through  his  shikari  knocking  his 
rifle  against  a  stick  in  handing  '  it  to  him  too  quickly. 
During  these  days  he  has  some  sport  with  bears  and  one 
evening  kills  a  musk  deer  "  with  very  fair  tusks."  * 

Even  this  little  fellow  gave  him  some  trouble. 

"  Coming  downhill  .  .  .  we  came  suddenly  on  a  musk 
deer  among  some  fir  trees.  I  fired  two  barrels  at  it  as 
it  darted  away  and  hit  it  both  times  but  did  not  stop  it. 
Taking  my  single  rifle  I  had  a  run  after  it,  falling  of 
course  ever  so  many  times ;    one  of  the  falls  was  a  bad 

^  In  after  years  when  I  was  his  companion  he  never  climbed  or  worked 
without  his  rifle  in  his  own  hand,  and  when  after  sheep  generally  at  full 
cock. 

2  Musk  deer  {Moschus  moschiferus)  is  a  small  deer  without  horns  but 
with  long  upper  tusks  3  to  4  inches  long. 


CASHMERE  161 

one  and  I  cracked  the  woodwork  of  the  stock  right  across. 
.  .  .  The  shikaries  get  an  equal  weight  in  silver  for  the 
musk  in  Cashmere.  I  do  not  know  what  it  is  worth  in 
London.  I  stayed  in  this  neighbourhood  several  days 
more,  saw  and  heard  one  or  two  more  stags  but  got  no 
more  shots.  On  October  27th  I  determined  to  give  it  up 
and  go  south  again," 

He  marches  on  foot  double  marches  (one  day  three 
marches)  and  reaches  Muree  on  November  3rd. 

"  Before  I  went  into  Cashmere  everybody  said  '  Now  is 
the  time,  you  will  get  splendid  shooting,'  but  I  don't  think 
it  is  the  best  time  at  all.  Five  or  six  hundred  Englishmen 
now  go  into  Cashmere  and  shoot,  make  a  noise  and  disturb 
the  game  ;  this  makes  the  game  stick  to  the  jungle,  and  if 
they  feed  at  all  in  the  open  it  is  at  night.  ...  If  I  was 
going  into  Cashmere  again  I  should  try  and  get  in  by  the 
Muree  route  by  the  first  week  in  March.  ^  At  that  time  all 
the  hills  are  covered  with  snow.  The  game  is  crowded  into 
much  smaller  space.  There  are  only  certain  places  where 
they  can  get  food.  .  .  .  The  tracks  in  fresh  snow  will  show 
in  what  places  game  is  plentiful,  and  a  wounded  beast  can 
be  tracked  for  any  distance.  I  got  several  flying  squirrels 
with  very  nice  fur,  and  shot  several  woodcocks  and  wild 
duck  when  on  the  march  ;  of  the  latter  there  are  any  quan- 
tities. .  .  .  Moonal  pheasants  I  saw  a  good  many  of,  when 
I  was  on  the  hills  looking  for  barasingh,  but  I  never  shot  at 
one.  There  is  a  very  fine  bird,  something  like  a  capercailzie, 
only  grey  and  white  ;  it  lives  very  high  up,  about  13,000 
feet.     Of  monkeys  I  saw  two  kinds,  one  small  and  one  large. 

"  Srinagur  seemed  to  be  a  horribly  dirty  place  ;  the 
people  all  dirty.  The  river  is  clean,  and  all  the  chief  shops 
have  a  river  frontage,  so  all  necessary  shopping  can  be  done 
by  boat.  Cashmere  sha%vls  are  made  in  Cashmere,  but  the 
goats  which  furnish  the  material  are  beyond  Ladak  and  will 
not  live  in  Cashmere. 

"  The  beauty  of  a  Cashmere  woman  is  world-renowned 
and  I  suppose  it  must  be  a  fact.  ...  I  went  into  a  great 
many  villages  in  various  parts  of  Cashmere  and  a  plainer 
lot  of  females  I  never  saw.     Among  the  men,  on  the  other 

1  By  April  15th  most  stags  have  shed  their  horns.  Besides,  at  thia 
time  of  year  the  game  is  not  half  so  wide  awake. 


162  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

hand,  I  saw  several  very  handsome.  I  did  not  see  any  high- 
caste  natives,  all  that  1  had  anything  to  do  with  were  dirty 
and  told  lies  habitually.  Beyond  Cashmere  northwards 
I  expect  there  must  be  some  extraordinarily  fine  mountain 
scenery.  Where  I  shot  my  barasingh,  Nanga  Purbal  Moun- 
tain seemed  to  be  close  by.  It  is  a  splendid  peak  (I  beheve 
26,500  feet).  Cashmere  is  undoubtedly  a  beautiful  place, 
with  a  pleasant  climate  to  spend  the  summer  in  .  .  .  but 
the  country  has  been  overrated  in  many  points  in  books." 

Many  years  after  I  asked  Loder  if  in  all  his  travels  he 
had  ever  seen  such  beautiful  and  magnificent  scenery  as 
that  of  the  valleys  on  the  Spanish  side  of  the  Pyrenees  south 
of  Mt.  Perdu  in  the  months  of  May  and  June.  He  con- 
sidered this  question  some  time  and  then  said,  "  The  most 
magnificent  mountain  scenery  I  have  ever  seen  is,  I  thmk, 
that  of  Cashmere.  Though  the  other  is  very,  very 
beaidifuV^ 

On  his  return  to  Muree  he  sold  his  surplus  stores  ;  he 
probably  took  a  dozen  of  whisky  into  Cashmere — he  sells 
the  remaining  eight  bottles  for  Rs.  12.  How  does  this 
sound  in  these  days  ?  He  next  writes  on  November  19th 
from  Lucknow  : 

"  At  Lahore  I  found  the  Probyns,  who  had  been  very  kind 
to  me  at  Muree— Probyn  lent  me  a  horse  and  we  rode  about 
the  place  together.  The  buildings  are  some  of  them  rather 
interesting  but  nothing  very  grand.  Lahore  was  the  Sikh 
capital  of  Runjeet  Singh,  the  great  Maharajah  of  Cashmere 
from  1780  to  1839.  He  was  nearly  a  match  for  Lord  Gough 
in  the  Punjab  Wars.  Runjeet  Singh  was  very  fond  of 
horses,  and  when  he  died  he  left  1,300  bridles,  besides  eight 
millions  of  money  and  the  famous  Koh-i-noor  Diamond." 

Elsewhere  Loder  refers  to  the  Sikh  War  and  the  battles 
of  the  final  campaign  ending  with  the  victory  of  Goojerat 
in  February  1848  ;  of  Lord  Gough  he  remarks  that  he  "  was 
a  rash  Irishman,  a  brave  man  but  not  a  good  General. 
Whenever  he  got  into  difficulty  he  used  to  order  a  charge — 
'  Give  'em  the  could  stale,  boys  ! '  " 

Later  when  in  Burma  he  records  that 


AN  OLD   SIKH  CHIEF  163 

"  At  Moulmein  I  met  a  fine  old  Sikh  who  had  commanded, 
at  the  battle  of  Chillianwallah,  the  cavalry  of  his  uncle  or 
cousin  '  Gholab  Singh,'  the  successor  of  the  famous  Run- 
jeet  Singh.  This  fine  old  chief  is  now  at  Moulmein  exiled 
from  his  country  by  the  Indian  Government.  I  must  say 
I  think  his  case  a  hard  one.  The  Sikhs  never  rebelled 
against  us,  they  only  defended  their  country.  After  being 
defeated  they  surrendered  with  all  the  honours  of  war. 
Duleep  Singh,  the  heir  to  the  throne  of  the  Punjab,  is 
living  in  England  on  a  pension  of  £25,000  a  year,  while  my 
old  friend  at  Moulmein  has  to  live  on  a  pension  of  90*.  a 
month.  It  was  a  fine  sight  to  see  the  grand  old  fellow 
describing  the  Battle  of  Chillianwallah,  where  he  was  nearly 
victorious.  His  flashing  eyes  and  clenched  hands  showed 
that  even  now  he  was  ready  to  be  fighting  again  ;  in  fact, 
he  told  me  that  he  should  like  nothing  better  than  to  be 
allowed  to  lead  a  regiment  against  the  King  of  Burma,  with 
whom  at  this  time  (April  1875)  there  seemed  to  be  every 
chance  of  our  having  a  war." 

From  Lahore  he  visited  Amritsar,  the  sacred  city  of  the 
Sikhs,  when  it  was  crowded  with  gaily  dressed  natives 
on  the  last  day  of  the  Hindu  holiday,  and  describes  the 
Golden  Temple  and  Causeway  "  standing  in  the  beautiful 
Lake  of  Immortality." 

Then  he  describes  all  he  saw  at  Delhi,  and  writes  : 

"  There  is  but  one  city  in  the  world  which  can  dispute 
the  palm  of  so  much  glory  with  Delhi,  and  that  is  Rome  .  .  . 
but  while  Rome  gradually  grew  from  a  small  beginning  to 
be  mistress  of  the  world,  Delhi  was  founded  by  invaders  and 
was  disputed  and  taken  possession  of  alternatively  by  the 
different  conquerors  who  were  attracted  by  the  splendours 
of  India,  and  at  last  became  the  subject  of  a  curious  super- 
stition, which  is  still  accepted,  that  the  destinies  of  the  whole 
Peninsula  were  allied  with  hers,  so  it  was  that  the  English 
were  never  considered  legally  masters  of  India  until  Delhi 
came  into  our  possession.  The  history  of  Delhi  is  therefore 
the  history  of  India — the  history  of  between  thirty  and  forty 
hundred  years.  ...  In  no  other  place  in  the  world,  not 
even  in  Rome  itself,  does  there  exist  so  enormous  an 
assemblage  of  ancient  monuments.  .  .  .  This  plain  may  be 
regarded  as  the  National  Archaeological  Museum  of  India." 


164  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

And  he  proceeds  to  describe  all  he  saw.  He  seems  to 
have  been  more  interested  in  the  Kutub  Minar  than  in  any 
other  building  he  saw  in  India  ;  he  relates  the  legends  of  the 
origin  of  the  Tower  (227  feet  high,  46  feet  through  at  the 
bottom  and  10  feet  at  the  top). 

"  Close  by  the  Kutub  is  a  tank- well  into  which  men  and 
boys  jump  foot  foremost  80  feet  down  for  coppers — I  saw  a 
boy  not  more  than  six  years  old  do  it,  and  also  a  shrivelled 
up  old  man  of  between  60  and  70." 

In  this  letter  he  refers  to  the  deerstalking  news  he  had 
from  home  and  says  : 

"  I  shall  be  much  interested  to  see  Button's  and  the 
Corbui  stags'  heads.  I  know  both  well ;  I  had  a  misfire 
at  Button's  when  I  had  him  broadside  at  150  yards,  and  on 
another  occasion  shot  at  him  at  400  yards  and  killed  a  small 
stag  on  the  other  side  of  him.  After  the  shot  he  made  for 
the  Tullochen  march  and  I  ran  to  cut  him  off,  and  presently 
he  almost  ran  against  me  and  I  dropped  on  one  knee  and 
had  a  quiet  aim  at  him  at  about  60  yards  ;  but  alas  !  my 
rifle  was  locked,  as  I  had  been  running  over  rocks,  and  he 
came  in  sight  so  suddenly  I  forgot  to  unlock.  The  Corbui 
stag  had  a  very  even  head  last  year.  I  stalked  him  for  many 
hours  on  one  very  cold  day  last  year  and  did  not  get  a  shot, 
and  on  another  day  after  crawling  over  1,000  yards  I  got 
an  easy  shot  at  90  yards,  but  my  fingers  were  so  numbed 
that  I  touched  the  trigger  without  feehng  it  and  fired  before 
I  had  put  the  sights  on  him  and  the  bullet  went  I  don't 
know  where." 

These  confessions  of  a  great  stalker  show  him  to  have  been 
in  early  life  a  mere  mortal  like  ourselves. 

"  After  leaving  Delhi  I  came  to  Agra.  Here  there  is  not 
quite  so  much  to  see  as  at  Delhi,  but  what  there  is,  is  truly 
splendid."  He  describes  and  gives  the  history  of  the  Taj 
Mahal,  and  two  quotations  he  gives  are  worth  referring 
to  :  "  The  Pathans  designed  like  Titans  and  finished  like 
jewellers  "  (Bishop  Heber)  ;  another  much  longer  one  he 
quotes  from  an  "  old  writer,"  ends  thus  :  "  Suffice  it,  Love 
was  its  author.  Beauty  its  inspiration,  a  poem  in  marble, 
an  anthem  in  stone." 


BENARES  165 

"  In  Srinagur  and  again  at  Amritsar  I  ran  up  against  a 
very  pleasant  and  exceedingly  interesting  man  of  the  name 
of  Jager,  a  German  Professor.  He  has  been  everywhere 
and  knows  everything.  He  published  a  book  in  Germany 
a  short  time  ago  about  the  Philippine  Islands,  which  he 
describes  as  being  the  most  favoured  spot  on  the  globe." 

His  next  letter  is  from  Benares,  November  24th. 

"  I  got  a  letter  from  Gen.  Ramsay  saying  that  it  was  no 
use  my  coming  into  his  district  for  shooting  just  now,  as 
the  jungles  are  one  sea  of  grass,  but  giving  me  a  letter  to  a 
gentleman  at  Allyghur,  where  there  is  some  of  the  best  black- 
buck  shooting  in  India.  He  also  says,  '  You  will  have  such 
shooting  in  Assam  as  we  never  knew  up  here,  though  I  re- 
member the  time  when  fifty  tigers  were  killed  here  in  a 
season.' 

"  When  I  found  that  my  12-bore  rifle  did  not  kill  bear 
and  barasingh  dead  on  the  spot,  big  as  it  is,  I  began  to  feel 
that  I  should  be  nervous  if  I  had  to  face  a  large  beast  like 
rhinoceros.  ...  I  WTote  to  Reilly  telling  him  that  if  he 
had  a  second-hand  double-barrelled  central-fire,  8-bore 
rifle  at  about  £35  he  was  to  send  it  out  at  once."  [Reilly 
sends  him  at  his  father's  request  a  new  one  for  £40.] 

He  meets  a  man  of  the  name  of  Haden,  stationed  at 
Nagpore  in  Berar,  who  promises  him  if  he  comes  there  he 
shall  see  bison,  and  this  excites  him  and  he  writes  a  great 
deal  on  the  subject. 

"  These  bison  measure  17  hands  on  the  true  shoulder,  but 
if  the  highest  part  of  the  hump,  or  rise  on  the  withers,  is 
taken  20  hands  has  been  measured  on  a  big  bull.  They  are 
said  to  charge  in  the  most  determined  way  ;  one  Haden  shot 
at  and  wounded  at  250  yards  charged  him  at  once,  but  he 
luckily  killed  it  at  80  yards.  They  charge  so  furiously  that 
they  say  one  is  quite  safe  if  one  gets  to  a  tree  to  dodge 
round."  ^ 

Loder  is  not  much  impressed  with  Benares  as  a  town,  but 
more  with  its  history,  also  with  the  smells  of  the  sacred  wells : 

^  Bos  gaurus — the  Indian  wild  ox,  always  called  a  "  bison  " — 20  hands 
3  inches  has  been  recorded  as  height  at  hiimp  (18  hands  3^  inches  at 
shoulder). 


166  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

"  into  these  the  people  are  unceasingly  throwing  flowers  and 
other  offerings,  and  the  stink  which  comes  out  of  the  wells 
is  something  beyond  description."  He,  however,  enjoys 
the  "  splendid  pictures  "  of  the  ghaut  or  landing  stairs  of 
the  Ganges,  with  the  people  in  so  many  bright  colours 
flocking  to  the  river  and  behind  them  the  "  mass  of  various- 
shaped  carved  roofs,  walls  of  temples,  palaces  and  mosques." 
On  December  3rd  he  is  at  Shahabad,  and  the  next  day 
he  writes  home  from  Secunderabad,  having  travelled  there 
on  "  the  Nyzam's  new  railway  "  : 

"  This  railway  has  only  been  open  a  few  weeks.  ...  I 
came  with  a  man,  R.  E.  Wright ;  he  has  been  engaged  in 
superintending  the  construction  of  the  line  as  one  of  the 
engineers.     He  put  me  up  at  his  house." 

At  Hyderabad  he  stays  with  an  interesting  gentleman, 
Captain  Palmer,  "  a  white-haired  man  about  68,"  and  is 
most  hospitably  entertained  by  him  and  his  family,  who 
make  his  stay  a  particularly  pleasant  one  ;  he  is,  however, 
sorely  puzzled  as  to  the  relationships  in  the  Palmer  house- 
hold and  for  weeks  reverts  to  the  subject.  "  Some  of  the 
family  are  Eurasian,  but  are  received  in  all  society  here." 
Of  three  young  ladies,  two  of  whom  are  "  very  black  and 
one  white,"  he  says  he  thinks  they  are  sisters  but  not  the 
daughters  of  his  host ;  there  are  besides  two  Miss  Palmers 
who  call  Captain  Palmer  "  Uncle  John  " — ■"  but  I  think  he 
must  be  their  great-uncle."  Then  the  puzzle  gets  worse  as 
"  a  baby  made  its  appearance  before  dinner  and  must  be- 
long to  a  "  married  sister."  He  is  floored  again  when  Mrs. 
Palmer  tells  him  this  baby  is  her  great-great-granddaughter, 
and  "  she  calls  Captain  Palmer  her  son,  though  she  appears 
to  be  younger  than  he  is  by  ten  years  and  I  would  not  take 
her  to  be  as  old  as  even  that  would  make  her." 

Loder  was  always  worried  if  he  could  not  make  out  who 
the  people  were  he  happened  to  be  with.  Ten  days  later 
in  the  jungle  he  has  another  go  at  the  problem  and  inci- 
dentally makes  several  interesting  observations  : 


HYDERABAD  167 

"  Captain  Palmer  was  in  the  Nizam's  service  until  some 
years  ago,  when  the  English  [authorities]  no  longer  allowed 
the  Hyderabad  contingent  to  be  officered  even  by  resident 
Englishmen,  but  only  by  men  appointed  by  the  Govern- 
ment. Captain  Palmer's  grandfather  was  a  great  man 
about  the  Nizam's  court  years  ago,  before  they  were  in  any 
way  '  protected  '  by  the  British ;  he  married  a  high- caste 
native  lady.  Captain  Palmer's  father  was  a  great  merchant 
at  Hyderabad  and  a  man  of  influence  about  the  Court  .  .  . 
they  say  that  till  he  married  the  present  Mrs.  Palmer  he 
lived  and  entertained  like  a  native  noble.  The  three 
young  ladies  I  found  here  are  all  unmarried.  There  is 
another  lady  who  I  think  must  have  been  a  Miss  Palmer, 
who  is  married  to  H.  A.  Krohn,  who  used  to  be  at  Magdalene, 
Cambridge,  and  who  used  to  run  at  Tenner's.  He  is  assist- 
ant tutor  to  Sir  Sala  Jung's  sons.  Pen  well,  who  was  at 
Cambridge  with  us  [he  is  writing  to  his  brother  Wilfrid 
Loder],  is  the  other  tutor." 

A  month  later  when  he  is  at  Calcutta  writing  to  his  father 
he  again  tackles  the  Palmer  problem,  and  mentions  that 
he  has  met  a  "  Hastings  Palmer  "  who  is  about  to  go  to 
England,  and  he  begs  his  father  "  to  show  him  some  kind- 
ness," "  as  he  and  his  family  were  very  kind  to  me." 

"  He  is  not  particularly  good-looking,  but  is  one  of  the 
best-natured  men  alive  and  has  plenty  of  brains.  I  think 
he  is  a  fair  billiard  player — Wilfrid  might  try  his  hand 
with  him.  He  is  brother  to  one  of  the  girls  at  Hyderabad 
and  cousin  to  the  other  two,  so  you  see  I  made  another 
mistake  in  calling  them  three  sisters." 

Captain  Palmer  introduces  Loder  to  a  notable  sportsman, 
Colonel  Eraser,  Assistant  Resident  at  Hyderabad,^  who 
invites  him  to  a  tiger  hunt  and  procures  for  him  an  invita- 
tion from  a  native  chief,  Vikar  Ooloomira,  to  a  dinner 
given  to  Lord  Camperdown. 

"  1  went  to  the  dinner  on  Monday  evening  with  Mrs. 
Palmer  and  one  of  the  Miss  Palmers,  driving  as  far  as  the 

^  Colonel  Fraser  had  been  more  than  seventeen  years  Assistant  Resi- 
dent, and  his  father  was  the  Resident. 
12 


168  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

Minister's  house.  ...  As  soon  as  all  the  guests  had 
assembled  in  the  garden,  we  all  got  on  to  elephants  and  rode 
through  the  town  about  a  mile  to  the  Nawab  Vikar  Ooloo- 
mira'  s  house.  The  approach  was  lined  with  a  private  guard 
of  honour,  one  detachment  of  which  were  Amazons.  .  .  . 
At  the  bottom  of  the  large  flight  of  steps  we  were  each 
received  by  a  near  relation  of  our  host,  and  at  the  top  of  the 
steps  by  the  gentleman  himself,  dressed  in  a  kind  of  dressing- 
gown  of  lilac  silk  with  a  pattern  on  it.  When  the  elephant 
arrived  with  the  Resident  and  Lord  Camperdown,  the  Vikar 
Ooloomira  went  down  the  steps  to  meet  them,  and  taking 
one  on  each  arm  marched  them  up.  .  .  .  There  were 
only  about  100  people  [at  dinner],  but  one  did  not  get  over- 
much to  eat,  although  there  was  plenty  there." 

He  proceeds  with  a  description  of  the  illuminations, 
entertainments  of  dancing  girls,  the  distribution  of  attar 
of  roses  to  the  guests  ^  and  so  on  ;  remarking,  "Both 
dancing  and  singing  were  of  the  mildest  description." 

"  Wednesday  the  9th  of  December  just  after  sunrise  the 
transit  of  Venus  began,  which  I  watched  through  my  deer- 
stalking telescope  mounted  on  a  stand  ...  I  dare  say  you 
will  see  plenty  about  it.  I  threw  the  image  of  the  sun  on  a 
sheet  of  paper  and  the  round  black  spot  could  be  seen  by 
everyone  distinctly." 

The  next  day  the  tiger-shooting  party  started  at  5  a.m.  ; 
it  consisted  of  Colonel  Fraser  and  Loder,  Lord  Camperdown, 
Colonel  Wilkinson  and  a  Captain  and  Mrs.  Pearce.  Loder 
describes  with  enthusiasm  the  splendid  camp  arrangements, 
the  tents,  measurements  and  furniture  and  so  on.  They 
have  several  blank  days  from  different  camps,  three  spotted 

^  A  propos  the  attar  of  roses  he  says  :  "  The  Resident  and  Lord  Cam- 
perdown probably  got  eight  bottles  each,  Colonel  Fraser  five,  I  got 
two  and  ordinary  people  one  each."  This  remark  amused  me  and  re- 
minded me  of  a  story  the  late  Earl  Grey  told  me,  then  Albert  Grey  and 
anything  but  an  ordinary  or  common  kind  of  man.  He  was  walking 
with  his  son  the  present  Earl  Grey  and  asked  the  boy,  "  What  are  you 
going  to  be,  a  soldier  ?  "  "  No,"  said  the  little  boy,  "  /  don't  want  to 
be  killed."  "  A  sailor,  then  ? "  suggested  his  father.  "  No,  /  don't 
want  to  be  drowned."  "  Then  what  are  you  going  to  be  ?  "  asked  his 
father.     "  Oh,  just  a  common  sort  of  man  like  you." 


TIGER-SHOOTING  169 

deer  [Cerviis  axis)  being  the  only  big  game  seen.  He  de- 
scribes at  length  the  one  successful  day  and  how  at  last  the 
three  howdah  elephants  carrying  Lord  Camperdown,  the 
Pearces,  and  himself  took  their  places  with  seven  pad 
elephants  round  the  place  where  the  tiger  was. 

"  For  a  long  time  nothing  was  heard  of  the  tiger,  till  at 
last  with  a  roar  he  made  a  rush  through  the  bushes  along  the 
whole  line,  but  never  showed  himself.  Two  of  the  pad 
elephants  trumpeted  and  bolted,  but  were  soon  brought 
back  again.  Again  there  was  a  long  pause  .  .  .  but 
presently  I  caught  sight  of  four  black  stripes  beyond  some 
thick  grass  and  bushes  about  20  yards  from  my  elephant. . . . 
As  soon  as  I  had  fired  the  tiger  sprang  forward  with  a 
tremendous  roar.  ...  I  have  no  doubt  that  my  bullet  hit 
him  from  the  way  he  roared  and  jumped.  The  next 
person  who  saw  him  was  Lord  Camperdown  on  the  other 
side  of  the  thicket.  He  got  four  shots  at  him  quickly 
one  after  the  other;  several  of  them  hit  him."  [After  a 
good  deal  more  excitement  the  tiger  is  killed.]  "  Colonel 
Fraser  divided  the  spoils  in  this  way.  The  lady  to  have 
the  skin,  he  keeps  the  skull  himself  and  the  claws  are  to 
be  divided  among  the  three  guns." 

He  writes  on  Christmas  Eve,  1874,  from  Hyderabad  to 
his  father — very  pleased  with  his  brother  Alfred's  perform- 
ances in  the  Freshman's  Sports  at  Cambridge  :  High  Jump, 
Long  Jump,  100  Yards,  and  winning  the  Hurdles  : 

"  I  suppose  if  he  had  not  had  so  many  other  things  he 
could  have  shown  them  the  way  over  the  Quarter." 

"  Everybody  says  that  just  the  time  I  talk  about  leaving 
India  is  the  beginning  of  the  big-game  shooting  season. 
This  is  very  disappointing." 

He  began  to  fear  that  his  Assam  trip  is  doomed  too. 

"  Friday  last  I  had  breakfast  with  Sir  Sala  Jung.  Some 
of  the  Palmers,  Krohn  and  Penwell  and  one  of  his  sons 
breakfasted  with  us.  .  .  .  He  is  very  proud  of  some  horses 
he  bought  at  Lord  Mayo's  sale  and  of  his  Arabs.  I  thought 
Sir  Sala  Jung  a  nice  man  when  I  first  met  him,  but  he  im- 


170  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

proves  on  acquaintance  and  is  probably  one  of  the  best 
natives  in  India.  He  speaks  English  very  well  and, 
although  he  has  not  been  out  of  India,  is  quite  up  in  all 
English  ways.  On  the  following  day  I  drove  with  the 
Palmers'  party  to  a  very  pretty  piece  of  water  called  Meer 
Allum's  Tank.  Sir  Sala  Jung  has  a  small  steamer  and  a 
steam  launch,  and  these  he  had  kindly  ordered  to  be  got 
ready  for  us.  He  had  also  sent  lunch  and  lots  of  servants 
and  a  tent  for  the  ladies.  .  .  .  We  came  back  by  another 
way  through  the  town.  The  streets  are  not  fit  for  carriages, 
so  Sir  Sala  Jung  sent  us  elephants,  so  we  had  everything  we 
could  wish  for." 

The  sights  of  Hyderabad  are  mentioned.  At  the  tombs 
of  Golconda  he  says  : 

"  Here  and  at  Meer  Allum's  Tank  I  did  what  I  have  not 
done  since  I  left  Eton,  and  that  was  made  a  small  sketch. 
Neither  were  very  successful,  for  want  of  time  and  practice." 

"  The  Lord  Camperdown  who  was  out  tiger  shooting 
was  at  Eton  just  before  I  went ;  he  is  about  eight  years  older 
than  I  am.  .  .  .  He  was  Captain  of  the  Oppidans  for  some 
time.     His  name  was  Duncan  then." 

"  Christmas  Day.  You  will  see  by  this  that  I  have  spent 
Christmas  Day  in  a  civilised  place  ;  we  had  quite  a  fine 
choral  service  this  morning.  .  .  .  What  I  wrote  about  the 
Palmers'  family  is  not  all  correct  and  I  have  not  made  them 
all  out  even  now — Mrs.  Krohn  was  not  a  Miss  Palmer,  but 
a  Miss  Meadows  Taylor,  a  cousin  of  the  Palmers." 

From  Hyderabad  Loder  travels  en  route  for  Calcutta  with 
Hastings  Palmer,  who  has  "  tents,  servants,  etc.,  at 
Goolburgo,  where  a  great  fair  was  being  held  and  he 
persuaded  me  to  stop  a  couple  of  days  with  him  to  see  it. 
He  was  there  as  a  guest  of  a  nephew  of  Sir  Sala  Jung's 
(Mukri  Magdoulah  or  some  such  name)."  At  the  fair  Loder 
estimates  there  are  30,000  people,  though  the  attendance  is 
put  down  at  100,000. 

"  I  did  not  see  anything  worth  buying  at  the  fair,  but 
there  were  some  splendid  gold-thread  carpets  of  all  sizes 
costing  up  to  £200  each.     The  crowd  was  the  sight,  so  gay 


CALCUTTA  171 

in  colour,  the  dresses  of  the  natives  being  chiefly  white  with 
coloured  bells,  turbans  and  umbrellas." 

He  stays  again  at  Jiibbulpore  with  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Coote. 
He  is  impatient  for  the  8-bore  rifle  to  arrive  so  that  he  can 
go  to  Java  for  rhinoceros  and  elephant. 

"  There  is  a  new  edition  just  published  of  Sir  Samuel 
Baker's  book  written  in  1854,  Hound  and  Gun  in  Ceylon. 
He  seems  to  have  been  in  the  habit  of  killing  at  least  two  or 
three  brace  of  elephants  every  morning  before  breakfast. 
He  shot  usually  with  a  4-bore  rifle  '  and  sometimes  with  a 
3-bore,  carrying  3-ounce  and  4-ounce  spherical  bullets 
respectively." 

After  a  week  in  Calcutta  he  makes  up  his  mind  to  go  to 
Darjeeling  to  see  the  finest  views  of  mountain  scenery  in 
the  world. 

"  The  country  I  go  through  is  one  of  the  best  for  shooting 
(Parnea,  Gulpjori  and  Kooch  Behar,  etc.),  but  it  is  too  early 
and  a  month  is  required  to  organise  a  shoot,  as  a  line  of  at 
least  twenty  elephants  is  required  to  be  at  such  jungles." 

Writing  from  Calcutta  he  gives  an  account  of  the  spec- 
tacle of  a  great  evening  party  he  attended  with  the  Bayleys 
at  Government  House  given  by  Lord  Northbrook  and  Miss 
Baring. 

"  January  7th.  I  was  introduced  to  the  Bishop  of  Cal- 
cutta ;  he  seemed  a  capital  sort  of  fellow  and  looks  a 
sporting  character  all  over  and  not  like  a  High  Church 
Bishop.  He  is  said  to  have  trained  '  Wild  Darrell '  for 
the  Derby.  I  have  played  Badminton  a  good  many  times 
altogether  now  since  I  have  been  in  India,  and  play  as  well 
as  the  average  of  people.     Lawn  tennis  I  have  not  seen  out 

^  Some  of  the  old  elephant  hunters'  rifles  were  extraordinary  weapons. 
It  fell  to  me,  after  the  Boer  War,  to  disarm  the  natives  in  the  Eastern 
Transvaal,  formerly  a  great  elephant  country,  and  I  did  it  thoroughly. 
I  should  think  that  in  one  railway  truck  load  I  sent  to  Pretoria  there 
was  such  a  collection  of  ancient  firearms  as  had  never  been  brought 
together,  and  included  many  enormous  muzzle-loading  and  flint-lock 
elephant  guns.  I  had  to  send  in  all  to  be  destroyed  and  did  so,  but  was 
sorely  tempted  to  keep  a  few  as  curiosities. 


172  A  PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

here,  but  should  imagine  it  was  a  better  and  more  scientific 
game.  Why  do  you  not  persuade  Papa  now  he  has  all  those 
builders  at  Whittlebury  to  make  a  good  big  cemented  or 
asphalted  floor — the  bigger  the  better — but  say  60  ft.  by 
40  ft.  If  it  was  a  little  off  the  level  it  would  be  dry  a  few 
minutes  after  rain  and  would  be  a  lasting  source  of  amuse- 
ment. It  could  be  used  as  a  skating  rink  (only  of  course 
it  ought  to  be  longer  than  60  by  40  for  that).  ...  It 
would  also  be  always  possible  to  play  either  lawn  tennis  or 
Badminton  on  it,  but  turf  in  England  is  only  fit  to  play  on 
a  small  portion  of  the  year.  ..." 

He  had  wanted  to  go  1,000  miles  for  black-buck  shooting 
at  Allyghur,  but  those  to  whom  he  has  introductions  dis- 
courage him,  have  no  tent  to  lend  him  and  say  "  black 
buck  have  been  very  much  shot  lately,"  so  he  gives  it  up  and 
decides  to  go  to  the  Neilgherries  after  visiting  Madras. 

At  the  end  of  January  we  find  him  at  Madras,  having 
sailed  from  Calcutta  on  the  Minian  on  the  18th,  and  got 
the  8-bore  rifle  before  leaving.  Writing  to  his  mother 
he  says : 

"  I  do  not  think  that  I  have  told  you  that  I  have  bagged 
every  head  of  game  (it  is  true  that  these  are  not  many) 
that  I  have  hit  with  the  12-bore  rifle,  which  I  consider  was 
a  present  from  you  as  it  was  bought  with  the  cheque  you 
gave  me  just  before  starting.  ...  I  lost  several  bears  which 
I  hit  with  the  1 2-bore  gun,  one  with  three  bullets  in  him  .  .  . 
and  I  lost  a  markhor  which  was  hit  with  the  -450  Express." 

He  is  pleased  with  the  8-bore  (14  IB.)  and  finds  it  handy 
and  not  clumsy,  but  condemns  the  ammunition  sent  out 
with  it : 

"  The  cartridges  are  loaded  with  5  drams  of  rather  fine 
powder  and  with  shells  weighing  ^  ft».  and  solid  conical 
bullets  of  4|  oz.  each.  Now,  there  ought  always  to  be 
a  greater  proportion  of  powder  to  lead  than  that ;  to 
shoot  a  I  Ife.  shell  one  ought  to  have  from  10  to  12  drams 
of  powder." 

He  writes  pages  on  the  subject,  and  on  examining  the 
grooving  he  considers  it  is  not  constructed  to  take  such 


MADRAS  173 

long  conical  bullets  as  have  been  sent.  Finally  he  decides 
to  try  seven  or  eight  drams  of  powder  and  a  2-oz.  spherical 
bullet  wrapt  in  a  greased  patch  and  to  make  his  bullet 
ten  parts  lead  to  one  of  quicksilver. 

"  Of  course  this  would  only  be  fit  for  such  animals  as 
elephants,  rhinoceros,  hippopotamus  and  bison,  and  I 
should  think  with  such  a  weapon  in  one's  hands  the 
grizzly  bear  would  lose  its  terrors,  but  for  him  I  should 
load  with  pure  lead  bullet." 

I  think  the  following  extract  shows  that  he  had  for  his 
age  and  time  a  more  than  ordinary  conception  of  sporting 
ballistics  and  of  the  work  of  bullets  : 

"  My  idea  is  that  if  one  got  a  fair  shot  at  a  rhinoceros 
at  50  yards  with  the  8 -bore  rifle  loaded  with  8  drams  of 
powder  and  a  2-oz.  hardened  bullet,  if  it  hit  him  even 
in  the  bone  of  the  shoulder,  it  would  go  right  through 
and  drive  a  plug  of  hone  and  skin  out  with  it,  leaving  a  hole 
on  the  opposite  side  from  which  it  went  in  as  large  as 
one's  fist.     I  long  to  have  a  shot  to  see  if  I  am  right.  .  .  ." 

Referring  to  Madras  : 

"  I  remembered  that  Dr.  Oppert  talked  of  an  appoint- 
ment at  the  Madras  University,  but  never  heard  that  he 
was  actually  there.  .  .  .  When  I  arrived  yesterday  I 
made  inquiries  and  found  out  where  he  lived.  He  was 
very  much  astonished  and  glad  to  see  me  and  very  pleased 
to  hear  anything  about  Alfred." 

Dr.  Oppert  becomes  his  guide.  On  a  Sunday  he  goes 
to  the  service  at  the  Cathedral : 

"  The  singing  and  the  organ  are  the  best  I  have  heard 
in  India.  The  sermon  was  about  an  hour  and  ten  minutes 
long,  by  a  ranter,  Rev.  S.  Douglas.  I  sat  out  the  hour 
and  then  walked  out." 

Later  in  his  travels  he  runs  up  against  this  parson  once 
more  and  remembers  with  horror  the  sermon  he  inflicted 
on  him  at  Madras. 


174  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

Illustrating  what  scamps  India  produces,  he  writes  : 

"  A  great  many  natives  (not  many  Europeans)  are  killed 
every  year  by  cobras.  The  Government  offer  a  reward  for 
every  snake  killed.  Well,  what  do  the  natives  do  but 
quickly  establish  snakeries  and  rear  snakes  to  kill  for  the 
Government  reward." 

By  January  27th  he  has  reached  Ootacamund  (alt.  7,300 
feet),  travelling  by  rail  to  Metapollion  and  then  with  car- 
riages and  coolies  via  Conoor. 

"  The  scenery  up  the  Ghaut  is  quite  different  from  any 
of  the  hill  scenery  I  have  yet  seen.  One  sees  here  a  real 
tropical  jungle  bamboo,  tree  ferns,  rhododendrons  and 
orchids,  and  immense  creepers  in  every  tree. 

"  There  is  a  young  fellow  staying  at  the  hotel  who 
seems  to  be  making  much  the  same  trip  as  mine.  His 
name  is  Littledale.  He  has  come  round  by  America  and 
Japan  and  has  only  just  arrived  in  India.  He  proposes 
going  into  Cashmere  in  April — I  expect  he  will  get  good 
shooting  there  at  that  season.  He  shot  last  winter  on 
the  Rocky  Mountains  in  Esle's  Park.  He  got  no  less  than 
thirteen  mountain  sheep  and  several  wapiti  in  two  months' 
shooting.  He  had  the  use  of  a  dog,  a  cross  between  a 
greyhound  and  mastiff ;  the  dog  if  put  on  the  track  of 
sheep  in  the  snow  would  run  them  by  scent,  and  the 
sheep  when  followed  by  a  fast  dog  would  run  round  and 
round  the  hill  for  a  short  time  and  then  come  to  bay  on 
some  precipitous  piece  of  rock.  Here  the  dog  keeps  barking 
at  them  and  takes  up  their  attention,  and  it  is  not  hard 
for  a  man  to  get  within  sixty  or  seventy  yards  and  shoot 
one  or  two.  I  think  that  he  [Littledale]  and  I  will  prob- 
ably go  out  shooting  here — I  hope  to  get  sambur  deer 
at  all  events." 

A  few  weeks  later  (February  16th)  he  writes  to  his 
brother  Wilfrid  from  "  a  hut  in  the  west  of  the  Neilgherry 
Hills  "  : 

"  The  Neilgherry  Hills  are  very  curious,  they  rise  quite 
abruptly  from  the  surrounding  country   on  the  western 


NEILGHERRY  HILLS  175 

side  ;  there  is  nothing  but  immense  rocky  precipices,  re- 
minding one  more  of  those  of  the  Yosemite  Valley  than 
anything  else  I  have  seen.  .  .  .  The  plateau  is  not  by 
any  means  level ;  sometimes  on  the  bottoms  of  the  valleys 
it  cannot  be  more  than  4,500  ft.  above  the  sea,  while  some 
of  the  highest  hills  are  8,500  ft.  The  western  Neilgherries 
are  much  like  the  South  Downs  about  doubled  in  scale, 
green  grassy  hills  ;  but  the  peculiarity  is  that  the  bottoms 
of  a  great  many  of  the  valleys  and  a  large  number  of  the 
slacks  and  small  corries  running  up  the  hillsides  are 
filled  wi+h  shrubberies  or  Sholahs  as  they  are  called  here. 
These  are  of  all  sizes  from  hundreds  of  acres  to  only  ^ 
acre.  These  shrubberies  are  composed  of  shrubs  the  names 
of  which  I  do  not  know,  but  they  look  much  like  box, 
bay,  laurestinus,  etc.,  but  the  principal  tree  is  the  rhodo- 
dendron, which  grows  here  to  a  very  large  size — I  have 
measured  some  whose  trunks  were  11  ft.  in  circumference. 
.  .  .  They  are  now  all  in  bloom  and  look  very  fine.  The 
game  which  inhabits  these  Sholahs  is  sambur  deer, 
woodcock,  jungle  fowl,  more  rarely  jungle  sheep  (a  kind 
of  small  deer)  and  occasionally  a  tiger.  Ibex  are  found 
on  or  about  the  precipices  on  the  western  side.  This  ibex 
is  quite  a  different  animal  from  what  is  called  ibex  in 
Cashmere.  It  is  very  much  smaller  in  the  body  and  its 
horns  are  much  smaller  still — I  have  heard  of  Cashmere 
ibex  horns  reaching  the  length  of  48  in.  and  54  in.,  but 
the  longest  horns  of  the  Neilgherry  ibex  never  exceed 
171  in." 

Loder  kills  his  first  sambur  (as  dead  as  a  door-nail), 
a  pretty  good  stag — horns  33  inches  long,  26  stone  when 
weighed  in  pieces  next  day — his  first  day  out  at  300  yards 
"  trotting  along  a  hill  on  the  opposite  side  of  a  valley 
from  me,"  creating  a  favourable  impression  on  his  shi- 
karies.  The  next  day  he  gets  another  sambur  stag,  four 
"  moving  "  shots,  putting  in  three  bullets. 

With  the  "ibex"  he  has  bad  luck.  His  first  falls 
over  a  precipice  "  some  couple  of  thousand  feet,"  and  he 
did  not  get  it  ;  another  was  "  a  good-sized  doe  with  small 
horns."  Later  he  kills  two  more,  "  one  a  very  fair  buck 
ibex."  Meanwhile  he  gives  a  very  long  account  of  his 
glorious  day  with  a  tiger  whilst  after  ibex. 


176  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

"  After  walking  for  some  hours  without  seeing  any- 
thing at  about  11  a.m.  (when  the  sun  was  intensely  hot) 
I  saw  close  to  us  a  magnificent  tiger  prowling  along  by 
some  bushes  close  to  a  stream.  I  ran  a  little  to  the  left 
to  get  a  better  side  shot  and  sat  down  ;  just  at  that 
moment  the  tiger  came  to  a  small  stream  and  put  down 
his  head  either  to  smell  if  animals  had  crossed  or  else  to 
drink.  Part  of  his  body  was  covered  by  a  rock  so  that  I 
could  only  see  his  head,  neck  and  shoulders.  Thinking 
this  a  good  opportunity  to  fire,  as  I  must  miss  or  hit  a 
vital  part,  I  gave  a  shot  just  behind  the  shoulder  with 
my  -500  rifle.  The  tiger  was  knocked  clean  over  at  about 
90  yards,  remained  for  a  second  on  his  back  with  all  his 
legs  in  the  air.  I  had  given  my  shikari  the  two  spare 
cartridges  which  I  usually  carry  in  my  pocket  to  hold 
in  his  hand,  so  that  he  might  give  them,  to  me  quickly 
in  case  the  tiger  charged.  So  certain  was  he  that  the 
beast  was  done  for  that  he  ran  forward  shouting  '  mergia  ! 
mergia  !  '  (he  is  dead,  he  is  dead),  but  almost  immediately 
the  tiger  got  up  and  returned  nearly  on  his  old  tracks  to 
a  Sholah  at  a  great  pace.  I  ought  to  have  been  able 
to  have  given  him  a  shot  from  my  left  barrel,  but  I  had 
opened  the  rifle  to  put  in  a  new  cartridge,  and  when  find- 
ing that  the  shikari  had  gone  off  with  them  I  tried  to 
shut  it  up  quickly,  but  the  left-hand  barrel  cartridge  was 
a  little  way  out  and  so  got  bent  and  became  useless.  So 
had  the  tiger  charged  at  this  moment  we  should  have 
been  helpless.  .  .  .  Tiger-shooting  on  foot  is  evidently 
not  a  very  safe  pursuit." 

This  was  the  beginning  of  a  long  and  exciting  battle, 
fully  described — which  through  perseverance,  courage  and 
skill  ends  in  the  tiger's  death. 

"As  he  lay  with  his  body  evidently  humped  together 
on  the  rocks  he  measured  9  ft.  9  in.  from  the  tip  of  his 
nose  to  the  tip  of  his  tail.  I  have  no  doubt  at  all  that 
he  would  have  measured  10  ft.  on  a  piece  of  level  ground. 
Col.  Fraser  has  killed  more  than  60  tigers  and  the  largest 
measured  9  ft.  10  in.  Colonel  Baigre  has  killed  195  tigers 
and  the  largest  measured  10  ft.  3  in.  I  have,  however, 
heard  of  one  10  ft.  6  in.  It  was  a  great  pity  I  was  unable 
to  weigh  this  tiger,  for  he  was  so  big  every  way — I  should 


SPORT   IN  THE  NEILGHERRY   HILLS  177 

not  have  been  surprised  if  he  had  turned  500  ft>.  judging 
from  the  8  ft.  10  in.  tiger  we  killed  at  Hyderabad,  which 
weighed  320  Ib.^  The  vitality  of  the  beast  was  extra- 
ordinary, for  when  he  was  skinned  I  found  that  seven 
bullets  had  hit  him  either  in  or  just  behind  the  shoulders 
besides  one  which  hit  him  on  the  top  of  the  spine." 

After  11  days  here  he  puts  down  their  bags  : 

Littledale — 7  ibex,  1  sambur  stag  and  1  hind. 

Loder — 3  ibex,  2  sambur  stags  and  1  tiger. 

To  this  Littledale  adds  a  fair  sambur  stag  and  Loder 
two  buck  ibex. 

"  Littledale  has  killed  three  better  ibex  than  mine. 
Total  bag  12  ibex,  5  sambur  and  1  tiger — about  15  days' 
shooting." 

"  The  Neilgherry  ibex  would  be  good  sport  if  they  were 
bigger,  but  they  are  not  big  enough  to  make  it  worth 
while  to  take  the  trouble  they  require,  and  their  horns 
are  ridiculous."  * 

1  In  Rowland  Ward's  7th  edition  (1914)  of  Big  Game  Records  a  tiger  is 
recorded  1 1  ft.  in  length  before  being  skinned,  killed  at  Sconda  (owner 
the  Maharaja  of  Datia)  ;  500  tb.  is  a  big  weight,  but  a  tiger  killed  in  the 
Central  Provinces  by  Major  M.  D.  Goring  Jones,  9  ft.  11^  in.  long,  is 
credited  with  the  enormous  weight  of  700  tt).  The  weight  and  the  exact 
round  figure  may  excite  a  doubt,  but  I  think  it  is  a  doubt  that  may  not 
be  justified.  Very  few  lions  have  been  weighed,  but  lions  of  over 
600  ft.  weight  were  killed  in  Algeria  and  approaching  this  weight  south 
of  the  Vaal ;  and  this  700  ft.  tiger's  forearm  measured  22  in.  in  circum- 
ference, indicating  a  most  exceptional  beast. 

*  The  so-called  Neilgherry  "  ibex "  (Hemitragiis  hylocrius)  is  really 
one  of  the  family  of  the  tahr.  Mr.  Littledale  has  a  fine  head  with  a  horn 
length  on  curve  of  16i  in.  and  Loder's  best  was  15|  in.  The  gradations 
between  the  sheep  and  goat  species  are  very  difiicult  to  follow.  Taking 
the  bharal  [Pseudois  nahura)  as  intermediate  sheep  and  goat,  the  Cau- 
casian bharal  {Capra  caucasia)  becomes  a  goat  with  ibex-like  horns, 
and  a  table  of  steps  to  true  ibex  and  wild  goats  is  possible.  The  tahr 
takes  ofE  in  another  direction  and  is  also  a  link  between  the  goats  on  one 
side  and  with  serows  and  gorals  on  the  other.  The  takin  is  allied  to  the 
serow  and  the  serow  to  the  musk  ox  and  the  Rocky  Mountain  goats. 
At  least  it  seems  to  me  that  almost  consecutive  chains  can  be  made 
from  tahr  or  the  bharal  through  all  the  wild  goats  and  all  the  wild  sheep 
till  the  bighorns  of  America  and  Asia  and  the  argali  sheep  are  linked 
up  with  the  arui  of  Africa  and  the  mouflon  of  Etirope  and  all  the  wild 
goats  and  ibex  (Asiatic,  European  and  African)  in  a  similar  way.  So 
that  if  the  Neilgherry  tahr  is  not  a  big  animal,  he  is  scientifically  a  very 
interesting  intermediate  beast. 


178  A   PILGRIMAGE  [en.  vi 

After  this  hunting  trip  Loder  returned  to  Ootacamund 
and  then  went  down  to  Trichinopoly,  and  gives  full 
descriptions  of  the  wonders  of  the  Island  of  Serringhorn 
and  the  Pagoda  of  Tangore.  He  returned  to  Calcutta 
from  Madras  eventually  by  steamer  in  the  company  of 
Sir  Frederick  Haines,  C.-in-C.  of  the  Madras  Army,  and 
Col.  Gough.     "  I  liked  Sir  F.  very  much." 

On  March  19th  he  writes  home  and  devotes  a  good  deal 
of  space  to  subjects  dealt  with  in  a  particularly  interest- 
ing letter  from  his  father  with  which  he  has  been  very 
pleased.  He  gives  his  father  advice  with  a  plan  as  to 
how  he  should  build  the  stable  clock  tower  at  Whittle- 
bury.     In  this  letter  he  says  : 

"  I  have  just  read  the  Travels  and  Adventures  of  the 
Revd.  Joseph  Wolff,  D.D.  I  think  I  had  seen  the  book 
before,  but  I  have  read  it  with  great  interest. 

"  There  was  a  very  interesting  exhibition  here  (Calcutta) 
of  curiosities  brought  back  by  the  Yarkand  expedition 
— costumes,  minerals,  skulls,  horns  and  heads  of  Ovis 
amnion,  Ovis  poli  and  maral"  (which  is  a  large  deer  almost 
identical  with  the  wapiti  of  America  ;  it  is  found  in  the 
forests  near  Kashgar).^  ''  I  wanted  to  measure  the  Ovis 
poli  heads,  but  when  I  inquired  after  them  I  found  they 
had  all  been  packed  up  and  are  going  over  to  England, 
.  .  .  The  first  pair  of  Ovis  poli  horns  (far  bigger  than 
any  Ovis  atnnion)  belong  to  a  Colonel  or  Captain  Gordon. 
They  have  already  started  for  England  and  will  be  at 
Edwin  Ward's  in  Wigmore  Street."  (He  sends  directions 
for  his  brother  Wilfrid  to  measure  these  and  any  Cashmere 
stags  or  wapiti,  etc.,  he  may  find  there.) 

1  Maral  is  not  the  Yarkand  stag.  The  maral  (C.  elaphus  moral)  is 
found  in  Persia,  in  the  Caucasus,  Asia  Minor  and  the  Crimea.  It  is  certain 
that  Loder  is  referring,  not  to  a  Yarkand  stag  (Cervus  yarcandensis),  nor 
the  true  maral,  but  to  the  Tien-Shan  wapiti,  wrongly  described  at  first 
by  Dr.  Severtzow  as  C.  maral  var.  songarica,  and  now  known  as  C.  cana- 
densis songaricus,  and  Loder  was  right  in  his  remark  of  this  splendid 
deer  being  almost  identical  with  the  American  wapiti  and  may  have  been 
the  first  to  note  the  fact — which  was  not  "  common  knowledge  "  till 
some  years  later.  Another  Asiatic  variety  is  the  Siberian  or  Baikal  wapiti 
(C.  canadensis  sibiricus). 


THE   BHOTEAHS  179 

From  Calcutta  he  goes  by  train,  boats  and  gharries,  and 
riding  with  pack  ponies  via  Carigola  and  Sellegory  to 
DarjeeHng  to  see  the  Himalayas ;  he  finds  it  a  trouble- 
some journey  to  a  cold  climate,  and  on  arrival  there  the 
atmosphere  so  thick  that  for  some  days  he  thinks  he  has 
had  all  his  pains  for  nothing  except  to  note  the  river 
scenery  and  the  natives.  He  describes  the  Bhoteahs 
with  their  "  broad  faces  and  noses  which  do  not  rise  up 
between  the  eyes  at  all,"  and  at  daybreak  one  morning 
he  jumps  out  of  bed  and  gets  a  view  of  the  topmost  peak 
just  as  "  the  great  Kinchinjunga  (28,170)  caught  the  first 
rosy  ray  of  the  sun,"  and  he  rides  off  at  once  and  gets 
up  on  foot  the  last  four  miles  to  Sinchal  and  obtains  the 
view  of  Mt.  Everest — "  precious  little "  of  it,  just  the 
very  top  of  its  highest  peak  seventy  miles  away.  He  is 
more  interested  in  a  large  praying  machine  he  comes 
across  in  a  temple  of  the  Bhoteahs — "  it  consists  of  a 
huge  drum  8  ft.  high  and  3  ft.  in  diameter,  covered  with 
paper  on  which  is  printed  in  large  characters  a  short 
prayer  consisting  of  only  four  words."  In  detail  he  de- 
scribes the  mechanism  and  how  when  the  Lonna  works 
the  machine  a  piece  of  wood  catches  the  clapper  of  a 
little  bell  and  then  of  a  big  bell  with  each  revolution, 
"  so  that  everyone  far  and  near  can  tell  when  prayers  are 
being  '  ground.'  The  Bhoteahs  have  also  little  hand 
praying  machines — I  have  seen  them  walking  along  and 
talking  to  one  another  and  praying  all  the  time  by  twiddling 
the  little  business  round  and  round." 

He  alludes  only  occasionally  to  Indian  political  ques- 
tions, but  when  he  does  he  states  even  a  complicated  one 
very  concisely  and  clearly,  e.g.  : 

"  There  has  been  an  unpleasantness  for  a  long  time 
betv/een  the  Nizam's  Government  and  the  Government 
of  India  on  the  '  Berar  question.'  The  Indian  Govern- 
ment held  the  Berars  years  ago  as  surety  for  the  payment 
of  some  money,  but  now  the  money  has  been  paid  and  of 
course  Sir  Sala  Jung  claims  the  Berars  back  again  ;  but 
in  the  intervening  years  a  very  large  cotton  interest  has 


180  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

grown  up  in  those  parts  and  I  believe  the  Indian 
Government  has  not  the  slightest  intention  of  giving  the 
country  up." 

He  then  on  March  24th  sails  for  Calcutta  on  the  B.I, 
s.s,  Scotia  with  108  convicts  in  chains  and  some  for 
Camorta,  and  pleasant  passengers  to  be  present  with  the 
Eclipse  Expedition  to  observe  the  Eclipse  on  April  6th. 

"  On  Monday  morning  early  (March  29th)  we  went  into 
the  harbour  at  Port  Blair.  The  Andaman  Islands  are 
densely  covered  with  jungle,  except  the  land  which  has 
been  cleared  by  convict  labour — some  of  the  trees  are 
very  large  and  make  clearing  very  difficult.  They  make 
fine  timber,  but  none  of  it  is  exported — most  of  it  is  burnt. 
There  are  two  kinds  like  mahogany  and  one  something 
like  ebony." 

He  dines  with  General  Stewart  (the  Governor  of  Port 
Blair)  on  Ross  Island  : 

"...  Almost  everybody's  servants  are  convicts.  How 
would  you  like  a  convicted  burglar  for  your  footman  and 
a  poisoner  for  your  cook  ?  A  lady  here  says  she  prefers 
a  murderer  to  look  after  her  children  to  a  thieving  fellow 
who  is  always  robbing  one.  .  .  .  The  Andamanese  are  a 
very  peculiar  race,  like  very  diminutive  negroes,  and  when 
they  are  young  they  are  not  bad-looking." 

From  the  Andamans  he  sails  (twenty-four  hours)  to 
the  Nicobars  and  on  entering  Camorta,  March  31st,  the 
first  news  is  that  of  an  epidemic  of  smallpox.  He  finds 
the  astronomers  had  already  done  a  great  deal  of  pre- 
paratory work,  but  had  still  much  to  do  in  the  remaining 
five  days. 

"  The  party  from  England  consisted  of  Meldola,  Rey- 
nolds and  Dr.  Vogel.  Meldola  is  an  assistant  and  pupil 
of  Lockyer's  and  Reynolds  is  a  photographer  and  was 
assistant  to  Mr.  Warren  de  la  Rue  when  he  took  those 
stereoscopic  photos  of  the  moon  of  which  I  have  some 
copies    on    glass.  .  .  .     The    Indian    party    consisted    of 


ECLIPSE   OF  THE   SUN  181 

Captain  Waterhouse  (Indian  Survey  Dept.),  Mr.  A.  Pedlar, 
Professor  Tacchini,  and  I  suppose  I  may  add  myself. 
Pedlar  is  a  Lecturer  on  Chemistry  and  Spectrum  Analysis 
at  the  University  of  Calcutta  ;  Professor  Tacchini  is  the 
Astronomer  of  the  Royal  Observatory  at  Palermo." 

There  is  a  detailed  account  of  the  work  allotted  to  each 
member  of  the  party  and  of  the  instruments  used  : 

"  We  all  worked  very  hard  so  as  to  have  everything 
ready  by  the  day,  and  you  can  imagine  what  hard  work 
is  in  a  temperature  pretty  nearly  88°  to  93^ 


>0    55 


All  ships'  officers  are  pressed  into  service,  and  regular 
practice  persevered  in  : 

"  The  morning  of  the  Eclipse  was  the  clearest  we  had 
had,  and  the  moment  of  first  contact  (about  noon)  was 
taken  by  myself  and  by  Tacchini  in  splendid  weather, 
the  sun  being  only  1|  degrees  from  the  zenith.  Totality 
would  begin  about  20  minutes  past  1  and  last  about  4 
minutes  and  20  seconds — but  alas  !  about  20  minutes  to 
1  huge  black  clouds  came  up  and  covered  the  whole  of 
our  sky  down  to  a  few  degrees  from  the  horizon  without 
a  break.  It  continued  like  this  for  about  2|  hours,  so 
that  we  saw  absolutely  nothing  of  the  Totality  and  the 
accompanying  phenomena  we  had  come  so  far  for.  Of 
course  we  were  all  dreadfully  disappointed,  but  Dr.  Vogel 
made  us  laugh  by  the  way  he  showed  his  distress.  He 
said,  '  I  come  seven  thousand  miles,  I  get  spotted  like  a 
leopard  (prickly  heat),  I  sweat  myself  to  death,  and  all 
for  noting— G—d  d— n,  G— d  d— n,  G— d  d— n  !  " 

Loder's  intention  had  been  to  concentrate  his  work  on 
the  observation  of  the  corona — its  extent,  shape,  colour 
and  structure,  and  to  detect  the  extension,  if  any,  in  the 
direction  of  Mercury,  Venus  and  Saturn. 

March  7th. — Elsewhere  when  at  Calcutta  he  makes 
interesting  notes  about  astronomical  telescopes.  One  at 
Paris  of  immense  proportions 


182  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

"  is  being  made,  commenced  in  1865  by  M.  Leon  Foucault, 
but  the  latter' s  death  and  the  Franco- German  War  1870- 
71  interrupted  the  work,  which  was  subsequently  resumed 
under  the  direction  of  M.  Wolf.  ...  Its  aperture  will 
be  6  ft.  6  in.  and  its  length  49  ft.  The  mirror  will  be  of 
glass  faced  with  gold  on  silver.  The  telescope  will  be 
provided  with  a  movable  staircase.  Lord  Rosse's  tele- 
scope has  an  aperture  of  6  ft.,  but  the  mirror  is  of  specu- 
lum metal.  He  calculates  that  a  '  silver  on  glass  '  mirror 
of  a  diameter  of  6  ft.  6  in.  should  exceed  a  6  ft.  metal  one 
in  hght-grasping  power  in  the  proportion  of  3  to  2.  The 
largest  refractor  in  the  world  is  at  Washington,  U.S.,  and 
has  an  aperture  of  26  in,  A  silvered  mirror  of  6  ft.  6  in. 
should  exceed  this  in  light-grasping  power  about  6|  times." 

The    end    of   April    finds   Loder    at    Rangoon    and    on 
May  10th  he  WTites  from  Moulmein  a  guest  of  Col.  Hamil- 
ton, the  Inspector-General  of  Police  ;   a  Major  Twynham 
lives  with  him.     Space  does  not  allow  me  to  quote  much 
from  him  with  regard  to  his  experience  in  Burmah.     He 
again  is  disappointed  about  getting  shooting  ;    he  is  told 
he  can  get  bison  in  the  Toungou  district  by  going  twelve 
to  seventeen  days  up  a  river  fearful  for  mosquitoes,  and 
that   he   will   have   to    shoot   from    and   with   elephants. 
"  Now  this  is  not  the  shooting  I  wanted,"  he  writes,  and 
all  keen  sportsmen  and  stalkers  will  sympathise  with  him. 
The  subjects  he  deals  with  are  extraordinarily  numerous  : 
the    ingenuity    of   bamboo    scaffolding    for    building    the 
pagodas  ;    the  construction  of  pagodas  ;    elephants  in  the 
timber  yards  ;     beetles  ;    the  best  arrangements  in  case 
of  fire    at    Whittlebury ;     fire    engines    versus    hydrauis  ; 
mining  in  America  ;    astronomical  object  glasses  ;     allu- 
sions to  Pelham's  behef  in  spirituahsm,  with  an  exposure 
of  manifestations  and  a  detailed  explanation  of  the  tricks 
of  "  spirit-photos  "  ;    EcHpse  expeditions  ;    a  detailed  ac- 
count   of   such  tropical  fruits  as  mangoes,   mangosteen, 
dorian,  etc.,  of  which  he  has  no  very  high  opinion  ;  ^   caves 
near  Moulmein,  and  much  else. 

1  "  A  fine  pear,  muscat  grapes,  peaches,  nectarines,  apricots  are  all 
far  finer  in  flavour  than  anything  I  have  come  across  out  here." 


BURMA  183 

At  Moulmein  he  stayed  with  a  Colonel  Brown  (the 
Commissioner).  When  in  the  Nicobars  Loder  had  made 
friends  with  the  Rev.  I.  Mackay,  a  missionary  and  an 
experienced  traveller. 

"  The  Rev.  I.  Mackay,  who  went  down  with  me  to 
Carmorta,  had  stayed  with  Colonel  Brown  here  and  had 
told  him  about  me,  .  .  .  Mr.  Mackay  and  Colonel  Brown 
were  at  school  together  in  Scotland,  and,  although  Mackay 
was  eight  years  at  Penang  and  twenty- eight  years  alto- 
gether out  here  and  Colonel  Brown  thirty-five  years, 
they  never  met  since  their  schooldays  till  the  other  day. 
General  Stewart  at  Port  Blair  was  also  in  their  class  at 
school,  and  Colonel  Brown  has  never  seen  him  out  here 
either.  Colonel  Brown  I  like  very  much  ;  he  is  in  '  a 
capital  state  of  preservation  '  considering  that  he  has  been 
knocking  about  in  the  tropics  for  thirty-five  years." 

On  his  way  to  Rangoon  he  makes  some  observations 
on  the  political  situation  in  Burma.  One  of  his  fellow- 
passengers  was 

"  Captain  Cooke,  the  English  Political  Agent  up  at  Bhamo 
(beyond  Mandalay),  near  where  Margery  was  murdered  the 
other  day.  ...  I  shall  not  be  surprised  if  there  is  a 
war  with  the  King  of  Burmah,  as  he  seems  to  have  been 
at  the  bottom  of  the  murder.  If  it  had  not  been  for  this 
disturbance  I  might  have  taken  a  run  up  the  Irawadi 
as  far  as  Mandalay.  .  .  .  Except  that  the  trip  is  so  very 
easily  made  it  would  hardly  be  worth  doing,  as  Mandalay 
is  one  of  the  hottest  places  on  the  earth.  It  will  very 
likely  be  hotter  there  before  long  [and  it  was].  .  .  . 
Colonel  Brown  tells  me  that  the  King  of  Siam  is  a  very 
intelligent  young  fellow  and  speaks  English — he  was 
stajdng  in  this  very  house  not  very  long  ago. 

"  I  expect  the  Eclipse  party  that  went  to  Bankok  must 
have  had  a  very  good  time  of  it  (if  they  saw  the  Eclipse), 
as  the  King  of  Siam  had  especially  invited  scientific  men 
to  come  there  for  it." 

There   is   much    in   these   letters   about   his   brothers', 
Alfred  and  Reginald,   athletic  successes.     He   alludes  to 
13 


184  A  PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

Alfred's  "  splendid  triumph"  in  the  Inter- Varsity  Hurdles, 
and  proceeds  : 

"It  is  curious  that  Alfred  got  second  for  the  Long  Jump 
at  Cambridge  with  19  ft.  4  in.  when  he  did  not  want  his  blue 
for  this  as  he  had  already  got  it  for  two  other  events,  and 
/  who  would  have  given  anything  for  even  a  second  place 
could  never  get  it  although  I  covered  the  same  distance.  .  .  . 
I  beat  (at  the  Champion  Meeting)  Bergman,  who  had  done 
22  ft.  4  in.  at  Oxford,  also  Ferguson,  who  had  done  22  ft.  1  in. 
at  Woolwich.  Although  Alfred  was  not  successful  in  the 
High  Jump,  everyone  must  think  his  5  ft.  5|  in.  in  London 
a  first-class  performance.  I  cannot  think  what  makes  them 
put  up  obstacles  instead  of  hurdles  in  the  Champion  Meet- 
ing. Of  course  it  was  dead  against  Alfred's  chance,  as  he 
has  the  trick  of  rapping  hurdles  with  his  knee,  which, 
although  it  does  no  harm  (with  ordinary  hurdles)  in  the  race 
itself,  of  course  leads  to  a  stiff  knee  for  a  week  or  so  after- 
wards." 

These  extracts  show  his  keenness  in  his  brother's  suc- 
cesses and  many  passages  in  these  letters  home  display  a 
constant  turning  of  his  thoughts  to  every  member  of  his 
family.  Affectionate  messages,  the  remembrance  of  birth- 
days— love  to  all,  "  not  forgetting  the  little  ones  " — keep 
one  reminded  of  his  affectionate  nature.  He  is  always  on 
the  look-out  for  presents  suited  to  the  many  relations  and 
friends  whom  he  never  seems  to  forget. 

At  the  beginning  of  June  Loder  is  at  Labuan — ''  this 
beastly  place  (beastly  in  every  sense,  with  its  stinks  and 
swamps)." 

"  I  do  not  think  any  of  you  will  be  able  to  make  out  what 
part  of  the  world  I  am  in  now.  Even  if  I  had  put  Deli 
instead  of  Labuan  I  do  not  think  you  would  have  been  much 
the  wiser.  Take  a  map  showing  Penang  and  Summatra. 
On  the  east  coast  of  Summatra  about  150  miles  S.W.  of 
Penang  you  mil  find  Deli  marked  as  a  tovm — but  Deli  is 
really  the  name  of  the  district  and  Labuan  the  name  of  the 
town.  ...  I  have  to  find  out  everything  myself.  First 
I  have  to  learn  the  Malay  language,  which  I  thinlc  I  shall 


SUMATRA  185 

easily  do.  .  .  .  Very  little  is  known  of  Summatra  except 
perhaps  to  the  Dutch  officials."  * 

Loder  had  gone  to  Sumatra  in  the  hope  of  getting 
elephants  and  rhinoceros.  The  Sumatran  rhinoceros  {R. 
[ceratorhinus]  sumatrensis)  is  the  only  Asiatic  rhinoceros 
with  two  horns,  and,  though  differing  from  the  African,  is 
probably  one  of  the  intermediate  forms  between  African  and 
Asian  species.  With  local  variations  it  is  found  in  the 
Malay  Peninsula,  Borneo,  Burma,  and  into  Assam.  A 
distinct  one-horned  variety  is  found  in  Java  {R.  sondaicus) 
and  also  I  believe  in  Eastern  Bengal,  Assam,  and  the  Malay 
Peninsula.  I  possess  a  description  with  plates  of  the  Suma- 
tran rhinoceros  by  a  Mr.  William  Bell  (read  before  the  Royal 
Society  ?),  January  10th,  1793,  "  which  was  shot  with  a 
leaden  ball  from  a  musket  about  10  miles  from  Fort 
Marlborough."  There  is  also  a  Sumatran  tapir  found  in 
Wellington  Province.  In  this  letter  from  Labuan  Loder 
gives  a  description  of  his  Penang  experiences  when  he 
stayed  with  Mr.  Mackay. 

The  view  from  Penang  Hill 

"  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  varied  and  beautiful  I  have 
ever  seen.  The  foliage  in  the  foreground  is  splendid  ;  then 
below  the  town  and  shipping,  steamers,  barks,  Malay  and 

^  I  am  under  the  impression  that  the  British  and  subsequent  Dutch 
campaigns  in  Sumatra  lasted  continuously  for  some  fifty  years,  and  that 
up  to  the  end  of  the  last  century  the  interior  was  largely  unconquered  and 
unknown.  I  travelled  in  the  late  nineties  with  Greneral  Sir  Power  Palmer, 
then  Conunander-in-Chief  in  India ;  and  telling  him  that  one  or  two  of 
my  Dutch  friends  had  been  killed  in  these  wars  and  that  I  could  not  under- 
stand why  the  Dutch  did  not  finish  it  off,  he  gave  me  a  most  extraordinary 
account  of  the  fighting  there  hitherto  and  of  the  insuperable  difficulties  of 
jungle  and  climate.  As  a  young  soldier  he  had  fought  in  Svunatra ;  the 
British  forces  then  were  a  most  curious  and  mixed  crowd,  armed  with  all 
sorts  of  weapons  and  muzzle-loaders.  The  fighting  took  place  in  dense 
jungle  and  forest,  and  was  always  hand-to-hand  or  close-range  fighting  of 
the  most  appallingly  sanguinary  description.  I  think  he  said  in  all  the 
manyfighta  he  took  part  in  100  yards  was  the  outside  distance  separating 
the  comlDatants.  This  went  on  continually  from  year  to  year  during  the 
months  when  campaigning  was  possible,  and  between  each  campaign  the 
paths  cleared  and  jungle  broken  through  the  year  before  were  rechoked 
with  jungle  and  the  foe  only  reached  by  doing  the  work  over  again. 


186  A  PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

Chinese  junks,  a  finely  coloured  sea  (at  night  more  brilliantly 
phosphorescent  than  any  other),  and  only  a  mile  or  so  across 
is  the  land  of  the  Malay  Peninsula,  on  which  not  far  away 
is  a  sharp  peaked  hill,  5,500  feet  high,  and  then  again 
beyond  one  or  two  high  ranges  of  mountains  (unmeasured, 
but  from  9,000  to  11,000  ft.) — then  scattered  about  in  the 
straits  are  several  lovely  coloured,  small,  irregular-shaped 
islands,  so  that,  though  there  is  nothing  grand  about  it,  it 
is  as  charming  a  bit  of  scenery  as  one  can  imagine." 

He  gives  also  an  account  of  an  extraordinary  rainbow 
and  sunset  he  saw  from  the  garden  of  Government  House 
when  with  the  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Anson.  "  We  saw  on  this 
evening  some  of  the  most  vivid  greens  I  ever  remember  to 
have  seen  in  a  sky." 

He  got  to  Labuan  in  a  very  dirty  tug-boat  crowded  with 
coolies  and  natives.  He  is  not  at  all  welcomed  by  the  Chief 
Resident  Official  at  that  time,  the  Comptroller,  and  does 
not  know  where  on  earth  to  put  up,  but  gets  into  a  Chinese 
shop  with  a  fellow-passenger. 

"  I  had  my  own  bedding  and  mosquito  curtains  with 
me,  so  could  manage  almost  anywhere  ;  my  boy  (Chinese) 
cooked  us  a  dinner  and  at  night  we  slept  over  the  shop  m  a 
storeroom  amid  all  sorts  of  curious  smells,  still  I  slept  very 
well  ...  I  have  slept  in  many  curious  places,  but  none 
more  so  than  this.  On  a  bunk  close  to  my  side  slept  one 
Chinaman,  in  another  were  two  Chinamen  smokmg  opmm, 
further  away  slept  two  more  dittos,  and  my  boy  and  one  or 
two  more  slept  on  the  floor  mixed  up  with  all  kinds  of  curious 
stores.  I  don't  much  care  about  this  sort  of  thmg,  and 
want  to  get  out  of  the  place  for  many  reasons.  I  want  to 
see  the  country  and  get  some  shooting  ...  the  water  here 
is  very  bad  and  cholera  has  been  common  enough." 

He  makes  a  sound  remark  about  cholera  :  "  The  Sultan 
has  forbidden  fruit  to  be  sold,  but  I  think  he  would  have 
done  better  to  have  enforced  the  use  of  filters,"  for  when 
water  is  well  boiled  and  filtered  and  all  food  thoroughly 
cooked  cholera  disappears  at  once.  For  days  he  makes 
efforts.  He  gets  no  further  forward  with  the  Dutch 
Comptroller  : 


RHINOCEROS  AND  ELEPHANTS  187 


t« 


I  tried  him  all  ways,  but  he  beat  me.  He  does  not 
look  as  if  he  ever  had  been  or  could  be  in  a  hurry  or  under- 
stand how  anybody  else  can — he  sees  people  on  business 
from  8  a.m.  to  9  a.m.  and  then  I  think  sleeps  the  rest  of 
the  day." 

The  days  pass  and  the  delay  "  is  against  the  grain  alto- 
gether," yet  he  finds  plenty  to  admire  in  foliage  and 
scenery  and  mountains  in  his  daily  walks  along  the  only 
road — he  remarks  on  sky-blue  and  scarlet  mud  crabs. 

"  I  have  always  thought  that  there  were  two  species  of 
rhinoceros  here,  one  with  a  single  horn  and  the  other  with 
two."  He  questions  the  natives — "  they  do  not  seem  to 
know  anything  about  a  double-horned  one,  but  speak  of 
black  and  white  ones,  both  single  horned.  The  white  they 
call  the  '  tiger  rhinoceros '  because  he  is  so  savage,  and  they 
say  he  will  charge  as  soon  as  he  smells  a  man.  There  are 
also  said  to  be  lots  of  bears,  also  quantities  of  '  wild  pigs  ' 
and  deer.  It  is  astonishing  how  much  game  there  is  said 
to  be  in  a  country  just  before  one  gets  there." 

After  a  week's  fretting  the  Asst.  Resident,  Mr.  Halewijn, 
and  the  Sultan  of  Deli  turn  up,  and  the  former  invites  him 
to  stay  with  him,  and  his  immediate  troubles  are  at  an  end  ; 
and  hope  rises,  for  the  Sultan  has  ordered  a  Chief  Deli 
Toewa  with  ten  of  his  men  to  take  him  and  his  baggage 
into  an  elephant  country.  The  Chief  is  half  Malay  and 
half  Batack.  The  Hill  Batacks  are  still  cannibal  and  he 
fears  he  will  not  be  allowed  into  their  country.  But  the 
Chief  sends  a  message  back  that  "  he  wants  four  days  and 
that  his  mother  has  died  of  cholera,"  so  Mr.  Halewijn  gives 
him  a  pony  and  seven  convicts  to  get  him  to  Godong 
Djohore,  where  he  sees  the  Chief,  who  says  he  never  re- 
ceived or  sent  any  message  and  made  out  that  he  had  only 
two  men  !  Loder  armed  with  authority  told  him  to  send 
his  men  into  the  jungle  to  look  for  signs  of  elephant. 
He  thinks  nothing  was  done,  but  two  or  three  days 
after  the  Chief  sends  a  message  that  they  had  been  a  long 
way  and  had  found  no  traces  of  elephants.     Loder  at  last 


188  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

makes  up  his  mind  that  the  Batacks  are  very  much  afraid 
of  big  game  and  abominably  lazy  and  liars.  "  I  am  a  sort 
of  prisoner  and  can  neither  get  back  or  forw^ards  without 
coolies.  With  people  like  these  lazy,  lying  scoundrels  it  is 
impossible  to  do  anything,"  and  the  chance  of  reaching 
elephants  or  anything  else  sinks.  He  walks  over  to  the 
estate  of  Mr.  H.  Leyssuis,  "  the  furthest  limit  of  cultiva- 
tion," beyond  which  there  is  no  disturbed  country  ;  he 
stays  with  the  manager,  a  Mr.  Taylor,  and  with  his  help 
arranged  with  the  Chief  to  go  after  buffaloes,  probably 
bantin  {Bos  sondaicus) — in  the  early  morning.  Taylor  and 
he  wait  till  midday  at  the  rendezvous.  The  Chief  did  not 
like  wild  buffaloes  and  had  never  meant  to  come.  There  is 
a  chance  of  seeing  elephants  out  in  the  grass,  but  though  they 
are  often  seen  Loder  says,  "  I  do  not  know  that  I  should  be 
able  to  get  up  near,  as  this  sort  of  grass  is  often  very  much 
matted  together  and  any  length  from  4  ft.  to  12  ft.  high." 
He  has  beautiful  views  of  mountains,  but  neither  he  nor 
anyone  else  can  go  there  as  the  Batacks  are  not  to  be 
trusted. 

He  gives  a  long  account  of  the  tobacco  plantations  and 
of  the  tobacco.  "  Here  the  tobacco  grows  6  ft.  high,  and 
some  of  the  leaves  have  been  measured  2  ft.  3  in.  long  and 
1  ft.  wide  and  as  soft  and  pliable  as  kid. 

"  Mr.  Halewijn  I  like  very  much  and  he  has  been  very 
kind  to  me."  Loder  writes  home  to  try  and  find  a  nice 
English  family  for  his  two  boys  and  suggests  several 
clergymen.  "  I  really  should  very  much  like  to  do  this  in 
return  for  his  kindness  to  me." 

May  29th  ;  at  Halewijn's. — "  Wine,  beer  and  iced  water 
were  drunk  and  cigars  smoked  for  an  hour  or  so  before 
dinner  at  8  p.m.  Dress  :  White  linen  trousers  and  waist- 
coat, black  morning  coat,  black  tie  and  white  kid  or  silk 
gloves  ! " 

Wliilst  making  his  way  alone  up  the  river  from  Clumbia 
in  his  sampan  he  arrives  on  Sunday,  June  13th,  8.30  at 
night,  at  a  Dutchman's  plantation  and  walks  up  (with 
fresh  elephant  tracks  in  the  road)  to  the  house  (1-|  miles). 


RUDE  AND   INHOSPITABLE  CONDUCT         189 

The  owner  of  the  estate,  Mr.  Westerveld,  kindly  gave  him 
a  bed  and  said  his  things  should  be  brought  up  the  next 
morning.  This  Mr.  Westerveld  shall  have  the  special 
distinction  of  a  unique  record,  that  of  rude  and  inhospitable 
conduct  towards  Loder  during  his  long  months  of  travel. 
Loder  had  been  one  day  in  this  most  likely  neighbourhood, 
and  the  following  is  his  entry  in  his  diary  : 

"  June  15th.     Tuesday. — Raining  hard.  .  .  . 

"  At  noon  Mr.  Westerveld  returned  from  Mr.  De  Mum- 
ick's  place  (two  hours'  distant).     We  spoke  a  few  words 
about  the  rain,  etc.,  and  then  his  manner  to  me  quite  altered  ; 
he  took  a  turn  to  the  other  end  of  the  verandah  and  then 
came  up  to   me  and    said    quite  roughly :    '  I   saw  two 
elephants  by  the  river  this  morning  ;    why  were  you  not 
there  to  shoot  them  ?     You  say  you  come  here  to  shoot 
elephants — it's   all   humbug,  it's  all  humbug.     My  house 
is  not  an  hotel.     I  think  it's  best  you  go  out  of  this  at  once.' 
I  was  of  course  very  much  astonished  at  this  outbreak  and 
said  that  if  I  had  had  the  slightest  idea  that  my  being  at 
his  house  annoyed  him  I  should  not  have  stayed  a  moment. 
I  told  him  that  I  considered  it  very  kind  of  him  to  have  put 
me  up  at  all  and  I  had  only  stayed  on  during  Monday  at 
his  own  invitation.     Only  the  day  before  when  he  told  me 
that  he  should  be  starting  for  Penang  on  Wednesday  and  I 
said  I  should  go  on  up  the  river  then,  he  said,  '  Oh,  don't 
let  my  going  away  make  any  difference.     You  must  shoot 
an  elephant  here  ;   my  assistant  will  look  after  you  when  I 
have  gone.'     I  had  declined  this,  saying  that  my  time  was 
too  short,  that  I  could  not  stop  longer  than  that.     Mr.  W.'s 
whole  conduct  to  me  on  Monday  was  most  friendly — a  com- 
plete contrast  to  that  of  this  morning,  than  which  nothing 
could  have  been  more  violent  and  offensive.     I  called  my 
servant  at  once  and  told  him  to  pack  up  my  things  and  I 
went  myself  and  said  good-bye  to  Mr.  W.,  thanking  him 
for  his  kindness  to  me  on  the  day  before  and  saying  how 
sorry  I  was  that  any  unpleasantness  had  arisen  between 
us.     He  also  said  good-bye  and  '  perhaps  I  make  a  mistake, 
perhaps  I  make  a  mistake.'     But  as  soon  as  I  was  out  of  the 
gate  at  the  front  of  the  house  my  servant  tells  me  he  came 
into  the  room  where  my  things  were  and  ordered  them  all 
to  be  taken  out  of  the  house  at  once,  had  them  put  outside, 


190  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

saying,  '  I  can't  stand  this  any  more.'  I  went  to  his 
assistant's  house  to  say  good-bye  and  told  him  about  it,  but 
he  could  not  understand  it  all.  At  the  village  I  hired  a 
sampan  at  twice  the  proper  fare  ($11)  to  take  me  to  Mr. 
Waller's  house,  and  had  my  things  brought  down.  Went  to 
see  the  place  quite  near  to  where  the  elephants  had  torn 
up  huge  cocoanut  trees  the  night  before,  close  to  the  road. 
Slept  in  my  sampan  ;  millions  of  mosquitoes — outside  my 
mosquito  net." 

To  those  of  us  who  have  lived  in  hot  countries  and  the 
Low  Veldt  and  have  met  the  queer  characters  that  are  pro- 
duced by  fevers,  perpetual  heat  and  sometimes  by  drink, 
there  is  nothing  strange  at  all  in  Mr.  W.'s  conduct.  With 
the  Dutch  perhaps  more  than  ourselves  neurasthenia  often 
manifests  itself  in  exaggerated  suspicion  or  outrage — 
such  outbreaks  are  common  among  all  whites,  and  these 
scenes  are  as  unaccountable  to  the  possessors  of  debilitated 
nerves  as  to  their  victims.  A  very  little  thing  will  provoke 
in  an  otherwise  kind  nature  a  quite  diabolical  nastiness — a 
word,  a  loud  voice,  a  laugh  ;  but  to  young  Edmund  Loder's 
sensitive  nature  such  an  experience  would  be  distressing  and 
perplexing.  I  myself  once  stayed  with  a  German  and  two 
good-natured  Englishmen  in  the  Transvaal  Low  Veldt, 
not  far  from  the  Portuguese  East  African  frontier,  who  were 
pals  by  day,  but  who  at  night  would  shout  and  fight  like 
fiends,  and  often  went  off  their  heads  with  or  without 
whisky  over  the  most  trivial  differences  and  petty 
jealousies. 

Loder  returns  to  Labuan  after  three  weeks'  failure,  and 
one  night  at  dinner  at  Mr.  Halewijn's  he  meets  some 
planters  who  all  agreed  that  there  were  lots  of  elephants  in 
the  Longkat  district ;  and  with  one  of  these  named  Lorcke 
he  sails  in  a  sampan  (native  boat)  for  Columbia,  and  has 
a  somewhat  risky  voyage.  The  sampan  is  "  a  very  large 
canoe  made  out  of  a  single  tree  with  a  bamboo  mast  with 
rattan  cane  rigging — not  at  all  safe  in  squally  weather," 
and  they  had  more  wind  than  was  nice.  On  the  second  day 
they  get  through  the  surf,  leave  the  sea  and  start  up  the 


HUNTING  DIFFICULTIES  191 

Longkat  River,  and  "  never  before  or  since  have  I  seen  so 
many  mosquitoes."  At  Columbia  he  changes  into  a  smaller 
sampan  and  proceeds  seventy  miles  very  slowly  up-stream 
alone  and  passes  the  nights  at  planters'  houses. 

"  At  one  of  these  houses  I  met  a  man  of  the  name  of 
Captain  Murray,  who  is  also  trying  for  elephants"  (and 
who  had  recently  got  near  them).  "  As  soon  as  the 
Batacks  carrying  his  water  bottle  and  cartridges  saw  them 
they  threw  down  their  loads,  shouted  and  ran  off  !  " — and 
so  did  the  elephants. 

He  gives  a  curious  account  of  this  man's  life  and  of 
his  adventures  from  boyhood,  which  included  being  shot 
through  the  knee  and  shoulder  in  trying  to  run  a  ship 
he  commanded  (without  a  captain's  certificate)  through  the 
blockade  at  Charlestown,  driving  a  water-cart  in  South 
America,  going  to  the  gold-fields  in  Australia,  getting  his 
nose  broken  in  a  row  there,  commanding  a  Japanese  man- 
of-war,  and  "  now  he  builds  small  steamers  in  England  and 
brings  them  out  here  and  sells  them  in  Penang,  Singapore, 
Hong-Kong,  etc." 

Loder  got  amongst  the  elephants,  but  never  saw  any, 
yet  heard  them  one  very  dark  night  close  to  "  breaking 
down  huge  cocoanut  trees  within  seventy  yards  "  of  the 
river  bank  under  which  he  was  sleeping.  He  and  Murray 
agreed  to  hunt  together,  but  the  whole  thing  was  "  a  mass 
of  difficulties."  Batacks  would  not  carry,  the  guide  would 
not  go  in  front;  they  worked  chiefly  by  compass;  the  leeches 
were  dreadful ;  sandflies  penetrate  mosquito  curtains, 
sleep  is  impossible ;  they  suffer  from  thirst  and  the  water  is 
never  safe,  especially  with  cholera  about — he  alone  of  the 
party  escapes  fever.  One  day  from  7  a.m.  to  7  p.m.  they 
struggle  through  the  jungle.  "  You  can  hardly  imagine 
what  that  means  in  that  climate,  in  the  strong,  heavy 
canvas  clothes  one  is  obliged  to  wear  on  account  of  the 
thorns  of  the  rattan  cane." 

Abandoning  this  work,  he  tries  to  catch  elephants  coming 
to  the  plantations  to  feed  on  the  plantains  ;    forty  came 


192  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

just  before  their  arrival.  "  They  did  not  come  again 
during  my  stay."  At  last  he  gives  it  up,  and  getting  a 
sampan  for  himself  leaves  Murray  and  makes  his  way  down 
a  river,  and  so  in  his  sampan  to  Labuan  and  via  Penang 
he  goes  to  Singapore,  taking  with  him  as  the  result  of  five 
weeks'  desperate  work  "  three  monkey  skins,  one  monkey's 
skull  and  the  skin  and  skull  of  a  flying  fox,  the  ears  of  which 
insects  had  eaten  off."  He  saw  several  "  huge  alligators," 
but  did  not  shoot  any.  On  his  way  to  Singapore  he  makes 
friends  with  a  Colonel  Sladen  (he  met  him  first  at  Moulmein) 
— "  I  like  him  very  much."  He  arrives  at  Singapore 
June  30th.  "  I  see  to-day  by  a  paper  that  Lord  Ranfurly 
has  died  in  Africa,  where  he  had  gone  to  shoot  elephants." 
I  must  pass  over  a  great  deal,  but  may  note  a  few 
experiences  in  Java. 

In  a  letter  posted  July  27th  at  Buitenzorg  he  describes 
Batavia  (which  he  sees  with  a  M.  Roviniski,  a  Russian  with 
whom  he  had  struck  up  a  friendship),  Cheribon,  the  vol- 
canic cone  of  Cherimai  (9,000  feet),  Saumarang,  with  four 
volcanoes  in  sight  (all  just  under  or  over  10,000  feet).    From 
Soerahaya  he  drove  forty  m.iles  to  Passoeroewan  (Pas-er-u- 
an).     "  The  posting  in  Java  is  very  good."     He  did  the 
forty  miles  in  4f  hours  at  a  cost  of  25  guldens  (about  £2). 
One  has  four  ponies  kept  on  the  gallop  the  whole  time, 
seven  relays,  and  losing  a  great  deal  of  time  at  each  change. 
Pasereyan  he  reaches  by  driving,  and  rides  on  to  Tosari 
(5,700  feet).     People  constantly  come  up  here  for  a  change 
of  climate — and  get  it,  for  the  thermometer  went  down  at 
night  to  46°  F.  under  his  verandah.       He  rides  with   a 
Dutch  family  to  Tengg-er — three  volcanoes  in  sight  all  tlie 
way,  including   Se-Mero  (11,000  feet).     Loder  carries  on 
conversation  with  a  few  Dutch  words,  some  Malay  words 
and  a  good  many  German.    He  gives  a  very  graphic  account 
(sent  with  maps)  of  Tengg-er,  comparing  it  to  a  lunar  land- 
scape, and  says  of  the  Sand  Sea  Crater  (four  miles  diameter) 
if  it  had  not  been  for  trees  within  the  inner  side  of  the  wall 
"  I  could  have  fancied  myself  in  the  moon."     In  the  Sand 
Sea  (grey  ash)  four  small  volcanoes  rise  out  of  the  enor- 


VOLCANOES  193 

mous  soup-plate  crater.  "  Batack  is  an  exceedingly  per- 
fect cone  800  feet  above  the  plain,  Bromo  is  still  occasionally 
active  and  has  not  preserved  its  perfect  shape."  He 
climbs  up  Bromo  and  looks  do^\Tl  into  the  crater  (about 
1,000  ft.  diam..). 

In  The  Geographical  Magazine  for  April  1921,  p.  311,  is  a 
brief  notice  of  recent  accounts  given  of  these  volcanoes  by 
Dr.  W.  van  Bemmelen,  the  Director  of  the  Batavian 
Observatory,  under  the  heading  "  Volcano  Studies  in  the 
East  Indian  Archipelago,"  which  puts  down  the  depth  at 
400  ft.  in  1875  ;  in  1838,  1,500  ft.  ;  and  in  1844,  1,000  ft. 
"  It  puffed  off  a  good  deal  of  smoke,  steam  and  sulphur 
while  I  looked  into  it,  but  there  have  been  no  explosions 
or  eruptions  very  lately." 

At  the  end  of  his  description,  Loder  remarks,  "  All  this  is 
most  interesting  to  me  from  its  likeness  to  a  lunar  land- 
scape," and  begs  them  to  look  at  Nasmyth's  plates  of  the 
moon.  '•  The  lunar  crater  Copernicus  is  56  miles  in 
diameter  and  about  10,000  feet  deep.  You  might  inquire 
in  London  if  there  is  no  book  describing  this  great  crater 
Tengg-er." 

In  the  same  letter  he  writes  : 

"  I  have  seen  a  lot  in  the  sporting  papers  during  the  last 
ten  months  or  so  about  a  new  system  of  boring  guns  by 
which  they  say  that  the  shot  is  thrown  much  closer  and 
with  greater  penetration,  giving  altogether  an  improve- 
ment of  about  40  per  cent.  Have  any  people  we  know  tried 
these  new  barrels  yet  ?  I  quite  agree  with  what  Mr.  Grant 
Duff  says  (in  Wayside  Notes)  about  the  Taj.  j\Ir.  Ruskin 
should  come  out  to  see  it  and  describe  it.  It  is  a  pity  Lord 
B}Ton  did  not  see  it ;  he  has  done  well  enough  with 
St.  Peter's  in  Rome  in  '  Childe  Harold  '  towards  the  end 
of  the  Canto  .  .  ." 

He  has  recommended  in  his  letters  a  good  many  books 
to  his  family — 

"  but  I  never  heard  that  you  ever  looked  at  them.  Now 
I  am  going  to  give  you  another — Veronique,  by  Florence 
Marryat ;    the   novel  is   perhaps  not  worth  much  for  its 


194  A  PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

story,  but  the  descriptions  of  Indian  life,  natives,  the 
Neilgherry  Hills  are,  and  the  Ufehke  (though  not  to  them 
agreeable)  caricatures  of  Anglo-Indians  are  better  than  any 
I  have  seen  elsewhere." 

He  discusses  sunsets — dismisses  Indian  ones  as  inferior 
to  English  ones  and  supposes  the  finest  are  to  be  seen  in 
Spain  and  Italy.  ^  He  tires  of  the  perpetual  dark-green 
foliage  of  the  East. 

"  I  have  seen  nothing  to  compare  yet,  for  diversity  of 
colouring,  to  one  of  our  Sussex  views  in  autumn.  I 
suppose  these  again  are  beaten  (for  foliage  colouring)  by 
the  autumn  woods  of  Canada." 

He  visits  from  Bandong  (16  miles)  the  double  crater  of 
Tankoban  Praoe.  It  is  like,  he  says,  a  figure  8,  and  he 
goes  down  (about  800  feet)  and  examines  one  of  the  two. 

"  Very  recently  the  whole  bottom  of  this  crater  must 
have  been  a  boiling  mud  lake  ;  the  mud  is  still  soft,  but  at 
present  there  are  only  a  few  boiling  mud  ponds.  The  dia- 
meter of  the  mud  floor  is  400  yards.  .  .  .  There  are  several 
places  where  sulphur  vapour  comes  out  of  holes  in  the 
earth — some  of  them  make  a  tremendous  noise  like  a  boiler 
blowing  off  steam.  The  distance  across  the  two  craters 
from  lip  to  lip  may  be  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter.  I  did 
not  go  down  the  other  crater,  as  there  was  too  much  sulphur 
vapour  coming  out  of  it.  At  times  it  came  out  in  huge 
clouds  covering  the  whole  mountain.  My  gold  chain  and 
all  the  silver  money  I  had  turned  quite  black.  The  ride 
up  the  mountain  was  through  the  most  beautiful  tropical 
foliage  I  have  yet  seen,  tree  ferns  in  great  quantities  and 
the  forest  trees  all  covered  with  orchids  and  creepers  of  a 
thousand  different  kinds.  ...  I  consider  this  volcano 
a  very  excellent  specimen." 

Years  after  Loder  and  I  came  upon  volcanic  craters  and 

^  Having  seen  many  sunsets  in  European  countries,  Asia  and  Africa 
(North  and  South,  Equatorial,  and  East  Africa,  the  Sahara,  Sudan,  etc.), 
of  these  I  should  put  the  sunsets  twenty  to  eighty  miles  south  of  the  Atlas 
first,  British  East  African  second,  S.E.  African  third) — but  this  scale 
includes  light  and  colour  effects  on  the  earth  with  those  of  the  sky.  For 
sky  only,  England  is  hard  to  beat,  but  is  beaten,  I  think,  in  the  High- 
lands of  East   Africa. — A.  E.  P. 


IS   DAHATO   A  VOLCANIC   REGION?  195 

sulphur  springs  in  Dahato  (Abyssinian  Somaliland). 
Knowing  this  did  not  fit  with  Professor  Gregory's  accepted 
geological  theory  for  this  part  of  Africa,  I  wrote  a  paper  on 
the  subject  for  the  Royal  Geographical  Society.  The 
authorities  were  quite  incredulous  and  would  not  accept 
the  fact  of  anything  volcanic  in  that  region.  Had  I  ever 
seen  volcanoes  ?  Yes,  many.  And  been  close  to  them  ? 
Yes,  many,  active,  dead  and  intermittent,  and  been  up 
them  too.  Why  had  I  not  specimens  of  lava,  ash,  photo- 
graphs of  it,  pieces  of  lips,  etc.  ?  After  all,  if  you  assert 
you  have  seen  a  horse  you  do  not  bring  bits  of  him  to  sub- 
stantiate your  assertion.  Loder  was  immensely  amused  at 
my  not  being  credited  with  such  elementary  knowledge, 
and  still  more  astonished  that  he  himself,  rather  a  special- 
ist in  such  matters,  should  not  be  believed.  It  is  really 
best  not  to  report  things  sometimes. 

Loder  had  the  drive  of  his  life  on  what  he  calls  "  a 
most  tremendous  above  mentioning  road  "  from  Bandong 
to  Buitenzorg. 

"  Sometimes  the  post  cart  was  lei  down  a  hill  by  a  rope 
fastened  behind  and  made  fast  to  post  after  post  in  suc- 
cession. In  fifty  places  one  or  two  pair  of  bullocks  were 
put  in  front  of  four  or  six  horses  to  pull  up  ascents.  .  .  . 
Down  all  inclines  the  horses  were  made  to  go  full  gallop, 
swinging  round  corners  at  an  alarming  rate." 

During  a  very  near  thing  to  an  upset  and  a  smash  he  says : 

"  I  fully  expected  a  crash,  but  could  not  help  laughing 
at  the  absurd  way  a  native  on  the  front  seat  held  on.  The 
driver,  however,  did  the  best  thing  under  the  circumstances, 
i.e.  lashed  the  leaders  as  hard  as  he  could,  and  in  another 
100  yards  we  had  got  into  straight  running  again." 

He  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  the  view  from  the 
Belle  Vue  Hotel,  Buitenzorg,  is  "  without  exception  the 
most  beautiful  I  have  ever  seen,"  and  describes  it.^ 

1  His  brother,  Alfred  Loder,  was  of  opinion  that  this  view  was  the  most 
beautiful  in  the  world.  His  brother  Gerald  thought  the  panorama  known 
as  "Humboldt's  View"  in  Tenerifle  and  that  of  the  Snowy  Range  from 
Darjeeling  finer. 


196  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

His  travels  now  include  Saigon  (where  on  shipboard  he 
was  alarmingly  and  suddenly  ill — tried  to  get  to  the  doctor, 
but  fell  down  in  a  state  of  collapse — he  gets  over  the  worst 
quickly  and  wTites  :  "Men  are  generally  killed  by  or  get 
the  better  of  cholera  in  about  four  hours  !  Short  work  !  "), 
Hong-Kong,  Canton.  (At  Canton  he  meets  the  British 
Consul,  Sir  Brook  Robertson,  "  the  funniest  little  man  in 
the  world  to  look  at,  but  very  amusing  and  interesting 
.   .  .  they  say  he  weighs  80      )." 

"  Shanghai  (August  29th). — The  English  Concession 
has  really  a  very  striking  appearance.  Shanghai  was  only 
opened  a  comparatively  short  time  ago,  and  yet  the 
streets,  houses,  quay,  etc.,  are  as  substantial  and  well 
arranged  as  if  it  had  been  gradually  improving  two  or  three 
hundred  years."     (He  stayed  here  with  a  Mr.  Hansen.) 

When  he  and  Mr.  Hansen,  who  had  been  exploring  the 
native  town  one  evening,  turned  to  go  home  and  were  look- 
ing for  a  respectable  Chinaman  to  direct  them,  Loder  says  : 

^  "I  turned  suddenly  round  and  for  a  second  was  quite 
startled,  for  who  do  you  think  was  at  my  elbow  ?  The 
original  Chinese  giant  '  Chang,'  7  ft.  11  in.  high,  but 
looking  immense  in  those  little  streets  six  feet  wide.  He 
was  very  polite  and  speaks  English  very  well  and  showed 
us  the  way.  ..." 

At  Hankow  he  stays  with  a  Mr.  Evans  and  there  im- 
bibes a  great  deal  of  information  about  tea,  the  cultiva- 
tion and  trade — he  asserts  that  the  very  finest  parcels  of 
each  year  from  the  Hankow  district  (supposed  to  produce 
the  best  of  all)  are  bought  up  for  Russia.  "  England  gets 
none  of  this." 

He  describes  the  immense  examinations  at  Wu-Chang. 
It  is  partly  funny  to  think  of  10,000  candidates  for  the 
Public  Service  being  locked  up  in  what  Loder  describes 
"  very  much  like  wine  bins  "  for  the  whole  of  seven  days, 
taking  seven  days'  food  into  the  bins  with  them  ;  if  it 
happens  to  be  hot  weather  at  the  time,  "  numbers  of  the 
candidates  die."  He  is  very  much  impressed  with  the 
Court  of  the  Guild  of  Chinese  Merchants  at  Hankow,  and 


JAPAN  197 

gives  an  account  of  its  wonders  in  workmanship  and 
construction  and  ornamentation.  The  river  scenery  is 
fully  described — also  Kinkiang  and  a  fleet  of  "  thousands 
of  junks  at  anchor  waiting  for  cargoes." 

We  must,  however,  get  on  to  his  time  in  Japan — of 
it  he  says  on  September  17th  : 

"  I  enjoy  this  country  immensely  ;  the  pleasantest  to 
travel  in  of  any  that  I  have  yet  tried  ;  the  people  have 
such  polite  manners,  the  girls  are  so  good-looking,  every- 
body smiling  and  laughing  and  treating  life  generally  as 
if  it  was  the  greatest  joke  out." 

He  has  now  after  fifteen  months'  sight-seeing  under  a 
tropical  sun  got  rid  of  a  great  deal  of  his  restless  energy, 
and  admits  he  is  rather  boiled,  raggy,  and  limp. 

He  looks  at  Fusiama  (14,400  feet),  but  feels  no  inclination 
td  go  up  it. 

"  The  country  children  are  delightful ;  they  do  not 
run  away  and  pretend  to  be  shy  like  English  clodhoppers, 
or  behave  rudely  like  town-bred  brats,  but  if  you  take 
the  slightest  notice  of  them,  and  just  smile  in  passing,  they 
return  your  smile  with  a  smile,  your  bow  with  a  bow, 
and  all  in  the  most  gentlemanlike  or  ladylike  manner, 
and  do  it  probably  more  gracefully  than  if  they  had  been 
taught  by  the  best  posture  master  in  the  world.  The 
scenery  pleases  much  in  the  same  manner,  excepting 
Fusiama  and  one  or  two  more  volcanic  cones  ;  there  is 
nothing  grand  about  it,  but  pleasing  every  bit  of  it  is, 
and  that  is  just  the  word  for  it." 

In  answer  to  home  inquiries  as  to  whether  he  has  grown 
a  beard  and  what  he  is  like  he  quotes  a  long  piece  of 
Laura's  speech  to  Beppo  when  he  came  back,  after  six 
years'  silent  absence,  with  the  manners  and  dress  of  a 
Turk  : 

"  Now  Laura,  much  recover'd,  or  less  loth 
To  speak,  cries  '  Beppo  !   what's  your  pagan  name  ? 
Bless  me  !    your  beard  is  of  amazing  growth  ! 
And  how  came  you  to  keep  away  so  long  ? 
Are  you  not  sensible  'twas  very  wrong  ? 


198  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

"  '  And  are  you  really,  truly,  now  a  Turk  ? 
With  any  other  women  did  you  wive  ? 
Is't  true  they  use  their  fingers  for  a  fork  ? 
Well,  that's  the  prettiest  shawl  !   as  I'm  alive  ! 
You'll  give  it  me  ?     They  say  you  eat  no  pork. 
And  how  so  many  years  did  you  contrive 
To — Bless  me  !   did  I  ever  ?     No,  I  never 
Saw  a  man  grown  so  yellow  !     How's  your  liver  ? 

"  Beppo  !   that  beard  of  yours  becomes  you  not ; 
It  shall  be  shaved  before  you're  a  day  older  : 
Why  do  you  wear  it  ?     Oh  !   I  had  forgot — 
Pray  don't  you  think  the  weather  here  is  colder  ? '  " 

and  so  forth. 

"  3  a.m.  I  am  getting  abominably  sleepy,  but  must 
finish  this  to-night ;  I've  just  lit  my  seventh  cigarette 
in  the  last  two  hours,  but  it  is  no  go." 

Yet  at  this  hour  in  the  morning  he  gives  a  full  account 
of  Sir  Harry  and  Lady  Parkes.  Lady  Parkes'  lovely  hair, 
the  red  hair  of  the  best  part  of  a  dozen  children,  of  a 
walk  with  Sir  Harry  in  the  Tycoons'  wonderful  "  gar- 
denised  Park  " — discusses  home  news,  makes  estimates 
for  the  costs  of  running  deer  forests,  laments  over  the 
death  of  his  beloved  setter  "  Belle  "  and  begs  his  father 
to  get  him  a  pup  of  the  same  breed  and  colour  if  possible. 

To  his  brother  Wilfrid  in  another  letter  he  pours  out 
his  grief  about  poor  "  Belle  "  and  his  mind  is  evidently 
turned  homewards. 

"  How  is  it  I  never  hear  anything  bad  or  good  about 
that  chestnut  horse  I  was  riding  in  the  Park  just  before 
I  left.  What  sort  of  a  hunter  is  he  ?  I  am  a  little 
sorry  Cocktail  must  be  sold,  but  he  was  always  delicate 
and  must  be  sold  now.  I  should  like  to  have  just  three 
horses  as  good-looking  as  the  young  chestnut  and  as  good 
every  way  as  Cocktail." 

He  is  alarmed  at  the  prospect  of  his  mother's  mounting 
all  the  photographs  he  has  sent  home,  and  is  terrified 
they  \\Till  be  put  on  paper  or  cardboard  which  has  been 
bleached  white  with  chlorine.  "It  is  this  which  has  the 
most  to  say  in  the  matter  of  fading  photos.     Winsor  & 


LACQUER 


199 


Newton's  drawing  paper  is  all  made  out  of  white  rags 
washed  clean  before  being  pulped  ;  no  bleaching  matter  is 
used."  It  was  in  countless  little  matters  of  this  sort  even 
when  young  that  Loder's  practical  general  knowledge  was 
so  starthng.  He  pursues  this  subject,  describing  the  slight 
refermentation  of  paste  after  being  used  as  a  cause  of  fading 
in  photographs  ;  "  every  time  it  gets  a  Httle  moist  in  damp 
weather,  and  this  does  the  photo  no  good  in  the  long  run.' ' 
He  describes  Nagasaki,  Kobe,  Osaka,  Odowana — his 
voyage  from  Shanghai  in  the  Costa  Rica,  one  of  those 
*'  great  wooden  American  side  wheelers  with  M^alking  beam, 
very  comfortable."     He  discusses  Japanese  lacquer  : 

"  Lacquer  of  course  is  the  manufacture  of  Japan  ;  it 
is  really  the  Japanese  jewellery — but  it  is  no  use  bringing 
the  best  sorts  to  England,  as  no  one  is  connoisseur  enough 
to  appreciate  it.  Do  you  remember  a  little  curious-shaped 
lacquered  box  which  Capt.  Chatfield  had  down  at  the 
Beeches  and  tried  to  make  us  understand  was  something 
good  ;  but  I  do  not  thhik  any  of  us  saw  much  in  it  ? 
That  little  box  certainly  did  not  cost  less  than  £3  \0s. 
and  perhaps  double  that  sum.  I  just  boughc  a  little  case, 
gold  lacquered,  about  three  inches  square,  for  $13,  just 
as  a  specimen.  It  was  what  they  call  the  best  gold  lacquer, 
but  there  is  again  beyond  this  a  special  quality  which 
even  the  uninitiated  would  at  once  see  was  something 
superb.  I  saw  such  a  piece  to-day ;  it  was  a  small 
cabinet  perhaps  9  in.  X  6  in.  X  6  in.  ;  its  price  was  £75, 
but  it  certainly  was  wonderful  lacquer." 

His  travelling  in  China  and  Japan  was  done  rapidly, 
as  the  following  time-table  shows  : 

August  1875  : 

Saigon    .  .  .     August 

Hong-Kong 


Canton 

Hong-Kong 

Shanghai 

Kiu-Kiang 

Hankow  (and  Wachang) 

Kiu-Kiang 

14 


4th  to  6th. 

9th  to  10th. 
10th  to  13th. 
13th  to  17th. 
18th  to  21st. 
24th 
25th. 
29th. 


200  A    PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

Shanghai  .     August  29th  to  September  5th. 

Nagasaki  .     September  7th  to  8th. 

Hiogo      .  .  ,,  10th. 

Osaka     .  .  ,,  11th. 

Yokohama  .  ,,  14th. 

Odowana  .  „  20th. 

Totska  .  „  23rd. 

Yokohama  .  „  24th  to  26th. 

On  the  last  date  he  sailed  for  San  Francisco. 


He  carries  off  a  few  curios  and  gongs  from  Japan, 
Whilst  at  Yokohama  he  writes  : 

"  The  Rev.  Sholto  Douglas,  who  gave  me  or  rather 
tried  to  give  me  71  minutes  in  Madras  Cathedral  last 
February,  has  turned  up  here.  I  am  afraid  as  long  as  he 
and  I  remain  here  church  will  be  forbidden  fruit  for  m.e." 

The  sight  of  Douglas  seems  to  have  been  the  only  thing 
that  marred  the  complete  happiness  of  his  sojourn  in 
Japan. 

Loder  is  by  no  means  well  when  he  goes  on  board  the 
Great  Republic  on  September  26th,  and  is  still  ill  when 
he  lands  on  October  17th  at  San  Francisco  ;  but  he  goes 
on  to  Denver,  and  November  finds  him  once  more  with 
friends  in  the  old  quarters  at  HalVs  Gulch.  The  air  of 
the  Rockies  sets  him  up  and  he  is  soon  hunting  wapiti. 
This  time  he  sees  plenty  and  some  very  fine  ones,  but 
only  gets  two  and  the  better  of  these  is  nothing  very 
good.  This  second  hunting  trip  in  America  must  not 
keep  us  ;  it  differs  but  slightly  to  the  last,  and  we  shall 
find  him  again  hunting  wapiti  with  more  success  in  the 
Rockies. 

Writing  to  his  father  from  Hall's  Gulch  he  says  : 

"  I  will  try  my  best  to  get  some  live  wapiti,  and  if  we 
can  succeed  in  making  them  thrive  at  Whittlebury  I  do 
not  think  you  will  ever  regret  the  trouble  and  expense, 
which  no  doubt  will  be  considerable.     If  they  ever  grow 


THE   UNITED   STATES  201 

to  a  good  size  I  have  no  doubt  they  will  look  nearly  as 
well  in  Whittlebury  Park  as  in  their  native  mountains.  I 
should  like  to  see  the  fallow  deer  herd  number  about  300 
to  400,  and  all  to  be  what  I  call  the  true  fallow  deer,  that 
is,  a  light  reddish-brown  skin  with  white  spots  all  over 
the  body."  ' 

After  his  return  from  hunting  wapiti  in  bitter  cold,  he 
reaches  Denver  and  there  collects  some  heads ;  he  pur- 
chases five  antelope  heads  at  $1  each,  one  wapiti  skull  $8, 
one  mountain  bison  head  $75,  and  a  lot  of  buffalo  robes 
and  wolf  skins  for  $100. 

Passing  through  Buffalo  City  he  meets  once  more  Jem 
Thompson  and  stays  awhile  at  Victoria,  where  he  dines 
with  a  Mr.  Grant,  who  seemed  to  Loder  in  those  pre- 
Pussyfoot  days  a  strange  customer,  for  they  dine  at  5.30 
and  "  he  gave  us  no  wine,  but  cigars  and  pears  after 
dinner  "  ;  and  in  spite  of  this  subduing  post-prandial 
occupation  he,  their  host,  "  told  us  a  lot  of  stories  wliich 
I  did  not  believe."  At  London  he  stays  with  a  charming 
old  lady,  a  Mrs.  Harris  of  Eldon  House,  and  at  Phila- 
delphia, having  been  given  a  platform  ticket  by  one  of 
his  friends  there  interested  apparently  in  the  state  of  his 
soul,  he  goes  on  a  Sunday  evening  to  one  of  Moody  and 
Sankey's  meetings. 

"  Moody  did  not  preach  badly,  but  was  nothing  out  of 
the  way  in  his  address.  Sankey's  singing  was  good,  but 
at  first  I  thought  his  voice  was  coarse." 

The   cold   in   Canada    he   found    "  fearful,"    being   the 

^  Judging  from  Epping  deer  and  New  Forest  deer,  this  would  not  be 
the  old  English  type.  In  the  same  letter  Loder  writes:  "I  don't 
think  we  have  more  than  forty  or  fifty  of  this  sort  now.  I  should  like 
to  weed  out  all  those  white  red  deer  hinds  and  white-faced  stag  abom- 
inations. The  red  deer  herd  and  doubtless  the  fallow  deer  would  be 
greatly  improved  by  a  cross  from  some  good  park  like  Windsor.  I 
think  nothing  could  be  prettier  than  to  have  nice  herds  of  all  the  dif- 
ferent species  of  deer  and  antelope  which  would  live  in  the  park — say 
fallow,  red  deer,  wapiti,  barasing,  sambur,  hog  deer,  Japanese  deer, 
American  black-tailed  deer  and  white-tailed  deer,  American  antelope  (a 
very  hardy  beast),  elands  .  .  ,  and  I  dare  say  there  are  a  dozen  more." 


202  A   PILGRIMAGE  [ch.  vi 

severest  November  for  many  years.     He  puts  down  these 
temperatures  for  November  30th,  1875,  at  7  a.m.  : 


Toronto    . 

4°  below  zero  F. 

Ottawa     . 

20°       „ 

Quebec     . 

20°       „ 

Gatenean  Mills 

30°       „ 

In  New  York  he  buys  seven  pairs  of  wapiti  horns  at  $10 
each,  one  pair  of  black-tailed  deer  horns  at  $5,  and  goes 
to  see  a  man  who  will  land  wapiti  alive  at  Southampton  at 
$200  each,  buffalo  for  rather  less  and  Virginian  deer  at 
$60  each. 

Of  Canada  he  says,  "  I  had  a  delightful  time  amongst  a 
lot  of  nice  people."  He  is  very  much  interested  at  Boston 
at  Alvan  Clark  &  Sons,  Brooklyn  Street,  with  a  26-in. 
object  glass  for  a  telescope,  and  finds  one  that  will  suit  his 
own  telescope  at  home  8  in.  with  9  ft.  6  in.  focus. 

About  the  12th  of  December  he  sails  for  Liverpool  in  the 
Adriatic  with  a  live  wapiti  and  a  number  of  wild  turkeys 
and  canvas-back  ducks  ;  the  birds,  not  being  alive,  are  put 
in  the  ice-house,  destined  for  his  friends'  "  Christmas 
dinners."  He  reaches  home  just  in  time  to  spend  Christmas 
Day  at  home. 

During  his  absence  he  must  have  travelled  some  50,000 
miles,  perhaps  much  more.  In  August  1875  when  at 
Shanghai  he  makes  a  careful  estimate  of  the  distance  he 
has  covered  up  to  then ;  excluding  his  voyages  in  native 
boats  on  rivers  and  on  the  coasts  of  Sumatra,  he  puts 
the  details  down  thus  : 


By  rail 

.    10,000  miles 

,,  steamer 

.    16,000      „ 

,,  carriage  and  horseback 

.      1,210      „ 

On  foot 

.      1,120      „ 

28,330      „ 

He  had  still  to  travel  in  Japan,  cross  the  Pacific,  and 
travel  in  America  and  Canada  and  cross  that  continent 


COST  OF  TRAVELLING  203 

and  the  Atlantic.  He  was  careful  over  his  accounts  and 
expenditure,  and  found  India  "  and  some  other  countries 
very  expensive "  for  a  traveller.  He  calculates  that 
every  6,000  miles  he  travelled  with  a  servant  and  baggage 
cost  him  £100.  The  rupee  at  that  time  was  the  same  value 
as  the  English  florin. 


CHAPTER  VII 

ST.    GEORGE    LITTLEDALE    AND    EDMUND    LODER 

"  Long  years  have  pass'd,  old  friend,  since  we 
First  met,  in  life's  young  day ; 
And  friends  long  lov'd  by  thee  and  me 
Since  then  have  dropp'd  away." 

MOOEE. 

It  is  more  than  forty-six  years  since  Sir  Edmund  Loder 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  St.  George  Littledale,  a  man 
destined  to  take  a  place  in  the  first  ranks  of  the  Asiatic 
explorers  of  our  time  and  v/hose  achievements  with  big- 
game,  if  they  have  been  equalled,  can  scarcely  have  been 
surpassed  by  anyone.  His  hunting  expeditions  which  were 
the  most  remarkable  are  those  he  made  in  the  least  known 
and  wildest  regions  of  Eastern  and  Central  Asia.  There 
also  he  was  the  first  discoverer  of  the  wild  camels  in  the 
Gobi  desert,  but  he  also  brought  back,  too,  great  trophies 
from  America  and  is  the  only  man  I  know  who  has  hunted 
and  killed  specimens  of  the  Caucasian  bison,  generally 
known  by  the  unscientific  name  of  "  the  Aurochs." 

Probably  of  all  the  fruits  yielded  by  Loder' s  travels  in 
the  East,  an  account  of  which  has  been  given  in  the  last 
chapter,  the  one  prized  the  most  was  the  friendship  the 
seed  of  which  was  sown  among  the  cliffs  and  shollahs  of  the 
Neilgherry  Mountains.  Mr.  Littledale  has  furnished  me 
with  the  following  reminiscences,  which  though  brief  are 
so  charming  that  I  have  placed  them  apart  in  this  chapter. 
As  sportsmen  Loder  and  Littledale  were  kindred  spirits, 
and  my  friend's  admiration  for  Littledale  and  his  achieve- 
ments knew  no  bounds — his  name  was  constantly  on  his 
lips.  My  own  introduction  to  Littledale  was  rather  a 
curious  one.      In  the  early  nineties  (?  1893)  I  was  about 

204 


MANIPULATING  RIFLES  205 

to  start  for  Algeria  and  had  received  a  letter  from  Loder 
urging  me  to  take  with  me  a  new  kind  of  rifle  which  he  and 
Littledale  had  seen  and  tried — this  was  the  '256  Mannlicher, 
price  £4  including  bayonet,  a  recently  perfected  Continental 
military  arm. 

Loder  told  me  how  to  procure  the  rifle  from  Belgium, 
how  to  manipulate  it,  what  to  have  done  to  it  in  order 
to  transform  it  into  a  sporting  weapon,  and  sent  me  the 
results  of  his  experiments  as  regards  its  accuracy,  penetra- 
tion and  for  getting  the  bullets  to  "  set  up."  Having  got 
the  rifle,  the  bolt  being  a  novelty  to  me  I  took  this  to  pieces 
and  with  infinite  difficulty  put  it  together  again,  but  found 
that  I  could  not  mount  it  in  the  breech.  I  wrote  to  Loder 
and  he  replied  with  a  few  lines  saying  he  had  got  into  the 
same  trouble  himself,  but  that  Littledale  was  in  town  and 
he  had  asked  him  to  go  to  me  and  to  put  me  right.  Mr. 
Littledale  came  at  once  and  in  a  moment  put  my  rifle  in 
order,  and  gave  me  such  a  first-rate  lesson  in  its  mechanism 
and  resources  that  I  never  after  had  any  trouble.  I 
believe  that  Littledale,  Loder  and  I  were  the  first  English- 
men to  adopt  this  rifle  for  big-game  shooting,  and  that  we 
all  stuck  to  it  and  swore  by  it  till  our  travelling  days  were 
done.  Personally  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  a  quarter  of 
a  century  I  consider  it  still  holds  the  field  as  a  magazine 
rifle,  in  the  combination  of  killing  power  in  relation  to 
calibre,  its  handiness  and  sureness  in  manipulation,  the 
absence  of  mechanism  that  can  "  go  wrong"  and  its  extra- 
ordinary wear-and-tear  properties.  Among  Littledale' s 
collection  of  trophies  heads  of  the  following  stand  out — 
their  measurements  are  recorded  by  Rowland  Ward : 

Red  Deer  Chamois 

Carpathian  Stag  Cashmere  Serow 

Maral  Alaskan    Rocky    Mountain 

American  Wapiti  Goat 

Asiatic  Wapiti  Nilgiri  Ibex  (16|  in.) 

Newfoundland  Caribou  Tien  Shan  Ibex  (53  in.) 

Prongbuck  Caucasian  Ibex 

MongolianGazeWe (gutturosa)     Bharal  (Caucasian) 


206  LODER   AND   LITTLEDALE  [ch.  vii 

Pallas' s  Bharal  Marco  Polo's  Argali 
Ladak      Bharal      {Pseudosi      Kobet  Dagh  Urial 

naJmra)  Caucasian  Bison 

Colorado  Bighorn  American  Bison 

Kamchatkan  Bighorn  Kamchatka  Brown  Bear 

Siberian  Argali  Caucasian  Brown  Bear 
Littledale's  Argali 

Mr.  Littledale's  Reminiscences 
In  January  1875  Edmund  Loder  and  I  found  ourselves 
the  only  guests  at  Silk's  Hotel,  Ootacamund,  and  on  dis- 
covering that  we  were  both  in  the  Nilgiris  with  the  same 
object — a  campaign  against  the  Nilgiri  ibex  {Hemitragus 
hylocrius) — we  decided  to  join  forces  and  had  a  most  en- 
joyable and  successful  shoot.  Edmund  Loder  had  an  argu- 
ment with  a  particularly  fine  tiger,  and,  as  everyone  who 
knew  his  skill  with  the  rifle  would  anticipate,  the  skin  and 
skull  were  brought  into  camp  and  are  now  a  prominent 
feature  of  the  Museum  at  Leonardslee.  Some  sambar  and 
several  old  "  saddlebacks "  were  also  part  of  the  bag. 
Landing  once  at  Bombay  twenty  or  more  years  afterwards, 
the  first  thing  I  saw  in  the  Pioneer  was  that  some  mis- 
creant (!)  had  shot  an  unusually  fine  Nilgiri  ibex  half  an  inch 
larger  than  the  one  we  got,  depriving  our  shoot  of  the  record 
head.  This  casual  meeting  at  Ooty  formed  the  com- 
mencement of  a  lifelong  friendship  between  Edmund  Loder 
and  myself  which  remained  undimmed  for  forty-five  years, 
till  his  death  left  the  botanical,  zoological  and  scientific 
world  and  his  countless  friends  greatly  the  poorer  for  his 
loss.     After  our  trip  was  over  a  fine  old  specimen  of  an 

English  gentleman  Colonel  H asked  us  to  join  him  in  a 

drive  of  some  woods  where  anything  from  a  tiger  to  a  wood- 
cock might  happen.  The  tiger  certainly  did  not  turn  up  ; 
but  after  a  most  excellent  lunch,  at  which  the  Colonel  played 
a  good  knife,  fork  and  tumbler,  he  proposed  a  rifle  match 
and  he  solemnly  tied  two  empty  bottles  by  the  necks  to  a 
branch  about  fifty  yards  off.  We  both  pointed  out  that  it 
was  much  too  near  to  be  any  test,  and  they  w^ere  moved 
further  away.     We  each  promptly  broke  our  bottles.     Two 


SHOOTING   PROWESS  207 

more  empty  ones  were  produced — one  specially  emptied  (!) 
by  the  Colonel  for  the  occasion — and  these  shared  the  same 
fate.  We  could  only  find  full  bottles  in  the  tiffin  basket,  and 
asked  permission  to  use  one.  With  a  twinkle  in  his  eye  he 
said  "  You  shall  each  have  one  shot,  but  I  will  hang  it  up 
myself."  He  did  so,  but  at  such  a  distance  that  it  could 
hardly  be  seen.  Loder  won  the  toss  and  took  first  shot — 
which,  in  the  early  days  of  express  rifles,  with  any  one  else 
could  only  have  been  termed  a  lucky  one,  for  nothing  was 
left  of  the  bottle  but  the  neck  dancing  on  the  string.  I 
immediately  claimed  the  right  of  a  shot  at  the  other  full 
bottle.  "  No,  young  man,  certainly  not ;  I  don't  trust 
either  of  you."  So  the  match  was  drawn,  hugely  in 
Edmund's  favour.  Some  years  later  I  took  a  magnum  '500 
Express  to  Leonardslee  to  try  at  the  targets ;  it  fired  far  too 
heavy  a  charge  for  its  weight  and  kicked  viciously.  From 
the  way  it  tore  up  the  ground  he  nicknamed  it  the  "  Estate 
Destroyer."  Edmund  sat  down  to  have  a  shot.  There  was 
a  huge  report,  and  he  was  sent  flat  on  his  back  with  the  rifle 
far  behind  him.  As  he  lay  there  he  said,  "  Where  am  I? 
What  has  happened  ?  "  Both  barrels  had  gone  off  at  once 
and  the  recoil  was  tremendous.  Shortly  afterwards  having 
the  same  rifle  out  in  the  Rockies,  a  Crow  Indian  chief, 
"  Crazy  Face,"  strolled  into  camp.  Seeing  the  rifle,  he  asked 
to  be  allowed  to  fire  a  shot ;  he  did  not  hold  it  tight  enough, 
and  we  saw  his  cheek  was  bleeding.  Without  taking  any 
notice  of  his  injuries,  he  quite  gravely  asked  me  to  allow  his 
friend  to  have  a  shot.  His  friend,  however,  had  seen  all  he 
wanted  to  see  about  that  rifle,  and  would  have  none  of  it. 
On  one  occasion  when  I  was  Edmund's  guest  at  Hop- 
freben,  he  brought  home  quite  a  nice  stag,  except  it  was 
very  narrow.  Having  recently  returned  from  Alaska,  I 
told  him  that  a  man  out  there  had  offered  to  give  a  moose 
head  of  mine  12  in.  or  15  in.  greater  spread.  Loder  inquired 
how  it  was  done.  They  spread  the  horns  with  a  block  and 
tackle  and  then  put  a  strong  piece  of  timber  to  keep  the 
width  till  the  horns  got  set  and  dry.  So  we  determined  to 
experiment  with  his  head.     We  tied  the  coronet  firmly 


208  LODER  AND   LITTLEDALE  [ch.  vii 

together  to  prevent  the  skull  splitting ;  we  fastened  the 
head  between  two  posts  of  the  verandah,  and  with  a  rope 
spread  the  antlers  as  much  as  we  dare,  and  it  really  made 
quite  a  fine  head.  We  decided  to  leave  it  there  to  dry  and 
set.  Next  morning  the  head  was  found  in  two  pieces ; 
very  heavy  rain  having  fallen  in  the  night  tightened  the 
rope  and  spread  the  horns  still  farther  to  breaking  point. 

One  day  at  Bisley  he  lent  me  a  rifle  and  told  me  to  have 
a  try  for  the  Martin  Smith  Sporting  Rifle  Competition. 
Having  shot  and  cleaned  the  rifle,  I  found  Edmund  shooting 
in  a  long-range  match  roped  off  from  the  public.  Attract- 
ing his  attention,  I  threw  him  the  card  target.  He  looked 
at  it  carefully,  then  jumped  up,  throwing  regulations  to  the 
winds,  came  shaking  me  cordially  by  the  hand  and  said, 
"  That  settles  it ;  well  done,  old  chap — I  knew  you  would 
win  it."  As  a  matter  of  fact  he  divided  with  Rankin.  I 
told  him  he  had  most  peculiar  stuff  to  clean  his  rifle  with, 
it  smelt  strongly  of  almonds.  With  a  voice  that  could  have 
been  heard  from  Dan  to  Beersheba  he  told  the  world  in 
general  that  I  had  been  cleaning  the  rifle  with  his  hair  oil. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

1876    AND    1877 — MARRIAGE    AND    WEDDING    TOUR — 

AGE  26-27 
"  But  in  the  North  long  since  my  nest  is  made. 

O  tell  her,  hriej  is  life  but  love  is  long. 
O  Swallow,  fljang  from  the  golden  woods. 
Fly  to  her,  and  pipe  and  woo  her  and  make  her  mine. 
And  tell  her,  tell  her,  that  I  follow  thee." 
Lines  in  Edmund  Loder's  diary  written  therein 

at  Darjeeling,  March  1875. 

How  the  Christmas  of  1875  was  spent  at  the  High  Beeches 
or  how  Edmund  Loder  passed  the  spring  and  summer  of 
1876,  after  his  journey  round  the  world,  must  be  left  to 
the  reader's  imagination.  Having  studied  his  journals 
and  reflected  on  the  possible  feelings  prompting  him  to 
enter  certain  passages  from  the  poets,  I  believed  I  detected 
signs  of  at  least  a  fairly  frequent  turning  of  his  heart  in 
a  direction  where  in  1876  it  was  to  be  lastingly  settled. 
This  chapter  is  given  in  the  main  to  the  year  which  wit- 
nessed the  most  important  event  in  his  life  :  the  laying 
deep  the  foundations  of  that  happiness  which  outlasted 
all  the  storms  of  life  and  the  winning  of  that  love  which 
abode  by  him  to  the  moment  of  his  last  breath. 

There  are  amongst  the  notes  which  Loder  left  behind 
him  some  for  a  lecture  which  he  gave  in  the  early  part  of 
this  year  at  Slaugham  Common,  not  far  from  the  High 
Beeches.  It  seems  likely  that  parental  and  other  pres- 
sure must  have  been  applied  to  overcome  his  shyness  of 
public  appearances.  But  the  lecture  was  delivered  and 
was  a  great  success,  for  he  had  carefully  arranged  his 
subjects  with  a  view  to  an  entertaining  variety,  and  there 

209 


210  MARRIAGE   AND   WEDDING   TOUR     [ch.  vin 

is  plenty  of  anecdote  as  well  as  an  amusing  account  of 
his  struggles  with  the  Swedish  language.  It  was  accom- 
panied with  an  exhibition  of  his  trophies  and  curios,  from 
flying  fish  bottled  in  whisky  to  scalps  and  praying  wheels. 
I  do  not  know  if  a  certain  young  lady,  Miss  Marion 
Hubbard,  was  amongst  the  many  neighbours  who  were 
present  at  this  lecture,  but  her  home  was  not  far  away 
and  but  five  miles  from  the  High  Beeches.  She  and 
Edmund  Loder  had  known  each  other  since  childhood, 
but  until  this  year  did  not  often  meet  except  out  riding. 
Sir  Robert  Loder  was  fond  of  coursing  and  used  to  come 
with  his  greyhounds  and  course  over  Mr.  Hubbard's  big 
fields  at  Plummer's  Plain.  Perhaps  these  occasions  were 
seized  by  the  little  god  for  letting  fly  some  of  his  darts. 
I  know  nothing  whatever  about  it,  but  even  old  men  have 
some  remnants  of  imagination.  The  author  does  know 
what  Sussex  is  in  spring  and  summer,  the  texture  of  the 
shade  in  its  hanging  woods,  and  of  the  sun-glints  on 
the  paths  ;   what  gardens  were  and  m.ay  be  yet  with 

"  rivulets  hurrj-ing  thro'  the  lawn, 
The  moan  of  doves  in  immemorial  elms. 
And  murmuring  of  innumerable  beea." 

Others  have  ridden  side  by  side  in  leafy  lanes  on  summer 
days,  and  wandered  among  heath  and  bracken  in  the  long 
sweet  evenings  of  an  English  June,  before  thrush  and  black- 
cap have  quite  closed  the  too  short  season  of  their  song.  At 
least  there  was  there  a  lovely  setting  for  Love's  young 
dream,  and  the  reader  is  free,  as  I  am,  to  put  into  it  a 
tall,  lithe,  eager  lover  with  light-blue  eyes  and  a  lovely 
girl  with  a  strangely  sweet  gentleness  in  her  ways  and 
voice.  Surely  this  spring  the  beeches  wore  for  them 
their  tenderest  green,  and  when  October  came  put  on 
for  their  betrothal  their  softest  red.  We  are  given 
memories,  it  is  said,  that  we  may  gather  roses  in  December, 
and  I  only  guess  at  the  beauty  and  the  sweetness  of 
what  was  gathered  at  the  winter  season  of  their  lives. 
Whatever  may  have  been  the  course  of  their  courtship, 
Edmund  Loder  on  November  21st,  1876,  was  married  to 


PARIS   AND   ALGERIA  211 

Marion  the  third  daughter  of  Wilham  Egerton  Hubbard 
of  Leonardslee. 

The  month  before  Christmas  was  spent  in  Paris.  It  is 
not  every  newly  married  pair  who  resort  there  who  occupy 
their  days  as  they  did.  But  neither  of  them  was  ever  a 
waster  of  time.  They  did  not  sit  side  by  side  and  pretend 
to  read  Dante — no,  they  bought  a  Paris  Directory  and 
studied  this  together,  putting  down  the  address  of  every- 
one entered  therein  who  was  described  as  a  "  Naturaliste  " 
and  then  with  methodical  labour  visiting  day  by  day 
everyone  in  a  given  area  who  came  under  this  heading. 
They  were  collecting  horns,  and  did  not  mean  to  miss  the 
chance  of  getting  new  and  rare  specimens.  But  many 
a  time  they  climbed  to  an  atelier  au  cinquwme  to  find  a 
savant  or  a  professor  interested  only  in  bugs  or  beetles 
or  the  like. 

From  Paris  they  travelled  through  Spain  and  then 
crossed  over  to  Or  an.  I  have  space  to  deal  with  but  little 
of  their  doings,  but  shall  refer  to  their  time  in  Algeria. 

Loder  was  a  pioneer  in  many  directions.  As  far  as  I 
know  he  was  the  first  English  sportsman  to  go  to  the 
Aures  in  the  quest  for  ^\'ild  sheep,  and  the  first  of  my 
acquaintance  who  discovered  the  charms  of  Biskra  as  a 
winter  resort.  I  believe  the  following  is  the  genesis  of 
the  attempts  to  obtain  the  so-called  "  mouflon,''  the 
I'arui  of  the  Arabs  {Ovis  lervia).  Edmund  Loder  with 
difficulty  got  news  of  them,  and  with  his  companion 
Charles  Radcliffe  found  them  in  1877  in  the  Metlili,  but 
though  they  saw  a  fair  number  they  failed  to  get  a  speci- 
men. With  the  information  supplied  by  Loder,  Edward 
North  Buxton  and  his  son  Gerald  Buxton  went  to  the 
Metlili  in  1881  (?),  and  then  to  other  mountains,  including 
the  Amarkhadou,  and  succeeded  in  shooting  specimens. 
More  than  ten  years  after  I  selected  Biskra  as  winter 
quarters  for  my  wife  and  family  and  hunted  in  the  Aures 
during  the  winters  1892  to  1895.  Loder  and  I  were  com- 
panions in  several  expeditions  during  these  years.  Thus 
it  was  Loder  who  opened  the  way  for  so  many  besides 


212  MARRIAGE   AND   WEDDING   TOUR     [ch.  vni 

myself  to  one  of  the  finest  forms  of  sport  and  to  enter 
a  new  kind  of  world  and  a  new  sort  of  life.  The  question 
may  be  asked  whether  Robert  S.  Hichens'  novel  The 
Garden  of  Allah  would  ever  have  been  written  had  not 
the  wild  sheep  drawn  Loder  on  his  honeymoon  to  El 
Kantara  and  thence  to  Biskra — a  work  which  must 
remain  a  masterpiece  of  descriptive  art  quite  apart  from 
any  other  merit  it  may  possess. 

In  the  worst  storm  of  this  winter  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loder 
crossed  from  Carthagena  to  Oran — a  fearful  night  cross- 
ing which  gave  Mrs.  Loder  a  horror  of  sea  voyages  which 
she  never  entirely  got  over ;  she  was  very  ill  too,  but 
her  husband  was  always  a  good  sailor.  They  found  Oran 
"  all  dried  up  like  Spain  "  and  famine  imminent.  In 
Algeria  the  harvest  is  early  and  depends  on  rain  during 
the  months  of  December,  January  and  February.  In 
Oran  there  had  been  no  rain  at  all  instead  of  the  usual 
17  inches,  so  they  went  on  to  Algiers  where  things  were 
a  little  better.  I  take  the  following  extracts  from  Loder's 
letters  home,  most  of  them  being  from  those  to  his  mother 
and  father  : 

"H6tel  d'Orient,  Algiers, 

February  25th,  1877. 

"  We  did  not  care  much  about  Spain  ;  seen  as  we  saw 
it  from  the  railway,  it  looked  so  burnt  up  and  dirty. 
Even  Madrid  seemed  far  from  civilised.  The  Picture 
Gallery  there  is  called  the  richest  in  the  world,  but  we 
did  not  care  for  the  '  style  '  of  pictures  and  I  think  both 
of  us  would  prefer  to  revisit  the  galleries  at  Amsterdam. 

"  We  like  this  hotel ;  our  view  is  splendid,  out  on  the 
harbour— then  across  the  Bay  the  water  in  which  is 
always  changing  colour,  dark  blue,  light  green,  dark  green, 
light  blue — beyond  a  range  of  mountains  and  then  beyond 
again  Jurjura  Mountains,  7,500  feet,  all  covered  with 
deep  snow,  sixty  miles  away.  The  native  part  of  the 
town  is  more  interesting  to  Marion  than  to  me,  as  all 
towns  of  the  Orientals  are  more  or  less  of  a  type. 

"  Very  good  books  to  read  on  the  country  are  Algeria 
as  it  is,  by  George  Gaskell  (pub.  Smith,  Elder  &  Co.), 
only  7*.  5d.  ;    a  French  book  (3  frcs.)  Voyage  en  Algerie, 


ALGIERS  213 

by  C.  Cartheron  (Paris  :  J.  Helzel,  18  rue  Jacob)  ; 
]\Iurray's  Handbook  of  Algeria  is  one  of  his  very  best, 
with  a  lot  of  light  reading  in  it.' 

"  We  have  met  a  young  couple,  a  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles 
Radcliffe ;  they  were  married  about  six  weeks  ago  and 
have  been  travelling  in  Spain  and  crossed  over  with  us 
from  Carthagena  to  Oran.  We  generally  walk  and  drive 
together  in  the  afternoon.*  As  yet  I  have  met  with  no 
one  who  has  ever  shot  the  wild  sheep  of  the  country,  the 
Aoudad  or  Moufion  a  Manchettes,  nor  anyone  who  has 
any  friend  who  has  done  so,  but  the  skins  and  horns  are 
frequently  brought  in  by  the  Arabs.  I  have  hopes  of 
being  able  to  find  out  their  whereabouts  from  the  natives 
of  Biskra,  when  we  get  there  ;  but  as  yet  our  prospects 
of  sport  seem  very  slight  indeed. 

"  We  saw  Colonel  Playfair,  the  English  Consul  ;  he 
says  we  shall  find  it  most  delightful  in  the  Aures  Moun- 
tains if  we  look  only  to  find  magnificent  scenery  and  are 
interested  in  ruins  and  Roman  remains — but  as  for  sport, 
he  is  not  a  sportsman  and  knows  nothing  at  all  about  it. 

"  We  are  both  very  pleased  with  Algiers,  Marion  quite  as 
much  as  I  am.  If  I  can  find  these  mouflon  (which  at 
present  seem  at  least  doubtful)  I  shall  think  still  more  of 
the  country,  but  I  am  afraid  that  the  big  game  of  Algeria 
is  nearly  a  thing  of  the  past." 

There  is  a  postscriptum  to  this  letter  referring  to  his 
brother  Alfred,  who  is  making  his  way  into  Cashmere  in 
the  footsteps  of  Edmund  Loder. 

"  I  fancy  that  the  Sawalek  Range  (mentioned  by  Alfred 
in  his  letter  where  he  says  he  is  at  the  foot  of  them)  are 
the  hills  in  which  the  fossil  remains  were  found  of  that 
great  four-horned  monster  the  Sivatherium.  I  have 
shown  you  a  drawing  of  the  skull  and  also  of  the  restora- 
tion of  the  whole  animal." 

^  Written  in  the  main  by  the  best  English  authority  on  the  subject, 
viz.  Colonel  Sir  Lambert  Playfair,  for  more  than  thirty  years  Consul- 
General  at  .AJgiers,  the  author  of  many  interesting  works,  e.g.  In  the  Foot- 
steps of  Bruce,  The  Scourge  of  Christendom,  etc. 

2  The  Radcliffes  and  Loders  became  fast  friends,  and  the  Radcliffea 
were  for  years  Loder's  companions  in  many  sporting  trips. 


214  MARRIAGE   AND   WEDDING  TOUR     [ch.  viii 

They  travel  to  Blida — "  it  is  very  pretty  with  groves 
of  immense  olive  trees  and  thousands  of  orange  trees  " — 
then  three  hours  by  rail  and  ten  hours  by  diligence  to 
Teniet,  3,800  feet  above  sea. 

"Teniet  el  Had, 

March  7th,  1877. 

"  Teniet  is  only  a  mountain  village  with  very  limited 
accommodation,  but  we  had  the  assistance  of  the  Sub- 
Inspector  of  the  Forest  and  got  on  very  well ;  he  lent 
Marion  his  wife's  side-saddle  and  borrowed  a  mule  for  the 
Radcliffes.  They  rode  in  '  caccolet,'  the  thing  they  carry 
wounded  soldiers  in — two  iron  chairs,  one  on  each  side 
of  the  mule.  Three  hours'  riding  from  Teniet  brought 
us  to  the  Forest -keeper's  hut,  where  we  had  breakfast. 
This  is  the  centre  of  the  Cedar  Forest.  The  views  all 
round  are  very  beautiful ;  some  of  the  trees  are  27  feet 
round  and  500  years  old  (5,000  feet  above  the  sea).  I 
enclose  a  few  seeds  of  the  cedar  from  Teniet — you  can 
have  them  planted." 

He  sends  his  camp  outfit  by  sea  from  Algiers  to 
Philippeville,  and  in  order  to  reduce  sea  journey  by 
sixteen  hours  for  his  wife's  sake  plans  out  the  journey 
overland,  no  easy  one  in  those  days  : 

"  First  day,  5.30  a.m.  to  midnight  by  diligence,  109 
miles,  to  Beni  Mansour ;  Beni  Mansour,  23  miles,  by  mule 
path  to  Akbou  ;  48  miles,  on  to  Bougie  (no  hotel  there), 
Bougie  to  Philippeville  by  sea  if  necessary  "  :  but  he  thinks 
of  trying  to  get  to  Constantine  by  land  by  a  road  to  Setif, 
but  it  is  "  doubtful  if  the  road  is  passable,"  then  "  we  shall 
have  made  one  of  the  most  beautiful  journeys  that  can 
be  found." 

"  El  Kantara. 

March   dlst,    1877. 

"  At  Constantine  we  made  the  acquaintance  of  two  very 
charming  men,  Monsieur  Brosse  the  Prefet  and  Si  Larbi 
Ben  Zagouti,  an  Arab — the  latter  had  travelled  (Paris, 
Vienna,  Strasburg,  etc.).  Through  them  we  saw  many 
things,  mosques,  etc.,  which  we  should  not  have  seen 
properly  without  them." 


MRS.   LODER'S   ILLNESS  215 

They  pick  up  a  cook  here,  trained  in  Paris  :  "he  has 
turned  out  an  excellent  cook,  but  rather  difficult  to 
manage." 

By  night  diligence  they  reach  Batna  and  have  got  up 
into  the  cold  ;  here  they  got  mules  from  the  O.C.  troops 
and  completed  their  outfit  for  their  march.  Here  also 
they  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  very  distinguished 
Kaid,  Boudi  Ef  (Bou  Dhiaf,  Kaid  of  the  Touaba 
Oulad  Daoud),  who  had  taken  an  active  part  in  sup- 
pressing the  recent  insurrection  in  the  Aures.  A  Bordj, 
where  I  have  been  to  near  Batna,  which  was  heroically 
defended  against  a  horde  of  rebels,  still  bears  his  name. 
They  were  also  entertained  by  the  then  Cadi  Mustapha 
Ben  Derouich  and  first  sampled  the  native  dishes  of  kous- 
kous  and  a  meshoui  (a  sheep  or  lamb  roasted  whole). 

They  marched  for  two  days  from  Batna  to  El  Kantara 
in  the  teeth  of  a  most  bitter  wind,  the  air  "  keen  and  freez- 
ingly  cold,"  and  with  disastrous  results  to  their  plans,  for 
Mrs,  Loder  catches  cold  and  becomes  very  ill  on  arriving  at 
El  Kantara.  Fortunately  Loder  catches  a  doctor  passing 
through,  and  sent  to  Batna  for  medicines,  and  his  first 
anxieties  are  relieved.  The  climate  now  is  perfection,  for 
they  are  on  the  rim  of  the  desert.  But  he  decides  that  all 
idea  of  camp  life  must  be  abandoned. 

"  It  is  very  sad  to  give  up  our  camp  just  as  we  have  every- 
thing so  complete,  but  anything  is  better  than  to  run  any 
risk  to  her  health.  Our  camp  is  pitched  close  to  the  hotel 
(Ber brand),  and  the  Radcliffes  live  in  it.  The  great  moun- 
tain of  the  Metlili  towers  above  the  hotel,  and  the  gentlemen 
tackle  it  and  find  the  wild  sheep." 

During  the  days  they  hunted  on  the  Metlili  they  saw  a 
good  number  of  "  miouflon."  Loder  saw  in  all  thirteen 
one  time  and  another,  but  apparently  got  but  one  shot  and 
says  of  it : 

"  Shot  at  about  200  yards  at  one  of  two  which  were  on 
the  move,  but  luck  did  not  favour  me.     They  are  difficult 
to  find  and  should  be  looked  for  in  early  dawn  and  at  sunset ; 
15 


216  MARRIAGE   AND   WEDDING   TOUR     [ch.  viii 

during  the  daytime  they  will  hide  closely  under  ledges  of 
rock  and  under  thick  bushes  away  from  the  sun.-^ 

"  They  are  noble  game  and  live  in  a  most  difficult 
country  for  hunting  in — all  loose  stones  on  big  rocks  with 
immense  ravines  ;  all  quite  impassable  without  grass  or 
rope  soles  (this  was  before  we  were  able  to  obtain  solid 
rubber  soles  hard  enough  to  stand  such  work).  The  Arabs 
kill  them,  but  they  go  out  for  two  or  three  days  at  a  time 
and  sleep  out  in  the  mountains  and  are  on  the  spot  before 
sunrise."  (This  is  the  process  described  by  Buxton,  who 
in  his  Short  Stalks  quotes  the  reply  of  an  Arab  who  knew 
"  French  "  to  his  question  as  to  how  they  got  the  mouflon : 
"  Marchey  marchey,  couchey  couchey.")  "'  I  am  certain 
anyone  could  get  one  who  went  out  with  nothing  else  to  do, 
but  ought  to  sleep  two  or  three  nights  on  the  mountains 
without  coming  down." 

The  Radcliffes  march  on  to  Biskra  and  the  Loders 
follow  in  the  diligence.  The  Radcliffes  will  do  the  Oued 
Abdi  without  them  ;  "all  this  is  very  sad,  but  the  consola- 
tion is  that  it  might  easily  have  been  worse."  Radcliffe  had 
had  a  chance  too  at  the  sheep,  but  missed  the  long  and 
moving  chances  they  gave.  The  Radcliffes  had  even  worse 
luck  later  on  than  the  Loders',  for  Radcliffe  got  fever,  had 
to  get  back  to  Europe,  and  by  the  time  he  got  to  Gibraltar 
was  delirious  and  dangerously  ill.  Both  married  couples 
must  have  kept  very  lively  recollections  of  their  honey- 
moons. Loder's  descriptions  are  brief  but  good  of  the 
country.  El  Kantara  he  finds  "  most  curious  and  beauti- 
ful— the  oasis  a  mile  away,  a  patch  of  green  of  about  18,000 
palm-trees  and  amongst  them  fig-trees  and  apple-trees  and 
Si^vicot-trees,  the  last  as  large  as  our  orchard  trees  in 
England." 

This  letter  describes  his  walks  with  his  wife  in  the  Oasis, 
a  sirocco,  a  dust-storm,  the  desert  as  a  sea  with  green  oases 
and  palms  as  islands  ;    and  he  says  : 

^  It  is  not  so  much  to  get  shade  that  the  sheep  do  this,  but  to  escape 
observation,  being  continually  hunted  by  the  Arabs  and  the  shepherds. 
I  have  seen  them  in  the  hottest  hours  of  the  day,  later  in  the  year  than 
this,  lying  and  sleeping  in  the  full  sun  on  mountains  less  hunted  than  the 
Metlili.— A.  E.  P. 


BISKRA  217 

"  H6tel  dxj  Sahara,  Biskra. 

April    llth,    1877. 

"  The  sunset  lights  here  are  very  curious  (I  think  Gaskell 
describes  them  very  well  in  his  book).  We  have  seen  no 
brilliant  sunsets  like  ours,  for  there  are  very  few  clouds, 
but  at  sunset  the  sky  becomes  all  golden  and  the  light  part 
of  the  hills  bright  rose  and  the  shadows  deep  purple. 

"  The  sun  and  clear  air  show  off  everything  so  wonder- 
fully, giving  the  whole  landscape  such  bright  colours. 

"  You  may  perhaps  think  a  date-palm  is  a  date-palm, 
but  at  Biskra  alone  there  are  170  different  sorts,  with  names 
to  each,  like  roses  in  a  garden  in  England. 

"  Just  now  we  heard  a  noise  at  our  door,  and  when  we 
opened  it  found  a  young  Arab  with  a  little  beast  in  his  hand 
the  size  of  a  small  rabbit.  It  was  a  young  hyaena  which 
he  wanted  to  sell  to  us." 

In  these  letters  there  is  a  good  deal  about  his  anxiety 
about  a  new  venison  larder  at  Amat  and  the  necessity  of 
preventing  risks  of  mildew.  This  reminds  me  of  some 
remarks  of  his  daughter  Patience  in  her  notes  : 

"  His  two  great  anxieties  on  arriving  at  a  new  deer  forest 
were  always  where  he  was  to  keep  his  guns  and  rifles,  and 
what  sort  of  game  larder  was  there  (he  never  found  one  to 
his  liking  all  the  twenty  years  I  can  remember).  How  good 
the  fishing  was,  or  how  good  the  heads  were  likely  to  be, 
never  worried  him  at  first.  I  remember  at  one  place  we 
had  only  just  arrived,  the  footman  announcing  with  a 
groan  '  there  are  pike  in  the  loch,'  but  even  that  did  not 
dismay  father  in  the  least — he  was  too  much  excited  nailing 
up  his  gun-rack,  for  which  he  had  found  a  beautiful  place 
in  the  dining-room." 

"  The  Kaid  of  Biskra  we  found  a  charming  man,   one 

of  the    wealthiest    and    most    honourable    of  the    Arab 

aristocracy."  ^ 

"  Bone. 

April  26th,    1877. 

"  We  had  been  away  from  Constantine  about  six  weeks 
and  the  country  had  much  changed  in  the  meantime  .  .  . 
now  all  the  fields  were  green  with  crops  and  all  the  trees  just 

^  This  would  be  the  Kaid  or  Agha  Ben  Gana,  whom  1   knew  in  later 
years. — A.  E.  P. 


218  MARRIAGE   AND   WEDDING   TOUR     [ch.  viii 

out  in  leaf,  so  that  the  scenery  was  as  pretty  as  it  could  be. 
Marion  has  taken  to  painting  many  of  the  pretty  wild 
flowers  we  find — she  does  this  very  well." 

He  describes  at  length  in  this  letter  the  curious  boiling 
springs  and  cones  of  Hammam  Meskoutin  and  the  Roman 
Baths  : 

"  All  round  is  most  lovely,  something  a  little  like  Japan, 
beautiful  valleys  all  densely  wooded  with  green  open  spaces 
here  and  there  and  millions  of  the  brightest  flowers  every- 
where." 

He  writes  of  a  beautiful  drive  from  Duvivier  to 
Soukarras  (twenty-six  miles)  through  the  forest  of  Beni 
Sallah,  "  which  is  the  only  forest  in  Algeria  where  the  red 
deer  (identical  with  Scotch  deer')  are  found." 

"  We  had  a  very  fine  day  for  our  drive  and  enjoyed  it  as 
much  as  any  part  of  our  journey.  The  wild  flowers  were 
wonderful  and  the  foliage  beautifully  varied." 

From  the  pretty  little  French  town  of  Bone  they  make  a 
pilgrimage  to  the  Tomb  of  St.  Augustin  (two  miles  from 
Bone)  and  then  sail  during  a  beautiful  sunset  and  a  pretty 
moonrise  for  Goletta. 

"  Tunis. 

May   1st,    1877. 

"  The  ruins  of  Carthage  are  almost  nil ;  everything 
has  been  carried  off  except  cisterns,  which  perhaps  are  only 
Roman  work.  A  great  deal  of  Venice  is  built  of  the  marble 
from  Carthaginia,  and  for  more  than  1,000  years  the  ruins 
have  served  as  a  quarry — this  still  goes  on  and  it  is  too  late 
to  stop  it." 

Of  all  the  sights  which  he  describes  in  and  about  Tunis 
he  finds  the  Bazaar  (the  Suks)  the  most  striking  :  "  One 
article  of  commerce,"  he  writes,  "is  perfume;  we  v/ere 

1  These  are  now  considered  a  subspecies  and  have  been  differentiated 
from  Cervus  elaphua  scoticus  as  C.  e.  barbarus.  Loder  possessed  the  record 
head  of  the  African  stag — horns  38|  in.  in  length,  5|  in.  circumference 
between  bez  and  trez  and  with  an  outside  spread  of  36  in, — an  "  eleven- 
pointer." 


CAGLIARI— CORTI— NICE  219 

rather  astonished  at  being  asked  £3  for  a  bottle  holding 
about  1^  teaspoonful  of  jasmine  !  !     We  did  not  buy  any." 
They  had  crossed  from  Tunis  to  Cagliari  in  a  rolling 
and  pitching  boat : 

"  Nice. 

May  IZth,  1877. 

"  Cagliari  would  be  considered  a  curious  and  picturesque 
town  to  people  coming  out  straight  from  England,  but 
seemed  tame  after  Algiers,  Tunis,  Constantine,  etc.  .  .  . 
The  view  from  the  citadel  heights  of  Cagliari  is  a  fine  one, 
in  its  way,  as  any  of  the  kind,  and  there  are  lots  of  wild 
flowers." 

Their  next  stays  are  at  Oristomo  and  Sassari,  and 
then  they  go  to  Porto  Torres  and  cross  over  to  Ajaccio, 
which  "  is  one  of  the  prettiest  places  we  have  yet  seen 
and  now  of  course  looks  quite  at  its  best." 

Of  the  journey  to  Corti  by  diligence  Loder  says  : 

"  This  drive  is  as  beautiful  as  anything  can  be,  snow 
mountains  in  sight  nearly  the  whole  time  (Monte  d'Oro, 
8,000  feet),  and  the  variety  of  greens  is  very  great. 
The  scenery  is  something  like  the  Swiss  but  on  a  smaller 
scale,  but  the  variety  of  colouring  is  certainly  greater  in 
Corsica.  Corti  itself  is  very  pretty  and  so  is  the  whole 
drive  from  Corti  to  Bastia — near  Bastia  is  a  very  beautiful 
grotto  which  we  visited." 

They  arrive  at  Nice  on  May  12th.  "  Nice  is  certainly 
a  pretty  place,  but  I  do  not  think  I  should  care  for  it  in  the 
season  when  hundreds  of  English  people  are  here." 

From  Nice  they  journey  home — and  thus  ends  their 
Wedding  Tour,  which  has  lasted  six  months. 


CHAPTER  IX 

FLOORE,     1877-1889 — cactus-hunting     on     the    MEXICAN 

FRONTIER,    1878 COLLECTING    PLANTS    IN    THE    DOLOMITES, 

1883 — AFTER  THE  WHITE  GOATS  IN  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS, 

1887. 

"  Down  the  world  with  Mama  ! 
That's  the  life  for  me  ! 
Wandering  with  the  wandering  wind, 
Vagabond  and  unconfined  ! 

Arabs  of  the  whole  wide  girth 
Of  the  wind  encircled  earth  ! 
In  all  climes  we  pitch  our  tents. 
Cronies  of  the  elements. 
With  the  secret  lords  of  birth 
Intimate  and  free." 

Richard  Hovey. 

On  their  return  from  abroad  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loder  settled 
down  at  Floore  in  Northamptonshire,  in  the  home  pro- 
vided for  them  by  Sir  Robert,  and  here  they  passed  the 
first  ten  years  of  their  Kfe  together.  The  making  of  a  new 
home,  the  arrangement  of  new  possessions  and  the  organisa- 
tion of  indoor  and  outdoor  estabHshments  is  a  fascinating 
and  absorbing  occupation  for  the  newly  married  people. 
Onl}^  birds  and  badgers  make  such  a  delightful  fuss  about 
this  business.  We  can  picture  them  as  very  busy  this 
summer  amongst  the  furniture,  presents,  trophies  and 
pictures  within  the  house,  and  with  the  stables,  farm  and 
plans  for  their  garden  outside.  Besides  they  had  to  make 
the  acquaintance  with  a  new  country  and  receive  visits 
of  their  numerous  neighbours.  It  is  certain  that  the 
young  couple  were  kept  going  and  that  no  hours  hung  heavy 
on  their  hands. 

220 


HEART   TROUBLE  221 

Floore  was  a  charming  property  with  fine  timber  round 
the  house,  about  seven  miles  from  Northampton,  in  the 
middle  of  the  Pytchley  Country  and  within  easy  reach  of 
the  Grafton  Hounds.  Here  Loder  lived  the  life  of  a  country 
gentleman,  filling  his  days  with  a  greater  variety  of  pur- 
suits than  most  men  can  make  time  for.  He  devoted  him- 
self to  astronomy,  to  the  making  of  a  lovely  rock  garden 
(there  were  few  in  those  days),  to  horticulture  and  natural 
science.  In  the  autumns  they  were  in  Scotland,  in  the 
winters  he  hunted  regularly  with  the  Pytchley  and  had  the 
reputation  one  would  expect  of  "  going  very  hard."  Here 
also  he  began  to  put  his  ideas  into  practice  of  turning  a 
part  of  his  grounds  into  a  little  zoo,  beginning,  I  believe, 
with  emus  and  mouflon.  He  took  during  his  father's  life 
a  great  interest  in  the  improvement  of  the  red  deer  and  the 
herd  of  fallow  deer  in  Whittlebury  Park  and  in  the  acclima- 
tisation there  of  the  wapiti  which  he  imported  from 
America. 

Loder  filled  his  garden  at  Floore  with  interesting 
plants,  and  in  spite  of  a  bleak  climate  he  contrived  to 
establish  a  collection  which  became  well  known.  He 
specialised  in  narcissus,  and  was  very  successful  in  raising 
hybrids.  For  the  last  three  years  he  was  at  Floore,  from 
1886  to  1888,  he  was  on  the  Council  of  the  Horticultural 
Society,  and  it  was  through  love  of  gardening  that  he 
formed  friendships  with  such  men  as  the  Rev.  C.  Wolley 
Dod,  Sir  Trevor  Laurence,  Sir  Michael  Foster  and  Sir 
Joseph  Hooker. 

Early  in  his  life  at  Floore  his  heart  went  wrong,  the 
trouble  being  due,  I  believe,  to  overstrain  in  Cashmere, 
and  he  became  so  ill  with  its  weak  and  irregular  action, 
and  consequent  nervous  depression,  that  for  some  months 
he  was  wheeled  about  in  a  Bath  chair.  The  heart  is  an 
organ  that  has  great  powers  of  recovery,  however  sus- 
ceptible to  derangement  from  fatigue  or  nerve  strain. 
Whilst  Loder  was  in  this  state  his  father  and  the  family 
were  much  concerned  and  even  alarmed,  but  after  he 
recovered  his  health  I  have  heard  it  said  by  those  about 


222         FLOORE   AND    SUNDRY   EXPEDITIONS   [ch.  ix 

him  that  it  was  "  only  liver"  and  that  he  soon  got  "  quite 
well."  That  his  heart  recovered  sufficiently  to  live  a  life 
of  abnormal  activity  is  true  ;  but  that  he  was  constantly 
liable  to  have  symptoms  of  the  old  trouble  is  more  correct. 
He  often  complained  to  me  of  his  heart,  but  he  led  so 
healthy,  so  regular  and  so  temperate  a  life  that  his  moral 
strength  triumphed  over  this  physical  weakness  until  he 
was  far  advanced  in  years. 

My  father  used  to  say  of  me  that  I  had  been  smitten 
with  a  "  wandering  damn,"  and  Loder  had  undoubtedly 
symptoms  of  the  same  affliction  if  the  desire  to  see  and 
know  is  to  be  considered  one.  For  neither  his  journey 
round  the  world  nor  the  six-months'  wedding  tour  nor 
the  delights  of  English  country  life  had  cured  him  of  a 
wish  to  see  and  to  do  more.  They  had  been  but  a  year 
at  home  when  we  find  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loder  on  board  the 
Germanic  and  sailing  for  America  on  July  4th,  1878. 
On  arrival  in  the  States  they  revisited  his  old  haunts 
and  friends  ;  but  there  is  no  need  for  us  to  travel  with 
them  over  something  like  the  old  ground.  It  seems  that 
Edmund  Loder  had  now  become  thoroughly  interested 
in  certain  branches  of  horticulture  and  botany,  and  had 
directed  his  studies  and  attention  to  the  curious  family  of 
the  Cacti.  To  see  them  in  their  native  habitat  and  to 
collect  them  was  a  principal  object  of  this  expedition. 
We  find  him  setting  out  with  his  wife  from  Pueblo  Cucharas 
on  the  Mexican  frontier  to  hunt  for  the  varieties  which 
abound  in  this  region.  Their  hunt  was  made  in  an 
"  express  wagon,"  a  vehicle  devised  to  get  over  almost 
any  kind  of  country  and  to  give  the  passengers  on  board 
plenty  of  exercise — it  had  springs,  but  only  under  the 
front  seat.  They  collected  great  quantities  of  cacti  on 
the  prairies.  The  nigger  who  drove  them  was  much 
puzzled  with  their  ardour  in  this  singular  quest  and 
indeed  with  their  activities  generally  ;  and  when  he  at 
last  beheld  the  wagon  loaded  up  with  the  trophies  of 
their  chase  he  remarked,  "  I  never  see  any  feller  make 
any  money  out  of  them  things  !  "      "  Them  things  "  were 


HIS   COLLECTION   OF   CACTI  223 

brought  home  to  Floore  and  formed  the  nucleus  of  a 
marvellous  collection.  For  his  cacti  Loder  built,  with 
his  usual  practical  skill,  a  special  house,  so  made  of  iron 
and  glass,  without  wood,  that  the  maximum  amount  of  light 
and  sun  should  reach  the  plants.  When  he  left  Floore  in 
1889  he  did  very  much  what  Peter  Beckford  did  with  his 
harriers — "  having  thus  got  them  perfect  he  parted  with 
them,"  Loder  presented  the  whole  of  his  collection  to  the 
Royal  Botanic  Garden  at  Edinburgh.  Forty-two  years 
after,  Professor  Bayley  Balfour  writing  to  Lady  Loder  (in 
January  1921)  says  : 

"  I  have  a  most  vivid  recollection  of  the  splendid  col- 
lection of  cacti,  presented  to  us  by  Sir  Edmund  Loder, 
coming  here.  It  was  in  the  year  after  I  came  to  Edin- 
burgh and  I  find  on  looking  up  our  records  that  there 
were  250  species  of  cacti  and  of  other  succulent  plants  in 
the  gift — truly  a  sumptuous  one  and  one  that  I  valued 
very  greatly  because  it  really  was  the  foundation  of  our 
collection.  I  am  glad  to  tell  you  that  nearly  the  whole 
of  them  are  still  alive  and  thriving  here.  .  .  .  Many  of 
them  of  course  have  had  to  be  propagated,  the  older 
plants  dying  out,  but  I  can  safely  say  that  the  gift  is  still 
the  backbone  of  our  collection.  It  has  always  been  a 
very  pleasant  thought  to  me  that  Sir  Edmund  was  so 
kind  to  us." 

Edmund  Loder  was  awarded  the  First-Class  Certificate  by 
the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  for  some  of  his  cacti ; 
on  June  14th,  1881,  he  obtained  these  high  awards  for 
Echinocereus  fendleri  and  for  Echinocereus  gonacanthus, 
and  his  exhibits  are  referred  to  in  the  Scientific  Com- 
mittee's Reports.^ 

1  See  The  Garden,  six  (1881),  p.  628;  and  The  Oard.  Chron.,  N.S. 
(1881),  p.  799. 

The  Garden  contains  many  papers  and  notes  written  by  Sir  Edmund 
in  the  early  eighties,  and  he  read  at  least  one  paper  at  the  meetings  of 
the  Horticultural  Society.  On  May  8th,  1883,  "  a  paper  was  read  by 
Mr.  E.  G.  Loder  on  '  Hardy  Cacti  :  their  Habitats  and  Culture.'  "  The 
Garden  referring  to  this  paper  says  :  "  Hardy  Cacti  was  the  subject  of  a 
paper  by  Mr.  E.  G.  Loder,  who  makes  this  interesting  class  of  plants  a 
speciality  in  his  garden  at  Weedon  and  who  has  recently  collected  them 


224        FLOORE   AND   SUNDRY   EXPEDITIONS     [ch.  ix 
His  daughter  Mrs.  Otter  says  : 

"  Two  very  childish  recollections  stand  out  in  my 
mind.  They  both  show  that  he  liked  to  share  even  with 
a  child  his  varied  interests.  I  remember  on  one  occasion 
being  taken  out  of  bed  in  the  middle  of  the  night  to  be 
shown  a  night-flowering  cactus,  and  at  another  time  being 
carried  down  to  the  Observatory  to  look  through  the  big 
telescope  at  the  moon  or  some  new  star,  I  can't  remember 
which.  He  was  not  in  a  sense  a  child-lover  (at  least  not 
when  we  were  children),  but  he  would  take  as  much  pains 
explaining  a  simple  thing  to  a  child  as  in  unravelling 
some  deep  problem  with  a  fellow-scientist.  It  v/as  the 
key  to  the  whole  of  his  life's  work — he  had  '  the  genius  of 
taking  pains,'  and  that  is  obviously  why  everything  he 
touched  turned  into  a  golden  success." 

I  do  not  know  whether  he  was  always  a  lover  of  children 
or  not,  but  in  middle  life  he  was  most  delightful  with  my 
little  people  and  quite  won  their  hearts  by  being  always 
ready  to  have  a  joke  with  them  or  to  show  them  inter- 
esting and  amusing  things. 

As  for  the  cacti,  after  1889  he  turned  them  out  of  his 
life  and  directed  his  mind  to  new  studies.  The  only 
occasion  on  which  I  ever  heard  him  mention  them  was 
to  correct  my  ignorance  when  we  were  in  Somaliland 
together.  I  had  been  there  before,  and  though  I  knew 
the  native  names  of  the  trees  and  more  conspicuous  shrubs 
and  plants,  I  was  without  the  slightest  scientific  know- 
ledge of  the  vegetation.  I  pointed  out  to  him  such 
curious  things  as  the  Barawai  tree  {Adeniuni  speciosiim). 
I  remember  his  looking  at  an  enormous  bulbous  plant, 

from  their  native  habitats  in  Colorado  and  other  parts  of  North 
America.  Many  interesting  facts  were  stated,  with  regard  to  the  native 
habitats  of  these  plants,  which  are  of  so  much  value  to  cultivation." 

See  The  Garden,  xxiii  (1883),  pp.  437,  438.  Other  notes  and  articles 
by  Sir  E.  G.  Loder  in  The  Garden  are  "  Rocky  Mountain  Cacti,"  xix, 
p.  593  ;  "  Cacti  Indoors  and  in  the  Open  Air,"  xx,  p.  601  ;  "  On  Cacti 
which  have  been  Tested  for  Hardiness,"  xxi  (1881),  p.  28.  Tliere  is  a 
coloured  plate  of  Echinocereus  gonacanthus,  and  the  text  referring  to  it  is  by 
Edmund  Loder,  in  The  Garden,  xxii  (1882),  pp.  444-5. 


ALPINE   PLANTS  225 

almost  spherical  with  a  few  twigs  and  leaves  sprouting 
out  of  the  bulb,  which  was  about  four  feet  in  diameter, 
and  his  saying  "  that  is  a  potato,"  and  then,  thinking  of 
a  certain  forest,  I  said,  "  and  I  will  show  you  a  forest 
of  cacti."  "  That  you  cannot  do,"  he  replied  ;  "  there 
are  no  cacti  in  Africa — you  will  have  to  go  to  America 
to  see  them.'''  And  he  gave  me  a  simple  and  general 
account  of  succulent  plants  and  of  the  milky- juiced 
trees  and  their  distribution,  and  told  me  my  Cande- 
labra trees  were  Euphorbias  before  he  had  even  seen 
them. 

One  other  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loder's  expeditions  made 
for  the  purpose  of  enriching  their  garden  at  Floore,  which 
boasted  now  a  beautiful  Rock  and  Alpine  Garden,  may 
be  mentioned.  It  was  one  made  to  the  Dolomites  in  1883 
with  the  object  of  finding  Phyteuma  comosum.  They  set 
out  with  a  formidable  outfit  of  hammers,  jemmies  and 
tools  associated  more  with  Bill  Sloggins  and  the  burglary 
profession  than  with  the  gentle  gardener's,  for  Loder 
anticipated  a  formidable  resistance  on  the  part  of  P.c. 
to  all  efforts  to  prise  him  out  of  his  rocky  fastness.  The 
headquarters  of  the  expedition  vras  the  Glocken  Haus 
above  Heilinger-blut,  a  two-roomed  Alpine  hut,  reached 
of  course  on  foot.  One  room  was  set  apart  for  the  ladies 
of  the  party  and  the  other  one  left  for  the  men.  When 
this  campaign  had  been  brought  to  a  victorious  conclu- 
sion the  party  made  for  the  Engadine  and  there  added 
to  their  collection  of  Alpine  plants. 

The  years  at  Floore  were  interrupted  by  yet  another 
trip  Loder  made  to  America  with  the  Radcliffes,  and  it 
was  one  he  always  recalled  with  special  pleasure  ;  it  took 
place  between  the  months  of  July  and  November  in  1887. 
He  went  out  on  the  Servia.  Apparently  Loder  enjoyed 
even  more  than  usual  the  company  of  the  acquaintances 
he  had,  or  made,  among  the  passengers  on  this  voyage; 
at  least  he  makes  in  his  diary  more  mention  of  them  and 
of  the  subjects  discussed  than  is  his  wont.  The  title  he 
gives    to    this    volume    of    his    journals    is   After    White 


226        FLOORS  AND   SUNDRY   EXPEDITIONS     [ch.  ix 

Goats .^  Lord  Herschell  was  on  board  and  there  must  have 
been  other  pohticians  too,  for  he  mentions  a  "  very 
lively  "  dispute  about  Free  Trade  and  Protection  on  deck, 
"  which  was  continued  afterwards  in  the  evening  in  the 
smoking-room."  There  was  the  Rev.  John  Gillespie, 
Vice-President  of  the  Highland  Society,  who  knew  his 
father's  sheep  and  horses  ;  there  was  John  W.  Mackay 
(the  Silver  King),  "  said  to  be  the  wealthiest  man  in 
the  world "  ;  a  young  Englishman,  G.  F,  Farnham, 
who  is  sending  300  English  mares  to  a  ranch  in  British 
Columbia  ;  but  it  is  one  Hubbard,  an  American,  with 
whom  he  spends  the  most  time,  discussing  rifles  and  sport- 
ing experiences,  for  Hubbard  had  done  a  great  deal  of 
shooting  and  fishing  in  America.  The  Radcliffes,  when 
Loder  arrived  in  the  States,  were  at  the  Yellowstone  Park. 
In  the  middle  of  August  he  meets  them  at  Missoula,  and 
there  they  collect  their  outfit  for  their  hunting  trip.  Hank 
Carnes  as  guide  and  hunter.  Bill  King  with  seven  pack- 
horses,  Espagnol  with  five  more,  Jacob,  a  cook,  and  Bill 
Gormally  are  engaged  to  accompany  them. 

Their  first  camp  is  made  at  Arlee,  and  here  and  at  their 
next  camps  on  the  Jokko  River  and  at  the  head  of  the 
Jokko  Lake  they  get  good  baskets  of  trout,  but  catch 
none  of  the  weight  of  those  which  the  Indians  bring  into 
their  camp  (trout  of  9  lb,  and  12  lb.  are  mentioned). 
Making  their  way  generally  through  thick  timber,  they 
reach  the  Clearwater  Valley  and  camp  at  Two  Forks. 
Thence  there  is  no  trail  and  they  go  forward  through 
forest  on  game  tracks  or  on  no  track  at  all,  and  make  a 
camp  at  Round  Prairie,  and  from  this  point  they  have 
to  cut  a  trail  to  reach  white  goat  country.  During 
their  march   up   and   indeed   throughout   the   time  they 

^  The  weird-looking  creature  known  as  "  the  Bocky  Mountain  goat " 
or  scientifically  as  Oreamnus  americanus,  is  related  to  the  Asiatic  family 
of  Serows  {Capricornis  suniatrensis).  Of  the  Serows  there  are  at  least 
some  ten  varieties  of  subspecies.  Though  none  of  these  are  white,  several 
of  the  Serows  have  tendencies  to  white  on  the  legs,  such  as  those  of  Nepaul 
and  Darjeeling,  and  the  Sze-chuan  Serow  is  white-maned.  The  typical 
form  is  dark  grey  to  black,  and  the  Malay  varieties  are  all  black. 


A   DAY   AFTER   WHITE   GOATS  227 

were  after  the  goats  it  appears  to  have  been  cold  and  wet. 
From  Goat  Camp  by  dint  of  hard  chmbing  they  reach 
heights  whence  they  spy  the  goats  and  sometimes  wapiti, 
but  the  goat  country  is  yet  too  distant.  They  work  at 
blazing  a  trail  up  into  the  "  Basin,"  and  after  the  men 
have  worked  on  this  trail  from  September  6th  to  the 
12th  they  get  up  1,000  feet  above  their  last  camp 
and  pitch  their  tents  at  a  spot  they  call  "  Canon 
Camp."  From  this  camp  they  have  their  first  success. 
Here  Loder  gets  three  goats.  He  gives  a  long  descrip- 
tion of  his  first  day  ;  here  are  some  extracts  from  the 
account : 


"  Saw  a  goat  on  a  red  cliff — waited  for  some  time  and 

then  tried  a  stalk,  but  he  got  my  wind  and  made  off. 

Came  dov/n  a  ravine  into  the  Basin  again.     On  our  way 

down  we  saw  a  goat  400  to  500  yards  above  us.     The  goat 

was  in  full  sight,  so  I  had  to  keep  a  tree  between  me  and 

it  all  the  way — very  hard  work  as  the  hill  was  steep.     I 

got  within  130  yards  of  it,  but  could  only  see  its  head 

and  neck  and  even  that  was  partly  hidden  by  a  rock. 

The  goat  was  lying  on  a  shelf  of  rock  very  straight  above 

me — I  had  an  uncomfortable  place  and  my  neck  got  stiff 

with  looking  up  so  long,  so  at  last  I  whistled  and  threw 

down  stones,   but  the  beast  would  not  rise  although  he 

heard  the  noises.     It  kept  me  waiting  a  long  time  till  my 

neck  got  very  painful,  but  at  last  it  rose  and  I  shot.     It 

fell  in  two  bounds  down  the  rocks.  .  .  .     When  I  got  up 

to  it,  it  was  quite  dead.     I  shouted  to  Hank,  and  he  got 

up  to  me  and  we  pulled  it  down  to  a  flat  place  and  skinned 

it  there.     Then  Hank  packed  the  head  and  skin  in  his 

ruck-sack  and  I  put  a  hind-leg  in  mine.     It  was  7  o'clock 

before  we  got  away  from  the  beast  and  it  was  two  hours' 

walk  back  to  camp.     It  got  quite  dark  in  three-quarters 

of  an  hour  and   we   had   a  very   bad  time.     Hank  fell 

badly  once  and  I  cut  my  shins  against  a  rock.     They  were 

alarmed  in  camp  at  our  being  away  so  late  and  fired  a 

couple  of  shots,  v/hich  we  answered  with  two  more.    They 

very  wisely  sent  two  men  off  with  a  lantern  up  the  trail 

they  had  cut  during  that  day.  .  .  .     We  got  into  camp 

just  before  10  p.m." 


228       FLOORE   AND    SUNDRY   EXPEDITIONS     [ch.  ix 

By  the  18th  the  trail  into  the  Basin  is  cut  and  they 
now  are  camped  6,500  feet  up  and  near  the  ground  they 
have  been  working  to  reach  since  the  end  of  August. 

Both  Loder  and  Radchffe  shot  well  and  had  luck  with 
the  goats,  and  from  a  camp  800  feet  higher  continued 
their  success.  Altogether  Loder  got  nine  goats  ;  Rad- 
cliffe  got  a  number  of  good  ones  too,  though  how  many 
is  not  recorded  in  the  diary.  On  October  3rd,  having 
done  with  the  goats,  Loder  gets  his  best  wapiti. 

"  Started  with  Bill  King  at  8  a.m.  on  horseback.  Heard 
an  elk  at  10  a.m.  far  below  us.  Went  on  for  some  hours, 
then  turned  back  lower  down.  Heard  the  elk  again  at 
3  p.m.  Left  the  horses  and  King  behind  and  went  to- 
wards the  sound.  He  was  evidently  moving  about,  as 
the  whistling  came  first  from  above  and  then  from  the 
side.  I  kept  on  very  carefully  and  at  last  saw  the  tips 
of  his  horns  and  soon  after  a  small  piece  of  his  body  (part 
of  his  ribs,  I  thought).  I  fired  at  this  and  saw  that  I 
hit,  but  the  beast  did  not  fall,  so  I  ran  on  and  fired  twice 
more  ;    this  dropped  him.     He  was  a  fine  beast : 

6  ft.  girth  at  brisket. 

88  in.  from  root  of  tail  to  between  horns. 

108  in,  from  root  of  tail  to  between  nostrils. 

Tail— 7 1  in. 

Height  at  shoulder- — 5  ft.  4  in. 

Horns — 54  and  50  in. 

54  in.  round  the  neck." 

The  next  day  he  weighs  the  "  elk  "  and  made  him  752  lb. 
"  clean   without   entrails,    liver,   lungs   and   heart,    which 
weighed   about   40  lb.    more.      The   entire   skin   weighed 
83  lb." 
Here  are  some  of  the  measurements  of  the  white  goats  ; 

No.  5, 

From  root  of  tail  to  between  horns       .        50    in. 

From  root  of  tail  to  upper  lip  and  in- 
cluding tail  to  tip,  leaving  out  7  in. 
of  long  hairs  (a  small  thin  bunch)         .        61     „ 

From  hind  hoof  to  upper  lip        .  .       90     „ 


MEASUREMENTS   OF   WHITE   GOATS  229 


From  fore  hoof  to  top  of  withers 
Girth  at  brisket. 
Live  weight       .... 
Girth  of  neck  after  skinning,  taken  2  in 
below  where  head  was  taken  off 


41 1  in. 
48     „ 
225    ft). 


21    in. 


53 

in 

56 

J  J 

IH 

jj 

100 

9» 

38 

J  J 

246 

ft. 

He  makes  the  weight  and  measurements  of  one  of  Rad- 
diffe's  goats  greater  than  this  : 

Girth  round  brisket  .... 
From  root  of  tail  to  between  horns  . 
From  between  horns  to  upper  lip 
Tail  3  in.  and  hair  4  in. 
Hind  hoof  to  upper  lip  by  ridge  of  back 
Height  at  withers       .... 
Weight  (live  weight) 

On  October  5th  they  break  up  camp  and  start  on  their 
march  back  to  Arlee,  where  they  are,  as  on  the  previous 
occasion,  entertained  by  a  Major  Ronan  and  his  wife  and 
where  Loder  notes  that  their  seven  children,  the  baby 
included,  are  particularly  nice,  and  where  he  also  says 
"at  Major  Ronan' s  request  I  wrote  a  sketch  of  our  trip 
for  publication  in  a  Helena  paper."  He  gives  the  Major 
his  tent,  valise  and  blankets,  his  bridle  to  Hank  Games, 
his  saddle  he  sells  to  Bill  King  for  $10  and  then  packs 
up  and  expresses  his  skins  to  Rochester.  At  Missoula  he 
pays  off  his  men  : 

"  Bill    King    and    7    pack-horses    and    for 

potatoes     ......  $240 

Espagnol  and  5  horses  and  1  extra  for  9 

days  and  potatoes       ....  $203 

Bill  Gormally $107 

Jacob  the  cook      .  .  -^       .  .  .  $100 

"  Paid  Hank  Games  $5  per  day  for  himself  and  horse, 
50  cents  a  day  for  each  of  his  four  pack-horses."  He  esti- 
mates his  trip  with  stores  and  saddle,  etc.,  to  have  cost 
him  £128. 

Hank  meets  many  old  friends  at  Missoula,  all  of  whom 
wish  to  stand  him  drinks,  so  that  by  night  he  had  had 


230        FLOORE   AND    SUNDRY   EXPEDITIONS   [ch.  ix 

more  than  was  good  for  him  and  "  showed  his  $50  notes 
recklessly,"  so  that  Radcliffe  before  going  to  bed  "  got 
his  pocket-book  away  from  him  and  gave  it  to  Kennedy 
the  landlord  to  lock  up  in  safety."  They  proceed  the 
same  night  to  Victoria. 

After  visiting  Vancouver  and  the  "  new  town  with 
plenty  of  ferns,  Aspidium  munitum.,  among  the  stumps  " 
and  admiring  the  fine  snow  cone  of  Mt.  Baker,  they  go  to 
Toronto  and  once  more  visit  Niagara. 

At  Rochester,  where  we  find  him  next,  he  looks  through 
the  collections  of  H.  A.  Ward  and  at  his  own  wapiti  and 
goat-skins — "  bought  several  things  ...  a  moose  head  I 
bought  was  collected  many  years  ago  by  Prince  Maxi- 
milian." 

On  October  26th  he  went  on  board  the  Adriatic  and 
sailed  from  New  York. 

In  his  diaries  of  this  trip  he  mentions  many  plants  and 
flowers  which  he  observed,  and  collects  seeds  and  roots. 
He  gives  very  full  particulars  of  everything  he  sees  and 
does,  and  never  shoots  a  "  grouse "  or  catches  a  trout 
without  mentioning  it;  temperatures  and  altitudes  he 
records  with  regularity  as  in  other  journeys. 

And  so  the  years  passed  between  Floore  and  Amat,  with 
weeks  spent  in  town  or  abroad,  with  visits  to  Whittlebury 
and  to  country  houses,  until  Sir  Robert's  death  in  1888. 
It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  Sir  Robert  left 
Whittlebury  to  Sir  Edmund  and  Floore  to  a  younger  son, 
Mr.  Sydney  Loder,  how  it  was  that  Sir  Edmund  decided 
to  leave  Northamptonshire  and  to  return  to  his  native 
county,  Sussex,  and  also  how  Leonardslee,  his  wife's  old 
home,  became  theirs  to  the  end  of  his  life. 

There  exists  still  the  Visitors'  Book  of  Floore  kept  up 
to  the  end  of  their  time.  It  holds  evidence  of  the  number 
of  their  friends  and  contains  the  names  of  many  gifted 
and  interesting  people  who  were  within  the  circle  of  their 
acquaintance.  It  would  be  entertaining  to  reproduce  it 
with  the  comments  of  their  guests  on  leaving,  but  I  must 
be  content  to  give  random  selections  : 


EXTRACTS   FROM   VISITORS'    BOOK  231 

The  following  two  are  by  the  Rev.    C.   Wolley  Dod,  a 

late  Master  of  Eton  (Floore  is  pronounced  Flore). 

July  1st,  1883  : 

"  Mid  every  plant  that  Adam  knew  or  we  know, 
Both  '  Flore  simplice  '  and  Flore  plena. 
In  rapture  lost  we  wonder  now  no  more 
WTiy  Flora  gave  her  name  to  flowery  Floore." 

June  7th,  1884  : 

"  The  Muses  nine  might  all  combine 
With  Greece's  seven  sages 
To  celebrate  Floore's  wonders  great 
And  -svrite  a  thousand  pages. 

"  The  visitor  who  signed  his  name 
Had  arm  than  Csesar  stronger. 
Who  came — and  saw — and  overcame 
The  wish  to  stay  here  longer." 

There  are  at  least  two  highly  appreciative  entries  by 
Sir  Joseph  Hooker  in  regard  to  the  gardens,  expressing 
surprise  at  the  numbers  of  plants  in  the  collections  and 
remarking  on  the  charms  of  Floore. 

Here  are  two  by  Mr.  H.  C.  Goodhart,  who  married  a 
niece  of  Lady  Loder'S,  the  Hon.  Miss  Rose  Rendel  : 

July  6th,  1886  : 

"  There  came  two  young  people  to  Weedon 
Who  one  thing — at  least — are  agreed  on — 
So  long  as  they  live,  they'll  vow  Floore  can  give 
A  bisque  and  half  thirty  to  Eden." 

January  23rd,  1888  : 

"  Two  persons  revisited  Floore 
Who  had  honeymooned  there  once  before  ; 
But  now  they  are  three,  and  they  all  do  agree 
It's  a  place  they  entirely  adore." 

Here  is  one  by  G.  B.,  November  17th,  1884  : 

"  May  my  pipe  whene'er  I  load  her 
Ne'er  waft  her  fragrant  odour. 
May  time  the  great  corroder 
Turn  my  meerschaum  into  clay, 
May  I  choke  in  a  pagoda 
Off  mutton  boiled  with  soda. 
If  the  name  of  Marion  Loder 
Fromi  my  memory  fade  away," 
16 


232       FLOORE   AND   SUNDRY   EXPEDITIONS     [ch.  ix 

Here  is  another,  by  Sir  Edmund's  old    friend    of   the 
Rocky  Mountains,  J.  Gladwyn  Jebb  : 
February  21st,  1885  : 

"  Inspected  many  rifles  and  targets — was  not  certain 
that  I  understood  the  first  and  quite  certain  that  I  could 
not  hit  the  other,  but  found  that  miserable  weather  only 
makes  Floore  the  brighter  indoors." 

By  C.  H.  B.,  March  19th,  1885  : 

"  My  mind  much  exercised  by  mine  host  and  my  body 
by  his  little  daughter." 

There  are  several  references  to  the  emus  ;  one  visitor 
remarks  (A.  M.  H.,  November  15th,  1886)  :  "  Leg  of  emu 
an  agreeable  innovation  on  the  dinner  table." 

The  full  life  lived  in  the  first  decade  of  married  life  at 
Floore  drove  along  the  seasons  of  each  year  at  a  pace  that 
truly  must  have  made  Time  fly  with  Edmund  Loder, 
and  now  the  scene  is  changed  to  Leonardslee. 


CHAPTER  X 

AFTER    ARUI,    ADMI    AND    REEM 
"  Afric  is  all  the  smi's." — Don  Juan. 

Loder's  big-game  expeditions  in  Africa  were  confined  to 
North  Africa,  Somaliland  and  British  East  Africa.  Algeria 
and  Tunisia  are  not  generally  regarded  as  countries 
yielding  much  sport  for  the  rifle  since  the  lion  and  bubal 
have  been  practically  exterminated.  The  red  deer  are 
reduced  to  a  few  Tunisian  herds,  and  the  North  African 
buffalo  survives  only  in  the  marshes  near  Bizerta,  but  it 
was  to  their  mountains  and  deserts  that  Loder  returned 
over  and  over  again.  Not  that  sport  was  the  only  at- 
traction for  him  ;  the  flowers  and  vegetation,  and  natural 
wonders  of  the  maritime  plains,  of  the  plateaux,  of  the 
mountains  and  of  the  Sahara,  interested  him,  and  only 
in  a  less  degree  its  history,  inhabitants  and  antiquities. 
From  a  purely  sporting  point  of  view  and  for  a  combina- 
tion of  variety  in  the  sport  afforded,  of  skill  and  effort 
required  in  obtaining,  and  of  the  fascination  of  being 
"  far  away  "  with  undisturbed  possession  of  vast  hunting- 
grounds  among  a  most  sporting  description  of  natives, 
Loder  doubtless  would  have  placed  Somaliland  first.  It 
is  a  tracker's  and  stalker's  country  and  yields  fine  trophies. 
British  East  Africa  is  a  colony  easy  of  access,  where 
safaris  are  "  ready  made,"  where  large  bags  are  comfort- 
ably obtained ;  and  is  a  country  possessing  a  special 
charm  in  the  wonderful  variety  of  beautiful  regions  and 
of  many  perfect  climates.  It  is  a  country  where  an  old 
gentleman  with  a  shooting  pony  can  shoot  as  much  as 
he  likes  and  acquire  a  large  collection  of  fine  trophies 
without   great    exertion   or   fatigue.     The   attractions    of 

233 


234  AFTER   ARUI,    ADMI   AND    REEM         [ch.  x 

the  Atlas  Chain  and  of  the  deserts  beyond  are  of  quite 
another  character.  The  sport  afforded  for  the  rifle  is  of 
another  class,  appealing  to  those  who  delight  in  victory 
over  the  greatest  difficulties,  and  which  for  the  attain- 
ment of  success  demands  the  highest  development  of  the 
hunter's  craft.  Looking  back  over  many  years,  the 
retrospection  gives  now  a  clearer  value  to  each  experience 
of  travel  and  a  fuller  comprehension  of  Loder's  love  for 
the  Aures  and  of  the  deserts.  It  is  strange  that  of  the 
many  voices  calling  back  that  of  the  Red  Mountains  and 
the  Cream}^  Sands  awakes  the  keenest  longings  to  see  and 
feel  "  once  more."  Scotch  hills,  Pyrenean  heights,  equa- 
torial peaks,  Indian  jungles,  game-crowded  plains,  kloof 
and  kranz,  bush  and  African  forests  all  call  back  with 
various  voices,  resurrecting  companions,  adventures, 
sounds  and  scenes  ;  but  it  is  the  region  of  utter  loneliness, 
deathly  silence  and  perfect  purity  of  the  Great  Sahara 
which  leaves  on  some  men  the  deepest  impression  and 
which  yields  experiences  treasured  above  all  others. 
Though  Loder  and  I  were  familiar  with  the  northern 
edges  of  the  Great  Desert,  it  was  not  till  1894  that  we  left 
for  the  first  time  those  more  beaten  tracks  and  entered 
into  its  real  solitudes  and  silence.  My  own  later  journeys, 
far  beyond  where  he  and  I  went  together,  have  no  doubt 
deepened  my  earlier  impressions,  yet  it  was  with  him  I 
first  felt  these  strange  regions  as  something  "  beyond"  in 
the  way  in  which  music  and  dreams  are  not  of  this  world. 
The  Sahara  has  no  resemblance  to  such  desolations  as 
the  bare,  terrible  Nubian  desert  with  its  orange  sand  and 
naked  black  rocks  ;  it  may  at  times  be  awful,  but  it  is  most 
beautiful.  It  was  in  our  quest  of  the  reem,  when  Loder 
obtained  the  first  type-specimen  of  Gazella  loderi,  that  we 
first  traversed  the  solitudes  south  of  the  Great  Chotts  and 
entered  the  labyrinthine  dunes  of  a  miniature  erg  with  its 
lovely  genestas  and  desert  plants  and  found  ourselves  in  a 
land  of  divine  quiet.  The  camels  with  an  indolent  swing 
move  noiselessly,  and  even  the  sounds  when  the  day's  stage 
is  done,  when  camels  groan  at  the  unloading  and  tents  are 


THE   SAHARA  235 

pitched,  it  is  so  small  a  stir  in  the  vastness  of  earth  and  sky 
that  the  sense  of  quiet  is  even  greater  than  during  the  hot 
hours  of  the  afternoon.  In  melting  hues  of  indescribable 
colours  day  passes  into  the  exquisite  purity  of  night  under 
the  silver  moon  and  the  stars  set  in  the  sapphire  sky,  and 
desert  thoughts  come  near  that  High  World  which  lies 
beyond  our  own.  Loder  used  to  recall  these  nights  and 
also  the  less  romantic  mornings  when  his  faithful  Ahmeda 
Ben  Houbi  called  out "  Quatre  heures."  I  am  sure  he  often 
in  after  years  saw  Ahmeda  again  through  his  tent  door 
silhouetted  against  the  little  fire  of  dthrin  grass,  stirring 
porridge  and  making  our  coffee — firelight  on  silvery  plants, 
on  the  sand,  on  motionless  camels,  on  Arabs  rolled  in 
shroud-like  burnouses — ^no  sound  but  that  of  the  coffee 
mill  and  of  horses  munching  their  barley  or  tossing  it  in 
their  nosebags.  Loder  breaks  the  spell.  I  can  see  him  now 
going  to  his  little  square  mess  tent  and  hear  his  loud  shout 
of  "  parritch,"  so  much  Scotch  has  he  taught  Ahmeda. 
Night  wanes,  the  blue  above  pales,  its  gems  fade  out,  the 
dawn  creeps  on,  drowning  at  last  the  lingering  morning 
star.  The  golden  light  comes  faster  and  faster,  sending 
before  it  a  flood  of  rose  and  violet,  and  overflows  the  silent 
sands  and  bathes  the  grass,  broom,  and  iridescent  "  had."  ^ 

The  winged  minutes  of  loveliness  pass,  the  march  begins 
and  the  day  boils  at  last. 

Our  months  in  those  mountains  which  stand  like  a  wall 
along  the  northern  frontiers  of  the  desert  were  delightful  in 
other  ways.  The  southern  ranges  of  the  Atlas  and  Aures 
are  mostly  red  or  orange,  and  in  appearance  are  not  unhke 
the  mountains  which  border  the  Red  Sea,  yet  their  deso- 
late and  often  cruel  aspect  changes  in  the  early  and  late 
hours  of  the  day.  Then  their  heights  and  pinnacles  are 
lit  up  in  a  blaze  of  living  light,  their  battered  sides  and  cliffs 
are  covered  with  heavenly  hues  and  tenderest  tints.  In  the 
evening  lovely  shadows  of  violet  creep  up  the  gorges  and 
the  clefts,  and  as  these  shadows  turn  to  purple  the  summits 
shine  in  rose,  in  crimson  and  in  flame.     When  you  are  up 

1   "  Had,"  a  glistening  tufted  desert  plant. 


236  AFTER   ARUI,   ADMI   AND   REEM  [ch.  x 

among  the  red  rocks  the  sense  of  the  bareness  disappears  : 
scented  herbs,  fine  grasses,  lovely  little  flowers,  gaily 
coloured  plants  grow  on  every  ledge  and  terrace  and  hang 
from  slope  and  crevice.  There  are  even  forests  of  ilex, 
juniper  and  thuya  to  be  found  and  in  many  a  ravine  runs 
water,  sometimes  fringed  with  oleanders  or  dense  masses  of 
maidenhair.  The  mountain  forage  of  the  arui  and  admi 
is  full  of  sweet  smells  and  as  dainty  as  can  be.  There  are 
cool  caves  and  shady  shelters  and  here  and  there  bush  and 
scrub  for  the  hunters  and  the  hunted  in  the  hottest  hours 
of  the  day. 

Putting  aside  the  red  deer  of  Scotland,  a  truly  wild  animal 
but  continuing  its  existence  under  the  partly  artificial 
conditions  of  man's  protection,  the  beast  that  most  fascin- 
ated Loder  was  the  arui.  In  briefly  describing  the  Barbary 
wild  sheep  and  their  habitat  I  shall  give,  I  trust,  some 
indication  of  Loder' s  character  and  what  appealed  to  his 
nature.  1 

There  are  three  mountains  of  the  Aures  which  have  been 
the  arui  hunting-grounds  of  the  majority  of  English  and 
other  visitors  and  which  were  the  scenes  of  the  pioneers 
Loder' s  and  the  Buxtons'  first  enterprises.     Their  accessi- 

1  Loder  in  his  journals  invariably  calls  the  "arui"  {Ovis  lervia)  by  the 
French  local  name  "mouflon,"  though  in  conversation  with  Arabs  and 
others  he  used  the  Arab  name  "  larrowi  "  (contraction  of  el  arowi).  The 
Arabs  always  speak  of  the  Barbary  wild  sheep  as  "larowi"  or  "lerowi," 
just  as  they  do  of  the  mountain  gazelle  [Oazella  cuvieri)  as  "ladmi" 
or  "ledmi" — Loder  spells  "ladmi"  "  I'admi,"  but  it  should  be  "ladmi," 
the  words  being  el  admi  or  el  edmi.  I  have  adopted  among  the  many 
English  names  given  to  these  animals  "arui"  and  "admi" — Lydekker 
uses  the  name  "  udad "  and  others  "  aoudad " — where  these  names 
originate  I  do  not  know.  The  nearest  to  them  which  I  have  heard 
is  "  owthathow  "  ;  the  Chouia  (Berbers)  name — "  fechstal  " — is  another 
Arab  name,  I  believe,  though  I  never  remember  having  heard  it  used  by 
Arabs.  I  have  also  taken  Loder's  spelling  of  "  reem  "  [Oazella  loderi)  for 
the  sand  gazelle,  as  it  is  phonetically  good,  though  "rime"  would  repre- 
sent the  Arabic  name.     The  Arab  pronunciations  of  the  names  of  : 

Dorcas  gazelle  is  Rhozal  {Gaz.  dorcas). 
Sand  gazelle  is  Reem  [Gaz.  loderi). 
Wild  sheep  is  Laarowie  (Ovis  lervia). 
Movmtain  gazelle  is  Ladmee  (Gaz.  cuvieri). 


m 


HAUNTS   OF   THE   ARUI  237 

bility  from  the  railway  and  to  the  bases  of  operations  of 
El  Kantara,  El  Outaia  and  Biskra  accounts  for  this.     Each 
is  formidable  in  its  own  way,  each  is  constantly  hunted  by 
Arabs  and  residents,  but  each  still  probably  yields  a  fair 
chance  of  success.     Of  the  mountains  in  the  Province  of 
Constantine  two  of  these  three,  the  Metlili  and  the  Amark- 
hadou,  have  yielded  the  finest  heads,  yet  the  wild  sheep  are 
more  numerous  in  the  Western  Atlas  towards  Morocco  and 
on  the  Eastern  Atlas  in  Tunisia  and  more  easily  obtained. 
Though  lioder  and  I  hunted  the  latter  and  other  ranges, 
Loder  always  returned  to  his  earlier  hunting-grounds.     The 
Metlili  is  the  mountain  mass  which  forms  the  western 
rampart  of  the  beautiful  gorge  of  El  Kantara,  through  which 
the  ancient  Roman  road  and  the  modern  railway  penetrate 
into  the  desert.     From  the  train,  on  emerging  from  the 
gorge,  the  southern  sides  of  the  Metlili  have  the  appearance 
of  having  been  ploughed  into  stupendous  ridge  and  furrow 
with  strange  regularity  from  top  to  bottom.     But  away 
from  this  face  the  intricate  and  broken  heights   of  the 
Metlili  with  its  labyrinths  of  ravines  and  gorges  make  it  a 
stronghold  for  the  arui  and  a  formidable  mountain  for  the 
hunter.      The  second  mountain  of  the  three,   Djebel  el 
Melheha,  stands  south  and  east  of  the  Metlili  and  forward 
from  the  main  Aures   range,    and  is   known  to  English 
tourists  as  the  Salt  Mountain.     It  is  the  most  singular 
mountain  we  ever  hunted  ;    its  summits  are  a  home  for 
the  admi  and  it  is  a  resort  of  the  arui.     It  is  literally  an 
enormous  pile  of  reddish  rock-salt.     Through  ages  the  salt 
gradually  denuded  of  its  covering  has  dissolved  in  its  hol- 
lows and  the  rugged  cliffs  and  peaks  have  been  stripped 
of  protecting  earth,  so  that  the  whole  mountain  is  broken 
up  into  a  myriad  pinnacles  of  shining  rock-salt  fretted  in 
every  direction  and  into  glistening  cliffs  of  rainbow  hues. 
The  higher  grounds  are  a  maze  of  bottomless  craters  and 
crevasses.     Around  these  shafts  and  pits  is  sweet  herbage 
and  plant  life  ;    herbs  and  grass  grow  on  little  plateaux  on 
the  tops.     In  a  hundred  places  there  is  hiding  and  shelter 
for  the  wild  sheep,  and  when  the  mountain  has  been  covered 


238  AFTER   ARUI,    ADMI   AND    REEM  [ch.  x 

with  snow  I  have  tracked  them  to  where  they  were  basking 
in  perfect  comfort  on  the  edges  of  bottomless  pits.  It  is 
not  an  easy  place  upon  which  to  get  a  quiet  shot,  for  in  the 
chimneys  and  shafts  are  hundreds  of  blue  rock-pigeons,  and 
as  you  cross  a  crater  these  fly  out  and  put  the  whole  moun- 
tain on  the  qui  vive.  You  are  perpetually  crossing  skylines, 
the  wind  eddies  and  nowhere  have  you  any  extended  field 
for  spying.  Besides  it  is  a  mountain  with  peculiarly  nasty 
dangers  and  you  have  to  look  to  your  footing.  Loder,  who 
loved  his  deer-glass  and  the  scientific  stalk,  preferred  other 
hills  to  this,  and  the  Amarkhadou  was  his  favourite.  This 
mountain  is  one  of  the  highest  and  is  in  character  distinct 
from  all  other  mountains  of  the  Aures.  It  is  a  country,  it 
rises  in  range  upon  range  of  lesser  mountains  from  the 
desert  up  to  high  terraces  and  is  topped  on  its  southern  face 
by  white  cliffs.  There  are  hundreds  of  gorges  and  ravines, 
woods,  villages  ;  on  its  upper  terraces  are  fields  of  barley 
and  on  its  summit  stands  the  French  telegraphe  opiique. 
There  are  man}'^  wild  boar,  always  some  fine  rams,  always 
some  admi  and  a  few  leopards  on  the  Amarkhadou,  but 
from  frequent  hunting  the  game  here  is  as  cunning  as  can 
be  and  finds  refuge  in  fastnesses  which  are  extensive  and 
magnificent.  In  this  particular  mountain  the  arui,  es- 
pecially the  old  rams,  affect  the  bush,^  and  a  sheep  will  lie 

1  R.  Lydekker  in  The  Sheep  and  its  Cousins  gives  a  good  description  of 
the  arui  in  his  chapter  on  "  Aberrant  Wild  Sheep,"  but  needs  some 
correction  as  regards  his  habits  and  distribution.  The  arui  has  been 
found  south  of  IChartoum  ;  it  does  not  inhabit  the  desert,  but  is  found  in 
Saharian  mountain  ranges  as  well  as  in  the  Atlas  and  moimtains  of  Egypt 
and  the  Sudan.  Fossil  remains  found  in  the  South  of  France  represent 
sheep  similar  to  or  akin  to  the  arui.  The  following  statements  of  Lydekker 
require  modification  :  "  the  horns  of  ewes  being  only  slightly  smaller  "  than 
those  of  rams.  The  horns  of  ewes  are  shorter  and  weaker,  there  being  no 
comparison  between  those  of  a  fully  developed  ram  and  ewe  horns.  Wlien 
he  states  that  "water  is  everywhere  scarce''  it  is  not  a  fact — there  are 
many  rivers  and  streams  flowing  through  the  Aures  and  Atlas  Mountains 
and  into  the  desert.  Lydekker  also  says  "  the  arui  according  to  native  report 
have  often  to  travel  a  long  distance  before  they  can  slake  their  thirst."  The  arui 
has  no  thirst  to  slake  beyond  that  which  is  satisfied  by  the  juice  of  herbage 
and  plants.  After  the  hottest  days  on  the  hottest  rocks  I  have  seen  them 
ford  streams  and  pass  rain  pools,  and  never  in  my  life  have  I  seen  either  an 


DIFFICULTY   OF   STALKING   ADMI  239 

so  close  and  tight  under  a  juniper  that  sometimes  nothing 
but  a  dog  will  put  him  out.  These  and  a  few  other  rougher 
mountains  were  Loder's  favourite  hunting-grounds  and 
where  he  found  full  play  for  every  art  of  the  stalker  and  for 
all  his  natural  gifts  and  acquired  skill.  There  can  be  little, 
if  any,  doubt  that  the  arui  and  the  admi  of  the  Aures  are  the 
most  difficult  of  all  wild  animals  to  stalk.  Apart  from  its 
smaller  size,  the  admi  is,  in  the  Aures,  the  more  difficult  to 
fairly  stalk  of  the  two,  being  invariably  on  the  watch  by 
day,  keeping  to  bare  ground  with  a  good  field  of  vision.  If 
in  the  still  mountain  air  you  have  succeeded  in  getting  over 
the  noisy  ground  within  200  yards  of  even  a  single  admi, 
the  very  instant  you  squint  round  a  rock  or  move  your  rifle 
muzzle  over  a  stone,  you  are  detected,  and  even  if  he  be 
lying  down  he  immediately  springs  in  two  or  three  bounds 
over  a  skyline  or  behind  cover.  In  five  years  when  I  have 
often  stalked  them  and  successfully  got  within  range  I  never 
once  had  a  quiet  shot,  and  all  I  have  killed  were  "  galloping 
shots  "  at  distances  of  from  200  to  800  yards. ^  Both  the 
arui  and  the  admi  are  present  in  considerable  numbers,  but 
old  and  young  all  their  lives  are  constantly  being  disturbed 

arui  or  a  gazelle  drink.  It  is  not  safe  to  say  the  arui  never  di-inks,  but  he 
does  not  drink  as  often  as  an  English  sheep,  and  more  old  people  die  without 
having  seen  a  sheep  in  England  drink  water  than  those  who  have.  "  They 
keep  strictly  to  the  open  country,  never  entering  the  cedar  forests."  This 
is  not  accurate  ;  they  hide  much  in  juniper,  thuya  and  ilex  bush  and  woods, 
though  probably  this  is  not  a  natural  but  an  acquired  habit  due  to  perse- 
cution. The  largest  flocks  I  have  seen  of  arui  have  been  from  seven  to 
thirteen  (I  once  saw  twelve  adult  ewes  and  an  old  ram).  Whether  if 
entirely  unmolested  and  allowed  to  increase  the  flocks  would  be  larger  than 
this  I  do  not  know. 

^  None  of  the  gazelles  in  North  Africa  are  easy  to  obtain  in  fair  stalking. 
Occasionally  the  broken  banks  and  the  depressions  in  dry  river  beds, 
undulations  in  the  ground,  and  mounds  and  bushes  facilitate  the  approach, 
but  more  often  the  cover  obtainable  is  very  slight  indeed.  Gazelle  are 
wild  and  restless  creatiires,  and  from  coloration  are  small  targets  at 
150  yards.  The  judging  of  range  in  the  lucid  or  tremulous  and  heated 
atmosphere  of  the  desert  is  not  easy,  and  in  our  early  days  the  high- 
velocity  and  flat-trajectory  rifles  were  unknown.  Double-barrelled 
•500  and  -450  bore  Expresses  were  our  weapons — and  you  could  not  afford 
to  make  a  mistake  of  fifteen  yards  in  judging  distance  when  shooting  at  a 
2  to  6  inch  vital  target. 


240  AFTER   ARUI,    ADMI   AND   REEM  [ch.  x 

and  shot  at  by  shepherds  and  Arab  hunters  with  dogs  and 
guns;    they  receive  no  protection  from  authority  at  any 
season  of  the  year,  and  their  safety  depends  on  the  cultiva- 
tion of  their  most  extraordinarily  acute  senses  of  hearing, 
sight  and  smell,  their  knowledge  of  man's  ways,  the  pro- 
tection of  their  coat-colour  and  the  shelter  that  broken  and 
intricate  country  affords  them  among  rocks  and  caves  on 
cliffs   and   among   bush   and   trees.     Loder  often   related 
instances  of  the  cunning  of  old  rams,  but  he  does  not  men- 
tion them  in  his  diaries.     Of  many,  I  will  give  one  which 
I  observed  during  one  of  our  later  hunting  trips.     Accom- 
panied by  my  Arab  shikari  I  was  spying  about  at  8  a.m.  one 
day  from  behind  rocks  on  a  terrace  high  up  on  the  north  side 
of  a  long  mountain  ridge  known  as  the  Arzghub  el  beghral 
("  the  mule's  hind-leg  "),  which  at  its  western  end  termin- 
ates in  cliffs  and  a  deep  gorge,  when  about  a  half  mile  to  my 
right  (east)  I  saw  an  old  ram  and  five  ewes  cross  the  skyline 
and  descend  my  side  of  the  hill  and  pass  slowly  westward. 
The  ram  was  leading  and  halted  at  times  to  scan  carefully 
the  country  ahead.     Arrived  some  700  yards  below  where 
we  were  posted,  he  surveyed  the  ground  above  him  and 
fixed  his  eyes  on  us.     After  a  stare  of  some  ten  minutes  he 
decided  that  whether  we  were  rocks  or  not  it  was  safer  to 
consider  we  were  neither  mineral  nor  vegetable,  and  the 
flock  bundled  along  at  an  improved  pace  till  they  arrived 
at  a  very  large  rock  (perhaps  40  feet  high  and  60  wide) 
which  in  some  past  time  had  fallen  from  the  crest  half-way 
down  the  mountain-side.     The  family  party  hid  behind 
this  monolith.     After  some  time  I  put  my  eye  to  my  tele- 
scope and  examined  the  ground  between  us,  with  the  view 
of  a  possible  stalk,  and  then  the  rock.     I  found  that  it  was 
split  in  two  and  that  at  its  narrowest  the  cleft  was  about 
two  feet  wide.     I  then  thought  I   might  see  the  sheep 
through  the  slit,  and  what  did  I  see  but  part  of  the  head  and 
horn  of  the  old  ram  with  his  eye  glued  to  the  cleft  watching 
me  !     Through  the  long  hours  of  the  morning  we  thus 
watched  each  other.     About  1.30  he  had  had  enough  and 
decided  that  we  were  not  human  beings,  and  he  made  off, 


VIGILANCE   OF   A   RAM  241 

quietly  followed  by  his  wives,  first  sweeping  down  under 
cover  and  then  upwards,  and  in  view  he  crossed  the  ridge 
above  me  to  my  left.     Leaving  my  shikari  to  watch,  I  ran 
up  and  over  the  ridge  behind  me,  certain  I  must  see  them 
between  this  point  and  the  gorge.    I  was  sliding  on  my  back 
down  a  couloir  on  the  cliff-side  when  they  came  in  sight  on 
my  right  and  I  immediately  stopped,  lying  on  my  rifle  to 
keep  the  sun  off  it.     The  sun  was  full  on  me  and  I  dare  not 
move.     The  ram  now  took  his  stand  on  a  slab  that  jutted 
out  from  the  cliffs  some  450  yards  away  and  the  ewes  lay 
down  on  shelves  above  him.     He  spotted  me  in  a  minute, 
but  could  not  make  me  out.     There  he  stood  with  his  frills 
and  trouser  hair  floating  in  the  breeze  against  the  sky 
and  never  took  his  eye  off  me.     I  believe  I  endured  the 
exquisite  torture  of  his  gaze,  the  terrible  sun,  my  rifle 
hand  crushed  against  the  rock  and  a  stone  in  my  spine  for 
over  an  hour,  hoping  against  hope.     At  last  I  could  stand 
it  no  longer,  and  centimetre  by  centimetre  began  to  extract 
my  right  hand  and  rifle,  but  long  before  it  was  free  the 
beautiful  beast  turned  on  his  pedestal  and  dropping  off  it 
disappeared  into  the  gorge  followed  by  his  harem.     I  went 
there,  but  beyond  the  sound  of  stones  falling  in  its  dark 
depths  I  never  heard  or  saw  anything  more  of  him  nor  of  the 
ladies  he  had  so  gallantly  protected.     I  am  convinced  that 
during  the  seven  hours'  endurance  he  never  made  me  out 
to  be  a  man,  but  he  defeated  me  by  ceaseless  vigilance  and 
a  determination  to  take  no  risks. 

Loder  and  I  once  watched  an  Arab  and  an  old  ram  play- 
ing hide-and-seek  with  each  other  for  hours.  It  was 
wonderful  to  watch  the  ram  slinking  under  shelves  of  rock, 
standing  under  a  bush,  slipping  down  a  couloir,  getting 
behind  a  stone.  The  amusing  thing  was  to  see  the  beast 
at  last  escape  unobserved  with  the  Arab  staring  at  the  very 
ground  the  sheep  was  creeping  and  dodging  over. 

The  following  table  gives  the  results  of  four  similar 
spring  expeditions  to  the  mountains  for  arui,  which  will 
suffice  for  my  purpose  of  showing  that  the  arui  is  not  too 
easily  obtained  : 


242 


AFTER  ARUI,   ADMI   AND   REEM 


[CH.  X 


Hunting 
days  out . 

Animals 
shot  at. 

Arui. 

Admi. 

W.  Boar. 

Dorcas 

Totals. 

1891 

Loder 

18 

8 

3 

0 

0 

0 

3 

C.  Radcliffe    . 

16 

4 

1 

0 

0 

0 

1 

1893 

Loder    . 

13 

12 

1 

2 

4 

1 

8 

C.  Radcliffe    . 

12 

6 

1 

0 

0 

1 

2 

1894 

Loder    . 

13 

5 

0 

1 

0 

0 

1 

A.  Pease 

11 

1 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

1895 

Loder    . 

25 

?20 

1 

0 

5 

6 

12 

A.  Pease 

21 

?  13 

3 

1 

0 

4 

8 

129 

69 

10 

4 

9 

12 

35 

We  obtained  arui  and  gazelles  on  other  occasions,  but  the 
above  is  a  definite  record  of  hard  days  in  which  Loder  does 
always  more  work,  gets  more  shots  and  kills  the  most. 
Supposing  9  days  were  given  to  boar  and  dorcas  gazelle,  it 
required  12  days  on  the  average  to  kill  an  arui,  though  24 
days  yielded  none  in  1894. 

Loder  was  particularly  interested  in  the  fauna  of  North 
Africa,  and  even  in  the  early  nineties  very  little  definite 
information  was  obtainable  about  it.  The  addax,  the 
bubal,  the  buffalo  and  the  red  deer  were  known  to  exist  in 
North  Africa,  but  no  Europeans,  save  a  few  French  resi- 
dents and  officers,  knew  much  about  them  or  even  about  the 
varieties  of  gazelles.  The  interior  of  Tunisia  was  little 
explored  by  Englishmen  ;  I  had  made  one  attempt  to  find 
lions,  but  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  they  were  extinct 
by  1895  save  a  very  few  in  the  great  forests  north  of  Bordj 
Bou  Arredj.  We,  however,  collected  definite  information 
about  the  addax  (the  Sudan,  where  they  are  now  got,  had 
long  been  unapproachable  and  little  about  the  addax  was 
known  even  in  Egypt),  the  bubal,  the  red  deer,  the  buffalo 
and  the  reem.  The  bubal  still  were  on  the  Hamada  in 
Oran  and  towards  Morocco,  the  buffalo  in  the  swamps  of 
Bizerta,  the  red  deer  in  the  forests  of  Tunisia,  and  in  1895 


FAUNA   OF   NORTH  AFRICA  243 

we  came  across  several  stags'  heads  (horns)  in  the  hands  of 
natives.  The  addax  in  favourable  years  when  rain  fell 
came  up  near  to  Bir  Beresof  and  even  to  the  Chott  Djereed, 
and  could  be  got  from  Bir  Aioueen  south  of  Ouargla.^ 
East  and  west  of  Ouargla  the  reem  was  very  common. 
Some  four  years  later  I  obtained  as  many  specimens  of  the 
reem  as  I  wanted  in  the  Oued  Ighaghar,  but  again  failed  to 
reach  the  addax.  It  was  thirteen  years  after  his  first 
attempt  on  the  Metlili  during  his  honeymoon  before  Sir 
Edmund  found  time  for  a  second  try  ;  Lady  Loder's  serious 
illness  in  the  pioneer  expedition  and  her  disagreeable  ex- 
periences in  a  Mediterranean  storm  had  damped  her  ardour 
for  Algeria,  and  she  disliked  the  idea  of  being  away  for  long 
from  her  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Radcliffe  were  again  Sir 
Edmund's  companions,  and  following  the  Buxtons'  ex- 
ample they  took  professional  chamois-hunters  with  them — • 
Andreas  Ranch  from  Pontresina  and  Benjamin  Vergez 
from  Gavarnie  in  the  Pyrenees.  Loder  makes  many  notes 
about  the  journey  to  Biskra  ;  he  notes  that  the  Zoological 
Gardens  at  Marseilles  have  been  enlarged,  but  "  there  are 
not  many  animals,"  and  that  agaves,  Braccena  indivisa 
and  myrtles  have  suffered  from  the  severe  winter  on  the 
Riviera  and  the  prickly  pears  and  eucalyptus  in  Algeria  have 
been  damaged  from  the  same  cause.  At  Constantine  and 
at  Biskra  he  buys  addax  horns  and  adds  to  his  collection 
of  native  footgear.  There  are  not  many  earlier  allusions 
to  Hichens'  Garden  of  Allah  than  this  entry  : 

"  March  Uh,  1891.  .  .  .  Drove  to  Monsieur  Landon's 
Garden.  A  very  fine  garden,  but  arrangement  stiff  and  the 
variety  of  palms  in  it  is  not  very  great."  ^ 

In  those  days  arrangements  for  a  shooting  trip  had  to  be 
made  with  the  countenance  of  the  Bureau  Arabe  and  a 
Spahi  escort  provided.  Preliminaries  arranged,  they 
reached    the  Amarkhadou    on    March   8th,    and    camped 

1  The  Royal  Geographical  Society  spells  Ouargla  (Wargla) ;  I  adhere  to 
the  local  spelling  which  gives  the  local  pronunciation,  as  I  also  do  in  the 
cases  of  Oued  (Wed),  Djebel  (Jebel  or  Gebel),  etcetera. 

*  The  garden  was  much  improved  by  1893. — A.  E.  P. 


-I- 


244  AFTER   ARUI,    ADMI   AND   REEM  [ch.  x 

4,000  feet  up  at  Ain  Tarfa.  On  the  following  day  Loder 
apparently  made  his  first  acquaintance  with  the  admi  ;  he 
writes  in  his  diary  : 

"  In  the  middle  of  the  day  started  a  wild  boar  in  the  face 
of  the  cliff  and  he  went  straight  off  towards  Hammam. 
In  his  course  he  disturbed  a  gazelle  which  had  been  lying 
down.  We  made  it  out  to  be  one  of  the  large  kind  with 
straight  horns  {Vadmi).  We  saw  no  mouflon,  and  in  the 
evening  we  went  to  where  we  had  seen  the  gazelle,  but  could 
not  find  it." 

I  will  give  one  or  two  full  entries  of  his  days.  Here  is 
the  one  for  the  day  on  which  he  got  his  best  arui : 

''Saturday,  March  14th,  1891.— Got  up  at  4.30— called 
the  cook,  as  I  could  not  make  him  hear  from  my  tent  be- 
cause of  the  wind.^  Very  cold  night  and  water  frozen. 
Went  off  with  Benjamin  at  6  a.m.,  first  down  along  the 
stream  S.E.  of  Hammam  and  then  up  to  the  top  of  the  high- 
est top  E.,  and  some  distance  down  into  the  valley  which  I 
had  not  seen  before.  Saw  an  Arab  before  us,  and  did  not 
see  any  mouflon.  As  the  wind  was  still  high,  so  as  to  drown 
the  noise  of  our  footsteps,  we  tried  looking  for  mouflon  in 
all  thick  places.  At  12  o'clock  we  jumped  a  mouflon  out 
from  under  a  thick  bush  in  the  dry  bed  of  a  rocky  stream. 
He  went  off  with  tremendous  bounds,  but  I  luckily  had  my 
rifle  ready  in  my  hand  and  hit  him  with  both  barrels  in 
shoulder  and  high  in  ribs.  He  fell  dead  after  going  about  a 
dozen  yards.     He  was  a  very  fine  beast. 

Horns. — 12|  in.  circumference  at  base. 

28^  in.  length. 

22|  in.  spread  inside. 
Girth  at  brisket. — 3  ft.  10|  in. 
Height  at  shoulder  (stick  upright). — 3  ft.  8^  in. 
Length. — Betv/een  horns  to  root  of  tail — 4  ft.  7|  in. 

From  between  horns  to  end  of  nose — 15f  in. 

Tail  10  in.  or  with  hair — 16  in. 

Length,  total — 7  ft.  3|  in. 
Circumference  of  neck.- — 2  ft.  5|  in. 
Nose  to  end  of  bone  of  tail. — 81  j  in. 

Charlie  and  Ranch  saw  nothing  all  day." 

1  It  must  have  been  "some"  wind. — A.  E.  P. 


HUNTING   IN   THE   PYRENEES  245 

On  this  trip  he  shot  two  more  rams  and  his  companion 
one,  but  he  failed  to  get  anything  on  the  MetHH  and  the 
Salt  Mountain.  He  returned  via  Algiers  and  spent  several 
days  visiting  the  Jardin  d'Essai.  This  was  his  practice 
whenever  he  found  himself  there. 

In  after  years  I  went  several  times  with  him  to  the 
Jardin  d'Essai,  and  learnt  more  in  an  hour  with  him  than 
I  had  in  months  of  residence  at  Mustapha  Superieure.  In 
1891  he  has  interviews  with  the  Directeur,  Monsieur 
Riviere,  and  purchases  specimens  of  palms  and  yuccas. 
He  is  enthusiastic  about  some  of  the  palms,  which  he 
describes  as  "  splendid,"  but  I  cannot  read  the  names  ; 
one  is,  I  think,  Juhcea  spectabilis. 

This  same  year  1891  found  him  with  Lady  Loder  in  the 
Pyrenees— hunting  the  Pyrenees  ibex  {Capra  pyrenaica) 
and  izard  (the  Pyrenean  chamois) — with  success  and  col- 
lecting plants.  It  is  somewhat  singular  that  I  had  been 
with  my  wife,  my  brother  and  sister  and  Mr.  A.  E.  Leatham 
hunting  in  the  same  beautiful  valley,  the  Val  d' Arras,  on 
the  Spanish  side  earlier  in  the  same  year,  living  in  the 
shepherds'  house  *'  La  Grange "  and  having  similar 
experiences.  Lady  Loder  still  remembers  the  disturbed 
nights  in  the  room  over  the  cow  byre  where  lived  the 
mooing  cow  on  which  we  depended  for  our  milk  and  its 
bellowing  calf.  Descriptions  of  hunting  ibex  and  izard  in 
this  magnificent  country  have  appeared  since  the  days 
when  Sir  Victor  Brooke  made  his  hunting  trips  for  ibex, 
izard  and  bears.  To  these  and  Mr.  Edward  North  Bux- 
ton's Short  Stalks  the  reader  may  be  referred.  To  obtain 
ibex  a  man  had  to  be  a  fearless  climber,  for  there  is  in 
Europe  no  more  trying  work  for  feet  and  head  than  on 
the  stupendous  cliffs  and  precipices  of  these  valleys.  It 
is  moreover  a  paradise  for  the  lover  of  Alpine  flowers  and 
of  beautiful  trees,  and  probably  without  rival  in  the 
world  for  the  combination  of  exquisite  colouring  and 
magnificent  mountain  scenery. 

In  1893  he  again  went  for  the  wild  sheep,  and  the 
Radeliffes  again  were  his   companions.     They  had  with 


246      AFTER  ARUI,  ADMI  AND  REEM    [ch.  x 

them  this  time  Celestin  Passet  and  Fran9ois  Trescarges 
of  Gavarnie  as  their  shikaris.  From  his  daily  notes  of 
this  time  I  give  the  following  extracts  : 

"  Saturday,  February  Uh. — (On  the  Bastia  bound  from 
Marseilles  to  Philippeville.)  Ship  rolled  a  good  deal  in 
the  night  and  so  I  did  not  sleep  very  well.  Very  fine 
sunny  morning.  .  .  .  On  board  is  Mr.  Vincent  Calmady- 
Hamlyn,  brother-in-law  to  A.  Pease,  who  is  at  Biskra 
with  his  wife.  He  is  taking  out  a  rifle  for  Pease,  but  has 
lost  the  cartridges  :  his  travelling  bag  having  been  stolen 
in  Paris. 

Monday,  February  6th. — Talked  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alfred 
Pease.  He  had  been  hit  by  some  large  shot  (buckshot  in 
the  head  and  face)  out  of  a  gun  by  a  man  who  was  out 
shooting  gazelles  with  him  a  few  days  ago. 

(This  was  really  the  beginning  of  our  acquaintance.) 

Thursday,  February  9th. — This  evening  Bate  arrived 
with  a  friend.  Major  Sullivan  (also  Mrs.  B.  and  Mrs.  S.). 
This  is  the  Bate  who  shot  white  goats  before  us  at  Arlee. 
He  is  going  to  try  for  mouflon.  He  has  just  shot  three 
moose  in  Canada.  Took  a  short  walk  with  Alfred  Pease 
and  he  pointed  out  hills  where  he  had  seen  gazelles, 
etcetera." 

I  had  during  residence  at  Biskra  become  familiar  with 
certain  admi  and  arui  mountains,  but  Loder  was  anxious 
to  get  some  Dorcas  gazelles  and  I  was  familiar  with  their 
favourite  country — I  had  got  many  in  the  district  of  Ain 
Naga,  but  had  not  up  to  then  got  many  by  fair  stalking. 
I  found  great  pleasure  in  the  art  of  manoeuvring  gazelle 
to  my  friends  and  excitement  in  shooting  them  at  full 
gallop  from  the  saddle,  and  both  these  methods  w^ere  more 
productive  of  heads  and  meat  than  stalking,  and  I  became 
eventually  an  expert  at  both  methods — so  that  in  a  few 
hours  I  could  generally  in  that  district  get  all  I  wanted. 
I  never  killed  more  than  six  buck  in  a  day.  All  Loder's 
killed  were  stalked  ;  and  though  gazelle  swarmed  on  the 
hunting-grounds  to  which  I  directed  him,  he  found  them 
by  no  means  easy  to  stalk.  His  first  day  at  Ain  Naga  he 
never  got  a  shot,  and  Radcliffe  had  three  shots  without  a 


PHANTASIMAGORIA  247 

hit.  On  his  march  to  Ain  Naga  he  had  the  good  fortune 
to  see  a  splendid  Phantasmagoria.  It  is  not  often  that 
this  phenomenon  is  seen.  I  have  never  seen  a  really 
good  one — though  of  course  we  both  were  very  familiar 
with  mirages  and  I  have  seen  some  very  beautiful  ones. 
Loder  told  me  this  Phantasmagoria  was  almost  perfect 
with  its  reflection  of  houses  and  palms  in  the  sky. 

On  February  12th  his  notes  give  a  day  after  Dorcas 
Gazelle,  when  he  got  his  first : 

"  Left  camp  at  |  to  6  with  Trescarges,  crossed  the  river 
towards  Sidi  Okba  and  spied  from  the  sandhills  and  saw 
one  gazelle ;  crossed  the  river  again  and  tried  to  get 
near  the  gazelle,  but  it  saw  us  and  went  off.  Afterwards 
we  saw  two  more,  but  they  also  went  off.  Later  we  saw 
six  on  better  ground  and  I  thought  we  were  sure  to  get 
a  shot,  but  something  moved  them.  .  .  .  We  now  spied 
twenty-five  or  twenty-six  gazelles  in  one  lot,  and  they 
seemed  at  first  as  if  they  would  come  towards  us — Charlie 
and  Celestin  were  on  the  other  side  of  them.  After  watch- 
ing them  for  several  hours  they  passed  us  to  the  south 
at  about  800  yards  and  went  out  of  sight.  We  followed 
and  could  not  see  them  for  some  time,  but  at  last  saw  them 
moving  off  quickly.  We  followed  again  and  again  and 
each  time  they  moved  off.  At  last  we  got  within  200 
to  250  yards  and  I  got  a  shot,  killing  a  good  male — a 
lucky  shot,  as  it  was  too  far  to  pick  one.  CharHe  did  not 
get  a  shot." 

Here  is  a  successful  day  after  sheep  on  the  Amark- 
hadou  : 

"  Wednesday,  February  22nd. — I  started  with  Trescarges 
at  I  to  6  a  very  blowy  morning,  quite  overclouded  after 
a  windy  night.  Went  to  the  high  spying  cliff — saw 
nothing — moved  farther  and  spied  again  and  saw  nothing. 
Turned  to  the  south  and  went  downwards,  walking  slowly 
and  quietly  looking  before  as  for  mouflon.  At  9  I  was 
walking  ten  yards  ahead  of  Trescarges  with  the  rifle  in 
my  hand  and  I  heard  him  whistle,  and  turning  round  I 
saw  him  point  upwards  and  I  saw  a  mouflon  making  off 
up  a  ravine.  He  went  out  of  sight  almost  at  once,  but  I 
17 


248  AFTER   ARUI,    ADMI   AND    REEM  [ch.  x 

saw  him  again  at  250  yards,  when  he  jumped  on  to  a  rock 
and  showed  a  broadside.  I  shot  at  him  at  once  and  made 
a  lucky  shot,  hitting  him  rather  forward  and  kilhng  him 
dead.  It  appears  that  Trescarges  stayed  a  httle  behind 
me  to  look  down  a  small  valley  while  I  was  looking  well 
ahead  up  the  valley.  Trescarges  happened  to  turn  his 
head  to  his  immediate  right  and  saw  the  ram  close  to  him 
within  thirty  yards  lying  and  watching  me  ;  the  mouflon 
never  saw  him,  as  he  had  his  eyes  fixed  on  me.  When  I 
moved  behind  a  tree  the  mouflon  got  up  and  sneaked 
away  up  a  watercourse.  It  was  then  that  Trescarges 
whistled.     He  was  a  fine  beast : 

"  Horns. — Length   .  .    26  and  24  in. 

Circumference  at  base    11  ,, 

Tip  to  tip        .          .  15  „ 

Spread  inside            .  18  „ 

Round  brisket      .          .          .  46  „ 

Round  belly          .          .          .  50  ,, 

Height  between  sticks            .  39  ,, 

Length  from  middle  between 

horns  to  root  of  tail  .          .  57  „ 
Weight  of  head  and  skin  with 

legs            ....  36  lb. 
Weight  of  body  sun-dried  the 
next  day  at  4  p.m.  with  heart 

and  lungs  (otherwise  clean)      132  „ 


168  ib.  =  12  stone." 

Here  is  a  day  of  success  with  admi  on  the  same  moun- 
tains : 

"  Monday,  February  27th. — Went  with  Trescarges  up- 
wards towards  the  west  at  |  to  6.  At  about  6.30  spied 
five  admi  feeding  in  a  field  (i.e.  barley  on  the  high  terrace). 
Tried  to  stalk  them,  but  could  not  see  them  when  we  got 
to  the  place  where  they  had  been.  Went  on  farther  and 
saw  two  lots  of  wild  pigs,  one  lot  of  five  and  the  other  of 
eight.  Came  back  to  a  high  peak  above  camp  at  1  p.m. 
and  spied  till  4  p.m.,  when  I  saw  five  admi  again  on  the 
edge  of  the  farthest  wooded  hill  from  Hammam.  Stalked 
up  to  them,  but  could  not  see  the  male — told  Trescarges 


WILD   BOARS  249 

to  look  with  his  glass,  and  he  picked  out  the  farthest  one 
among  the  bushes,  which  he  said  had  fine  horns.  I  took 
a  shot  at  this  and  knocked  it  over.  As  the  rest  ran  off  I 
had  a  shot  at  another  which  we  thought  might  be  the 
male,  but  it  was  very  difficult  to  see  anything  distinctly 
as  the  sun  was  setting  right  in  their  direction.  We  did 
not  see  this  one  again.  The  first  one  shot  at  turned  out 
to  be  a  good  female— she  got  up  after  the  first  shot  and 
required  another,  although  the  first  had  taken  her  full  in 
the  shoulder. 

"  Tuesday,  February  2Sth. — Went  out  at  6  with  Tres- 
carges.  ...  As  soon  as  we  had  got  up  high  we  spied 
some  wild  pigs  towards  the  east  and  went  after  them. 
They  seemed  all  about  one  size  and  I  could  not  make  out 
a  boar.  I  shot  at  the  largest  and  killed  it.  Then  the 
others  came  round  and  I  fired  three  more  shots  and  killed 
two  more  on  the  gallop — very  pretty  shots.  Took  the 
skull  and  head  skin  of  the  old  sow.  Saw  nothing  more  all 
day.    Charlie  shot  at  mouflon  twice,  but  did  not  get  one." 

These  are  samples  of  the  more  successful  among  many 
long  days  of  hard  work,  but  they  give  some  idea  as  to 
how  he  dealt  with  the  rare  chances  that  th's  game  offered. 
"  W^alked  and  spied  all  day  and  saw  nothing"  is  often 
the  sort  of  entry — or  "  spied  an  admi,  went  up  to  stalk 
it ;   when  I  got  there  could  not  find  it." 

When  this  trip  was  over  Loder  suggested  another  with 
me,  and  on  his  return  to  Biskra  he  notes  :  "  sent  an  Arab 
with  a  letter  to  Alfred  Pease  to  tell  him  that  if  he  would 
return  at  once  to  Biskra  I  would  go  out  with  him  on  a  trip 
for  six  or  seven  days" ;  and  on  March  4th  he  notes :  "  Pease 
came  back  at  midday  from  Ain  Hammia  with  rheumatism 
and  did  not  feel  inclined  to  go  into  the  mountains  until 
he  got  better."  I  had  been  hunting  admi  and  wild  sheep 
and  sleeping  out  in  Arab  tents  without  tent  or  pro- 
visions of  any  sort.  I  had  been  badly  shot  in  the  head 
and  had  my  leg  broken  with  the  kick  of  a  horse  that 
winter  and  came  in  lame  and  knocked  up.  Our  expedi- 
tions together  were  postponed  for  a  year.  Of  these  and 
subsequent  ones  I  have  written  fully  in  my  Travel  and 
Sport  in  Africa,  so  that  as  regards  them  I  shall  give  only 


250  AFTER   ARUI,   ADMI   AND   REEM  [ch.  x 

a  few  entries — and  those  shall  be  more  in  regard  to  our 
desert  expeditions,  in  quest  of  the  reem  and  the  addax. 

So  Loder  packed  up  his  trophies  and  we  saw  him  off. 
He  went  home  after  visiting  Hammam  Meskoutin  and  its 
curious  cascades,  hot  springs,  and  antiquities,  via  Tunis, 
Goletta,  the  Island  of  Pantelleria  (famous  for  its  donkeys), 
Farragnari  Tropani,  and  Palermo.  At  Palermo  he  parted 
from  the  Radcliffes  and  went  to  Naples,  climbed  Vesuvius, 
visited  Pompeii  and  met  Graf  Sohns,  whose  acquaintance 
he  had  made  before  at  La  Mortola  (Sir  Thomas  Hanbury's 
place  near  San  Remo),  and  who  was  working  at  the  Naples 
Marine  Zoological  Laboratory.  I  give  one  entry  of  his 
a  yropos  the  Naples  Museum  :  "  Much  interested  with 
the  Pompeian  things.  Of  the  statues  I  liked  the  Dancing 
Fawn  and  Narcissus  listening  to  the  Echo  best,"  and 
here  his  diary  for  1893  ends  : 

Monday,  February  5th,  1894. — Loder  arrived  at  the  Hotel 
Victoria,  Biskra,  once  more.  "  Pease  came  down  to  meet 
me."  There  were  there  Herbert  Whitfield  the  cricketer, 
E.  Devas,  "  who  was  at  Whittlebury  some  years  ago,  and 
Jephson,  who  was  with  Stanley  in  Africa."  He  hears 
that  Bate  has  gone  towards  the  Amarkhadou — and  such 
news  as  I  had  collected  for  him  as  to  the  nearest  country 
in  which  we  might  get  the  "  Gazelle  des  Sables."  On 
February  8th  we  started  in  search  of  the  reem,  my  wife 
being  with  us.  On  the  12th,  after  four  days  marching 
S.E.,  we  found  a  negro  herding  camels  who  came  into 
our  camp  and  said  he  could  take  us  to  where  the  reem 
were,  and,  filling  up  with  water  at  Sef  el  Mounadi,  the 
negro  took  us  in  less  than  two  days  to  where  they  were. 
Loder  has  given  a  very  good  account  of  this  expedition 
and  its  results  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Zoological  Society, 
but  it  may  be  interesting  to  give  the  exact  record  in  his 
diary  of  the  day  on  which  he  secured  the  type-specimen 
of  the  Gazella  loderi  : 

"  Wednesday,  February  lUh.—Le{t  camp  about  6  a.m., 
got  near  some  large  sand  hills  at  8.30.     Left  the  horses 


LODER'S   GAZELLE   AND   ADDAX  251 

with  Bob  (Pease's  groom)  and  I  went  off  with  Ibrahim  the 
nigger — Pease  with  Ali.  Before  long  we  saw  a  reem  with 
his  head  looking  towards  us.  We  waited  a  long  time  and 
he  moved  off  to  one  side.  We  ran  from  bush  to  bush  as 
he  crossed  hollows  and  got  within  150  yards  as  he  came 
to  the  top  of  a  sand  hill.  He  was  facing  me  and  I  was 
unsteady  with  running  and  missed  him  with  my  first 
shot,  but  killed  him  with  my  second  as  he  ran  off  and 
stood  again.  I  afterwards  saw  lots  of  four  and  five  and 
two.  Pease  saw  three.  Got  back  to  horses  at  4  and  back 
to  camp  about  7  p.m. 

"  The  reem  weighed  34  It).  Horns,  13  in.  ;  height  at 
shoulder,  2  ft.  4  in.  ;    girth  at  brisket,  2  ft.  1|  inches." 

This  was  the  only  shot  either  of  us  got  during  the  five 
days'  toiling  in  the  heat  and  sand,  though  we  saw  a 
number.  Then  we  made  our  way  back  to  water  and  pro- 
visions. Before  we  reached  Biskra  again  we  had  a  most 
disagreeable  experience  in  a  sand-storm.  In  our  next 
hunt  in  the  mountains  this  year  Loder  got  a  very  nice 
male  admi,  a  moving  shot  at  300  yards.  Here  is  his 
measurement : 

2  ft.  7h  in.  at  shoulder  ;  2  ft.  8|  in.  girth  at  withers  ; 
neck,  1  ft.  ;  weight,  52  lb.  (gralloched)  ;  root  of  tail  to 
between  horns,  3  ft.  5|  in. 

There  is  a  good  photograph  of  Loder  with  his  admi 
in  my  Travel  and  Sport  in  Africa,  and  some  account  of 
our  time  after  sheep. 

In  the  months  from  February  to  April  in  the  following 
year  Loder  and  I  set  out  from  Biskra,  intending  if  pos- 
sible to  get  the  addax,  which  up  to  then  had  not  been 
obtained  by  any  Englishman.  I  obtained  information 
during  the  winter  before  Loder  came  out  that  they  were 
likely  to  be  found  beyond  Bir  Beresof  in  the  direction  of 
Ghadamis.  The  addax  is  very  nomadic  ;  it  follows  the 
rains.  In  the  Sahara  rains  are  very  local ;  and  without 
definite  knowledge  of  where  rain  has  fallen  within  a  year 
the  quest  for  addax  is  likely  to  be  abortive,  as  it  was  in 
our  case.     But  although  our  travels  failed  in  their  main 


252  AFTER   ARUI,    ADMI   AND   REEM  [ch.  x 

object,  these  months  yielded  perhaps  the  most  interesting 
experiences  which  we  ever  shared  together.  We  visited 
many  strange  places,  saw  much  striking  scenery,  came 
across  many  cm-ious  Roman  and  other  remains,  had 
various  adventures  and  brought  back  strange  objects 
and  some  live  pets,  sand  fish,  silvery  hedgehogs,  a  baby 
wild  boar,  a  zorilla  and  two  of  the  curious  pink  donkeys 
of  Souf. 

Early  in  February  we  started  on  our  march  via  the 
Chotts  to  the  oases  of  Souf.  On  February  15th  we  crossed 
Chott  Belgoud  and  Chott  el  Hadgel  and  two  days  later 
entered  the  first  of  the  Oued  Souf  oases,  Ogmar,  with  its 
curious  village  of  domed  houses  built  with  a  cement 
made  of  gypsum  found  below  the  sand.  In  all  the  Souf 
oases  the  date-palms  grow  in  deep  pits  in  the  sand  ;  their 
roots  reach  the  water,  below  the  gypsum,  which  is  in 
fact  a  subterranean  river  and  which  renders  this  strange 
sand  desert  habitable.  On  February  18th  we  entered  the 
large  white  town  of  domes.  El  Oued,  where  in  those  days 
the  last  military  post  of  the  French  was  stationed  in  this 
direction.  The  whole  of  our  journey  is  related  in  my 
Travel  and  Sport  in  Africa,  and  is  there  copiously  illus- 
trated, so  that  I  need  not  describe  it  here  in  detail.  At 
El  Oued  we  were  held  up  by  the  French  authorities  and 
allotted  a  room  in  the  fort  pending  a  decision  from  the 
General  of  Division  as  to  what  was  to  be  done  with  us. 

The  decision  eventually  came,  flashed  at  night  from 
Batna,  across  the  Amarkhadou  and  thence  across  the 
desert  to  El  Oued,  from  the  telegraphe  optique  stations. 
It  was  a  refusal  to  let  us  go  to  Bir  Beresof  or  to  the 
south,  but  gave  us  leave  to  proceed,  on  our  giving  our 
parole  to  respect  this  decision.  Meanwhile  we  made  the 
best  use  of  our  time  in  exploring  El  Oued,  talking  to 
Touaregs,  in  making  friends  with  a  tame  addax  in  the 
fort,  studying  the  system  of  cultivation  of  pure  sand  and 
water,  which  to  our  surprise  produced  quite  excellent 
vegetables  and  even  tobacco.  The  dates  of  Souf  are  of 
superlative  quality,  by  far  the  best  in  the  world  ;  some 


1 


SOUF  253 

are  spherical  and  like  almost  transparent  balls  of  pale 
amber.  We  found  the  old  Roman  coins  still  in  regular 
daily  circulation  in  the  market.^  Capitaine  de  Prandiere, 
who  commanded  the  garrison,  was  most  hospitable  and 
kind  to  us,  and  we  messed  with  him  and  his  brother  officers 
(Adjoint  Grevy,  Lieut,  de  Genie  Frerey,  Aide-Majeur 
Cousin).  One  day  a  number  of  important  Chamba  per- 
sonages came  in  from  the  south  on  their  great  snow-white 
Mehari  camels — "  a  very  beautiful  sight,"  says  Loder  in 
his  diary,  "  as  the  Mehari  camel  is  a  most  graceful  animal." 
In  his  diary  he  has  noted  some  high  thermometer  readings 
recorded  by  the  French  in  1894 — among  them  (at  5  p.m.)  : 

June  22nd,  100°  F.  in  true  shade. 
June  23rd,    107°  F. 
June  24th,    111°  F. 
July  12th,    122°  F. 

We  obtained  a  guide  and  struck  N.E.  from  El  Oued, 
and  at  Debila  I  purchased  a  second  rose-coloured  donkey, 
and  the  same  day  we  left  Behama,  the  last  of  the  Souf 
oases,  behind  us.  At  the  end  of  February  we  reached 
Nefta  in  southern  Tunisia,  passing  W.  of  the  great  Chott 
Djereed.  We  happened  to  be  in  this  strange  place  when 
General  Millet,  the  Controller-General,  arrived  to  unveil 
a  monument  to  Dr.  Canova,  who  had  died  in  a  devoted 
fight  with  an  epidemic  of  cholera.  In  his  company  was 
Mr.  Hagard,  the  British  Diplomatic  Agent  at  Tunis,  who 
introduced  us.  He  invited  us  to  be  present  at  the  cere- 
mony, and  we  attended  it. 

From  Nefta  we  marched  to  Touzer  with  its  300,000 
palms  and  curious  brickworked  houses.  Thence  we 
marched  to  the  Tunisian  Mountains,  having  a  little 
shooting  at  gazelles,  bustard  and  rock  pigeons  on  our  way. 
In  his  diary  Loder  enters  on  March  8th  :  "  Pease  shot  a 
gazelle  (looking  at   him)  at   270   yards   through  the  ear 

^  Any  Roman  copper  coin  did  duty  as  a  Tunisian  flous — I  several  times 
received  from  tlu-ee  to  six  in  a  handful  of  copper  flous.  About  seven  to  ten 
•were  change  for  a  French  ten-centime  piece. 


254  AFTER   ARUI,   ADMI   AND   REEM  [ch.  x 

and  stunned  it,  and  shot  again  and  killed  it."  Why  a 
bullet  passing  through  the  ear  should  stun  an  animal,  I 
do  not  know,  but  I  have  killed  a  rabbit  with  a  similar  shot. 

We  were  among  unfriendly  Tunisians  at  Tamersa  and 
gave  up  our  intention  to  try  for  a  red  deer  stag  farther 
north,  and  hunted  our  way  through  the  mountains  to 
the  Algerian  frontier  at  Negrine.  The  Tunisian  country 
was  dried  up  and  both  nomads  and  their  flocks  had  deserted 
it,  and  also  the  game,  though  Loder  killed  one  arui.  In 
a  good  season  it  is  fine  arui  ground.  In  one  amphitheatre 
of  rocks  where  I  presumed  the  Arabs  had  cornered  a 
number  of  the  wild  sheep  with  their  dogs  we  saw  the 
remains  of  at  least  twenty  sheep  recently  killed. 

On  March  10th  Loder  enters  in  his  diary  : 

"  A  pretty  camp  under  the  palm  trees  of  Ferkane- 


wandered  about  all  day  among  small  ravines  and  passed 
a  good  many  Roman  remains  of  towns.  Camped  at  2.30 
in  a  gorge  (Khanga  Sidi  Musa),  apparently  an  old  Roman 
camping-ground.  Pease  and  I  dammed  up  a  pool  and 
caught  fish  for  breakfast." 

From  this  camp  we  hunted  a  vast  mountain,  the  Djebel 
Abiad,  which  we  had  to  ourselves  and  which  had  many 
fine  sheep  on  it.  I  saw  here  the  two  best  rams  I  ever 
saw,  but  only  got  one  moderate  one.  It  was  the  strangest 
network  of  deep  ravines  and  a  very  hard  mountain  to 
tackle.  Loder  wounded  and  lost  a  very  fine  ram  here. 
When  we  had  worn  ourselves  out  on  it  we  moved  on,  and 
soon  got  news  from  Biskra  by  means  of  an  Arab  we  dis- 
patched, who  for  forty  francs  rode  there  and  back  for  our 
letters  in  eleven  days.  Among  the  items  of  news  brought 
by  this  courier  Loder  notes  the  destruction  by  fire  of  his 
brother  Reginald's  house  Maid  well  Hall,  that  "  Johnny 
Cobbold  and  E.  Devas  "  have  been  out  six  weeks  after 
arui  and  got  nothing  and  that  "  Lee  has  been  out  a 
month  and  got  nothing." 

Still  going  westward  we  reached  Khanga  Sidi  Nadji, 
where  we  were  hospitably  entertained  by  the  Kaid  and 


A   HOT   CLIMB  255 

the  Khalifa,  and  then  went  south  to  Zeribet  el  Oued,  as 
we  found  it  hard  work  getting  on  in  the  mountains  with 
camels.  Indeed,  sometimes  we  had  had  a  great  deal  of 
pick  and  spade  work  to  get  the  camels  through.  At 
Zeribet  it  was  decided  that  though  I  did  not  know  the 
track  I  should  ride  to  Biskra  and  bring  back  mules  for  a 
last  attack  on  the  Amarkhadou.  Starting  at  four  in  the 
dark  I  only  reached  Biskra  at  nightfall.  I  collected 
mules  and  men  and  fresh  horses,  and  accompanied  by  my 
wife  rejoined  Loder  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains. 

Our  journey  up  with  the  fresh  mules  was  an  awful 
experience.  It  was  a  very  hot  day  and  an  awful  climb  ; 
every  load  came  off,  mules  fell  and  rolled  down  rocks,  the 
men  struck  and  then  came  to  blows  and  at  the  end  pitched 
our  tents  in  an  Arab  cemetery,  the  only  level  ground 
they  could  find.  The  smell  was  terrible  and  we  had  to 
move.  Fresh  mutinies  and  battles  ensued — Loder  and  I 
armed  with  tent  mallets  got  order  restored,  and  my  wife 
at  last  produced  dinner  late  on  a  lovely  night.  Loder 
said,  "  This  has  been  the  very  worst  day  in  our  lives,  but 
not  such  a  bad  one  after  all." 

We  had  one  shocking  experience  during  a  delightful 
fortnight  in  which  we  both  got  mouflon,  admi  and  wild 
boar.  We  had  both  had  glimpses  of  an  enormous  ram 
and  were  eager  to  get  him,  and  spent  much  time  examin- 
ing his  tracks.  On  an  unfortunate  day  we  made  inquiries 
of  a  local  Arab  hunter  to  whom  we  promised  a  large  reward 
for  khabar.  A  few  days  later  the  Arab  appeared  in  our 
camp  with  the  skin  and  coveted  head,  and  was  amazed 
at  our  indignation  and  disappointment ;  for  having 
noted  our  eagerness,  he  had  found  the  monster's  fresh 
track  in  a  barley  field,  and  there  he  sat  by  day  and  night 
till  he  returned  and  at  earliest  dawn  one  morning  shot 
him  in  the  head  at  sixty  paces  with  his  long  flint-lock. 
This  head  is  in  the  Natural  History  Museum  at  South 
Kensington. 

Before  the  middle  of  April  Loder  was  home  again — he 
mentions  having  travelled  to  El  Guerrah  with  "  two  Han- 


256  AFTER   ARUI,   ADMI   AND   REEM  [ch.  x 

burys  and  L.  Walker,"  and  adds,  "  David  Hanbury  has 
been  shooting  Ovis  poll  and  has  been  at  Kashgar." 

Thus  ended  our  last  and  most  delightful  expedition  in 
Algeria — and  from  henceforth  we  were  fast  friends.  Twice 
in  later  years  I  revisited  these  scenes — once  with  my  wife 
alone.  My  last  time  after  arui  in  the  Aures  was  in  1910 
with  my  son  who  was  killed  in  the  War— and  now  all 
my  companions,  all  our  shikaris  and  our  guides  have 
departed  and  I  alone  remain  to  record  a  little  of  those 
fleeting  years  the  memories  of  which  time  cannot  tear 
away. 


PREFATORY  NOTE  TO  CHAPTER  XI 

In  the  following  chapter,  which  has  been  written  by  Mr. 
Charles  G.  A.  Nix,  there  are  allusions  to  the  shooting 
seasons  spent  at  Schwarzensee  in  xlustria  and  some  charm- 
ing reminiscences  of  deer-stalking.  With  regard  to  the 
latter  there  is  no  need  to  add  anything.  These  remarks 
taken  from  Sir  Edmmid's  daughter's  recollections,  how- 
ever, may  be  quoted  : 

"  Scotland  was  a  great  joy  to  us  all,  and  there  one  could 
see  his  true  sporting  spirit,  for  if  a  lucky  guest  got  the 
best  head  of  the  season  he  was  always  unfeignedly 
delighted.  He  was  a  brilliant  rifle  shot  and  very  seldom 
missed,  but  if  he  had  the  misfortune  to  wound  a  deer 
he  never  if  possible  gave  up  the  chase  till  he  had  killed 
it ;  he  had  an  absolute  horror  of  leaving  a  wounded  beast 
out  in  the  forest. 

"  He  was  very  fond  of  telling  this  story  against  himself. 
I  wish  I  could  tell  it  as  he  used  to.  He  was  out  stalking  one 
day  and  the  light  was  very  bad,  and  he  spied  a  stag  lying 
against  some  rocks  below  him  ;  he  took  careful  aim  and 
fired.  The  beast  never  moved.  He  fired  again,  two  or 
three  times  with  the  same  result ;  he  then  readjusted  his 
sights,  took  another  look  through  his  glass — the  stag  was 
still  lying  there  quite  unperturbed  by  the  fusillade  ;  then 
the  voice  of  the  stalker  at  his  elbow,  '  I  think  he  has  been 
dead  some  months.'  Such  was  the  case  ;  he  had  died  of 
cold  lying  against  the  rock  and  remained  there  in  quite  a 
lifelike  position." 

In  the  Appendix  on  p.  274.  will  be  found  the  details  of 
his  Scotch  bags  from  the  year  1898  to  1915. 

With  regard  to  Schwarzensee  some  additional  particu- 
lars may  be  of  interest  and  worth  recording. 

257 


258  PREFATORY   NOTE 

For  three  seasons,  1895,  1896  and  1897,  Sir  Edmund 
rented  the  splendid  country  round  the  pretty  lake  misnamed 
Schwarzensee  from  Prince  Philip  of  Coburg.  He  invited 
me  every  year,  but  only  twice  was  I  able  to  join  his  party. 
At  the  end  of  the  last  season  the  picturesque  collection  of 
huts  in  which  we  lived,  and  which  formed  a  square  in  the 
exquisite  valley,  succumbed  to  a  fate  that  had  often 
threatened  them,  and  were  burnt  to  the  ground.  What 
has  taken  their  place  I  do  not  know,  but  nothing  nevv'  could 
suit  the  scene  so  well.  In  those  years  it  was  an  ideal  place 
for  chamois-hunters  and  for  lovers  of  wild  mountain 
scenery.  It  seems  but  the  other  day  that  my  wife  and  I 
started  on  our  mules  early  on  a  September  morning  from 
Fischer's  little  Gastehaus  at  Oblarn  and  were  put  on  the 
right  road  by  Count  Bardeau's  forester  to  Wald,  and  after 
reaching  Wald,  in  the  afternoon,  entered  the  most  lovely 
valley,  with  its  forests  rising  and  climbing  precipitous 
mountains  with  snow-splashed  peaks  and  snowfields  far 
above. 

The  first  season's  stalking  resulted  in  31  chamois.  A 
few  mistakes  in  shooting  geiss  (females)  instead  of  bucks 
occur  with  the  cleverest  eyes  ;  but  the  proportion  of  bucks 
killed  during  the  whole  of  Loder's  time,  a  great  authority 
considered  "  stood  at  the  top  of  the  tree  "  for  Austria 
and  Hungary. 

Here  is  my  note  of  the  bags  : 

1895 

Rifles  Chamois  killed 

Lady  Loder     .  .  .2 

Sir  Edmund  Loder  .  .18 

W.  A.  Baillie-Grohman  .      2 

Merrick  Burrell         .  .     3  (got  the  heaviest  buck  killed, 

29|  kilos). 

Count  C.  Bardeau     .  .      2 

Alfred  E.  Pease        .  .     4  (1  buck,  28  kilos). 

31 


BAGS   IN   STYRIA  259 


1896 

Rifles 

Chamois  killed 

Lady  Loder     . 

.      6  (1  buck,  28  kilos). 

Sir  Edmund  Loder  . 

.    15  (heaviest    buck,   29    kilos ; 

another  buck,  28|  kilos). 

W.  A.  Baillie-Grohman 

.      2 

C.  D.  Radcliffe 

.      1 

Reginald  B.  Loder   . 

.    12 

Hon.  T.  Fremantle  . 

.      5 

Chas.  G.  A.  Nix 

.      2 

43 

Later  in  the  season  the  following  went  for  "  bartgems  "  : 

Baron  Snedelnitzke  .  .  .4 

Baron  Steinberg     .  .  .  .2 

Count  Bardeau        .  .  .  .1 

W.  A.  Baillie-Grohman  .  .  .2 

Making  the  total  bag     .  .  .52 

1897. — For  this  year  I  have  not  full  particulars,  but  have 
a  note  that  Loder's  limit  of  90  was  reached.  To  finish  this 
season,  his  last,  he  had  9  days'  driving  and  accounted  for 
46  out  of  the  90  in  those  9  days.  We  were  5  rifles  the  last 
8  days.  Up  to  then  stalking  had  been  the  rule.  The  Hon. 
T.  Fremantle  (the  present  Lord  Cottesloe)  headed  the  score 
with  16  in  8  days — out  of  which  he  had  5  blank  days.  On 
one  day  he  killed  two,  one  of  which  weighed  31  kilos 
(68|  ife.),  and  the  other  28  kilos,  clean  weights.  I  had  the 
lowest  score  of  5  in  8  days,  four  of  which  were  blank  days, 
and  I  drew  the  top  post  three  days  in  succession.  Loder 
and  Baillie-Grohman  each  got  8  in  9  days  and  Oxley  9. 

The  first  day  I  ever  had  at  Schwarzensee  remains  in  my 
memory.  Sleet  and  snow-storms  made  me  very  wet  and 
cold,  and  though  I  spied  many  chamois  they  all  were 
females,  mostly  geiss  and  kitze  ;  but  I  saw  what  I  never  saw 
before  or  after,  a  little  troop  with  a  jet-black  (kohl  geiss)  and 
a  snow-white  one  in  it.     They  would  have  been  a  pretty 


260  PREFATORY   NOTE 

right  and  left,  but  in  Austria  it  augurs  death  to  shoot  a 
white  chamois. 

I  remember  a  few  good  stags  being  killed ;  one  of  Loder's 
weighed  23  stone  clean. 

One  abnormality  may  be  mentioned.  In  1895  Lady 
Loder  shot  a  chamois  with  a  horn  growing  out  of  the 
coronet  of  a,  forefoot.  This  horn  was  annulated  like  a  head 
horn,  had  a  crooken,  but  "  more  so  "  than  the  usual  crook. 
The  horn  measured  in  length  7|  in.  and  in  circumference 
at  base  5|  in.  Three  years  afterwards  I  sketched  and  meas- 
ured another  similar  abnormal  horn  growth  in  thcEngadine. 
The  horn  in  this  case  sprang  out  of  the  skin  on  the  shin  of 
a  fore-leg,  about  two-thirds  of  the  way  down  the  leg 
below  the  knee — it  was  11  cm.  in  length  and  7  cm.  in 
circumference  half-way  ;  it,  however,  had  no  crooken  ; 
the  tip  of  the  horn  being  broken,  hollow  and  frayed.  The 
leg  was  then  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  Oscar  Bernard  of 
Samaden. 


CHAPTER   XI 
By  Charles  G.  A.  Nix 

SPORTING    AND    OTHER   REMINISCENCES 

"  All  who  joy  would  win 
Must  share  it, — Happiness  was  bom  a  twin." 

Don  Juan. 

When  I  first  met  Sir  Edmund  Loder  I  was  a  boy  of  19 
and  he  was  a  man  of  over  40.  Our  friendship  extended 
for  twenty-eight  years,  and  during  that  time  his  cheery  and 
unselfish  kindness  never  varied. 

He  was  an  old  friend  of  my  father  and  used  to  shoot  with 
him  regularly,  and  I  can  recall  even  now  the  delightfully 
friendly  way  in  which  he  treated  the  son  of  his  old  friend. 
I  had  the  feeling  that  he  knew  all  about  me  and  was 
genuinely  glad  to  meet  me. 

A  day's  shooting  in  1892  was  the  commencement  of  a 
friendship  which  gave  me  more  thoroughly  happy  times 
than  I  can  count.  Not  merely  was  the  sport  I  enjoyed  with 
him  excellent,  but  the  companionship  at  all  times  and  in  all 
places  was  a  thing  by  itself.  It  did  not  matter  where  you 
were  or  how  dull  things  might  be  if  Sir  Edmund  was  there. 
There  was  always  something  to  talk  about  and,  moreover, 
he  did  not  talk  on  any  subject  unless  he  knew  a  great  deal 
about  it.  Consequently  whatever  he  said  was  worth 
listening  to. 

Up  to  the  time  I  left  Cambridge  I  had  only  met  him  on 
two  other  occasions,  and  I  did  not  get  to  know  him  at  all 
well  till  1896.  In  that  year  I  went  to  Bisley,  and,  having 
bought  a  Mannlicher  sporting  rifle,  I  tried  my  hand  at  the 
running  deer.     Sir  Edmund  immediately  spotted  me  and 

261 


262  REMINISCENCES  [ch.  xi 

took  the  greatest  interest  in  my  feeble  efforts  to  make  a 
good  score.  He  was  not  shooting  at  the  deer  that  year 
(in  fact  I  don't  think  he  ever  shot  at  it  again),  but  he  was  as 
keen  as  possible  that  I  should  do  well  and  at  once  gave  me  a 
lot  of  good  advice  based  on  his  great  experience  and  success. 
It  was  simply  typical  of  the  man  to  give  a  youngster 
all  the  help  he  could,  but  I  thought  it  very  strange  that  he 
should  take  so  much  trouble  over  a  beginner  whom  he 
scarcely  knew.  However,  that  was  his  nature,  and  he  was 
always  the  same.  Also,  I  did  not  know  then  what  I  very 
soon  discovered,  that  he  was  one  of  the  cleverest  men  of 
his  day,  crammed  with  knowledge  and  experience  which  he 
was  only  too  glad  others  should  benefit  by,  if  they  cared  to. 
He  might  not  care  to  put  his  knowledge  on  paper,  but  if 
you  asked  a  question  you  could  count  on  getting  a  sound 
reply  on  any  subject  he  had  taken  up  and  worked  at.  My 
success  at  Bisley  was  not  great,  but  any  improvement  I 
made  was  due  to  his  coaching. 

A  day  or  two  after  the  Bisley  meeting  ended  I  received 
a  letter  from  Sir  Edmund  which  gave  me  more  pleasure  than 
any  letter  I  have  ever  received.  It  was  an  invitation  to  go 
to  Austria  and  shoot  a  chamois.  The  wording  of  the  letter 
was  charming  : 

"  As  you  have  been  doing  so  well  at  the  running  deer  at 
Bisley,  would  you  like  to  try  your  new  Mannlicher  at  a 
chamois  ?  " 

The  words  of  praise  were  very  pleasant  and  I  think  I 
nearly  suffered  from  swelled  head  ! 

Of  course  I  jumped  at  the  chance,  and  that  was  the  first 
of  many  happy  visits,  some  to  Austria  and  many  more  to 
Scotland.  I  had  the  best  of  chamois  and  deer-stalking, 
excellent  fishing  on  the  Tay,  but  above  all  the  delightful 
companionship  of  the  man  himself.  It  always  seemed  to 
me  that  the  difference  of  twenty-five  years  in  our  respective 
ages  did  not  exist.  He  was  so  young,  so  active  mentally  and 
physically  and  so  ready  to  take  an  interest  in  everything 
that  appealed  to  a  younger  man.     It  was  then  that  I  found 


SCHWARZENSEE  263 

that  he  only  talked  about  what  he  knew  and  that  his  facts 
were  always  correct.  It  was  so  easy  to  get  information  on 
many  subjects  without  the  trouble  of  looking  up  books  or 
references.  Sport,  gardening,  natural  history,  photography 
and  many  other  subjects  would  be  discussed  with  an 
amazingly  complete  knowledge  that  only  an  exceptionally 
brilliant  intellect  could  have  acquired.  A  happy  knack  of 
telling  an  appropriate  story  at  the  right  minute  was  another 
great  gift  he  possessed,  and  he  had  a  great  fund  of  stories, 
suited  to  any  audience. 

My  first  visit  was  to  Schwarzensee,  that  delightful  place 
in  Styria  which  he  had  for  three  years.  There  were  stags 
and  roe  as  well  as  chamois,  and  good  trout-fishing  in  lake 
and  river.  Sir  Edmund  and  Lady  Loder  both  caught  some 
good  fish  in  the  lake,  but  I  don't  think  they  ever  got  any  of 
the  real  big  fish  of  10  Ife  or  so.  In  one  place  the  river  had 
been  dammed  up  by  an  avalanche,  and  there  the  fishing  was 
quite  wonderful  on  the  right  day.  The  fish  ran  three  or 
four  to  the  pound  and  rose  like  mad.  As  the  water  was 
as  clear  as  glass,  one  could  see  the  fish  rushing  at  the 
fly  and  wonder  which  of  two  or  three  you  were  going  to 
hook.  Sir  Edmund  used  to  say  he  liked  fishing  when 
you  caught  something  and  that  avalanche  pool  was  the 
nearest  thing  to  a  certainty  that  he  had  ever  come 
across. 

My  first  day's  stalking  was  about  the  longest  I  ever  had, 
from  6  a.m.  to  7  p.m.  I  was  after  the  same  beast  the  whole 
time,  and  when  I  had  got  my  shot  and  killed  it  I  felt  rather 
pleased  with  myself.  But  the  supposed  buck  was  a  doe, 
and  my  return  to  the  house  was  not  quite  so  triumphant 
as  I  should  have  liked.  Sir  Edmund  met  me  at  the  door, 
heard  my  story  and  simply  said,  "  Well  done,  you  killed 
your  first  chamois  and  have  had  a  d — d  good  hunt." 
Some  men  would  have  said,  "  You  young  ass,  why  weren't 
you  more  careful  ?  "  But  Sir  Edmund  would  never  have 
said  a  thing  like  that.  He  was  pleased  I  had  killed  my  first 
chance  and  had  had  a  real  good  stalk,  and,  though  he  was  so 
careful  himself  and  would  not  have  made  such  a  mistake 
18 


264  REMINISCENCES  [ch.  xi 

under  similar  circumstances,  he  never  even  hinted  that  I 
had  been  a  bit  too  hurried. 

Few  men  were  so  absolutely  unselfish  about  sport  as 
he  was.  He  always  wanted  a  friend  to  have  as  good  a 
chance  as  himself,  and  more  than  once  he  sent  me  out 
specially  after  some  well-known  good  buck.  If  you  failed  to 
see  the  good  buck,  or  worse  still,  saw  it  and  missed,  he  was 
quite  disappointed,  and  probably  took  an  early  opportunity 
to  send  you  to  the  same  beat  for  another  try. 

That  year,  as  the  snow  came  early,  we  had  to  give  up 
stalking  for  some  days  and  do  some  drives  in  the  woods 
for  stags  and  a  chance  chamois.  At  one  drive  Lady 
Loder  got  a  big  stag,  the  only  one  we  saw,  but  in  the 
same  drive  a  goat  came  along  which  I  nearly  shot  at. 
When  telling  Sir  Edmund  about  it,  he  confessed  he  also 
had  very  nearly  shot  at  the  brute.  This  rather  surprised 
me,  as  he  had  more  than  once  impressed  on  me  the  im- 
portance of  making  sure  you  were  shooting  at  the  right 
animal,  especially  in  thick  covert.  He  used  to  quote 
with  great  glee  from  an  account  he  had  seen  in  an  Ameri- 
can paper  about  shooting  accidents  in  the  Adirondacks. 
Every  season  a  certain  number  of  sportsmen  were  killed, 
and  the  excuses  given  were  that  some  of  the  poor  wretches 
had  been  mistaken  for  deer  and  others  for  squirrels. 
"  Squirrels,  do  you  understand — squirrels  !  "  And  those 
who  knew  Sir  Edmund  will  appreciate  the  emphasis  he 
put  into  the  word  "  squirrels."  He  would  certainly  never 
have  been  amongst  the  squirrel-shooters. 

If  you  were  shooting  badly  he  would  do  all  he  knew  to 
put  you  right.  The  second  time  I  went  to  Schwarzensee 
I  started  off  by  missing  five  shots  at  a  real  sitting  chamois. 
The  next  day  I  did  the  same  thing,  and  came  home  in 
despair.  I  was  using  a  rifle  that  I  had  done  very  well 
with  at  Bisley,  and  felt  convinced  that  it  was  the  man 
and  not  the  rifle  that  was  to  blame.  I  told  this  to  Loder, 
who  said  he  was  going  to  shoot  my  rifle  at  a  target  and 
find  out  for  certain  whether  I  or  my  rifle  was  wrong. 
He  started  at  100  yards  and  had  to  come  into  15  yards 


ALPINE   FLORA  265 

before  he  could  hit  an  ordinary  Martin  Smith  target. 
The  stock  had  warped  a  good  deal  since  Bisley  and  con- 
sequently affected  the  accuracy  of  the  Lyman  sight, 
which  was  placed  on  the  small  of  the  butt.  I  felt  I  was 
done  as  I  had  no  other  rifle  with  me,  but  Loder  was  equal 
to  the  occasion  and  produced  a  file,  which  he  worked 
with  for  over  an  hour  and  cut  down  the  stem  of  the 
Lyman.  The  rifle  shot  all  right  afterwards,  and  any 
subsequent  misses  were  my  fault.  I  think  he  enjoyed 
that  little  episode  as  much  as  anything,  and  for  years 
afterwards  used  to  refer  to  his  skill  as  a  rifle  vet. 

During  this  visit  I  had  a  chance  of  seeing  something 
of  the  Alpine  flora,  as  even  in  August  a  few  good  plants 
were  still  in  flower  on  the  very  highest  ground.  It  was 
my  first  introduction  to  this  class  of  plants,  and  I  used 
to  bring  home  my  finds  for  Sir  Edmund  to  name.  When 
he  found  that  I  was  really  keen  to  learn,  he  used  to  bring 
home  plants  for  me,  as  he  knew  from  previous  seasons 
where  to  look  for  nice  things.  I  saw  many  plants  that 
I  should  otherwise  have  missed.  Very  often  he  would 
tell  me  that  I  might  see  some  special  plant  at  a  particular 
place  on  my  beat  for  the  day,  and  so  accurate  were  his 
descriptions  of  the  locality  that  I  nearly  always  found 
that  plant.  This  plant-hunting  adds  enormously  to  the 
pleasure  of  chamois-stalking.  Owing  to  the  chamois 
hiding  up  for  the  middle  of  the  day,  there  are  generally 
several  hours  of  loafing  when  nothing  can  be  done  in  the 
way  of  stalking.  It  is  even  useless  to  do  any  spying. 
The  plants,  therefore,  came  in  very  usefully,  and  Sir 
Edmund's  keenness  was  a  great  spur  to  my  botanical 
zeal.  Schwarzensee,  being  mostly  granite,  did  not  possess 
a  very  rich  flora.  A  few  years  later  Sir  Edmund  had 
Hopfreben  for  three  seasons,  and  that  was  in  a  limestone 
country.  I  went  there  in  October,  and  almost  his  first 
remark  was  that  I  was  too  late  for  the  flowers,  which  were 
much  better  than  at  Schwarzensee.  He  told  me  what 
he  had  found,  and  nearly  every  day  gave  me  directions 
where  to  look  for  the  remains  of  good  things.     In  Scot- 


I 


266  REMINISCENCES  [ch.  xi 

land,  too,  he  was  just  as  keen  ;  and  though  he  had  found 
most  of  the  rare  or  interesting  plants  years  before,  he 
always  looked  out  for  old  friends  and  told  me  how  many 
he  had  found.  He  used  to  tell  rather  a  good  story  against 
himself  in  regard  to  plants.  Many  years  before,  when 
at  Amat,  he  had  collected  such  things  as  Loiselauria 
procumbeiis  and  Silene  acaulis  and  taken  them  down 
south.  The  next  year  he  thought  he  would  take  a  few 
more  plants,  and  went  out  stalking  provided  with  a 
trowel.  During  his  first  dig  he  heard  the  stalker  say  in 
disgust  to  the  pony  man — "  That  scratching  has  begun 
again  !  " 

The  stalking  at  Hopfreben  was  far  harder  work  than  at 
Schwarzensee,  but  Sir  Edmund,  then  nearly  sixty,  went 
as  well  as  ever  and  seemed  quite  impossible  to  tire.  He 
was  also  shooting  very  well,  and  to  his  great  joy  Robin 
was  proving  himself  a  good  shot  and  an  untiring  walker. 
Both  at  Schwarzensee  and  Hopfreben  the  Jagers  had  a 
great  opinion  of  Sir  Edmund  as  a  shot.  They  always 
said  he  was  so  cool  and  quiet  at  taking  any  decently 
possible  chance.  When  he  made  a  miss  he  always  tried 
to  account  for  it,  and  always  said  it  was  his  own  fault 
if  the  shot  had  been  anything  like  a  possible  one.  Some 
years  later,  I  think  at  Dundonnel,  he  told  me  that  he 
believed  he  could  find  some  new  way  of  missing  a  stag 
each  season.  This  was  really  a  very  sound  statement, 
with  which  I  think  everyone  who  has  done  much  stalking 
will  agree.  I  killed  one  or  two  very  good  bucks  indeed 
at  Hopfreben,  and  they  were  bucks  that  Sir  Edmund 
knew  all  about.  As  old  bucks  keep  very  closely  to  their 
own  beats,  it  was  more  than  even  betting  that  you  could 
see  the  animal,  and  therefore,  when  you  went  to  the  big 
buck's  ground,  you  knew  Sir  Edmund  had  given  you  the 
chance  of  getting  one  of  the  plums  which  he  could  so 
easily  have  kept  for  himself.  That  was  not  his  idea  of 
sport,  and  he  used  to  tell  the  story  of  a  stalker  who  asked 
the  tenant  of  a  forest  whether  the  guest  was  to  see  a  stag, 
or  have  a  shot  or  kill  a  stag.     When  shooting  with  him 


HOPFREBEN  AND  GLENCARRON      267 

you  always  knew  that  you  were  meant  to  kill  the  best 
beast  you  could  get.  He  once  sent  me  up  to  kill  a  very 
well-known  old  buck  that  had  lived  in  the  same  place 
for  six  or  seven  years.  He  had  seen  the  buck  more  than 
once  and  knew  it  was  as  good  as  any  on  the  whole  shoot. 
When  I  came  home  with  the  buck  he  was  as  pleased  as 
if  he  had  shot  it  himself. 

He  was  certainly  a  most  excellent  walker  on  steep 
ground,  and  on  one  occasion  fairly  walked  me  off  my 
legs.  We  were  going  up  to  try  and  drive  a  very  cunning 
old  buck  ;  and  as  it  was  the  last  day  of  his  last  season 
at  Hopfreben,  he  was  determined  to  give  away  no  chances. 
As  the  wind  was  rather  uncertain,  we  had  to  make  a  big 
detour  to  get  to  our  places  without  running  the  wind  too 
fine.  It  was  a  three-hours'  walk  and  climb,  but  Sir 
Edmund  did  it  without  a  halt  and  talked  the  whole  way 
up.  He  arrived  at  the  top  quite  fresh,  and  if  the  buck 
had  come  along  at  that  moment  he  would  have  sat  down 
and  fired  a  good  shot.  That  is  my  last  recollection  of 
a  day  in  the  Alps  with  him. 

It  was  on  our  way  home  from  Austria  that  I  saw  him 
really  angry  for  the  only  time  in  all  the  years  I  knew  him. 
At  Boulogne  the  box  containing  his  cameras  was  pitched 
on  the  steamer  as  if  it  had  been  a  log  of  wood.  He  fairly 
stormed  at  the  porters  and  gave  them  a  dressing  down 
in  forcible  English  and  French  that  took  their  breath 
away.  I  don't  think  anything  else  would  have  made  him 
really  angry,  certainly  none  of  the  ordinary  things  that 
upset  mankind. 

After  Sir  Edmund  gave  up  Schwarzensee  he  had  several 
forests  in  Scotland,  including  Glencarron,  Rothiemurchus, 
Achdalieu  and  Glenclunie.  I  think  it  was  during  this 
period  that  he  had  Ben  More  Asynt,  but  I  am  not  quite 
sure  as  I  did  not  go  there.  Glencarron  was  a  very  jolly 
place.  The  stags  were  good,  and  there  was  also  a  small 
river  with  salmon  in  it.  Of  course  the  salmon  in  October 
were  pretty  red,  but  even  then  they  took  a  fly  and  gave 
something  to  go  for  on  non-stalking  days.     Sir  Edmund 


268  REMINISCENCES  [ch.  xi 

was  always  keen  about  salmon-fishing,  and  used  to  get 
a  good  deal  of  sport  out  of  the  small  rivers.  In  later 
years,  after  he  gave  up  stalking,  he  had  various  beats 
on  the  Tay,  and  put  all  his  enthusiasm  into  the  catching 
of  salmon.  I  was  very  lucky  at  Glencarron  and  killed 
three  very  good  stags.  When  I  arrived  I  was  told  that 
there  was  a  "  desirable  eleven-pointer  "  which  everyone 
knew.  Sir  Edmund  used  to  say  that  one  or  two  well- 
known  stags  with  pet  names  added  enormously  to  the 
interest  of  a  forest,  as  you  had  the  excitement  of  looking 
for  them  every  time  you  went  out.  The  "  desirable 
eleven-pointer  "  spent  most  of  his  time  in  the  sanctuary, 
but  one  day,  when  I  was  sitting  down  smoking  a  pipe 
and  spying  some  far-away  stags,  he  walked  past  me  within 
fifty  yards,  accompanied  by  a  very  good  ten-pointer.  Sir 
Edmund  was  rather  grieved  that  the  one  named  stag  had 
made  such  a  fool  of  himself  before  the  last  day  of  the 
season.     It  spoilt  the  excitement. 

I  think  Sir  Edmund  was  rather  disappointed  with  Glen- 
clunie,  as  the  stags  were  mostly  small.  There  was  one 
great  excitement,  however,  provided  by  a  large  herd  that 
used  to  come  out  of  Mar  forest  nearly  every  evening. 
They  used  to  start  feeding  out  from  Mar  about  an  hour 
before  dark,  and  the  game  was  to  try  and  cut  out  a  big 
stag  in  the  very  short  time  available.  The  herd  con- 
tained all  sorts  and  conditions  of  stags,  and  I  never  saw 
so  manv  one-horns  and  switches.  There  were  two  or 
three  royals  and  one  very  good  ten-pointer  and  several 
fair  beasts  with  ten  and  nine  points.  We  had  several 
attempts  at  these  good  stags,  but  always  just  failed.  One 
night  I  got  well  in  and  could  just  see  the  tops  of  the  best 
royal  over  a  small  hump  in  the  ground.  I  waited  for  a 
little  bit  more  to  show  up  ;  but  as  I  was  surrounded  by 
deer,  I  knew  I  should  be  spotted  very  soon,  and  sure 
enough  an  old  hind  got  me.  The  second  she  barked  the 
game  was  up,  and  I  just  saw  the  royal  moving  off  in  the 
middle  of  a  crowd,  but  there  was  no  chance  of  a  shot. 
Loder  condoled  with  me  on  my  bad  luck  and  said  he 


FOREST  LODGE  AND  DUNDONNEL  269 

wished  he  could  get  as  close  to  the  herd  as  that.  A  night 
or  two  afterwards  he  was  riding  home,  and,  just  as  the 
light  began  to  go,  saw  some  of  the  herd  close  to  the  path. 
He  jumped  off  his  pony,  snatched  the  rifle  from  the  stalker 
and  took  a  quick  shot  at  a  good  beast,  which  dropped 
like  a  stone  to  the  shot.  He  handed  the  rifle  back  to  the 
stalker  and  walked  towards  the  stag,  but  to  his  horror 
saw  the  animal  jump  up  and  gallop  off.  He  could  not 
get  the  rifle  in  time,  and  the  light  was  so  bad  that,  even 
if  he  had,  I  do  not  think  he  would  have  done  much  good. 
When  he  came  in  he  was  very  angry  with  himself  for 
being  caught  napping.  He  said  that,  with  all  his  ex- 
perience, he  ought  to  have  known  the  beast  was  very 
likely  to  get  up,  and  his  only  consolation  was  that  he  had 
actually  "  creased  "  a  stag  in  the  most  approved  American 
hunter's  fashion.  It  was  some  days  before  he  got  over 
the  misfortune. 

Sir  Edmund  had  hunted  in  America  before  the  great 
herds  of  bison  had  been  exterminated,  and  it  was  most 
interesting  to  hear  him  talk  about  them.  I  am  glad  to 
think  that  I  have  known  a  man  who  had  seen  that  won- 
derful sight  and  have  heard  the  tale  first-hand. 

After  Glenclunie  Sir  Edmund  took  Hopfreben  in  T>to1 
for  three  years  and  then  came  back  to  Scotland  once 
more.  Amongst  other  places  he  took  Forest  Lodge  for 
one  season.  A  year  or  two  later  he  took  Dundonnel  on 
a  lease,  and  that  was  the  last  forest  he  had.  Dundonnel 
was  a  most  attractive  place,  though  at  that  time  the 
stags  were  not  very  good.  Lady  Loder  killed  one  very 
heavy  stag  on  the  low  ground,  20  stone,  if  I  remember 
rightly,  but  the  general  run  of  stags  was  much  smaller. 
There  were  several  nice  young  stags  which  were  spared, 
but  I  never  heard  that  Sir  Edmund  benefited  much  by 
leaving  them  to  grow.  The  fishing  was  good,  as  there 
were  several  lochs  and  the  Gruinard  River.  The  best  of 
the  fishing  was  earlier  in  the  summer,  but  in  August  there 
was  still  a  certain  amount  of  sport  to  be  had.  I  was 
only  at  Dundonnel  in  October,  and  in  both  years  that  I 


270  REMINISCENCES  [ch.  xi 

was  there  the  weather  was  extraordinarily  fine  and  dry. 
The  Gruinard  was  a  nice  river  to  fish  and  full  of  salmon, 
but  I  never  did  any  good  in  it. 

Sir  Edmund's  spare  time  was  spent  on  colour  photo- 
graphy, and  nothing  that  he  took  up  showed  more  clearly 
his  determination  to  do  a  thing  well  or  not  at  all.  He 
was  never  quite  satisfied  with  his  work,  though  to  the 
ordinary  individual  his  results  seemed  perfect.  There  was 
a  certain  rowan-tree  near  the  lodge  which  was  scarlet 
with  berries,  and  this  tree  made  an  excellent  subject  for 
colour  photography.  I  should  not  like  to  say  how  often 
that  tree  was  photographed.  If  the  light  seemed  extra 
good  or  different  from  a  previous  day,  another  plate 
would  be  exposed  in  the  hope  of  eliminating  some  tiny 
defects  in  previous  pictures.  To  attain  perfection  in  his 
work  seemed  almost  an  obsession,  but  those  who  have 
seen  an  exhibition  of  his  colour  photographs  will  agree 
that  his  striving  after  perfection  was  justified.  He  had 
mastered  the  technique  by  sheer  hard  work  and  constant 
repetition,  and  his  scientific  mind  enabled  him  to  select 
and  use  to  the  greatest  advantage  the  best  lenses  and 
apparatus. 

The  stalking  at  Dundonnel  was  the  last  I  ever  had  with 
Sir  Edmund.  The  lease  came  to  an  end  during  the  war, 
and  he  never  took  another  forest.  I  think  he  felt  he  had 
no  longer  the  energy  or  desire  for  the  sport,  and  there  was 
no  Robin  to  help  him  to  enjoy  it.  He  had  always  been  fond 
of  fishing,  and  he  took  a  beat  on  the  Tay  in  the  autumn  of 
1917.  There  is  little  better  autumn  fishing  in  Scotland 
than  the  Stanley  Water,  and  Loder  meant  to  have  a  real 
good  time  with  the  salmon.  Unfortunately  it  was  a  bad 
autumn  and  the  fish  were  not  taking.  That  year  I  had 
fourteen  days'  leave  in  September,  and  Sir  Edmund  asked 
me  to  spend  a  week  with  him  on  the  Tay.  With  only  a 
week  to  spend  on  the  river,  it  was  long  odds  at  that  time 
of  year  that  the  water  might  be  too  low,  but  when  I  arrived 
at  Stanley  I  found  the  water  as  good  as  could  be,  and  from 
previous  experience  I  felt  I  was  in  for  a  good  time.     But 


SALMON   FISHING  2T1 

the  fish  were  hopelessly  stiff,  and  I  only  had  hold  of  two 
fish  in  six  days,  one  of  which  got  off.  Loder  could  not 
understand  what  had  happened  and  why  no  fish  were  being 
caught.  He  knew  he  had  a  first-class  bit  of  water,  that  the 
river  had  a  good  fishing  height  and  that  there  were  plenty 
of  fish  up.  It  worried  him  dreadfully,  and  he  simply  would 
not  listen  to  me  when  I  told  him  that  such  things  happened 
to  everyone  who  fished.  His  theory  was  that  he  was  a  most 
indifferent  fisherman  and  must  be  doing  something  wrong. 
He  said  he  must  learn  to  cast  better,  and  used  to  watch 
other  people  and  try  to  improve  by  constant  practice. 
As  with  his  colour  photography,  he  could  not  be  satisfied 
with  mediocrity.  He  took  the  greatest  care  with  his  tackle 
and  his  keen  mind  was  quick  to  appreciate  the  best  reel,  etc., 
and  their  particular  points  of  advantage. 

However,  in  spite  of  this  unfortunate  autumn,  he  was 
badly  bitten  with  the  salmon  fever,  and  determined,  as 
he  said,  to  have  one  real  good  time  with  the  fish  before  he 
died.  He  therefore  took  the  Lower  Scone  water  for  the 
next  two  or  three  springs,  and,  I  think,  realised  his  ambition. 
I  went  up  for  a  fortnight  with  him  in  1919,  and  during  that 
time  he  killed  a  lot  of  fish.  He  had  also  done  very  well 
before  I  joined  him,  killing  one  fish  over  30  Ife,  and  several 
over  20  fb. 

Even  then  he  was  very  upset  by  a  blank  day,  and  if  other 
people  were  catching  fish  he  always  maintained  it  was  his 
own  want  of  skill  that  prevented  him  getting  a  fish.  One 
day  in  particular  he  was  very  depressed.  It  was  a  cold, 
bright  day  and  the  water  was  low  for  the  time  of  the  year. 
Even  the  boatmen  said  they  thought  it  a  rotten  fishing  day. 
From  my  point  of  view  it  was  a  real  good  day,  as  I  killed 
five  fish.  Sir  Edmund  was  delighted  with  my  good  luck, 
but  seemed  to  think  it  showed  more  clearly  than  ever 
that  his  blank  day  was  due  to  lack  of  skill.  Now,  all  my 
fish  were  caught  harling,  so  any  question  of  personal  skill 
was  eliminated,  and  this  I  duly  pointed  out  to  him.  But  he 
refused  to  be  convinced.  He  knew  he  could  not  cast  a  long 
line  and  that  his  experience  of  fishing  was  limited,  so  there- 


272  REMINISCENCES  [ch.  xi 

fore  he  must  be  to  blame.     It  was  very  typical  of  the  man 
and  showed  his  anxiety  to  do  a  thing  well. 

It  was  during  this  time  that  he  was  at  work  on  his  list  of 
Conifers  grown  at  Leonardslee.  The  first  and  second  proofs 
had  been  corrected  by  himself  and  then  sent  to  my  brother 
for  further  correction.  The  third  and  final  proof  arrived 
while  I  was  staying  with  him  at  Perth.  We  set  to  work 
on  the  final  revision,  and  he  was  not  satisfied  until  we  had 
both  been  through  those  proofs  five  times.  They  were 
then  sent  again  to  my  brother.  This  incident  will  perhaps 
give  an  idea  of  the  care  he  took  with  all  his  work  and  his 
intense  desire  to  make  anything  he  did  as  nearly  perfect 
as  possible.  This  trip  to  the  Tay  was  the  last  sport  that  I 
enjoyed  with  him,  and  in  many  ways  it  was  one  of  the 
pleasantest  fortnights  I  ever  spent  in  his  company. 

One  other  trip,  though  not  a  sporting  one,  stands  out 
very  clearly  as  a  most  delightful  time.  That  was  a  visit 
in  pre-war  days  to  some  Irish  gardens.  Needless  to  say, 
it  was  a  strenuous  time,  as  Sir  Edmund  had  carefully 
planned  to  see  as  much  as  possible  in  the  shortest  possible 
time.  We  worked  to  a  very  strict  time-table,  going  from 
Castlewellan  in  the  north  to  Fota  in  the  South  and  to  Val- 
encia Island  in  the  west.  There  were  many  gardens  to  see 
between  these  extreme  points,  and  travelling  in  Ireland  is 
not  always  so  speedy  as  it  might  be.  It  was  therefore  a 
little  difficult  to  keep  to  the  time-table,  and  unfortunately, 
on  one  occasion,  we  did  our  best  to  spoil  it  most  effectually. 
We  left  Cork  one  Saturday  evening  for  Kenmare,  where  we 
were  due  to  visit  Lord  Lansdowne's  beautiful  garden  on 
the  Sunday  morning  and  a  garden  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river  on  the  same  evening.  We  were  both  very  tired 
and  sleepy  when  we  got  into  the  train  at  Cork,  and  we 
slept  so  soundly  that  we  passed  the  junction  for  Kenmare 
and  finally  woke  up  when  the  train  reached  Killarney 
about  10  p.m.  There  was  no  train  back  till  Monday  morn- 
ing, and  I  felt  we  were  hopelessly  done.  But  Loder  was 
far  from  beat,  and  he  was  determined  that  our  programme 
should  not  be  upset.     He  inquired  for  a  motor  and  was 


DRIVE  TO  KENMARE  273 

told  that  there  was  only  one  available  for  hire.  That 
motor  Avas  sent  for,  but  failed  to  appear.  We  were  told 
that  the  driver  was  "  jollying "  himself  and  would  not 
turn  out.  Again  I  felt  we  were  finally  done,  but  Loder 
simply  ordered  a  car,  and  eventually,  about  10.30,  we  started 
to  drive  to  Kenmare.  It  v/as  a  bitterly  cold  night  and  I  felt 
thoroughly  mean  and  miserable.  Loder  said  our  road  was 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  drives  in  Europe,  but  as  I  could 
see  nothing  I  had  to  take  his  statement  on  trust.  I  think 
he  knew  that  I  was  not  enjoying  life  at  that  moment,  so  he 
set  to  work  to  cheer  me  up,  and  never  did  a  man  do  such  a 
job  in  a  better  way.  He  managed  to  keep  me  thoroughly 
interested  and  amused  till  we  arrived  at  Kenmare  at  2.30 
a.m.  I  can  honestly  say  I  enjoyed  that  drive  in  spite  of  the 
cold  and  a  very  tired  horse.  After  arriving  at  the  hotel,  we 
spent  another  half-hour  knocking  up  the  servants,  so  that 
it  was  nearly  3.30  before  we  got  to  bed.  The  blankets  were 
very  thin,  and  I  was  thoroughly  chilled  and  could  not  get 
to  sleep  till  daylight,  but  at  7.30  sharp  Loder  hammered 
at  my  door  to  let  me  know  that  breakfast  was  at  eight  and 
that  we  should  start  at  8.45.  He  did  not  seem  a  bit  the 
worse  for  the  long  drive  and  short  sleep — and  he  had  carried 
out  his  programme.  When  I  said  good-bye  to  him  outside 
the  sleeping-car  at  Fishguard,  he  suddenly  said,  "  I  wonder 
if  we  made  the  most  of  our  time  and  saw  all  we  could."  I 
felt  I  had  no  doubt  about  it. 

No  cheerier  or  kinder  companion  could  any  man  possibly 
have  had.  A  good  sportsman,  widely  read,  with  a  scientific 
and  accurate  mind,  taking  an  interest  in  everything  and 
giving  an  excellent  example  of  always  doing  the  best  work 
or  leaving  a  thing  alone,  he  did  not  suffer  fools  gladly  and 
therefore  some  people  found  him  difficult  to  get  on  with. 
Those  who  knew  him  best  knew  his  real  value  and  enjoyed 
the  friendship  that  he  was  always  so  ready  to  extend. 
Whether  at  Leonardslee  or  in  Scotland,  or  in  any  other 
place  or  at  any  other  time,  he  was  always  the  same.  What- 
ever the  work  or  sport  he  had  in  hand,  one  always  knew  that 
he  was  putting  his  whole  mind  into  it.     And  that  was  the 


274  REMINISCENCES  [ch.  xi 

secret  of  his  success  in  so  many  pursuits.  Very  few  men  can 
hope  to  excel  in  more  than  one  direction,  but  Sir  Edmund 
made  good  in  everything  that  he  took  up  in  earnest. 
And  yet  no  man  was  more  modest  about  his  own  achieve- 
ments. I  don't  think  I  ever  knew  him  praise  his  own  work 
— not  even  the  garden  at  Leonardslee,  which  was  his  own 
creation  and  must  always  rank  as  one  of  the  finest  gardens 
in  England,  whether  regarded  from  the  artistic  point  of 
view  or  merely  as  a  collection  of  trees  and  shrubs.  It  was 
his  greatest  work,  and  he  could  have  left  no  better  monu- 
ment behind  him  to  keep  his  memory  fresh  in  the  minds  of 
his  friends. 


APPENDIX 


Year. 

Forest. 

Stags 
killed. 

Killed  by  Sir  E. 

1894  . 

Kintail 

_ 

30 

1895-7 

Schwarzensee  (Chamois) 

159 

57 

1898  . 

Benmore 

47 

29 

1899  . 

Clunie 

45 

21 

1900  . 

Glencarron 

42 

20 

1901  . 

Rothiemurchus 

59 

20 

1902  . 

Achdalieu 

55 

26 

1903  . 

Strontian 

21 

9 

1904  . 

Baddock 

38 

10 

1905-7 

Hopfreben  (Chamois) 

98 

51 

1908  . 

Athole 

69 

21 

1909  . 

Dundonnel 

45 

13 

1910  . 

Auchnashellach 

35 

17 

1911  . 

Dundonnel 

42 

16 

1912  . 

>» 

43 

19 

1913   . 

>» 

42 

17 

1914  . 

>» 

18 

181 

1915  . 

f  > 

45 

23 

420 

*  Only  September. 

It  is  not  many  men  who  between  the  ages  of  49  and  66 
kill  their  20  stags  a  season  stalking.  Sir  Edmund's  aver- 
age during  this  period  of  his  life  was  19 J — and  in  his 
last  season  when  66  he  killed  26  sta^s. 


CHAPTER  XII 

SOMALILAND,     1896-7,     AND     BRITISH     EAST    AFRICA,'     1908 

"  But  those  hardy  days  flew  cheerily  ! 
And  when  they  now  fall  drearily. 
My  thoughts,  like  swallows,  skim  the  main, 
And  bear  my  spirit  back  again 
Over  the  earth,  and  through  the  air, 
A  wild  bird  and  a  wanderer." 

The  Siege  of  Corinth. 

In  November  1896  Sir  Edmund  Loder,  my  wife  and  I 
started  for  a  winter  in  Somaliland.  My  wife  and  I  had  been 
there  the  previous  winter,  chiefly  in  the  Gadabursi  country, 
but  had  never  crossed  the  waterless  Haud.  This  we 
intended  to  do  with  Loder.  The  Horn  of  Africa  is  a 
pecuUarly  wild  region  and  the  Haud  had  never  been  crossed 
till  1885.  Burton,  Speke  and  Stroyan  made  the  first  at- 
tempt to  penetrate  into  Somaliland  in  1855 ;  but  though 
they  had  the  support  of  the  Bombay  Government  and  were 
accompanied  by  a  gunboat,  they  were  set  upon  immediately 
they  landed  at  Berbera  ;  Stroyan  was  killed  and  Burton 
and  Speke  wounded,  and  they  barel}'^  escaped  with  their 
lives.  In  1885  Lort-PhilHps,  Percy  Aylmer  and  the 
brothers  James  obtained  the  first  laurels — crossed  the  Haud 

^  It  is  now  called  Kenya  Colony,  a  name  taken  from  a  mountain.  No 
one  knows  whence  this  name  arose ;  it  is  not  a  native  name  for  Mt.  Kenya, 
and  it  is  not  a  name  that  can  be  traced  in  any  way.  The  Kukujru,  the  local 
natives,  have  two  names  for  it,  Kirinyagaand  Kirimaraor  Crithuri,  and  the 
?.Iasai  call  it  Bonya  Ebor.  The  Wakamba  call  it  Njaro,  and  the  Zanzibari 
call  it  Meru.  Apparently  Kenya  is  some  European  corruption  of  the  name 
Kirinyaga,  but  no  improvement.  Kirinyaga  means  "It  is  wonderful  "  ; 
Kenya  means  nothing  (vide  Geog.  Journal,  July  1921,  "  Movmt  Kenia," 
by  Rev.  J.  W.  Arthvu-).  Peter  Beckford  inquired  of  his  huntsman  why  he 
had  called  a  hound  "Lyman,"  and  said,  "  Pray  what  does  'Lyman'  mean?" 
Beckford's  himtsman  was  a  philosopher,  and  replied,  "  Lord  bless  you,  sir, 
what  does  anything  mean  ?  " 

275 


276  SOMALILAND  [ch.  xii 

and  reached  the  Webbc  Shebeyli,  and  brought  back  the 
first  rehable  accounts  of  this  strange  countrJ^  Later 
Swayne  (1893)  reached  Ime,  and  after  numerous  journeys 
became  the  chief  authority  on  Somahland.  When  we  were 
there  the  man  whose  reputation  had  gone  furthest  into  the 
interior  and  who  had  most  impressed  the  wild  Somahs 
with  respect  for  British  authority  was  Captain  Cox 
(Koggis).'  With  Colonel  Ferris  administering  the  country 
from  Aden,  Major  Abud  and  successive  able  residents  on 
the  coast  and  the  redoubtable  Koggis  maintaining  order  in 
the  hinterland,  the  pax  Britannica  had  spread  far  into  the 
interior  and  British  privilege  and  credit  reached  its  highest 
point.  Thus  from  1890  to  1900  the  coastal  belt  and  country 
north  of  the  Haud  had  become  a  happy  ground  for  officers 
from  India  on  leave  and  for  a  considerable  number  of 
European  sportsmen.  Not  a  few  of  these  crossed  the  Haud 
at  various  times — but  I  believe  the  late  Lady  Pease  was 
the  first  and  last  white  wom.an  to  have  been  in  distant 
Ogaden  and  to  have  reached  the  very  little  known  country 
of  Bourka.  For  sportsmen  generallj^  Ogaden  and  the  far 
side  of  the  Haud  has  for  more  than  twenty  years  become 
a  closed  book.  During  these  years  there  have  been 
continual  wars  and  trouble  with  the  Mullah  Mohamed 
Abdullah,  who  was  a  match  for  the  British  until 
aeroplanes  arrived  on  the  scene  in  1920-1  and  death 
removed  him. 

Firearms  have  been  acquired  by  the  natives  and  the 
big  game  seriously  reduced.  In  our  time,  however,  it  was 
a  sportsman's  paradise,  and  amongst  the  Somalis  the 
exploits  of  Lord  Delamere  with  lions  and  elephants  had 
made  his  name  a  great  one  with  these  sporting  people 
and  a  familiar  one  in  every  karia  of  the  Horn.  Delamere 
still  holds  the  record  of  the  world  as  a  lion-hunter,  and  in 
the  year  1896-7  of  which  I  am  about  to  write  made  his 
historical  journey  with  Dr.  Anderson  across  Somaliland 

^  General  Sir  Percy  Cox.  The  Soma)  cannot  pronounce  x — the 
result  is  rather  funny.  WTxen  they  attempt  English  a  box  is  a  boggis, 
an  oryx  is  an  orygis,  an  ox  is  an  oggis. 


PASSENGERS   ON   BOARD  277 

and  into  British  East  Africa,  there  to  become  one  of  the 
greatest  of  the  pioneer  settlers  and  founders  of  the  new 
Colony  now  called  Kenya. 

Of  all  the  many  voyages  out  this  one  with  Loder  stands 
apart  in  my  memory  as  a  particularly  pleasant  one. 
Loder  notes  many  names  of  our  friends  who  by  luck 
happened  to  be  going  to  India  and  the  East  and  of  those 
whose  acquaintance  we  made  on  the  voyage.  We  made 
up  a  table  on  the  P.  &  O. — Lord  and  Lady  Breadalbane, 
Arnold  Morley,  A.  Sneyd,  Fitzherbert,  Miss  Hozier  and 
a  Miss  Woodcock  were  of  this  party.  In  his  journal  he 
notes : 

"  Find  that  Lord  Breadalbane  is  an  old  photographer  ; 
showed  him  my  photos  with  isochromatic  plates,  which 
he  has  not  used.  Lady  Breadalbane  is  a  great  gardener 
and  has  lots  of  Himalayan  rhododendrons.  .  .  .  Went 
over  the  engines  with  Lord  and  Lady  Breadalbane  and 
A.  Morley ;  very  fine,  10,000  horse-power ;  two  low- 
pressure  cylinders,  10  tb.,  74  in. ;  one  intermediate  ;  one 
high-pressure,  160  ft>.,  45  in.  ;  four  crank.  There  is  a 
remarkable  absence  of  vibration." 

Other  names  he  enters  among  the  passengers.  He  saw 
something  of  Lord  Fincastle,  Lady  Muriel  Gore  Brown 
and  "  Colonel  Watkin,  the  inventor  of  a  range-finder  "  ; 
to  the  latter  he  had  been  introduced  by  another  acquain- 
tance, General  Nicholson,  and  he  also  made  friends  with 
General  Nairn. 

At  Port  Said  we  found  our  friends  the  Luptons  on 
board  another  P.  &  O.,  the  Clyde.  At  Aden  we  were  most 
hospitably  entertained  by  General  and  Mrs.  Cuningham 
at  the  Residency,  and  helped  and  advised  in  the  kindest 
way  by  Colonel  Ferris,  Political  Agent  Somali  Coast 
Protectorate.  With  his  usual  care  in  such  matters,  after 
remarking  "  he  was  very  kind  "  in  explaining  the  maps 
and  telling  him  where  he  could  most  likely  find  the  animals 
he  most  wanted,  and  giving  him  a  special  permit  to  obtain 
specimens  of  Pelzeln's  gazelle,   which  is  a  local  species 


278  SOMALILAND  [ch.  xii 

confined  to  the  Maritime  Plains,  Loder  copies  the  permit 
into  his  diary  : 

"  To  T.  Malcolm  Jones,  Esq.,  Assistant  Political 
Agent,  Berbera. 

"•  My  dear  Malcolm  Jones, 

"  Sir  Edmmid  Loder,  who  is  going  to  shoot,  wants 
some  Plains'  Gazelle  (Pelzelni),  native  name  Dero.  These 
are  plentiful  in  the  Reserve  and  I  have  told  him  he  can 
shoot  what  he  wants  there.  Please  tell  Adan  Yousouf, 
the  head  man,  so  that  there  may  be  no  difficulty. 

*■'  Yours  ever, 

W.  B.  Ferrls. 

"  Please  give  Sir  Edmund  Loder  and  Mr.  Pease  all  the 
assistance  you  can  in  getting  things  together  and  making 
an  early  start." 

There  is  an  entry  wliilst  at  Aden  that  reminds  me  of 
Loder's  tender  feelings  for  those  he  had  left  at  home. 
**  Walked  in  the  afternoon  with  the  Peases  along  Jopp's 
drive  and  picked  up  shells  "  ;  and  the  next  day,  "  Sent 
off  a  parcel  of  shells  to  Robin  and  wrote  him  a  letter." 
He  was  doing  this  after  we  had  been  very  busy  drawing 
our  supply  of  rifles  and  carbines  for  our  Somalis  at  the 
Arsenal  and  collecting  stores,  and  I  saw  tears  in  his  eyes.  I 
said,  "  I  hope  there  is  nothing  the  matter,"  and  he  gave 
his  eyes  a  smudge  with  his  hand  and  said  "  No — I  am 
only  sending  Robin  the  shells,  and  it  made  me  think  of 
him  and  home."  I  do  not  know  if  those  among  his  casual 
acquaintance  have  ever  guessed  at  this  side  of  Loder's 
nature,  but  I  often  came  across  it.  We  went  over  to 
Berbera  in  the  little  coasting  steamer,  the  Falcon,  and 
were  quite  a  happy  party  at  the  Residency  at  Berbera ; 
and  whilst  making  our  final  preparations  several  sports- 
men turned  up,  including  two  officers,  Timmin  and  Mar- 
shall, with  four  lions,  and  who  had  just  had  one  of  their 
shikaris  killed  in  a  lion  charge.  Lord  Delamere  also 
Joined  us,  and  I  remember  weeks  after  seeing  him  in  the 
interior    wearing    a    pair    of    white    canvas    rubber-soled 


CROSSING  THE   GOLIS   RANGE  279 

shoes,  the  sort  we  called  "  fives  shoes  "  at  school,  which 
Loder  had  thrown  away  with  other  non-essentials  into  a 
corner  of  his  room  at  the  Residency  when  we  left  Berbera. 
As  an  illustration  of  Loder' s  quickness  :  We  had  not 
been  with  Delamere  more  than  a  few  minutes  when 
Loder  said,  "  Those  are  my  shoes  which  I  threw  away 
at  Berbera."  Delamere  said,  "  Yes,  and  just  what 
I  wanted."  Delamere  was  starting,  with  150  men 
and  many  camel  loads,  with  Dr.  Anderson  for  Lake 
Rudolph. 

Our  first  camp  was  made  December  9th,  and  we  crossed 
the  GoHs  Range  at  the  Jerato  Pass.  About  the  Gan 
Libah  we  got  some  fine  Greater  Kudu  (the  Somali  Greater 
Kudu,  Strepsiceros  kudu  chora,  are  not  equal  in  size  to 
the  South  African  S.  capensis). 

Here  is  his  diary  entry  for  one  of  these  days  : 

"  Monday,  December  lUh  (1896).— Temp.  min.  46°  F. 
at  night— felt  much  warmer  than  night  before,  although 
we  are  camped  at  the  top  of  the  pass  (Jerato)  on  the  open 
plain  at  6,000  feet.  Left  camp  with  shikaris  at  6.15. 
Went  near  place  where  we  had  seen  big  koodoo  yesterday. 
As  we  came  into  one  of  the  small  ravines  saw  two  male 
koodoo  go  out  at  the  other  end.  Followed  their  tracks 
and  saw  one,  the  larger  one,  go  into  some  thick  bush, 
where  he  apparently  stopped.  .  .  .  We  went  on  and 
stalked  up  to  the  bushes  where  we  had  last  seen  the 
koodoo,  and  saw  him  going  out  on  the  other  side.  I  fired 
with  the  Mannlicher  and  he  fell,  but  I  gave  him  another 
shot. 

"  Measurements  [he  does  not  give  the  horn  measure- 
ments in  his  diary — his  best  Somah  head  56|  in.  long  in 
curve  ;   the  latter  he  killed  the  next  day,  December  15th]  : 


Between  nostrils  to  between  horns   . 
>>  „  root  of  tail 

M  T,  end  of  tail 

.»  ,,  end  of  tail  hairs 

Girth  at  brisket      .... 

Half-way  down  girth  of  neck     . 

Height  at  shoulder  (between  two  uprights) 
19 


Measurements  of  No 

.2. 

It.  in. 

ft. 

in. 

13 

15 

6     4 

7 

8 

7     3 

8 

9 

8     6 

9 

6 

4     7 

0 

H 

3 

3 

4     7 

5 

0 

280  SOMALILAND  [ch.  xii 

"  Photo' ed  him  with  pocket  Kodak — full  aperture  first 
and  then  with  second  stop.  Sent  for  pony,  which  we  had 
left  on  the  plains,  and  then  photo' ed  again  with  Watson 
camera  and  Iso  films.  Ate  lunch,  grilled  koodoo  steak 
and  liver  and  marrow  bones.  Packed  skin  and  meat  on 
pony  and  sent  him  to  camp  with  syce  and  second  shikari 
carrying  head.  Went  on  with  Jama  and  rested  for  an 
hour  and  then  turned  southward  :  saw  no  koodoo,  but 
soon  saw  alikud  (klipspringer)  and  shot  a  male — and 
soon  after  another  male  which  I  also  shot.  We  then  came 
to  the  plain  and  tried  for  dero  (Gazella  spekei)  and  gerenuk 
{Lithocranius  walleri).  Fired  a  shot  in  the  high  wind 
at  a  dero  and  hit,  but  did  not  get  him.  As  we  %vere 
getting  near  camp  at  5  p.m.  I  stalked  and  shot  a  male 
gerenuk,  a  long  shot. 

"  Gerenuk  measurements  : 

12|  in.  curve  of  neck. 

From  lower  lip  to  point  of  shoulder-blade  front  of 
chest,  2  ft.  5  in. 

Height  at  shoulder,  3  ft.  5  in.  Girth  at  brisket,  2  ft. 
10  in." 

Before  crossing  the  Haud  into  Ogaden  we  spent  a  week 
with  Lord  Delamere  and  occupied  ourselves  in  pig-sticking. 
The  old  wart-hogs  on  the  Ooanouf  plain  gave  us  great 
sport  and  numerous  croppers,  though  a  large  proportion 
got  to  ground  in  spite  of  our  having  a  small  army  of  earth- 
stoppers.  Loder  also  shot  gumburi  here.  Loder's  biggest 
stallion  (Equus  asinus  somalicus)  measured  4  ft.  3  in. 
in  height.  He  notes  too  on  December  18th  that  I  brought 
back  to  camp  in  the  evening  three  baira  antelopes,'  one 
male  gumburi  and  one  ditha  {Hycena  striata).  He  was 
most  interested  in  the  baira,  as  they  were  the  first  he 
had  ever  seen,  and  the  following  day  I  pointed  out  to 
him  a  hill  where  I  had  seen  a  good  many.  As  these  most 
beautiful  hill  gazelle  were  then  considered  difficult  to  ob- 
tain, he  meant  to  make  the  most  of  his  chance.     He  says : 

"  Saw  three  baira  as  we  began  to  climb  the  hill.  I 
spied  and  saw  that  one  was  a  male  with  horns.     It  is 

1  The  Baira  (or  Beira)  Dorcotragua  melanotis. 


BAIRA  GAZELLE  281 

a  most  difficult  hill  to  stalk  quietly  on,  as  it  is  completely 
covered  with  loose  stones.  We  stalked  the  three  baira, 
but  they  heard  us  as  soon  as  we  began  to  get  near  and  I 
had  to  shoot  at  one  from  the  shoulder.  This  dropped, 
and  I  went  forward  and  came  in  sight  of  another  which 
I  killed,  and  then  had  a  shot  at  the  third  from  the  shoulder. 
This  one  was  very  badly  wounded  but  went  on  down  the 
hill.  We  followed  it  and  saw  it  several  times  still  going 
on.  In  the  middle  of  this  chase  we  saw  three  more  baira 
going  up  a  hill  face  in  front  of  us.  They  had  evidently  noticed 
us  and  were  moving  off  fast.  We  waited  till  they  were 
out  of  sight  and  then  followed.  We  nearly  came  up  with 
them  several  times,  but  they  got  us  before  I  could  shoot 
(as  I  wanted  the  male  I  had  always  to  use  the  glass  before 
taking  up  the  rifle).  In  this  way  we  walked  the  whole 
length  of  the  hill,  and  in  the  last  corrie  I  got  a  shot  at 
what  I  thought  was  the  male  and  thought  I  had  missed, 
and  fired  again  and  again  thought  I  had  missed  as  I  saw 
the  bullets  strike  on  the  stones  beyond — both  were, 
however,  killed  dead,  falling  just  out  of  my  sight ;  the 
third  was  200  yards  off  across  the  corrie,  and  I  saw  with 
my  glass  that  this  was  the  male  with  horns — I  fired  and 
apparently  did  not  do  much  damage,  and  I  fired  again, 
when  he  went  into  a  bush  out  of  sight.  We  went  round 
the  bush  and  found  him  lying  dead  ;  the  other  two  proved 
to  be  a  small  male  with  horns  about  an  inch  long  and  a 
good  female.  The  first  shot  was  also  a  good  male,  the 
second  a  small  female  and  third  a  small  male." 

Thus  he  killed  his  six  specimens.  He  gives  the  measure- 
ments of  an  adult  female  : 

Baira  (adult  female).     Height  .     2  ft.  2  in. 

Girth  at  brisket     .  .  .  .     1  ft.  9  in. 

Eyes  :    red  hazel  or  chestnut ;    pupil  blue-black. 

Deiamere,  Loder,  Anderson  and  I  must  have  got  about 
a  score  of  pigs  with  the  spear  during  these  four  or  five 
days,  and  Loder  got  a  fair  proportion  of  first  spears  ; 
but  his  mounts  were  not  as  bold  as  ours  were,  either  in 
galloping  over  the  top  of  one  of  these  ugly  brutes  or  in 
facing  up  when  a  pig  turned  and  charged. 

On  Christmas  Day  he  writes  : 


282  SOMALILAND  [ch.  xii 

"  Went  out  again  with  Lord  Delamere  after  pigs — had 
some  capital  runs.  Dibatag,  the  pony  lent  to  Pease  (by 
Delamere),  proved  to  be  very  game  and  fast,  and  he  got 
both  first  spears  ;  but  I  had  good  fun  and  ran  my  spear 
clean  through  the  first  pig  and  caught  the  second,  a  big 
boar  in  full  charge,  at  the  end  of  my  spear  and  kept  him 
off,  though  my  pony  stopped  dead.  .  .  .  Had  a  plum 
pudding  and  champagne  for  dinner  in  the  evening." 

We  got  several  waire  or  waira  *  [Proteles  cristatus)  while 
pig-sticking — one  we  captured  alive  and  sent  to  the  coast. 
Having  thus  spent  Christmas  together,  we  filled  up  with  all 
the  water  we  could  carry  for  our  seven  days'  march  across 
the  waterless  Haud.  Among  the  big  game  shot  on  the 
Haud  were  several  dibatags  {Ammodorcas  clarkei),  one  of 
the  most  singular  of  long-necked  and  long-tailed  antelopes. 
Loder's  specimen  of  a  male  measured  : 


8  ft.     2  in. 
2  ft.     2  in. 
11 1  in. 


Height  .... 

Girth  at  brisket 

Girth  at  middle  of  neck  . 

From  between  nostrils   to   between 

horns  .... 

Neck  to  shoulder-blades  in  back 

to  root  of  tail 

to  end  of  tail 

to  end  of  hairs 
Length  of  horns  11  in.  on  curve.     Eyes  dark  hazel- 
iris  blue-black. 


6|  in. 
1  ft.  10  in. 

4  ft.     2  in. 

5  ft.     4  in. 
5  ft.     6  in. 


On  the  seventh  day  we  made  Darror  Pool. 

New  Year's  Day,  1897. — Darror  figures  in  most  maps, 
but  is  nothing  but  a  depression  in  the  bush  of  some  two 
and  a  half  acres  that  holds  the  stagnant  water  of  the  last 
rainy  season  till  the  middle  of  January,  after  which  it  is 
usually  dry  ;  therefore  anyone  who  takes  this  route  across 
the  Haud  should  get  the  best  native  information  available 
of  the  condition  before  setting  out  on  it,  for  any  miscalcula- 
tion as  to  water  is  a  most  serious  thing  in  this  country.  We 
had  some  seventy  camels  and  were  sixty  souls,  besides 

1  Almost  identical  with  the  "  Aard  wolf  "  of  South  Africa. 


DARROR  288 

horses,  milch  goats  and  sheep.  About  half-way  across  at 
a  place  the  name  of  which  amused  Loder  very  much,  and 
which  he  has  transcribed  into  his  diary— Beluljoogieban-i- 
waabaa-adoh-dahadodi — he  makes  a  characteristic  note  : 

"  To  save  the  three  buckets  of  water  which  forty  men 
have  to  boil  their  rice  in  we  gave  them  six  sheep  last  night 
and  gave  the  water  to  the  five  ponies.  The  sheep  are  worth 
about  Rs.  5  each,  so  that  the  water  comes  out  at  about 
Is.  8d.  a  gallon." 

The  sixth  day  we  had  been  told  we  should  reach  Darror, 
and  the  seventh  day  was  a  day  of  great  anxiety.  However, 
on  arriving  at  Darror  on  the  seventh  day  we  found  there 
was  still  a  depth  of  some  three  inches  of  green,  slimy  water 
round  which  the  warlike  tribe  of  the  Rer  Ali  Ogaden  had 
pitched  their  karias.  Some  400  of  their  camels  were  stand- 
ing in  the  pool,  their  women  washing  their  tobes  ;  and  our 
delight  at  seeing  the  water  was  som.ewhat  tempered  when 
we  realised  that  for  many  days  to  come  we  should  have  to 
drink  it  and  cook  with  it.  By  repeated  boilings  and  skim- 
mings after  precipitating  with  alum  and  filtering  we  ob- 
tained a  fairly  clear  tasteless  liquid.  It  is  a  curious  fact, 
which  Loder  and  I  assured  ourselves  of,  that  the  natives 
can  drink  the  most  stagnant,  putrid  and  contaminated  water 
without  any  risk  of  bad  results.  They  appear  to  be  im- 
mune from  all  forms  of  enteric,  typhoid  and  dysentery 
arising  from  dirty  water,  though  they  may  drink  the  filthiest 
for  months.  Whether  this  is  acquired  and  hereditary 
immunity,  or  resistance  developed  from  the  healthiness  of 
their  lives  and  the  simplicity  of  their  diet  (which  in  the 
interior  is  entirely  animal)  of  camels'  milk  and  occasional 
mutton  or  camel,  it  is  difficult  to  say. 

We  worked  westward  through  Ogaden,  getting  lions  and 
rhinoceros,  and  reached  Milmil.  There  were  few  natives 
about,  but  we  were  told  by  them  that  there  was  an  EngHsh- 
man  in  the  Tug  Sulul,  about  three  days  distant  in  the  direc- 
tion we  were  bound  for,  but  that  he  had  been  attacked  by 
Habasha  (Abyssinians)  and  some  of  his  men  made  prisoners. 


284  SOMALILAND  [ch.  xii 

We  sent  forward  scouts,  who  returned  in  a  few  days  with 
the  information  that  the  EngHshman  had  gone  back  to  the 
coast.  We  knew  that  it  must  be  Greenfield,  as  he  was  the 
only  man  out  in  these  parts.  Later  we  had  the  true 
version,  but  at  the  time  we  were  uneasy.  Greenfield  had 
really  made  our  course  easier,  for  after  rescuing  his  men 
he  had  made  peace  with  the  Abyssinians  and  extracted  a 
promise  that  they  would  show  kindness  to  "  any  people  of 
his  tribe  "  they  might  meet.  Included  in  our  instructions 
from  Colonel  Ferris  was  one  that  we  were  carefully  to  avoid 
contact  with  Abyssinian  posts  (the  Italians  were  at  war 
in  1896  with  Abyssinia),  so  we  went  forward.  Meanwhile 
when  camped  at  Gagab  we  saw  the  most  wonderful  meteor 
any  of  us  had  ever  observed.  I  have  noted  that  I  could 
trace  its  broad  track  of  fire,  "  which  did  not  entirely  fade 
out  for  something  like  a  quarter  of  an  hour."  Loder, 
however,  says  : 

"  Saw  a  splendid  meteor  after  dinner  this  evening  (Janu- 
ary 19th).  It  started  near  the  Pleiades,  nearly  overhead, 
and  came  down  within  a  short  distance  of  the  horizon  (east). 
It  left  a  bright  trail  which  could  be  seen  for  some  minutes, 
perhaps  five  or  six." 

On  reaching  the  Deghabur  Tug  we  found  natives,  but 
in  a  pitiable  condition,  having  just  been  looted  by  the 
Habasha.  Thence  we  marched  by  Sabatti  Waine,  an 
isolated  hill  near  which  Delamere  had  been  mauled  by  a 
lion  a  year  or  two  previously.  One  of  our  men  who  spoke 
English  pointed  out  the  spot  to  us  with  a  grin  of  satisfaction, 
exclaiming,  "  /  there  when  he  bite  him." 

On  reaching  the  hills  of  Horo-abdulleh  beyond  the  Tug 
Fafan  and  after  crossing  the  Sibi  desert  we  found  Grevy's 
zebra  very  numerous  indeed,  and  in  spite  of  our  scheming 
ran  up  against  the  Abyssinipjis.  I  was  out  hunting  one  day 
in  what  we  thought  was  entirely  uninhabited  country  when 
suddenly  I  saw  coming  down  a  Tug  in  a  cloud  of  dust  some 
hundreds  of  cattle  and  sheep.  I  asked  my  Midgan  shikari, 
"  What  does  this  mean  ?  "  He  looked  at  me  and  said 
"  Habasha  "—and  added  "  with  loot."     Then  he  added 


ABYSSINIANS  285 

with  glee,  "  See,  the  Habasha  have  seen  us  and  are  running 
away,"  and  I  saw  two  Abyssinians  with  their  rifles  legging  it 
through  the  bush.  My  feelings  were  different  to  my  men's, 
who  only  saw  an  immense  windfall  of  loot,  and  vistas  of 
beef  and  mutton  for  months  ahead.  Failing  to  overtake 
the  fugitives,  we  drove  the  cattle  to  camp  and  held  a  council 
of  war.  We  decided  to  track  up  the  Abyssinians,  who  no 
doubt  would  make  for  the  base  military  post  (at  Melka 
Degahamadou)  and  report  we  had  looted  them.  Much  to 
the  disappointment  of  our  men,  after  having  watered  the 
cattle  we  sent  them  with  an  escort  and  one  of  my  shikaris 
who  spoke  Harari  and  Amharic  to  Melka  Degahamadou. 
All's  well  that  ends  well,  for  on  Loder  and  my  coming  into 
camp  the  next  afternoon  we  found  my  wife  on  the  most 
friendly  terms  with  two  Abyssinian  officers  whom  she  was 
regaling  with  the  best  our  stores  afforded.  Exactly  what 
we  foresaw  had  happened  :  the  fugitives  had  reported  we 
had  looted  them,  but  their  lie  was  proved,  for  in  a  few  hours 
every  head  of  cattle  and  sheep  arrived.  The  Abyssinians 
were  very  proud  of  their  rifles  ;  they  were  all  armed  with 
the  1894  Italian  magazine  rifle,  part  of  the  loot  after  the 
awful  disaster  to  the  Italian  Army  at  Adowa.  One  of  the 
officers  had  been  perforated  by  Italian  bullets  at  the  battles 
of  Macalle  and  Adowa,  and  gave  us  an  interesting  account 
of  his  adventures. 

In  the  Dahato  Valley  we  reached  well- watered  plains  with 
numerous  karias  and  herds  of  camels,  cattle  and  sheep  in  the 
green  grass,  but  it  was  also  a  sportsman's  paradise.  There 
were  many  elephants,  rhinoceros  and  herds  of  Grevy's  zebra 
all  round,  and  the  fly  country  of  Bourka  was  uninhabited 
and  full  of  game.  We  had  killed  an  elephant  and  several 
rhinoceros,  when  we  received  a  message  by  "  running 
camel "  from  the  authorities  ordering  our  immediately 
putting  ourselves  in  touch  with  Berbera,  and  instructing  us 
to  avoid  recrossing  the  Haud  by  ordinary  routes.  With 
this  most  exasperating  news  there  was  another  thunder- 
bolt, namely,  that  I  had  been  elected  M.P.  for  Cleveland. 

So  back  we  marched,  and  after  some  rather  alarming 


286  SOMALILAND  [en.  xii 

experiences  with  the  not  too  friendly  Rer  AH — now 
assembled  at  Milmil,  and  who  informed  us  "  the  Turks  were 
at  Hargaisa  and  at  Berbera  " — we  made  preparations  for 
the  waterless  march  north,  off  any  known  track.  We 
crossed  the  Hand  in  nine  days  and  on  the  last  day  in 
February  struck  Awbahadleh  and  water.  The  rest  of  our 
time  in  Somaliland  was  spent  in  the  Western  Golis  and 
in  pretty  camps  about  Argan, 

Any  number  of  extracts  from  Loder's  diaries  could  be 
given,  but  there  is  a  similarity  in  the  experiences  of 
travellers  and  sportsmen  which  makes  me  hesitate  in  giving 
any  further  account  of  our  adventures.  It  is,  however, 
worth  while  noting  experiences  which  correct  the  general- 
isation of  other  writers.  I  have  more  than  once  seen  it 
stated  that  wart-hogs  never  charge.  I  have  several  times 
been  viciously  charged  by  them  in  Somaliland  and 
Abj^ssinia  and  I  saw  Mr.  Harold  Hill,  with  a  very  neat 
shot,  bowl  over  a  wart-hog  which  deliberately,  and  from 
a  long  distance  in  the  open  Kapiti  Plains  near  Chumbi, 
had  charged  straight  for  my  wife. 

Here  is  one  of  Loder's  entries  : 

"  At  Hagal,  February  17th,  1897,  saw  a  big  koodoo  at 
7  a.m.  Soon  afterwards  at  the  foot  of  a  steep  hill,  in 
thick  bush,  we  heard  grunting,  and  at  first  I  thought  it 
might  be  a  rhino,  but  the  noise  changed  to  a  kind  of  low 
roar  and  the  men  said  '  Lion.'  It  was  quite  close,  just 
behind  the  first  bush,  not  ten  yards  off  and  above  us.  I 
did  not  much  like  the  position.  It  sounded  as  if  it  were 
a  lioness  with  her  cubs  or  a  lion  disturbed  at  his  meal.  I 
changed  (•577)  hollow-point  bullet  for  solid  and  moved 
forward  :  as  soon  as  I  moved  there  was  a  crash  in  the  bush 
and  the  animal  came  in  sight  not  five  yards  off — it  was  a 
wart-hog  !  I  gave  him  one  in  the  ribs  as  he  galloped  by,  and 
immediately  another  one  came  at  us  on  the  left.  I  put  a 
bullet  through  him,  making  a  huge  wound,  but  it  did  not 
stop  him,  and  he  came  right  up  to  my  legs  ;  both  barrels 
were  discharged,  but  I  gave  him  a  good  poke  in  the  eye  with 
the  muzzle  of  the  -577  and  turned  him  on  to  Jama,  who  kept 
him  off   with   the  muzzle  of  the  MannHcher.     Abdullah 


A  LIONESS   KILLED  287 

(second  shikari)  got  out  of  the  way  with  a  lively  hop. 
Mohamad  Aboukir,  my  syce,  was  leading  the  pony  50 
yards  behind  and  was  in  a  small  hollow  ;  he  had  heard 
the  grunts  and  roars,  and  when  he  saw  the  hogs  making 
for  him  he  thought  they  were  lions  and  ran  for  his  life. 
This  made  Jama  and  Abdullah  almost  die  with  laughing, 
and  indeed  the  whole  affair  was  most  ludicrous.  The 
hog  which  got  in  amongst  us  died  a  few  yards  after 
reaching  Mohamed  but  the  other  went  on  some  distance." 

One  day  at  Argan,  on  a  day  when  Loder  got  a  good  kudu 
bull  and  a  wart-hog,  he  describes  how  he  got  a  good  lioness : 

"  At  about  3  p.m.  we  started  a  lion  out  of  the  rock  not 
far  from  us,  but  it  was  out  of  sight  in  a  moment.  I  ran  up 
to  the  top  of  the  rocky  hill  and  saw  the  lion  near  the  top  of 
the  next.  Putting  up  300  yards  sight,  I  fired  at  it  with  the 
Mannlicher  and  hit  it  low  down  in  the  shoulder.  This  made 
it  roar  and  jump  up,  biting  at  its  fore-leg.  While  this  per- 
formance was  going  on,  I  got  100  yards  nearer  and  fired 
again.  This  shot  produced  more  roars  and  made  it  spin 
round  and  round,  but  after  settling  it  moved  away  slanting 
downhill  :  it  then  lay  down  behind  the  bush.  I  got  fifty 
yards  nearer,  but  the  lion  was  now  very  difficult  to  make 
out  without  glasses,  and  with  the  rifle  there  was  really 
nothing  to  aim  at.  After  looking  carefully  with  the  glasses 
I  fired  a  shot  which  made  the  lion  sit  up  and  then  lie  down 
again.  I  believed  it  was  now  dead,  but  fired  another  shot, 
and  as  it  did  not  move  went  up  to  it  and  found  it  dead.^ 

"  It  was  a  full-grown  lioness  : 

"  5  ft.  7  in.  from  nose  to  root  of  tail. 
2  ft.  7  in.  tail. 
8  ft.  2  in.  length. 
Circ.  at  brisket,  3  ft.  5|  in. 
Height,  36  in.     Skin,  9  ft.  1  in.' 


j> 


We  had  a  very  rough  crossing  to  Aden  in  the  WoodcocJc, 
were  again  entertained  with  delightful  hospitality  at  The 
Residency  by  General  and  Mrs.  Cuningharn  and  sailed  on 
the  P.  &  O.  s.s.  Australia  at  the  end  of  March. 

1  Every  one  of  the  bullets  had  hit  on  the  shoulder  at  ranges  from  300 
to  150  yards. — A,  E.  P. 


288 


SOMALILAND 


[cH.  xn 

Loder's  cabin  companions  were  Captain  Wyllis  (2nd 
Lancers)  and  a  Campbell,  and  General  Sir  W.  Lock- 
hart  was  on  board ;  amongst  other  acquaintances  he 
mentions  Elliot,  Mrs.  Henderson,  Mr.  Pottinger  and  Sir 
W.  McNeal. 

During  our  trip  we  shot  twenty-nine  varieties  of  Somali 
"  big  game  "  ;  this  includes  the  smaller  animals  on  the 
following  list.  Considering  the  amount  of  marching  we 
did,  Loder's  bag  must  be  counted  a  very  excellent  one. 

Nineteen  members  of  the  order  of  Ungulata  have  been 
ascribed  to  Somaliland,  but  five  of  these,  giraffe,  topi, 
waterbuck,  bushbuck  and  Kirk's  dik-dik,  hardly  belong  to 
Somaliland  proper,  and  as  far  as  I  know  have  only  been 
obtained  on  the  confines  ;  of  the  fourteen  proper  to 
Somaliland  Loder  obtained  thirteen. 

I  have  added  some  of  Loder's  measurements,  as  they  are 
useful  records  for  naturalists  and  taxidermists  : 

Lodefs  Somali  Bag  (those  only  got  by  Pease  are  added 
to  complete  varieties) : 


— 

Somali  name. 

No.  killed 
by  Lodet. 

Felidce. 

1.  Lion  {F.  leo)       .... 

2.  Leopard  [F.  pardus)    . 

Libah 
Shabel 

1 
1 

Cyncelurus. 

3.  Cheetah  (C.  jubatus)    . 

Harimud  (Pease) 

Proteles. 

4.  Waive  OT  AardWoU  {P.  cristattis)  . 

Waire 

1 

Hyasnidce. 

5.  Ditha,  Striped  Hy^na  [H.  striata) 

6.  Waraba,     Spotted     Hyasna     {H. 

crocuta)            .... 

Ditha  (Pease) 
Waraba 

1 

Canidce. 

7.  Grey  Jackal  (C  variegatus) 

8.  Black-backed    Jackal    (C.    meso- 

nielas)    ..... 

9.  Maritime     Plain     Fox     (C.  fame- 

licus  ?)  . 

Dawa'o 

Dawa'o  (Pease) 
Dawa'o 

1 
1 

Otocyon. 

10.  Goli-waraba  (0.  megalotis) 

Goli-waraba  (Pease) 

a 

SOMALI   BAG 


289 


Lycaon. 

11.  Yeyi,  Somali  Wild  Dog  (L.  pictus 

somalicus)       .... 

Bubalis. 

12.  Swayne's  Hartebeest  (B.  swaynei) 

Oreotragus. 

13.  Somali    Klipspringer    [0.    soma- 

licus)     ..... 

Dorcotragiis. 

14.  Baira  (D.  melanotis)    . 

Madoqua. 

15.  Phillips's    Dik-Dik,    Golass     {M. 

[Rhynchotragus]  phillipsi) . 

16.  Giinther's     Dik-Dik,    Guzli     (M. 

guentheri)        .... 

Gazella. 

17.  Dero,  Speke's  Gazelle  (O.  spekei)  . 

18.  Dero,    Pelzeln's   Gazelle   (O.    pd- 
zelni)      ..... 

19.  Aoul  (6.  soemmerringi) 


Somali  name. 


No.  killed 
by  Loder. 


Yeyi 
Sieg 

Alikud 
Baira  or  Baireer 

Sakaro  Golass 
Sakaro  Guzli 

Dhero 

Dhero 
Aoul 


3 

7 


4 
11 


Lithocranius. 

20.  Gerenuk  {L.  walleri)    . 

Gerenuk 

13 

Ammodorcas. 

21.  Dibatag  {A.  clarkei)    . 

Dibatag 

1 

Oryx. 

22.  Beisa  Oryx  (0.  beisa) 

Beit 

15 

Strepsiceros. 

23.  Greater  Kudu  (S.  kudu) 

24.  Lesser  Kudu  {S.  imberbis)    . 

Phacochoerus. 

25.  Wart  hog  (P.  oethiopicus)     . 

(exclusive  of  pig-sticlang) 

Godir  Waine 

Godir-Arreho  or 

Aderyo 

Dofar 

5 

1 

5 

Equidoe. 

26.  Gumburi,    Somali   Wild   Ass    (E. 

asinus  somalicus) 

27,  Faro,  Gravy's  Zebra  {E.  grevyii)   . 

Gumburi 
Faro 

3 
8 

Rhinoceros. 

28.  Black  Rhinoceros  (R.  bicornis) 

Weyil 

2 

Elepkas. 

29.  Elephant  {E.  ajricanua  orleansi)   . 

Marodi 

1 

105 

Loder's  Bag  :    105  head  in  25  varieties. 


290  BRITISH  EAST  AFRICA  [ch.  xu 

The  above  list  excludes  such  animals  as  baboon,  various 
mungooses,  hyraxes  and  other  small  animals  which  we 
obtained. 

At  the  end  of  1907  Loder  started  on  his  last  big-game 
trip  in  Africa.  During  his  time  there  he  was  not  actually 
on  safari  for  much  more  than  two  months  ;  for  part  of 
this  time  he  was  on  safari  with  Mr.  Gerard  Gurney,  north 
of  the  Athi,  Donya  Sabuk.  Both  Loder  and  Gurney 
made  my  place  on  the  Kapiti  Plains  (Kilima  Theki)  their 
headquarters  between  their  trips,  shooting  and  collecting 
in  the  vicinity.  Later  I  went  on  safari  with  Sir  Edmund 
north  of  the  railway  at  Simba  and  in  the  country  lying 
between  my  home  in  the  Machakos  District  and  this  lower 
and  hotter  country.  Towards  the  end  of  his  time  he 
made  a  couple  of  short  trips  on  his  own  ;  on  the  last  he 
went  north  to  Mohoroni  to  get  Jackson's  hartebeest, 
roan  antelope,  oribi  and  topi. 

He  and  Gurney  seem  to  have  come  across  a  great 
num.ber  of  rhinoceros  in  the  weeks  they  were  together — 
I  think  more  than  seventy  are  mentioned  in  Loder' s 
diary.  He  shot  five  or  six,  the  number  being  a  trifle 
outside  the  number  allowed  on  his  licence  ;  but  several 
were  shot  in  self-defence,  and  having  exceeded  his  num- 
ber he  worried  a  great  deal  about  it.  One  day  he  and 
Gurney  counted  twenty  rhinos.  He  performed  the  feat 
of  photographing  at  thirty-five  yards  and  then  killing  a 
rhino  that  charged  him. 

We  went  out  on  the  Adolph  Woermann.  The  German 
boats  being  subsidised  had  run  off  the  British  and  Austrian 
Lloyd  liners  of  the  best  class  and  the  Germans  did  you 
better  and  cheaper  every  way  than  the  other  boats.  We 
made  a  good  many  acquaintances.  There  were  some 
forty  English  passengers  for  Mombasa  alone — George 
Barker  of  Alexandria,  Caves,  Corys,  Crossleys,  Pellys, 
Cunliffe,  Dalziel,  Hall,  Harrises,  Hendersons,  Kindersley, 
Lea,  Morris,  McCaw,  McClure,  Moore,  Hon.  R.  A.  Pelham, 
the  Hon.  Audley  and  Mrs.  Blyth,  are  amongst  the  names 
he  has  noted.     Audley  Blyth  and  his  wife  were  also  going 


FRIENDS   IN   BRITISH   EAST  AFRICA  291 

for  big  game.  Some  of  these  we  met  afterwards,  but 
Audley  Blyth  we  never  saw  again  as  he  came  to  a  tragic 
end  on  safari.  At  Aden  his  brother  Gerald,  who  was 
making  his  way  from  India  to  Uganda,  joined  him,  and 
they  travelled  on  the  boat  to  Mombasa  and  from  there 
up  the  railway  as  far  as  Nairobi  together.  Loder  made 
many  new  friends  in  B.E.A.  and  met  very  old  ones,  such 
as  the  Hon.  F.  C  Jackson,'  and  enjoyed  meeting  also  many 
naturalists,  sportsmen  and  interesting  people  among  those 
often  to  be  found  at  Nairobi  and  in  this  hospitable  country. 
The  Hon.  John  Wilson  entertained  us  at  Kilindini,  and 
wherever  Loder  went  at  Nairobi  or  among  settlers  he  was 
welcomed. 

I  do  not  propose  to  give  an  account  of  his  sport  in 
B.E.A.  or  much  from  his  diaries.  He  did  little  there  in 
comparison  with  what  many  others  have  done,  and  was 
neither  there  long  enough  nor  went  far  enough  to  make 
his  experiences  worth  while  relating  at  length.  Yet  the 
bag  he  made  in  1908  speaks  to  his  having  made  good  use 
of  his  time.  He  was  now  nearly  60  years  old.  Few  men 
of  this  age  would  go  out  on  safari,  were  they  as  active 
and  keen,  who  had  deer-stalking  and  other  interests  at 
home,  and  fewer  still  would  make  a  bag  like  the  fol- 
lowing in  two  months.  It  must  be  remembered  his  was 
made  in  spite  of  three  weeks  or  more  being  occupied  in 
trying  to  get  a  bull  giraffe  for  his  museum.  He  had  extra- 
ordinarily bad  luck,  as  well  as  having  been  directed  to  by 
no  means  the  best  country  for  giraffe.  Had  I  known  in  time 
how  anxious  he  was  to  get  a  giraffe,  he  could  easily  have 
got  his  bull  near  my  place,  as  we  never  shot  giraffe,  and 
when  Roosevelt  was  with  us  the  following  year  he  and  his 
son  Kermit  got  several  very  fine  ones.  There  seems  to  be 
a  kind  of  law  in  shooting,  that  what  you  set  your  heart 
on  getting  you  shall  nearly  break  your  heart  in  obtaining. 

When  I  was  with  Edward  North  Buxton  in  Somaliland 
in  good  Lesser  Kudu  country  he  worked  for  weeks  before 

^  Sometime  Acting  Governor  of  B.E.A.  and  afterwards  Governor  of 
Uganda. 


292  BRITISH   EAST  AFRICA  [ch.  xii 

he  got  a  chance  or  a  shot  at  one.  I  myself  have  set  my 
heart  on  a  good  buffalo  and  a  good  roan,  and  though  I 
have  killed  more  than  eighty  varieties  of  big  game  I  have 
never  got  either.  Out  of  hundreds  of  roan  and  thousands 
of  buffalo  I  have  seen,  I  have  knocked  down  one  or  two 
and  lost  them,  but  shall  die  without  a  head  of  either. 
Loder  saw  plenty  of  giraffe,  but  for  weeks  they  were 
nearly  always  cows  ;  whenever  he  did  get  near  one  it  was 
always  a  cow  or  a  poor-sized  bull.  In  his  diary  he  writes 
on  March  3rd  : 

"  Started  out  from  camp  after  giraffe  again  ;  went  east- 
wards for  three  hours,  and  near  the  big  hill  [Mwasangornbi] 
saw  twenty  eland  and  soon  after  giraffe.  We  went  after 
them.  They  were  always  on  the  move,  but  we  kept  on 
trying  various  stalks  and  sometimes  crawling  ;  the  soil 
too  hot  for  one's  hands.  After  three  hours'  very  hard 
work  in  a  burning  sun  they  got  something  and  moved  off 
quickly.  The  truth  is  that  the  giraffe's  eyes  are  better 
than  mine  or  my  men's." 

However,  in  the  end  he  got  a  fair  bull  about  18  feet  in 
height — the  one  bull  in  a  herd  of  twenty,  but  even  then 
he  says  he  could  not  get  nearer  than  850  yards  and  took 
his  -256  Mannlicher  : 

"  as  I  was  sure  I  could  place  a  bullet  well  and  it  had  to 
be  done  quickly.  I  heard  the  shot  strike,  and  running 
on  I  saw  him  going  slower  than  the  rest  and  put  in  an- 
other. Soon  after  he  stood  still  with  his  neck  outstretched, 
and  then  we  saw  him  fall." 

When  I  told  him  we  could  get  one  easier  with  horses 
on  the  plains  he  shook  his  head  ;  he  wished  to  stalk  and 
kill  one  unaided  by  horse  or  others. 

I  was  camped  with  him  during  these  arduous  days. 
The  neighbourhood  of  Simba  is  a  hot  region  and  it  was 
often  over  90°  in  the  shade  in  the  afternoons,  yet  he 
left  camp  at  dawn  and  often  returned  after  dark  having 
worked  hard  all  day.  I  never  considered  him  a  very 
lucky  sportsman.     There  are  some  who  get  magnificent 


I 


STUNG  BY  BEES  293 

trophies  and  rare  specimens  by  good  fortune  and  with 
a  minimum  of  effort,  but  Loder  was  not  one  of  these. 
His  success  was  due  to  clean  shooting,  careful  selection 
of  his  heads,  and  by  persevering,  strenuous  hard  work  due 
to  his  eager  nature  and  indomitable  courage  in  the  face 
of  difBculties. 

It  is  worth  recording  perhaps  that  Gurney,  whilst  with 
us,  got  the  best  wildebeest  head  I  ever  saw  in  B.E.A. 
and  that  I  obtained  the  biggest  wildebeest  bull  I  ever 
saw  there,  but  with  old,  worn  and  thin  horns,  not  a  good 
head  considering  the  size  and  age  of  the  beast.  His  height 
was  56  in.  (14  hh.)  and  he  girthed  between  elbows  5  ft. 
10  in. 

On  one  occasion  Loder  had  a  very  narrow  escape  from 
being  stung  to  death  by  bees — a  swarm  attacked  two 
mules  of  his  and  he  went  to  the  rescue. 

"  I  got  the  syce,"  he  says,  "  to  cut  the  rope  of  the  one 
tied  up  near  the  tents,  but  I  had  to  go  down  myself  and 
cut  the  rope  of  the  one  near  the  stream.  I  was  badly 
stung  on  my  head  and  forehead  and  lost  iny  spectacles 
and  knife,  but  I  cut  the  rope  and  kicked  the  mule  to  get 
it  to  move,  but  it  seemed  to  have  lost  its  power  ;  we 
got  it  into  camp  at  last,  and  I  am  afraid  it  may  die." 

It  died  at  midnight,  and  Loder  himself  was  ill  for  a  day 
or  two,  but  kept  on  working  and  shooting. 

"  March  6th. — Met  Knowles  at  Jackson's,  who  gave  me 
a  photo  of  his  record  buffalo  head. 

"  April  lUh. — On  the  German  boat  returning  Graf 
Casimir  Zichy  showed  me  his  photos  ;  his  friend  Graf 
Nicolaus  Keglevich  had  shown  me  his  some  days  ago." 

At  Aden  he  bought  a  pair  of  Bushbuck  horns  18|  in. 
long  and  Beisa  oryx  horns  35f  in.  long  from  the  Somalis. 

We  all  sailed  together  from  Mombasa  in  April  on  the 
very  comfortable,  cool,  clean  and  well-ordered  German 
D.O.A.  s.s.  Markgraf.  During  a  particularly  nice  voyage 
we  picked  up  a  varied  store  of  information  from  our 
acquaintances  among  the  passengers,  who  included  Mr. 


294  BRITISH   EAST  AFRICA  [ch.  xn 

C.  W.  Hobley,  an  official  of  B.E.A.,  and  the  Hon.  Galbraith 
Cole,  who  is  amongst  the  earlier  settlers  and  who  was  a  most 
pleasant  addition  to  our  table.  The  well-known  Colonel 
Jim  (J.  J.)  Harrison  was  also  on  board;  Count  Casimir 
Zichy,  Herr  I.  Schilling  and  Count  Nicolaus  Keglevich 
were  amongst  the  Austrian  and  German  sportsmen  and 
travellers.  But  our  strangest  companions  were  twelve 
hippos  out  of  fourteen  which  had  been  shipped  at  Kilwa 
on  a  voyage  to  Hagenbeck's  at  Hamburg.  They  were 
fed  chiefly  on  enormous  buckets  full  of  condensed  milk  ; 
they  were  hosepiped  with  fresh  water  in  their  great 
mouths  and  exteriorly  with  salt  water.  We  buried  four 
at  sea  during  the  voyage  and  landed  two  at  Port  Said 
for  the  Cairo  Zoo.     In  my  own  diary  I  write  : 

"  The  noise  they  make  when  I  am  in  my  bunk  with 
my  eyes  shut  makes  me  feel  at  home — as  if  I  was  camped 
again  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Zwai,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Hawash,  or  once  again  on  our  Nugger  among  the  Nuers 
of  the  Bahr  el  Ghazal." 

We  had,  besides,  monkeys,  parrots  and  camels  and  200 
sheep. 

Loder  arrived  at  Leonardslee  on  April  30th. 

Loder's  Bag  in  British  East  Africa,  1908 

Giraffe  {Giraffa  camelopardalis)      .  .  1 

Impala  {/E'pyceros  melarri'pus)          .  .  8 

Bohor  Reed  Buck  {Cervicapra  bohor)  .  7 

Waterbuck  {Cobus  ellipsiprymnus)  .  7 

,,  {Cobus  defassa)    .  .  .1 

Thomson's  Gazelle  {Gazella  thomsoni)  .  6 

Rhinoceros  {R.  bicornis)         .  .  .5 

Hartebeest  (Kongoni)  {Bnbalis  cokei)  .  5 

,,           (Bubalis  jacksoni)         .  .  4i 

Grant's  Antelope  {Gazella  grantii)  .  .  3 

Wart-hogs  {Phacochcerus  cethiopicus)  .  3 

Chanler's  Reed  Buck  {Cervicapra  chanleri)  8 

Zebra  {Equus  burchelli  grantii)        .  .  2 

Duikers  (varieties  not  specified)     .  .  2 


APPENDIX  295 

Oribi  {Ourehia  kenyce)    .          .          .  .1 

Eland  (Taurotragus  oryx)       .          .  .1 

Wildebeest    (Connochcetes    taurinus  albo- 

jubatus)     .          .          .          .          .  .1 

Topi  [Damaliscus  jiimela)        .          .  .1 

Spotted  Hyaena  {H.  crocuta)  .          .  .1 

62  head 
19  varieties. 


APPENDIX 

The  measurements  on  the  next  page  are  from  Loder's 
notes  and  were  made  not  always  from  the  best  specimens, 
but  as  a  guide  to  setting  up  his  own  trophies. 

The  British  East  African  mammals  have  often  been 
measured  ;   the  Somaliland  ones  less  frequently. 


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296 


CHAPTER   XIII 
By  Lord  Cottesloe 

SIR  EDMUND  LODER  AS   A  MARKSMAN 

Edmund  Loder,  being  a  sportsman  and  full  of  interest 
in  the  scientific  as  well  as  in  the  practical  aspect  of  all 
his  pursuits,  took  the  greatest  pleasure  and  interest  in 
the  rifle  and  its  capabilities.  Indeed,  his  interest  extended 
beyond  this,  for  the  first  time  that  I  visited  Leonardslee 
he  was  making  trials  with  the  sixteenth-century  cross- 
bow, having  two  or  three  specimens  to  which  he  had 
after  many  trials  succeeded  in  fitting  strings  strong  enough 
for  the  purpose.  Short  arrows,  or  bolts,  had  to  be  made 
for  them  ;  they  were  carefully  tried,  and  it  was  disap- 
pointing to  find  that  a  range  little  exceeding  200  yards 
was  all  that  could  be  obtained  with  them.  He  was  accus- 
tomed to  fire  at  the  Running  Deer  target  at  Wimbledon, 
and  set  up  for  his  own  practice  a  similar  range  and  target 
at  Leonardslee,  in  which  he  took  much  pleasure.  His 
interest  in  the  accuracy  and  effectiveness  of  the  weapons 
he  used  led  to  his  taking  part  in  the  sporting  rifle  com- 
petitions at  Wimbledon  in  1885  and  subsequent  years. 

The  records  of  the  National  Rifle  Association  show  that 
for  fourteen  years  from  1885  he  was  prominent  both  with 
the  double  and  single  sporting  rifle.  With  the  exception 
of  1897,  when  he  was  prevented  from  attending  the 
Bisley  meeting,'  his  name  appears  prominently  in  one  or 
both  of  these  series  year  after  year.  His  most  conspicu- 
ously successful  time  with  the  sporting  rifle  was  in  the 
years  1893-6  inclusive.     In  the  Martin  Smith  prize  for 

^  I  infer  this,  but  do  not  know  it ;  his  name  appears  in  no  prize  list  thia 
year. 

297 


298  LODER   AS   A   MARKSMAN  [ch.  xiii 

accuracy  at  100  yards,  he  was  in  these  years  twice  first, 
once  second  and  once  third  with  the  double  rifle,  and 
twice  second  and  once  third  with  the  single  rifle,  the 
latter  weapon  attracting  many  more  competitors  than 
the  former.  In  competitions  at  the  Running  Deer  and 
Running  Man  targets  he  was  specially  successful  in  1891-8, 
taking  first  place  at  the  deer  with  the  single  rifle  in  1891 
and  1892  and  second  in  1893  and  1894.  In  the  two  latter 
years  he  was  first  in  the  Running  Man  competitions,  and 
in  1895  and  1896  he  was  third.  In  1895  Lady  Loder  gave 
a  Cup  for  the  best  aggregate  of  scores  in  the  Sporting 
Rifle  competitions  at  Bisley,  and  he  himself  won  it  with- 
out difficulty,  tying  for  first  place  in  three  of  the  events, 
and  making  an  aggregate  score  in  the  five  competitions 
at  Running  Man  and  Deer  and  the  Martin  Smith  target 
of  163  points  out  of  a  possible  185. 

His  skill  stood  him  in  good  stead  on  many  occasions  in 
the  field  and  not  least  during  the  years  when  he  rented 
a  shooting  in  the  Tyrol.     The  vital  parts  of  a  chamois 
offer  a  very  small  mark,  not  many  inches  squaj-e,  and  the 
stalker  (for  Edmund  Loder  took  greater  pleasure  in  stalk- 
ing  than   driving   his   chamois)   often   finds   difficulty   in 
approaching   much   nearer   than    200   yards.     Hence   the 
sport    affords    room    for    every    refinement    of    accuracy 
practicable  in  the  field,  such  as  the  use  of  an  aperture 
backsight,  v/hich  he  adopted  long  before  it  was  commonly 
used  in  this  country.     In  practical  rifle  matters  he  was 
ever    progressive.     He    early    understood    the    virtues    of 
the  aperture  sight  for  sporting  purposes,  and  constantly 
used   it.     He   was    no   stranger   to   the   telescopic   sight. 
He  was  one  of  the  first — perhaps  actually  the  first — in 
this  country  to  discover  the  virtues  of  the  -256  Mann- 
licher  rifle  for  stalking  stags  and  chamois,  this  rifle  having 
a   higher    velocity    and    a    flatter   trajectory    and    giving 
greater  accuracy  than  any  rifle  of  the  period  when  it  first 
made  its   appearance  as   a  military  rifle.     The  fore-end 
being  suitably  cut  away  and  sporting  sights  fitted,  and  the 
nose  of  the  bullet  filed  away  till  a  small  portion  of  the 


RIFLE   SHOOTING  299 

lead  core  was  exposed,  the  conversion  of  the  mihtary 
arm  and  ammunition  into  one  suitable  for  stalking  was 
easily  affected.  Its  killing  power  on  suitable  game  was 
much  beyond  that  of  any  other  rifle  of  the  time.^  The 
flat  trajectory  added  50  per  cent,  to  the  range  at  which 
a  stag  could  be  killed  with  certainty.  The  great  velocity 
(2,450  feet  per  second)  caused  the  small  compound  bullet 
to  break  up  and  give  a  paralysing  shock  much  beyond 
that  of  the  soft  lead  "  mushrooming  "  bullet  of  the  old 
•450  or  -400  Express.' 

The  high  standard  of  marksmanship  of  Edmund  Loder 
and  of  some  of  his  guests  who  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  his 
experience  in  these  matters  was  well  shown  in  a  match 
fired  at  Schwartzensee  in  1897  against  a  team  of  the 
Jagers  employed  on  the  Estate :  the  latter  were  very  good 
shots,  but  they  and  their  weapons  were  quite  outclassed. 
[The  team  was,  I  think.  Sir  E.  G.  Loder,  Hon.  T.  F.  Fre- 
mantle,  J.  S.  Oxley,  W.  A.  Baillie-Grohman  and  myself. 
(Four  -256  Mannlichers  and  one  Mauser.) — Note  by  A.E.P,] 

The  Match  Rifle,  which  since  the  early  days  of  the 
National  Rifle  Association  has  done  so  much  to  test 
inventions  and  to  improve  the  accuracy  of  the  military 
rifle,  naturally  offered  a  great  attraction  to  a  mind  so 
interested  as  Edmund  Loder' s  in  the  scientific  aspect  of 
the  weapons  of  sport.  In  each  of  the  twenty-six  years 
from  1885  to  1911  he  competed  with  it  at  the  meetings  of 
the  EngHsh  Eight  Club.  In  1903  he  was  third  in  the 
main  competition,  winning  the  Bronze  Jewel,  and  in  1901 
he  was  fourth.  Nor  did  fortune  specially  smile  on  his 
assiduity  in  shooting  for  the  same  twenty-six  years  at 
the    meeting    of   the    Cambridge    University    Long-range 

1  The  long  and  heavy  military  pull  had  to  be  got  rid  of,  and  the  late 
Daniel  Fraser  of  Leith  Street,  Edinburgh,  was  able  by  an  ingenious  and 
simpler  intercepting  safety  device  which  he  invented  to  transform  the 
pull  into  as  perfect  a  one  as  we  had  in  the  beautiful  old  Express 
rifles. — Alfred  Pease. 

2  Lord  Cottesloe  as  early  as  February  1898  worked  out  the  following 
Trajectory  Tables,  which  exhibit  the  advantages  in  the  trajectory  of  the 
•256  rifle  over  the  '303  rifle — ^this  being  but  one  of  the  many  superior 
qualities  of  this  weapon  over  any  other. — Alfbed  Pease. 


300 


LODER  AS   A   MARKSMAN 


[CH.  XIII 


TRAJECTORY   TABLES 

Of  -303  and  -256  Kifles,  to  500  yards,  showing  the  height  of  the  bullet  above  or  below  the  line  of  aim 
when  elevation  is  given  for  any  even  distance  of  50  yards. 

The  measurements  are  given  to  the  nearest  -^  of  an  inch.  Those  in  heavy  type  are 
minus  quantities,  i.e.  the  bullet  is  below  the  line  of  aim.  N.B. — No  allowance  has  been  made 
for  height  of  foresight  above  centre  of  bore. 


•303  RIFLE,  215  GR.  BULLET,  MUZZLE  VELOCITT  2,000  F.S. 


Elevation 
given  for 

0 

50 

100 

150 

200 

250 

300 

350 

400 

450 

500 

Height  of 
bullet  at 
50 

ft.  in. 
11 

ft.  in. 

ft.  in. 
1-2 

ft.  in. 

2-5 

ft.  in 
3-9 

ft.    in. 
5-5 

ft.  in. 

7-2 

ft.    in. 
9-0 

ft.  in. 
10-9 

ft.    in. 
1     0-9 

ft.  in. 
1     3-0 

100 

4-6 

2-4 

— 

2-6 

5-5 

8-6 

11-9 

1     3-5 

1  7-3 

1  n-4 

2     3-6 

150 

10-9 

7-5 

3-9 

— 

4-3 

9-0 

1  2-0 

1     7-3 

2     0 

2     7-1 

3     1-5 

200 

1     8-2 

1  3-8 

110 

5-7 

— 

6-2 

1  0-9 

1     8-0 

2  3-6 

2  11-7 

3     8-3 

250 

2    9-0 

2  3-5 

1     9-5 

1  2-9 

2  7-8 

— 

8-3 

1     5-3 

2  2-8 

3     0-9 

",    11-6 

300 

4    1-7 

3  7-0 

2  11-8 

2  3-9 

1  7-3 

100 

— 

10-7 

1  10-1 

2  10-3 

3  111 

350 

5  10-4 

5  2-7 

4    6-3 

3  91 

2  110 

2     0-2 

1  0  5 

— 

1  1-3 

2     3-5 

3     6-5 

400 

7  11-7 

7  2-8 

6    5-3 

5  6-7 

4  7-3 

3     6-9 

2  5-5 

1     3-2 

— 

1     4-2 

2     9-3 

450 

10    5-9 

9  7-9 

8    91 

7  9-3 

6  8-4 

5    6-4 

4  3-4 

2  11-3 

1  6-2 

— 

1     7-3 

500 

13    5-3 

12  6-2 

11    6-2 

10  51 

9  2-7 

7  11-2 

6  6-5 

5    0-7 

3  5-6 

1    9-4 

— 

Angle  used 

2'-1225 

4'-41 

6'-9225 

S'-C6 

12' -6225 

15' -81 

19' -2225 

22'  -86 

26'-7225 

30- -8 1 

•256   RIFLE,  156  GR.  BULLET,  MUZZLE  VELOCITY  2,350  P.S. 


Elevation 
given  for 

0 

50 

100 

150 

200 

250 

3U0 

350 

400 

450          500 

Height  of 
bullet  at 
50 

ft.  in. 
•8 

ft.  in. 

ft.  in. 
•9 

ft.  in. 
1-9 

ft.  in. 
3-0 

ft.  in. 
4-2 

ft.  in. 
5-5 

ft.  in. 
6-9 

ft.  in. 
8-4 

ft.  in. 
10-1 

ft.  in. 
11-8 

100 

3-5 

1-8 

— 

2-0 

4-2 

6-6 

9-2 

1  0 

1     3-1 

1     6-3 

1    9-8 

150 

8-2 

5-7 

3-0 

— 

3-3 

6-9 

10-8 

1   3-1 

1     7-6 

2     0-5 

2     5-7 

200 

1  3  3 

11-9 

8-4 

4-4 

— 

4-8 

10-1 

1  3-7 

1     9-8 

2     4-3 

2  11-2 

250 

2  11 

1    8-9 

1     4-5 

11-5 

6-0 

— 

6-5 

1  1-6 

1     9'2 

2     5-3 

3     2-0 

300 

3  2-0 

2    9-0 

2    3-6 

1    9-7 

1  31 

7-9 

— 

8-5 

1     5-6 

2     3-3 

3     1-7 

350 

4  6-2 

4    0-4 

3    61 

2  11-2 

2  3-5 

1  7-1 

9-9 

— 

10-6 

1  10-0 

2  10-1 

400 

6  2-1 

5    7-4 

5    03 

4    4-3 

3  7-6 

2  9-9 

1  11-5 

1  0-1 

— 

1     1-0 

2     2-8 

450 

8  2-0 

7    6-5 

6  10-5 

6    1-5 

5  3-6 

4  4-8 

3    50 

2  4-3 

1     2-6 

— 

1     3-5 

500 

10  6-2 

9    98 

9    0-9 

8    2-9 

7  3-9 

6  3-9 

5    2-8 

4  0-7 

2     95 

1     5-3 

— 

Angle  used 

l'-6 

3' -3 

5  -2 

7' -3 

9'-6 

12'-1 

U'-8 

17'-7 

20' -8 

24' 1 

Feb.  1898. 


T.  P.   FREMANaXE. 


THE   ELCHO   SHIELD  301 

Club  ;  ^  he  was  third  in  1892,  and  on  other  occasions 
fourth,  fifth  and  (twice)  sixth,  but  was  never  fortunate 
enough  to  win  the  Cup,  which,  given  for  the  top  score 
in  two  days'  shooting  at  900,  1,000  and  1,100  yards,  is  a 
specially  coveted  trophy.  That  meeting,  which  has  a 
social  side  quite  different  to  that  of  other  competitions, 
gave  a  special  opportunity  for  his  personality  to  be  known 
and  appreciated  among  his  fellow-marksmen.  In  the 
long-range  competitions  at  Bisley  he  competed  constantly 
with  varying  success  during  the  same  years,  with  the 
exception  of  1897,  his  name  appearing  in  the  prize  lists 
some  forty  times.  He  attained  the  summit  of  his  am- 
bition in  being  included  in  the  team  for  the  Elcho  Shield. 
This  occurred  on  two  occasions.  In  1900,  when  he  shot 
for  the  first  time,  he  made  top  score  for  England,  with 
198  points  out  of  a  possible  225.  It  was  a  year  of  low 
scoring,  and  Ireland  won  the  Shield  with  1,537  points, 
England  making  1,518  points  and  Scotland  being  third 
with  1,505.  After  an  unlucky  start  at  800  yards,  he 
made  the  top  score  in  his  team  at  both  900  and  1,000 
yards.  In  1905  he  was  again  in  the  English  team,  and 
made  199  points,  5th  score  in  the  team.  The  Scotch 
made  1,607  points  and  the  English  1,602  ;  Ireland  was 
last  of  the  three  teams.  That  the  special  satisfaction  of 
winning  some  of  the  most  important  of  the  individual 
prizes  shot  for  at  Bisley  was  denied  him  is  hard  to  ex- 
plain, for  he  was  on  occasion  capable  of  making  brilliant 
series  of  bull's-eyes.  It  was  no  doubt  in  a  great  degree 
due  to  mere  ill  fortune.  But  a  contributory  factor  may 
have  been  his  very  keenness,  which  in  spite  of  itself  ill 
brooked  the  long-drawn-out  monotony  of  effort  entailed 
in  so  many  of  the  competitions.  It  was  more  than  once 
a  source  of  regret  to  his  friends  that  he  failed  to  pull  off 
some  important  event  after  a  brilliant  endeavour.     But 

1  Two  or  three  years  before  the  war,  Sir  E.  Loder,  hearing  that  the 
undergraduates  of  Cambridge  University  were  in  a  difficulty  about  provid- 
ing themselves  with  match  rifles  for  use  in  the  Inter-University  Long-range 
Match  for  the  Humphry  Cup  and  for  other  long-range  shooting,  very 
generously  presented  a  full  set  of  four  match  rifles  to  their  Club. 


302 


LODER  AS   A   MARKSMAN 


[CH,  XIII 


there  is,  in  fact,  no  ground  for  criticising  such  a  really  fine 
record  of  long-range  shooting,  only  just  failing  to  attain 
the  very  highest  successes,  by  one  whose  cheery  presence 
and  hearty  laugh,  whose  acute  interest  in  all  that  per- 
tains to  the  sport  of  shooting,  and  whose  many-sided 
knowledge  on  other  topics  were  an  element  much  valued, 
and  after  1911  greatly  missed,  by  his  fellow-competitors. 


FOOTNOTE   BY   A.    E.    P. 
Peizes  won  in  Rifle  Competitions  by  Sir  Edmund  Loder  at 
Wimbledon  and  Bisley — including   those  Won  in  Team  Shooting. 
1885. 


1886. 


1887. 


1888. 


1889. 


1890. 


1891. 


1892. 


1893. 


Henry 

1894. 

Martin  Smith  (10) 

Martin  Smith  (1) 

Holland  &  Holland 

(a  rine) 

Arthur 

Colt 

Martin  Smith  (2) 
Secretary  of  State 

Hillhouse 

Duke  of  Cambridge 

Martin  Smith  (3) 

1895. 

Martin  Smith  (11) 

Secretary  of  State 

Albert 

Association 

Colt 

Ladies'  Prize 

Hillhouse 

St.  Leger 

Daniel  Fraser 

Perriet  et  Fils 

Lady  Loder's  Cup 

Brownlow 

Martin  Smith  (4) 

Perriet  et  Fils 

Holland  &  Holland  (a  rifle) 

A.  K.  Evering 

Extra  Prize 

Martin  Smith  (5) 
Perriet  et  Fils 

1896. 
1897. 

Martin  Smith 

Albert 

Jeffrey 

Bass 

Dogle 

Aggregate 

?  Absent 

Henry 

Martin  Smith  (6) 
Secretary  of  State 
Extra  Prize 

1898. 
1899. 

Martin  Smith 

Brownlow 

Elkington 

Martin  Smith 

M.  B.  L.  Evering 

1900. 

Elcho  Shield 

Martin  Smith  (7) 

Bass 

St.  Leger 

Eandco 

Colt  (a  rifle) 

1901. 

Martin  Smith  (8) 
Colt  (a  rifle) 

Martin  Smith  (9) 
Ladies'  Prize 

1902. 

1903. 
1904. 

Eandco 
Eandco 

Holland  &  HoUand 

1905. 

Elcho  Shield 

Colt 
Hillhouse 

Eandco 
Bass 

CHAPTER   XIV 
By  J.  G.  MiLLAis 

RHODODENDRONS    AT   LEONARDSLEE 

At  least  twenty-five  years  ago,  Sir  E.  Loder,  following 
the  lead  of  J.  H.  Mangles,  perceived  that  if  rhododendrons 
were  to  be  improved  as  garden  plants  some  new  strain 
must  be  introduced  to  create  hybrids  that  would  in  future 
become  good  flowering  shrubs.  This  theory  he  put  into 
practice  by  acquiring  a  fine  collection  of  the  Himalayan 
species  and  a  few  of  the  best  Chinese  then  known  and 
crossing  them  together,  as  well  as  using  them  as  pollen- 
parents  on  the  best  of  the  Caucasicum  arboreum  catawbiense 
hybrids  already  in  existence. 

It  has  already  been  proved  that  the  intercrossing  of 
hybrids  usually  results  in  failure,  so  he  was  careful  to 
avoid  this  error,  and  what  mattered  most  in  eventual 
success  was  that  he  spared  no  pains  to  obtain  exceptional 
examples  of  the  various  species  from  which  to  breed. 
For  instance,  in  the  case  of  R.  Loderi,  without  doubt  the 
finest  hybrid  rhododendron  ever  raised  and  one  that  as 
a  hardy  shrub  is  never  likely  to  be  surpassed,  he  used  a 
remarkable  R.  Fortunei  as  well  as  an  exceptional  R.  Grif- 
fithiannm.  To  prove  the  success  of  his  experiment  it  may 
be  mentioned  that  at  least  five  other  workers  have  pro- 
duced the  same  hybrid,  commonly  known  as  R.  kewense, 
but  with  indifferent  results. 

It  takes  many  years  before  a  man's  work  can  be  seen  or 
judged,  because  the  majority  of  hybrids,  especially  those 
from  Himalayan  parents,  do  not  flower  until  they  have 
reached  from  6  to  15  years  of  age.  In  fact  some  of  the 
Loderis  already  over  20  years  of  age  have  not  flowered 

303 


30i  RHODODENDRONS  [ch.  xiv 

yet.  Nevertheless  at  least  fifteen  or  twenty  of  Sir  E. 
Loder's  hybrids  have  flowered  out  of  some  200  yet  to 
bloom,  and  the  majority  of  these  are  exceptional  rhodo- 
dendrons, which  are  great  additions  to  our  gardens.  It 
must  be  stated,  however,  that  most  of  the  Leonardslee 
hybrids  are  early  flowering  and  not  suitable  to  all  gardens, 
and  that  they  require  some  cultivation  and  careful  plac- 
ing in  semi-shady  and  sheltered  situations.  It  remains 
now  for  other  hybridisers  to  create  a  race  of  late-flowering 
hybrids,  mid-June  to  August ;  these  we  shall  await  with 
interest,  as  it  will  give  us  a  series  of  fine  shrubs  extending 
over  a  long  period. 

Mr.  J.  C.  Williams,  Mr.  Magor  in  Cornwall  and  Mr. 
L.  de  Rothschild  have  already  done  some  good  work  in 
this  respect,  using  the  finest  forms  of  R.  auriculatum, 
R.  Fortunei  (Hupeh  form),  R.  decorum,  R.  maocimym, 
R,  discolor,  R.  Ungerni  and  some  of  the  old  Am.erican- 
Indian  hybrids.  The  four  species  with  which  Sir  E. 
Loder  achieved  most  success,  using  them  both  as  seed 
or  pollen  parents,  were  R.  Griffithianum  and  R.  arboreicm, 
blood-red  (Kermisimum  variety),  R.  Thomsoni  and  R.  For- 
tunei. With  R.  caucasicum,  a  lovely  and  very  hardy 
species,  he  worked  but  little  except  through  species  on 
hybrids,  and  omitted  the  already  overworked  American 
species  except  in  the  case  of  the  very  best  hybrids,  and 
even  these  he  used  but  sparingly. 

The  Leonardslee  hybrids  which  have  now  flowered 
will  be  cliiefly  successful  in  gardens  of  medium  tempera- 
ture and  good  shelter.  In  most  cases  they  flourish 
best  when  planted  in  a  mixture  of  peat  and  sand  with 
a  plentiful  mixture  of  good,  rich,  friable  loam.  In 
later  years  Sir  E.  Loder  was  much  prejudiced  against 
the  use  of  leaf-mould,  a  point  on  which,  I  think,  most 
gardeners  would  not  agree.  When  used  in  the  house 
leaf-mould  is  apt  to  go  mouldy,  owing  to  improper  drain- 
age, but  used  with  discretion  in  the  open  garden  I  have 
only  seen  beneficial  results.  After  all  rhododendrons 
when   they  grow  large  and   shelter  their  own  roots  are 


R.    LODERI  805 

always  creating  their  own  food,  which  is  leaf-mould  or 
peat  formed  by  natural  vegetable  decomposition.  The 
following  are  some  of  the  best  Leonardslee  hybrids  which 
have  already  flowered.  I  have  tried  to  keep  them  some- 
what in  their  order  of  merit. 

R.  Loderi. — This  magnificent  hybrid,  in  the  estimation 
of  the  best  judges  the  finest  hybrid  rhododendron  ever 
raised,  was  bred  from  an  exceptionally  fine  sweet-scented 
R.  Fortunei  and  a  very  large  flowered  R.  Griffithianum 
that  existed  in  Mr.  Fred.  Godman's  green-house  at  South 
Lodge.  The  cross  was  made  in  1901,  and  the  first  seed- 
lings flowered  in  1907  and  afterwards  in  succession  until 
1921.  Twice  R.  Griffithianum  was  the  male  parent  and 
once  R.  Fortunei,  but  it  was  when  R.  Fortunei  was  the 
seed-bearer  that  the  greatest  success  was  achieved,  quite 
80  per  cent,  being  the  large-flowered  true  R.  Loderi. 
In  the  case  where  R.  Fortunei  was  the  male  parent  only 
12  per  cent,  of  the  seedlings  were  good. 

R.  Loderi  at  20  years  old  has  formed  a  large,  well- 
habited  round  shrub  up  to  14  ft.  high,  and  there  seems  no 
reason  why  in  time  it  should  not  reach  30  ft.  in  height. 
The  leaves  are  about  8  in.  long,  4  in.  wide,  the  new  growth 
forming  beautiful  crimson  bracts.  It  usually  makes  its 
growth  a  little  later  than  R.  kewense,  a  plant  of  similar 
parentage,  and  so  escapes  the  destructive  spring  frosts. 

The  flowers  are  of  extraordinary  size,  substance  and 
beauty,  usually  over  6  in.  across  (two  in  1920  had  flowers 
over  7  in.),  sometimes  rich  pink,  but  more  often  pink 
turning  to  waxy  white.  Many  examples  from  R.  Grif- 
fithianum and  others  have  pure  waxy-white  flowers,  of 
which  the  varieties  "White  Diamond"  and  "Sir  Joseph 
Hooker  "  are  the  best.  Out  of  the  whole  batch  of  seed- 
lings two  only  have  exhibited  lovely  cream  flowers.  The 
whole  truss  of  from  7  to  10  flowers  measures  as  much  as 
31  in.  round. 

Not  only  have  we  size,  substance,  scent  and  colour  in 
this  wonderful  hybrid,  but,  what  is  rare  in  such  a  cate- 
gory   of   superlatives,    we    have    charm    and    refinement. 


306  RHODODENDRONS  [cm  xiv 

Many  large  flowers  are  apt  to  be  coarse,  but  this  is  not 
the  case  with  R.  Loderi,  which  in  my  garden  stands  out 
in  quahty  high  above  all  its  compeers.  Sir  Edmund 
named  many  of  the  best  varieties,  and  all  of  the  following 
present  slight  individual  characteristics  of  colour  and 
form :  "  White  Diamond,"  "  Pink  Diamond,"  "  Sir 
Joseph  Hooker,"  "  Gamechick,"  "  Patience,"  "  King 
George,"  •'  Queen  Mary,"  "  Pink  Coral."  One  I  have 
recently  named  as  "  Maximus,"  as  it  had  not  previously 
flowered  and  exhibited  flowers  over  7  in.  across.  Besides 
these  exceptional  plants  there  are  still  in  the  garden  at 
Leonardslee  many  which  are  equally  good  and  deserve 
a  name.  The  variety  most  generally  admired  is  "  King 
George,"  and  I  have  seen  one  truss  with  no  fewer  than 
12  flowers. 

R.  Gauntletti  and  R.  Loderi. — Spurred  by  the  success  of 
R.  Loderi,  Sir  Edmund  made  many  crosses  from  it,  but 
so  far  none  have  flowered  except  this  cross.  Up  to  date 
(1922)  only  three  examples  have  flowered,  but  these  have 
proved  to  be  something  exceptional.  The  habit  and  leaves 
as  well  as  the  flowers  take  after  both  parents  but  with  a 
strong  tendency  to  R.  Loderi  and  all  its  waxiness  and 
refinement  combined  with  greater  hardihood.  The  flowers 
and  leaf  growth  come  later  in  the  season,  all  great 
assets  for  gardens  of  colder  temperature.  The  flowers 
unfold  pink,  but  turn  white  after  a  week's  development. 
About  May  25th  this  hybrid  with  perhaps  the  best 
forms  of  R.  decorum  and  R.  Griffithianum  are  the 
finest  white  rhododendrons  to  be  seen,  and  in  time  we 
shall  see  them  in  front  of  even  the  superb  R.  Loderi 
white. 

Sir  Edmund  made  a  number  of  crosses  between  R. 
Loderi  and  other  species  and  hybrids,  but  they  are  all 
small  up  to  date  and  unlikely  to  flower  for  many  years. 
Of  these  the  raiser  thought  highly  of  R.  Loderi  and 
R.  arboreum  (blood  red)  and  R.  Loderi  ("  Pink  Coral  ") 
and  R.  arboreum  (blood  red).  The  latter  has  all  the 
characters  of  both  parents  and  possesses  fine  leaves.     If 


R.   DECORUM  AND   R.   GRIFFITHIANUM      307 

it  proves  to  be  a  red  Loderi,  as  there  is  every  reason  to 
hope,  it  may  be  a  wonderful  plant. 

R.  decorum  and  R.  Griffithianum . — A  very  large  number 
of  crosses  were  made  at  Leonardslee  with  R.  Griffithianum, 
both  as  pollen  and  seed  plant.  A  few  have  flowered,  but 
none  are  so  good  as  the  above-mentioned  cross.  At  one 
time  it  was  considered  that  R.  decorum  gave  no  good 
hybrids,  but  Sir  Edmund  has  proved  that  his  judgment  was 
too  hasty,  for  crossing  this  species  (sparingly)  he  has  made 
some  fine  hybrids  worthy  of  a  place  in  the  most  select  com- 
pany. Some  twenty  plants  of  the  above-named  white  have 
now  flowered  and  prove  to  be  a  high-class  waxy-white 
(almost  cream)  rhododendron.  The  flowers  possess  a  very 
thick  corolla  of  large  size  which  remains  in  beauty  for  a  long 
period.  There  is  httle  scent  and  the  leaf  habit  is  not  very 
good,  but  as  a  flowering  shrub  it  will  take  high  rank  in  the 
future. 

R.  "May  Queen"  {R.  decorum  and  R.  Standishi). — A 
hybrid  with  very  large  flowers,  habit  poor  and  without 
much  vigour.  The  flowers,  however,  are  very  large  and 
beautiful ;  the  style  and  anthers  are  a  lovely  rich  pink. 
Only  one  plant  exists  of  this  hybrid. 

R.  Fortunei  and  R.  Tliomsoni. — This  may  be  described  as 
a  glorified  R.  Luscombei  or  R.  Luscombeanum.  In  every 
way,  colour,  size  of  leaves  and  flowers,  and  habit,  it  is  far 
superior  to  the  old  plant  and  R.  Luscombeanum  splendens. 
The  large,  rich,  satin-rose  flowers  develop  in  April  and  make 
a  charming  colour  scheme  with  the  other  R.  Thomsoni  hy- 
brids and  early  examples  of  R.  Loderi,  R.  caucasicum  hybrids 
and  magnolias.  Many  good  judges  consider  this  to  be  Sir 
Edmund's  second  best  plant,  and  its  beauty  and  vigour  far 
surpass  the  hybrid  made  by  Mr.  Luscombe.  The  reverse 
cross  R.  Thomsoni  and  R.  Fortunei  was  also  created,  but  as 
yet  it  has  not  flowered  nor  does  it  appear  to  be  so  virile  a 
hybrid. 

R.  Thomsoni  and  R.  Otto  Forster. — One  of  the  mysteries 
of  hybridisation  is  the  variation  of  seedlings.  In  this  case 
quite  50  per  cent,  are  useless  plants  with  pale,  early  pink 


808  RHODODENDRONS  [ch.  xiv 

flowers  without  character  or  beauty  ;  30  per  cent,  more 
have  nice,  waxy,  pink  flowers,  18  per  cent,  good  rose-pink 
and  perhaps  3  per  cent,  magnificent  deep  crimson  flowers 
of  great  substance  and  beauty. 

Although  about  18  years  old  no  good  examples  appeared 
until  the  spring  of  1921,  when  three  examples  flowered, 
showing  splendid  crimson  red  trusses.  With  the  sun  shin- 
ing through  them  on  a  spring  evening  the  effect  of  this 
fine-flowered  plant  is  glorious,  far  surpassing  any  of  theother 
red  hybrids  in  bloom  in  April.  Its  habit  and  thick  glossy 
leaves  are  also  very  attractive.  In  time  this  red  variety 
should  be  in  every  good  garden.  R.  Otto  Forster  {R.  arhor- 
eum  album  and  R.  Griffiihiannm),  one  of  the  parents,  is  a 
difficult  plant  to  grow,  being  fickle  and  requiring  frequent 
moisture.  In  the  case  of  this  hybrid  it  is  one  of  the  easiest 
to  cultivate,  and  remained  in  the  best  of  health  without 
being  given  water  during  the  great  drought  of  1921. 

R.  Thomsoni  and  R.  decorum. — A  very  charming  rhodo- 
dendron with  rich  rose-pink  flowers  very  similar  to  R. 
Fortunei  and  R.  Thomsoni,  but  not  quite  as  good.  Habit 
and  leaves  rather  poor.     First  flowered  in  1920. 

R.  Thomsoni  andR.  Ascot  brilliant. — ^^A  neat,  well-habited 
plant  of  even,  upright  growth  with  fine  trusses  of  red 
flowers  midway  between  both  parents.  Some  examples 
have  flowers  almost  black-crimson.  Stands  drought  far 
better  than  either  parent  and  makes  a  noble  show  about 
April  15th.  The  best  varieties,  such  as  "  Torch,"  ''  The 
Flame "  and  "  Firefly,"  are  almost  as  brilliant  as  R. 
Thomsoni  with  a  better  habit.     A  plant  with  a  future. 

R.  barbatum  and  R.  Thomsoni. — A  similar  cross  to  that  of 
R.  Shilsoni,  but  without  the  poor  constitution  of  that  plant. 
In  this  case  the  plant  is  perfectly  hardy.  The  flower 
trusses  of  those  that  have  bloomed  are  not  so  large  as 
R.  Shilsoni,  but  the  colour  is  as  good.  These  hybrids  are 
exceptionally  vigorous  and  good-natured  in  almost  any  soil, 
and  should  be  planted  where  the  beautiful  but  fitful  R. 
Shilsoni  does  not  succeed.  Like  the  parents,  however,  it 
requires  a  fair  amount  of  shelter  from  hot  sun. 


VARIOUS   CROSSINGS  309 

R.  Luscombe's  Scarlet  and  R.  Thomsoni. — Flowers  a 
good  glowing  scarlet,  and  habit  upright  and  tree-like  like 
the  seed  parent. 

R.  Mangles'  Scarlet  and  R.  Thomsoni. — Flowers  similar 
to  the  preceding,  but  habit  more  like  R.  Thomsoni. 

R.  Gauntletti  and  R.  Griffithianum. — A  good  pinkish 
white  with  more  substance  than  R.  Gauntletti,  a  fast 
grower,  very  floriferous  and  hardy. 

R.  Combe  Royal  and  R.  Griffithianum. — A  tall  rather 
leggy  grower  with  large  drooping  leaves.  Flowers  in 
large  trusses  midway  between  both  parents. 

R.  arhoreum  album  and  R.  Griffithianum. — The  majority 
of  these  seedlings  are  not  so  good  as  the  same  hybrid 
raised  by  J.  C.  Williams,  but  so  far  two  examples  have 
exhibited  their  character  in  flowers  which  are  large,  waxy 
and  pure  v/hite, 

R.  Griffithianum  and  R.  campylocarpum. — This  hybrid  is 
similar  in  appearance  to  those  raised  by  Smith  of  Pen- 
jerrick  and  Mr.  J.  C.  Williams.  Up  to  date  only  three 
have  flowered,  and  these  showed  trusses  of  pink  externally 
and  cream  in  the  interior  of  the  corolla.  In  Cornwall, 
Smith's  hybrid  is  greatly  admired  by  many  good  judges. 
The  Leonardslee  plants  may  be  considered  as  very  similar. 
They  resist  drought  well  and  are  fairly  hardy.  I  have 
known  them  to  make  two  growths  in  one  season. 

R.  Campbelli  and  R.  Otto  Forster. — A  fine  pink  for  April 
with  robust  and  glossy  dark-green  leaves.  It  is  a  plant 
that  does  not  flower  until  some  10  or  12  years  of  age,  but 
will  when  mature  make  an  attractive  specimen.  The 
influence  of  R.  campanulatum  coming  through  the  mother 
is  predominant. 

R.  Campbelli  and  R.  Windsori. — Here  the  influence  of 
the  male  parent  {R.  arboreum  strain)  is  evident,  but  the 
flowers  are  good  pink  and  campanulate  like  the  seed 
parent.     It  does  not  flower  until  of  considerable  age. 

R.  Methven's  hybrid  and  R.  barbatum. — In  this  case 
the  influence  of  R.  barbatum  is  very  strong,  whilst  the 
R.  Thomsoni  strain  combined  with  R.  catawbiense  flori- 


810  RHODODENDRONS  [ch.  xiv 

ferousness  make  the  plant  a  regular  bloomer  in  April. 
It  is  very  hardy,  with  small  rich  red  trusses,  and  stands 
drought  and  poor  soil  better  than  its  parents. 

R.  arhoreum  album  and  R.  campy lo carp um.— This  is  a 
very  interesting  hybrid  partaking  equally  of  the  parental 
characters.  In  12  years  it  has  reached  12  ft.  in  height, 
being  cone-shaped  like  R.  arboreum  and  with  the  rounded 
leaves  of  R.  campylocarpum.  About  15  examples  have 
flowered,  of  which  the  majority  take  after  the  tree  rhodo- 
dendron in  the  shape  of  the  truss,  but  with  a  nice  cream 
tinge  of  colour.  Two  have  been  a  pure  cream,  and  one 
magnificent  example  came  in  April  1921  with  splendid 
cream-yellow  flowers.  This  fine  example  remains  at 
Leonardslee,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  other  examples 
which  are  still  to  flower  may  prove  as  good.  In  its  best 
form  a  remarkable  rhododendron,  and  one  that  in  the 
future  will  be  coveted  by  experts. 

R.  Campbelli  and  R.  barbatum. — A  robust  grower  with 
leaves  shorter  and  more  rounded  than  R.  barbatum.  A 
plant  of  high  class. 

Sir  Edmund  Loder's  brother  Gerald  presented  a  very 
beautiful  silver-gilt  Challenge  Cup  ^  to  the  Royal  Horti- 
cultural Society  in  1921,  in  memory  of  Sir  Edmund  Loder, 
for  the  encouragement  of  the  cultivation  of  rhododendrons 
(including  azaleas).  The  award  is  to  be  made  annually  by 
a  Committee  of  seven,  four  appointed  by  the  R.H.S.  and 
three  by  the  Rhododendron  Society. 

The  first  award  of  the  Cup  (for  the  year  1921)  was  to 
Sir  Isaac  Bayley  Balfour,  K.B.E.,  F.R.S.,  Regius  Professor 
at  Edinburgh.*  In  1922  the  award  went  to  Mr.  J.  C. 
Wilhams. 

^  From  an  ancient  Irish  design. 
*  Sir  Isaac  died  in  November  1922. 


CHAPTER    XV 

THE    MUSEUM    AT    LEONARDSLEE 

I  AM  able  in  this  chapter  to  present  to  my  readers  a  de- 
scription of  Sir  Edmund  Loder's  Musemn,  which  contains 
the  results  of  his  constant  collecting  during  some  fifty 
years.  The  description  is  by  a  personal  friend  of  Sir 
Edmund's,  Mr.  W.  P.  Pycraft  of  the  British  Museum  of 
Natural  History,  and  was  written  for  this  memoir. 

The  following  pages  may  not  appeal  to  all  readers,  but 
they  will  to  those  who  had  the  same  kind  of  interest  in 
natural  history  that  Loder  had,  and  it  seemed  impossible 
to  complete  any  memoir  of  Sir  Edmund  without  devoting 
some  attention  to  one  of  the  great  achievements  of  his 
life. 

The  Museum  at  Leonardslee  is  considered  by  so  great 
an  authority  as  Mr.  J.  G.  Millais  to  be  in  some  of  its 
features  the  most  wonderful  private  collection  in  the 
United  Kingdom.  As  regards  that  section  of  it  which 
is  devoted  to  typical  heads  and  horns  of  wild  animals  it  is 
probably  the  best  collection  ever  put  together  by  a  single 
man.  To  Mr.  Pycraft' s  description  I  have  added,  merely 
to  demonstrate  the  quality  of  the  big-game  trophies,  a  hst  of 
some  170  of  the  Leonardslee  specimens  found  in  Rowland 
Ward's  Records  of  Big  Game  (1914,  7th  edition).  I  have 
added  a  few  particularly  notable  specimens  not  found  in 
Rowland  Ward's  book.  Twenty-seven  of  those  on  my  list 
are  "  records."  Rowland  Ward's  lists  are  very  valuable, 
far  the  best  of  their  kind  and  most  useful  to  sportsmen. 
No  doubt  there  are  specimens  in  private  hands,  in  private 
and  public  museums  as  good  and  better  than  some  of 
the  "  records  "  in  the  book.  In  my  own  observation  the 
21  311 


312  THE   MUSEUM  AT  LEONARDSLEE       [ch.  xv 

majority  of  sportsmen,  more  especially  overseas  and  in 
the  Colonies  and  Protectorates,  neither  measure  nor 
weigh  their  trophies.  I  have  seen  wonderful  heads  in 
Africa  in  the  possession  of  white  men  who  never  gave 
a  thought  to  measurements  and  many  who  never  heard 
of  a  book  of  records.  Again,  in  giving  records  of  length 
of  horn,  it  is  giving  only  one  record  of  one  particular 
point  of  excellence — a  head  must  be  judged  also  by 
form,  beauty  and  strength.  There  are,  as  Mr.  Millais 
has  somewhere  pointed  out,  other  attributes  which  cannot 
he  given  in  a  book  of  records,  e.g.  in  the  case  of  deer,  the 
roughness,  quality  of  pearling  of  a  horn,  length  and  up- 
turn of  brow-antlers,  true  symmetry,  heavy  and  graceful 
tops  and  crowns.  Loder's  "  record "  wapiti  is  not  a 
beautiful  head  nor  is  it  his  best  wapiti  head.  Rowland 
Ward's  book  is  our  standard  work  and  can  teach  the 
sportsman  more  than  any  other  one  as  to  what  he  can 
achieve,  or  at  least  what  he  should  aim  at  procuring.  It 
may  be  an  incentive  to  some  to  reprehensible  slaughter 
in  order  to  "  get  up  "  on  the  list,  but  it  should  satisfy 
a  collector  to  obtain  a  beautiful  and  fine  specimen  of  any 
species.  Loder  several  times  said  to  me,  "  Of  course  I 
am  pleased  to  get  a  record  head,  and  to  buy  one  if 
I  come  across  one,  but  the  great  thing  is  to  have  a  fine 
typical  example." 

Notes  by  Mr.  Pycraft 

The  Museum  was  always  a  source  of  joy  to  Sir  Edmund. 
But  though  it  was  a  sportsman's  Museum  before  anything 
else,  yet  its  contents  show  that  his  interests  were  by  no 
means  confined  to  "  big-game  "  animals. 

This  much  leaps  to  the  eyes  the  moment  one  steps  into 
the  spacious  outer  room. :  for  while  the  walls  are  bristling 
with  horns  and  antlers,  and  skulls  and  horns  of  rhinoceros 
and  the  skulls  and  teeth  of  hippopotamus  and  other  trophies 
of  the  chase  are  distributed  over  the  floor,  it  is  patent  that 
this  Museum  was  intended  to  subserve  the  dual  interests 


CONTENTS   OF  THE   MUSEUM  313 

of  the  sportsman  and  the  man  of  science.  Hence  the 
wall-cases  filled  with  skulls  and  skeletons,  many  of  them 
disarticulated  for  convenience  of  study  ;  and  hence  the 
remains  of  recent  and  fossil  man  ;  some  fine  skeletons 
and  skulls  of  the  great  anthropoid  apes,  and  a  series  of 
skeletons  and  skulls  of  all  the  more  important  groups  of 
the  mammaha,  down  to  the  primitive  but  highly  specia- 
hsed  Ornithorhynchus.  These,  in  themselves,  bear  witness 
to  the  fact  that  the  range  of  vision  of  the  founder  was 
far-reaching.  For  Sir  Edmund,  indeed,  collecting  was 
not  an  end  in  itself,  but  a  means  to  an  end.  This  was 
to  get  together  a  goodly  number  of  typical  specimens  to 
serve  as  standards  of  comparison  with  extremes  in  point 
of  size  and  weight,  as  well  as  of  variations  of  form,  and 
to  supplement  these  by  specimens  throwing  light  on  the 
thorny  problems  of  evolution. 

The  contents  of  this  Museum  can  best  be  appreciated 
if  they  are  surveyed  systematically.  And  this  survey 
should  begin  with  the  skulls  to  the  left  of  the  entrance, 
representing  those  remarkable  antelopes  the  hartebeests 
and  their  allies.  The  ringed  and  lyrate  horns  of  the 
bontebok  (118)  and  the  now  almost  extinct  blesbok  (120), 
the  topi  (118)  and  the  sassaby  (121),  in  the  right-hand 
corner,  should  be  compared  with  the  strangely  twisted 
weapons  of  the  hartebeests  to  the  left,  wherein  the  horns 
are  set,  as  it  were,  upon  a  pillar  of  bone  rising  from  the 
top  of  the  skull.  This  feature  is  specially  well  marked  in 
Jackson's  hartebeest  (111),  Swayne's  hartebeest  (108) 
and  the  West  African  hartebeest  (106).  Though  none 
of  these  are  record  heads,  that  of  the  korrigum,  or  Senegal 
hartebeest  (116),  stands  fourth  on  the  hst  of  heads  in 
collections  in  this  country. 

The  horns  of  the  brindled  and  white-tailed  gnus  (122) 
in  their  way  are  quite  as  remarkable  as  those  of  the  harte- 
beest. Unfortunately  there  are  no  examples  in  the 
collection  of  the  early  stages  of  growth  of  the  horns  of 
the  white- tailed  gnu  (125),   known  also  as  the  gnu,  or 


314  THE   MUSEUM   AT   LEONARDSLEE       [ch.  xv 

"  wildebeest  "  ^  :  for  these  are  represented  only  by  short, 
vertical  spikes.  The  horns  of  this  specimen  (125)  should 
be  specially  noted,  since  they  are  the  longest  yet  recorded. 

Over  the  doorway  are  examples  of  the  chiru  (185),  one 
of  the  most  interesting  animals  of  Tibet,  as  well  as 
among  the  most  cherished  trophies  of  the  sportsman. 
Other  examples  (85)  will  be  seen  in  the  centre  of  the  wall 
to  the  right  of  the  doorway.  These  should  be  compared 
with  those  of  its  near  ally  the  saiga  antelope  (184),  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  of  all  the  Central  Asian  antelopes 
on  account  of  the  strange  inflation  of  the  nose,  which 
forms  a  kind  of  short  trunk.  The  purpose  of  this  peculiar 
modification  of  the  nasal  chamber  has  so  far  proved  an 
insoluble  problem,  for  it  is  found  in  many  other  animals 
quite  unrelated,  and  living  in  totally  different  environ- 
ments. The  horns  of  this  animal,  it  will  be  noted,  are 
conspicuous  for  their  white  appearance.  Ages  ago,  it 
is  worth  noting — in  Pleistocene  times  to  be  quite  precise — 
the  saiga  antelope  was  to  be  found  as  far  west  as  England. 

Below  and  to  the  left  are  specimens  of  Loder's  gazelle 
(199),  a  species  rediscovered  by  Sir  Edmund  many  years 
ago,  in  1894,  as  well  as  the  record  example  of  a  distinct 
race  (199)  inhabiting  the  sand-dunes  of  the  Algerian  and 
Tunisian  Sahara,  and  the  deserts  of  N.W.  Kordofan  and 
Egypt.  Other  examples  of  Loder's  gazelle  will  be  found 
in  the  centre  of  the  right-hand  wall  (199,  A  and  B).  Near 
the  doorway  are  some  fine  heads  of  sable  and  roan  ante- 
lope, oryx  and  addax  (218-28)  ;  and  these  are  succeeded 
by  bushbuck,  waterbuck,  lechwe  and  kob  antelopes. 
Among  the  last  named,  very  appropriately,  will  be  found 
the  record  specimen  of  Loder's  kob  or  puku,  though 
unfortunately  the  locality  from  which  it  was  obtained  is 
unrecorded.  Reed-buck,  the  beautiful  Soemmerring's  and 
Grant's  gazelles  (206)  occupying  the  centre  of  this  wall, 
the  spring-buck,  and  the  graceful  palla  (181)  are  also  to 
be  noted,  as  well  as  heads  of  the  curious  little  four-horned 
antelope  (140). 

1  The  Gnti  or  Black  Wildebeest,  v.  p.  325  for  measurements. 


BIG -GAME   TROPHIES  315 

The  massive  eland  and  the  rare  bongo  are  well  repre- 
sented. The  last-named,  indeed,  is  worth  careful  study, 
for  it  is  seldom  seen  in  collections,  and  this  particular 
specimen  only  just  falls  short  of  proving  a  record  head. 
In  examining  these  horns  comparison  should  be  made  with 
the  singularly  beautiful  spiral  weapons  of  the  koodoos 
and  their  near  relations  the  nyala  and  the  situtunga 
(238).  As  touching  the  eland,  it  is  to  be  noted  that  not 
only  does  the  Museum  boast  some  fine  examples  of  the 
Sudan  and  Senegal  races  of  the  giant  eland — coveted  of 
the  sportsman,  though  rarelj''  seen  in  museums  or  private 
collections — but  also  of  the  record  specimen  of  the  even 
more  precious  Congo  race  (Taurotragus  derhianus  congo- 
laniciis).  The  animal  from  which  this  head  was  taken 
was  shot  by  Sir  Henry  Stanley,  and  presented  to  Sir 
Edmund  by  his  friend  Mr.  J.  G.  Millais. 

This  beautiful  series  of  antelope  horns  ends  with  a 
number  of  extremely  good  examples  of  chamois  (249)  and 
prong- horn  (104),  the  last-named  being  remarkable  for 
the  fact  that  it  is  the  only  hollow-horned  ruminant  which 
sheds  its  horns.  Only  the  horny  sheath,  however,  is  cast 
off,  unlike  the  deer,  wherein  the  whole  antler  is  shed. 

Among  big-game  trophies  markhor  and  ibex,  and  the 
big-horn  sheep  and  their  allies,  and  that  remarkable 
animal  the  Rocky  Mountain  goat  have  always  held  a 
high  place  among  sportsmen.  And  of  these  animals  Sir 
Edmund  brought  together  a  fine  series  which  will  be 
found  on  the  right-hand  wall  and  the  wall  adjacent.  The 
remarkable  differences  in  size  and  form  which  the  horns 
of  these  animals  present  is  illustrated  in  a  very  striking 
manner  in  this  collection.  While  the  impression  of  these 
heads  is  still  fresh  in  the  mind  three  most  remarkable 
heads  of  the  domesticated  goat,  hanging  immediately 
over  the  doorway  of  the  inner  room,  should  be  inspected. 
The  finest  of  these  (286),  from  Daghestan,  is  the  largest 
known  of  its  kind.  It  seems  incredible  that  so  small  an 
animal  could  support  so  huge  a  burden.  The  other  two 
specimens,  one  from  Angora,  the  other  from  Daghestan, 


316  THE   MUSEUM   AT   LEONARDSLEE       [ch.  xv 

are  also  considerably  larger  than  any  other  specimens  in 
this  country. 

Though  wild  oxen  are  not  so  well  represented  here  as 
are  other  hollow-horned  ruminants,  yet  some  striking 
examples  will  be  found  over  the  door  of  the  African 
buffalo,  the  Indian  anoa,  the  gaur,  the  yak  and  the  Euro- 
pean and  American  bison. 

The  deer  differ  in  one  striking  particular  from  the 
"  Cavicorn  "  ruminants  and  this  concerns  their  horns  or 
"  antlers,"  These  are  always  branched,  in  some  species 
excessively  so.  Furthermore  these  weapons  are  shed  and 
renewed  every  year,  a  fact  which  seems  almost  incredible 
when  one  contemplates  the  huge  size  which  they  attain 
in  some  species.  In  the  deer,  again,  the  horns  are  to  be 
regarded  as  answering  to  the  "  horn-core  "  of  the  hollow- 
horned  ruminants,  for  they  have  no  outer  sheath  as  in 
those  animals,  save  when  they  are  "in  velvet" — the 
term  used  to  describe  the  antlers  during  growth,  when 
they  are  invested  by  a  short,  hairy  covering,  recalling 
"  velvet  pile,"  which  protects  a  close  network  of  blood- 
vessels, whose  function  it  is  to  build  up  the  horn.  When 
this  is  complete  the  velvet  peels  off,  giving  the  animal,  for 
a  time,  a  very  dishevelled  appearance.  The  only  example 
of  such  horns  "  in  velvet "  among  the  fine  series  in  this 
collection  is  that  of  a  Scotch  red  deer  (65),  and  this  is  a 
malformed  specimen. 

To  appreciate  the  great  range  in  the  fashion  of  the 
branching  of  the  antlers  which  obtains  among  the  different 
species  of  this  group,  comparison  should  be  made  between 
the  heads  of  the  familiar  red  deer  (15)  and  their  variants 
in  the  heads  of  the  Eastern  red  deer  (29)  and  wapiti 
(36).  i\.nd  these  should  be  compared,  on  the  one  hand, 
with  the  barasingha  (64),  Schomburgk's  deer  (65),  Eld's 
deer  (66),  sambar  (49),  Pere-David's  deer  or  milou  (76), 
the  American  white-tailed  deer  (79)  and  the  mule  and 
marsh  deer  (82-84)  ;  and  on  the  other  with  the  fallow 
deer  (75),  Irish  deer  or  "Irish  elk"  (1,000),  the  caribou 
(2  A)  and  the  moose  (12).      Such  a  broad  general  survey 


IRISH  ELK  317 

cannot  fail  to  impress  one.  For  these  different  types 
are  all  variants  of  a  single  theme.  But  more  than  this, 
each  one  of  these  types  varies,  within  Umits,  in  every 
individual  of  every  species.  This  is  perhaps  nowhere 
more  strikingly  apparent  than  among  the  caribou  and 
the  moose.  These  facts  more  than  justify  what  may 
seem,  to  some,  the  unnecessary  duphcation  of  the  heads 
on  this  wall.  But  this  criticism  would  not  be  justified, 
for  each  particular  head  has  earned  its  place  there. 

To  some,  "  record  "  heads,  or  heads  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  records,  are  alone  interesting.  This  standard  of 
"  fitness  "  is  a  mistaken  one,  as  a  glance  at  this  imposing 
array  will  show  :  for  many  which  are  lacking  in  inches, 
or  in  fractions  of  an  inch,  often  present  characters  of  far 
greater  importance  than  can  be  found  in  mere  measure- 
ments. The  heads  of  the  sambar  afford  an  interesting 
illustration  of  this  view. 

In  the  centre  of  this  room  is  a  magnificent  mounted 
skeleton  (the  most  complete  in  existence)  of  the  Irish 
deer  or  "  Irish  elk,"  or  as  Mr.  J.  G.  Millais  calls  it, 
a  gigantic  fallow  deer,  which  well  shows  the  enlargement 
of  the  neck  vertebrse  necessary  to  enable  its  astonishing 
load  to  be  carried.  Yet,  even  with  such  adjustment,  it 
is  possible  that  the  extinction  of  this  wonderful  animal 
was  brought  about  by  the  excessive  weight  and  enormous 
span  of  the  antlers,  which  must  seriously  have  hampered 
flight  from  wolves  during  winter  or  perhaps  man  with 
his  trained  wolves.  A  still  finer  pair  of  antlers,  by  the 
way,  hangs  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  house. 

The  various  forms  of  wild  swine,  regarded  as  trophies, 
are  chiefly  esteemed  for  their  tusks,  which  present  striking 
diversity  of  form.  This  becomes  immediately  apparent 
when  the  skulls  of  such  species  as  the  hippopotamus, 
wart-hog,  and  babirusa  are  compared.  The  strangely 
curled  upper  tusks  of  the  last-named  species  are  even 
more  remarkable  than  is  apparent  on  an  inspection  of  the 
skull,  for  they  leave  the  mouth  not,  as  in  all  other  mem- 
bers of  the  tribe,  by  passing  out  beneath  the  upper  lip, 


318  THE   MUSEUM  AT  LEONARDSLEE       [ch.  xv 

but  by  piercing  the  skin  on  either  side  of  the  base  of  the 
snout.  The  molars  of  the  wart-hog,  it  is  by  no  means 
generally  known,  disclose  a  very  singular  mode  of  reduc- 
tion with  advancing  age.  In  the  "  milk  "  dentition  there 
are  seven  pairs  of  "  grinders."  In  the  succeeding  per- 
manent set  the  first  two  pairs  of  pre-molars  are  wanting, 
and  as  age  advances  ail  the  grinders  save  the  last  pair 
are  gradually  shed,  and  these  survivors  are  of  enormous 
size.  The  skull  on  the  left-hand  wall  (347)  should  be 
examined  in  this  light. 

Though  the  rhinoceroses  are  in  no  way  related  to  the 
swine,  it  will  be  convenient  to  discuss  them  here.  Both 
the  huge  Indian  and  the  African  black  and  white 
rhinoceroses  are  represented  by  some  fine  skulls  and 
horns ;  and  the  Museum  also  contains  a  very  perfect 
example  of  the  now  almost  extinct  Sumatran  rhinoceros. 

That  the  largest  of  all  the  big-game  animals,  the 
elephant,  finds  a  place  here  goes  without  saying.  One  of 
the  most  conspicuous  objects  in  the  large  room  is  the 
mounted  head  of  the  African  elephant,  while  in  the  inner 
room  are  two  enormous  tusks  of  this  animal,  weighing 
respectively  184  ft».  and  150  ft).  The  longest  tusk  measured 
9-5  ft.  A  bisected  skull  of  the  Indian  elephant  in  one  of 
the  glass  cases  shows  the  enormous  development  of  bony 
air-chambers  above  the  brain-case.  This  bony  mesh- 
work  affords  a  light  but  excessively  strong  support  for 
the  greatly  expanded  outer  surface,  or  roof,  of  the  skull, 
which  has  been  immensely  enlarged,  to  provide  attach- 
ment for  the  powerful  muscles  necessary  to  support  the 
burden  of  the  great  masses  of  ivory  forming  the  tusks. 

The  Wall- cases 

Though  mention  has  already  been  made  of  the  glazed 
cases  which  run  round  the  wall  of  this  room,  it  would  be 
well  now  to  examine  their  contents  a  little  more  carefully, 
though  without  attempting  a  minute  analysis. 

On  the  top  shelf  of  Case  No.  1,  on  the  right-hand  side 


THE   WALL-CASES  319 

of  the  room,  will  be  found  some  human  skulls  of  living 
races,  and  casts  of  the  roof  of  the  skulls  of  the  famous 
Pithecanthropus  and  Neanderthal  man.  About  the  in- 
terest of  these  fossils  there  can  be  no  dispute.  The 
former  represents  the  earliest  known  and  extremely  ape- 
like man,  found,  with  other  portions  of  the  skeleton,  in 
a  river-bed  in  Java  some  thirty  years  ago.  The  latter  is 
one  of  the  earliest  types  of  the  genus  Homo  :  a  very 
primitive  man,  whose  blood,  according  to  some  authorities, 
courses  through  at  least  some  living  races  of  mankind. 
The  first  discovered  skull  came  to  light  in  a  cavern  in 
the  Neanderthal,  near  Dusseldorf,  Germany,  in  1857. 
His  race  it  was  who  fashioned  the  rude  flint  implements 
found  in  the  cavern  of  Le  Moustier,  Dordogne,  France, 
and  hence  Neanderthal  Man  is  commonly  referred  to  as 
''  Moustierian  man."  With  these  remains  are  placed 
skulls  of  the  gorilla,  chimpanzee  and  orang,  while  in  the 
case  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  room  will  be  found  com- 
plete skeletons  of  these  creatures,  which,  from  their 
many  points  of  resemblance  to  the  human  race,  have 
given  rise  to  such  bitter  controversy.  The  relative 
lengths  of  the  arms  of  these  three  skeletons  should  be 
specially  noted,  as  also  should  the  structure  of  the  feet 
and  hands,  when  it  will  be  noticed  that  in  the  orang 
they  are  much  more  adapted  for  climbing  than  in  the 
other  two  species,  which  can  progress  much  more  easily 
upon  the  ground. 

Case  C  contains  skeletons  of  flightless  birds,  representing 
the  ostrich  tribe,  wherein  the  wings  show  successive  and 
progressive  degrees  of  degeneration  ;  and  the  penguin, 
wherein  the  wing  has  become  transformed  into  a 
swimming  organ,  or  "  paddle "  comparable  to  that 
of  the  whales  and  turtles,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
extinct  sea-dragons  such  as  the  ichthyosaurus  and  the 
plesiosaurus. 

A  fine  collection  of  bears'  skulls  occupies  Case  D,  in- 
cluding a  huge  skull  of  the  great  cave-bear  {Ursus  spelceus). 
It    is    apparently   the   largest   in   any   collection   in   this 


320  THE   MUSEUM   AT  LEONARDSLEE       [ch.  xv 

country.     Here  also  are  skulls  of  the  camel,  various  horses, 
the  quaint  manatee,  the  dugong  and  the  tapir. 

Case  A  contains  a  skeleton  of  the  Rocky  Mountain 
goat,  and  skulls  of  giraffe  and  elephants,  in  section  to 
show  the  great  air-sinuses  of  the  roof  of  the  skull,  already 
alluded  to  ;  and  the  skull  of  a  walrus  which  constitutes 
a  record  in  regard  to  the  length  of  the  tusks,  which 
measure  over  a  yard. 

Mounted  Specimens 

Nearly  all  the  mounted  specimens  are  to  be  found 
within  the  annexe  to  the  large  room,  where  by  means  of 
blinds  they  may  be  shielded  from  the  light.  But  for  this 
precaution  all  would  soon  fade  to  a  uniform  drab.  An 
exception  is  made  in  the  case  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  goat, 
which  being  white  is  in  no  need  of  special  protection. 
Two  of  these  animals  in  a  glass  case  form  a  conspicuous 
ornament  to  the  outer  room,  and  in  examining  them 
special  note  should  be  made  of  the  bare  patch  at  the  base 
of  the  horns,  for  these  are  scent-distributing  glands. 

But  to  return  to  the  inner  room.  This  contains  a  col- 
lection of  mounted  specimens  such  as  must  set  the  pulses 
of  the  sportsman  beating  the  moment  he  enters  !  For 
here  are  heads  of  rhino,  buffalo,  bison  and  antelopes  of 
many  species.  There  are  also  some  magnificent  heads  of 
wapiti.  Eastern  red  deer  and  moose.  The  great  variation 
in  the  palmation  of  the  moose  horns  is  well  shown  here. 

The  floor  is  chiefly  occupied  by  specimens  of  the  larger 
big-game  animals  shot  by  Sir  Edmund,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  West  African  and  some  South  African  such 
as  the  zebra,  wild  ass,  kudu,  topi,  blesbok,  the  graceful 
palla  antelope,  and  the  singular,  long-necked  Waller's 
gazelle,  the  Barbary  sheep,  and  wild  boar.  Here  too  are 
the  wonderful  elephant  tusks  already  mentioned,  and 
above  the  door  the  no  less  wonderful  heads  of  the  goats 
of  Daghestan. 

This  room,  like  the  larger  outer  room,  contains  food  for 
reflection    on    many    themes.     Foremost    among    them, 


PROBLEMS   OF   EVOLUTION  321 

perhaps,  that  of  evolution  ;  and  the  factors  which  moulded, 
like  a  potter's  wheel,  the  diverse  shapes,  weapons  and 
coloration  of  the  creatures  here  brought  together.  These 
were  problems  which  always  fascinated  Sir  Edmund,  and 
they  were  largely  responsible  for  the  existence  of  this 
Museum. 

In  this  room  are  a  moose  from  Alaska  with  70  in.  span 
and  very  fine  palms,  a  Siberian  roe  with  a  head  very 
near  perfection,  though  not  a  record  as  to  points  or 
inches,  and  a  West  African  hartebeest  which  holds  the 
record  with  37|  in. 


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THE   MUSEUM   AT  LEONARDSLEE       [ch.  xv 


Horn. 

Length  on 
front. 

Locality; 

Blue  Duiker  (Cephalophus  monticola)  . 

in. 
2 

Pondoland. 

Yellow- backed  Duiker  ( C.  sylvicuUor) . 

5i 

Gabim. 

Harvey's  Duiker  (C.  harveyi)  * 

4* 

Kikujai  Forest. 

Baira  {Dorcotragus  melanotis) 

4 

Somaliland. 

Salts  Dik-Dik  (Modaqua  saltiana) 

3 

Abyssinia. 

Swayne's  Dik-Dik  (M.  swaynei) 

3 

Somaliland. 

Livingstone's  Suni   (Neotragus  living- 

stonianus)     ..... 

3f 

Zambesia. 

Steinbok    (Rhaphiceros  campestris) 

5i 

S.  Africa. 

Waterbuck  (Cobus  ellipsiprymnus) 

31i 

S.  Africa.     . 

Deiassa  (C.  defassa). 

— 

Lech  we  (C.  leche)      .... 

30f 

N.W.  Rhodesia. 

The  Kob  (C.  cob)      .... 

20 

T<ake  Chad. 

Uganda  Kob  (C.  cob  thomasi)  *  . 

24i 

circ.  1^. 

Loder's  Puku  (C.  cob.  loderi) 

21 

Rooi    Rhebok   (Redunca   fulvorufula 

chanleri)        ..... 

6f 

— 

Bohor  Reed  Buck  {R.  redunca  bohor)  . 

10 

Abyssinia. 

Dibatag  (Ammodorcas  clarkci)    . 

lOf 

Somaliland. 

Impala  (j^pyceros  melampus  typicus) 

28| 

E.  Africa. 

Impala  ( JE'.  melampus  peter  si)    . 

231 

Angola. 

Saiga  (Saiga  tatarica) 

131 

Volga  Steppe. 

Chiru  (Pantholops  hodgsoni) 

25 

Chang-chenmo. 

Black  Buck  (Aniilope  cervicapra) 

26* 

India. 

Tibetan  Gazelle  (Oazella  picticaudata)  * 

m 

Ladak. 

Mongolian  Gazelle  {G.  gutturosa)  * 

13f 

Altai. 

Saikik  Gazelle  (0.  yarkandensis)  * 

17 

E.  Turkestan, 

Chinkara  (G.  bennetti) 

13i  &  7| 

India. 

Admi  Gazelle  (G.  cuvieri)  * 

141 

Algeria. 

Dorcas  Gazelle  (G.  dorcas)  * 

13J 

Speke's  Gazelle  [G.  spehei) 

lOf 

Somaliland. 

Pelzeln's  Gazelle  (G.  pelzelni) 

14 

Somaliland. 

Rime  Gazelle  [G.  loderi) 

15| 

Tvmisian  Sahara. 

Rime  Gazelle  [G.  loderi)     . 

14J 

Algerian  Sahara. 

Rime  Gazelle  [G.  loderi)     . 

13i 

Tunisian  Sahara. 

Grant's  Gazelle  (Tana  race),  G.  granti 

petersi,  B.E.A.       . 

22i 

Voi. 

Soemmerring'  s  Gazelle  ( G.soemmerringi) 

19| 

Somaliland. 

Springbuck  (Antidorcas  euchore) 

15i 

S.  Africa. 

Gerenxik  (Lithocranius  walleri)    . 

16 

Somaliland. 

Sable  Antelope  (Hippotragus  niger)     . 

66 

Angola. 

Sable  Antelope  (H.  niger) 

45f 

B.  Cent.  Africa. 

Roan  Antelope  (H.  equinus) 

31i 

S.A. 

Gemsbuck  (Oryx  gazella)    . 

45f 

S.A. 

Beisa  OrjTC  (0.  beisa) 

35| 

Somaliland. 

Beisa  Orjrx  (0.  beisa  callotis) 

29 

E.  Africa. 

Arabian  Oryx  (0.  leucoryx)  * 

231 

Arabia. 

Addax  ( .4  ddax  nasomaculatus)  * 

30* 

Sahara. 

Four-homed  Antelope  (Tetraceros 

quadricornis)          .... 

4|  f.  2i  h. 

India. 

*  A  "  Record  head." 


ROWLAND  WARD'S  RECORDS  OF  BIG  GAME     327 


Nilgai  {Boselaphus  iragocamdus)  * 

Bushbuck  (Tragelaphus  scriptus) 

Biishbuck  (T.  s.  decula) 

Sititunga  (T.  spekei  selousi) 

Sititunga  (T.  s.  gratics) 

Greater  Kudu  {Strepsiceros  capensis) 

Greater  Kudu  (S.  c.  chora) 

Lesser  Kudu  (S.  imberbis) 

Bongo  (Booceros  euryceros  isaaci) 

Lord  Derby's  Eland  [Taurotragus  der 
bianus)         .... 

Sudan  Giant  Eland  [T.  d.  gigas) 

Congo  Eland  (T.  d.  congolanicus)* 

Chamois  (Rupicapra  tragus) 

Goral  {Nemorhcedus  goral  griseus) 

Japanese  Serow  (Capricornis  crispus) 

Serow  (C.  sumatrensis) 

Takin  [Budorcas  taxicolor) 

Rocky    Mountain    Goat    {Oreamnus 
americanus) .... 

Musk  Ox  (Ovibos  moschatus) 
Nilgiri  Ibex  {Hemitragus  hylocrius) 

Pir  Panjal  Markhor  (Capra  falconeri)'\ 

Astor  Marklior  (C  falconeri) 

Cabul  Markhor  (C.  falconeri) 

Steinbok  (C.  ibex)  * 

Nubian  Ibex  (C.  nubiana) 

Arabian  Ibex  (C  n.  mengesi) 

Pasang  (C  hircus  cegragus) 

Sind  Pasang  {C.  h.  blythi) 

Daghestan  Goat 

Spanish  Ibex  (C.  pyrenaica) 

N.   Western   Tur   (C.   severtzoun  din 

niki)    ..... 
Pallas's   Tut    {C.    caucasica   cylindri 

comis)  .... 

Arui  (Amotragus  lervia) 
Bighorn  {Ovis  canadensis  typica) 
Kamchatkan  Bighorn  (O.  c.  nivicola) 
Tibetan  Argali  (0.  ammon  hodgsoni) 
Alatau  Argali  {0.  a.  karelini) 
Bokharan  Argali  (O.  a.  nigrimontana) 
Marco  Polo's  Argali  {0.  a.  poli) . 
M.  Polo  Argali  (0.  a  poli)  (2nd) 
Urial  (0.  vignei) 

Afghan  Urial  {0.  v.  cycloceros)    . 
Cyprian  Mouflon  (O.  orientalis  typica 
Mouilon  (0.  jnusimon) 
African  Bui5alo  (Bos  cajfer) 

Width  of  palm 
Indian  Buffalo  (B.  bubalis) 


Horn. 

Length  on 

front. 


in. 

18f 

11 

30i 

32| 

57i 

561 

32i 


32i 
36J 
39i 
lOf 

n 

7 

9* 
21i 

91 
24 
15^ 
51f 
50 
33 
34i- 
38| 
4U 
43' 
46| 
52i 
27f 


33| 
28| 
40J&39i 
32| 
50^ 
49* 
33' 
69i 
62* 
33| 
34* 
23^ 
28* 
50 
11 
60 


Locality. 


India. 

Locality  vmrecorded. 

Abyssinia. 

Barotsiland. 

Gabun. 

S.  Africa. 

Somaliland. 

Somaliland. 

Man  Forest,  B.E.A. 

Locality  unrecorded. 

Bahr  el  Ghazal. 

Stanley  Falls. 

Tyrol. 

Chaniba. 

Japan. 

Lo  ality  unrecorded. 

Abor  country. 

Cassiar. 

Arctic  America, 
Nilgherries. 
Pir  Panjal. 
Astor. 

Afghanistan. 
Styria. 

Upper  Egyp*. 
Arabia. 
Taurus  range. 
Sind. 

Daghestan. 
Central  Spain. 

N.W.  Caucasus. 

E.  Caucasus. 

Algeria. 

America. 

Kamchatka. 

Pangong  Lake. 

Alatau  Mts. 

Bokhara. 

Tagdumbash. 

Tagdiunbash. 

Ladak. 

Waziristan. 

Cyprus. 

Sardinia. 

Bechuanaland. 

Locality  unrecorded. 


*  A  "  Record  head." 

f  The  Astor  Markhor  is  C.  f.  typica. 


22 


The  Pir  Panjal 
The  Cabul 


C.  f.  cashmiriensis, 
C.  f.  megaceros. 


328 


THE   MUSEUM   AT  LEONARDSLEE       [ch.  xv 


The  Anoa  {B.  depressicornis) 
European  Bison  (B.  bonasus) 
American  Bison  {B.  bison) 

Yak  {B.  grunniens)  .... 
Indian  "  Bison  "  (B.  gaurus) 
Bantin  (B.  sondaicus) 
Hippo  Tusks :  Canine 

Inrisor  ..... 

Algerian  Wild  Boar  {Sus  scroja),  tusk 

outside  curve         .... 
Wart-hog    (Phacochcerus    oethiopicus), 

length  exposed      .... 
Rhino  (Rhinoceros  bicornis)  Front 

Rear 
White  Rhino  (i?.  simus)    . 


Horn. 

Length  on 

Locality. 

front. 

in. 

10 

Celebes. 

16f 

Lithuania. 

16i 

Colorado. 

16i 

Colorado. 

32i- 

Tibet. 

38 

Locality  unrecorded. 

26| 

Java. 

31f 

20f 

j- Locality  unrecorded. 

8f 

Algeria. 

15f 

S.  Africa. 

37 

Uganda. 

m 

40| 

S.  Africa. 

40i 

S.  Africa. 

*  Approaching  record  or  an  exceptionally  fine  specimen. 

African  Elephant :  Length  of  tusk,  9  ft.  5  in.  ;   greatest  circumference, 

22-1  in.  ;   weight,  184  lb. 
Siberian  Elephant  (extinct)  :   11  ft.  outside  ctirve  ;   20|  in.  ;    173  lb. 
Lion  Skull:  Length,   14 J  in.;  width,  9J  in.;   cleaned  weight  dry,  4  lb.; 

South  Africa. 
Tiger  Skull :  Length,  14^  in. ;  width,  9|  in ;  cleaned  weight  dry,  4  lb.  12oz. ; 

Duars. 
Leopard  Skull :   weighing  1  lb.  12  oz. 

♦Walrus:  (1)  Tusk,  32  in.  long  and  record  circumference,  lOj  in. ;  *  (2)  36| 
in.  since  7th  edition. 

*  Cave  Bear  of  Europe  :  Basal  length  of  skull  from  back  to  front,  ISf  in. 
(Alaska  record  20^). 

Record  Cave  Bear:    Width  across    zygomatic    arches,   11|  in.   (record 
of  all  bear  skulls). 


CHAPTER   XVI 

ROBIN    LODER 

*'  He  was  an  excellent  and  gallant  officer,  and  we  all 
deeply  deplore  his  death.  In  addition  to  the  gallantry 
he  displayed  in  action,  his  work  at  all  times  was  of  a 
first-class  order,  and  he  was  untiring  in  carrying  it  out. 
He  was  a  general  favourite,  and  will  be  greatly  missed. 
I  feel  I  have  lost  a  personal  friend." 

These  words  were  not  taken  from  a  message  to  his  parents 
or  family,  when  Captain  Robin  Loder  died  of  his  wounds, 
but  from  the  letter  of  one  General  to  another — that  is 
why  I  have  selected  them  from  the  number  of  expressions 
of  affection  and  admiration  that  are  to  be  read  in  letters 
of  those  whom  he  served  under  and  with.  These  speak 
of  his  gallantry  too,  of  his  splendid  work  unassumingly 
done,  of  his  cheerfulness  and  of  pride  in  him  and  the  4th 
Sussex. 

The  domestic  side  of  a  man's  life  is  the  base  on  which 
its  happiness  depends,  and  one  great  omission  in  this 
memoir  of  my  friend  is  the  absence  of  any  description  of 
the  home  life  at  Leonardslee.  To  those  who  had  the 
happiness  of  intimacy  with  it,  there  is  no  need  to  refer 
to  it ;  for  others  I  am  powerless  to  give  any  idea  of  what 
it  was  ;  nor  can  I  offer  any  account  worthy  of  those 
pleasant  years  in  which  Sir  Edmund's  and  Lady  Loder' s 
lives  were  filled  with  those  joys  and  those  hopes  which 
grew  up  with  their  children.  Love  claims  that  past  and 
holds  it  safe  ;  all  that  it  was  and  will  be  is  theirs  and 
does  not  belong  to  us.  Yet  as  their  boy  Robin  inherited 
many  of  his  father's  natural  gifts  and  was  heir  to  his 

329 


330  ROBIN   LODER  [ch.  xvi 

place  as  head  of  the  family,  I  cannot  but  feel  that  this 
volume  would  be  very  incomplete  without  some  account 
of  him,  whose  short  life  brought  such  pleasure  and  light 
during  thirty  years  into  the  home  at  Leonardslee  and 
whose  passing  out  of  sight,  in  spite  of  the  glory  of  the 
passing  and  the  nobleness  of  his  death,  was  the  greatest 
sorrow  Sir  Edmund  ever  had  to  face.  Moreover,  Robin 
left  a  little  son,  and  I  think  of  him  and  the  day  when  he 
may  pick  up  this  book. 

Robert  Egerton  Loder,  whom  none  of  us  ever  knew  by 
any  other  name  than  Robin,  was  born  in  London  on 
March  10th,  1887,  at  3  Grosvenor  Gardens.  He  was 
christened  at  St.  Peter's,  Eaton  Square,  on  April  18th, 
his  sponsors  being  his  uncles  Wilfrid  Loder  and  William 
Egerton  Hubbard  and  his  aunt  Adela  Stewart.  Though 
born  in  London  his  parents  lived  then  at  Fioore.  He 
never  knew,  however,  any  other  home  but  Leonardslee, 
for  the  family  left  Fioore  for  Leonardslee  in  August 
1889. 

I  remember  him  very  well  as  a  quiet  little  boy,  a  re- 
served child,  but  with  a  very  uncommon  happy  indepen- 
dence about  him.  He  seemed  more  gentle  than  most 
boys  and  less  responsive  to  the  things  which  usually 
attract  children.  He  was  always  happy  and  sweet- 
tempered,  and,  though  it  is  a  strange  thing  to  say  about 
a  boy,  and  sounds  uncanny,  he  was  never  naughty  nor 
even  mischievous.  Still  more  strange,  he  loved  his  lessons 
and  especially  arithmetic.  He  early  showed  a  clever 
brain  and  great  perseverance  and  in  many  ways  he  was 
different  to  other  little  people  ;  for  instance,  it  was  re- 
marked that  he  took  as  much  pleasure  in  putting  his 
playthings  away  as  neatly  as  possible  as  in  playing  with 
them. 

His  mother  told  me  that  at  a  very  early  age  he  came  to 
her  saying,  "  I  have  nothing  to  do,  could  you  give  me 
some  sums  ?  "  His  little  son.  Sir  Giles,  shows  the  same 
aptitude  ;  for  being  told  on  his  6th  birthday  (Novem- 
ber 10th,  1920)  that  he  would  have  no  lessons  that  day, 


ROBIN   LODER'S   CHARACTERISTICS  331 

he  looked  quite  crestfallen  and  said,  "  Why  should  I  have 
a  disappointment  on  my  birthday  ?  " 

Robin  inherited  his  father's  and  grandfather's  love  of 
gardening,  and  when  a  little  boy  was  found  crying  bitterly 
because  he  had  by  mistake  thrown  away  his  fuchsia 
cuttings.  He  also  inherited  his  father's  shyness,  and 
there  is  a  charming  photograph  of  him  turning  away  with 
his  hands  before  his  face.  He  believed  that  if  he  did  not 
look  at  the  camera  it  could  not  take  his  photograph. 
He  had  some  characteristics  which  distinguished  him 
from  Sir  Edmund  :  he  never  took  to  riding  nor  to  cricket, 
and  till  he  was  18  or  19  years  old  did  not  show  the  slightest 
wish  to  shoot.  This  was  stranger  still,  but  I  never  heard 
his  father  attempt  to  force  Robin's  tastes  in  any  direc- 
tion, and  I  used  to  see  him  helping  his  boy  to  do  the 
things  he  was  keen  about,  and  shov/ing  him  how  to  use 
a  lathe  and  to  make  things  in  his  workshop. 

But  though  it  was  long  before  Robin  took  to  a  rifle  or 
a  gun,  he  very  m.uch  enjoyed  the  times  in  Scotland  on 
the  deer  forests.  The  first  time  he  went  was  to  Benmore 
in  1898.  This  year  was  a  marked  one  in  the  Loder  family's 
Scotch  annals,  for  there  entered  the  family  circle  a  collie 
named  "  Ross,"  which  played  a  very  important  part  in 
their  lives,  and  was  indeed  the  pride  of  Leonardslee  for 
thirteen  years  and  Sir  Edmund's  inseparable  companion. 
It  would  never  do  to  leave  Ross  out  in  any  account  of 
either  Sir  Edmund  or  Robin.  It  was  the  proprietor  of 
the  hotel  at  Inveran  who  in  1898  gave  Ross  to  Robin. 
I  have  never  seen  a  more  beautiful  specimen  of  the  breed 
than  Ross,  and  no  more  sagacious  collie  ever  breathed  ; 
he  was  beautiful  in  every  way,  with  perfect  manners  and 
temper.     Sir  Edmund's  daughter  Patience  says  of  Ross  : 

"  For  many  years  our  dear  old  collie  Ross  went  with 
my  father  stalking,  and  if  he  wounded  a  stag  Ross  was 
always  trusted  to  chase  it ;  and  he  seemed  to  understand 
his  job,  for  he  never  made  a  sound  till  he  brought  his 
stag  to  bay  in  a  burn — then  he  would  bark  from  pleasure 
and    excitement.     Ross's   exploits    and   accomplishments 


332  ROBIN   LODER  [ch.  xvi 

were  many,  and  varied  from  hunting  a  stag  to  sitting  up 
on  his  hind-legs  and  holding  a  biscuit  on  his  nose  for  my 
mother's  Borzoi  '  Masha '  to  take  !  We  were  all  devoted 
to  him  and  he  was  father's  closest  companion  for  many 
years." 


When  unwatched  Ross  would  succumb  to  temptation, 
and  he  and  Masha  would  go  out  poaching  together  and 
were  a  very  deadly  combination  against  rabbits.  Ross 
would  find  the  rabbits  and  "  set  "  them  in  the  grass  or 
bracken,  and  Masha  would  dash  in  and,  even  if  she  missed 
her  snatch,  make  short  work  of  the  course  and  the  rabbit. 
Masha,  like  most  poachers,  was  a  thief,  and  it  was  never 
safe  to  leave  her  a  minute  in  the  dining-room.  In  an 
attempt  to  cure  her  the  skin  of  a  potato  was  filled  with 
mustard  and  left  where  she  could  easily  steal  it.  She 
stole  it  all  right,  but  turned  the  tables  on  her  punishers 
by  carrying  the  potato  to  the  drawing-room  and  letting 
the  mustard  ooze  out  over  and  into  the  bear-skin  hearth- 
rug, and  then  looked  up  with  the  plain  question  in  her  eyes 
and  attitude,  "  Do  you  expect  me  to  eat  this  ?  "  I  have 
been  on  the  forest  with  Ross  ;  he  was  a  most  useful  deer- 
hound,  and  there  is  a  photograph  of  a  pretty  picture  of 
him  sitting  on  the  body  of  a  stag,  which  he  brought  to 
bay  in  a  burn,  held  up  till  it  died  and  stayed  by  the 
body  of  which  he  had  charge  in  this  way  till  the  keeper 
came. 

In  1899  the  Loders  were  at  Clunie  Lodge,  twenty-five 
miles  from  Invermorrison,  and  at  the  very  end  of  the 
season  Lady  Loder  had  a  very  terrible  accident  whilst 
out  deer-stalking.  She  fell  over  a  precipitous  rocky  brae 
and  was  very  nearly  killed.  The  man  who  got  down  to 
her  did  not  expect  to  find  her  alive,  and  years  passed 
before  she  recovered  from  the  effects  of  her  injuries. 
Robin  was  at  school  when  this  happened,  and  it  was  not 
till  the  Christmas  holidays  that  his  mother  described  to 
him  how  nearly  she  had  been  killed  ;  but  she  had  to  stop 
and  change  the  subject,  as  the  boy's  eyes  filled  with  tears. 


AT   SCHOOL  333 

On  the  occasion  of  this  accident  Sir  Edmund  asked  the 
keepers  what  they  did  in  the  way  of  first  aid  on  reaching 
Lady  Loder.  One  of  them  answered,  "  I  looked  at  my 
watch."  Sir  Edmund  pressed  for  an  explanation  of  this 
apparently  unnecessary  action,  and  got  it :  "In  case  I 
should  be  asked  at  the  inquest."  Robin  had  the  tender 
heart  of  his  father,  and  it  has  shown  itself  again  in  the 
little  Giles  his  son.  For  in  1919  and  1920  Robin's  widow 
was  lent  Clunie  Lodge  during  the  summer  by  Robin's 
great  friend  Mr.  Charles  Williams.  His  mother  told  Giles 
one  day  if  he  came  a  little  farther  he  could  see  "  where 
Grannie  fell  down  the  mountain  "  ;  but  he  absolutely 
refused,  saying  he  could  not  bear  to  see  it,  and  whenever 
the  accident  was  referred  to  he  would  say  "  Please  do  not 
speak  of  it." 

Robin  began  to  shoot  about  1906,  but  of  that  anon. 

In  1897  after  Easter  Robin  went  to  school  to  Mr. 
Hawtrey  at  St.  Michael's,  Westgate-on-Sea,  and  was  there 
till  he  went  to  Eton  for  the  summer  term  of  1900.  He 
took  middle  fourth  at  Eton-  This  was  a  slight  disap- 
pointment to  his  parents  and  they  were  anxious  to  hear 
the  result  of  "  trials."  Robin  wired  "  passed  fairly." 
The  subject  was  not  mentioned  further  at  the  time.  When 
the  first  days  of  his  first  holidays  from  Eton  had  passed, 
he  was  questioned  again — he  then  "  confessed  "  he  had 
been  first  in  trials  and  had  taken  a  double  remove  !  It 
was  rather  like  Robin,  when  the  reason  was  extracted 
for  withholding  this  gratifying  news,  that  "  he  had  not 
been  listening  when  the  list  was  being  read  out  "  till  a 
dozen  or  so  of  the  names  had  been  read,  and  then  hearing 
other  names  and  not  his  own  he  was  beginning  to  be 
anxious,  when  a  boy  told  him  he  had  "  passed  all  right " 
— hence  the  cautious  telegram. 

At  Eton  he  was  in  Mr.  Ford's  House  for  a  year.  The 
reports  of  his  first  term  were  accompanied  by  letters  from 
Dr.  Alington  and  Mr.  Ford,  the  present  (1922)  head 
masters  of  Eton  and  Harrow.  All  his  reports  with  letters 
have  been  bound  and  are  books  to  be  proud  of.     When 


334  ROBIN   LODER  [ch.  xvi 

Mr.  Ford  gave  up  his  House,  Robin  went  to  Mr.  Stone's. 
He  was  "  sent  up  for  good  "  eleven  times,  principally  for 
mathematics,  and  his  last  two  terms  in  sixth  form.  In 
July  1905  he  passed  in  six  subjects  in  the  Higher  Oxford 
and  Cambridge  Examinations.  The  following  year  he 
went  to  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  for  three  years  and 
studied  Mechanical  Science  and  took  an  Honours  Degree 
(2nd  class).  Whilst  at  Cambridge  he  formed  a  very  close 
friendship  with  Charlie  Williams,  the  son  of  his  father's 
friend  J.  C.  Williams  of  Caerhays.  They  had  known  each 
other  at  Eton,  and  after  their  Cambridge  days  they  went 
off  together  on  a  shooting  trip  to  New  Zealand  in  1911 
and  returned  home  across  America. 

On  August  9th,  1913,  he  married  Miss  Muriel  Hoare, 
the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Rolls  Hoare  of 
Horsham. 

I  have  already  said  that  it  was  some  time  before  sport 
had  any  attraction  for  Robin  Loder  ;  but  at  last  the  red 
deer  awoke  his  hereditary  instincts  and  he  took  to  the 
hill  as  a  duck  to  water.  He  enjoyed  walking  and  climb- 
ing all  day  and  never  seemed  to  tire.  He  killed  his  first 
beast  on  September  18th,  1906,  and  became  a  good  stalker 
and  a  good  shot.  Robin's  initiation  to  the  sport  took 
place  at  Hopfreben,  and  this  was  the  manner  of  it :  He 
loved  the  mountains  and  had  a  good  head  for  them,  and 
the  jagers  liked  going  with  him,  for  they  could  take  him 
anywhere — he  was  so  safe  and  sure.  The  mountains  of 
this  famous  chamois  ground  are  particularly  steep  and 
precipitous,  and  Robin  and  his  father  often  complained 
they  could  not  take  a  nap  after  lunch — to  roll  over  in 
your  sleep  was  to  roll  over  a  precipice,  and  even  to  nod 
was  not  without  its  risk  !  Robin  had  been  persuaded  to 
fire  a  few  shots  at  a  target  so  as  to  take  his  mother's  place 
in  a  chamois  drive  "  if  necessary  "  ;  and  it  so  happened 
late  one  afternoon  one  of  the  jagers  came  in  to  say  that 
a  starker  buck  was  in  sight  from  the  house — but  he  must 
be  reached  within  an  hour  or  light  would  fail.     The  Frau 


CHAMOIS-SHOOTING  335 

Baronin  could  not  get  there  in  an  hour,  so  Robin  was 
persuaded  at  last  to  try  his  hand.  He  was  watched  with 
glasses,  and  the  onlookers  saw  the  chamois  roll  over  before 
the  sound  of  the  shot  reached  them,  Robin  returned 
with  his  buck,  which  weighed  41 1  kilos.  ^  His  father  had 
up  to  that  date  killed  99  chamois  at  Hopfreben  but  none 
so  heavy  as  this. 

The  following  I  take  from  his  sister's  reminiscences  of 
Hopfreben  and  Scotland : 

"As  a  change  from  Scotland  we  went  to  Hopfreben  in 
the  Tyrol  for  chamois-shooting.  It  was  a  very  lovely 
place  ;  the  house  was  built  like  a  Swiss  chalet  and  had 
a  veranda  running  all  round  and  a  very  overhanging 
roof.  Inside  it  was  luxurious  to  a  degree — a  grand  piano 
(it  was  always  a  mystery  how  it  ever  got  up  the  very  steep 
and  narrow  drive  to  the  house)  and  a  more  enormous 
arm-chair  than  I  have  ever  seen  in  any  house  !  The  most 
interesting  people  there  were  Frau  Hurtel,  the  house- 
keeper, and  '  Alban '  her  St.  Bernard  dog.  She  was 
devoted  to  father  from  the  first  moment,  as  his  was  the 
German  she  could  easily  understand.  The  hours  we  kept 
there  were  early,  the  stalking  party  starting  out  at  3.30 
a.m.  and  coming  back  about  7  p.m. 

"  Frau  Hurtel  alwavs  met  father  in  the  hall  on  his 
return,  with  a  glass  of  whisky  and  milk,  and  insisted  on 
taking  off  his  heavy  nailed  boots  with  the  long  eisen  in 
the  heels  ;  but  whether  this  was  pure  devotion  or  only 
out  of  consideration  for  the  carpets,  we  never  knew. 
Then  came  an  awful  day  when  Alban  was  very  ill  (over- 
feeding and  no  exercise)  and  Briicker,  the  jager,  said  he 
must  be  shot.  '  No  one  but  the  Herr  Baron  should  do 
it,  then,'  said  Frau  Hurtel.  The  Herr  Baron  declined, 
as  he  had  no  shot  gun,  but  said  he  would  see  that  Briicker 
understood  how  to  do  it  quite  painlessly.  The  hour 
chosen  was  when  we  were  all  at  dinner,  and  just  as  Frau 
Hurtel  was  handing  me  the  potatoes  the  shot  rang  out ; 
she  dropped  the  dish  and  fled  for  comfort  to  her  kitchen  ! 
Poor  soul,  by  the  next  year  she  had  another  '  Alban  ' 
exactly  like  the  last  and  who  probably  shared  his  prede- 

^  88  lb.     About  45  kilos  is,  I  believe,  the  record  "  clean  "  weight  for 
Austrian  chamois. — A.  E.  P. 


336  ROBIN   LODER  [ch.  xvi 

cesser's  fate,  as  during  the  winter  he  Uved  entirely  in  the 
kitchen  and  ate  all  day  ! 

"  The  hills  were  very  steep,  and  this  terrified  some  of 
the  party — father  and  Robin  hardly  noticed  them.  Both 
had  excellent  heads  for  heights — even  the  stalkers  acknow- 
ledge that  ;  they  always  said  they  could  take  '  der  kleiner 
Baron  '  where  they  would  not  dream  of  taking  another 
Englishman." 

On  August  4th,  1914,  Robin  Loder  was  with  his  regi- 
ment, the  4th  Sussex,  on  the  way  to  Salisbury  Plain  when 
war  was  declared.  On  mobilisation  they  were  sent  to 
the  War  Station  at  Newhaven  till  May  1915 — then  once 
more  he  was  at  Cambridge  for  three  days  when  en  route 
for  Bedford.  The  regiment  remained  at  Bedford  till 
July.  On  July  17th  they  sailed  from  Devonport  and 
eventually  landed  at  Suvla  Bay.  At  this  time  Robin  was 
machine-gun  officer.  He  was  seconded  as  Brigade 
Machine-gun  Officer  on  September  3rd,  and  was  in  the 
Gallipoli  Peninsula  till  the  evacuation.  He  stood  the 
hardships  of  this  awful  campaign  and  was  one  of  three 
out  of  twenty-nine  officers  who  was  never  in  hospital. 
Even  during  the  blizzard  and  the  privations  of  the  evacua- 
tion he  took  no  harm. 

Then  the  53rd  Division  was  sent  to  Egypt,  and  on 
May  1st,  1916,  Robin  was  seconded  as  Staff-Captain.  In 
this  year  General  Sir  Archibald  Murray,  K.C.B.,  men- 
tioned him  in  dispatches  for  his  distinguished  services 
between  June  1st  and  September  30th  (1916).  He  was 
again  mentioned  in  dispatches.  Then  his  regiment  moved 
up  towards  Gaza,  and  on  March  26th,  in  the  Battle  of 
Gaza,  he  was  fatally  wounded.  Three  days  later  he  gave 
up  his  young  life  in  the  hospital  at  Khan  Yunis.  He  was 
reburied  on  May  13th,  1919,  at  Deir  el  Belah,  between 
Kasa  and  Gaza  ;  his  body  lies  in  Grave  72,  Plot  C.  "  He 
was  one  of  the  bravest  soldiers  ever  seen."  A  great  friend 
of  mine  who  was  killed  in  the  first  battle  of  Ypres  believed 
that  there  was  a  special  place  hereafter  for  those  who  die 
for  their  country.     There  is  a  special  place  too  for  them 


"AUF   WIEDERSEHEN  »  337 

in  our  lives  and  hearts,  in  which,  though  they  be  dead, 
they  still  speak  to  us. 

And  now  all  I  can  say  to  father  and  son  as  I  come  to  my 
last  chapter  is  "  Auf  wiedersehen." 

I  give  a  complete  letter  from  Edmund  Loder  about 
Robin.     It  is  dated  April  10  (1917)  from  Leonardslee  : 

"  Dear  Alfred, 

"  If  anything  could  lessen  my  sorrow  it  would  be 
a  letter  like  yours  written  from  the  heart.  The  boy  was 
everything  to  me :  he  entered  into  so  many  pursuits 
with  keenness  and  worked  hand  in  hand  with  me  in  all 
our  little  schemings  in  the  garden,  woods  and  lathe-room. 

"  We  were  just  good  pals  and  partners  ;  he  was  to  me 
a  dear  friend,  an  able  colleague  and  a  charming  companion 
as  well  as  a  loving  son, 

"  Nothing  could  have  been  further  from  his  character 
than  fighting  and  soldiering  ;  but  yet  from  a  sense  of  duty 
he  joined  the  Territorials  some  years  before  the  War,  and 
since  that  time  he  does  his  work  with  energy  and  efficiency. 
He  has  been  on  the  Staff  of  5  or  6  Generals  in  Gallipoli 
and  in  Egypt,  and  besides  being  mentioned  in  despatches, 
they  have  all  spoken  very  highly  of  his  conduct. 

"  I  try  and  comfort  myself  by  thinking  of  his  30  years 
of  blameless  life  well  lived,  and  of  his  work  well  done, 
but  I  shall  always  miss  him  terribly. 

"  I  remain, 

Yours  aff^, 

E.  G.  Loder." 


CHAPTER   XVII 

"  HE   PASSETH    ON   ALSO  " 

"  Linquenda  tellus  et  domus  et  placens 
Uxor  :   neque  hariam,  quas  colis,  arborum 
Te,  praeter  invisas  cupressos, 
Ulla  brevem  dominum  sequetur."  ^ 

Horace. 

Some  time  before  the  outbreak  of  the  Great  War,  Sir 
Edmund  wrote  to  me  saying  that  he  was  troubled  with 
his  heart  and  asking  me  whom  I  had  consulted  about  mine 
in  London.  I  told  him  he  could  with  confidence  go  to 
Sir  James  Mackenzie.  He  wrote  again  to  me  and  gave 
me  the  opinion  and  results  of  the  diagnosis — how  that 
his  was  an  incurable  case  and  that  he  would  have  to  go 
slow  and  avoid  worry  and  physical  exertion.  Some  men 
would  dramatically  tell  their  friends  after  such  an  inter- 
view that  they  had  been  sentenced  to  death.  Doctors  do 
not  sentence  us — we  are  sentenced  to  death  the  moment 
we  commence  our  sentence  to  live.  The  physician  may 
postpone  at  times  the  fulfilment  of  the  sentence  and  help 
us  through  the  journey  in  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow. 
Loder  as  usual  measured  up  the  facts,  and  in  his  philo- 
sophic way  recognised  them  and  made  the  best  of  the 

^  Sir  Herbert  Maxwell  quoted  these  most  appropriate  lines  in  an  article 
on  Sir  E.  G.  Loder  in  1920.  I  have  attempted  to  render  at  least  their 
meaning  into  English  verse  : 

"  His  gentle  wife,  his  home,  his  lands, 
All  that  he  cherished  here  must  now  be  left. 
The  trees  he  owned  and  tended  with  his  hands 
Through  this  short  life — of  all  but  one  bereft — ■ 
Only  a  Cypress  spreads 
In  silent  gloom 

That  shadow  which  man  dreads 
Across  his  tomb." 

338 


THE   ANXIOUS   PERIOD   OF  THE   WAR        339 

limits  fixed  to  his  activities.  Like  most  of  us  who  grow 
old,  doubtless  the  realisation  that  his  life  was  behind  him 
came  upon  him  not  altogether  suddenly,  but  in  its  fullness 
when  his  mind  and  his  heart  were  still  very  young.  It 
comes  to  us  sooner  or  later  one  day  as  a  shock  that  of 
nearly  all  we  hoped  to  see  and  do  all  has  been  seen 
and  is  done.  When  I  got  Loder's  letter  I  pictured  him 
going  home  and  quietly  making  up  his  mind  that  he 
had  reached  the  evening  of  his  day,  and  that  with  care 
he  might  have  some  years  of  happiness  in  his  home ; 
he  would  still  be  able  to  do  many  things  he  loved  to 
do,  and  was  but  limited  in  the  direction  of  physical 
exertion. 

The  war  came — a  trial  for  the  sound  hearts  of  those 
whose  dear  ones  were  in  the  thick  of  the  fight.  Anxious 
days  and  nights  made  up  slowly  the  tale  of  weeks  and 
months  and  years.  Then  came  to  him  too  the  dreaded 
and  desolating  news. 

Some  three  or  four  months  before  going  to  Scotland 
and  the  Tay  and  within  five  months  of  his  death  he  wrote 
me  the  following  letter.  I  give  it  in  full  for  several 
reasons  :  it  is  characteristic,  it  is  touching  in  the  pathos 
of  its  simplicity,  he  gauges  his  strength  as  accurately  as 
a  man  can  ;  moreover,  in  this  memoir,  as  yet,  there  is  but 
a  single  letter  of  his  given  in  full.  To  me  a  letter  like  this 
from  him  told  me  all,  and  more  definitely  than  a  long 
one  could  have  conveyed  : 

"  Leonardslee,  Horsham,  Sussex, 

November  2'kth,   1919. 

"  Dear  Alfred, 

"  I    have    been    reading  your  book  about  Christo- 
pher ;  1   it  is  very  interesting  and  touching. 

"  I  ought  to  have  been  able  to  have  done  something 
similar  about  our  dear  Robin. 

"  I  keep  fairly  well,  but  my  heart  trouble  does  not 
get  any  less  and  is  not  likely  to  do  so. 

^  Mj'-  son,  who  was  killed  in  1918  in  the  war.  In  a  previous  letter  he 
says  almost  the  same  thing  as  in  these  first  two  sentences,  but  adds  to  the 
second  "  but  I  had  not  the  heart  to  do  it." 


340  "HE   PASSETH   ON  ALSO"  [ch.  xvii 

"  It  takes  the  form  of  breathlessness  with  very  sHght 
exertion,  so  that  I  can  do  very  Httle. 

"  I  have  got  a  beat  on  the  Tay  for  next  March,  but  hardly 
know  whether  I  shall  manage  it.  The  fishing  is  mostly 
harling  from  a  boat :  I  certainly  could  not  do  a  day's 
casting.  If  you  ever  come  south  give  us  a  chance  of 
seeing  you. 

"  I  remain 

Your  aff. 

E.    G.    LODER." 

In  March  1920  he  went  to  the  Tay,  as  he  had  done  for 
several  years,  for  the  only  form  of  sport  that  w^as  still 
within  the  limits  of  his  strength,  salmon  fishing  and  harl- 
ing from  a  boat.  But  even  this  was  now  too  much  for 
him.  He  became  ill,  and  accompanied  by  a  nurse  he 
arrived  once  more  at  Leonardslee.  He  walked  into  the 
house  and  went  straight  into  his  little  room  near  the 
entrance  hall  to  see  his  letters,  exactly  in  the  same  old 
way.  Lady  Loder  suggested  to  him  that  after  his  long 
journey  he  had  better  leave  his  pile  of  papers  and  corre- 
spondence and  come  upstairs.  He  "  supposed  he  had 
better" — and  in  his  own  room  and  in  his  own  home  he 
passed  the  last  weeks  of  his  life.  He  suffered  discomfort 
but  not  much  actual  pain,  and  then  without  a  struggle 
on  Wednesday  night,  April  14th,  1920,  the  wonderful 
light  went  out  of  those  eyes,  the  clever  nervous  hands 
had  done  all  they  had  to  do  and  he  left  the  body  behind 
him  which  had  served  him  so  well  for  more  than  seventy 
years.  On  April  19th,  without  pomp  but  in  the  company 
of  many  mourners,  his  body  was  carried  in  a  moss-lined 
farm  wagon  drawn  by  four  horses  to  the  old  parish  church 
at  Lower  Seeding.  On  the  coffin  rested  a  full-length 
cross  of  the  beautiful  rhododendrons  "  Glory  of  Leonards- 
lee "  ;  lovely  blooms  of  the  same  plant  were  massed 
beneath  the  memorial  window  to  his  boy  Robin.  The 
service  at  his  burial  included  the  Foresters'  Ritual,  and 
as  the  congregation  followed  the  body  out  of  the  church 
the  organ  gave  forth  Spohr's  "  Blest  are  the  departed." 


HIS   GARDEN   HIS   COMFORT  341 

So  his  body  was  laid  in  the  flower-decked  grave  with  this 
inscription  on  the  coffin  : 

EDMUND   GILES   LODER,   2nd   Baronet 

BORN   AUGUST    7TH,    1849.      DIED    APRIL    14TH,    1929. 

JESU   MERCY 

I  end  this  memoir  with  the  words  of  his  daughter : 

"  The  garden  was  really  his  greatest  interest,  and  during 
those  terrible  years  of  war,  especially  when  the  blow  fell 
which  broke  his  heart,  it  was  to  his  garden  he  went  for 
comfort ;  and  found  it,  I  think,  and  strength  as  well  to 
take  up  his  life  again  and  to  face  the  world  like  so  many 
fathers  who  had  given  their  best. 

"  '  He  made  the  rhododendron,'  a  friend  said  once. 
Certainly  the  one  named  after  him  is  very  lovely  with  a 
beauty  all  its  own.  Apart  from  its  size  and  the  texture 
of  its  flowers,  it  grows  as  if  it  loved  living  there  ;  it  is  at 
home,  and  is  content  and  grateful  and  gives  of  its  best. 
The  great  plant  of  '  Pink  Coral '  which  grows  against 
some  dark  trees  has  flowered  this  year  (1920)  as  never 
before,  and  with  the  sun  shining  behind  it  and  lighting 
up  each  individual  truss,  and  turning  each  flower  into 
exquisite  loveliness,  one  instinctively  thinks  of  the  brain 
and  perseverance  which  went  to  the  making  of  so  much 
beauty. 

"  Father  had  a  peculiar  grasp  of  any  subject  in  which 
he  was  interested  and  an  extraordinary  memory — no 
detail  ever  escaped  him,  and  his  interests  ranged  from 
astronomy  and  colour  photography  and  from  collecting 
conifers  to  jade.  He  had  also  the  fine  qualities  of  a  great 
nature,  absolute  loyalty  to  his  friends  and  generosity  to 
his  enemies,  and  in  addition  to  this  a  friend  said  of  him 
'  a  boy's  keen  fresh  English  heart.' 

"  '  What  more  is  wanted  ?     He  was  indeed  one 
Who  dying  leaves  as  his  bequest 
An  added  beauty  to  the  earth.' 

"  I  wonder  whether  the  Garden  he  now  walks  in  is 
much  fairer  than  the  beloved  one  here  which  he  made  so 


342  "HE   PASSETH   ON   ALSO"  [ch.  xvii 

beautiful ;    and  I  like  to  think  of  him  gardening   still — 
privileged  to  add  even  to  the  glories  of  Paradise." 

In  Lower  Beeding  churchyard  there  is  a  grey  granite  cross 
with  a  bronze  crucifix  attached,  and  below  these  words  : 

THE    PEACE    OF    CHRIST    CRUCIFIED 

BE  WITH  EDMUND  GILES  LODER 

BORN    AUGUST    7,    1849. 

DIED    APRIL    14,    1920. 

A  stone  table  has  been  erected  in  the  prettiest  part  of 
Leonardslee  garden  with  the  inscription  : 

TO   THE   MEMORY   OF   EDMUND    GILES   LODER,   WHO   MADE 
AND   LOVED   THESE   GARDENS. 


FINIS 


INDEX 

The  Specimens  in  Loder^s  Collection  finding  a  place  in  Roivland   Ward's 
Big  Game  Records,'^  pp.  322-8,  are  not  included  in  this  Index. 


Abo,  146 

Abud,  Major,  276 

Abyssinians,  283  et  seq. 

Achdalieu,  267 

Aden,  148-277  et  seq.,  291  ;    tanks, 

148 
Adenium  speciosum,  224 
S.S.  Adolph  Woermann,  290 
S.S.  Adriatic,  230 
Agra,  164 
Ain  Hammia,  249 
Ain  Naga,  246 
Ain  Tarfa,  243 
Ajaecio,  219 
Akbou,  214 
Aleveras  Grove,  130 
Alexander  III  (Russia),  36 
Alexandra,  Grand  Duchess,  35 
Alexandria,  148 
Algeria,    211    et    seq.  ;     books    on, 

211-13;    big  game  of,  213,  230 

et  seq. 
Algiers,  212,  219,  245 
Alington,  Mr.  (Eton),  333 
Allyghur,  165,  172 
Alpine  plants,  225  ;    flora,  265 
A1.SOO,  154 
Amarkhadou(Djebel),211,  237,238, 

243,  250,  255 
Amat   (deer   forest),    44,    141,    159, 

217,  230 
America,   see   Ch.  V,    89    et    seq.  ; 

Civil  War,  vi,  90  ;    horses,  92 
Amritsar,  163 

Andaman  Islands,  143,  180 
Anderson,  Dr.,  276,  279,  281 
Anson,  Col.  and  Mrs.  (Penang),  186 
Anstruther,  Col.  B.  LI.,  56 
"Antony"     (Loder's    Indian    ser- 
vant), 150,  151 
Arboretum  (Chicago),  104 
Arlee,  226,  229 

23  343 


Aspidium  munitum,  230 

Assam,  165,  169  ;    rainfall,  149 

Athi  River,  290 

Atlas  Range,  234,  237 

Aures  Mts.,  211  et  seq.,  213,  234, 

336 
Aures  insurrection,  215 
S.S.  Australia,  287 
Awbahadleh,  287 
Aylmer,  Percy,  275 

Animals  (in  addition  see  pp.  322-8) 

Addax  {A.  nasomaculatus) ,  242-3, 
251  ;    a  tame  A.,  252 

Admi  gazelle  (G.  cuvieri),  233,  see 
Ch.  X,  239  ;  stalking,  249  ; 
weight  and  measurements,  251 

Alikud  (Somali  Klipspringer),  280 

Alligators,  192 

Ammodorcas  clarkei,  282  ;  measure- 
ments, 282 

Antelope,  see  Prong-horn  Antelope 

Antilocapra  americana,  108  n. 

Argali,  177  n. 

Arui  (Ovis  lervii),  29,  30,  31,  177  n., 
211;  in  the  Metlili,  215; 
habits,  216  and  n.,  233  et  seq., 
236  n.,  238  ;  vigilance  of, 
240-1  ;  measurements,  244, 
248  ;  Loder's  big  ram,  247-8  ; 
in  Tunisia,  254  ;  a  coveted 
ram,  255,  256.     See  Ch.  X 

Aurochs  (Bos  bonasus),  104,  204 


Badminton,  game  of,  150 
Baillie-Grohman,  W.  A.,  259 
Baker,  Sir  Samuel  (rifles),  171 
Balfour,  Arthur,  47 
Balfour,  Gerald,  47 
Balfour,    Prof.    Bayley,    223  ;     Sir 
Isaac  Bayley  Balfour,  310 


344 


INDEX 


Bandong,  194  et  seq. 

Bankok,  183 

Baramola,  152  et  seq. 

Barawai  tree,  224 

Barclay  (friend  of  W.  Loder),  159 

Bardeau,  Count,  258-9 

Baring,  Miss,  171 

Barker,  George,  290 

Barnes,  J.  K.,  80 

Bastia,  219 

S.S.  Bastia,  246 

Batack  (volcano,  Java),  192 

Batacks,  the  (Sumatra),  187  et  seq. 

Batavia,  192 

Bate,  Mr.,  246,  250 

Batna,  215 

Bayleys,  the  (Calcutta),  171 

Beach  House  (Worthing),  50,  54  n., 
55 

Bear  Creek,  131 

Beckford,  Peter,  223 

Behama,  253 

Bell,  Wm.,  185 

Bemmelen,  Dr.  W,  van  (on  Vol- 
canoes), 193 

Benaig,  160 

Benares,  165 

Ben  Derouich,  Mustapha,  215 

Ben  Gana  (the  Agha  of  Biskra), 
217  n. 

Beni  Mansour,  214 

Beni  Salah  (forest  of),  218 

Benmore,  160 

Ben  More  Asynt,  267 

Ben  Zagouti,  Si  Larbi,  214 

Berar  (political  questions),  179 

Berbera,  275,  278 

Bergman,  184 

Berlin,  147 

Bhamo,  183 

Bhoteahs,  the,  179 

Bir  Aioueen,  243 

Bir  Beresof,  243,  251 

Biskra,  211  et  seq.  (Kaid  of,  217), 
237,  251,  255 

Bisley,  208.     See  Ch.  XIII 

Black  Hawk,  114 

Black  Willow  Creek  (catastrophe), 
137 

Blida,  214 

Blyth,  Hon.  Audley  and  Mrs., 
290-1 

Bokhara,  148 

Bologna,  147 

Bombay,   147,   149 

Bone,  217-18 

Borecherdt,  115,  116 

Bott,  John  and  Elizabeth,  36 

Bou  Dhiaf  (Boudief),  215 


Bougie,  214 

Bourka,  285 

Bramber,  Rape  of,  40 

Breadalbane,  Lord  and  Lady,  277 

Brindisi,   147 

British  Columbia,  226 

British   East    Africa,    233,    290   et 

seq.     See  Ch.  XII 
Bromo  (volcano),  193 
Brosse,  M.,  214 
Brown,  Col.  (Commissioner,  Moul- 

mein),   183 
Brown,  Mr.,  127 
Buffalo  Bill,  95 
Buffalo  City  in  1873,  107,  201 
Buffalo-himtmg,    95,     109   et   seq., 

136    et    seq.  ;     shooting    frona 

horseback,  137 
Buffalo  Station,  107 
Buitenzorg,  192,  194 
Burma,  142-3 
Burrell,    Sir    Chas.    Ra\Tiiond,    41, 

55 
Burrell  (Etheldreda),  Lady,  38  and 

n.,  55,  72,   129 
Burrell,  Sir  Merrick,  55,  258 
Burrell,  Sir  Percy  and  Ladv,  148 
Burrell,  Sybil  (birth  of),  129 
Burrell,  Sir  Walter,  41  and  n. 
Burton,  Sir  Richard,  275 
Bushire,  147 
Busk,  Capt.  H.,  38,  39 
Busk,  Hans,  37,  159 
Busk,  Joe,  141 
Busk,    Julia    Clara,    37,     39 ;    her 

works,  39 
Busk,  Maria  Georgiana,  37 
Busk,  Rachel,  53 
Busk,  Sir  Wadsworth,  37 
Bioxton,    Edward   North,    27,    211, 

216,  236,  245,  291 
Buxton,  Gerald,  211 
Byrne,  Julia  Clara,  37,  53 
Byrne,  Merielle  (marriage  of),  127 
Byrne,  Wm.  Pitt,  37,  39,  71 
Bvron,  Lord,  6,  7,  21,  145,  192 


Animals 

Baira  gaze\\e(  Dorcotragusmelanotis) , 

280  ;    measurements,  281 
Bantin   {Bos   sondaicus — Sumatran 

buffalo),  188 
Barasingh    {Ccrvus    cashmirianus), 

152   and  n.,    160;     weight  of, 

160 
Barbary  Wild  Sheep,    29,    30,   31. 

See  Arui  and  Ovis  lervii 


INDEX 


845 


Bears,  153  et  seq.  ;   weights  of,  159 
and  n. 
Alaskan  B.   {Ursus  arctus  dalli), 

159  n. 
Cashmere  Black  B.  ( U.  torquatus), 

154  et  seq. 
Cinnamon  or  Snow  B.  {U.  arctus 
isabelUnus) ,     also     called     the 
Red  B.  and  Himalayan  Brown 
B.,  155-8 
Grizzly  B.  (U.  horribilis),  159 
Kodiak  B.  ( U.  arctus  middendorfi) , 

weight  of,  159  n. 
Polar  B.  {U.  maritimus),  159  n. 
Beisa  Oryx,  293 
Bharal  (Caucasian),  177  n. 
Bighorn,  134  et  seq.,  177  n. 
Bison  (see  also  Buffalo)  :  American 
bison  {Bos  bison)  or  "  bufialo," 

104  n.  ;  their  numbers,  106  ; 
uses  to  Red  Indians,  106 ; 
American  mountain  bison,  134, 
201  n. 

Caucasian  (B.  bonnsus),  105  n. 
European     {B.      bonasus),      104, 

105  n. 

Indian  [B.  gaurus),  145,  165 
Toungou  (Burma),  182 

Black-tailed  deer  (Mazama  Colum- 
biana), 118 

Bos  bison,  see  Bison 

B.  bison  athabascce,  104  n. 

B.  cafer  (African  bufialo),  233 

Bubal,  the,  233,  244 

Buffalo  (American,  see  also  Bison), 
95,  105  et  seq.  ;  numbers 
killed  by  hunters,  107,  108  n.  ; 
head  measurements,  112,  128, 
136  et  seq.,  139,  141  n. ; 
(Bizerta),  233 

Bushbuck,  293 

C 

Cabell,  Dr.,  99 

Cacti,  222-4  and  ns.     See  Ch.  IX 

Cagliari,  219 

Calcutta,  167,  171,  179,  181 

Calcutta,  Bishop  of,  171 

Callistoga,  128 

Calmady-Hamlyn,  V.,  246 

Calverley,  8 

Cameron's  Ranch,   129 

Camorta,  180,  183 

Camperdown,  Lord,  167-8,   168  n., 

170 
Canada,  143,  201 
Cannes,  11 
Caiion  Camp,  227 


Canova,  Dr.,  253 

Canton,  196 

Carigola,  179 

Carnes,  Hank,  226  et  seq. 

Cascades,  the,  102 

Cashmere,    22,    142-3,    145-8,    151, 

153  (bears),  161 
Caspian  Sea,  147 
Cautley,  Capt.,  150,  153 
Cazalet,  Mr.,  47  n. 
Cedar  Forest  (Teniet  el  Had),  214 
Central  City,  114 
Chambas  (at  El  Oued  Souf),  253 
Chang  (the  giant),  196 
Chapman,  Mr.  (Chowchilla  Ranch), 

129 
Cheraponjee,  rainfall,  149 
Cheribon,  192 
Cherimai  (volcano),  192 
Cheyenne,  116 
Chicago,  104,  141 
Chikotee,  153 

Chillianwallah,  Battle  of,  163 
China,  142-3  ;   Loder's  itinerary  in 

C,  199-200 
Cholera,  186 
Chott  Djereed,  243 
Chottfl,  the,  252 
Chowchilla  Ranch,  129 
Clark,  Alvan,  85,  150,  202 
Clarke's  Ranch,   130 
Clearwater  Valley,  226 
Clumbia,    188 
Clunie  Lodge,  332-3 
Cobbold,  J.,  254 
Cobiu-g,  Prince  Philip  of,  258 
Columbia,  190 

Conifers  (at  Leonardslee),  272 
Constantine,  214,  219 
Cooke,  Capt.,  183 
Cooke,  John  Esten,  102 
Coote,   Col.   and  Mrs.   (Jubbulpur), 

149,  171 
Corbui,  164 
Corington,  102 
Corriemulzie,  159 
Corsica,  219 
Corti,  219 
Cottesloe,   Lord,  vii,   25.     See  Ch. 

XIII 
Country  Life,  13,  14,  21  n. 
Cox,  Capt.  (Sir  Percy),  276  and  n. 
Crossbows,  see  Ch.  XllI 
Cuningham,    Gen.    and  Mrs.,    277, 

287 


Animals 
Capra  caucasia  (Bharal),  177  n. 


346 


INDEX 


Caprn falcon eri  cashjniriensisCPanjaA 

Markhor),  156 
Capricornis     sumatrensis     (Serow), 

226  n. 
Capybara,  8,  66  and  n. 
Cashmere  stag  (Cervus   cashmirien- 

sis),  152 
Caucasian  bison,  105  n.,  204 
Cervus : 

C.  axis  (Cheetal), 

C.  canadensis  songarias,  178  n. 

C.  canadensis  typicus,  103  n. 

C.  duvauceli,  152 

C.  elaphus  barbarus  (Beni  Sallah), 

218  andn.,  233 
C.  elaphus  maral,  178  n. 
C.   elaphus  scoticus,   218  n.     See 

Red  deer 
C.  unicolor  typicus   (Sambur    or 

Sambar),  175 
G.  yarcandensis,  178  n. 
Chamois,  62,  257  et  seq.  ;    bags  of, 
258  et  seq.  ;    weights,  259-60  ; 
abnormal,  260,  298,  335  and  n. 
See  Ch.  XI 
Cinnamon  bear,  118 
Corsican  mouflon,  11  n. 
Coypus,  8,  66 

D 

Dahato  Valley  (volcanic  evidence), 

194  et  seq. 
Darjeeling,  171 
Darror  Pool,  282  et  seq. 
Date-palms,  252 
Dates  of  Souf,  252-3 
Davies,  Sir  Henry  and  Lady,  150 
Davis,  Bancroft,  94 
Debila   (Souf),    253 
Deer  forest,  86 

Deer-stalking,  164.     See  Ch.  XI 
Deghabour,  284 
Deir  el  Belah,  336 
Delamere,  Lord,   276,   278  et  seq., 

280  et  seq.,  284 
Delano,  94 

De  la  Rue,  Warren,  180 
Delhi,  163-4 
Deli,  184 

Deli,  Sultan  of,  187 
De  Mumick  (Sumatra),  189 
Dent,  Clinton,  2,  80  et  seq. 
Denver,  112  ;    besieged  by  Indians, 

113,  131,  135,  201 
Dera  Ismail  Khan,  148 
Deras,  E.,  250,  254 
Derdapoora,  154 
Devil's  Gate,  117 


Dickens,  Chas.,  90;  American  Notes, 

94    99 
Djebel  Abiad,  254 
Djebel    Amarkhadou,    see    Amark- 

hadou 
Djereed   (the   Tunisian)  and  Chott 

Djereed,  253 
Djurdjura  Mts.,  212 
Dod,  Rev.  C.  Wolley,  221,  230 
Dolomites,  the,  225 
Donkeys,  the  pink  (of  Souf),  252-3 
Donya  Sabuk,  290 
Douglas,  Rev.  S.  (sermon,  Madras), 

173,  200 
Dudly,  Gen.,  136 
Duleep  Singh,  163 
Dundonnel,  266  et  seq. 
Dutch  wars  in  Sumatra,  185  and  n. 
Duvivier,  218 

Animals 

Dero  gazelle,  280 

Dibatag  (Ammodorcas  clarkei),  282  ; 

measurements,    282 
Ditha  (Hycena  striata),  280 
Dorcas  gazelle  (see  Gazella  dorcas), 

Loder's  first,  247 
Dorcotragus  melanotis  (Baira),  280 

E 

Echo  Canon,  117 

Echinocereus  fendleri   and  gonacan- 

thus,  223,  224  n. 
Eclipse  expedition,    142,    145,    180. 

181 
Edinburgh  R.  Botanic  Garden,  223 
Edward  VII  and  tennis,  48 
Elephant-hunting,     Sumatra,      187 

et  seq.  ;    Somaliland,  285 
El  Kantara  (Algeria),   212,   214  et 

seq.,  327 
Ellis,  107 
El  Outaia,  237 
Erg,   the,    10  n. 
Espagnol  (Loder's  guide),  226 
Euphorbia  candelabra,  225 
Evans,  Mr.  (Hankow),  196 
Evans,  Tom,  117 
Everest,  Mt.,  179 

Animals 

Elephant  (Sumatra),  145-87,  285 
Elk  horns,  103 
Epping  Forest  deer,  201  n. 
Equus    asinus   somalicus  (measure- 
ment), 280 
Equus  grevii,  284 


INDEX 


3i7 


F 

S.S.  Falcon,  278 

Farnham,  G.  F.,  226 

Farragnari  Tropani,  250 

Ferguson,  184 

Ferris,  Col.  \V.  B.,  276,  278,  284 

Fincastle,  Lord,  277 

Finland,  142-3 

Fishing,  262,  263.   See  Ch.  XI,  340 

Fitzherbert,  277 

Floore,  57  and  n.,  220  et  seq.     See 

Ch.  IX,  330 
Ford,  Mr.  (Eton),  333 
Fort  Damnation,  98 
Fort  Hell,  98 

Fort  Macpherson,  135,  141  n. 
Fort  Sledwick,  98 
Fort  Wallace,  115 
Foss  (the  Whip),  128-9 
Fossville,  128 
Foster,  Sir  Michael,  221 
Foucault,  Leon,  182 
Fowler,  Sir  Robert,  14 
Fraser,  28 
Fraser,     Col.     (Asst.    Resident     at 

Hyderabad),  167-8 
Fremantle,    Hon.   T.    (Lord  Cottes- 

loe,  q.v-),  259,  300  et  seq.     See 

Ch.  XIII 
Fusiama  (volcano),  197 

Animals 

Fallow  deer,  201  and  n. 
Fauna  of  North  Africa,  242 
Flagging     Antelope     (Prong-horn), 
108 

G 

Gadabursi  Coiintry,  275 

Gagab,  284 

Gainesville,  95-6 

Gallipoli,  336 

Gambling  dens,  125 

Ganges  River,  166 

Garden  Chronicle  notices,  223  n. 

Gavarnie,  243,  246 

Gaza,  Battle  of,  336 

"  George  "  (hunter  in  the  Rockies), 

132  et  seq. 
Georgetown,  132 
S.S.  Germanic,  222 
Geysers,  the,  128  et  seq. 
Gholab  Singh,  163 
Ghurree,  153 
Giliespi9,  Rev.  John,  226 
Glacier  Point,  130  n. 
Glencalvie,  141 


Glencarron,  267 

Glenclunie,  267 

Goat  Camp,  227 

Godfrey's  Ranch,  131 

Godong  Djohore,   187 

Golconda,  tombs  of,  170 

Golden  City,  114 

Goletta,  218,  250 

Golis  Range,  279 

Goodheart,  H.  C,  231 

Goolburga,  170 

Goojerat,  Battle  of,  162 

Gordon  (Col.  or  Capt.),  178 

Gore- Brown,  Miss  M.,  277 

Goschen,   99 

Goschen  Pass,  100 

Gotha  River,  146 

Gough,  Col.,  178 

Gough,  Lord,  162 

Gould,  Mr.,  M.P.,  41 

Grafton  Hounds,  219 

Grant,  Mr.,  201 

S.S.  Great  Republic,  200 

Great  Sahara,  234 

Great  Salt  Lake,  117 

Greenfield,   Capt.    (in   Somaliland), 

284 
Green-River  Station,  116 
Gregory,  Prof.,  195 
Grey,  Albert  (Earl  Grey),  168 
Grey  of  Falloden,  Visct.,  47-8  and  n. 
Grey's  Peak,  107,  112 
Groem  (?  Graeme),   156 
Gulpjori,  171 
Gundry,  Mr.,  47  n. 
Gurney,  Gerard,  290,  293 
Guthrie,  Mr.,  127 

Animals 

Gazella  cuvieri  (admi),  see  Ch.  X, 
236  n. 

G.  dorcas,  236  n.,  246 

G.  dorcas  (reem),  see  Ch.  X,  234 
et  seq.,  250  et  seq.  ;  weight 
and  measurement,  251 

G.  spekei,  280 

"  Gazelle  des  Sables  "  (reem),  250 

Gerenuk  (Lithocranius  walleri),  280 

Giraffe,  291  et  seq. 

Goats,  wild,  177  n. 

G orals,  177  n. 

Grevy's  Zebra,  284-5 

Gum'buri  (Somali  wild  ass),  280 

H 

Haden,  Mr.  (Xagpore),  165 

Hagal,  286 

Hagard,  Mr.  (Tunis),  253 


348 


INDEX 


Hague,  J.  H.,  80 

Haines,  Sir  Fred.  (C.-in-C),  178 

Halewijn  (Asst.  Resident,  Labuan), 

187-8 
Hall,  Gen.,  131  et  seq. 
Hall,  Kav,  107-8 
Hall's  Gulch,  113,  131  et  seq.,  200 
Hall  Vallej^  Mining  Co.,  132  n. 
Hamada,  the  (Algeria),  242 
Hamilton,  Col.  (Moulmein),  182 
Hamilton,  Major  Jas.  Stevenson,  28 
Hammam  (Aures  Mts.),  244 
Hammam  Meskoulin,  218,  250 
"  Hammerkop,"    88 
Hanbury,  David,  256 
Hanging     "rowdies"      at     Hall's 

Gulch,  135 
Hankow,  196 
Harris,  Mrs.,  201 
Harrison,  Mr.,  141 
Harvey,  Sir  Robert,  2 
Hatches,   130 
Haud,  the,  280  et  seq. 
Hawtrey,  Edward,  79 
Hawtrey,  Rev.  John,  77,  79 
Hazelbury.  Bryan,  34 
Healing  Springs,  101 
Heathcote,  J.  M.,  47 
Heber.   Bishop    (on    the   Pathans), 

164 
Heilinger-blut,  225 
Hendersoma,     146 ;    the    Professor 

there,  id. 
Herschell,  Lord,  226 
Hesketh,  Sir  Thos.,  46 
Hichens,  Robt.  H.,  212,  243 
Higginbotham,  Elizabeth,  34,  35 
Higginbotham,  John,  sen.,  34,  35 
Higginbotham,  John,  jun.,  35 
Higginbotham,  Sophie,  35,  36 
Higginbotham,    Dr.    William,     35, 

36,  147 
Higginbotham,  Mrs.  Wm.,  147 
High  Beeches,  38,  57  et  seq.,  209 
Kites  Cove,  130 

Hoare,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Rolls,  334 
Hoare,  Muriel,  334 
Hobley,  C.  W.,  294 
Hong-Kong,  196 
Hooker,  Sir  Joseph,  221,  230 
Hopfreben,  207,  266  et  seq.,  335 
Horo-Abdulleh,  284 
Hot  Springs,  101 
Hozier,  Miss,  277 
Hubbard  (an  American),  226 
Hubbard,  Marion,  41  n.,  210 
Hubbard,  Wm.  Egerton,  41  n.,  95, 

211,  330 
Hudson  River,   141 


Humming-birds,  102 

Hunt  Hill  Moors,  17 

Hunting  in  the  Rockies,  133  et  seq. 

Hurtel,  Frau,  335 

Hussey  (Banker),  124 

Huttian,  153 

Hyderabad,  166  et  seq.,  170 

Animals 

"  Hangul"     (the    Cashmere    stag), 

152 
Hemitragus  hylocrius  (Nilgiri  ibex), 

177  n.,  206 
Hippopotamus  (on  board  ship),  294 
Hyaena  (Algeria),  217 
Hycena  striata,  280 


India,   142,  143,  147 

Indian  servants,  150 
Innsbruck,   147 
Inveran,  331 
Irish  gardens,  273 
Itaij^  147 

Animals 

Ibex,  145 

Ibex,  Nilgiri,  175,  176,  177  and  n. 
Indian  bison  (Bos  gaurus),  105    n., 
145 


Jackson,  Hon.  F.  G.,  291 

Jager,  Prof.,   165 

James  (the  brothers),  275 

Japan,  142-3,  197  et  seq.  ;  Loder's 

itinerary  in  Japan,  200 
Japanese  children,   197  ;    manners, 

197  ;    lacquer,  199 
Jardin  d'Essai  (Algiers),  245 
Java,    142,    171,    192  ;     posting  in, 

192    et    seq.  ;     volcanoes,    192 

et  seq. 
Jebb,  John  Gladwyn,   131   and  n., 

134,  230 
Jefferson,  99 
Jephson,  250 
Jerato  Pass,  279 
Jhelum  River,  152,  154 
Johnstone,  Adjt.  (Lieut.),  136 
Jokko  Lake,  226 
Jokko  River,  226 
Jones,  T.  Malcolm,  278 
Jubbulpore,  149  and  n.,  171 
Jung,  Sir  Sala,  167,  169,  170,  179 


INDEX 


349 


Animals 

Jackson's  Hartebeest,  294 
Javan  rhinoceros,  185 


K 

Kajnag  (Kaoge  Nag),  156 

Kansas,  104  et  seq.,  137 

Kapiti  Plams,  290 

Kasa,  336 

Kashgar,  178,  256 

Keglerich,  Graf  Nicolaus,  293 

Kenmare,  273 

Kenya  Colony,  275  n. 

Khanga  Sidi  Musa,  254 

Khanga  Sidi  Nadji,  254  ;    Kaid  and 

Khalifa  of,  255 
Khan  Yunis,  336 
Kilima  Theki,  292 
Kinchinjunga,  179 
King,  Bill,  226,  228 
King,  Col.  (U.S.A.  Army),  136 
King  (Sir  R.  Loder's  gardener),  44 
Kinkiang,  197 

Kinloch's  book  on  Big  Game,  151 
Koh-i-noor  diamond,  162 
Kooch  Behar,  171 
Krohn,  H.  A.  (Hyderabad),  167,  169 
Krohn,  Mrs..  170 
Kutub  Minar,  the,  164 

Animals 

Klipspringer,  280 

Kudu,  greater,  279;  measurements, 
279 


Labuan,  184,  186,  190 

Lacquer  (Japan),   199 

Ladak,  161 

Lahore,  159,  162 

Lake  Creek,  132 

Lake  of  Immortality  (Amritsar),  163 

Lambert,  George,  47,  48 

La  Mortola,  250 

Landon's  Garden  (Biskra),  243 

Lansdowne,  Lord,  his  gardens,  273 

Lapps,  the,  142,  146 

Laramie  Plains,   116 

Lasso,  the,  129 

Laurence,  Sir  Trevor,  221 

Leatham,  A.  E.,  245 

Leconfield,  Lord,  63 

Lee,  Gen.,  100 

Lee,  Gen.  R.  E.,  102 

Lee,  Mr.  (hunting  in  the  Aures),  254 


Leonardslee,  5,   13,  32,  58  et  seq., 

232  ;    gardens,  274 
Lexington,  99  et  seq. 
Leyssius,  H.  (Sumatra),  188 
Lifeboats,  39 
Life-ships,  39 

"  Linnet,  The,"  burning  of,  11 
List     of     "  Record "     Specimens 
(Loder's  Museum),  see  Ch.  XV, 
322-8 
Littledale,    St.    George,    vii,     174 ; 
first    meets    Loder,    204 ;     his 
reminiscences,  206  et  seq. 
Lockwood,  Sir  F.,  51 
Lockyer,  180 
Loder,  Adela  Maria,  56 
Loder,   Alfred,   47,  72,  81,  82,  169, 

183  et  seq.,  213 
Loder,  Edmund 

acquirements,  14,  144 

"  Antony,"  his  servant,  150 

associates,   testimony   of,    5,    17. 

See  Ch.  XI,  274 
astronomy,  10,  13,  83  ;    observa- 
tory, 224 
athletics,  78  et  seq.,  159 
awards,  R.  Horticultural  Society, 

223 
"  Belle,"  his  retriever,  198 
birth,  37,  71 

books  read  at  Shanghai,  144 
brain  power,  13 

British  Ef>st  African  bag,  294-5 
brothers,  55 
Byron,  6,  7,  145 
Cambridge,  80  et  seq. 
Carlton  Club,  15 
characteristics,   149 
childhood,  72  et  seq. 
children,  his  way  with,  224 
collecting  cacti,  222 
costs  (travelling  in  the  Rockies), 

229 
death,  his,  Ch.  XVII,  340 
deerstalking,  159,  164.     See  Ch, 

XI 
diaries,   6  ;    subjects  dealt  with, 

146 
distance     travelled     1875,     etc., 

229 
dress,  23 
Eton,  77  et  seq. 
eyesight,  19 

favourite  poets,  6  et  seq. 
Floore,  220  et  seq. 
foxhunting,   1 1 

gardens,  12  ;  see  Ch.  IX,  at 
Floore,  220 ;  visit  to  Irish 
gardens,  273 


350 


INDEX 


Loder,  Edmund  (continued) : 
Hawtreys  House,  77 
heart,     strained,     22 ;      trouble, 

221 
height,  22 
High  Sheriff,  15 
Horace,  15 

Horticultural  Society,   17,  221 
hunters,  198  ;    "  Lady  Bird,"  11 
hunting  craft,  25  et  seq. 
Indian  diary,  148 
Indian  servants,  150 
literary  tastes,  14,  144 
marksman,  as  a,  see  Oh.  XIII 
marriage,  209  et  seq. 
memory,  19 
mother,  his,  50,  53,  56 
nature,  his,   3,  4,   6,   16  et  seq., 

144,  183 
Ovid,  15 

Paris,  first  visit  to,  73,  211 
personality,     his,     22,     23.      See 

Ch.  XI ' 
politics,  15,  16 
rate  of  travel,   143 
reading,  144 
religion,  32,  52 
rhododendrons,  see  Ch.  XIV 
Rifle    Association,    17.      See  Ch. 

XIII 
scenery  on,  162 
sisters,  his,  55 

Somali  bag,  288-9.     See  Ch.  XII 
Stone,  Rev.  E.  D.,  77 
vitality,  his,  22 
voice,  '208 

weddmg-tour,  209  et  seq. 
Whittlebury,  44  et  seq. 
Zoological  Society,  17 
Loder,      Elizabeth,      nee      Higgin- 

botham.  34,  35 
Loder,    Ethel    (Lady   Burrell),    38  ; 

death  of,  38  n. 
Loder,  Gerald  W.  E.,  16,  47,  48,  56, 

291,  310 
Loder,   Giles,   34,    35,    36,    74;     his 

death,  85 
Loder,  Lady  (Maria  Georgian  a),  50, 

53,  56 
Loder,   Lady  (Marion),  vii,    1,    12  ; 

accident  to,  332-3 
Loder,  Major  Eustace,  87-8 
Loder,  Major  Giles,  57 
Loder,     Mrs.     Giles,     35,     36,     37  ; 

death  of.  40 
Loder,  Phihp,  71 
Loder,  Reginald,  46,  51,  53,  56,  82 

and  n.,  183,  254,  259 
Loder.  Robert  Clare,  74 


Loder,  Robert  Egerton  (Robin),  22, 
32,  53,  271,  278.  See  Ch.  XVI, 
death  of,  336,  339 

Loder,  Sir  Giles  (born  1914),  330 
et  seq. 

Loder,  Sir  Robert,  36,  37,  38,  40 
et  seq.  ;  greyhounds  and 
coursing,  43  and  n.,  210; 
M.F.H.,  43  ;  purchase  of 
Whittlebury,  44  et  seq.  ;  his 
will,  49,  50,  57  n.  ;  leaves 
Sussex,  50  ;  death,  50,  54,  55, 
230  ;    his  children,  51,  85 

Loder,  Sydney,  26,  56,  57,  87  ; 
philatelist,  230 

Loder,  Wilfrid,  17  and  n.,  57,  72, 
143,  159,  167,  174,  380 

Loiselauria  procumbens,  266 

Lolab  Valley,  153  et  seq.,  158 

London  (America),  201 

Longkat  district,  Sumatra,  190 

Long's  Peak,  107 

Lort-Phillips,  275 

Lost  Park,  the,  134  n. 

Lower  Beeding  Church,  342 

Lowry  family,  103 

Lucas,  C.  F.,"  2,  63 

Lucas,  E.  v.,  41,  64 

Lulea,  146 

Lydekker,  159,  236  n.,  238  n. 

Lyttelton,  Hon.  Alfred,  47,  48 

Animals 

Leopard  (Algerian),  238 

Lioness,  measurement  of  one  killed 

by  Loder,  287 
Lions  (Algeria),  242 
Lithocranius  walleri  (Gerenuk),  280  ; 

measurements,  id. 
Lithuanian  bison,  105  n. 


M 

Macaulay,  Capt.,  147-8 

Machakos  District,  290 

Machil  Hills,  158 

Mackay,  John  W.  (the  Silver  King), 

226 
Mackay,  the  Rev.  J.,  183 
Mackenzie,  Sir  James,  338 
Maclagans,  the  (Muree),  150 
Madras,  172  et  seq. 
Madrid,  212  (pictures) 
Magor,  Mr.,  304 
Maitland,  F.  W.,  3,  80 
Malay  Peninsula,   142 
Manassas.  96-7 
Mandalav,  183 


INDEX 


351 


Mangles,  Mr.,  68 

Marie,  Grand  Duchess,  35 

Mariposa  Grove,  130 

S.S.  Markgraf,  293 

Marrvat,  Florence,  193 

Marseilles  (Zoo),  243,  246 

Marshall,  Bill,  46 

Marshall,  Isaac,  46 

Marshall,  Julian,  46 

Martin-Smith     Rifle    Competitions, 

208.     See  Ch.  XIII 
"  Masha  "    (Lady  Loder's  Borzoi), 

332 
Mashmeyer,  W.,  34 
Maximilian,  Prince,  280 
Mayo,  Lord,   148,  169 
McKinley,  127 
McKinnon,  158 
McWade,  Robert,  92 
Meares,  Lieut.-Col.  Deveish,  130 
Measurements   of    Somali    animals 

killed  by  Loder,  296 
Medicine  Stream,   136 
Meer  Allum's  Tank,  170 
Meerut,  149 
Mehari  camels,  253 
Meldola,  Bignor,  180 
Melka  Degahamedou,  285 
Merced,  129,  130 
Metapollion,  174 

Metlili  (Djebel),  211,  237,  243,  245 
Milboro,  100 
Miles,  Mr.,  126 
Millais,  J.  G.,  vii,  2,  6,  13,  14,  15, 

21  and  n.,  311,  312,  315,  317. 

See  Oh.  XIV 
Miller,  Col.  and  Mrs.  (Muree),  150 
Millet,  Gen.,  253 
Milmil,  283,  286 
Milvain,  Tom,  81  n. 
Mines,  130  et  seq.,  146 
S.S.  Minian,  172 
Missoula,  226,  229 
Mitchell,  P.  Chalmers,  17 
Modec  Indians,  94 
Mohoroni,  290 
Mombasa,  291,  293 
Monte  Cello,  99 
Monte  d'Oro,  219 
Moody  and  Sankey,  201 
Moonal  pheasants,  161 
Moore,  Major  (U.S.A.  Army),   136, 

137 
Moorsom,  Mr..  95,  96 
Morley,  Arnold,  277 
Mormons,  119  et  seq.,  120  n. 
Moulmein,  163,  182,  183 
Mount  Baker,  230 
Mukri  Magdoulah,  170 


Mullah,    the    (Mohamed    Abdullah, 

Somali),  276 
Munich,  147 

Muree,  149,  150,  151,  153,  161,  162 
Murray,  Capt.,  his  adventures,  190 
Murray,  Gen.  Sir  Archibald,  336 
Museum  at  Leonardslee,  see  Ch.  XV 

Ahimals 

Maral,  152,  1  78 

Markhor,  145,  148,  156  et  seq. 

Mazatna    coiumbiana    (black-tailed 

deer),  118  n. 
M.  hemionus  (mule  deer),  118  n. 
M.  Virginia  (Vii-ginian  deer),  118  n. 
Moose^  246  ;    head  of,  230 
Mouflon,  177  n.,  213,  236  n. 
Mouflon,  Sardinian,   10  n.,   11  and 

n.,   177  n. 
Mountain  bison,  134  and  n. 
Mountain  sheep  (American),  134 
Mule  deer  {Alazama  hemionus),  45, 

118  n. 
Musk  deer  (Moschus  moschiferus), 

160 

N 

Nagpore  (in  Berar),  165 

Nairn,  Gen.,  277 

Nairobi,  291 

Nanga  Purbal  Mountain,  162 

Naples,  250  ;    museum,  250 

National     Rifle     Shooting     Match, 

first,  38  n. 
Navoo,  120  and  n. 
Nebraska,  135,  141  and  n. 
Nefta,  253 
Negrine,  254 
Neilgherries,   142,   172,  174  et  seq., 

bag    in    the   Neilgherry   Hills, 

177,  193,  204  et  seq. 
Neurasthenia  in  the  tropics,  190 
Nevada  Falls,  130  n. 
New  York,  92,  141,  230 
Niagara,  103,  230 
Nice,  219 
Nicholas  I,  35,  36 
Nicholson,  Gen.,  277 
Nicobar  Islands,  142,  143,  145 
Nijni  Novgorod,  147 
Nix,   Chas.   G.   A.,   vii,   2,    11,   257. 

See  Ch.  XI,  261 
Nizam  (the  Nizam's  Railway),  166  ; 

his  court,   167 
Northamptonshire,  220,  230 
Northbrook,  Lord,  171 
Norton,  Capt.,  38 


352 


INDEX 


Animals 

(Nilgiri)   "ibex,"    175  et  seq.,  206; 

tahr  or  "  ibex,"   177  n.;    tiger, 

176  et  seq. 
New  Forest  deer,  201 


O 

Oakland  Point,  126 

Oblarn,  258 

Ogaden,  276  et  seq.,  280  et  seq. 

Ogden,  117,  126 

Ogmar,  252 

Olga,  Grand  Duchess,  35 

Ooanouf  Plain,  280 

Ootacamund,  174,  178,  206 

Ooty,  206 

Oppert,  Dr.  (at  Madras),  173 

Oran,  211,  212 

Oristomo,  219 

Otter,  Francis,  32  n. 

Otter,  Patience,  32  n.,  224 

Otter,  Walter,  32  n. 

Ouargla,  243  and  n. 

Oued  Abdi,  216 

Oued  Ighagar,  243 

Oxley,  J.  S.,  2,  300 

Animals 

Oreamnus   americanns   (Rocky   Mt. 

white  goat),  226  n. 
Oryx  beisa,  293.      See  Ch.  XII 
Ovis  ammon,   178 
O.  canadensis,  134 
O.  lervii,  29,  30,  31 
O.  poll,  178,  256 


Pacific  Railway,  105 

Padua,   147 

Palermo,  250 

Pallardy  (guide),  136  et  seq. 

Palmer,  Capt.  (Hyderabad),  166 
et  seq. 

Palmer,  Gen.  Sir  Power  (Cam- 
paigns in  Sumatra),  185 

Palmer,  Hastings,   167 

Palmer,  Mrs..  166 

Palmer,  the  Misses,  166,  167,  170 

Pantelleria,  Island  of,  250 

Parham,  63 

Parkes,  Sir  Harry  and  Lady,  198 

Parnea,  171 

Parry,  Dr.,  99 

Paserepan,  192 

Passet,  C^lestin,  246 

Passoeroewan,    192 

Patience  (Mrs.  W.  Otter),  12,  32  n. 


Pawnees,  massacre  of,  136 
Payne,  122,  124,  125 
Pearce,  Capt.  and  Mrs.,  168 
Pease,   Mr.   and  Mrs.   Alfred,   246, 

249,  270 
Pedlar,  Mr.  A.,  181 

Pelham,  Hon.  A.,  2,  79,  80,  83,  90, 

91,  105  n..  Ill,   128,  130,  131 

et  seq.,   134,  137,  140 
Penang,  184,  185  ;    views  at,  185 
Penweil,  Mr.  (Hyderabad),  167,  169 
Perdu,  Mt.,  162 
"  Peronelle,  The,"   39 
Persia,  147 
Pettit,  Tom,  47,  48 
Petworth,  63 
Phantasmagoria,  247 
Philadelphia,  92,  201 
Philippeville,  214,  246 
Phihppine  Islands,  165 
Photographs,  a  cause  of  fading,  198, 

199 
Phyteuma  comosum,  225 
Pig-sticking  on  the  Haud,  280 
Pike's  Peak,  107,  112 
Platte  River,  115,  136 
Playfair,  Col.  Sir  Lambert,  148,  213 

and  n. 
Plummer's  Plain,  210 
Pompeii,  250 
Port  Blair,  180,  183 
Porto  Torres,  219 
Prairies,  the,  105 
Prandiere,  Capitaine  de,  253 
Pratt,  Orson,  121 
"  Pretty  Polly,"  87 
Prizes    won    at     Wimbledon    and 

Bisley,  302 
Probyn,  Lesley,  150 
Prob.yns,  the  (Lahore),  162 
Pueblo  Cachaxas,  222 
Punjab  wars,  162 
Py craft,  W.  P.,  i,  vii,  5  ;    his  notes 

on   Loder's  Museum,  Ch.  XV, 

312-21, 
Pyrenees,  162 
Pytchley  Country  and  Hounds,  221 

Animals 

Pelzeln's  Gazelle,  277 
Prong-horn    antelope,    19,    105   n., 
108  n.,  HI,  112,  134,  201 

R 

Races  at  Central  City,  116 
Radcliffe,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chas.,  213, 
225  et  seq.,  230,  243,  245,  246, 

250,  259 


INDEX 


353 


Rainfalls  in  India.  149 

Ramsay,  Gen.,  165 

Randall,  Miss,  71 

Ranfurly,      Lord,     his     death     in 

Africa,  192 
Rangoon,  182,  183 
Ranjeet  Singh,    162,    163 
Rauch,  Andreas,   243 
Rawal  Pindi,  149 
Red  Indians,  90,  105  at  seq. 
Red  Mountain,  113 
Red  Sea,  148 

Red  WUlow  Creek,  137,  140 
ReQly  (gunmaker),   165 
Rendel,  Hon.  Rose,  231 
Rendel,  Lord  and  Lady,  11 
Rer  Ali  Ogaden  Somalis,  283 
Resht,  147 
Reynolds,  Gen.,  136 
Reynolds  (photographer),  180 
RhododendJons,  see  Ch.  XIV 
Rifles,   165,   171  and  n.,   172,   173  ; 

new    system    of    boring,     193, 

205  ;    Mannlicher,  207  ;   Crazy 

Face  and  the  rifle,  207,  239  n., 

262,  265.     See  Ch.  XIII 
Riviere,      M.      (Directeur     Jar  din 

d'Essai),  245 
Robertson,  Sir  Brook  (Canton),  196 
Rochester  (N.  America),  230 
Rockbridge  Baths,  99 
Rocky  Mountains,  106,  142 
Roman  coins  circulating,  253  and  n. 
Roman   remains   (Western   Auras), 

252,  254 
Rome,  163 
Ronan,  Major  and  Mrs.  (of  Arlee), 

229 
Rood,  M.  L.  (Denver),  113,  114 
Roosevelt,   Col.   Theodore,   18,   19, 

20,  21,  291 
Roosevelt  Kermit,  291 
"Ross"    (Loder's    collie),    331    et 

seq. 
Ross  Island,  180 
Rothiemurchas,  267 
Rothschild,  L.  de,  304 
Round  Prairie,  226 
Roviniski,  M.,   192 
"  Rowdy,  Will,"  96,  97 
Rudolph,  Lake,  279 
Russia,  143 
S.S.  Russia,  141,  146  et  seq. 

Animals 
Red   deer,    63  ;     stags'    heads,   86  ; 
N.    Africa    Beni    Sallah,    218; 
Tunisian,    233,  236.     See    Ch. 
XI ;   see  Appendix 


Reem  (Gazella  loderi),  233  et  seq. 
See  Ch.  X,  250 

Rhinoceros,  numbers  seen  B.E. 
Africa,  290 

Rhinoceros  sondaicus,  185 

R.  sumatrensis,  185,  187 

Rocky  Mountain  white  goat,  226 
and  n.  See  Ch.  IX,  measure- 
ments and  weight,  228,  229 

Roe  deer  at  Whittlebury,  45 


Sabatti  Waine,  284 

Sacramento,  126 

Sahara,   10  n.,  251 

Saigon,  195  ;    Loder's  illness  there, 

195 
St.  Augustine,  tomb  of,  218 
St.  Isaac's  Church,  147 
St.  Michael's,  Westgate-on-Sea,  333 
St.  Petersburg,  147  et  seq. 
Salmon-fishing,  268.     See  Ch.  XI 
Salt  Lake  City,  90,  117 
Salt    Mountain    (Djebel  el  Meleha 

Aures),  237,  245 
Sand-fish,  252 

San  Francisco,  126,  127,  129,  200 
San  Joaquin  River,   129 
Sankey's  singing,  201 
San  Rafael,  129 
Sassari,  219 

Saumarang  (volcanoes),   192 
Sawalek  Range,  213 
Schleieh.  Amelia,  35 
Schwarzensee,  257  et  seq. 
Scotch  forests,  267  et  seq. 
Scotia,  the,  90,  91 
Scotland,  221,  267  et  seq. 
Secunderabad,  166 
Sef  el  Mounadi,  250 
Sellegory,  179 
Selous,  F.,  27 
Serringhorn,  Island  of,  178 
S  S.  Servia,  225 
Setif,  214 
Shahabad,  166 
Shanghai,  144,  196,  199 
Sharp's  Rifles,  108 
Sherman,  Gen.,  95,  136 
Shooting  from  horseback,  137  and  n. 
Shoreham,  15,  40  and  n.,  41,  42 
Siam,  King  of,  183 
Sibi  Desert,  284 
Sikh  War,  162 
Silene  acaulis.  266 
Simba,  290,  292 
S.S.  Simla,  147 


354 


INDEX 


Sinchal,  179 

Singapore,   192 

Sioux  Indians,  113  ;    massacre  by, 

130 
Slade,  Dr.  (medium),  141 
Sladen,  Col.,  192 
Smith,     Joseph     (founder     of    the 

Mormon  sect),  120  n.  et  seq. 
Snake  River,  132 
Snedelnitzke,  Baron,  259 
Sneyd,  A.,  277 
Sohns,  Graf,  250 
Somali  bag,  Loder's,  288 
Somaliland,  233.     See  Ch.  XII 
Somalis,   148 
Sopoor,  154 
Souf  and  Oued  Souf,  252  et  seq.  ; 

high  temperatures,  253 
Soukarras,  218 
Southern    in    "Lord    Dundreary," 

103 
Spain,  211 
Sparre,  Count,  146 
Spearmint,  87 
Speke,  275 
"  Spion  Kop,"  88 
Spreading  a  stag's  head,  207 
Srinagur,  154,  156,  159,  161,  165 
Staunton,  102 
Steinberg,  Baron,  259 
Stewart,  Adela,  56,  330 
Stewart,  Gen.   (Governor  Port 

Blair),  180,  183 
Stewart,  Hon.  Alexander,  56 
Stockholm,  146 
Stone,  Mr.  (Eton),  334 
Stone,  Rev.  E.  D.,  77 
Stroyan,  275 
Stiorminster  Newton,  34 
Styria,  259 
SiJlivan,  Major,  246 
Sultana,  156 

Svmiatra,  142,  143,  184  et  seq. 
Summat  Khan,  156 
Summit  (Callistoga),  128 
Sunsets,  186,  194  and  n.,  217 
Sussex,  57  et  seq.,  194,  210,  230 
Sweden,  143 

Animais 

Sambur  (or  Sambar)  deer  (Cervus 
unicolor  typicus),  175,  200 

Sardinian  mouflon,  10  n.,  11  and  n. 

Sea-lions,  127-8,  129 

Serow,  177  n.,  226 ;  Nepal,  Dar- 
jeeling  and  Sze-chuan  serows, 
226  n.  ;   Malay  varieties,  id. 

Sheep,  jungle,  175 


Sheep,  wild:  African:  29,  30,  31, 
see  Ch.  X  ;  Asiatic,  177  n.,  134  ; 
American,  174,  177  n. 

Skunks,  108 

Spotted  deer  (Cervus  axis),  169 

Steinbok,  62 

Strepsiceros  kudu  chora,  279 ; 
S.  k.  capensis,  id, 

Sumatran  rhinoceros,  185,  187 

Sumatran  tapir,  185 


Tabernacle   (Salt   Lake   City),    119 

et  seq. 
Tacchini,  181 
Taj  Mahal,  the,  164,  193 
Tamersa,  254 
Tangore,  178 

Tankoban  Praoc  (volcano),  194 
Tay,  the,  268 
Taylor,  Miss  Meadows,  170 
Taylor,  Mr.  (Sumatra),  188 
Tea  crops,  196 
Telescope,  Lord  Rosse's,  182 
Telescope  rifle  sight,  115 
Telescopes,  202 
Temperatures,  Canada  Nov.   1875, 

202 
Tengg-er  (Java),  192  et  seq. 
Teniet  el  Had,  214 
Tennis,  45  et  seq. 
Tennis  court  at  Whittlebury,  45 
Terrapin  Tower,  103 
"  Texas  Jack,"  95 
Thompson,  Jem,   107  et  seq.,   115, 

201 
Thornton,  Sir  Edward,  95 
Thuillier,    Col.,    Surveyor-General, 

India,  148 
Times,  notice  of  Loder's  death,  6 
"  Toby,"  the  pony,  12 
Toronto,  230 
Touaregs,  252 
Toungou,  182 
Touzer,  253 

Transvaal  characters,  190 
Trescarges,  Francois,    246,    247    et 

seq. 
Trichinopoly,    178 
TroUhatten,'  146 
Truckle,  126 
Tug  Sulul,  283 
Tunis,  218,  219,  250 
Timisia,  sport  in,  233  et  seq.,  237, 

242 
Turner,  E.,  146 
Two  Forks,  226 
Twynham,  Major,  182 


INDEX 


355 


Animals 

Tahr,  Nilgiri,  177  n. 
Takin,  177  n. 

Tiger-hunting,  167,  168  et  seq.,  176 
Tiger   measurements   and   weights, 
177  n. 


U 

Ute  Indians,  112  et  seq. 

A>aMALS 

Ursus  arctus  isabellinus  (the  Cin- 
namon, Snow,  Red  or  Brown 
Bear),  155 

U.  torquatus  (Himalayan  Black 
Bear),  154  et  seq. 


Vaccaros,  129 

Val  d' Arras  (Spain),  245 

Vancouver,  230 

Venus,  transit  of,  168 

Vergez,  Benjamin,  243 

Vernal  Falls,  130 

Verona,  147 

Vesuvius,  250 

Victoria,  201 

Victoria  (B.C.),  230 

Victoria  Rifle  Corps,  38 

View,    the   most    beautiful,  in   the 

world,  195  and  n. 
Vikar  Ooloomira  (the  Nawab),  167, 

168 
Visitors'     Book,    Floore,    extracts, 

230  et  seq. 
Vogel,  Dr.,  180 
Volcanoes  (Javan),  192  et  seq.,  194 

andn.  ;   (Japan),  Fusiama,  196, 

250 
Volga,   147 
Volunteers  and  Capt.  Busk,  38 

Animal 
Virginian  deer,  102,  118  n. 

W 

Wahsatch  Mts.,  117 

Waldo,  Edmund  Meade,  2 

Walker,  Mr.,  127 

Waller,  Mr.  (Sumatra),  190 

Walur  Lake.  154,  158 

Ward,  Edwin,  178 

Ward,  H.  A.  (Rochester),  230 


Ward,    Rowland,    Records    of    Big 

Game,   143 
Warm  Springs,  100 
Warnham  Court,  63 
Washington,  93  et  seq. 
Waterhouse,  Capt.,   181 
Watkin,  Col.,  277 
Webbe  ShebeyH,  276 
Weber's  Canon,  117 
Weedon,  233  n. 

Wellington,  Duke  of,  his  funeral,  73 
West  Point,  141 
Westerveld,  Mr.  (Sumatra),  189 
Whiskey  Gap,  114 
Whiskv,  Spring,  128 
"  White's,"  130 
Whitfeld,  Herbert,  250 
Whittlebury,  purchase,   44  ;    stags, 

159  ;    building,   172,   178,   201, 

221,  230 
Wild  West,  the,  vi 
Wilkinson,  Col.,  168 
Williams,  Chas.,  333,  334 
Williams,  J.  C,  69,  304,  334 
Wilsford,  34,  36,  74 
Wilson,  Hon.  John,  291 
Wilson,  J.  G.,  80 
Wilson  (of  Muree),  bag  in  Cashmere, 

151 
Wimbledon  Rifle  Competitions,  see 

Ch.   XIII 
Wiseman,  Cardinal,  39 
Woburn,  105  n. 
Wolf,  M.,  182 

Wolff,  Rev.  Joseph  (Travels),   178 
Woodcock,  Miss,  277 
Woodward's  Gardens,  128 
Wray  (optician),  149 
Wright,  R.  E.,  166 
Wu- Chang,  196 

Animals 

Waire  or  waira  [Proteles  cristatus), 
282 

Wapiti,  at  Whittlebury,  45,  103, 
105  n.  ;  price  of  heads,  116  ; 
Hall's  Gulch,  132,  145  ;  Little- 
dale  and  wapiti,  174,  178,  200 
et  seq.  ;  horns,  202  ;  measure- 
ments, 228 

Wapiti.  Baikal,  178  n. 

Wapiti,  Tien- Shan,  178  n. 

Wart-hogs,  280  ;  known  to  charge, 
286 

Wliite  goats  (Rocky  Mountains), 
225  et  seq.  ;  Bate  and  wild 
goats,  246 

White-taiJed  deer,  141 


356 


INDEX 


Wild   boar,  242,   244;    account  of 

shooting,  249 
Wild  turkeys,  202 


Yarkand,  146  ;    expedition,  178 

Yokohama,  200 

Yosemite,  130  and  n.,  175  (com- 
parison with  scenery  in  Neil- 
gherry  Slountains) 

Young,  Brigham,  121,  124 

Younghusband,  Col.  (Muree),  150 


Animai, 
Yarkand  stag,  178 


Zeribet  el  Oued,  255 
Zichy,  Graf  Casimir,  293 
Zouche,  Lord,  63  and  n. 

Animals 

Zebra,  Grery's,  284 
Zorilla,  252 


TRAVEL    AND    ADVENTURES. 


A  Wayfarer's   Caravan.     By  A.  Alexander.    With  a 

Foreword  by  Viscount   Gladstone,   G.G.B.,    G.G.M.G.      "In 

Mr.  Alexander  we  have  another  George  Borrow.  He  takes  a  caravan 
and  wanders  through  England,  mixes  among  gipsies  and  has  many 
strange  adventures  ...  a  most  stimulating  book." — Sphere. 

A    Wayfarer's   Log.      By   A.    Alexander,    F.R.G.S. 

"  It  is  a  book  that  reminds  one  of  George  Borrow.  There  is  fighting 
in  it,  there  is  plenty  of  open  air,  and  a  jolly  enjoyment  of  life  which 
makes  Mr.  Alexander  a  stimulating  companion." — Daily  Mail. 

The    South    Pole.      By  Captain  Roald  Amundsen.     An 

Account  of  the  Norwegian  Antarctic  Expedition  in  the  "  Fraai,"  191 1- 
191 2.  Translated  from  the  Norwegian  by  A.  G.  Chater.  2  Vols. 
With  Illustrations  and  Maps. 

The  Naturalist  on  the  River  Amazons.     By  H.  W. 

Bates.  A  Record  of  Adventures,  Habits  of  Animals,  Sketches  of 
Brazilian  and  Indian  Life,  and  Aspects  of  Nature  under  the  Equator, 
during  Eleven  Years  of  Travel. 

Out  of  the  World  North  of  Nigeria  :  Exploration 

of  Air.  By  Captain  Angus  Buchanan,  M.G.  With  an  Introduc- 
tion by  Lord  Rothschild.  "  A  graphic  account  of  long,  weary 
months  of  travel  and  hardship  in  a  desert  country.  .  .  .  The  author 
has  an  easy  style  and  excellent  descriptive  powers  which  make  his 
narrative  delightful  reading." — Glasgow  Herald.  With  Illustrations 
and  a  Map. 

Wild  Life  in  Canada.     By  Captain  Angus  Buchanan, 

M.G.  "There  can  be  no  question  as  to  the  popularity  of  this  book. 
Naturalists,  sportsmen,  and  all  lovers  of  adventure  will  find  the  book 
profitable  and  entertaining." — Pall  Mall  Gazette.     With  Illustrations. 

Three  Years  of  War  in  East  Africa.     By  Captain 

Angus  Buchanan,  M.G.     With  a  Foreword  by  Lord  Granworth. 

"  It  forms  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  literature  of  the  campaign,  and 
incidentally  provides  a  fine  record  of  the  work  of  the  splendid  corps  to 
which  he  belonged." — Army  and  Navy  Gazette.     With  Illustrations. 

The  Cruise  of  the  "  Cachalot"  Round  the  World 

after  Sperm  Whales.  By  Frank  T.  Bullen.  With  8  Illustra- 
tions and  a  Chart. 

Journal  of  a  Naturalist  during  a  Voyage  Round 

the  World.  By  Gharles  Darwin.  A  record  of  observations 
made  by  a  naturalist  during  a  voyage  round  the  world. 

LONDON:    JOHN    MURRAY. 


FROM    MR    MURRAY'S    LIST 


On  Secret  Patrol  in  High  Asia.    By  Capt.  L.  V.  S. 

Blacker,  Q.V.O.,  Corps  of  Guides  (Frontier  Force).  "  It  is  admirable  : 
the  best  thing  of  its  kind  since  the  recent  account  of  the  Mount 
Everest  Expedition  .  .  .  a  striking  record  of  that  adventurous  dare-all 
spirit  which  has  made  England  the  Pioneer  of  Pioneers." — Illustrated 
London  Mews.  "  Captain  Blacker  writes  with  great  zest  of  his  many 
adventures  among  a  barbaric  people,  leading  us  on  from  episode  to 
episode  with  a  skill  denied  to  most  professional  writers.  He  has  real 
pride  in  his  soldiering,  and  his  enthusiasm  is  soon  conveyed  to  the 
reader  of  his  fascmating  pages." — Daily  Chronicle.  With  Illustrations 
and  Maps.     i8s.  net. 

Out  of  the  World  North  of  Nigeria :  Exploration 

of  Air.  By  Captain  Angus  Buchanan,  M.C.,  Author  of  "Wild  Life 
in  Canada,"  etc  With  an  Introduction  by  Lord  Rothschild.  "It  is 
a  graphic  account  of  long,  weary  months  of  travel  and  hardship  in  a 
desert  country,  and  it  embodies  scientific  results  which  are  of  great 
importance  to  zoological  students.  .  .  .  The  author  has  an  easy  style 
and  excellent  descriptive  powers  which  make  his  narrative  delightful 
Y&a.dmg:'— Glasgow  Herald.     With  Illustrations  and  a  Map.     i6s,  net. 

The   Heart  of  Nature  ;  or,  The  Quest  for  Natural 

Beauty.  By  Sir  Francis  Younghusband,  K.C.S.L,  K.C.I.E.,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society.  "To  read  Sir  Francis 
Younghusband's  book  is  a  stirring  and  refreshing  experience,  for  it 
springs,  one  feels,  from  an  enthusiasm,  an  ecstasy  so  intense  that  the 
writer  is  driven  irresistibly  to  express  it,  to  comnumicate  it  toothers. 
And  to  say  that  he  succeeds  in  communicating  it  is,  for  such  a  book, 
the  highest  praise  it  is  possible  to  give." — Outlook.     12s.  net. 

People  and  Places.  "The  volume  is  full  of  stories  about 
people  of  all  kinds  and  conditions,  from  the  ex-Kaiser  and  great  ladies 
of  a  bygone  generation  to  naked  inhabitants  of  Fiji.  The  stories  are 
all  good  natuied,  very  wittily  told,  and  give  us  lively  glimpses  into  the 
manners  and  customs  of  both  the  new  and  the  old  world."— Z'az/y 
Graphic.     i6s  net. 

Days  and  Ways  of  an  Old  Bohemian.     By  Major 

Fitzroy  Gardner,  O.B.E.  "This  is  a  very  amusing  account  of  a 
rolling  stone  who  has  contrived  in  his  lifetime  to  gather  a  great  deal 
of  moss.  ...  It  is  crammed  with  good  s\.on&s:'—Spectator.  With 
Illustrations.     i6s.  net. 

Mosquito  or    Man  ?    The  Conquest  of  the  Tropical 

World.  By  Sir  Hubert  W.  Boyce,  F.R.S.  "  Sir  Rubert,  writing  with 
much  lucidity  and  not  a  little  spirit,  follows  the  course  of  medical 
research  in  the  tropics  from  strength  to  strength,  accompanying  his 
narrative  with  many  elucidatory  statistics  and  a  number  of  striking 
photographs.  Altogether  this  is  a  book  of  first-rate  importance,  to 
both  the  medical  man  and  the  public  servant."— i^a//y  Telegraph. 
Second  Edition.     With  Illustrations.     los.  6d.  net. 

LONDON:     JOHN     MURRAY. 


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Pease,   Alfred  Edward 

horticulturist,   traveixe 
sT)ortsman 


BioMed.