THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

PRESENTED BY

PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND
MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID

SPORTING

IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

My First Shot in Germany.-- — p. 277.

SPORTING

IN BOTH HEMISPHEKES.

BY J. D'EWES, ESQ.,

AUTHOB OF " CHINA, AUSTRALIA, AND THE ISLANDS OF
THE PACIFIC."

"MO ET UBIQUE."

SECOND EDITION.

LONDON:
G. EOUTLEDGE & CO., FAEEINGDON STEEET.

NEW YORK : 18, BEEKMAN STREET.

1858.

{The Author reserves the right of translation.']

5K5I

TO

MY OLD FKIEND,

j A. :M: E s I^E^^UDE^T, ESQ.

OP ROCHDALE MANOR,

AEE DEDICATED.

J. D.

PBEFACE.

THE Author of the following pages feels it necessary to
apologize to the reader for the very discursive, and, in some
respects, disconnected character of the little work he offers to
his perusal, which, indeed, is merely a simple, yet faithful
record of many scenes and adventures that have formed some
of the " sunny spots" in his long and varied career through
life's wilderness.

He does not aspire to the character of either a first-rate
sportsman or close observer, but gives his own views and
impressions on the different subjects contained in this narra-
tive, satisfied, at least as far as he is concerned, with having
realized the school-boy prophecy — " Forsitan hcec olwi
meminisse juvabit"

Although the earlier scenes must be traced through a long
vista of intervening years, some of them may be interesting,
particularly at 'this moment, to the general reader, and to
those who well remember the quiet and happy security with
which we enjoyed our sports and pastimes in the East; and
even should the Author meet that critical severity he doubt-
less deserves, he feels convinced of sympathy from his
brethren of the rivers, woods, and fields.

viii PREFACE.

Whilst recording these few souvenirs of former days, the
news has lately arrived of the fearful mutinies and their at-
tendant atrocities that have taken place in India; and every
former resident in that country, who has not gradually
watched the progress of events, must have been struck with
surprise and astonishment to find that a Sepoy army, hitherto
so well disciplined, obedient, and in almost every respect
excellent soldiers, could have been capable of the enormities
they have been, after so many years of quiet and apparent
content, with very few exceptions.

The mutiny at Yellore was certainly a proof of what their
passions might be roused to upon any I infraction of what
they considered the dignity of their caste, or the ceremonials
attendant upon it, with regard to dress, coiffure, &c. ; and
a very similar circumstance occurred in one of the Nizam's
cavalry regiments a short time before my arrival in India,
when a Captain Davis, commanding, and several other
officers were murdered by their own troopers on the parade-
ground at Hydrabad.

Since the period when I resided in India the military
and civil educations of the Company's servants have been
much better regulated than formerly, when any boy with
interest of some sort or other could obtain a cadetship,
with no previous military knowledge or examination, and
perhaps not much education of any kind. He arrived in
India, and if not possessed with much zeal for the service,
the simple learning of his drill from a native sergeant was,
and remained, the extent of his acquirements in a military
capacity. He gradually picked up a little Hindostanee by

PREFACE. IX

rote; perhaps engaged a " moonshee ;" and, after some years,
was able to converse a little with his own soldiers in their
native tongue. Regiments, with their full complement of
companies, were not half officered, and most of the compa-
nies were commanded by lieutenants, the captains being
absent on some staff-appointments away from their corps.
The native officers, in fact, did all the substantial work of
the regiment, with the exception of the European quarter-
master and paymaster (John Company's hard bargains having
little else to do than spend their time in the manner I have
mentioned in a succeeding chapter), and could have had no
very exalted idea of our military zeal or general morality.
One circumstance, it is true, tended greatly to conciliate the
Sepoy troops. The religious ceremonies of both Hindoos and
Mahometans were treated with the greatest respect, and
every facility and leave granted for their performance. An
officer would have been cashiered for insulting their creed in
any way, and no attempt at proselytism, at least that I ever
saw, took place at Jaulnah. That religious fanaticism, fos-
tered by a native press, is one of the chief, if not the only
cause of the present outbreak, there can be no reasonable
doubt. It is the only point upon which all castes and
opinions will rally together, as each sect hates each other,
but would combine for this one grand object. Imprudent
missionary attempts at conversion amongst the higher castes
may also have conduced much to inflame their minds ; at
all events, it has given us a pretty good lesson — and which
may be eveAually beneficial — never again to trust the higher
castes as soldiers ; and, as we must have a native army, to a

X PREFACE.

certain extent select the lower ones, or even those inhabi-
tants, such as the pariahs, &c., who have no caste at all. Let
every regiment possess its full complement of officers, and let
them do their duty, and let a certain knowledge of the
native languages be an indispensable condition to promotion
and preferment.

J. D.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

PAGE
EARLY KEMINISCKNCES 1

CHAPTER II.

VOYAGE TO INDIA MADEIRA — TENEHIFFE — CAPE OP GOOD HOPE —

ARRIVAL AT MADRAS , 11

CHAPTER III.

MADRAS — WALLAJABAD — CHOLERA — HIGH LIVING SNIPE SHOOTING —

SNAKES CONJIVERAM MONKEYS AND PEAFOWL — VELLORE

MARCH TO JAULNAH — ADVENTURE WITH A TIGRESS — BEJAPORE

HYENA — ARRIVAL AT JAULNAH 22

CHAPTER IV.

JAULNAH — CAPTAIN SHERIFF — SHOOTING — FOX-HUNTING — ANECDOTE
OF A WILD HOG — PHANSIGA.RS, OR THUGS — A SUTTEE — ANECDOTE
OF AN ELEPHANT— LOSS OF MY HORSE — A TAME CHETAH ! . . 43

Xii CONTENTS.

CHAPTER Y.

PAGE

AURUNOABAD — MAUSOLEUM OF RABEA DOORANEY — TANKS AND GAR-
DENS— DANCING GIRLS — DOWLATABAD — THE CAVES OF ELLORA —
SHOOTING AT ELLORA — RETURN TO JAULNAH . 64

CHAPTER VI.

. DEPARTURE FROM JAULNAH — THE DECCAN — MARHATTA VILLAGES

AHMEDNUGGUR POONAH HOG-HUNTING ANECDOTE OF A BHEEL

— ARRIVAL AT BOMBAY 84

CHAPTER VII.

BOMBAY A PSEUDO ARAB — A REAL ARAB PAUSEES RETURN TO

ENGLAND 94

CHAPTER VIII.

STAG-HUNTING NEAR PARIS 106

CHAPTER IX.

THE FOREST OF MARLY ANECDOTES OF BOAR SHOOTING THE

POACHER — ANECDOTES OF CHARLES X 115

CHAPTER X.

A CHASSE IN THE " PETITS ENVIRONS" 134

CHAPTER XI.

ST. CLOUD — ANECDOTES OF CHARLES X 145

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XII.

PAGE
CHARLES X. LAST CHASSE AT RAMBOUILLET — THE 26TH JULY, 1830 154

CHAPTER XIII.

WILD-FOWL SHOOTING NEAR THE BOIS DE LA TRAPPE — THE CURE OP

FRIAIZE 130

CHAPTER XIV.

SHOOTING IN SPAIN, NEAR SEVILLE 189

CHAPTER XV.

BRITTANY — THE DEPARTMENT OF THE FINISTERRE — QUIMPERLE —

SHOOTING TROUT AND SALMON FISHING — MY FIRST SALMON

ENCOUNTER WITH A BRETON — SKA-FISHING AT THE ISLES DES
GLENANS — DRUIDICAL REMAINS — DEPARTURE 200

CHAPTER XVI.

HUT — TROUT-FISHING—ANECDOTES OF THE LATE EDWARD A , ESQ.

— SHOOTING AT HUY — MONS. MASSON — ROMANCE 219

CHAPTER XVII.

OFFENBURG — DUCHY OF BADEN — M. VOELKER'S CHASSE — BADEN AND

THE MURGTHAL THE KINZIGTHAL RHEIN BISCHOFFSHEIM

BARON SELDERNECK CAPERCAILZIE SHOOTING — ENORMOUS QUAN-
TITIES OF GAME — WOODCOCKS 233

Xiv CONTENTS,

CHAPTER XVIII.

PAGE
A DAl'S SHOOTING NEAR BOPPART 250

CHAPTER XIX.

TROUT-FISHING AT BRUKENAU, IN BAVARIA 262

CHAPTER XX.

DEER-SHOOTING IN HUNGARY — THE CHATEAU OF MARIENTIIAL . . 269

CHAPTER XXI.

THE CHASSE IK PRUSSIA, 1845 AND 1846 279

CHAPTER XXII.

GUINEA-FOWL SHOOTING IN THE ISLAND OF BRAVA, CAPE DE VEIID

ISLANDS, 1853 313

CHAPTER XXIII.

PORT PHILIP — MELBOURNE — ANECDOTES OF NEW ARRIVALS — OLD
SPORTSMAN — SHOOTING IN THE DANDENONG RANGES — SNIPE —

BLACK SWAN — LYRE-BIRDS FISHING DEPARTURE FOR BALLARAT

RIDE TO BALLARAT — THE DIGGINGS — ANECDOTES OF MURDER

BUSH-FIRES — GAME BIRDS AND ANIMALS OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
FOREST SCENERY — CRESWICK-'s CREEK— LALLAL — WILD TURKEY-
SHOOTING AT CHEPSTOW — A SQUATTER 322

CHAPTER XXIY.

SYDNEY AND ITS ENVIRONS — A DRIVE TO BATHURST AND THE TURON

DIGGINGS 363

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XXV.

PAGli

NEW ZEALAND — PORT OF AUCKLAND — COLE'S INN — WILD PIGEON-
SHOOTING — CURLEW AND DOTTEREL SHOOTING DEPARTURE . . 372

CHAPTER XXVI.

CHINA — SHANGHAI — SNIPE AND OTHER SHOOTING — EXCURSION TO
THE TAI-HOU, OR GREAT LAKE — PHEASANT-SHOOTING — CORMORANT-
FISHING — SOU-CHEOU-FOU — TAI-HOU, OR GREAT LAKE — ISLANDS
AND SCENERY — SHANGHAI RACES — DEPARTURE FROM CHINA . . 378

SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

CHAPTER I.

EARLY REMINISCENCES.

PREMISING that I trace a direct descent by my mother's
side (a Beresford of Ashbourne), from that jovial angler,
but rather imprudent financier, Charles Cotton,* whose
history and cypher are so beautifully blended with that of
the immortal Isaac Walton, it is not surprising that I should
have inherited, ab an early age, some of the peculiarities of
my ancestor ; and when I add that the greater part of my

* Charles Cotton, son of Charles Cotton, of Ovingden, in Sussex, and
where his wife, daughter of Sir John Stanhope, of Elvaston, in the county
of Derby, by Olive, his first wife, daughter and heir of Edward Beresford,
of Beresford, in Staffordshire (Mrs. Cotton was heiress to her mother, and
by her the estate of Beresford came to Charles Cotton), was born the 28th
day of April, 1630, at Ovingden, where, having received such rudiments
of education as qualified him for the University, he was sent to Cambridge,
and had for his tutor Ralph Rawson, who had been ejected from his
fellowship of Brazen-nose by the Parliament visitors in 1648. This
person he has gracefully celebrated in a translation of an ode of Johannes
Secundus.

Oldys says that, in 1656, Cotton then being in his twenty-sixth year,
and before any patrimony had descended to him, or he had any means of
supporting a family, he married a distant relation, Isabella, daughter of Sir
Thomas Hutchinson, of Owthorp, in the county of Nottingham, Knt.
The difficulties that might have arisen from this imprudence were averted
by the death of his father in 1658, an event which put him in possession
of the family estate, which seems, however, to have been considerably
encumbered. It, indeed, excites no wonder that struggling with law-suits

B

2 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

youthful days was* spent on the banks of the Dove, it would
have been wonderful indeed if I had escaped its piscatory
temptations in the first instance, and had not sympathised
with all its romantic and poetical associations at a later
period of life. Such, indeed, was the case. I believe nature
intended me for a bad poet and a good fisherman, and I
seconded her impulses by every means in my power, and
particularly by neglecting more useful tasks for an in-
dulgence in this enchanting pursuit, dating from catching
my first minnow with a crooked pin, to landing my first
salmon with a single gut. Indeed, the first objects of in-
terest that my memory recurs to, were connected with the
finny tribe, and an ardent admiration for the professors of
the gentle art, whose positions in the social scale were of
indifference to me, provided they possessed the science of
inveigling the inhabitants of the waters.

This unconquerable attachment to the society of characters,

and the growing difficulties of a family, we find him turning author by
profession, and acquiring considerable credit, particularly by his trans-
lations, although, perhaps, with but little emolument.

Angling having long been Cotton's favourite recreation, we cannot but
suppose that the congenial attachment for the same pursuit, so pre-
eminently displayed by Walton in his Complete Angler, excited in the
former a desire to become acquainted with the author. Certain it is that
before 1676 they were united by the closest ties of friendship. Walton, as
also his son, were frequent visitors to Cotton at Beresford, whose residence
was singularly advantageous for ripening such friendship, being situated
near the Dove, then the finest trout stream in the kingdom ; and Cotton,
no less for their accommodation than his own, erected a fishing- house on
its banks, with a stone in the front thereof, containing a cypher, which,
incorporating the initials of their names, has blended them in an indis-
soluble tie, which entitles them to respect for ever.

These circumstances, and the formal adoption by Walton of Cotton for
his son, were probably the inducements with the latter to the writing a
second part of the Complete Angler, and therein to explain more fully
the art of angling, either with a natural or artificial fly, as also the various
methods of making the latter.— Life of Walton, by T. Zouch, D.D. 1823.

EARLY REMINISCENCES. 3

sucli as S y, the Ashbourne barber, famous for his skill

as a fly-fisher and a fly-maker, and little F t, the quack-
doctor of W e, who was equally noted for great depth

and research in all the arcana of bottom fishing, was the
source of much misunderstanding between my pastors and
masters and myself.

The early part of my life, or rather that portion of it
which dated from the first development of my moral per-
ceptions to the assumption of the important position of a
Rugbeian — in fact, an interim of some four years between the
ages of six and ten — was chiefly spent between the banks of
the Dove and those of the Avon, two rivers, each possessing
highly picturesque beauties, but of widely different character.
The former rapid, clear, buoyant, and gay, now flowing
through some rocky gorge, where a separate peak rises iri
solitary majesty, and the current, angry at being confined,
rushes with mad impetuosity onwards towards open meadows,
fringed with alders and willows, through which, as the
morning sun beams on the broad and silvery stream, many
a glorious trout and grayling may be observed glancing and
leaping on its surface. The latter quiet and sluggish,
winding "the easy tenor of its way" through verdant
meadows and flat alluvial soil, its sedgy banks the hiding-
place of many a colossal pike, and its deep and quiet holes
frequented by gigantic perch. Amongst other denizens of
its waters, I must not omit to mention the bream, which
coarse, but often large fish, not only afforded much exercise
for my early piscatory skill, but frequent opportunities of
accompanying my friend the quack-doctor to a celebrated
hole on the river, where, at " early dawn," we were pretty
sure to capture several large specimens of this genus. This
locality was always designated by the latter as the " Brem ole"
and was the scene of many a practical joke, played off by me
as a mischievous boy, on little F 1. A more enthusiastic

4 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

fisherman (of the worm and gentle species) never lived ; but
he aspired to higher things, and lived, I believe, to arrive
at the height of his ambition — viz., the possession of a cottage
on the banks of a trout strem.

My intimacy with this village Esculapius was much im-
peded by a female cousin of mine, who occupied the position
of Lady Bountiful at my father's house, and who physicked
the villagers con amore, in opposition to the doctor s paid
professional services. Each had the most supreme contempt
and dislike for the other. The latter, however, possessed a
far and wide reputation for his cures of dropsy in its worst
stage, by an old receipt that he had managed to obtain
(rather surreptitiously) from a farmer's wife in the neigh-
bourhood, and so celebrated had he become for this " spe-
cialite," that upon one occasion he was actually sent for into

Oxfordshire, to attend the Countess of M for this

disorder. The specific, however, unfortunately failed, but
the doctor consoled her friends and himself by the observa-
tion, " I can cure my Leddy of the dropsy, but I can't gie
her a new liver."

My cousin used all the influence she could with my
father to break off my bands of intimacy with her adversary,
who sported a broad-brimmed hat (a la Abernethy), and

laughed at Miss 's prescriptions and administrations;

but our sympathies, or rather my own obstinate attachment,
were too strong to be disunited by the utmost efforts of our
opponent, and the first blush of daylight generally found me
at the doctor's door, where, after an early and simple break-
fast, prepared for us by Madame, sa femme, who did not at
all relish this unseasonable ejectment from the marriage-
couch, we sallied forth to some favourite spot on the river,
or the brook, and, as I was usually home by the breakfast-
hour, with a few fine fish, perch, pike, or bream, to display
to my father, who had been an ardent fisherman in his

EARLY REMINISCENCES. 5

time and still loved the sport, not many questions were

Being an only child, having lost my mother at an early
period, and my father being old and infirm, my school
vacations were chiefly devoted to the " gentle art," and in

iny solitary rambles around the neighbourhood of W ,

both on the banks of my father's preserved water, and that of
the adjoining proprietors, where I had obtained permission
to fish, I not only perfected myself in the art of bottom
angling, but formed some curious acquaintances and asso-
ciations.

Adjoining my father's estate, and merely separated by a
lane and rural bridge, lay the beautiful park and mansion

of . The brook which had hitherto flowed through our

own meadows in a humble and unpretending manner, became
a wider and more important stream upon its entrance into
the park, and finally discharged its waters into the Avon,
immediately in front of a noble old Elizabethan mansion;
and it was this conflux of the two streams that formed my
favourite angling ground, and where many a well-fed perch
was often transferred from its curling eddies to my fishing-
basket. The surrounding landscape was the very perfection
of park scenery : troops of deer reposing in picturesque
glades, noble trees, the growth of centuries, both singly and
in groups and avenues, stood in every variety of ornamental
position. Here, too, our immortal Bard of Avon is related
to have made rather free with the venison, and to have been
imprisoned by the relentless proprietor, who, if at all sensible
to the shafts of ridicule, must have subsequently very much
repented his severity.

It was not without much difficulty and some manceuvring
on my part, that I obtained permission to follow up my
amusement here, and indeed I was the only person who pos-
sessed that privilege. The then proprietor, the last and

G SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

distant branch of a long line of ancestors, had not many
years previously been summoned from a small living in
a remote and distant part of the kingdom, to take possession
of this noble estate, with all its historical souvenirs and
ample revenues. He was a person of advanced age and
most eccentric appearance, and, owing to his previous poverty
and seclusion, had contracted habits of close parsimony, and
a peculiar method of expressing the vernacular, that he con-
tinued to practise even in his present altered circumstances.
In fact, he was, to a certain extent, the wonder and amuse-
ment of the country, and few old dames in the surrounding
villages but had some mysterious story to tell about him.

The habits of his wife and himself certainly warranted
some extraordinary conclusions, as they avoided nearly all
society, shut themselves up in the old hall, and lived chiefly
upon the produce of the park — viz., rabbits and venison.
Frequent differences arose between the eccentric proprietor

of and the neighbouring gentry, with regard to county

matters, in his position as a great land-owner and magistrate ;
and they generally found him a very stubborn person to
deal with; but with all his peculiarities of character and
language, he was a staunch Conservative, and had a profound
respect for aristocracy.

Once in every year he invited a large assemblage of the
surrounding gentry to what he termed a cold collection, upon
which occasion, habited in a very rusty suit of black, and
crowned with an old Welsh wig, he pointed out the ancient
portraits of the different members of his family with these
memorable words — " These, ladies and gentlemen are my
post s."

The Rector of W e, an inveterate Whig and wag of

that day, but a very talented man, took great pleasure in
tormenting poor Mr. , and amongst many other humo-
rous jokes he circulated at his expense, was the report that

EARLY REMINISCENCES. 7

the beautiful Elizabethan windows that adorned the great
hall were nothing but old cucumber-frames.

A jeu cFesprit, written about this time, by the same
individual, relative to two incidents in the life of the owner

of } created much laughter in the county, and may

amuse many of my readers. The language was such as the
old gentleman commonly iised, and the subject — first, the
arrest of an unfortunate Frenchman who resided quietly in
the village, following up his profession as an artist, on
the joint warrant of Lord W k and his own, on sus-
picion of his being a French spy : second, upon being
recommended by his physician to try change of air in some
quiet sea-bathing place for the benefit of his health, he
objected to the expense of travelling if recognised as the

great Mr. , and suggested that he should perform the

journey in a cog.

Some rides in a coach, and some rides in a shay,

And some in a curricle jog ;
Some mounts on a dicky, so brisk and so gay,

But I always goes in a cog !

For a cog is so snug, as a bug in a rug ;

And when we to Charmouth do jog,
We sees the world dashing, and flaring, and flashing,

"Whilst we keeps ourselves in a cog.

Now um do tell me that Bonipartee

"Will surely come o'er in a fog ;
He's a long time a coming, and we keeps a drumming,

But I thinks he'll come in a cog.

Last year, devil rot him, I thought I had got him,

Or some such French rascally dog ;
For the miller, d'ye see, ha come and tell me

That a fellow was here in a cog.

So I ups with my sword, and I goes to my Lord,

And my Lord jumps about like a frog.
"Mr. ," says he, "Mr. Osborne," says he,

" What can this chap do in a cog?"

8 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

" No good," replies I, "as your lordship may spy.

But my conscience it gave me a jog,
For I know'd all the while, how many a mile

My wife and I goed in a cog!

So we seized all the cantles, trunk, box, and portmantles,

And made an exact catalogue
Of writings so curious, and pamphlets so furious,

That belong' d to this man in a cog.

But my Lord went too far, for the laws do declare

That not all the fat bulls of King Og
Can fright a man's reason, or make it high treason

To live if he please in a cog.

So all ye that be wise, nor good counsel despise,

Enjoy your firesides and your grog,
And leave off your wine, and cease to be fine,

And keep yourselves snug in a cog.

I does so myself, and I looks to the pelf ;

Um says that I lives like a hog, —
Yet I've oxen and barns, fat deer and fine farms,

And cash ! that I keeps in a cog !

A near relation of mine (a lady) was riding one day
between iny father's house and the nearest county town,
and upon passing the park railings, observed several of
the deer that had escaped by some aperture into the road.

She met Mr. shortly afterwards, and informed him that

she had seen several of his buclcs, upon which the old
gentleman demanded — "War 'em bucks, mam? 'Ad 'em
'orns on V

Such are a few brief sketches of the old gentleman, from
whom, by a well-timed offering of some fine perch, or good-
conditioned jack, I obtained permission to explore all the
nooks and corners of the " soft flowing Avon," not only in
its circuitous meanderings about the park, but through
many miles of rich and verdant meadow. I think I see him
now, as I introduce myself and my basket with a quiet ring
at the back entrance (always about one o'clock), and ana

EARLY REMINISCENCES. 9

conducted by an elderly serving woman to a low parlour,

where the Lord of is represented by a very diminutive

old man, in a greasy flannel dressing-gown and Welsh wig,
seated by the mistress of the mansion, attired with equal
simplicity, and generally discussing a dish of deer's fry, of
which I was always invited to partake, together with a glass
of home-made wine. He loved a bit of gossip, and was very
skilful in extracting all the news he could from, a boy like
myself, and even carried his partiality to me so far some-
times as to dismiss me with a present of sixpence for school
disbursement.

Peace to his manes ! His memory is associated with some
of the happiest clays of my early life ; and although the myste-
rious economy of the old hall has been long since replaced by
the profuse and noble expenditure of the present race, and
mischievous schoolboys like myself are no longer allowed to
poach in the preserves, or luxuriate on deer's fry with the
proprietor, still there is a lingering charm about the olden
time of that no modern magnificence can dispel.

Guided by the advice and directions of my father, who was
the best practical angler I ever met with in my life, I
seldom made use of any other bait in this river or its
tributary brooks, than the live minnow; indeed, during a very
long fishing experience, and after having tried most of the
inventions and soi-disant improvements of modern science
and ingenuity, I know of none to be compared to it, as the
most killing, at all times, seasons, and weathers.

I have generally found in open unobstructed water, that
roving with a minnow on a middle-sized triangular hook
(three hooks bound together) through the back fin, and hung
on very fine silver gimp, is even preferable to spinning, and
in quiet deep holes, not easily accessible by reason of trees
and bushes, the Pater poster, or several live baits, hung
at different depths on a line leaded at the bottom, is almost

10 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

an infallible attraction to pike, perch, or chub. It must be
borne in mind, that I am now speaking only of those streams
that are supposed to contain the above kinds of fish; it
would be sacrilege on my part to recommend this com-
paratively simple and poaching mode of angling in preference
to the noble art of fly-fishing with all its beautiful associa-
tions and ingenious refinements ; still I should not be afraid
of betting a large wager, that with a live minnow on fine
gut, I would at any time kill a heavier weight of trout in a
given time than would be achieved by the most accomplished
fly-fisher, in his favourite stream.

Salmon are not exceptions to this rule, and are to be
caught by a minnow or small gudgeon, when the fly or even
the lob-worm fails to attract them. The chief point to be
observed in fishing with a minnow is to select bright coloured
ones if possible, and by every possible precaution, such as a
large tin, with plenty of holes for the admission of air, and
frequent change of water, keep them in a lively condition.
Some of our most distinguished brethren of the angle,
amongst whom I may quote, perhaps, the most remarkable,
(Sir H. Parker,) have advocated the use of the artificial min-
now, which is used similarly to the fly, and is considered
by those who have attained the necessary skill and practice
to throw an artificial minnow some twenty or twenty-five
yards, and to make it describe a light curl upon the water,
as it gently descends into the centre of the radius occasioned
by the recent rise of some large trout or other fish, as one
of the most inlallible of baits; but few, very few, have
the skill or patience to be able to use it with advantage.

EXPATRIATION. 11

CHAPTER II.

VOYAGE TO INDIA — MADEIRA — TENEHIFFE — CAPE OP GOOD HOPE —
ARRIVAL AT MADRAS.

I HAD hardly completed my sixteenth year, when a volatility
of disposition, an unconquerable attachment to field sports,
to the prejudice and disparagement of other and more im-
portant pursuits, and a precocity of intellect directed in a
totally opposite direction, than towards the quiet and dignified
profession (the Church), for which I was originally intended,
induced some of Taj friends to suggest that my follies and
escapades might be effectually cooled, or rather warmed, down,
by a voyage to India; a proposition to which I cordially
assented, anything like change or adventure being delightful
to me. Accordingly, a cadetship was easily procured, and
arrangements made for dispatching me to those sunny climes,
from whence, considering my tastes and habits, it was no
doubt considered very unlikely I should ever return.

I am sorry to confess, even at this distant period, that
military glory, in its legitimate sense, formed no very great
portion of my inducements for the step I was taking.
Adventure of any kind was the first object, and India was
chiefly associated in my mind with nabobs, shawls, diamonds,
and bayaderes, and with still greater temptations — elephants,
tigers, leopards, and other ferce naturae, affording inexhaustible
delights to the dreams of an embryo sportsman. My mind
was absorbed in a confused dream of Williamson's Indian
Field Sports and the Arabian Nights' Entertainments.

I was impatient to change this very matter-of-fact country
for all the enchantments of Eastern romance, and my preli-

12 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

ininary outfit being very soon accomplished, was sent down
to join the ship in which my passage was taken, at Graveserid,
under the charge of the old family butler, whose duty it was
to guide my erring steps during their last footprints on their
native soil. Alas ! it was only another illustration of the
" blind leading the blind." Well clo I remember how the
fat old gentleman, after several glasses of post-prandial
punch, caught the infection of my own gaiety, was induced
to accompany me to a sailor's hop, where more punch was
consumed, and more temptations exhibited, and " chill'd
remembrance shudders o'er the rest."

I have wandered since that period over many parts of the
globe, and witnessed many curious things, but never did my
eyes encounter such a scene of utter confusion as greeted
them upon my ascending to the deck of the good ship
Orient, 800 tons register, and bound to Madras and Calcutta.

Cadets of those times were very different from the young
gentlemen of the present day, of precocious manners, finished
educations, and more military science, or at least theory,
than then fell to the lot of most old officers in the Indian
army, but a set of rough, noisy boys, just emerged from some
school or other, their previous education totally unconnected
with their future profession (with the exception of those who
had obtained appointments to the Artillery or Engineers from
the Military College at Addiscombe), and it was into the
midst of such a group as the former, every member of which
was vainly endeavouring to discover his own property, cabin,
or dormitory, amidst a chaos of boxes, bales, packages, and
cargo of all descriptions, that I found myself suddenly intro-
duced, and taking an equally active and unsuccessful part in
the general occupation. The sailors were weighing anchor.
The captain, (an old Navy lieutenant,) was cursing everything
and everybody. A cutting March wind, accompanied with
snow and sleet, added to our miseries, and increased

ON BOARD. 13

our difficulties. The old butler, weeping from the effects of our
last parting and his previous night's dissipation, had slipped
over the side, and returned to the shore, and it was under
such very unpromising auspices that I first bid adieu to my
native land.

The Orient was not a regular East Indiaman, but what
was termed a chartered ship. She was an old teak-built
vessel, possessing many disadvantages, a bad sailer, badly
found, and badly rigged ; indeed, I may go further, and say
badly commanded, as the choleric Navy lieutenant seemed to
consider the cat-o'-nine-tails as the only medium through
which he could make the men understand their duty or
work the ship, and few days elapsed without an exhibition
of this description at the gangway.

By the time we arrived in the Downs, we had somehow
or other shaken ourselves into our respective places. I was
chummed with another incipient infantry warrior, of about
my own age, in a cabin between decks, and we had engaged
the services of a very amiable but remarkably ugly specimen
of the negro genus, who performed a great variety of parts
in the nautical drama, to act in the capacities of femme
and valet de chambre to us during the passage. The ship
was crammed to its full extent, every cabin in the cuddy,
and those between decks, were occupied to the extent of
their capabilities, and hammocks and cots were swung in all
possible parts of the steerage.

On three separate occasions we weighed and sailed from
the Downs, and three separate times were we forced to put
back by adverse winds. The third time our return was
celebrated by a bump on the Deal beach, which, if wind and
tide had not been in our favour, might have rendered our
stay a permanent one ; as it was, we escaped with a severe
fright, and the loss of an anchor and chain-cable. A tremen-

o 7

dous gale of wind, — the loss of our fore-topmast, — a very

14 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

narrow escape from being wrecked on the Stark Point, — our
coming to anchor in Torbay, and a frightful debauch on
Devonshire clotted cream on shore at Brixham, which caused
a second edition of sea-sickness, concluded my adventures in
the Channel; and after realizing all the poetical descriptions
I had read of the Bay of Biscay, I was glad to encounter
milder breezes and smoother seas on approaching the verdant
island of Madeira, which was destined to be our first stage
en route for the far East.

The island of Madeira itself, and the approach to it, has
been so often painted in prose, poetry, and pencil, by far
abler hands than mine, that I shall say no more about
it, except that during a week's stay at Funchal, I admired
all the natural beauties for which the place is famous ; and
smelt all the nasty smells for which it is infamous, enjoyed
the noble hospitaKty of a princely wine-merchant (Mr.
Blackbourne), drank more Malvoisie than was good for
my young brains ; consumed great quantities of sweetmeats
for the benefit of the nuns of the Convent of Sta. Maria; and
attempted the impracticable feat of galloping a Portuguese
donkey without a guide. Having completed our cargo of
"London particular," we sailed for Santa Cruz, on the
island of Teneriffe, at which place we arrived in a day or
two after our departure from Madeira, and where we were
destined to remain a longer period, and for the same pur-
pose, viz., taking in wines for the Indian market. The
" Constitution" having been lately proclaimed in Spain, the
place was very gay at this period, and the priests had lost
all their authority. The piazza was crowded with showy
uniforms, and graceful females, whose eyes gleamed through
their black mantillas, and made sad havoc with the hearts of
the cadets of the Orient, and I fancy some of their purses
also. A party, in which I was included, crossed the island
on mules, to the opposite port of Orotava, which is

THE CAPE. 15

tifully situated, embosomed in groves of oranges, vines, &c.,
at the foot of the Peak, and where we received great kind-
ness and hospitality, especially from the signoras.

We were, however, again soon compelled to change all
these pleasures for the close and mephitic atmosphere of a
crowded ship in the tropics, and to run the gauntlet of long-
continued calms (so frequently met with during the mis-
taken navigation of those days), and every species of annoy-
ance, for about the space of three months, which elapsed
between our departure from TenerifFe and our arrival at
Simon's Bay, Cape of Good Hope, which we effected almost
totally minus provisions and water, our rigging hanging in
shreds about the masts, and with the loss of another anchor
and chain-cable, in False Bay.

I now began to feel that I was realizing some of the
visions that my fancy had painted in such glowing colours
on my departure from England. The stupendous moun-
tains, sandy deserts, and wild scenery of the Coast of Africa
were immediately connected in my imagination with lions and
elephants, and I longed to commence operations as a Nimrod
without further delay.

We were informed that we should probably be detained
a month, as the vessel had to undergo extensive repairs, as
well as to take in provisions, so that a party of us determined
on proceeding to Cape Town, and amusing ourselves as well
as we could during the interval. The interminable teams of
little horses with rope harness and light waggons, that
formed the mode of conveyance, and galloped up hill and
down dale, and by the side of frightful precipices, with undi-
minished speed and recklessness, are too well known to need
description. We hired one of these, and at day-break in the
morning were conveyed in a very short time the twenty
miles' distance between Simon's Bay and Cape Town. On
approaching the latter by a road leading through sometimes

16 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

a sandy desert, sometimes through an extent of country
covered with the most beautiful shrubs and flowers, we
found ourselves immediately in front of the Table Mountain,
the summit of which was wrapped in a thick white cloud.
The whole range of neighbouring hills was also enveloped in
mist. When the sun had gained a certain height these mists
began to open and disunite, and rocks became visible through
the chasms. Portions of cloud then separated themselves
at short intervals from the main body, and moved slowly
and majestically away. Some, after rolling a considerable
distance down the mountain, remained stationary at its
sides; other fragments sailed off in a horizontal direction
and hung suspended over the neighbouring ravines and
valleys, and one beautiful wreath ascended upwards, and
gradually unfolding itself, became like a scarf of net-work
floating over a ground of blue.

The whole Table Mountain stood out in bold relief ; its
flat and barren summit presented an awful picture of still-
ness and repose : still, an expression of calm magnificence
pervaded the scene, and imparted a soothing and tranquil-
lizing influence to the beholder.

The first view of Cape Town was pleasing enough from
the extreme regularity of the streets and buildings, and
from its peculiar position, sheltered as it is by the Table
Mountain and other hills. Nothing very remarkable was
to be met with in our wanderings through the town at the
period I visited it. The houses were a mixture of Dutch
and English architecture, spacious, and comfortable; every-
thing was enormously dear, and paper currency (rixdollars)
the only medium of exchange.

The parade ground in front of the town was very hand-
some, where a military band played every evening. A
curious assemblage of all tribes and nations were to be seen
then congregated — English, merchants, Dutch Mynheers,

THE CAPE. 17

Indian officers on sick leave, mixed with Hottentots, Caffres,
Malays, Negroes, Mulattos, Hindoos, Portuguese, Lascars,
&c. &c., forming altogether a Babel-like scene, only to be
realized by ocular demonstration.

A fine piece of ground near the town was styled the
Governor's Gardens, and was once kept in a state of culti-
vation by the East India Company. Lord C. Somerset, the
Governor at this period, had turned it into a farm, on the
produce of which he fed his horses, and nothing remained
of the original design but a long and broad gravel walk,
overshaded by trees, which was the evening promenade
and resort of most of the inhabitants of the town during
the summer. Some very large barred cages, or rather
enclosed areas, containing five or six very fine lions, were
situated at the extremity of the garden. They had plenty
of space for exercise, and were well-grown, active, and in
high condition.

We shortly made up a party to ascend the Table Mountain,
accompanied by an old Rugby schoolfellow of mine, whom I
had discovered holding an official position at Cape Town.
For a short distance the ascent was not very fatiguing, but
soon changed its character, and became full of obstructions.
Our road at first wound along the declivities of the mountain ;
but we now came to the foot of a range of cliffs about six
hundred feet high, in which there was an immense chasm,
wide at its mouth, but gradually narrowing towards its
its termination. Before entering this, we remained for a
short time to observe the prospect beneath us. The streets
of Cape Town, above which we were elevated upwards of
three thousand feet, appeared like white streaks, and no
moving object could be seen in any part of them. Thin
wreaths of smoke hung over the houses, and rendered them
more indistinct than they would otherwise have been.

Table Bay was situated immediately beneath us, and re-

C

18 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

fleeted the clouds and sky so clearly on its glassy surface,
tbat a most extraordinary optical delusion was produced.
The ships seemed suspended in the air between two layers of
clouds, whilst the water in which they floated had the appear-
ance of a vast plate of glass placed between two firmaments
exactly similar to each other. We entered the chasm, and
proceeded through the bottom of it, enormous cliffs over-
hanging us on each side. As we advanced, the passage
gradually narrowed, complete silence reigned around us;
birds, insects, and every indication of animal life had dis-
appeared, we hurried on in spite of the steepness of our path,
and gained the top of the mountain after about four hours
very hard labour, and great fatigue.

The summit is nearly level, and is about a mile and a half
long, and half a mile in breadth; the view very similar to the
one we had obtained at the bottom of the precipice. The air
was delightfully cool and refreshing, and soon with renewed
vigour and elastic step, we retraced our way to Cape Town.

Our next visit was to the celebrated vineyards of Con-
stantia, where, as is the case with all visitors, we were most
kindly and hospitably received by the Dutch proprietor, who
derives a princely income from his comparatively small pos-
sessions. The finest wine was offered to us, but it is of too
rich and clogging a nature to drink much of, although some
juvenile votaries to Bacchus, in the shape of midshipmen,
and full-grown ones, in the form of corpulent skippers, have
been known to exceed the exact bounds of propriety in their
potations of this rich and luscious liquid. One of the most
extraordinary facts connected with this and other products
of the vine, is, that apparently with the same description
of soil, the same aspect and the same temperature, one
vine, a few yards distance from another, and of the same
kind, should produce a totally different wine. This can only
be explained by some peculiarities of the soil itself, but is a

THE CAPE. 19

common occurrence, not only at Constantia, but at and near
all the celebrated vineyards of Europe, although, perhaps,
the extraordinary difference of quality is nowhere so sen-
sibly felt as in this locality, where there exists only the space
of a few feet between a grape producing perhaps the richest,
most racy, and delicate wine in the world, a,nd (to all appear*
ances) a similar vine from which is manufactured the coarsest
and most earthy of vinous beverages.

Cape Town, I remember, was rather a dull residence ; and
long before the month of our detention had expired, we had
exhausted nearly all its resources. We regretted the dollars
we had spent, and longed to be again ploughing the stormy
deep on our way to our destination. These wishes were soon
realized. The old Orient, repainted, retarred, and revictualled,
seemed fully capable of performing the remaining portion of
the voyage ; and aided by a stiff south-wester, and our course
directed towards the spicy regions of Ceylon, we commenced
our voyage through the Indian Ocean under tolerably
auspicious circumstances. It is superfluous to relate all the
different wiles that were employed by a party of mischievous
boys to entrap hungry albatrosses or innocent Cape pigeons,
or the cruel experiments tried upon the vitality of sharks
after they were captured; circumstances concomitant on all
voyages to India before and since. Two little anecdotes,
however, the one tragic, and the other comic, remain vividly
impressed on my mind, after the lapse of so many years.

I remember one cold raw night, shortly after leaving the
Cape, we were sailing under reefed top-sails, with half a gale
of wind on our quarter, and in that tremendous long and
swelling sea, peculiar to those latitudes in stormy weather,
a very fine young man, named Hard man, an artillery
cadet, was pacing up and down the poop in conversation with
me, wrapped up in a thick boat-cloak. The life ropes, that
served as a railing around the poop, were very low; and some

c2

20 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

remarks had already been made on their inefficiency. During
our walk, the vessel was struck by a heavy sea, and gave a
tremendous lurch to leeward, that caused us both to lose
our footing. I being the lighter of the two, and unencum-
bered with a large cloak, soon caught hold of some object
and regained my feet; but Hardman, less fortunate, was
precipitated over the side into the roaring ocean, where, by
a bright moonlight, I saw the poor fellow's last look of
imploring despair, as he vainly endeavoured to extricate his
arms from their encumbrances. An alarm was instantly
given, the ship brought-to, and a boat lowered, but all too
late; my poor friend had disappeared beneath the waves long
before any human aid could reach him.

The second was as follows : — We were seated at the cuddy-
table at breakfast, on a broiling morning in the tropics, when
suddenly a loud cry of terror issued from one of the side

cabins occupied by a Captain R s and his newly-married

wife, who were en route to Madras. A sudden rush was
made to the door of the cabin in question, and the cause was
soon explained. Madame, who was leaving her "highland
home" for the first time in her life, and whose rather
robust figure, golden hair, and freckled complexion, were all
decidedly anti-tropical, had been reclining in her cot in a
state of light deshabille, the upper part of her person close to
the open port-hole, in order to catch any breath of air that
might arise, when an adventurous or amorous flying-fish
darted through the aperture, and lit upon her bosom. This
piscatory intrusion was the cause of the screams we heard ;
the lady's knowledge of natural history, or perhaps her
belief in its laws, not having extended to this very remark-
able marine phenomenon; and all the answer she could be
induced to give to her husband's explanations and endear-
ments, was the repeated assertion of " Auch mon, it's the
deil!"

ON BOARD. 21

At length we were directed to elevate our noses, and
sniff the spicy gales and perfumed breezes that were said to
be wafted from the island of Ceylon, and some of us per-
suaded ourselves of the fact. Soon the coast of Hindostan
became distinctly visible, and long lines of cocoa-nut and
palmyra trees, with now and then a pagoda, ushered in the
first announcement of our arrival at the land destined to be
a home to some and a grave to .many of us ; indeed, I believe,
from after information obtained, that I am the only sur-
vivor of the passengers of the Orient.

SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

CHAPTER III.

MADRAS — WALLAJABAD — CHOLERA — HIGH LIVING — SNIPE SHOOTING —
SNAKES - CONJIVERAM - MONKEYS AND PEAFOWL — VELLORE — MARCH TO
JAULNAH — ADVENTURE WITH A TIGRESS — BEJAPORE — HYENA — ARRIVAL
AT JAULNAH.

dropped anchor in Madras roads, were surrounded by
catamarans and native craft; and began, by dint of an
immense purchase and consumption of tropical fruits of all
descriptions, to lay in the seeds of dysentery and cholera be-
fore our time. Traps, trunks, and boxes were hunted up,
and the captain, glad to get rid of us, discharged his human
cargo of unruly cadets with their baggage into a capacious
massoola boat alongside. Onward we go, pulled by the
sinewy arms, and almost deafened by the cries, of the native
boatmen, through the various mountains of surf that encom-
pass the coast, and are at length hauled on shore through
the last and most dangerous of all — a finale that seldom.
occurs without a complete ducking of self and baggage.

Anxiously awaiting their cargo of European victims, were
drawn up on the beach a motley group of native servants, of
every grade of rascality, from, the grey-haired dubashee
to the infantine chokra, who were all ready to take
Massa under their especial charge, and provide him with
every necessary, animate and inanimate, out of pure philan-
thropy; and dooly or palanquin bearers, with their doolies,
to convey him to his destination. Ours happened to be
chiefly the cadets' quarters or barracks, situated about two
miles from the shore, and where, considering the intense
heat, we arrived in our novel conveyances in a wonderfully

MADRAS. 23

short period. The whole of the quarters being occupied, we
had tents allotted to us, pitched in the compound, or ground
attached to the building, which were destined to be our
residence until our appointment to different regiments up the
country.

Everything was new and interesting to us except the heat
and the mosquitos : the richness of the tropical vegetation —
the picturesque costumes of the natives — the luxuries of an
oriental tiffin, so different from what we had been accustomed
to, with its endless variety of curries, and pale ale, and
Madeira accompaniments, and all the delicious fruits peculiar
to this part of the world.

I presented my letters of introduction, and received the
usual conventional dinner invitations ; attended the Gover-
nor's and Commander-in-Chief 's levees, and in the course of a
lew weeks was appointed to do duty — that is to say, learn
niy drill and the first elements of military science, of neither
of which I had the slightest previous knowledge, with a regi-
ment stationed at Wallajabad, a cantonment situated at
about fifty miles distance up the country.

I was ordered to join a large detachment of cadets and
soldiers, both native and European, under the command of
an officer en route to different stations in the Presidency, and
having provided myself with the usual complement of sable
domestics, purchased a tattoo (or pony), procured a subaltern's
tent from the Government stores, and filled my bullock
trunks and cowry baskets with what was considered neces-
sary for use and comfort, I fairly started on my Indian
career.

As I am not about to fatigue the reader with the oft-
repeated description of Indian scenery, and all the phases of
an Indian military life of those days, but merely recapitulate
a few of my own adventures, I shall merely add that our
mode of travelling was by short marches of from ten to

24: SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

fifteen miles between daybreak and sunrise, the tents and
baggage being dispatched in the first instance on bullocks
and camels, in order to the former being pitched at the next
halting-place, and if possible, breakfast in due preparation by
the time we arrived either on horseback or in palanquins, as
suited our purses or inclinations.

The route between Madras and Wallajabad being, even at
that early period, much frequented, did not offer such
opportunities for sporting as the more distant parts of the
Presidency ; but as our halting-places were generally fixed in
the vicinity of some tank where wild fowl in great variety
were sure to be found, and the paddy fields near the villages
afforded a certain harbour for snipes, the newly arrived
griffin* and incipient sportsman, who, in defiance of doctors,
fever, and liver complaint, was determined to prosecute his
favourite amusement, even beneath the rays of a tropical sun,
had plenty of work for his gun. Some very young hands, to
whom shooting flying was as yet an art to be learned, carried
on an indiscriminate slaughter upon blue pigeons, turtle
doves, paddy birds, and such innocent objects as were foolish
enough to sit still and be shot at; and others recklessly
wasted their skill and ammunition upon the turkey buzzards
and vultures that were always hovering around in search of
the offal of the camp.

I think it was at our second halting-place, when having
observed a large tank not far from our camp, encircled by a
broad belt of grass and reeds, and dotted with water-fowl in
the centre, that after tent-pitching, breakfasting, and per-
forming the prescribed duties of the morning, I took my
gun from its case, and accompanied by my maty, or second
servant, started on my first shooting excursion on Oriental
soil.

* Name given to a cadet during his first year's residence in India.

MARCH UP THE COUNTRY. 25

Resisting all temptations that continually presented them-
selves of firing at snowy white paddy birds, jungle pheasants,*
and a great variety of the plover and sand lark genus,
although with much nervous apprehension of treading upon
cobra capellas or other venomous snakes, I was at length
rewarded for my perseverance by killing several beautiful
teal and widgeon, and one splendid specimen of the large
Brahmine* duck, as it is here termed, with which I returned
with no small self-exultation, although suffering severely
from the blistering effects of the sun, to the camp. On
arriving at my tent, however, with the intention of ordering
my dubashee to have a couple of teal nicely cooked for tiffin,
with lime-juice and Harvey sauce accompaniment, I not
only found that worthy absent without leave, but that all
the most valuable contents of my bullock trunks, including
my plate (a few silver spoons and forks), had simultaneously
vanished. On immediately reporting the circumstance to the
commanding officer, I found this was a matter of very gene-
ral occurrence, and that I was not the only sufferer in camp.
It was then a very general practice for the servants engaged
at Madras by cadets to leave their masters on the first or
second day of their march, taking with them all the most
valuable property they could carry, which they disposed of
immediately at the thieves' bazaar.

The same evening my maty, who evidently saw that I
regarded him with eyes of suspicion as being implicated in
the disappearance of my baggage, followed the example of
his companion, and decamped also, but too closely watched
to appropriate any more of my baggage ; indeed, there was
little left of any value to take, so that my establishment was
reduced to a chokra, or boy, whose relations resided at
Wallajabad, a horsekeeper, grass-cutter, and bullock- driver,

* A sort of magpie.

26 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

and I was thrown entirely upon the resources of my com-
panions for my meals, &c., for the rest of the march.

The country through which we passed was very barren
and uninteresting, with no cultivation of any kind, except in
the immediate vicinity of the villages, near which we always
made our halting-place, for the sake of procuring provisions.
These villages were nothing more than mud walls and mud
huts, and displaying every sign of decay and dilapidation,
and the inhabitants, with the exception of those attached to
the pagodas, exhibited signs of great poverty and misery.
Itinerant pigs, of the most filthy appearance and habits, and
half-starved pariah dogs roamed about the walls in all direc-
tions, and water buffaloes, buried up to the shoulders in mud,
gazed in stupid astonishment at a white stranger. Sheep,
rice, fowls, and ghee (liquid buffalo butter) were, however,
generally to be procured, as well as the indispensable in-
gredients for the universal curry, without which no repast
is complete, either native or European.

After a little more than a week of this description of
marching, we arrived at the cantonment of Walla jabad,
which was situated in a low, swampy position, amidst vast
fields of paddy on one side and low jungle on the other.
Two battalions of native infantry were stationed here, and
at the time of my arrival the cholera was making sad ravages
amongst them. The quarters for the officers were a long
line of low buildings, with a piazza or verandah extending the
whole length of them, and in spite of the intense heat the
walls and ceilings were green and discoloured by the damps.
One room was appropriated to each occupant. I remember
that I had hardly taken possession of mine, had arranged it
as well as I could, by the purchase of a few necessary articles
from the bazaar, and was reposing in one of my two chairs,
with a consolatory glass of brandy pawnee before me, when
I received a visit from a young married officer, who had

WALL A JAB AD. 27

been my fellow-voyager from England. The subject of
cholera was brought on the tapis, and after describing the
horrible sights he had witnessed, he exclaimed, in a jocular
manner, helping himself at the same time to a glass of
brandy and water, — " This is the way I keep out the
cholera." About half-an-hour after his departure, a native
servant summoned me to his quarters, where I found his
young wife in an agony of despair, by the bedside of her
husband, who was writhing beneath an attack of spasmodic
cholera. All the usual remedies were applied, which in
those days consisted chiefly of brandy and opium, in large
quantities, which, if it did not cure the patient, at all events
alleviated his sufferings; and under this treatment, appa-
rently insensible, and in a very few hours, expired poor

L r. Many other European victims to this fatal disease

were added to the list, and few days elapsed without the sad
details of a military funeral, and the mournful notes of the
" Dead March in Saul/' as the body was carried to its last
resting-place.

I cannot help here remarking, although the system is said
to be changed in these days, and that temperance and
sobriety have usurped the places of drunkenness and
debauchery, that the mode of life adopted by many officers,
both young and old, was but too favourable to the propagation
of disease of every kind. I shall not instance exposure to
the sun as one of the fatal causes, as opinions are divided on
this head, some considering that the exercise, amusement,
and excitement caused by a moderate indulgence in sport-
ing, even under the rays of a tropical sun, may counter-
balance, in beneficial results, any evil effect it may produce, but
describe the ordinary daily course of life of an Indian officer
during the period that I was in the service, and leave the
reader to judge for himself. I do not for a moment deny that
there were many exceptions, but they only proved the rule.

28 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

During several days in the week he rose early, either for
drill, parade, or other military duties, which were always
concluded by eight o'clock. Breakfast, which was usually
partaken of in the society of several companions, was served
soon after, and generally consisted of curries, salt fish, rice,
eggs, omelettes, &c., after which, and perhaps the smallest taste
of brandy pawnee, the hookah, narghile, or cheroots occu-
pied his leisure time until eleven. He then dressed himself;
that is, put on a clean suit of white ; and if the regiment
possessed a billiard-table, played a few games before tiffin,
which was always served in the mess-room at half-past one,
and which, indeed, to the old hands, was the principal meal
of the day, and at which most of the materials and con-
comitants of a sumptuous dinner appeared upon the table.
Hot and high-seasoned dishes pampered the weakened and
depraved appetite, and Madeira, claret, and pale ale, flowed
in reckless profusion. About four or five o'clock, if there
was no evening parade, which was not often the case, billiards
were resumed, or perhaps rackets, (rather a singular game
for an Indian climate, and after a profuse meal.) Towards
sunset, a short ride; and at seven, a dinner was served in
the mess-room, similar in most respects to the previous
tiffin, and at which those members, whose powers of absorp-
tion and inglutition were equal to a fresh tax upon their
strength, again made their appearance, — again fought their
way through curries, stews, and grills, and again distin-
guished themselves amongst the votaries to the shrine of the
immortal Hodgson.* The post-prandial sittings were also

* The great pale ale brewer. At the period of my arrival in India, this
and the names of " Day and Martin," the blacking manufacturers, were so
well known amongst the natives, that they were considered universal
celebrities ; and upon one occasion, having a quantity of books I had no
means of carrying with me, and I wished to dispose of to a native hawker,
I was asked by him whether the works in question were Hodgson's or Day
and Martin's !

WALLAJABAD. 29

prolonged to a late period of the night, or perhaps an early
one of the morning, and once a week at least (the public
night, when strangers and officers of other regiments were
invited), the potations were deeper and more prolonged, and
accompanied by some very loud, and very problematical
vocal music, in the form of convivial and amatory songs.
Such a mode of life (and that of daily recurrence) was quite
sufficient to make inroads on the constitution in the most
bracing and healthy climates; what then must have been its
effects beneath the baleful and enervating skies of India ! or
was it wonderful that so frequently the fine youth, full of
promise and vigour, was consigned to an early grave, or
lived on, useless to himself or the service, a wretched
example of his own weakness and infatuation ?

Although exceedingly fond of the good things of this life,
drunkenness was never my besetting sin, and I could always
manage to raise spirits enough without seeking them in the
brandy bottle. The rock upon which I was most likely to
founder was exposure to the sun, as my propensity to sport,
under any difficulties, was perfectly uncontrollable, and I had
here every opportunity of indulging my tastes and inclinations.
The snipe-shooting in this neighbourhood was considered
some of the best in the Madras Presidency, and certainly I
have never seen anything like the enormous quantity of
these birds in any other part of India, or indeed the world
(with the exception of several days' shooting near Shanghae
in China), that I was constantly in the habit of meeting
with here.

The paddy or rice fields were their principal resort, and
they were found here of four kinds. The large, or solitary
snipe, nearly as large as a small woodcock; the common full
snipe; the painted snipe, rather larger than the former, of
beautiful dark and variegated plumage, slow on the wing,
and not so much esteemed for the table; and the jack or half

SO SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

snipe. These birds breed and remain in the same localities
all the year round, and I imagine never migrate. Although
a young and very indifferent shot, I could always manage to
kill from, twenty-five to fifty couple of snipe during a morn-
ing's shooting, washing out my gun as fast as it became
heated, and restoring my own energies, rather exhausted by
heat and perspiration, with a little cold brandy pawnee.

I must own, although I was "laughed at for my appre-
hensions, that one of the greatest drawbacks to my enjoy-
ment was the constant fear of coming in contact with
venomous snakes, of which I had an instinctive dread,
although pretty well familiarized to their presence ; nothing
being more domestic in its habits than the deadly cobra, and
I have several times all but stepped on one, comfortably
curled up on the stone step of my quarters. They were
frequently discovered in officers' beds, and once when at-
tempting to leap a small nullah or ditch, at which my
pony stumbled and fell, I was pitched over his head on to the
opposite bank, and upon gathering myself up, espied a cobra
capella creeping away within a few yards of me. With all
these risks (although I have heard of many), I never wit-
nessed a fatal accident in India.

The story of the drunken soldier in Fort St. George has, I
believe, been often related in print and otherwise, but I will
risk a repetition of it.

A soldier belonging to an Irish regiment, a part of
which formed the garrison of Fort St. George, was condemned'
for repeated acts of drunkenness to twenty- four hours' con-
finement in the black-hole, a term given to a dark and sub-
terraneous cell, used as a place of punishment and confine-
ment for similar offenders. He had not long been conducted
there, locked up, and left by the jailor in litter darkness to
his own reflections, stretched upon his straw pallet, when he
felt a substance gliding over his person which he well knew,

SNAKES. 31

from its movements, must be a snake, and, in all probability,
a deadly one. He dared not touch it with his fingers to
ascertain the fact, of which indeed there could be little doubt;
but knew that his only chance of safety consisted in his
remaining perfectly motionless, and allowing the reptile to
follow undisturbed the bent of its own inclinations. In this
instance, according to the man's account, when the snake
had crept up to his breast, it insinuated its slimy length be-
neath his military undress jacket, and curled itself up com-
fortably to repose. The sensations of the soldier, and one
whose nervous system had been previously weakened and
irritated by habitual intoxication, may be imagined were
not very agreeable ; particularly as he had to endure many
hours of this frightful torture and suspense before he could
expect to be released from his cruel position, and even then,
in all probability, at the expense of his life. Providence,
however, mercifully ordained it otherwise. When the term
of his imprisonment had expired, and the door of the cell was
rather suddenly opened, admitting the rays of light to enter,
the serpent glided from his bosom into an obscure corner.
The man rushed through the open door, presenting a de-
plorable picture of emaciation and terror ; his hair, which was
of a dark colour twenty-four hours previously, had turned
perfectly white, and he died in a very short time, although
he never tasted liquor afterwards.

Upon the cell being carefully searched, a large cobra
capella was discovered and destroyed, which had, somehow or
other, managed to gain an entrance.

In the course of several months, having gained a little
knowledge of marching and counter-marching, penetrated
the mysteries of the sword and musket exercises, and illus-
trated some of the elements of "Dundas," but, above all,
considerably improved in my shooting, by my own request
I was appointed to a regiment on field service, or rather

32 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

receiving field pay and allowances, and stationed about seven
hundred miles to the north-west, at Jaulnah in the Deccan,
and was ordered to the fort and station of Vellore, to join
a large detachment about to march up the country in the
direction of my own destination.

I now hoped to exchange the flat and swampy paddy-
fields and uninteresting scenery of Wallajabad for the moun-
tains and forests that I had so long dreamt of, and the whole-
sale destruction of snipes for larger and nobler game ; and it
was with very few feelings of regret that I bid adieu to this
celebrated locale of snipes, paddy-fields, and cholera.

My first march on the road to Arcot, at that period the
largest cavalry station in the Presidency, was Conjiveram,
celebrated for its curious and extensive pagoda, and I was there
very nearly getting into a terrible scrape with the Brahmins,
and breaking one of the most strict rules in the service,
unintentionally and from sheer ignorance of the almost super-
natural respect paid by these people to their religious usages
and emblems. This immense pagoda, like most others, is
surrounded by a tope or grove of magnificent trees, banyans
and others, and amongst the branches of which I quickly
espied some beautiful peafowl. Concluding they were of
the wild kind, and being the first I had seen in India, I soon
brought down a splendid cock bird, which I handed to my
sable attendant, who was a pariah, or, as he called him-
self, "Christian caste; — all same caste as Massa:" "drink
brandy, eat ebery ting, all same as Massa." Upon pro-
ceeding further, and gaining the front or chief entrance to
the pagoda, I observed that all the salient points, roofs,
and pinnacles, were covered with monkeys. These I con-
sidered were far too numerous to be individual pets, and was
totally unaware of their sacred attributes, and having
slipped a ball into one barrel, was in act of taking aim at a
very impertinent looking member of the tribe, who was

CONJIVERAM. 33

making grimaces at me from an abutment of the edifice,
when my arm was touched by my attendant, and on looking
round I observed a troop of horror-struck Brahmins ad-
vancing towards me in threatening attitudes.

Fortunately the peacock was concealed in a game-bag,
which my servant carried, and I beat a quick retreat to
my tents, which were hard by, where, by an apology on the
plea of " youth and inexperience," made by my head-servant
for me, and the timely present of a few rupees to be spent as
a peace-offering to their offended gods, I got out of the
scrape.

The pea-fowl and monkeys were both sacred, and regarded
with religious veneration ; the latter particularly so, being one
of the incarnations of Yishnu.

I proceeded to Yellore, which, as everybody knows, is a
walled fort, surrounded by a wide and deep moat, full of
alligators, once belonging to Tippoo Sahib, and famous for
the mutiny that took place there on the 10th July, 1806.*

* "Whilst I am recording these souvenirs of my early days a terrible
revolution, or rather mutiny, after so many years of quiet and confidence,
is absolutely taking place in India ; and this portion of our Eastern history
seems to have escaped the observation of the many commentators and
theorists as to the present or remote causes of the lamentable catastrophe.
It seems to me that many circumstances attendant upon the present
outbreak precisely coincide with those that preceded the mutiny at Vellore
in 1806, and prove, not only the extreme susceptibility of the native
character in all matters connected with their religion or caste, but also
the danger of leaving at large, or out of the immediate surveillance of the
British Government, any of the immediate descendants or relations of
deposed or conquered sovereigns. It is a pleasing task, also, to recal to
the minds of our present rulers the courage, promptitude, energy, and
resolution that were displayed on that occasion, and which were, no
doubt, the means of averting evils and consequences exactly similar to
those that have occurred in our Bengal Presidency. An admirable and
concise description of this event is contained in Routledge's edition of
Macfarlane's History of British India, from page 337 to 343.

34 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

Permission to shoot the alligators (some of them of tre-
mendous size) was granted only to one person, a certain well-
known fort-major, an excellent shot, and who well knew the
only vulnerable spot in the animal. Many of them had rings
and bangles attached to their feet, which had remained since
they were first put into the moat as puppies, — a method
adopted at an early period by the Mysore Government to
prevent at the same time desertion from their own troops,
and render the attack of an enemy more dangerous and diffi-
cult. An instance had been known of an Irish soldier, in
the face of almost certain death, repeatedly swimming over by
night to the bazar opposite, for the purpose of obtaining a
bottle of arrack ; but who eventually fell a victim to his
temerity. I here joined a very large detachment of officers
and troops about to proceed to different stations on my
own line of march up the country, such as Nundydroog,
Bellary, Belgaum, Kulludjee, &c. My own destination,
Jaulnah, was the most advanced cantonment in the Madras
Presidency, and the head-quarters of the Hydrabad sub-
sidiary force.

The commander of the party was a very original specimen
of the old Indian officer of those days — a certain Colonel

W , and regarding whom some droll anecdotes were in

circulation, amongst which I shall quote two that occur to
my memory. Upon one occasion he sent in a charge against
a subaltern under his command, to head-quarters, worded
in the following manner : — "For flying in the face of his
commanding officer." In answer to this accusation, the
adjutant-general replied that he was not hitherto aware

that flying was a military crime ; but if Colonel W

could point out where the young man was likely to alight,
a guard should be dispatched to capture him. Another, and
equally characteristic one, was: — He was observed one day
making out his monthly returns by the aid of a Johnson's

MARCH UP THE COUNTRY. 35

Dictionary, and was evidently puzzled relative to the
orthography of some word that he could not discover in the
pages of his favourite author. At length he threw down

the book in great dudgeon, violently exclaiming, " D

the book ! — it hasn't got the word ' Pukallee' in it." — Pu-
kallee being the Hindostanee term for a water-carrier, and
used indiscriminately with English words, like many other
native names expressive of different callings and professions.
Our tents were carefully overhauled, as the rainy season
was likely to overtake us on our march. Bullocks and
camels, with their drivers, were engaged. I exchanged my
pony, and some rupees into the bargain, for an old, but very
handsome Arab horse, and suffered as most people do for
being caught by appearances, as the Tattoo, for endurance
and fatigue, was worth two of him. I carefully rubbed up
my gun and laid in a store of ammunition, and even went
so far in anticipation of future glory as to purchase a hog-
spear. Some tea, brandy, and Harvey's sauce formed the
extent of my provision in the commissariat department; for
the rest we trusted to supplies obtained on the road and the
produce of our guns. Two medical men accompanied the
detachment, and a complete camp equipage, and we all
looked forward to a very pleasant march, in which we were
not doomed to be disappointed. The next halt of any
consequence was fixed at the military station of Bellary,
several hundred miles from hence. The intervening country
was at that period very favourable for game of all kinds,
and dreams of tigers and wild boars filled the imaginations
of all the young hands of the party, most of whom as yet
had met with no opportunity of exhibiting their courage and
address in the pursuit of any animal larger than an iguana
or a bloodsucker.*

* A large and very ugly lizard.

36 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

Shortly after leaving Vellore, and approaching what were
termed the Ghauts/* a range of hills covered with forests, the
country became far more picturesque and wooded, and abun-
dance of game was seen. A troop of antelopes would
frequently cross the road at a short distance, stop, gaze,
and bound away again in their rapid and graceful course ;
coveys of quails and partridges would suddenly rise from
the brushwood, and now and then a hare start from beneath
our feet ; bustards might be seen stalking in the plains, and
packs of rock-pigeon, of grouse-like plumage and appearance,
skimmed along the surface of the hills ; flocks of culms, a
very large bird resembling a heron, and scarlet flamingos
were wheeling their giddy flight high in mid-air, and amidst
trees and near the mud villages thousands of parroquets
were screaming out either their surprise or welcome, and
flashing in the sun like a shower of emeralds. At night,
when the bivouac fires were lighted, and the camp had
sunk into repose, commenced the continued and mournful
yells of multitudes of jackals, intermixed with those of the
wolf and hyena, with the occasional addition, when encamped
near jungle or forest, of the roar of the tiger or screams of
the chetah.

The mornings before sunrise and during the period of our
march were sometimes very cold, but by the time we had
arrived at our ground, and breakfast was prepared, the sun had
attained its full power, and the heat was tremendous ; but
this did not prevent me, in spite of blistered hands and face
(the skin of which was continually peeling off and re-forming,
so that during the period of a month I underwent several
complete changes of complexion), immediately after the per-
formance of the morning's duties, from invariably sallying
forth with my gun and attendant in search of sport and

* Gaujhts.

GAME-BIRDS. 37

adventure. What to an old Indian would have appeared
madness in the first instance, and uninteresting in the.
second, to me was the height of enjoyment; and, although
I persisted in the same course during a three years' residence
in the most unhealthy part of India, and between the ages
of seventeen and twenty, I never suffered from cholera or
any of the fevers peculiar to the country ; and, in fact, never
had a day's illness, with the exception of a few bilious
attacks, brought on as much by over-indulgence in the good
things of this life as from any other cause.

My expeditions were generally solitary, as I could find
very few companions, even amongst the old or young hands,
who felt disposed to encounter the formidable dangers of a
tropical sun for the sake of shooting a few partridges, hares,
or other game, and who did not prefer the far more enervating
recreation of sipping sherbet, or perhaps brandy pawnee,
smoking their hookahs, ensconced in their fauteuils, and
fanned or punkha'd by their servants.

I usually hired a few coolies to act as beaters, from the
nearest village, and if I could engage the services of a
" Shikaree" or native sportsman, who was likely to indicate
the whereabouts of any game, I had all the better chance of
success. The different descriptions of game birds to be met
with in the country I was now traversing — but depending of
course in a great measure on the nature of the ground — were
wild pea-fowl, found in jungle near grain fields, nullahs, and
ravines full of thick scrub or bush, and in the forests ; that
rare and most delicious of Indian dry game, the " florikan,"
partridges of three sorts, the black, grey, and painted,
several descriptions of quail, rock-pigeon of rather a lighter
brown, and smaller, but feathered in a similar way, and'
resembling the grouse; near tanks and paddy-fields wild-
fowl of all descriptions, many unknown in Europe, besides
the several varieties of snipes. I am aware that since the

38 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

vast extension of our Indian possessions, and the ascent and
adaptation of the Neilgherry and other high mountains to
sanitary purposes, that a long addition has been added to
the game list of ornithological varieties, but am merely
speaking of my own experience on the flat country of
Mysore and the Deccan. Jungle-fowl, or wild poultry,
could be heard crowing in every direction at early dawn
in the woods, but it was nearly impossible to get a sight,
much more a shot at them, and that noblest of game, the
bustard, generally defied the best contrived methods of the
hunter to approach him on his native plains. Hares were
tolerably abundant, but as we -never used dogs, the climate
being too hot for any scent to lie, or to admit of their
hunting, they were very difficult to start, and the antelope
was far too wary and timid to allow a griffin to get a shot
at him.

Of the " ferae," a gorged jackal sometimes fell a victim to
a well-directed shot at the first break of day, as he was
retreating from his nightly orgies, and at the same time a
dummel gundy, or hyena, cantered off scathless from a
volley — (I never knew one shot). Tigers and chetahs were
known to inhabit the country, and I had several times,
when out shooting, observed the prints of their feet in the
sand and mud, but as yet had not obtained a sight of either
one or the other in their native wilds.

Our party, consisting chiefly of young officers about to
join their respective regiments for the first time, with few,
if any, old Indian sportsmen amongst us, did not possess the
experience, and had none of the appliances for hunting the
nobler sorts of game, such as wild hog, tiger, &c., which
might have been found in some parts of the country we
passed through.

I shall never forget my first introduction to the king, or
rather queen of beasts at least, in Central India.

ADVENTURE WITH A TIGRESS. 39

We encamped one morning on our march between the
stations of Eellary and Dharwar, near a large tank encircled
by thick and very high grass and reeds, that extended for
a considerable distance. A wide extent of jungle formed
the background, and a mud fort and village were situated
near the camp.

My servant informed me that he had been told in the
village that there were several tigers in the neighbourhood,
and they had lately committed many ravages upon the
cattle. This news, however, which I had often heard before,
did not at all deter me from seeking my usual sport, parti-
cularly with such promising ground before me. Accordingly
I engaged a couple of beaters, and, accompanied by my
" maty," proceeded to push my way through the grass and
reeds, which were often far above my head, towards the
more open parts of the tank. We had proceeded some
distance without flushing anything, when suddenly I was
startled by a tremendous roar in my immediate vicinity, in
comparison to which it still seems to me that any similar
sound I may have since heard either at the Zoological
Gardens at feeding-time, or any other exhibition of the
kind, was like a penny trumpet to an ophicleide, and upon
turning my eyes in the direction from whence it issued,
observed an enormous tigress seated on her haunches in a
sort of natural bower formed by the grass and reeds, with
two kittens, evidently a very few days old, playing at her
feet. I can only describe my sensations at the time as if a
feeling of petrifaction was stealing over me, and that my
limbs were powerless to obey the impulse of the mind.
This was happily but momentary ; I stole one more furtive
glance at the terrible object before me, and making a sudden
effort, retraced my steps as fast as my bodily powers, and the
natural obstacles before me would permit, in the direction of
the camp. My attendants had vanished long before, and had

40 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

spread the news of a " baag" or tiger, before my arrival at
my tent, I must own, in rather a nervous condition, and very
glad to partake of that universal Oriental restorative — a
glass of brandy pawnee. Every gun and musket in the
camp were shortly laid under contribution for a combined
attack upon the tigress, but upon returning to the spot (very
cautiously as may be imagined) where I had first seen her,
both she and her family had vanished. We traced her to
the jungle, but there lost her tracks in its thick intricacies.
This first and rather abrupt meeting with a royal tiger
inspired me with a deference and respect towards their
feline majesties which I had hardly felt before, was destined
to last for the remainder of my life, and was confirmed by
all subsequent experience.

Several days afterwards, while shooting in a high jungle,
I came upon a troop of monkeys; I had not seen any since
my Conjiveram adventure, and considered that this time
jacko was at all events fair game. Accordingly, I loaded
with ball, and taking deliberate aim at one of the largest I
could approach within shot of, brought him to the ground.
Upon going up to him the poor beast applied his paw or
rather hand to his wound, looking up in my face in an
imploring manner, and the tears trickling from his eyes. I
was shocked at the wanton cruelty I had committed, soon
put an end to his sufferings, and never shot at another
monkey.

One of the most interesting halts we made on our line
of march was at the ruins of Bejapoor or Visiapour. The
immense extent and colossal grandeur of these remains,
attested what must have been once the power and mag-
nificence of the Mogul Empire. Domes, still standing,
much larger in circumference than St. Paul's, and the
walls, of an immense thickness, described a circumvallation
of more than twenty miles. Several stone guns of enormous

ATTACK UPON A HYENA. 41

calibre still remained, but what was once a flourishing city
was now a mass of shapeless ruins, overgrown by jungle and
brushwood; no doubt the haunt of the tiger and leopard,
and where I got some good pea-fowl shooting. At this place
I witnessed a curious proof of the toughness of a hyena's
skin. Some of our companions had observed an animal of
this species enter a hole in one of the ruins, and a Shikaree,
who happened to be in camp at the time, offered for a small
reward either to catch it, or make it bolt from its lair, as we
pleased.

We chose the latter, and several of the party stationed
themselves immediately above the mouth of the hole with
hog-spears, whilst others stood close by, their guns loaded
with ball.

The Shikaree commenced operations by making a second
opening in the earth, some distance behind the first, and
after removing some large stones, and gradually feeling
his way with a long and sharp spear, a low growl was
heard, and a large dummel gundy made his appearance at
the mouth of the hole, from which he had no sooner half
withdrawn his body than several spears were thrown, or
poked at him; but which, although sharp as penknives,
bounded off his hide like a racket-ball, and had only the
effect of accelerating his pace upon emerging from his
hiding-place and gaining the open ground. Several shots
were fired at him at very close quarters, none of which
appeared to take effect, or at least to retard the ungainly
canter, which soon carried him far beyond our reach. I
really believe these animals bear charmed lives, as I have
many times seen them escape in almost a' similar way from
apparently certain destruction, and have myself planted a
hog-spear, sharpened to the finest edge, right between the
shoulders of one that I had ridden down on the plains
near Jaulnah, without being able to pierce the impene-

42 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

trable hide, and was glad, after the experiment, to make off
myself.

Whilst encamped here at night, we heard the roar of
tigers in very close vicinity, and indeed prepared to receive
them should they make their appearance, which was not
however the case, as they have a strong objection to fires.
From this place, in a few marches, and without any incident
worth relating, we arrived at our destination — Jaulnah.

JAULNAH. 43

CHAPTER IY.

JAULNAH — CAPTAIN SHERIFF — SHOOTING — FOX-HUNTING — ANECDOTE OF A
WILD HOG — PHANSIGARS, OR THUGS — A SUTTEE — ANECDOTE OF AN
ELEPHANT — LOSS OF MY HORSE — A TAME CHETAH !

THE cantonment of Jaulnah, although by no means cele-
brated for its salubrity, and situated in the midst of a flat
and barren country, almost totally devoid of timber or shade,
except that of a few gardens and topes, presented a very
animated appearance. One regiment of cavalry, three of
native infantry, and a strong force of artillery, were then
quartered there. It was situated at only a short distance
from the city of Aurungabad, one of the Mzam's military
stations, and not only the remains of a fine Eastern city,
but famous for its beautiful "tag" or mausoleum, erected by
the Emperor Aurunzebe, in memory of his daughter, and
which was subsequently a very favourite resort of mine.
Convenient bungalows were to be bought or hired, and the
mess accommodation, billiard-tables, racket-court, &c., were
all on the usual scale of Oriental luxury ; and I heard excel-
lent accounts of the shooting, particularly the larger sorts of
game, such as deer, elk, neilghau, and wild hog. Tigers
were also common in this country, but few in the im-
mediate neighbourhood of Jaulnah; for here dwelt at
that period one of the most determined slayers of these
animals that was ever known in India, and who had ac-
quired, amongst the natives, the name of " Baagwalla," or the
tiger-killer. Captain Sheriff, the chief superintendent of
police in this district, was a Highlander of the most undaunted
courage, and at the same time possessing a coolness and pre-

44 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

sence of mind equal to any occasion or emergency. He was
an admirable shot with both rifle and pistol; and when
upon his tiger or chetah- destroying expeditions, rarely or
ever allowed any other European to accompany him. His
fame and prowess were so well known, that whenever any
traces of a tiger were discovered within many miles of the
cantonment, a Shikaree always arrived to impart the news
to him, and he took his measures accordingly, which, indeed,
were simple enough, as they generally consisted in placing a
bait for the animal, near the spot he was known to haunt,
in the shape of a calf or bullock. When aware of the
whereabouts of his victim, Sheriff always approached him
silently and single-handed, his object being to get a full
front view of the tiger at a very short distance if possible,
not more than ten or fifteen yards, and to plant his ball
exactly between the eyes. This, of course, was rarely done
without attracting the observation of the beast, which, in
some instances, received its death-wound when in the act of
springing upon its antagonist, to whom a miss fire, or the
slightest want of nerve, would have been fatal. His weapon
was a double-barrelled Joe Manton's rifle, of not very large
calibre, but I believe he rarely had to use the second
barrel; nor do I remember any occasion, during my resi-
dence of two years at Jaulnah, and in which he had killed
upwards of twenty-five tigers, that he undertook an expe-
dition for this purpose without bringing home the animal as
a trophy.

He despised the usual method of hunting as practised in
India, securely seated in a comfortable howdah on the back
of an elephant, with some forty or fifty guns, besides your
own, ready to fire a volley into the unfortunate tiger imme-
diately he makes his appearance, but absolutely courted all
the dangers attendant upon his own daring system. Many
years are past and gone since I last met this hero of the

CAPTAIN SHERIFF. 45

Deccan, and am ignorant whether he ultimately fell a
victim to his favourite pursuit, or still lives to recount his
wonderful achievements. Sheriff, after killing a tiger, gene-
rally returned in a sort of triumph with it to the station,
slung upon a long pole, and borne by several coolies. The
native women rushed in crowds to meet it, with the hopes
of wetting their handkerchiefs, or portions of their dress in
the blood, which they consider a charm against misfortune
and barrenness, and also to possess many other virtues.
He was as efficient and valuable an officer as a hardy and
keen sportsman, and the expulsion and destruction of many
of the murderous and predatory bandits that frequented this
part of India, was mainly owing to his perfect knowledge of
the different languages, acuteness of perception, and promp-
titude and decision in action.

I was soon domiciled in a very agreeable bungalow, in com-
pany with several other young officers, our united forces form-
ing rather an imposing establishment ; and being now finally
appointed to the regiment to which I was destined to belong,
was soon initiated into my duties, which I did not find very
severe, the mode of life being in most respects similar to that
I have described at Wallajabad. A taste for sporting, in
spite of exposure to the sun, was perhaps more prevalent,
and the consumption of beer and brandy pawnee something
greater.

I look back with feelings of pleasure to the many delightful
shooting excursions I have made in the neighbourhood of
Jaulnah. One of my favourite resorts was a large tank, or
rather swamp. Situated on the other side of the native
fort and town, in rather a pretty situation, groves of mango
trees on its banks, and surrounded by low, undulating, bare
and rocky hills, here I was sure to find snipe of several
kinds, although forced to wade up to the knees in black and
offensive mud, with a burning sun overhead, the snipes rising

46 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

every few yards, and settling down at a short distance again.
When tired of this rather perilous sport, packs of rock-
pigeon and coveys of the dark-brown quail, amongst the
rocks and on the sides of the hills, afforded plenty of sport
until it was time to return to tiffin and pale ale : for both of
which my morning's amusement had given me an appetite,
to be envied by those who passed their time in sedentary
occupations at home.

Not far from this spot, and amongst a tope of mango trees,
was situated the quiet little abode of a Fakeer,* with
whom I had managed to scrape an acquaintance, and from
whom I learnt, by rote, some of the first elements of Hindos-
tanee I picked up. He was not one of those dirty and dis-
gusting objects so common amongst this class, but a vene-
rable, respectable-looking character, quite of the "high
church" school; and whatever his conduct may have been
amongst his own parishioners or co-religionists, he certainly
never attempted to practise any humbug or imposition on
me. When tired with shooting, and bathed in perspiration,
I sought his shady little garden, and, squatting down in the
shade beside him, smoked my cheroot as an accompaniment
to his " hubble-bubble," he always had a " chatty" of cold
fresh water, and my boy produced the bottle of cognac,
which I informed the old gentleman was an English medi-
cine, beneficial in most cases, but a sovereign specific for
hypochondria. I have a strong suspicion that Mahomed
Bundar's experience in the world had made him quite au
fait to the real state of the case ; but, at all events, he con-
cealed his knowledge, if he possessed it, and received and
quaffed his medicine as one of the most docile of patients.

Amongst the sports peculiar to the East, and for the

* A Mahometan wandering priest, or devotee.

FOX-HUNTING. 47

enjoyment of which the vast open plains, intermixed with
rocky ground and ravines, in the immediate vicinity of Jaul-
nah, presented excellent opportunities, was that of fox-hunt-
ing; not, indeed, that noble recreation upon which so many
thousands are spent, and so much emulation exists in our
native land, but the pursuit of a beautiful little animal, not
much more than half the size of the British fox, with silvery
far and black bushy tail, that is found at early dawn, and
descried by the practised eye of the hunter creeping silently
and singly over the plain, or skulking amongst the rocks,
and which often affords an excellent run, trying the speed of
a brace of greyhounds, and the pace of an Arab horse, before
they are either killed or earthed.

The same description of ground on which these animals
are found presents a curious and interesting field of observa-
tion to the Indian officer who delights to rise on the first
break of morn, and, summoning his " syce," or horsekeeper,
mounts his trusty Arab, and taking with him his gun or
rifle, dogs, and spear, repairs to the barren plains and hills
of the Deccan.

Troops of jackals retiring from their nightly " razzias,"
here and there some wolves, or a solitary dummel gundy or
hyena making his way, in a deliberate and ungraceful
canter, from, the glare of the sun and the haunts of men to
some hole or cave, are the first objects that strike his view.

Flocks of antelopes are seen in the distance, and bound
away upon his approach; and if these all vanish without
affording a chance for either rifle or spear, he consoles him-
self with a careful scrutiny for the miniature Reynard, which
is to afford him an opportunity for an exciting and invigo-
rating gallop, before the sun's rays render such an amuse-
ment unpleasant, if not impracticable, and returns with a
brush or two to the discussion of an Indian breakfast, with
an appetite which the souvenirs of the previous evening's

48 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

jovialities, and a consequently lengthened repose, would not
have engendered.

This, at least, was the only sanitary system I adopted
during my residence in India on non-parade mornings, and
I sincerely believe that I may attribute the impunity I
enjoyed from tropical ailments, during my stay in the
country, to its beneficial results.

Bustard of very large size are often met with on these
plains, but are exceedingly difficult of approach; and during
my stay at Jaulnah, I never knew one killed by a European
sportsman. The Shikarees sometimes brought them for sale,
and I have known one of forty pounds weight served up at
our mess-table.

I happened to be on a week's shooting excursion some
distance from the cantonment, with an officer of another
regiment, who was one of my most frequent companions on
such occasions, — a good sportsman, who had gained skill and
experience by a much longer residence in India than myself.
We had our usual camp equipage, and were prepared for any

sort of game we might meet with ; and B e, who was

well mounted, had with him a couple of beautiful Arab
greyhounds, for the purpose of fox-hunting, and his spears,
in case of finding wild hog, into which sport he had been
initiated, and had already killed his hog single-handed.

After moving from place to place, and killing our usual
complement of pea-fowl, hares, partridges, and quails ;
observing tracks of several tigers, but not taking any par-
ticular trouble to find them ; and stalking several neilgha,u
unsuccessfully, we arrived near a village, where we learnt
from a Shikaree that wild hog were in the habit of freqiient-
ing a sugar-cane plantation by night, near the place where
we were encamped, and returning to a neighbouring jungle,
about two miles distant, on the break of day.

Acting on this information, we opened our campaign on

WILD HOG SHOOTING. 49

the " suers" by engaging coolies, in the first place, to beat
the sugar-cane, with orders to make every possible discordant

noise they could, naturally or artificially. B e and I

loaded our double-barrelled guns with ball, and placed our-
selves on each side of the sugar-cane field, and about the
centre of it.

At the farther end, and nearest to the jungle where the
hogs were likely to bolt, was stationed a boy, with the two

Arab dogs, and near him a horse-keeper, holding B 's

horse and spear, in readiness for him to mount, and pursue
the game through the intervening ground between the canes
and the jungle.

From where I stood I could distinguish neither the one
or the other of the latter individuals.

I had not been long in the position I had at first taken
up, and the air resounded with the cries of the beaters, when
I distinctly heard the rush of some large animal through the
canes in my direction, and presently an opening was made in
the cactus-hedge, and, with a tremendous grunt, an immense
hog stood exposed to view, about twenty yards below where
I was standing. I was not long in bringing my gun to my
shoulder, taking steady aim behind the shoulder which was
presented to me, and firing both barrels in quick succession.
The animal rushed back into the sugar-canes. Suddenly a
cry of lamentation was heard about one hundred and fifty
yards below where I was standing, and, on running forward

to ascertain the cause, I found B 's boy crying and

•wringing his hands, and one of his master's fine dogs lying
dead beside him, shot through the head. As I have before
stated,, from where I was standing I could not see the
boy or dogs, and, in fact, did not know where they were
stationed ; however, according to all appearances, I had
missed a wild hog at twenty paces distant, that seemed to me
nearly as large as a bullock, and had killed a valuable dog

E

50 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

of my friend's, that I could not see, at at least one hundred
and fifty.

My friend, as may be imagined, was not very profuse in
his compliments to me on this occasion, and I was retiring,
discomfited and extremely ashamed of myself, from the scene,
when a shout arose from the sugar-canes, and presently
several coolies appeared, dragging with difficulty the body
of a wild hog — or rather sow, as she turned out to be.

Upon examination, we found that both my balls had
taken effect, rather lower down than I intended, and had
passed clean through her, so that the dog must have been
killed by one of them after its exit from the "suer's"
carcase, which, indeed, did not present much resistance,
being as fat as butter — or, at least, as a diet of sugar-cane
with mud-baths could render it, and probably, acquiring some
obliquity of direction by this means, performed the difficult
feat of shooting round a corner ; at all events, I am relating
a fact. The wild sow weighed upwards of four hundred
and fifty pounds, but was big with young.

This interlude prevented my friend B e from following

the remainder when they broke cover, which they did in
gallant style, to the number of twenty or thirty, and some
very large boars amongst them, in the direction of the
jungle.

I shall relate a circumstance that occurred during my
residence at Jaulnah, which gave additional lustre to the
fame of my friend Sheriff as a " Cutwall Sahib," or Chief of
the Police : —

From the sudden and unexplained disappearance of many
individuals in the surrounding districts, and even women
and children from the Jaulnah bazaar, it was more than sus-
pected that a strong party of Phansigars, or Thugs, must be
in the neighbourhood. The existence of this horrible and
almost incredible race of beings was a fact which at this

THUGS. 51

period had not been long established in our Anglo-Indian
dominions. To quote the words of a writer on Indian affairs
— "That thousands of practised murderers, organized into
a brotherhood, and bound to each other by mysterious, but
indissoluble ties, and who held a language only known to
themselves, should be congregated at all seasons and in
every class of society, and so well initiated in their bloody
calling, that however far apart the residence of two Thugs
might be, yet they no sooner encountered each other than
immediate recognition should follow, was indeed little
suspected, since such a state of things could not enter the
imagination of persons living under an efficient government."
The only means of detecting and bringing to justice these
monsters was through the treachery and cowardice of their
own sect, who, upon the first danger of discovery, rushed
which should be the first in the field to come forward and
turn approver, or give evidence against their comrades, by
which they escaped the penalty of hanging, which was in
every case inflicted on a convicted Thug ; and so concise
and complete in all the details was this evidence, and so
thoroughly established by subsequent proofs, such as finding
bodies or skeletons in the exact spots where they were
stated to have been murdered, that no doubt could exist of
its credibility.

Thuggism in Bengal has been so well described by Captain
Meadows Taylor, that I shall simply confine myself to the
evidence produced before Captain Sheriff as to the manner
it was carried on in this part of the Deccan. It not only
embraced every class of society, but every age and sex,
from old age to almost infancy. Every member of this
diabolical fraternity was liable to be summoned at any
period, night or day, to assist or join in a conspiracy for
the sake of plunder and murder; and as the Phansigars
represented all classes and callings in society, such oppor-

E2

52 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

tunities were very frequent, as they easily obtained the
knowledge of intended j ourneys of persons on business, and
who were likely to carry money or valuables with them,
met them on the road, or at caravanserais, and managed to
keep company with their victims until their party was suffi-
ciently large to enable them to achieve their bloody work
with security.

The Phansigar always added murder to robbery. It
formed an imperative item of his creed. The female, for
the sake of her bangles or armlets, or the poor child, for
its brass lotah or water- vessel, were alike pitilessly strangled,
and buried or concealed in the most convenient spot. They
were, however, most cautious in their proceedings, and
always selected the most secluded and unfrequented places
for the scenes of their atrocities.

When a party was to be attacked en masse, the number
of Thugs was generally about equal to the travellers, when,
by a given signal* and at a favourable part of the road,
and whilst apparently in friendly conversation and com-
panionship, each Phansigar, great and small, selected a
victim, by adroitly throwing a noose round his or her neck,
and the work of murder was soon finished, either by strangu-
lation, or the knife; but they preferred the former mode.
The bodies, after being despoiled, were immediately buried
in the most secluded spot they could find.

As I before stated, the police had every reason to believe
that a large party of these assassins were haunting Jaulnah
and its immediate vicinity, and steps were taken in con-
sequence to discover them.

An old, and rather mysterious personage, apparently a
Marhatta of high caste, and who occupied the position of a
shroff, or money-dealer in the Jaulnah bazaar, and, indeed,
had even had some transactions in that way with some of
the officers of the camp, somehow or other fell under the

THUGS. 53

suspicion of Sheriff, who was not long in acting upon these
surmises. He was quietly seized one morning and hand-
cuffed, whilst reckoning up rupees on a counter in his
dwelling. A strict search was made, and upon digging
beneath the mud flooring of the hut, a hole was discovered
full of every description of property, including ornaments,
money, jewels, &c. He admitted at once the fact of his
being the chief, as well as receiver and banker, of a band of
Phansigars, and offered to point out to the police every one
of them, men, women, and children, on condition of his own
life being spared. This offer was accepted, and the old
assassin, thoroughly disguised, was accompanied by a strong
body of police to the different towns arid villages and re-
ligious festivals for about fifty miles round the canton-
ment of Jaulnah, until he had betrayed about two hundred
of his associates into their hands. Once captured, and when
they were aware by what means, there was no difficulty in
bringing their crimes home to them. Orientals are all
fatalists, a"nd when they consider their time is come, or even
great danger impends, they do not trouble themselves by
trying to avert it, but give themselves up to their fate with
the greatest coolness and resignation. A trial took place
for form's sake, when the male portion of the band were all
condemned to be hung, and the women and children to im-
prisonment for life.

The executions, to the number of about one hundred, were
ordered to take place at different towns and stations of the
Deccan, so as to strike terror, if possible, into any actual or
embryo Thugs that might still be in the vicinity. Ten were
to be hung at Jaulnah, and the night previous to their execu-
tion I accompanied Sheriff into the cell where these wretches
were chained. The conversation was carried on in the Mar-
hatta language, of which I was ignorant, but Sheriff informed
me; that upon his questioning them whether they did not feel

54 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

some remorse for all the murders and crimes they had com-
mitted, and a dread of their present awful position, they
replied that, on the contrary, they had done their duty as
good Phansigars, exactly as faithfully and well as he had per-
formed his as a Cutwall Sahib; that they well knew that
death was at all times impending, and whether it arrived by
natural means or otherwise was a matter of perfect in-
difference to them; indeed, if I could judge from the expres-
sion of their countenances, not only was there a total absence
of fear, remorse, or sorrow, but a sort of boastful conscious-
ness of their own merits, and an anticipation of future
reward for their meritorious acts in this life.

The gallows upon which they were to expiate, or rather
celebrate their crimes, was erected on the banks of the then
dry bed of the Jaulnah river, between the cantonment and
native fort. It was very rudely constructed, and not more
than nine or ten feet high. Troops were inarched to the
spot to maintain order, and many thousands of natives were
assembled to witness the execution.

The Phansigars themselves marched with a firm and steady
step to their death, singing a sort of triumphal hymn or slow
chant, and smoking their hubble-bubbles, or cocoa-nut water
pipes. When they arrived at the foot of the gallows, and
the first was ordered to ascend a short ladder and deliver
himself into the hands of the executioner, who was sitting
astride on the cross-beam, and waiting to adjust the noose,
he embraced his fellow-prisoners all round, took one last
whiff at his pipe, and gave it into the hands of the nearest
Phansigar, who, in his turn, acted in a precisely similar way,
until the whole ten were suspended side by side, and scarcely
a struggle was observed in one of the bodies. When, how-
ever, the last execution had taken place, an unexpected event
occurred, for which we were totally unprepared. Large
bodies of natives, that had been standing in the background,

A SUTTEE. 55

Came suddenly forward, and closed around the gallows.
Several men detached themselves from these groups, and
rushing upon the suspended Thugs with long knives, ham-
strung them, or severed the tendon Achilles. This, we after-
wards learnt, was to prevent their ghosts from walking, and
continuing the same pursuits after death that they had
followed during their lives.

I was invited to breakfast one morning with the amiable
and worthy Colonel of the Madras Rifle corps, and who was
also at that time the senior officer in command of the canton-
ment, when a servant intimated that a Hindoo female of
high caste wished to speak with him. Although at this
period the " suttee," or self-immolation of Hindoo widows,
was in full operation, yet it was ordered by the Governor in.
Council that in all divisions of the British army, previous
to the celebration of this ceremony, that it should be
necessary for the female to obtain the consent of the officer
commanding the place or division to her performing this act
of devotion.

The object of this order was to enable him, if possible, by
advice and persuasion, to deter those unfortunate victims of
prejudice and superstition from carrying out their fatal
resolutions, but to which end I believe it was perfectly
useless.

On this occasion a young and very handsome woman was
introduced, who simply stated that her husband, an old
Brahmin, was just dead, who inhabited the city of Jaulnah,
and that it was her wish and intention to perform " suttee,"
or burn herself beside his body on an appointed day, and
that she had presented herself before the Colonel Sahib in.
accordance with the regulations she had been instructed to
observe.

K s, who was as good and kind-hearted a man as ever

lived, but no great orator or sophist, ran over the usual list

56 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

of objections in his best Hindostanee, much in the same way
that he would have performed his task before his moonshee,
or language master, to all of which the lady listened with a
kind of lurking smile, not very complimentary to his powers
of persuasion; and when he arrived at the peroration, in
which he informed her that if she would renounce, &c., absurd
determination, she would be protected by the East India
Government, and her pecuniary wants supplied, &c., she
answered that, having several lacs of rupees of her own, she
was not at all in need of such assistance, and coolly and
politely reiterated her fixed resolution to act in conformity
with the rules and ordinances of the religion of her fore-
fathers.

Of course the commandant had nothing more to say, and
having expressed his regret, salaamed her out of the bunga-
low, with a promise to send a military guard to honour the
ceremonial by their presence, which I was also myself
determined to witness. I must say that there was no
appearance of either gross and ignorant superstition about
this woman, or of her being acted upon by intimidation, but
a calm and dignified resolution and manner that would have
done honour to a Roman matron.

When a woman had thus expressed her determination to
burn herself with the dead body of her husband, it was
always decisive, although nothing was left undone by the
Brahmins and her relatives to keep up her enthusiasm, and
work upon her mind, by representations of all the glory she
would obtain in this world, and eternal felicity in the one to
come, by the sacrifice she was about to make.

The funeral pile, parts of which was composed of precious
and sweet-scented wood, was erected in the sandy and dry
bed of the river. A quantity of dry brushwood, straw, and
easily inflammable materials, were placed beneath it, and the
open surface, at the height of about eight or ten feet, was

A SUTTEE.

covered with the fragrant flowers of the gardenia, or Cape
jessamine. On one side was extended the body of the
defunct Brahmin, anointed with sweet- smelling ointments,
and on the other a vacant space was left for the bride, and a
ladder fixed against the side to facilitate her ascent.

A number of religious ceremonies took place in a tem-
porary pavilion near the spot, and shortly the victim, painted
in the sacred colours of her caste, in which red predominated,
her hair flowing loosely, and chanting her death-song, issued
forth at the head of the procession. Drums, tom-toms, and all
the discordant elements of Hindoo music, drowned away
other sounds that might arise, and with eyes and gestures
wildly animated by the effects of fanaticism, and probably
" bang," * she moved towards the pile, scattering handfuls of
flowers around her on her course, and even on ascending the
ladder, some of which I caught and preserved long after-
wards, in memorial of this heartrending scene. She then
quietly placed herself in a recumbent position beside her
husband; more logs were heaped upon the bodies ; the cries
of the attendants and the noise of the instruments were
redoubled, and amidst them the pile was ignited. Immense
volumes of smoke soon hid everything from view, and I hoped
and prayed that this poor victim to the grossest and most
cruel of superstitions was suffocated, and met a comparatively
easy death before the flames touched her body. Be that as
it may, a very short time sufficed to reduce the costly pile,
the dead Hindoo, and the young and innocent wife to a heap
of smouldering ashes.

Amongst the many and true anecdotes relative to the
sagacity and memory of the elephant that I have heard and
read of in India and elsewhere, I do not recollect a more

* An exciting and intoxicating compound, made use of by Orientals on
desperate occasions.

58 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

remarkable one than an occurrence that took place during my
residence at Jaulnah.

A commandant of one of the battalions of native infantry
then stationed there possessed an elephant of large size and
extreme docility. When on a march, and carrying heavy
burdens, or on a shooting or other excursion, nothing could
be more obedient or even-tempered than the animal in
question; and when picketed at his quarters he would permit
little children to play with him and tease him in a variety of
ways, lift them up with his trunk upon his back, and place
them again in safety upon the ground with the greatest care
and tenderness.

Every one who has been in India knows that an elephant
on occasions of state or ceremony has two attendants attached
to his person ; one the ' ' mahout," who rides on his neck, and
guides his course, and the other in the shape of a sort of
running footman, who follows him in a gay dress, and carry-
ing a spear, which, in case of extreme sluggishness or ob-
stinacy, he uses with more or less severity on the hinder
part of the animal.

The latter personage, it appears, many years previous to
my acquaintance either with the elephant or his master, had
very wantonly and cruelly abused this privilege, and had
been in the habit of pricking his charge with his spear from
sheer recklessness, and not without great personal danger to
himself, as the elephant, when enraged or excited, is by no
means the clumsy animal he appears, but is sometimes very
quick in his movements; and, as was the case in this instance,
often suddenly turns round upon his tormentor, to the risk
and inconvenience of the occupants of the " howdah," or
box-seat on his back, and lashed out at him with his trunk.
The man had long since been dismissed; indeed, I believe a
period of six years had elapsed since his discharge, when he
happened, from some cause or other, to visit Jaulnah.

ANECDOTE OF AN ELEPHANT. 59

Finding that his old friend, or rather enemy, was at that
time in the cantonment, he paid him a visit, and was ap-
proaching him with all the familiarity of an old acquaintance,
when the elephant, usually so mild and tractable, with a
terrific glance from his sunken eye, seized the unfortunate
man with his trunk, and throwing him violently on the
ground, stamped upon him with his colossal feet, reducing
what had a few seconds before borne the semblance of a
human being into a shapeless mass of blood and dust. This
story was related to me by an eye-witness a very short time
after it happened, and I saw the beast as quiet and amiable
as ever a short time afterwards.

We were in expectation of a visit from the late Sir T. C.
Metcalfe, on his way from Hydrabad, in the Deccan, at
which place he was then resident, to Aurungabad and Bombay,
and were determined to receive him with every display of
hospitality in our power. No man in India was more
deservedly admired and respected by all classes than that
eminent statesman, then in the zenith, or rather commence-
ment of his fame.

Although at that period there were not more than half-a-
dozen ladies in the cantonment, and they could not all
strictly figure as " belles," in the true sense of the word, yet
a ball was arranged to take place j and private theatricals,
in which I took an active part, were in actual contemplation,
as a precursor to it.

Our mess-house was to be the theatre and ball-room, and
we were soon actively engaged in scene-painting, costume-
making, and all the different theatrical preparations neces-
sary to the performing of that very difficult and complicated
drama, She Stoops to Conquer; or, The Mistakes of a
Night. Having volunteered to write a sort of opening
address or prologue, and to take two roles in the comedy, I
had full occupation for the several days that intervened.

60 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

before these gaieties were to take place. Our dramatis per-
sonce were all of the male sex, and we had no small difficulty
in transforming some of our young hands into lady-like repre-
sentatives of Goldsmith's heroines. Indeed, I alluded to
this circumstance in my prologue, in the following doggrel : —

Though here in vain the eye may rove in search
Of simple chapel, or more sacred church,
Yet, come all ye who walk in wisdom's way,
And find a school of morals in our play.
Come matrons prim, and tender misses — all
From Johnny Groat's to gates of Leadenhall,
Lighten our efforts with your smiles — nor fear
That aught immoral shall be acted here.
Our mimic scene in changeful guise shall show
The rough old hand a young and polish' d beau ;
And few of all the critics here will tell
The nut-brown ensign in the blushing belle.

Sir Charles arrived in due course. The public dinner
given on the occasion was all that could be desired, and the
subsequent speeches pithy and appropriate. She Stoops to
Conquer, with an extemporized overture by the Rifle corps
band, went off pretty well, except that the gentleman who
recited my prologue resolutely refused to keep his stops, and
thus rendered what was before not over plain perfectly
incomprehensible; and that Tony Lumpkins was tipsy de
facto instead of de more. Then followed the ball, in which
more curious figures were introduced than even modern
invention has produced; and then the supper. But I have
merely mentioned these circumstances as a preamble to a
little adventure that occurred to me subsequently, or rather
in consequence of them.

The supper, as most ball-suppers are, was prolonged to a
late, or rather early hour of the morning, when a party of us
agreed to turn out on the hills, and try and kill a fox,
instead of turning into our beds. A few days previously I

A LOST HORSE. 61

Lad purchased a country or Cutch horse, from a cavalry
officer, cheap, as I imagined ; but these animals, in contradis-
tinction to Arabs, are notoriously vicious and intractable.
We soon found the object of our search ; the dogs were well
laid on, and away we went with every prospect of a fine run.
I soon discovered I had no control whatever over my
great brute, and we were fast approaching a wide and rocky
nullah, which I did not imagine he either could or would
jump. There was nothing for it but to take my chance ; so,
attempting to guide him to the most practicable part of the
. ravine, I rammed him at it.

A sudden stop, with a jerk sufficiently violent to shake a
statue from its pedestal, and then a plunge into the ravine,
were all that I could remember distinctly. When I came
to my senses, I found myself lying on a shelving edge of the
nullah, on the opposite side, bleeding profusely from, a wound
that had cut through the bridge of the nose, and almost
divided the cartilage. In fact, I must have been jerked
from my seat across the nullah, and descended upon my nose
on a sharp stone ; fortunately it was not my forehead. My
horse was nowhere visible, and after a fruitless search, I
returned to camp, where I imagined he had preceded me,
behind one of iny companions. This, however, was not the
case; and although I sent men in all directions to search
and make inquiries after him, I never saw or heard anything
of horse, saddle, bridle, or stirrup-irons again !

We were seated one day at tiffin in the mess-room, when
a travelling fakeer, or dervish, entered the " compound,"
leading a chetah, or leopard, blinded and muzzled, as a
medium of procuring alms. One of our old hands, who had
witnessed many wild-beast fights and similar exhibitions in
Mysore, considered this a good opportunity for attempting
a very cruel experiment, which he had seen practised before ;
and, accordingly, the fakeer being communicated, with, and

62 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

paid for the use of his chetah, the animal was fastened by a
long chain to a strong post in the centre of the ground. A
donkey was then procured, and the greater part of a bottle
of brandy poured, or rather forced down its throat. Neddy,
upon feeling the effects of the eau de vie, began to make
strange capers, and utter the loudest and most discordant
braying that ever issued from asinine lungs. In the course
of his evolutions, he approached the chetah, who had been
relieved of his ocular encumbrances, and was crouching on
the ground in a very menacing attitude, his head between
his paws. No sooner had this unusual spectacle struck his
observation, than with a bray of defiance, and turning towards
him that part of his person not usually presented to society,
he directed a straightforward kick with each hind leg full
on the muzzle of the "leopard couchant," which had not
only the effect of arousing him from any dreamy aberration
he might have been indulging in, but also of separating the
ligaments that fastened it.

A roar ! a bound ! and in a second the chetah was on
the donkey's back, his claws buried in the shoulder, and his
fangs in the neck of the unfortunate beast, whose horrible
cries it was dreadful to hear. The fakeer had lost all con-
trol over him; and terror (and drunkenness as well, I pre-
sume) had so overpowered the donkey, that he did not
attempt to escape beyond the range of the chain to which
the leopard was attached, and thus drag himself away from
the terrific embrace of his enemy, but rolled over on the
ground, the chetah still retaining his hold, and still sucking
his lifeblood. This scene was not of long continuance; the
poor donkey soon fell a victim to his temerity, or rather the
cruel experiment that had been played upon him; indeed,
every one was sorry for the tragic denouement, but could in
no way assist to prevent it, an enraged leopard not being
a pleasant animal to meddle with. After gorging him-

A TAME CHETAH. 63

self with blood, he again slunk away into a recumbent posi-
tion, and apparently fell into a siesta after his dinner, during
which time his master managed, much to our astonishment,
to muzzle and blind him, without any opposition on his part,
and to lead him away, the animal exhibiting the utmost
docility. The power of the natives over wild animals and
reptiles is certainly very surprising; indeed, it seems to be
almost fabulous ; but in what the secret consists by which
they can tame the most venemous serpents, and reduce to
quiet submission the most savage and treacherous of animals,
is only known to themselves, as I fancy they have not im-
parted it to Europeans, even in these days of knowledge and
progress.

64 SrOETING IN BOTH HEMISPHE11ES.

CHAPTER V.

AURUNGABAD — MAUSOLEUM OF RABEA DOORANEY — TANKS AND GARDENS —
DANCING GIRLS — DOWLATABAD — THE CAVES OP ELLORA — SHOOTING AT
ELLORA — RETURN TO JAULNAH.

MY first expedition to any distance, on obtaining a month's
leave of absence, was, in company with several companions,
to the city of Aurungabad, to the camp at which place we
had received a general invitation from several of the Nizam's
European officers who had partaken of our hospitality when
passing through Jaulnah.

We made the journey by short marches, the shooting on
the road, particularly hare and partridge, being excellent.
Three days sufficed to accomplish the distance, when I beheld,
for the first time, these splendid ruins of Moslem architecture,
and we pitched our tents in the garden surrounding the beau-
tiful mausoleum erected by Aurunzebe to the memory of
the lovely Habea Dooraney. A cool fountain was before
us, and a perfect forest of rose-trees shed their delicious per-
fume around us. The tomb itself, in excellent preserva-
tion, with its elegant fretwork of most delicate tracery, and
of snow-white marble, with its graceful towers and fairy
minarets, stood out in bold and beautiful relief to the
surrounding foliage ; and I really thought I had at length
realized one of those enchanting scenes that my imagination
had created of itself, or formed from the perusal of the
Arabian Nights' Entertainment, or similar works of fiction;
indeed, it would have been difficult for any description to
exceed the reality.

The approach to the mausoleum, which is modelled from

AURUNGABAD. 65

the celebrated " Tag" at Agra, is through handsome gates of
embossed brass, by a long avenue, having a fine piece of
water, and thirteen fountains in the centre. At the end of
this avenue, on a spacious terrace, stands the edifice, which
is eighty feet square. From the foundation to a height of up-
wards of six feet, it is composed entirely of pure white marble.
The windows, three in number, are of the most exquisite
trellis work, so fine and minute, indeed, that it must have
required infinite skill not to have damaged the material,
which must inevitably have suffered from the least flaw of
the chisel or inattention of the workman. Above the height
mentioned the superstructure is of stone, stuccoed, but the
large dome surmounting the whole is of marble.

The tomb is placed in the centre, and you descend to it
by steps. It is enclosed by a light and elega.nt screen of
trellis work, of an octagon figure. Nothing can be more
elaborately exquisite than the carving and chiselling, which
must have been executed from a solid block of marble. The
floor within the screen is raised two inches above the outer
aisle, and the tomb itself stands on a terrace ten inches
higher than the floor. The whole of this spacious vault is
composed of white marble, and, from being quite open at the
top, resembles a bath.

A little above the level of the tomb, and a few feet dis-
tant, is an open gallery, that embraces the whole extent of
the building, which is entirely composed of marble.

Over the tomb of Habea Dooraney was thrown a covering
of scarlet velvet, with a deep rich gold fringe, held down by
marble knobs.

The paved terrace that surrounds the building is of con-
siderable extent. At each corner is erected a tower or
minaret, seventy-two feet high, and ascended by a spiral
staircase, of one hundred and twenty-two steps, and at the
summit is a balcony thirty feet in circumference. The

F

66 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

prospect from the top is very fine, embracing a landscape of
great extent and variety, and at its foot lies the city, with
its mosques, spacious edifices, numerous gardens, fountains,
tanks, &c.

On one side of the mausoleum, and between the gardens
and the building, is a handsome edifice, containing one room.
The floor is composed of black and white marble, in alternate
streaks. The entrance to it is by a Gothic arch, very pret-
tily carved. The whole stands upon a raised terrace. The
name of the room was said to be Jummal Caun, a retiring-
place for the priests to assemble before proceeding to their
daily orisons at the tomb of Habea.

Another building, much smaller, but equally beautiful, was
situated amidst a grove of lime trees, that filled the air with
their fragrance. This was said to be a favourite retreat of
Aurunzebe, who was accustomed often to retire here, in
company with Rabea and a learned mollah, particularly pre-
vious to his setting out on one of his great hunting parties,
he having at that time about thirty miles of the country
around Aurungabad enclosed entirely for the preservation of
wild animals and game of all kinds.

Next in beauty, and as an interesting souvenir of Maho-
metan architecture, was " Shah Musafir's" tank. This
reservoir, which is very large, is surrounded by a handsome
wall, built on pointed arches. This wall was then completely
covered with plants and creepers, and four fountains shed
their refreshing spray around, and heightened the perpetual
verdure. Rich and beautiful gardens, full of the finest
trees indigenous to the East, and amongst which the cypress
added greatly both to coolness and shade • pretty kiosks,
glittering with gilded ornaments, and the cool waters of the
lake, all contributed to render this place a favourite resort
of the Mahometan population, and an agreeable promenade
to Europeans visiting the city. I well remember with what

AURUNGABAD. 67

delight I gave myself up to all tlie luxury of perfect re-
pose in tliese delicious gardens after a hot march, the last
stage from Jaulnah, and how it struck me that, after so long
a residence in India, this was the first time my fancy had
revelled in one of those visions of the East so ably painted
by our Anacreontic bard.* The great square — the hand-
somely gilded and painted mosques— the weekly proces-
sions of females, in their white veils and gracefully folded
robes, carrying flowers to scatter over the shrine of Rabea,
are all present to my memory, and form by far the most
delightful souvenirs that I retain in any way connected with
India.

The cantonment of Aurungabad outside the city walls
was at this time occupied by several battalions of the Nizam's
infantry. Mr. William Palmer, one of the brothers of the
great Indian banking-firm of that name, resided here with
his daughter (a very accomplished young lady, who had
just returned from England) in a magnificent bungalow, or
rather palace, and Mr. Canning, a near relative of the great
minister, was political resident here.

Both these gentlemen were celebrated for -their splendid
and profuse hospitality, a quality, indeed, so common with
all European residents at this place, that a stay amongst
them for any lengthened period was attended with some risk
to the constitution.

The entertainments partook more of an Oriental character
than we were accustomed to at Jaulnah, and generally ter-
minated in a " nautch," or native ballet. Aurungabad was
celebrated at this time for possessing some of the most beau-
tiful and accomplished votaries of Terpsichore in India, both
Hindoo and Mussulman; and although I am aware it has
been the fashion to cry down these exhibitions, and often

Thomas Moore.

68 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

with reason, as unbecoming, immoral, and void of grace or
beauty, still there are exceptions ; and I can well remember
that in India, and at the age of nineteen, I have gazed upon
the embroidered muslins and graceful pirouettes of some
fair dancing girl with quite as much excitement as I have
subsequently witnessed the performance of a Taglioni or
Duvernay, and listened to the " Tazu be Tazu," warbled
by some dark-eyed Moslem songstress, with as much delight
as to the solfeggio of an opera-singer.

Soon afterwards I was the guest of a Mr. John sou, an
officer in one of the Nizam's regiments of infantry, whose
hospitality was so unbounded, that he was always taxing
his brains how to find some means of entertaining me. He
Had just been praising the beauty and accomplishments of
some dancing-girls at Aurungabad, but that he might pro-
cure a particularly good set, make due preparations, and
invite some of his native friends to the nautch. He deferred
it until the following night.

Messages were accordingly sent to some of his native
friends for the occasion. No people stand more upon cere-
mony, and are more punctilious in the observance of all
forms of etiquette, than the inhabitants of Hindostan, even
to the lowest classes, who bow and salute their acquaintances
with much form. In the upper classes it is almost carried
to an excess of politeness and deference.

But to the dance. To quote the words of a friend — "These
dancing girls were some of them very young, very beautiful,
very fond, and possessing the finest and most delicate forms
that can be imagined. Willing to please, and desirous to be
admired, they neglected nothing that could set off their per-
sons, or excite admiration in the beholders. True disciples of
the Paphian Queen, still they had very few of the vices that
disgrace the sisterhood in Europe. Their manners were good,
their tempers mild, and their dispositions of the most affec-

DANCING-GIRLS. 69

tionate kind. Drunkenness, quarrelling, and swearing were
unknown to them, and in their habits they were temperate,
docile, and cheerful. No vulgarity, ingratitude, or decep-
tion in their character; they followed their vocation with-
out those disgusting traits that are met with in Europe.
They were proverbially faithful and cleanly, and to a
certain degree modest, although brought up professed cour-
tezans from their earliest youth. Never experiencing want,
and being never ill treated (as their numbers and community
protect them), and living in a fine climate, if the horrors
of prostitution (a necessary evil in all countries) can any-
where be palliated, it is in India, for there it is unat-
tended with those outrages, cruelties, and insults which
characterize the treatment and life of that unfortunate class
in England.

" The brutal and unfeeling usage that those poor creatures
experience in England in their nightly and desolate walks,
in cold and wet, searching for a miserable meal through the
opulent metropolis, beset by the rapacity of police officers,
and the hypocritical morality of the opposite sex; these
helpless creatures, these midnight wanderers, more ' sinned
against than sinning,' would present to those who took the
trouble, from motives of humanity, to perambulate the streets
at night, a more appalling picture of wretchedness and dis-
tress than those unacquainted with the subject would believe
to be possible.

" Look at home, Christians and philanthropists, and before
you go to India to reform and improve, cast your eyes at
home at the suffering thousands in want of shelter, in want
of a meal, in want of clothing to cover their bodies. In
England you can do good, in India none, and will only
produce evil.

" In the instrumental parts of these performances there
was but little to please, and nothing to admire. The vocalists

70

SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

and dancers had the accompaniments of small, noisy, harsh
drums, beaten with the fingers and a stick. The drum was
suspended from the neck, and rested on the vest of the
player. They had a kind of guitar, played either with the
bow or the fingers. To produce ' soft sounds,' in accord-
ance either with the step or whirl of the dancing-girl, the
musicians distorted their countenances by the most hideous
grimaces. The whole neck and face appeared convulsed, the
mouth wide open, and the player roared out with all his
might and main a symphony to his own music. Their
violent motions evinced exertion and the utmost enthu-
siasm in gesture, torturing as it were some dulcet sounds (as
they thought) from their rude and inharmonious instruments.
These performers were nervously alive to their calling, and
so desirous of improving the dancing and singing, that they
got into a profuse sweat, and appeared as if bewitched with
the wish to please, and the ravishing effects of their own
noise, than which nothing could be more discordant or fright-
ful, equally devoid of sweetness in the instrument, and of
taste in the performers. When you could prevail on the
girls to sing without the execrable accompaniment of the
tom-toms, the guitar, and cymbals, it was a great treat.
Their voices were often mellifluous, their persons graceful,
their countenances soft and expressive, their motions and
attitudes classically elegant; but when these obstreperous
sons of Orpheus stepped in, farewell to all harmony.

" The girls sang the strain on the old subjects, love and
war, and in relating the delights of the former did not fail
' to suit the action to the word,' but they seldom over-
stepped the ' modesty of nature,' except urged on by im-
prudent and volatile young men. Round the ankles of the
girls were placed rows of very small silver bells ; these they
moved in cadence, quickly or not, according to the step or
figure they were engaged in. There were generally three or

DANCING-GIRLS. 71

four performers at a time, who alternately took a part in the
dancing or singing, as one or other receded or got exhausted.
The quick movement of the loins and hips, the whirling
motions they took (in which our figure dancers are mere
novices), and both hands playing castanets, and flourishing
them over the head, must have been most fatiguing. They
often sang at the time of dancing, and the exhilarating air,
1 Tazu be Tazu,' generally commenced the melody. Buffoons
and mimics occasionally lent their drolleries as an interlude.
Such dancing and singing girls as Michee, Begum, Jahn,
Hingan, and others, would not go out under a hundred
rupees each for a night. Their fine tresses were perfumed
and adorned with fragrant flowers, their dress and orna-
ments were very showy, and they wore full-bottomed petti-
coats of the finest muslin, which flew out and expanded as
they took their whirling evolutions."

Our party did not break up till late, although after the
first hour or two of the entertainment there was not much
variety in the amusement. In the intervals of dancing and
singing, lounging on couches, smoking, and conversing with
intelligent natives, who were sitting around on carpets, was
an agreeable pastime enough.

Mr. Johnson was a well-known and successful tiger-killer,
and had destroyed many of these beasts, both in this neigh-
bourhood and near Ellora. His usual method was to take up
his position at night in some large tree, at the foot of which
was tied a live goat or sheep, as bait to any beast of prey,
and which, whether tiger, chetah, wolf, or hyena, if attracted
by its cries and bleatings, were pretty sure to fall victims to
his unerring rifle. The forests in the vicinity afforded him
ample scope for this description of sport, and the trophies he
possessed in the shape of teeth, skulls, and heads, attested
his success.

Latterly he always had a sort of hut constructed for him

72 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

in the branches of the tree where he meditated taking up his
night's quarters, as a precaution against danger in the event
of his falling asleep during the long hours of his watch,
having several times very nearly tumbled from his perch
under the influence of Somnus. More than once a wounded
tiger or leopard had perceived his enemy, or at all events
his whereabouts, and had commenced the ascent of the tree
in order to wreak his vengeance on his destroyer, but
Johnson had several spare guns placed in convenient posi-
tions, and had always succeeded in putting an effectual stop
to such attempts long before any danger could reach him.
He gave me some good accounts of the elk and neilghau
shooting at some places not far distant, and volunteered to
accompany me and give me not only the benefit of his expe-
rience, but the more solid comforts of his establishment, on
a short visit to the celebrated Caves of Ellora.

Our first day's march conducted us to the fortress of
Dowlatabad, which, as is well known, is erected on the
summit of a high and conical rock, rising abruptly from
the level country beneath. From the base upwards, to
the height of one hundred and fifty feet, the rock is
scarped, and presents a perpendicular naked wall, whilst a
succession of walls and bastions surrounds the upper parts of
the hill, forming additional defences to the stronghold itself.
A double fortification of great extent surrounds the base of
the rock, between the walls of which there existed an almost
impenetrable jungle, the abode of tigers and other wild
beasts. The only mode of access to the fort is by a narrow
well or passage, hewn out of the heart of the mountain,
winding and ascending to the top. An enemy attempting
to force this passage would be inevitably suffocated by fires
lighted from above. At the time of our visit the Nizam's flag
•was floating from the citadel, and several brass twenty-four
pounders were mounted on the walls. Dowlatabad was

ELLOEA. 73

considered by the natives as perfectly impregnable, and no
doubt was so, according to their mode of warfare. Our
system of military tactics and operations, however, soon
reduced these hill forts, and put the natives very much out
of conceit with them.

Quitting Dowlatabad, we passed a ghaut or mountain,
the ascent to which was entirely paved by Aurunzebe, and
• at a short distance farther encamped beneath the walled
town of Roza.

This place is celebrated as being the burying-place of
the Emperor Aurunzebe, whose tomb is a very shabby memo-
rial of his greatness. It stands on a level terrace of great
height, and commands a beautiful and varied prospect,
Aurungabad being seen in the distance. A mile and a
half from hence the traveller arrives at the head of the long
range of granite rocks, in which are excavated the wonderful
caves and temples of Ellora, and commands the most en-
chanting view of the country beneath. Forests and groves
of magnificent trees, white temples and pagodas peeping
from amongst them, and handsomely constructed tanks, all
formed a charming coup d'oeil. A precipitous and winding
path, excavated in the mountain itself, led us to the village
of Ellora, which is beautifully situated below, embosomed
in a grove of trees, and inhabited entirely by Brahmins
of the highest caste.

We encamped not far from the most magnificent tank I
had yet seen in India. The retirement of the place, and the
beauty of the country, added much to the effect. Brahmins
and Brahminees were bathing in its waters almost in a state
of nature ; gorgeous peacocks were strutting with expanded
tails about the walls and terraces, and great black monkeys
were contemplating the scene in calm security. Apropos
of the sacred nature of these birds and beasts in Hindoo
mythology, a curious passage occurs in the First Book of

74 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

Kings x. 22 — " For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish
with the navy of Hiram : once in three years came the navy
of Tharshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and
peacocks."

As I am not presumptuous enough to enter into competi-
tion with the many able and learned men who have published
long and elaborate descriptions of those astounding monu-
ments of human labour and ingenuity, I shall content myself,
and I hope my readers, with a very brief sketch of my own
impressions and ideas on my first visit to them, and confine
myself to one or two of the most remarkable. I subse-
quently visited the Caves of Elephanta, near Bombay, but
they bear no comparison whatever with those of Ellora.
The largest and by far the most elaborately carved temple is
that of Key las, which is hewn out of the solid granite rock,
and separated from it by a space two hundred and fifty
feet deep and one hundred and fifty broad. In this space
or area stands a magnificent temple or cathedral, formed
according to the strictest rules of architectural symmetry,
with all its aisles, naves, pillars, &c., of gigantic size, and
exquisite proportions, covered with the most minute and
elaborate bas-reliefs and carvings. The size of this enormous
specimen of separate excavation is five hundred feet in
circumference ; a fabric surpassed by no other relic of anti-
quity in existence.

It is difficult to form a conception of a body of men, how-
ever numerous, possessing skill, courage, and enthusiasm,
and with resources however great, sufficient to excavate from
the hardest rock, and with the chisel alone, an edifice like
this, with all its galleries, chambers, statues, and carving
in endless profusion, and the imagination becomes lost and
bewildered in the magnitude of the idea.

It must be borne in mind that Key las is only one of about
twelve caves and excavations that extend for about two

CAVES OF ELLORA. 75

miles along the range of mountains, on the summit of which
stands the town of Roza, and at the base the village of
Ellora, and the beautiful and picturesque country that sur-
rounds it.

It is, however, by far the most splendid and considerable.
Most of the others are caves, most elaborately and artisti-
cally carved and sculptured in the interior, but not often at
the top. Keylas, I believe, in both these respects, although
an isolated excavation from the solid rock, stands unrivalled
in the world.

It is entered from below by a splendid gateway, and upon
emerging into the area many sculptured figures of Hindoo
deities appear right and left, but all seems hewn out to
make room for the grand temple in the centre, which is
approached by a vast staircase leading to the porch. I shall
omit any description of the multitude of chambers, galleries,
and balconies that are passed, and present themselves to
view on all sides, and conduct the reader at once into the
great hall of the temple, where a magnificent scene strikes
the beholder. Massive and elegantly sculptured pillars,
placed at equal distances, support the highly-polished roof of
solid rock, and having their foundation in the rock itself,
which forms the base; these are not only polished to the
greatest degree of brilliancy, but are most accurately cut
and finished.

Two gigantic figures guard the entrance door, the height
of which is twelve feet, and the breadth six. The
length of the hall itself is one hundred and four feet, and,
including the platform, one hundred and forty-three
feet, and the breadth sixty -three feet, without including
the balconies which project from the sides and overlook the
courts below. This magnificent hall is divided by four
ranges of square pillars, leaving aisles or passages between
them. A whole pantheon of gigantic statues, male and

76 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

female, stand on pilasters on the outside of the last row of
columns, comprising every variety of the Hindoo mythology,
and at the upper end of the chamber is a vast representation
in polished granite of the god " Maha Deo" (Siva), the pre-
siding deity of the temple. Leaving this hall by a small
flight of steps, a chamber is entered, in which is placed the
" Lingham," thus described by a celebrated writer on
India : — " This symbol, which is placed in the centre of the
sanctum sanctorum, is a stone of cylindrical shape, bedaubed
with red ochre and sweet-scented oil, and strewed with
odoriferous flowers. The worship of this stone, with the
ceremonies observed, need not be detailed; they are of an
impure kind. It is an emblem of the generative power.
These apartments are profusely and richly adorned with
sculptured figures of the Hindoo mythology, some of them
of very obscene delineation, a thing but too common in the
writings and conversation of the Hindoos. The following
observation of an Oriental writer sufficiently elucidates the
subject to preclude the necessity of going further into the
disgusting detail : — ' It seems never to have entered into the
heads of Indian legislators and people that anything natural
could be grossly obscene.' "

Many of the statues, figures, and reliefs are emblematical
of the Buddhist creed, which was prior to that of Brahmah ;
but the history and date of these wonderful excavations are
totally unknown; indeed, the Hindoos invariably ascribe
their formation to superhuman agency, and relate a wild
traditional story of a being named " Pandoo," who had seven
sons, and who, wishing to please the god Crislnia, excavated
caverns for religious purposes, and in order to do something
very extraordinary, prayed to the god to grant them a night
which might last for the space of a whole year. When these ex-
cavations were finished, the day broke forth, and revealed these
wonderful caves and temples to the astonished sight of the

CAVES OF ELLORA. 77

inhabitants of this country, who soon spread the news, and
millions from all parts of the world came to worship at these
magnificent shrines. The presiding deity of most of the
temples is Maha Deo, or Siva, with his wife Parvati, who
is thus described by Major Moore :* —

" Maha Deo, or Siva, and his consort Parvati, are more
generally worshipped than any other of the numerous deities
on the western side of India. He has been likened to Osiris,
to Saturn, and in his character of Rudra, to Jupiter. Like
Saturn, he delights in human sacrifices, and also represents
Time. As with Osiris the ox, apes are sacred to him. He
has usually a collar or chaplet of skulls to denote his san-
guinary character. In Ellora he is generally represented with
four hands; in Elephanta he has eight. From his head the
Ganga (Ganges) descends, and on his forehead is represented
the moon. Sometimes he has three eyes, denoting, as some
suppose, the past, present, and future. Serpents are seen,
issuing from the locks of his hair, hence his name Dhow
Ghati, or with twisted locks, but his general compound
name is Cal, Agni, Rudra; Time, Fire, and Fate. His
colour is a dirty white, and his votaries, the Sunayasses,
bedaub themselves with the dust of cinders. The sectaries
of this deity are named Saivas. Parvati, or Bhavani, or Mala
Cali (the great goddess of Time), like her lord, has skulls and
snakes as her symbols. As Doorga, or active virtue, or difficult
of access, she is held in great veneration, and great re-
joicings take place at the Doorga Puja. Human sacrifices were
formerly offered to this Hecate or Proserpine. In the Calica
Pavana, one of her prayers, it is enjoined: 'Let princes,
ministers of state, counsellors, and vendors of spirituous
liquors make human sacrifices, for the purpose of obtaining
prosperity and wealth. Let the victim offered, if a buffalo,

* Major Moore in Ms work on The Pantheon of India.

78 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

be five years old, if human, twenty-five.' The immolation of
a human female is strictly forbidden. I have seen most
horrible looking casts of Parvati as Mala Cali, with the
mouth distorted, and presenting large fangs rather than
teeth; the tongue protruded, nails very long and curved,
human skulls and snakes suspended round the neck, and
dancing on a dead body. A circumstance may be here men"
tioned, that during the expedition to Egypt against the
[French, the Bombay sepoys, who formed a part of the army
that proceeded by the Red Sea and Suez, recognised this
and many other mythological figures, particularly the sacred
bull, 'Nundi,' the great object of Hindoo veneration and
worship. This information they conveyed to their officers,
exclaiming that the people who formerly inhabited Egypt
must have been Hindoos. It is perhaps more probable that the
Hindoos borrowed some of their mythological ideas from the
country of Osiris." But to quote again the words of the same
author : — " Where now is the whole mechanism of Ellora's
former splendour — the mystic dance, the beautiful priestesses,
the innumerable midnight lamps, the choruses of hundreds of
devoted victims, the responses of music, the shouts of fanatical
fakeers, the solemn supplications of the graceful-looking
Brahmin of the olden day, clothed in long white vestments ?
All are fled, and succeeded in the revolutions of time by a
degenerate, stupid, and oppressed race, whose very presence
in the halls of their noble sires is a disgrace. Great has been,
and great is the revolution going on amongst millions of
Hindoos ; but if we consider the very vicious system of their
native governments — five times, invaded, and thrice sub-
jugated— the only surprise is, that the moral fabric has not
been more deteriorated."

But I have digressed too much from the simple relation of
my own adventures into a field which I am well convinced
of my own incapability to explore, and which has been

ELLOKA. 79

trodden by so many able and enlightened men, amongst
whom Major Moore, in his works on Hindoo worship, stands
pre-eminent. •

Johnson, who had frequented these caves during his shoot-
ing expeditions for many years past, pointed out to me the
luxury and convenience of the great hall of Key las as a resi-
dence during our stay at Ellora, and accordingly, by affixing
the kanamts or sides of our tents round some of the pillars of
the nave, so as to leave a quadrangular space within, we had not
only a cool and delicious retreat from the scorching rays of the
sun, but were hidden from the gaze and curiosity of any wan-
dering pilgrims or fakeers who might happen to approach the
shrine during the period of our stay. Cisterns of cold water
were at hand for bathing and drinking purposes, and the
few Brahmins that frequented the caves were now so ac-
customed to the intrusion of Europeans, that they made no
further remonstrance against this desecration, always, how-
ever, stipulating that all cooking should take place, and the
horses be picketed, on the outside of those sacred excavations,
and that no beef in any shape, which, to their horror, was
slaughtered and eaten by the Mahometan population at
Roza, should be employed in our cuisine. They have the
utmost aversion to the very name of the sacred ox being
mentioned in any way. However accidentally or slightly
alluded to, the mere mention of it will put a high-caste
Hindoo into a cold sweat of horror, and cause his countenance
to assume a livid colour. They will spit on the ground on
the moment, that their mouth may not be contaminated
by the dreadful sound. We had salt provisions with us, but
it would have been a cruelty to have outraged their feel-
ings by letting them know it, nor would it have been a very
wise or very safe thing to have informed them we had such
an article in our possession.

In one of the front rooms, near the balcony over the gate-

80 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHEKES.

way, is the hull Nuridi himself, the daily object of adoration
and worship, so it will be seen whether keeping our salt beef
a secret was not necessary.

Here, however, and under the very noses of the most
celebrated divinities in Hindoo mythology, and who are
supposed to be rigid enforcers of an aqueous and vegetable
regime, we sipped our mulligatawney, generally composed of
pea-fowl, stork, &c., and washed down our curries of fish,
flesh, and fowl with ample potations of Hodgson and loll
shraub,* puffed the fragrant Bilsaht in the very nose of
Brahmah, and perhaps expectorated on the sacred toe of
Vishnu. Nothing could be more delightful than the cool-
ness of this vast and sombre hall, in the very bowels of the
mountain, yet at the same time the place was perfectly dry,
and no signs of damp appeared upon the highly-polished
granite walls and ceiling. Never, during my residence in
Hindostan, did such agreeable and refreshing slumber visit
my eyes as in this magnificent, but gloomy abode of ancient
superstition. I believe that our servants considered it rather
a dangerous experiment on our part, and expected that we
should be haunted by Pandoo and his family, or swallowed
up by Siva and his wife. They themselves took up their
quarters at a respectable distance outside; nor would any
inducement have caused them to remain with us during the
night.

On the first break of day, having assembled a number of
coolies as beaters, and taken a delightful bath in one of
the sacred fountains, we proceeded to beat the surrounding
country for game of all kinds. The crowing of the j ungle-
fowl, invisible indeed themselves, but heard in every direction
through the forest, was the first sound that saluted our ears.
A fine peacock now and then rose with a startling whir

Beer and claret. t A fine sort of tobacco.

Wolf -Snooting at Night p. 6]

ELLORA— SHOOTING. 8 1

before the beaters, or an antelope, lynx, or hare darted across
our path ; emerging from the deep shade, and getting into
comparatively open ground, intersected by ravines full of
scrub and low jungle, the solitary florikan and coveys of
black partridge afforded us ample sport. Now and then
the ominous print of a tiger's or chetah's foot on the sandy
bed of a nullah * proclaimed the presence of these marauders
at no very great distance ; but we only obtained the sight of
one tiger during this visit we made to Ellora, and that was
when returning late one evening through a glade of the
forest we distinctly observed a magnificent royal tiger stalk
majestically across the same opening we were pursuing,
about two hundred yards in advance, but without taking the
slightest notice of us. The following night, Johnson, having
selected a tree to suit his purpose, adopted his usual method
of obtaining a shot at the animal, and having fastened a
goat to the trunk of a large tamarind-tree, established him-
self in a fork of the branches some thirty or forty feet
above, with his two rifles conveniently placed to his hand.
I mounted a banyan-tree close by, with my double gun
loaded with ball. Several hours of the early part of the
moonlight night were most uncomfortably spent (by me at
least), undisturbed by any sound save the cries of wild
animals in the distance, and the bleatings of the kid beneath
us. At length, when nearly wearied out, and very much
disposed to descend from my elevated position, and return to
my couch amongst the gods, I espied a large grey wolf
issue from the forest, and make his way in a slow, clumsy
canter towards our place of concealment. He had no sooner
made a short, ravenous snap at the poor goat, than I heard
the sharp crack of Johnson's rifle, and observed the wolf
totter and fall on his side, make one or two convulsive con-

* Dry water-course.
G

82 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

tortions, and evidently expire. !N"o other beast came near
us during the night, that we could discern, which Johnson
attributed to the dead body of the wolf, and at the first blush
of dawn we were very glad to beat a retreat to our tents.
Porcupines, of a large size, were very common in the vicinity
of the Caves, and we killed several. We visited some plains
situated beyond the woody districts around us, which elk
and neilghau (blue cow) were known to frequent. The
great difficulty was to be able to stalk these extremely shy
animals, or obtain any cover or hiding-place from whence to
obtain a shot at them. Having reached the extremity of
the jungle, we observed about half-a-dozen, neilghau feeding
on an open spot on the plain beyond, and with no apparent
cover or mode of concealment of any kind within many
hundred yards of them. They were very large animals, full
sixteen hands high, of a blue dun colour, and a sort of mixed
breed between the deer and the cow. Johnson, on looking
carefully around, espied a nullah or dry water-course,
through the bed of which he thought we might arrive
within shot of the game ; and accordingly we began to
creep with much caution along the rugged sides of the
ravine, which, although circuitous in its course, evidently
took the direction we desired. Many more minutes elapsed
of difficult and dangerous progression, when, upon furtively
glancing over the edge of our retreat, we discovered that
we were within a hundred and fifty yards of the neilghau,
and that another turn of the nullah would bring us within
easy shot of them. They were seven in number, and we
agreed, in a low whisper, which to select for our respective
guns. And now arrived the most anxious period of our
course. On turning an angle before us, it was our intention
to rise with the utmost caution, and resting our rifles, if
possible, on the sides of the ravine, take a steady and de-
liberate shot at the unconscious beasts. This spot was

NEILGHAU SHOOTING. 83

gained and passed, and we were proceeding to put the latter
part of our intentions into execution, when suddenly, and
within a few yards of us, we were startled by a harsh roar,
or rather screech, and a large chetah sprang up before us,
that had evidently been watching the neilghau with quite
as much anxiety as we had, and probably with much greater
appetite. We saluted him on his retreat with the united
contents of our guns, but without much damage to his
person or speed, and had the annoyance of observing the
deer bound away and vanish in the distance.

Daily shooting parties, in a most beautiful and interesting
country, inspecting the many and wonderful curiosities of
the Caves, and pleasant and social evenings in our cool
retreat, all tended to make a fortnight at Ellora pass
quickly and agreeably. Several times subsequently I have
passed many days there, and in my favourite resting-place,
the great hall of Key las, both alone and with companions,
the remembrance of which will always be marked with a
" white stone" in my memory. At the period I now allude
to, my leave of absence had nearly expired, and I first of
all returned to the hospitable roof of my friend Johnson,
at Aurungabad, his unexceptionable cuisine Orieniale, and
another nautch, and then to my old quarters at Jauliiah,
with its dull, hot, and unhealthy routine.

84 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

CHAPTER VI.

DEPARTURE FROM JATTLNAH — THT3 DECCAN — MARHATTA VILLAGES — AHMED-
NUGGUR — POONAH — HOG-HUNTING — ANECDOTE OP A BHEEL — ARRIVAL
AT BOM BAT.

I RECEIVED news from England of the death of my father,
and the complicated state of my affairs demanded my imme-
diate presence at home ; indeed, I had already begun to feel
the deleterious effects of an Indian climate; and the total
neglect of all the usual precautions impressed upon young
officers — exposure to the sun, &c. — had begun to tell upon me,
and produce a lassitude and relaxation of mind and body
that no amount of Indian sport or Indian luxuries could
compensate for.

An officer belonging to another regiment, and with whom
I resided at that period, was on the eve of returning to
Europe, and I determined so to arrange matters as to be
able to accompany him, and perform the journey and voyage
home with him, vid Bombay, the succeeding year.

In the early part of -a-. — we parted with everything save
what was absolutely necessary for the trip to that place, and
in very light marching order, our equipage consisting of one
subaltern's tent, two ponies, with their attendants, and four
bullocks loaded with our goods and chattels, we commenced
our route at the beginning of the hot season, through that
interesting part of the Deccan between Jaulnah and Bombay,
with the intention of placing more dependence on our guns
for the supplies of our table than upon any other source. In-
deed, as we had no guard of any description with us, and the
neighbourhood of some of the Marhatta forts and villages

DEPARTURE FROM JAULNAH. 85

was not exactly safe or agreeable at that time, we proposed
to avoid encamping near any that bore a bad character, and
rather select some solitary spot that presented a probability
of finding game of any kind; arid as we carried with us, in
the shape of my " maty," one of the most accomplished curry
manufacturers in the station, and one that could reduce
anything in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, or
the waters under the earth, into an excellent dish of the
national entree, there was no great fear of our starving. The
greatest inconvenience we had to fear was the heat, against
which we had little or no artificial defence; but we trusted
by long marches to get over the three hundred miles we had
to travel, or at least that part of it that lay between the in-
tervening military stations on our road, and where we were
sure to meet with every comfort and hospitality.

It was without one feeling of regret, but, on the contrary,
with the most unalloyed pleasure, that I bade adieu to the
torrid plains of Jaulnah, where I had passed more than the
last two years of my life, and where so many of my com-
panions had found their last resting-place — to festivities I
had no longer any appetite to enjoy, and to the dull, ordinary
routine of a military life, without any of the opportunities of
a campaign, or any probable chance of one, to add excite-
ment, glory, or profit to it. I longed once more to breathe
the healthy atmosphere of my native land, and, with the
means, to partake of and enjoy all those blessings of society
from which I had been severed by an early expatriation, and
which were not to be found in an up-country station in
India. Indeed, animated with such feelings, I do not believe
any temptation in the world would have induced me to
remain.

However, in spite of all the annoyances and miseries of an
Indian life, the officers were cheerful and sociable, and I fancy
tolerably happy, on the whole. They led an indolent and

86 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

careless life, and if they had no very great means of enjoy-
ment within their reach, they had few miseries or vexations.
An officer's military pay and allowances generally formed
his whole income, of which he could hardly save much if he
lived in a style suitable to his rank or the situation he held.
People did then, and do still, acquire immense fortunes in
India ; but would in general, I suspect, feel rather puzzled if
they were requested to explain how they accumulated their
wealth. The duration of life is also so uncertain, and
the necessity of stimulants so much felt, owing to the lassi-
tude and relaxation caused by the climate, that a man feels
inclined to enjoy himself whilst he can; and, if young in the
service, is little disposed to circumscribe his pleasures, that
he may save money, which is to lay useless and unemployed
until the doubtful period arrives when he is to have the
means of returning to his own country.

The annoyances of a disagreeable and unhealthy climate
cannot be compensated for by pecuniary advantages to many,
and to have the use of one's faculties all day, and to enjoy
undisturbed sleep at night, are things worth purchasing on
almost any terms, or, at all events, making a sacrifice to ob-
tain, more particularly to those who have felt the enfeebling
effect of constant heat, and the harassing torments of fever-
ish and broken repose.

But to return to our march. It is difficult to describe
the appearances of misery and desolation that most of the
Marhatta villages presented. The houses were constructed
of mud, had flat roofs of the same material, and, possessing
only a few narrow loopholes to represent windows and
doors, resembled cellars or prisons. The inhabitants, even in
the unfrequented parts of the country, showed little curiosity
on seeing Europeans. The men gazed upon the stranger a
short time, but never followed him, and the women turned
away their heads when he approached, and even covered

POONAH. 87

their faces with part of their dress. The former, taken
generally, were not a well-made people, and betrayed extreme
imbecility in their looks and gestures. Most of the females
had good figures, which were set off by their style of costume,
and even the lowest caste displayed a gracefulness of action
that is never found amongst women of inferior rank in
Europe.

We made long marches, and our shooting possessed no
great peculiarity until we reached the Bombay military
station of Ahmednuggur, and from thence marched through,
a rather uninteresting country, to Poonah, at that time, and
I believe still, the finest station in Western India, and where
a very large force was stationed of native and European
troops. The division being under the command of General
Sir Lionel Smith, and the brigade under that of Colonel
Sir Willoughby Cotton, we paid a visit to the latter officer
on our arrival, in rather a sorry plight, owing to the
fatigue and heat of our journey, but were received with all
the kindness and urbanity for which, he was so eminently
distinguished, and soon found ourselves besieged with invi-
tations to dinner, tiffin, and hunting and shooting parties,
all of which, had we accepted the hospitality offered to us,
would have materially delayed our journey to Bombay.

Poonah was at this time celebrated as the best place for
wild hog hunting in the Presidency, and also boasted, amongst
the officers of the cantonment, of the most daring and
efficient spearmen. I had seen but very little of this sport
during my residence at Jaulnah, and that in a small way
and was very anxious to join a field of hog-hunters, well
mounted and equipped, on a large scale. For the benefit
of those who are uninitiated, or not aware of how this de-
scription of sport is carried on, I cannot do better than quote
the words of a contemporary of my own in India : —

"The hunters, previous to their commencing the chase,

88 SPORTING IN" BOTH HEMISPHERES.

send fifty or sixty people to drive the wild hogs from their
cover into the open country, should there be any such in the
neighbourhood. The beaters extend themselves in a large
semicircle, and advance slowly, striking the bushes with
sticks, and shouting and sounding drums. The animals,
frightened by the tumult, run before them, and are gene-
rally at last forced into the plains. The moment this event
takes place, the hunters, who have been watching, gallop
after them with their long spears. These they either throw
at the hogs, or strike into their bodies without letting go,
whenever they can effect it. At first the hogs run so fast,
that a tolerable horse cannot come up with them unless he
is put to his speed; and when they begin to grow tired, they
wind about and manoeuvre so much, that they often elude
their pursuer for a very long time, or perhaps entirely, unless
he be an expert rider, or practised sportsman.

" The hog is seldom killed by the first stroke of the spear,
and usually chases the hunter immediately after receiving a
wound; and should the latter not be dexterous enough to
evade the attack, he and his horse will have a chance of
being thrown to the ground, and mangled by the infuriated
animal's tusks.

" In this the danger of the sport chiefly consists, and acci-
dents of the kind daily occur ; however, fortunately, the horse
is much oftener the sufferer than the rider, who generally con-
trives to keep the sow or boar at bay with his spear. The
game, when killed, is considered the property of the person
who first struck and wounded it, and is brought home by the
beaters at the termination of the sport, and afterwards
served up in various forms at the evening banquet of the
fatigued hunting party.

" We had one very interesting day's sport. Amongst the
party were Sir Lionel Smith, Colonel Cotton, Captain
Keith, Captain Corke, Captain Smith, aide-de-camp to Sir

Colonel Cotton and the Boar. — p. 83.

HOG-HUNTING. 89

Lionel, supposed to be the best hog-hunter in India, and
myself.

" We started a number of hogs almost immediately, and as
the ground was remarkably good, we could follow them to
advantage. However, I was astonished at the rapidity with
which they ran, considering the shortness of the legs and
the awkwardness of their forms, and amused with the art
which they displayed in choosing their ground and evading
their pursuers. At first they ran at the height of their
speed, without almost any attempt at manoeuvring; but
when they began to get a little fatigued, they resorted to
various expedients to save their strength, and conducted
their flight with much cunning and ingenuity. We soon
divided into two parties. Colonel Cotton, Captain Keith,
and I followed a remarkably large, swift, and ferocious hog,
and had nearly exhausted our horses, when he took refuge
in the bed of a small river, and began to stand at bay, and
to snort and erect his bristles. Captain Keith threw his
spear; but it fell short of the animal, which immediately
galloped off, though not so fast as before. Colonel Cotton
now dashed forwards, and followed him closely up a narrow
path, skirted on each side by thick brushwood. The hog,
however, turned suddenly round, and charged his pursuer,
and I began to entertain serious apprehensions of the safety
of his Majesty's aide-de-camp; but he dexterously received
the infuriated animal on the point of his spear, which unfor-
tunately came into contact with the hog's teeth, and the
stroke consequently neither killed nor wounded him, as it
doubtless would otherwise have done. Singular to relate,
this boar, fatigued as he was, contrived to escape us all, and
suddenly disappeared in some jungle, in which he remained,
notwithstanding our efforts to force him into the open plain.

" The chase of the wild hog is a brilliant and animating
amusement, which is pursued with enthusiasm by most of the

00 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

military men in India. The danger that attends the sport
often gives rise to feats of valour, and in general these are
minutely recounted by the persons who perform them, par-
ticularly at the dinner that invariably succeeds a day's
hunting. It is not a little amusing to listen to conversation
of this kind. Every glass of beer that is drunk gives birth
to a narration of some new and extraordinary exploit. Every
round that the claret makes adds an inch to the length of
the tusks of all the hogs killed that day; and animals that
had been speared and eaten months before, start into life
again, charge their pursuers, rip up horses, and suddenly
acquire enormous dimensions. The Asiatic spirit of exag-
geration gets abroad; but every one listens to his com-
panion with the utmost urbanity, and affects to believe all
he hears, only that he may obtain the right of becoming
speaker in his turn, and of inflicting on his neighbours as
many extravagant and fictitious tales as they are in the
habit of inflicting upon himself."

These few paragraphs condense as much general informa-
tion on the subject of hog-hunting as I have ever met with,
and corroborate the only opinion that I have ever found
entertained, which is, that, perhaps with the exception of fox-
hunting in England, it is the most delightful, noble, and
exciting of all sports either at home or abroad.

I have omitted to mention one incident that occurred to
me near the village of Chinchorra (abode of thieves), and
noted as being the residence of some of the most desperate
bheels, or robbers, 'in the Marhatta country. Our tent was
pitched about a mile from the village, which, in fact, was
nothing but a collection of miserable hovels, and we had
scrupulously avoided sending to purchase provisions. The

ponies were picketed, the servants fast asleep, and D n

and I were lying stretched upon our bullock-trunk couches,
courting what repose an intensely hot night was likely to

SHOT AT A BHEEL. 91

permit us to enjoy, in which attempt he succeeded better
than myself. I was aroused from a sort of dreamy abstraction
by a slight rustling, and at a glance perceived a dark object
gradually insinuating itself beneath the folds of the tent. I
well knew that the slightest movement on my part would be
fatal to me, as these thieves always carry formidable daggers,
or creeses, with them, which they use with deadly effect on
the first chance of detection.

I always kept a loaded pistol under the pillow or cushion
of my couch on retiring at night, so as to be ready to my
hand on any emergency, and our guns loaded with ball were
concealed in some convenient part of the tent. In this
instance I remained perfectly motionless, and feigned to be
asleep, until I could distinguish a slight rattling of plates,
and knives, and forks, that convinced me the thief was
rummaging the contents of our cowry baskets, which con-
tained all we possessed in the shape of a breakfast and
dinner service, and were carried slung on the shoulders of a
coolie from place to place.

A glance satisfied me that this was the case, and that his
back was turned towards me. He was a muscular black
savage, perfectly naked, and evidently greased all over, and
had placed his curved-bladed knife, or creese, on the ground,
whilst he was silently and cautiously making up a bundle of
articles he was selecting from the cowry baskets. Aided by
the light of the moon, which was shining through the doors
of the tent, I grasped my pistol, gently raised myself, and

taking steady aim just below the ribs, fired. D n and

the servants were almost instantly aroused by the report, but
on looking around us we could perceive nothing of the bheel,
except a few drops of blood, and a track through the long
dry grass in the direction of the village ; nor indeed did we
see or hear more of him. He had even taken his creese with
him.

92 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

These robbers are wonderfully expert, and have been
known to steal a blanket from underneath the sleeper, with-
out awakening him. Their mode of proceeding is to watch
the countenance, and gently tickling those parts of the body
which press the most upon the blanket, withdraw it by
degrees, until the whole is disengaged; but woe to the indi-
vidual should he happen to open his eyes whilst this opera-
tion is going on, as the dagger of the bheel would very soon
be plunged into his heart.

We remained for some time at Poonah, partaking of the
kind hospitality of the different messes, and enjoying one or
two days' excellent hog-hunting ; after which we continued
our journey to Bombay, about seventy -five miles distant
from this place. Passing through Panowlee and Girjaum, we
arrived at Candala, where a superb view of the ghauts, or
mountains, covered with forests, arrests the traveller's won-
dering admiration, and is thus described by one of the best
writers on Oriental scenery. And here I would observe,
how few, amongst persons who have witnessed splendid
natural effects, but must have deplored the inability of the
pen to afford an adequate idea of that which is seen to the
mind of the absent.

. " The description of such natural and varied grandeur can
be limited only by each individual's power of graphic por-
traiture ; all, however, far below the truth, and weak to the
imagination of the poetic reader. From this site I contem-
plated the glorious scenes of this magnificent ghaut — moun-
tain above mountain rose, their bare and rugged summits
towering amongst the fleecy clouds, while half-way down,
in richest beauty, thick woods of brightest green were gar-
landed with blossoming creepers of every hue, with here and
there masses of dark rock jutting from among the brilliant
verdure. Above, below, dense clouds and fleecy vapours
swept across the bold scarp of the mountain side, while on

ABRIVAL AT BOMBAY. 93

those spots illumined by the sapphire glow of the bright
morning sun, a mountain torrent foamed and sparkled down
its self-worn channel, sometimes hidden by the clustering
foliage, then rushing with sudden violence over the broken
rocks, which partially intercepted its downward course, until
it murmuringly stole away among the rich culture and quiet
scenes of the still valley, which lay sprinkled with sheltered
hamlets at the mountain's base."*

Tigers were said to abound in the neighbourhood, and
many anecdotes have been related of their audacity and
ferocity, the mountain forest tiger (although smaller) being
infinitely more ferocious and enterprising than his larger but
more indolent brethren of the jungle and plain. From
thence we proceeded to a dirty village called Choke, and on
to Panwell, where there was a good bungalow erected for
the accommodation of travellers. The twenty miles from
Panwell to Bombay we performed in a large baggage or
Bunder boat, down the river of that name, which debouches
into the bay, and in a short time were landed safely, ponies,
tents, &c., on the beach adjoining the esplanade. There we
found an officer from Jaulnah, who was on sick certificate,
and to whom we had sent an avant courier announcing our
arrival. His tent was pitched near the beach, and he had
marked out a spot for ours, and had provided an excellent
breakfast for us, in which figured all the local delicacies, par-
ticularly prawns, the pomflet fish, and Dungaree duck, a
small flat-fish salted, cured, and dried until it represents a
very crisp biscuit. We had arrived at the end of our
journey — indeed, of our Indian career, and our views were
now directed to the best means of returning to England, an
object it was both our interest and inclination to effect in as
speedy a manner as possible.

* Scenes in the Deccan, by Mrs. Postans.

94 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

CHAPTER VII.

BOMBAY — A PSEUDO ARAB — A REAL ARAB — PAKSEES — RETURN TO
ENGLAND.

BEING not much more than boys — neither of us having
completed our twentieth year — and not as yet old Indianized
in our habits, we welcomed this return to comparative civili-
zation with delight, and having formed several agreeable
acquaintances, were not long in making the most of our short
stay at Bombay.

"We visited the scenes best worth seeing in the harbour,
which is justly considered the most beautiful in the world,
its islands, and caves; the latter, although wonderful, far
inferior to Ellora ; the ruination shops, as they were then
called; and some of those rich Parsee emporiums, where
jewels and shawls, amongst other valuable articles, were
exhibited to us of almost incalculable cost. We experienced
much kindness and hospitality from the officers who were
quartered in the fort, and received a general invitation to
their messes. The chief object of our pursuit, however, was
the means of returning to England as speedily as possible,
and we were fortunate enough to meet with a vessel on the
eve of sailing for Liverpool. She was a small but very con-
venient ship, of about three hundred and fifty tons, and had
a very good reputation as a sailer. The captain seemed an
agreeable, good-natured man, and we soon came to terms for
our passage, &c. The small cuddy was excessively comfort-
able, and there were only two other passengers besides our-
selves. Our cargo was light (principally composed of cotton),
and everything seemed favourable to the voyage, which we

A PSEUDO ARAB. $5

contemplated making in the Liverpool ship Ganges, in the
month of June, 1 8 — .

During our stay at Bombay we were one day strolling
through the streets, when we entered a billiard-room, and
had not long been engaged in a game, when a very fine-look-
ing man, dressed in full Arab costume, and with wide flow-
ing beard, entered. He soon began to converse with us in
very good English, and elicited from us all the particulars of
our journey to Bombay. He hinted that he was an Arab
merchant; that he possessed a pretty bungalow a short dis-
tance from the fort, and that if we were not afraid to trust
ourselves to the care and hospitality of a stranger, he should
be delighted with our company to smoke a chillum,* and
drink a cup of coffee with him in the evening, for which pur-
pose he would send a buggy to our tents on the esplanade
at a convenient hour.

We accepted the invitation freely as it was given, pro-
mising ourselves some pleasure from the adventure, and about
dusk in the evening a well-appointed buggy appeared, and
we were driven a mile or two beyond the fort to a very
pretty garden, where the cottage, or bungalow, was nearly
hidden beneath a profusion of tropical trees. Our host, who
was seated beneath their shade, on a handsome carpet spread
upon the ground, and smoking his hookah, beckoned us to
him without rising, and invited us to follow his example.
More hookahs were immediately brought, and some excellent
coffee, with, to our astonishment, its Christian accompani-
ment, in the shape of a flask of the finest Dutch curagoa, and
a taper bottle of old cognac, of which we were smilingly
invited to partake.

Full of admiration of the liberal views of our Arab host
as far as the inner man was concerned, we were still more

* Hookah.

96 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHEEES.

impressed with the extensive and varied information he
seemed to possess, and the easy and agreeable manner in which
lie conveyed this in conversation. His English pronuncia-
tion was good, and his language pure and classical ; in fact,
there was nothing to distinguish him from a travelled English
gentleman but the costume. He thought it necessary to
give us a little nautch, at which three Dungaree ladies
laboured very hard to excite our curiosity or admiration,
but with very little effect, all of which was concentrated on
our host, who completely puzzled us. Leading the way, after
this Terpsichorean display, into the interior of the bungalow,
he ushered us into a delightfully cool salle a manger, where
the punkha was still performing its rapid evolutions, and
where, upon a snow-white tablecloth, a plump cold turkey,
and, proli pudor ! the very beau ideal of a ham, formed a very
agreeable foreground; and inviting us to be seated, clapped
his hands, when immediately attendants appeared with
warm- water plates, and bearing hot dishes of the deli-
cious "pomflet mutchee" and "mango mutchee,"* fried to
the very extent of perfection, with their usual condiments.
Soon the "Simpkin shraub"t was copiously distributed in
ample glasses, from the cool vases where it had been hitherto
reposing, and was quaffed by our Amphitryon with all the
gusto of a Parisian bon vivant, and a philosophical neglect of
the laws and precepts of the Prophet. In fact, down to the
delicate slices of anchovy toast, the crisp Dungaree duck,J
and the crowning bottle of " Sneyd's loll"§ shraub, our repast
was perfect.

In the mean time conversation wras not idle; our host, by
a peculiar tact, had managed to draw from us not only the
particulars of our former lives, but as much as we knew

* A fish, caught in Bombay harbour. f Champagne.

J A kind of dried and salt fish. § Claret.

A PSEUDO ARAB. 97

ourselves of our views for the future ; and very mucli sur-
prised me by recapitulating several circumstances and events
that had lately occurred at Jaulnah. At length my astonish-
ment was destined to arrive at its climax, when, leaning
towards me on the table, he remarked, in a jocular and
familiar tone, "Your father was a curious old fellow; he
possessed many good qualities, but too much of the obstinacy
and prejudice of the old English school."

What my late father could have to do with a Bombay
Arab was to me not only a matter of conjecture, but of
intense surprise, which I suppose was pretty clearly written
on my countenance, and which evidently only added to his
amusement.

" Yes," he continued ; " it is a droll coincidence that I
should have an opportunity of entertaining you at my table
in return for a very different sort of entertainment he gave
me many years ago."

After a few more remarks of this sort, allusions to well-
known spots and scenes at home, and to geographical and
topographical reminiscences of my own county, with some
little hesitation he explained the mystery.

The noble-looking Arab was simply the son of a W k-

shire farmer, who had received a good education, but had
committed (or was accused of committing, as he expressed it)
some offence against the laws of his country, of which he was
convicted before my father, who happened to be Chairman
of the Quarter Sessions, and who, according to the Draconian
system carried on in the good old days of George III.,
sentenced hi m to a short term of transportation.

This expired or abridged, he had arrived in the East, and
by some chance or other had been engaged by the late Mr.
Banks to travel with him through the Holy Land, Arabia,
&c., and had been the constant companion of that celebrated
traveller, who had taken a great fancy to him, and was most

II

98 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

kind and liberal to him. During his wanderings in.
Arabia, he had passed some time with one of the tribes,
had formed a friendship with the chief, and, by a stretch
of romantic or rather erratic fancy, had gone through all the
ceremonies of naturalization as an Arab, and been installed
a member of the tribe.

Since that period he had quitted Mr. Banks, passed over
to Bombay, and there taken up the editorship of a news-
paper then beginning to be rather remarkable for its liberal
politics ; in fact, I had myself entered into a short correspon-
dence with him, relative to one or two little jeu $ esprit
that I had sent from Jaulnah for insertion in his paper, and
which accounted for his knowledge and information concern-
ing that station. What his Arab name was I forget, but his
business one was Smith 1

Although I have ventured to relate this anecdote of a
pseudo Arab, I have still heard some remarkable stories of
the original article, and at the risk of repeating a twice-told
tale, shall trespass upon my reader's patience and credulity
with the following, the truth of which I can only say is
derived from the most authentic sources.

At the period when the troops at Bombay were about to
embark for the disastrous campaign in Affghanistan, arid all
the subsequent horrors of the retreat from Cabul, a party of
officers were assembled one night on an eminence near the
fort, chatting together relative to the coming war, and
watching the stars in a remarkably clear firmament ; an Arab
of dignified and commanding appearance joined the group,
and in the course of conversation, pointing with his finger to
a particular part of the heavens, asked each officer in succes-
sion if he could discern a small star, the exact locality of
which he explained from its implied juxtaposition to others
which were clearly visible. One or two affirmed that they
distinguished it; the greater part of them confessed they

A REAL ARAB. 99

could neither make it out with a glass or the naked eye, and
one young officer expressed his belief that he saw it, but so
indistinctly that he could not positively declare it to be a fact.

Upon receiving these replies, the Arab continued, in tones
of evident conviction, " You that have distinguished the star
will return from Affghanistaii safe. You that are unable to
observe it will never come back. The campaign will be
fatal to you all; and you, sir, who are in doubt whether
you can discern it or not, will eventually escape after great
hardships and sufferings, but a broken-down and crippled
invalid."

My friend informed me, to his own certain knowledge,
that every part of this prediction was verified, and that part
of it relative to Lieutenant R, was the most extraor-
dinary, as this officer, after having been severely wounded,
and left for dead on the retreat from Cabul, revived
sufficiently to make his way to Jellabad, where he partially
recovered from his wounds, but remained, as the Arab had
predicted, an invalided cripple for the remainder of his
existence.

It is impossible to account for this and similar coincidences,
although I have the most perfect faith in the truth of the
story. If the Arabs are good prophets, they are also most
accomplished horse-dealers, and one of the most curious
sights at Bombay was, and I dare say is, the disembarkation
of the cargo of a horse " dhow" from Muscat, on the opposite
coast of Arabia. The animals on their arrival appear perfect
skeletons, and instead of the round, sleek, and beautifully
proportioned Arab, your eye rests upon an object you would
consider scarcely fit for the dogs, or other nameless and
multifarious purposes that the carcase of that noble animal
the horse is ultimately devoted to. For such apparent
valueless and wretched steeds, as a stranger would consider
them at first sight, he would, however, be surprised to hear

H2

100 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

offers made, and often refused, of from one to two hundred
pounds, and even beyond that sum. and would be still more
astonished to see in what a short period they recover their
flesh and condition, and, from the half-starved skeleton, assume
the appearance and bearing of the noblest and most beautiful
animal in the world — the high caste Arab horse ! The dhows
or vessels in which this commerce is carried on between the
Arabian coast and Bombay are often more than one
hundred years old.

The rich, industrious, and indefatigable Parsees, from Sir
Jemsetjee Jeejeebhoy down to the smallest bazaar retailer,
form an important and picturesque feature in Bombay
society. Their numbers are large, their riches immense,
and their respectability proverbial. Their parties, which
combine every variety of native and European entertain-
ment, are amongst the most splendid and costly in the Pre-
sidency. They are liberal contributors to all public charities.
Their country-houses are beautifully situated, and elegantly
furnished, and their equipages of the most stylish descrip-
tion, and their habits and mode of living luxurious in the
extreme. They retain (as is well known) the ancient faith
of the Ghebers, or fire-worshippers of Persia, perhaps with
some modifications; but it is difficult to obtain any informa-
tion from Parsees on their history or religious opinions,
nor, with the exception of the most scrupulous observance of
certain ceremonies, — such as the prayer of adoration to the
first beams of the morning sun, and the funeral rites to the
departed, — do they seem to trouble themselves much about
religious matters. The latter is a very horrible and dis-
gusting ceremonial. A round building, resembling a mar-
tello tower, is erected on some bare hill or eminence, far
removed from any human habitation, and fully exposed to
the scorching beams of their deity, the sun. To use the
words of a distinguished writer on Indian affairs — " The in-

PARSEES. 101

tferiors are constructed of circles of masonry, each divided
into compartments, and sloping towards the centre of the
circle, where there is a grating; and beneath a vast pit}
where, as at Bombay, the unexpiring and sacred fire is
tended by a priest, sole visitant to this scene of horrors.
A body being carried to the tower, is inserted by means of
an exterior grating into the niche designed, and placed in
the unoccupied compartment, with the feet towards the
centre. As the body is devoured, the bones fall into the
pit, and either feed the sacred fire, or are swept away into
the neighbouring waters. At all seasons the brink of the
tower wall may be seen fringed with vultures satiated with
their foul repast, while the busy fancy revolts from the
spectacle within, the eyeless faces, and the mangled corpses
hurrying to that corruption from which nature draws her
seeds of necessary and regenerating change."

Whilst on the chapter of Parsees, I cannot help relating a
mad, or rather drunken freak, that ended fatally, or at least
was supposed to be the cause of the death of a young officer
at Jaulnah, during the time of my residence there. A
similar tower to the one I* have just described was built on
the summit of a solitary hill, about three miles from the
camp, and used as a place of interment for the dead by the
Parsee inhabitants of Jaulnah. It possessed, however, no
compartments like those at Bombay. The bodies were
simply placed upon the iron grating, and when decomposed,
sank into the abyss below. The Parsee hill, as it was termed,
was a spot to which we were in the habit of frequently
riding in the evening; and many of us have often ascended
the sides of the tower, and cast a hasty and shuddering glance
upon the ghastly objects below.

At a public dinner of the mess of the — th Native Infantry,
and at rather a late hour of the night, when madeira and
loll shraub began to show their effects upon some of the

102 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

guests, and singing of rather an uproarious description, and
prose hyperbole, had usurped the place of more sober con-
versation, a romantic ensign, who had lately joined, offered to
wager a dozen of claret that he would ride alone to the Parsee
hill, enter the tower, and return with the skull of some
defunct fire-worshipper, which he would place upon the mess-
table, as a proof of his having accomplished his foolish and
sacrilegious adventure. The bet was soon accepted by
another budding warrior of the Honourable East India Com-
pany, and a servant dispatched for his horse (a quiet Arab),
which, with the usual docility and amiability of the race,
permitted his tipsy and foolish master to mount him in
rather an unusual manner, and at a very unusual hour, and
gallop away in the prescribed direction.

A considerable time elapsed since his departure, during
which the festivities of the evening were carried on as usual,
when he suddenly entered the mess-room, pale as death,
his eyes starting from their sockets, and his whole appear-
ance that of one deranged. The lower part of his dress was
covered with some indescribably fithy substance. He made
a few steps towards the table, arid fell to the ground vio-
lently convulsed, and was carried off to his quarters by his
servants.

The following morning, he was labouring under the effects
of fever in its worst form, and in the lucid intervals from
delirium explained to me and several others, that, having
entered the Parsee tower with the intention of picking up
and carrying away one of the numerous skulls, always dis-
tinguishable in the day time scattered about on the grating
he trod upon a half-decayed corpse, into which he abso-
lutely sank up to the knees, and that the horror of his posi-
tion, just visible by the struggling light of the moon, the
dreadful effluvia, and all the ghastly objects around him,
maddened his brain, and caused him, by one strong effort,

PARSEE BURIAL TOWERS. 103

to extricate his person from the deadly contact, rush from
the tower, regain his horse and gallop furiously back to the
camp. The effects, however, of this drunken and foolhardy
adventure proved fatal to him; he never recovered from
the fever brought on by the shock and excitement he had
undergone, and died at last of sheer exhaustion, bitterly
lamenting his own madness and folly. The Parsees, who
subsequently discovered this desecration of their burial-
place, attributed his death to the anger of their deity, the
sun, and regarded it as a wholesome warning to others,
whom curiosity or folly might induce to act in a similar
manner.

A description of a Parsee ducahn, or shop, may not be
uninteresting. On each side of the open door are placed
benches, upon which repose two fat Parsees, the shop-
keeper and his cashier. The shop is very spacious, and sur-
rounded with glass-cases, filled with every imaginable Euro-
pean article, china, jewellery, saddlery, preserved fruits,
sauces, pickles, hams, salmon, and other edibles, besides French
clocks, bijouterie, and all sorts of knickknacks; and in go-
downs, or rooms attached to the building, large stores of
wines, spirits, beer, and liquors of all descriptions are kept
for sale, and upon which those shrewd and crafty traders
realize an immense profit. No people in the world are more
keenly alive to, or better acquainted with, the various chan-
nels vby which capital may be accumulated than the Parsee
trader of Bombay.

Nothing can be more agreeable than the rides and drives
in the vicinity of Bombay which communicate with the
Island of Salsette. The view is as splendid as can be con-
ceived, the mighty range of the Ghauts towering in the
clouds, and extending as far as the eye can reach. The bold
views on the continent, the various objects of interest on the
island, the remnants and ruins of old religious establish-

104 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

ments, formerly belonging to the Portuguese, modern
COUD try-houses, Hindoo pagodas, Mahometan mosques, and
Marhatta forts, interspersed with groves of date, mango,
cocoa-nut, and other trees, form a picture scarcely to be
equalled in any part of the world. Towards the sea, a fine
hard beach runs upwards to a spot called Malabar Point,
which is studded with neat villas, whilst the city and fort
appear in the background, and the ships in the harbour
appear securely riding at anchor.

It is not on land alone that Bombay enjoys the advantages
of position. Its harbour (supposed to be the finest in the
world), from its great size, and the smoothness of the water,
affords a constant opportunity for aquatic excursions — an
amusement rendered doubly delightful owing to the cool
sea-breezes that are almost continually blowing, and which
may be extended inla,nd for miles, embracing a variety of
beautiful, picturesque, and grand scenery. So secure is the
bay, that for miles in various directions the smallest boats
may proceed with safety, and by means of the tide return at
almost a fixed hour.

The short period that still remained of our stay in this
gay, hospitable, but very warm locality, soon elapsed ; and I
must own that it was with few feelings of regret I climbed
up the sides of the ship Ganges, which was to convey me to
my native shores, and bid adieu to the sultry plains of Hin-
dostan, as I hoped for ever. ,

After a rapid and prosperous passage across the Indian
Ocean, a terrific south-wester off the Cape of Good Hope,
which lasted for about a week, and exhibited the ocean in all
the majesty of its wrath, threatening to engulph our little
bark under each roll of the gigantic waves, was all that dis-
turbed the peaceful monotony of our voyage.

We touched at St. Helena, where, selon les regies, we
visited Napoleon's tomb, procured some cuttings from

DEPARTURE FROM INDIA. 105

the willow, and dined, not very economically, at Solomon's.
We lay off the Island of Ascension for a few hours, for the
purpose of receiving on board some important prisoners, for
conveyance to Great Britain, in the shape of three enormous
turtle, ultimately destined to regale the good citizens of
Liverpool, at which port we landed safely in the month of
September, 18 — .

106 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

CHAPTEE VIII.

STAG-HUNTING NEAR PARIS.

long after my return to England, and having ex-
perienced a renovation of both mind and body, both which
had been partially relaxed and unstrung from the effects of
a three years' residence in the East, I visited Paris for the
first time in my life, which delightful capital, owing to
circumstances, became my permanent abode for several
years, and it was here that I formed some of those ac-
quaintances, and was initiated into some of those peculiar
phases of French society, which possess such charms and
attractions for the cosmopolite and man of the world ; and,
although many a snake lurked beneath the roses that
attracted the unwary traveller through that enchanted
ground — and I myself did not escape without feeling the
lasting effects of their venom — still my mind reverts to these
times as the happiest of my life.

The period I allude to was during the latter part of the
reign of Charles X., whose taste for field-sports and first-rate
qualities as a sportsman are too well known to need com-
ment. He was equally celebrated as a first-rate shot, during
his exile in Great Britain as when he presided over the
superb establishments of "Versailles and St. Germain ; and,
whatever were his political faults, or rather those of his
advisers and ministers, a more honourable or kind-hearted
man never breathed, or one who more commanded the esteem
and affection of all those who possessed the honour of his
intimacy; and amongst these friends, or rather courtiers,
none stood forward more prominently for inflexible honesty.

STAG-HUNTING NEAR PARIS. 107

integrity of purpose, and firm and courageous resolve, than M.
le Compte de Girardin. It was under his direction that Les
chasses royales de la France became not only the most superb
establishment of the kind in the world, but a most important
item in the public administration ; in fact, an exclusive
ministry of itself, which, by the order that reigned in all its
divisions, and the economy that presided over all its expenses,
formed a social institution, where numerous heads of families
obtained honourable employment, where national industry
sought and obtained encouragement, and where the rearing
and protection of the chevaline races, so necessary to the
prosperous development of a country, derived a powerful
source of amelioration and progress.

It is true that hunting the boar or stag under a burning
July sun, and up and down the sides of a forest for most
part of the time, hearing far more of the chase than the eye
was enabled to distinguish — as the greater portion of the run
always took place under cover of the woods — was not exactly
the kind of sport suited to an Indian hog, or an English
fox-hunter ; but " when at Rome," &c. ; and it must have
been indeed a mind void of all romance or imagination
that could not find some pleasure and excitement in wit-
nessing the ancient science of " venerie" carried on with all
that regal pomp and magnificence which, at this period,
characterised the royal hunting parties in the magnificent
forests in the neighbourhood of Paris.

I well remember my first expedition to witness one of
these scenes was in company with that best of good fellows
(now no more), George Templar, of Devonshire celebrity, and
Colonel (now Sir Maxwell) Wallace. Our destination was
Armanvilliers, several leagues from Paris, a favourite meet
with Monseigneur le Due de Bourbon, Prince de Conde, who
kept a splendid hunting establishment at Chantilly. It was
during the mouth of July — a Paris July ! — and very much

108 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

shocked th e prejudices of poor Templar, an old and far-famed
master of hounds ; but he made his mind up to circum-
stances, and we all agreed to hire horses from an Irish livery-
stable keeper, who kept Us chevaux Anglais for all purposes,
from a ride in the bois to a hunt in the forest, and have
them sent on over-night to an auberge at the village of
Armanvilliers, to which place we were to proceed on the
following morning, in a four-in-hand drag, & VAnglaise, in
company with a large party of French sportsmen. Matters
were arranged according to our wishes, and if we were to
form any opinion of the anticipated sport by the exaggerated
reports of our companions of French hunting in general, and
their own prowess in particular, we could have no reason to
be dissatisfied.

On reaching the inn where we expected to find our horses,
we discovered that the Colonel's and mine, under the charge
of one man, had arrived ; but Templar's, that was said to
have been subsequently dispatched, had not made its ap-
pearance, and, as it was now near the hour of the rendezvous
de la chasse (ten o'clock), this was rather an awkward con-
tretemps.

We both of us tried hard to induce him to take one of
ours, but without effect. He expressed his conviction of
being able to see and enjoy as much of the hunt on foot as
any mounted cavalier of the party, and his determination to
proceed at once, under the guidance of a village boy, to the
rendezvous de la chasse in the forest close bordering on the
village. With a thorough contempt for all the artificial aid
of dress, in compliment to French stag-hunting in July, and
in sober contradistinction to the bright scarlet coats and
gaudy trappings of our Gallic friends, he was attired in a
lull suit of black, and, were it not for the jovial expression
of his countenance, and the merry twinkle of his eye, looked
far more like a well-conditioned member of the Established

1 09

Church than what he really was — perhaps the best practical
sportsman in England.

Finding it was useless to argue the point with him, we
proceeded to make our own arrangements.

The appearance of the hunter that the worthy Mr. Briant
had sent down for my especial use and service was anything
but prepossessing — a tall, raw-boned brute, without an ounce
of flesh on his bones, with a long, straight ewe-neck, that
appeared to have been a subsequent appendage to his
original formation, and a vicious pig-eye, that augured no
very agreeable disposition, particularly in a woodland
country. The impressions excited by his appearance were
fully confirmed upon mounting him. Mouth he had none,
or at least that member seemed to be devoid of all those
sensations which render it useful to the rider, or, judging
from the condition of the animal, of much advantage to him-
self. Being what is termed rather groggy on all his legs,
his movements described a sort of nervous irritability, which,
was neither a walk, a trot, or a gallop, but an admixture of
all three. He was described to me as an Irish hunter, and
I was told not to judge from appearances, which would cer-
tainly have authorized the supposition that he would have
been of far more use to his owner when boiled down into
broth for the hounds than following in their wake. What
his previous habits and pursuits had been I had no oppor-
tunity of judging as yet — whether a recent importation of
the speculative horse-dealer, or indigenous to la belle France ;
but, such as he was, he was destined to carry me on my
debut in the French hunting-field, and I trusted that the
easy nature of the ground, and the force of example, might
tend to neutralize those defects I had too much reason to
apprehend from first impressions.

In company with a long cavalcade of gaily-dressed horse-
men, we proceeded to the carrefour of the forest indicated

110 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

as the rendezvous de la chasse. The Duke and his suite had
not yet arrived ; but we heard that a stag of ten was known
to be in a certain part of the woods, and that the huntsmen
only awaited the arrival of Monseigneur to attack him.
Several couples of very fine hounds, many of them of the
B.B. or Beaufort brand, were led about in leash by servants
of the hunt. These were the relays, to be posted at different
parts of the forest, where the wind, the nature of the ground,
or other circumstances, rendered it probable that the stag
would direct his course. Only a small portion of the pack
is thrown into cover at first, and as the chase progresses,
fresh relays are uncoupled ; so that, did not the deer take to
water in the end, which is generally the case, he would have
very little chance, on good scenting days, of outstripping his
pursuers.

The forest is everywhere divided in a rectangular manner
by green rides or avenues, of greater or less breadth ; and
here and there an open plain, situated in the centre of the
woods, affords a chance of witnessing the chasse for a few
minutes, with all its beautiful details, which otherwise is
mostly carried on under cover of the forest, and little or
nothing seen of it, except when the deer and hounds cross
the rides.

The huntsmen, piqueurs, and different employes of the
chasse, in their handsome uniforms, with their large French
horns slung around their necks, formed a very imposing
spectacle; and, although perhaps a little too fat, both dogs
and horses were in good condition.

Presently, at the extremity of the avenue in which we
were stationed appeared the cortege of Monseigneur le Due de
Bourbon. Several ladies composed a part of his suite, and
every one was mounted on a fine English horse. On the
approach of the Prince all heads were uncovered; he bowed
most politely in return, and galloped away in company with

•• With my ash stick I manne'ed to save my elbow." p. 111.

THE CHASSE AT ARMANVILLIERS. Ill

his chief huntsman, and followed by all the field to the taillis,
where the stag had been tracked. There a portion of the
pack was uncoupled, which, dashing into the midst of the
underwood, soon made the forest resound with their deep yet
musical notes. A chorus of horns sounded the royale, and
shortly afterwards a noble stag, his wide antlers thrown well
back over his shoulders, burst from the thickets and bounded
across the road at no very great distance from where I was
stationed ; and attempting by every means in my power to
restrain the impatience or soothe the physical irritation of
my steed, which this circumstance tended by no means to
diminish, and as that part of the wood into which the stag
had entered had been recently cut, and presented more of
the appearance of a copse than other sections of the forest I
had traversed, I joined several other adventurous horsemen,
and followed the chase into the cover, but had not advanced
very far before I heartily repented the step I had taken.
I might just as well pull against a stone wall as my horse's
mouth; and as we began to get amongst the trees, my knees
and arms not only came in dangerous proximity to the
trunks, but, like a billiard-ball, I was now and then absolutely
making a cannon from one to the other. I saw plainly that
if I meant to escape with whole limbs, this state of things
would not do, and I adopted a plan which I should recom-
mend to any one under similar circumstances, and with a
similar animal. Having with difficulty stopped my horse,
I procured a stout ash stick of about two feet in length,
around which I twisted the bridle in several tight folds, so
that by grasping each side of it, I had a tremendous power
of tension and leverage over the mouth of niy Kosinante,
and one which it was to be supposed nothing but the
breaking of reins themselves could resist. I found this plan
answer tolerably well, and by thus guiding, or rather steer-
ing my hunter, managed to thread my way through the

112 SPORTING LN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

intricacies of the forest, much to the amusement of several
French sportsmen who had observed my proceedings, and
considered, no doubt, that it was the usual method of con-
trolling a runaway horse in an English hunting-field; indeed,
before the end of the day, I had the pleasure of observing one
or two of them follow my example, whose horses happened to
be hard pullers and had fatigued the arms of their masters,
who almost invariably held their hands high. It may be easily
imagined that on one of the hottest days of the month of
July the scent was not remarkably good, and that the run,
through underwood and forest nearly the whole of the time,
was protracted for a long period, even in spite of the fresh
relays of hounds that were frequently uncoupled. Three
hours had elapsed since the stag was found, and I was
streaming with perspiration, not only owing to the heat of
the day, but from the labour and difficulty I experienced in
guiding my impracticable steed. At length I was told that
the deer was making for a large piece of water not far
distant, and towards which we accordingly turned our
horses' heads. The approaching sounds of the music of the
pack, and the horns of the piqueurs, proved that our informa-
tion was correct, and the first object that struck my vision
on arriving within sight of the etang was the stag nobly
breasting the waves, followed by the hounds, which were
swimming after him.

George Templar stood on the bank, mopping his head and
good-humoured countenance, which the sun and exercise
had tinged with the deepest vermilion, and giving the
death halloo with a true British sportsman's intonation,
perfectly regardless of all the etiquette of a royal chasse, and
evidently totally pre-occupied with the scene before him.
Presently the Duke and his suite, with all the train of
followers and piqueurs, rode up through one of the avenues,
and Monseigneur was anxious to be informed who was the

i

GEORGE TEMPLAR AND THE DUC DE BOURBON. 113

individual in black, whose voice awoke the echoes of the forest,
and could even be heard above the sound of the French horns.
Upon being told that he was one of the most celebrated
masters of hounds in England, he treated him with much
courtesy, and asked his opinion on the style of hunting he
had adopted, the quality of the hounds, and other questions
connected with the chasse; to all of which Templar gave the
most satisfactory replies, and much amused the old Due de
Bourbon by telling him that the huntsmen and piqueurs
whom he had frequently met in his short-cuts on foot thorugh
the woods (guided by the wind and his own thorough know-
ledge of hunting) had taken him for an English priest (un
pretre Anglais), and had interpreted one or two British
hunting halloos which he could not refrain from uttering,
either into vociferous benedictions or loud curses upon the
sport he was pursuing.

The stag was soon brought to bay in a swampy corner of
the etang, and received the coup de grace from a couteau de
chasse ; the " mort " was sounded ; the train of Monseigneur
the Due de Bourbon took their departure for Chantilly;
cavaliers and ladies vanished in different directions through
the different green avenues, and the forest was left again
to its original stillness and repose.

Many years subsequent to the event I have been relating,
I remember to have formed one of a royal hunting party at
the Bois de Meudon, near Paris, at which two sons of Louis

Philippe, the Due d'A and the Due de M were

present. The stag had eventually resorted (as is almost
always the case) to a large pond or etang in the centre of the
forest, and, ensconced in a corner inaccessible from behind,
amidst high reeds and aquatic plants, kept the dogs at
bay with his formidable horns. One of the Princes dis-
mounted, a rifle, or loaded piece of some kind, was placed iu
his hands, and having approached along the bank to within

I

114 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

about twenty paces of the animal, he deliberately took a
long aim and fired, but with no visible effect. His brother
followed his example, acting in a precisely similar manner,
but apparently with no better success, except that the stag,
scarcely thinking he was treated with fair play, extricated
himself from his muddy lair, and, bounding up the bank,
made one more struggle for his life amidst the shades of the
forest. I was excessively amused by an observation made by
a gamin amongst the crowd of spectators on the banks of
the lake, who, upon observing the unsuccessful shots made
by the two Princes, exclaimed —

" Faut envoyer pour un regiment d'infanterie pour le
tuer 1"

THE FOREST OF MAHLY. 115

CHAPTER IX.

THE FOREST OF MAIILY — ANECDOTES OF BOAR SHOOTING — THE POACHER —
ANECDOTES OF CHARLES X.

I WAS on terms of friendship and intimacy with a French
nobleman attached to the Court of Charles X. who was always
in attendance on the royal hunting and shooting parties,
and who related to me at different times many anecdotes
connected with them ; some of which may not be wholly un-
interesting to my readers. Being on one occasion present at
a chasse at Marly, on our return to Paris, he gave me the
following particulars relative to scenes that had come under
his cognizance in the neighbourhood of this celebrated forest.

" The village of Noisy is not very well known, even to the
Parisians. The cross-roads that lead to it are far removed
from the principal highways in the vicinity of Paris; still
there are few country villages more pleasantly or prettily
situated, with its white cottages and red tiles, contrasting
with the green foliage of the elms which overshaded the
hill upon the side of which it is built, and which protects it
from the north winds. It stands upon the very edge of the
forest of Marly, as approached from the plain.

" Just beyond Noisy, at the entrance of the forest, is a large
gateway of carved stone, of the architecture of the period
Louis XV., and it was through this gate that Charles X.
always passed with his suite when he hunted in the forest of
Marly. The broken nature of the ground, continual indenta-
tions of the surface, and perpetual succession of small hills and
vales, rendered the chase on horseback difficult and inconve-
nient, although the forest contained an abundance of deer and

12

116 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

other animals, and the mode of sporting pursued here was
by what was termed houralliers — that is, by driving the game
towards the shooters, who were placed in ambuscade at
different points of the woods — by means of small running
dogs called hourets, and beaters from the villages. The
periods when this description of sport was carried on at
Marly were grand fete days for all the neighbouring villages ;
but it was at Noisy that it was a great sight to witness the
peasantry dressed in their gayest, holiday garments when the
news arrived that a hourallier was to take place. The poor
and hungry well knew that they should have plenty of food
on that day. The officer charged with collecting the beaters
found them all assembled in numerous troops, and had only
to direct them to their posts, when the joyous bands spread
themselves over the different sections and quarters of the
forest. Many of them took advantage of the occasion to
make themselves acquainted with the haunts and localities
of the different sorts of game, a knowledge which they after-
wards turned to their own interests, being desperate poachers,
and carried on their calling, at the king's expense, in a
certain systematic manner that placed all the surveillance of
the keepers at defiance. One of the most celebrated of
these poachers was Simon 1' Archer.

" Few among the royal suite that did not know Simon
1' Archer — Simon 1' Archer, with his straight red hair, his
grey and piercing eyes, and whose reputation as a vagabond,
yet admirable shot, was known for ten leagues around. He
had only one rival, Barbier, surnamed Lapellette, the poach-
ing celebrity of the village of 1'Etang, who had originated a
rather facetious sporting parody. He had formed a little
troop or band of his own, and during their illicit excursions
he styled himself M. le Compte de Girardin; and an indi-
vidual named Favro (his first lieutenant) he called le Compte
St. Projet. But to return to Simon 1' Archer.

SIMON L' ARCHER. 117

"In whatever part of the woods he was amongst the
beaters, there the game was certain to be most abundant ;
whenever the battue was unsuccessful, it was remarked that
Simon was not there ; in fact, his name had acquired so
much celebrity that it arrived at the ears of the king.

"Having heard so much of Simon," continued my inform ant,
" relative to whom so many absurd and contradictory stories
were in circulation, one day I determined to pay him a visit,
and must confess that the appearance of his dwelling was in
no way calculated to remove the unfavourable reports that
I had heard of him.

"Having raised the latch of a small and badly-jointed door,
I found myself in the interior of a mud cabin, with a damp
and uneven clay flooring; nearly all the panes of the solitary
window were broken, and replaced by dirty rags. The rays
of the sun shot through the fissures and crevices in the walls.
On the right of the entrance was a wide hearth, upon which
some green faggots smoked. Simon was sitting hard by, occu-
pied in twisting some pieces of wire. At his feet lay a spaniel
and two beagles. His wife, who was said to have been once
handsome, but was now dried up and withered, crouched over
the fire ; and two children, one of five and the other of seven
years old, rolled on the muddy floor in a state of almost com-
plete nudity. The only furniture was a table, upon which
were scattered some newspapers ; four chairs, deprived of
their seats ; two or three stools, and a bench. Muddy boots
and leather gaiters were scattered here and there about the
floor; but no single utensil in connexion with fishing or
shooting was to be seen. No gun was suspended from the
ceiling ; no powder-horn, or shot-belt slung from the walls ;
and no game-bag, with 'its crimson stains, gave evidence of
the owner's occupation.

"The dogs had no sooner perceived me, than, with one
accord, they displayed their double ranges of white teeth,

118 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

and growled defiance at the stranger; but at a word from
Simon they reassumed their original position and demeanour.

" It was very easy to perceive, from his embarrassed man-
ner, that Simon was not accustomed to receive visitors.
When he had recognised me, he seemed so strangely troubled
that the wire fell from his hands, and rising, he stood up
straight and motionless before me. His wife seemed nailed
to the place where she was stretched ; and the children, as if
by magic, ceased their noisy amusements.

" ' Monsieur le Compte !' he exclaimed ; and was silent.

" What, in fact, could there exist in common between us ?
What combination of circumstances could bring together
Simon the wretched poacher and myself, whom he had often
seen in the suite of, and talking and laughing with, his
Majesty Charles X. 1 Was my visit a happy or dangerous
omen to him 1 He was evidently at a loss to interpret the
meaning of it, and his eyes sought mine with inexpressible
anxiety. I hastened to relieve his mind, and addressed him
in the kindest manner I was able.

" ( Simon,' I said, ' I am ordered by the king to make inquiries
into the state of the poor of this canton, and to give succour
to those who are the most worthy of relief. Several times I
have sought some information about yourself, and, to deal
frankly with you, the result has not been much in your
favour. I was determined, however, to see you myself
before depriving you of the benefit of the king's liberality.
How is it, Simon, that you have such a bad character in the
country 1 Come, let us hear.'

" ' Really, M. le Compte, I don't know how to answer you.
I know very well I am not liked, and I think sometimes
that it is on account of my temper, wTiich is rather savage ;
but, besides that, I cannot explain why they should give me
so bad a name.'

" ' Still, if public report is to be credited, you are an incor-

SIMON L' ARCHER. 119

rigible poacher. Simon, poaching is contrary to the law. It
is a misdemeanour now ; formerly it was much worse.'

"'True, M. le Compte, and perhaps in a short time
there will be no law against it. I am aware that these
regulations exist, and have been made by men ; but nature
tells us that there is a higher law still — that we should not
let our children die of hunger when the means of feeding
them comes in our way. I use my skill, therefore, for this
end, and let the world talk as it likes.'

" ' You do not sell the game you kill, then V

" ' Never, M. le Compte, never; I give you my solemn word
of honour.'

" Our conversation continued for some time longer, and the
result of it was, to convince me that Simon possessed within
himself the materials of an honest man, and I felt for him
the deepest sentiments of compassion. Simon was not only
the victim of poverty, but a dupe to the false liberalism of
the age, and therefore a bad example to the village; and it
was for this reason that I particularly wished to turn him
from the path he was pursuing, by furnishing him with the
means of supporting his family without having recourse to
poaching. 'Here,' said I, 'is a mark of the bounty of his
Majesty the king. He has charged me to present you with
this ;' at the same time placing a rouleau of one hundred
francs upon the table.

" At the sound of the silver the eyes of all the occupants
of the hut — wife, children, and Simon himself — were turned
towards me with a sort of wild curiosity.

" ' Oh ! M. le Compte, may God bless his Majesty ! but how
could it come to his ears that we were in need of his
assistance V

" ' Do not let that surprise you. The poor of France are
the patrimony of the king and royal family. He can dis-
cover misfortune wherever it is hidden, and hastens to its

120 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

aid. Take this, and do not fail to be present at the next
chasse. In the mean time I shall speak a word in your
favour to his majesty, who only knows you at present by
your reputation as a skilful shot, and I have no doubt he
will find means to better your position.'

" These last words seemed to make a deep impression on the
poacher. Through the coarse and rude envelope I could see his
feelings were touched. He would have thrown himself on his
knees and kissed my hands, if a certain expression repellant
of such familiarity, that he could read in my countenance,
had not repressed the movement.

" The same evening an occasion presented itself of speaking
a few words in favour of Simon. 'I thank you, M. le
Compte/ said the king, to whom I related the details of my
visit. ' You have perfectly interpreted my intentions, and I
. approve of your liberality. Nothing must be spared to
reform this man. It will be a good example for my village of
Noisy. You will present him to me to-morrow at the chasse.'

" I understood by this that orders had been given for an
hourallier on the following day.

" This description of chasse took place during the months of
May and June, in the forest of Marly. The king, accom-
panied by Monseigneur the Dauphin, and the Captain of the
Garde, left the Palace of the Tuileries in his usual carriage
with eight horses, driven by a corpulent coachman and a
postilion in huge boots.

" The king was exceedingly fond of old fashions in every-
thing. He never would use percussion locks, and although
it was impossible to shoot better, always adopted the old
system of flint guns, which had been his custom during sixty
years.

" Punctual in everything, he was exact to the hour of rendez-
vous, and the least fault amongst his followers on this point
was certain to occasion evident signs of annoyance, although

THE KING AND HIS RETINUE. 121

the slightest apology from the offending party restored his
good humour. He descended from his carriage amidst a
crowd, who were always gathered to greet his arrival. All
the persons of distinction in the neighbourhood were present,
and were sure to meet with the most gracious reception.

" Before the first battue commences, the king has a short
conference with his chief huntsman, receives information of
the whereabouts of wild boars, which it is his predilection to
attack alone and single-handed. If one is known to be near
the rendezvous, he starts immediately, in company only with
the gardes, who have marked down the beast ; and it was
a curious sight to observe him push his way through the
wood, and sometimes the most dense thickets, gliding gently
towards a spot indicated by the keepers, and discharge his
rifle, rarely without a fatal result.

" When the animal was killed, it was brought before the
king, who examined it, judged of its age, and explained, as a
consummate connoisseur, all its peculiarities. If it was only
wounded, the dogs (hourets) were uncoupled and set upon its
traces. His Majesty followed on horseback until the boar
was brought to bay by the hounds, when he dismounted and
gave him the coup de grace.

The king has returned to the spot where the crowd are
assembled, and gives orders for the commencement of the
battue. The Dauphin takes his place by the side of his
father; the officers of the suite follow. The king rides at a
foot's pace, in conversation with those about his person ; his
gaiety is infectious, and every one seems in good spirits. One
of the chief actors in this scene is Monsieur le Compte de
Girardin, the grand huntsman. His blue uniform has no dis-
tinguishing mark from the other cavaliers, but beneath that
exterior he hides an active and intelligent mind, and one pecu-
liarly adapted to the excellent administration of the depart-
ment of which he is the head.

122 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

" The Prince of Saxe Coburg, then rather a costly pensioner
of Great Britain, is accompanied by Colonel Freemantle and
several other English gentlemen.

" The Compte 1'Esperance de 1'Aigle, whose family crest is
an eagle regarding the sun. One of his ancestors being in
the presence of Louis XI V.? gazed upon him with a keen and
steady glance, without at .all partaking the general feeling of
humility and deference that the person of the Grand Monarque
was accustomed to inspire. Louis XIV. was astonished,
and remarked, smiling, c Monsieur, you stare very hard at
me. What may your name bef ' Sire, I am called 1'Aigle.
Your majesty is aware that the eagle alone can look upon
the sun.'

" This sally was the more fortunate as Louis XIV. had
adopted as an emblem a sun with this device, 'nee pluribus
impar.' ' You are a man of wit and courage,' observed the
king. f I ordain that the simile should become the subject
of your armorial bearings.'

" M. le Due de Monchy, who is not less occupied with his
own toilet than with that of those around him. It is rare in
conversation that his scrutinizing eye does not appear to
admire or blame some portion of his companion's dress. He
is a living personification of the manners of the olden time,
joined to all the advantages of modern elegance.

" M. Nuinance de Girardin, commandant of the royal shoot-
ing parties, owed the particular favour both of the king and
the dauphin to the interest of his uncle. He was one of the
few that always spoke his mind to his majesty.

" No chasse ever took place without the presence of old
Madame de Miran. She always came to pay her court to the
king, and from time immemorial Madame de Miran was said
to ' aimer le gibier du roy."

" Monsieur le Compte Hocquart, commandant of the old
gardes. He combined with all the attractions of a gentle-

THE BATTUE. 123

man the most devoted attachment to the royal family, and
an unimpeachable integrity in all his relations with the
world and situations he held under Government.

" That elegant amazon to whom M. de Perigord is paying
his respects, is the Yicomptesse de Noailles ; nothing can be
more exquisitely witty and piquant than her conversation.
She is one of those remarkable instances in proof that a
certain affectation of manner is not always opposed to
success in the world.

"The last cavalier is the Due d'Esclignac, related to Louis
XV III. by his mother's side. He commenced his career as a
simple soldier of the Empire. The birth and the life of this
man are quite an anachronism, and belong to the ancient
days of heroes.

" The cavalcade approaches the covers where the battue
is to take place. The shooters dismount, and the carriages
and horses are led to a distance, and out of the range of shot.

" When every one is at his post, a moment of profound
silence ensues. All conversation ceases, and tete-ct-tetes are
interrupted. Suddenly a signal is given by the grand
huntsman, and transmitted with telegraphic rapidity to the
whole line of beaters, who are stationed far in advance.
Hurrahs resound — a thousand cries of every variety of
dissonance fill the air, and increase in noise and volume
every moment. It is easy to perceive that the demi-circle
formed by the beaters is narrowing, and that the cries and
voices which were spread over a large space are now con-
verging towards a centre. The beaters, in fact, are approach-
ing, and the game is driven in every direction before them.

"Yery often, however, the wild boar, with an instinctive
remembrance of having been wounded before on a similar
occasion, instead of flying from the noises behind him, to
what might appear comparative safety in front, stops,
hesitates, and then with a sudden rush, charges the line of

124 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

beaters that nearly surround him, and then woe to the
unfortunate individual who finds himself in his way, or
attempts to bar his passage. He will find flesh and blood
no match for the tusks of the boar. These incidents, how-
ever, do not interrupt the battue; it continues just the same,
and the ranks close up, just as those of a regiment in the field
of battle.

" Fresh exclamations are heard, and the tumult becomes
general.

" ' Attention, shooters ! Attention, sire !'

"The game is approaching; but the king, who can never
remain still in one place, is pacing backwards and forwards
before the hedge, or line of artificial thickets that forms his
ambuscade, and often loses the chance of a shot. The boars
regulate their speed by the vicinity of the noise of the
beaters behind them, but in twenty paces more they will
arrive within shooting distance.

" A report is heard, and at the same time a bullet whistles
through the branches. It is the king who has just fired.

"'AuRoi!'

" ' Au Monseigneur !'

" ' A vous ! a vous !'

" Shots now resound on every side, singly and in volleys,
to the right and left, behind and before. The boars are
driven into the arena where the sportsmen are placed in
ambuscade. Confused and frightened by the continued
firing, they redouble their speed in order to escape, and fly
before the shower of balls in one direction, only to meet the
same reception in another.

" The king, excited by his passionate devotion to this kind
of sport, has quitted his post, and advanced towards an
ancient and enormous boar. His gun is at his shoulder.
He fires; but this time not with his usual precision. The
animal is only slightly wounded, and does not seem disposed

THE KING AND THE WILD BOAK. 125

to fly. His flaming eyes are fixed upon his enemy. His
bristles stand on end, and rage and fury are expressed in liis
attitude. The wild boar has chosen a dense thicket for his
retreat, as the one best adapted for resistance, and there, with
formidable and sharpened tusks, he awaits the attack.

" ' Stay, sire ! stay, sire !' was the cry from all sides, and
from every voice. ( Do not advance further !'

" ' Back, gentlemen ! back/ replied the king. ' I wish to
be alone/ and he advanced towards the beast, who, covered
with sweat and foam, was uttering hoarse and guttural sounds
of savage despair.

" The king approached the almost impenetrable thicket in
which the boar had taken refuge, and without appearing the
least affected by the menacing aspect of the animal, awaited a
favourable opportunity of getting a shot. He fires, but the
ball glances from a branch of a tree. Another shot, and the
animal is struck in the shoulder. Twice wounded, he now
attacks in his turn. The king judges of the extent of the
danger, and is perfectly prepared to meet it.

" I was not far distant," continued my friend, " at this
moment, and in spite of the prohibition of the king, who I
knew took pleasure in these adventures, I gave orders to
the dog-keepers to unloose the hourets.

" Whilst this order was on the point of being executed, the
boar fell very nearly at the king's feet, mortally wounded by
his last shot. At the same instant, Marcois, the gun-bearer
of the dauphin, less fortunate than his majesty, was badly
wounded by another boar. The ground was covered with
the victims of the chasse. Upwards of thirty wild boars were
stretched upon the grass. Peasants, quitting the ranks of
beaters, were employed in carrying the game to a spot in
the forest where the king, before the end of the day, would
count the number of heads, and direct the distribution of them
to the principal inhabitants of the environs, the poor and

126 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

the employes', but before each had received these marks of
his majesty's liberality, the dogs claimed their share of the
spoil, and at least a little of the game, which they received
from the hands of persons employed to disembowel the
different animals, and give the entrails to the hounds.

" Generally the chasse was not terminated after the first
lattue} but several others were arranged in different parts of
the forest. The king always expressed his satisfaction when
the results of the day had equalled the expectations and
efforts of his officers. On this occasion he observed that he
had never seen a more brilliant battue than the one which
had just taken place, and that it had far surpassed his
expectations.

"' Sire,' I remarked to him, ' Simon 1' Archer, I will engage,
has a good deal to do with this success, and has redoubled his
zeal.'

" ' Apropos, Compte, it was arranged that you should pre-
sent this man to me. Let him appear.'

" We had arrived at the Chataigneraie-Bignon, which, as its
name indicates, is a plantation of chestnut- trees, symmetri-
cally arranged like fruit trees in an orchard. Each tree is
separated by a considerable interval, so that the light and
shade is distributed in a picturesque and charming manner.
It was here that Simon approached to meet the king, not
without feelings of visible intimidation; but the kind re-
ception he met with put him at his ease, and he soon
excited the interest of his majesty.

" Questioned upon his skill and address as a marksman,
Simon answered with confidence, that on that point he feared
no competitors.

"The king asked him if he had any objection to try his
skill against one of the royal keepers, to which he answered
that he should like nothing better, particularly if it would
afford any amusement to his majesty, and he cared not who

SHOOTING MATCH. 127

was his adversary. ' Very well,' replied the king. ' I
shall award twenty-five louis to the winner.'

" The question ran from mouth to mouth, ' Who is there to
contend against Simon 1'Archer ? Who will shoot a match
with Simon 1'Archer V

" The group of gardes forestiers opened to make way for one

of their number, B , the favourite of Monseigneur — the

Adonis, the Lovelace of the band — the most admired in the
dance — the proudest under arms. He advanced with
haughty steps, and announced that he accepted the chal-
lenge.

" Many wagers were laid. The king alone betted in favour
of Simon ; nearly all the others were in favour of B .

"The match consisted in shooting at twelve pigeons,
alternately, with ball, as they each flew separately from a
cage. Limits were marked, within which each pigeon must
fall, and umpires appointed to judge of the shots.

"The king repaired to a small eminence; the courtiers
formed several groups around his person, and the other
assistants placed themselves in a circle.

" The two champions were well known, and their reciprocal
skill excited the greatest degree of interest amongst the
spectators. This interest was redoubled when the adver-
saries took up their position.

" I have already described the Chataigneraie de Biprion.
Imagine the silence that reigns amongst the spectators, and
their anxiety for the result.

" The first shot was allotted to Simon, who killed his bird ;
the keeper also fired with similar success. They each con-
tinued to give proofs of almost miraculous precision, until
the fifth shot, when the garde-cliasse missed, and a mur-
mur was heard amongst the bystanders. Things, however,
were soon re-established on an equal footing; for Simon, no
doubt agitated by the enthusiasm he had excited, missed his

128 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

seventh pigeon, and his adversary killed his with marvellous
dexterity.

" The match now drew near to its termination, and the
two rivals rested for a minute. You might have heard a pin
fall on the grass. At the moment they took up their arms
again, and the cage of the last bird was opened, Simon,
his leg thrown well forward, brought his gun to the shoulder
with his usual sangfroid, and followed with his eye the un-
certain flight of the pigeon, which, from an oblique, had
taken a vertical direction. He fired, and after a second of
incertitude, the bird turned over and over in the air, until
it fell at the feet of the marksman.

" I observed that the knees of the poor garde-chasse trembled
beneath him; his countenance was pale, and all his frame
betokened extreme agitation. He also followed the flight
of the pigeon with a keen glance, and for a long time; at
length he fired, but missed. Cries and hurrahs resounded on
all sides, but chiefly from the peasantry of the village of
Noisy, who were delighted at the success of one of their own
inhabitants over a stranger.

" The king commanded the victor to approach, compli-
mented him on his skill, and presented him with his own
hands the prize he had obtained, after which he super-
intended the distribution of the game, and the departure
took place immediately afterwards.

"As we were leaving the Chataigneraie deBignon, the young
men of the village of Noisy placed Simon on a hurdle, and
carried him on their shoulders in triumph into the commune.
I could not help feeling much interest in the joy that poor
Simon seemed to feel, and the combination of prosperous cir-
cumstances that had befallen him; still this pleasure was
mingled with melancholy, and consisted more of a sentiment
of compassion than one of satisfaction.

" This was the closing day of the chasse at Marly. We had

A QUARREL. 129

arrived at the beginning of the month of July, the period
when rabbit- shooting commences at St. Cloud. Thus, I
should not have an opportunity of seeing Simon for two
months, and it was written that during this interval a sad
and terrible misfortune should befal him.

" It happened that late on the same day several parties
were assembled in the village, where frequent and deep
libations were not spared. Irritated by his defeat, the garde-
cliasse had seated himself at the door of a little cabaret
where Simon was dining, and loudly contested the legitimacy
of his success, attributing it to accidental causes. After-
wards he changed his mode of provocation, and abused
Simon for his poaching habits. Simon patiently endured
his impertinence, not without an effort, but at all events
for a long time.

" Encouraged by the apparent calm of his adversary, the
garde boasted the superiority of his dog over that of Simon's,
one of those beagles of which I have already spoken, and
which at this moment was quietly reposing at his master's
feet.

" ' It is a shame to let blackguards like you have dogs/
said the brutal guard, at the same time administering a
violent kick to Simon's poor companion. ' If I was the
king, I would order them all to be shot; and by Gr — , the
first time I meet this one in the forest I will make short
work of him.'

" Simon still remained impassive ; but his blood was boiling
in his veins. It only required one word to make him lose
all self-possession, and that word soon transpired.

" ' Listen, my fine fellow, with all your boasting, I will
wager you have not the heart to stand up against me,' cried
the garde, rising, and taking off his coat.

" i You shall soon see,' replied Simon ; ' and I advise you
not to spare ine, for I swear to you I shall not spare you."

E

130 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

" They threw themselves on each other, and a struggle of
extraordinary violence ensued. After many vigorous efforts,
the garde was thrown by Simon. He fell heavily; arid Simon,
exasperated with rage, would very likely have finished with
him by a kick upon the head or chest, had not the spectators
interfered.

<; They conducted Simon to his cottage ; and thegarde-chasse,
supported by his companions, had great difficulty in regain-
ing his dwelling-place. It is easy to comprehend that the
keepers of the forest could not pardon Simon the advan-
tages he had gained over them. The self-pride of the corps
was mixed up with it, and they formed a close alliance
under the pretext of the protection of the royal domains ; but
the real end of which was to be revenged on Simon. They
spread all sorts of reports to his disadvantage, pretended
that he was a greater poacher than ever, and so damaged
his reputation, that none of the neighbouring proprietors or
farmers would employ him.

"Simon and his family were not long ignorant of this league
formed against them, and cruelly felt its effects when the
sum he had gained at the shooting match was spent. The
unfortunate man made many attempts to gain the good
opinion of his neighbours, but, as they were generally un-
successful, it is easy to imagine that they only served to
irritate and harden his mind, so much so, that, when all his
resources were gone, it is too true that Simon and his eldest
son became greater poachers than ever, and made a most
lucrative business of it, in spite of all the surveillance of the
gardes des chasses, and the continual risks they ran.

"I heard all this at Compeigne. They had not failed to
write to me, and describe the conduct of my protege, hoping
to take away his last support ; but I was resolved to see him
once more before definitively making up my mind concerning
him. Several days after my return to Paris, one fine morning

VISIT TO SIMON L' ARCHER. 131

whilst occupied with different reflections, the souvenir of
Simon, whom I had almost forgotten, presented itself to iny
memory. I ordered my horse, and two hours afterwards
was before his cottage. After knocking several times at the
door without receiving any answer, I lifted the latch and
entered. Instead of the barking of Simon's faithful com-
panions, I heard plaintive sounds, accompanied by groans and
sighs. The dogs were stretched upon the ground, sad and
silent.

" Still these moans and cries continued. I called several
times without receiving an answer j at length Simon's wife
appeared from a recess at the end of the cottage. She was
pale and livid, her hair fell in dishevelled masses over her
shoulders, and some fearful calamity was imprinted on her
countenance. When she perceived me, she uttered piercing
cries. ' O, Monsieur le Compte !' said she, ' my husband —
my husband — my poor Simon ! Behold this,' added she,
conducting me into an inner chamber, and lifting a coarse
sheet which covered the body of poor Simon. ' See what
they have done to him.'

" I made a close inspection. There was a large wound in
the chest inflicted by buck-shot. The left arm was shat-
tered; it was a horrible spectacle. I afterwards learnt all
the circumstances attendant upon this event.

" The previous night, at about ten o'clock, Simon and his
son, each armed with a gun, had departed, as was their cus-
tom, to watch where the pheasants roosted. Midnight had
arrived when they penetrated into the taillis de laBreteche, not
far from the Pavilion Darasne. They had already shot several
pheasants, and were anxiously peering up into the trees where
these birds were taking their unconscious repose, their heads
under their wings, when several gardes des chasses, who had
either some presentiment of the fact, or knowledge of their
projects, were hid in ambuscade at no great distance. The

K2

133 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

sound of fire-arms soon brought them to the spot. At
the sight of three men, Simon, who still did not want
courage, thought of flight ; but he was old, and by no means
swift of foot. To fall into the hands of his adversaries was
worse than a misfortune; it was a disgrace which nothing
would make him submit to. With rage in his heart, he listened
only to the bad counsels of pride and hatred, and discharged
his gun almost at hazard in the direction of his assailants.

" The gardes, not at all intimidated by this energetic demon-
stration, fired in their turn. Simon's son received a wound,
which broke his left arm; but still he had the use of his right,
and with a stroke of the butt of his gun, gave a mortal blow
to the garde who was rushing to make him prisoner.

" A desperate struggle took place between the other gardes
des chasses and the poachers. Although wounded himself,
Simon was a terrible adversary, and his son, not much more
than a child, fought like a hero.

" The gardes j after a long resistance, began to give way ; but
as the only wish of the two Simons was to escape, they did
not follow them, and tried their utmost to gain the entrance
of the forest. Observing this, the gardes pursued them again,
and Simon, unfortunately for himself, turned round and
pointed his gun at them. It was his death-warrant ; one of
his adversaries immediately fired, and the whole charge took
effect on his person.

" ' I am wounded, son ! Save yourself. Leave me here.
Save yourself, I tell you.'

" Arrived at the porte de la Hreteche, they crept into the
fields of standing corn ; and by hiding in the various thickets
which cover the ground on this side of the forest, managed
to put the gardes off their tracks, and arrived by a circuitous
road near to their cottage.

" They could already see the feeble rays of light that shone
through the small window, when Simon felt his strength

DEATH OF SIMON L' AttCHER. 133

abandon him. He tottered and fell. The poor man made
almost superhuman efforts to drag himself, with the aid of
his son, to the door of his hut; his last and only hope being
to expire in the arms of his wife, and in this he succeeded,
but had not spoken since.

" We placed him on the bed, and in a few hours he rendered
his last sigh.

" About three months subsequently I happened to be on a
royal shooting-party at Fro main ville. The king was dis-
appointed with the sport.

" 'Compte,' said he, ' we want your protege here; apropos,
what has become of poor Simon ? Does he still read the
newspapers V

" ' Alas ! sire, it is now three months since he expiated
with his life his incorrigible taste for poaching;' and I related
to the king the scene I had witnessed.

" ' This does not astonish me in the least, Compte,' said the
king, gently placing his hand upon my arm. ' This man was
a liberal in his own way. He saw so many rights called into
question ; he read so many fine speeches about hereditary
robberies, and theft sanctioned by the customs of centuries,
that he, poor devil, who had no interest in the higher sphere
of politics, adapted the application of these grand principles
to matters of nearer relation to him. He attacked the king's
game as others attack his crown. Ah ! Compte, your makers
of fine phrases do a great deal of mischief.'

" l And, perhaps, sire, they will be the first to repent
of it.'

" At this momsiit the cries of the drivers announced the
approach of the game. The king took his gun, and the
cliasse continued."

134 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

CHAPTER X.

A CHASSE IN THE " PETITS ENVIRONS."

THE scene opens on a fine morning about the middle of the
month of May. All nature sparkles with a shower of
emeralds, that the dew of a spring morning scatters around,
and the light vapours ascending from the surface of the
earth surround the landscape with a veil of gauze. Amidst
the usual movements that betoken the noise and bustle of
an opening day near the capital are distinguished others,
beginning from a limit of at least five leagues in circum-
ference, and converging towards a point — the rendezvous de
la chasse. Detachments of gendarmerie d'elite, mounted
on their coal-black horses, are posted here and there to serve
as the royal escort, and servants clad in the traditional
costume of Louis XY. arrive from Versailles with horses for
the king and his suite.

Upon the road to Versailles parties of grooms in modern
liveries are leading handsome thorough-bred horses, belonging
to their fashionable masters, who will soon follow, in various
equipages, to the rendezvous. Most of those who dined on
the previous evening at the Cafe Anglais, or the Cafe de
Paris, and heard that the king hunted to-day in the Petits
Environs, have not failed in their engagements to appear,
and swell the train of his Majesty Charles X.

The officers of the hunt appear at the extremity of the
Versailles road; then come the pages on horseback, and
the porte-d"arquebuse, in his carriage, with the long cara-
bine destined to finish the career of the animal. After-
wards comes the cart, or conveyance for the stag about to be

THE DUG DE GUICHE. 135

turned out. Amidst the equipages, those belonging to the
dauphin are remarkable for their elegance, which is easily
explained, by their having been selected by the Due de
Guiche.

It was not without difficulty that this army of chasseurs
could arrange themselves within the circle of the rond point
de Petit Bicetre, such was the number of carriages, cavaliers,
and footmen of all conditions who blocked up the space.

The interest attached to this peculiar chasse of his Majesty
Charles X., and which I witnessed for the first time, was
much heightened by the crowd of distinguished personages
who were present. All were initiated into the smallest details
of the court; no person of any consequence in Paris was
absent. It was like walking in the midst of a portrait
gallery.

Whilst awaiting the arrival of the king, they took up
their position upon the sides of the road to Chatillon, a little
before the Petit Bicetre, upon the borders of the wood of
Yerrieres. It was a point from whence every interesting
incident of the halt could be observed. There the flower of
the young Parisian aristocracy had chosen their temporary
domicile, and given free scope to their conversational powers.
They talked of the opera, gallant ad ventures, new actresses,
losses at play, politics, the chase, horses and steeple-chases,
and, amidst this rolling fire, this artillery of words, the suc-
cessive and rapid arrivals of some fresh sportsmen, or gentle-
men connected with the hunt, furnished every moment some
new subject of conversation.

Suddenly the word Monseigneur is repeated by the crowd,
and all heads turn in one direction. The dauphin enters
the circle, and the group of cavaliers open to receive him as
their centre. He is accompanied by the commandant of the
chasse, and the Due de Guiche

The latter personage might be recognised amongst a

136 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

thousand by his distinguished appearance and the elegance of
his costume. He was, perhaps, the best judge of a horse of any
gentleman in France, and has rendered a great service to his
country by contributing all his influence towards the amelio-
ration of the breed, on which subject he has written a very
interesting work.

I learnt that it was always the custom of the dauphin to
precede his royal father by a quarter of an hour. In fact,
it was eleven o'clock precisely, when a gendarme at full
gallop appeared upon the road to Chatillon.

The king's carriage follows, drawn by eight horses, with
the fat coachman, and postillions in enormous jack-boots and
costumes that recal the days of Louis XIY. at the siege of
Tournay and the campaigns in Flanders. Then come the
carriages containing those invited to join the royal chasse.

All heads are uncovered.

The dauphin advances towards his majesty. The Compte
de Girardin, the grand huntsman, accompanies the king.
He receives information, and gives his orders with a prompti-
tude and decision that announce his capability of under-
taking any charge where intelligence and vigour of body and
mind are the necessary elements of success.

One of the king's carriages contained a person and a name
the most celebrated in the world, and whose motto speaks
for itself — Virtutis for tuna comes. There are in these three
words a history of all the acts of his life in India and in
Europe. It was the secon I time, I understood, that he had
accompanied the king on a hunting party. The first was at
Marly, where the Duke of Wellington, for it was no other,
seemed to enjoy .himself very much.

The king heard the report of the commandant, and
decided on attacking a stag called Charlemagne, that had
been turned out the same morning at the Carre/our cfe
rObelisque.

THE KING'S ARRIVAL. 137

The Compte d'Egberti presented his hunting-knife to the
king, and the first ecuyer held his majesty's stirrup, whilst
another supported his saddle on the opposite side.

They arrive at the spot where the stag has been turned
out. The old dogs, that are destined to make what is called
the attack, are uncoupled. The piqueurs encourage them by
voice and horn. During this time the commandant, officers,
and pages are keeping a keen look-out over the roads and
rides, and the king remains alone in the carrefour, awaiting
the signal that the stag has been viewed.

Eight different roads converged into this point, and each
led to scenes not less interesting as a landscape than the
souvenirs they recalled. Here was the avenue towards
Plessis-Piquet, with its sombre lake and old park and terrace,
both associated with the name of Colbert, and the clever
and witty Picard ; there the road to Chatenay, with its
ancient steeple, that dates from the twelfth century. It
was here that Queen Blanche came to offer up her prayers,
and that the sceptic Yoltaire was baptized.

Here, in 1794, upon a stone, the remnant of a royal
monument which his doctrines had assisted to deface, sat a
disciple of Dalembert and Clairault. It was after the 10th
of May, a period in France when no head was safe from
the scaffold. He was then hiding himself in the wood of
Yerrieres — proscribed, pursued by the revolutionary blood-
hounds, and dying of hunger and fatigue, disowned and
rejected by his old friends and partizans. It was upon this
stone that he reclined at last, and determined to go to the
village of Clamart, and attempt to procure a morsel of bread.
He had hesitated some time before coming to this resolution,
and had drawn from his pocket a little box, the contents of
which would soon relieve him from all earthly cares, and
had weighed the alternative of certain death or a chance of
life. He rose, however, and took the road to Clamart, and

138 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

entered a public-house in the dusk of the evening, where
his presence soon awoke the suspicions of some of those
amateur spies with which the kingdom was at that period
infested. Suspected, interrogated, he was embarrassed in his
answers, and was arrested and dragged to prison. The
following day, when they went to conduct their prisoner
before the revolutionary tribunal, they found nothing but a
corpse, with a book by its side, in the first page of which
the agent of the municipal authorities managed to read
these words — " Ex libris I. M. Condorcet." It was the Mar-
quis de Condorcet !

The king was interrupted in these reflections by the noise
of horns and the cries of the different attendants of the
chasse. The stag has burst cover. The old dogs have
forced him to quit the thick underwood of the forest.
Relays of young hounds are uncoupled, and now, who can
say where the day's sport will end 'I

At the hunting parties of the Petlts Environs, there being
little cover for the animal, he was soon forced to take a line
of his own across country, a circumstance that rendered
these chasses much more interesting and difficult than those
which took place in the royal forests, where the stag rarely
left the cover of the woods. As it was not possible to an-
ticipate the course of the stag, so also they could not tell
where to place the relays of hounds, and the hunt was
carried on with the original pack. If the stag went across
the open country, not many horsemen were able to follow
him. One had been known to have been turned out at
Yerrieres, and taken at Chartres, sixty miles in almost a
straight line.

I have heard another and well authenticated history of
an almost fabulous run with a stag, which I will here quote
for the amusement of my readers.

One day Monsieur le Prince de Conde attacked a " stag of

EXTRAORDINARY RUN WITH A STAG. 139

ten" in the forest of Chantilly. The preparations for the
chasse were the same as usual. In the morning they
had placed relays of hounds, in anticipation that if he
was driven to any distance from the forest, yet, being a
resident of that part of the country, he would inevitably re-
turn. It turned out, however, quite different to their expec-
tations. The stag, it is true, broke cover, but took a direction
straight across country, and ran clean away from the hounds,
leaving them so completely at fault that they were called off,
and the Prince de Conde, who rarely met with a similar
defeat, did not conceal his chagrin at the result. He
returned to the chateau lost in reflection as to this extra-
ordinary disparition, as no one could inform him towards
what woods or forests the stag had taken his course.

Two months afterwards the valets des limiers, who fre-
quented the forest of Chantilly discovered traces of the
same stag. This is often the case with red deer. When an
animal fancies the feeding in a particular spot, he will con-
tinually return to it from almost any distance.

" Monseigneur, the stag has returned."

" This time," answered the prince, " we must take such
precautions that he will not escape us."

Orders are given. They select for the relays the best
hounds from the vast and sumptuous kennels of Chantilly ;
the prince mounts the fastest and strongest of his horses ;
the most experienced piqueurs are appointed to inspect the
woods.

By Saint Hubert, my fine stag, you will not escape all
the stratagems your enemies are employing against you !

The following morning the horns resound gaily in the
forest of Chantilly, the baying of the hounds is heard simul-
taneously, the horses are at full speed, the attack has taken
place. During three hours the stag makes the circle of the
woodlands ; at length he bursts cover, and leaving far behind

140 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

him dogs, piqueurs, and cavaliers, as was the case two
months previously, the hounds lose the scent, and the animal
disappears as if by magic.

The prince orders it to be proclaimed, and a notice to be
affixed at the doors of the churches for twenty-five leagues
round, that he will grant a pecuniary recompense to any one
that will bring him tidings of the stag.

Three days afterwards a number of peasants arrive to
report all they know at the chateau.

" Monseigneur, I come from Yic, a village on the other
side of the Aisne ; the day before yesterday, about three
o'clock, I was returning from Cournent, which is on this side
of the river, and about three hundred paces distant I saw
a stag in the act of swimming across; he was just taking
the water."

" Two louis for this man," said the prince.

" I, Monseigneur, come from a greater distance ; I am a
native of Mainbresson ; two days ago, whilst returning
through the fields in the evening, I saw a stag, and a very
old one, entering the wood of Ribaumar; as there are
generally no deer in those woods, I am very much mistaken
if it was not the animal -which Monseigneur alludes to."

" Four louis for this man," cried the prince, with evident
marks of satisfaction.

" I, Monseigneur, live still farther off; I inhabit a cottage
that stands by itself on the road to Rocroy ; at two hundred
paces from thence there is a small orchard. The other night
by the light of the full moon I was at my window about
twelve o'clock, and distinctly observed an immense stag
munching away at my apples. I had scarcely opened the
door, when, to my regret, the thief had departed, leaving a
long track in the grass behind him, for you see, Monseigneur,
I had stopped to fetch a large stick to drive him away. If
this is not the stag in question, it is some marauder from the

THE DEATH. 141

forest of the Ardennes that was seeking a bon bouche far away
from his own haunts, you see, Monseigneur."

" Six louis for this man, to compensate him for his apples,"
exclaimed the prince, who could no longer contain his joy.
" The Ardennes ! the Ardennes ! we have him now. I have
heen twice beaten," said the prince, " but I will now take
my revenge ; let him return once more."

One morning at breakfast a piqueur arrived all out of
breath, and pale with emotion, and announced to the prince
that he had again seen the stag. He was much excited on
his own and his master's account.

The prince immediately held a council of war to deli-
berate on the method of attack and pursuit to be adopted :
the prince himself presided over the preparations of the
chasse, which was fixed for the next day.

Relays were stationed every six leagues from Chantilly
towards the Ardennes, neither more or less, and the prince
affirmed that if he was forced to pass the day and night
with his hounds and horses, he would kill the stag.

Still it was not without a sort of nervous anxiety that
the Prince de Conde commenced the attack, and this emotion
gained force when the animal broke cover; but the measures
taken had been so good, and the precautions so minute, that
success was almost certain. The stag, however, having taken
to the open country, the victory was uncertain until the fifth
relay, as there were few signs of his vigour or speed failing.
At this distance, however, the poor beast's heart failed him,
and he was killed thirty-five leagues from the spot where he
had been first found. It would be difficult to describe the scene
that followed this triumph, and the splendour of the hallaa.
Very few of the hunt were present at the death, but the,
horns sounded for a long time ; the curee was magnificent,
and the munificence of the prince without bounds towards
thoso who were present at the final scene.

142

SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

The souvenir of this anecdote was by no means reassuring
for our horses, and already several Parisian steeds were
pretty well fatigued in the wood of Yerrieres, from whence
the stag had not yet broken.

We were just outside the wood, upon a gentle eminence
that descends towards Yerrieres, and commanding a beauti-
ful and rich perspective. Suddenly the stag appears on the
borders of the wood ; he hesitates an instant, but the sounds
of the chase are fast approaching ; he makes one bound, it
was magnificent : clearing an immense space, he speeds
across the plain.

We thus found ourselves the first in the chasse; the
piqueurs and the hounds soon joined us; a relay was placed
by chance on the road to Plessis, and the stag redoubled his
speed; the plain was covered with horsemen; it was like a
charge of cavalry.

" This puts me in mind, sire, of a hunting field in England,"
said the Duke of Wellington, addressing the king, with
whom he was riding in company; "I could almost fancy
myself in the Yale of Aylesbury."

" You astonish me, Monsieur le Due," replied the king,
rather coldly ; " I confess that when I had the honour of
your company at one of my stag hunts, I expected to show
you a sight which you would not easily witness in your own
country."

"Will your majesty permit me to observe that it would
be a most laudable ambition on your part if the fact could
only be satisfactorily proved."

" Oh, upon that point, my dear lord, you must strike your
flag, however disagreeable it may be to you. England, so
celebrated for her horses, her hounds, and the beauty of her
equipages, understands very little of the true science of the
chase; not that chase which consists in following an animal
over mountain and vale, through woods and rivers, over
hedges, gates, and walls, and killing him a short distance

THE KING AND THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 143

from where he has been found ; there, I agree, you excel ;
you are famous riders, but it is not that which constitutes
the art of venerie."

" Perhaps the patriotism of your majesty suggests this
theory as a set-off to the want of speed in French horses."

"More probably, Monsieur le Due, your national pre-
judices refuse to recognise in this, as in many other instances,
any foreign superiority ; but be assured that the true science
of hunting does not consist alone in killing or taking the
stag. It would be easy to do that with a pack of harriers,
but the art of real venerie consists in after having driven
a stag into a forest full of other deer, never to change the
original beast you have been hunting ; to take up checks
and other details, which are learnt as much by theory as by
practice." The king, observing a smile of incredulity upon
the lips of the duke, between a hesitation and an objection,
continued — " I am sorry for you, Monsieur le Due, but you
have no real chasseurs in England/' and without waiting for
an answer, put spurs to his horse in a manner to put art end
to the conversation.

The stag has crossed the Versailles road, and has taken to
the plain of Yillacoupray, and the king, who gallops upon
his traces, appears delighted with the sport that every one is
enjoying, and replies by frequent bows to the numerous
acclamations that greet him from all sides. The animal has
been seen distinctly on the Versailles road, and experienced
hunters report that his feet are turned inwards, a sure sign
that he is getting fatigued. A vast number of carriages and
spectators are stationed on the pave. We soon arrive at the
wood of Meudon, at the Carrefour de Z' Ursine.

The stag springs over everything that opposes his flight,
but his perpetual efforts exhaust his strength; his bounds
are less active and elastic. The king has not lost the traces
of the hunt for a moment, and has followed it through all its
windings and sinuosities.

144 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

At length the final scene arrives — the stag stands at bay
near an angle of an ancient wall in the forest of Meudon.
He is surrounded by the hounds ; around them are collected
the piqueurs, who sound the " mort," the king, the dauphin,
and the officers of the chasse; a third and vast circle is
formed by more than two hundred horsemen, and an im-
mense crowd of pedestrians. This is the hallaa.

The king descends from his horse, receives the carabine
from the hands of M. de Omfrais, and with one shot puts an
end to the struggles of the poor stag.

Amidst the sound of horns, the head piqueur cuts off the
deer's foot, and gives it to the commandant, who brings it
to the grand huntsman, who in his turn presents it with a
profound bow, and hat in hand, to the king.

The king uncovers himself when he receives it.

The tongue of the stag is also extracted.

This is the final act, as established by ancient usages and
regulations.

His majesty was satisfied, and expressed his satisfaction to
the commandant of the chasse.

The dog-keepers proceed to dismember the stag, and after
having cut away the fillets, and such portions as are destined
for the use of the commandant, and each of the officers of the
hunt, they cover the carcase with a cloth.

During this operation the hounds are kept under restraint,
and when it is finished, the commandant, turning towards the
animal, stretched upon the earth, gives the signal for the curee.

The horns sound again.

It is your turn now, my brave hounds; and in a few
moments nothing is left but a crushed and broken skeleton,
not one small morsel of flesh.

The retreat is sounded, and the dogs, with their muzzles
all crimsoned from their late repast, are recoupled, and take
the road to Versailles.

ST. CLOUD. 145

CHAPTER XT.

ST. CLOUD — ANECDOTES OF CHAELES X.

THE only royal residence where Charles X. really felt him-
self at home and led the life of a country gentleman, which
he had been so long accustomed to, was at St. Cloud.

When he resided at that palace, he acted much on this
principle. He had generally strolled out in the morning,
before breakfast, with his gun, sometimes alone, and some-
times in company with the Due d'Angouleme, or his son the
Dauphin, to shoot rabbits in the preserves immediately
around the chateau, where they were very numerous, having
no enemies but the king, and a few poachers to whom not
even the royal preserves were sacred. The king was very
fond of these private shooting-parties, without any of the
pomp and ceremony of the Court ; and when he was accom-
panied by his son, was accustomed to mix up with his sport
many impressive remarks and reflections upon their past life
and present circumstances.

On the 15th July, 1829, the king left the chateau, alone
and on foot, to visit Madame la Dauphine, at Villeneuve
1'Etang, which he often did, taking his way through the
grande allee which leads to Yille d'Avray, Suddenly, upon,
entering one of the solitary and transversal alleys, he per-
ceived an individual before him humming some old military
song, and hardly able to support his body in that horizontal
position that nature intended. It was evident that the man,
whether poacher or some other suspicious character, was in
that happy frame of mind from the effects of liquor that
levels all ranks and conditions, and puts him completely at

Ii

146 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

ease with himself and all the world. He stumbled against
the king, and would have passed on without further notice,
had not his majesty stopped, and looked hard at him, when
at length he touched his hat, and made an awkward attempt
at a bow. " Well," thought Charles X., " it is fortunate that
he even does this, by way of making up for his rudeness to-
wards the master, or rather occupier, of the chateau. No
doubt this man, in his own way, is what is now termed a
liberal, denying all rights, and despising all courtesies ;" but
immediately resuming his usual amiability of manner, he
addressed him.

" You have made a good day's work of it, it seems, my
brave man."

"Not bad, thanks to my gun."

" You are a chasseur, then F

"I should think so. My old gun, with its flint and steel
lock, is a pretty ancient acquaintance of the game in these
parts ; and having by its means made an excellent breakfast
to-day at the king's expense, I am taking a walk to assist
digestion. These are my reasons, if they seem good to you,
my bourgeois ! Pardon, my general ! for I suppose you are
a general, at least."

The king was forced to bite his lips to prevent laughing.
" And what may have been this excellent repast you have
made at the king's expense ? Did his majesty invite you to
his table ?"

" Not precisely, I invited myself; and I did right, for the
king probably would have forgotten me; and with a fat
pheasant killed in the park close by, Robert and I have
breakfasted like a general — a royal intendant — aye, like the
king himself; and have washed it down with the best wine
of the Commune of Garches. To your health, my general !
One of the king's pheasants is no bad thing, I can tell you."

'•' And you are not afraid of telling me so ?"

ST. CLOUD. 147

" Bah ! you seem to be a brave and worthy man, and you
see poor folks must enjoy themselves now and then at his
majesty's expense. It is a custom we gained in our old
campaigns. Only now and then, my bourgeois !"

" You have been a soldier, then V

-' Yes, indeed, my general ! and you have, no doubt; served
in the good times V

" Oh, I have served a long time."

"As a captain T

" Higher rank than that,"

" I said I knew you were a general."

" Higher than that."

" Diable !" muttered the peasant, rubbing his ears ; " per-
haps he is a Marshal of France. I forget all their faces since
I have seen them at the bivouac. No doubt he is a Marshal
of France. They like pheasants, and are all good fellows ; —
as they have all risen from simple soldiers, they love forag-
ing; and what have I been doing but foraging a little at the
expense of the Crown, which can well afford a head or two of
game, without ruining itself T

The king was silent, and listened to the gossip of the
poacher, who did not seem the least ashamed of his culpable
pursuits, and continued a merry and half-drunken account of
both of these, and his military exploits. They continued their
walk together, apparently excellent companions, one resem-
bling a gentleman from the city, and the other a country
peasant, but both bent on sport in the forest.

" I thought you were a Marshal of France. I knew
Moncey when he was a corporal, and Bellune when he was
a sergeant — I, that am talking to you, marshal !"

The king smiled, and repeated his former answer —
" Higher than that !"

The poacher began to feel rather uncomfortable, and could
not make out to whom he could possibly be talking, when

148 SPOUTING IN BOTH HEMISPHEKES.

they arrived at the gate of the park that faces the grande
attee, in which is situated what is called, the Lantern of
Diogenes, from which a miniature view may be obtained of
all Paris. The two sentinels of the Garde Koyale presented
arms, which astonished him still more, but he went on
repeating to himself — " He is either a general or a marshal,
as I supposed." But now the drum began to beat. The
whole guard were under arms, and the two cavaliers who
were always posted at the gate to announce that the king
was for the time resident at the chateau, sat, with drawn
sabres, firm and motionless in their saddles. It was evident
that these honours could only be paid to a person of supreme
rank. The poor peasant's heart began to fail him, and he
felt himself, as it were, sobered in a moment. He fell back
several paces behind his companion of the morning, and
dared not cast a look towards him; indeed, he glanced
cautiously round to see if there was any possibility of
making his escape.

The king called an officer, who replied —

'•' Sire, what may your majesty desire?"

" I am lost !" muttered the poacher.

The king, after having enjoyed his embarrassment for
some moments, turned towards him, and said —

" I must tell you, my friend, that you are pursuing a very
dishonest career in poaching. You rob the king — you steal
his game. Do you think that there is any difference be-
tween that and any other theft 1 Do you not understand
that his game belongs to him, as much as your own poultry
does to yourself? Pursuits of this sort will only lead to
worse, and every feeling of probity and honour will be
destroyed."

" Sire, I am an honest man — an old soldier."

"I believe it, my brave man, and it is an additional
reason to abandon so worthless a career; no doubt want

ST. CLOUD. 149

and necessity urged you on. Here, take this money, and
poach no more; and leave the king's game alone for the
future."

" Sire, I swear ! Oh, what an excellent man is the king !
I have done with poaching for ever !" And he commenced
shouting with all the force of his lungs, Vive le Roi! in a
manner sufficient to leave no doubt of his loyalty.

Ten days after this event, the king, in his usual costume
neglige and grey casquette, was again taking his morning walk
towards Yilleneuve 1'Etang, on his way to visit Madame la
Dauphine.

His majesty was alone, his mind a good deal preoccupied
by what had taken place in the cabinet council on the pre-
vious day, during which the prime minister had freely
exposed the then political situation of the country. Whilst
walking gently onwards through the grande allee, a woman,
apparently of about twenty-five years of age, passed him,
dressed in her gayest Sunday garments, but with a counte-
nance expressive of extreme grief — or, at all events, some
great embarrassment.

The king was struck by her appearance, and asked her in
a familiar way where she was going, dressed so finely, as it
was neither a fete-day nor Sunday.

" Where am I going, my good sir *? — where am I going 1
Alas ! I know not. You see before you a woman on the
borders of despair."

"What has happenened to you?" said the king, much
interested in the adventure.

" Oh, mon Lieu, sir, I think I shall go out of my mind; but
as you appear so kind, and to take interest in me, I will tell
you. Only imagine, my cousin Francois faithfully promised
to stand godfather to my child, which is now waiting to be
baptized, but just as we were all ready to go to church,
a letter has arrived from him to say that his affairs prevent

150 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

his quitting Paris. Is it not dreadful, my good sir ? What
is my child to do without being baptized, and no godfather *?
I am now going to seek one, and will accept the first that
offers himself. You, my good sir, if you will consent; you
appear such a good kind of man that I should be delighted to
have you."

The king smiled at this proposition.

" Excuse me, my good sir," said the woman, a little con-
fused by the boldness of her request ; " I do not wish to
give you any trouble, but you will be doing a great service
both to my husband and myself. He is an honest man, well
known in all the village ; and besides, sir, it is always lucky
to assist in making a Christian."

" Well," said the king, half affected and half amused at the
singularity of the scene, " I will grant your request. I will
stand godfather ; I love to be of service to honest people ;
only you must grant me an hour's time to dress myself, — I
don't live far from hence."

" Oh, sir, how kind you are ! How much gratitude we
shall owe you ; but it is quite useless for you to change your
toilet ; you are quite well enough dressed for poor peasants
like us. They don't often see godfathers like you in the vil-
lage of Garches; all the neighbours will be jealous. Oh, how
happy I am ! Frangois may stop in Paris as long as he likes;
we can do very well without him."

If the king had permitted it, the woman would have kissed
him, in the expansive joy of her heart.

" The relatives and the godmother are waiting," she con-
tinued. " Oh, as to the godmother, I think you will be
pleased, — a very pretty girl of eighteen, and who will do
honour to your arm." And thus chattering about the
infant, the relatives, the village, and the godmother, they
arrived at a pretty cottage in the commune of Garches.
All the party were assembled. The woman related her

ST. CLOUD. 151

adventure, and her fortunate rencontre. Some of the com-
pany declared the stranger's face was not unknown to them.
However, they all set off towards the church, the king giving
his arm to the handsome godmother, and every one exclaiming,
" How lucky Jean Paul's wife was to find such a godfather
for her child !"

When the cure arrived at the baptismal font, he was struck
by the neglige although distinguished appearance of the god-
father who presented himself, and said to his beadle that it
was very unusual to see a bourgeois wear a casquette on a
similar occasion ; but after all, it did not make much diffe-
rence, and the service commenced.

The king was not the least embarrassed, like many persons
in a similar position, in making his responses to the prayers
and formalities of the church, and the cure was much edified
with his knowledge of the liturgy. One moment the good
priest imagined that he recognised the original of a bust
placed in the communal hall of the village, but he fancied it
could only be an hallucination, or a strange and fantastic
resemblance.

The ceremony terminated, they passed into the small
damp sacristy of the village church to sign the document
that admitted this child into a Christian communion.

"What is the name of the godfather?' said the cure",
placing his pen upon the table to await an answer.

The king had not thought of this, and was rather puzzled.
What should he do to sustain his incognito 1 How to answer
the question of the cure without telling a falsehood 1 and
Charles X. had the greatest horror of anything like a false-
hood, even in trivial things. What should he say ? If he
replied Bourbon Charles, they would immediately know it •
and yet the cure was waiting.

" Your name, if you please 1"

" Le Koi — that is it — Monsieur le Roi."

152 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

" Your Christian name 1"

" Charles."

The document being completed, the pen was passed from
one hand to another, that each might sign his name. It
came to the king's turn. At this moment a man, who had
hitherto appeared absorbed in his own reflections, advanced
towards the father of the child, and whispered in his ear.

"It is the king !" — " Vive le Roi!" exclaimed all the party.

"The king!" gasped the old cure, letting his hands fall
•upon the table, and throwing his head backwards — " Sire,
pardon, excuse me ; — what an honour for my church, for
myself, for all these poor people ! Ah ! if we had only
known beforehand, we would have received you at the porch
with the dais and the cross, as they do at Notre Dame when
your Majesty attends a religious ceremony."

" The king !" cried all the assembly, in unison ; and then
arose a concert of ejaculations, questions, and mutual inter-
rogations. " What ! the king consent to be godfather to Jean
Paul's wife ?" — " Where did she go to find him T — " What
courage !" — "What luck for her and her child !" — "He would
be a fortunate infant, at all events." — "When one has a king of
France for godfather, something good must come of it." — "But
who would have thought that the gentleman in the old grey
casquette was the king T — " It is odd how very like a king is to
another man." — " I had some idea of it before," said an old
peasant ; " I have often seen him in the same costume before,
on the road to Yilleneuve 1'Etang, when he goes to visit
Madame la Dauphine."

The mother of the new-born baby was almost wild with
joy. The father was on his knees before Charles X., and
could not articulate a word, owing to the overwhelming idea
of the king being godfather to his child.

The rumour of the king's presence was soon spread over the
village. A crowd approached the church Irom all directions,

ST. CLOUD. 153

and the faces of tlie villagers, their wives and children,
blocked up the doorway of the sacristy. The king com-
menced to be rather annoyed and embarrassed.

" Sire," respectfully observed the cur6, taking up the pen,
and dipping it again into the ink, which had dried upon the
quill during this interlude of astonishment and enthusiasm,
" I must write, then, upon the baptismal register, Monsieur
LeKoiT

"Of France!" replied, loudly, Charles X. "You per-
ceive I have told you the truth. And as to the name of the
child— Charles !"

At this moment a fresh chorus of vwats commenced, and
the whole nave of the church resounded with Vive le Roi !
It is needless to add that the cure", the clerk, the church, the
mother of the child, and the godmother, were made fully
sensible of the service the king had rendered them in re-
placing the Cousin Francois. Charles X. was remarkable for
his liberality towards poor and honest people.

One man distinguished himself amongst the rest by his
enthusiastic applause as the king left the church. It was
the same who had recognised him, and the poacher, who, by
his bounty and generosity, had been reclaimed from his
former habits. He related to everybody the story of his
rencontre with his Majesty, and the kind words that had
been addressed to him, — souvenirs not easily forgotten, and
which pass down to posterity like titles and family pictures.

On arriving at Yilleneuve 1'Etang, the king related this
scene to Madame la Dauphine, who was much interested by
it, and the same day sent some proofs of her generosity to
his majesty's godson. Afterwards the king often inquired
after the health of little Charles, and promised to look
after his interest. Alas ! poor child, at the time of his birth
what king of France could guarantee his future prospects ?

154 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

CHAPTER XII.

CHARLES X. — LAST CHASSE AT RAMBOUILLET — THE 26TH JULY, 1830.

I HAVE collected from various sources the following anec-
dote, which I believe to be strictly true : —

The village of Rainbouillet was just awaking. The church
bells had not yet sounded the angelus ; but the lowing of the
cows was heard, which the girls were driving to their pas-
turage. The sun had risen above the horizon, and its first
beams lit up the lofty roofs, and shone upon the broad
windows of the chateau. The morning exhalations from the
green meadows, the nearly ripened grain, and the leaves
warmed by the influence of the rising sun, embalmed the
air. In the forest, the thrush and blackbird whistled their
morning orisons; magpies were already chattering on the
branches, and the transparency of the atmosphere, the deep
blue of the sky, the dark shadow of the woods, the buzzing
of insects, in one word, the whole harmony of nature, an-
nounced a magnificent and warm summer's day.

At this early hour several valets des limiers* issued from
the royal kennel, and entered the forest at different points :
they were about to beat the woods in various quarters for
the traces of deer. One of these valets des limiers had pene-
trated as far as the Poteau du Chene du Roi. He had broken
off a branch, and placed it on the ground so that the broken
end might indicate the direction he had taken, and was
exciting the hound under his charge both by his voice and
his caresses.

* Keepers who had the charge of bloodhounds.

THE LAST CHASSE OF CHAELES X. 155

Suddenly the hound gives indications of being on the
scent, and the valet de limier carefully examines the ground.
He discovers at length a foot-mark,* very indistinctly traced.
The ground was so hard, that nothing but some almost
imperceptible scratches appeared. He kneels down and
takes a more minute inspection of the marks.

"That is it," he joyfully exclaimed; "that is it."

" Cursed drought," grumbled the valet de limier. " The
weather is so dry, that even in the forest there is scarcely
scent or trail ; not even a blade of grass bent, but all stiff as
pig's bristles." In spite of himself, he was pre-oceupied with
this reflection, and could not dissipate a slight feeling of
evil presentiment that passed through his mind. He makes
a long detour around the cover where he perceived the foot-
marks, and arrives at the spot where he first discovered
them; the hound again seems to recognise the place, and
looks up to his master, as if to say, " our duty is accom-
plished."

Doubtless the animal is within the circle they have de-
scribed, and is probably a stag of ten branches.

In the other parts of the forest the same manoeuvres are
executed, and all these skilful officers of the chase return to
prepare their reports.

What a splendid cliasse is in perspective. How all these
noble alleys and avenues will resound to the music of the
horn. What an animated coup d'cdl the brilliant cortege of
cavaliers, courtiers, and ladies, mounted on their English
horses, will present. The king of France will enjoy a noble
chase to-day.

It is nine o'clock, and already an equipage is upon the
road to Chartres. The beauty of the horses, the elegance of
the harness, and the form of the carriage, indicate its being

* The age of a stag is known by the imprint of his foot.

156 SPOUTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

that of Monseigneur le Dauphin. The gates are opened, and
the chateau, which is shut up during the rest of the year, is
put in readiness to receive guests for a few hours. In the
town, those who were not apprised of the royal hunting-
party, have observed the equipage of monseigneur, and a
general movement amongst the population ensues. Every
description of elegant display that the time will admit of is
made in the chateaux near Rambouillet, and the proprietors
order their horses to be in readiness to join his majesty's
suite.

The king, however, has not yet quitted St. Cloud. The
hour of departure has been fixed at midday. His majesty,
contrary to his usual custom, has received no member of his
family at his lever. The dauphin, who on hunting days
could not appear at mass, has gone beforehand to Ram-
bouillet, and Madame la Dauphine is absent at Vichy.

The king never appeared more happy and composed than
on that morning. Having finished his toilet, he ordered the
windows of the apartment to be opened, that he might
judge himself of the beauty of the morning.

" Aubry," said he to his valet de chambre, " put some gold
in my purse. I hunt to-day;" and he leant for some
minutes upon the ledge of the window, his looks directed
over the plain towards Paris.

On turning round, the king perceived the daily news-
papers on the table. He took up the Moniteur, and read
some passages with more than his usual attention.

" Chantelauze is right," he exclaimed. " It is by the un-
interrupted and violent action of the press that the sudden
and too frequent changes and variations of our home policy
are explained. It will not permit a legitimate and stable
government to be established in France ... A turbulent
democracy, which has penetrated even our laws, is a bad
substitute for legitimate power."

THE LAST CHASSE OF CHARLES X. 157

Having finished reading, the king leant back in medita-
tion, and murmured a few words as though they issued from
the depths of his soul.

" No, France cannot hate me, for I have done my duty !"
And his noble and calm countenance was lighted up with
an indescribable expression of contentment which reflected all
the purity of his conscience. A few minutes afterwards his
majesty left the room to attend mass at the chapel.

At the termination of the great gallery of the chateau is
the Salon de Mars, and from thence, upon the same floor, is
a tribune, and at your feet the chapel. On ordinary occa-
sions the dauphin was the first to enter the tribune, after-
wards the king, followed by the princesses. The king placed
himself in the midst of his family, having monseigneur on
his right. At Paris, this form of etiquette was punctually
observed. His majesty bowed before the altar. The grand
aumonier approached, received his hat, and placed a prayer-
book in his hands ; but to-day the king has arrived alone.
The Gardes du Corps who lined the chapel have presented
arms at the approach of the king. The priests have arrived
in solemn procession from the sacristy, and turning towards
the king, bow profoundly. The service has commenced.

In the midst of the general silence, the word of command,
" ground arms !" is heard, and the manoeuvre sounds with
admirable precision on the pavement of the chapel.

An evident pre-occupation and much anxiety evidently
pervaded the minds of the few persons whom duty had united
at St. Cloud, but concealed from the king, whose calm and
happy countenance contrasted in a wonderful way with those
of his attendants. All had been completely taken by sur-
prise during the morning, by the news of the publication of
the ordonnances. No one believed in the possibility of such
a measure being carried. True, they had observed, on the
previous day, M. Polignac and his colleagues quit the council

158 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

•with evident signs of joy and satisfaction, who had been
accustomed to leave it for some time past with very different
feelings; but this change was not then ascribed to their
triumph over the honourable indecision of Charles X.

If anything can increase our ideas of the majesty of
heaven, it is to see an earthly sovereign in humble adoration
before the altar. Charles X. was sincerely religious; his
faith was that of a true Christian, and it was not in his
position as a king alone, that he loved and practised piety.
At all times, and during his days of exile, he showed the
same disposition; and his first act upon returning to his
native soil was to attend mass in a little village church
situated at the extremity of the frontiers.

"Oh, my God," prayed Charles X., "Thou who knowest
my heart, inspire me with the means of accomplishing the
task I have imposed on myself; that my kingdom may be
prosperous, my people happy, and, freed from a depraved and
revolutionary spirit, they may learn to do justice to the good
intentions of their king."

He was still under the impression of the last words, when
the Domine salvumfac regem pealed in loud notes from the
organ, a sunbeam glanced upon his forehead, lighting up
his face with a ray of satisfaction. This coincidence of his
personal prayer and the conventional one of the church,
appeared to him a happy presage of the accomplishment of
his wishes.

After the service, an animated conversation took place in
the Salon de Mars, amongst the various persons of distinc-
tion who were in attendance on the king.

" At length things will go on right," said M. Duchesne,
addressing himself to the persons who composed the same
group as himself, and rubbing his hands at the same time
with an air of satisfaction that most of his companions were
far from partaking.

THE LAST CHASSE OF CHARLES X. 159

"What do you mean?" asked General Bougard, who had
neither moved hand nor foot, and whose features expressed
the deepest affliction.

"What I mean is simple enough. That the country-
should be called to order, and all these revolutionists of the
Chambre be silenced. What is now passing, Monsieur, is
much too serious in my opinion for the subject of a joke.
But I assure you, general, I speak perfectly seriously."

" I have just arrived from Paris," said M. Pradelle, " and
I can positively state that a visible agitation is everywhere
manifest. The political horizon predicts a storm."

" I believe it," said M. le Compte Hoquart.

" But, gentlemen, what can be done to do away with the
present state of disorder? Things have arrived at no less a
crisis than a refusal to pay the taxes. What seditious asso-
ciations are assembled for this purpose, and how the press
kindles and supports the flame !"

" I cannot precisely say what is to be done," answered
the Compte Hoquart, with modesty full of reserve. "I
do not pretend to search to the bottom of such a deep poli-
tical question. I do not deny that there is certainly some-
thing important to do ; but I am convinced that what is done
is not right."

" Finis coronat opus,"

"Monsieur," said General Bougard, "you are most of
you comparatively young men, and can take your chances of
a new revolution. Re volutions in France generally end by
a restoration of order; but I, who have seen all the horrors
of 1789, cannot look upon the measures the king has adopted
without terror. It seems to me that I have nothing to do
but to seize my pilgrim's staff, and take my departure
once more as a poor emigrant."

" Take courage, gentlemen ; things are not so bad as you
suppose them to be," reiterated M. Duchesne, again rubbing

160 SPOUTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

his "hands. Monsieur, the grand huntsman appears at this
moment at the end of the gallery. The group breaks up,
and many of them advance to meet him.

In positions of difficulty and emergency, it is always
agreeable to find oneself in the society of energetic and
superior men. Their presence seems providential — a pro-
tection in danger, and a counsel in distress. All our hopes
are concentrated in them, and we fancy we can read in
their countenances what will be the upshot of coming
events.

M. de Girardin, to whom almost every one rendered
justice for his courage, intelligence, and character, arrived
very apropos to give a decided impulse to all these floating
and uncertain opinions.

"Well, general," was the universal question, "what do
you think of the present state of affairs V

M. de Girardin, who did not think, as it was rather
late, there was much time to enter into long details, com-
pressed his ideas in a few words, with which he absolutely
petrified his audience.

" I think, gentlemen, that, thanks to the king's ministers,
his Majesty is convinced that there are only two methods
of quitting his kingdom — the first, ignominiously expelled;
the second, valiantly defended ; and that the king, as a true
gentleman, has chosen the latter."

At this moment the king left the chapel, passing through
a double row of gentlemen and courtiers. The satisfaction
that reigned upon his countenance struck every beholder,
and such was his confidence in the course he had pursued,
that he did not perceive the consternation that evidently
filled all those around him ; which, indeed, had he perceived,
he would have been at a loss to ascertain the motive. He
announced to M. de Girardin and the assembled court that
he was about to enter his carriage.

THE LAST CHASSE OF CHARLES X. 161

The Gardes du Corps were arranged in battle array before
the Salle des Generaux. He had placed his foot upon the
step, when he felt himself gently held back by some one ;
and, 011 turning round, perceived the Duchesse de Berri, who
said to him, in a tone of soft familiarity, " Not so quick,
sire ! give me time, at least, to wish you joy, and permit me
to add that, dating from this morning, you are the true
king of France."

Charles X. smiled slightly. "I thank you," he said,
" and hope that your felicitations may be echoed by France
and Europe."

Several persons present could not restrain a significant
movement of their heads.

The royal equipage issues from the court-yard of the
palace ; it ascends the road to Yille d' Avray, and rolls with
a deadened sound over the grass of the avenue. Now and
then portions of sand and gravel give a grating noise to
the wheels, which again regain their original tone.

The king had not yet opened the conversation, and pro-
found silence was observed.

" General !" he suddenly exclaimed ; and, addressing M.
de Girardin, " have you read the ordonnances f ' and, without
awaiting an answer, he continued, " What is your opinion ?

The king was well aware of the character of his grand
huntsman. He knew that no opinion ever came from his
lips that did not issue directly from his brain. Still,
perhaps, his majesty hardly reckoned upon the precision and
promptitude with which he received an answer to his
question.

f ' Sire, it is a coup d'etat /"

The king smiled.

" Always in extremes, General ; but I do not see how this
resembles a coup d'etat''

" It is not only a coup d'etat against a party, but a coup
M

162 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

d'etat against the whole of France, and I hope, to prevent
any bad effects, that the king has at least sixty thousand
troops in Paris."

" For what purpose ? Everything will pass without con-
fusion."

"The counsellors of the crown owe a long account to
their king and country for many great misfortunes !"

" What do you mean T

" The enemies of the throne will make the country be-
lieve that the king has failed in his engagements."

"The country will not believe them. I have desired
nothing but the good of my people. The proofs of my
solicitude for them may be found in every act of my life,
and in all my discourses. Can my people have forgotten
the words I addressed to the president of the tribunal of
Paris ? It is by justice alone that kings hold their thrones,
and the most important part of my authority is delegated
to you. Make use of it with a religious fidelity, and be
assured that you will gain my affection and esteem in pro-
portion as you exercise your judgment with exactitude and
impartiality."

After some moments, the king continued : —

" Do you not perceive, M. de Girardin, that I have hitherto
acted exactly as they pleased ? France is happy and pros-
perous; but there exists some thousands of individuals who
spread disorder everywhere, grasp at power, and are ever
trying to get the Government into difficulties. When the
Chamber of Deputies wished to take the administration of
affairs out of the hands of Yillele, I consented immediately
to their wishes, although my personal opinion was favourable
to that minister. I composed a mixed Cabinet, choosing
my elements amongst the most honourable and capable
individuals in the Chamber. I had every right to expect
that such a loyal concession on my part would be favourably

THE LAST CHASSE OF CHAELES X. 163

received. What was the result ? My concession was in-
terpreted into an act of weakness or cowardice. The
deputy Sebastiani exclaimed, alluding to this circumstance,
' The breach is made ; we must enter.7 Martignac could not
succeed in conciliating the majority; his position became
untenable, and he was forced to beat a retreat before that
revolutionary fraction of the country, who evidently still
dreamt of 1789, and took the example of the National
Assembly for their guide, thinking, perhaps, at the same
time, that I should imitate the conduct of my brother."

" Without doubt," said the Due de Luxembourg, " it is
absolutely necessary to oppose energy and force to such
notorious malevolence."

" Admitting that," continued the Compte de Girardin, " I
uphold that the exercise of that energy demands certain
conditions, which have not yet been ratified, and France
does not appear to me to be prepared for the measures
which the king has taken."

" There you are in error. I have given a just interpreta-
tion to that article of the charte which cites, ' In case of
urgency, it appertains to the king to make ordonnances
necessary to the safety of the state.' Is not this clear ? and
yet, according to you, the throne is in peril."

" Were I in the place of the king, I would not leave
St. Cloud."

" Happily for France and for myself. General, my ministers,
who are sufficiently cautious, do not judge as you do. Yes-
terday I demanded, in full council, if they considered my
presence was necessary to-day at St. Cloud; if so, Messieurs,,
I added, I shall not go to Eambouillet."

"And their answer, sire ]"

" It was unanimous. They said there could be no objec-
tion to my absence."

" It is my duty to intimate to the king, that I have reason

164 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

to believe that if the intervention of an armed force is
necessary, the regiments forming the garrison of Paris will
not be very zealous in their obedience."

" Who told you this r

" One of the most influential members of the opposition,
who assured me that the regiments were already in contact
with the liberal deputies."

" It is a boast without foundation, that they wished to
communicate to me through your means, General."

"Not entirely so. Two hours ago I was in Paris, and
can assure you that a great fermentation was caused by
the reading of the Moniteur. Everybody seemed seized
with consternation. The journalists talked of protestation,
of resistance. In my opinion, the stakes of the king appear
too heavy on the game the ministers are playing."

" And you think ?"

" That the repeal of the ordonnances is the only chance
for the king to be the winner."

Charles X. smiled with an air of incredulity.

"You desire, then, that I should precipitate France
beneath the knife of a second '89 and '93. Can I consent
to it 1 Certainly not. I have done my best, and shall not
be mistaken. Wait a little, and the issue will prove the
justice of my cause."

Monsieur de Girardin was silent.

" My dear Armand," said the king, addressing his vis-a-vis,
"the General is no great partizan of the policy of your
brother."

" Sire," replied the grand huntsman, with marked em-
phasis, " we are both anxious to arrive at the same end- —
the welfare of France, and the consolidation of the royal
power; but it seems, indeed, that we differ essentially as to
the means."

" It is particularly on the question of the British alliance

THE LAST CHASSE OF CHAKLES X. 1G5

that you oppose all participation in the opinions of the
Prince. Is it not so, Girardln T

" Certainly on that point, and on many others, sire."

" Oh, I am aware of it."

" You shall explain your theories to me, Girardin. I
shall be most happy to hear them, and will see if I can
apply them in any way to present exigencies. Perhaps we
may speak more on this subject at Rambouillet."

" Does the king intend making a long chasse to-day T
asked M. le Compte de Girardin, after a moment's silence,
and who could not distract his imagination from the sombre
auguries that the publication of the ordonnances had im-
printed on his mind.

" Why, that depends entirely on circumstances. The day
is fine, and everything seems favourable to our sport. We
shall see."

The royal carriage stopped — they had arrived at Cog-
meres, the second stage.

Fresh horses replaced those they had taken at St. Cyr;
those that were detached were smoking as if in the midst
of winter. The sweat poured from their bodies, and the
white froth covered their bits and harness. The sun was at
its meridian height during the whole of the journey. It was
only two hours since the king had started, and they were now
near their destination.

A little beyond Cognieres a road branches off to Ham-
bouillet. It leads to the north-east of the forest. The
house, which is situated at the summit of the triangle, of
which these two roads form the sides, is named the Maison
Blanche. When the rendezvous de la chasse was fixed in the
forest of St. Leger, adjoining that of Rambouillet, it was
always by this route that the king arrived. The country is
perfectly flat. Plains here and there surrounded by woods,
and vast horizons in the distance. The hunter feels his heart

1G6 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

beat with the emotions which such a country excites within
him. He sees in anticipation the first burst of the stag from
cover, the manoeuvres of the pack, and the noble field of
cavaliers, mounted on their high-mettled steeds, in hot pursuit.

It is not, however, its many advantages as a hunting
country alone that adds interest to this part of "la belle
France." Here and there some picturesque ruins, and
abbeys, and convents, which are now metamorphosed into
country-houses; but the names surviving, recal many his-
torical traditions.

That simple habitation, before which the equipage of the
king is now passing, is the Abbey des Hautes- Bruyeres.
Perhaps it is the first time that you have heard it spoken of,
or, if you have ever seen it, you have taken no notice of it ;
yet in this spot is interred the heart of Francois I.

" I have long intended to purchase this property," said the
king, "and to erect some monument in memory of our
ancestor — the Koi Chevalier."

"It is an obligation that appertains to your majesty more
than to any other person," remarked Armand de Polignac.

" The princes, my predecessors, have all left some marks
of their reign at Eambouillet. Every one speaks of
Louis XV., of my brother, the martyr; even Buonaparte
has left his traces here. I desire that my name should
figure amongst those of the kings of France who have
proved their predilection for this abode. Girardin, I will
consult you on the works I have in view."

The royal equipage has passed on, and skirted the forest
of St. Leger, and entered the long avenue of Chatillon. It
is now half-past one o'clock, and they have arrived at the
Poteau des deux Chateaux. It was easy to perceive they
were approaching the rendezvous de la chasse, by the
number of lookers-on that were met with on the road. It
was quite different at Eambouillet from the other royal resi-

THE LAST CHASSE OF CHAKLES X. 167

dences. The public curiosity, and a disposition to assist at
the hunting parties, was manifested in a much greater degree.
It was true the king only visited it four or five times during
the year, but the dauphin, during the hunting season, went
there every fifth day regularly.

The king is surrounded by a crowd of men and women, of
all ranks and conditions. The reports are made by the
valets des limiers. First, a stag of four years' growth is
known to be in the wood of La Pommeraie.

Another, of ten branches, in the taillis de Villarceau, a
daguet in the wood of La Chamoise.

And lastly, a stag of ten branches, lately in the vicinity of
the Poteau du Chene du JKoi.

The reader will remember the Poteau du Chene du Roi,
where we introduced the valet de limier and his sleuth-
hound at the beginning of this sketch.

The commandant of the ckasse has read these different
reports, and has transmitted them to the first huntsman,
who has made himself acquainted with their contents, before
communicating them to the king.

M. de Girardin, whose mind is agitated by sombre augu-
ries, has only one thought — that of returning to St. Cloud.
He is vexed at the tranquillity and quiet conscience of the
king, whose place, at such a moment, he considers should not
be at Hambouillet. But the self-confidence of his majesty is
invincible.

He whispered in the ear of the commandant of the royal
chasse, then M de Hybonville, these remarkable words : —

"Ilfaut mener cette chasse a la Diable"

The king having heard the reports, had intended to attack
the stag of ten branches in the taillis de Villarceau, but from
some observations of his first huntsman, his majesty had
decided to hunt the one near the Poteau du Chene du Roi.

The different relays of dogs are posted, and the old hounds
uncoupled.

168 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

They carry their noses to the ground upon entering the
wood; they hunt down wind, and evidently work without
ardour. The huntsman explains the reason of it. There
is scarcely any scent ; but he does not lose courage, and
rallies and excites them with horn and voice. The comman-
dant, who has tried to catch a sight of the beast, anticipates
no luck from such a beginning ; however, the hunt continues.

The rush of an animal is heard, and warning is given to
the hunters on the open rides of the forest; but the beast
has gained too much in advance, the (logs can only take up
the scent every now and then, and an hour is spent in cold
hunting and checks. The king becomes very impatient at
the almost incomprehensible delay in the chasse ; there must
be some cause, and, indeed, it was not long in declaring
itself.

The hounds have again taken up the scent, and are now
giving tongue in chorus. At length a sight of the animal is
obtained. It was no stag, but a very large old hind.

Then arose a chorus of cries and imprecations, whip-
cracking, and horn blowing, enough to break the tympanum
of any ears unaccustomed to similar sounds.

The king having heard of what had taken place had great
difficulty in concealing his ill-humour. He ordered the
valet de limier who had made the report to be sent before
him, and whose mistake, at the same time, had so well
assisted the secret designs of M. de Girardin to cut short
the hunting party.

" What does this mean ?" said the king.

"Sire, I mistook a brehaigne* for a stag. She has a
regular stag's foot, and the revoir^ was so bad this morning
that the king himself might have been mistaken."

" Why did you not examine the portees ?"

* An old barren doe. *f Three terms in French venerie.

THE LAST CHASSE OF CHARLES X. 169

" The king may be assured I did not omit to do so, but
they were very doubtful."

" And the reposee ?"

" I passed more than half an hour in doing so, but the
sun was too powerful ; I could make nothing out. But it is
a long time since I have predicted that that beast would
occasion some annoyance. It ought to have been killed long
ago; and, had I been listened to, I should not have had the
misfortune to have interrupted the king's chasse"

" Girardin," said the king, " order the first keeper you see
to shoot it. In fact," continued his majesty, sotto voce, " I
think the measure not only prudent but necessary, as mes-
sieurs les piqueurs are rather delicate on a point of honour,
and we may have some catastrophe, a la Vatel"

"You will be more fortunate another time," said the
king. " There is no harm done, and I think no more of it."

The piqueur saluted the king, whose good-nature only
augmented his regret, and retired cursing the weather and
the old hind.

" Let us attack the stag of ten branches on the Carre/our
de Villarceau" said the king.

M. cle Girardin, who still retained his desire to return,
observed that it was already four o'clock, and that the ren-
dezvous of the stag was two leagues distant.

" Well/' replied the king, " we have plenty of time."

The orders were transmitted, and they departed at a foot's
pace; but the king's horse, impatient at the slowness of the
chasse, began pulling and plunging in a way that could not
be mistaken. His master loosened the reins; the steed
bounded away; the whole cavalcade followed in his wake,
and in a few moments the alley, so full of noble cavaliers,
was empty as a desert; and the only ^ traces of the royal
cortege was a small white cloud of dust at the extremity of
the avenue.

170 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

Having arrived at the laillis de Villarceau, relays of dogs
were placed at the four angles of the wood, in order that
they might see the stag when he broke cover.

Some old hounds are uncoupled, and take up the scent
without the encouragement of either voice or horn, in spite
of the heat and dryiiess of the ground.

The royale is sounded.

The stag has penetrated farther into the thick cover, fol-
lowed by the pack, in full chorus.

" The chasse commences well," observes the king. .

On this occasion they are certain that the animal must be
driven from cover, and will not escape the relays.

The spectators on foot make the best of their way to the
different lakes or large ponds, to one of which the stag is
sure eventually to resort.

The horsemen scatter themselves about in different direc-
tions, towards those points where they consider it most pro-
bable the chasse will pass.

At the Clos Renard the stag was seen, and crossed the ride
at a bound. His head was thrown backwards ; no signs of
distress were apparent, and a noble confidence in his own
vigour seemed impressed in all his movements.

A few seconds afterwards the pack, with a hoarse but har-
monious crash, burst from the wood, and passed also.

Then followed the piqueurs, in blue uniforms, their horns
around their shoulders.

They stop short for an instant, and sound their instruments.

The king passes next.

Then comes Monseigneur le Dauphin. The direction of
the chasse is towards le vallee aux eaux. Near the spot the
monarch was passing lay the trunk of a noble forest tree
that seemed to have, been torn from the roots by some effort
of nature.

The forest presents a solemn and imposing spectacle when

THE LAST CHASSE OF CHARLES X. 171

the eye can penetrate for some distance beneath its massive
shades. It is beautiful, like everything majestic; but at
the same time few things suggest more melancholy reflec-
tions than the sight of one of those giant trees which the
lightning or the tempest has stricken to the earth, — it is
the emblem of some misfortune, the image of greatness
fallen.

The axe of the woodman strikes the sapling, it falls, and
its place is hardly missed ; not so with the lord of the forest ;
echo repeats for a long time the strokes of the hatchet that
is dealing its death-blows, and when it falls it is with a
mighty crash ! This tree was the only one that had fallen
amongst many others that stood erect in green and stately
vigour around it, and Charles X., in spite of his philosophy,
could not help feeling a cold sensation at heart.

" This," he soliloquised, " is the destiny of all that is
great ! The highest trees suffer the most from the winds ;
the most lofty tower falls with the greatest crash, and the
thunder strikes the highest mountains !"

The king covered his face with his hands. His eyes were
filled with tears ; dear yet painful souvenirs were recalled to
his mind ; amongst others, those lines of Horace he had so
often repeated with his brothers during his boyhood,
"Rectius vives, Liciiii, neque altum," and which indeed
Louis XVI. had read in the Temple the very day of his
execution.

Some gentlemen of his suite now joined the king, whose
countenance had reassumed its habitual expression, and
announced that the stag had doubled back again, and was
now on the banks of the Etang de Hollande. The king
departed at full gallop ; the stag was not yet visible, but the
rides and the banks of the lake were crowded by spectators.
Instead of the animal he was pursuing, the king found a
little fete prepared for him.

172 SPOUTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

I have before observed, indeed, that those days on which
his majesty hunted at Rambouillet were always observed as
ajfete by the inhabitants with rigorous exactitude, and often
more than two thousand persons were assembled at one
point of the forest.

Louis XVIII. attended one, and one chasse only, at Eam-
bouillet, from an episode attendant on which Carle Yernet
painted one of his finest pictures.

The day previous to the one fixed' upon for this cliasse,
the Due de Berri went through the forest on horseback.
He was alone. In a very solitary part of the woods he met
with two men who evidently sought to avoid observation,
their countenances denoting some criminal project. The
prince addressed them, and their answers only increased
his suspicions. Upon pressing them still farther, but with
an irresistible kindness of manner peculiar to him, they
confessed they were deserters, but appeared repentant and
sorry for their crime.

" Be present to-morrow at the rendezvous de la chasse at
the Etang de la Tour," said he, " I will speak in your favour;
in the meantime," he added, and giving them some money,
" go back to the village."

The next morning, amidst the crowd assembled at the
rendezvous de la chasse, and at the moment when the relays
of hounds were posted, the prince was observed to make his
way towards the king, leading by the hands two young men,
whose courage he supported by kind and encouraging expres-
sions. He described, in a few words, their fault, his con-
viction of their sincere repentance, and offered himself as a
surety for their future good behaviour and fidelity to their
colours.

Louis XVIII. did not hesitate to perform this act of
clemency, and granted the pardon that was asked.

The moment that the painter has chosen is that in which

THE LAST CHASSE OF CHARLES X. 173

the king embraces the generous protector, and presents his
hand to his clients, and the crowd which surround the
principal figures, together with the beautiful forest scenery,
form the background of the picture.

An equally agreeable spectacle was presented to the view
of Charles X. at this moment, when he arrived on the banks
of the Etang de Hollande.

He bowed low to every one, and graciously expressed his
fears to the ladies that their curiosity would not be gratified,
as it was a bad hunting day.

His majesty had scarcely finished speaking when the
horns sounded a fresh signal ; the stag had taken the direc-
tion of the Croix de Yilpert.

The king bid adieu to the crowd that surrounded him
with all that distinguished ease of manner that heightens
and gives such a charm to kind actions. The cries of " Vive
le Roi /" resounded for some minutes : not those harsh and
hoarse sounds that are roared by a half-drunken mob, but
enthusiastic and intelligent acclamations uttered by clear
and pure voices, and which struck to the heart of Charles X.
like a chord of sweet and touching harmony — it was a song,
a hymn of adieu.

On the way the king beckoned his first huntsman, the
captain of the Gardes, and the Due de Polignac to his side,
and observing that his majesty appeared to desire to converse
in private with them, the rest of the suite drew in their
reins, and fell to the rear.

At the Croix de Yilpert, M. de Girardin quitted the
cortege for a moment to give his orders, and then returned to
his majesty.

" Where are they hunting ? Which direction has the
stag taken ?"

"We can scarcely tell, sire; the hounds are fatigued, and
hunt very badly."

174 SPOUTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

"Bad fortune seems to attend us everywhere; we sliall
do nothing to-day."

"I fear not."

The king manifested some slight signs of impatience.

A minute afterwards he exclaimed, " Apropos, Girardin,
you see things are going on well in Paris, as we receive no
news to the contrary."

" I am not surprised at the non-receipt of any news here ;
but I have the honour to observe to his majesty that he has
only been three hours at Kambouillet. I fear he will know
more when he returns to St. Cloud."

The tone in which these last words were spoken seemed
to make some impression on Charles X.

" Well, monsieur, as you appear to be so desirous of it, we
will return to Hambouillet, in order to set off for St. Cloud
sooner than is our usual custom."

The king dismounted, but before entering the carriage
which was in attendance at the Croix de Vilpert, he ex-
pressed a wish to visit the stables, which were in process ol
construction near that place for the service of the royal
equipages.

A peasant, abusing the general liberty which reigned
everywhere on hunting days, approached so close to the
person of the king, that he jostled him, and forced him to
deviate from the path he was pursuing. Charles X., perhaps
a little vexed with the bad day's sport, or pre-occupied with
the fears which he now began to see imprinted on every
countenance, could not restrain his ill-humour.

" Take away this man," he exclaimed, with asperity.

The man was immediately driven away; several seconds
afterwards the king reproached himself with his impatience,
and ordered the offender to be recalled, that he might
make up for his apparent severity by some liberality; he
had disappeared, but, six days subsequent to this event,

THE LAST CHASSE OF CHARLES X. 175

composed one of an armed mob that marched upon Earn-
bouillet.

The chasse continued to go on badly. The king sent
word to Monseigneur the Dauphin that he was about to
return, but at the same time authorized the field to continue
the pursuit of the animal, after which he entered his carriage
and disappeared on the road to Gazzeran.

The drive from the Croix de Vilpert to the chateau occu-
pied but a few minutes, and was performed in perfect silence.
The king did not utter a syllable, and nothing was heard
but the trampling of horses and the distant sound of the
French horns attendant on the chasse.

Soon they entered the Avenue de Paris, at the extremity
of which was situated the chateau, with its curious and
irregular aspect and large crenelated tower. On leaving
the carriage, Charles X., after contemplating for some time
these vestiges of the ancient memoir of the Sire Jacques
Dangennes, said, in a very unaccustomed tone of voice —

" Our ancestor, Frangois I. died at this place after a
hunting party, and I am, no doubt, destined to the same
fate."

Whilst awaiting dinner, the king passed some -minutes in
a small salon adjoining the salle a manger, and whilst his
majesty, who evidently sought to distract his mind from the
weight of its reflections, took part in a game of billiards,
the dauphin amused himself by tracing out upon an
immense map of the forest the course that the stag had
taken.

The dinner passed in mournful silence. Upon rising
from table, the king, who appeared more and more taciturn,
took the arm of the first hunstman, who was himself absorbed
in his own reflections. They passed together out upon the
balcony, which looked over the gardens of the chateau.
Both were silent for some time.

176 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

"Girardin," at length observed the king, "these ordon-
nances seem to have a great effect upon you."

" It is true, sire."

" According to your own views what is to be done V

" Before everything else, devote all your • energies to the
restoration of France; you have there a solemn duty to
perform towards the nation. Let France recover its real
boundaries, which are the Rhine and the sea, the Alps and
the Pyrenees.

" Believe me, it is my most ardent vow, and I will never
abandon this great and useful direction in the policy of my
Government, for I consider that the Restoration has all its
influence to recover ; but, Girardin, how am I to bring it
about?"

" Two means present themselves — one, an English, the other
a continental alliance. To ensure the first it is necessary
that the English nation should consent that all our relations
should be in common, all our commercial treaties similar. Is
it reasonable to expect it f

" You consider, then, that my Government would be to
blame to attempt it."

" It would be to condemn France to play a secondary role
in the equilibrium of the world. It would make it necessary
for her to maintain an army on the most extended scale, and
necessarily increase her expenses."

" And the other system," continued the king, who listened
attentively; "in what does that consist1?"

" In the re-union of the interests of the continental
powers with those of France. It is clear, that as up to the
present moment the whole continent has been armed by
England against France, it is the continent which it is most
important to conciliate, and which can only be done by
a community of interest. It will never contest the power of
France when the same interests are at stake. It is to this

THE LAST CHASSE OF CHARLES X. 177

end that the whole force and policy of your government
should be directed. Do not wait until England assists in
the development of our resources, for that very development
would occasion the diminution of her own. One of the very
conditions of her existence is that other nations should be in
a state of hostility. The secret of that fluctuating policy
which carries at different periods, and under identical
circumstances, her arms, her alliance, or her neutrality,
to all points of the globe, is here explained. To inspire
feelings of hostility amongst nations, to occasion wars, which,
in paralysing their industry, and absorbing their treasures,
opens a market for her own fabrics and productions, such is
the power which England knows how to use. This is the
science that establishes her rule. When the king desires it,
he may plant his colours on the Hotel de Ville of Brussels,
or the citadel of Antwerp."

"At the same time, will not Austria overrun Italy, and
Russia establish herself .on the Bosphorus?"

"And what great harm will be done, sire, when, to com-
pensate for it, England will be banished from the Mediter-
ranean ?". ....

" It is the system of Catherine II."

" Exactly ; which may be comprised in a few words. A
unity of interests tends :to. the same .end, by its direct
influence upon the increase of national riches."

"What faith have you in the concurrence of Russia with
a similar alliance1?"

"Why, sire, for a century past this, alliance has been
offered to us by the Northern Powers, and we have never
profited by it.; Was not . your ambassador very lately
addressed, at the Court of St. Petersburg in . these words : —
' Quand venez vous done ct, nous ? I am persuaded that the
minister who would seriously, work at the proper application
of these ideas would better understand the exigencies of the

178 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

present times than by contesting, botli by his policy and his
acts, those conquests which the nation has made under the
ancienne regime?

" What do you mean by that T

" Sire, pardon me, but I mean to give it as my opinion
that interests purely monarchical have too long alone occu-
pied the attention of your ministers. They do not compre-
hend that, above all, it is necessary to act with the times.
Say what they may, ideas get antiquated, and require modi-
fying. To be the man for the country, it is necessary to be
the man for the times."

" I am aware of it, Girardin ; but, believe me also, that
at the present, as well as all other periods, the firmness of a
king is a virtue."

" Formerly, sire, that might have been the case ; at present
it might be termed ' an arbitrary tendency.' There are two
things essentially necessary in these days, — to comprehend
les legates insurrections des chambres, and to lose V illusion des
fideles sujets in France; otherwise, disagreeable misunder-
standings may arise between the king and the people."

During the last words of this conversation the attention
of the king was directed to a small kiosk, or temple, erected
upon the point of the Isle des Rochers. It was the favourite
retreat of Napoleon, where he often retired with his ministers
to discuss the different subjects of his secret policy. A
large flat stone was his usual seat. It was on this spot, it is
said, he studied the maps of the north, upon which, by a
fatal inspiration, he traced the plan of the great, and for
ever deplorable campaign against Russia. It was also at
Rambouillet that, on the 25th June, 1815, after the battle
of Waterloo, Napoleon passed the night, on his route to
Rochefort.

These souvenirs, as well as the objects that presented
themselves to his view, threw a sombre veil over the king's

THE LAST CHASSE OF CHARLES X. 179

mind. It is true that everything around contributed to
confirm these sad impressions.

It was announced that everything was ready for his de-
parture; but, instead of returning alone, as was his usual
custom, he intimated his wish that Monseigneur the Dauphin
should accompany him. They were already on the staircase
of the vestibule.

Suddenly, a courier was perceived advancing at full gallop
down the avenue. Charles X. remained motionless. In
another minute he was at the king's feet. Every eye was
turned towards him with a look of mournful inquiry.

The courier muttered only a few words. He brought the
news from Paris of the 26th of July, 1830, five minutes P.M.

180 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES. '

CHAPTEK XIII.

WILD FOWL SHOOTING NEAR THE BOIS DE LA TRAPPE — THE CURfi OP
FRIAIZE.

BY the kind permission of M. de Girardin, and in company
with a celebrated Colonel of Cuirassiers, during the latter part
of the reign of Charles X. I frequently formed one of a shoot-
ing party at a lake, or rather large swamp, near the Bois de
la Trappe, about four leagues beyond Versailles, and adjoin-
ing the chasse royale. A decoy being situated in the
vicinity, - we always found plenty of wild duck, teal, and
widgeon, as well as snipes and waterfowl of various kinds.
Upon one occasion, and during a frost, several of us, almost
benumbed with cold, were crouching in a boat amongst the
reeds, and awaiting the appearance of some ducks which
we expected our companions would frighten towards us from
the opposite side of the lake, when suddenly we heard a
human voice issue from the rushes, not many yards from us.

" Take care, for God's sake ! Don't shoot this way. I am
not a duck."

" Then what on earth are you1?"

" A brother sportsman, & laffut, like yourselves."

" I see no boat."

" I should think not. A boat is only fit to frighten the
wildducks."

" You are in the water, then?"

" Yes, gentlemen, up to my neck. If you will only imitate
niy example you would be certain to have excellent sport."

" Thank you for the advice !"

THE BOIS DE LA TRAPPE. 181

" You have spoilt my sport. The ducks can see you, and
I shall not be able to get a shot." - v

Presently we observed the head of a man, covered with
reeds, and very much resembling the mythological represen-
tation of a river god, as he is seen either at the opera, or the
statue of Neptune in the Tuileries ; gardens, if his gun
which he carried straight erect in the air, had only been
surmounted by a trident. ~ ; ' . I I . •.-•<••

" Silence !" said the Triton; ! " the ducks are coming this -

They were flying straight towards us, but perceiving our
boat, turned suddenly round, and the result of a simultaneous
volley was only the winging of one' bird, which soon swam
away to rejoin its companions. ;

" I told you so," said the river-god, as he scrambled out of
his hiding-place, covered with mud, .which was freezing on
his skin; "I told you so. Ducks can always see boats. It
is impossible to hide them. If they flew on the surface of
the water, well and good; but as their flight is generally
high up in the air, they can look down, and detect all your
manoeuvres." • < . >•••-' , »• ,. f • , ./,; . . . ,

"You may talk as you please, but we shall not be tempted
to imitate you."

" So much the worse for you; but I shall now take up my
position in another part of the swamp, and pray do me the
favour to allow me to remain quiet."

" What, are you going to take another bath1?"

"It does not cost much."

" Who knows ? <; Suppose you get an inflammation of the
lungs?"

" That is about the worst I can expect."

" At all events, you are sure to catch cold."

"It is just what I am seeking."

" With a little good luck you are sure to find it."

182 SPOTTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

" It is by no means certain."

" I have a friend here who has an excellent remedy which
he will give you."

" I will take a future opportunity of profiting by his
kindness."

" Do tell me why you are so anxious to catch a cold."

" I have no time at present, I do not wish to lose my
day's sport. I will explain my meaning to you this evening,
after the chasse is over. I see some of your friends are
following the ducks on the other side. I shall take up my
post, and you will soon hear something of me."

"And your dog?"

" I have not got one. A dog is of no more use than a
boat."

" If you wound a bird T

" I can swim. Good sport, gentlemen."

He set off at full speed on the bank of the lake, the frozen
particles of mud and water on his body shone like a mirror;
but we soon lost sight of him ; he had again taken up his post
in the water, nearly up to his chin.

Our day's shooting continued without any other remarkable
adventure, and in the evening we returned to the keeper's
lodge with a few snipes, two widgeons, and a wild duck.

" Do you know an eccentric individual who shoots stark
naked in this marsh V said we to Germain, the keeper.

" Ah ! you have discovered him amongst the reeds," ex-
claimed the garde. "Well, it is not a very easy job, for he
hides himself like a winged duck."

" If we had not seen it, we could never have believed
that a man was capable of bearing so much cold."

" True ; I would not attempt it for all the ducks in the
lake."

" What countryman is he !"

" He comes from Versailles, and is one of the choir of the

THE BOIS DE LA TRAPPE. 183

cathedral ; and by the interest of the cures has obtained per-
mission to shoot here."

" Does he come often?"

" Every time he has nothing to do at the cathedral."

Whilst we were changing our clothes before a good fire,
our river god entered, well dressed, gay, and fresh, and carried
a bag full of wild ducks on his shoulders.

" Well !" we said, " you seem to have had good sport."

" Pretty well; but if you had not disturbed me this morn-
ing I should have had five or six ducks more. Your horrid
boat was the cause of it. It was just as bad as if you had
robbed me of them."

"Come, come, you ought not to complain. You alone
have killed more than all of us put together."

" I should think so. You shoot in a boat. Why don't
you go shooting in a cabriolet f '

"But you must confess, my friend, that very few men
could support what you are in the habit of doing."

" Because they are afraid, and that is all. Try, and you
will find that you are all the better for it. At this moment
I have the appetite of a wolf. Hallo, my girl, bring me the
gigot, some bread, cheese, and, above all, some good wine."

" What astonishes me is, that, after so many hours' immer-
sion in cold water, your voice is still clear."

" Ah ! that is the misfortune; for, between ourselves, I was
in hopes to become hoarse."

" Ah ! I remember you promised to tell us why you
desired so much to catch a cold, which most other people
would only be too glad to get rid of."

" Because it annoys them ; but with me it is quite different.
I am very anxious to catch a cold at this moment, and am
not able to effect my purpose."

" I cannot comprehend how any one can wish to become
unwell."

184 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

" This is the state of the case. I am a singer at the
Cathedral of Versailles. I take the high parts, and am badly
paid, gaming scarcely enough to buy powder arid shot. The
base singer is just dead, and I have petitioned for his situa-
tion, which is worth three times as much as my own, but the
bishop and the cure say that my voice is too clear."

u I understand you; you wish to become hoarse so as to
disguise your tenor voice."

" Exactly. They say mine is a tenor, and they do not
want a tenor. They require the voice of a bull, that makes
the windows shake. Never mind; if I have any luck, and
the frost continues, I shall finish by catching cold, and my
tenor will go."

" And you with it, in all probability."

" Ah, it is all very fine for Parisian dandies, who are as
much afraid of water as so many cats ; at all events, whilst
awaiting a hoarseness, I have discovered a famous receipt
for shooting wild ducks."

" That is very true."

"I remember, on the ouverture of the chasse, 18 — , that I
was invited by a party of French sportsmen to accompany
them on a shooting expedition to the plains of Beauce, where,
partridges and hares were said to be abundant; and indeed
1 had no reason to be disappointed, but, when overtaken by
a storm in these vast solitudes, no house, tree, or even
bush is to be found for shelter, and it is even with
difficulty that some village steeple can be perceived in the
distance.

" It was mid-day, the meridian sun darted its fervent rays
upon our heads, and we had not yet breakfasted, the pur-
suit of hares and partridges having eclipsed all other con-
siderations. Our rendezvous was at Pontjour, where an
excellent dejeune was awaiting us, when suddenly the skies
were overclouded, the thunder pealed, the lightning flashed,

THE CURE OP FRIAIZE. 1 85

the rain fell in torrents, and we had wandered many miles
from Pont jour. "We took refuge in the wood of Pinson,
belonging to M. d'Aligre; but shelter was no panacea for
hunger. We had no provisions with us, and could not eat
raw partridges.

" Our position was by no means comfortable. The storm
lasted three hours, and when it partially cleared up, we took
counsel as to our future movements.' What should we do?
At Pontj our every thing would 'be eaten up by the rest of
our party, who had no doubt preceded us at the rendezvous ;
besides, we were beginning to feel voracious, and, all things
considered, determined to hasten to the little village of Friaize,
hard by, where we should be'certain to find bread and eggs at
least.

" On the way, one of the party, a doctor of medicine and a
great gourmand by nature, . was ; expatiating • in the most
pathetic way upon the loss of the dejeiine at < Pontj our, when;
as if struck by a sudden idea, he exclaimed, -c Ah ! by-the-
bye, I am acquainted with the cure ' of Friaize, an excellent
man. Many times when on my professional rounds, or shoot-
ing excursions, he has invited me to. dinner, and * I have
always refused. Now is just the time to pay him a visit.'
The motion was carried. We quickened • our* pace, and
very soon arrived at the' presbytery. Upon entering, ;we
found a neat and comfortable dwelling ; the table laid,v and
everything auguring well ;• but the' cure was absent. His
housekeeper begged us to walk in and sit down patiently
until her master returned from church (it was a fete-day);
1 In the meantime,' she observed, f I will make some little
addition to the dinner, for when there is enough for two,
there is generally sufficient for five.'

" All this made us anticipate a happy denouement of the
drama, the first act of which was already performing on our
stomachs. ' Suppose we eat a crust of bread and drink a

186 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

glass of wine in the mean time.' said one of the party, who
was dying with hunger.

" { Foolish man !' exclaimed our friend; ' you wish then to
destroy your appetite when the solemn moment arrives.
Kemember that nothing should be introduced into the
stomach, until the preceding digestion is finished. If you
continue eating bread until the arrival of the cure, there will
be no harm done; but as I don't think you are capable of
that, take patience ; and to make the time pass quicker, I will
relate an anecdote in corroboration of my theory : —

" ' In the first regiment of the Guard, to which I belonged,
an aumonier* was attached, one of the best and most witty
fellows in the world. We were all very fond of him, and
frequently asked him to breakfast, dinner, &c. On one
occasion, when we had sat down at twelve o'clock, and were
still at table at four, Desanjiers, whilst swallowing his
twentieth petit verre of liqueur, appeared struck with a sud-
den idea, and exclaimed, £ I had nearly forgotten that I must
di ne with your general to-day/

« ' Indeed ! What will you do ?•'

" ' Oh, I shall easily manage it.'

" ' If you take a couple of hours' walk perhaps you will be
ready for a second attack.'

" * On the contrary, I shall remain here. It would require
three hours to digest such a dejetine as I have eaten. The
essential point is, that there should be no interruption.
Orrter the rest of the turbot, the remains of the pate, and some
other nicknacks to be brought; I shall just amuse myself
with them until five o'clock strikes, and as I have only to
mount to the upper story to the general's apartments, there
will be no solution de continuite.1 "

" ' That is all very well/ said the hungry sportsman ; * I

* Chaplain.

THE CURE OP FRIAIZE. 187

can understand perpetual eating, but we, on the contrary, eat
nothing.'

" ( A, little patience, and you will enjoy your dinner all the
better.'

" ' If the cure* does not return soon he will find me dead.'

" ' Yery well then, he will bury you. If you will take my
advice, let us go to the church ; you will see he will be very
much pleased by the attention, and no doubt reward us
with the best wine in his cellar.'

" It was a fete-day. All the village, congregated around the
pulpit, listened to a magnificent sermon upon abstinence.
The cure was deprecating, in the strongest terms, all sensual
luxuries, and used his best rhetoric to persuade the villagers
that they ought not to drink Clos de Vougeot, or eat pheasants.
The good man was certain that his advice would not be lost,
as at Friaize potatoes formed the basis of the food of the
population. Sour cider was the common drink, and the very
name of Clos de Vougeot was totally unknown. We listened
to the sermon with eyes cast down, and some nervous antici-
pations of the application of its principles in our own par-
ticular cases.

" ( Diable /' exclaimed one of the party, ' the sermon augurs
no good. We shall dine like anchorites, if anchorites dine
at all.'

" ' Let us be off,' I said; * it is abominable to wait so long
for a bad dinner.'

" ' Impossible ; the cure has seen us. We must meet our
fate with resignation.'

" The sermon over, the cure* proceeded to the sacristy, where
we followed him. He received us with the utmost kindness,
begged of us to partake of his humble dinner, and arm-in-
arm we returned to the presbytery.

" Upon our arrival, an excellent soup was served up, with
boulli, fish, a capon, partridges, a hare, vegetables, entremets,

188 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

sucres, with, delicious wine, and, to crown all, some bottles of
clos de vougeot, the small tasse of exquisite coffee, and its at-
tendant liqueur. In fact, it was impossible to see a dinner
better cooked or more hospitably offered.

" l Ma foij said I to our amiable cure ; ' ' I never dined
better in my life, and enjoy it the more, from the fact of your
sermon having led us to expect the repast of a Trappist.'

"' My good friends/ answered the cure, 'all these theories
are very good from the pulpit. ; There they can do no harm.
Here it is very different. Besides, I assure you that for
forty thousand francs I would not be, obliged to practise
what I preach every day for forty sous.' "

SHOOTING IN SPAIN. 189

CHAPTER XIV.

SHOOTING IN SPAIN, NEAR SEVILLE.

DURING the early part of the year 18 — , I was invited by an
eccentric, but talented gentleman,* now numbered with the
dead, but whose name stands recorded on one of the hand-
some portals of the Louvre, leading into a gallery dedicated
alone to the magnificent bequest made by him to the late
king Louis Philippe, or rather to the French nation, of his
splendid collection of books, pictures, and works of art, col-
lected in different countries, but chiefly in Spain, to accom-
pany him on a proposed trip to Seville, a favourite residence
of his," and ' to remain with- him' there as long as I felt
disposed.

I need not say how - eagerly I accepted the invitation,
and embraced the opportunity of visiting this .interesting
city under such favourable auspices. The voyage by steam
to Cadiz, and from thence by land to Seville/ was performed
in the most agreeable manner; and I found myself installed
in a comfortable and luxurious dwelling, surrounded by the
works of art belonging to the owner, and introduced to some
of the best society of the city.

After having satiated my curiosity with all the ancient
and interesting monuments, architectural and otherwise, for
which Seville is so eminently celebrated, and so full of
romantic and historical souvenirs, ray old sporting mania
returned with full force, and I felt very anxious for an
opportunity not only to see something of the interior of the

The late Frank Hall Standish, Esq., of Duxbuiy Park, Lancashire.

100 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

country, but, if possible, to take an active part in killing
some of the game I tasted almost daily, served up in many
delicious forms, by the admirable chef de cuisine of my host,
and such a chance was not long in presenting itself.

It was the beginning of the month of August, and the
harvest was finished ; besides, game-laws were not held in
much respect here, and shooting continued all the year round ;
unfortunately, however, I knew very little of Spanish, and
even armed with a double-barrelled gun, it would have been
rather a dangerous experiment to have gone out alone, and
not without considerable risk both to purse and skin. My
host had no sporting propensities whatever, and I had there-
fore recourse to a merchant of the place, with whom. I had
formed an acquaintance, who professed to be a great sports-
man, and was delighted to initiate me into the mysteries of
quail-shooting in Spain, which indeed was the principal game
we were likely to find at that period; and even for this
diminutive chasse it required several days to make arrange-
ments, in order to insure safety and success. At length we
made up a party of five, and in the cool of a fine evening set
out for the village of Saiiti Ponci, two or three leagues from
Seville, on the right bank of the Guadal quiver, which is
built on the site of ancient Italica, a colony founded by the
Scipios, and which gave birth to three of the masters of the
world, — Trajan, Adrian, and Theodosius.

We had scarcely passed the bridge of boats, and the
faubourg of Triana, with its gipsy population, and com-
menced to take the road to Alfarache (country of the
famous Guzman, and other pecaros of the same stamp), when
our little troop ranged itself in order of battle. We had
dogs, both to act as guards and sentinels, as well as pointers.
Two of the former marched in front of the line as an avant
garde, and being relieved every half hour by two others, fell
back to the rear. When their barking announced the ap-

SHOOTING IN SPAIN. 191

proacli of any one, a " qui vive ?" was uttered, and we made
ready our arms. The other travellers we met on the road
pursued an exactly similar course, challenging us by a " qui
vive ?" and answering us by the usual words, " gente de pay?
when the two parties, glancing suspiciously at each other,
passed to the right and left, ready to fire upon the enemy
upon the slightest cause being given. I could not suppress
my astonishment that close to a large city, containing more
than 100,000 souls, we were forced to travel like a caravan in
the deserts of Arabia.

" You are, perhaps, not aware," said an hidalgo, one of our
companions, who spoke French perfectly, " that in Andalusia,
to be a ladron is merely a profession like any other, only
more exposed to danger, and, as it requires more courage,
gains more celebrity. From the ninos d'Ecija, heroes of
so many popular legends, to the famous Jose Maria, who,
since he has become old, has turned alguazil, many honest
men have gained their living on the high roads. That dark,
stout little fellow, who has just passed us on his mule, and
saluted us so courteously, I am certain is on his way to join
his comrades, or, perhaps, place himself in ambuscade for
some traveller alone. I observed his short carabine at his
saddle-bow, and, besides that, we are old acquaintances. I
could easily denounce him to the corregidor, but God forbid !
I should be sorry to do him any harm."

" You have perhaps bought a safe conduct of him, renew-
able from year to year T I observed.

ft No," he replied ; " on the contrary. About three leagues
from hence I have a pretty cortigo,* amidst a grove of
orange trees, where I shall have great pleasure in showing
you a young bull-hunt (picar novitlos), and where, although
I keep a guard of a corporal and four men at my own

* Country house.

192 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

expense, I dare not pass the night alone, for, in case of an
attack, I should have quite as much to fear from the gar-
rison as the besiegers; but how can I help it? I inhabit
Andalusia, and must conform to the customs of the country."
Beguiling the way with this kind of conversation, we
arrived, without accident, at the village of Santi Ponci,
where a small farmer, who had been advertised of our
arrival by the hidalgo, received us with every demonstration
of hospitality. The puchero was. immediately served up, that
invariable Spanish dish, a mixture of . beef, mutton, bacon,
poultry, sausages, turnips, cabbages, and dried peas ; after-
wards, as a luxurious addition, in honour of his distinguished
guests, some eggs fried in lard, a. water melon, some pome-
granates, and the inevitable gaspacho, a sort of salad, or cold
soup, composed of lettuces and bread swimming in vinegar
and water, and seasoned with garlic, onions, and chillies, and
which is considered in Andalusia an excellent and whole-,
some dish. Every sportsman divided his portion of this
plat with his dog, to prepare him for the fatigues of the
morrow, and the dogs, accustomed to this national dish, did
not omit even to lick the platter when offered to them; after
which, man and beast being in. a state of repletion, two mat-
tresses were spread upon the floor for the strangers, and the
other guests, seated on the hard benches, fell asleep with
their heads between their hands on the table.
. At the first break of day we were on foot. It was neces-
sary to take advantage of the morning, for shooting in the
middle of the day would have been next to impossible.
Deprived of the sea-breezes, which shed their .cooling influ-
ence over the coast, the environs of Seville are as sultry as
Ethiopia, and at this period of the year the heat was the
most intense. ; The thermometer each, day was above 90°
in the shade, and all the public offices opened at four o'clock
in the morning, and shut at nine. People worked by night

SHOOTING IN SPAIN. 193

and slept by day. Many persons in the city spent the greater
part of the day near the river, where the bathing is delightful
at high tide j others remained shut up in their rooms on the
ground-floor, with the blinds closed, scarcely any light ad-
mitted, and where they could adopt at their ease the costume
of our first parents in Paradise. Some more hardy strolled
beneath the columns of the Patio, which is a large square
court, surrounded by an open gallery, and paved with marble
and mosaic. A beautifully sculptured fountain in the centre
is continually playing, adding freshness to the atmosphere,
and extracting odour from the shrubs and flowers that are
placed in all parts of the area. During the heat of the day,
the Patio is covered by an immense cloth, which is raised
and extended by pulleys, and at sunset this covering is
removed in order to receive the air; lamps are lighted
between the columns, and the Patio becomes the evening
salon de reception. Nothing can be more convenient, more
elegant, more delightful.

As the patios are only separated from the streets by thin
but very minute gratings, it is very amusing, during a noc-
turnal promenade through the city, to enjoy a sight which
continually presents itself. The light and graceful Moorish
pillars, the sparkling lamps, the fountain throwing up its
spiral streams amidst shrubs and flowers, and with its soft
murmurs almost seeming to mix in the conversation going
on around — elegant women, in the thinnest and most trans-
parent costumes, reclining beneath orange and myrtle trees —
all this forms a magical spectacle, or at least did at the time
I am speaking of, almost impossible to describe, and quite
worthy of some of the best scenes in the Arabian Nights'
Entertainment.

Lightly clad, just sufficiently to cover our persons, all we
carried with us was a powder-horn and shot-belt, slung over
our shoulders, and a leathern belt, with a number of twine-

o

194 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

running knots attached to it, so as to hold the quails by their
heads. We proceeded to the banks of the river, which was
here full of little islets, formed by the sinuosities of the
stream, covered by low underwood and bushes, where the
quails were most abundant. Presently a rapid fire com-
menced along the line of sportsmen. Every one did as he
pleased, and never cared about his neighbour, with all that
liberty of action and impatience of control so characteristic
of the Spaniard. Taking example from them, by degrees I
found myself separated from my companions, and with the
view of seeking some shade, or at all events some variety, I
quitted the borders of the river, and entered an immense
field of Indian corn (maize), which here grew to a height of
ten or twelve feet. The quails were quite as numerous here
as in the underwood, but more difficult to shoot, as they flew
between the stalks of corn without rising above them.

I had been lost as it were about twenty minutes in this
miniature forest when my dog made a point, the twentieth,
perhaps, in ten minutes, a quail rose, and I fired. The report
of my gun was answered by a sound at once hoarse and inar-
ticulate, but yet loud and terrible. I felt the ground tremble
beneath my feet; the maize gave way before some advancing
mass; and at not more than ten paces from me I perceived a
furious bull, which, without knowing, I had wounded by my
small shot. He stopped dead short, however, upon seeing
me, but lowered his horns in a menacing manner, and began
to scrape up the earth furiously with his fore feet, filling the
surrounding air with dust. Instinct warned me that flight
would be fatal. I remained firm in my original position,
with my gun to. my shoulder, and ready to give him the
second barrel in the eyes, if necessary; but whether his anger
was gradually appeased, or observing my attitude, he had
time for useful reflection, I know not; for after having
roared his full, made a deep hole in the ground with his

SHOOTING IN SPAIN. 195

scraping, and beat a tattoo on his belly with his tail, he sud-
denly turned his back and left me. I had scarcely recovered
from the nervous feeling attendant on this adventure, when

I heard my name called, and M. L , who had been

attracted by the noise, came up to me, and exclaimed,
" What, shooting in maize, at nine o'clock ! — you will catch
a tabardillo*

To join our companions, who had gone on ahead, we
regained the banks of the river, shooting as we went along.
I was a little in front, when I perceived a great troop of
horned beasts, which, when they saw me, placed themselves
in line, like so many soldiers. Never as yet having met any-
thing but herds of inoffensive cows, and thinking, in spite of
my recent adventure, that the little pasture now remaining
in the country would only be too useful to the vendors of
milk, butter, and cheese, I innocently4 advanced, with the
intention of passing through the midst of them, but my dog
would not follow me, and remained at a distance.

Suddenly a man on horseback rode up to me at full
gallop brandishing a great lance he had in his hand, and
exclaiming, at the utmost pitch of his lungs, " Toros ! son
toros /"

Bulls they were, in real earnest, that disputed my passage ;
and this knight-errant, who arrived in time to protect inno-
cence in peril, was the shepherd of the flock, holding his
crook.

In a few minutes more I should have been torn to pieces.
I very prudently beat a retreat, and by way of turning the

inexpugnable position of the enemy, M. L and I were

forced to enter the river up to our waists. Another time, I
said to myself, when I go on a shooting party in Spain, I
shall not forget the robbers by night and the bulls by day.

Coup de soleil — stroke of the sun.

19G SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

We rejoined our friends at the entrance of Santi Ponci,
and at the residence of our former host counted the victims
of the morning. There were upwards of three hundred
quails. Everybody had distinguished himself, but the
Spaniards had the advantage over me of a knowledge of the
ground. We breakfasted with a good appetite, and my com-
panions having finished an outre of the white wine of Moguer,
slept as soundly in their siesta as they had done during the
night.

I was shortly aroused from a dreamy sort of stupor into
which I was plunged, more by the force of example than
from any wish to sleep at that early period of the day, by
the entrance of a tall, ill-favoured individual, of dark and
greasy complexion, enveloped in a black gown or surplice,
and wearing a broad shovel-hat, just the same as Don Basil
in the " Barbiere di Seviglia." He was a sergeant, or eccle-
siastical officer, collector of tithes, which they call in Spain
lechuzos (owls), and which, indeed, are birds of evil omen.
He coolly sat down before the table, called the master of the
house, opened a great portfolio, which he carried beneath his
arm, and presented to the farmer an exact account of his
harvest. I allude to the produce, for he made no mention
of the expense of labour or seed, and ordered him to send
the tenth part immediately to the cilia* He accompanied
this order with a little sermon, in which he impressed upon
his hearer the necessity of the strictest exactitude in paying
tithes to the church.

"Bemember, my brother," added he, raising his voice,
* < remember the terrible example of the labourer of Puabla,
who had all his crops destroyed by the hail, for having con-
cealed only some handfuls of barley ; and of the vigneron of
Montilla, whose vines were all parched up in the day of the

* Public granary for the tithes.

SHOOTING IN SPAIN. 197

vintage, for having abstracted one bunch of grapes from its
holy destination."

He finished this harangue by announcing his return on
the following week, to take an account of the eggs, the
poultry, the lambs, and the sucking-pigs; after which he
rose, closed his register, and departed as gravely as he
entered.

We happened to have chosen a day appointed for the
collection of tithes, and other pious works, for our shooting
excursion. Scarcely had the leclmzo turned heel, when
another scarecrow entered, dressed in grey woollen, with a
cord around his loins, and on the left a chaplet of great noisy
beads, attached to a crucifix, trailing on the ground. He
first saluted us in bad Latin, then in good Spanish, and
demanded alms for the convent of St. Frangois, but in an
easy kind of style, more significant of an order than a request.
This was not the kind of charity that a cuarto would satisfy,
but it was necessary to fill with different provisions the half
of a great sack on the back of a donkey at the gate. Whilst
this was in progress of performance, and swallowing a large
tumbler of wine which was poured out for him, the purveyor
of St. Frangois complimented the host on the late good har-
vest, which he affirmed was entirely owing to the prayers
and orisons of the reverend Franciscan fathers; offered a
pinch of snuff to the farmer, pinched the cheek of his wife,
threw a few dried raisins, which he took from his dirty
pocket, to the children, and, laughing in his sleeve, repaired
to the next cottage, to fill the other half of his sack.

After this came a third, dressed in a coarse chocolate-
coloured robe, with a thick hood, covering the head as far as
the nose; a grizzled beard descended to his waist, and his
naked feet were enclosed in well-worn sandals. This indivi-
dual remained at the threshold, bowed to the ground, and
muttered an ave Maria parissima, when, casting down his

198 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

eyes, and crossing his arms upon his breast, he announced,
•with a nasal twang, that the last year's grain was exhausted
in the granary of the good Capuchin fathers, and as their
austere discipline forbad their receiving money, he came to
beg a little assistance in kind, if it was only half a bushel of
corn from each inhabitant of the village. That without this
assistance it would be impossible for them to celebrate the
neuvaine to St. Anthony, against thunder-storms, or to
expose their precious relics on the altar of the convent, in
order to discover lost or stolen property.

The farmer and his family hastened to obey so reasonable
a request, urged by such just motives, and emptied the
half-bushel of grain into the capacious sack of the Capuchin.
Soon afterwards came a young lay brother of the Sisters of
St. Ursula, a fresh-coloured, dark-eyed lad, with broad
shoulders. This (monaguillo), or beast of burden of the con-
vent, who had taken no vows, not even those of temperance
or chastity, merely uttered a few conventional phrases, of
which I could only distinguish scecula sceculorum and the
final Amen. After which he received his present of corn,
not without adding a request for a little honey for the
mother abbess, and some yards of cloth for another sister.

During all these successive apparitions I remained nailed
to my seat in silence and astonishment, whilst our host
looked upon it all with an air of indifference as a thing as
common and natural as seed-time and harvest.

" Well," exclaimed M. L , who just began to open his

eyes, "what do you think of this? But don't suppose for a
moment that you have seen the end of it. If we were to
remain two or three days longer here, you would see a dozen
more at least of sanctified robbers come in for their share of
the spoil ; and you may now understand from whence arises
in some measure my respect for the gentlemen of the road.

SHOOTING IN SPAIN. 199

But the sun is going down, the dogs are awaking, and the
quails are calling; let us take our guns and return."

I made many other shooting expeditions in the neigh-
bourhood of Seville, which presented more convenient occa-
sions to study the language and manners of the people than
remaining in the city. Indeed, some other attraction than
the sport I met with was necessary to induce me to brave
the heat of the sun, the horns of the bulls, and the carabines
of the heroes of the high roads ; for how was it possible to
take much pleasure in returning with the invariable string
of quails ? Indeed, this kind of sport, with only one sort of
game in perspective, was totally devoid in the long run of
all charm and variety. Quails, quails, always quails, was as
bad as the French king's complaint of toujours perdrix, and
indeed the same refrain in miniature.

I attempted on one occasion to change this kind of shoot-
ing, and substitute the mountains for the plain. I had been
informed that upon the wooded hills, which form the last
descent of the Sierra Morena on the Seville side, there were
rabbits and red partridges ; and, accordingly, accompanied by

my faithful companion, M. L— , I made an excursion in

search of them ; but after having left the greater part of our
clothes and some of our skin amidst the impenetrable thorns
of these mountain thickets, and reduced both ourselves and
dogs to a state bordering on inanition from fatigue and heat
we returned as light, indeed lighter than when we started,
and regretted we had been foolish enough to leave the cool
and refreshing banks of the Guadalquiver.

200 SPORTDTG IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

CHAPTER XV.

BRITTANY — THE DEPARTMENT OF THE FINISTERRE — QUIMPERLE — SHOOTING

TROUT AND SALMON FISHING — MY FIRST SALMON ENCOUNTER WITH

A BRETON — SEA-FISHING AT THE ISLES DES GLENANS — DRUIDICAL
REMAINS — DEPARTURE.

How many agreeable souvenirs are associated in my recol-
lection with this curious and romantic country, which, at
the period of my visit, was by far more a terra incognita than
it is at present, particularly the departments of the Mor-
bihan and the Finisterre, which, before the days of steam and
rail, it required some time and fatigue to approach, and,
save by the wandering sportsman or the practical economist,
were rarely visited by British tourists. Travellers generally
stopped short at St. Malo or Dinant, where they met with
pretty scenery and agreeable society at a cheap rate, and
rarely penetrated into the wild and romantic recesses of the
Chouan and the Celt.

Animated and encouraged by some most favourable
accounts of woodcock and red partridge shooting, and sal-
mon and trout fishing, as well as the excellence and extreme
cheapness of living in certain departments of the Bas Bre-
tagne, I determined to ascertain the truth of some of those
wonderful tales I had heard, and with this view sailed, or
rather steamed by the route of Southampton and Jersey to
St. Malo, in October, 18 — . Having arrived at that place, I
shall not fatigue the reader by expatiating upon the excel-
lence of Goguet's* cuisine or Goguet's claret, but leave that

* A celebrated hotel-keeper at St. Malo, and once cook to the late Lord
Sefton.

BRITTANY. 201

subject to the imagination and sympathy of those who, like
myself, have tasted and appreciated them after a long and
boisterous passage, broken only by the horrors of a Jersey
cook and a Jersey cellar, and shall take the " diligence" of
that day and that department a long and weary amount of
leagues across the most impracticable roads to Rennes, the
ancient capital of Brittany, and from thence to Lorieiit,
then, as it is now, one of the most active and thriving sea-
port towns of France.

Having now arrived at my destination (the department of
the Finisterre), I began searching for the locale where I could
best realize the objects of my journey — viz., an agreeable
and economical residence, with the best opportunities of
enjoying my two favourite pursuits, shooting and fishing.
After some trouble and inquiry, I fixed upon Quimperle, a
small town thirteen miles distant, and the sub-prefecture of
the department, as my head-quarters, and for the sum of
five hundred francs per annum (or twenty pounds), hired a
large rambling old chateau, situated on the outskirts of
the town, with stabling, and a garden full of fruit-trees
sloping down to the river, for the rent of one hundred and
fifty francs (six pounds). I procured rough furniture for as
many rooms as I required, and one hundred francs a-year
constituted me the master of the prettiest and best cuisiniere
of the place, and the promessa sposa of the most formidable
of the gensdarmes stationed in the town ; so that by the sacri-
fice of a few bottles ofvin dupays, and a few additional cutlets,
I considered my interests and penates very tolerably guarded.
An old half-pay captain of some dragoon regiment, long
since disbanded, who, like myself, had retired from the world
for fishing and economy, was the only compatriot residing
in the place at that period, although several English resi-
dents rented chateaux or country-houses in the neighbour-
hood. To give the reader an idea of what the price of living

202 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

ivas then in this part of Brittany, I shall quote the market
prices of most articles of consumption. Meat of all kinds,
and some very good, four sous, or twopence per pound ; fowls
one franc the pair; hares one franc each; partridges and
woodcocks one franc a couple. Vegetables, excellent and of
it 11 kinds, ridiculously cheap. Fish of all kinds, salt-water
and fresh, sufficient to feed six persons, could be obtained
any morning in the market for one franc. Fruit excellent,
in abundance. Capital cider ten francs per hogshead,
and excellent Bordeaux wine for two hundred francs (or eight
pounds) ; good Cognac brandy for two francs the litre, or
about eighteenpence the quart. I have often heard of, and
talked about economy and economizing, and the different places
where tourists and others have gone in search of this ignis
fatuus; but this was certainly the only spot where I ever
saw these visions thoroughly realized, and where it was
impossible, however expensive a person might have been in
his ideas, or reckless in his habits, to have committed any
great extravagance. Rent and servants' wages were pro-
portionately cheap, and little or no temptation to spending
money in hospitality offered itself to the occasional resident,
as the Breton aristocracy — excessively poor and extremely
proud — shut themselves up in their houses and old chateaux,
encased in a triple armour of pride, prejudice, and bigotry,
from which they rarely or ever emerged to perform an act of
kindness or hospitality towards a heretic stranger, although
glad enough to profit by him as a purchaser of their produce
or renter of their domains.

Quimperle is situated on the conflux of two rivers, one
tidal, and about three leagues from the sea, and is distant
twenty miles from Quimper, the prefecture of the depart-
ment. The larger or tidal river runs through the greater
part of this distance, and empties itself into the sea a few
leagues below the former town. It is a noble trout and

BRITTANY. 203

salmon river ; that is to say, as to the latter fish, when there
is a good flush of water, which is quite necessary for those
that manage to escape the traps and stake-nets set for them at
the entrance of the river, independent of time or season;
relative to both of which Frenchmen of that day entertained
the most supreme indifference, and considered all those "good
fish that came to the net." The conductor of the diligence
that plied between Paris and Nantes, and passed through
Quirnpeiie, would commonly give five francs per pound for
salmon (so rare it was, and so much esteemed in those days)
on speculation to dispose of in one of the above cities in the
cool months j and an old Scotch doctor, who rented some
apartments in an ancient chateau, situated near the river,
actually subsisted, and made a very tolerable income by
the disposal of the salmon he caught in this manner. They
generally ran small, rarely exceeding twelve pounds, and
commonly between seven and ten pounds in weight, but
were of a very fine quality, and bright and lively fish when
fresh run from the sea. Trout of several varieties, both sea
salmon and the common river trout, abounded in both rivers ;
and if the weather was commonly propitious, a good basket
could always be killed with the fly. I never met with any
grayling in Brittany. Samlets were in abundance at certain
seasons, and lampreys of large size were frequently seen
adhering to the stones in the clear shallows. Eels, of all
sizes and excellent quality, abounded in prodigious quantities,
and could be purchased in the market for two sous (one
penny) the pound.

To the antiquary, the lover of the picturesque, or the
fisherman, nothing could be more delightful than the scenery
on the greater part of the banks of the larger, or Quimper
river, now rushing with impetuous force through the wildest
of rocky gorges, and suddenly transforming itself into still,
deep, and dark pools, the quiet abode of many a salmon;

204 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

now rippling and sparkling in a broad and rapid shallow
stream, interspersed with rocks and small islands amidst
verdant meadows; or more commonly undulating plains of
dry and sterile soil, completely overgrown with lande or
gorse, which here attains immense size and vigour, and is put
to a great variety of uses by the inhabitants ; amongst which,
not the least serviceable, is that of fodder for cattle in winter,
and as thatch or covering for cottages and outhouses.

I have positively walked for miles beneath a forest of
gigantic gorse trees, their green and prickly summits forming
an impenetrable shade, the lower stems perfectly denuded, and
the air scented with the agreeable perfume of the yellow
blossoms.

"Not the least amongst the interesting things met with
was the continual recurrence of the most curious Druidical
remains. Rocking-stones, of the most fantastic shapes, and
perched in the most exposed and picturesque positions, were
frequently to be seen on the margin of the river ; and amidst
the landes and slopes the antiquary could often trace the
fairy rings and clearings, supposed to have originated from
the same sources. The peasantry, superstitious to the last
degree, and entertaining the highest respect for all legendary
lore, regarded these objects, if not with veneration, with re-
spect, and never obliterated or defaced them.

I am not attempting a history of the Bretons in these
few and cursory sketches, which has been so often done by
abler pens than mine ; but I cannot help recording my im-
pressions of this very peculiar race of people from my own
experience. In costume, manners, and customs and habits,
both domestic and agricultural, they appeared to have under-
gone but little change for the last several hundred years.
All modern improvements were but little known, or looked
upon as absurd innovations ; and the style of architecture,
domestic arrangements with regard to food and clothing,

BRITTANY. 205

agricultural implements and mode of tilling the soil, were
pretty nearly the same amongst the Breton peasantry as in
the time of Henri IV.

By the time I was installed in my residence at Quimperle
the fishing season of all kinds was over, it being about the
beginning of November, and I formed an acquaintance
with the only English resident that I have above alluded to,
and who was a thorough sportsman, in order to be initiated
into the chasse aux becasses and perdrix rouges, which, if the
quantity exposed for sale in the market was any criterion, I
was led to expect must be very abundant ; but in this I was
rather doomed to be disappointed, although I cannot on the
whole complain of some good days' sport. The Breton
peasantry are all excellent poachers, or rather cunning en-
trappers of their own game, for they are nearly all landed
proprietors and freeholders; and although they do not pre-
tend to preserve their game in the strict sense of the word,
are jealous of the interference of strangers, and it requires a
knowledge of the language (for few of them speak French),
either individually or by an interpreter, and a few other
ruses, such as timely offerings of eau de vie and tobacco, to
conciliate them, and obtain free access to their lands for
sporting purposes.

An Englishman, with a gun in his hand, and in a foreign
country, is apt to ride roughshod over everything, and to
care little for the feelings or prejudices of the inhabitants,
until sometimes rather disagreeably reminded of his folly,

which was in one or two instances the case with E n

and myself in the Finisterre, when we had to back our way
out of some private enclosures, *or fields of buck- wheat and
clover, with our double-barrelled guns at the shoulder, and
presented towards a posse of angry Bretons, armed with
sticks and staves, in flowing locks and trunk-hose, and who
would no doubt have demolished us, had they not been

206 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

kept in check by our fire-arms. Such scenes were indeed
of rare occurrence, but were always risked, unless previous
arrangements had been made.

Two species of red partridge — the bartavelt, or larger
bird, nearly the size of a pheasant, and a smaller sort, but of
nearly the same plumage, are common to this district. The
former are found chiefly in grass, clover, or grain-fields, par-
ticularly buck- wheat (sarrasin) and peas, and also in the
woods ; the latter amongst the landes or gorse on the wild
and uncultivated plains. The same may be said of two sorts
of grey partridge that exist in this department, with nearly
the same distinction of size, and frequenting similar feeding-
grounds; the smaller kind is called the " roquet." Neither
of them, however, ever perch on trees, which is sometimes
the case with the red birds. A rough and wiry sort of
pointer, which, as is generally the case in France, is also
broken in to retrieve, is bred in this neighbourhood, and is
essentially requisite for shooting in Brittany, as no English
dog will face the gorse, which is so formidable and so com-
mon. Woodcocks, in the season, are also found in the low
gorse grounds, where bogs and springs abound; but not
nearly so common as in the woods and forests, which are
very extensive, and difficult to penetrate. I have also found
here, as indeed in other countries, two varieties of woodcock,
the common, or light brown one, some of which I have
killed weighing full twelve ounces or more, and a smaller
and much darker kind, named by the French the charbonnier.
Hares were to be found, but not numerous, as such numbers
of them were destroyed by the peasantry, not for their own
consumption, but to send to*market. The principal food of
the farming classes is soup, made from grease and hog's lard
and vegetables, and la galette, or cake or bread, manufactured
from buck-wheat, which is the national dish, and of which
they are excessively fond, and various preparations of milk.

BRITTANY. 207

They make their own cider, distil their own spirits, and spin
and weave the cloth which forms their costume, which is the
same in every respect, from the trunk-hose and tight leggings
to the round hat and flowing or platted hair, that it was
three hundred years ago. They rarely indulge in animal
food, and, although generally landed proprietors, and with
good markets for their produce, bury their money in earthen
pots in secret places, rather than put it out to use or interest ;
at least, such was the case when I resided here ; and the
sous-prefet told me that, during the official residence of his
predecessor, when the old ecu of six francs was called in by
the Government to be replaced by the five franc piece, that
upwards of six millions of francs were brought in by the
peasantry in the immediate neighbourhood of Quimperle,
contained in old pots, that had evidently been long buried in
the earth, and covered with verdigris. Upon my attempt-
ing on one occasion to explain to a rich peasant, of whom I
had purchased firewood and cider, the nature of the Govern-
ment funds, and the advantages he would obtain by investing
his money in them, he absolutely laughed in my face, and
asked me if I thought him such a fool as to trust his money
out of his own hands.

Wild-fowl near the coast and snipes in some localities are
tolerably abundant ; but at the period of my sejour in this
district the sporting specialise was decidedly the woodcock,
and, although difficult to find and flush, I have still, in con-
junction with my companion, sometimes bagged from ten to
twenty couple during a day's shooting.

With regard to the larger sorts of game, roebuck, wild-boar,
and even wolves are found in the Government forests and
those of the large proprietor, but are only hunted by what is
called a grande chasse, or meeting of all the residents of the
surrounding country who choose to join in the sport, and
which is generally of rather a dangerous nature, not so much

208 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

from any fear of the wild animals in question as from the
random shots of your friends when the game is on foot.
Indeed, on one of these occasions at which I was present,
and had the good fortune to kill a marcassin, or young wild-
boar, two of the chasseurs were wounded, but not danger-
ously, by their companions. That tender little boar has left
a gastronomical souvenir on my memory never to be effaced.
The haunch, including the fillet, was marine in Burgundy,
with spices and slices of echalotte, for about a fortnight ; it
was then larded and carefully roasted, enveloped in oiled
paper. The sauce was a rich stock, or gravy, made from
twelve woodcocks.

I was enabled to preface this rather unique plat by a pate
of red mullets, becasses de mer, which were here very fine
and easy to procure, and a tolerable modicum of excellent
Bordeaux brought about the unqualified approval of my
few guests, of the taste of Monsieur 1' Anglais.

I found some pleasant and agreeable society, faute d'aris-
tocracie, amongst the government employes, — who were all
sportsmen, in their own sense of the word ; that is to say,
carried a gun, and banged away at everything they saw,
from a tomtit to a woodcock, to the great risk and danger
of their shooting companions, although with considerable
impunity to the birds, — and very nearly fell a victim to iny
friendship for one of these gentlemen.

I was one day on a shooting expedition near the town of
Faoult, in company with the receveur des contributions indi-
rects. We had marked down a large covey of red birds, and
were cautiously creeping towards the spot where they had
alighted. It was necessary to climb over a loose stone wall,
which I proceeded to do, closely followed by my friend, and car-
rying my gun by the barrels, a short distance above the locks.
Suddenly I was startled by an explosion that almost stunned
me, and discovered that I was holding nothing but the barrels

BRITTANY. 209

of my fowling-piece, the stock and locks having been blown
away from them by the contents of my companion's gun,
which had exploded as he was mounting the wall immediately
behind me. This was quite shooting enough for one day,
and made me rather cautious in future in selecting my
camarades de la chasse.

My shooting excursions were not confined to the neigh-
bourhood of Quimperle alone, but I frequently visited the
towns of Quimper, Pontivy, and Faoult, and met with some
good sport in their respective vicinities. The winter, which
in this country is generally remarkably soft and mild, soon
passed away, and the month of February brought with it
the first aspect of spring. I found that my neighbour, the
Scotch doctor, had already killed several fresh salmon ; and
although at this period I was but a tyro in this noble branch
of the gentle art, I started one fine morning at the latter
end of the month, and tried the March-brown in the smaller
river near the town, and, although they were not in very
good condition, soon filled my creel with trout.

The next month (March) was a capital time for salmon
in these parts, and the water was in excellent order, but
the fish, owing to the obstructions and impediments I have
before enumerated, were very scarce, and it required a firsb-
rate fisherman (to which I had no pretensions) to catch
them. Trout I could manage to kill in any quantity, but
the great object of my ambition, the salmon, eluded the
utmost efforts of my skill, and it was with feelings of
unspeakable envy that I often met the old Scotch doctor,
with his rough tackle, and several nice salmon suspended
from his shoulders. He made no secret of his flies, which he
told me were invariably the grey turkey-wing, and dark
violet body, and indeed made me a present of several; but I
was so unsuccessful in my campaigns against this roi des
poissons, that I took to sea-trout fishing at Pontaveine

p

210 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

Concarneau, and different small tidal rivers near the
sea, as a substitute for the nobler sport. I enjoyed very
frequently some excellent common trout-fishing amidst the
beautiful scenery of the Quimper river, and met with little
or no obstruction to my favourite pursuit. The time, how-
ever, had yet to come when I was not to be so fortunate.

About three leagues from Quimperle, near the most
romantic and beautiful part of the river, and the most
favourite salmon pools, was situated a village, termed in
Breton phrase, Knockynolly. To the cure of this place I
had paid my court on the first commencement of the fishing
season, and gained his affections in the manner that all
cures are seduced, viz., by frequent and well-timed presents
of fish, wine, and various comestibles, and by paying proper
and respectful attention to his housekeeper. I had a general
invitation to the parsonage, if such a very humble Breton
cottage could be so called, and always put up my pony at
his little stable when I came to Knockynolly to fish, and
although an Englishman and a heretic, consumed many a
fried trout and tender capon, and emptied many a flask
of champagne and Bordeaux in company with the good-
natured little priest, who was a notable exception to the
generality of his confreres in this part of the world, who
are usually a very ignorant and bigoted set of beings,
Of course my intimacy with the cure* was of great service
to me with his parishioners, and caused them to allow me
to pursue my fishing amusements without annoyance or
hindrance.

I had succeeded in discovering and making a fly which I
found at all times to be the most killing of any I had tried.
It was simply the under feathers of the common partridge's
tail for wings ; a little red hackle for legs; hare's ear for
body, and a couple of rats' whiskers for tail. I manufactured
this fly of different sizes, and used them at different periods,

BRITTANY. 211

the large ones night and morning, and the small ones in the
middle of the day.

It was now drawing towards the end of the month of
September, 1837, and I had not yet succeeded in catching
or even hooking a salmon. In fact, since my first few trials
at the beginning of the season, I had thrown aside my two-
handed rod and salmon flies altogether, and fished generally
with a fourteen-foot rod and strong trout tackle, as I fre~
quently hooked a sea trout of four or five pounds weight,
which showed quite as much sport as a small salmon. Some
heavy rain had fallen for several days, and the river, which
had been for some time unusually low, was much swollen.
I cantered my pony over to Knockynolly with the expecta-
tion of some excellent trout-fishing, and the water being
rather coloured, used a strong casting line and the largest of
my favourite flies, but for a long time whipped the water in
vain. At length I had a dull, heavy rise, and upon striking,
perceived I had hooked a very large fish ; indeed, not having
more than thirt}T-five or forty yards of line upon my reel,
I began to fear he would outrun and break away from me.
Fortunately, however, the part of the river upon which I
was fishing was clear of trees, and with low shelving banks,
that enabled me to keep pace with my fish, the genus and
quality of which I soon discovered to be a fine fresh run
salmon of about twelve pounds.

Having no gaff, and no one with me except a little Breton
boy, who carried my creel and net, I almost despaired of
landing him, and saw there was nothing for it but patience,
and to tire him out, and drown him. Luckily he was a very
active fish, and never attempted to sulk at the bottom ; so
that in about half an hour I had him in shallow water, near
the bank, with his white belly upwards, when reeling close
up, and giving my rod to the boy, I slipped into the water
and fairly hustled him on shore, where he turned out to be

P2

212 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

what I had guessed him at, viz., a fresh run fish of about
twelve pounds weight. I have merely dwelt particularly on
this circumstance as it was the first salmon I ever caught,
and that with trout tackle and a fancy fly of my own
making. About half an hour subsequently I caught another,
but rather smaller fish, with the same fly, and by the same
mode of proceeding; and our burden being now as heavy
as the boy and I could conveniently carry, I returned to the
cure's cottage perfectly enchanted with the evening's sport,
and determined to be at the same pool, armed with all the
legitimate implements of salmon-fishing, at break of day on
the following morning.

Near the spot where I caught my last salmon I observed
a party of Bretons employed in cutting lande with a sickle
similar to that we use in reaping, one of whom had quitted
his companions and observed me with great curiosity, but
took no farther notice of me on my departure to the village.

On the following morning I was by the river side at day-
break, with my salmon rod, some of the doctor's favourite
flies, and a heavy gaff manufactured by the village black-
smith slung across my shoulder. T had scarcely thrown
my fly half-a-dozen times, when I perceived the same indi-
vidual who had inspected my proceedings on the previous
evening (a very wild-looking peasant, with long hair flowing
below his waist, and in the usual loose linen costume of
the country) standing beside me. In my hurry to get to the
spot early I had neglected to bring my boy with me, who
always interpreted for me on emergencies, speaking both
French and Breton; as I could not explain myself in the
latter language, upon being addressed by this unprepos-
sessing personage, I offered him a glass of eau de vie and a
handful of tobacco, a supply of which I always carried with
me in the large pockets of my shooting-jacket for similar
use, and generally found it effectual. This offering, however,

BRITTANY. 213

was, for the first time in my life, rejected, and he pointed
with animated gestures to the fly which I had just drawn
up, preparatory to another throw. Understanding his
wishes, I thought, I was preparing to satisfy him on this
point, as, in the event of meeting with a similar request, I
had prepared a quantity of gaudily-coloured mixtures of
wool and feathers, with hooks attached to them, one of
which I always offered to any curious inspector of my pro-
ceedings that I might chance to meet with on my fishing
excursions. In this instance, however, my benevolent inten-
tions were misappreciated, and, not understanding the object
of his desires, I continued to throw my line regardless of his
presence, when he suddenly seized hold of the top of my rod,
which he broke clean off, evidently with the intention of
possessing himself of the actual line and fly with which
I was fishing, and which he, doubtless, considered, from what
he had observed the evening before, to be enchanted or
infallible.

This was rather too much for my patience and philosophy
to put up with, and withdrawing the heavy gaff, which I
carried slung across my shoulders, I aimed a blow at him
behind the neck, which, unluckily, not only took effect, but
the barbed end pierced the lower cartilage of his ear, and,
upon falling to the ground, he bled profusely, and began to
roar with pain and terror. I now began to repent of my
precipitancy, and, knowing the vindictive and savage cha-
racter of the Breton peasantry, to dread the results of my
rashness. I had not much time for reflection, for suddenly
raising himself on his knees, he uttered a loud and shrill
whistle through his fingers, which was immediately responded
to from a short distance, and to my dismay I beheld, a few
hundred yards off, a party all armed with the short sickles
used in cutting lande approaching to the scene of our con-
flict. What was to be done? Certain death, or at all

214 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

events a cruel mauling attended me if I remained where I
was, and I well knew I had no chance in a race to the
village and the cure's sanctum with these sturdy and active
little Bretons. If I could gain the opposite side of the river
(which was here about a hundred yards broad, and although
not very deep, intersected by rocks and rapids), and they
dared not follow me, I should cut off at least half a mile of
the distance. It wras the only course to adopt, and accord-
ingly, using the lower joints of my rod as a staff to steady
my course, I plunged into the stream. I had gained one
of the rocky islets, covered with bruises and scratches, and
half drowned, by the time my pursuers had arrived at the
bank of the river, and had the satisfaction of seeing that
they hesitated to follow me, but began to pelt me with
stones. I soon continued my perilous passage through the
stream, and at length scrambled, nearly exhausted, up the
opposite bank. I lost no time in making my way to the
village, and relating my adventure to my friend the cure,
who lamented the circumstance very much, and told me
he was convinced that the party did not belong to his
village, but were on a lande-cuttmg expedition from some
other place ; still he advised me not to return to Knocky-
nolly, for some time at least, as the man I had wounded, or
his friends, would never be satisfied until they were revenged
in some way upon me.

Thus my sport in this best and ^rnost lovely part of the
Quimper river came to a very abrupt and unpleasant termi-
nation, as I was too well aware of the truth of my friend
the cure's remarks to risk my life in that neighbourhood
again, even with the all-powerful temptation of salmon^
fishing before me.

I was determined to witness the celebrated mode of catching
a certain little fish which had formed an almost daily and
delicious addition to my breakfast-table in its fresh state,

BTIITTANY. 215

broiled upon wood ashes, and served with a little fresh
butter andfins herbes, before my departure from the country.

This excellent hors d'ceuvre, which is now as well known
and appreciated, in its preserved state, by the backwoodsman
in Canada, and the Australian or Californian gold-digger in
the wildest parts of the bush, as it was at this time by the
Parisian gourmand, is far more delicious when eaten fresh on
its native shores. It must now form a most important
article of commerce amongst French exports, and no doubt
many imitations of the original article, in the shape of
small roach, dace, bleak, and other white fish, even including
the sprat, find their way into the neat little tin boxes which
represent Sardines a Vhuile, over every part of the civilized
and some portions of the uncivilized globe.

They are caught in immense quantities along the whole
coast of Brittany, as far north as Brest, but are not found
any farther to the northward. The mode of catching them
is very similar to the pilchard fishery in Cornwall, except
that the nets are larger and the meshes smaller, being from
ten to twenty feet deep, and five or 'six hundred feet in
length. Boats and nets are generally the property of indi-
viduals who let them out to the fishermen, on condition of
receiving a certain proportion of the profits either in kind
or in money.

When on a clear day, and with a smooth sea, the shoals of
sardines are seen entering the different bays of the coast, and
glistening like silver on the surface of the water, nothing can
be more animated than to see the fleets of boats in hot pur-
suit, in all directions, and the rapidity and skill with which
the enormous nets are handled. All this I saw to perfection
at the little town and bay of Concarneau, about ten miles
from Quimperle. The preserving the fish in tin boxes is
chiefly done at Nantes and Lorient.

Before concluding my chapter on Brittany, and in corrobo-

216 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

ration of my remarks relative to the bountiful supply of
every description of food, both by sea and land, that a bene-
ficent Providence has bestowed upon this favoured country,
I shall give a short account of a visit I paid to an English-
man (who had realised a handsome fortune by a lotion for
improving the complexion), who resided in the vicinity of
Quimper, for the purpose of sea fishing with trammel nets
amidst a group of islands named les isles des Glenans, a few
leagues from Quimper.

We sailed in a cutter yacht, containing the nets, pro-
visions, &c., in the afternoon, and upon arriving at our
destination in the evening, we laid down the trammel nets
to the extent of several hundred yards in the different
channels, which were not very deep, and anchored them with
heavy stones, leaving buoys to indicate their positions. Les
Glenans are a group of small islands, about three leagues
from the coast, quite bare of tree or shrub, and inhabited by
a few shepherds, who find a scanty pasturage for their sheep.
Enormous quantities of rabbits are bred here, and may be
seen in hundreds from a distance, but immediately disappear
in their holes on the approach of a human being.

After leaving our nets in what we considered the most
eligible places, we made an attack upon the rabbits with very
moderate success, as the ground was so open it was difficult
to come upon them by ambuscade, and they all vanished at
the report of a gun. We discussed our supper, and spent
the night, or rather a few hours' futile attempts at sleep,
which myriads of vermin of the flea and bug species most
effectually prevented, at a shepherd's hut, and by daybreak
were glad, after a delicious bath in the sea, to start in our
boats and take up the nets.

Never shall T forget the " miraculous draught of fishes"
that rewarded our labours. Upon gently hauling in the first
trammel, the meshes were literally crammed full of fish,

BRITTANY. 217

including almost every known species, such as whitings,
haddocks, ray, soles, turbot, red mullet, rock cod, grey
mullet, &c., &c., the halves of many of which were eaten by
the crabs and lobsters, and the remaining portions sticking
in the net ; many of the latter were also captured.

The same success attended us with every net we took up,
and although full one-half of our captives had been devoured
by the crabs and lobsters, we took fish enough back with us
to Quimper to fill a large market-cart, and these were caught
with scarcely any trouble or exertion.

In no part of the world are there so many Druidical
monuments and remains as in the Morbihan and the country
between Quimper and Quimperle. Menhirs, cromlechs,
barrows, dolmens, &c., abound in every direction, and afford
a wide field for the speculations and investigations of the
antiquary. The celebrated monument of Carnac, where
eleven parallel lines, containing more than twelve hundred
separate stones, some of them of eighty thousand pounds
weight, is perhaps the most curious Druidical remnant in
existence. The barrenness of the soil, the wide extent of
lands and moor, and the thinness of the population, were
alike favourable to a religion, the rites of which were always
celebrated in the most solitary and inaccessible places.

About the latter end of this year I bade adieu to Brittany,
not without many regrets and many souvenirs of the pleasant
days I had passed, both by flood and field (amongst which
my old friend the cure of Knockynolly held a prominent
place), during the twelve months of my residence at Quim-
perle. Since that period, the overwhelming and still
increasing family of the " Bulls," who will soon find the
whole of Europe too small to hold them, have discovered,
and consequently put an end to nearly all those facilities for
sport and economy, which I have attempted to describe in
this chapter. The rights of fishing and shooting are difficult

218 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

to be obtained, and not worth the price demanded for them,
and easy access by rail and steam has raised the price of
rents and provisions to nearly a Parisian standard. A pretty
country-house, called the Chateau de Talhouet, a short
distance from Quimperle, which during my stay there was
rented by an Englishman for six hundred francs, or twenty-
four pounds per annum, including a fine garden and grounds,
and right of chasse over forest and plains to a large extent,
I saw advertised, a few years subsequently, in an English
newspaper, to be let for one hundred arid fifty pounds a year;
and amongst other inducements to a sportsman, reindeer
were said to be plentiful in the woods. No doubt a misprint
for roedeer, although I imagine both were equally prob-
lematical. Brittany, I have no doubt, is now as well known
as Middlesex; indeed, what part of Europe is not? and there
is every prospect that the prophecy of Erin's bard will very
soon be realized, and that some of us may live to see

''Some Mrs. Tomkins taking tea
And toast upon the wall of China."

HUY. 219

CHAPTER XYI.

HUY — TROUT-FISHING — ANECDOTES OF THE LATE EDWARD A , ESQ. —

SHOOTING AT HUY — MONS. MASSON — ROMANEE.

YEKY often in my younger days, when my ideas of Belgium
were comprised in a vast flat expanse of level corn-fields,
frequent canals, and straight paved roads, and my experience
was confined to the luxurious accommodation of the Bellevue,*
the excitement of the grand opera, and the society of
Bruxelles, I had heard whispers and flying reports of the
excellent trout-fishing to be had in various parts of the forest
of the Ardennes, and more particularly on the little river
Hoyoux, which discharges itself into the Meuse at the
pretty town of Huy, but was more interested at that time in
a game at ecarte at the Cercle Eoyale, or the beauties I
danced with at the many and delightful reunions of that
charming city, than in all the beauties of nature, even com-
bined with trout-fishing.

In later years, when purse and constitution had both
suffered from early indulgences, and retirement and economy
were more suited to my views, and even wishes, upon reflect-
ing upon the many pretty spots I had passed through in my
flyaway trips about the continent, and which were likely to
afford me the above requisites, together with tolerable trout-
fishing, and a proximity to England, Huy happened to recur
to my mind. As I was always ready to act on the impulse
of the moment, I determined at once to test the capabilities
of that town or neighbourhood as a residence for an economist

* The principal hotel at Bruxelles.

220 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

and a fisherman. Accordingly, taking my passage in the
Soho to Antwerp, I proceeded by rail to Liege, and from
thence, by a voiture, to the Hotel de la Poste at Huy, at
which place I arrived the beginning of the year 18 — . I dis-
covered that the trout-fishing on the Hoyoux, about five
miles higher up, was excellent, but, with the exception of
some very small parts of it, strictly preserved by one of the
magnates of Belgium, whose goodnature having been once
imposed upon by some wanton acts of poaching committed
by some Englishmen whom he had permitted to fish, had
resolutely refused to give leave again to one of that nation.

A small property, however, on the border of the stream,
for about half a mile in extent, and adjoining the best part
of the Count's fishing, belonged to a proprietor who resided
at Huy, and who very well knew the value of his right of
fishing, even over this small space, and in fact kept a man in
a cottage on the spot for the sake of preserving it, and
netting the fish for stew ponds.

With some difficulty, and much chaffering, I hired the sole
permission, or rather proprietorship, of this extent of fishery
for the sum of three hundred francs per annum ; quite enough,
it will be said, for any trout stream of similar extent, but, as
it was my chief inducement to reside in the neighbourhood,
and I had some hopes of extending my privileges gratis, I
thought it as well to secure the best thing I could. This,
as well as the hiring apartments in an ancient chateau, then
a farm-house, not far distant, I effected through the agency
and assistance of a most hospitable and jovial inhabitant of
Huy, whose acquaintance I made by accident, and of whom
more hereafter.

I began to fish early in the month of March, but although
with great success as to size and quantity, found their con-
dition was too bad, and therefore discontinued until the latter
end of April, when I astonished les braves Beiges, or rather

HUY. 221

the Walloons, with the quantity of trout I distributed
amongst them as presents, and killed with a fly, a species of
fishing of which they had no idea, and were very curious to
witness. That part of the valley of the Hoyoux in which
my fishing was situated commenced from near the ancient
and picturesque feudal Chateau of Modarf, which overhangs
the river on a rocky eminence, continued for about half or
three-quarters of a mile down the stream, and comprised
every description of water, such as runs, falls, shallows, and
deep holes, that a fisherman could desire. The scenery on
either bank was rich, and varied with verdant meadows,
hills, rocks, and woods, and very different to any Belgian
scenery I had ever before witnessed. The distance from my
own residence was about two miles across the country, which
I generally performed on foot and sometimes on a pony
belonging to the farmer.

I found most of the ordinary flies used successively on
English rivers, such as the March-brown, blue-dun, green-tail,
alder-fly, down-hill, and cow-dung fly, equally useful here;
and during the period the May-fly was on the water, could kill
any quantity of trout with a blow-line and a natural fly. Of
course, being a stranger, I was not very well acquainted
with the boundaries and limits of my own fishing, and might
now and then encroach a short distance upon the Count's,
which sometimes cost me a five-franc piece to the garde.

I lived in great retirement at the old Chateau de Baia, in
one or two rooms scantily furnished, whose crumbling
frescoes and dilapidated marble mantelpieces attested their
former splendour, hired an old woman as femme de chambre
and cuisiniere, and was amply supplied with provisions and
vegetables of all kinds from the farm. Excellent wine I
procured cheap from the friend I have before alluded to, and
a circulating library at Huy afforded me all the literary
recreation I required. The beginning of autumn I made a

222 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

short visit to Spa, not very far distant, and there met with
that good-natured, but eccentric individual, the late Edward

A , Esq., whose death yet remains an unexplained

mystery, and received a general invitation to visit him at
his residence in the Ardennes, the Chateau d'Eneilles,
near Marche, on the Ourthe, and only about twelve miles
across country from iny own residence,

I was not long in availing myself of this invitation, par-
ticularly as I was promised some tolerable quail and partridge
shooting, and was told that the Ourthe contained good fish
of many descriptions. I well knew that I should have to put
•up with many oddities and peculiarities on the part of my
host, but, on the whole, promised myself much amusement.
I arrived at the old Chateau d'Eneilles, which is situated on
an eminence above the river, by a short cut across the country
on my faithful pony, about the latter end of autumn, and

was told that Mr. A was fishing in the weir below. At

the same time that I arrived, I observed a distinguished-
looking gentleman, mounted on an English thoroughbred
horse, with a servant in attendance, whom I recognised as
a nobleman of high rank I had seen at Spa, and who was
come to pay a morning visit to iny host. We both dis-
mounted, and leaving our steeds in charge of a servant, walked
down the hill to the river, and there beheld the object of
our search, or rather a portion of him, his head and shoulders
enveloped in a high fur Cossack cap and black sheepskin
jacket, and the rest of his person, which was devoid of all
" the artificial aid of dress," submerged in the water. He ad-
vanced, however, in nature's simple garb, to meet us ; told us
he had been spinning for either trout or pike in the weir, and

very much astonished the exquisite Duke d'O with the

nature of his sport, and mode of practising it, as well as with
his costume and philosophy.

Many are the anecdotes I could relate of this eccentric,

HUY. 223

but good-natured gentleman, and who, if guilty of some few
excesses of temper, owing to strong natural excitement, or
an extra bottle, was the very soul of kindness, charity, and
liberality; but shall content myself with a few. He possessed
a perfect museum of antiquities and curiosities, amongst which
were dresses and costumes of various kinds, and generally
arrayed himself in one or other of those, much to the
astonishment and amusement of the villagers. He was also
fond of displaying his liberal principles and politics, and had
gone so far as to establish a freemason's lodge, which was
styled, L'Etoile des Ardennes. This gave great umbrage to
the bigoted priesthood of that neighbourhood, who, under
their indefatigable chief, the Bishop of. Liege, laboured hard
to siippress all such opinions, and who went so far in their
denunciations as to assure the simple peasantry that my

friend A was merely the " old gentleman" in disguise,

and that if they would examine him well, they would see the
cloven feet peeping out.

An old friend of A 's resided in the village, who was

dying fast from an unconquerable propensity to an indul-
gence in spirituous liquors, and was entirely supported by
his kindness and benevolence. After a short absence, on
visiting this poor victim to a fatal passion, he found him
evidently approaching his end, and surrounded by several
priests, who were endeavouring to make him retract his own
religion and turn Catholic in his last moments. It was the
work of a very few minutes with him to serve a summary
ejectment upon these intruders, and upon the decease of
poor S e, which occurred a short time afterwards, per-
formed himself the Protestant rites of burial over the
body, which was most respectfully attended by many of the
villagers.

Amongst several curious animals of the equine species in
his stables, was a mule, the very personification of every

224 SPOUTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

obstinacy and vice peculiar to this breed, and which no one
could manage in any way but his master, under whose treat-
ment he was perfectly docile, and would follow like a dog,
whether mounted or otherwise. One day, during my resi-
dence at Eneilles, a commis voyageur en vins de champagne,
a type of his tribe, " bearded like a pard," full of bombast
and hyperbole, in fact, the veritable Jeune France, called on a
professional visit, and was asked to remain to dinner. I
clearly saw mischief in my host's eyes, and some practical
joke was evidently in contemplation upon the purveyor of
vins mousseux. Upon being asked if he was fond of horses
and riding, his answer would have led us to suppose that he
was born an Arab ; and a ride was proposed in the country
before dinner. I must mention here, par parenthese, that we
were frequently in the habit of swimming two horses

of A 's, as well as the mule, across the river, which in

some places was tolerably wide and very deep. On this
occasion the Frenchman was mounted on the mule, which, in
company with the other animals, and particularly with

A , would follow wherever they went. After passing

the ford, and making a short circuit of the surrounding

country, A whispered to me that he intended to recross

the river at a deep part of it, and accordingly we rode care-
lessly on, conversing on different matters until we arrived at
the intended spot, when we both plunged into the stream,
which the horses were accustomed to do nearly daily. In
spite of the almost distracted efforts of the Frenchman, the
mule followed their example; and then began a scene half
tragic half comic. His equitation had evidently been con-
fined to dry land, and he was not at all at home in the
water. Losing his saddle, he grasped tight round the mule's
neck, the animal every now and then making a bite at him,
encumbered as he was with this impediment to his pro-
gress, and A , who, on his horse, was a perfect Triton,

HUY. 225

hooked on to him with the iron handle of his hunting-whip,
and drew him half-drowned to the opposite bank.

It was amusing to see the curious mixture of rage and
fright he exhibited in his dripping garments and deranged

coiffure, and still more so to hear A uttering mille

excuses, and assuring the unfortunate commis that he never
should have attempted the passage had he not imagined that
monsieur was quite as much aufait at swimming as galloping,
which was an exercise of daily occurrence to himself. I
believe he put down my friend in his own mind as a con-
firmed madman, as he made the best of his way from the
chateau without stopping to dinner, or even effecting a sale
of his wine.

The river Ourthe in this neighbourhood is not essentially
a trout stream, although some large trout frequent the
weirs and falls ; but pike, large perch, and other fish peculiar
to still and deep water abound.

I observed particularly in some places great quantities of
barbel, some very large ; and with old Thames reminiscences
fresh in my memory, although the fish is nearly worthless for
the table (even when dressed according to old Izaak's receipt),
I determined to catch some. Fitting up some strong tackle,
I commenced operations with lob-worm and ledger, but with
no success, the only fish I caught in this manner being some
eels. I then tried fine tackle and gentles, but with the same
result, merely catching roach and dace, with now and then
a perch. As a last resource I determined to make a trial of
the bait so much used for this fish by Thames fishermen,
and having procured some greaves from a candle manufac-
tory in the nearest town, I baited a deep hole in the weir
the preceding night with balls of clay mixed with greaves, and
commenced fishing with the same bait at an early hour on the
following morning. I was rewarded for my perseverance, for
rarely, if ever, I suppose, did any barbel fisherman meet with

226 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

similar success, and if my hooks and tackle had lasted out, I
really do not know what weight I might not have killed ; but
I was very badly provided with the former article, my stock
being devoted chiefly to fly-fishing.

I began to fish from the flood-gate at the edge of the weir,
•with a ledger-line and large hook, baited with greaves, about
five A.M., and by nine o'clock I had landed forty barbel,
some of them eight pounds weight, and more under a pound,
making altogether 1501bs. weight of fish. The wear and
tear of hooks and gut had completely exhausted my resources,
so that I was forced to defer further slaughter until I could
replenish my stock. The inhabitants of the village were
delighted with the fish which I divided amongst them, and
which they esteem a great delicacy. I witnessed a remark-
able occurrence during the course of this morning. I observed
an osprey, or fishing eagle, hovering about the river, some
distance down stream, as if he was regarding my movements
with much curiosity. Having caught a small barbel, perhaps
a little less than a pound in weight, and extricated the hook
with some difficulty, something induced me to throw him
back again as not worth taking, which I did with a sharp
jerk, sending him some distance into the middle of the stream.
In the space of a few moments, and several hundred yards
downwards, I saw the osprey make a sudden swoop — a dive,
and soar aloft with the fish in his mouth ; — no doubt my
identical barbel, which, puzzled with his sudden change
of circumstances, and not having regained vigour and instinct
sufficient to seek his usual haunts, had floated down stream,
and became an easy victim to the enemy.

The Ardennes is full of local and historical interest,
and in some parts very remarkable for its beautiful forest
scenery, particularly near the Chateau de St. Hubert ; but the
shooting bear my friend's dwelling was of a very indifferent
description. We certainly had some good sport — if sport it

HUY. 227

can be called — with quail, that lay like stones in a field of
cut barley, and could only be flushed by actually treacling
on them when a steady old pointer's nose was within a few
inches of them. However, we killed a great many of these
rich and delicate little birds, which, enveloped in an almost
imperceptible slice of bacon, swathed in a vine leaf, and
carefully roasted, is a dish worthy the attention not only of
the heathen gods, but of a much better judge, the mortal
epicure. As an accompaniment to cailles rotis, I should
always recommend (if procurable, which I never found, even
in any part of France, equal to what I have tasted at Liego
and its vicinity) a few glasses of old Rornane'e, that prince, or
rather queen of wines, and before which, when tasted in per-
fection, all other juice of the grape fades into insignificance, —
combining, as it does, a generous body with exquisite delicacy
of flavour, delicious aroma, and beautiful tint. Had I the
eloquence of a Cicero I might do justice to the theme, and
pay due homage to thy merits, genial and life-inspiring
Burgundy ! It is true that some dyspeptic and misanthropic
individuals, possessing neither taste nor constitution, or the
victims of absurd and senseless prejudice, have attempted to
stigmatize thee as a promoter of nervous feeling and gouty
tendencies, and, credat Judceus, these silly detractors of the
noblest, purest, and richest of wines have themselves been
consumers of soi-disant sherries and problematical ports, — •
mixtures in their best forms.

Burgundy, as if jealous of its own excellence, particularly
the superior qualities of this wine, rarely quits its native soil
for any lengthened journey with impunity. A sea voyage is
generally fatal to such wines as genuine Clos de "Vaugeot,
Eichebourg, or Romance, although many compositions, bear-
ing these appellations, find their way into foreign markets.
An equality of temperature and easy carriage are very
essential to the conveyance of these wines to their destina-

Q2

228 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

tion, and when they arrive there, the colder the cellar the
better.

It is from these causes that the rich and prosperous city of
Liege is so justly celebrated for the excellent Burgundy that
is to be had sometimes in its hostels, and always, if you are
fortunate enough to partake of the hospitality of its wealthy
inhabitants. The wine floats softly down the Meuse from
the vineyard where it was made, to the cellar of the con-
sumer, where it probably remains some twenty years, in a
state of peaceful and undisturbed repose that is hardly
broken when gently removed in its wicker berceau by the
hands of the owner himself, as the noblest oblation on the
shrine of friendship, and the worthiest offering he can place
before a beloved and honoured guest. Of all the various
products of the grapes of Burgundy, I consider Romance by
far the most delicate (although many may prefer Clos de
Yaugeofc, Chambertin, &c.), and the one that can only be
drunk to perfection in the localities I have enumerated.

September was now drawing to a close, and having not
only exhausted the different amusements that Eneilles
afforded, but also a very fair proportion of my host's
Romance and champagne, I proposed to return to Huy. I
met him once only since that period, when I dined with
him at " Phillipe's," in Paris, in 1844. A short time sub-
sequently, upon his return to Eneilles, he was missing one
night, after having gone out to dinner in the neighbourhood,
and having been expected to return. The next day his body
was found in shallow water lower down the river, with contu-
sions and marks of blows on the head. Every endeavour was
made, not only by the Belgian authorities, but also by his
noble relatives in England, to discover the cause of his
death, but without success, and it still remains a mystery,
probably only to be cleared up when all other mysteries will
be revealed.

HUT. 229

I found, as the trout-fishing was now over, that my soli-
tary residence at the Chateau de Baia during winter would
be too dull and monotonous even for a person of my retired
habits, and determined to accept the offer of the friend I
have before alluded to, to hire an apartment for me in the
town of Huy. Monsieur M was the fortunate pos-
sessor of a small establishment in the town of Huy, which
was the very beau ideal of neatness and comfort. He was a
tanner, a wine merchant, a small landed proprietor; had a
wife who loved neatness and cleanliness even better than him-
self; and, above all, he was owner of a chasse, and a sports-
man, or at least what was here considered one. Although,
not very tall, perhaps about five feet four inches in height,
he was of exceedingly round proportions, and weighed
eighteen stone, and his great round face beamed with good
living, good nature, and every scarlet hue natural and
unnatural.

It was in his company, and from his " cave," that I first
learnt to appreciate les vins de Burgogne, and never did poet
or philosopher expatiate on their favourite themes with more
expressive language or apposite illustration than did my

friend M on this subject, over a bottle of his own

JRomane*e His favourite supper, and the one he con-
sidered as the best suited to his beloved beverage, was a
dish of grives (or large thrush, frequenting the vineyard),
roasted with a sauce of juniper berries. He would then
produce an antique flask, reposing in a wicker cradle,
and two very thin but capacious verres de mousselinc. The
small and nearly decayed cork was extracted by a solemn
process, unattended with the slightest noise or movement;
the glasses filled in an equally quiet manner, the bowl of his
own being instantly grasped and enclosed in his two broad
palms, to restore, as he said, the warmth and genial flavour
that had so long remained dormant in the cold cellar; and

230 SPORTING IN rfOTH HEMISPHERES.

then began a history of the particular wine we were drink-
ing, and related a series of vinous and shooting anecdotes,
that generally lasted until the finale of the second bottle,
and, as far as I was concerned, a very comfortable perception
of its effects.

The chasse, however, was the great object of his ambition,
and the solace of his hours throughout the long and dreary
days of winter ; and I verily believe if he had never killed a
head of game, he would have been equally amused with the
details.

As I accompanied him in most of his expeditions, I shall
give a short description of our modus operandi. He rented
no shooting in the open country, but a large extent of wood,
land, or forest, a few miles distant from the town, and in
the centre of which was situated an ancient convent. The
only game that frequented these woods were hares, and those
very scarce in number, with perhaps now and then a fox, or
a few woodcocks. We started early in the morning, in a
heavy vehicle, of the gig genus, and a horse, with our guns

and three dogs, or as M called them, chiens de chasse —

one was a half-bred harrier, the other an antique beagle,
and the third a mixture of the two. On arriving at a cot-
tage where the garde resided, and which was situated near
the woods we were about to beat, we left our voiture, and
proceeded on foot to our destination.

Upon entering the woods, the dogs were slipped, whilst
we anxiously awaited a proclamation from their throats that
a hare was on foot. When this occurred, and we considered
they were sounds we could depend upon, we placed ourselves
in such positions as to wind, &c., as we thought most favour-
able to the chance of getting a shot at poor puss in her flight
before the dogs, and sometimes succeeded in bagging two or
three hares, which was a tremendous day's sport — one was
our usual complement, and we met with many blank days.

HUT. 231

Nothing, however, disturbed the equanimity of my friend

M ; he considered the chasse, the style of shooting, and

the dogs all perfect, and returned home to his dinner and
Romance with imperturbable good humour whether successful
or not. I now and then killed a woodcock, which was a
source of great exultation, and had rarely been achieved by
the owner of the chasse; but the covers being continually
beaten by running dogs, and these the most noisy of their
kind, what game there was was soon driven away; the only
thing in our favour was that the neighbouring chasses were
hunted in a similar manner, so that the poor hares were puz-
zled where to find a resting-place from their ceaseless tor-
mentors, and I should imagine by this time must have
quitted the country in despair.

Many were the little excursions I made with this prince
of gourmets and good-natured souls, in the above-mentioned
vehicle, to various small hostelries on the banks of the
Meuse, each famous for some particular plat, and which
was certain to be cooked in the highest perfection the
respective cuisines could effect on the appearance of Monsieur

M . Here I was first initiated into the gastronomic

mysteries of a Meuse eel, grillee entiere, with a peculiar sauce
piquante, or a succulent Meuse carp, frit avec la laitance.
He had a strong penchant for various combinations of the
sausage genus, peculiar to this porcine district; and at his
own table a hare underwent a wondrous variety of forms of
preparation.

Music, and particularly vocal, had also its charms for my
jovial friend, and he would often troll with stentorian lungs
many ancient romances of his own country, and the chansons
de J3eranger were his peculiar favourites. It was whispered
that he was not inaccessible to the tender passion, and was
certainly a colossal representative of a middle-aged Cupid.
But, even with, such a companion, I began as usual to sigh

232 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

for change. The Hoyoux fishing was too confined for my
erratic views, the shooting was certainly no great tempta-
tion, and the petits soupers of my friend were beginning to
be a little too much for me. I had received very favourable
reports of a certain part of the Upper Rhine as a residence
exactly suited to my taste and purse, and, with many regrets,
bade adieu to the banks of the Meuse, and the hearty, yet
unostentatious hospitality of Monsieur M .

OFFENBURG. 233

CHAPTER XVII.

OFFENBURG — DUCHY OF BADEN — M. VOELKER's CHASSE — BADEN AND THE

MURGTHAL THE KINZIGTHAL RHEIN BISCHOFFSHEIM — BARON SELDER-

NECK — CAPERCAILZIE SHOOTING — ENORMOUS QUANTITIES OF GAME —
WOODCOCKS.

AMONGST the various localities to which erratic fate has
directed my steps, either as a temporary retreat from the busy
haunts of men, or for the sake of retirement and economy, —
always, be it understood, accompanied with that, to me, sine
qud non, facility for shooting and fishing, — none hold a more
distinguished place in. my recollection than Offenburg and
its neighbourhood, now within an easy half-hour by rail
of Strasburg, and situated on nearly the centre of that
most agreeable and convenient railway that extends from
Basle to Frankfort, and conducts the traveller through lovely
scenery (which he has not much time to admire) — beautiful
German watering-places — capitals of Grand Duchies — and
commercial cities, in the space of a few hours, which, when
I first visited these districts, it would have taken any rea-
sonable being at least a fortnight to traverse.

Offenburg is, and was a long time ago, associated in my
mind, and that of many another Englishman, past arid pre-
sent, with the name of George Pfaeler, the worthy host of
the " Fortuna Hotel," who has since achieved for himself a
sort of European reputation, by the introduction of the wines
of his own manufacture and district, not only into Great
Britain, but most of her colonies, and is still better known
and appreciated for that liberality of character, kindness and
urbanity of disposition, that have not only obtained for him

234 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

hosts of friends, but, if such a thing be possible, have I verily
believe, enabled him to steer through the stormy and diffi-
cult passages of life without an enemy, or at least one worthy
of being called so.

It was through information derived from him that I was
first aware of the sporting facilities of different kinds that
this neighbourhood afforded, but not until a much later
period that I put this knowledge to a practical use ; indeed,
I may quote the years 1841 and 1842, immediately suc-
ceeding my residence at Huy, as the first during which I
had any experience in the agremens of this charming
country. Many of my readers have doubtless traversed the
rich valley of the Kinzig, and the wild and romantic scenery
of the Black Forest between Offenburg and Schaff hausen ;
but I imagine that very few have explored it in detail, gun
and fishing- rod in hand, so frequently as the writer of these
sketches.

The autumn of 1841, and the winter of that and the
succeeding year, I established my head-quarters at that most
comfortable, reasonable, and best of hotels, the " Fortuna" at
Offenburg; and having arrived a little too late for the fishing
season, took measures, with the kind assistance of my friend
Pfaeler, to procure the best shooting the neighbourhood
afforded — an object by no means difficult to be obtained, as
the proprietors of the different jaghts or chasses were most
civil and attentive in giving any respectable stranger a
general invitation to their shooting parties or battues.

I may as well mention that at that time, and I believe at
present, the shootings, or jaghts, in the Grand Duchy of
Baden were the monopoly of the government, defined
as to extent and position, and let out by auction to the
highest bidder once in a certain period of years, and that the
principal revenue of the kingdom being derived from its
extensive forests (once the property of the Church), the laws

"VOELKER'S" CHASSE. 235

for the protection of the woods and chasses were rather
severe, and game was quite as strictly preserved in Baden as
it is in Norfolk. The revolution of 1848 was a death-blow
to the game of all sorts, which had attained a great head;
but the country possessing every element favourable to its
propagation, it is again becoming plentiful.

Numerous proprietors and associations of sportsmen hired
chasses in this vicinity of greater or less extent ; but by far
the largest and most important were those of Mr. Yoelker,
an extensive chicory manufacturer at Lahr, a small town
ten miles from Offenburg, and the wide extent of shooting-
grounds rented by Messrs. Humann and friends, of Stras-
burg.

The former proprietor included upwards of forty square
miles in his right of chasse, over plain and forest, and kept
up an establishment of twelve head-keepers, without includ-
ing helpers and the assistance of the government forest
guards. He told me at this time that the expense ofhisjaght
was about 25,000 francs a-year, and he calculated upon
selling his game, which was purchased on the spot and taken
away by Strasburg dealers to the Paris market, for 30,000
francs.

The beginning of the season, which, like our own, com-
menced about September, or rather depended upon the state
of the harvest, was devoted almost entirely to partridge and
quail shooting, no pheasants, and very few hares or roedeer,
being killed until a later period (November and December),
when the great battues took place.

Upon receiving notices of the different rendezvous des
chasses for the week, or a longer period, the sportsmen met
at the appointed places, generally bringing their dogs with
them ; and, as the country was entirely open for miles, no
fences of any kind intervening, and was covered with every
description of produce, from grain-stubble of all sorts to

236 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

standing flax, tobacco, turnips, mangel-wurzel, potatoes, &c.,
planted in long, narrow strips, and affording admirable
harbour for game, ample space was afforded for a numerous
field beating the ground before them in line. Some little
confusion often occurred with the dogs, some of which,
being imperfectly broken, changed their owners, or ran riot
at will, and occasioned frequent and violent ejaculations
from their respective masters ; but, upon the whole, excellent
amusement and sport were afforded, and I have seen from
fifty to a hundred brace of birds bagged by a small party in
the space of several miles and in a few hours' time, with
very indifferent shooting, The land-rail, or wachtel kcenig,
" king 6f the quails," as he is termed here, is very frequently
met with, and is no contemptible addition to the table of
the epicure. The partridges are all of the common grey
kind, and the red bird is not found in any part of these
districts. Hares and leverets, which were very mimerous,
started frequently before us, but were allowed to run away
unscathed, their fate being deferred to a later period, when
the ground is covered with frost and snow, and the forest
stripped of its foliage, and when the journey to Paris, instead
of endangering their freshness, only adds to their tenderness
and flavour. A few only were killed for immediate con-
sumption in the neighbourhood or the table-d? holes of Baden-
Baden.

Winter, which is usually tolerably severe, and sets in
early in this country, and when the ground is perfectly de-
nuded of all crops, is the signal for the beginning of the
great driving chasses, or treibe jagden. Sometimes as many as
two or three hundred beaters are assembled from the sur-
rounding villages, each receiving a few kreutzers for his
day's work, but which at the same time affords him some
amusement. When the drive is to take place in the open
fields, these are placed in position by the gamekeepers, in a

"VOELKER'S" CHASSE. 237

semicircle, including a very large space of ground, and at
about twenty or thirty paces from each other.

The chasseurs (perhaps forty or fifty in number) are
arranged in line, about a mile in advance, and at intervening
distances of about fifty yards ; and at a given signal the drive
commences. Every dissonant and diabolical cry that a
German peasant is capable of uttering simultaneously re-
sounds, and the affrighted hares are soon seen running about
in all directions, some trying to break through the ranks of
the beaters, who, independently of the terror occasioned by
their voices, throw sticks and stones at them as they
approach, but by far the greater number advancing towards
the sportsmen, who are quietly waiting, in every variety of
attitude, to receive them. And now begins a very exciting
and sometimes very ludicrous scene. On a cold day, the
dresses of the assembled company would form a curious
study for a theatrical costumier. The French chasseur, with
his smart shako, or wide-awake, variety of colours, mul-
tiplicity of pockets, and endless assortment of powder-horns,
shot-belts, &c., hanging everywhere about his person, is
taking aim in a picturesque attitude long before the game
arrives within shot of him ; a fat, phlegmatic German, his
head enveloped in a fur cap, his body in a fur coat, and his
hands in a fur muff, is quietly seated on a camp-stool that
he has brought with him, his pipe in his mouth, and his
fowling-piece between his knees, with his eyes steadily fixed
upon the gradual advent of some devoted hare, that he con-
siders sufficiently rash to approach within fifteen or twenty
paces (he never shoots at a longer distance) of such a for-
midable object as himself. Here and there an Englishman,
like myself, simply, but evidently far too lightly attired for
this stationary sort of sport, and, by way of warming himself,
about to commit a solecism that will bring upon him the
united execrations of the field. As the game comes nearer,

238 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

and every eye is strained with expectation upon them, and
the different points of the line they are approaching, this
reckless individual, anxious to display the killing powers of
his " Egg" or " Purdey" before a German audience, lets fly
both barrels at the first hare or two that arrives within fifty
or sixty yards of him, which shot, whether successful or
not, is looked upon as an act of wanton folly by the majority
of the chasseurs, and has generally the effect of driving all the
hares in that part of the line back towards the beaters, from
whence, however, they are soon forced to return, and as the
semicircle closes in, and the hares rush up to the very noses
of the sportsmen, an immense deal of firing and indiscriminate
slaughter takes place, not unattended with some danger to
themselves and the beaters, both of which are sometimes
wounded by careless shooting. By this mode of proceeding,
and with Mr. Vcelker, I have seen three hundred hares
killed during a day's shooting with the Grand Duke of
Baden, and on some of the large chasses near Frankfort from
five hundred to a thousand have been bagged !

By far the best description of treibe jagkt, and where the
greatest variety of game is met with, are the drives and battues
in the forest and woods. The same system is pursued with
regard to the beaters, although they have infinitely harder
work to perform than on the plains, and are of course better
paid. The chasseurs, instead of being placed in line, are
rather made to surround, if possible, the portion of woodland
to be beaten, and the intervening distances at which they
are placed are increased. One barrel is generally loaded with
swan-shot, in case of finding roebuck ; does and hen-pheasants
are usually strictly forbidden to be killed, under penalties
of a Napoleon for the former, and five francs for the latter.

The game found and killed in considerable numbers on
these occasions were roebuck, hares, rabbits, pheasants, some
partridges, woodcock?, and a species of wood-grouse, or geli-

"VOELKEIlV CHASSE. 230

notte, and termed in German hazlehalin; but this bird wag
exceedingly scarce. On one occasion, and in the best part
of Mr. Yoelker's chasse, I was present when the return of
game killed and taken away in carts to Strasburg amounted
to sixty-five roedeer (we killed does that day), two hundred and
eighty hares, and one hundred and seventy pheasants, besides
a fair sprinkling of partridges, woodcocks, &c. This would
be nothing astonishing in England, but is very good for this
part of Germany. The shooting, like all stationary battues,
was, as may be well imagined, dreadful potting. Unsus-
pecting roedeer and innocent hares were absolutely blown to
pieces at a few paces distance, by matter-of-fact Germans
concealed behind some tree or bush ; and quiet pheasants,
trotting about a la mode des pouletSj were massacred in this
peripatetic and unsportsmanlike position ; still, the English-
man who had the fear of " Hawker" before his eyes, and a
sportsman's conscience in his bosom, had plenty of oppor-
tunities of enjoyment without offending either the one or
the other.

I generally procured lifts in the caliche of some friend
back to OfFenburg when the day's chasse was over, and
was at little trouble and expense on my own account.
Three days in the week (weather permitting) were usually
occupied in this agreeable manner. At a later period, and
when a resident at Manheim, I made several visits to the
Odenwald, and have taken part in the slaughter of several
wild boar and red deer on the property of the Prince de
Leiningen, a species of game not found in this part of the
Duchy of Baden, although the former game frequent the
extensive forests on the opposite side of the Rhine, in
Alsace, and sometimes attain a very large size (I have seen
one of 350 pounds weight brought into Strasburg).

About the end of January the jaghts in this neighbour-
hood were closed, and a cold and dull interval of several

240 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

months occurred before the fishing season came in; but
being determined to remain and give the Kinzig a fair trial,
of which I had heard many contradictory accounts, I passed
my time as agreeably as I could between visits to objects
of interest in the neighbourhood, trips to Strasburg, and the
excellent cheer and pleasant society I met with at my friend
Pfaeler's. I had formed some very agreeable and useful
acquaintances, and met with much kindness and hospitality.

The railway between Basle and Frankfort-sur-Maine was
completed, and formed an easy and agreeable mode of com-
munication between the many places of interest, such as
Baden-Baden, Carlsruhe, Manheim, Heidelberg, Darmstadt,
Frankfort, &c., and my head-quarters ; in fact, it was almost
impossible to have selected a more quiet and economical
residence, combined with every luxury and comfort, and
possessing more facilities for amusements of all kinds than
the one I had chosen. During the early part of my stay I
had formed an acquaintance with a very well-known and
peculiar character, who held the post of head forester over
an adjoining district, which was ripened during our fre-
quent meetings at the different shooting parties in the neigh-
bourhood, and ended in our becoming great friends.

How shall I succeed in conveying anything like a correct

description of my old friend, the Baron Henri von S ,

ober forst meister (or head forest master) to his Royal High-
ness the Grand Duke of Baden, with whom I have spent
many a pleasant day by " flood and field," smoked many a
social meerschaum, and quaffed many a flask of Rhenish?
Picture to yourself a man of middle height, of well-built,
broad, and muscular proportions, and fine aristocratic ex-
tremities, his countenance a true type of the ancient
fiaubritter, or robber knight — a happy combination of jo-
viality and ferocity — his hair close cut, and whiskers shaved,
but his moustachios I never yet saw equalled as hirsute

BARON HENRI VON S . 241

appendages, affording ample play for both arms, and the full
grasp of each hand to manipulate with effect and satisfaction.
His costume was usually a short and rather tight-fitting
sporting vest of Lincoln green, with trousers to match, and
neat shako indicative of his profession in which an auerhafm
feather was generally jauntily stuck. A double-barrelled
gun was invariably slung at all times and seasons across his
shoulders, and he was usually attended by one or more
dogs. The expression of his features and manner was that
of stolid determination, total independence and insouciance,
and this hypothesis was verified by his actions. Many
were the anecdotes related of the baron's coolness and
skill, either in connexion with sporting matters or affaires
d'honneur.

The first time I made his acquaintance was during a visit
I paid to a celebrated china manufactory at the little town
of Zell, situated amongst the mountains bordering the Kin-
zigthal, and where I was invited to dinner by the hospitable
proprietor, subsequently to which, and whilst we were
sipping some exquisite Johannisberg, the baron made his
appearance in my host's drawing-room with his usual accom-
paniments of gun and dogs ; and throwing himself into the
easiest bergere he could select, began first to light his pipe,
and then take a part in our potations without any useless
waste of words or excuses; indeed (although a very bad
German scholar myself), I could easily perceive that his sen-
tences were always brief and to the purpose.

Shortly afterwards we adjourned to the village cafe, or
rather beer garden and skittle ground, to which symposium
the greater part of the inhabitants of the quiet little town
were accustomed to retire after the fatigues of the day,
and smoke innumerable pipes, and drink unnumbered
sckoppen of beer in dignified silence. After seating our-
selves before one of the little tables, and calling for some

B

242 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

coffee, I observed the baron deliberately unsling his gun,
bring it to his shoulder, and fire both barrels in quick
succession, when two swallows simultaneously dropped, one
into the tasse de cafe of the Burgomeister of the town who
•was seated near, and the other into the beer (schoppen) of
a corpulent butcher as he was in the act of lifting it to his
mouth, and was thunderstruck at this unexpected windfall.
Both, however, upon looking round and perceiving the
source and occasion of this interlude, merely shrugged their
shoulders, cast a quiet look of remonstrance upon the Ober-
forstmeister, and resumed their contemplative recreations.

The eccentricities of the Baron Henri von S were so

well known, and at the same time his goodnature so much
appreciated, that he could do nearly what he pleased with
impunity.

He was justly celebrated as one of the best shots in this
or any other country, particularly with ball; was accustomed
to shoot hares running with a small pea rifle ; could kill
swallows on the wing with a pistol ; and at fixed marks, such
as wafers, eggs, &c.,&c., at any reasonable distance, was in-
fallible, but I never could initiate him into the mysteries of
fly-fishing, although he was at first anxious to learn. I
remember on one occasion at Biberach, whilst wading up to
my waist grayling-fishing, that he accompanied me step by
step in my progress in the most philosophical manner, and
returned to the inn and dined with me in his wet clothes,
and after having emptied four or five bottles of klevner, and
smoked as many pipes, he quietly remarked, on taking his
departure for a twenty mile walk homewards, in his own
very peculiar French, " Le poizon ne vautpas la peine."

He had an instinctive, and I believe hereditary dislike to
anything French, and although our conversation was a
curious mixture of the two languages, bad French on his side,
bad German, on mine, he evidently was very averse to

THE BLACK FOREST. 243

taxing liis abilities to make himself understood in the former
tongue, and was not always successful.

I made one or two expeditions to the higher mountains of
the Black Forest, in company with this gentleman, in pursuit
of capercailzie or auerhakn, and succeeded in killing several,
both young and old; the former, I need not say, is very
delicate eating, but the latter is coarse, hard, and has a strong
flavour of turpentine. The Grand Duke has an extensive
preserve of these birds some distance from Baden-Baden.

The tributary streams that flow into the Rhine, and take
their rise in the mountains of the Black Forest, and of which
the Kinzig is the chief, are generally full of snow-water
until late in the spring, and are not in good order for fishing
much before June. Numerous impediments are also in the
way of the angler, amongst the chief of which are the long
rafts of timber that are continually floating, when the water
is sufficiently high, from the mountains to the Rhine, and
which extend many hundred yards in length in their course
through the rapid and tortuous channel. My object being,
however, simply to convey information relative to what I
have no doubt still is the best part of the river for fishing, I
shall simply relate my own experience of it in this and sub-
sequent years.

The part of the river I was in the habit of fishing was
about twenty-five miles in extent, and commenced at Horn-
berg, three stages from Offenburg, on the Schaffliausen
road, and continued as far as the bridge at Offenburg, down
stream. I discovered that the Kinzig contained not only
trout and grayling, but pike, perch, and white fish of all
descriptions. The latter kinds were more abundant, and the
river was more netted in the comparatively deep water at
Offenburg than was the case higher up the stream, and I
consequently established my fishing quarters atBiberach,the
first post on the road, and about twelve miles distant, at a

E2

244 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

quiet, unpretending little German inn, kept by the post-
master, Schweiss, but who, with all his apparent simplicity, per-
fectly understood the best mode of plucking an English tourist.
The river in the immediate vicinity is shallow and rapid,
with a few deep holes, some beautiful runs and falls, and
rather broad in many places, — in fact, to all appearance, the
beau ideal of a trout-stream ; shelving, gravelly banks are of
continual occurrence, giving every facility for wading, when
necessary, and landing fish, — and its course is chiefly through
verdant meadows, with high embankments on either side, to
prevent the spread of inundations.

Good trout are met with now and then; I have caught
them up to three pounds weight ; but the most numerous
inhabitants of this water were grayling, which at certain
times I have taken in very large quantities. They do not
run large, seldom exceeding one pound and a half downwards,
but are very active, bright fish. The best fly for this river,
and for grayling, I have invariably found to be the red or
scarlet spinner, with gold twist, and the spider-fly, at nearly
all seasons, and varieties of the March-brown with grouse-
hackle as1 a trout-fly. The best specimens of the latter fish T
have ever killed in this river has been whilst spinning with
an artificial minnow, and, strange to say (if in deep water) I
have also generally taken good perch at the same time. My
fishing ground, as I have before stated, extended from Hom-
berg to Oflenburg, but the central parts of it, between the
towns of Hausack, Haslack, and Biberach, were by far the
best. I have sometimes killed upwards of one hundred
trout and grayling in the course of a day's fishing.

Should the angler be disposed during the season to change
his head-quarters to Baden-Baden, with all its luxuries and
accompanying temptations, he will find a fortnight's expedi-
tion up the Murgthal, or valley of the Murg, will well repay
the trouble and expense. The fish are generally larger than

THE BLACK FOREST. 245

in the Kinzig, and in the upper parts of the valley, in the
direction of the Wildbad, much more numerous. The
scenery of this part of the Black Forest is most beautiful and
romantic; the river is not quite so wide, and generally easy
of access, particularly for wading. The fishing commences at
Gernsbach, a few miles from Baden, and a succession of pic-
turesque scenery attends the tourist on the banks of the
Murg, through the villages of Hilpertsau, Weissenbach,
Langenbrand (which is situated on a high rock above the
stream), and Gausbach, as far as Forbach, a distance of
twelve miles, and the last town on the Baden frontier. TJpon
entering Wirternberg, the fishing is still better, and the river
is rented by different fishermen, from whom, however, the
angler has no difficulty in obtaining permission to fish with
a rod for a very small consideration; and the little inns
along the Wildbad road — which is situated near the entire
distance on the banks of the river — are generally reasonable
in their charges, and comfortable as to their accommodation.

I have passed some very agreeable days on this river in
company with a most accomplished fisherman and most
agreeable companion, and one who has fished this water for
many years in succession, Monsieur Milaud, of Nancy. The
same flies may be used here with advantage as on the Kinzig,
particularly the March-brown.

I have so often repeated my visits, both during winter and
summer, up to a late period, to different parts of this delight-
ful country, that few Englishmen have been so familiar with
its woods, streams, forests, and mountains, as I have been.

I wish I had confined my amusements and researches to
these innocent and health-preserving pursuits, but, alas !
amidst all these charming scenes and facilities for every
species of rational, mental, and physicial enjoyment, the
worst and most insidious of demons maintains a sove-
reign sway, and exercises a despotic and ruthless power

246 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

over his devoted victims. Public gambling-tables are not
only protected and encouraged by the rulers of the land for
the sake of the small revenue they derive from them — in
many places day and night, summer and winter, during the
whole year — but, beginning with the grand Pandemonium
at Baden-Baden, are established throughout the beautiful
valley of Nassau, from Ems to Wiesbaden, and terminate in

the diabolical establishment of the Messrs. B , at

Homburg. How many an unwary and unsuspecting youth
has been utterly ruined in purse and character by the ex-
citement and attraction thus held out to him, and how
many an old gambler obtains facilities for the practice and
continuance of this fatal passion 1 Yerily, the Grand Dukes,
Princes, and Margraves of these petty states, who consider
the sin and suffering of a large portion of their fellow-
creatures as nothing when put in the scale against a small
increase of their own revenues, ought to be brought to their
senses, and taught better by the interference of the legiti-
mate and real sovereigns of Germany.

In the early spring of 1847, by the assistance of my friend,

the Baron H. von S , I hired a chasse at Bliein Bischoff-

sheim, on the banks of the Rhine, between Baden-Baden and
Strasburg, which was said to be pretty well stocked with
roedeer, hares, pheasants, and partridges, and that the
woodcocks were very numerous during their first and second
flights. For the hire of this jaght alone I was to pay one
thousand florins, or about eighty pounds per annum ; keepers,
dog's keep, &c., would cost me as much more, so that the
expenses I calculated at one hundred and sixty pounds. It
was about twenty thousand acres in extent, and the imme-
diate vicinity of Baden-Baden afforded a good market for
the sale of game in the beginning of the season. I was
determined to keep my shootings, if possible, for the amuse-
ment of myself and a few friends, and not to destroy the

AN ENORMOUS OWL. 247'

game solely by lattues, as is the general custom of the
country. Having taken possession of the place, established
my dogs at the inn of the village, and hired my keepers, &c.,
at a period when the usual season was terminated, viz., the
beginning of the month of March, the only sport that
offered any inducement to my remaining there was the
second flight of woodcocks, which come in about the end of
the month, and a little roedeer stalking at the edges of the
covers, at early morning, or at twilight in the evenings.

The woodcock shooting during this month is chiefly carried
on by what is called ct, Vaffut (the covers being too thick to
penetrate). For the period of about an hour in the evening,
during which time the twilight lasts, the shooter stations
himself in some ride or open path of the forest in as quiet
and hidden a position as possible, when the woodcocks
arrive with " drowsy flight," sometimes singly, and sometimes
several together, with a low whirring noise, and very much in
the manner of owls. If there is sumcient light, they are a very
easy shot to the sportsman, as they fly over his head, and I
have killed as many as twelve during this short period.

Amongst the sporting stock-in-trade of my predecessor,
which I purchased on taking the chasse, was an enormous
owl, of what was called the Emperor species, which stood
upwards of three feet high, and possessed a pair of eyes that
many a belle might have envied. He was kept in a darkened
shed, and fed with birds and carrion of all kinds, and was
put occasionally to the following use : —

A hole, or place of concealment, was made near a large
tree in the forest, and the emperor, being previously muzzled,
was conducted and chained amidst the branches of the tree
in question, during the day-time, by some enterprising youth.
He very shortly attracted birds of many kinds, such as crows,
magpies, jays, &c., in great numbers to his vicinity, which fell
easy victims to the guns of the sportsmen in ambuscade

248 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

below. This was considered in this part of the world an
amusement when all other sports failed.

My chasse lying contiguous to the mountainous part of
the Black Forest, above Achern, and in the vicinity of Baden-
Baden, where game of all kinds found an easy market, was
very accessible to a desperate race of poachers who inhabited
that part of the country, and came down at night in large
parties, their faces covered with black crape, and made sad
havoc amongst the roedeer, which was the chief object of
their pursuit. My head keeper was an especial object of
their hatred, being a most determined fellow, and had not
only wounded several of them, but had been the means of
detecting and imprisoning others. He was one day missing,
and no one could give any account of him. Upon long
search being made after him, he was discovered in a retired
part of the forest, dead — shot through the heart — and laid
out in a lengthened position, as if for burial, with a rude
cross upon his breast, made of the long grass that grew
around. This was, no doubt, an act of vengeance from the
poachers in question; but the assassin or assassins were
never discovered.

The summer of this year I passed in revisiting my old
fishing grounds in the Kinzigthal and Murgthal with un di-
minished zest, and met with quite as much, if not more,
sport than ever. My head-quarters being established at
Manheim, I made several excursions into the valley of the
Neckar, between Heidelberg and Heilbronn, and met with
good trout-fishing in some of its tributary streams, and the
fish of a very superior quality, — a circumstance to be, no
doubt, attributed in this, and all other instances, to the
nature of the food they derive from the soil which the
streams run through. During the month of July I could
not withstand the temptations of Baden-Baden — I wish I
could say with impunity ! — and about the middle of August*

BADEN-BADEN. 249

the harvest being exceedingly early, I repaired to Khein.
Bischoffttheim, being determined to have a little quiet par-
tridge-shooting as a solo, instead of the usual chorus.

The birds were pretty well grown by the middle of
August, and in large coveys. I killed, also, a fair share of
hares and leverets; and about the beginning of September
did not neglect a pheasant when he came in my way, so
that the price of my game, with the exception of the little I
saved for my own eating, amounted to a good round sum
at Baden-Baden in the course of the two months, and went
far towards the expenses of the chasse. I obtained a Napo-
leon each for roedeer, and five francs for a pheasant. About
the latter end of September I was compelled by circumstances
to return to England, and therefore made over my shootings
to two English gentlemen who were anxious to take them.
They were not so fortunate as I was, as the Revolution
breaking out shortly afterwards, they lost both their guns
and dogs, and were even glad to escape with their lives.
Nearly all the game in M. Voelker's and the surrounding
jagden were destroyed by the peasantry during the period
of this revolution, and is only now slowly recovering
its former abundance. Few countries, however, possess the
same local advantages for its propagation and preservation,
as the Grand Duchy of Baden-Baden. Although the trout
and grayling in its rivers are not generally very large, still
they are abundant. Nothing can be more picturesque and
exquisitely beautiful than many of its valleys; and the
facilities afforded by the railway of exchanging the rough
habits of the sportsman for all the elegancies, luxuries, and
amusements of civilized life in the most delightful watering-
place in the world, in the space of a few hours at most, all
tend to render this country a most eligible temporary resi-
dence for the wanderer in search of the picturesque, with
sport and economy combined,

250 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

CHAPTER XVIII.

4. DAY'S SHOOTING NEAR BOPPART.

I PASSED the latter part of the summer of 18 — , at the
hydropathic establishment, or rather at the fine old monastery
that commands the town of Boppart, on the Rhine, and is
now devoted to that simple, yet eminently useful and curative
process. It possesses, indeed, all the essential elements of
tins hygenic system — fine air, pure water, and glorious
scenery both for exercise and amusement, plenty of space
amidst its lofty chambers, wide halls, and long corridors and
cloisters, are not amongst the least of its recommenda-
tions— so different from establishments of the same kind
in England. Presnitz, indeed, could not have held his
court in a more suitable locality, where everything was
favourable to the full development of his doctrine, save and
except one most important point, the cuisine, which was
detestable, and comprised more greasy varieties, animal and
vegetable, than all the brunnens of Mariendorf were capable
of washing out of delicate digestive organs ; and, indeed, as
my residence there was not so much for any sanitary purpose
as for exercise, amusement, and, above all, cold bathing,
for which I have a weakness approaching to idolatry, I
rarely took my meals in the same place, but wandered about
with gun or fishing-rod wherever my fancy led me.

It was at this place (Boppart) that I formed an acquaint-
ance with the sprach lehrer, or government schoolmaster, a
man of feeble body and not very strong mind, but who in his
mellow moments, which were not rare, was always vaunting
his powers and capacities as zjagfier, and the number of roe-

BOPPART. 251

deer, hares, and partridges that had fallen beneath his
unerring aim. He even hinted to some distant and wonder-
ful adventures with stags and wild boars, but it was not
until he had arrived at his sixth or seventh chopine of
Geisenheinnerthat he ventured upon these dangerous grounds,
and even then with a sort of nervous uncertainty, that
evinced he had either forgotten or was not well acquainted
with the subject, It was by his introduction that I became
acquainted with Herr Gogel- — the worthy proprietor of a fine
old hostelrie not many miles distant — broad in the shoulder,
broader in the beam, radiant of countenance, every dimple in
his broad face beaming and glowing with the sun-set tints of
the choicest vintages from his cellars. It was a fine sight to
see him standing in the ancient court-yard of his own inn,
surrounded by oaken beams, wine tuns, and narrow windows,
like the illustration of " Der lied von der Glocke" I was
introduced to him as an " echtergl Englander" a good sort of
Englishman, and soon procured permission from him to fish
in a small stream that ran through some meadows behind
his house, and contained both trout and grayling, on condi-
tion of my either sending the produce of my sport to the
hotel, or paying for the same by weight, at the rate of a half
gulden per pound, about three times more than they were
worth ! This was, however, generally satisfactorily arranged
by my sending the contents of my creel to the hotel, where I
not only dined or supped, but washed down many a forellen
gebraten with divers flasks of my hosts Eauenthaler, and in
his excellent society. Indeed, such intimate friends had we
become, that he invited me to a great shooting party that was
about to be organized by himself and several of his friends,
over the surrounding country, in fact the opening of the
chasse for that year; in other words, our 1st of September.

Some time before daylight I was aroused by what I
imagined was a discharge of grape-shot against my window,

252 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

a proceeding very well adapted to break the glass and nay
sleep most effectually, and which was simply a mitraille of
gravel fromHerr Gogel, to hint to me that it was time to rise
and don my clothes, and join my companions of the chasse.

How very seldom in Europe does one ever see a really fine
morning. In another hemisphere it is widely different. In
Australia I have witnessed such a morning, just after sun-
rise, as our first parents may have been supposed to hail with
rapture even in Paradise, where the atmosphere, clear as
crystal, but yet light, bracing, and elastic, inspires the
most enfeebled frame with renovated spirits and vigour.
Horace Walpole says that he should not know seven o'clock
in the morning if he were to see it. Very few mornings are
similar. If you get a fine and beautifully clear sunrise, ten to
one, particularly at this period of the year, you have showers
or drizzling rain for the rest of the day ; and vice versa, if the ,
morning is dark, damp, and misty, fine weather succeeds ; and
it was on such a dark, steaming, shower-bath looking aurora
that Herr Gogel awakened me from my comfortable dreams of
trout-fishing, partridge-shooting, and Sauen thaler, in happy
confusion, and appeared before me in all the complicated
paraphernalia of a German sportsman, his broad face shining
like the sun through a November fog, and we started on our
way to the chasse.

We passed the village, which looked just as sleepy, and
muddy, and miserable as all villages do on such occasions, the
great hotel, the mineral brunnen, which in a few hours, if the
weather cleared up, would be surrounded by devotees to the
shrine of Hygeia, in the shape of invalids, real and imaginary,
old ladies who were supposed to be princesses in disguise, fat
German consumers of every imaginable greasy comestible,
and ancient warriors, with ribbons and orders of all colours
and sizes; passed the old walls of the ancient schloss, and
emerged upon the slate road that led up the hills towards the

VISIT TO A WINE-CELLAR. 253

table land, which, and the woodlands in the vicinity, were to
be the field of our operations..

We were neither of us in a very talkative humour. The
weather did not inspire us with much confidence, and the
truth is, if it must be told, the worthy Herr and myself had
been indulging in rather too copious draughts of his favourite
Eauenthaler on the preceding evening, whilst talking over
sporting souvenirs, and anticipations of our sport on the
following day. He had asked me down into his keller, the
deeply hidden emporium of his vinous treasures, to try some
of the vintages of which he was so justly proud, and had
carried with him several of those emerald double wineglasses
which date their existence with the first growth of the grape
in the Khenish vineyards, a long glass tube, and a candle.
Having arrived at this temple of Bacchus, he extracted
several of the bungs from the casks, and, by carefully insinu-
ating the tube into their contents, extracted glass after
glass of the golden liquor. How long this state of things
may have continued I know not, had not a stop been put
upon our proceedings by Herr Gogel dropping the tube in a
cask, my breaking the wineglass I held, and stumbling over
the candle. I think it ended at last by both of us falling
asleep, and dozing very comfortably until a door opened
above our heads, and Frau Gogel awakened us from our
pleasant dreams by exclaiming, with stentorian lungs —

" Heinrich ! en Gottes namen, was de henker machen sie
so lang im keller."

According to infantine phraseology, we caught it, and no
doubt deserved to do so ; and from the London Docks to
minor establishments of the same kind I have ever since
eschewed those vinous exhalations, which, arising either from
the fungi or the cobwebs, and partly no doubt from the con-
tents of the casks, are apt to have such a somniferous effect
upon the cerebral system. Thus we were not quite as merry

254 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

as we ought to be; but as the day began to brighten up, the
mist cleared away, and more particularly when we had
passed the first little dorf our spirits began to rise in a
wonderful manner. It is no great matter to the reader to
be acquainted in what manner the little dorf contributed to
this change in our animal equilibrium, sufficient that it did
so, and we felt infinitely better after it, and trudged lip the
mountain sides like giants refreshed to the flat table land
that lay spread out before us for miles, with deep valleys and
ravines intervening, trending towards the Rhine, and marked
Out by the tops of the lofty beeches that grew on their sides.
The harvest was all cut, so that there was little to relieve
the monotony of our walk; now and then an old and
wrinkled dame might be seen pottering about some patch of
turnips or mangel-wurzel, but there were no men. What on
earth can become of them in this part of the world? No
one ever sees them in the fields after ploughing is over, and
not always then. It is useless looking for a young woman —
no female being ever seen between fourteen and forty, when
they are withered crones.

No farm-house was here visible — no homestead with its
accompaniment of corn-ricks, cattle, and all the cheerful
elements of such an establishment at home — no neat garden
arid well-trimmed hedges — no sparkling alder-shadowed
brook, with the cows standing mid-leg in the clear water,
enjoying the cool green shade — no farm-boys taking their
sleek and well-fed horses to the half ploughed stubbles — -
nothing ! The harvest had been all got in ; not a sight, bird,
beast, or tree, to put me in mind of home — all flat, bare, and
brown.

It is true that the peaks of distant mountains and the well-
wooded heights of the Taunus before us gave some interest
to the landscape, but there was a deficiency of incident that
afforded little to relieve the eye.

A BREAKFAST. 255

Men in search of a breakfast, however, are not the best
judges of scenery, which we expected to find prepared for us
at the next dorf, and which we were now fast approaching ;
indeed, the rendezvous was heralded to our ears by all kinds
of convivial sounds, and we soon found ourselves in the
midst of our party. It would take a far more graphic pen
than mine to describe the extraordinary collection of costumes
that presented themselves on this occasion. The leather
gaiters, with buckles and straps half-way up the legs, the
eccentric caps, guns with broad worsted belts, always in the
way, coats contrived with innumerable pockets to carry all,
and indeed a great deal more than all, that was necessary for
any sporting expedition on the most extended scale. Powder-
horns, shot-belts, copper cap-boxes, and pipes slung about
their persons by green cords, always terminated by the
invariable tassel, and to finish the "Der Freisehutz" toute
ensemble, a long knife stuck in the girdle.

We were received with many congratulations, and a
mighty pannier was soon produced which contained most
varieties of German plats de predilection, amongst which
figured a cold sucking-pig, that would have gladdened the
heart of a New Zealand chief, yards of bread, and a multi-
tude of bottles, with the ruby-coloured Eauen thaler beaming
through their sides, for which even the last night's surfeit
had not destroyed my preference to any other produce of the
grape in this part of the world.

The breakfast was soon spread under the few stunted
apple-trees that grew around the dorf, and we enjoyed it
with all the appetite that our previous walk and the expec-
tation of another and much longer one engendered. The
wine passed pretty freely, considering the time of the morning,
songs and choruses were the order of the day, and any gentle-
man who had the slightest regard for his personal safety
would have been perfectly justified in either remaining where

256 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

he was, or, at all events, in not risking life and limb in a
shooting-party with so many extra-convivial individuals.

Very few Germans possess any of our own views of sporting
in general. They talk a great deal about it, and write, and
certainly sing the best songs in the world on this subject,
but it is not in the actual sport they take much delight.
Fond of all the convivial details, the society they meet, the
novelty of the costume, and the escape for the time being
from their bureaux, or other indoor occupations, they enjoy
themselves as much, and probably more, than other people,
but care little for the quantity of game bagged, or the
manner of bagging it. At length, having exhausted the
bottles and their whole vocabulary of songs and choruses,
we got under weigh, and each one slinging his game-bag,
worked in Berlin- wool by some fair object of his affections,
over one shoulder, and his gun over the other, and girding
himself about with all the betasselled objects connected with
his shooting apparatus, sallied forth.

The dogs scampered about with perfect canine freedom,
fought, and scratched their fleas, as if the idea of scent had
never crossed their imaginations, and the men continued
singing and chorusing as if they intended to charm the
game with their harmony, but, upon reaching a large extent
of rough stubble, prepared their guns for action. Suddenly,
in the midst of a well sustained drinking chorus of Yon
Motow's, a covey of birds rose at least a hundred and fifty
yards in advance of us. To say we fired at them would be
a waste of words. The entire line kept up a continual fire
from each of their barrels for several minutes.

It is said that our enemies have described the rolling fire
from the front of a British column the most destructive and
deadly thing that can be met with. This, however, can
hardly be said to have been the case with us. I really can-
not say whether our column was not rolling enough, or that

SHOOTING NEAR BOPPART. 257

it shut its eyes when it fired, or whether the enemy was
too far distant ; but somehow or other we killed nothing, not
even one of the dogs, which surprised me. Whether that
hybrid cur, who, placing his tail between his legs, went
straight home across country, enlivening his route with the
most dismal howls, had received a portion of the rolling fire
intended for the partridges, or was merely disgusted with
our style of shooting, I cannot say; but off he went, and
fortunately for him, and perhaps ourselves, we saw no more
of him.

The covey having departed, the singing recommenced.
The birds were scarce and very wild, which was not extra-
ordinary, considering the noise we made, yet still, by steadily
firing volleys, one came down now and then, which occasioned
an infinity of squabbling as to whom its death was to be
attributed, though merely a fraction of the original partridge
generally came to hand, the rest having been devoured by
some of the dogs, or scattered into air by the united charges
it had received.

I got rather fatigued, not to say alarmed, at this kind of
. sport, and hinted to Herr Gogel that the best thing we
could do would be to steal away from our companions, and
try and get a little sport on our own account, which object
we managed to accomplish, and leaving our friends, whose
passage over the plain was marked by fire and smoke, we
managed to pick up a few hares and birds, but the heat soon
became so intense that we were regularly brought to a stand-
still. My fat friend threw himself upon the ground, and I
laid myself beside him, in order, if possible, to get a little of
his shadow.

Here we waited for the approach of our friends, whose
advent was heralded from afar by the same firing and
singing as when we left them, and in a few minutes we
were re-united, discussing the remains of the breakfast and

8

258 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

quaffing a fresh supply of light wines, brought up by a party
of ragged boys from Herr Gogel's cellars.

It is a common remark that light German wine is not
worth drinking. Bah ! Just try a bottle of real pure juice
of the grape, such as any of the vineyards between Coblentz
and Mayence produce, after a burning morning's shooting,
and not your brandied, burnt-sugared sherry, or any other
fiery mixture, and then abuse pure German wine if you have
the conscience.

"Would whisky, would sherry, would, with deep respect
be it spoken, even really good ale brewed by such com-
manders of the Order of Malt 0 ! as Bass and Allsopp,
have produced half the fun that those dozen of green bottles
did amongst us 1 We gave it no fine title, it was in fact a
simple produce of the country, and took its name from its
birth, honest Zwei und veirziger weisse wein. It was both
light and good. The effects of so much beer on the joking
powers of our party would have been fatal ; as it was, they
rolled out thick, and heavy, and ^sometimes very long but
time-honoured puns, and slightly improper ballads ; and not
until the last morsel of the cold pig had vanished, and the
last long neck had been drained, did we proceed on the
business of the day.

Jolly, simple-minded fellows, rejoicing in their short holi-
day, revelling in their temporary freedom, with no one to
control them, or spy over their words and actions, they
chorused manfully —

"Nur wo die geinsen springen
Kaun man von die Freiheit singen,"

and refreshed, they bent their steps towards a part of the
country which afforded a promise of sport more suited to
their inclinations than the hard stubbles over which they
Lad been, trying their boots and their tempers in fche
morning.

SHOOTING NEAK BOPPART. 259

Though the table land which we had been traversing the
greater part of the morning appeared almost boundless, yet
at a short distance towards the Rhine it began to dip, and
although the country appeared tolerably fiat, yet deep
ravines ran through it, some of great breadth, with steep
sides and level bottoms, their sides clothed with beech-
trees, all running down towards the larger valleys that led
towards the Rhine. Down these we went, beating our way
through the thick underwood, and sinking often up to our
knees in some green and treacherous bog, but shooting
nothing, and seeing nothing to shoot, and rather incapaci-
tated for making the rapid descents and ascents peculiar to
the country, from our previous conviviality.

At last, on reaching rather a more favourable spot for our
operations, a thick patch of beech wood lying on the slope
of one of the little valleys, it was determined to beat it out
properly; and the party so disposed themselves as to be able
to get shots at whatever might be found in the small circle,
or driven from it, assigning to me what was considered the
most favourable position. After a few minutes' shooting and
hallooing, out jumped a venerable fox, and, with brush erect,
took his line across country. I uttered impulsively a loud
view halloo, when, to my astonishment, up came the whole
party, with wonder and fear imprinted on their countenances,
to know the meaning of such unmusical sounds. They evi-
dently thought I had been frightened by the fox, or some
other and more formidable beast of prey, and could not be
made to understand that this was the usual way of saluting
Reynard in England, and bewailed my misfortune in not
shooting so fine a reineke. I devoutly hoped that if another
fox was in the cover he would not come in my way; but alas!
fate was against my wishes, and scarcely had the drivers
recommenced their yelling, when out bounced another
within a few yards of me, and with a kind of spasmodic

32

260 SPOUTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

desperation I fired, and had the cruel satisfaction to see poor
Reynard roll over, struck by nearly the whole charge. I
raised a melancholy whoo-hoop, which very much amused
my companions when I informed them it was the British
method of singing a dirge over the dead fox. I fancy they
looked upon my religious creed with some suspicion, and
considered me more than half an idolater.

Our next noble game, as we wended down the cover, were
two or three squirrels, which we knocked off the trees, and
at last, seeing how things were going on, I made up my mind
to shoot everything I came across, from a torn -tit to a
tinker's donkey.

Out burst the singing again, but not of so long duration
as before. We were getting rather tired, and were approach-
ing some woods where we expected to find roedeer. We
pressed on to the beech woods, where we disposed ourselves
for a drive in regular battue fashion. I found myself in
company with a man on my right, a thick screen of under-
wood before me. On looking towards him, I perceived he
handled his gun in a very primitive and dangerous manner,
that augured very badly for the safety of my legs. Almost at
the same moment a fine roe burst out before us; my friend
fired both barrels at once, and the roe bounded apparently
untouched through the underwood, but immediately a most
unearthly yell resounded from the line of beaters, and
presently several approached, bearing one of their com-
panions, who lamented being cut off in his youth (he was
not much more than fifty), in most feeling complaint. On
closer examination we discovered that he had received a shot
a little below the knee, which, by greasing it with a metallic
plaster, soon ceased to cause him much inconvenience.

Instead of any compunction for thus wounding a fellow-
creature, my friend seemed rather elated than otherwise,
and glancing towards him I observed, to my horror, that he

SHOOTING NEAR BOPPART. '261

was loading with ball, in order to make sure of a kill on the
next opportunity. This was more than flesh and blood could
stand, and I swore that if he did not keep his distance, T
would give him a taste of No. 4 that would put an end to
his reckless proceedings, which evidently had some effect
upon him, as he changed his quarters immediately.

Our little discussion had apparently been heard and appre-
ciated by the beasts of the forest. I stood at my post,
straining every nerve to catch the sound of a crackling
branch, or other indication of the approach of a hare, roe, or
some other inhabitant of the woodlands, and for a long time
could see or hear nothing but the monotonous tapping of the
woodpecker, or an occasional squirrel, which I could not make
up my mind to shoot at ; and I was on the eve of shifting my
quarters, when a slight rustling made me cast my eyes
towards the opposite path, and I observed a fine roebuck in
the act of springing across it. He hesitated a moment, and
that moment was his last, as he received my charge behind
the shoulder, and rolled over stone-dead.

A short time afterwards the drivers came up, hot and tired,
and our little party being assembled, and several good jokes
interchanged with each other, we were only too glad to
retire homewards ; the smoke of our pipes streaming up in
the calm evening air, and the choruses of our songs awakening
the surrounding echoes.

262 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

CHAPTER XIX.

TROUT-FISHING AT BRUKENAU, IN BAVARIA.

DURING the summer of 18 — I was attracted, together with
a multitude of valetudinarians, real and imaginary, pleasure-
seekers, and summer tourists, to the baths of Kissingen, in
Bavaria. This watering-place, in consequence of the eulogiums
passed upon it by Dr. Granville, in his work on the " Spas of
Germany," had gained great popularity in this country, and
was the resort of dyspeptic sovereigns and overfed magnates
from most of the German States, where they hoped to wash
away the effects of previous excesses, and enable their consti-
tutions, or rather digestions, to support a fresh tax upon
their powers.

I took the usual route by the Rhine, Frankfort, Aschaffen-
burg, and through the beautiful forest of Speissart to this
place, and found it crowded with visitors from all parts of
the world.

Fishermen are generally drawn towards each other by
some mysterious sympathy; and I had not long joined the
motley throng of water-drinkers on the daily promenade,
when I formed an acquaintance with an amateur of the
gentle art, who, after his usual sanitary process in the
morning, devoted his days to trout-fishing excursions in the
environs. He had discovered several pretty streams, and by
paying a fee to the proprietor, or purchasing the weight of
fish he killed, managed to get some very tolerable sport; but
as the rivers were continually netted, for the sake of sup-
plying the different hotels with trout, our success was rather
uncertain, although we now and then killed a large fish in

BFOJKENAU — FISHING. 2G3

some of the deep holes and eddies inaccessible to the very
primitive nets of the German fishermen.

After the lapse of a few weeks, I was tempted by the
offer of a gentleman, then as celebrated as a sportsman as he
is now as an able and accomplished statesman, to take a seat
in his carriage to Brukenau, then the lovely and favourite
summer residence of Louis, the late King of Bavaria, who
was alike celebrated for his taste for the fine arts and his
admiration for fine women.

Nothing can be more picturesque than the approach to
this little watering-place. The richness and variety of the
foliage, the beautiful undulations of the landscape, the noble
forest trees, and the artistic and tasteful manner in which
the drives, glades, and avenues are formed, — all tend to
create a coup d'ceil seldom equalled. Upon passing through
the valley in which the village is situated, en route to our
hotel, I was greeted by a sight of more interest to me than
all the scenery I had previously witnessed, which was a
small river, meandering through the richest and most verdant
meadows, and disclosing in its course all those beauties and
attributes in which an angler delights. Rapid falls, swift-
running shallows, curling eddies, were all significant of the
favourite abodes of trout and grayling, and the frequent
rises — and some very heavy ones — we observed whilst passing
over a bridge, tended to establish this presumption.

Upon making inquiries at the hotel as to the possibility of
fishing in the stream in question, we were informed that ifc
was a royal preserve ; that the king only allowed a certain
quantity of fish to be taken from it by privileged fishermen,
in order to supply the tables-d'hote of the place, and that no
individual could fish without the express permission of his
Majesty.

It was the custom at that period for all visitors at these
baths, on their first arrival, to pay their respects to the

264 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

king, by sending in their names to the chamberlain, who
appointed an hour in the morning for them to attend a sort
of levee at his Majesty's residence. The only difference
necessary to be observed in the usual toilet was the adoption
of a white neckcloth, or white choker, as it was irreveren-
tially termed, and from the sale of which (expressly for
these occasions) a pretty little Munich milliner gained a fair
amount of profit, as she not only sold them, but fitted them
(they were usually stocks) on the necks of the devotees at
the shrine of royalty.

We, of course, had to go through the same ordeal, and as
my friend was a member of a noble family, and a person of
some consequence in England, it was arranged between us
that if an opportunity presented itself, he should attempt to
obtain the desired permission to fish in the royal stream, of
which we had made a closer inspection since our arrival, and
were more impressed than ever of its being an actual piscatory
paradise.

King Louis, who, as everybody knows, was a most accom-
plished gentleman, but possessed certain peculiarities, received
us perfectly sansfaqon in the little parlour of his temporary
palace the following morning, and commenced the conver-
sation, or rather asked a few questions in English, chiefly in
connexion with our domestic relations and political views.
As far as I could judge from the few minutes we passed in
his society, he considered the first duty of a man was to have
a large family of children, and the second, to be a high Tory
in politics ; and had formed some dreadful ideas of the cha-
racter of Mr. O'Connell, who was then in the zenith of his fame.
Upon asking us, as a finale to the interview, how we liked
Brukenau, my friend made a desperate effort, and after
passing a glowing eulogium upon its beauties, added that he
should consider it quite perfect as a residence, with the faci-
lity of fly-fishing in the charming river. " Ah !" exclaimed

RRUKEN AU — FISHING. 265

the king, "you are like my friend Mr. C (quoting the

name of a late high Tory English Member of Parliament) ; he
was very fond of fishing, but I think he would rather have
had O'Connell on his hook than all the fish in the river."

It ended, however, in his graciously granting us permission
to fish as long and as much as we pleased, with which we
departed, much gratified by his Majesty's kindness and con-
descension, if not edified by his moral and political opinions,
to prepare the little tackle we had for a campaign that
promised to give ample work for its powers of endurance.

We had merely a few common flies, such as several
varieties of the palmer, cock-a-bundy, March-brown, &c. ;
and, by way of trial (we were then in the month of July), I
fitted three of different kinds on my casting-line. Never shall
I forget my first cast ! It was certainly in a very tempting
spot, beneath a beautiful fall near the bridge. My line was
hardly in the water when whiz went the reel, as though I
had hooked a lOlb. salmon. Exactly the same thing occurred
to my friend, who was fishing on the other side of the
stream. Upon checking the line, and reeling up, after the
first burst, I found I had hooked a fish upon each fly ; and, as
far as I could make out, they consisted of two grayling and
a trout, averaging at least a pound each. My casting-line,
however, which was old and fine, broke very near the top,
and left me with only one of my three captives, which I
managed to land, and he turned out to be a fine, well-fed
grayling of more than a pound weight. My friend had also
lost all his fish by a similar accident. It was evident that
no delicacy need be observed with such gluttons as these,
and that fine tackle and a variety of flies was quite thrown
away upon them. Accordingly, we selected the strongest
gut we possessed for our casting-lines, and the coarsest and
largest flies, of which we used only one, and between us, in a
couple of hours, killed upwards of 701b. weight of trout and

266 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

grayling, some of the trout weighing from one to three
pounds.

It was evident that some time must have elapsed since the
Member of Parliament alluded to by his Majesty had treated
them with the sight and taste of a London-tied fly, and that
few, if any, British anglers had succeeded him. What the
German ephemerae may be I know not, as I never saw one
in an artificial form, and never took the trouble to make a
microscopic examination, in order to imitate them, as I
always found my own stock of ready-made ones quite good
enough.

The voracity of the Erukenau trout I imagine arose solely
from their vast numbers and the novelty of the attraction, as
they were taken only in the clumsy nets of the local fisher-
men, a hole being laded out, or the water let off some par-
ticular spot to facilitate their operations.

We continued for some days to meet with extraordinary
sport, — in fact, to catch any quantity we pleased, with which
we supplied the table-d'hote of the hotel, — of course, gratis;
but it became rather an expensive amusement to us, as the
fishermen, who were accustomed to sell their daily amount of
fish, of course looked to us to make up the deficiency, which
we could not well refuse. We became perfect Waltonian
lions. The ladies came in parties, and of all nations, to
witness the pecke d, la mouche artificielle, screaming with
delight when a good fish was landed, and begging to be
allowed to try the experiment of throwing a fly themselves,
much to the danger and damage of our rods and tackle. In
fact, we had achieved too great notoriety, and, like many
other great men, were fast becoming victims to our own
ambition.

We could not move on any part of the banks of the river
during the day-time without hosts of followers, some to
admire, and others to envy ; and the fishermen who had lost

BRUKENAU — FISHING. 2G7

their occupation (although paid in the interim) evidently
regarded us with anything but benevolent feelings.

A week of this amusement, during which time I am afraid
to say how many trout and grayling we caught, was enough,
for the extreme facility of the sport almost took away its
interest. I tried some of the most likely places, such as the
deep holes and weirs, with both worm and minnow, and
killed several large fish. The finest (which I sent to the
royal cuisine) weighed five pounds and a half, and was a
round, well-fed, beautiful fish.

Trout-fishing, however, was not the only diversion this
delightful residence afforded. Some description of chasse is
always going on in Germany, and although midsummer, yet
stag and roedeer were occasionally hunted and shot. We
were invited to accompany the king's aides-de-camp in many
very pleasant battues, at which several fine stags, roebuck,
and foxes were killed. I must own that it was a long time
before I could conquer my reluctance to fire at the latter
animal, but as a fox in a Bavarian forest and a fox in a
Leicestershire cover are two totally different things, or
rather, placed in different circumstances, I finished by
" doing in Turkey as the Turkeys do."

His Majesty King Louis never joined any of these shoot-
ing parties, but devoted his time almost exclusively to the
society of the ladies. He was particularly partial to that of
English girls, several of whom, who were then staying at the
place, considered, no doubt, the royal attentions as a great
feather in their caps. Invitations were daily issued by the
chamberlain, and a train of open carriages was always in
attendance at the palace, for the purpose of conveying a
large party to some pic-nic orfete champetre, where the king
always -acted as Master of the Ceremonies.

Bom ping games were those most in vogue, and it was no
uncommon spectacle to observe, in some glade of the forest,

268 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

the sovereign of these realms running about with a hand-
kerchief tied around his eyes, and followed by a group of
rosy and laughing girls, or taking part in some juvenile
game not exactly in accordance with his age and position.
However, this was the season, and Brukenau was the place,
where he sought amusement and relaxation after the cares
and anxieties of state, and he seemed determined to pursue
both in the way most suited to his inclinations; and cer-
tainly, if in after days he had maintained his popularity
amongst his subjects at Munich as effectually as he did then
amongst the young ladies at Brukenau, he would have had
no occasion to abdicate the Bavarian crown.

DEER SHOOTING — HUNGARY. 269

CHAPTER XX.

DEER-SHOOTING IN HUNGARY — THE CHATEAU OF MARIENTHAL.

VIENNA is celebrated throughout Europe as a city of plea-
sure. Every physical enjoyment, and all those diversions in
which the mind does not take an active part, are sufficiently
numerous to make us forget for some time the more intel-
lectual features peculiar to a free country ; in fact, that per-
fect freedom of mind, body, and speech, which is only to be
found in London or Paris. Amongst the variety of amuse-
ments to be met with in Austria, none stand forward more
pre-eminently than the chase. Here the smallest landed pro-
prietor is certain to possess a vast quantity of game around
his diminutive castle, which all his dependents and vassals
are forced to preserve with scrupulous care. Subsequently,
indeed, to an edict issued by the quasi-liberal Joseph II.,
who ordained, to the great displeasure of the nobility, that
the destruction caused by the game should be at the expense
of the landlord, the seigneurs invite to their periodical mas-
sacres the most intelligent of their vassals, such as the bailiff,
the notary, the surgeon, and perhaps the cure ; but they com-
plain sadly of the diminution of their game. Where they
were accustomed to kill fifteen hundred hares in a day, they
say they have difficulty in shooting seven or eight hundred,
and that it is really pitiable to see the chasse so reduced.

To a sportsman nothing can be more tantalizing than to
inhabit Vienna during the spring months, when every kind of
chasse is closed. He can see before him daily the Styrian
mountains, where the capercailzie feeds in company with the
chamois. He walks through the imperial parks, where the

270 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

wild boars wander in troops, with the stag and fallow-deer,
or in the plains, where thousands of partridges and pheasants
have their nests, and hares are as thick as flocks of sheep ;
and all this is merely the programme of a delightful enter-
tainment, in which he can take no part. Indeed, a sports-
man who resides at Vienna during the spring deserves the
palm of martyrdom.

I had passed about three months of this kind of purgatory,
when I was recompensed for my sufferings by an introduc-
tion to the Prince F S , one of the most amiable

and intelligent of Austrian magnates, and who, without any
cold or haughty demeanour, was proverbial for his frank and
cordial hospitality towards strangers.

This Prince, a great sportsman himself, took pity on
me, and proposed that we should go and kill some deer on
one of his estates in Hungary.

Our departure was soon arranged. Leaving Vienna at
daybreak, we traversed the charming promenade of the
Prater. Attracted by the new-mown hay, herds of stags had
advanced as far as the first houses in the Faubourg of
Leopoldstadt. Some were ruminating beneath the trees of
the different avenues; others lay stretched upon the road
itself, and our coachman was absolutely forced to drive them
out of our way by strokes of his whip. We soon arrived at
the Danube, and the place of embarkation of the steam-
boats.

The Danube, that king of European rivers, changes its
aspect completely after leaving the capital of Austria. I had
descended from Lintz to Vienna, where,, like the Rhine, it
flows through a mountainous country, and between hills
covered with dark pine forests ; after passing Vienna, on the
contrary, its course is through a level plain, rich with verdure
and cultivation of all kinds. At rare intervals, indeed, at
some angle of the stream, can be descried an ancient tower,

DEER SHOOTING — HUNGARY. 271

remains of some old castle or fortress, erected as a defence
against the invasions of the Turks or Wallachians. I floated
down this magnificent river with feelings of respect and
admiration; this great European artery, which, completely
governed by the power of steam, and connected with the Rhine
by railways, cuts Europe completely in two from the German
Ocean to the Bosphorus. We breakfasted at Presburg. It
happened to be a market-day, and I had a good opportunity
of observing that curious and interesting spectacle of an
original physiognomy beneath a national costume. The men
all wore fur caps, or great hats of black felt. Some were
dressed in the embroidered pelisse of a hussar, which is the
true Hungarian costume; others in the large and heavy
white mantle of the Sclavonian ; besides this, it was easy to
distinguish by a certain mark the inhabitants of the two
countries. Every Hungarian had moustachios, black, brown,
red, grey, or white, as nature and age had appointed; the
Sclavonians were close shaved. As to the women, they were
completely enveloped in their long woollen shawls, of a red,
blue, green, or other colour; nearly all had naked legs and
feet, and the few that adopted the luxury of a chaussure,
wore, like the men, heavy and coarse nailed boots. Here,
as in most other parts of Germany, they are condemned to
the most laborious occupations both in towns and in the
country. The women hand the hods to the masons, manu-
facture mortar, and carry bricks up the ladders, a species of
occupation where decency suffers as much as humanity.
Our journey along the high road was full of curious objects
to a stranger. We sometimes met whole trunks of colossal
trees placed upon a carriage, composed of two wheels, drawn
by those enormous grey oxen, with gigantic horns, which are
only met with in Hungary, en route from the mountains to
the river. Sometimes little wicker carts, in which a whole
family was stowed together like a bundle of dirty clothes;

272 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

now and then a small char-a-banCj where alone, and drawn
by a diminutive pony, sat a petty farmer or villager of the
higher class, whom the Hungarians designate as " Dominus
respectabilis," and files of poor peasants, with naked feet and
heavy baskets on their heads, on their way to the market of
Presburg. We crossed a fertile plain, intersected by vine-
yards, until we arrived at the foot of the Krapac, or Carpa-
thian mountains.

The habitation of the Prince was situated in a charming
valley consecrated to the Yirgin (Marienthal). It was an
ancient convent, one of those suppressed by Joseph II., that
mad philosopher, who, for this cause alone, deserved the
bronze statue erected to his memory, with its inscription,
" Felicitate publicse non diu sed totus." There remained of
the ancient monastery a very handsome church, and seven
chapels or stations, beneath the lofty trees of the valley,
where pilgrimages were still made on the occasion of the
fetes of the Yirgin. A vast and magnificent amphitheatre
of mountains, crowned with noble forests, arose above these
towers and minarets. From the heights the view was pro-
digious. On turning towards the extreme angle of the Car-
pathians, the eye embraced on the right the whole of the
Austrian dominions, as far as the Styrian mountains,
crowned by the frozen and lofty peak of the Schneeberg.
To the left, Hungary, to the hills of Buda, which, two centu-
ries ago, were the frontiers of Turkey; and amidst this
splendid landscape the Danube meandered and sparkled like
a silver thread.

The interior of the convent, metamorphosed into a chateau,
was not less curious than the environs. The original form
and internal distribution were preserved. Long vaulted gal-
leries, with Gothic cells, still remained, only it was easy to
perceive that it was no longer inhabited by lazy monks. In
the entrance-hall were suspended flags, warlike trophies, and

DEER-SHOOTING IN HUNGARY. 273

armour, and the principal gallery was filled with stuffed
eagles and vultures, targets riddled by balls, and horns of
stags, fallow deer, roebucks, and chamois. One room was
devoted entirely to arms, ancient and modern, from the old
arquebuss to the modern pocket-pistol : another, where coffee
was usually served, contained a rich assortment of pipes; I
counted more than eighty, ranged upon shelves. Here was
a fine collection of engravings, that appeared more appro-
priate to the boudoir than the sacristy. There was an excel-
lent library, full of the best ancient and modern literature.
The furniture of the rooms was in the same style and taste ;
the bed-carpets were the skins of bears and leopards, and
every chair and bureau was ornamented with curious and
valuable wood-carving.

The chase of the stag, which had been my inducement for
a journey into Hungary, is conducted in various ways. It
would be here next to impossible to hunt on horseback,
owing to the steep declivities of the mountains and the deep
ravines. When dogs are used, they are of a very small
breed, not so large as our beagles, which beat a certain ex-
tent of cover at one time, and do not drive the game to a
greater distance than their little sharp tongues can be heard.
Grand battues sometimes take place, but the most common
and the most successful mode of shooting is at the same
time the most simple that can be imagined. Without fol-
lowers or dogs, the sportsman starts alone with his rifle,
stalking the stag through the forest. Sometimes the animal
is found reposing, at others, his track is followed up through
the snow or damp ground. Generally he is perceived from
a long way off by his red colour amongst the green boughs,
and then the only difficulty is to get within shooting distance.
There is nothing very difficult in all this, but at the same
time it requires a knowledge of the country and the habits
of the animal, as well as a clear sight, coolness, watchfulness,

T

274 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

and patience ; in fact, according to the old proverb, " the
eyes open and the mouth shut."

The Prince had selected as my guide one of his keepers, a
man of middle age, of Herculean proportions and agreeable
countenance. He had been formerly a notorious poacher,
and the Prince considered that the best way of preserving
his game was to give this man the charge of it.

Like smugglers who have turned coast-guards, or thieves
that have become police-officers, he was the terror of his old
companions, whose schemes and resorts he was well aware
of, and was not less skilful and determined in the capacity
of a sportsman. Although his step was heavy and his pipe
always lighted, no one was better able to guide me, or
initiate me into all the mysteries of woodcraft. He possessed
the eye of an Indian, the strength of a Sclave, and the calm
of a philosopher; and as to silence, which was so essentially
necessary, there was not much danger of our breaking it.
My guide, who was named Piotr (Peter), spoke nothing
but Hungarian ; he did not even know a word of German.
We had no means of communication, therefore, but the lan-
guage of signs, which was nearly sufficient for all purposes, ren-
dering gossiping impossible, and, above all, making no noise.

As it was not late when we arrived at Marienthal, I com-
menced my first campaign that very evening, and got a shot
at a stag, which my guide perceived with a sort of second
sight by a small red speck that was just apparent through
the thick branches of the trees. Not having made a pact
d, la Freischutz, I lodged my ball in one of the branches that
covered the body of the animal. Piotr cut it quietly out of
the wood with his knife, put it into his pocket, and by a
sort of pantomimic action, tried to prove to me that, had it
passed to the right or left of the obstacle, the animal would
have been killed, as a consolation for returning with empty
Jiands. The Prince, who had taken another direction (as two

DEER-SHOOTING IN HUNGARY. 275

stalkers rarely go out together), had not been more fortu-
nate than myself, but remarked at supper that he would
show me much better sport in the morning.

I had hardly composed myself into my first sleep, after
reading some pages of a romance, when Piotr entered my
room, cap in hand, and made signs to me respectfully to
get lip immediately. I jumped out upon the bear-skin,
niy eyes half opened, and dressed in haste by the light of a
candle he had brought. It was exactly one o'clock in the
morning. Our lantern went out after we had crossed the
park, and we were left in total darkness. The obscurity
was so complete that I could not distinguish a tree. I walked
behind my guide, and, although he knew every inch of the
way, and passed along it 365 times in the year, he had some
difficulty in making out the road with certainty. We had
passed a slate-mine, where the poor labourers, even more
matutinal than ourselves, were already at work, and were
gradually ascending the bottom of a narrow ravine near a
torrent, the noise of which served us as a guide for our steps.
In the most difficult places, Piotr always stopped to offer
me his hand. At one time, indeed, when it was necessary to
cross the torrent, he took me without ceremony upon his
broad shoulders, and carrying a gun in each hand, we thus
traversed the river.

In spite of these nocturnal difficulties, we arrived at our
post one hour before daybreak. It was on the point of an
ascent, where, on the first approach of day, we could perceive
all the valley that lay at our feet, and the opposite slopes of
the hills. The morning air was very cold, and the heavy
clouds above our heads discharged a rainy mist of a moist,
icy, and penetrating character. I was much heated by my
walk and the ascent of the mountain, and the reaction of
the cold was so great, in my present inactive position, that
my teeth chattered, and I felt completely benumbed. The

276 SPOUTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

good keeper took pity on me, and seemed to entreat me by
the most pathetic gestures to return. He pointed out the
threatening appearance of the sky, the road to the house,
and even made a rude representation of my pillow on which
I was so comfortably sleeping. His mute eloquence was,
however, unsuccessful. I had not come 400 leagues for
nothing, and seeing I had made up my mind to remain,
Piotr was not long* in making his own arrangements ; and
buttoning up his long grey coat, with green facings, close to
the chin, he squeezed his huge person into a thicket, struck
a light for his pipe, and soon a thick volume of smoke,
issuing from his nest, gave it the appearance of a charcoal
furnace. I remained, however, firm in my position, as a
sentinel on duty, the wind whistling around me, and the rain
falling in gutters from the corners of my shooting-cap. At
the first gleam of twilight I perceived, or thought I could
make out, for I could not well judge of the distance, a brown
mass, which certainly was no shadow. I attempted to point
my rifle, but could not distinguish the sight. To shoot at
random was to risk all the chances of frightening any deer
in the vicinity, for an uncertainty ; besides, I had only a con-
fused vision of the beast, and it might be one of those
diminutive and half- wild horses which are suffered to range
about the country. I abstained, therefore, from trying the
dangerous experiment, and was rewarded for my pains. The
daylight soon began to appear, and at the same time the rain
ceased. Piotr issued from his lair, and leaving me stand-
ing as a sentry, went to make a reconnaissance of the
surrounding country. He returned with a quickened pace
in a few minutes, and by his animated gestures I saw he was
the bearer of good news. Indeed, after having led me about
fifty paces from the post I had quitted, he stretched his arm
towards the opposite slopes, and directing my sight by the
barrel of his carbine, pointed out the cause of his cheerful-

DEER SHOOTING IN HUNGARY. 277

ness. It was a noble stag, in a position worthy of the pencil
of an artist. He was standing in the midst of an open space,
his head and neck extended upwards, and, notwithstanding
the distance, we could count the numerous branches of his
magnificent horns. Near him was a group of hinds and
fawns. There he stood, the true sovereign of the forest. It
was an easy and agreeable occupation to admire this beautiful
group, but the most difficult part remained to be accom-
plished— to get within shot of the stag. By a long circuit,
under cover of the woods, we might be enabled to approach
much nearer to him, but even then we could not arrive
within at least three gunshots, and the interval that
separated us was a short coppice of a year's growth, where
he was grazing with his seraglio, as if they were in a meadow.
I lay down at full length on my left side, holding my rifle
in the right hand, close to my body, and by the aid of my
elbows and heels, glided gently through the wet grass like a
snake. Two cuckoos, with their morning song, assisted to
drown the slight rustling noise I made in my passage, and
by dint of many scratches, and much perseverance, I managed
to arrive within shot of the stag, who continued to graze
without dreaming of coming danger.

I half raised myself, the light was favourable, no cover
protected the victim, and taking steady aim I placed my ball
just behind the shoulder. The poor beast made a tremendous
bound upwards, and fell upon its head, uttering a low cry.
He was stone dead. Piotr came running up breathless with
joy, and proud of my success. We tied the four legs of the
stag together, and, passing a long pole between them, carried
him with much difficulty, one behind and the other before,
to the house, where I was glad to return, tired, hungry,
scratched all over, wet to the skin, and with a violent cold;
but, at all events, I had killed a stag of ten branches in the
Carpathian mountains.

278 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

Daily shooting excursions followed this, my first campaign
in Hungary, and I will spare the reader the recital of the
shots I missed, which were numerous, for novice as I was in
this mode of shooting, I was always excited by the sight of a
red skin, and fired too soon, or rather at too long a distance ;
nor need I relate all my successes, which comprised on one
occasion two stags and a fawn; all I can safely say is, that I
found the convent of Marienthal a terrestrial paradise — a.
beautiful country — a delightful residence — a cordial recep-
tion— a royal cliasse — the best wines of Buda and Tokay —
and the finest air in the world. Centenaires abound in this
happy country, and if you are to believe all the stories you
hear, some people do not die at all, It is there a sportsman
might finish his days happily.

THE CHASSE IN PRUSSIA.

CHAPTER XXL

THE CHASSE IN PRUSSIA, 1845 AND 184G.

AT Vienna I was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance

of the Prince F. S , who treated me with noble hospitality,

and afforded me much excellent sport at his Chateau of
Marienthal at the foot of the Carpathian mountains. The
same good luck attended me at Berlin some short time sub-
sequently, where I received the kind permission of the

Compte de R to inhabit the chateau as long as I pleased,

and sport over his forests of Lancke.

The journey was not long, as two-thirds of it were accom-
plished on the railway to Stettin, which connects Berlin with
its seaport, and terminates the great line between the
Baltic and Ostend.

The chasse in preparation for the following day did not
commence, so far as I was concerned, under very happy
auspices. I had passed a night of anguish and torture at the
house of the Compte's bailiff, or intendant, not arising from,
any fears of tempests, robbers, or incendiaries, but still sleep-
less and wretched. The fact was, I had slept ! no, I had
occupied, a real Prussian bed ; and as many of my readers are
in all probability ignorant of what a Prussian bed consists, I
will attempt the description for their information and
guidance. A Prussian bed possesses neither mattress, sheet,
or counterpane. Summer and winter two narrow, short
" edredons" or sacks of down, enclosed in large pillow-cases,
one above and the other below, compose the whole material
of the sleeping accommodation. Upon going to bed it is
necessary to glide carefully between those two feather-beds,

280 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

and to remain perfectly still and well doubled up, otherwise,
\ipon the slightest movement, the upper covering is certain to
roll off, exposing you to the cold, which is pretty severe in
this country, or, owing to its extreme brevity, the legs pro-
ject some distance beyond it, and suffer equally from exposure.
Should you, however, be enabled on a first experiment, and
by a careful adjustment of the limbs, to accomplish this
sandwich-like position, buried between two mountains of
feathers, you feel not only nearly suffocated, but undergo all
the effects and sensations of a vapour-bath. In fact, like
Milton's description of the infernal regions, you are ever
between the extremes of heat and cold. No better illustra-
tion can be given of a patient under this treatment than an
excellent one on this subject contained in that amusing little
volume, Hood's Up and Down the Rhine, and no system for
sweating down a jockey or a prize-fighter could, I imagine, be
possibly more effective.

Weakened as much by the effects of this terrible night as
by a two months' fever, I had scarcely strength enough left
to carry my rifle. Happily, I had not much fatigue to
undergo. We commenced operations by a species of sport,
which, like a Prussian bed, has no resemblance to any other,
and which takes place neither on foot or on horseback, but in
a carriage, and is here called purschen. Two chasseurs,
occupying the hind seat of a small double char-a-banc, and
driven by a coachman, so that they can command each side
of the road, are conducted through the woods without taking
any other precaution than that of complete silence. A pipe
or cigar, indeed, is not prohibited, without which no German
could exist two hours together. Notwithstanding the noise
of the wheels, and the crashing of the branches, this equipage
causes less terror to the wild animals of the forest than
the sight of a single human being. Shots are easily obtained
in this manner at stags and roebucks, which the Germans

THE CHASSE IN PRUSSIA. 281

call red game; for the Hack game, wild boars, more savage and
more cautious, remain concealed during the day in the most
impenetrable thickets.

This mode of shooting is certainly one of the most agreeable
that can be conceived. It has all the advantages of any
other, without fatigue. The purschen was in fact a pleasant
drive, and at this season of the year we enjoyed a sight of
those splendid northern forests where, in addition to noble
pine, larch, and fir trees, the oak, elm, and ash flourished in
beautiful luxuriance; but, alas! no opportunity presented
itself for a single shot. It was not from any scarcity of
game, for we came across herds of deer and roe. It was not
from any want of attention on our parts, for we were silent
as Trappists, and our eyes keen as a hawk's upon his prey.
No, the reason why we passed the morning without either
killing or shooting at anything was an excess of gallantry.

The reader may perhaps imagine by this prelude that
some young and pretty Prussienne had taken her place
between us on the seat of the char-a-banc; no such agreeable
episode, however, was the cause. The German jagher makes
it a matter of conscience, a scrupulous point of honour, never
to shoot at a female where males are to be found. Whoever
infringes upon this law either from premeditation or impru-
dence, is not only subject to a heavy fine, but becomes an
object of contempt and persiflage to his companions.

I admit that this forced abstinence was extremely
tantalizing. Amongst all the animals we saw, none but the
females came within shot. The males kept at a cowardly
distance, or hid themselves behind their mates. Every now
and then some elegant hind or doe boldly exposed herself to
our fire, and, like a charming emissary of the god of Love, made
our hearts beat with the temptation. One would have
imagined that those Eves of the forest were aware of the
privileges awarded to weakness and beauty. Although at the

282 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

first sound that met their ears, at the first sight of our rolling
machine, they bounded away as if in fear, still, like true
daughters of Eve, they stopped short with coquettish
curiosity, and taking up the most graceful pose in the world,
gave the sportsman an opportunity to admire their attrac-
tions, often repeating the same manoeuvres, and similar to
Virgil's Galatea, who fled towards the reeds, but at the same
time wished to be admired, " Et se cupit ante videri"

During this long drive we only met with two objects un-
connected with the sport we were pursuing. One was a vast
flock of sheep, which were cropping the young shoots of grass,
more plentiful at this time in the woods than in the plain.
The shepherd of the flock, wrapped in a woollen cloak with
about thirty capes, was occupied in knitting a pair of stock-
ings and smoking a long pipe. On one of his arms was
suspended an earthen pot, containing his daily repast, and
beneath the other he carried a large Bible — food for body and
soul. The other rencontre was of a very different descrip-
tion, and by no means so flattering to the morals of the
country. With the eyes of a hawk the keepers discovered a
poor peasant who was loading a small wheelbarrow with dead
leaves and branches. In a moment he was surrounded,
seized, and his rake taken from him, to serve as a security
for the fine which the offence was sure to be visited with.
He could in 110 way have injured the proprietor, for he only
took away objects of no value, to make a bed for his cow,
and which in another country any one would have been per-
mitted to make use of. It was in vain we pleaded in his
favour. The forest laws in Prussia are inexorable. They
told us that in this case the fine would be doubled, because
the offence was committed on a Sunday. I could not help
reflecting on the extreme injustice of this proceeding, or
rather the two sides of the question. We, the rich and idle,
had the privilege of slaying at our ease the wild animals of

THE CHASSE IN PRUSSIA. 283

the woods, and feasting upon their delicate flesh ; the poor
peasant was denied even the withered grass that these
animals rejected To us on the Sunday every pleasure
was permitted ; to him even necessary labour was forbidden.
Alas! for human justice, when will it cease to be absurd and
contradictory?

We had started at daybreak. A white frost covered the
ground, and the sun had risen through a discoloured and
misty atmosphere. It was an unlucky prognostic, for frost
and sun together are bad omens, as far as the weather is
concerned, and there was every appearance of rain towards
the middle of the day. Indeed, we had scarcely taken our
seats in the neat cottage of the keeper to breakfast on some
sandwiches of sausages and bread-and-butter, with some
excellent Bavarian beer, when some drops of rain, aided by
a violent wind, beat against the windows. It was a just
punishment of Providence, and a well -deserved vengeance for
the poor peasant and his rake, and taught us that at all
events the rain falls on rich and poor alike. We received
the lesson with resignation, but our chasse was not put off
on this account. Our intention after breakfast was to sub-
stitute small battues for the purschen. Three keepers only
were the staff employed as beaters, if, indeed, a small dog,
which was held in leash by one of them, did not pass for a
fourth ; he was called "Bellement," and his appearance was by
no means flattering. I have no idea to what species or
variety of the canine race he belonged; of a dingy brown
colour, small, thin, with short ears, and lack-lustre eyes, he
kept his tail between his legs, and trembled in all his limbs
as if he had an intermittent fever. We set out in this
manner — three shooters, three beaters, with the little dog
into the bargain, and the chasse commenced at the very doors
of the cottage.

Small as was the space we beat at one time, we

284 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

were very unfortunate in the positions we took up. We
found game everywhere, and the sharp notes of " Bellement,"
who gave tongue two or three times upon a roebuck, and
about twice as many on a stag, warned us to be prepared
with both hand and eye. Nothing, however, broke cover
near us ; it was always either to the right or the left, behind
or before, too soon or too late, never in the nick of time and
place. Sometimes we distinguished in the distance that
gentle gallop or rather canter over the dead leaves (quadru-
pedantem sonitum) so welcome to the ears of a chasseur.
The sound approaches — a form appears amongst the trees —
our rifle is at the shoulder — the finger on the trigger, but
alas ! there are no more horns than on my hand — a hind
or a doe ! It was too provoking. The time sped onwards,
the evening was approaching, and we had not fired a shot ;
but hope, which never leaves a man until death, does not
abandon the sportsman until the close of night.

At length, from one beat to another, we arrived at a spot I
recollected having noticed in the morning. It was a coppice
of young pines, from eight to ten years old, and planted so
near to each other that they almost resembled a palisade.
I was posted in a narrow ride or path in the centre
of this cover, and already distinguished the noise of the
keepers approaching, and the strokes of their sticks upon the
trees; already "Bellement" had arrived to warm himself
between my legs. There was nothing to expect from this
beat. The rain still continued to fall, not in violent showers,
but with a slow and steady obstinacy. Leaning against a
tree for a little shelter, and covering the locks of my rifle
with the tail of my shooting-jacket, I rested sometimes on
one leg, sometimes on the other, like a fowl on its perch, and,
despairing of any sport, lit my cigar, and gave a free course
to my reflections.

I was almost lost in reverie when I heard a slight move-

THE CHASSE IN PRUSSIA. 285

ment amongst the leaves just behind me, and, upon turning
round, perceived an immense boar, that was cautiously pass-
ing the ride from an opposite direction into the very planta-
tion we were in the act of beating. I quickly brought my
rifle to the shoulder, and fired, when he disappeared in the
recesses of the wood.

Although it was almost a guess shot, yet, as I had a full
side-view of the black game, it took effect behind the ribs ;
still he continued his course as if untouched, but I was soon
apprised by the sounds of " Bellernent's" tongue, who had
started valiantly in pursuit, that, instead of taking a straight
line, he was making a circuit of the beat. He was evidently
wounded, and I very soon perceived that he stood at bay.
" Bellement" howled with all the fury and power of his lungs,
and I made my way into the cover with all the force of my
arms and legs. It was almost impossible, however, to effect
a passage through this impenetrable plantation of pines.
Like a swimmer, who husbands his strength by swimming
alternately upon his stomach and his back, I pushed my way
into the thicket, sometimes in a forward, sometimes in a
reversed attitude, but I tore my hands in vain; in vain I
exposed my face to the rebound of the branches, with the
expectation of leaving one of my eyes at the extremity of
some thorn-bush. I advanced but miserably slowly, still I
did advance, and, in spite of all the noise and contusion I
created, the gigantic boar and the little dog were so much
occupied with each other that they allowed me to approach
close to them. I was now not above ten paces from the field
of battle ; " Bellement" was howling between my legs, and I
could distinguish the hoarse grunting of the enemy at bay in
a thicket close by. At length, either having perceived me,
or understanding the powerful aid that had come to the
dog, the boar beat a retreat. I observed a dark mass rush-
ing through the forest, bending the young trees before it as

286 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

though they were so many reeds. I again brought the stock
of my rifle to the shoulder, but not all my force and excite-
ment was sufficient to raise the barrels, which remained
entangled amongst the bi^anches. The wounded animal
again disappeared. I continued the pursuit. He had again
passed the ride, and returned to his original retreat. " Belle-
ment" followed, giving tongue in the most determined man-
ner. He was now seen by one of my companions, who
lodged two balls in his body without bringing him down.
"When I arrived, all out of breath with a fresh scramble
through the wood, I found my friend re-charging his rifle in
the ride, and pointing to a thicket where the animal was
again at bay. Having approached nearer, what a spectacle
greeted my eyes. With his back against the trunk of a tree,
in the posture of the antique boar in the Florentine Gallery,
with bristles standing on end, eye on fire, his head lowered,
and his mouth covered with bloody foam, the boar was
endeavouring to gore with his enormous tusks his feeble and
contemptible enemy. On one side and the other, behind and
before, " Bellement" redoubled his attacks, and a whole pack
of hounds could not have done more. The poor dog, hitherto
so small and insignificant, had become a positive hero.
Covered also with blood, but the blood of his enemy, active
both in the charge and the retreat, displaying a courage and
determination only equalled by his skill in avoiding the
tusks of his formidable adversary, he fastened on with his
teeth to the thighs, neck, ears, and even the muzzle of the
boar. I was at ten paces from the group, and afraid to fire,
lest in the attempt I should wound the courageous little
animal. At length, however, shaking the dog from him by
a violent effort, the boar stood exposed, and my ball took
effect full in the centre of the breast. He made one bound,
and with an eye like a coal, rushed upon me, but had scarcely
made the first effort when his strength failed him, and falling

THE CHASSE IN PRUSSIA. 287

upon bis knees, he rolled over on his side, and very soon a
convulsive movement in all his members announced his
death.

" This is an old rascal that has often escaped us," exclaimed
one of the keepers, who had recognised the animal. It was
a solitary and very old boar, and, upon examining his tusks,
sharp as a double-edged sword, we shuddered at the risks
poor little "Bellement" had incurred. As to the dog, satisfied,
but not vain of the victory, he was stretched upon the ground
close to the monster, and quietly licking the blood from his
feet and nose. The char-a-banc was sent for to carry away
the body of the victim, with the addition of two roebucks
which we added to our list ; after which, on the same even-
ing, furnished with a certificate in regular form as to the
legitimate source of the game we carried with us, we repassed
the gates of Berlin without being arrested as poachers, aiid
forwarded the produce of the day's chasse to the Compte de

H , as in former days Meleager presented to the warlike

Atalanta the head of the boar of Calydon.

There is a great charm in travelling through a country one
has never before seen, but I consider that a greater still exists
in revisiting scenes full of pleasant associations, and this plea-
sure awaited me in Prussia upon my second trip to Berlin.
Once more I repaired to the village of Lancke, with its vast
empty chateau, capable of holding a regiment of soldiers, its
immense park, where an army might manoeuvre, and its
noble lakes and forests. I found the three gamekeepers at
their posts, whose honest and cheerful faces were more easy
to remember than their names, and last, though not really
the least, the little "Bellement," my hero of the former year,
concealing the heart of a lion beneath the modest appearance
of a poor little dog. I was cordially received by the Ober
Forster, an old soldier, with white hair and black mous-
tachios, a true Prussian — grave, silent, rarely opening his

288 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

mouth, except to bite the stem of his pipe, but an excellent
sportsman, and taking more care of the game under his
charge than of the poultry in his own farm-yard.

Upon my arrival at Berlin I had heard some very un-
favourable accounts of the sporting prospects for the coming
season. An epidemic disease had attacked the larger species
of game during the summer, particularly in the royal forests,
more than four hundred carcases of stags, hinds, and roe-
deer had been found, and this terrible scourge had extended
even to the wild boars and foxes ; I shall not add wolves,
which have been nearly as completely destroyed in Prussia
as in England. All, however, had not perished, and the

game of the Compte de R, , more fortunate than that of

his Majesty, had to a certain extent escaped the grievous
infliction. A proof of this I am about to relate. With a
Russian nobleman as my companion, I started one morning
with the Ober Forster in the old char-a-banc for the chasse
called purschen, which I have previously explained. We
had scarcely commenced our drive beneath the wide-spread-
ing trees of the forest when we perceived in the distance a
mass of red-coloured objects perfectly motionless, which less
experienced eyes might have mistaken for branches covered
with dead leaves. It was decidedly a herd of what the Ger-
mans denominate red game. By observing proper tactics,
and beating up like a ship against the wind, we approached
without disturbing the troop, and were able both to count
and distinguish them. At first we could make out nothing
but hinds, which successively raised their heads, made a
bound or two, and then stopped to regard us with curiosity;
at length one of the last of the herd, upon " lifting up his
countenance," displayed a fine pair of antlers, garnished with
six or seven branches. He was the happy sultan of this
numerous seraglio, and to him alone were our attentions to
be paid. A new manoeuvre, and a circular march, conducted

THE CHASSE IN PRUSSIA. 289

with skill and prudence, brought us into close contact with
him, that is to say, within a hundred yards : no great distance
for a good rifle, when the target is the body of a red deer.

The object of our pursuit stood quietly inspecting our
manoeuvres, whilst the female squadron denied off at a slow
canter, as though he bore between his horns the miraculous
vision which disarmed St. Hubert, and caused the dogs to
fall on their knees in prayer.

My friend the Russian, who had done much execution
amongst bears and wolves, had never in his life killed a stag
in these temperate climates. I placed my good rifle in his
hands, and pushed him gently out of the ckar-ct,-banc, which
the horses continued to drag onwaids at a snail's pace.
When he was well established upon his legs, he took a
steady aim at the stag, but with that kind of nervous
emotion which the newspapers describe as inseparable from
a first debut. His ball lodged in the trunk of a young pine-
tree, the splinters of which were scattered around, whilst
the stag, with a bound which would have done honour to a
"Vestris, disappeared with his wives, his concubines, and his
offspring. " Ah ! my good friend," I exclaimed to the Mus-
covite, " what a pity it is there are any trees in the forest !"
Thus finished our purscfien — by a bad shot and a foolish speech.

After breakfast, as usual, we changed our mode of shoot-
ing to the battue with the keepers and the little dog, and I
shall not exhaust the patience of the reader with a descrip-
tion of the numerous drives we made, where we saw nothing
but hares and foxes, or, if we came upon any of the larger
game, it was always of the female gender. Sufficient to
relate that towards evening, upon leaving the forest, we
arrived at a small hill in the midst of an amphitheatre of
woods, and covered by a plantation of young pines. Placed
with our backs to the forest and our faces to this eminence,
we perceived the green foraging-caps of the keepers just

u

290 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

peeping above the tops of the cover, whilst " Bellement" was
beating the hidden retreats beneath. Two foxes and three
roedeer were successively viewed, but none of them came
within shot of us; at length, at the extremity of a small
ravine, immediately opposite, I observed some dark object
suddenly issue, then return into the cover, and repeat the
same manoeuvre several times, as if undecided as to its
movements. The sharp tongue of the little dog, however,
soon put an end to the hesitation of this wandering phantom,
and I beheld a large wild-boar, with head bowed and tail
erect, galloping down the slope of the hill, and making for
the forest on my right. I ran as hard as my legs would
carry me to cut off his retreat, and finding myself distanced,
fired almost in despair, but he only ran the faster, and dis-
appeared beneath the beech-trees, the nuts of which he had
been feasting upon. My shot was soon answered by two
others at no great distance, and some plaintive sounds an-
nounced that these had been more fatal than my own.
What I had taken for a boar was an old sow, who in her
flight had abandoned a family of thirteen great marcassms,
in fact, nearly half-grown pigs. The keepers had killed one.
I pushed my way into the cover head foremost, and shortly
another marcassin bolted nearly between my legs, but not
being able to get a clear sight of it through the thickets, I
fired in the direction of the moving branches, and the whole
troop were soon scattered about in all directions, leaving us
only a very small tithe of their number.

In the meantime " Bellement" had disappeared. We called,
whistled, and fired in the air, but could hear nothing of him,
nor could imagine what was become of him. We searched
carefully around, halloed, whistled, and used the most
caressing epithets, but no signs of the hound.

"Either the dog is killed," remarked one of the keepers,
"or another marcassin is wounded."

THE CHASSE IN PRUSSIA. 291

Returning to the spot where I had fired at hazard, he
searched the ground for any traces that might remain, and,
after a careful examination of the dead leaves that were
spread around, had not advanced above fifty paces when,
with a keen intensity of vision, which none but a forest
jagher could possess, he pointed out a small speck of blood
upon a leaf. No doubt the animal was wounded. We
followed upon the track, guided only by these slight indica-
tions, which re-appeared from time to time; but soon an
impenetrable thicket presented itself, and the evening was
closing in. What was to be done ? Another keeper pro-
posed, as- a last resource, to return to the lodge, and bring
back two pointers to search for poor " Bellernent." The
experiment was successful, and they soon discovered their
lost companion, who was seated on the ground, close to the
wounded marcassin. The latter, seeing the reinforcement
that had arrived, managed to scramble upon his legs againr
and make his way through the thicket. " Bellement" did the
same, and the keepers informed me that they could observe
them, at some distance further, stretched upon the ground
together, more like two friends who had been travelling in
company than mortal enemies. The night obliged us to beat a
retreat, and to return with the two pointers. " Bellement/'
however, remained game to the last, and did not come back
to the lodge until the following morning — nor, indeed, until
the wounded animal had, as it were, breathed the last sigh in
his arms, for the next day the body of the marcassin was
found, pierced with a ball through the loins.

After this short preface I might conscientiously relate
other adventures of the same kind, such as ariother wild-
boar killed at bay, a stag brought down from a char-a-banc,
or a day's sport, which consisted of four foxes, twenty hares,
and nine roedeer, but had rather proceed to another description
of shooting in Prussia on which I have not hitherto touched.

292 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

During the months when the partridge and pheasant-
shooting is nearly over, and the ground is covered with con-
tinual frost, snow, and ice, the hare battues commence in
Germany. I can only compare them to the periodical drag-
ging of productive fish-ponds, for in this chasse profit is
considered quite as much as pleasure. It is by this that the
proprietors of the soil, or the renters of manors, make a
revenue of their game ; and this season of the year unites
two advantages, being the least injurious to the reproduction
of the species, and the best opportunity for disposing of it
to the dealers, who (as it can be kept in a state of preserva-
tion for a long time) will give more for it than at any other
period.

These battues are of two kinds; one in the woods, and
the other, and most important, on the plains.

They are conducted in various ways ; sometimes in the
usual manner, the shooters on one side and the beaters
advancing towards them on the other ; sometimes by a
peculiar mode called kesseltreiben, from kessel (a boiler) and

treiben (to track), or a circular battue, and as to this

but in place of explaining it I shall rather describe one in
which I took a part, and as they all resemble each other in
the form, and only differ in the results, I shall take the first
at which I was present, adding by way of parenthesis, ex uno
disce omnes,

It was about the middle of December — a slight coating
of snow, avant courier of a hard and severe winter, covered
the roofs of Berlin and the surrounding country — I received
a shooting invitation from a celebrated artist, a native of
that city. The rendezvous was at the terminus of one of
the five or six railways that run in all directions around the
capital of Prussia. Our short journey was completed in a
sufficiently short time to bring us to our ground just as the
sluggish winter sun was appearing above the horizon. We did

THE CHASSE IK ^RUSSIA. 293

not travel stretched upon the luxurious cushions of first class
carriages, but packed, to the number of about thirty persons,
in a third-class wagon. We had, in fact, engaged a sort
of special convoi to ourselves, which was to bring us back
at night at a certain hour, and certainly this war-chariot, or
moving block-house, poured out as much smoke through its
open windows as the chimney of the locomotive, so many
pipes and cigars were in a state of combustion. We were
smoke-dried, like so many Westphalian hams, but fortunately
no sparks fell upon our powder.

The beaters awaited our arrival at the rendezvous in
numbers about equal to our own, and the two troops united,
each formed into a battalion of close companies ; an officer
took the command, the proprietor of the chasse who had
invited us. With a quick eye he measured the field of
battle, fixed the extent, and marked out the limits.

By his orders two subordinate officers, chosen from each
troop, set off to the right and left, converging by a semi-
circular direction towards the point indicated for their
junction. When these two avant gardes had advanced fifty
paces from the group, two others were despatched upon,
their traces successively, and at the same distance ; after a
shooter a beater, and after a beater a shooter. The two
processions thus gently extended their flanks, and, when the
circle was formed, a signal was given by the chief to halt.
Every one obeys : right face ! left face ! and all the members
composing the great circle find themselves opposite to each
other, intermixed with the beaters, who are hallooing at the
utmost extent of their lungs, and sounding a sort of rattle
they carry with them. The whole party march gently
forwards towards the interior of the circle, which, when it
gets so much concentrated that shooting becomes dangerous,
a halt is again called by the commandant, and the beaters
alone advance towards the centre, the sportsmen remaining

294 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

stationary, and only firing at such hares as pass through
their ranks on the other side.

I really cannot say, as to the results, whether this form of
battue is preferable to the other, but all I can judge of, from
my own experience, is, that it is much more amusing, and
that the kessel is a vast amphitheatre where each performer
exhibits and takes a part in the drama. In these vast
plains, without trees, without hedges, or even bushes, every-
thing is visible. One observes the poor hares leap from
their forms upon the white surface of the ground, running
here and there within the circle by which they are en-
closed, crossing and jostling each other, and, at length,
making a last effort at full speed, with their ears thrown
back close to the skin, to break the line of their assailants.
Every shot is also coram populo, no resources for the brag-
gart, not even the usual excuses, " I have hit him !" " I
have fired at too long a distance !" " My gun hung fire !"
One can conscientiously admire the good shots, and laugh
at the bad ones.

After one battue was finished another commenced, and so
on as long as our ground lasted and the sun shone on our
operations ; but in the middle of the day the party united
around another Vessel. An excellent luncheon awaited us
in a small pine plantation which crowned a gentle eminence.
Cold meat, pies, cakes, fruits, wines of France and Germany,
were spread upon a rustic table, an immense kettle smoked
hard-by, filled with potatoes en robe de cJiambre, the true
luxury of sportsmen, where each of us, furnished with
bread, butter, and salt, commenced the lining of his stomach ;
after which the beaters, each taking from his pocket a huge
slice of black bread, arranged themselves in their turn
around the inexhaustible kettle. The remains were thrown
to the dogs which always accompany these expeditions to
follow and retrieve the wounded hares that escape beyond

THE CHASSE IN PRUSSIA. 295

the circles after each battue. Our camp presented a very
animated and picturesque scene — the group of chasseurs
and beaters, the dogs ranged in couples, the guns piled up,
the game in heaps, the wagon for its conveyance, the
table/ &c., lighted up by the pale rays of the sun shining
through the dark branches of the pines, and causing the
white surface of the earth to sparkle like so many diamonds.

Yery amusing in itself, our chasse was intermixed with
certain episodes which added something to our entertain-
ment. Amongst the party was a young Nimrod, very rich,
it was said, very noble, but which did not prevent his being
very green ! This is often, the case j and, if we are to believe
Dr. Samuel Johnson, one of the great advantages the law of
entail possesses in England is, that it only makes one fool in,
a family. This living proof of the rash assertion of the
celebrated author of " Rasselas" had brought with him, for
the purpose of shooting hares, a pouch filled with large
buck-shot. He asked his next neighbour on the right, who
happened to be mine on the left, how many shot were suffi-
cient for a charge. This gentleman, trembling for his legs
at the sight of such bullets, answered laconically — Sixty.
Immediately the young Baron commenced counting, with as
much religious exactitude as a monk would the grains of his
chaplet, sixty chevrotines, which he dropped, one after the
other, into the barrel of a gun, the calibre of which was not
as large as the circumference of my little finger, upon a very
small charge of powdeV. Upon our mutual neighbour re-
lating this circumstance to me, I advised him to be prepared
to perform double duty, or to fill up the gap that would be
occasioned by the bursting of the Baron's fowling-piece,
which, if it exploded, would be inevitable.

At the risk of tiring my readers, I shall relate a battue of
a different description, to which I had the good fortune to
be invited shortly after the former one.

296 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

The Princess of S possessed at G- one of the most

important seigneurial estates in Prussia. It is situated not
far from Frankfort-upon-the-Oder, in a rich valley watered
by this river — rich, indeed, in comparison to the sandy steppes ,
of the Spree which surround Berlin in all directions. These
plains are named the marshes of the Oder (Oder Brudi).?
Immense herds of horses, cattle, and sheep graze upon them,
and the value of the property is calculated by the number of
beasts, as in Kussia by the heads of peasants and the number
of souls. The Princess possessed more than six thousand
sheep, which would require a great extent of land. The soil
was also favourable to many kinds of agricultural produce, and,
although the snow was deep — for we were now at the end of
December — we could distinguish here and there, by their bare
and dried stalks, several large plantations of tobacco, the
leaves of which had already been employed in the fabrication
of Havannah and other cigars in the Government manu-
factory. But I rather think the marshes of the Oder are
more famous for their hares than their cigars. The great

annual battues that take place at G may well be called

royal, and the more so as the king often takes a part in
them, without any pomp or pretension, mixing up with the
chasseurs like brother- sportsmen, or equals. The chasse
possesses the same privileges as love and death — it annuls all
distinctions. This year, however, affairs of state detained
his Majesty at Berlin, but the Prince of Prussia, his eldest
brother, had accepted the invitation' which was sent to him,
together with many other persons of distinction, and some
strangers, amongst whom I had the good fortune, through
the interest of a friend, to be included. We were received

by the Princess and the Compte de S , her husband, in

the most amiable manner, and with splendid hospitality.

Upon arriving at nightfall at the chateau, many of the
guests who had preceded us had amused themselves during

THE CHASSE IN PRUSSIA. 297

the day with, a little preliminary shooting, and had killed
two hundred and eight hares. Obliged, in order not to keep
the party waiting, to leave Berlin at midnight, in spite of
the rigour of the season, the Prince of Prussia arrived
punctually at the hour of breakfast on the following morning,
and very shortly afterwards the whole army that formed the
cortege commenced its march into the country. We num-
bered more than sixty guns and three hundred beaters.
Each of the latter carried his number attached to his button-
hole, and a rattle in his hand. They were divided into two
equal troops, commanded by a general in green uniform, who,
galloping at their head and along the line, gave the orders
and signals for their manoeuvres, all the different battues
having been measured and marked out beforehand. Whilst
one division of beaters were occupied with loud shouts in
tracking the space assigned to them, another marched in
silence to the spot where the next battue was to take place,
and arranged themselves in a semicircular form along the
line of their position. In this manner the sportsmen passed,
without losing time, from one place to another, and the
battues succeeded each other - with as much celerity as
good order; added to this, a military band belonging
to the Princess followed the chasseurs, and, posted behind
the line of battle, intermixed the music of waltzes and
marches with the incessant reports of our guns. Never
did I witness such preparations for a chasse, or one so well-
conducted and so successful.

We had quitted the chateau at eleven o'clock, and the
night soon closes in here at the end of December; still, in
less than four hours, we had killed three hundred and sixty-
six hares. The next day another shooting-party took place,
which commenced earlier, finished sooner, and occupied
about the same space of time. This was not on the plains,
but in the small woods that surrounded them. More than

208 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

half of the guests had quitted the chateau, and two-thirds
of the beaters had been dismissed, but we brought back a
hundred and sixty-two hares, besides three foxes and two
roedeer. Thus, during three short days' sport, we had
bagged a sum total of seven hundred and thirty- six hares,
which number, when the wounded that had been picked up
afterwards were added, might easily be augmented to eight
hundred. Still, this was considered a very unfavourable re-
sult, and much inferior to some years ; indeed, our noble
hosts almost asked pardon of their guests for the bad sport
they had shown them. Such frequent massacres, such
" Sicilian Vespers," are sufficient, I should have imagined, to
destroy the whole race of hares in the country. But besides
the number of shots missed in one of these battues} a circum-
stance occurs in alleviation of the general carnage, and opens
a gate of comparative safety to the poor animals. When the
shouts of the beaters and the noise of their rattles are in full
operation, after some moments of hesitation, crossing, jostling,
and running about in contrary directions, they soon form
into little troops, like sheep in files, and taking one direc-
tion, attempt to break through the line or circle at a par-
ticular point, so that the two chasseurs between whom they
pass, after having fired their two barrels each — or four if
they have a spare gun — are left hors de combat, and the mass
of hares have escaped.

It is a curious and singular sight at first, but soon loses
its charm; one takes pity on the miserable animals, mas-
sacred in this wholesale manner, which are seen struggling
in the agonies of death in all directions, and whose piercing
cries are mixed up with the sound of the music and the
beaters. Besides, it is accompanied with no exercise, no
fatigue, no variety ! It cannot be called sport, and it is
quite sufficient to witness it once during a year. Eight
hundred hares appear rather a heavy bag, but during dinner

THE CHASSE IN PRUSSIA. 299

on the preceding evening I heard the Prince of Prussia
mention that three weeks previously, in Prussian Saxony,
during two battues, which had lasted five hours, the king
and his suite had killed one thousand three hundred and
sixty-seven hares. Another day, sixty-eight wild-boars ;
and upon another occasion, I forget how many stags and
fallow-deer; but the last chasse was remarkable from a curious
incident. In the first drive they came upon a herd of deer
so numerous and so compact, that the king, firing into the
midst of them, had killed three fallow-deer with his first
barrel, and two with the other !

By way of citing one more instance of the quantity of
game sometimes killed in one day in a royal chasse in
Germany, I shall transcribe the official list of several that
took place during the month of October, 1847, in the do-
mains of the Emperor of Austria, and at which Lord

W , our minister at the Court of Vienna, was present.

The invitations for these Imperial shooting-parties are
imprinted on large cards, on one side of which is inscribed
the rendezvous, the day, and the nature of the chasse, and
on the other is traced a small map, which gives a very good
idea of the topography of the ground. These shooting-
parties lasted three days, and were of three different descrip-
tions. The first, with pointers only, took place on the
plains of Laxemburg, and below I have transcribed a note
of the game killed and bagged in less than three hours.

Pheasants 559

Partridges 1514

Hares 8

.Rabbits 1

Hawks 1

Owls 1

Total . 2084

300

SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

The second was a battue on the plain of Schekatt —

Hares . 1118

Partridges 172

Total 1290

The third chasse was a battue in one of the woods of
the park, with rifles only, and the game of the largest
description.

Stags 36

Hinds 48

Wild-boars 22

Moufflons 4

Total ..... 110

But the next day, after having retrieved the wounded
beasts, the number amounted to one hundred and sixty-
seven. To those who refuse to believe in these calculations,
I shall simply say, go and judge for yourselves; or, still
better, if possible, get invited, (and if you happen to be a
sovereign prince, an ambassador, or, above all, a rich banker,
perhaps you may succeed,) and do me the justice to say that
I have been the means of procuring you an enjoyment, the
souvenir of which will remain implanted in your memory
for the remainder of your life.

After winter comes the spring — after Berlin, Dresden.
When one has admired every day for a whole week the
"Madonna" of Raphael, the "Virgin" of Holbein, the "Night"
of Correggio, and all the wonders of the gallery of Augustus
III. — when the library has been visited, the collection of
armour, and the curiosities of the Grune Gewolbe explored, it is
time to leave Dresden, to follow the banks of the soft-flowing
river, and inspect the fertile plains and beautiful amphi-
theatre of mountains that surround it. I addressed one of

THE CHASSE IN SAXONY. 301

the chief merchants of the city with my usual question, " Is
there any shooting to be had 1" " Impossible !" he replied,
at the same time seizing one of my wrists with a grasp
sufficiently strong to destroy the last spark of hope ; " at the
end of May there is no shooting, except the larger kind of
game." "Well?" — "And that is only found in the royal
forests." " Well T—« Permission must be obtained." "Well?"
Here the merchant made a long pause, and looking at me
with mute astonishment, replied, with accents of pity, "What
are you .thinking about, my dear sir ? Why, you are not
even a baron !"

I was more fortunate in the following month of November,
just at the moment when the winter chasse begins. Almost
in the centre of the vast German empire, Saxony unites
to simple manners and ancient hospitality a very extensive
knowledge of agriculture and different branches of industry.
That most difficult of problems, how to live well and at the
same time economically, can be here realized. Of all the
countries through which I have travelled, I should say that
Saxony (including all classes) is the most prosperous and
happy, as Ireland is decidedly the most miserable.

This time I was not likely to receive the same answer I
did on a former occasion, as the chasse, under certain re-
strictions, was open to everybody. I addressed, therefore,
the same question to the same individual, and the following
day, with an air of quiet satisfaction, he placed in my hands
a sheet of paper, regularly signed and sealed, which con-
tained five permissions to shoot over five chasses royales.
I was delighted. I beheld myself in imagination amidst
herds of deer and troops of boars in the royal parks; but
alas! we must never judge by appearances. These per-
missions were for the open plains only, where nothing but
partridges and hares were to be found ; besides, the hares
were royal property, so that the partridges only remained,

302 SPOUTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

of which I might kill as many as I pleased ; but, in the
month of November, when the ground is as bare as the palm
of your hand, permission to shoot partridges seemed very
much like a mockery, or, at all events, a very bad joke. The
Germans, however, are too matter-of-fact a people, and far
too kind, to laugh at strangers. The merchant who ob-
tained the permission, and the Government functionary who
gave it, knew very well what they were about, and, although
the centre of the cantons was most religiously preserved for
his Saxon majesty, bad luck to the hares that strayed to the
borders.

One of the great advantages resulting from my five per-
missions was the proximity of the ground. The five
cantons are at the very gates of Dresden, on the left bank of
the Elbe, and I could get to my ground in a drosky, or
fiacre, for the modest sum of ten groschen. A young under-
keeper was sent to conduct us (my friend and myself), who
had still all the privileges of a superior officer, for he carried
a very good gun, a prize which he had taken from some
delinquent, and one of three, according to his own account,
he had seized from sportsmen shooting without permission;
in Germany the keepers being permitted to disarm all
persons found under similar circumstances, which is generally
the only penalty inflicted.

I started seven hares in the first field I set foot in, and my
companion about the same number, but we were in the midst
of the king's preserves, and surrounded by eyes and ears. It
must not be understood by this that the King of Saxony is
a sort of feudal tyrant, who owns in his proper person all
the soil in his kingdom — far from it. The old king, father
of the reigning prince, had made a gift to the state of all the
domains of the crown, reserving to himself a very small civil
list, and leaving himself at the mercy of his subjects; an
example rarely followed. Still he had retained some of the
ancient prerogatives of the crown, and amongst them the

THE CHASSE IN SAXONY. 303

right ofchasse over a great part of the lands of his subjects,
and particularly all the country, including a large circum-
ference, in the immediate neighbourhood of Dresden. The
King of Prussia possesses the same privileges over nearly the
whole of Germany ; the right of shooting is separated from,
the proprietorship of the soil, and the state lets out for hire
the shootings over forest, plain, and marsh, as a part of the
revenues of the crown. At the termination of the plain we
arrived at some charming slopes, where thick bushes were
scattered over the almost naked rocks. These banks were
very steep at the end of the valley, and bordering a rapid
torrent, but the bushes were the favourite retreat of many
hares and foxes. The keeper and his dog, scrambling with
much difficulty along the sides, drove the game upwards to-
wards us on the summit of the rocks. It was a very singular
position. The wide valley beneath our feet, the hills in
front, and the river in the background, formed a curious
panorama, We enjoyed a fine view, a good walk, and excel-
lent sport, having filled an immense wicker-basket with
hares and partridges, that a vigorous peasant, who accom-
panied us, carried on his shoulders. We made several
excursions of the same description, and each time, on our
departure, the man with the basket emptied its contents
before us, like a poulterer displaying his stock to tempt us
to make purchases. The game, in fact, here, as everywhere
else in Germany, belongs to the proprietor of the chasse, and
the shooter can only take away what quantity he pleases by
paying a certain fixed price per head. This custom may be
rather repugnant to our own feelings, but where it is esta-
blished I cannot help approving of it. First of all, it is just,
and very convenient for strangers, as it puts them at their
ease, and does away with the obligation they would other-
wise incur when requesting permission to sport over the
lands of casual acquaintances.

From Dresden I floated down the Elbe to Hamburg, one

304 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

of tlie most sumptuous and richest cities in the world, and
certainly the finest in the north of Europe. It is a proof of
that somewhat paradoxical fact, the utility of great fires.
Nothing, in fact, is a more effective method of beautifying
and improving a city than burning it down. Such was the
case with London in 1666, Moscow in 1812, and Hamburg
in 1842. Since the great fire, Hamburg seems not only to
comprise two cities, but two cities of different nations and
different periods. The old one, with its tortuous canals,
crenelated roofs, and multitude of windows, is completely
Dutch, and reminds us of the middle ages. The new one, on
the contrary, with its broad, straight streets, and its large
brick houses, is altogether modern English.

Hamburg is not only a handsome, rich, and flourishing
city, but it is also a free city — perhaps to this last epithet
she owes the former three. Yery different from her sister
Frankfort-on-the-Maine, completely under the control of
Austria and the Germanic Diet, their edicts do not extend
to the north of the Elbe, and this Yenice of the north is a
true republic, a true democracy, without court, without
nobility, and without privileges.

Twenty-four senators are elected from amongst the most
distinguished persons in the city, and form the government,
the administration, and the high courts of justice. Fifteen
tribunes of the people, chosen by the five parishes of the
city, under the name of ober alien, regulate and control the
authority of the senate; four syndics, who exercise the
functions as responsible ministers of the interior, finance,
justice, and the army and navy ; four burgomasters, who
hold the executive power. Such is the simple, solid, and
regular organization of this primitive government.

Hamburg owes much of her prosperity to the weakness
and rivalry of the little states that surround her, and to the
necessity felt by both England and Russia of protecting this

THE CHASSE NEAR HAMBUKG. 305

great commercial port as a means of conveyance for their
products over the whole of Germany.

But all this is little to the purpose of my subject — the
chasse. What sport is to be had in a town without any
surrounding country, whose frontiers are the end of the
streets ? — a city confined between two rivers, and almost close
to the sea, not even, as I had reason to hope, any marshes, —
for the Elbe and the Ester, frozen over half the year, are
covered with wagons instead of boats; admirable country
for sledges and skaters, but sad and desolate for sportsmen,
fishermen, and other amphibious creatures. But what can-
not riches effect 1 Hamburg possesses no territory, but her
merchant princes, by virtue of their gold, make use of the
lands of their neighbours ; they hire vast tracts of shooting
ground in Mecklenburg, Denmark, and Hanover. If they
felt disposed they could purchase the two Duchies and the
two kingdoms. I had scarcely expressed my wishes to an
opulent resident of the place, when I received several invita-
tions, given with the most cordial affability. I soon per-
ceived that if English habits and customs are prevalent
almost everywhere in Hamburg, in the city itself, in the
charming villas which surround it, and which resemble those
on the banks of the Thames, still that on one point, one
point alone, she has remained firm in her attachment to her
old national traditions. The chasse — dogs, guns, and the
usages of the chasse — are all German ! This contradiction,
or rather exception, exciting my curiosity, I discovered, by
questions and otherwise, why baUue-shooiiug in Germany is
the only method in favour of making war against the whole
host of game quadrupeds, from the humble hare to the
royal stag. The simple reason why the Germans deprive
themselves of the noblest of all kinds of sport, that of hunting
the king of the forest, or other beasts, with all the accessories
of hounds, horns, and horsemen, is that this species of cJiasse

x

306 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

not only frightens all the game in a canton, but drives it
away, from the preserves to other districts, whereas the battue,
less noisy, and circumscribed at will, does not disturb the
whole population of a forest.

Our first chasse, which was a battue on the plains, took
place in the Duchy of Holstein. To arrive at our ground
we had to traverse Altona, the twin-sister of Hamburg, and
only separated by the Faubourg of St. Paul, so well known to
sailors of all nations, who, upon their return from their
voyages, dissipate the greater part of their earnings upon
the violins and Circes with which this celebrated quarter
abounds. We were stopped some time at the gates of Ham-
burg, which are opened at seven o'clock in the morning,
by an interminable funeral procession, one of those sump^
tuous interments quite peculiar to this city, and conducted
with a ruinous, useless, and absurd expense.

Notwithstanding this sinister augury, our sport was excel-
lent. In the middle of the day we were invited to a splendid
luncheon, spread in a village cottage. The cottage, like most
others in this country, was a model of cleanliness and neat-
ness, a circumstance that confirmed me in a conclusion I
have long formed in my own mind, which is, that the inha-
bitants of the sea-coast, in almost all countries, are more
careful and neat, with regard to taking care of their homes,
than those of the interior. We returned with about fifty
hares and several foxes.

I was shortly afterwards present at another shooting-
party. This took place near the centre of the province of
Holstein, which may be compared to an omelette, the sides
of which are more savoury than the middle. Although the
frontiers are fertile, and contain a large population, the
centre is a wide desert of fir-trees, sand, and heath, and con-
tains only a few scattered villages. At the chasse, however, to
which we were invited, and which was in the forests of the

THE CHASSE NEAR HAMBURG. 307

King of Denmark, we did not perceive any want of popula-
tion, for at the rendezvous, which was a solitary cabin, we
found an army of beaters more numerous than those I have

before mentioned at the Princess of G- 's, in Prussia.

Their number astonished me, and the explanation of the
cause still more. At the very gates of a free town, I under-
stood that when the chasse in the royal forests of Denmark
was duly proclaimed by the appointed officers, and for the
profit of their master, the beaters are summoned by requisi-
tion, and arrive from all points of the compass without
receiving either pay or food.

Another singular circumstance connected with this day
remains implanted in my memory. When we had arrived
at the entrance of the first wood we were about to drive,
and the poor conscript-beaters were sent to take up their
posts, the sportsmen arranged themselves in a circle round
the oberforster who commanded the double army. Having
mounted a small eminence, he read with a loud voice, from a
paper which he held in his hand, the laws and ordinances of
the chasse, in very nearly these terms : —

" A fine of eight schillings'* will be levied from each chas-
seur who does not put himself in communication with his
neighbours to the right and the left before the battue com-
mences, that he may both see them and be seen by them.

" A fine of one mark against each individual who does not
carry his gun in a horizontal position over the shoulder
whilst marching in company.

" A fine of three marks twelve schellings from any one who
is perceived to have his gun cocked whilst in company with
others."

This comprises the first clause of the regulations, and

* The schelling is not quite twopence ; sixteen make a mark -current,
and twenty a mark-banco.

308 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

really there is nothing to find fault with in it. The second
part of the forest law may be also fraught with some bene-
ficial results, such as to enforce much more care and atten-
tion, but at the same time very advantageous to his Danish
Majesty, or his agents.

A fine of two schellings is pronounced for each shot that
misses a hare.

A fine of four schellings for a fox.

A fine of three marks ditto for a stag or a roebuck. is"o
excuses, such as wounding them, &c., are admitted; the game
must be produced, or the fine paid.

And lastly, a fine of one golden Frederic, the largest in
amount of the penal code, against any sportsman who, by
accident or design, shoots at a hind or a doe, whether or not
he hits or misses.

Bearers of guns or rattles, voluntary soldiers or impressed
conscripts, we all faithfully executed the manoeuvres prescribed
by our general -in-chief, so much so, indeed, that the night
had set in before the last battue was over. This, they said,
was the best, but what good was to be done when it was im-
possible to descry the form of a hare trotting through the
wood, or scarcely the sights of our guns ? I could just see a
troop of roedeer gallop by me with no other effect than
adding a little to my animal pulsation, but very soon after-
wards I heard a slower and much firmer step advancing
towards me ; a larger shadow became apparent, and a slight
moonbeam glancing through the branches fell upon the
huge antlers of a noble stag that was gently moving through
the trees, and only a few paces from me. I slipped down
upon my knees, and having neither ball nor rifle, but simply
my double-gun loaded with swan-shot, I awaited till he
turned his head a little on one side, and then gave him the
contents of both barrels in the neck. He fell stone dead,
with no other movement than a contraction of the legs, and

THE CHASSE NEAR HAMBURG. 309

no other sound than a deep-drawn breath, in which his last
sigh passed away.

Soon afterwards a general discharge of guns in the air
took place. The oberforster dismissed his recruits, who made
their escape like so many schoolboys after lessons. The
game was heaped up together, the fines paid, which were
only for shots missed, when he received our thanks and bid
us adieu, but, before departing, he once more ascended a
bank, and read us the bulletin of the campaign.

"Chasseurs and beaters, I am satisfied with you. You
have all done your duty. The enemy's line is broken, and they
are retreating in all directions. Two stags, five roebucks,,
eleven foxes, and more than fifty hares are the trophies of
this memorable day."

Upon returning to Berlin, after leaving Hamburg, and
recalling to mind the numerous promises of shooting invita-
tions I had made to me previous to my departure, I expected
to meet with excellent sport for the remainder of the winter.
Indeed, upon my arrival I heard nothing but wonderful
accounts of the success of my friends and acquaintances. One
had just returned from Silesia, where he had killed in two
days eighty-eight hares ; another from Hanover, where he
had killed, in six days, a hundred and seven foxes ; — truly a
prodigious number. And at a certain butcher's shop
opposite my lodgings I daily witnessed the arrivals of cart-
loads of half-frozen stags and roebucks ; but all this was the
shadow without the reality. Not that these promises were
made without the intention of fulfilling them, and with the
best intentions, but in Germany nothing is done in a hurry,
and there were many reasons for the delay. In the first
place, the intense severity of the cold, the thermometer
marking every morning sixteen degrees Reaumur, and no one
daring to expose his nose or his fingers. The " grippe," or
influenza, which was also exercising its ravages over the

310 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

whole population of the city, and few families escaped the
infliction. Prior engagements, affairs, difficulty in making
arrangements for a party ; in fact, if you wish to have every-
thing ready for a shooting expedition in January at Berlin,
the best plan is to go there in the month of September, and
I had only arrived a little after Christmas.

One evening, upon returning to my lodgings, I found upon
my table an oval piece of pasteboard, about the size of both
my hands, together with the visiting card of the Prince de

C , grand huntsman to the crown of Prussia. Upon the

top of the pasteboard were engraved different trophies of the
chase, surmounted by the head of St. Hubert's stag, carrying
a luminous cross between his horns, and in the centre an
invitation for a royal chasse on the following day, including a
description of the nature of the game, the canton, the rendez-
vous, the hour of departure as well as that of return, and
the means of conveyance. Nothing was deficient, and my
own name appeared at the bottom of the document. I could
not divine by whose intercession I was so fortunate as to
receive this invitation, but did not sleep much during the
night, fearing that the cold would prevent my awakening in
time, and arrived at the railway station before the office was
open. Our chasse was situated on the road to Silesia, by
Frankfort-on-the-Oder, and carriages awaited us at the
station to convey us rapidly to our ground, and indeed
waited upon us during the clay to transport us from one
track to another. The manoeuvres were conducted by the
grand huntsman in person, none of the royal family being
present, but all was organized exactly in the same manner as
if such had been the case. Tickets for the different posts were
drawn in a lottery by each chasseur, and with the number
contained a list of wise and prudent instructions as to what
precautions to take to avoid accidents. The officers of the
chase, of all ranks, on horseback and in full uniform, took

CHASSE NEAR BERLIN. 311

the command of the army of beaters, who were, however,
well paid for their services, and carried their numbers sus-
pended from the neck in large characters.

Trumpeters and horn-players marched along the flanks of
the troop, to give the signal for departure, to mark the ex-
tremity of the beat, and keep the beaters in line. A vast
number of hares were destroyed, but no other species of
game. Three days subsequently I received a second invita-
tion to a chasse at Copnick, near Berlin. The ground was a
series of small plantations in the midst of fields. There was
neither red or black game, but only what is termed mixed.
Still, at the end of the day, we might have erected a large
tumulus with the trophies of our sport. The carts carried
away twenty roebucks, sixteen foxes, one hundred and thirty-
three hares, and a partridge.

The king and the princes were present at the third chasse,
which took place in the plains of Lichtenburg, at the gates of
Berlin. This was a round battue, or Jcessel-treiben, which I
have formerly described. Those invited formed a group of
about forty shooters, and a whole battalion of the royal
Guards acted as beaters. This plain had not been shot upon
for five or six years, and the knowing ones prognosticated
that the chasse would be a failure, because the greater part
of the hares would have betaken themselves to the woods ; but,
notwithstanding this prophecy, the sport was good, although
very short, — circumscribed, indeed, between a late breakfast
and an early dinner, and only composed of two battues. In
the first, three hundred and ninety-three hares were killed ;
in the second, two hundred and forty-eight ; making a sum
total of six hundred and forty-one, without counting the
wounded and those picked up afterwards.

The first battue, during which a prodigious quantity of
hares were seen, would have been more productive, or
rather more destructive, if Heaven (protector of innocence)

312 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

had not taken the part of the poor animals. At the moment
of its commencement, a fine but penetrating storm of snow,
accompanied by a north wind, covered our persons, and not
only half-blinded us, but thoroughly wetted both ourselves
and our guns, and whilst every one was firing almost by
chance, without judging of the distance, not more than one-
half of the guns exploded. Still, considering that not one
person killed a tenth of what he fired at, the execution was
enormous.

I have already given my opinion of these battues. They
are regular massacres, which it is quite enough to witness
once or twice a year. One agreeable spectacle attending
this — the last at which I was present in Prussia — was the
gracious affability of the king and royal family to every one.
They conversed in the most familiar manner with all pre-
sent— sportsmen, soldiers, and peasants, without being recog-
nised by any of them, and with nothing in their dress or
appearance to lead to such recognition. The other mag-
nates present followed their example ; generals, ambas-
sadors, counts, dukes, and princes had each drawn their
number in the lottery, and each occupied the place assigned
to him. As I before observed, the chasse levels all conditions,
and this is more evident in Germany than in any other part
of the world.

BRAVA. 313

CHAPTER XXII.

GUINEA -FOWL SHOOTING IN THE ISLAND OP BRAVA, CAPE DE VERD
ISLANDS, 1853.

THE morning was as bright in the early spring of 1852, and
the sky as radiant, as any one that these tropical islands
could boast of, still the Trade breezes that blow almost con-
tinually in these latitudes fanned the surface of the ocean,
and considerably moderated what otherwise might have been
considered oppressive heat. The good schooner Vibilia, in
which I was a passenger to Australia, was swinging to her
anchor in the quiet little harbour of Brava, and at a very
short distance from her lay a small Portuguese man-of-war
corvette, an acquaintance with the officers of which vessel I
had made in the following singular manner :-^-

Upon our arrival and anchoring the previous day I ob-
served a number of large falcons hovering about, and darting
down upon every stray object that floated from the few
vessels then in the harbour. I could not resist the opportunity
that offered itself of getting a shot at one of these miniature
eagles, and was not long in winging one, which, to my great
annoyance, fell straight upon the person of a Portuguese
officer who was sitting upon the deck of the above-mentioned
corvette in a sort of dreamy abstraction, with his cup of
coffee beside him and his cigar in his mouth, upsetting the
former, and evidently very much disturbing the equanimity
of the latter. I was not long in jumping into our boat,
which was alongside, and on my way to apologize for the
inadvertent rudeness I had committed. My apologies were
not only received in good part, but an acquaintance and inter-

314 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

change of civilities arose in consequence, which very much
added to my pleasure during the few days we remained on
the island.

Amongst other courtesies, as they saw I was a chasseur
(our conversation was carried on in French) from the ad-
venture of the falcon, they invited me to accompany them
the following day on an expedition to shoot guinea-fowl,
which I need not say I was delighted to accede to.

This island, about twelve miles in circumference, is the
last of the Cape de Yerd group, and situated within a short
distance, and nearly opposite the volcano of Fogo. It rises
to the height of nearly three thousand feet above the level of
the sea, and on every side the land presents a brown volcanic
appearance, with no signs of verdure or cultivation. The
stranger, however, who has an opportunity of exploring the
hidden recesses of the interior, will be most agreeably dis-
appointed, and confess, perhaps, that amidst these arid and
barren mountains he has witnessed an oasis rarely if ever
equalled in richness and beauty ; or at least such was my im-
pression upon penetrating, or rather ascending to the summit,
of the island, in company with a merry party, and by paths
and tracks I verily believe inaccessible to any animal but a
donkey by long experience accustomed to the locality. Such,
indeed, was our mode of travelling, and more wonderful
specimens of the asinine genus I suspect were rarely collected
together.

After clambering up more than two thousand feet of the
mountain side, through the most rugged and impracticable
paths, and meeting many similar specimens of our own steeds
descending, loaded with water-skins, fruit, vegetables, poultry,
and pigs, the character of the soil began to change, and
instead of the dry, rocky, and volcanic surface, to be every-
where covered with a thick creeper of beans or scarlet-
runners, furnishing that universal Spanish and Portuguese

BEAVA. 315

delicacy, which, with its accompaniment of garlic and oil, is
called frijolos, with here and there patches of Indian corn.
Presently we arrived at a sort of crater or huge basin at
nearly the summit of the island, embracing several miles of
circumference, and in which, embosomed in the most luxuriant
tropical shrubs and fruit-trees of all descriptions, was
situated the town or capital of Brava.

The whole citron family, from the smallest mandarin
orange to the largest shaddock, and which were at this period
in full ripe maturity, and bearing down the branches with
their weight and luxuriance, shed a golden lustre over the
dark foliage of the coffee, guava, arbutus, and other shrubs.
White cottages, with green windows and verandahs, were
visible here and there, and now and then a building of
superior pretensions, in the midst of a forest of orange-trees,
signalized the presence of some of the wealthy inhabitants
of these islands in this enchanting spot. The atmosphere,
considering that we were only fourteen degrees from the
equator, was delightfully fresh and invigorating, and laden
with the perfume of fruits and flowers. In fact, this place,
from its superior salubrity over all the other and more im-
portant islands of the group, was the occasional and favourite
residence of the governor, bishop, and other authorities of
the Cape de Yerds, and the two former were residing there
at this period.

Our donkeys, which seemed to know their own way,
requiring no guidance of ours, and were quite as much at
home amidst the umbrageous labyrinths of the valley as they
were on the precipitous sides of the mountain, conducted us
straight to the casa or villa of the hospitable Captain of the
Port, as he was termed par complaisance; as from the few
vessels that touched there I should imagine his duties were
not very onerous, and must have been rather confined to the
cultivation of his oranges, vines, coffee, and other produce of

316 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

his pretty little domain. A diminutive, fat, and very dark
elderly gentleman, in a very loose white costume, received us
at the gate, shook hands with us all round, and, without
wasting any time on words, ushered us through a perfect
bower of orange- trees, which, indeed, completely overshadowed
it, into the interior of the casa. Here, in a neat whitewashed
apartment, with the invariable green window-frames and
blinds, the board was laid out, and upon which shortly made
its appearance a vast soup-tureen, the contents of which, as
far as I was able to investigate, were composed chiefly of
grease, garlic, and raisins, and gave me no very exalted idea
of our host's cuisine. In this, however, I was doomed to be
agreeably deceived, as upon the disappearance of this inevi-
table forerunner of all Portuguese repasts, a most appetizing
mixture of island delicacies was placed upon the table by
the captain's wife and domestics. A plump little porker,
lately torn from the maternal embrace, and looking ready to
burst from its crisp and golden crackling, reposed in a bed of
thin slices just cut from the fragrant lime. A dish of red
mullets, en papillote, that a few hours before had been sport-
ing in the pellucid depths of the bay, formed a charming vis-
a-vis to a delicate cabillaud a P Hottandaise, and the rear
was brought up by a capon, that, for dimensions and quality^
would not have disgraced a cabinet particidier at the " Trois
Freres" or furnished our immortal bard with an apt simile for
the identical bird that he described as lining the interior of a
middle-aged justice of the peace. Sweet potatoes, yams, and
other vegetables peculiar to the soil, and amongst which I
thought the frijolos might as well have been omitted, filled
up the interstices, and a very palatable light red wine, of
his own growing and manufacture, was served with pro-
fusion. The entremets sucres I considered problematical, and
having done ample justice to the previous course, abandoned
myself to the postprandial, or rather postrdejeun$, luxury of

BEAVA. 317

such a cup of coffee as I never tasted save on this favoured
spot, and a delicious puros* given me by one of my new
acquaintances. Fruits, comprising every variety of orange,
shaddocks, pine-apples, guavas, figs, and bananas, replaced
the more solid materials, and, in honour of the English guest,
a couple of bottles of exquisite Madeira, of most remote anti-
quity, were uncorked with no small degree of pride by our
host, who remarked at the same time that it was very unlikely
he would often again taste anything like it, or perhaps at all,
as the grapes on the island of Madeira were at this time
totally destroyed by the disease.

This important part of the day's proceedings being con-
cluded, preparations were made for the shooting expedition,
and for this purpose a very dirty and mysterious-looking
personage, yclept Peter, was sent for. I had before seen the
same individual acting as a pilot, in which capacity, when he
directed the course of our schooner into the harbour, he made
a great display of a few words of English that he had picked
up, and evinced the presence of the bump of cupidity to an
extraordinary degree. Everything he saw he either tried
to pocket or expressed a desire to possess; and I remember
whilst in the cabin of our vessel, after he had begged for a
lump of rotten cheese he saw in the steward's pantry, which
he had immediately transferred to some part of his person,
he made a snatch at a small comb that lay on the table,
observing — " My wife got plenty 1 — e 1"

Peter on this occasion had thrown aside his marine occupa-
tion, and instead of indicating the presence of rocks and
shoals, had volunteered to point out the whereabouts of
rabbits and guinea-fowl. He was followed by two dogs,
equal in grotesque appearance to himself; one was of the
large double-nosed Spanish pointer breed, but literally all

Real Havannah cigar.

318 SPOUTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

head — the body, either from poor diet or some other attenuating
causes, getting " small by degrees and beautifully less" as it
receded from the great square frontispiece; the other was an
unhappy concentration of various canine genera, but repre-
sented, at least to my eyes, a half-starved admixture of the
lurcher and colley. These he regarded with evident admira-
tion, explaining to the Portuguese part of the audience their
numerous beauties and perfections by a vast display of panto-
mimic action, but of which, I could see by their smiles, they
were rather incredulous. At length the word was given for
starting, and following our loquacious guide, who enlisted
several urchins on the road (perfect impersonifications of
Murillo's " Beggar Boys"), we proceeded to the rough ground
on the side of the mountain, which I have before stated was
thickly overgrown with creepers of many kinds, but chiefly
the scarlet-runner or lentil. I did not much like the
appearance of my friends' guns (which were of a most
ancient and fragile description), nor their manner of carrying
them, and should have been very glad to have given them a
wide berth had there been an opportunity, but as we could
scarcely make our way through the tangled creepers that
reached to nearly our middle, and the soil was of so treacherous
a nature that we were continually slipping, it was not easy
to make progress of any kind, and all we had to do was to
follow the movements of Peter, with his dogs and " ragged
staff," as well as we could, which was no easy matter, as he
was quite as much at home on his native hills as he was on
the blue waters of the bay ; and when he found it inconvenient
to make his way in an upright position, followed the example
of his four-footed companions, and crept beneath the tangled
matting, emerging from some opening at a distance, like a
swimmer after a long dive.

At length a combined rushing of the dogs beneath, and an
exclamation of Peter above, proclaimed the game was on

BRAVA. 319

foot, and the united discharge of several guns, in much closer
proximity to me than I admired, that it had been seen, and
the howling of one of the dogs, that something had been
hit, which was indeed the case, the bulldog-headed pointer
having received some shots in his jowl; but no appearance
of any game could I see. I was told I must " look low," and
keep my eyes fixed on every opening and comparatively thin
part of the scrub, as the guinea-fowl never rose unless they
were very hard pressed. The under cover, as we descended,
or rather scrambled down the mountain, became much thin-
ner, and by the movements of the dogs we could perceive
that the birds were running before us. The great object of
the sportsmen was how to head them, or, at all events, come
up with them, in which attempt some most ludicrous and
rather dangerous adventures ensued. A gallant lieutenant
of her Majesty Donna Maria, who had been pushing forward
at a great pace on the comparatively open ground, with
hopes of being in time for the "bouquet," when the game
emerged from the cover, slipped, and fell backwards on the
shifting soil. The last glimpse I caught of him, as he
vanished from my sight round a corner of the hill, was
sliding in an impetuous fundamental course, his gun, which
he still held upright, and always cocked, having exploded
between his legs. I very much feared that he would be
dashed down some precipice, but he was afterwards disco-
vered brought up by, and ensconced amidst some bushes,
and more frightened than hurt. In the mean time, my com-
panions, who had either better eyes, or, at all events, were
more accustomed to this kind of shooting than myself, dis-
charged their guns frequently at some objects amongst the
creepers, which I presume were guinea-fowl, — an hypothesis
I was confirmed in by the colley dog making his appearance,
after a long absence, his mouth covered with the feathers of
one of those birds, the carcass of which he had probably

3:20 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

devoured; but as yet I had not been able to distinguish one
of them, and having the example of the missing lieutenant
before my eyes, did not like to hurry over the slippery and
treacherous surface of the mountain. At length the cries of
Peter and his boys, and more shots evidently at some objects
in immediate contiguity with the shooters, who I suspect
aimed at the long grass and plants agitated by the move-
ments of the birds underneath, denoted the immediate vicinity
of the guinea-fowl, and the probability of their soon breaking
cover. Never having seen this variety of the gallinaceous
tribe in its wild state, I was very anxious to get a fair shot
at them, and shifted my quarters to a piece of standing maize,
or Indian corn, where I considered they would very likely
direct their course; indeed, I had not long taken up my
position, where I could command a small strip of bare and
open surface lying between the cover and the maize, when I
perceived a column of these curious yet beautiful birds
stealthily creeping out in single file in the direction I had
anticipated.

I managed so to get their heads in line as to kill, or
rather pot, two with the first barrel, and knock over another
by a running shot with the second. The whole flock,
amounting to about twenty in number, were now in the
standing Indian corn, which was thickly interwoven with
weeds at the bottom. This we surrounded, or rather they
did (as, fearing the over-excitability of my Portuguese com-
panions, I kept at a respectful distance), and by dint of the
strenuous exertions of Peter and his boys and dogs, six more
guinea-fowls were added to our bag. They were very fine
fat birds, and weighed several pounds each. Their plumage
was much the same as the tame species in our own farm-
yards, but rather darker. I had an opportunity of testing
their flavour at the cabin table of the corvette, where I was
invited to dine with my fellow-sportsmen the same evening,

BKAVA. 321

and although rather hard and tough, from want of keeping,
they were by no means bad eating as a roti, and, with certain
vegetable additions, made an excellent soup.

The following morning, having completed our supply of
provisions and water, and filled every spare cranny of our
little craft with oranges, pumpkins, and bananas, we bid
adieu to this interesting and hospitable island, with little
chance of sighting any other shores on the broad expanse of
the Atlantic and Southern Oceans until we arrived at the
golden coasts to which we were bound.

322 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

CHAPTER XXIII.

PORT PHILIP — MELBOURNE — ANECDOTES OF NEW ARRIVALS — OLD SPORTS-
MAN— SHOOTING IN THE DANDENONG RANGES — SNIPE — BLACK SWAN —

LYRE-BIRDS FISHING — DEPARTURE FOR BALLARAT RIDE TO BALLARAT

THE DIGGINGS — ANECDOTES OF MURDER BUSH- FIRES — GAME BIRDS

AND ANIMALS OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD FOREST SCENERY CRESWICK's

CREEK — LALLAL — WILD TURKEY-SHOOTING AT CHEPSTOW — A SQUATTER.

HAVING given my impressions of Australia in general during
the years 1853 to 1855, in a short volume of travels which
I published during the early part of this year, I shall con-
fine my descriptions of that extraordinary country in the
succeeding chapter more particularly to the different kinds
of sport that I have myself met with during a three years'
residence, and the capabilities it offers for the pursuit of the
few varieties of game indigenous to that vast island; or, at
least, to the settled parts of it.

I arrived at Melbourne in the early part of the busy,
bustling winter of 1853, when emigration and speculation
seemed to have approached their culminating point, and
when men's minds were so absorbed in the grand operation
of money-making in some way or other, they had neither
time nor inclination, with very few exceptions, to think of
amusing themselves in any other way, and these exceptions
were generally confined to Government officers, a class of
men who preferred to vegetate upon their salaries rather than
undergo the fatigue, exposure, and risk of gold-digging, and
who, generally speaking, had not brains for other specula-
tions. However, having been myself an aspirant to the
former employment, it would ill become me to say anything
in disparagement of my co-officials.

PKICES OF PKO VISIONS. 323

I was dining, not many days subsequent to my arrival, at
the table of a hospitable medico, and one not more dis-
tinguished for his wit and conviviality than for his surgical
skill, and partaking of some excellent roast teal and black
wild-duck, when the doctor happened to mention that, in con-
sequence of the rains, wild- fowl were cheap and plentiful, not
being more than ten shillings a couple ! This appeared very
extraordinary to me, as I had observed large flights passing
over the town and adjoining country every evening, and had
no doubt that they must have been abundant and easy of
access in some of the swamps and morasses in the neighbour-
hood of the Yarra-Yarra river, which was indeed the case;
but nobody took the trouble to go after them. An old
broken-down sportsman, upwards of sixty-five years of age,
and who had been a game-preserver in England, too old and
feeble for the gold-fields, was making at the rate of a thousand
pounds per annum by his gun, and it was from him my friend
always purchased his game at the low figure of ten shillings
for a couple of teal ! It is true that at the same period they
woiild have brought twelve shillings in the market, where
ordinary fowls were selling for twenty-four shillings a couple,
and geese and turkeys at about two pounds each.

The same paradoxical state of things existed with regard
to the supply of fish. Here was a bay (Port Philip) abso-
lutely swarming with every variety of the finny tribe, which,
in their aboriginal simplicity, only asked to be seduced by a
temptation, however simple, but nobody to respond to the
invitation, or at least in anything like proportion to the
'demand ; and the consequence was, that the most common
descriptions, such as bream and flat-heads, were sold for most
exorbitant prices. A species of white mullet, which attains
a large size, and is christened salmon, but a most unworthy
representative of its European relation, was retailed at twice
the price of the finest Severn, and the delicate little guard-

Y2

324 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

fish was certainly worth its weight in silver. Certain
employments, which had been proved and were known to
succeed, occupied and monopolized the attention of most
new-comers of strong and active frames and determined
perseverance, and amongst these occupations none was more
common and profitable than driving a dray and horse, at
which a hardy and industrious man might realize from two
to five pounds per diem ; the original cost of his turn-out
averaging about one hundred pounds.

Nor was this metier confined to the labouring classes
alone. Many a broken-down scion of aristocracy, who
had the pluck to succumb to circumstances, and consult
nature instead of his pedigree, was doing a good stroke of
business in the dray-line ! and I remember being very much
amused by a scene I witnessed at the table-d'hote of the Port
Philip Club Hotel.

A very gentlemanly-looking man, " a new arrival," who
was seated at the table, was attracting the attention of most
of the guests by the expression of his features, the convul-
sive movements of his hands, and other signs of some great
agitation, when, upon being questioned by a neighbour as to
the cause of his excitement, he exclaimed, pointing to a dray-
load of goods, just driven up . to the door, " You see the
driver of that cart — that man, sir, is my brother!" The
tone of surprise and despair in which this sentence was
uttered was inimitable. He was evidently "not the man
for Australia." The very torrents of water that rushed
down the streets at this season of the year would have made
the fortune of a London crossing-sweeper by the* employ-
ment of planks as temporary stepping-places, but here people
had to stem the torrent in the best way they could, and to
restrain their feelings when they read the frequently adver-
tised fact in the newspaper, " Another child drowned in the
streets of Melbourne."

THE DANDENONG RANGES. 325

A very near relation of one of the first British dukes was
exhibiting his talents as a conjurer and magician, but I fear
with no very magical results, as his next investment and
speculation was in a gigantic wheelbarrow, which he em-
ployed in the service of his patroness, " the washerwoman,"
at so much a load, of either dirty or clean linen, to their
respective destinations. Fortune, however, did not smile
upon his efforts, and I caught a last glimpse of him, before
going up the country, quietly smoking his pipe before a
stationary apple and orange stall at the corner of Burke-
street, and yet looking as little like a vendor of those deli-
cacies as it was possible to conceive.

I am, however, losing sight of my original theme, " sport-
ing," whilst relating some of the many and extraordinary
freaks of fortune that have been, and no doubt still are,
witnessed in this extraordinary country. My friend the
doctor, who well knew all the resources of the interior for
many miles round, was a good sportsman himself, and kept
some excellent dogs, invited me shortly after this to join a
shooting-party to the Dandenong hills or ranges, a district
some thirty miles from Melbourne, on the southern side of
Port Philip heads. Snipe and wild-fowl were- the chief
objects of our pursuit, but it was possible we might meet
with kangaroo and wallaby, and there was just a chance
of finding that extraordinary and beautiful specimen of
Australian ornithology, the lyre-bird. The scenery was also
said to be of the most beautiful and romantic description,
and being most anxious to get some insight into the sporting
capabilities of the country, I was delighted to accept the
invitation. It was true it was not exactly the best time of
year ; but an Australian forest is composed of evergreens, and
is always beautiful. Our creature comforts were to be pro-
vided for at the cottage of a squatter, whose station was
situated in that district. The doctor sent on a cart-load of

326 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

beer, wine, and extra luxuries, and we followed the next
day on horseback, a party of four.

After crossing the handsome granite bridge that spans the
Yarra-Yarra at the western entrance of the town of Mel- 9
bourne, we passed through a city of tents, very appropriately
called " Canvas Town," skirted the shores of the bay and the
beautiful village of St. Kilda, from thence to Windsor, and,
after traversing about twelve miles of country, all in process
of clearing and enclosing from the primeval forest, our route
lay straight across an open grassy valley, under swelling hills
of the same description. Each of these presented peculiar and
different features, but I could not decide which looked most
beautiful ; one was open and covered with rich turf; another
was woody, indeed that was the general character of the
country. Nothing could be seen beyond the woody range.
The summit of the high ground was thickly covered with
stringy-bark and gum trees of large dimensions, together with
Banksice and casuarince. The shrubs, upon the whole, re-
minded me of those in the wooded parts of the sand-hills on
the shores of Port Philip bay. We travelled over about
ten miles of this very fine country, the scenery being com-
pletely park-like, and at length came to a little vale in the
bosom of a woody range, where the station and cottage of the
squatter were situated to whom we were about to pay a visit.

A fine clear morning gave full effect to the beauty of the
country which I now saw to the eastward. The summit of
the hills above Melbourne crowned the distance ; and imme-
diately beneath us lay in bright perspective the " heads,"
opposite coast, and magnificent harbour of Port Philip.

We soon arrived at the hospitable station of Mr. , and

after an excellent breakfast, in which the various products of
an extensive dairy figured to advantage, we started on the

object of our expedition under the guidance of Mr. ,

who was himself a sportsman. After travelling some miles

THE DANDENONG EANGES. 327

we found the ground sloping to the southward, and some
small lakes, and swampy hollows, with reeds and high grass
in them. Wild ducks of several descriptions were swim-
ming in the lakes, and we frequently roused from the grassy
swamps we were traversing a very large and peculiar species,
which is here called the " mountain duck." We now left our
horses under the charge of one of our host's stockmen, and
proceeded to the business of the day. We found snipe in
abundance, but the ducks were very wild ; and after making
up a good bag of the former birds, we continued our route
towards a much larger lake, at some further distance, where
black swan and wild geese were said to resort, and I had
now for the first time in my life an opportunity of wit-
nessing the great variety and beauty of the parrot tribe in
the forests of Australia, as they flashed by us screaming and
darting in every direction, from the small grass parrot, not
larger than a sparrow, to the beautiful lemon-crested cocka-
too, and others, of all the colours of the rainbow.

These birds, indeed, are made use of by hungry emigrants,
and even others, as an article of food, and I have known
parrot-pie even esteemed a delicacy by some; but I must
own, from my experience, that I have always considered it
to be a very tough and tasteless esculent, and that I have
not been able to appreciate even the superior excellence of
that bush delicacy, cockatoo soup. The waters of the lake of
which we were in search began now to glisten through the
trees, and I could distinctly make out, through a vista in the
foliage, a noble troop of black swans, swimming in graceful
single file at no great distance from the edge of the bank we
were approaching. Wild-fowl were reposing upon or skimming
over the surface of the waters, and here and there a solitary
pelican was standing in quiet contemplation on some remote
promontory or isolated rock. One of oiir party had brought
his rifle with him, and was well known as an excellent

328 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

shot, and although a black swan is of no great value for
the table, yet being a bird very difficult of approach, and if
we have any faith in our early Latin Grammar associations,
of considerable rarity, it is always considered a prize in
Australia, and in this instance we all fell to the rear
whilst our companion made his arrangements for getting a
shot at one of the sable band now fully visible some few
hundred yards before us. This was to be effected in the fol-
lowing manner : — The remaining three were to go round the
lake, which was not more than two miles in circumference,
and make our appearance, if possible, on the opposite and
most distant side from the swans, which, upon getting a sight
of us, if they did not rise, would in all probability approach
nearer to our friend, who was lying in ambuscade with his
rifle. We succeeded very well in this attempt, and although
we roused many flocks of wild-fowl from their previous
repose, the swans only glided gracefully onwards in the
desired direction. Presently we heard a sharp crack, and
the whole flock (save one that lay struggling in the water)
rose into the air with a loud flapping of their broad wings,
and disappeared over the tops of the trees. A native ser-
vant of the doctor, who had accompanied us from Mel-
bourne, very soon acted as a retriever, and not without some
difficulty (as the swan was not quite dead, and a stroke from
his wing would have been dangerous in deep water) brought
him to land. He was a full-grown bird, quite as large as
any of the white species at home, and very heavy. My
friend's bullet had entered the body about the centre of the
right wing, completely traversed the chest, and was lodged
close to the skin on the opposite side. The distance of
the shot was about one hundred and fifty yards. The lake
was too open to admit of our getting any chance at the
ducks, so that we contented ourselves with a few specimens
of the plover and sandpiper genus, and remounted our

The Hiiic Shot. {>. o:2f.

THE DANDENONG KANGES. 329

horses for the purpose of going to another part of the
station, where our host promised us a sight of, and perhaps a
shot at a kangaroo. The country as we ascended the hills
became more dry and scrubby, intermixed here and there
with open plains; we had no dogs with us such as are
generally used in hunting this animal, and which I shall
speak of hereafter. We had drawn our charges of shot,
and replaced them with ball, and were making our way
in line as well as we were able through a thick cover,
interspersed with cherry (a sort of cypress) and mimosa
trees, when a very large female kangaroo, accompanied
by two young ones, bounded away, about twenty yards
in advance of us, from behind the blackened and fallen
trunk of an immense gum-tree. The whole family received
a volley from us, with apparently very little effect, as
they immediately disappeared in the bush, nor indeed did
we see anything more of them. We saw several more kan-
garoos at a distance in the grassy plains during the course of
the day, but could not obtain a shot, and returned in the
evening to the hospitable mansion of our entertainer with
about twenty couple of snipe, several plover, and the noble
black swan I have described above. I need not say that we
did ample justice to the beefsteaks, and roast wild-duck and
snipe which were placed in profusion on the board, to which
fare our friend the doctor had made a goodly addition in the
shape of the various drinkables he had brought from Mel-
bourne. After a refreshing night's sleep, I arose at a very
early hour the following morning, determined, if possible, to
get both a sight and a shot at the rare and beautiful lyre-
bird (memora superba), which was very frequently heard and
known to frequent the low and thick scrub with which one
side of the Dandenong range was covered, and, indeed, the
whole country between Port Philip heads and Western Port.
Mr. Haydon, who surveyed this part of the country in 1844,

330 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

gives the following account of this curious and interesting
bird:—

" I was awakened/' he writes, (s at sunrise by the singing
of numerous pheasants. These are the mocking-birds of
Australia, imitating all sounds that are heard in the bush in
great perfection. They are about the size of a small fowl, of
a dirty brown colour, approaching to black in some parts;
their greatest attraction consists in the magnificent tail of the
cock bird, which is in shape exactly like a lyre; but little is
known of their habits, for it is seldom they are found near
the dwellings of civilized man.

" Hearing one scratching in the scrub close to the dray, I
crawled out, gun in hand, intending to provide a fresh meal
for breakfast. The sun having just risen, inclined it to com-
mence its morning song; but the natural note (bleu-bleu)
was almost lost amongst the multitude of imitative sounds
through which it ran — croaking like a crow, then screaming
like a cockatoo, chattering like a parrot, and howling like a
native dog, until a stranger might have fancied that he was
in the midst of them all.

" Creeping cautiously round a point of scrub, I came in
view of a large cock bird, strutting round in a circle, scratch-
ing up the leaves and mould with his formidable claws, whilst
feeding upon the small leech, which is the torment of travel-
lers, and spreading open his beauteous tail to catch the rays
of the sun as it broke through the dense forest. As I raised
my gun, a piece went off within six feet of me ; it was one
of the black police, who had blown the bird's head off that
had been amusing me for more than an hour.

" These birds, when disturbed, never rise high, but run off
into the densest scrub, scarcely allowing the sportsman time
to raise his piece before they are out of his reach. Even the
aborigines, who are so skilful in creeping up to game of all
kinds, seldom kill more than one or two in a day. Their

THE LYRE-BIRD. 331

song is not often heard during rain, or when the sun is
obscured. The nest is about three feet in circumference and
one foot deep, having an orifice on one side. They lay but one
egg, of a slate colour, with black spots. The female is a very
unattractive bird, having a poor tail, nothing like the male."

The settlers sometimes call this bird a pheasant, but it is
in reality one of the thrush family.

I was conducted by one of the farm servants to the "locale"
where these birds were known to frequent, which was a
series of thickly-wooded ravines and gullies, extending from
the forest in a slope towards the plain, and was recommended
to hide myself amongst the bushes, in the most convenient
place I could find, commanding a view of some clearing,
where I might possibly obtain a sight of one.

A drizzling rain was falling at the time I had ensconced
myself in what I considered a favourable position, which was
very uncomfortable to myself, and sadly against the chance
of seeing any lyre-birds; but shortly afterwards the sun
broke forth, and I had not long remained concealed in my
very damp quarters when I heard in close vicinity those
very mocking notes and tones so graphically described above,
but could perceive no indication whatever of the whereabouts
of the songster. The circumstance put me very much in
mind of the same thing occurring when in quest of jungle-
fowl in India. I have heard them crowing around me
in all directions by hundreds, but very rarely caught a
sight of one. The sounds that now reached my ears were,
however, much more clear and distinct, and rendered it
doubly provoking that such a fine performer should persist
in remaining invisible. Presently I observed a slight move-
ment in the bushes opposite my hiding-place, not twenty
paces from me, and a scratching and pecking noise in the
high grass was distinctly audible. I thought I observed
long feathers protrude now and then above, it, and, tired of

332 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

waiting, with an eagerness that generally characterizes all
my proceedings, I fired both barrels in what I considered the
direction of the moving object, and had the satisfaction, or
rather the mortification, of seeing a magnificent cock bird,
with tail erect, arid a lyre that would have thrown Apollo's
completely into the shade, emerge from the tufted grass, and
dart into the jungle. I threw my gun down in a transport
of disappointment, and by a curious coincidence a laughing
jackass in proprid persond, and not by his deputy the lyre-
bird, which was no doubt too much frightened to be imper-
tinent, burst out into a loud guffaw on the branch of a tree
hard by. Most undoubtedly, had I been loaded, I should
have changed his tone in rather a more effectual way than I
had succeeded in doing with his imitator, but as it was, I had
nothing to do but to retrace my steps, crestfallen, but with a
good appetite, to the station, and its attendant breakfast.

This day, which turned out rather wet and stormy, we
devoted entirely to snipe-shooting, and in the afternoon
returned at a rapid pace, and with all that spirit and
endurance colonial horses are capable of, to Melbourne.

This, with the exception of a little bream-fishing in some
of the salt-water creeks, and occasionally whipping the
Yarra-Yarra where it becomes a clear and rapid stream,
some miles above Melbourne, with a small palmer-fly, for
a kind of diminutive fish, rarely exceeding half a pound,
between a trout and a herring, comprised the whole of my
sporting adventures at that early period in the neighbourhood
of the capital of Victoria. A very short time subsequently
I was appointed police-magistrate at the gold-fields of
Ballarat, and there, in the interim of my official duties, I
hoped to be able to gain more insight into the few sporting
capabilities that this new and extraordinary country presents
to a stranger.

On a fine spring morning, having cleared the city, and

"EN ROUTE" TO BALLARAT. 333

mounted on a new purchase, which promised to be a horse
equal to getting me out of any difficulties I should be likely
to meet with in the still heavy and marshy state of the
country I was about to pass through, I sped merrily away,
with my saddle-bags strapped behind me, and my pistols in
their holsters, en route for the far-famed gold mines of Bal-
larat. Having passed the village of Flemington and town of
Keelor, ten miles distant from Melbourne, through a succes-
sion of well-cultivated farms and private domains, and upon
a good macadamized road, I emerged at once upon the Keelor
plains, which are wide and open downs of immense extent,
used only for sheep-pastures, intersected here and there by
low hills and intervening valleys of swampy ground ; not
a tree is visible for miles, but the horizon was bounded in
the direction of the road I was taking by apparently well-
wooded mountains. Cantering onwards, guided by the tracks
of drays and the footmarks of horses and oxen, I observed on
the grassy slopes to my right what appeared to me at a dis-
tance to be a large party of prettily-dressed little girls at
play ; which, upon a nearer approach, I discovered to be a
flock of " native companions," occupied with the most amusing
gambols, indeed just such as we are in the habit of seeing
children practise. This beautiful bird, of the crane species,
and which stands sometimes upwards of four, or five feet
high, is easily domesticated, and becomes a very interesting
pet (hence its name), but is of little use for the table, like
most of the stork and crane family. Colonists, however,
do shoot them, and roast them also, in cases of emergency,
but they are a shy and difficult bird to get near, except in
the breeding season. The pewit, or common green plover,
uttered its shrill cry over my head, and covered the more
stony part of the plain in immense numbers. Here and
there a bustard was either stalking along, or quietly standing
in solitary dignity, although nothing (except perhaps a dray),

334 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

was at all likely to get within several hundred yards of him
without accelerating his movements. Flights of wild- fowl
were reposing on the water of the swamps, or winging their
flight from one to the other. A long line of horse and bul-
lock drays, and foot and mounted travellers, were slowly
treading the beaten track across the plain, in the direction of
the Australian El Dorado, and the scene was interesting and
inspiriting both to the emigrant and the sportsman.

I arrived at Rockbank Inn, situated in the centre of the
plain, and twenty miles from Melbourne. Here a tolerably
large, and, in the rainy season, deep creek has to be passed,
and at this moment there were upwards of twenty drays and
nearly two hundred people on its banks, it having become
nearly impassable, owing to the late rains, but the men tail-
ing on to the ropes in numbers, manage to pull both the
horses and carts through.

Some were hauling at the ropes, some unloading the drays,
some cooking a hasty meal, and some moving off the ground.
I refreshed both my horse and myself at this well-conducted
little inn, and proceeded over the plains a few miles further,
where the scenery changes altogether, and the road is delight-
ful. The land becomes more broken, well-wooded, and
timbered like a park. " Ladidak" comes in view, a beautiful
ravine formed by the convergence of several hills, at the base of
which the river so winds that it must be crossed thrice. To
use the words of a contemporary — "Where formerly was
silence only broken by the voice of the bell-bird, now bullock-
drays, bullocks, and bullock-drivers are shouting, roaring,
and swearing up the hill, or descending splashing through
the once clear stream. On until the beautiful valley and
highly cultivated extent of land called Bacchus Marsh is
reached, and here I remained for the night in one of the
best hotels in the colony, the ' Wheatsheaf,' kept by Mr.
Pike, and celebrated not only for its good cheer, but for the

"EX ROUTE" TO BALLARAT. 335

attention and civility of the host and hostess. The morning
breaks bright and fresh, and leaving the rich hay and corn
fields of the valley, we mount, by rather a rugged ascent,
once more into the upland and wooded country. We reach
the Pentland hills, where another encampment has been
formed in the long ravine. We trot slowly on; the sky *
cloudless, a sharp frost nips the uplands. The campers eat-
ing, drinking, and smoking, — architects, chemists, booksellers,
tinkers, tailors, sailors, — all cold but cheerful.

" At Ballan we find the inn eaten out. A horse passes at
speed, bearing on his back two horsemen. We meet sulky
parties of the unsuccessful returning, and see signs in small
excavations of prospecting parties. The forest grows denser ;
towards the afternoon we reach the hospitable roof-tree of

Lallal, the abode of Mr. F , a rich settler, where all the

laughing jackasses in the colony seem to have established a
representative assembly. Ha, ha, ha ! ho, ho, ho ! and hu, hu,
hu ! ring forth in every variety of key.

" The cavalcade in motion splashes through the broad
river, where one driver in his shirt, without breeches, walks
beside and urges on his horses, fearful of his dray sticking on
the way. Our next point is the splendid forest scenery and
mountain of Warrenheep, where we refresh with a draught
from the delicious mineral spring. Two miles from Warren-
heep the hills begin gradually to slope to Ballarat. The
forest trees are loftier and denser, but the surface soil is not
so richly grassed. The road emerges on to a rich bottom of
considerable extent, and the left extends upwards in such a
gentle slope as to diminish the appearance of its height.
Within a mile and a half of Golden Point the tents begin to
peer through the trees. The black hill rises precipitously on
the right, and the road is visible down which the carriers are
conveying their washing stuff.

" The bank of the creek is lined with cradles, and the

336 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

washers are in full operation. Hound the base of the moun-
tain, on the further side, runs the river Lee, and for above a
mile along its bank the cradles are at work. We descend,
leave the road, cross the bottom, spring over a dam, and are
amongst the workmen. Rock, rock, rock ! swish, swash,
' swish ! such are the universal sounds.

"The cradle is placed lengthwise in the water. The
cradleman, holding the cradle in his left hand, with a stick
or scraper to break up the lumps of earth, or stir up the
contents, keeps the cradle constantly going. The waterman,
standing at the head of the cradle with a ladle of any kind,
keeps baling water continuously into it. A third man
washes carefully into a large tin dish the deposit that has fallen
through the sieves of the cradle on to the boards beneath,
carries it into the stream, where he stands knee-deep, and
tilting the dish up under the water, and shaking its contents,
the precious metal falls to the bottom, whilst the earth and
sand are washed out by the water.

"After long washing the glittering dust is seen along the
bottom edges of the dish. This residuum is carefully washed
into a pannikin, dried over the fire, and carefully packed in
chamois leather bags. Meanwhile the cradleman and water-
man examine the quartz stones in the upper sieve for quartz
gold. Occasionally some are found with pieces of quartz
adhering, the rest are thrown aside. The cradle filled, the
men are at work again ; and the ' rock, rock !' recommences on
the top of the hill. The diggers are at work ; the carriers
descend the steep side, dragging a loaded sled filled with the
gold-impregnated earth ; some with tin vessels on their heads,
others with bags on their backs. The earth thrown down,
they re-ascend the toilsome way ; and this is the process
' from morn till dewy eve.'

" Returning to the road, the outer encampment, on this side
of Golden Point, becomes visible. A sound is heard like the

BALLAIIAT. 337

continuous beat of a thousand muffled drums, or the rushing
of a mighty waterfall. As we issue from the trees the cause
is beheld. From the margin of the forest a broad swamp
spreads, through which the Lee runs. Over against you the
broad shoulder of a bold hill is pushed out to meet its attack-
ing waters, and round its base run the swamp-waters, uniting
with the river. Along this the cradles are arranged for
about half a mile on both sides of the creek and down the
river, forming the letter T with the ends upturned. They are
crowded so closely together as barely to permit being worked ;
in some cases in triple file. At this distance you see some of
the excavations, and the carriers swarming up and down hill
with all sorts of vessels, from the bag to the wheelbarrow.
The enormous ant-hive swarms like a railway cutting, where
the crown of a hill is carried down to fill a valley.

" Higher up the hill's crest, along its sides, and stretching
down to the swamp far away to the right and left, are the
tents, thickly clustered and pitched, and far beyond, the lofty
white-barked trees form a background. This is Ballarat."

And such it was on my first entrance upon my own official
position as police-magistrate at these most extraordinary
arid far-famed diggings, and first acquaintance with "Eureka,"
the "Jewellers' Shops," and "Canadian Gulley."*

Having conducted my readers thus far, I shall not tres-
pass upon their patience by any geographical or geological
dissertations, but confine myself to the few subjects of sport-
ing and general interest that occurred to me during my
residence at that place.

It may be well conceived that amidst such a population,
and with a small and by no means well-organized police, I
had enough to do in my magisterial capacity, although I
must say that the diggers in general I found to be a much

* All famous mining locations.

z

338 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

more orderly set of men than I had previously imagined.
Acts of violence arising from drunkenness, sly grog-selling
(a very pardonable offence), and horse-stealing, were amongst
the chief offences brought before the bench. Deliberate
murder was very rare, even where so many hardened and
desperate villains congregated like vultures around the car-
cass— a simile well-illustrated by the old ticket- of-leave men,
escaped and expired convicts, who always accompanied a rush
to any new diggings in search of any plunder they could obtain.

Amongst other instances of this exception that came under
my observation, the following may be perhaps not wholly
uninteresting : —

I was awakened late one very cold night from a sound
sleep on my stretcher, in a small wooden and shingled edifice,
that served me for parlour, bed-room, and office, by the
sergeant-major, who reported that a man had just come into
camp with the information that he had dangerously wounded -
another by accident, and that the presence of the magistrate
was desired to take the wounded man's depositions. He
further stated that they were both sawyers and splitters, and
resided together in tents in the forest, at some distance from
the diggings, in the direction of Warrenheep. It was for-
tunately bright moonlight when, accompanied by the camp
doctor and two mounted policemen, together with the man
who brought the information, we threaded our way cautiously
through the intricacies and pitfalls of the diggings, and gained
the gloomy shades of the forest. Having penetrated these
for a mile or two, we arrived at an open glade amongst the
trees, where several tents were pitched, and a sawpit and
other indications disclosed the occupation of the inhabitants.
Several persons were congregated around a tent, and upon
entering I saw the body of a man stretched on a pallet,
evidently stone dead. The shirt was open over the breast,
and a wound on the left nipple gave every appearance of his

THE MURDERED SAWYER. 339

having been shot directly through the heart — a fact imme-
diately verified by the doctor. The examination of several
witnesses went to prove that the wife or nominal wife
of the murdered man had forsaken him to live with the
man who had brought the information to camp, and
who alleged that being afraid of some violence on this
account, with which he was continually threatened, and had
been so on the day before this occurrence took place, he
always kept a loaded pistol in his tent, and that on this night,
at a late hour, he observed the deceased creeping about the
tent, with evidently hostile intentions; that he knelt down
on one knee near an opening in the canvas, and having
hailed him, and warned him not to approach nearer, without
receiving any answer, fired his pistol in the direction of his
adversary, who fell to the shot, and that having been
frightened at what he had done, without waiting to see the
result, he had immediately come up to the camp, and made
the report he had to the authorities.

All this seemed probable enough in the then wild and
unsettled state of the diggings and country, and when fire-
arms were always carried, and used upon the least alarm ;
but it occurred to me, after he had minutely described the
manner and position in which he had fired at his victim, to
request the doctor to probe the wound in the breast again,
and ascertain the exact direction in which the ball had
entered, as from the witness's description of his proceedings,
it must have entered from, beneath and penetrated upwards.
Upon this being done, we found the bullet had taken a pre-
cisely opposite course, having entered from above and
penetrated below, leaving a very fair presumption that the
murderer, who was a much taller man than the deceased, had
put the pistol to his breast, and shot him through the heart ;
at all events, completely contradicting his own version of the
matter.

z2

340 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

He was forthwith handcuffed, and consigned to the care of
the police. A coroner's inquest was held, and a verdict of
wilful murder returned against him, and I committed him
for trial the following day to Geelong. By some deficiency,
however, or contradiction in the evidence, he eventually
escaped with a verdict of manslaughter, and a light sentence.
I was convinced of his guilt.

A few days subsequently to this an American, engaged in
a game at cards in a room in one of the small wooden public-
houses then common in the diggings, during some altercation
with his adversary, drew his revolver, and fired point-blank
at him across the table, but missed him; the ball, however,
penetrated the frail wainscot of the apartment, and killed a
man who was lying in bed in the adjoining room. Not con-
tent with this, he fired a second shot, which passed through
the hand of an individual who grasped the muzzle of the
pistol, and then made his escape from the place. He was
taken, however, the same day at Creswick's Creek, about
twelve miles from Ballarat, and his appearance before the
bench created a great deal of excitement amongst the
American residents, who did not consider this display of
violence, even with fatal consequences, at all in the same
light that we did, and were very much astonished when he
was committed to Geelong for trial on a charge of wilful
murder. This man's sentence was ten years' hard labour on
the roads, half or two-thirds of which would, in all proba-
bility, be remitted.

The whole country for many miles around the great basin
of Ballarat, which has been nearly totally cleared of timber
over a circumference of at least ten miles, is one vast forest.
Trees (chiefly gum) of great size and luxuriance spread their
branches around, and the ground is everywhere strewed with
their blackened trunks, which have fallen victims to accident
or design, and where a bush-fire has lately occurred the tra-

A BUSH-FIKE. 341

veller might imagine that he was traversing a forest of char-
coal, as the steins stand upright for some time, and present a
most lugubrious appearance.

A bush-fire is a very terrific, and often a very dangerous
event. I remember on one occasion leaving Bungingyong,
where I had been on duty, to return to Ballarat on horseback
(eight miles through the forest), and perceived by thick
smoke in the distance that the trees must be on fire some-
where in the direction in which my road lay — a narrow open
strip cut from the surrounding wood as far as this place by
the Government surveyor. Having proceeded several miles,
I found myself suddenly in the midst of it, the wind, being in
a contrary direction, not having warned me of its vicinity.
The trees on each side of the narrow road, and for many
hundred yards behind, were encircled with spiral flames, that
crept serpent-like through their various sinuosities, or burst
out into broad flame when they encountered any more easily
combustible matter. The branches crackled and hissed, the
flames roared with a sound like distant thunder, and the air
was darkened with volumes of smoke, which, as it was driven
by the wind in the same direction in which I was riding, I
did not feel much of. After, however, having advanced some
hundred yards into this " Inferno," I did not feel exactly com-
fortable, particularly as I had been struck once or twice by
fragments of burning branches, and was about to retrace my
steps, when I distinguished the sound of a horse's gallop
behind me, and presently the postman, with the mail-bags
from Geelong, overtook me. He told me our only chance
was to ride on at the top of our speed, as if we turned back
we risked being suffocated by the smoke. Accordingly,
holding our breath, and stooping over our saddle-bows, we
Lmt spurs to our horses, who were quite as much frightened as
ourselves, and after about a mile's gallop through the blazing
avenue found ourselves in a more open part of the forest

342 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

and out of danger, having escaped with a few singes, a strong
feeling of having been half-suffocated, and our eyes running
with water. These fires generally arise from the carelessness
of travellers, who leave the ashes of their bivouac alight
after their departure, or carelessly throw tinder away into
the bush, both of which causes, during the dry season, are
quite sufficient to set fire to either grass or dry underwood.

These fires are not confined to the bush alone, where they
are comparatively harmless, but often spread over the grass-
land in the dry season, doing infinite damage, and totally
destroying the pasturage for many miles in extent. It is a
curious and imposing sight to th etraveller on the plains, who
observes a low and extensive line of flame approaching
towards him, or in whatever direction the wind happens to
be, leaving the whole country bare and blackened behind it,
and devouring every vestige of herbage in its ruthless course.

Although an Australian forest is far more grand and
extensive when viewed from an eminence than anything we
can form an idea of from European comparison, still it is
sadly deficient in what, to all sportsmen, heightens the charms
of sylvan scenery, viz., game of almost any kind. Deer,
hares, and rabbits are unknown. Of the ferae, naturce the
wild dog or dingo is the only one, and that is becoming very
scarce. No birds, in my opinion fit for the table, are found,
except the beautiful bronze- winged pigeon, and snipe and
wild-fowl in occasional creeks and swamps. A wood-duck,
which perches on trees, is sometimes met with. Of animals,
the opossum, kangaroo-rat (the kangaroo frequents the plains
more than the woods), and native cat, a species of weasel or
genet, comprise the sum total, and they are all very prob-
lematical eating. The wombat, or Australian bear, burrows
in large holes in the sides of the hills, and only comes out
at night.

On the open and cultivated land and low scrub a few quails

AUSTRALIAN GAME. 343

at certain seasons are the only specimens of the gallinaceous
tribe. The lakes and swamps contain many varieties of the
web-footed species, together with the black swan and
pelican. The bustard,* or, as he is here most improperly
termed, the wild turkey, stalks alone, or in large flocks, over
the solitary and least frequented plains, and is certainly the
largest and most delicious of all game birds, making up for
Australian deficiencies in other respects. Several sorts of
plover, and the beautiful "native companion,"t frequent the
same description of ground ; and far away from gold-diggings,
and with a few exceptions, from civilization, the kangaroo
and emu still roam unmolested over their native wilds, but
have vanished almost entirely from the settled and inhabited
portions of Victoria.

But, as if to make up for the absence of ornithological
gibier, birds of beautiful plumage, yet worthless flesh, abound
in these sylvan retreats. Parrots of every variety of size and
colour flash and sparkle like so many winged jewels in the sun.
The black cockatoo (a living specimen of which we have as
yet been unable to send to England) utters its harsh screams,
far exceeding in extraordinary discordance the notes of its
white brethren. The laughing jackass, from his leafy bower,
pours forth his mocking notes as if in derision of everything
and everybody around 'him. Magpies, dissimilar to our own
in plumage, but alike in habits and character, form a very
large proportion of the winged population, and the wattle-
bird, something resembling a thrush, adds its shrill piping
to the inharmonious concert. The scenery where the latter
species are certain to be found is well described by a writer
on Australia : —

" On every side a labyrinth of gum-trees, with silvery and
mottled trunks and feathery foliage, which offers no shade

Otis Tarda. f Grus Australiensis.

34:4 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

from the burning sun ; here and there huge patriarchs of
the forest, with gnarled and twisted trunks and branches in
grotesque contortions; gigantic trees, with the heart and
half the lower part of the trunk burnt away by bush-fires,
yet retaining their foliage green and flourishing. Dead trees
and branches lie half hid in the high grass; the luxuriant
green of the massy foliage of the cherry-tree and the oak
contrasts with the meagre and sombre foliage of the gum.
Sometimes charred and dead trunks stretch right across
your road, and you must wend round them. Now and then
you come upon a beautiful green glade, with a limpid creek
stealing through its grassy banks. The deep hazy purple of
the distant mountains gleams through the green branches.
For music, there is the harsh hooting of the cockatoo and
parrot, the monotonous, clear note of the bell-bird, near the
creeks, and more rarely a melodious trill, which reminds you
of the songsters of our own sweet woodlands."

To the disciples of old Izaak, and professors of the gentle
art, this country indeed presents few attractions. The
creeks, small rivers, and water-courses being most of them
nearly dry in summer, and containing no fish, except one
resembling a tench, but much darker in colour, and named
the black fish, eels, which appear to be universal cosmopo-
lites, and cray -fish. In the larger rivers, such as the Murray
and Campaspe, on the confines of the colony, a very large
species of river-cod, or cod perch (Gristes Peelii) is caught
both by natives and Europeans with great facility, and
attains a very large size, sometimes as much as a hundred
pounds weight ; a coarse hand-line, and a piece of meat for
a bait, are sufficient for its capture. In the creeks about
Ballarat and Oeswick's Creek that curious bird animal, the
ornithorynchus paradoxus abounds, but is rarely seen, and
still more rarely shot. Yenemous snakes, such as the
diamond and carpet snakes, and the puff adder, are common,

G *S STATION. 345

and their bite is supposed to be fatal. A short time pre-
vious to my arrival a pack of hounds was kept by a cousin
of mine, a large settler, who hunted the country between
Ballan and Bacchus Marsh. Wild dogs, emu, and now
and then a kangaroo, afforded some excellent sport ; but
the present great scarcity, and almost extinction of these
animals where they formerly abounded, had induced him to
give up what was almost a useless expense.

My first excursion was to a spot called Creswick's Creek,
beautifully situated amidst a range of wooded mountains,-
about fourteen miles from Ballarat, and already celebrated
for its gold-diggings. Several thousand diggers were assembled
there, and, generally speaking, doing well ; but I had wit-
nessed quite enough, not only of the means employed, but of
the toil, labour, danger, and exposure included in the pur-
suit of the precious metal at Ballarat, and my present trip
was for the purpose of joining some officers stationed there
on a shooting party at a station in the neighbourhood, where
we expected to find snipe and quail in some abundance.

The country through which we travelled to the station of

Mr. G was remarkably beautiful. After passing the

steep and woody ranges amongst which the diggings are
situated, the landscape assumes the appearance of one immense
park, with all its dells, glades, clumps, avenues, &c., in fact,
everything except a lake or river to complete the view, and
in that it is sadly deficient. We arrived at the pretty

cottage and station of Mr. G , which was admirably

situated on the crest of a hill, overlooking a brawling tor-
rent that washed its base, and surrounded by a garden of
European fruit-trees, with strawberry-beels sloping down to

the stream. Mr. G was a curious specimen of a squatter,

and an instance of the odd effect that this solitary mode of
life often has upon a man's mind and habits. At the
period of our arrival he drank ilo thing but water from the

346 SPOUTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

spring, or milk from the cow, was a most active and in-
dustrious farmer, and perfectly understood the management
of a sheep-farm, having upwards of forty thousand on his
station ; yet at others he was a confirmed drunkard, and
incapable of work or conception of any kind. In fact, he
made no secret of his failing and propensity to indulge in
ardent spirits, and only attributed his comparative steadiness
of purpose in abstaining from them to the difficulty of get-
ting them in this remote station, the expense attendant
upon it (he was a Scotchman !), and the natural prudence of
his character. He compromised matters between his weak-
ness and his resolution in the following manner : — Once in
the year he despatched a dray for groceries and other house-
«hold necessaries to Geelong, which returned loaded, not only
with the articles in question, but with an additional burden
of various kegs and cases of whisky and Hollands. Upon

its arrival, G was generally nearly invisible for a period

varying from two to three months, and in a daily state of
intoxication ; fortunately, he took the precaution of en-
gaging an intelligent young man as an overseer, who looked
after his interests during this temporary aberration. When

the liquor was exhausted, G returned to his senses and

milk and water, to which he remained steadfast during the
remainder of the year, but only to recommence his in-
dulgences after the usual term had expired.

On this occasion, and being aware that it was his total
abstinence time of year, we brought a few creature-comforts
in the shape of several bottles of cognac with us, which

G resolutely refused to partake of, although we could

see what a pang it cost him. He gave us an excellent
breakfast of tea, together with the produce of his own dairy,
ham of his own curing, chops cut from his own sheep, and
eggs from his own poultry, and also the welcome intelligence
that both snipes and quails had arrived at the station.

SNIPE-SHOOTING. 347

Small strips of marshy land amidst the plain, extending
some distance down the slopes, and about a hundred yards
broad, through the centre of which a narrow current ran, or
rather oozed, and covered with reedy grasses, were the
abiding places of numerous snipe, splendid birds, and rather
larger than our own. Being a party of five, including our
host, and our ground narrow, the shots were frequent and
rapid, and many a poor snipe must have received the
united fire of five or six barrels directed at once upon his
insignificant body. Many spots of this description being
scattered over the station, and snipes frequenting all of
them, we had only to change our quarters from one to
the other — as, in fact, did the birds — when, having made
a bag of thirty couple, and the day being somewhat ad-
vanced, we returned to luncheon, clean our guns, and make
a campaign against the quail before our departure in the
evening.

It was too early for the patches of grain, such as oats and
Cape barley, usually sown in the vicinity of squatters' habi-
tations, and the quail were now in the low scrub and brush-
wood in the marshy valleys, and extremely difficult to flush.
We had one tolerably good spaniel with us, but he was too
wild to hunt close and do the steady work that was required
of him. The birds absolutely rose sometimes between our
legs, and, owing to the thickness of the cover, were very
difficult to find when killed, and much of our time was lost
in searching for them; so that, being rather fatigued with
our morning's shooting, we returned with about ten brace to
the cottage. On our way homewards I observed a very
peculiar bird alight on the branches of a tree near a creek,
which, having crept up to with some caution, I killed, and it
turned out to be that extremely rare and beautiful species
called the cinnamon bird. The back, wings, and head of a
bright cinnamon-colour, the breast of a delicate white, and

348 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

one very thin light-yellow feather projects upwards in a
graceful curve from the head.

On our return to Creswick's Creek, a distance of some ten
miles through the bush, we came close upon two kangaroos
that were seated upon a fallen gum-tree. We were within
twenty paces of them, but, being on horseback, they were out
of sight in the forest before we could bring our guns to bear
upon them. One was a very large one, of the sort termed
an "Old Man."

The hospitable gold-commissioner who presided over these
diggings, and in whose tent I passed the night, had provided
an unexpected treat for us in the shape of two native deli-
cacies, which appeared that evening at the mess-table. One
was soup made from the tail of the kangaroo (one having
been brought into camp by some natives), and the other a
roasted wild turkey, or bustard, purchased from the same
source. Both were excellent in their way, the former very
much resembling ox-tail soup, but the latter was, without
exception, the best roti I ever tasted in my life. The fol-
lowing morning we had some very good sport in the bush
with some small terriers and other dogs belonging to my
host, after kangaroo rats (an animal about the size of a
rabbit, and a kangaroo in miniature), which inhabit hollow
trunks of trees, and upon being bolted afford sometimes an
excellent run. We also killed in the same manner, and by
the same means, a species of genet, called here the native
cat, but which is more of the ferret or weasel genus. On
my ride homewards to Ballarat the same afternoon, and by a
short cut through the forest, I observed a very large black
snake, full twelve feet in length, and very thick in the
centre, travelling at a rapid rate through the open ground.
Having nothing but small shot with me, I thought it better
not to interfere with its movements, and allowed it to pursue
its course unmolested.

LALLAL. 349

About twelve miles from the diggings, and on the direct
road to Ballan, the first stage towards Melbourne, was
situated the homestead of a most hospitable and flourishing

squatter, Mr. F . Nothing could be more beautiful

than the position of the pretty cottage and farm-buildings of
Lallal. Built on a gentle eminence in a large and picturesque
glade of the forest, through which flowed a considerable
stream, never dry even in the li eight of summer, it was not
only a charming retreat in itself, but from its water re-
sources invaluable as a station. One of the greatest incon-
veniences to the owner was that his privacy was so much
invaded, and his hospitality so much taxed, by parties con-
tinually en route to and from Ballarat to Melbourne, and
who generally encamped close to his dwelling.

Following the course of the stream downwards, which
was bordered on each side by wide swampy beds of reeds and
grass, the abode of snipe, wild-fowl, and many varieties of
the crane and plover genus, the tourist arrives, about three
miles distance from Lallal, at a series of waterfalls, perhaps
unsurpassed in beauty for their size and extent in Australia,
or any other part of the world. This was, of course, more
particularly the case when the creek was full.

After traversing the marshy borders for some time this
rank vegetation altogether ceased, and the bright and silvery
stream flowed on between mossy banks of green and verdant
turf, through a flat and luxuriant plateau, overshadowed by
lofty arid wide-spreading trees, until it came to an abrupt
termination, and disappeared altogether, with no apparent
cause. But, upon approaching the spot where this pheno-
menon seemed to take place, a clear fall of more than one
hundred feet in depth, between granite ridges of rocks of
the most beautiful and fantastic shapes, met the eye. From
the deep pool beneath, the turbid waters rushed onwards in
rapid descent, and a series of waterfalls of the same descrip-

350 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

tion continued for upwards of a mile in extent, until the
stream regained its pristine stillness and tranquillity in the
level country beneath, and in fact appeared to have thus far
cut its way through the granite mountain, of which the point
npon which I was standing when I first looked down upon
this extraordinary scene was the apex.

All the parrot and cockatoo tribe seemed to have selected
the noble trees and verdant knolls that crowned this beauti-
ful eminence as their especial abode, and filled the air with
their harsh notes, screaming defiance to an intruder upon
their domain. The intricate retreats and caverns in the long
range of granite rocks that bordered the falls, and which
•were covered with a thick growth of underwood, were the
favourite resort of bush-rangers, and other evil-doers, either
as a temporary rendezvous, or a hiding-place from the pur-
suit of the police, which at this period did not present any
very formidable obstacle to their proceedings or security.

I often made a short visit to Lallal for a little relaxation
from my official duties, and, as the hospitable proprietor had
given me a general invitation to his residence, found the
same comfortable accommodation during his absence that I
should had he been at home. Having heard that the pools
beneath the falls contained some very large eels, I determined
to attempt the capture of some of them, and looked up the
large hooks and strong tackle that I happened to have by me
in order to fabricate a line strong enough to hold one of these
serpentine monsters, should I be fortunate enough to get
hold of him. They were said to weigh ten pounds and

upwards, and Mr. F assured me that he had seen and

eaten them of that weight.

Having selected the best materials I could find, I pro-
ceeded to Lallal, and on the evening preceding my fishing
operations procured a good supply of lobworms at the
station. I had an old trolling-rod that I had brought from

LALLAL. 351

"England, with fixed rings, a strong salmon-reel, and waxed
line, and some large hooks hung on gimp, so that I con-
sidered myself a match for any eel in the world below a
conger.

I rose early, and not wishing to disturb any of the inmates
of the house, strapped my rod across my shoulders, placed
my tackle in my game-bag, and took my gun with me with
the hopes of killing a duck or a few snipes on my way to
the falls, or at all events, having resort to a little shooting
should my piscatory experiment fail.

Having arrived at the edge of the ravine that formed the

o o

boundary of the first fall, I was completely at a loss how to
descend to the pool below. The sides were nearly pre-
cipitous, and completely covered with a thick growth of
matted underwood, in fact nothing but a monkey would
have attempted the descent. I followed the course of the
rocky fissure for some distance lower down, and at length
discovered a spot where, with some scrambling and diffi-
culty, I thought I could descend to the bed of the stream,
but against which, full of large and slippery stones, and
small islets covered with thorns and matted creepers, I
should have to make my way for several hundred yards
before I arrived at the deep circular pool, immediately be-
neath the waterfall. Another, and to me very disagreeable
objection was the probability of meeting with snakes, for
which reptiles I have always entertained an unconquerable
dread. Depositing my gun in some long grass, and marking
the spot with a peeled branch, I commenced a very difficult
and tortuous passage to the realms below, using my rod as a
staff when I missed my feet, and had to depend upon another
part of my person in contact with terra firma, and at length,
but not without some severe scratches and bruises both
before and behind, found myself knee-deep in the stream
below, but with my rod and tackle safe and uninjured. I

352 SPOKTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

had now overcome the chief part of the difficulty, although
getting up to the pool was no easy matter. This, however,
was satisfactorily accomplished, and, having taken up a con-
venient and secure position upon one of the large boulders
that formed the sides of the deep black basin into which the
cascade was impetuously rushing from above — almost taking
away the sense of hearing — I sat down to smoke a quiet
cigar after the fatigues of the descent, and prepare my
tackle in anticipation of a tartarre, spitchcock, or matelotte.

I had not long to wait for evidence of the greedy nature
of the inhabitants of the pool, having scarcely made a cast
with a very tempting lobworm hardened by moss and cream,
when a very significant tug at once informed me that my
attentions had been appreciated, and, after some difficulty,
my captive having evidently some point cFappui, such as
stones or rocks at the bottom, I landed a fine eel of about
three pounds weight on the shingly bank. Every one who
in his youth has practised various clandestine modes of
ensnaring anguillse, remembers the inconveniences and trials
of temper he has been subjected to whilst attempting to
disengage the hook from the jaws or throat of the fish, the
slimy knots and desperate complexity into which his line
has been often drawn, and the necessary sacrifice of one half
of it on many occasions.

I have always considered that, if practicable, immediate
decapitation of the eel with a large and sharp knife is by far
the most convenient mode of proceeding, as the struggles are
at once ended, and the twists and convolutions of the tackle
are more easily disentangled. Being provided with a knife
for this purpose, I was in the act of attempting to place my
slippery victim in a proper position beneath my foot for the
process of beheading, when I heard myself hailed by a loud
voice from above, which I could distinguish through the
noise of the waterfall, with " Halloo, mate ! what sport ?"

LALLAL. 353

and, upon looking upwards, beheld a very sinister-looking
countenance, crowned with a cabbage-tree hat, regarding my
operations from the summit of the granite edge ; and, to add
to my surprise and consternation, I observed that the indi-
vidual who addressed me held my own fowling-piece in his
hands, which he now and then pointed at me with a very
derisive gesture. I reflected that I was three miles from
the house, and in a very solitary and unfrequented part of
the station, that bush-rangers were known to be in the
neighbourhood, and that, if recognised in my magisterial
capacity, I not only ran the risk of being plundered (for
which indeed I cared nothing, having no money or valuables
about my person), but in all probability very roughly treated
into the bargain. I made up my mind at once that discre-
tion was the better part of valour, and my dress not evincing
any great indications of aristocracy, answered, that I had
only just commenced fishing, that I was employed by a
neighbouring squatter, and that when I had caught a few
more eels I would come up the bank, and, if he felt hungry,
we would have a broil together for breakfast ; to this he
assented with a grin, and remarking that he would try and
shoot a few parrots for second course, significantly pointed
to my gun, and left me to my reflections.

I must own that I did not continue my fishing with the
zest I had commenced, and did not at all relish the adven-
ture, but, as I was completely at the man's mercy, I saw it
was quite necessary to go through with it. I caught several
more eels, larger than the first, and having been broken by
one that could not have been under eight or ten pounds
weight, I put up my tackle and prepared to return. Whilst
I was doing this my friend reappeared from above, and inti-
mated that he would point out to me a more convenient spot
for reascending the bank than the one I had come down by.
Accordingly, following the bed of the stream through many

A A

354 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

stony and vegetable impediments, I arrived by his direction
at a lateral fissure in the rocks, some distance lower down
from which, by a steep and rugged ascent, the upper and
open country could be gained. A cave or hollow in the
rock, about half-way through, was the temporary residence
of my new acquaintance, who, for reasons of his own, pre-
ferred this shady concealment to the leafy bowers of the
forest; and here the tin kettle was already simmering on
the embers, into which he threw a handful of tea on my
approach. A large piece of damper was undergoing a second
process of toasting, and every preparation made for a bush
repast, of which my eels were to furnish the chief quota.
The occupant was a middle-sized, but well-built, active man,
apparently about thirty years of age, dressed in the ordinary
costume of a digger ; a blue woollen shirt, that served as smock-
frock or jumper, being worn over his fustian trousers, and
confined by a broad black belt. The stock of a revolving
pistol peeped out from his breast, and a large case-knife was
affixed to his waist. His manners and language were
evidently assumed, and he attempted to conceal a certain
superiority of education, which by a few tones and remarks
now and then unwittingly transpired, beneath the coarse
slang terms in common use amongst that class of men. He
treated me, however, with rough civility, and, upon my
emptying the bag of eels before him, remarked " that the
squatters were very good fellows, but that it was not con-
venient for him just now to approach a station, as he was
making a short cut across the country." As I carried no
blanket or knapsack of any kind with me, he saw clearly I
was not a traveller, and had no gold with me, so that, not
being worth plundering, it was his policy rather to do away
with than create suspicion about himself. He told me that
he had observed all my movements, from my first hiding my
gun to the scrambling descent into the torrent, with some

LALLAL. 355

curiosity, as he could not make out what I was about, and
that when he discovered the object of so much trouble, he
felt very much inclined to join me in the discussion of a fish
breakfast, if not in the sporfc.

He continued, that he had taken my gun for a larJc only,
and to see how I should be surprised, and pointed it out to
me against the wall of the cave, but, as I could easily per-
ceive, with both barrels discharged. In fact, he gave himself
out for an unsuccessful digger, on his return to Melbourne.
He broiled, or rather baked a couple of large eels in the
wooden embers, and we made a very hearty but primitive
breakfast. A pocket-flask of very fair cognac was produced,
and many stories of Ballarat were told, but all tending to
strengthen my suspicions of my companion's character and
pursuits. My own name was even brought on the tapis, and
many, and no doubt well-merited, strictures passed upon my
conduct in a judicial capacity, and the police in general as
the executive. Breakfast being discussed, and such subjects
of conversation as my companion chose to bring forward (as
I professed to be a new arrival, and not yet to have visited
the diggings), he said he must start on his road to Ballan,
and having made a bundle of what few necessaries he had in
a red blanket, asked me for the tobacco I had about me, and
shaking hands, departed in one direction, whilst I took the
road to the station, very much delighted at having so easily
escaped from what I had at first considered a rather for-
midable adventure.

Upon my return to Lallal I told Mr. F of what had

occurred, and we despatched a man and horse at full speed to
Ballarat, to inform the inspector of police, and giving a
minute description of the individual.

In about two hours afterwards a sergeant and four mounted
police were on the spot, to which force I added my own ser-
vices as a guide. We visited the cave in the ravine, and

A A2

356 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

explored the forest in all directions on the route to Ballan,
but discovered no traces or intelligence of my late acquaint-
ance, either from our own observation or the reports of
others, and after a long day spent in this manner, returned
to the station as wise as we started. Indeed, I have no
doubt he had only changed his quarters to some other
hiding-place, much more secure, not far from the place we
had breakfasted, and inaccessible to horses, and was resolved
in my own mind not to go there on a solitary eel-fishing
expedition again just yet, but take advantage of the escort
to return to Ballarat. The inspector of police considered
from my description that the individual I had met was a
celebrated bush-ranger, who had lately committed some
notorious robberies on the roads to Melbourne and Geelong,
and after whom the police had been in hot pursuit for some
time.

About ten days subsequent to this adventure I observed
on the charge sheet a case of robbery with violence com-
mitted near Ballan, at which place the robber had been
identified by his victim, and given in charge to the police.
Upon the case being heard I was rather astonished to reco-
gnise my old acquaintance of the waterfall, and when I com-
mitted Jiim for trial to Geelong, he seemed to be quite aware
of the coincidence, and only sorry he had not put it out of
my power to pay him this attention.

Australian squatters in general are excellent and fearless
riders, mounting horses fresh from the bush, untamed, un-
broken, and full of many vices, particularly the formidable
one of buck-jumping, in a way that would astonish many an

English rough-rider and steeple-chase jockey. Mr. F

was remarkable for his prowess in this way. He had a large
mob of horses on his run, and they were generally notorious
for their buck-jumping propensities, and I remember his
accompanying me one day on my return from his house to

Teaching him to Jump. — p. 35

BUCK-JUMPING. 357

tlie diggings, mounted on an animal just driven into his
stock-yard from the bush. The forest, here and everywhere
else in Australia, is covered with the blackened trunks of
trees of every size that have fallen victims to fire, and it is a
very usual thing for men well mounted to take a straight
line across it, leaping over such logs as are practicable. We
were amusing ourselves in this manner when we came to one
of the prostrate giants of the forest, which, although my
horse was a very good one, I should never have attempted to

jump, and did not imagine F , on the little ill-conditioned

iveed he was riding, would think of doing. I was astonished,
however, to observe him dig his spurs into the beast's sides,
rush him at it, and, as I anticipated, make a clean sommer
sault over the trunk of a tree about four feet high and fully
as many broad — horse and man absolutely turning in the air.

F was accustomed to this kind of practice (as he broke

in his own horses), and knew exactly how to throw him-
self off on one side ; and, in this instance, without quitting
his hold of the bridle, was on his horse's back again in an
instant, and with whip and spur urging him to the charge
again, The same result occurred a second time, and now I
thought it really was time to interfere, and not allow my
friend to break his neck without some remonstrance on my
part. Pie merely waved his hand, and said that he could
not afford to spoil his horses by sacrificing to my philan-
thropy, and ramming him at the leap a third time, cleared it
like a buck, observing, that had he not persisted in making
him jump the log, he would have been spoilt for ever, and of
no use as a stock-horse, but that now he would in all pro-
bability turn out well. This was a young animal, between
three and four years old. Nothing can equal a confirmed
buck-jumper in equine depravity, and he is rarely or ever
thoroughly cured of this vice. After the most quiet and
docile behaviour for perhaps weeks and even months, and

358 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

whilst travelling at an easy pace and loosened rein, the rider
finds himself summarily ejected high up into the air, and
thence over his steed's head, by a series of gymnastics, yclept
buck-jumping, which some sudden caprice or olden recollec-
tions have caused him to execute. He fixes his head firmly
between his knees, curves up his back and body into the
shape of a ball, erects his tail, and simultaneously makes a
spring and kick that would unseat almost any horseman
either unprepared for it or otherwise.

A small police-station, composed of a party of four men,
was situated at an embryo township and pastoral district
called Chepstow. This place was about twenty-five miles
from Ballarat, and the road to it lay chiefly through forest
scenery until the traveller arrived near his destination, when
the country assumed an open appearance, almost entirely
divested of trees. Ranges of undulating hills enclosed val-
leys, in some of which were large swamps covered with
weeds and grasses, and in others the bed of some creek, or
line of water-holes, fringed with the same description of
vegetation, and innumerable grasshoppers (it was now the
month of February) were chirping in one immense chorus
over the whole surface of the earth.

I had been driven over to this place from Ballarat in a
gig by the clerk of the bench, who resided at this spot, in
the double capacity of a farmer on his own account and a
factotum to the squatters in the vicinity who acted in the
capacity of justices of the peace, and had- made the trip for
the purpose of shooting wild turkeys as they are called, or
bustards in fact, which were said to abound in these plains,
and, indeed, had seen several on the road, but which, as
usual, I found it impossible to approach on foot, even within
many hundred yards distance, so extremely shy and cautious
are these birds of the presence of a human being in his
natural state. We tried to get a shot at them from the gig,

WILD TURKEY-SHOOTING. 359

but with no better success; it was evidently not the vehicle
they had been accustomed to, and spreading their huge wings,
and darting forward with rapid strides, they sailed heavily
away, to alight at no great distance from the place where
they had been at first disturbed.

The next day my companion and I arranged our plan of
operations by putting the services of an old blind cart-horse
and the police dray into requisition, having well covered the
bottom of the latter with thick trusses of straw, in which,
together with the driver, we ensconced ourselves, so as to
prevent, as far as it was possible, any part of our persons
being seen above the sides of the cart, or at least to effect
this plan when we arrived at our shooting ground. We
then steered our course in the direction of the open hilly
country I have above described. The ground was hard,
rugged, and full of stones, land-cracks, and fissures, so that
the motion of the dray was of the most dislocatory descrip-
tion, and it was only the certainty of meeting with bustards,
and the probability of getting shots at them from this novel
conveyance, that enabled us to support the awful bumping
we endured; and which, indeed, had we not held on like
grim Death, would have jerked us out of the cart like racket-
balls.

The circumstance of horse and bullock drays continually
passing through the country must have familiarized the
bustard with their appearance, and lessened the caution with
which this bird regards any of the appurtenances of civilized
life; at least such was the opinion, and proved by expe-
rience, of old Australian sportsmen. Having travelled for
some distance in this most uncomfortable manner, and gained
the summit of a ridge, the driver (one of the policemen)
directed our attention to some moving objects amidst the
long grass near the creek below, and which we ascertained
to be a line of heads in motion, the bodies not being

360 SPOUTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

visible. Presently they emerged from the cover, and twelve
noble bustards marched in stately single file upon the open
plain. Our tactics now were not to make straight for the
game, but to drive in a sidelong direction, as though we
were indifferent to their presence, and yet arrive sufficiently
near to get a shot, at the same time concealing our persons
as much as possible. In fact, after having well determined
upon the exact direction to take, it is by far the wisest plan
for all the occupants of the cart to lie down on the straw,
totally hidden from view, until they consider that they must
have arrived in the immediate neighbourhood of the game,
which, being ascertained by a furtive glance, the sportsmen
jump suddenly up, and deliver their rights and lefts.

The movement of the cart, and the shock of a sudden stop-
page, added to the inconvenient position of the shooter, all
combine very often to derange his aim, and it takes a pretty
straight shot and a strong charge to make sure of a bustard.
Another point to be observed is, that if you miss the head
you will never kill them when the wings are closed, and that
the best time to shoot them, if you have an opportunity, is at
the moment they are spreading their long wings preparatory
to a flight, and then aim immediately below the wing with
an ounce and a half of swan-shot, and a good charge of
powder in your gun. All these measures and precautions
were taken in the present instance, except the latter; and as
we neither of us had much experience in this kind of sport,
it was not surprising that upon finding ourselves in the
midst of the flock, the members of which were busily engaged
in breakfasting on grasshoppers, and totally regardless of our
presence, that we should each of us fire our two barrels from
about thirty yards distance at two colossal bustards, and
apparently with no more effect than if we had fired at an
elephant, as they coolly spread their wings and disappeared
Over the crests of the hills.

BUSTARD -SHOOTING. 361

Our next rencontre was more fortunate. We came upon a
party of five in a low grassy patch of ground, and bagged
two, one large bird weighing about twenty pounds, and a
young one of not half that weight ; the latter, as is often the
case, crouched down flat upon the earth upon our approach,
thinking to conceal itself in this manner, and, by shutting its
eyes to all external danger, avoid being seen in return. We
saw great numbers of this noble species of game during the
morning, sometimes singly and sometimes in flocks of upwards
of twenty, and the result of our sport was seven bustards,
weighing altogether near a hundred pounds, and in fat and
splendid condition.

If any one bird deserves to be selected from the long list
of feathered delicacies that are found in the four quarters of
the globe, as uniting exquisite flavour with unrivalled size,
the bustard is undoubtedly alone worthy of the choice.
Imagine such a roti as I have often seen on the mess-tables
of Ballarat and Creswick Creek, weighing twenty-five pounds
without the feathers, plumper than the plumpest turkey,
the breast and wings of a rich golden-brown, and the legs
and thighs of a snowy whiteness; imagine this, I say, with
the addenda of a good gravy, bread sauce, and (a piece of
dreadful extravagance, I am sorry to say, I was once a party
to) a dozen pounds of preserved Perigord truffles in the
interior, and you have a reality before you that neither
Heliogabalus or Cambaceres was able to procure; and when
it is understood that a large party can dine on the breast
alone, without the trouble of any further dissection, it may
be well imagined what a .glorious appendage such a bird
must make to a bush or camp cuisine. The natives, upon
being furnished with a gun, powder, and shot, often bring,
them into camp, and dispose of them for a trifle. Their
mode of shooting them is well known. They cover them-
selves with bushes and the branches of trees, and approach

362 SPOKTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

the birds by slow and almost imperceptible degrees, until
they come within shot; indeed, without a gun, they have
been known to approach their prey so close in this manner,
as to be able to snare or spear them.

On our return towards Ballarat, and not far from the
track we were pursuing, I observed a gum-tree that had all
the appearance at a distance of being covered with snow, and
stood out in striking contrast to its green brethren. Upon
a nearer approach, I discovered that this was caused by an
enormous flight of cockatoos of the pink-breasted description,
without crests. By creeping carefully towards the spot we
obtained fair shots, two of which we delivered at the mass
whilst perched on the tree, and two upon their rising on the
wing. Ten birds fell to our guns, and others kept gradually
dropping as they winged their way high over the forest,
screaming a most unearthly chorus. These birds, when
disturbed and frightened, fly to an immense height, becom-
ing at last mere specks to the vision, but their loud scream-
ing notes are heard even when they are almost invisible
themselves. Old inhabitants of the colonies consider they
make very good soup, but I must own I never could coincide
with the opinion. The flesh is nearly black, exceedingly
dry and hard, and has all the appearance3 and I should
imagine the taste, of carrion.

SYDNEY. 363

CHAPTEE XXIY.

SYDNEY AND ITS ENVIRONS — A DRIVE TO BATHURST AND THE TURON
DIGGINGS.

MY first visit to Sydney, the handsome and flourishing
capital of New South Wales, was in the beginning of the year
1855. The environs and suburbs, particularly on the coast,
are proverbially beautiful. The harbour is one vast inland
lake, dotted with numerous islands, and on every side of the
bays and opposite shores are erected towns and villages, to
which easy and continual access is obtained by steam-boats
plying in all directions. One of the most delightful spots in
the neighbourhood is a part of the harbour, called the " North
Shore," situated rather higher than Sydney, and commanding
a splendid view of the city and surrounding country.

Here, in a little nook of the coast, I was fortunate enough
to be able to hire a cottage, situated in the midst of a large
garden, full of every description of fruit and flower, and
embosomed in vines now teeming with innumerable clusters
of the nearly-ripened fruit. A somewhat precipitous descent
led directly to the sea, where, in a retired part of the rocky
coast, was excavated a bath, always full at high-water, —
bathing in the open sea being very dangerous, on account of
the numerous sharks that frequent the harbour, some of
enormous size, and which have often been the cause of fatal
accidents.

Immediately opposite, and at the distance of about a mile
across the waters, lay the city of Sydney, with all its bustle,
dust, glare, noise, and confusion; whilst here the shade, soli-
tude, and repose was as perfect and unbroken as in the midst

364 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

of the primaeval forest. Behind the cottage was a grove of
almost impermeable shrubs, and in front a green lawn sloping
to the sea, planted with peach, orange, plum, and loquat
trees, and surrounded by Norfolk Island pines.

I had hired a boat, about the size of a Thames wherry,
both for the purpose of fishing in. the harbour and passing
backwards and forwards to the city.

The harbour, for many miles in extent, at certain seasons
abounds with fish of various descriptions, most of which,
for the Sydney market, are caught with a line ; and having
formed an acquaintance with one of the most celebrated
amongst the fishermen, I often accompanied him on his
excursions, having provided myself with tackle for every
emergency, from the capture of the lordly king-fish to the
little yellow-tail. We generally started from the North
Shore on the evening preceding the day we intended to
devote to sport, in order to be on our ground for the early
morning fishing, and used our oars or sails, as opportunity
served, for about five miles down the harbour, as far as
Watson's Bay, near the heads of Port Jackson. Here, near
the shores, we caught yellow-tails, and other small fish,
which were to serve as bait .on the morrow for their
larger brethren, and slept at a small inn on the coast. On
the first break of day we steered for the rocky coast to the
westward of the heads, and anchored our boat in about ten
fathoms, as much under the lee of the rocks as the distance
would admit of.

This was our ground for king-fish, jew-fish, and snappers,
all of which, from five pounds weight up to a hundred, were
occasionally caught, particularly the former, which is a very
large and well-flavoured fish. The latter is of the kind most
commonly met with, and, although rather soft and insipid,
is still by no means bad eating. Having caught what we
considered a sufficiency of the above sorts, after the loss of

FISHING IN SYDNEY HAEBOUK. 365

many hooks, and much wear and tear to the skin of my
hands, during the process of hauling some monster to the
surface of the water, where we gaffed him, we changed our
ground to more calm and sheltered places within the harbour,
and anchoring in some lonely bay, baited our light tackle for
bream, mackerel, flat-heads, leather -jackets, and other small
varieties of the finny tribe. During the best season of the
year, which was about April, we usually returned with our
boat half full of fish. It will hardly be credited that, with
all this facility for fishing, and great plenty in the harbour
and adjacent coast, fish were generally dear in Sydney.

A sportsman has little or no. chance of any enjoyment
in the neighbourhood of this city, as there is literally no
shooting or hunting of any kind ; indeed, he must go a long
distance up the country before he is likely to meet with any,
and that is confined chiefly to snipe and wild-fowl. Should
he visit the almost tropical settlement of Moreton Bay, he
will meet with a much greater variety of game than on any
other known part of New Holland, amongst which the real
wild turkey, as well as the bustard, figure conspicuously.
Other game-birds of the gallinaceous species are also found,
and an enormous quantity and variety of wild-fowl frequent
the Brisbane Water and its vicinity.

I was so exceedingly comfortable in the state of dreamy
repose which the climate, situation I had chosen, and every
thing around me united to produce, that had not other
anxieties weighed upon my mind, I should scarcely have
known how to tear myself from the charming retreat I had
selected. Surrounded by fruit and flowers in fragrant and
delicious profusion, and floating on the placid and picturesque
waters of the harbour, I visited its most beautiful recesses,
and caught an ample supply of fish for my table. But, during
the short period that I intended to remain in Sydney, I
had other objects in view than mere amusement, and as it

3G6 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

was my intention to make a short voyage to the South Seas,
in order to visit a portion of the islands comprised in that
vast and interesting archipelago, I was on the look-out for
an opportunity to put my views into execution. This I was
not long in effecting, having formed an acquaintance with a
Mr. John Williams, son of the famous missionary of that
name who was killed at Erromanga, in the New Hebrides,
by the savages.

This gentleman was about to make a trading- voyage
through several of the above-mentioned groups of islands in
search of cocoa-nut oil, which article had risen to a very high
price in the market at the period I allude to (1855), owing
to the war with Russia ; and, as he had spent a great part of
his youth in many of them with his father, and could
speak several of the native languages, he was not only
admirably calculated to carry out such a speculation, but the
most useful and agreeable person I could possibly have hit
. upon as a companion and cicerone.

Before my departure, however, I determined, if possible,
to make a short trip up the country, as far as Bathurst, the
nearest gold-field in New South Wales to the capital, or
rather the township nearest to the Turon diggings. There
were two methods of travelling there. One was to buy or
hire a horse, and ride ; the other, to take one of the two
coaches which ply daily between Sydney and Bathurst. I
was informed that the former plan was by far the most
comfortable, and on every account, from my own experience
in Victoria, I should have preferred it, but that it was con-
nected with too much expense, and took up too much time.
So I engaged my place to Bathurst in the mail-coach, paying
two pounds ten shillings for the box-seat, which I was par-
ticularly advised to secure. It started from the Post-office
at half-past four, p.m., and I met it there at the time
appointed. Seeing the front boot left open to receive the

DKIVE TO BATHUKST. 367

mail-bags, I stood by the wheel till they should be put in, as
I could not place niy feet anywhere whilst the boot was
open. The coachman, seeing me stand there, called out,
" Aint you going with us r " Yes," said I. " Well then,
I advise you to get up somewhere, for I shall start the
moment the bags are in." This sentence, delivered in a tone
and manner that seemed to be studiously made as insolent as
possible, was my first specimen of what I soon found was the
ordinary mode of proceeding amongst this class of people in
this country. The coach was a very good omnibus, with
four excellent and well-appointed horses, and I began to
think I had been misinformed when warned against the
mail. We drove to Paramatta (to which place there is now
a fine railroad) in two hours, a distance of fifteen miles.
The road was macadamized, and in tolerable order, but the
country very ugly and uninteresting. A small portion of
it was still covered with forest, but the greater part divided
into paddocks, with post and rail fences, with muddy water-
holes interspersed amongst them, and now looking very
muddy and uninviting to man or beast. There was nothing,
however, to distinguish the look of the road very markedly
from what one might see in England, except the number of
sheep, cattle, and horses which one met, driven by wild-
looking stockmen in their shirts, white or blue, with broad-
brimmed cabbage- tree hats, long boots, and tremendous
stock-whips, and the wool-drays (two-wheeled vehicles, drawn
by from four to ten horses or bullocks, generally the latter,
and carrying from one to two tons of wool in bales). The
public-houses are frightfully numerous ; yet it seems to me
as if we stopped at all of them, and wherever we stopped,
our driver took a glass of grog, and then had a few minutes'
lounge and gossip, so that we had to go at a good pace in
order to keep our time.

Paramatta, as every one knows, is situated at the farthest

368 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

extremity of the Sydney harbour, and as far as what is called
the river, is navigable. It is a handsome town, or rather
suburb of Sydney. Many of the merchants of that city
possess pretty country-houses and beautiful gardens here,
and go backwards and forwards to their business by the
steamers, which are continually plying in the river between
the two places. The Governor of New South Wales has a
very elegant and commodious residence at this place, and
it was here poor Lady Mary Fitzroy was killed by a sad
accident, whilst being driven in an open carriage by her
husband.

At Paramatta we were told we were to change coaches, as
it was called, or, in other words, to exchange our coach for a
vehicle which was a mixture of coach, omnibus, and Irish
car, with a driving -seat that held two, and a body that pro-
fessed to hold six. The new coach had a new driver, and I
found that it was not the custom for succeeding drivers
to be bound by the arrangements of the former, so that I
lost my box-seat. The body of the vehicle was choked up
with every description of luggage belonging to six passengers,
so as positively to leave no room at all for their twelve legs,
which of themselves were more than sufficient to fill it.
However, as we had no option, and must either proceed or
stay behind, we all clambered into the machine, and came
down upon each other in a kind of heap, which became more
solid as we gradually shook ourselves into our places.

At Penrith, twelve miles further on, I resumed my place
on the box, and a fresh victim was placed inside. This was
a bad move on my part. Bad as my position was before, it
was made worse by the change. The box was merely a bar
of wood, without back or sides, and every jolt served to
jerk the sitter out of his position, however convulsively he
might cling to it. These jolts were not only frequent, but
of the most violent description, and it was utterly inexpli-

RIDE TO BATHURST. 369

cable to me how the springs (for there were springs) could
endure such a tremendous tax upon their powers.

In almost every civilized country in the world, and some
comparatively uncivilized ones, a traveller meets with some-
thing like attention and kindness; here, on the contrary,
every one he meets with, drivers, passengers, and servants,
seemed to take the greatest delight in rude and wanton in-
civility, so that by degrees I really became almost afraid to
address a question to any one, lest it should produce an
answer that would tempt me to quarrel with him. It was
really frightful to listen to the blasphemous and hideous ex-
pressions which the drivers addressed to their horses, and one
would hardly have supposed the English language capable of
furnishing such horrible epithets as issued from their mouths;
nor, indeed, could anything exceed the barbarity with which
the poor beasts were treated. I have travelled a good deal
in my life, but, for everything that can render a public con-
veyance disagreeable, insecure, and unpunctual, I never found
the mail from Sydney to Bathurst equalled. We did not
arrive there until four hours after the regular time.

The distance from Sydney to Bathurst is about one hundred
and twenty miles, and we passed the celebrated Blue Moun-
tains, once the boundary of the colony, on our journey. I
was rather disappointed with the appearance of these hills,
with their eternal gum forests, and have witnessed infinitely
more picturesque scenery in the neighbouring colony of
Victoria. The little town of Bathurst comprises a population
of about three thousand, and has risen in consequence and
value owing to its vicinity to the Turon diggings, which are
about thirty miles distant from it. I found a tolerably com-
fortable inn, and hired a horse for ten shillings a day to take
me to Sofala, the principal gold diggings of New South
Wales. The road from Bathurst is tolerably good. The
country is composed of ranges of low hills, with fertile valleys

B B

370 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

between them, which, until the gold was discovered, were
extensively cultivated, so as to make this district a cheap and
plentiful one. Within the last four years, however, the con-
suming population has so far outrun the producing one that
the district draws largely for its supplies both on the
Hunter river and the port of Sydney.

On the same evening I arrived at the summit of the hill
overlooking the village of Sofala, and looked down on the
celebrated valley of the Turon. The hills around are covered
with gum forest, and the bed of the river, through the centre
of which a small stream trickles in summer, is broad, and
encloses a very considerable body of water during the rainy
season. Many of the holes, or bed claims as they are called,
are situated here, and can of course only be worked in the dry
season, and although they are considered richer than the
dry claims, demand a much greater share of labour to pump
out the water which is continually flowing in.

Having seen nearly all the gold-fields in Victoria, there
was very little novelty to interest me on the Turon. These
places and the occupations of the inhabitants very much
resemble each other, except that in a numerous population,
bustle and movement of all kinds, the diggings in the
former colony very far exceed those of New South Wales, as
indeed they do in the quantities of the precious metal dis-
covered. Here the population of miners could not exceed three
or four thousand. Everybody spoke in a tone of discontent and
dissatisfaction, and expressed their intention of leaving for
the Victoria diggings. Still, most of them admitted they
were making wages, which means about ten shillings a day,
or three pounds per week. I allude to working miners, and
not to those exercising trades and occupations of other kinds,
and this, from close observation, I believe to be the average
gains of the mining population throughout the whole of
Australia.

DEPASTURE FROM SYDNEY. 371

I visited the commissioner's camp, and, having an intro-
duction to the chief officer, was received very kindly at the
mess, and after having satisfied my curiosity with regard to
the Turon diggings, returned to Bathurst on the second
evening after my arrival. Having found the royal mail so
abominable a conveyance, I determined to try the opposition
coach this time. We started at a very early hour in certainly
a better vehicle than the mail ; in other respects there was
little to choose between them. The horses were just as bad,
the coachman just as uncivil, and all the arrangements just
as defective; and after a journey of thirty- two hours we
arrived at Sydney in safety, which was the more extraor-
dinary, considering that our dilapidated vehicle was conducted
by a drunken driver, in the dark, over the Blue Mountains.

After visiting the Illawarra coast, by far the most
picturesque and fertile part of our possessions in the Aus-
tralian Colonies, I made a voyage in a small schooner to
the Friendly Islands, and from thence to several other groups
of the great South Sea archipelago, which, as I have
described in a little work I published at the beginning of
the year 1857, and they have been so often depicted by other
hands than mine, I shall not incur the risk of fatiguing the
reader by repeating what the reviewers call " the old tale of
Wesleyan missionaries and interesting savages." Suffice it
to say, I returned to Sydney in October, 1855, and the follow-
ing month sailed with my penates in the good steamer
William Denny, for the port of Auckland, in New Zealand.

BB2

372 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

CHAPTER XXV.

NEW ZEALAND — PORT OF AUCKLAND — GOLEMS INN — WILD PIGEON-SHOOTING —
CURLEW AND DOTTEREL SHOOTING — DEPARTURE.

ON a beautiful morning in the month of January, 1856, and
the midst of an antipodean summer, I left Auckland, in com-
pany with a very intelligent German gentleman, with the
intention of visiting the interior of the island, and of pro-
ceeding, for about twenty-five miles, as far as a place called
Cole's Inn, where the forest scenery commenced, and where
that magnificent growth of foliage peculiar to New Zealand
might be witnessed in perfection. Our conveyance was a
rather rickety kind of gig, and an equally problematical
horse, which we had hired for the occasion, and contained
ourselves, a carpet-bag, and our guns.

The first part of the road, which was good and well laid
down, led through cultivated farms and hedgerows similar
to many in England, but the country was almost completely
bare of trees. After having passed a small town or village,
about ten miles from Auckland, we emerged upon a vast
plain of ferns, interspersed with rocks, and gently undulating
hills. Now and then a brawling torrent would cross the
road, and large patches of bog and morass, plentifully covered
with the wild flax, or pJwrmium tenax, were visible in the
valleys, but little or no signs of animal life, save a few cattle
picking up a scanty subsistence amidst the ferns, met our
view. Presently, groves of trees, of gigantic size and most
beautiful and varied foliage, appeared on the sides of the
hills, and after about twenty-five miles driving, we arrived at
Cole's Inn, a small hotel and farm-house, situated on an

FOREST SCENERY. 373

arm of the sea, and on the borders of a forest. Here we>
found no very splendid accommodation, and plenty of mos-
quitoes, so that we were glad to rise early on the following
morning, and, after a delicious bath in a cold spring hard by,
take our guns on our shoulders and depart for the forest.

Amongst the wonderful and stupendous works of nature,
none stand forward more pre-eminently than a New Zealand
forest. Trees of vast sizo and great variety were covered
with blossoms and foliage of every colour, but so intermatted
with creepers and parasites that it is almost impossible to
make any way through them. In the words of a celebrated
surveyor:* — " So thick are the creepers and supplejacks, that
I have often been bound up by them, like the lion in the net,
and compelled to call out to my men to come and cut me out
with their bill-hooks. There are many mossy dells filled
with leaves and branches of trees. I remember to have once
slipped in making my way down a gully filled with trunks
and branches, and I am certain I sank through thirty or
forty feet of vegetable matter, which might have been there
ever since the Deluge. All this is very romantic and
enchanting, but how does it suit a farmer? Then the
beautiful and meandering streams are constantly in the way,
sometimes overflowing the banks, and reducing all the level
land to the condition of swamps, covered with the most
inveterate flax, the edges of which are almost as sharp as a
razor. Sometimes the stream is dammed up by blocks of
trap rock, which refuse to wear away, and the consequence is
a basin deep enough to float a seventy-four gun ship, which
it is necessary to pass round."

Very few parts of the forest can be traversed except
by the tracks made by nature. No animals are indi-
genous to the country except the mouse and the bat, and

* Mr. Brees.

374 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

there are very few varieties of birds. Wild-fowl, and a very
fine species of wild-pigeon, are abundant, one or two of the
parrot genus, and there are no reptiles. A great naturalist,
who has penetrated far into the interior, says that New
Zealand appears to be in so juvenile a state, that we have
attempted to colonize it a thousand years before its time."

All this description we found amply illustrated upon our
first entry into a New Zealand forest, and therefore confined
ourselves more to the outskirts than the interior. During
the early part of the morning we followed the course of a
stream that flowed from the woods towards the sea, and saw
and shot several teal and widgeon, but having no dog we
found much difficulty in retrieving them, and turned our
steps to the hills, where, on the borders of the forest, we
expected to meet with some of the large and delicious pigeons
we had heard so much of, and which at this season were
feeding on a favourite ripe berry, and in high perfection.
Nor were we disappointed in the objects of our search; for
we had scarcely entered some of the accessible and um-
brageous glades, when their cooing betrayed their presence
in the trees around us, and a native Maori, who had accom-
panied us, soon pointed them out to us amidst the leaves
and boughs, with a practised and infallible eye far superior
to our own.

The first bird that I potted from his quiet though rather
distant perch absolutely burst with fat as he came to the
earth, and was about twice the size of our common pigeon,*
and we continued to knock them over for some time in this
quiet and unsportsmanlike manner, until we procured quite
as many as our attendant could conveniently carry. We
observed a smoke at some distance, and, upon approaching,

* Specimens of the Wonga-wonga are now to be seen in the Zoological
Gardens.

SHOOTING IN NEW ZEALAND. 375

found it proceeded from the cottage of an old pensioner, who
had a small government allotment of land, which he culti-
vated, and subsisted on the produce. He was absent at work
for some squatter, but his wife soon plucked and roasted
some pigeons for us, which perhaps hunger made me consider
the most delicious meal I ever made, and which we eat with-
out bread of any kind, and washed down with water from
the spring. She told us that they had resided several years
in this solitary hut, on the borders of the forest, with only
one neighbour near them, and that pigeons constituted their
chief food.

We made many ineffectual attempts to penetrate the
gloomy shades of the forest, with the hope of picking up
some other specimens of ornithology, but were only suc~
cessful in one instance, which was a parrot of dark dun
colour, with the exception of a reddish tinge on the breast.
Having as many pigeons as we could conveniently carry back
with us, and satiated our gaze upon the noble woodland
scenery, we returned to the banks of the stream, and killed
several more widgeon for our supper at Cole's Inn.

On our way back the following morning to Auckland, we
arrived at a part of the road where the island forms a narrow
isthmus, of about six miles in extent, with deep indentations
or creeks on either side, which at low water are vast muddy
deposits, and where great numbers of curlew and dotterel
frequented as their feeding ground. Upon the change of the
tide these birds were accustomed to fly from one side to the
other over the intervening space, and a person, by conceal-
ing himself in some hollow or convenient spot, was enabled
to get some capital shooting at them, as they winged their
low and drowsy flight across the island, gorged with the
debris upon which they had been regaling in the creeks,
where, owing to the depth of the mud, it was impossible to
approach them. We adopted this mode of proceeding, and

376 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

bagged some dozens of these birds, in very fat and heavy
condition. As this country, although a fine field for the
emigrant farmer, under certain circumstances, is literally
devoid of any kind of game except such as I have enume-
rated, and as in these short sketches I do not profess to enter
into any political or statistical accounts of the different places
through which I have wandered, I shall not detain the reader
with any more remarks upon it, except that I found Auck-
land, although a magnificent climate, an extremely dull and
uninteresting residence, and by no means the important
commercial emporium or thriving colony I had anticipated.
The Maoris or native inhabitants are a very fine, active, and
industrious race, and from English example and education
are beginning to get so thoroughly aware of some of the
injustice with which they consider they have been treated,
that at that period they seemed likely to give us a good deal
of trouble. Land speculations, and those only generally pro-
fitable to the favoured few who were old residents at the
place, and stood in well with the authorities, were the chief
occupation and source of profit to the foreign inhabitants,
and many a poor speculator who had arrived at this part of
New Zealand, tempted by the delusive advertisements and
accounts of land to be bought cheap, and in good situations,
had to bewail his credulity, or take himself and his capital to
some other part of the world.

The settlement of Port Cowper and Canterbury is now un-
questionably the finest field for the industrious emigrant
possessing some capital, and is thriving in a proportion far
beyond the others.

About this period, having received news from England of
the death of a friend, from whose interest I had some hopes
of procuring a colonial appointment in this place, I had no-
thing further to detain me; and as it was my intention to
return to England, I determined to do so by the route of

DEPARTURE. 377

China, a country I was very anxious to see. A ship had just
arrived at the Port of Auckland with passengers and goods,
which, after discharging, she was about to proceed to
Shanghai, in the north of China, in ballast, and take a cargo
from thence to England; and this being a good opportunity
of putting my intentions into execution, I took my passage
on board of her, and once more embarked on the Pacific,
to visit new lands and new scenes, and every preparation
being completed for our departure, sailed from the port
of Auckland for the Celestial Empire, on the 6fch of
February, 1856,

378 SPOUTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

CHAPTER XXYI.

CHINA — SHANGHAI — SNIPE AND OTHER SHOOTING — EXCURSION TO THE

TAI-HOTJ, OR GREAT LAKE PHEASANT-SHOOTING CORMORANT-FISHING

SOU-CHEOU-FOU TAI-HOU, OR GREAT LAKE ISLANDS AND SCENERY

SHANGHAI RACES — DEPARTURE FROM CHINA.

AFTER rather a long voyage from the port of Auckland
(New Zealand), we dropped anchor in the Shanghai river, and
opposite the town of Woo Sung, in the month of April, 1856.
The surrounding country presented an appearance of
illimitable space, perfectly flat, covered with standing crops
of all descriptions, intersected by ditches and canals, and
dotted with towns, villages, joss-houses, and other curious-
looking Chinese buildings. Few trees were visible, and
these chiefly consisted of clumps of bamboo in the imme-
diate neighbourhood of the houses. The river is guarded on
both sides by prodigious and solid embankments, to prevent
inundations during the rainy season. These form a pleasant
and convenient promenade, and from the summit a good bird's-
eye view may be obtained of the surrounding country. The
canals and intersections are all spanned by bridges, so that
there is no impediment to the traveller on this highway.
Several sampans or small Chinese boats being alongside of
us, together with a fellow-passenger I took my gun, and
landed on the left side of the river. Having ascended the
bank, we observed amongst the fields, in the immediate
vicinity, several ponds or rather tracts of standing water,
evidently the remains of former irrigation, and some large
flocks of what we considered to be wild-fowl swimming on
the surface. On a nearer approach we discovered that the

SNIPE AND WILD-FOWL SHOOTING. 379

ducks were all tame, but that plenty of teal and widgeon,
some of very beautiful plumage, were scattered here and
there, and when we arrived at the reedy banks of the ponds,
snipe rose before us every minute. Our shot was rather too
large for these, and we reserved our fire for the widgeon, of
which we killed some very fine and fat specimens, determin-
ing to devote another day to the snipes. The inhabitants
whom we met in the fields, or on the pathway, observed our
proceedings with the most perfect indifference, and did not
obstruct us or annoy us in any way ; indeed, several passers-
by offered us a whiff from their long pipes, and other civili-
ties. We flushed one very fine old hen-pheasant, but let the
old lady pass by with impunity, as she had doubtless just
left her nest ; and even in China, where no game-laws exist,
it would have been a piece of unpardonable barbarity to
have shot her. After several hours' very tolerable sport, we
returned to our sampan and the vessel with six couple of
teal and widgeon, and a few snipe and curlew, which, after a
two months' voyage, formed a very agreeable addition to our
table. From what we had seen of the country, and its
shooting capabilities, we anticipated much sport during our
intended stay.

The captain of the vessel being absent at Shanghai, four-
teen miles higher up the river, and being uncertain when
she would leave her present anchorage, we despatched a
Chinese with his sampan to procure some small shot, and on
the following morning started early in pursuit of snipes,
which we found in large quantities, but very wild. The
season had not arrived when general irrigation takes place
over the country, and they lay principally on the bare open
fields that were about to be inundated, for the purpose of
rice sowing. They were precisely the same description of
birds as those found in Europe, and of two kinds — the full
and the jack snipe. We saw plover of several sorts, as well

380 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

as curlew, herons, and water-rail in great variety, but the
difficulty of approach prevented our getting many specimens.
One pot shot we were fortunate to obtain I shall never for-
get. I observed a small piece of water at the corner of a
field, and immediately under a high embankment, covered
with some dark objects which I took at first to be weeds,
but upon a nearer approach proved to be teal and widgeon.
We had nothing to do but to creep quietly under this bank,
and be almost certain of obtaining a good shot into the
midst of them. Accordingly, we put these tactics into
execution, agreeing, if possible, to fire one barrel each at
them whilst they were in a sedentary position, and the
remaining two upon their rising on the wing.

Everything favoured our intentions, and having crept
to within twenty paces of the unconscious game, we gently
ascended the bank, and gave them a volley in the above-
mentioned manner. Eight birds lay dead, and about twelve
more were wounded, diving and fluttering about in the water.
They were all widgeon, and of that beautiful plumage
resembling the mandarin duck, and exceedingly plump and
fat. We met with great numbers of bitterns, of different
sizes and plumage. One of them (a small species) of tl \
most delicious cinnamon colour. The feathers of these birds
I consider would be invaluable for the manufacture of
artificial salmon- flies.

The whole surface of the country being covered with grain,
we had no opportunity of finding any hares, which are said
to abound, but flushed several pheasants, one of which, a
magnificent cock, with a ring of white feathers round his
neck, I could not resist knocking over ; but although very
pleasing to the eye, he turned out a very tough morsel to
the teeth. Upon regaining the embankment on the river-
side, we observed our own vessel with all sail set sweeping
upwards with the tide towards Shanghai. We had no diffi-

SHANGHAI. 381

culty in overtaking her in our little gondola, and found our
captain had returned and brought a pilot with him, that he
had been chartered by a mercantile firm to take a cargo of
tea and silk to England, and that we should probably be
detained two or three months at Shanghai. This was by no
means disagreeable news to me, as I was very anxious to see
something of the interior of this curious and interesting
country, and could not have arrived in the north of China at
a better period than during the comparatively cool spring
months, although not the best time for shooting, with one
exception, that of snipes, which appear in immense quantities
for a few weeks in the beginning of the month of May, and
during the time that the inhabitants irrigate the land from the
various ditches and canals, previous to sowing rice or paddy.
Having given a short description of the settlement and
city of Shanghai, in a little volume of Travels I published at
the commencement of the year 1857, and it having been so
much better and more ably described by other writers, I
shall say no more on that subject, except that I was treated
with princely hospitality by several of the resident British
merchants of that place, and found several fellow-sportsmen
amongst them who were kind enough to initiate me into the
best localities and most agreeable modes of carrying on the
war against the snipes, and that during several days' shoot-
ing I never saw such enormous quantities of these birds in the
same period, and over the same space of ground. The very
best sport I have ever witnessed in India does not form an
exception. The full snipe is rather larger than they are
generally found in Europe, and there are no painted birds, as
in India. The solitary snipe is also frequently seen. The
first expedition I made was in company with a merchant,*
and the most determined sportsman in the settlement. We

Mr. Aspinall.

382 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

breakfasted on board the Peninsular and Oriental Company's
beautiful steam- vessel Erin, then lying in the river, several
of the officers of which were to accompany us ; and a more
splendid dejeune it was difficult to imagine, even in this land
of profuse hospitality. We afterwards embarked in a large
flat-bottomed sailing boat, and went several miles down the
river, and having landed in a sampan on the muddy beach
below the embankment, the crew were ordered to keep off and
on until they were hailed by us from the shore. We then
proceeded to explore the interior of the adjoining country,
and having followed the banks of a canal, through standing
crops of beans, wheat, barley, and other grain, we arrived
near a village where the inhabitants were employed in
irrigating the surrounding fields by means of very ingenious
wooden chain-pumps, worked by water buffaloes. Many of
these fields were sown with vetches, seeds, and clover, and
we had scarcely set foot upon the first spot of this description,
when the peculiar whistle and whir of the snipe was heard in
every direction ; in fact, the green and moist surface of the
earth, in which we sank nearly up to our knees at every step,
seemed to be covered with them. We had nothing to do
for many minutes but to load and fire as fast as we could,
sometimes killing two birds at a shot.

We continued this kind of sport until the birds were
driven away from the immediate spot on which we were
shooting ; and our guns were so hot that we were glad to sit
down under the shade of some trees, near the village, and
wash them out. Indeed the weather in the middle of the
day was now excessively sultry, the sun very powerful, and
we were not sorry to refresh ourselves with that universal
eastern luxury — pale ale, a plentiful supply of which we had
carried with us. Our party consisted of four; with the

exception of Mr. A , none very first-rate shots ; and

probably not more than an hour had elapsed since the com-

SNIPE-SHOOTING. 383

mencement of our sport, yet our bag contained fifty-three
couple of snipes. We returned to the bank of the river,
hailed our boat, which was sailing about in the offing, and
continued our coasting voyage some distance farther; again
landed, and repeated the same mode of operations with nearly
the same success. Upon returning to the same fields we had
beat at first, the birds had come back to their original feed-
ing ground, and we finished our day's sport with a sum total
of one hundred and thirty- six couple of snipe, nearly all full

ones, and in fine fat condition. Mr. A killed three

solitary snipe (scolopax maximus) during the morning, but I
was not fortunate enough to get a shot at one. We also
killed several couple of golden plover, exactly similar to the
same species in England.

After spending some weeks in this most hospitable and
agreeable settlement, and visiting the old city, and most of
the objects of interest in the immediate neighbourhood, I
was delighted to accept the invitation of an English merchant
at Shanghai, at whose house I was residing, to accompany
him on a short tour into the interior of China, as far as the
Tai-hou, or Great Lake. Our mode of travelling was to be
entirely in two boats propelled by sculling, towing, and some-
times even sailing through the different canals that intersect
the country in every direction. These were flat-bottomed
and very commodious, each containing two cabins, with
accommodation in the stern for servants, boatmen, cooking
apparatus, &c. ; and as the Chinese have a remarkable facility
for stowing themselves into a small space, it was astonishing
how many individuals composed our equipage.

Everything that could conduce to our comfort, and every
necessary, and even luxury that money could purchase, was
amply supplied by my friend. Hampers of champagne,
claret, and pale ale were stowed away in every available
corner, and lumps of ice, enveloped in flannel, occupied the

384 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

dark recesses of the hold. A whole armoury of guns and
plenty of ammunition were not forgotten. Some intelligent
Chinese servants, who spoke English, accompanied us,
amongst whom was an accomplished chef de cuisine, and
in the middle of the month of June, 1856, we commenced
our voyage from Shanghai into the interior, by the route of
the Sou-Cheou creek or canal.

Our motion was exceedingly slow ; not more than two or
three miles an hour, except when the wind was in our favour,
or rather right aft, not being able to hoist the sail under
other circumstances, as, from the boat's flat bottom and the
great top gear she carried, she was very apt to upset or
topple over, a by no means pleasant occurrence to the inside
passengers. On other occasions our movement was effected
either by six men towing us from the embankment of the
canal, or by sculling with an immense scull or oar, worked
by several boatmen. Our course lay through a perfectly
level country, covered with every kind of grain crops, many
of them nearly ripe, as far as the eye could reach. At first
few trees were visible, except the dwarf bamboos that are
always planted in the vicinity of cottages and villages, and
the tender roots of which form a great article of food amongst
the population, and are, indeed, a very palatable vegetable.
We seated ourselves on the low roof of the cabin, which pro-
jected about six feet above the deck, and with our guns and
a fine retriever dog, belonging to my companion, awaited the
appearance of any description of game that might present
itself. We were generally able to land on either side of the
canal by jumping from the deck of our boat, but if that was
impracticable, from the shallowness of the water, we had
always a small sampan in readiness for our conveyance to
and fro. After having progressed in the above manner some
thirty miles during the day, we always anchored at night
near some village, the Chinese boatmen having a most super-

VOYAGE TO THE TAI-IIOU LAKE. 385

stitious dread of evil spirits in solitary places, and of a certain
description of river pirates called " Lalle-lungs."

Upon approaching marshy ground of any description we
"were always certain to find snipe, plover, curlew, and a great
variety of the coot species, but no ducks, as these birds,
which abound during the winter, had all abandoned the
country for more northern quarters; and in those spots
where the inhabitants were carrying on the process of irri-
gation the snipes were found in the same quantity as I had
previously seen them near Shanghai; so that our cook had
ample opportunity for exercising his skill upon a great
variety of entrees, of which this delicious bird formed the
staple, and amongst which a very excellent salmi figured
daily. During the early part of the mornings we always
observed pheasants feeding on the narrow slips between
patches of grain, but as shooting hens that were now breed-
ing was too bad even for China, we confined ourselves to the
cock birds, which betrayed themselves by their crowing in
all directions. We usually landed, and made our way
through the standing corn in the direction of the sound,
and they generally rose within shot of us. They were
splendid birds, very heavy, and similar to the preserved
pheasant at home, but had invariably a streak of white
feathers round the neck. Here they were, to a certain
degree, exempt from the destruction that is carried on upon
them in the neighbourhood of the settlement by native
poachers, or rather game-dealers, for sale to Europeans, who
are very skilful in the use of snares and springes, and who,
after catching them, riddle them with iron-shot, to the great
inconvenience and danger of the teeth of the consumer, as
they have a fixed persuasion that a barbarian will not eat
any game that is not shot !

They dare not, however, offer any pheasants for sale in the
settlement during the summer months, as they are likely to

c c

386 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

get a good thrashing for their pains, many of the merchants
being fond of shooting, and repudiating such an unsports-
manlike proceeding. Not so with the masters of ships in the
harbour, who purchase them at a very cheap rate, and dis-
tinguish no difference between roast pheasant in the month
of June, and the same dish in October.

The chief feathered delicacy that I observed hawked about
the streets of Shanghai during the time I was there was a
multitude of live snipes, caught by springes, and confined in
wicker-cages, several dozen of which might be purchased for
a dollar. A very peculiar description of woodcock was now
and then offered for sale, but of which I saw no living spe-
cimens during my tour. It was something smaller than the
same denizen of our woods in England, and the plumage
lighter, intermixed with white feathers, but in flavour much
the same.

As we slowly threaded the intricacies of the various canals
that formed the medium of our passage through this appa-
rently inexhaustible granary, we came upon some very
original and curious fishing establishments. The canal was
traversed by a very light, elastic bamboo fence, with nume-
rous inlets, conducting into a labyrinth of holes and corners,
where the fish are eventually entrapped, and ladled out with
a large landing-net. The proprietor dwells in a cottage on
the bank, where he also possesses reservoirs containing fish
in readiness for sale to the different boats that pass by; fish,
both salt and fresh, forming the chief nourishment of the
common people, in addition to rice. The boats make their
way through this elastic fence, which gives way as they pass,
and resumes again its perpendicular position.

The cormorant fishing, which we witnessed nearly every
day, has been so well described by Messrs. Hue, Fortune,
and other celebrated writers on China, that it must appear
presumptuous in me to add my humble testimony to the

CORMORANT-FISHING. 387

extraordinary docility and discipline which these birds are
brought to by their masters ; in fact, without ocular demon-
stration, it is almost incredible how much their actions
approach to those of creatures endowed with reason.

A small boat appears, punted by one individual, around
the sides of which, and at equal distances, are perched a
quantity of cormorants of different colours and sizes. Around
the lower part of the neck of each bird is tied a ligament
just sufficiently tight to prevent his swallowing any large
substance. The master carries a light pole in his hand, with
which he gently touches those birds whose services are to be
put into requisition, and who upon receiving the hint, im-
mediately dive headforemost into the water, the others re-
maining in their usual position. A very long period some-
times elapses before they make their reappearance on the sur-
face and regain the boat, with or without a fish in their
mouths. In the former case, the boatman gently jerks it
out of the gullet of the cormorant into a tub that stands in
readiness. The birds resume their places on the sides of the
shallop, and fresh ones are ordered on the same duty, and so
on in rotation, until the fisherman has obtained a supply equal
to his expectations, or the poor ministers of his will are
completely fatigued, and incapable for the time of farther
exertion. Devices for entrapping the finny tribe are quite
as various and ingenious, if not more so, than in Europe ;
and it is really astonishing to me how in quiet and enclosed
waters any fish can escape, except that the vast breeding
resources of their lakes and rivers must afford them a great
and continual supply. I never witnessed any angling with
a rod and line; John Chinaman preferring, I should imagine,
a more wholesale method of proceeding.

Whilst relating the various piscatory experiments I saw
practised during our trip, I must not omit the throwing of
a casting-net, describing a circumference of at least sixty

c c 2

388 SPORTING IX BOTH HEMISPHERES.

yards, and which threw everything I had witnessed of this
kind before completely into the shade. The fisherman, a very
strong and muscular man, and nearly naked, gathers up the
net into a great number of folds, and stooping low, by an
apparently great effort throws it in one volume far over his
head. It expands whilst in the air, and falls some distance
behind him, covering a very large space in a perfect circle.

The fresh water fish of these rivers and canals, with the
exception of eels, which are, I believe, common to the whole
world, are of kinds unknown in Europe, and of many curious
shapes and colours.

After several days spent in shooting, and observing the
manners and customs of the inhabitants, from whom we did
not receive the slightest obstruction or annoyance of any
kind, and passing many populous towns and villages, where
fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, and provisions of all kinds
were abundant, cheap, and easily attainable, and where upon
appearing on shore we excited much curiosity, we arrived
near the great walled city of Sou-Cheou-Fou, one of the
largest in China, and said to contain a million of inhabitants.
It is surnamed by the Chinese " the paradise of the earth,"
from the number of sensual luxuries it is reported to contain,
and the merchants are said to derive immense profits from
the manufacture and sale of the most beautiful silks.

Here rich Chinamen indulge in every species of sensual
debauchery in private, not daring to exhibit their wealth in
public, owing to the rapacity of the mandarins, who would be
sure to squeeze them, as it is termed, on the first opportu-
nity; and the women are celebrated for their beauty and
accomplishments, or such accomplishments as Chinese women
possess, which are chiefly directed to administer to the worst
passions of the opposite sex. Few, if any, Europeans have
been able to penetrate within the walls of this city, of which
the Chinese Imperialists were at this time exceedingly

SOU-CHEOU-FOU. 389

cautious and jealous, and were, at the period of my visit, so
much intimidated by the presence of a rebel force encamped
at no great distance, that the attempt would have been more
difficult and hazardous than ever. We navigated the canal
(having a good view of everything through the windows of
our cabin without being seen ourselves) through the suburban
parts of the city for several hours, amidst junks of all sizes
and descriptions, and amidst houses, buildings, warehouses,
and shops swarming with human beings of both sexes. At
many of the windows, composed of trellis work or a sort of
enclosed balcony, groups of gaudily apparelled females were
gaily ogling the passengers by the different boats, or smoking
their long pipes, presenting a picture very similar in appear-
ance to what we have always been accustomed to regard
with wonder and admiration on our dinner or tea-services in
England.

The male part of the population were following their
various callings with all the noise, bustle, and activity which
characterize this extraordinary nation, and the sounds that
met our ears, the sights that greeted our eyes, and the scents
that invaded our nostrils, formed a sum total of abominations
that went far to realize the most florid descriptions of
Chinese life.

After many concussions, obstructions, and stoppages we
encountered amidst this chaos of boats, mercantile establish-
ments, and other impediments, in a comparatively narrow
canal, we emerged after some hours' navigation into a broader
channel, and obtained a view of the turreted walls of the
city, embracing many miles in extent, even on the side from
which we could catch a glimpse of it. A broad fosse or
moat surrounded it, on each side of which gardens and
orchards appeared to be cultivated with care; groves of
trees, and stately pagodas rose up in relief far above the
ramparts, and tantalized us with the wish to penetrate

390 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

within the proscribed limits. Having traversed the suburbs,
we again reached the open country, and passed along the
base of a range of hills, beautifully wooded nearly to their
summits, and covered with pagodas, old tombs, joss-houses,
and various relics of ancient Chinese architecture.

The features oi4 the country were gradually changing, and
the fields of grain, although still very abundant, were giving
way to groves of mulberry trees. We were approaching the
great silk district.

We brought up our boats for the night several miles on
the left bank of the canal, where the marshy ground, under
wide irrigation, promised a fine field for sport on the follow-
ing day; indeed, with the exception of the banks, which
were lined with mulberry trees, the whole surface of the
country began to assume a swampy appearance ; large beds
of high reeds were visible here and there, with aqueous
grasses, and plants of all descriptions, and we were evidently
approaching some great inland depository or source of the
numerous intersecting channels that were now visible in all
directions.

On landing early in the morning, and selecting a wide
extent of green rushes for our field of operations, I tried the
following system of beating for any game that might be
found.

Having procured a piece of cord about one hundred yards
in length, I directed two of our boatmen to hold each extre-
mity, and placed several others, at equal distances, holding
on in the centre. In this position they were ordered to
march in line, dragging the rope along the low reeds, whilst
we walked a few paces before them. In spite of the nume-
rous obstructions, in the shape of ditches, water-holes, &c.,
into which both we and our beaters were continually falling,
our plan proved tolerably successful; and, in addition to
snipe, and a very dark-coloured sort of quail, many kinds of

BORDERS OF THE GREAT LAKE. 391

water-fowl rose before us, amongst which was an extraordi-
nary variety of small bitterns of different plumage.

We returned to breakfast satiated with the morning's
sport, and with proportionate appetites.

On pursuing our voyage this day the grain-fields totally
disappeared, and we entered a vast inland swamp or marsh,
intersected by small canals, and covered with high reeds.
Flights of white herons, pelicans, and different sorts of cranes
passed continually over us, but not in shot, and no ducks were
visible. We attempted landing once or twice, with a view of
exploring the immense morass that lay stretched around us,
but although we were not easily daunted by a little whetting,
and travelled in very light marching order, were very soon
glad to return to our boats, and had some difficulty in extri-
cating ourselves from the mud, in which we now and then
sunk to our waists. Shooting was out of the question ; our
retriever, a noble dog of more than half Newfoundland
breed, found the treacherous bog too much for him, and felt
just as nervous as ourselves, and we had nothing to do but to
beat a retreat.

This district, which extends for about twenty miles, and
to the borders of the Great Lake, has, in fact, been reclaimed
from it by a slow, yet persevering system of draining, and
the inhabitants were beginning to cultivate parts of it.
During winter my friend informed me it was covered by
innumerable flocks of wild-fowl, from every variety of the
swan and goose tribe to the most minute teal, but not one of
these birds did we see during the course of our tour. Every
other description of water-fowl, such as the coot and rail
species, sanderling, plover, curlew, bittern, and snipe we
found in the greatest profusion and variety, and no wild
animals of any kind either greeted our sight or fell a victim
to our guns. Towards the evening large groves of mulberry
trees skirted the edges of the morass; detached hills, covered

392 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

with foliage, appeared in sight, and after emerging from
beneath the high and overshadowed banks of a canal, we
suddenly found ourselves launched upon the Tai-hou, or
Great Lake, here, at the entrance, extremely shallow, and it
was as much as we could do to make our way even in our
boats, that drew very little water.

We came to anchor near a handsome town constructed of
granite (which is here found of the finest quality), at the
foot of a mountain, and were quickly surrounded by numbers
of boats, attracted by curiosity, as we no longer concealed
our persons, as at Sou-Cheou-Fou, and to dispose of fruits and
vegetables. The people were all remarkably civil, and we
soon landed, with the view of ascending the mountain named
Tung-Tang-Ting-San, about a thousand feet high. Many of
the natives accompanied us, and several Buddhist priests.
We passed groves of evergreens, amongst which the cypress
predominated, and where vast numbers of ancient tombs,
temples, and joss-houses were scattered about, and on
arriving, by a rather steep ascent, at the summit of the
mountain, the prospect embraced what might have been
termed an inland ocean, studded with islands, the shores of
which were lined with towns and villages, and the slopes of
the hills covered with pagodas, temples, and tombs, em-
bosomed in foliage. The whole of this magnificent pano-
rama was lighted up and gilded by the setting sun, and in
contrast to the flat uninteresting country through which we
had hitherto passed, the effect was magnificent in the ex-
treme. The circumference of the Tai-hou Lake, including all
its sinuosities, is said to be three thousand eight hundred
lee, or more than one thousand miles, but rarely more than
a few fathoms in depth. In fact it is a vast inland swamp,
continually undergoing the process of draining on all sides,
and gradually diminishing in size and depth. We saw no
game-birds of any kind, but great numbers of rooks fre-

THE GREAT LAKE. 393

quented the groves, and large falcons hovered over our
heads. Here also I was much disappointed in not finding
hares, rabbits, or beasts of any kind.

The next morning we hired a fast-sailing country boat,
and visited the sacred island of Tee-Tung-Ting-San, about
twenty miles distant, inhabited entirely by Buddhist priests.
Their temples are built on terraces formed along the sides
of the mountain, amidst groves of evergreens and orchards
of fruit trees ; the vine, orange, peach, and loquat being the
chief productions, always excepting the mulberry, which is
here tended and cultivated with the greatest care ; and
almost every individual in these districts, which extend for
more than two hundred miles, is an owner and propagator
of silk- worms. More raw and manufactured silk is made in
them than in the whole of Europe combined during the
year, and enormous quantities exported to Europe and
America. A total stillness seemed to pervade the island,
and everything appeared wrapped in profound repose, which
is in fact a leading feature in the Buddhist creed.

Some priests whom we met, like ghosts gliding about in
their dingy white garments through their sacred groves,
were, however, very civil to us, and pointed out what they
considered best worth seeing in their temples, and the finest
prospects from the mountain. I sadly disturbed their tran-
quillity by shooting one of the large falcons which were
hovering over our heads, and which fell, with some force, on
the head of a sleepy minister of Buddha. The presence of
vast numbers of these birds was a sufficient reason to me for
the absence of all game ; indeed the only birds of any edible
kind that we saw were a few turtle doves, which are com-
mon everywhere in China.

The priests regaled us with tea in the Chinese fashion,
without milk or sugar. A very old man, who asserted
that he was ninety-four years of age, expatiated much ou

394 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

the advantages of awaiting dissolution in a state of calm
repose, and expressed his astonishment that any one should
prefer a life of bustle and activity to quiet and retirement.

They did not seem to bestow much attention on the few
idols we saw, or trouble themselves with any doctrinal points
of theology. Burning a few fragrant joss-sticks and incense
comprised the sum total of their devotions. They place im-
plicit reliance on the immortality of the soul, and pay more
respect to the dead than the living ; in fact, except a little
outward show, an almost universal indifference to religion
is supposed to prevail in China.

After some time spent in this lovely spot we embarked
again, and sailed to the opposite coast, where we found the
same description of scenery and inhabitants. The islands on
the lake are chiefly inhabited by rich private families and
Buddhist priests. Immense tracts of land are everywhere
taken up by cemeteries of very ancient date, full of groves
of cedar, cypress, myrtle, and other evergreens. Granite
tombs of great variety of size and form are scattered every-
where, and the joss-houses are very numerous. The same
evening we rejoined our own boats, not thinking it neces-
sary to explore the lake any farther, the scenery being
exactly the same for several hundred miles, and again
ascended the mountain Tung-Tang-Ting-San to gaze upon
the glorious prospect from it, probably for the last time
in our lives.

We returned to Shanghai by a somewhat different route to
that by which we had arrived, avoided the city of Sou-Cheou-
Fou, and passing through a chain of small lakes, gained the
Shanghai river, at a distance of about sixty miles from that
city, down which we floated in a short time to the settle-
ment, after an absence of ten days, spent in the most agreeable
and interesting manner. It is true that, in a sporting point
of view, our success was nothing extraordinary, but it must

A CHINESE DINNER. 395

be borne in mind that this was the worst season of the year,
when the wild-fowl had departed. Birds of all kinds were
breeding, and the ground covered with standing crops.

Shortly after our return from this most interesting ex-
cursion, my friend, wishing to show me a Chinese entertain-
ment in the native style, procured an invitation for me,
through the medium of his comprador, to a dinner given by
a merchant in the city connected with the European hongs.

The table was spread in the centre of a light and airy
apartment, the cornices and panels of which were prettily
gilded, painted, and decorated with pictures, mirrors, and
paper lanterns. The party, with the exception of my Mend,
consisted of twelve richly -dressed and long-tailed celestials,
and the board was covered with an infinity of small dishes
or saucers, each containing some particular condiment in
homoeopathic proportions. Before each guest was laid a
saucer, a small cup, and a pair of chop-sticks (we had clan-
destinely brought each a tea-spoon and small fork in our
pockets, not being by any means au fait to this peculiar
method of feeding, and which nothing but the ingenuity of
a Chinese could have adapted to this purpose — eating peas
with a two-pronged fork is child's play to it), and small
pewter jugs, containing samchou — spirit made from rice —
diluted, and drank warm, were placed near each cover.
Birds'-nest soup, of a thick glutinous substance, was first
sewed in small cups,and of which the Chinese partook by
holding the cup to their mouths, and assisting the disposal of
the contents by their chop-sticks.

Although possessed with certain feelings of repugnance for
this far-famed delicacy, I boldly plunged my spoon into my
cup, and found the mixture by no means unpalatable.
Boiled rice was freely used on a separate plate, as an accom-
paniment to almost everything — indeed seemed to occupy the
place of bread. To describe the contents of anything like

396 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

the variety of plats before us is a task far beyond my powers.
All the elements had furnished their different contingents.
The beche de la mer, or sea-slug, obtained from the islands of
the Pacific, and dressed in various ways, was a favourite dish ;
a part of the preserved and cured fins of the shark formed
another very high-flavoured entree. Fish of many kinds, and
in minute portions, fried, and a la sauce Chinoise, ducks,
frogs, rats ! and vegetables of several kinds, but particularly
broad beans, appeared in every shape of oily and greasy
preparation, many of which I tasted with a nervous anxiety
that betrayed anything but a legitimate appetite.

On the first course being removed, it was replaced by
sweetmeats, sugar-plums, andentremets sucres, purely Chinese,
amongst which figured ices, a luxury very much appreciated
by Shanghai bon vivants, and the finale of the entertainment
was a dessert of all the fruits then in season, or attainable
from a distance, and at which was produced, I presume in
compliment to the European guests, some bottles of cham-
pagne, delightful substitute for the detestable samchou, and
which appeared to be very well appreciated by the celestials,
who became more noisy and convivial upon its being broached.

About this time the annual races were about to take place,
and I saw some very tolerable racing, on a very pretty course
that had been made close to the town by the European
residents. The horses were chiefly Arabs, imported from
India, and other horses from the Colonies. Some of the
stakes were very well contested, and the horses well
ridden by amateur jockeys. The most amusing part of the
scene was, however, the last race of all, which was a plate
given by the Jockey Club, to be run for by Chinamen on
Chinese ponies.

A Chinaman can use his hands and legs as well as most
men, but has little or no idea of equitation. His saddle is
a kind of nondescript nest of sheepskins, in which he is

SHANGHAI KACES. 397

absolutely buried, but from which he often contrives to
make his exit upon any playful caprice of his steed.

Imagine, then, some dozen shaggy ponies, of every shape,
colour, and size, and resembling bears or other wild beasts
far more than any specimens of the equine genus, mounted
by Chinese jockeys of the most ludicrous appearance and
costume, their long tails projecting far behind, and swinging
about at every motion of their steed, and their persons
almost entirely hidden by the multiplicity of their garments
and the size of their housings. Upon the start being effected,
several of them are sure to lose their seats in the first instance,
and roll over in the dust, their ponies leaving them to their
fate, and following the others. Those who are sufficiently
fortunate to keep their seats continue to gallop until some
accident occurs, which is generally the case with most of them,
and rarely more than two or three accomplish the distance
in safety. These, however, can never be persuaded to stop
but think it essential to continue their career until the pony
himself considers it quite necessary to put a stop to such a
tax upon his endurance^ and the one who lasts out the longest
at this peculiar description of racing gains the prize.

Balls and dinner-parties of the most sumptuous description
generally terminate the racing festivities. The tables of the
European merchants in China will bear comparison with
almost any in the world. A Chinaman, with a little instruc-
tion from a French cuisinier, soon attains all the knowledge
and perfection of his master, and becomes a great proficient
in all the light and ornamental parts of the art. Nature
has supplied almost every European delicacy, and many
that are not found in Europe. Meat of all kinds is good
and plentiful ; poultry abundant, and in great variety ;
the markets furnish a wonderful quantity of sea and fresh-
water fish, many of them of delicious flavour, and game of
different kinds is to be had in and out of the season. Yege-

398 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES.

tables of all kinds, including excellent potatoes, are culti-
vated with care, and arrive at great perfection in China,
and most European horticultural specimens, as well as a large
assortment of tropical ones, are served up at the tables of
these merchant princes. Fruits, including a great proportion
of those indigenous to England, such as the pear, peach,
plum, strawberry, &c., are grown in and near Shanghai, and
all the most delicious products of the tropics are conveyed
thither by the steamers which are continually arriving from
the south of China. Ice is always procurable, and in great
abundance during the hot weather; and Tortoni himself
would not be disgraced by many a Chinaman's achievements
as a glacier. Wines and liqueurs of the finest quality are
not wanting to add their genial influence to the festive
board.

Our vessel had now nearly completed her cargo of tea and
silks, and preparations were made for our departure, although
the monsoon (we were now at the latter end of July) was
dead against us, and our prospects of working up against it
in the China seas were anything but encouraging. The
snipes had departed, and the summer season had set in with
an intensity of heat and glare that no one who has not felt
it can very well imagine, and no European appeared in the
open air until the evening. Under these circumstances I
was not sorry once more to " brave the dangers of the sea,"
and upon the 24th of July, 1856, we dropped down the
Shanghai river on our homeward-bound passage. x

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FOREST LIFE; A FISHERMAN'S SKETCHES OF NORWAY
AND SWEDEN. By the Rev. HENRY NEWLAND, Author of " The
Erne and its Legends and its Fly-fishing." With Eight large Illustra-
tions. The Second Edition.

"The author's motive in the above work is to convey as much real information on
the subjects treated on as he could compass; his descriptions are, therefore, real
descriptions, his anecdotes real anecdotes. The incidents of the story did actually
happen. His instructions in the art of fly-fishing, and the hydrography of the river,
are the results of his own experience, and the fairy legends are his own collections."—
Extract from Preface.

LONDON: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & CO., FARRINGDON STREET.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY
BERKELEY

Return to desk from which borrowed.
This book is DUE on the last date stamped below.

INTER-LIBRARJf
LOAN,

SEP 2 2 1969

LD 21-100m-9,'48(B399sl6)476

M312351

UNO

£.*•