A Scion of the Kumpani Bahadur

Hastings Standard, Issue 246, 13 February 1897, Page 4

A Scion of the Kumpani Bahadur

A TALE OF INDIAN SPORT,

[Specially written foe the Hastings Standard.]

By F. D'A. C. De Lisle. ( All riyhtx reserved by the author.) Chapter IX. After his return to Pindi with his new pony Jones' began practicing regularly on Jingling Johnny, and the pony soon became a proficient at the noble came of polo. One morning " The Sandfly " was awakened by the fievaley, which call was shortly after followed by : " 'J hen 's nn parade tn-daif, there's nn jiarade tn-daij : Oh! ain't t/on i/lad, so ihni't he aa>l—there's na parade tn-dai/." "Thank heaven for that!" frevently ejaculated Jones, as the last blare from the bugles died away on the early morning breeze. " I'll take a run down to Dooli and give First Blood an hour or two with the ball. <Jui hi His Oorya bearer appeared at the door, meking a deep salaam. " Eclipse. Polo pony t'jar karo (Get Eclipse ready.) The bearer departed with another salaam, and Jones turned into his bathroom for his usual dip, where his bearer, having immediately returned after having giving the order to the ■s-.'/'v, poured the water out of the large 'lumla (earthenware bath) on to his master, thus providing him with an al frenen shower bath—that item of luxury having as yet failed to reach the hill station. While he was dressing—or, rather, while he was being dressed by his bearer—Jones devoted his time to going through his mail. Half a dozen invitations were quickly tossed to one side, two or three of the usual begging letters from the broken down sports of the Hills who knew his never-failing generosity, were marked with a blue pencil, and then his attention was fixed on " A challenge from the polo team of the 22nd Queen's Own Hussars." which was the very stiff, formal heading of the following : The 22ncl Queen's Own Hussars, having heard so much of the prowess of the 28th Bengal Lancers, hereby challenge them to a friendly game of polo. Open dates will oblige. The 22nd Q.O.H. are open to visit or play at borne.—F. Leslie, Lieutenant, Fort Umballa. " Holy Gunputty!" said Jones " Our reputation travels apace. I wondon what the 22nd Q.O.H. are like. I'll ask Fraser this evening, he's just back from all the delights of Ballygang." Then he scribbled on the back of challenge, " Meet them here fortnight from date," and placed the letter amongst the others. Having performed his toilet safisfactorily, he mounted Eclipse and cantered away to Dooli, four miles from the cantonments. Here he spent two solid hours, from 6 to 8, in schooling his polo pony First Blood in tricks. Four Ililhnen, who wore the uniforms of the Sikhs and the Dogras, were practising on the Dooli ground, and they gave tha/ni/tansahih (officer) a hand, entering into the fun with great spirit, for they all knew the. dandy little Lancer by sight and reputation. And this is what the fun was: Jones, on Eclipse with a Dogra on his side, played the three Sikhs. lint the polo pony first Blood, without saddle or bridle, was turned loose on the ground and, hunted round by Jones, was schooled into " riding off" the players opposing him. With great patience and perseverance Jones schooled and schooled away, the pony acting splendidly from time to time, so much so that the natives laughed uproariously over the fun. Whenever a Sikh got the ball Jones would whistle the pony to him, and riding along on his "off" side, would force, him on to the Sikh just as that player was about to hit the ball. Time and again the business was repeated, till at last the pony answered the whistle and went on his way as No. 1 without any guidance. Being without a rider, or in fact any incumbrance, First Blood could easily race up to any of the others on hearing his master whistle. But that did not satisfy .lones. " I want him to Ik.' always alongside the ball," he explained to the natives. " I want him to do the work of two men, and then we can play a whole team alone." The natives quite agreed with Jones there, and a present of a live-rupee note apiece, sent them to work again, schooling tin; trick pony with unllagging energy. And so the game went on morning after morning, until the pony became perfect in his part, and then Jones introduced his other trick pony, Jingling Johnny, into the game. And it was really wonderful how the two of them played the game without any guidance except the whittle from Jones. At length, one morning, Joiles rail down to Dooli, and playing against the three Sikhs and the iJogm, boat them in a twenty minutes' gauie l»v 1 to 1. On his side there was only one striker he rode, and J- ir • Blood and .litigiing Johnny acted as No . 1 and 2, riding or running the opposing backs off with wonderful clt verne >s. " 1 am satisfied," said .Jones, '• but He will k< • p up the practice regularly, as lin goinp to have ?-oiue big htnutxhn out of this." The i.iini, agreed with alacrity, ashing le;Ue to aee tile when it ralue off.

On tli« night that Jorn rot, the challniKc frum tin* 22ni! i.'Oil tu play ii jK>i<i iaaU:!i with lih iv;uinent ht: qttc-aiuUul Li.-i brut hi-r ulliti r, < .q> tain I r.t<> r, at im - : wiii. u-_j.ini u> tin; slttlt'H mid tlx jjl.imh- |»min n( the challenging tfiiiu. i'ii|>tatu 1 ix-«.r loin! an i long. " Uy .luu ! oM Hiiiii, <li) you mean to say they'us h.vl tin.- cWk to chat-

lenge us ? Why, hang them, everj team in Calcutta and the twenty-four l>er<n<nnaltx (districts) round have taken them down. They are the poorest players I ever saw. They have only been out from Home about six months, and they think they can play polo. Yes, they are well in. A very wealthy set, I believe, but fearful snobs. Nearly all trade. Their colonel is related to 'beer'; their major to 'cotton goods'; one of the subs, is a son of Lather, the great soap man ; another is the son of Mildew, the whisky king. They are a famous lot, I assure you, and all Calcutta is laughing at them."

" Well, upon my word, they are cool," said Jones. " Shall we play them?"

" Oh, if they want an outing let them have a go at our Non-coms. Nothing will please our fellows better than to give them a pasting. I'd be in favor of letting them down easily, but they're such cads, they can't take a beating. They always have some high - flown excuse for not winning. You have heard of the East Wexfordshire, haven't you ? Well, a finer lot of gentlemen 1 never met. They have only been in india twelve months, and their polo dates from about their second month out here. Not a man among them knew what it was to swing a stick until they started their club at Barrackpore. Naturally, they were at the bottom of the list in the .Junior Competition at the last Calcutta tournament. Well, they met and defeated the 22nd Queen's Own Hussars by four goals to one, and then the cads went about saying that every pony in the East W T exfordshire team was over height. They are great diners out, and all the civilian women are after them or their dollars, the latter for choice * and all these women were cackling about the match two days after, and saying what a shame it was for the East Wexfordshire to play ponies over height. The rumor was traced to the 22nd Queen's Own, and things looked very like a shindy between the two regiments. But metal won the day. The 22nd carried it off with a very high hand, refused to apologise, and the East Wexfordshire allowed the matter to drop. There was a tremendous fight between the privates of the two regiments, though, at the assaulfc-at-arms at Hugli. The East Wexfordshire were on top the whole time." " I'm jolly glad of it," said Jones. " By Jove ! I've half a mind to give them a lesson. Look here, Fraser ; there's nothing kills so surely as ridicule. Do you think they would be satisfied to climb down if I played 'em by myself alone." " Why, Avhat do you mean, old fellow ?" asked Captain Fraser, with astonishment."

" Oh, I think I could play four duffers if they allowed me to have the use of as many ponies as I required," answered "The Sandfly." 'They can't refuse, can they? I thought there was no rules with regard to the number of ponies played by any individual player? " said Captain Fraser. " Nor is there. But I don't mean that," went on " The Sandfly." " I want to have a couple of pjnies on playing ground with me besides the one I ride." " What on earth for?" asked the puzzled captain. " Oh, that's: tellings ! " said " The Sandfly." " But I'll go and see the chief, if he's agreeable, I'll give them a lesson they will never forget." It had always been Jones' idea to play his own regimental team with his two trick ponies, but when he heard of the snobbish conduct of the Q.O.H. lie determined to try it on with them, in order to teach them a never-to-be forgotten lesson. So he marched over to the genial commander of his regiment and had a long, serious conversation with him. When they separated, Colonel Cleeve said—- '• I think it would be better to leave it to the non-coms., Jones. There is nothing so galling to a lot of " griifins " as being taken down by the common or garden native. I've no doubt they would feel it acutely, flowever, if, as you say, it is only to be semi-ol'ticiai - as long as the regiment is not implicated--I have no objection. l!ut don't make it too hot for them, my dear boy. 1 know what a demon ;i"U are at the game." (To UK Contixckh.)