In Times of Peril A Tale of India

the town, forming a suburb of their own. They consisted of the barracks, and of a maidan, or, as in England it would be called, "a common," on which the troops drilled and exercised,

ning around them, with tatties, or blinds, made of reeds or strips of wood, to let down, and give shade and coolness to the rooms therein. In some of them the visitor walked from the compound, or garden, directly into the dini

s the sun advances, to the shady side of the veranda, and in them the ladies read and work, the gentlemen smoke. In all bungalows built for the use of English families, there is, as was the case at Sa

East-attached to it. The windows all open down to the ground, and the servants generally come in and out through the ve

bedroom as well as sitting-room; here, spreading a mat upon the ground, and rolling themselves up in a thin rug or blanket from the very top of their head to their feet, the servants sleep, looking like a number of mummies ranged against the wall. Out by the stables they have their quarters, where they cook and eat, and could, if they chose, sleep

they had been reading, for books lay open in their laps, and they were now engaged in eating bananas, a

ake yourselves ill if y

apple is worth a hundred of them; but one must do something, and I am too lazy to go on with t

sides, you know that you ought to shut yourselves up in the s

with that wretched Moonshi, Kate; and three hours

ns having good interest, had obtained for him a berth as a midshipman in the royal navy, in which rank he had been serving for upward of a year. His ship being now in Indian waters, a month's leave had been granted him that he might go up the country to see his father. The other lad had arrived from England three months before, with his sister and cousin. Major Warrener had sent for his daughter, whose education was finished, to take the head of his house, and, as a companion, had invited Rose Hertford, who was the orphan child of his sister, to accompany her. Ned, who had been at Westminster till he le

he sound of the tread of two h

nners," Dick exclaimed;

r of you b

er, as two horsemen rode up to the veranda and dismounted; throwing their reins to the syces, who, whatever

-morning, Miss Hertford: we have b

omers, who were two as good specimens of tall, well-made, s

, four miles off. I suppose they have been disturbed somewhere further away, as we have not heard of any pig here fo

Rose put in: "Yes; but oh! how unfortu

he two need not have interfered with each other, as we shall start at daylight for Meanwerrie; but we may be ou

, above all things, to see a wild boar hunt; do

two feet wide, and that, were you to fall in front of a pig, he would rip you up before you had t

lau

ad ever been on a horse," he

wants a first-rate rider to go across country at a gallop, looking at th

papa will ride

e major is a famous spear; but h

inclining to stoutness. His general expression was that of cheeriness and good temper; but he was looking,

ught the news ab

ith you?" the girls

I will drive you mysel

ially with such respons

f this uniform; it's ho

? nothing? Boy, bring

his cigar-case,

vant ran up with a piece of red-hot ch

ake yourselves comfort

the direction in which that village lay. Like all Anglo-Indian children brought up in India, the boys had, when they left India, spoken the language fluently. They had almost entirely f

ors, and that their father was sitting and smoking with his brother office

boys should know

the grave tone in which the major spoke, and

ious rumors running through the country. Chupatties have been sent

hupatties we eat-f

destroyed. To-day I have received news from Calcutta that the Nineteenth native regiment at Berhampore has behaved in a grossly mutinous manner, and that it is feared the regiments at Barrackpore and Dumdum will follow their example. The affair has been suppressed, but there is an uneasy feeling abroad, and all the troops in Bengal proper appear tainted with paltry disaffection. We have no reason for believing that the spirit has spread to the northwest, and are convinced that as far as our own regiment is concerned they can be relied on; but the affair, taken in connection with the previous rumors, is very strange, and I fear that the

n have seemed attached to us all. We will do our best to reassure them; but if there is any insubordinat

e major said, as the kitmagar, or head

f we did not turn up. How are you thinking of going to-morrow? I intend to driv

I shall drive in my dog-cart, which will carry four of u

me do we

time to breakfast comfortably before starting. I will call here a

n in such a climate as this can be properly digested. The meal consisted of curries, with which were handed round chutney and Bombay ducks-a little fish about the size of a smelt, cut open, dried, and smoked with assafoetida, giving it an intolerably nasty taste to strangers, but one which Anglo-Indians become accustomed to and like-no one knows why they are called Bombay ducks-cutlets, plantains sliced and fried, pomegranates, and watermelons. They were waited upon by two servants, both dressed entirely in white, but wearing red turbans, very broad and shallow. These tur

means early for India, where every one is up and about soon after daylight-t

w up in his buggy-a conveyance which will only hold two. The dog-cart was already at the door, and the whole party were soon in mo

ops; women, wrapped up in the dark blue calico cloth which forms their ordinary costume, are working as hard as the men. Villages are scattered about, generally close to groves of trees. The huts are built of mud; most of them are flat-topped, but some are thatched with rushes. Rising above the villages is the mosque, where the population are Mohammedan, built of mud like the houses, but whitewashed and bright. The Hindoo villages generally, but not always, have their temples. The vegetation of the great plains of India is not tropical, accordi

the lance of an English cavalryman, but shorter in the handle. The riders were mostly dressed in coats of the Norfolk jacket type, and knee-breeches with thick gaiters. The

ng saluted the par

nel said, "so you have come ou

he boar, the

o take a spear to-day, major? Think it's

, Mrs. Renwick?" Kate ask

see that clump of long grass and jungle right across the plain? That's where they are. They have been watched all night. They went o

go up to the top of that knoll, two hundred yards to t

syces stood at the heads of the horses, and those who were going to take part in the sport cantered off toward the spot where the pigs were lurking, making, however, a wide détour so as to approach it from the other side, as it was desired to

ing the few days that they had taken up their abode in their present quarters, were assembled on such little rises of ground as were likely to give a good view of the proceedings. There were about a dozen horsemen

of a horse with a sweeping cut with his sharp tusk. If he can knock a horse down the position of his rider would be serious indeed, were not help to arrive in time to draw off the attention of the enraged animal from his foe. Heavy falls, too, take place over watercourses and nullahs, and in some parts of India the difficulties are greatly increased by bowlders of all kinds being scattered over the groun

ent the horsemen were off in pursuit. The ground was deep and heavy, and the pigs at the first burst gained fast upon their pursuers. There was no attempt on the part of the pigs to keep together, and directly after starting they began to diverge. The

the ground, the hunters started after them-some making after the boar, some after the sow, according to the position whi

ner, the Scotch doctor of the regiment, and two civilians. For a short time they ke

gn, who was mounted on a very fast Arab, began to draw up to him three or four lengths ahead of Captain Dunlop, b

aptain Dunlop, who saw the boa

l be round in a moment; ke

d, before his rider could get him round, the boar was upon him. In an instant the horse was upon the ground,

left, so as to cut off the boar when he turned, and he was now so close that the boar, in passing, had on

ot the sharp touch of his master's rein to wheel sharp round on his hind legs, and dart off at full speed. The boar swerved off again, and continued his original line of flight, his object being to gain a thick patch of jungle, now little over a quarter of a mile distant; the detention, however, was fatal to him, for the doctor, who was close on Cap

sent over his horse's head and stunned; and the sow, turning sharp down a deep and precipitous gully, had made her escape. Three of the squeakers fell to the spears of the Griffs-young hands-and the rest had escaped. The boar had been killed onl

t a bit like a pig, with all those long bristles, a

fterward; "I have arranged with the doctor. He is to have the hams, and

like it very much;" but, as it turned

d up, and he was sent home in a buggy; the man who was stunned came to in a short time. The unsuccessf

f we had killed them all, we might not have had another run f

w the nullah down, cross the stream, and get into a large canebrake beyond, from which it would take hours to dislodge her