he
barbarous Mameluke bit, which is used in Egypt, they took very kindly to
my snaffle. The desert is a grand place for trying experiments with
horses; for in it there is nothing to frighten or distract their
attention from their work, and if one does happen to get a spill, the
falling is very soft. As soon as the news of my doings became noised
abroad in Suez, the riding men mustered in great force and borrowed
several of the horses I had passed as quiet. It was amusing to see some
of the horsemen sending all over the place to borrow a saddle, and in a
couple of days we all met for a ride. One of the ladies rode very well,
but she would not try any of the remounts, as she had her own Arab.
There was seldom such excitement in Suez before, the lawn tennis ground
became quite deserted, and everyone seemed to have gone riding mad.

Coursing steinbok with greyhounds used to be a popular sport in South
Africa, but when my husband and I were in Kimberley in 1892, Mr. Fenn
was establishing a pack of foxhounds. I fear the Jameson Raid and its
dire results have sadly disturbed the harmony of that sporting
community.

I cannot help thinking that the Germans are more devoted to riding than
any other Continental nation. I have not hunted in Germany, as I was
there only during the summer; but I sold a good hunter to a German Count
who was a fine horseman and a Master of Foxhounds. He told me that a
large number of ladies hunted with his pack. I was particularly struck
with the immense size and beauty of the riding schools in Berlin. In the
Berliner Tattersall there are three large riding schools, and I seldom
went there without seeing some ladies on horseback. In the largest
riding school there is a gallery, a refreshment room, reading room,
several dressing rooms, a bandstand, and seating accommodation for
hundreds of people. The proprietor told me that in the winter months
when the weather is too bad for outside riding, ladies ride in the
schools, and various entertainments are given. I saw a large number of
ladies riding in the Tiergarten, although it was out of the season, and
I expected to find the ride as empty as Rotten Row in the winter months.
As I went there before eight in the morning, our German cousins must be
early risers. On the last occasion we visited the Tiergarten, we were on
our way home from Russia, and, having a couple of hours to wait for our
train, we strolled into the delightful wooded ride. It was about
h