for it. It's great sport, isn't it?"

"The best I know," cried Raymond enthusiastically. "Beats hunting
hollow. You're not following a wretched little animal that runs for its
life, but a game brute that will turn on you as like as not and make
you fight for yours."

"It must be ripping. I do hope we'll have the luck to find plenty of pig
to-day."

"Oh, we're sure to. The Maharajah told me yesterday they have marked
down a _sounder_--that is, a herd--of wild pig in a _nullah_ about seven
miles the other side of the city, which is two miles away, so we have a
ride of nine to the meet."

"That will make it a very hard day for our ponies, won't it?" asked
Wargrave anxiously. "Eighteen miles there and back and the runs as
well."

"Oh, that's all right. The Maharajah mounts us at the meet. We'll find
his horses waiting there for us. Rawboned beasts with mouths like iron,
as a rule; but good goers and staunch to pig."

"By Jove! The Maharajah must be a real good chap."

"One of the best," replied Raymond. "He is a man for whom I've the
greatest admiration. He rules his State admirably. He commanded his own
Imperial Service regiment in the war and did splendidly. He is very good
to us here."

"So it seems. From what I gathered at Mess last night he appears to
provide all our sport for us."

"Yes; he arranges his shoots and the pigsticking meets for days on which
the officers of the regiment are free to go out with him. When we can
travel by road he sends his carriages for us, lends us horses and has
camels to follow us with lunch, ice and drinks wherever we go."

"What a good fellow he must be!" exclaimed Wargrave. "I am glad we get
pigsticking here. I've always longed for it, but never have been
anywhere before where there was any, as you know."

"It's lucky for us that the sport here is good; for without it life in
Rohar would be too awful to contemplate. It's the last place the Lord
made."

"It's the hardest place to reach I've ever known," said Wargrave. "It
was a shock to learn that, after forty-eight hours in the train, I had
two more days to travel after leaving the railway."

"How did you like that forty miles in a camel train over the salt
desert? That made you sit up a bit, eh?"

"It was awful. The heat and the glare off the sand nearly killed me. You
say there is no society here?"

"Society? The only Europeans here or in the whole State, besides those
of us in the regiment, are the Resident and