was not long, however, before I was duly informed that this cart neither contained a pack of leopards, nor a stag, but only one solitary animal of the first species, upon whom were dependent all our hopes of sport. The party soon moved on, and rode with the cart until we came to a large open plain, when we horsemen were instructed to remain stationary behind a little rising ground, while the men went stealthily about to see if there were any deer in the neighbourhood, the cart remaining with us. After waiting not more than half an hour, the searchers returned to us, and reported that they had seen five or six deer feeding near at hand. We now dismounted, and left our horses with the horse-keepers, walking perfectly silent and quiet until we had a sight of the deer at some distance. During all this time, I had seen nothing whatever of the cheetah, he being securely caged in the covered cart; his time, however, was now come. The tail of the cart was turned towards the distant deer; the keeper entered it, and unhoodwinking his charge, it leaped through the door upon the ground, and there lay for a moment crouched flat on its belly; it gave a rapid glance across the plain, rose up about half-height, then trotted towards the prey; stopped and crouched again; gazed, moved forwards again; manifesting all those actions which every body has seen in a cat approaching its prey. These movements had not occupied more than five minutes, by which time we could observe that the cheetah was almost within what we conceived to be springing distance of the prey, which, however, was not destined that day to fall. The plain was perfectly destitute of cover, and as if conscious of this, the approaches of the cheetah had been exceedingly cautious and stealthy, he scarcely once raising himself from what might be called his hands and knees; probably a little impatient of the distance he had travelled, he lifted himself a little more than at all before when near the deer; it might have been to select his victim. The motion, however, was fatal; the rapid eye of the deer had caught it, and in a moment they were bounding away, leaving the cheetah lying close to the ground, evidently exasperated and astonished. Any inclination which he might have had to pursue the flying deer was, however, instantly suppressed by a shrill whistle and shout from the keeper and the shikarrees, who soon hood-winked and re-carted him again. Thus ended our day's sport, as far as cheetah-hunting was concerned.

66

The officer who commanded the Ceded Districts at this time was one of the very few men who might serve for a character in a novel. He had been more than thirty-five years in India, and had, like "Tom Tough," seen a little sarvice." His ruling passion was horseflesh, from which, with the first syllable of his Scotch name, he derived that cognomen by which he had been known by at least three successive generations. His passion for horses is said to have originated in the loss of a considerable sum of money, which (the amount of his savings) he had deposited with a house of agency, and lost through its bankruptcy; he vowed, with an oath, that no HUMAN being should henceforth be invested with any monies of his; and as it became necessary to employ his surplus receipts some how or other, he made his investment in horses. At the time he commanded at Bellary, he had nearly seventy horses of different sorts, sizes, and value. He would at any time purchase, or sell. If you made a call upon him, you were sure to find the verandah filled with chucklers at work upon saddles, bridles, or other horse-gear. He had assumed much of the language and habits of a horse-dealer, and wore sometimes a singular mixture of military and jockey costume-a red jacket and hunting-cap, top boots over duck trowsers. Any good rider, who came to the station, was sure to find favour in his eyes. He had also a great number of Arab greyhounds, and afforded

the station great sport by going out to the country on hunting-parties. With all this, he was an excellent officer, both in the field and on parade.

Without applying the observation individually, I may say that there was a time when the minds of many, even the majority, of English residing in India were in a deplorable condition as to religious knowledge and control. Early sent out from the sanctity of the domestic hearth, a thousand incentives to vice and profligacy besetting every step, no single opportunity of religious observance available to counteract the multiplicity of temptations, no word of admonition spoken in due season tending to guard against the rising passions; what wonder if multitudes fell? Many who gave indication in youth of better things, and whom a different destiny might have matured for good, and brought to a green old age, perished like the swine that were "choked in the sea."

EVENING IN PARADISE.

Might our tired pilgrim-feet,

Worn by the desert's heat,

On the bright freshness of thy turf repose;

Might our eyes wander there,

Through heaven's transparent air,

And rest in colours of th' immortal rose!

What could thy flowers and airs

Do for our earth-born cares?

Would the world's chain melt off and leave us free?-Hemans.

Through the tinged leaves,

Gold-drops of light, the fan of morning rain'd,
Rosier than painted cheeks of summer eves,

By populous city's clouding smoke sustain'd.

How bright!--but look

Meek Beauty, gliding o'er the silver sand,
Sprinkles the lucid water of the brook

Upon the op'ning rose, with gentle hand.

How sweet!--but hark!

Up the green path of trees, perfumed and dim,
The blackbird, piping in the leafy dark,
Pours the rejoicing music of its hymn.

'Tis fervid noon!

And sweetly now, amid the glowing air,
The fountain murmurs with a lulling tune;

Flowers close in od'rous dream their eyelids fair.

Delicious hour!

The Queen of Paradise reclining now,

Her soft cheek flushing on the pillow'd flower,
Unbinds the morning garland from her brow.

A richer mist

Of kindling vapour over rose and rill,
Bathed in the splendour of the amethyst,
Rolls, like a pageant, up the western hill :

Through the warm glade

Of Paradise, the reddening sun went down;
Lighting the shadows of the cedarn shade,

Like Eastern Satrap, with his ruby crown.

In musing calm,

Upon the scented grass the angels lay,
Under the dim pavilion of the palm,

While the resplendent cloud-land roll'd away.

Bright colours flow'd

Along their pinions in the fragrant gloom;
And their empurpled robes of beauty glow'd,
In Eden's sunny radiancy of bloom.

And night-hymns, play'd

On lute of softest harmony, arose,

Through twilight aisles and myrtle colonnade,
Singing of gorgeous day, the golden close.

Methinks, a shade

Over the world's grey Father's forehead pass'd,
When, darkening slowly down the green arcade,
The lingering, dying sun had set at last.*

O'er the soft turf,

With rosy Beauty wondering by his side,
Like light and shade upon the changeful surf,
In autumn winds, their lengthening shadows glide.

Lo! through the trees,

The mild rays of the summer moonlight fall;
And stealing, like perfume, along the breeze,
The bird-enchanter sings from leafy hall.

Sweet nightingale !

Then first a startled stranger paused, to hear
Thy song oft-scattered through earth's glimmering vale,
Rich with the fragrance of thine Eden-year.

Unfear'd by thee,

The footstep rustling on the shining ground;
Or the bright eye turn'd upward through the tree;
Or matted bough by curious hand unwound.†

From thy warm tent

Of woven boughs and dewy leaves, was pour'd,
Like angel's voice, through prophet's slumber sent,
The hymn of Paradise unto its Lord.

In my charm'd ear,

A voice of music, gentler than thine own,
Beloved songster of the blooming year!

Utter'd its sighs of fear in mournful tone.

I believe that I am indebted for this thought to Wollaston's Religion of Nature-a most learned and eloquent book. He supposes Adam to have viewed the setting sun with mournful feelings, and to have wondered whether it would return.

+ See Coleridge's poem on the Nightingale.

Now when the rosy-finger'd Morning faire,
Weary of aged Tithone's saffron bed,

Had spread his purple robe through deawy aire,

And the high hills Titan discovered.-F. Q., b. I. c. ii. st. 7.

Waller has a very pretty thought, in one of his poems, which may be new to many readers:

To man, that was in th' evening made,

Stars gave the first delight;

Admiring in the gloomy shade
Those little drops of light.

And let me accompany the lines of Waller, with a very pleasing and elegant stanza from Langhorne's Owen of Carron-a poem of much grace and sweetness, although rarely noticed in modern times:

+ Chaucer :

As the first human heir of earth
With pensive eye himself survey'd,
And, all unconscious of his birth,
Sat thoughtful oft in Eden's shade.

Whereof I had so inly great pleasure,

That, as methought, I surely ravish'd was

Into Paradise, where my desire

Was for to be, and no further passe.-The Floure and the Leafé.