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TROOPERS AND THEIR EQUIPMENT
ways, and often paint their bodies in different colours.
They train them in an extremely clever manner, and ride them most gracefully. Many indeed would be able to carry
off prizes in our European riding-schools. The Mahrattas, for instance, accustom their horses to stop at a given signal.
The rider dismounts and goes away, leaving his steed loose.
Sometimes for hours together the animal will remain as still as a milestone until his master returns. A horse-stealer who one day came across a solitary steed, which had thus
been left without any one to look after it, mounted it and
galloped off. The owner of the horse, seeing from a distance what had happened, thereupon gave the call by which he always stopped the animal. At the sound of its master ' s voice the horse perceived its mistake and stood stock still.
In spite of every effort on the part of the thief it refused to
budge; whereupon the latter thought it more prudent to take to flight on his own two legs.
The troopers, Mahomedan and Mahratta, are armed with lances, javelins, and katharis, or daggers. Some few have blunderbusses in addition, while others have indifferent sabres. A few may be seen armed with nothing but the
whip or switch which they use in urging on their horses.
Each man, in short, is expected to arm himself at his own expense, and consequently a remarkable variety may be
noticed in the equipments of a troop of native cavalry.
They march in the most irregular fashion, and have no
idea of regular military movements. Indeed, any such knowledge would be of little or no use to them, for they very rarely take part in a pitched battle. All their campaigns are reduced to mere skirmishes and constant surprises on one side or the other, inwhich very little blood is shed. The chief operations of native armies are confined to ravaging the country that they happen to be passing through, without distinction of friend or foe, and pillaging without mercy all the defenceless inhabitants, who are put to inconceivable tortures in the attempt to force them to disgorge imaginary treasure that they never possess.
The infantry is, if possible, in even a worse plight; or at any rate it was up to the time when native princes were induced to admit European adventurers into their service, to reorganize and drill their armies.