The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-08-29
THE " GYMkHAEA."
A Medley of Outdoor Games INDUCED I'm
by English Officers in India.

A Medley of Outdoor Games INDUCED In
by English Officers in India.
A ''gymkhana. Well, what is it9
The word in itself is a compound Hin
dostanee term, meaning the ''home of
games" and with many another Indian
phrase has been incorporated into the
sporting vocabulary of the sport loving
AnglO-Saxon race. To put it tersely,
it is medley of games. To enliven
the monotony of garrison life in the
many stations in India the officers
from time to time get up steeplechases
and athletic sports for the men, After
the conquest of the Puniaub men
learnt new games that were imme-
diately dubbed good" Tent pegging,
lemon cutting, and last but not least,
"polo," were at once adopted by the
English. All these sports were incor-
porated into the programme and added
a new Zest.
An animal race always forms part OF
a "gymkhana. Here each competitor
brings to the starting post some quad
ruped or biped. Pigs, dogs, fowls, cats,
rats, rabbits, the gentle tortoise. all are
eligible, and if some strange animal OF
bird can be procured the fun is all the
merrier. Each animal or bird must be
held by a string, but it is not advisable
for the harmony of the race to place
the dog next in line to the cat, or the
latter in juxtaposition to the rat. The
writer, when in Africa, saw a race in
which secretary bird was entered with
every chance of winning. Next it was
a rat. The bird espied the rodent few
moments before the start, and with one
thump of its foot killed it. The next
second the rat had been swallowed.
The secretary bird was ruled out of the
race.
An obstacle race is indispensable.
This is a race for men, and it must be
left to the ingenuity of the stewards to
devise the obstacles. A race the writer
remembers began with some fairly stiff
hurdles; beyond these an entangle-
ment, easily made with stout stakes and
wire run in every direction around
them. Beyond that was wide water
trench and then tarpaulin, riveted in
the ground, under which the competi-
tors had to crawl Next a table, with
a good old dry bun for each, which had
to be eaten, and then large bottle OF
effervescing ginger beer. Flour bar
rels, with both ends knocked out and
suspended from scaffold, improved
the appearance of the men when they
dived through them, and a last climb
over palisades, built close together,
was about as much as most men cared
to 60 through in an obstacle race.
A blindfold wheelbarrow race is
amusing, especially when the pushe1
makes straight for one of the adjoining
bitches. For the horsemen, a pretty
and excellent competition is tent peg
ging." An ordinary tent peg is firmly
fixed in the ground. Each competitor,
at full gallop, with his lance tries to
strike the peg and carry it off on tn
tip of the lance. These lances are al
ways made of bamboo and tipped with
steel The rider carries the lance in bis
right hand, with the elbow of the arm
bent well outward. If the peg is square
ly struck, the lucky rider brings it home
on the point of his lance. As a rule,
however, he comes to the finish with
only few scraps of mother earth.
Another capital race is riding tan
dem race. Each man rides one pony
while he drives the leader, and every
one must carry tandem whip. A cigar
race causes good deal of fun. The
competitors start on bareback steeds,
and, on reaching one limit, jump off.
saddle their ponies, light cigar and
make the best time to the winning post.
The cigarmu be alight when the Judge
is reached.
Local industries may be used in aid
ing the programme. A race for soldiers
in full marching order adds to the in
terest of the sports, and the small boys
OF the village will gladly join in a potato
race. In this certain number of 20
tatoes are placed in a line, and each
youths task is to run and pick them
up, one by one, and return them to a
basket.-New York Tribune.