The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-09-11
sport" IN INDIA.
TO INTEREST THE NATIVES 1T
MUST BE CRUEL.
Hunting Deer by a Panther's Aid
How Wrestlers Are Maintained
and Their Exercises-The
Battle of Hands.

40 ohSo"SOSSAJ C"o A"A
sport, though the sport as prac-
ticed by the mild Hindoo has,
{ perhaps, little to recommend it
to the European. Sport, to be appre-
eiated by the average Hindoo, must
have something cruel about it, either
to man or animal, and if u%ncruel, then
it has no interest. But despite this
assertion, however, true as it is, it
must not be forgotten that we are in
debted to the Manipuris for polo, by
whom it was introduced into British
environments.
The Hindoos are great cock-fighters.
Large sums of money are spent on
these contests, nor are the birds furn-
ished with spurs to make the fight
still more s%anguinary. The cocks use
only natures weapons, andthe wounds
inlicated are severe enough to satisfy
the Hindoo craving for bloody spec
tacles.
Of horse racing the Hindoo is pas
sionately fond, and o race will practi-
cally close all business. 1 have seen
the Government printing Offices at
Allahabad closed because the compost
tors abandoned their cases to see the
initial meet of the Gym Khana. A
~steeplechase where there is every pos
sibifity of some one being thrown
exerts a wonderful fascination on the
people who do not hesitate to call
themselves the greatest physical
towards in the world.
Their hunting, too, is of the cruel
order. Panthers, or, as they are called
in India, cheetahs, are trained to pur-
sue deer and kill them. There is no
risk attaching to the hunters, but
there is q great deal of danger to the
unfortunate shekari who trains the
~ferocious beast. The panther is blind
folded, a leash is passed around his
middle, and he is thus led to the plain
where deer can be found, or to where
the deer have been driven by a swarm
of heaters. The assenbiage, mounted
upon elephants or horses or in convey
ances, keep a respectful distance from
the cheetah, who is led into the open
and the hood quietly removed and the
leash slipped. The cheetah, when flu
riously hungry has been knownto turn
upon his trainer as the quickest prey,
and this is the supreme, the agonizing
moment. The cheetah stands straight,
his forelegs stiffening and his tail
slowly moving. He purrs like a huge
cat, looks angrily around him, then,
crouching, bounds after his prey.
"Shabash!" is the exc Exclamation. "He
has not killed the trainer, but I
thought he would surely turn on him., "
-anda gentle sigh of disappointment
escapes from the lips of the provider
of the fun.
The cheetah catches his victim and
Selling it by the throat, buries his
fangs deeply, sucking in the blood
with greedy gasps. The trainer ap-
proaches gently, so gently that his
football can scarcely be heard. The
cheetah is growing ominously. His
tail beats his sides in ferocious impa-
tience. Quietly the man steals to-
ward the crouching beast and slips the
hood over the eyes, then the leash is
passed around and all danger is
averted. But not quite. For the head
has to be severed, still leaving in the
cheetah's mouth a goodly lump OF
bleeding flesh.
There is nothing very sportsmanlike
in this performance, but there is 0
great deal of danger attaching to it,
and that danger devolyes upon one
man. I have heard of cases where the
panther has absolutely refused to chase
the deer, but has devoted his entire
time and attention to the hunting
party. Then the game was not voted
q success.
The Hindoos are great deyotees o
wrestling, and Puniab produces giants
Indeed the best wrestlers come from
the north. There men are trained
from early infancy. The wrestle:
trains from babyhood. He is picked
out on account of his strength, and hi
exercises commence when he is but
small tot. Every muscle is strength
ened by an appropriate exercise.
had a friend who was a great athlete
and kept three or four of these bulk,
fellows to teach him wrestling. T,
harden their calf muscles these chaps
six feet and over, would hop about tn
floor for hours together in a squattin,
position, while for increasing the di
mansions of their biceps and the ches
muscles they would first lie flat on tn
ground, then raising themselves on til
tips Of the toes.and with hands we
turned in they would commence
move up and down, putting all thei
weight on their arms. They woul
continue this until they had done
1000 times. A man who has not exe1
cised, does we'll if he can keepit up fo
three or five minutes. After exerci
ing they would drink milk and acoars
sweetmeat made Of CHI, clarified bu
ter and sugar. Being Hindoos the
only trained on milk and CHI al
sugar. The prizes they wrestled fl
were enormous and huge sums wei
put up by their patrons.
The wrestlers are not Independent
They generally attach themselves
some ardent sport, who pays them
mucha month. They form part
his encourage, and these sports off