Page:A Bayard from Bengal.djvu/59

 AUTHOR'S NOTE ON ILLUSTRATION No. III.

a story is to be judged by the style in which it is illustrated then truly will all professional Fox-chasers after beholding this picture jump to the conclusion that the Author has foolishly undertaken to write upon topics concerning which he is the total ignoramus!

But if such captious critics will only do me the ordinary justice to refer to the printed text they will find that I am not responsible for such a childish blunder as representing that any English Sportingman would run a fox to the earth mounted upon a camel.

Nor am I to blame because Mr Pahtridhji, with characteristic native conceit, has chosen to depict a purely British episode as taking place in scenery of an Oriental character.

However, to give the devil his due, my illustrator has drawn other parts of the pictureespecially the attitude of Mr Bhoshwith considerable spirit and fidelity to the Author's conceptions. H. B. J.