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Notes on the text These notes, by John McGivering, are partly new, and partly based on the notes on this tale in the ORG. The page and line numbers below refer to the Macmillan (London) Standard Edition of Plain Tales from the Hills, as published and frequently reprinted between 1899 and 1950. |
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[Oct 23 2005]
[Page 62, heading] Collected in Inclusive Verse, p. 498 with 'Bund' for 'dam' in line 4, and similarly in Definitive Verse p. 506. The first six lines list the various hazards to be found when riding over rough ground and show the leading riders warning those following that there is danger ahead. Pull to the off means to steer to the right. See KJ 122, p. 10. For similar advice on the hazards of pig-sticking, see Early Verse (Ed. Rutherford) pp. 248-9. This story is based on an incident in Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (1876).
[Page 62, line 8] open-work jam-tart jewels the badges of the Companion of the Star of India and the Companion of the Indian Empire were somewhat large and occasionally sneered at by those than did not possess them.
[Page 63, line 5] six letters these may well have been C.S.I. and C.I.E. as above.
[Page 63, line 16] the dreams of avarice “I am rich beyond the dreams of avarice” a quotation from The Gamester by Edward Moore (1712 – 1757).
[Page 63, line 26] lawn–tennis came to India in about 1880.
[Page 63, line 27] croquet another game played on a lawn – knocking wooden balls through hoops with mallets.
[Page 63, line 29] archery the sport of shooting arrows with the bow; revived by the foundation of the Grand National Society at York in 1844.
[Page 63, line 31] People talked learnedly… terms used in archery: steles are arrows without heads or feathers; 65–pound bows would require such a force to propel an arrow 200 yards or so; a lady would use a force of 24 to 32 pounds. Backed is a compound bow, and self–yew a bow made of one piece of timber.
[Page 64, lines 1 & 2] rallies … terms used in tennis.
[Page 64, line 5] Diana of Tara–Devi the huntress – [see note to Page 2 line 13.]
[Page 64, line 16] Langur the entellus monkey or one of its genus.
[Page 64, line 20] Dragoon at one time mounted troops who fought on foot but developed into pure cavalry by the end of the 18th. Century. The Dragoons were the 'heavies' as opposed to the Hussars and Lancers who were light cavalry.
[Page 65, line 26] Judgement of Paris in Greek mythology, the son of Priam and Hecuba who was asked to judge a beauty competition between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. He chose the latter and gave her the golden Apple of Discord as a prize.
[Page 66, line 19] gold the centre of the target – the bull’s eye.
[J. McG.]
