[Illustration]
The Polo family have always been great travellers. The adventurous
Venetian, Marco Polo, who started Eastward long enough before Columbus
thought of discovering America--or, indeed, before anybody thought of
Columbus--was the first of the long line to make himself known
throughout the world. This was about the year 1280, or more than six
hundred years ago; and almost as long ago as that, according to all
accounts, another branch of this distinguished family, which we have
come to know as the game of Polo, was known and liked in other parts of
the Orient. Travellers tell us that for centuries the inhabitants of
certain districts of India have played the game, and liked it so well
that they gave it a name signifying in their language "the game of all
games." This game was born in a country where there were no telegraphs,
no railroads, not even an old-fashioned stage-coach. All travelling was
done on horseback, and all business depended upon the skill and fidelity
of the horsemen. A game that taught the dusky lads to be good horsemen
was more than an amusement--it was a national blessing. Polo was for
ages, and is still, the national game of these districts. The boys are
hardly large enough to lay their hand on a pony's back before they learn
to play Polo. The English in India have taken up the game, but even with
their superior ponies and equipments they can not vanquish the natives
in a friendly contest with the ball and mallet. This is because the
Indians from their earliest boyhood are taught to play the game, just as
we, at a similar age, are taught the beauties of the Latin grammar. The
English are almost as fond of good horsemanship as the East Indians, and
as soon as their soldiers in India saw the game, they learned it and
played it. Thus Polo travelled from India to England. Five or six years
ago it took a trip to America; and although it still makes New York its
head-quarters on this side the Atlantic, it has travelled all over the
United States, visiting nearly every principal city, and generally
making a long stay.
[Illustration]
The only thing to prevent American boys from learning to play this
exciting game is the great lack of ponies. While an East Indian boy
would have a pony, even if he were too poor to have a coat, many an
American boy with plenty of coats is not able to have a pony. But with
the ponies once at hand, and boys who can ride them well, the game is
easily learned. It is no more, indeed, than "shinny" on horseback, and
if there is any American boy who does not know how to play shinny, he is
yet to be heard from. Ordinary horses are too large for Polo, even when
the players are full-grown men, for the higher a player is from the
ground, the more difficult it is for him to strike the ball. The smaller
the pony, the better for the player; and it should be as gentle as a
kitten, as quick as a flash, and as swift as a deer. The ponies
generally used in New York and Newport are brought from Texas and
Mexico, and, as most boys know, these animals do not unite all the good
qualities of the Arabian steed. They are a little too fond of kicking,
and of stopping suddenly, and smiling with their ears, while their rider
slides over their head. Sometimes, however, a young member of the party
appears mounted upon a Shetland pony, a shining, bright-eyed little
animal, as gentle as it is beautiful. These ponies are scarce, and often
expensive; but it will be good news to some of the boys to hear that a
gentleman has recently stocked a farm with them in Westchester County,
only a few miles from New York, and that he intends to raise hundreds of
them for sale.
[Illustration: A GAME OF POLO.--DRAWN BY J. E. KELLY.]
The Polo costume is a very bright one, generally consisting of a colored
shirt, tight-fitting cloth pantaloons, and gaiters, with the small cap
that is well known as a "Polo cap." There may be any number of players
on a side, from one to a dozen. The ball is made of wood, painted white,
and looks like a base-ball. The mallet, which is called a "stick," has a
handle six or seven feet long, and is used to drive the ball into the
home of the enemy. Each side has its goal, made by driving two poles
into the ground about six feet apart. The ball is laid in the centre of
the ground, and at a signal the players make a dash for it. Whichever
side succeeds in driving it through the goal of its opponents is the
victor. The games that are played on the Polo Grounds in the upper part
of New York city are usually very pretty sights. They are attended
almost always by a number of ladies and gentlemen of fashion, who drive
out in four-horse coaches, and are shielded from the sun either by the
stationary awning, or by bright-colored tents, often made of the finest
materials. In the heat of the summer the Polo centre is changed from New
York to Newport, where most of the players are gathered. The last game
at Newport for this season was played only a few days ago. A number of
the fortunate New York boys who have spent the summer at Newport have
been practicing frequently, with a view to making their first appearance
in public in this city next spring. Some of them by a few months'
practice have become very expert players.