CHAPTER VIII. 



First Queen's Birthday Meet. 



While I was at Choa, we had about a dozen Queen's 

 Birthday Meets ; but I shall confine My Reminiscences 

 to the most eventful one only. 



A goodly number turned up for the meet of the 24th 

 May, 1879. The first to arrive was District Superin- 

 tendent of Police Reily, who rode in in the morning 

 from Dumcole, and in the evening the following turned 

 up : Major Peacock, Captain Wilson, Judge Bain- 

 bridge, J. Stocks, M. Ferguson, F. G. Gibson and C. 

 Faulder, C.S. Just as we were finishing dinner H. H. 

 the Nawab Bahadoor of Murshedabad arrived with his 

 brothers. 



The whole camp being in the factory compound, and 

 round it, we had a most unpleasant night of it. What 

 with the thermometer at ninety degrees, the trumpeting, 

 roaring and squeaking of a score or so of elephants, the 

 neighing, kicking and snorting of some fifty horses, the 

 shouting, swearing and snoring — besides minor other 

 noises — of some two hundred camp followers, syces, 

 mahouts and servants made the best part of the night a 

 perfect pandemonium. 



