REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE. 73 



Serryah, who is one of the few instances of a man who had 

 scarcely ridden as a child, arriving at something very near 

 perfection, by sheer patience, and determination. As a chase 

 rider I have never met a better ; strong, cool, dashing, and 

 with fine judgment, it was a treat to watch, or ride alongside 

 him and what a fencer he made of Delphos. G. Rs. did not 

 show up strongly at this meeting, the professionals having it 

 all their own way. Arthur Forbes donned silk once, in the 

 hack race on Venture, and though he failed to get home, showed 

 that the Civil Service had not yet gone quite to the dogs, as far 

 as sport was concerned. Jimmy did not have a single winning 

 mount. Among those who sported silk unsuccessfully, was 

 Kelly Maitland, not yet owner of the invincible Kingcraft ; 

 Jack Becher had that tearing pulling demon of a Cabuli, Sul- 

 tan, who used to be trained in the Tewarreh indigo fields by 

 Harry Abbott ; the brute invariably bolted with his seven stone 

 jock, and usually went a couple or three miles ere a hold of him 

 could be got. Being sound as a bell, under such training, he 

 was naturally always fit as a fiddle ; and he was scarcely ever 

 beaten in his class. Tom Fraser made his maiden effort in 

 the pig-skin, at this meeting, and rode a country-bred gelding 

 called Trolley, the property of Harry Macdonald, against Sul- 

 tan steered by Ferdy Shaw; but Tom was beaten out of sight, 

 and retired to his tent to ruminate over the folly of matching 

 an unfit against a fit quadruped ; still mountain dew will con- 

 sole any Highlander, and with the discomforted owner he 

 soon gathered consolation. Irish Mayo was as fine a speci- 

 men of his dear old country's aristocracy, as ever took shille- 

 lagh in hand, or cuddled a colleen, but the Highlanders who 

 stood up alongside of him at that Sonepore gathering of 1871, 

 were a body he would have loved to lead anywhere where 

 danger lay. Harry, John, and Callum Macdonald, Farquhar 

 MacKinnon, Louis Reid, Dr. Kenneth McLeod, and the smaller 

 though equally gallant brothers, Roderick and Jimmy McLeod. 



