REMINISCENCES OF SONEPOR6. 



ning the Patna Stakes from Portia and Planet. The victori- 

 ous Shanghai had another laurel in the Chupra Stakes, win- 

 ning a pretty race by a head from his stable companion 

 Chieftain. Then Ali generously presented a purse of Rs. 500 

 for a handicap made by himself. Six started, and how good the 

 allotment of weights was, was shown by all the horses being 

 locked together at the distance, and midst the greatest excite- 

 ment Jimmy squeezed Portia home, a length in front of 

 Duchess, with Donaldson up. The meet ended with Mr. 

 Vowell, the local Civilian, steering Kathleen home in front of 

 Kintail in the Galloway Handicap. Two months after this 

 Jimmy showed the stern stuff he is made of by going down to 

 Calcutta and getting up after a week's dose of fever he rode 

 Johnstone Smith's Dauntless to victory in the Ballygunge Cup, 

 making running from flag to winning post. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



YEAR 1873. 



The year 1873 was a sorrowful one for Behar, it rang 

 the death knell of the Pusa Stud. Sad it was to see 

 the pretty fillies being drafted away to other studs, and 

 to realise that in another few years the neat paddocks 

 would be spoilt by the plough of the ryot, and tobacco 

 and Indian corn substituted for lucern and oats. More- 

 over, we had to mourn the death of a good man and true, 

 that popular Civilian poor Rowland Vyner Cockerell, who, 

 under his assumed name of Vyner, had nominated largely 

 for this year's Sonepore Races. He was killed by his horse 

 falling with him at Simla. A thorough sportsman and most 

 popular official, he had none of the insufferable conceit of his 

 brother Horace, who used to put on no end of side. There 

 is a lovely story told of Horace. He once went into the Bank 

 of Bengal at Patna to cash a cheque, and the youngster then in 

 charge was new to the place, and did not recognise the little tin 



