122 REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE. 



Tej Singh of Jodhpore, who cleared out with Aleppo, Orlando 

 and Wicked. Then Wheal went off with Joan of Arc ; and 

 Telegram, Stanley and Lancer were also taken away. In 

 those days no attempt was made by the Stewards to make out- 

 side owners comfortable, no Framji with tents and a decent 

 table d'hote was provided for them. If they turned up they 

 had to live in the tatti stables with their horses and arrange 

 for their catering as best they could. Small wonder that this 

 want of thought for others made outsiders fight shy of the 

 meeting, and from this year Sonepore's reputation as a hospi- 

 table race meeting to outside owners declined. Socially it 

 was as brilliant and jolly as ever. The 65th was at Dinapore 

 then, and the Officers turned up at the meeting in force, and 

 beat the planters at polo, owing chiefly to having bigger ponies. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

 YEAR 1879. 



The Asian came into existence in October 1878, and the 

 Oriental Sporting Magazine shortly afterwards (in September 

 1879) expired, having till then been for over a quarter of a 

 century, the only record of Indian Sport. The look out for 

 the prospects of 1879 seemed poor, and in September of that 

 year the Assan wrote : 



" Can it be true that we shall have the sad task of writing 

 1 Ichabod' about the once largely-frequented Sonepore Meet? 

 We hear that it is more than probable the races this year will 

 fall to the ground, the reasons alleged being that up to date 

 there have been but very few applications for camps, and that 

 therefore it seems doubtful whether the amount of subscriptions, 

 sufficient to cover the expenses, will be raised. The cause of 

 the falling off of applications for camps is probably the disastrous 

 season the indigo planters of Behar have experienced. 



" Of all meets in India, Sonepore should be the most popu- 

 lar ; and we cannot but think that a little energy on the part 



