REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE, 



one went home perfectly happy and to sleep till the band 

 commenced its gentle tootling five minutes before the gun 

 that usually brings you up with a jump from your beauty sleep, 

 and before seven o'clock the stand was simply crowded with 

 fair lady visitors, while, down below, the host of strange faces 

 from all parts of India proclaimed that Sonepore was indeed 

 still to the fore, and that the meeting far excelled those of the 

 last few years. Far to the eastern end of the gentlemen's 

 stand might be seen the cheery face of Calcutta's inimitable 

 Secretary, Major Ben Roberts, who brought up Tingey and 

 little Robinson, in charge of His Highness the Durbangah 

 Maharajah's stud. The way Benham romped home in front of 

 Jock Harvey's grand horse, Palmerston, showed how correct 

 was his opinion of the little horse's capabilities. Next to Major 

 Ben stood the stalwart Major who managed the princely Estate 

 of Durbangah ; Mr. Cresswell, late owner of that grand though 

 unfortunate horse B. Sharp, was in front and quite spoiling the 

 view of the speaking countenance of Mr. Mills, chief promoter 

 and sustainer of sport at Gya, now transferred to Patna. The 

 lower tier was filled with several Tirhoot faces, first and fore- 

 most Jimmy McLeod, as well-known at Sonepore as household 

 words. Then that quiet little man, Harry Abbott, whose voice is 

 so seldom heard, even in the lottery rooms, and who was doomed 

 that morning to see his paragon, Palmerston, beaten. It was 

 a foregone conclusion Spider's losing, for he fell in the lottery 

 to his owner's bid, who for once stoutly refused to part with 

 even one little bit of the fiddlehead. By him stood a well- 

 known and stalwart specimen of Tirhoot's sons, the renowned 

 " Whang " Rennie, now alas no more. The judge's box was 

 filled by Arthur Butler. There, too, was Chupra's chief 

 stay, the irrepressible Bob, ever ready with a quip, never 

 nonplussed at repartee, and whose laurels won on Bangle will 

 as long be remembered at Bankipore and Arrah, as his tear- 

 drawing speeches. 



