REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORt. 147 



to give weight to an entirely wrong decision. Vanity prompting 

 them, they accept their position, and if they possibly can, shirk 

 their work, naturally enough feeling their incapacity. Four 

 good working men, unconnected if possible with the horses 

 competing, would be worth a dozen dummies, and Secretaries 

 would do well to remember this. Not a single person, even 

 those most justified in grumbling, hesitate to express their 

 gratitude for Mr. Abercrombie's manifold exertions. Almost 

 everything is on his shoulders, and how he manages to stand 

 it, and put up with the grumbling, objections, and too frequent- 

 ly impertinences, is a wonder. Most men would have flung 

 up the thankless task in disgust long ago, but his equanimity 

 carries him through everything, and it is due to him alone 

 that one of the large local stables continues to run at Sonepore. 

 The enthusiasm and speechifying at the last supper night 

 might well have been dispensed, with. On such a woeful 

 collapse as occurred, the less said the better. Alas ! for the 

 days when little Mac, Teddy Drummond, Frank Vincent, 

 Ulick Browne and Simmy ruled at Sonepore ; managing it as 

 it should be managed, ruling it with firm but generous hands, 

 lovers of horses and sport, encouraging sportsmen and owners 

 from all sides of India with inducements of heaps of lotteries, 

 princely hospitality, and an extra handicap or two got up on 

 the last day, instead of, as now, no lotteries, unless owners 

 toss for their own money ; little or no accommodation for a 

 stranger if he comes, talks of cutting down purses, a weak 

 prospectus, and still more deplorably weak management. 

 Well may it be printed in large letters, ' Sonepore was.' " 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



YEAR 1882. 



In April 1882 the Planter r s' Gazette made its first appear- 

 ance, and as there were now two sporting papers, the chroni- 

 cling of racing events was more reliable. India lost a good 



