184 REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE. 



the second night's lotteries, the Colonel wrote Harry Abbott a 

 note saying he wished to see him particularly. On arriving, 

 Harry asked the old gentleman what he could do for him. " I 

 must have my tent moved," was the answer. " I have put up 

 for two days and nights uncomplainingly with the frightful 

 language used by the two awful men whose tents are on 

 either side of mine, but after what occurred last night I must 

 remove to some safer spot. About an hour after you had closed 

 the lottery rooms I heard the most frightful shrieks and cries of 

 murder from Mr. Framji's dining tent, and on rushing over 

 there, I saw those two terrible men dressed only in their night 

 clothes, but each with a huge carving knife in his hand, chasing 

 poor Mr. Framji round and round the dining table, and they 

 were within an inch of catching him, when on seeing me he 

 fell at my feet, and claimed protection. ' Gentlemen, gentle- 

 men, I said,' 'what has this inoffensive man done to be thus 

 treated ?' What they said, Mr. Abbott, I refrain from repeat- 

 ing ; but I gathered from them, that they had been refused 

 supper, and in default of that they intended to devil and eat 

 the poor Parsee. I asked Mr. Framji why he had refused to 

 provide them with supper. He replied, that by your orders, 

 he closed his bar punctually at one o'clock, and, moreover, it 

 was not easy to get his accounts settled with these gentlemen. 

 'Base is the slave that pays' shouted out Mr. Short, ' just 



you tell him old 'I again spare your ears, Mr. 



Abbott, ' that we'll wreck his whole show if we don't get 

 some ham fried in champagne for supper.' Fearing they 

 might proceed to carry out their threat, I told Mr. Framji, if 

 he would supply their wants I'd speak to you, report their 

 conduct, and see him protected from further violence. I then 

 left, though they were most pressing in their wishes that I 

 should join them. I had scarcely gone to sleep when I heard 

 them returning more boisterous than ever, and I feared they 

 might take it into their heads to play tricks on my tent, but to 



