REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE. 233 



first entries were promising, local owners showing up well. 

 Mr. Arther Forbes, the sporting Patna Commissioner, always 

 encourged the local officials to visit Sonepore, holding, and 

 rightly, that they learnt more during those ten days of the 

 community they lived amongst, than during the whole of the 

 rest of the year. From the commencement of his Behar career, 

 when as Magistrate of Taj pore, he cleared his sub-division of 

 bud mashes and jackals, Arthur had ever loved a good horse 

 and pour encourager les autres, he in 1893 bought at Weekes' 

 sale that well-bred mare Lady Roseberry, as well as the weight 

 carrying sprinter Wabba, to carry his light blue colors at 

 Sonepore, and won with them too ; loud were the cheers as Lady 

 Roseberry and Wabba fought out the issue for the Civilians' 

 Cup; his old friend Charley Hay-Webb had kindly trained 

 them on his capital course at Mooktapore. Mr. Gye, a nom de 

 course but faintly veilingthe identity of the popular Mozufferpore 

 medico, who was, ere he came to Behar, a shining light among 

 Assam racing planters, had bought Profit and Lord Hopetoun 

 from Green, the importer, and the horses had been trained at 

 Mozufferpore by Mr. Thomas, an experienced cross-country 

 and flat gentleman rider, who had come out from England to 

 amuse himself by riding and training for " Groggy " Gregson, 

 who under his racing name of Mr. Charles, also weighed in 

 with numerous entries for Sonepore. The Rifle Brigade en- 

 tered several, and the Chupra sportsmen, Arthur Vincent, who 

 in September had married Miss Boileau, poor Sammy Ayres 

 and Harry Boileau were well represented; Rowland Hudson 

 had two good ponies, Mavis and Sir Hugh, both bred at Lall 

 Serryah, but for the first time for many years not a single entry 

 came in under the name of Mr. John. He was still at home. 

 Victor Hickley, Phil the Fluter, and Ross Palmer, with Rowland 

 Hudson worthily upheld the reputation of Ottur as a sporting 

 centre y and Jack Barclay's evergreen Blaze figured among those 

 Anxious to pull off some of the big events. 



