264 REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE. 



down to a dhurry or chicks for one's tent. The ghats might 

 well have been left to him for the short remaining span of his 

 life, for he died in 1895, n ^ s en( ^ having been undoubtedly has- 

 tened by fretting over his loss. Poor old man, everyone had 

 a kind word for him whenever he trotted down the road in his 

 racketty old dog cart, pulled by a veritable Rosinante, or 

 stopped to speak to his old friends and patrons. For forty-two 

 years, ever since Frank Vincent appointed him course chowikdar 

 on three rupees a month, he had never missed a Sonepore 

 meeting ; ever good tempered, willing and obliging, we missed 

 him much in 1894. The old man never held up his head again 

 after being as he considered disgraced. Peace to his ashes. 

 But it is time though to hark back to the meeting. Messrs. Slack 

 and Boileau were early on the scene and so carefully had they 

 drained the camping ground that by Friday everything was high 

 and dry and the course excellent going. The cam pswere fewer 

 than usual. Chupra sent two, one managed by Mrs. Slack, 

 wife to the popular new local Collector, and one by Mrs. Lock- 

 hart, whose jovial husband's high spirits never flag. These 

 between them mustered some sixty hosts and guests. In the 

 latter camp were some officers of the Highland Light Infantry 

 and several Calcutta people. Among Harry Abbotts guest's were 

 Lord William Beresford and his cousin, Mr. W. Holmes, who 

 had just retired from the North-West Civil Service. Owing to 

 the sad death of poor young Ward the Manchester Regiment 

 had comparatively abandoned the big camp they had arranged 

 for, although a few of them came over from Dinapore occasion- 

 ally, and with them was a small contingent of Bankipore 

 people. Mr. Arthur Forbes could not bid the number of guests 

 welcome he has hitherto been in the habit of entertaining so 

 sumptuously, as he had to make arrangements for the wedding 

 of a fair niece and also to entertain the Lieutenant-Governor 

 during his visit to Patna. Bankipore for these reasons was 

 only represented by one camp, but grandly was old time hos- 



