REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE. 301 



were Mrs. Hudson, Miss Rhodes, Miss Were, Miss Crane, 

 Miss Ryles, Miss Weston, Miss Macnaghten, the two Misses 

 Crawford and several others, while the sterner sex was re- 

 presented by Mr. Harry Hudson, who supported the racing 

 part of the entertainment heartily, and that greatest of war 

 correspondents and luckiest of racing men, Mr. Lionel James, 

 who cleared the board with his new purchase Pointsman. 

 There too was Mr. Cruickshank, the popular Traffic Superin- 

 tendent at Somastipore, now alas for the comfort of passen- 

 gers by the Tirhoot line, shortly to leave for Uganda, where, 

 if he does not find a premature grave in the interior of a 

 savage but well meaning cannibal warrior, he will probably 

 amass a fortune. Mr. Edgell, Mr. Harrington, Mr. Parsons, 

 Mr. " Minor " and Mr. " Lump " Marsham, and a heap of 

 juniors made up the rest. On Mr. Slack's old site was Mr. 

 F. Place, Judge of Chupra, who had kindly bidden as guests 

 all who had nowhere to lay their weary heads. With him 

 were Mr. and Mrs. Simkins, Mr. Chapman, the new Chupra 

 Joint Magistrate, Veterinary Captain Raymond, and half a 

 dozen others. Then came a bachelor camp bossed by those 

 festive youths, Mr. Percy Jones and Jack Rutherford, at 

 which were the brothers Lee, Mr. Tom Macdonald, Mr. 

 Warren and several other gay young sparks who hospitably 

 entertained all passers-by every evening with vermouth, sloe, 

 gin and other kindred spirits. Last on the list were two small 

 encampments, one run by Mr. Jimmy King of Gorakhpore and 

 the other by Mr. Onraet of Mudhobunhi. These with Framji's 

 hotel completed the camps for 1896. 



The day after the Lleutenant-Governor left saw clouds 

 gathering all round, and the evening drive was put a stop to 

 by a steady drizzle, which, while insufficient to do any lasting 

 good to the afflicted districts, was a temporary pick-me-up 

 to the standing crops, and though pianos were rained in on, 

 and the shamianas were turned into receptacles for bathing 



