REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE. 303 



tative, who not only coaxed every camp to be 'operated on, 

 but even induced those grave and reverend seniors, the Stew- 

 ards, to face the camera ; he also got several flying shots at 

 the horses when passing the winning post, so visitors should 

 be able to obtain excellent souvenirs of the Meeting. Mr. 

 Lionel James was taken sitting at his writing table surrounded 

 by all the papers for which this talented youth is correspon- 

 dent, and with Pointsman in the distance, chewing a copy of 

 the day's Englishman and seeming to enjoy it as much as 

 his readers do the Truthful One's graphic stories. All district 

 residents, though sorry to hear Mr. Arthur Forbes is not re- 

 turning, were glad that Mr. Bourdillon was to remain on as 

 Commissioner of Patna, for no new man could have grasped 

 the situation properly. Unless unusually copious rain falls 

 within the next few weeks, Behar will have parlous times to 

 face from March till the middle of July, and failing Mr. 

 Forbes, Mr. Bourdillon is the man for the crisis ; the latter 

 intends to give up his projected furlough and to sit tight till 

 anxiety is over. The duties of looking after the ball and 

 supper rooms were ably done by Mr. Alec Knyvett and right 

 well did the veteran policeman manage things, saving a lot of 

 money in wastage of champagne and sensibly getting the 

 assistance of a professional in Sergeant-Major Sutton, of 

 the Behar Light Horse, to do decorations ; right well did the 

 ball-room look, though the floor was a bit heavy the first night 

 and some few strangers were thoughtless enough to make 

 unkind remarks, not realising that only two days before the 

 dance had the workmen on the new repairs finished their 

 labours. However, with a supper and ball-room doubled in 

 size, a commodious new bar and band room, not to mention 

 improvements to the grand stand and verandah, the comfort- 

 able additions to the ladies' cloak room and other petty im- 

 provements, there was not much to grumble over and by the 

 second day the floor was lovely going. 



