CHAPTER XVIII. 



CACHAR — TEA PLANTERS — HORSES IN EASTERN 

 BENGAL — EXILE OF ERIN — MUNIPURI POLO 

 PLAYERS — NAGAS — INDIAN JAILS. 



I RETURNED to India in the autumn of 1877, and 

 landed in Bombay, after a tedious voyage of thirty-five 

 •days vid the Suez Canal. On my way through, I 

 stayed a day at Lucknow, and was surprised to meet 

 my former servant, Meer Khan, coming from the 13th 

 Hussar mess. The moment he saw me he rushed up to 

 me and asked where I was going to and when I was 

 leaving, I told him that I was on my way to Cachar, 

 which was about 1200 miles distant, and that I intended 

 to depart by the evening train. This lad, whom I had 

 brought up from his childhood in my service, looked 

 quite pleased at hearing this news, gave his head a toss 

 to one side, uttered his usual " bahut achcha " (very good), 



