Exile of Erin. 237 



advice. I candidly told them that I did not think 

 much of their " gees," and, after a talk about the " form " 

 of the ponies which were coming to run — for nothing 

 over 13.2 was allowed to compete — I went off to the 

 telegraph station, and "wired" to my friend Bob 

 Crowdy to buy a speedy pony called Exile of Erin, 

 belonging to Mr. Edward Studd, and that we should 

 " go halves." " Mr. Bob " effected the purchase for 

 Rs. 500, and sent the pony up to me. Exile arrived 

 in capital condition, and as he was fast enough to 

 win pony races even in England, I looked forward 

 with satisfaction to the coming events, in which I in- 

 tended to show the planters the way. About ten days 

 before the meeting I was ordered to Gauhati, a station 

 which is on the Brahmaputra in Assam, in order to act 

 as interpreter on a general court martial. So much for 

 making oneself proficient in the native languages ! By 

 great good luck this tribunal closed its proceedings in 

 time to allow me to get a lift on the mail-cart for about 

 fifty miles to the pretty hill station of Shillong, where 

 I arrived very late at night, and managed to get a 

 couple of hours' sleep at the house of a friend, who lent 

 me his pony to ride a few miles on my way. I started 

 at four o'clock in a dense fog, with my friend's syce 



