286 Indian Racing Reminiscences. 



England, I was obliged to leave the horses behind, and 

 proceed with the regiment down country. I was relieved, 

 however, in a couple of days, and bade a hearty and, I 

 may confess, sad farewell to my brother officers, from 

 whom I was very sorry to part. I hastened back to 

 find that everything had gone wrong in the stable 

 during my short absence. Lady Aid, whom I had 

 kept " dark," in order to affect a surprise at this Meerut 

 IMeeting, was so favourably treated in the Arab and 

 Country-bred Handicap that it seemed impossible for her 

 to lose. Just before marching out of the station with 

 my regiment, a {c\v hours before she was to run, I 

 ordered the syce to take her to the stable of a friend, 

 who had also backed her, and had promised to look 

 after her and see to her saddling. The .syce, when 

 taking her through the native part of the town, could 

 not resist the attractions of a liquor-shop, and stopped 

 to drink good luck to the marc, with the result that she 

 broke away from him and galloped wildly about the 

 place for a couple of hours. She \\as caught just in 

 time to have the saddle put on her ; and, of course, 

 finished absolutely last, thereby losing me a couple of 

 hundred pounds. She was such an impetuous mare that 

 I knew this knockinsj about would " throw her back " 



