CHESS-CLUBS AND CHESS-PLAYERS. 433 



cruits in abundance were always to be found ready and willing to 

 serve the Company and themselves. Among others, Mr. S., a gen- 

 tleman of the north of Ireland started as a surgeon in the army,, and 

 after various mishaps and disappointments, found himself, soon after 



his arrival, attached to the - regiment of foot, then forming part 



of an encampment in the Carnatic. By some means he became ac- 

 quainted with General W., the second in command, who had the 

 reputation of being a first-rate chess-player. In India chess is a 

 favourite game ; and no sooner was it discovered that S. was a good 

 player, than he received an invitation to a trial of skill. The first 

 evening he obtained a slight advantage j but, though probably a little 

 chagrined at the result, nothing could be more cordial than the man- 

 ner in which General W. repeated his invitation. They soon be- 

 came constant players, especially as the officers and aid-de-camps of 

 the General's staff appeared to have little knowledge of the game, 

 and were glad to be relieved from the disagreeable duty of playing 

 with the certainty'of being beaten. Whether it was that S. had been 

 out of practice before, or whether he got into the General's mode of 

 play, it so happened, that after a time the account of winning and 

 losing stood considerably in his favour ; but this appeared rather to 

 excite and animate his opponent, who declared, in the true spirit of 

 chess philosophy, that the interest of the game was greatest when 

 the opponent was most formidable. At length S. thought he per- 

 ceived a slight change in the General's manner he was less friendly 

 and social to chess he seemed to have become quite indifferent 

 seldom expressing a wish to play, and when reminded of an ex- 

 change, for which Mr. S. was anxious, and to effect which General 

 W. had assured him he would use his interest, he now returned a 

 vague and evasive answer, as if it were merely a matter of official 

 routine. It was quite evident that Othello's occupation was gone ; 

 and it was natural to suppose that the General, who was a proud 

 man, with something of the old school about him, felt he had carried 

 his familiarity with so young an officer rather too far, and took this 

 method of shewing him he was to fall back into the ranks. 



S. was not a man to thrust his acquaintance on any one : he had 

 the sensitive pride which an adventurer, without fortune or connec- 

 tions, so naturally feels, and met the newly-assumed stateliness of 

 his commanding officer with the formal deference of military disci- 

 pline. The distance between them increased every day ; they never 

 met except on duty, and then as perfect strangers, until at length 

 the feeling on the General's part appeared to have deepened into in- 

 veterate dislike. Whatever reports S. made, he invariably neglected : 

 he spoke slightingly of him before the other officers ; and once, on 

 giving a general invitation to the regiment, omitted his name in the 

 most marked manner. 



At length a circumstance occurred, which S. could not overlook. 

 The rainy season being at an end, the troops were put on active 

 service ; an attack was planned on a neighbouring town of some conse- 

 quence, and the command of the detachment entrusted to General W. 

 It was in expeditions of this kind that the great prizes of the Indian 

 lottery most frequently turned up ; and the regiment considered 



M. M. No. 88. 3 B 



