126 REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE. 



the eve of dissolution ; and we must also look to Cooch Behar, 

 who is a sportsman every inch, and worthy of the imitation of 

 his brother chiefs. Talkaway's owner will then find foemen 

 worthy of his steel, and if he takes my advice he will stick to a 

 good horse when he gets him, as in these days of failures he will 

 find it safer than the bank or even an old established agent. 



"SAM SLICK." 



It was at this or one of the meetings before or a little 

 later on, that Charley Webb cured an atheist. The chap was 

 a brother of a leading Civilian, but was a good deal tabooed, 

 being an arrant snob in addition to having such peculiar ideas 

 of religion. Charley took him for a drive one evening with his 

 celebrated team of mules. The youth started giving Charley 

 the full benefit of his disbelief of the existence of the Deity. 

 Never a word said the driver, but all of a sudden he wheeled 

 the mules round and sent them full dash across country. In 

 front loomed a huge ditch and bank. " What are you at/' 

 shrieked the terrified atheist. " Going to see if they'll jump 

 this ditch," lisped Charley in his quiet voice, but putting the 

 whip smartly across the mules. " For God's sake don't," yelled 

 the unbeliever. " Oh you do believe in God after all, do you," 

 said Charley. And in another second the whole concern was 

 heels upwards in the ditch. Charley picked himself up and calmly 

 proceeded to extricate the mules from the debris, and, taking 

 no notice of the groaning wretch, walked back to camp and all 

 he said on arrival was, " I've converted the atheist, I think. " 

 At any rate, we had no more of the youth's blasphemies and he 

 left the camp next day. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



YEAR 1880. 



Early in 1880 that good little mare Blue Bell left the 

 Jaintpore stable, having been purchased by poor Peter Richards 

 the Indigo Planter of Midnapore, a good and straight sports- 



