Gentlemen Riders 



regiment embarked at Bombay. After a brief sojourn at 

 Cairo, the loth set out for Alexandria, and it was whilst on 

 the march across the desert, that Tom Townley rode his 

 famous match against the " Nigger," a victory he set more 

 store by than any that had ever fallen to his lot. The regi- 

 ment had halted at a place called Gubaris, and had hardly 

 settled down, when an Arab Sheik, with a few attendants, rode 

 into camp, and having introduced himself through an inter- 

 preter, as the most important personage in those parts, re- 

 quested permission to look over the horses. 



His wish being willingly acceded to, the illustrious visitor 

 was at once shown over the stables, and apparently did not 

 form a very high opinion of their contents, for he promptly 

 offered to run a grey Arab of his own for any distance against 

 anything in the Regiment. Tom Townley was at once 

 sent for. 



" How much money have you got in the regimental chest. 

 Colonel .'* " inquired the sporting cornet ; " because, if you and 

 my brother officers consent, you can tell the * nigger ' we'll run 

 him for the lot 1 " 



Now, seeing that the Sheik's horse was a thoroughbred 

 Arabian, and that the best the loth could produce was a 

 half-bred charger, such a ready acceptance of the challenge 

 may appear at first sight to have been a trifle rash. Such, 

 however, was very far from being the case. 



Tom Townley had not lived near Newmarket all his life 

 without learning a thing or two, you may depend, and, odd as it 

 may seem, he actually knew more about the Sheik's horse than 

 did that dusky sportsman himself. 



Indeed, had there been a "market," the gallant Tom and 

 his brother officers might have betted away " until the cows 

 came home," as the saying is, so good a thing was it for their 



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