Captain Townley 



representative. The fact was that Tom Townley had already 

 "spotted" the Sheik's nag, taking his exercise in the vicinity 

 of the camp, and had not failed to notice the fact that, 

 though well-bred and good-looking enough for anything, he 

 was as fat as a pig, the result of being fed entirely on clover. 



The charger belonging to one of his brother officers 

 (Lieutenant Hudson), selected to do battle for the regiment, 

 on the contrary, though possessing nothing like the quality of 

 the other, was as hard as nails and fit to run for his life. The 

 match, which was for £s^> ^^^V came off the next day, 

 the ground being kept by mounted troopers of the loth, in 

 case of a row. 



The Sheik's horse was ridden by a boy, and the English 

 champion, of course, by Tom Townley, the latter in undress 

 uniform, and giving any amount of weight away. This, how- 

 ever, as Mr. Toots would say, "was of no consequence," for 

 after playing with his opponent all the way, the cocktail came 

 right away and won in a canter, to the great delight of the 

 regiment, and the proportionate disgust of the Sheik, who had 

 up till then imagined that in the grey Arab he possessed the 

 best horse in the world. 



Contrary to expectation, however, he took his horse's defeat 

 in good part, and not only paid over the stakes like a man, all 

 in English sovereigns, directly after the race, but stood the 

 lOth a first-rate luncheon into the bargain. 



There being little or no use for the cavalry brigade during 

 the latter part of the war. Lieutenant Townley had not the 

 chance of distinguishing himself in his military capacity that 

 doubtless he was looking forward to. He and Sir John Astley, 

 however, managed to kill time by playing cricket together 

 during the Siege of Sebastopol, the pleasure being, no doubt, 

 enhanced by the knowledge that either, or both, might be 



79 



