Williams. 97 



Though Wilh'ams was not much better than a good 

 amateur, still he was well able to take his own part 

 among the company he usually met, for do we not all 

 know that in the kingdom of the blind the one-eyed is 

 king? Having served with many masters, he came at 

 last to me in dire poverty. As I could get no one 

 better, I engaged him on the distinct understanding 

 that he was to " go on the strike " as regards all fer- 

 mented liquors ; and right loyally did he keep his pro- 

 mise for a time. The old boy pulled himself together, 

 lived in our house, got strong and well, and rode very 

 fairly indeed. Whether it was the unaccustomed regu- 

 lar hours and wholesome food affected him, I cannot 

 say, but his nose turned purple and looked as if it was 

 likely to tumble off. As I could not stand the idea of 

 Caliph being ridden by a noseless man, I gave Williams 

 some simple medicine, which cooled him down and made 

 him all right. Far from thanking me for restoring him 

 to his former good looks, he declared that the physic 

 which I had administered, gave him such an intolerable 

 thirst that he no longer considered his total abstinence 

 promise binding on him, so he took the four or five 

 hundred rupees which were owing to him, went down 

 to Meerut, fell into gay society, and ended his career by 



8 



