8i8 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
fJUNE  I,  1897. 
here,  and  I’ll  be  bound  to  get  some,  and  mc 
will  have  a rave  snipe  curry.’  ‘ By  jingo,’  said 
Ayrton,  ‘ nothing  could  be  better,  Cargill  and 
I are  going  out  at  daybreak  to  visit  I’aradua,’ 
(tlien  Lord  Eiplunstone’s  Sugar  Estate)-  ‘ We 
will  drop  you  by  the  way  at  wliat  you  may 
fancy  is  likely  ground,  and  call  for  you  at  llie 
same  si)ot,  and  bring  you  back  to  Galle  with,  I 
ho])e,  a good  bag  of  snipe.’  To  all  tins  1 agreed, 
and  having  borrowed  a gun  from  one  of  my  Kille 
Ollicer  friends,  and  a good  stock  of  ammuni- 
tion, 1 joined  my  two  new  friends  at  gunlire  in  the 
morning,  and  after  driving  about  G miles,  I saw 
some  very  snipy-looking  holds,  got  down,  my 
companions  promising  to  call  for  me  about  11 
o’clock  on  their  way  back.  As  I antici[)ated  the 
birds  were  numerous,  and  I had  capital  sport, 
bagging  altogether  some  IS  couple.  Crossing 
the  lields,  in  making  for  the  high  road,  I got  into 
a treacherous  bit  of  green  stuff,  and  before  I 
knew  where  I was,  I was  up  to  my  armpits  in  a 
kind  of  quicksand.  After  great  trouble,  with  the 
assistance  of  some  natives,  I was  e.xtricated, 
nearly  losing  my  gun,  but  relieved  of  my  trou- 
sers and  the  boot  ami  sock  on  one  foot.  In  fact, 
when  I regained  the  high  road,  I stood  in  a 
shirt,  a short  jacket,  and  one  sock  and  one  boot;  and 
pretty  well  covered  with  baked  mud  over  eveiy- 
thing.  The  heat  being  fearful,  1 don’t  know  how 
many  kitnunban  I drank,  they  were  past  count- 
ing, I’resently,  Cargill  and  Ayrton  ajjpeared, 
who  nearly  fainted  with  laughter  at  my  appear- 
ance ; but  vowed  and  swore  they  would  take  the 
snipe  in,  but  as  for  taking  me  it  was  impossi- 
ble, they  couldn’t  tolerate  the  idea.  However,  I 
rose  quite  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  swore  that 
if  they  didn’t  take  mo  1 would  shoot  their  bloom- 
ing horse  if  they  attempted  to  drive  olf;  so  at 
last  w'e  came  to  a conqiromise,  and  we  drove 
to  Galle.  On  getting  there  we  found  the  Aus- 
tralian boat  had  come  in,  and  the  verandah  full 
of  passengers.  My  two  friends  ‘nipt’  out  like 
‘Jong  dugs’  fearing  my  presence.  1 called  one  of 
the  AjipKS  and  told  liim  to  bring  me  one  of 
his  cloths.  Getting  this  well  wra[>t  round  me 
toga  like,  I descended  from  the  trap  with  the  huge 
bundle  of  snipe  and  gun,  and  at  once  became 
the  cynosure  of  all  eyes. 
“ This  adventure  had  such  an  effect  upon  Cargill, 
that  he  told  me  he  would  give  me  an  ap[)ointment 
i i the  Oriental  Hank  Corp  jration  in  Calcutta,  and 
that  I should  go  by  the  incoming  steamer  then 
overdue.  'rii.iL  Ceylon  and  its  planting  business 
was  a thing  of  the  ])ast,  and  he  had  taken  such  a 
fancy  to  me  tliat  he  would  push  my  fortune  in  a 
better  enteiiirise.  Of  course,  1 jumpeil  at  the  itlca, 
wrote  olf  some  wonderful  letters  to  tlear  old 
Loui.s,  telling  how  I w'as  situated,  to  all  of  which 
I in  due  course  received  replies  congratulating 
me  on  my  desertion,  and  wishing  me  all  sorts 
of  luck,  but  I felt  very  guilty  when  I found 
myself  ne.xt  day  on  board  the  ‘ Ava,’  and 
leaving  all  my  much-loved  friends  behind,  ignorant 
of  my  whereabouts.  In  due  time  we  arrived  at 
Calcutta,  and  I was  made  Deputy  Accountant 
wdth  11400  a month.  The  position  into  which  I 
had  been  hoisted,  and  my  fitne.ss  for  it,  cannot 
be  better  described  than  in  the  remarks  made  on 
the  subject  of  the  Oriental  Bank  Corporation  by 
some  scribbling  Baboo  in  the  Enfjlishvuni. 
After  praising  u|i  the  noble  building  in  lank 
Square,  its  Manager,  and  Sub-manager  to  the 
masthead,  he  proceeded  to  vent  a torrent  of 
abuse  on  the  Accountant,  who,  he  said,  called  the 
native  clerks  under  him  ‘ Soors  ’ and  various 
other  terms  of  reproach  unfit  for  publication. 
He  then  proceeded  to  tackle  the  Deputy  Account- 
tant  (myself).  ‘ The  Deputy  Accountant  doesn’t 
know  the  Debit  from  the  Credit  side  of  the 
Ledger  (perfectly  true).  He  has  lately  pur- 
chased an  air-gun,  with  which  he  destroys 
pariah  dogs  from  the  verandah  of  this  institu- 
^^ion,  thereby  bringing  much  disgrace  on  Iiimself 
and  compatriots.’  After  some  eight  months  of 
routine  work,  diversified  by  trips  to  the  Sunder- 
bunds.  Budge  Budge,  and  much  festivity  Avith 
old  Addiscombe  ‘ pals’ at  Dum  Hum  and  Barrack- 
])ore,  with  occasional  high  jinks  at  Chandernagore, 
orders  came  over  from  Bombay  to  send  some- 
body up  to  Tirhoot  District  to  take  charge  of 
the  produce  in  two  large  factories,  wdiich  iiad 
been  mortgaged  to  the  Bank,  the  owmer  Colonel 
Pugh  having  failed.  So,  as  I had  some  experi- 
ence in  Coffee,  it  w'as  at  once  pronounced  that 
I had  an  intimate  knowledge  of  Indigo,  Sugar, 
and  Opium,  and  they  appointed  me  to  this  duty, 
at  which  I w'as  only  too  delighted,  and  a merry 
time  I had  in  the  Mozullerpore  District,  and 
fortunately  acquitted  myself  admirably,  more  by 
good  luck,  than  good  management,  A short  time 
after  my  arrival,  I had  to  render  an  inventory 
of  all  the  Factories’  belongings.  This  I did  in  great 
style,  endingthe  list  with  ‘ Ahso  an  Alligator  stufled, 
18  feet  long,  well  suited  for  a Museum.’ 
This  fetched  the  Bombay  Directors  immensely, 
especially  Harry  Gordon.  Having  sent  oil'  to 
Calcutta  a large  instalment  of  produce,  I j)ro- 
ceeded  Avith  my  excellent  friend,  the  Manager, 
for  a couple  of  months’  sjrort  in  the  Terai,  Avhere 
I saw  the  tiger  for  the  first  time,  and  had  a most 
enjoyable  trip.  Shortly  after  my  return,  I sent 
oil'  all  the  remaining  produce  and  returned  to 
Calcutta. 
“ By  that  time  the  Bank  authorities  had 
come  to  the  idea  that  Nature  never  intended 
iu(!  for  a Banker,  so  they  supplied  me  Avith  a 
‘Licet  migrare’  and  G months’  pay  ; so  1 travelled 
doAvn  to  Madras,  and  stopped  with  my  uncle  Avho 
thou  Avas  commanding  the  (green’s  Depot  at  Poona* 
