ic, and insisted upon his spending a
certain time each day in reading standard English authors.

Tom Pearson, who was five years younger than his sister, had come
out to India four years after her. He was a lad full of life and
energy. As soon as he left school, finding himself the master of a
hundred pounds--the last remains of the small sum that his father
had left behind him--he took a second-class passage to Calcutta. As
soon as he had landed, he went round to the various merchants and
offices and, finding that he could not, owing to a want of
references, obtain a clerkship, he took a place in the store of a
Parsee merchant who dealt in English goods. Here he remained for
five years, by which time he had mastered two or three native
languages, and had obtained a good knowledge of business.

He now determined to start on his own account. He had lived hardly,
saving up every rupee not needed for actual necessaries and, at the
end of the five years he had, in all, a hundred and fifty pounds.
He had, long before this, determined that the best opening for
trade was among the tribes on the eastern borders of the British
territory; and had specially devoted himself to the study of the
languages of Kathee and Chittagong.

Investing the greater portion of his money in goods suitable for the
trade, he embarked at Calcutta in a vessel bound for Chittagong.
There he took passage in a native craft going up the great river to
Sylhet, where he established his headquarters; and thence--leaving
the greater portion of his goods in the care of a native merchant,
with whom his late employer had had dealings--started with a native,
and four donkeys on which his goods were packed, to trade among the
wild tribes.

His success fully equalled his anticipations and, gradually, he
extended his operations; going as far east as Manipur, and south
almost as far as Chittagong. The firm in Calcutta from whom he had,
in the first place, purchased his goods, sent him up fresh stores
as he required them; and soon, seeing the energy with which he was
pushing his business, gave him considerable credit, and he was able
to carry on his operations on an increasingly larger scale. Sylhet
remained his headquarters; but he had a branch at Chittagong,
whither goods could be sent direct from Calcutta, and from this he
drew his supplies for his trade in that province.

Much of his business was carried on by means of the waterways, and
the very numerous s