Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/105

66 spectators followed him to his house, enjoying the sight. On being offered the sack of pulse, Satrughna Bhattacharya declined to accept it as a bet won. He said that he had nothing to do with the pulse, but that if they would procure the necessary fish and other vegetables, he was ready to feed the whole assembly with rice and Dal, prepared front the staked pulse. This was accordingly done.

A certain Ghosh of Khirpai of the Sadgop caste had taken to robbery. He lay in ambush in a thicket of reed or other long grass by the side of a canal, and, as opportunity presented itself, waylaid and plundered wayfarers, whom he sometimes killed, when necessity arose. He was a man of considerable physical strength, and the residents of Khirpai stood in terror of this dreadful robber. Once on a time, Satrughna Bhattacharya's elder brother said to him:—"Satu, it is strange indeed, that Ghosh is still a terror to the village, and you do not bring him to his senses;" at which, Satrughna promised to his brother to bring round Ghosh in a very short time. One morning, Satrughna went out in the direction of the canal, and hid himself in a thicket, lying in wait for the robber. Presently he heard a rustling sound, and saw a movement of the thicket on the other side. He guessed that Ghosh had caught his prey. And he was right, for the robber had fallen on an up-country man, who was not much inferior to Ghosh in strength. Both of them were engaged in deadly struggle.