68. ' ■ life of hurish chunder mukherjee. furious, and there was no umbrella to go out under. Pensive and sad did the famished youth sit in the house, meditating upon his unfortunate lot — not, however, without a full reliance in the providence of Him who oversees the needy wants of all, providing with an unsparing hand for the poor and the desti- tute. He looked down upon Hurish, sitting alone and grievous, and rescued the unfortunate victim of cruel fate from sheer starvation, by sending to him, just in the very nick of time, the mookhtyar of a rich zemindar with a document for transla- tion. The fee was but two rupees — but it was a god-send : like the manna in the wilderness to the wandering Israelites, it proved to be the providential supplying of his pressing wants ; and Hurish, receiving it, offered up his thanks to Him who had so mysteriously saved his life." Such was the bitterness of poverty at the outset of his memorable career. He was scarcely ■more thaniourteen, when he obtained an employment, we do not know how, as a bill writer on Rs. 10 per mensem, in the now defunct firm of Messrs. Tulluh and Company, one of the auctioneers of Calcutta. After sometime, he asked for a little increase of pay, but it was refused. The self-reliant Brahmin youth took the refusal to be an insult and gave up the ap- pointment in disgust With a true Brahminical spirit of self-abnegation which was the leading and by far the most brilliant characteristic in his life, he jostled on and suffered all the miseries and privations of an adverse fortune till Providence, in his ineffable mercy, contrived means to relieve his distress. Mr. Framji Bomanji in his book- says that in 1848, a vacancy in the subordinate ministerial rank worth Rs. 25 per mensem occurred at the Military Auditor General's Office. Fortunately for Hurish Chunder, it s was thrown open to competition, and on suc- cessfully passing the test he secured the appointment
