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YACHTING IN THE ARCTIC SEAS : or Notes
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4k^gssw;" ¦ '  i

FROM PALL MALL TO THE PUNJATJB

OR

WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA

J. DEEW GAY
SPECIAL CORBESPONDENT OF 'THE DAILY TELEGBAPH'

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS

3Fmtkra
CHATTO AND WINDUS, PICCADILLY
1876

£&-f. 8"]sG-

>>i ; -. i

LOXDOS : PUIXTKD BY
6POTTISWOODB AND CO., NEW-STKEET SQCABE
AND PARLIAMENT STREET

INTEODUCTION,

Deputed by the proprietors of the ' Daily Telegraph,' on
the staff of which newspaper I had already had the
happiness of serving for several years, to accompany
the Prince of Wales during his Eoyal Highness's trip
through India, I reached Bombay about a week before
the festivities actually began. It was then that I began
a series of letters, which, although not strictly chro
nicling all the acts of the Prince, described the more
important places he saw and the more notable cere
monies in which he took part. In addition to this,
the letters were made to embrace as much information
respecting the people and their customs as the facilities
I was afforded enabled me to glean. On my return
home it was suggested that my notes might be
reprinted with advantage, as the records of a journey
which, for the people of Great Britain, possesses a
political and historical interest. And although I am
well- aware that they are necessarily somewhat dis
jointed, I have placed them in chronological order, and

vi INTRODUCTION.
now submit them to the public, in the hope that the
sights which at the time so deeply interested me will
not be wholly uninteresting to others.
Thanks are due to the proprietors of the ' Graphic '
for their kind permission to illustrate this book by re
duced copies of drawings originally published in that
journal.
J. Drew Gay.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. First Impressions of Bombay
II. Social Life in Bombay
III. Receptions of Rajahs
IV. Arrival of the Prince .
V. Royal Fetes
VI. Life in Poona
VII. Games and Sports at Baroda
VIII. The Voyage to Ceylon
IX. Cingalese Fairy Land .
X. Kandyan Curiosities
XI. The Veddahs of Ceylon .
XII. The Sacred Tooth .
XIII. A Week in Madras .
XIV. Indian Amusements .
XV. The Prince in Bengal .
XVL A Sunday in Calcutta .
XVII. Polo-playing and Snake-charming
XVIII. A Captive King
XIX. Life in Calcutta.
XX. Knight-making
XXI. The Sacred City of Benares
XXII. A Levee of the Brave
XXIII. A Review at Delhi
XXIV. The Battle on the Ridge
XXV. Feats of Skill and Strength .
XXVI. Jummoo the Magnificent

1

. . 12

. 23

. . 41

. 52

. . 73

. 84

. . 103

. 119

. . 125

. 140

. . 146

. 151

. . 175

. 183

. '. 192

. 199

. . 209

. 216

. . 225

. 237

. . 245

.261

. . 271

. 280

. . 287

Vlll

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER
XXVII. Sport in Cashmere
XXVIII. Akbar's Capital
XXIX. A Tomb and a Tower .
XXX. Native Courts and Prisons .
XXXI. An Eastern Paris
XXXII. Tiger Shooting and a Durbar
XXXIII. Scindia's Welcome
XXXIV. Scenes in Gwalior .
XXXV. Hunting in the Jungle
XXXVI. Allahabad and its Sights .
XXXVII. English Life in the Hills

PAGE 297308
314325 334
347
357 368
378 383
389

ILLUSTEATIONS.

A Rhinoceros Fight ....
The Ascent to the Temple of Parbuttee, near
POONA .....
An Elephant Fight in the Arena at Baroda .
A "Captive Tiger led before the Prince after
the Sports in the Arena at Baroda
Buddhist' Priests Exhibiting Buddha's Tooth to
the Prince at Kandy
Native Princes at the Chapter of the Star of
India, Calcutta .
The Monkey Temple at Benares .
Hunting in the Term — Crossing a Nullah

Frontispiece

To face

p. 79

Je

90

ii

94

J)

134

)»

x 231

)»

241

•>.

379

FROM
PALL MALL TO THE POTJAUB.

CHAPTEE I.
FIEST IMPKESSIONS OF BOMBAY.
It was a bright autumn morning when we landed in
India, — bright not in the sense that you in England
understand brightness, but with a gleam and a heat which
you only associate with the midday glare of a hot
summer's day, and not at all the cold calmness of an
English autumn. Nothing could be pleasanter to all of
us, heartily tired as we were of the sea and its belongings,
than at length to descry the long line of hills which told
us of proximity to Bombay. Had we not had the incen
tive to satisfaction which a three weeks' voyage en
gendered, the prospect which presented itself, as the ship
neared shore, would of itself have been sufficiently de
lightful. Only five minutes ago, and the sky was bril
liantly lit with stars ; now the sun's rays were shooting up
in the east behind the grey mountains, and driving night
away with startling rapidity. Like a huge panorama
Bombay rose before us. Yonder on. the right was the
island of Elephanta, with its caves and its jungle ; away
B

2 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
in front of us Trombay Island with its mountains and
precipices. Bombay itself, skirting the bay, was thrusting
out, so- to speak, from the lingering gloom into the
advancing sunshine, its white houses, its palm-trees, its
pleasant hills and valleys, and its splendid harbour, and
drawing forth, from those who now saw it for the first
time, repeated exclamations of astonishment.
It is difficult to say what Bombay looks like. The
Bay of Naples, to which this home of Western Indian
industry and government has often been compared,, is not
at all like it. ¦¦> You fail to see the huge mountain over
topping everything. The fines of hills which skirt the
water and shut out the horizon from view, fill you with
surprise, but certainly do not remind you of Vesuvius.
They are peculiar to the place, and are like nothing to
which our European eyes are accustomed. Boldly out
against the sky stand Matheran and the outposts of the
Ghauts, some apparently extending, for miles in a hard
straight line, as though,' by some tremendous convulsion
of Nature, the peaks had been sheared off, and a hard
road made in the region of cloudland. Near by are hiM,«
with summits which look marvellously like ruined temples,
columns, and monuments, fantastic results of inexplicable
forces. There is scarcely a hill with the orthodox cone
¦ — nothing half so respectable as Snowdon or Pilatus.
As for the town, it is almost as irregular in appearance'
as are the hills in the distance. Not that this irregularity is
objectionable ; on the contrary, the very absence of sharply-
defined streets and regularly laid-out squares adds to the
charm which the place possesses. The white houses
struggle down to the water's edge in most curious fashion ;
they are huddled together as though every inch of ground
was of the utmost value, and it was necessary to crowd as
many bricks and stones as possible into the smallest con-

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF BOMBAY. 3
ceivable space. You wonder, as your eyes move along
the strand in the direction of the fashionable suburb of
Malabar Hill, that some one did not suggest wider spaces
between the houses in the valley, instead of leaving the
land so comparatively unoccupied in the higher ground.
But once you have landed you find many of your pre
conceived notions upset. The part which appeared to be
crowded and close in is, in reality, only so down to the
water's edge. Eight through the centre run wide roads,
flanked on either side by fine houses and grand public
buildings, such as on a first sight one could scarcely ex
pect Bombay to possess. There is a 'magnificent expanse
called the Esplanade, with large trees overshadowing its
pathways, and parade and cricket grounds on either hand.
There are troops in review order on the right, and two
cricketing elevens of Englishmen bowling and batting on
the left, with the old-fashioned scoring tent, the familar
soda-water and brandy bottles peeping out of ice-pails,
and a fashionable crowd of English ladies and gentlemen
watching -the game and applauding the players. One side
represents the fleet, lieutenants, sub-lieutenants, and mid
shipmen ; the other side is drawn from a club which
boasts the title of Gymkhana. When the stumps are
drawn the battle is undecided, the officers go to their ships,
the Gymkhana to their homes, and the spectators towards
the Apollo Bandar, to listen to the band which plays near
that landing-stage before dinner each night.
The streets which pierce the strange-looking houses
wherein the natives reside are crowded to excess. The
vehicle, notwithstanding that its driver shouts himself
hoarse and strikes fiercely at passers-by, can scarcely
move forward at a good walking place. Mohammedans,
Parsees, Hindoos, Mahrattas, Chinese, English sailors from
the flying squadron anchored in the harbour, negroes,
b2

4 with: THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Lascars, nondescripts from every known place, are all here,
and are dressed in their most brilliant costumes. Beforej
every house is hung a festooned wreath of leaves and
flowers ; glass lanterns to be lighted at night are to be
seen everywhere. When darkness comes on and the
lamps are fit, when the coloured fires burn in the courts
of the temples, and the light is reflected from house to
house by the burnished metal work for which streets in
Bombay are famous, the sight is magnificent in the
extreme ; even now, in the daytime, it is marvellous to the
unaccustomed eye. Eobes of vermilion, scarlet, blue, and
gold, richly-chased jackets and flowing white burnouses,
intermingle and blend with the olive-coloured naked
backs of those who own neither ornament or dress worth
mentioning, but who are come out by tens of thousands
to look at each other. Does the eye fix upon the number
less head-dresses worn ? Then there are the Parsee hat,
the European helmet, the Turkish fez and snow-white
turban, the turban of green worn by the most favoured of
Mahomet's own, and that of red or pink boasted by the
Mahrattas of the hills. All kinds, shapes, and colours
are passing in view like the varied glasses of the kaleido
scope. How silent is the footfall of this mighty mass of
athletic men ! Occasionally a sandal may grate on the
hard road ; but, for the most part, the promenaders are
innocent of foot-covering of any kind, and move along as
noiselessly and as stealthily as though absolute quiet were
the object of their lives. Ever changing in appearance,]
the tide of human life rolls on, without the buzz of a
European crowd, with scarcely the sound of a singles
heel. The rapidity with which colours melt one into another
almost bewilders the spectator : he can scarcely note that!
more than half of those who are passing have marked)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF BOMBAY. 5
their foreheads with red paint, and that the ladies who
are in the crowd have, in many cases, very large rings
passed through their particularly small noses. The1
fashion of facial ornamentation is not wholly unknown
among sundry of high degree at home, only in these
Eastern lands it is brought to further perfection. If a
dark-coloured gentleman considers that his complexion
would be improved by a patch of yellow on each cheek
in front of the ears, paint is not costly, and a friendly
hand will quickly apply the pigment. Should a lady
think that a ring in her nostril arid a little patch of
crimson on her forehead would add to her other attrac
tions, she follows out her convictions bravely. Even the
Nubian at Aden has the courage of his opinions in this
respect. His instincts tell him that Nature was not pro
digal of beauty when she designed his countenance and
hair. Does he rebel ? No ; he begins where Nature left
off, and with a knife makes several delicate slashes on his
cheeks, while with a solution of lime he rubs the top of
his head, and colours his curls a brilliant yellow. This
is as it should be, and the conclusion is acknowledged by
the dwellers in Bombay.
Then there is the additional charm that an act of
ornamentation is at the same time an act of devotion.
It is combining business with pleasure, satisfying con->
science and pleasing the mind — a two-handed comfort
which renders the body a thing of beauty, and morally
constitutes it ' a joy for ever.' So the people have very
generally daubed their foreheads all over, and thus added
to their beauty and their piety at one stroke. The Mo
hammedans have a reason also for joining in the festivities*
It is the first day of Eamadan^-a time for best clothes
and, to say nothing of best behaviour, a moment for
sanctified exultation and religious hilarity. And with a

6 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
firm belief in Dr. Watts's aphorism that < Eeligion never
was designed to make our pleasures less,' the Moham
medan brings an extra supply of betel-nut, puts on his
choicest turban and robe, and does his best to keep the
feast. In this way the crowd is recruited, and before the
night comes on the roads are impassable, for the feast of
lanterns is an abiding pleasure to the native of India, and
the brilliantly-lit houses, temples, and statues may well be
gazed at by a people whose faults, whatever they may be,
do not include a lack of appreciation for colour and light.
Just when we arrived Bombay was full of Eajahs ; and,
if proof of this were wanted, nothing would be easier
than to copy from the official list a long column of their
names and titles. But as at the best life is short, and the
cognomens of these dignitaries are not the lightest of
reading, I will only give a sample. I will not imitate the
official report even in this. Under the heading of dis
tinguished arrivals stands a series of extraordinary titles.
Were they alone they would be grand in their very un-
pronounceability — if I may coin such a word. But an in
genious official has attempted to make the matter clear to
the uninstructed mind, and to that end has prefixed an
alias to each name. Thus we find admirable and well
born rulers placed on the list, and respectively styled
Gungadharrao Gunput, alias Bhaoo Saheb, chief of
Meerujand; Eamchundrarao Gopall, alias Appa Saheb,
chief of Jamkhundi.
There is always a pleasure in beholding the inex
plicable. Who that has seen them has not gazed with
delight upon the Sphinx, the Pyramids, the tablets from
Nineveh, or the paintings of Gustave Dore ? You cannot
understand them a bit ; their very mystery makes you
happy ; if you knew all about them you would give
them no more attention than you do to the lions in

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF BOMBAY. 7
Trafalgar Square or the Bethnal Green Museum. Why,
then, eliminate all pleasure from a contemplation of the
name of Trimbakrao Earn Purandhare by telling in plain
English who the gentleman really is, or bother people
by stating that Luxumon Maharudra Swami is the ruler
of Chafal ? It may be pleaded as an excuse that very
few know where Chafal is, and that the explanation has
merely a look of careful attention about it. But it robs
the list of all romance, and makes it a dry statement of
unintelligibility. The only consolation under such dis
tressing circumstances was that we were informed with
great regularity of the visits of the Chiefs to the Governor
of the Presidency, and of his visits to them.
There is an old but admirable saying to the effect
that ' every dog has his day.' In Bombay, at festival
times, every Chief has his ten minutes. According to
the Government statement, the aged Governor of Bombay,
Sir Philip Wodehouse, began his visiting at eleven a.m.
punctually. From that time till 4.30 P.M. he visited
six fresh grandees every hour, winding up this pleasant
and entertaining diversion by an interview with TrimA
bakrao Earn Purandhare. We learnt with some pleasure
that betel-nut and the leaf called pan was presented
by each Chief to his Excellency, and that in each
case the Governor was placed by his host in the place of
honour at the right. But about the conversation the
' Gazette ' knew nothing ; and it did not even state what
weight of betel-nut his Excellency accumulated when he
had paid the last visit and received the last offering.
One source of amusement was, however, open to those
who put their trust in princes. Every now and then
some fresh potentate arrived at one or other of the rail
way stations or landing-stages, and was received with
more or less friendly effervescence. Among those who

8 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
thus came into the town was the Maharajah of Mysore.,
To heighten expectation, there was a guard of honour of
a hundred men in the little station at Byculla ; a band
stood ready to play ; and the Chief Political Secretary to
the Government, Mr. Eavenscroft, was on the platform.
Presently the train bearing Mysorean royalty puffed into
the station. Eyes were strained, necks craned forward,
the band struck up, the Secretary advanced, and from
the mountain thus in labour there came forth, not exactly
a mouse, but a little boy of some twelve years of age, so
enveloped in gold and purple as to be all but hidden
from view. Nor were his attendants the bold militaires
that we looked for. Some were dressed in blue and
some in white, some were not attired in very much of
anything ; while as to their arms, they were as much the
representatives of almost antediluvian days as they could
well be. Some had matchlocks, others pistols — these
being the descendants of the men who, in days gone by,
defeated Major Lawrence at the head of a British force,
and very nearly prevented our grasping the South of
India at all. Twenty-one guns were fired, the troops
presented arms, the band played, and the Eoyal boy was
hurried into a carriage and taken from the station. to
Cumballa Hill.
As we returned to Byculla we looked over a gaol  *.
the House of Correction at Byculla — temporarily placed
under the superintendence of Major Prendegast Walsh.
The sepoys who stood at the gates, the white sergeant
warders who walked up and down the garden, the
coloured gentlemen who, with leg irons clanking, were
tending the plants and trees, and the bars, bolts, grated
windows and guarded door, with notice to the effect that
no admittance is allowed ' except on business '  what
business has a man in gaol? — were scarcely suggestive

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF BOMBAY. 9
of merry-making and rejoicing. You would be puzzled
to connect this establishment with the Prince's visit in
any way, and yet it had something to do with it
after all.
Eeceived at the doorway by Major Walsh, who is the
most courteous of officials, we mounted to what is called
the European Hospital. Not to see the sick, however,
for, fortunately, there were no white men sick in the place,
but to see how greatly even prisoners can contribute to
the general mirth ; for, in this admirably-managed prison
the motto is to make each inmate earn as much money
as he can for the' paternal Legislature which finds him a
hiding-place, and, turning every opportunity to excellent
account, Major Walsh was employing the more deserving
and clever of the people under his care in decorative
work for the coming festivities. In the room were de
signs for the saloon in which, a day or two hence, seamen
and school-children were to be feasted : and, albeit that
the workshop is a prison and the workers convicts, bright
pigments and skilful brushes had formed shields and
banners which had merit and beauty — such, indeed, as
would please the Prince and the people too. Close by
were thousands of little tinfoil bannerets of gold and
silver hue, specially , formed to decorate the edibles
on the tables when the mariners might rest and be
thankful. Descending a staircase, we entered an open
yard, into which a huge shed opened, and here we saw
the continuation of the decorative work. Artificial
flowers of every kind — for Bombay knows nothing of
real blossoms in November — wreaths, festoons, and
brilliant paper-hangings of intricate pattern, but admir
able construction, were all before us. Thirty or forty
men were working away, with all their might, not at the
degrading shot-drill or disintegration of oakum knots, but

10 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
with tinted tissues, weaving them tastefully into all kinds
of shapes, and learning from the study of art lessons of
tenderness and care.
It was a humanising influence to which they were
subjected, and if the Eoyal visit effects.no more than7 the
mental improvement of these rough white vagabonds, it
will yet have achieved inuch good. Of course, the whole
of the criminals were not under similar training. To
provide work for three hundred and fifty of society's
outcasts, black and white, is no easy task, and ingenious
must be the mind which can make the most of such a
mass of labouring power. Major Walsh had done much,
as we saw by the carpenters who were making chairs
and tables, the men who were weaving mats and making
towels, and those, too, who were on the treadmill driving
mills and machinery. Nevertheless, there was a goodly
company engaged in shot exercise — an equally large
number in cells. For some of these latter a strong bolt
or lock seemed to be a very necessary provision. Those
villains, for instance, were pointed out whose favourite
avocation had long been of the Dick Turpin kind. Their
style and title is that of Dacoit ; and! in their time they
have seen and done much at which men usually shudder.
Their chieftain stood at his cell door and saluted the
Governor as he passed. A more perfect type of what is
known as the brigand universally could not be imagined'.
He would pass current anywhere for a robber. His
moustache and curiously curled beard, his fierce eyes and
gashed face, the great sabre cut on his left arm, which he
exhibited with some pride — a cut, by the way, given him
a short time since when he was captured by a cavalry
man, and cut down in the midst of his villany  his dress
and his very style of turban all proclaimed him to be an
energetic scoundrel, who would as soon cut a throat and

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF BOMBAY. 11
commit a robbery as eat the food which wNas just being
broiight him. His followers were fair imitations, but far
behind their accomplished master. Euffianism such as
his was an accomplishment only to be gained after
diligent labours for many years, not an accidental art
quickly learnt and easily assumed. It had been the life
long study of this estimable person, and he had gained
perfection by perseverance only. He and his two pro
mising pupils had each at various times attempted to
escape, and were in consequence the unwilling bearers of
heavy irons for the rest of their sojourn in Major Walsh's
establishment. Were it not for this they would probably
quit the uncongenial scene without due warning, and
recommence their misdeeds in the hills and vales of the
Presidency — a very undesirable arrangement for the
present. Leaving them to their fate, we entered the hospital
for natives in gaol, and found two or three dying opium-
eaters, a man who was shamming illness because he had
to receive twenty-five lashes with the cat-o'-nine-tails and
did not like the prospect, and one or two who were
suffering from low -fever. Then to the cooking-house,
and so out into the gardens once more, having passed
through one of the best-managed prison establishments
in the Empire.

12 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.

CHAPTEE II.
SOCIAL LIFE IN BOMBAY.
Early in the evening a few days afterwards I found
myself a guest of one of the most influential Moham
medans in Bombay. The invited were not numerous, for
the notice was short ; but, in place of great formality^
there was hearty hospitality. It was my first introduction
to the private house of a Mohammedan in India, and it
was with no small amount of curiosity that I regarded
all about me.
The carriage-drive through the grounds was simply
superb ; such foliage as we -have no conception of in
Europe made a thick green arch, down which the light
streamed from the windows of the mansion. Sounds of
music, too, fell upon the ear ; and at the far end of the
avenue, close to the door, stood a crowd of servitors gaily
dressed, holding lamps in their hands, and receiving the
guests with low salaams.
Once arrived in the reception-hall, the spectacle was
even more novel. All round the apartment were velvet
couches, with comfortable pillows, on which guests were
comfortably reclining. Servants were moving swiftly
about, handing iced water, sherbets, cheroots, and
hookahs ; at one end of the apartment was a mellow-
toned mechanical organ, which played English airs very
prettily and very softly, while through a doorway, partially
covered with a curtain, we could see into the interior of

SOCIAL LIFE IN BOMBAY. 18
another saloon, and there descry a party of singing girls
and instrumentalists. Just then our host, followed by the
males of his household, entered the reception-hall, and
gave to everybody a welcome ; then, taking one of our
party by the hand, he led him through the curtain, and
so into the inner room of which we had just had a glimpse,
while the rest were led in fike manner by the members of
his family. In this apartment we now found two girls
were seated on cushions placed on the floor, accompanied
by four male musicians, one of .whom played a small de
scription of kettledrum attached to his waistband, two
having instruments somewhat similar to a, hurdy-gurdy in
their hands, while the fourth had a tambourine. I do not
trouble you with the native names for these instruments,
as the mere concurrence of letters would convey no idea
to the mind.
So soon as everybody was seated, some on couches
and some on cushions, a signal was given by the host,
the girls and musicians stood up, and at once began. I
had been previously told that these were two of the best
singing girls in Bombay, and that, in fact, they sang
almost as well as the best male singers, which it appeared
was a tremendous compliment to pay them. Imagine my
astonishment, then, when I found that in singing they
absolutely closed the nose from all participation in the
sound, thus giving to the music what we very erroneously
call a ' nasal ' sound of the most extraordinary descrip
tion. Yet when the ear once became accustomed to the
strange thumping of the drum, the harsh noises drawn by
the bows of the players from the hurdy-gurdies, the
shaking of the tambourine, and the jingling of little bells
which the girls wore on their ankles and wrists, it was,
after all, by no means an unpleasant sound. Indeed, the
song was plaintive, pitched in a minor key, and often

14 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
sung very softly ; the instruments, albeit that they were
apparently somewhat rudely constructed, maintaining all
the while a weird, moving sound, which harmonised with
the singing and sustained the voices. Every now and
then the girls, who were very richly dressed in scarlet
and gold, whose heads were covered with gauze of gold
thread, and whose long dresses were of plaid, also heavily
trimmed with golden lace, would dance slowly, con
tinuing their singing meanwhile. Then one would leave
off, and the other would begin a slow movement, which,
, though very graceful, doubtless was somewhat mono
tonous. Occasionally one of the men behind — a very
accomplished singer, I believe, but certainly the owner of
one of the most hideous faces I had ever seen — would
catch up the refrain, and shout out, in the same nasal tone,
a verse or two of the song, whereupon the girls would
both shuffle about a little — I can scarcely call their move
ments dancing — and the man with the drum would
thump away with increased energy.
This, then, was the terrible nautch dance of which we
had heard so much in England. But perhaps the reader
will says that the songs were objectionable. To this I
can reply that the most uproarious and most mirthful one
that we heard that evening was the Persian song, ' Tazah
ba tazah, nu ba mi' (Fresh and fresh, new and new), a
pleasant chant, in which the hearer is recommended to
apply the principles of fresh and new to all he does,
whether in drinking wine, making friends, or making love.
Eather did the singing incline one to melancholia, par
ticularly when the possessor of the objectionable coun
tenance shouted out and the drum was beaten more
violently than usual. Still there was no doubt that the
Mohammedans— staid old gentlemen, smoking their pipes
and cheroots, and occasionally sipping coffee or iced

SOCIAL LIFE IN BOMBAY. , 15
water — enjoyed it thoroughly, and that the entertainment
was looked upon as exceptionally lively, and, indeed, as
almost a gala performance. And when, now and then,
the girls lifted up the ends of their veils, and disclosed
fully to view their by no means handsome faces, this
digression from ordinary usage was evidently regarded
as a mark of great complacency, and was appreciated
accordingly. At length we intimated our desire to depart ; where
upon our host, after some little remonstrance at our in
considerate haste — we had only listened to the monotonous
dirge for two hours — made a sign to the bearer of atter
and pan ; whereupon two men came up, one carrying a
basket of flowers in his hand and the other a tray of
betel-nuts and pan-leaves, and in a few moments we were
sitting with garlands of richly-perfumed blossoms around
our necks, and huge bouquets in our hands ; while the
host sprinkled us with scent, presented us with two bottles
of otto of roses apiece, a leaf of pan and betel-nut, and
the customary spoonful of scented liquid called atter.
Then, with many bows, we were led to the door, and so
dismissed. Next morning, at a very early hour, I started, in com
pany with Mr. Arthur Crawford, several years the Muni
cipal Commissioner of Bombay, and now political agent,
collector, and magistrate with the^ Hubshee, to look at the
Grand Bombay Markets, which were erected by him, and
are still called by his name. To see them in their full
swing it was necessary to go there betimes ; for, as in
Co vent Garden, the produce is received at a very early
hour, so here, as well as there, it is*sold quickly, and the
dealers disappear. A somewhat lengthy drive brought us
to the outside of the building, a large and stately edifice,
covering a wide expanse of ground, and boasting a verdant

16 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
quadrangle and a fountain such as we have not anywhere
in England. On the outside was the name of Arthur
Crawford, 'writ large;' and no sooner did the good people
of the market describe their benefactor, than, with great
show of respect and even affection, they made a path for
him through the hundreds of buyers who were already at
the stalls. I have called Mr. Crawford a benefactor, not
because he spent his own money, but because in six" or
seven years he disbursed more than three millions sterling
of the public funds in sanitary and public works, and be
cause, as a result, Bombay possesses a finer market than
London, is cleaner than any Eastern city I have yet seen,
has its abattoirs far from inhabited places, and is one of
the best administered under our rule in the East.
Would that I could present these ' bazaars ' to your
eyes as they appeared a few mornings since ! A magni
ficent double iron roof, covering fifty-six thousand
square feet of space, supported on tastefully-designed
iron columns, and pleasantly decorated ; beneath it hun
dreds of stalls, displaying everything edible that Bombay
can boast for sale. Four thoroughfares were apportioned
to the sale of fruit alone ; and as we passed between these
lines of admirably-arranged stalls we found Mussulman and
Hindoo salesmen squatting upon cushions in the centre of
oranges, plantains, pummelos, melons, nectarines, guavas,
and apples. I never saw half such a supply of rich, juicy
fruit heaped together before. Piles of rosy pomegranates,
luscious apples, shaddocks, peaches, and pistachio nuts, all
were there. They were displayed in pyramids, in circles,
in squares, with rich green leaves between them, so that
it would be well nigh impossible to pass on and buy
nothing. And then, leaving these, we came upon the
flour market, with its jessamines, verbenas, roses, and
tropical blossoms of a hundred kinds. Flowers had beeii

SOCIAL LIFE IN BOMBAY. 17
precious lately in Bombay — doubly so because of the de
mand consequent on the fetes and their scarcity in the
Presidency itself at this time of the year — and round the
women and men who made the garlands stood a clamour
ing, heated crowd. Yet, as we went along, bouquets of
exquisite loveliness were offered us, and were pressed-
upon our acceptance. The air was laden with the de
licious perfume of these Eastern flowers, and the seven
thousand square feet of blossoms presented a sight to
which our European eyes were wholly unused. But, if
these were delightful to the vision, the vegetables and
spices which covered thirty-five thousand square feet of
stalls were more practical. All kinds of ' herbs for the
use of man,' all sorts of pleasant accompaniments for
meat or ingredients for soup, every variety of tuber or
edible grass were here. These, also, were stacked with
marvellously good taste ; round them the natives swarmed
with baskets and cloths, while in charge of them were
merchants in most picturesque costume, who laboured
hard to be rid of their wares, and to quit the market.
Then there were stalls for the sale of tobacco, for the
vending of spices, for the serving of butter — on green
leaves again — and the distribution of flour and bread.
Eound the sides of the market were shops, moreover,
in which were retailed European goods and Chinese
produce, so that in this great hive of commerce all, save
meat and fish, could be procured, even to articles of
clothing and ornarnentation. Indeed, had we been devo-
tionally inclined, a gentleman was ready to sell us for
three-halfpence an offering of incense to the gods, a
present, and four kinds of paint wherewith to decorate
our foreheads, and give ourselves a very religious
appearance. ' Crossing the square in the centre of the market-place,
1 c

18 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
we now came upon the stalls in which beef is sold — the
abomination of the Hindoo, but the delight of Englishman
and Mussulman. And as to see a slaughtered ox is an
offence to the Hindoo, we found screens put up at the
doorways, so that passing religionists should not be
troubled by the sight of a piece of beef. Only Mussul
mans kept the stalls in this market, and they were sur
rounded only by Mussulmans or Europeans, while over
every stall was the name of its owner in English and
Hindustani characters. So, too, mainly in the market
where mutton is sold there were nearly all followers of
the Prophet, it being a tenet of Brahminism that the de
struction of life is a sin.
But, if the inspection of the market was instructive as
showing what individual effort and energy could realise,
the sights which followed were not less amusing. I have
said the day was yet young when we started on our tour ;
those who know India will be aware that this was just the
time for visiting a Hindoo temple. Thus it was that on
our turning through a somewhat narrow doorway we
found ourselves in a huge courtyard, crowded with
people. On the immediate right was a tree, under the
shade of which sat a number of 'holy men.' With the
Hindoos holiness and dirtiness are almost synonymous,-.'
and certainly these were the worst- washed men I ever
saw. With the contents of a great pot of ashes they had
besmeared not only their countenances, but the whole of
their bodies ; with big pieces of rope they had tied their
already matted hair into knots, and thus heightened their
natural ugliness. They had used red and yellow paint ;
wherever those pigments would serve to render themi
less attractive in appearance, and they had squatted down
in a puddle of very holy mud, and were just then eating
the offerings of the faithful. Yet they were apparently!

SOCIAL LIFE IN BOMBAY. 19
greatly revered and beloved. There was a tender-hearted
old gentleman, with a great basket of sweetmeats and
cakes, giving them all a good breakfast when we entered.
The copper cans which lay about on the ground near the
puddle were full of annas and pice ; they even had a good
supply of pan and betel-nut ; and, as though holiness with
contentment were great gain, they were as stout as they
were godly. I gave the most sacred among them two
annas, whereupon he rolled a leaf of pan and offered it
to me, and, when I declined the tempting morsel, placed
it in his own mouth, tinkled a little bell, put his hands to
his face and uttered a prayerful groan, and then sat down
in the mud once more and looked happy. I should say
at a rough guess that the. holiness on that man was a
quarter of an inch thick.
I have mentioned the tinkling of a bell ; there were a
good many bells tinkling just then ;. for on the side of
the entrance opposite that in which the holy men sat was
the Temple of Mombadevi. In front of the temple doors
were a large number of pigeons — some hundreds I should
suppose — as fat, as well cared for, and quite as tame as
the pigeons of the Piazzi di San Marco in Venice, and as
sacred as the gentlemen in the mud puddle ; also five
or six sacred buffaloes, a dozen sacred goats, two very
sacred but apparently very mischievous monkeys, and
a sacred donkey. On the steps of the temple the
people congregated, going in, first to one shrine and
praying, and then to another. When they had prayed
satisfactorily and given an offering to a deity, they rang
a bell which hung suspended in front of the shrine, and
went away quite pleased.
I noticed two things of interest, the first being that at
one shrine they were worshipping a picture — without at
all knowing what it represented — of the Madonna and
c 2

20 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Child ; the second that some of the shrines were more
fashionable than others. There was a lovely idol, with a
head like an ourang-outang, ears nearly a yard long, four.
arms, eight legs, and a couple of mouths, which was quite
deserted, and only got two bundles of pan and a banana
during the morning ; while a rival, who looked like a
tipsy lion, with a moustache resembling Victor Emmanuel's,
slightly turned up at the ends, a long Dundreary pair of
whiskers gracefully curled, six eyes placed in good, and
, useful positions, three tails, and only two legs, was
' making a mint of money.' The fates were unkind and
unjust. There were plenty of bells in front of the ourang^
outang-like god, yet nobody rang them ; a very holy man
sat at the shrine, yet nobody went there. There was
even a bench on which the faithful could rest while they
prepared their offerings, yet nobody sat on it ; while the
lion that possessed the moustache and whiskers received
the fat of the land, was accosted by devotional ladies and
gentlemen every minute, and had enough' offerings in
front of him to warrant the belief that the priest who
attended to his shrine must live happily the day through,
and altogether enjoy what the Americans call ' a very
good time of it.'
This was not all, however, that this religious spot
afforded. Past the tree, and still in front of the temple,
was a huge tank, three hundred yards square, or there-7
abouts, and in it hundreds of Hindoo women were bath
ing in honour of their religion. There they were,
painting and washing, washing and painting, fulfilling a
religious duty and performing a very sanitary act at the
same time. A profane person might have perchance wished
that the holy men under the tree might have been pitched
into the water too. But that would have probably shocked
those holy men's nerves, and so rendered them less good

SOCIAL LIFE IN BOMBAY. 2i
and admirable than now. Mr. Crawford said that he
should like to pull down the wretched shanties which
surround the tank, and make in their stead a fine public
garden. But at presenf this will not be done, and Mom-
badevi Tank rr ust be let alone.
Needless is it to describe two other temples that we
visited ; but a word should not be omitted respecting a
religious, institution through which we passed. - 1 have
mentioned that a large number of Hindoos believe in the
sanctity of life „of every kind,, and it was to visit an
establishment belonging to this sect that we now entered
a gateway not far from the Mombadevi Temple. A
curious sight at once presented itself. Hundreds of cows
and buffaloes were enclosed within one set of rails, hun
dreds of goats within another. All kinds of animals had
pens appointed them and people to tend them. We have
in London a Home for Dogs, about which a good deal the
reverse of complimentary has at different times been
written, and not without cause. Stray dogs, unruly dogs,
sick dogs, are all received, yet somehow or other they
disappear, are sold, strangled, or poisoned in this ' Home '
of theirs. Here, however, is a real home for the maimed,
the blind, the starving, and the old. When a Hindoo
has a horse which he finds too ill or too old for work, it
is sent here, and thence to pastures in the country ; cows
that will give milk no longer, goats that are useless, dogs
that are toothless, and even monkeys that are too old to
chatter or to climb, are placed here, too, and all carefully
tended till they die. So sacred is the charge that volun
tarily do Hindoos support it by a self-imposed tax ; so
good is it considered to feed these poor animals that carts
of hay are continually coming in for their sustenance,
and pious old men attend and distribute the provender.
When we were in the place, cows that had recovered

22 - WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
their illness were eating the sweet hay, which lay near
ihem in profusion, with the greatest satisfaction ; the
goats that were pronounced well were feasting and gam
bolling ; sick dogs had savoury messes, dogs that were
not sick were equally well fed, and the monkeys were
evidently as happy as their cramps and cranks would
allow. ' I doctor, sar,' said a dusky gentleman with a
walking-cane, who came up to us while we were looking
at his horses; ' and I keep loving animals very much.'
' Keep loving them as much as you can,' was the reply
of my companion, ' and then you'll go straight to heaven
some day.' ' Yes, sar,' said the doctor, and forthwith
evinced his ' love ' for animals by stroking a huge buffalo
that stood close by, and giving it a great handful of grass.

23

CHAPTEE III.
RECEPTIONS OF RAJAHS.
' Chairs for the Guicowar and the "Maharajah I Make
way there, please ! ' An official, a very courteous, but
very energetic, one, Mr. Lee ¦ Warner, Under-Secretary of
the Presidency of Bombay, dressed in full Court uniform,
is directing the movements of a slender Hindoo who,
besides bearing a huge red turban, in shape and size very
like a lady's sunshade, is struggling along under two
cane-seated chairs on the outskirts of a most brilliant
throng. The locale is the Boree Bunder railway station ;
the occasion Lord Northbrook's arrival in Bombay. To
meet the Viceroy are gathered • together in that little
terminus all the rank and power of North-Western India.
Should I give you a fist of their names and titles you
would have a lengthy collection of extraordinary words.
I could tell from an official list which has been published
the exact number of followers each one has, and the
number of ' guns ' to which each is entitled. But for
many reasons I forbear. Mingled with the chieftains
and sirdars are a large number of officers from the fleet,
all in full-dress uniform, military officers in scarlet,
clergymen in their robes, and Political Eesidents in
Court dress.
A picturesque crowd is that which is thus shut in
from the front of the platform by a cord of blue, fit sub-

24 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
ject for the minutest of painters ; yet, so far as I can see,
no painter is present. I am alone on the red carpet on
which the Viceroy, is presently to stand when he reaches
Bombay, without even so much as a railway official to
keep me in countenance. Eailway policemen are here,
it is true, but they are on the lines. Long lines of
soldiery hold the way to the station, but they are in the
road. Other spectators are looking on beside the fashion
able crowd behind the rope, but they are on the tops
of goods ; others on the walls round about, chattering,
gesticulating, fighting, wondering — these natives of India
waiting for their ruler.
It was for no idle purpose that the chairs were
brought for which Mr. Lee Warner begged a way. In
the centre of yon brilliant gathering stand two little
boys, each dressed in black velvet, grandly ornamented
with diamonds, and attended by a large number of
followers. In point of age they seem to be respectively
thirteen and nine years old. They are clearly princes in
rank, and, indeed, the greatest here. The taller one is
as dignified a little ruler as was ever seen. He holds his
head erect, and stands in front of his followers and by
the side of Mr. Dalyel, the Commissioner, with all the
conscious pride that the greatest potentate in the world
could command. And not altogether without reason,
for he is the Maharajah of Mysore, has a wide tract of
•country, and a huge revenue, and succeeds to a stately
home and princely inheritance. In facial expression he
is almost the very image of Madame Adelina Patti—
handsome, sharp-eyed, and graceful. Eound his neck
are strings of pearls and diamonds of immense value ;
his wrists are encircled by bracelets, even his ankles are
enveloped in jewels, and from the little turban which
has been placed in coquettish style upon his head there

RECEPTIONS OF RAJAHS. 25
shoots an aigrette of precious stones such as Nasr-Ed-Din.
of Persia would gaze at with amazement. His Eoyal
brother is the smallest specimen of sovereignty I have
ever seen, yet he is even more important in viceregal
eyes, for this is the Guicowar of Baroda. If he of
Mysore is radiant with jewels, this royal seedling from
Baroda is more magnificent still. On his neck - and
breast, bis turban, and his very shoes, everywhere glisten
diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and pearls. He is well aware
of his own importance ; and, though not so old as his
Mysore rival, acts his part well. And when the chairs
are brought and the two sit down each eyes the other
with great curiosity — perhaps also mentally placing a
valuation on the other's jewels — and then each turns his
head away with an expression very like contempt.
At length the Eajah's chieftains and sirdars are all
in the station, and have taken their places ; and the
Governor of Bombay steps on to the red carpet, followed
by his son, who is his private secretary. The naval
officers are also asked to step on to the carpet, and some
of the principal authorities of the town are likewise
invited to this place of distinction. There they all stand
for a few minutes, during which the Viceroy's train is
signalled from Byculla. That there should be late
arrivals was, of course, to be expected. And I grieve
to say that one of them, was a judge — not a judge such
as we see in England, clad in scarlet and wearing a long
wig, or even dressed in ermine, with a short wig ; but a
funny old gentleman of olive colour, with a red turban
on his head and his nether limbs encased in a starched
white petticoat. Very stout, very brown, this funny old
man shuffles into the roped space, and, clasping his
hands together, awaits the Governor-General. Then a
ridiculous old person with a Mahratta turban puts in

26 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
an appearance. One wonders why such grotesque old
people should be allowed to spoil the general harmony
of the scene. Yet they turn up everywhere— at durbarsj
at ceremonies of all kinds— just when one is most admir
ing everything, and thinking how much more picturesque*
it all is than any sight in England ; and with their ugly
faces and uglier head-dresses, their extraordinary petti
coats, yellow stockings, and bootless feet, lower the scene
from the sublime to the ridiculous, and make the be
holder almost mad with disappointment. These turbans
of theirs are as large as an ordinary umbrella, and con
tain 80 yards of thin riband ; they are generally pink
or scarlet, have a little eminence in the centre which
looks like an intoxicated cone, and then bulge out over
the ear and shoulder in the strangest possible style.
Why does not somebody seize this latest arrival at the
station and bundle him out ? He spoils the whole scene
and troubles the spectator exceedingly.
By this time, however, the viceregal engine is in sight,
and there is no time to turn anybody out. Besides
which it is an engine to regard with awe and admiration.
I remember once at Sheffield seeing an official with a
white wand, who had deputed himself to receive the
Prince of Wales, make a profound obeisance to a goods
engine. Onlookers laughed, but excused the blunder on
the ground that the gentleman meant well. Here, how
ever, is an engine he might bow to without being laughed
at. It is immense in size, it is brilliantly painted ; round
the funnel are garlands of flowers, and on its front, in
golden colours, is the Eoyal coat of arms. Nobody does
bow to it ; but that is because the Viceroy's carriage is just
behind, and his Excellency is stepping out, so that every
body is making a bow to Lord Northbrook, and thinking
nothing about the engine at all. And as there is no one

RECEPTIONS OF RAJAHS. 27
with a white wand here, no officious person, no meddler or
muddler, everything goes easily and pleasantly. The
Viceroy goes at once to the two Princes who have been
favoured with the chairs, and shakes hands with them.
Then he grasps the hand of the Maharana of Oodeypore,
who is close by, and then that of the Eajah of Kolapore,
and so passes all down the station, while the band outside
plays ' God save the Queen,' and the troops present arms.
Carriages drive up and drive away, and in half an hour
the station platform, which just now contained so brilliant
a throng, is deserted.
And now let me describe another scene, more impos
ing and more important, more interesting also, as being
exactly similar to one in which the Prince of Wales him
self took part a few days later on. It was late on the
Tuesday night before the Prince landed when I received
an invitation from the secretary pf the Viceroy, Captain
Evelyn Baring, to breakfast at Malabar Point, the tempo
rary residence of Lord Northbrook, on the following',
morning. There was, however, in the note even more
than this, for it contained a postscript with the infonnation
that his Excellency would receive the principal chieftains
at present in Bombay in the audience-room of Govern
ment House, at seven a.m. Such a summons could not
be lightly valued, and I hastened to acknowledge the
missive and prepared to obey.
The daylight had not appeared when I found myself
in a gharry driven by an ill-tempered Mohammedan —
ill-tempered because awakened early — towards the beau
tiful bay which fronts Malabar Hill. Now and then a
streak of sunshine would dart across the sky and the sea,
telling of the close proximity of day. The surf was
breaking on the land with a sullen roar, but not a breath
of air could be felt on that sultry morning. On went the

28 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
grumbling driver, until at length long lines of troops were
descried, native infantry with arms at the ' present,' native
cavalry with lances held aloft, pennons dangling in the
air, and English constables clad in white clothes, all drawn
up in regular order, waiting the arrival of the great per
sonages who were presently to come to visit his Excel
lency. A few moments more, when the sun was up,
scorching everybody, I was hastening up the steps of
Malabar House. On seeing a place for a first time, the
eye naturally wanders all round. Let us glance at the
building before us. On the broad staircase on either side
are soldiers of the Viceroy's body-guard. Some bear
halberds, some lances, some swords ; they are broad,
strong men — few of them less than six feet in height, and
look magnificent in their small striped turbans, their long
scarlet coats and golden waistbands. Better soldiers than
these cannot be found. In the mutiny Lord Canning held
to his native body-guard, and refused the guard of English
troops ; and Lord Northbrook still refuses to believe that
anything can be safer than the watch that is kept by his
stalwart Punjabees. On arriving at the top we are at
once on a broad covered verandah, extending all round
the house — a delightful retreat from the rays of the sun,
and just now full of a welcome breeze which has suddenly
sprung up, and is coming in from the sea. Here, again,
are soldiers of the body-guard marking the entrance to
the State room, which opens on to the verandah. A "few
steps bring us into the very centre of the viceregal
Court, all ready as that Court is for the reception of the
Eajah of Kholapore, who is momentarily expected.
The scene is extremely impressive. A lofty audience-
chamber, with two marble pillars at one end, cutting off,
say, a fourth of the space, and thus forming a kind of
recess for the throne ; this throne, just now occupied by

RECEPTIONS OF RAJAHS. 29
Lord Northbrook, is constructed of silver and gold, having
a golden lion for one arm and a golden bull for another,
bearing a purple and golden crown about a foot above the
back, and altogether forming one of the finest State
chairs ever designed. This also is placed upon a dais one
step high. On the right hand is a long row of empty arm
chairs, running down half the length of the room ; on the
left an equal number of chairs, not empty, but filled by
officers in brilliant uniforms — Captain Baring, mentioned
before ; Colonel Earle, the admirable Military Secretary ;
Mr, C. U. Aitchison, the Foreign Secretary ; Major Hender
son, acting as Assistant Foreign Secretary — the Viceroy's
personal staff. Behind the throne are gathered an array of
servants picturesquely attired in bright red uniforms and
gold and white turbans, holding up scarlet fans, golden
umbrellas, and other insignia of Eastern royalty. Bound
the room at regular intervals are more of these attendants,
bearing maces with crowns, and elephants' heads in silver,
and halberds. But by far the most important item in
the whole room next to the Viceroy himself has as yet
been unnoticed, although upon it depends more than
would be conveyed in the strongest letter of approval or
dissatisfaction that was ever penned at Calcutta and sent
to a native prince.
At first glance there is nothing very extraordinary
about it either. It is a long oval piece of crimson with a
golden border, the Eoyal arms being in the centre. Yet
how far the Viceroy may advance on that carpet when
about to meet a guest is matter for serious deliberation
and special notice in the ' Gazette.' Beyond the line 'Dieu
et mon droit,' in presence of a Nawab, and his Excellency
would raise a thousand jealousies, make said Nawab in
sane with delight, and lay the foundation for a series of
troubles, the end of which could not be predicted. Stop

30 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
but six inches from the edge when a Guicowar or a
Maharana enters, and a. rebuke would be conveyed and
received of profound importance and meaning. Even the
number of steps the Viceroy may take on that wonderful
rug- work are defined by a decree in council, and he must
no more take five when three are ordered than the officer
in charge of yonder artillery battery just preparing to fire
may let off twenty-one guns in honour of the Chief of
Jamkhundee. He may let off two less than that number
in honour of the Eajah of Kholapore, and, indeed, is now
preparing to do so, for his Highness, attended by nine of
his principal sirdars and an escort of cavalry, is just now
being driven at a great rate along the pathway to the
house. The troops are presenting arms, and the band is
playing. Bang go the guns, with a deafening sound.
Two officers run down the steps, and the Euler of Khola
pore is assisted from his carriage and conducted to the
audience- chamber without delay. As the sound of ap
proaching footsteps is heard, the Viceroy rises and stands
upon the dais, till the faces of his guests are seen in the
ante-room. The ' Gazette ' order for the day states that
Lord Northbrook will receive his Highness ' at the edge
of the carpet, and conduct him to a seat on his right
hand,' and nobody knows all this better than the Lilli
putian highness now entering the doorway. Perhaps it
is the experienced government of Mr. Aitchison, perhaps
the jealous eye of the boy-Prince, which regulates the
steps of the Kholapore party. Anyhow, the youth only
arrives at the outer edge of the carpet at the precise
moment when the Viceroy's toe touches the inner edge,
and the Viceroy's extended hand reaches into uncarpeted
space. With a rapid bow the little Eajah grasps his Ex
cellency's fingers, and is then led to the chair covered
with golden cloth — which stands next the dais on the

RECEPTIONS OF RAJAHS. 31
right, and is to be used for all princes who come —
followed by the English officer resident at his Court, and
his sirdars, all of them portly men, in singular costumes.
As soon as the Eajah is seated, we are at liberty to
criticise his dress. I think there are, if possible, more
diamonds round that little neck than on the previous day
— larger pearls for bracelets and finer rubies as earrings.
The diamond aigrette in the gold turban is, moreover,
supplemented by another tuft of brilliants, and the finger-
rings on the Eoyal hands are more costly than before.
The pale-faced child can scarcely weigh five stone —
diamonds, clothes, sword, and- all ; yet there he sits,
coolly chattering with the Viceroy, and now and then
sending a glance of ineffable contempt round the room,
as though it was not a bit more ornate than it should be,
considering that so important a personage as himself is
in it as a guest. So a few minutes pass, and then Major
Henderson rises, and with 'a bow, introduces the sirdars
to the Viceroy. One by one these portly chieftains rise,
and, advancing to the throne, make a low obeisance, and
hold out a bag of gold to his Excellency. In times gone
by the gold would scarcely have been held out with
safety. An emperor of Delhi in the olden time would
probably have not only taken that, but demanded a good
deal more. In these enlightened times the Viceroy only
touches the money, the sirdar shuffles back into his place,
and, as coin-carrying is not pleasant to an indolent
person, and one bag of money, which is only to be
touched and not used, is as good as twenty, he simply
transfers the bag from his own yellow handkerchief
to the red one of his successor in homage, and so the
money goes round.
' Attar and pan will then be given to the Eajah by
the Viceroy himself,1 runs the circular. Attar and pan

32 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
are given in consequence. Two bearers, clad in scarlet,
enter the room from a side door, the one carrying a glass;
bottle on a silver stand, the other some gold and silver
leaved packets on a salver. Slowly advancing in Indian
file, they stand at length before the Viceroy, who rises,
and, taking from the bottle a silver stick, conveys a drop
of attar of roses to the extended handkerchief of his
chief guest. Next a gilded packet — it contains the leaf
called pan, some betel-nut, a clove, and a little quicklime,. |
all admirably adapted for chewing, says the Hindoo — is
transfened by Lord Northbrook to the right hand of the
Eajah, who, after making a profound bow, hands both
handkerchief and packet to an attendant. The sirdars
are now treated in similar fashion by the Foreign •
Secretary and his assistant, according to their rank, and
then, at a signal, all rise, the Viceroy extends his hand to
the Eajah, and, leading him to the very edge pf the
carpet, once more shakes hands with him, and bids him
adieu. But a greater than he is close at hand. In a few
minutes fresh artillery salutes annoimce the new comer,
and the guard of honour has scarcely stacked its arms,
before it has to present them once more. And the
promptitude is not without reason. Chamrajendra Ha-
diar Bahadoor, Maharajah of Mysore, is driving up the
pathway — a prince entitled to a salute of twenty-one
guns, to be met on the edge of the carpet, to receive 1
attar and pan from his Excellency's own hands, and to
be treated with profoundest respect as one of the prin
cipal rulers of India. Strange to say, out of all the
armed retainers who accompany his carriages only one
ascends the broad staircase with the Prince and his
guardian (Colonel Malleson), and this a fat old gentleman \
in a starched petticoat and stockings, wearing a curious '

RECEPTIONS OF RAJAHS. 33
turban of yellow calico, and carrying a big bag of money
as ' nuzzar ' for the Viceroy. His Highness is dressed
just as be was on the previous day — in black velvet, with
the same turban and aigrette of brilliants, the same
splendid necklace and the same rings ; on his left arm,
however, a sparkling armlet of diamonds, and on his
ankles more pearls than before. He is a stately little
fellow, this Maharajah, only thirteen years old though he
may be ; and he stops at the edge of the carpet till the
Viceroy reaches it with all the dignity of a great sove
reign, takes his place in the chair of honour as though it
were the throne of Southern India, and converses with
the Viceroy with all the affability and ease of an accom
plished man of the world. His reception is of the same
kind as that of his predecessor ; he takes the attar and
pan, and is gone.
The next guest is the Maharana of Oodeypore. I do
not know how many books have been written to prove
that this gentleman is the greatest prince in India. He
claims to rank above the Guicowar of Baroda and Prince
of Mysore, and to receive, like them, a Eoyal salute in
stead of only a welcome of nineteen guns. He is the head
of the Eajpoots — the purest race of Hindoos — a sacred
person in his own right, and the representative of the
only dynasty that successfully withstood the victorious
emperors of Delhi and lesser warriors for eight hundred
years. For the rest, he is a stately young man of about
twenty-three summers, somewhat badly marked by small
pox, but, for all that, kingly in demeanour and not un-
pleasing in countenance. He, too, is received at the edge
of the carpet, and led by the right hand to the place of
honour by Lord Northbrook. His followers, indeed, hold
their heads as high, and stride along as proudly as though
they were all kings in their own right, instead of tribu-
D

34 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
tary princes. Their wonderful costumes of bright green
and gold, their white turbans, and their jewels, as they
follow their master— who wears nothing but white linen,
and boasts only two or three large diamonds — are ex
tremely picturesque ; and when they come forwaf d one
after another, and are presented to Lord Northbrook,j
bowing to the earth and kissing the tips of the fingers
just touched by his lordship, their appearance is not less
effective. They thought, it appears, that the Viceroy
would rise to receive them ; but England's power has
grown while theirs has decreased, and since they last saw
the Queen's representative times have changed, and they
now only obtain a gracious nod, and have to be satisfied. ,
The same ceremony which dismissed the brethren of
Kholapore sends, them away, and the Eana of Oodeypore
' is succeeded by the Eao of Kutch. This good gentleman,,
despite his brigand-like appearance, is a very estimable
person, rules a large State wisely, and generally steers
clear of difficulties with the Government. At first glance
he gives one the impression of a very lordly individual
indeed — one, in fact, who might be met at the edge of
any carpet in the world, with great propriety. But not
so. The line in the middle which says ' Dieu et mon
droit,' might, so far as he is concerned, read ' Kutch et
mon droit,' for it is just there that the Viceroy awaits
him, and not an inch nearer. Moreover, the guns out
side are only firing seventeen rounds, and one almost
imagines that the band left off playing a little sooner than
before. But never mind, Eao Pragmul,1 you are bravely
attired in your dark green velvet habit and light blue
riband over the heart; your red and gold turban is
exceedingly becoming, and your step is very creditable.
It is a pity that you are only allowed five attendants,
1 He died soon after the Prince left Bombay.

RECEPTIONS OF RAJAHS. 35
however, for more of such dresses might easily be seen
with an untired eye. The hundred and one gold mohurs
which the Eao presents being touched, and a short con
versation over, his Highness is led down to the centre of
the carpet once more, and thence to the doorway, by the
Foreign Secretary.
He is not long gone before an unusual stir is notice
able. Arms ! Present arms ! Make way for the Gui-
cowar's horsemen and carriages, for, to the sound of a
Eoyal salute and a Eoyal march, the protege of Sir
Eichard Meade is coming along the pathway. Men of
the body-guard stiffen in position, the viceregal suite is in
its place, and the Viceroy is already past the middle
of. the carpet ere the little Prince is through the doorway. '
Led by his guardian, he steps cautiously forward, so as to
time his footsteps to those of the Governor-General ; and
just as his Excellency's feet' are at the edge this Eoyal
waif and stray, this little King by accident, stretches out
his hand, and with complete calmness thus salutes the
Viceroy. His stride along the carpet to his chair of state
is as remarkable as his dress, which is indeed striking.
More jewels than ever glittered round that little neck.
Nearly four hundred thousand pounds' worth of dia
monds, pearls, rubies, and emeralds adorn the person of
this little boy ; such an aigrette was never seen in any
other turban. Some English ladies whom I know, and
who take delight in jewellery and find pleasure in
brilliants, would have been beside themselves with joy
at such a spectacle ; even amongst men accustomed to
such sights there was a perceptible murmur of applause.
I need scarcely say that twenty-one guns saluted this im
portant item of sovereign humanity, that attar and pan
were handed him by the Viceroy with all respect, and
then at length he was led to the very edge of the carpet,
B 2

36 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
before being handed over to the Foreign Secretary, and
taken to his carriage.
Next came Sir Salar Jung, the guardian of. the Nizam
of Hyderabad. So remarkable is this man that, although )
he is only an ' Excellency ' and by no means Eoyal, he is
honoured with twenty-one guns, and received in the
centre of the carpet. His business here is to represent '1
the Nizam, who is actually too ill to come. The resident
English physician has declared against the young Prince's
journey, a prolonged illness supports the plea, and Sir
Salar Jung is here to render homage for him. Take a
good, look at his Excellency as he sits by the side of the
Viceroy, clad in simple white with only a light blue
riband across his breast. In appearance, closely cut hair
and short moustache, he is very like Prince Bismarck; he
has the broad forehead and quick eye of the German
Chancellor, and is apparently as frank as he. Men who
know him well speak in admiring tones of his grasp of
European politics ; his administration of the wild popu
lation of Hyderabad shows his force of character and
strength of will. If Madava Eao is the first of Hindoos,
Salar Jung is the premier Mohammedan, and as such is
esteemed by the Government.
But, if the reception given to the chiefs by the Vice
roy was grand, their reception of him on his paying re
turn visits to them was no less striking. I do not refer
to the ' no-gun men.' They were asked to go to the
Government Secretariat, and receive the Viceroy there.
But I allude to the Guicowar, the Maharajah of Mysore,
the Maharana of Oodeypore, and such dignitaries. It
was at the house of the last-named that, by the courteous
request of the Viceroy, I found myself an invited guest
a few minutes before his Excellency arrived. It was
while looking round on this extraordinary assemblage of

RECEPTIONS OF RAJAHS. 37
chiefs that Colonel Herbert — the Political Eesident at
Oodeypore — touched me on the arm and introduced me
to his Highness, who was pleased to converse in very
good English^ till the arrival of the Viceroy was an
nounced at the gate. Then the chiefs stood round the
hall, the Maharana advanced to the Viceroy's carriage, and,
taking his Excellency by the right hand, led him to a
couch at the head of the saloon, and gave him the seat of
honour as to a superior monarch. Of course the English
officers were on the right hand of the Viceroy, this time
they being the guests. Colonel Herbert now came for
ward and introduced each chief present by name to the
Governor-General, each one advancing as his name was
called out, and offering a ' nuzzar,' or present, which the
Viceroy formally touched. Next appeared two attend
ants with wreaths of flowers for the neck of the Vice
roy and his suite, bouquets, moreover, of red flowers .for
their hands, attar for their handkerchiefs, and pan for
their mouths in case it should please them to eat it.
And all these being presented in due form, the whole
party rose, the Viceroy was again led to the door by the
Maharana, the band played, the troops presented arms,
and the visit was over. This was exactly similar to all
the other return visits of the Viceroy ; and I am parti
cular in thus detailing the incidents, as they were the
same as those which befel the Prince afterwards.
Having on the following Saturday received an invita
tion to visit the Maharajah of Mysore, an hour's drive
brought me to Altamont, the house which has been
engaged for his Highness during his stay in Bombay, and
in a very few minutes I was in company with the highly
esteemed Colonel Malleson, Political Agent in Mysore,
arid author of a valuable work on the Native States of
India, and Mr. Dalyel, administrator of the .kingdom,

38 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
waiting the coming of the Maharajah in the reception-
saloon. A more happily-chosen spot for the court of a
powerful prince could scarcely have been selected. At
one end of the hall, which would comfortably seat some
hundreds of people, was a magnificently-carved screen ;
in front of this a yellow satin and gilded couch was
placed ; on either hand were chairs of state, running
down half the length of the room, placed in such a
manner as to accommodate all the chiefs of Mysore when
in council assembled. It was here that the Viceroy was
received, and it was here that the Prince of Wales would
make his call early the next week.
On a table to the right of the couch were ranged in
tempting array the presents which the Maharajah was
about to make to the Prince. A magnificently embossed
cup of gold, called ' Alexandra,' and made many years
ago in honour of the marriage of the Prince and Princess
of Wales, stands in the centre. The history of this cup
is somewhat singular. A short time ago, before the
Prince's visit was talked of, the Maharajah determined
on giving it as a prize to the best racehorse in his ,
dominions, in honour of the Princess of Wales. The
race was run amid great excitement, but, curiously
enough, his Highness's own horse won the cup, and so
here it was ready to be given to the Prince for the
Princess herself. It is engraved with her name, is beauti
fully worked as such work can be done only in Mysore,
and has for handle to the lid a massive gold elephani
The value is about 3,000Z.
Eound this cup is ranged a gold service for attar and
pan. There are a gold receptacle for attar of roses, a
golden casket for the pan and betel-nut, a golden stand
for incense, a rose-spouted cup of gold, for scented water,
and other beautifully designed cups and salvers for the

RECEPTIONS OF RAJAHS. 39
completion of the set. But the most beautiful present of
all is a belt of gold which is placed on a little table by
itself. For long years it has. been in the treasury of
Mysore, highly valued, much admired, and now it sees
light only to leave Mysore for ever. In size it is too big
for any lady, being intended for a very stout king, but in
point of beauty it is fit for the most queenly waist in the
world. All over its front flash diamonds, emeralds, rubies,
and pearls — in fact, it contains every kind of precious
stone found in Mysore, and is on that account alone a
most valuable and interesting jewel. In the centre at the
back it has a hinge, in front a diamond clasp, and alto
gether it is one of the most resplendent ornaments that
could be designed. Its intrinsic cost was many thousands
of pounds, but as a work of art it is still more valuable.
While looking at these a messenger announced the
approach of the Maharajah, and a moment afterwards his
Highness came into the saloon, and, holding out his hand,
bid me welcome to his house. He was glad, he said, to
see Englishmen ; for he hoped some day to go to England
himself- and learn all about the great country from
which they came. Then, turning round, he introduced a
' bright-eyed, intelligent youth of nineteen or thereabouts
—who, his Highness said, was hereditary commander-in-
chief of the army in Mysore. With excellent accent and
admirable good taste he spoke English perfectly, and in
a very few minutes showed that he looked forward to no
sinecure, although his army might never be large. He
knew, all about the Franco-German war, was intimately
acquainted with Eussian movements, understood even the
principle of summer drills in England, and expressed a
desire 'to see the troops of all these nations himself.
' You Europeans,' he said, ' are so well disciplined that I
could but learn much by travel, and I shall go to Europe

40 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
on the very first opportunity.' As for the Maharajah he
chatted pleasantly about the sights of Bombay and its re
lative beauty when compared with his own capital. He
was just going to see the caves of Elephanta, and he
intended to learn all he could while in the Presidency.
He dwelt upon the pleasure of cricket, of which game he
is very fond, and the advantages of underhand twist
bowling, which he finds bothers the Mysorian cricketers
exceedingly, and then upon the pleasures of sport. Thus
fifteen minutes or so passed pleasantly, and concluded with
a kindly invitation to visit him at his capital and see his
people. A more intelligent young gentleman I have never
seen ; and if such is the result of English training and in
struction the system promises well, and Colonel Malleson
and Mr. Dalyel have good reason to be proud of their
charge.

41

CHAPTEE IV.
THE ARRIVAL OF THE PRINCE.
On the 8th of November, 1875, ' His Honour of High
Title, the Star of the Sky of Wealth and Fortune, the
Great Star of the Firmament of Glory and Prosperity, the
Generous One of the Age, the First One of the Time, the
Essence of the Family of Honour and Loftiness, the Prop
of the Dynasty of Might and Pomp, possessing the dig
nity and rank of Saturn, of exalted honour, the Cream of
the Princes of the Age, the Glory of the Nobles of Eng
land, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, landed in Bombay.'
That is the statement of a Persian writer who was good
enough to read me the beginning of his admirable article,
and to give me an English translation. Of the fact of the
Prince's landing I was a faithful witness ; of the titles
which the Persian has conferred upon the Prince, I say
nothing. Yet surely, if banging of artillery and cheering
can impress the mind with an idea of the grandeur of the
Prince who landed, the Persian may be pardoned for his
selection of compliments.
Never was a heartier or more loyal reception accorded
to any one anywhere. For weeks past Bombay had been
in a ferment. In the excess of their loyalty the powers
that be actually quarrelled. Sir Philip Wodehouse got to
loggerheads with Eear- Admiral Macdonald, the result of

42 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
which was that the Admiral requested his officers not to
attend, the Governor's levee; then the Eear- Admiral,
reading his instructions from the Admiralty with great
exactitude, informed the ancient representative of British
government in Bombay that his orders would not allow of
a salute being given to the Viceroy on the occasion of the
Prince landing. ' No flag can be saluted in presence of
the Eoyal Standard,' wrote Admiral Macdonald ; where
upon the Governor very nearly went into hysterics, and
the local newspapers wrote columns of rubbish. At
length the knotty point was settled ; Admiral Macdonald '
telegraphed to England for instructions, and received per
mission to salute the Viceroy and the Prince as well ; the
Governor received the intelligence with bewildered grati
tude, and has remained in a state of amazement ever
since. Then, of course, the decorations were matter for
serious consideration and endless disagreement. Had
everybody's suggestions been adopted, and each suggester
set to work with plenary powers, Bombay would have
presented in a short time a very singular spectacle indeed.
But somehow or other the authorities contrived to repress
some and quicken others, so that in the end the place
looked fairy-like in its beauty. Bombay is less of an
Indian and more of a Levantine city than any other.
Within its environs people from every part of the world
find a home. There are seventy-two different sects of
Mohammedans alone. No one knows how many different
kinds of Hindoos there are. Chinamen are numerous,
too. There are representatives of every European country
and people who are able to judge, say, of Asia also. Every
now and then you come across a Nubian or Abyssinian.
Egyptians are here in scores ; Arabs stalk about in the
bazaars ; and I believe I espied a Kaffir in a shop near

ARRIVAL OF THE PRINCE. 43
Byculla. With such a variety of nationalities there would
very naturally be a diversity of colour, and hence the
picturesque appearance of the crowd which assembled to
welcome or to gaze at the Prince of Wales.
To most of the inhabitants the Eoyal visit was very
agreeable. The cabdrivers quadrupled their fees ; the
tradesmen in the bazaars had tne most delightful oppor
tunity for fleecing Eajahs — 'young men from the country'
— that ever presented itself ; and as for the Europeans,
they were all placed on some committee or other, saw their
names figuring everywhere, and . their speeches reported
with unwonted regularity. All this being the case, no
wonder Bombay turned out to witness the Eoyal entry.
Great preparations had been made. The genealogy of
the Prince had been carefully traced and copied into the
native papers. Poetry such as has been seldom read was
written and published. All along the line of route — it is
needless for me to attempt to give the names of the streets
— masts, called, for want of a better name, Venetian,
had been erected ; flags were flying therefrom ; festoons
connected mast with mast ; coloured lamps, shortly to be
lighted, were placed in position ; and triumphal arches,
more or less pretty, appeared at every cross road. Then
the people came out en masse, and crowded every road,
street, and lane. Let it be remembered that in a city
like Bombay this is less difficult than it would be in Lon
don. Here the inhabitants, as a general rule, perform
their toilettes by the side of the road. Gentlemen are
shaved while sitting on a kerbstone, ladies clean their
teeth in the centre of the thoroughfare, friends adjust
each other's top-knots on their- doorsteps, and in the street
ablutions go on merrily. Witnessing the procession forms
nearly the sum total of what the natives did on that — to
them — memorable day.

44 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Visitors to the Dockyard and to the Club. windows
were requested to appear in full dress. But no dress of
the white population, ' full ' though it may be, comes up
to the costumes which the natives donned that morning.
And when I drove, from Parell and saw the gaily-painted
houses, the brilliantly green trees hung with coloured
Chinese lanterns and long lines of flags, the trophies of ban
ners, the triumphal arches, and the busy road, all teeming
with natives attired in bright costumes, I felt that the Prince
could have never looked on such a scene elsewhere. I
cannot say so much for the mottoes which figured over
the gateways of the rajahs and chieftains on the route.
Perhaps allowance should be made for the fact that
almost all the ingenuity that Bombay possessed had been
exhausted on the illumination designs for the next night.
To make the place resplendent with light in honour of the
Prince's birthday, every possible design had been adopted.
From every tree hung lanterns ; over every gateway were
archways of lamps ; on each lamp-post designs of crosses,
stars, triangles, and circles, glittered — for even in the
daytime the glasses glittered in the sun like diamonds —
loops, made of bent twigs, supporting transparent cups
full of oil, lined the roads, and great gas-jets, such as we
sometimes see at home, completed the arrangement. But
if this was satisfactory — and I fancy that a drive round
the town the next evening reminded the Prince of Wales
of the fairy tales of his youth rather than of anything else
— the mottoes were decidedly poor. You saw a fine
archway with letters in gilt and plenty of blue paint.
You naturally expected something very appropriate to
the visit, and set yourself to decipher the printing, when
you found that it runs ' God bless your Eoyal Mother,'
or, turning in another direction, ' Long Live the Eoyal
Family,' or in another the single word ' Victoria.' Here

ARRIVAL OF THE PRINCE. 45
and there in front of a Parsee house was some such re
mark as ' Very glad to see the Prince of Wales,' or on a
Mohammedan bungalow the letters ' A. E. ;' but, for the
rest, ' Welcome to India,' or ' Welcome to Bombay,'
occurred very frequently, and then the ingenuity in this
branch of display came to an end, with one exception —
namely, at the Dockyard gates, of which I will speak
presently. It was quite early in the morning when the ' Serapis '
was sighted from Malabar Point and introduced to Bom
bay by two guns, and nine o'clock had scarcely struck
ere she entered the harbpur. Instantly the yards of the
men-of-war, which lay in two long lines, were manned,
and so deafening a salute poured out from the ships and
the battery on shore that for many minutes' space the
very windows rattled. To attempt to see anything of the
' Serapis ' at such a time was simply foolish, for the smoke
in a dense cloud hid not only the coast, the islands, and
the distant hills, but enveloped the ships so completely
that for nearly a quarter of an hour no part of them
could be discerned. When the smoke had gone and the
air was clear once more, it was seen that the ' Serapis ' bad
taken up a position close by the ' Osborne,' which had
arrived the night before, and that she was not decorated
with flags, as were all the ships in the harbour, but simply
displayed the Eoyal Standard from her masthead.
I have already mentioned the native part of the town ;
I will now describe what was going on in the Fort, which
was more particularly the English quarter, so far as
shops, offices, and public buildings are concerned. Very
soon after seven o'clock well-appointed broughams were
driven into, the Fort, all full of ladies and gentlemen bent
on enjoyment. Happy were the people whose offices or
shops lay on the line of route, for they could and did in-

46 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
vite their friends to luncheon — called ' tiffin ' here — and
to a seat in their windows. Happier still were the
bachelors who belonged to the Bombay Club, and whose
right to windows there and to invite friends was undis
puted. But there was a happier class yet — the people
who had space available for the erection of a tasteful
stand whereon to place those whom they delighted to
honour. All made the best of their opportunity ; all did
their utmost to celebrate the event ; and the result was
that the Fort presented a pleasant picture from the
earliest hour in the morning. I have, in a previous letter,
mentioned the Esplanade. On this morning it looked
more beautiful than ever, a broad expanse of green grass,
well covered with trees, intersected by a fine road, and
approached by a magnificent street, shaded by wide-
spreading banians. In the centre of the Esplanade is a
tasteful statue of the Queen, and, for a wonder, the Deco
rating Committee had the good judgment not to improve
it in any way. By night it would be lit up brilliantly ;
but by day it was neither bedecked with rosettes nor flags.
The statue of the Queen, a splendid piece of sculpture in
marble, was left alone, and, as a consequence, was an orna
ment, and not an eyesore. At the moment of our enter
ing the Dockyard in order to take the places which were
assigned us, the pathways were full of people, the seats in
front of the houses were full, the windows were crammed,
the space on the Esplanade was occupied, and that part of
Bombay which is not aristocratic or official enough to be
asked to the Dockyard, or to have a seat at club or office
windows, sat down to see the Prince pass on the way to
Parell. As an artistic structure the Dockyard shed had un
doubted merits; it was capacious, light, and airy. A
great temporary building, thickly roofed, so that the rays

ARRIVAL OF THE PRINCE. 47
of the sun cannot penetrate it, open at the sides so far as
is compatible with, excluding said rays in those directions
also, and of course open at both ends, it was the very
model of an Indian shelter. One end looked out upon
the sea, where the ' Serapis ' lay at anchor, and several of
the men-of-war were in position also ; the other termi
nated in an archway of exceptional beauty. I have, in
regard to the rest of Bombay, complained of a certain
lack of ingenuity in respect of the triumphal arches and
their mottoes. Here, however, was no ground for any
such complaint. In broad English golden characters on
crimson ground, was the word ' Welcome ; ' on either
side of this was an inscription in Persian and Hindos-
tanee. And a pleasant thought it was which, in charac
ters unintelligible to the English eye, but well understood
by the natives, was thus portrayed. ' Worlds of Welcome
and Long Life,' said the writer in gold upon crimson on
this pretty arch, while on another a little way off he
varied the phrase, and drew the characters' which mean
' A Thousand Welcomes to the Prince ! ' The interior of
the shed was in keeping with this idea. Banners were
hung everywhere, the seats were tastefully decorated with
red cloth, banks of flowers rose in what would otherwise be
vacant spaces, and the air was laden with perfume. Nor
was there any scramble for place or precedence. Maha
rajah and Maharana, Guicowar and Hubshee, all had their
seats. Councilmen and Councillors, Consuls and newspaper
correspondents, had all their appointed positions, and sat
quietly awaiting the advent of the Prince. On the right-
hand side of the passage facing the town, sat the Gui-
co war of Baroda,- covered with jewels and surrounded by
attendants. In the next corner, half reclining, half lean
ing on his sword, was the Maharana of Oodeypore. Op
posite his Highness Prince of Baroda sat the Maharajah

48 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
of Mysore, and separated by, a tall flower-bush from him
was the Eajah of Kholapore. The other and less impor
tant chieftains, all clad in marvellous dresses, all glittering
with jewels, and all accompanied by vast numbers of re
tainers, were in seats appointed for them, and waited with
curiosity the arrival of the Prince.
They had not long to wait, for it was now 4 o'clock,
and already a gun is fired. Let. me draw the remarkable
scene which follows as it actually appeared to me. The
Viceroy and Governor of Bombay have severally boarded
the ' Serapis ' and bid the Prince welcome ; the yard-
arms have been manned and the guns of the fleet dis
charged in honour of Lord Northbrook ; and the
cannonade will soon begin again, for his Eoyal High
ness is about to land. Steadily looking through a glass
we can see the boats of the navy getting into fine ; we
notice close by the ' Serapis ' a larger boat than the rest,
with the Eoyal Standard at the stern, getting into posi
tion at the Eoyal gangway, and immediately afterwards
figures in red descending the steps. Still there is no
firing, no noise, when the boats all start off in line, their
oars dropping into the water and then glistening in the
sun. As they come towards land, considerable excite
ment prevails in the shed. Political officers in their gold
lace coats, Maharajahs and Eajahs in dresses of velvet
and diamonds, Thakoors, sahebs, and chiefs are all stand
ing up ; the ladies, brilliantly dressed, are leaning for
ward ; Parsees — one old gentleman has a most portentous-
looking address under his arm — are gathering together ;
the troops for the last time have their arms at the
present. On the landing-stage the municipal corpora
tion has gathered, and the Governor of Bombay, with
his staff, is at the extreme end of the little pier. Onward
come the boats, the oars flashing and dipping. As yet

ARRIVAL OF THE PRINCE. 49
it is too early to see who are in them, and attention is
once more directed to the interior of the shed. Then
we notice that the Maharana of Oodeypore has a shield ;
that the Maharajah of Mysore has left all his diamonds
at home, and only wears strings of pearls ;, that the
Guicowar has brought all his brilliants with him ; and
that after all, Sir Salar Jung, in a black velvet dress,
trimmed handsomely with gold lace, is by far the most
important native present, so far as appearances go. Let
it not be forgotten that there are notable Englishmen
here also. See Sir . Eichard Meade in his full-dress
uniform, as he stands holding the Guicowar's right hand ;
notice Mr. Dalyel and Colonel Malleson, on either side
of the Maharajah of Mysore ; look at Colonel Herbert,
with the Maharana of Oodeypore, and Mr. Crawford —
he who built Bombay markets, and made himself a name
— with the Hubshee. These are all remarkable men,
worthy of admiration, seeing, that on such as these our
Empire in the East depends. Nor should a curious row
of native journalists be overlooked — gentlemen in turbans
or Parsees' hats, starched white petticoats or red dresses,
some with boots, and some with no boots at all — the
representatives of native opinion in India, all of them
literary persons of merit, in their own estimation at
least. But, while you are looking at these, the Prince's boat
is approaching the shore, and the band, which erewhile
was playing a march, now ceases ; for the cannonade has
begun, and a tremendous din is being made, which would
drown ten bands, or, indeed, a hundred. For a few
minutes this thunder continues, and then as it is silenced
'God save the Queen' is heard; the foremost boat
touches the pier, the Prince springs to land, and a loud
E

50 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
cheer arises — a cheer which is taken up on the sea,
carried to the men who are on the yardarms of the
vessels, and by them sent back again to the shore. It
is a welcome fit for a Prince and worthy of a great
Empire. Followed by Lord Alfred Paget, the Duke of
Sutherland, Lord Carington, Canon Duckworth, Lord
Aylesford, Colonel Owen Williams, and the less impor
tant members of his suite, accompanied, moreover, by
the Viceroy and the Governor of Bombay, the Prince
passes the guard of honour, dressed in white, and only
stops when he comes to the Parsee with the address.
Then he makes signs of readiness ; without delay the
address is unfolded, and the Parsee begins. It is not so
portentous as it looks, but is well written, being the handi
work of W. Maclean, the editor of the ' Bombay Gazette ' ;
and it is short, which is, indeed, another undoubted
merit. In general terms, it was an expression of wel
come and an assurance of loyalty to the Crown. The
Prince's reply follows, and is as short as the address.
His Eoyal Highness acknowledges the loyalty of the
people, and thanks them on behalf of the Queen. He
notes what they say of religious and political freedom,
and congratulates them and himself on the establishment
of this freedom in England. Then, in reply to some
kindly words about the Princess of Wales, he remarks
that she, too, would gladly have visited India, and con
cludes by expressing his determination to convey to the
Queen the assurance of their goodwill. This ends the
speaking; the Prince at once moves forward, followed
by his suite, and, as he passes along, shakes hands with
each Maharajah and Eajah. Of course Sir Salar Jung
is the first thus complimented, for he has the post of
honour; the rest follow in order of precedence. And

ARRIVAL OF THE PRINCE. 61
thus the door is reached, when his Eoyal Highness
enters his carriage and drives away. Thus the streets
are reached, and the crowds of people are treated to
the sight of the Heir Apparent of England — a sight they
acknowledge with loud and continued cheering.

52 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.

CHAPTEE V.
ROYAL FETES.
I shall always associate the illumination of Bombay
with a singular sight which was witnessed in the very
centre of the Mohammedan quarter on the following
night. The Prince, having gone on board the ' Serapis' to
cut his birthday cake, was expected to land a little after
six o'clock and drive round the town. In honour of the
event the inhabitants, Mohammedan, Parsee, and Hindoo,
had done their utmost to outvie each other. I have
already stated that a characteristic trait of the native
mind here is the intense love of glass and light. When
in doubt as to the ornamentation of a room, the Hindoo
hangs up a huge chandelier ; if still in doubt he adds
another, till sometimes he gets eight or ten in an apart
ment which would be admirably lighted by a single gas
jet. By this time he is perfectly happy. He may have
no chairs and no table ; the floor can take care of itself
— a mat and a pillow are quite, sufficient for that,
but he is well satisfied if plenty of glass hides the ceil
ing. If he is very wealthy and very reckless, he makes
another addition, which adds to the beauty of the apart
ment from his own point of view. From a dealer in the
bazaar he purchases a large number of the cheap German
portraits, some eighteen inches square, highly coloured

ROYAL FETES. 63
and heavily framed and glazed, and at a distance of half
a foot from the ceiling he hangs thirty or forty pictures
of ladies with green hair and yellow lips, gentlemen with
blue cheeks and pink eyes, with pride and satisfaction.
He has no prejudice in the matter. He admires the
portrait of the Pope as much as he does a likeness of the
Emperor William, and he will put Napoleon HE., Henri
Eochefort, and the Crown Prince of Prussia in a line
without the slightest care. As a rule he does not know
for whom the pictures are intended. That is not at all
necessary. Like some of us at home, who have in our
rooms ' A Portrait of a Gentleman,' he values them
simply because they are plentifully painted, and because,
when he lights up his chandeliers and sits on the floor, he
can see the gas glittering in the glass.
Nor must it be assumed that he will rest here. If he
chances to have a verandah — and most likely he has —
he will hang a few chandeliers out there as well, with a
dozen pictures or so of the Napoleon and Eochefort sort,
so that his friends and acquaintances may admire his
taste for art, and envy his possessions. And, besides all
this, he will hang a lamp outside nearly every window,
so that on festivals he can light them up too, and thus be
happier than ever. Possessing such a taste, then, there
is no need for wonder if he can illuminate when re
quested to do so. It is a labour of love — a pleasurable
task, which he understands much better than hanging
out bunting ; and the way in which he proved this on
the night of the illuminations has placed the matter
beyond a doubt for the future. Bombay, however, is
peculiarly fitted for such a display. Long, picturesque
streets, composed of quaint Oriental houses, with over
hanging gables, and gaudily-painted fronts of mosques,
Hindoo temples ornamented with all kinds of images,

54 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
shrines, churches, and noble public buildings abound—
the genius of the people did the rest.
I question whether such a sight as that which met
the Prince when he landed at the Mazagon pier and
joined in the procession was ever seen before. It was
not that he was in a gold and silver chariot of immense
value. Nor was it that the troops drawn up in the fitful
flashing glare appeared fike giants. The real spectacle
was the town and its inhabitants. The people thought
the reverse, and gathered to gaze at the Prince ; and the
most wonderful sight of all was the populace. Wherever
they could stand or sit they occupied a place. Wherever
they could put a light they fixed one. Not garish stars,
crowns, or flames of gas, but hundreds of thousands of
tinted oil-lamps, burning with a subdued light, yet mark
ing out every line of architecture in this extraordinary
place. From the pavement, starting out from the people
who sat thickly on the paths, rose pyramids and clouds
of fire ; the steps of public buildings were covered with
myriads of glasses all full of burning oil, fed by women,
who with cans in their hands flitted hither and thither,
and kept up the blaze. The great Government buildings
were marked out in the same fashion along the roofs and
the lines of windows, over the doors, and even to the
tops of the roofs, without regard to trouble or cost ; and
if public places were thus radiant, the private dwelling-
houses of the natives rivalled them with their chandeliers,
lamps, and transparent devices.
It was one of these that I specially noticed, and it
told more about the native character than volumes
specially written could have said. Under a gfittering
canopy, closely packed together, with their best turbans
on their heads and their finest linen robes, sat a cluster of
Mohammedan patriarchs. Their childish glee was im-

ROYAL FETES. 55
mense, and they waited with pardonable pride for the
advent of the Prince. But it was not their delight or
dress, nor, indeed, was it the arch under which they sat.
High overhead, in great square letters brilliantly lighted
from behind and plain to view for nearly a quarter of a
mile, was the inscription on which they had set their
hearts. It was a quaint expression, one probably that
will be read with a smile by the educated and refined
people at home : but it was the heartfelt exclamation of
these simple folk, and ran thus : ' Tell mamma we're
happy.' No one that looked for a moment at the collec
tion of ugly but contented faces under that archway could
have had the slightest doubt that their transparency told
the truth, and that in view of the visit of the Prince the
Mohammedans of Bombay are happy.
In Bombay the native is not only acknowledged as
' a man and a brother,' but he is a constant companion.
You meet him at receptions ; you tread on his shoeless
toes at levees ; you sit next to him in the council ; and
if you chance to be an evil-doer you may make his ac
quaintance, first of all, in the garb of a policeman, and,
secondly, in the robe of a judge. He takes the chair at
meetings, regulates your gas and water supply, probably
stands toward you in the relation of a landlord, and
occasionally in that of a creditor — in which latter case, I
am told, he is a little less relenting than Portia, who,
it will be remembered, first recited an ode to mercy,
and then pursued the misguided Shylock. But at the
Byculla Club you only see him in the guise of a servant ;
he eats no dinner in the grand saloon ; his residence is
not in the chambers which skirt the racecourse ; the
American chairs in the reading-room are not for him ;
and if he were to venture to come there, he would pro
bably meet with much such a reception as a stranger in the

56 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
London Stock Exchange. Thus at the ball which the
Byculla Club gave to the Prince of Wales next evening
the Parsee's ineffably ugly head-dress as well as the
hideous turban of the Mahratta were alike absent.
A great many uncomfortable prognostications had
been hazarded about that ball. The Prince would not
come, there would be only seventy ladies to seven hun
dred gentlemen, nobody of any importance would be
there ; it would be a failure, and nothing else. But, to
-the confusion of the croakers and the delight of the club,
all this was reversed. The Prince not only came, but
danced nearly every time the band played; the ladies
were very nearly equal in number to the gentlemen, the
night was one of the merriest on record, and the whole
thing was a grand success. The club deserved it. To
make a supper-room they had erected a huge booth with
palm leaves and canvas, and decorated it so beautifully
with flowers that it resembled the garden which Aladdin
saw when he found the lamp more than a temporary
structure of a day's growth; and for # the dancers the
dining-hall of the club had been beautified, without any
regard to cost. Artificial fountains had been placed in
adjoining rooms, leafy bowers constructed, and even a
wall of ice blocks fixed behind these bowers, so that,
when sitting in them, the heat of Bombay was forgotten,
and the climate found to be that of the temperate zone.
I remember once hearing a lecture on dancing. The
speaker was a melancholy man, whose chief objection to
the diversion was that its votaries unconsciously waste a
great amount of time in pursuit of what, after all', was
an evanescent and unsatisfactory pleasure. What that
unhappy person would have said of the Byculla ball, it is
impossible to conceive. Whether it was the effect of a
good European military band, or the novel fact of a large

ROYAL FETES. 57
gathering of ladies, or the presence of the Prince, or the
determination to maintain the character of the club, it is
impossible to say. But, whatever was the cause, the
hours were made to fly by with such extraordinary rapi
dity that when six o'clock came they were still waltzing,
regardless of daylight and the clock-hands alike. Did the
Prince dance ? Ask any lady in the room. Without
favour of any kind, and determined only to give happiness
to everybody present, his Eoyal Highness led first one and
then another into the space reserved for himself and suite,
till at last he ordered that even this restriction should be
done away with, and, to the amazement of poor old Sir
Philip Wodehouse, who looked on with undisguised
astonishment, galloped round the room as though he had
fived in Bombay all his life, and was not the observed of
all observers. How the various sets were formed it boots
not to say. English readers would not recognise many
names, and, indeed, would gain but little information if
they did. Suffice it to say that all went off satisfactorily,
that the supper was a great success, and that, when at
length the dancing was over, the Byculla Club had to
congratulate itself on having given one of the most admir
able f6tes in Bombay. N
But if the Byculla ball was a success, the Masons of
Bombay can boast of having achieved something exactly
the reverse. The first thought which strikes a stranger
on arriving at this gate of India is one of amazement at
the butter they offer you at table. How it can be made
so nasty, by what ingenuity cream can be so terribly
spoiled, and who first found out the way of producing such
an unsavoury mess, are questions that occur to the mind
in succession. So with the ceremony attendant on laying
the foundation-stone of the Elphinstone Dock, an incident
on which the inhabitants of Bombay had set great expect-

58 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
ations, one marvels how such a strange jumble could
have been contrived. It was certainly not the result of
lackadaisical managers. Everything was arranged with '
the precision of company drill. How the Europeans
were to dress, what would be required of Parsee brothers,
what Hindoos might not wear, and what was expected
of Mohammedans, were all detailed with marvellous
minuteness. As to the programme it was a document quite a yard
in length, and explicit in every particular. Not only did
it regulate the procession, but it provided for everything
that it should do. Who were to carry drawn swords^
and who wands ; who should have the plans in his pockety
and who should carry the coins ; where the visitors ' of
distinction ' should walk, and where those who were not
' of distinction : should come ; who should bear the trowel,
and who should mix the mortar, were all specified by
name, with long strings of letters after their cognomens,
and the designation of their lodges. Even the lowering
of the stone was to be achieved, not to the lively tune of
a waltz, not to some unconsidered air from Lecocq, nor
even to a ' song without words,' though a Mendelssohn
might have written it, but ' to slow music' The very
movements of the ' brethren ' who guarded the banners
and the brethren who had no banners to guard, but wore
aprons and sashes, were to be regulated by brethren who
had long white wands, whose discretion, might be relied
upon. The prayer was ready, the address was written,
the corn, wine, and oil were in their places, to be poured
upon the stone at a certain stated moment, and even the
' brethren ' drawn up on either side of the carpet, upon
which the Prince in entering would walk, had their toes
in the exact position indicated, and their banners in the

ROYAL FETES. 59
places signified by the instructions ' in such case made
'and provided.'
I will not trouble my readers with an account of the
position occupied by the Grand Pursuivant, the Grand
Zend-Avesta Bearer, the Grand District Chaplain, and the
Ionic light. It is of more importance to know where the
specially invited spectators were. Under a beautiful
canopy, tastefully decorated and pleasantly ornamented
with green foliage, tiers of seats were placed on either
side the central avenue, all numbered and ticketed.
Where the Eajah of Kolapore and where the Chief of
Jumkundi should sit, how many followers the Khan of
Jinjeera might bring with him — the gentleman who wears
a gilt European chimney-pot head-dress upside down —
and what was to be done with them, had all been ar
ranged. When they came in, therefore — -those of them
that did come — they were taken to the seats apportioned
to them, and placed there — not allowed to go nearer to
the foundation-stone or further from it, but fixed in the
numbered seats, as though in the stalls at a theatre. At
length a drum-and-fife band outside announced, by the
nearest imitation to ' God save the Queen ' that it could
devise on the spur of the moment, that the Prince had
arrived, and then the regulations began to work. His
Eoyal Highness was met at the door by what a local
paper calls a ' brilliant throng.' It was a throng, cer
tainly; of its brilliancy I am by no means so sure. If,
however, sashes of an uncertain blue and collars of a
dingy red constitute brilliancy, the gathering was what the
newspaper called it, without doubt. Along the avenue
formed by the brethren whose backs we had been con
templating, moved the procession — grand stewards, grand
deacons, grand organists, grand ,bible-bearers, some scores

60 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
of grand officers with sticks and banners, and all the im
plements of architecture on cushions. And behind all
came the Prince of Wales, preceded by grand sword-
bearers and a gentleman, who, "whatever his technical
name, should be called grand candle-bearer.
Proceeding to the throne, which was close to the
foundation-stone, the Prince sat down, and was imme
diately surrounded by the 'brilliant throng' and the
brethren who had kept the line. From that time we saw
no more, except a long row of badly matched, and in
many cases indifferently clothed, backs. The Eajahs are
usually patient men when they come into contact with
English officials. They will wait almost any length of
time, walk almost any distance, and go in almost any
order. But they could not stand the slight put upon
them at the docks, and they quickly rose in a body and
moved off. The backs of Parsee hats and European coats
were, after all, not sufficiently interesting to detain them
any longer. I am told that speeches were made ; that an
address was delivered to the Prince ; and that his Eoyal
Highness replied in the following terms :
Right Worshipful, Worshipful, and other Brethren, — I thank
yon for your address. I have learnt with great pleasure the
flourishing condition of the Craft in this part of India, and the
efficiency with which lodges annually increasing in number fulfil
the objects of their institution by uniting together men of various
races and creeds in the bonds of fraternal brotherhood, by giving
them common objects of exertion for extending the knowledge of
our ancient Craft, and for promoting the good of all mankind. It
is a great pleasure to me to join the brethren in Bombay in a work
which will tend to the protection of life and property, to the exten
sion of trade, and to add to the prosperity and happiness of lar,ge
bodies of our fellow-men.
I was also informed that at length the stone was declared
well and truly laid, but I cannot vouch for this. The

ROYAL FETES. 61
continued view of five hundred and fifty-two backs was,
after all, somewhat tedious.
I wish that those who would deprive our mariners of
beer could have- seen the sailors of the fleet at the enter
tainment which began before the Masonic festival, and
lasted long after it was over. With that hospitality
which is so characteristic of the Anglo-Indian, the people
of Bombay had determined to feast the men of the fleet ;
and accordingly invited them — two thousand in number
— to a great banquet in the booth where, on the day
before, the children were feted. I have already told you
how the decorations of the booth were made in prison ;
how goldfoil and tinfoil flags were manufactured by the
detained ones ; how wreaths and garlands of artificial
flowers were contrived, and how even great efforts in the
way of painting were made. Would that the reader
could have seen the berth when finished, with its avenues
of palm leaves and its coloured festoons ; the table spread
With roast sucking-pigs, plum-puddings, ducks, fowls,
great pieces of beef, and all the rest that the sailor loves.
I have ¦ hinted that there was beer on the table, and so
there was. By each plate stood a bottle of Bass's ale and
a bottle of Guinness's stout — not tiny pint bottles, con
taining only a draught, but the large vessels of delight
known as quarts. Besides this there were pipes — clean
white clays — and cakes of tobacco, lemonade and seltzer
water for the teetotallers, and an illuminated card as a
souvenir of the festival. No wonder that as the bands
played ' Unita ' the sailors and marines marched bravely
in, ; no marvel that, to the tune of ' The Eoast Beef of Old
England,' they grasped their knives and forks with the air
of determined men. I never saw food disappear with half
the rapidity before. Sucking-pigs divided into quarters,
fowls into halves, great heaps of salad filled every plate,

62 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
and very soon every mouth too ; and for a time there was
a silence, only broken by the clatter of knives and forks.
It was a moment for action, not talking, and the sailors
knew it. Little need was there for their officers to walk
up and down to encourage them to make themselves at
home. They were quite at home, and for half an hour-
ate continually, unabashed by the crowd of ladies who
looked on and envied their appetites.
But even sailors cannot eat for ever, and at length the
knives and forks were heard no more, although more pigs
were on the table, and reinforcements of ducks were being
brought up ; the mariners were obliged to fall back upon
their pipes and beer. This they did, and it was just in
the midst of all this hilarity that the band played ' God
save the Queen' and the Prince of Wales entered.
Down went the pipes, up jumped the sailors, and out went
such a cheer as was surely never heard in Bombay before.-
And then they ran for a form on which the Prince might
stand and look at them, whereupon his Eoyal Highness
jumped up in the most good-natured fashion possible,
and, with a glass of lemonade in his hand, shouted out in
a clear, strong voice : ' My lads, I am very glad to see you.
I hope you are all enjoying yourselves. I drink to the
health and prosperity of the Indian and Flying Squadrons.'
It is superfluous to say that the sailors were excited. They
cheered again and again, and would by no means sit down
till his Eoyal Highness had gone the round of the tent
and taken his departure in a carriage. Then the noise
somewhat subsided ; there was more smoking, and after
that came singing.
One song almost deserves to be given, for it was the
composition of a Jack Tar. It was sung by a Mr. Spry,
the captain of the forecastle of the ' Serapis,' and capitally
did he sing it. The tune was the well-known air of 'God,

ROYAL FETES. 63
bless the Prince of Wales,' and the men joined in the
chorus, as though it were their very last opportunity.
Look at yon noble vessels in bunting dressed so gay ;
The sight is grand, their yards well manned — yes, 'tis a glorious day.
And skimming o'er the water, like birds upon the wing,
Are boats, brave hearts containing, to greet their future king.
Chorus : Come, all ye British seamen ; with shouts the air
shall ring ;
Three loud huzzas, my hearty tars, for England's
future king.
Long may such cries of welcome be heard from India's shore !
May Heaven pour down on England's crown its blessings ever
more !
Our tars upon the ocean, long may their pennant wave,
Our troops maintain their glorious name — the bravest of the brave,
Chorus, &c.
When this was done, the band played polkas, and the
sailors danced on the green, with the tinfoil flags in their
caps and green leaves in their button-holes ; and in this
way the festivities were kept up long after tiie moon had
replaced the sun, and lit up the scene with silvery in
place of golden rays..
As a country noted for struggles and battles, India
may, I think, fairly claim to hold its own from time
immemorial, and it has now another battle to add to its
abnormally lengthy roll. It had been announced that
' the first Eoyal levee ever held in this country ' would
take place at the Secretariat. Those who wished to be
presented to the Prince were to send in their names ;
those who were selected went, of course, in full dress.'
Of the three thousand or so who desired to come a third
received tickets, and prepared to go, Now, full dress
meant a singular variety of costumes. To the Parsee it
signified wide-spreading starched petticoats; to the

64 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Hindoo a white dress with less starch ; to the military
man full uniform, sword and spurs ; to the civilian Court
dress or the claw-hammer coat. I am particular in speci
fying the swords and spurs, a,s they were destined to play
an important part in the day's proceedings. I have men
tioned the dress of the Parsees and Hindoos for a similar
reason. The Secretariat is outwardly a fine, handsome
building. Inside, too, it has a vast number of rooms, in
which native clerks and European officials transact the
business of the Presidency with more or less despatch.
But it is not fitted for a levee, especially when a thousand
persons are invited to ' assist ' thereat. The afternoon
was terribly hot ; scarcely the faintest breeze came from
the sea, when the crowd in ' full dress ' arrived at the
Secretariat. To make the position clear to the English reader, it
is necessary to say that a dais had been erected at the
side of one room, and that it had been arranged that
the Prince, accompanied by his suite, should occupy
this, while the happy holders of cards marched by and
bowed. To prevent anything like a rush into the Eoyal
presence, the room immediately leading into the recep
tion-saloon had been very judiciously divided into several
compartments by stout barriers, over which policemen
kept guard. But similar precautions were not taken
with regard to the library which preceded this — the
room into which the card-holders were shown. Here
was an apartment capable of holding a hundred people
without serious discomfort on a moderately cool day,
say for ten minutes. In such a case no particular dis
comfiture need have been experienced. But here was
a broiling day, the hottest to which Bombay has been
treated for some time, and by way of making amends
for this additional inconvenience the crowd as it arrived

ROYAL FETES. 65
was allowed to press into the room without let or hin
drance. It is almost needless to say that in a very few
minutes the place was so full that not another individual
could gain foothold, and that the result was a very pretty
and instructive scene. I omitted to mention that special
directions had been given to the invited to be at the
Secretariat very early. Let me now add that by some
misunderstanding or other the Prince came very late,
and the situation will be understood.
In that heated room four hundred persons were crushed
together with all the force that as many more coming up
the staircase could employ ; and for half-an-hour this
state of things continued without relief. But it was when
the first barrier at length opened, and a dozen or so
of the perspiring courtiers were admitted, that the fun
began. No sooner did the barrier rise for an instant
than a rush took place from all sides of the room, the
converging force of the crowd bearing upon the unfortu
nate ones in the centre. For a few minutes Parsees,
Hindoos, and Englishmen were pushing alike with all
their might. But presently there was a movement for
which I could not account. The natives appeared to be
directing their efforts to getting away from the military
men, of whom there were scores in the crowd, rather
than to reaching the barrier. There was a stout Parsee
with his hat on the very back of his head, making a
series of grimaces for which no mere pressure could
account ; there was a grim smile on the faces of officers
which could scarcely be caused by the crush and the
fray. Was it the full dress that had done it? Yes;
those military men wore spurs, and the Parsee dress was
thin. Need I say more ? What the hard sword-handle
failed to effect. — and that was a powerful agent in per
suading neighbouring natives to move a little further
F

66 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
off — the spur achieved with ease. No Parsee would
venture to place his unprotected ankle against the un
comfortable appanage of the soldiers' full-dress, but
struggled hard to place a trousered European between
himself and the warriors ; so the crowd swayed back
ward and forward ; coat-tails were torn off ; cravats and
collars became limp ; starched gowns were tangled and
rent; , and in the end the steaming, rumpled crowd
passed by the Prince in a dishevelled, disreputable con
dition, such as might be expected of men who for nearly
an hour had been mangled in such a throng on such
a day. Once in the reception-hall, however, everything was
well arranged. To the right of the Prince stood Sir
Philip Wodehouse ; on the left of his Eoyal Highness
were the Duke of Sutherland, Lord Alfred Paget, and
Lord Charles Beresford, all in uniform. Behind them
were ranged the Government servants attired in scarlet
coats, and wearing turbans of white and gold. These
took it by turns to wave the huge gilt punkahs of which
I spoke in a previous letter, and so stirred the air and
rendered the heat less oppressive than it would other
wise have been. As for the Prince, it is almost needless
to say that he received those who were presented, plea
santly, bowing gracefully to them as they went by, and
now and then bestowing some particular mark of appro: .
bation upon well-known and honoured members of the-
community. Immediately after the lev^e the Prince was con
ducted to a wide-stretching piece of grass-land near the
Esplanade, where some thousands of the children of
Bombay were being feasted and amused. It is impos
sible to imagine a prettier sight than that which these
little ones presented. A huge bower of leaves and

ROYAL FETES. 67
coloured bunting, divided intq compartments in such a
manner as to resemble a miniature forest, had been
erected for them, and inside this the children had been
treated to tea, ices, fruit, and cakes. By the time the
Prince arrived, however, they had all left the booth and
taken up their position in long lines opposite a kind of
stand erected for the reception of his Eoyal Highness,
and here they patiently waited the coming of the Prince.
The great characteristic of a Bombay crowd is the
variety of colour which is massed together, and in the
case of the children this was especially noticeable.
Nearly all the Parsee boys wore gold or silver caps,
black velvet jackets- trimmed with gold lace, and little
silken knickerbockers of various hues. The girls had
light shawls over their heads — cerise, light blue, bright
green, yellow, pink, purple, and white being the most
common. The effect was exceedingly striking, and could
not have been produced in any other country. Sud
denly a signal was given, and all the little ones jumped
up and began to cheer. Simultaneously the carriage of
the Prince, escorted by a body-guard of Dragoons,
entered the enclosure, and hastened up to the stand.
Without any delay his Eoyal Highness alighted, mounted
to the place assigned to him, and bowed repeatedly to
his tiny admirers, who testified in every possible way
their delight at thus seeing the Prince. But, if they
cheered when he thus bowed to them and smiled, their
voices rose to the shrillest pitch when a pretty Parsee
girl, stepping lightly up to his Eoyal Highness, made
him a deep curtsey, and then threw a garland of white
flowers over his neck. They jumped on the forms and
waved their hands ; they shouted, and stamped, and
clapped their hands together, and danced for very joy
at thus seeing the distinguished stranger accepting their
F2

68 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
gift, and actually standing in front of them with the
garland on. A moment later, another little girl ran up
the steps of the stage and presented the Prince with a
bouquet of flowers ; whereat the children cheered again.
But the ceremony of the evening, so far as the little
ones were concerned, was yet to come. A lane was
formed in front of the stand, and thither a number of
pretty girls and boys were conducted. Then, amid per
fect silence, these young people struck up a song in
Guzerathi in honour of the Prince. First, the girls would
sing, clapping their hands together now and then in a
rhythmical manner ; then the boys would reply, and
presently all would join in a strange chorus. Sometimes
their song was low, almost in a whisper ; then they would
shout out with all their might, and make the air ring
again. Perhaps their chant was a little long, and, to
those who could not understand it, a little tedious ; but
his Eoyal Highness looked graciously on, and, when it
was finished, thanked his little admirers, and so drove
away amidst more cheering than ever. These were the
words of the song :
All hail to thee ! most noble Prince ; this day
To thee in song we would our homage pay ;
Though far away thy mother's splendour streams,
These distant realms are gladdened by the beams,
When thou, her empire's heir, our Prince, art found
Here, in our midst, upon the Indian ground,
While all the nation rises up to greet
Our Royal guest. But for a -welcome meet
What can we render but our loyal love,
And hope that all thy life may noble prove !
As the sun was setting, fireworks were sent up for the
amusement of the little singers and their companions, and
then they dispersed.
Perhaps the most enjoyable fete at which his Koyal

ROYAL FETES. 69
Highness was present in or about Bombay was the visit
to the Caves of Elephanta. It had been previously an
nounced that the trip would take place at evening, that the
caves would be illuminated, that the fleet would be lighted
up, that fireworks would be let off, and that a picnic
would take place ; and to gain invitations half Bombay
excited itself. They would have given up the receptions,
their seats at the dock stone-laying ceremony, and even
sacrificed their tickets for the Masonic ball, for the sake of
the Elephanta Caves and its delights. But it was all to
no purpose — only 160 were invited, and these started
from the Apollo pier. It was a particularly bright after
noon when we assembled on the pier, ready to embark
on board one of the three steamers which were in wait
ing for passengers. The ships in the harbour were gay
with bunting ; over the purple hills which skirt the water
could be seen a dark blue sky of which you have no idea
in England ; the sun's rays danced merrily on the waves ;
while, through the , crevices in the rocks, where light did
not penetrate so readily, and which thus enabled the eye
to overcome the glare, could be seen the round moon
rising. A few more minutes and we were all on board ; a
very few minutes later and the sun had suddenly dis
appeared below the horizon.
There are certain sights which remain impressed on the
mind ; such a one shortly presented itself to us who were
bound for the Elephanta Caves. Let me say that these
caves are situated in the centre of a huge hill which rises
abruptly from an island, and may be seen for miles. All
over the sides of the hill is jungle — thick, impassable
bush: rumour says, full of snakes — a grand spot being
left here and there for those who love picknicking and a
day in the wild parts of the island. To reach the temple
or cave in which the Hindoos many years ago worshipped

70 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
it is necessary to ascend a long flight of stone steps ; and
here it was that the ingenuity of those whose business it
was to arrange the fete had first excited itself. All along
these steps, reaching nearly to the top of the mountain,
were brilliant lines of light, thousands of tiny lamps sus
pended from arched supports all along the line of passage,
right up to the very mouth of the caves. It is needless
to say that we greatly admired all this, and were not
long in going up the ascent, and ranging ourselves in
lines, in order that the Prince might pass through to the
'banqueting-hall ; for the caves were arranged for a
banquet of no unimportant character — not a mere 'snack'
of refreshment, but a substantial repast, such as people
need at six in the evening who have come a considerable „
distance on the sea. When his Eoyal Highness came the
band struck up merrily, the guests went to their places,
and the feast began.
The native religion and the native temple may ordi
narily be dark, but we certainly had light enough. From
the rocky ceiling hung large chandeliers ; from the floor
rose pyramids of light in the shape of devices in lanterns;
the dais on which the Prince sat was gfittering with wax
candles, and even the smaller caves, which boasted curious
histories, were illuminated in fike manner. It is unne
cessary to detail the banquet ; and as for the speech, it
was comprised in a single sentence by Sir Philip Wode-
house, who murmured : 'Gentlemen, I propose the health
of " The Queen," ' and then sat down ; whereupon the
Prince rose, and departed to view the caves, the company
following. A short inspection sufficed, and the steamers
were quickly filled in anticipation of the return voyage.
A few minutes effected a start, and then one of the finest
pyrotechnic displays ever seen was witnessed. On the top
of the hill rose a great blaze ; down the steps the light of

ROYAL FETES. 71
the lamps was changed successively from white to red,
blue, and green ; the fine of fire was continued to the
water's edge, and even blazed brightly on the water. It
was a volcanic mountain in eruption, with the huge crater
in full play and the red-hot lava running down the sides.
And as for the ships in the harbour, they suddenly sprang
into light, too, and from stem to stern, from yardarm to
yardarm, from masthead to boom-point, blazed with illu
mination. As the Eoyal steamer and those containing
the guests passed between the lines of men-of-war, blue
portfires were burned, thousands of rockets went up, and
altogether the energy of the sailors was so great and the
supply of rockets so plentiful, that one might readily have
imagined a great naval action to be taking place, or have
supposed that the bombardment of Bombay was in full
swing. We moved along quickly, wondering greatly at
the grand display, but perhaps a little glad to be out of
reach of the falling sticks, till we reached the Apollo
Bunder, and there searched till after midnight for car
riages that had strayed or drivers who had gone.
Of minor incidents there were many — the visits paid
by the chiefs and the return visits to the chiefs, the re
ceptions at Government House, Parell, and the Masonic
ball on Thursday night, all aiding to fill up the time
which remained after the major ceremonies had been
arranged. Up to this time the Prince had not given away any of
his fire-enginps or organs. Whom they were intended
for remained yet to be seen ; books, swords, and rifles
mainly representing his Eoyal Highness's gifts up to this
period. Of course these gifts were selected with a view
of suiting the particular tastes and needs of the recipients.
Thus the Eajah of Kolapore, aged fourteen, had a gold
snuff-box, with the Prince's monogram on the outside of

72 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
the lid, a silver medal commemorative of the visit, a large
sword, and some English books of pictures. The Maha
rajah of Oodeypore, aged eighteen, got a snuff-box, a
book of English coronation ceremonials, a sword, a rifle,
a medal, and a riding- whip. The Guicowar, aged nine,
received a particularly large snuff-box, a sword longer
than he is tall, an album of photographs, a book of
engravings, a medal, and a watch and chain. A very
irreverent person suggested that a handsome whistle, a
top, and a box of the best building bricks would have
been more suitable ; but he was very properly suppressed.
Somehow or other, the Nizam of Hyderabad's representa
tive received no snuff-box, but in place of that got, for his
Eoyal but youthful master, a huge silver flagon of the
time of Marlborough (teetotallers mark that!), three
rifles, a ring, some ' valuable ' books, and a scabbard belt.
The Maharajah of Mysore, who has nearly reached the
mature age of fourteen, found himself the proud possessor
of a snuff-box, a silver flagon — also of Marlborough's
time — a sword and scabbard belt, three books (' valu
able,' of course), a riding-whip, and a pair of field-glasses
— at which extraordinary miscellaneous assortment his
Highness seemed somewhat amazed.
The presents made to the Prince already would fill a
large museum admirably. Daggers, Cutchee guns, tea-
services, rhinoceros hide shields, swords, lances, glass
necklaces, anklets, bracelets, shawls, carpets, ancient
guns, suits of armour, jewels, and cups only represented
part of the things — they were almost as diversified as
the selection the Prince's advisers made, and almost as
useless. A white elephant, a mangoose, and a box of
snakes would complete the collection.

73

CHAPTEE VI.
LIFE IN POONA.
How the Prince was received at Poona, how he listened
to an address and made a suitable reply, and how he
afterwards drove to the Government House, which is
called Gunnesh Khind, and then gave a ball, have all
long ago been described, and need no further words from
me. I propose, however, to give you some idea of what
kind of place it was which his Eoyal Highness visited,
and how the time was spent.
Poona is, without doubt, a lovely city. High up
among the hills, some three thousand feet above the level
of the sea, though actually situated on a wide plain or
expanse of tableland, it is refreshed by brisk breezes,
which greatly temper the heat of the sun. If the days
are sultry the evenings are cool ; even when the sun is
highest there is shade under the wide-spreading trees
which fill its gardens and overhang its roads. Its houses
— I refer, of course, to those occupied by Europeans —
are half hidden by the foliage of plantain, mango, fig,
and tamarind. Beautiful shrubs with bright scarlet
leaves, roses by thousands, and myriads of cqnvolvuli are
on every hand, and even the hedges of prickly pear lend
their own wild grace to complete the scene; Such a
place needed but little decoration. It was like attempting

74 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
to ornament a conservatory ; and this the good people of
Poona saw, and very wisely noted. No festoons of arti
ficial flowers, therefore, spanned the road, no mimic
branches of palm were made into imitation bowers.
Triumphal arches there were, but they were in keeping
with the idea of an Eastern city, and one was especially
worthy of notice. A fight, semi-circular structure
spanned the road. Its centre was a huge glass square,
surmounted by a dome, such as you see at the top of
every mosque. On either side this was supported by
another glass square and four minarets. The whole was
coloured a rich blue, and then further ornamented with
gold and silver leaf. On the lower part of the arch
itself was written in Persian, ' A thousand welcomes to
the Prince,' also in letters of gold; flags hung from
Venetian masts at its sides, the whole being flanked by
large trees covered with great green leaves.
But, if no paper roses or linen lilies decorated the
road, the place had been made to assume a very holiday-
like appearance ; for from the branches of the trees were
suspended many thousands of Chinese lanterns, like
brilliantly-painted fruit ; from the pathway rose pyramidal
stands for the support of lamps and glasses, and wher
ever colour could lend its aid it was enlisted in the work.
Leaving all this pleasant view behind, the cool bungalows
in their luxurious retreats, the splendid trees, and the
well-built arches, I drove into the native quarter, which
was preparing, in its way, too, to receive the Prince.
Poona European, Poona fashionable, may change every
day. Wealthy Parsees from Bombay, well-paid civilians,
strangers and sojourners though they may be in the land,
will come up and build new houses, enclose new gardens,
and decorate new bungalows, and the face of Poona
where Englishmen live will alter continually. Native

LIFE IN POONA. 75
Poona, the city that was captured by the English half a
century ago, is the same for ever. If it existed in the
time of Abraham, it was much in the same condition
then as now — the manners of the people and their dwell
ing-places, their temples and their bazaar.
I thought it would be interesting to see whether these
ancient streets and thoroughfares had any welcome for
the Prince, or whether the inhabitants, having come out
into the high road and stared their fill, had gone back to
undecorated homes to forget all about the great Sahib
who had just made his entry. My first glance augured
badly. In the street upon which I came a temple was
open, the people were pouring in, a priest was outside
inviting worshippers to enter, and a band of four tom
toms and five reed pipes was making a terrible din. The
only decoration visible was a painting upon a wall repre
senting the goddess Parbuttee with four arms and a spear,
seated ih a chariot mounted on five wheels, killing a
tiger with seven legs, a blue head, and a red tail. As a
work of art it was incomparable, but from the loyal
point of view it was just then worthless. Parbuttee may
have been the dread of tigers of this description, and
very properly so too ; but the pictorial record of her
killing them had nothing to do with the entry of the
Prince of Wales. My disappointment was but momentary.
A corner turned, another street entered, the line of 'route
which the Prince must take if he wished the bazaar
touched upon, the decorations sprang up on every side.
Pray do not imagine for a moment that gilded
trophies of art or massive archways of highly-decorated
and well-stretched canvas were numerous, or that Defries
had been called in and given unlimited instructions to
decorate the place according to his latest designs. There
were flags ; but they were mostly of the pocket-handker-

76 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
chief size, and in many cases were actually small pocket-
handkerchiefs ; there were triumphal arches, but they
were generally composed of three very rough scaffold-
poles, a couple of sheets, and a pendant portrait of his
Eoyal Highness as sold in Germany for half a thaler.
Festoons and wreaths -were there ; but nothing half so
funny had ever been seen before. Decorations were made
with ragged blankets, strips of red cloth, pieces of coloured
paper, and old curtains, at which the tiniest English boy
would have laughed had he seen them ; and altogether
the decorations of the streets, setting aside the lamps for
the illuminations, which were very numerous, could
scarcely have been worth many shillings. Yet, worthless
as were the materials, these simple offerings of loyalty
were more valuable than many a splendid monument
in the outer town. No wealthy Parsee dependent on the
continuance of British rule for very existence had sup
plied these decorations ; no rich civilian, drawing high
pay from Government, had paid for these flags. They
were the freewill offering of a well-governed, satisfied,
happy people — the once conquered but now loyal Mah-
rattas ; the once formidable but now friendly Moham
medans and Hindoos. They did not cheer a great deal
when they saw the Prince ; the reception they gave him
was cordial, though not enthusiastic ; but they went away
to their homes and testified that they were glad to see
him by doing what they could to make their hovels
and temples, their tanks and their shops, look pleasant in
case his carriage should chance to drive that way during
his stay in Poona.
It was about three o'clock on the Sunday afternoon
when I drove from Poona to the hill and temple of Par
buttee. On the road some scores of pilgrims, carrying
flowers, bags of rice, and in some cases fittle bags of

LIFE IN POONA. 77
money, were toiling along in the direction of the sacred
staircase and the shrine of Shiva. Some were walking ;
a party of five had chosen camels as a means of transit ;
one gentleman, who, by the way, presently said one of
the longest prayers on record, was going on a bullock ;
and three or four were moving along on their knees.
These last appeared to be very holy men, for their hair
was very long, their faces were very dirty, and their cos
tume, to use the mildest term, was insufficient. At
length we reached the foot of the staircase which leads to
the top of the sacred hill. This celebrated temple,
perched as it is on the top of an eminence overlooking a
vast champain, with its towers, walls, and steps, reminded
me very much of Windsor Castle.
After some toil the summit was reached, and a man
whose head was clean shaven, all but a small top-knot,
introduced himself as the second priest. The chief, who was
eighty or thereabouts, was just then engaged in counting the
rupees, annas, and pice which the faithful had brought dur
ing the day, and mentally apportioning the sum he had to
divide. The collection of coins appeared valuable ; and,
when this old teacher and priest did presently condescend
to speak, it was money that formed his principal topic.
Not so the priest who volunteered to conduct me through
the temple. ' I'm a Brahmin,' he remarked, ' and a priest
here. I dare say you wonder,' he continued, ' at the way
I speak English. There is no need for wonder, I was
educated at the Deccan College in Poona.' Educated he
certainly had been, for his diction was as good as that of
most Englishmen. 'Yes,' he said, as we entered the
shrine, ' education is a good thing. It expands the mind.
There's the god of learning, you see ' (pointing to an ex
traordinary image with ever so many animals' heads).
'And there,' continued the educated man, directing, his

78 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
index-finger towards another indescribable figure, 'is
the god of light.' ' Do you think the Prince will come
here ? ' enquired the priest, as we mounted another short
flight of steps, and looked out of the window from which
the last Peshwa watched the defeat of his troops in the
battle of Khirkee ; ' because, if he does, I dare say he'll
make us a nice present. What with illuminating the
place last night and white-washing it throughout, I've
spent a good deal of money. The Governor of Bombay
came and gave us 80 rupees, the Viceroy sent a letter
with 120 rupees in notes the day after he came, and I
think his Eoyal Highness would behave handsomely. I
certainly hope he will come.'
It was a singular picture which presented itself at this
moment. Over the plain, in the centre of which Poona
lay, half hidden by the trees, could be seen still coming
worshippers by the hundred. At the very moment when
the bells in the shrine were tinkling in honour of Shiva,
the bells in the church steeples of Poona were ringing
the Sunday chime ; and the worshippers of the Genius of
Destruction were passing, on their way to their devotions,
the Votaries of the Genius of Love. I enquired how
many pilgrims visited the shrine, and learned about 2,000
a-day was the usual number. Moreover, I found that
eighty priests five on the corn, wine, and oil that the devout
bring thither, and that, to enable them to eke out their
religious existence, Government grants the temple an
annual subsidy, which was till lately 30,000 rupees, but is
now 24,000. ' Everybody that comes here gives some
thing,' thoughtfully remarked the priest as I turned to go,
and he held out a box, in which I deposited a rupee ;
whereupon a horrible crew of deformed ones followed me
down the steps uttering loud cries for relief, and a score
of children whose knowledge of English was confined to

From the Graphic.

THE ASCENT TO THE TEMPLE OF PARBUTTEE, NEAR POONA.

LIFE IN POONA. 79
' Sahib, give,' continued the chase for a quarter of a
mile. Next morning, a little before eight o'clock, the Prince,
accompanied by his suite, rode to Parbuttee, arid visited
the shrine. Breakfast was provided by Sir Philip Wode-
house at the foot of the steps, and there were actually
elephants ready to convey his Eoyal Highness up the
ascent ; with such aid, the Prince at length stood on the
summit, and looked at the shrine. The educated Brahmin
was there, and did the honours of the place with due
form ; and in the end he got the anticipated present from
the Prince in the shape of a large bag of rupees (200, I
believe), which he afterwards shared with the amiable
old gentleman .whose peculiar province appeared to be the
care of money and valuables.
The review at Poona was a decided success. By four
o'clock in the afternoon the troops were on the ground.
The site chosen was the racecourse, a few miles from the
spot where the .celebrated battle of Khirkee, which de
cided the fate of the Mahratta nation, was fought. Over
the very groimd on which the 1st Division of the Bom
bay Army now stood, Mahratta cavalry were wont to
manoeuvre daily, and, as though the intention was to show
the difference between the old order of things and the
new, not a single horseman, except the few who kept the
ground, was placed on parade. Let us look at the picture
which is presented for the Prince's inspection by the
troops under that admirable soldier, Lord Mark Kerr.
In the centre of a plain, surrounded by hills, are two
long lines of infantry soldiers, flanked on either side by
artillery. Nearer inspection shows these foot-soldiers to
comprise seven "battalions of native infantry and two Eng
lish battalions. The white men, belonging to the 7th
Fusiliers and the 15th of the Line, comprise the right

80 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
wing ; the 1st Bombay Grenadiers, distinguishable by
their red caps, are in the centre ; while on the left are the
rest of the native regiments, dressed similarly to English
troops, save that in place of the helmet they wear a white
puggaree. They are drawn up in close order ; the guns, on
the right, are ready to salute the Eoyal party when it shall
arrive ; and Lord Mark Kerr, with his suite, as general
of the division, is the centre, just in front of the band.
To see the pleasant show the Mahrattas of all the
country round, to say nothing of Poona itself, have come
in many thousands, and, as is their wont on such occa
sions, are squatted on their haunches, and are chattering .
with all the glee of children. There is little need of the
policemen with whips to keep them in order ; they are
far too deeply interested in the spectacle to be troubler
some, as their simple faces and clasped hands clearly indi
cate. Besides, they have on their very best turbans, and
the starchiest of white gowns they can boast — to say
nothing of the fact that every papa amongst them has
brought all his sons, and that hundreds of these little
people are seated with their elders, munching sugar-cane
and plantains, and adding their share to the general
hubbub. Up in the grand stand the elite of the town are
perched — the collectors, revenue officers, officials of all
kinds, and military men, together with ladies whose bril
liant dresses add to the picturesqueness of the scene.
Then there is just such a long line of carriages as one sees
on a fashionable racecourse in England, extending to a
great distance, and constituting altogether a very credit
able turn-out for an Indian city.
Presently, Sir Charles Staveley, who is just now Com
mander-in-chief of the Bombay Army, comes upon the
ground, and rides about as nervously as he used to do in
the days at Aldershot, when he was trying to discover the

LIFE IN POONA. 81
whereabouts of Carey and Lysons. Sir Charles Staveley
has very good reason to be anxious, -for time is flying,
and there is no sign of the Prince. At last an orderly
gallops across the ground, waves his hand to the artillery,
and the guns on the left begin to fire the Eoyal salute. A
minute later the Prince arrives, followed by his suite, and,
preceded by General Mark Kerr, at once gallops over to
the artillery, and begins an inspection of the fine. All
of a sudden a horse is seen to rear and throw its rider.
The animal dashes across the plain, and is making for the
crowd, when a native officer rushes pluckily up and stops
it. He has scarcely done so before a rider is seen
spurring his charger towards the grand stand, calling for
a surgeon. ' Somebody's hurt ; .who can it be ? ' is the
question anxiously asked, and field-glasses are turned to
wards the Eoyal party, whither the doctor is making his
way. Then it is seen that Lord Charles Beresford is being
lifted into a palanquin, and that he is insensible. The
Prince must needs go on and inspect the troops ; but the
sufferer is left in very good hands, and is slowly brought
up to the grand stand, where a carriage is procured and
waits for him. Dr. Fayrer and Dr. Close lift their charge
very carefully into the carriage, and, on examining him,
find that, though shaken, he is, after all, not seriously
hurt. They give him a glass of champagne, which so
revives him that he forthwith takes a cigar, and is con
veyed home.
Meanwhile the troops are forming up on the left, the
Prince has returned to the flagstaff, and the artillery are
coming past at a walk. Steadily, in half-batteries, well^
trained and with admirable precision, these famous gun
ners go by, the spectators applauding their soldierly
appearance. Following them, come the men of the 7th,
G

82 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
the band playing a capital march and the troops stepping
out admirably. They are followed by the 1st Bombay
Grenadiers, whom we just now saw in line — a fine
battalion, well drilled, dressing well, and going by in
grand divisions almost as steadily as the European regi
ment which preceded it. Three more battalions of native
infantry follow, also in grand divisions, and also in good
order. This closes the first brigade, and the second is
not far behind. But just at this moment there is a snort,
and at a terrific pace, with a terrified man on his back,
another horse shoots across the plain, and darting through
the Prince's suite, only clearing the Prince by about a
yard, dashes in amongst the crowd. To all appearance
there must be great loss of fife, for the people cannot get
away, closed in as they are by carriages, when it is seen
that a mounted officer has stopped horse and rider by a
swift jerk, and prevented what threatened to be a fearful
disaster. All this is done in much less time than it takes
to tell; and the Australian horse is in safe keeping side by
side with the animal which threw Lord Charles Beresford.
The troops having gone by are now re-formed, and come
past again in close column of battalions, the artillery
rattling along at a quick trot and keeping good time.
Just as it is getting dusk, the whole are brought into line
again and advance, the bands play ' God save the Queen,'
the troops present arms, the review is over, and the Eoyal
party leave the ground.
. Immediately Poona is in a blaze of illumination and
pyrotechnic display. Eockets spring up in every direction,
set pieces appear suddenly on the right hand and the
left, coloured fights are burned, and all kinds of fireworks
splutter and bang, while the happy Mahrattas in long
strings, hand in hand, walk about incessantly, and forget

LIFE IN POONA. 83
all their fancied troubles. ' They have been a good
deal excited,' said a political agent who chanced to
be at Poona, ' about the Mulhar Eao affair lately ; but
these fireworks will overcome all that.' I think he
was right.

g2

84 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.

CHAPTEE VII.
GAMES AND SPORTS AT BARODA.
That the Prince was well received at Baroda you
already know. Still the scene which presented itself at
the railway station the morning he arrived has . by no
means been adequately described.
The city of Baroda proper lies far from the embodi
ment of science which we owe to George Stephenson.
The inhabitants are as singular in their costume, and I
should say as objectionable in their habits, as they were
when tea-kettles, to say nothing of steam-engines, had
yet to be invented. And as the railway has not, for
manifest reasons, come to them — that is to say, to their
very doors — they have declined to come in their corporate
capacity to the railway. Individually they come by thou
sands ; but they have not extended their buildings nor
enlarged their borders so as to embrace the line and its
belongings. Three tradesmen, more enterprising than the
rest of their countrymen, have established shops at which
stores to the value of about eighteenpence are regularly
kept. But, beyond this, the unsoaped, semi-nude native
prefers the bazaar to the open country road, and sits
quite contentedly there, far from steam-whistles or the
noise of railway-trucks. As a consequence, there is a
fine open space in front of the station, fringed with
pretty Eastern trees, amongst which figure three or four

GAMES AND SPORTS AT BARODA. 85
palms, plenty of banian and plaintain trees, and a goodly
number of large-leaved and heavy-foliaged specimens
such as can only be found in a climate like this.
With a view of watching somewhat closely the beha
viour of the people on the occasion of his Eoyal Highnesses
entry, I started for Baroda on the day previous to the
Prince's visit. Through the kindness of Sir Madava Eao,
the distinguished Prime Minister of Baroda, a resting-
place had been prepared for me — no small boon in a
district which is innocent of hostelries and knows nothing
of inns. By some mischance, however, I missed the car
riage that was sent to me, and as a result made my first
acquaintance with the eccentric vehicle known as the
Baroda bullock gharry immediately upon my arrival. It
has always been my practice to ' speak well of the bridge
that carries me over.' But the Baroda bridge, or, rather,
the Baroda bullock carriage, must be the exception, and
prove the rule. I will not attempt to describe that dole
ful ride ; yet it was in the progress of this experience that
I saw first the preparations which were being made to
receive the Prince. Thousands of natives were hard at
work all along the line of route from the railway station
to the British Eesidency, also outside the town. Trium
phal arches — notwithstanding that Mr. Hill, the resident
chief engineer, had only received a few heurs' notice —
were springing up as rapidly as though it had been the sole
business of his life to construct ornamental spans of leaves
and bunting, instead of building excellent roads and
bridges. On either side of the road were miniature
arches and festoons of green leaves. Flags, too, made
literally on the spot — for they were being cut out on the
roadside by Mahratta workmen — were being hung, and
places arranged for Chinese lanterns and the little lamps
with which it is the practice to illuminate here. It must

86 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
be remembered, too, that if the very situation of Baroda,
which is placed in a lovely grove of trees, aided in the
work, no cunning contractor with tons of material was
at hand to command the thousands of labourers and
furnish them with carefully planned and elaborately pre
pared devices. On the contrary, all had to be done in a
day, with whatever was ready to hand ; and if the Prince
congratulated Mr. Hill on arrival, and expressed surprise,
as he did, it was no more than the merest justice to a
most energetic and ingenious man.' Suffice it to say that,
when ,the eventful morning arrived, Baroda was fit to
receive a King.
It is not of the decorations that there is need now to
speak ; it was the spectacle which Sir Madava Eao had,
with characteristic ability, prepared for his Eoyal High
ness. ' I will show the Prince,' said the amiable Premier,
' a sight such as he will not see anywhere else in India,'
as we stood on the railway-station steps and looked upon
the space in front. And certainly the picture presented
was perfect. Drawn in a long fine exactly in front was a
regiment of the Guicowar 's infantry, neatly attired in
buff. Behind them, in uniforms of light blue, with fight
blue turbans and long, shining, pennon- supporting lances,
were the Guicowar's cavalry. All round were natives
by thousands, in costumes of every kind and colour. In
the centre of the square were, however, the chief figures
of the scene, for there fifteen magnificent elephants,
splendidly housed and caparisoned, stood side by side.
Every elephant was painted all over with some bright
pigment — light yellow, light blue, light red, light green.
On the forehead and down the front of the trunk were
painted devices of most intricate description, singularly
clever and curiously effective. I have said that they
carried their housings and trappings. The howdah on the

GAMES AND SPORTS AT BARODA. 87
elephant which was to carry the Prince was of fine gold,
in value worth forty thousand sovereigns. Cloth-of-gold
hung down his sides, anklets of gold were round his legs
— even his tail was ornamented ; his ears were brilliantly
painted, and his tusks were encircled with huge rings of
red-coloured ivory. As for the other elephants, they, too,
had valuable seats for their riders, railed cars of silver
fixed on silver cloth, fastened in their places with silver
buckles. Presently the Guicowar drove , up in a pretty little
carriage made wholly of silver and gold — a work of art,
indeed, such as can hardly be surpassed — and on his
arrival he was received with the English National Anthem
by the band, with ' present arms ' by the soldiers, and a
vast amount of bowing from the crowd. His retainers,
the chiefs and sirdars of the kingdom, in number nearly a
hundred, ranged up in two lines a little lower clown the
road than the place where the elephants stood- Suddenly
a number of fog-signals which had been placed upon the
line for the purpose of indicating the approach of the
Eoyal train were fired, whereupon the two companies of
the 83rd Eegiment of English troops, drawn up on the
platform, presented arms. The Eesident of the Station,
the Assistant Eesident, the English officers, and the offi
cials of the place stood round the Guicowar and Sir
Madava Eao, and the band- struck up ' God save the
Queen.' As the engine approached it the Prince was seen
standing outside the saloon carriage, looking on the plat
form with' evident interest, and, as soon as the train
stopped, his Eoyal Highness descended and shook hands
warmly first with the Guicowar and then with the
Premier. Sitting down on a couch, the Prince conversed for
some minutes with his Highness, who afterwards led

88 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
him outside the station, where the elephant with the
golden howdah was kneeling. Taking the Prince of
Wales by the right hand, the fittle Guicowar asked him
to ascend the ladder to the howdah, which, albeit that
the elephant was kneeling, was yet six or seven feet from
the ground. To this the Prince assented, and, being
followed by the Guicowar and Sir Madava Eao, was
hoisted into the air, and so sat high above everybody, on
the right of the youthful ruler of Baroda. The staff of
the Prince followed, four sitting in each howdah, till all
were in their places, whereupon a procession was formed
of javelin men, banner-bearers on horseback, chieftains,
hussars, irregular cavalry, Eoyal Artillery, and the ele
phants, the whole being brought up in the rear by the
Guicowar's soldiery. Slowly moving along, the Prince
passed by the gates of the city towards the cantonments,
where, under Colonel Thompson, the Brigadier of the
district, and a distinguished officer, the excellent native
9th and 22nd infantry regiments were found drawn up.
Eeceiving their salute, the Eoyal party made for the
Eesidency, where a durbar was shortly afterwards held,
at which the Guicowar and the Prince sat together in
the sight of the principal men of the State.
It had been announced that in the afternoon there
would be an elephant fight and other sports, and I made
the best of my way to the arena to see the sports of
which I had heard. This was a large oblong space,
strongly walled in, entered through a gateway across
which three thick bars of wood were thrown. Inside
this space were,, three . structures which were at once
noticeable — a huge grand stand of four storeys ; a cir
cular structure of brickwork, about five feet high, with
a tree in the centre, and two flights of steps cut in the
stone ; and a circular walled structure, looped with holes

GAMES AND SPORTS AT BARODA. 89
just large enough to allow of the ingress of a man —
particularly a flying, terror-stricken, elephanthunted
man — should such a one need its hospitable shelter.
Overhanging the walls were trees rich in foliage, forming
a splendid background from whatever side you scanned
the picture. On the tops of the walls thousands of
Mahrattas, in all kinds of costumes, were perched, their
faces full of glee, and their arms full' of children ; on
hills which overlooked the arena were thousands more
of them ; peering in at the various gates between the
bars were hundreds again ; and inside the arena about
one hundred athletic men, some with spears, others with
flags, and the rest with nothing save ropes and chains,
were standing about waiting to take part in the pro
mised fun. Outside the gates were cages full of tigers,
rhinoceroses, buffaloes, and rams, two huge elephants
were fastened to the walls inside, about twenty painted
and decorated elephants were ranged in a line opposite
the grand stand, where was assembled a brilliant gather
ing of English ladies and gentlemen — the former in gaily
coloured silks, the latter mostly in uniform — waiting for
the Prince. They had not long to wait, for just after
we entered a blast of trumpets announced his Eoyal
Highness's approach, and a moment lr.ter showed the
golden carriage of the Guicowar in full motion, with his
Highness and the Prince of Wales inside.
The first entertainment on the list was a wrestling
match between half a dozen couples of semi-nude mus
cular savages. There were a bald man, who was evi
dently a very old stager; a Nubian, whose chief aim
was to hug. his opponent and fall on him; a tall man,
• who every now and then lifted his rival into the air, and
tried to throw him out of the square marked out for this
,class of the sports ; and a short, stout man, who enjoys

90 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
the reputation of being the best wrestler in India, and
who is very proud of the title. Two particular points
are worthy of notice — one that each athlete had greased
his body so completely that it was next to impossible to
grasp him ; the other that the use of the feet in wrestling
was wholly disregarded, and that the French hug round
the neck was the style of competition, rather than the
Cumberland mode of wrestling. Picture twelve par
ticularly strong men attempting to throttle and throw
each other ; now struggling till their eyes nearly start
out of their heads, and now rolling over and over in the
thick dust, emerging at length from the conflict begrimed
and besmeared, and only vexed to find that they must
go away and make way for the elephants. Anything
like remonstrance would, however, have been somewhat
out of place, for a number of men were hovering round
the captive elephants fastened to the wall, the tame and
decorated elephants were leaving the ground, and all
kinds of preparations were being made for a struggle. '
I rather suspect that these elephants were sly old
fellows, who, like the gladiators in olden times, did not
hurt each other a bit more than was necessary, and often
' made believe ' in a sadly deceptive fashion. These had
clearly been in the arena before, and knew just what was
expected of them. First they rushed at each other, and
with their blunted tusks pushed and tugged for a few
moments, and then stopped. At this juncture a Mahratta
came out with a stick ; whereupon one of the elephants
rushed at him, chased him into one of the recesses in the
wall, and pulled a lot of the birckwork down. This
diversion, however, lasted but a minute. Entwining their
trunks with quite as much care as the wrestlers who had
preceded them in the ring had joined hands, and adjusting
their tusks in such a position as would give the greatest

GAMES AND SPORTS AT BARODA. 91
leverage, the elephants once more began the tug of war.
And a terrible tug it was. Two huge beasts, of almost
fabulous size, straining, pushing, groaning, strove for the
mastery. The younger of the two elephants was the
better formed and the more courageous, and very soon he
had worsted his opponent and driven him against the
wall. No sooner had the larger but weaker elephant run
to the wall for shelter than the conqueror lowered his head,
gave a roar of defiance, and charged with terrific force.
The tusk struck the conquered one with a fearful thud, the
wall and the miserable elephant's head had a sharp collision,
and a moment later the bars of the gateway close by were
on the point of being forced, when two men ran out with
rocket tubes, discharged the contents at the elephants,
and separated them in a moment. Away ran the victor
across the arena, followed by the vanquished one, and for
an instant there was quiet. Immediately after another
encounter took place, and was going on merrily, when
hampering irons were slipped round the hind legs of the
infuriated animals by the Mahrattas employed for the
purpose, stout ropes attached thereto, more rockets dis
charged, and eventually the animals were led into
captivity. Meanwhile a very wily old elephant was being pre
pared for the arena. His business was to attempt to catch
a horseman, who, mounted on a white Arab and armed
with a spear, was already within the precincts of the arena.
For a moment or so the huge beast walked slowly about,
as. though he were in his native woods taking a gentle
stroll after dinner, and not within a hundred miles of
horsemen or footmen either. But, just when he looked
most unconcerned and careless, he gave a sudden rush,
got his trunk in the saddle of his rider, and only missed
by an inch or two unhorsing the Mahratta and making

92 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
him pay for his temerity. Had that Arab steed stumbled,
or had the man lost nerve, the elephant would have
ended the contest in a very summary manner.
The next contest on the list was between two huge
rhinoceroses, and, as the beasts were led in, all necks were
craned forward and all eyes strained to look at them.
One had a long sharp horn, and was a fearful animal to
behold ; the other, thickly set, had a blunter horn, but, if
possible, a more powerful back. So soon as they were
loosed they rushed at each other with tremendous deter
mination. For a time they struggled hard to push their
respective prows into each other's necks, but to no pur
pose. In vain two men on each side patted their horny
sides and invited them with loud cries to continue the
battle ; their encouragement was useless. Still one was a
little afraid of the other, for suddenly the owner of ,the
blunted horn turned round, and, with snorts like the
magnified grunts of a frightened pig, rushed from the
struggle. Onlookers held their breath, for the keepers
were not far from being run over, and consequently
crushed. But, as luck would have it, they ran away,
and ' live to fight another day.' More than this, men
procured buckets of water, and emptied them over the
backs of the gladiators, stroked and patted them, prodded
them with long spears, and in other ways urged them to
deeds of valour. As soon as the animals came close to
gether again and felt each other's weapons of war, they
simultaneously snorted and scampered off, and positively
refused to fight. It was clearly a drawn battle, and Sir
Madava Eao ordered the creatures to be led away forth
with. Then came the turn of the buffaloes ; two of them
were ushered into the arena — one a young, light-coloured
animal, and one a dark beast. A perfect crowd of rap-

GAMES AND SPORTS AT BARODA. 93
scallions accompanied them to the fight, and, with spears,
ropes, sticks, and fists, encouraged them very consider
ably. The buffaloes, however, needed very little incen
tive. Bushing at each other at a tremendous pace, they
struggled violently for a moment ; and the young one was
winning fast, when one of its horns broke off short, the
blood spurted out, and it was forced to retreat. Away
rushed the poor brute, chased by its enemy. Fortunately
the gate bars were sufficiently wide open to admit of escape,
and the vanquished bleeding bull flew through, scattering
the spectators in every direction, and mingling the tur
bans in almost inextricable confusion. Another couple of
buffaloes followed and fought, one of them being thrown
by the other, which at once attempted to rip it open.
Happily, its horns were blunt, and before it could do more
than inflict a deep flesh wound the beasts were separated,
and another couple introduced.
This third conflict was not, however, a severe one, and
it was scarcely over before several couples of rams were
introduced to the ring. Earns with peculiarly hard heads
and strong horns have for long years been the especial
pride of Baroda down to the uproarious days of Mulhar
Eao, the man now living quietly at Madras. Some of
the strongest pates ever discovered were brought to the
show for the delight of his ladies and subjects. Then the
rams were allowed to fight till they killed each other,
the sight of blood being by no means distasteful to the
gentleman who was accused of having attempted to kill
Colonel Phayre. But more humane days have dawned,
and in the presence of the Prince, at least, no very
desperate encounter was allowed. The plan of action was
simply this : Two animals were brought within about ten
feet of each other and then let slip ; instantly with tre
mendous force they rushed at each other, and their skulls

94 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
met with a tremendous crash. If by this first thud either
ram was knocked down, it was at once declared beaten
and led away. Sometimes, however, victory was not so
easily decided, and it was not till after a dozen sharp
blows at the least that one of the rams gave in ; while in
one case a sleepy fellow, who clearly saw no fun in the
whole proceeding, allowed himself to be knocked over
without making the slightest resistance. Another, as though
perfectly aware of the rules of the game, looked round for
somebody to take him away.
In this way several battles were decided, and then
a long string of men, in all kinds of singular costumes,
entered — eight leading a huge tiger, which was so encum
bered with chains as to be helpless ; one riding in a fittle
carriage drawn by two of the black bucks for which
Baroda was so celebrated ; "another leading two white
does of surpassing beauty; a third with a tame sloth;
and the rest, some twenty or thirty in all, carrying birds'
cages all filled with feathered curiosities of the rarest de
scriptions. This spectacle concluded the entertainment.
In a few minutes the Prince and suite drove away, highly
delighted, and the huge crowd dispersed.
Cheetah hunting has been abundantly described, and
had the hunt of the next morning been an ordinary
game quest by ordinary people I should not have
chronicled it. But it was announced that the Prince
would go out with the cheetahs, that a vast quantity of
deer had been beaten up for the sport, and that those
who desired to see the sport must be astir before even
the lark would dream of rising. The stars were, con
sequently, the only light which such huntsmen as did
not quite belong to the Prince's party had as they drove
through the sleeping city of Baroda, its deserted bazaars
and empty streets, and along the road which leads to a

GAMES AND SPORTS AT BARODA. 95
country palace of the Guicowar, boasting the euphonious
name of Mukinpoora. If the huntsmen were thus early,
the cheetahs and their keepers were even earlier, for
when the rendezvous was reached, some two miles on
the other side of the palace, away from the city, they
were found ; the cheetahs, five in number, sitting hood
winked and tied on the top of flat, open carts, while their
keepers stood round them and stroked them. Close by
were a number of bullock carts, each drawn by two
animals, each intended to hold three people, albeit that
they had no seats whatever, but simply a cushion on •
which we were expected to sit cross-legged. The Prince
had a bullock cart of silver and gold, with seats in it,
and even a spring, which, considering everything, was
an immense concession for the Barodians to make, even
to royalty. All was thus ready very early ; but, unfortu
nately, the Prince was not very punctual, and the sun
had risen some height in the heavens — a condition almost
fatal to the skill of the cheetah — when he arrived. Once
there, a start was quickly made ; and then, behold the
following procession: A pilot cart with three enthu
siastic sportsmen in it kneeling ; the Prince's wagon, con
taining, his Eoyal Highness and the Duke of Sutherland,
each in Indian hunting costume, namely, the huge sun hat,
tweed coat, and white trousers, each person carrying a
rifle and a hunting knife ; five carts with cheetahs, each
animal attended by three keepers ; and about twenty small
wagons, their occupants in almost every conceivable posi
tion compatible with the arrangement of three stout men
on a square yard of cushion in a springless vehicle pass
ing over rough ground.
Presently, as we came into some very English-like
scenery, we espied in a wide field, not a quarter of a
mile distant, several hundred deer quietly feeding. Now

96 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
was our time, and the hearts of all beat high. As quietly
as might be, we approached the herd, and soon came
within a hundred and fifty yards of them, when a clfeetah
was unhooded and let slip. Stealthily creeping along
through the grass, this terrible beast bounded into the
very centre of the deer, and for a moment it seemed as
though he must certainly capture one of the terror-
stricken beautiful creatures, with such tremendous springs
did he urge the chase. But this time the deer were too
fleet, and bounded along with such wonderful rapidity
that, after a chase of two hundred yards, the savage
beast sat down and waited for the keepers to come up
and hoodwink him again. Almost immediately after
wards another herd was descried in an opposite direction,
and it was then resolved that we should be divided into
two parties, the one led by the Prince bearing away to
the left in chase of the herd that had just escaped, and
taking three cheetahs ; the other, under the guidance of
Lord Aylesford and Lord Charles Beresford, going to the
right. That this arrangement was a good one was proved
very shortly. A mile had scarcely been traversed by
either party, when each came within easy reach of herds.
Of the two, the Prince's party was just then the more
fortunate, for in the very centre of the deer they chased
were two large bucks with remarkably fine horns, fighting
with great vigour. To let the cheetah go at these two
rivals was the work of an instant ; to catch the largest
one by the neck and drag him to the ground after a
short struggle was an act which involved no great ex
penditure of time. On the other side a beautiful doe
had been chased by a cheetah, caught by the neck, and
after a sharp struggle been brought to the ground. The
sport had now begun in earnest, and for the, next two

GAMES AND SPORTS AT BAUODA. 97
hours we were taken over ruts as deep as ordinary
ditches, over hillocks and through hedges, sometimes
almost shaken out, and in the case of one cart turned
out with a veritable capsize, letting the cheetahs slip fre
quently, sometimes getting game and sometimes not. To '
those who had never before seen the action of these
savage animals the sight was undoubtedly full of in
terest ; but, from an economical point of view, I should
say that cheetah hunting is not a success. In two hours
and a half five cheetahs killed four bucks and four does.
Two rifles in experienced hands would have killed forty
in a fike time. So, indeed, the Prince appeared to think,
for he presently left the cheetahs altogether, and went
shooting on his own account, and succeeded in getting a
fine pair of deer, the buck having horns of very satis
factory size. After this there was breakfast at Muckin-
poora, and at night the Prince dined at, the mess of the
22nd Eegiment, commanded by the gallant and amiable
Colonel Nuttall.
There were many interesting things to be noted
about Baroda. The palace in which Mulhar Eao per
petrated untold wickedness ; the narrow streets, with
open sewers running on both sides, and open troughs
of bad drinking water — made still worse by crowds of
naked children who paddled therein,- and mixed mud
paste with the liquid intended as ' the drink of their
excellent parents — not a foot from the sewers ; the
strangely built mud hquses, boasting no doors, and very
frequently no roof either ; the hideous paintings on the
outsides of the temples, the shrines in the streets, the
gates, and the celebrated clock-tower, built in the form
of a Chinese joss-house, and painted light blue, were all
worthy of a prolonged inspection,
It was worth the journey to Baroda to see the holy
H

98 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
men who lived there. For Baroda, you must know, is a
peculiarly religious place, and possesses more deformities
and burlesques on human nature, more unwashed fakirs,
and more objectionable devotees, than any other city of
its size. It was there that, not long since, a very pious
person roasted the calf of his leg, in the presence of a
number of admiring Hindoos. On the road leading to the
Motee Bagh I had pointed out to me another religious
gentleman who, in addition to wearing for many years a
thick coating of mud, carefully renewed every morning,
and only relieved in its monotony by two or three streaks
of brick-red paint on the forehead, had lately cut off a
couple of his toes and a finger or two, in honour of a god
that looked exactly like the representation of a frantic
monkey with two tails and four arms. But there was
no necessity for seeking these superlatively good people.
They turned up in every direction and every moment.
They were as numerous as the dogs in the street, and
that is saying a great deal, when it is remembered that
Baroda has more and uglier specimens of the canine
breed than even Constantinople. The sanctified tribe
marched along, with their shrivelled arms, earless heads,
mud-begrimed .faces, and long matted hair ; they ap
peared at the corners of the streets and in front of the
shrines, and just when you were hoping that the last of
them had gone you found them at your elbow. Not
that they wished to beg; on the contrary, I did not
in any instance see a fakir condescend to do anything
but scowl. Blind men might ask for alms— and there
were many blind people in Baroda; beggars might
clamour for money at the gates of the arena ; but these
holy men simply regarded us, from the Prince down
wards, with profound contempt ; for, in addition to the
luxury of being allowed to wear as little clothing as they

GAMES AND SPORTS AT BARODA. 99
pleased and as much mud as they liked, they had many
of them the assured right, in consideration of their suffer
ings and virtues, to have at any moment and for ever
twenty times as much enjoyment as anybody else — the
gods willed it, and the priests declared it. Ask for alms ?'
If, in admiration of their inherent and singular goodness,
ypu felt constrained to press half a rupee upon their
acceptance, they would doubtless take it, for they live
upon such tokens of esteem and affection. But they
would certainly not implore a gift, and if it were offered
would return no thanks. I doubt whether a more impu
dent set of scoundrels exists on the face., of the globe.
They even escape the policeman's whip, an instrument
which is applied pretty unsparingly to the rest of the
populace, and which works wonders in a crowded street,
when authority and power want to pass quickly.
But it was not of the fakirs, nor the streets, that I just
now intended to write. My intent was to speak more
fully of the palaces of Baroda and their occupants — not
the old building in which Luxmabae's baby was en
throned and dethroned, all in the space of ten minutes,
the residence of the last Guicowar, and his agreeable
circle of male and female acquaintances; but the two
suburban palaces of Motee Bagh and Mukinpoora, arid
Sir Madava Eao, the Prime Minister of Baroda.
It was at the firstnamed mansion that I called on my
arrival in the State. A courteous note from the Premier
demanded personal answer, and it was with no reluctance
I faced even the mid-day sun. It so chanced that the
moment was an exceptionally favourable one. The place
was en fete for the Prince's reception; his Eoyal Highness
was expected to drive thither from the Eesidency very
shortly, and not only the hall of state, but all the apart
ments were prepared. I have already spoken of the

100 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
golden howdah, the golden carriage, and the golden
bullock-gharry of Baroda. You have heard of the
diamond aigrette which adorns the Guicowar's turban,
and the diamond necklace which encircles his neck. Be
prepared, then, for plenty of magnificence on entering
Motee Bagh. Yet look at the same time for the tawdry
and tinsel. You will not be disappointed in either.
India everywhere presents the same spectacle, and Motee
Bagh is no exception to the rule.
As you pass through the streets an unclad imp is
playing in the dust. You look closely at the unkempt
hair, and behold a cap that is worth half a sovereign at
the very least. The coolie who brings or carries mes
sages two miles for sixpence, probably wears a rich purple
silk jacket, fit for a prince. That and an excessively
dirty rag complete his clothing. You enter the house of
a native, and find on the rough earthen floor a carpet of
surpassing beauty. Wares of great value are exposed for
sale in shops compared with which a barn is a mansion ;
and if you want to find a palace your quickest and best
plan is to proceed in the direction where hovels are most
numerous and streets are narrowest. So at Motee Bagh.
The troops drawn up in the garden are well dressed and
well armed, yet the sentry in the corridor is in rags and
tatters, and carries an old flint fowling-piece in his left
hand. The fountains, too, are of white marble, very
beautiful basins, altogether admirable, till you see that'
the jets are crooked, and will not throw more than a
cupful of water a foot high.
On your first entry into the palace itself you find
chandefiers enough to stock a warehouse in almost every
room. At Mukinpoora there were in one verandah
alone, 70ft. long by 24 wide, eighteen large chandeliers
with thirty-two lights apiece, seventy-two bouquets of

GAMES AND SPORTS AT BARODA. 101
fight with three jets to each, besides other receptacles for
lamps and candles. Here the lighting arrangements have
been made in the same proportions. You would think
you were in a shop of chandeliers and looking glasses,
and that the dark gentleman who comes up the room to
meet you intended to inveigle you into buying one at the
very least. But he has no such intention. I do not
suppose he would part with a single burner on any con
sideration. There would be a vacant space in the ceiling
if he did, and no Hindoo with any pretence to taste could
tolerate that. He would probably be happier than he
now is, and would possibly smile still more, if he knew
how to hang a few more chandeliers up in' the saloon
where the Prince will be presently received, and into
which we have just entered. Facing the door, and with
its back turned to a large window from which a magni
ficent view of the surrounding country can be obtained,
is a sofa of solid silver — legs, arms, back, all pure silver ;
and on each side of this is a silver chair. You do not
look at the other chairs in the room, as these wholly
engross your attention; and thus it is that, without in'
the least intending to be rude, you involuntarily notice
that the seats of these splendid chairs and couch are very
shabby. The same story over again. You turn round,
look at the pictures on the wall, and find that, with the
exception of their frames, which are very thick and
costly, they are not worth a pound, even to a German
printseller. Portraits of celebrated chiefs, and pictures of
the Madonna and child, three prints of ' a lady,' and
German-produced ' likenesses ' of the English Eoyal
family complete the collection. Close by, in a cabinet
carefully locked and guarded, were a tin engine and two
little trucks, such as you may purchase in the Lowther
Arcade, and in an ante-room, on a handsome marble

102 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
table and a silver stand, was a toy donkey which wagged
its head when touched, and which, in any London
repository, is valued at exactly ninepence.
Still it must not be imagined that the man whom vie
had come to see was in any way like the palace in which
we found him. Nothing but the severest simplicity was
noticeable about him. Excepting only the huge medal
which the Prince gives to every native of distinction, and
which is about as ugly and unmeaning a decoration as it
is possible to conceive, Sir Madava Eao wore no orna
ment of any kind. Like Sir Salar Jung, the great
Mahommedan Minister, he dresses in plain black or
white. On this particular occasion he wore white gar
ments. At first glance I was greatly impressed by this
celebrated Hindoo. His English was perfect, lacking
anything like a foreign accent. His manner was that of
a man who had seen the world rather than of one who
had never left India. And when he sat down and began
to talk, his conversation was in harmony with all that
has been said of him. The uppermost thought in his
mind appeared to be the possibility of war and the conj
sequent speedy return of the Prince, and he proceeded
at once to discuss the situation. The position of England,'
the relative strength of the great Powers, the aims and
ambitions of Eussia — all seemed to be familiar to him,
and for some minutes he chatted away with all the easy
flow of thought of a European statesman. From what I
have since heard, Sir Madava Eao's theories about good
government are being carried into effect in Baroda;
and there is, therefore, reason to believe that before long
the city will lose its open sewers, and possibly some of
its holy men, and become more like a fit residence for a
civilised Prince.

103

CHAPTEE VIII.
THE VOYAGE TO CEYLON.
As is well known, a painful uncertainty as to the route
likely to be followed attended the first part of the Prince's
trip in India. For nearly a fortnight not one of the
Eoyal suite, save only Sir Bartle Frere, had any idea of
what their future movements would be. Would the
Prince go to Mysore ? No one knew. Would he reach
Madras ? No one could tell. Would he go to the North-
West ? Perhaps. Would he go home ? Possibly. There
were rumours of cholera in the south, and fears of war
at home ; and these, coupled with the intense love of Sif
Bartle Frere for mystery, were sufficient for all parties.
So it resulted in the Prince going off to Baroda after
twenty-four hours' notice, and next setting sail in an
equally hurried and secret fashion for Southern India,
without anybody knowing where he was going except one
or two favoured ones.
In this way we all set sail, and were at sea fully a day
before we were told where we were going to ; and when
the intelligence that possibly we should touch at Trivan
deram was at length imparted to us, the majority of us
were about as wise as ever ; for although in guide-books
and gazetteers Trivanderam was stated to be the capital of
Travancore, all that we could learn besides was that it

104 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
possessed no harbour, that ships had to anchor in an open
roadstead, and that the beach boasted a surf such as
European boats would never resist for a moment — with
which pleasant and comfortable knowledge we beguiled
the time while the voyage lasted. It now appears that
had we been learned in astronomical lore we should have
known that at Trivanderam there was erected, forty years
ago, an observatory of no mean importance, with transit
clocks and instruments, telescopes, refractors, and reflec
tors, and that it had since then been allowed to fall into
disuse and dilapidation. But we were not astronomically
inclined, and with the exception of now and then straining
our eyes in search of the Southern Cross, which, after all,
never appeared, cared no more for observatories and
telescopes than the present Eajah of Travancore does.
Beyond this, too, it seems that had we been well instructed
in heraldry, and knowing in things pertaining to cere
monies and chapters, we should have been aware that the
Eajah who built the observatory was the same sensible
and liberal-minded potentate who in 1851 presented to
the Queen the ivory chair in which she would sit were
she to hold a Chapter of the Garter at Windsor. This
knowledge, however, came too late ; all that could be
gathered was that game of all kinds abounded in the
Eajah's territory ; that the Prince wanted a little shooting,'
and that it was to be got in the neighbourhood of Trivan
deram. It was early on a Saturday morning when, by nautical
calculation, an inspection of the shore, and consideration
of the charts, we were judged to be opposite the long-
looked-for place. Now, naval men are far from averse to
going on shore. Their ship is undoubtedly their home ;
they take great pride in her, from masthead to keelson ;
but give a jungle full of tigers, and a plain full of bison,

THE VOYAGE TO CEYLON. 105
the- prospect of a good day's sport, and a good dinner,
and the most ardent sailor will begin to burnish his ex
press rifle, fill up the cartridge-case, and prepare to land.
Gradually Trivanderam was approached, and then was
seen the beauty of this southern part of India. Our
glasses made out that the inhabitants of this favoured land
were actually enjoying a shower of rain. What would
we not have' given for a shower just then, with the ther
mometer in the shade at 94 deg., and no breeze ? Plea
sant, doubtless, is the bright Indian sun, pleasant the clear
blue sky and the grand expanse of purple-coloured sea ;
pleasant also an escape from the November fogs qf
London, the chilly wintry blasts, and the all-pervading
mud ; but, oh, for one hour of pelting, soaking rain ! I
don't believe a man would have raised an umbrella. To
be drenched to the skin would have been a positive
luxury. However, we did not land at Trivanderam, and
we consequently got none of the rain. How provokingly
near we came to the land ! Cables were ready, the town
could be distinctly made out, the observatory with its
sightless old telescope and the residence of a Eajah, long
groves of palm-trees, little fishing boats, and, at the back
of all, towering mountains, round the heads of which
, clouds whirled madly, as though the wind, rushing through
the crevices in the rock, was throwing them at each other
for the sheer fun of the thing. There was clearly a
pleasant breeze ashore, whatever we lacked at sea. Still,
it must not be supposed that the water wTas still. We
could see the surf beating madly on the strand, and our
ships rolled about on the swell, till we had to hold on by
both hands to avoid being capsized. It was a warning
what to expect if we cast anchor, and apparently the
Admiral took it, for, with a good deal of sail on, to catch
what little wind there might be, we steamed away south,
and presently left Trivanderam behind us.

106 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
On we went, hugging the shore arid marvelling at its
beauty. -Eich tropical vegetation covered the plain right
down to the seashore. Palm, plantain, mango, and
banian crowded together in one vast jungle. Nor was
this splendid foliage confined to the plain. Far up the
sides of the towering mountains, it formed a rich green
covering, under which game of all kinds might repose,
and the natives of the place be happy. If the peaks of
the hills were bare rocks, showing terrible precipices, the
lower portions of the eminences were, at any rate,
covered by a grateful shade. And every now and then
some pretty little village or lonely Portuguese church
would peep out from the trees, or a fittle fleet of fishing
boats would come from the shore. Then we would
come in view of a red coral reef, or some well-marked
place on the chart, such as Moottam Point, with its sandy
face and bleak, bare top, till at length we were off Cape
Comorin, the Land's-end of India, and, by the declining
light of the fast disappearing sun, gazed with awe ,upon
the huge white rock and the far-stretching shoal. We
had not landed at Trivanderam, but such an excursion to
the extreme point of Southern India had well-nigh made
up for all our disappointment.
Meanwhile, the Prince had landed at Goa, the
Portuguese settlement, and the place whence come all
the Portuguese servants who make life a burden to the
traveller. You heartily wish them at Goa, or indeed
anywhere else, a hundred times a day ; yet they are in
dispensable. In such a climate, and with such a system
as prevails in India, you must, wherever you go, take
your own servants, or you will get nothing to eat, nothing
to drink, and will lose your luggage. Then comes the
question, What kind of servant is best ? The native of
Madras is a proverbial rascal, and I am able to say, with*

THE VOYAGE TO CEYLON. 107
out prejudice, that he deserves his character. The
Hindoo is a perpetual bother in travelling, for he can
only eat in a certain way at a certain time, and cannot
go to sea. As for the Mohammedan, the experience of
any Englishman out here speaks volumes. Temper-
provoking, crafty, troublesome, full of excuses for lazi
ness, and frequently dishonest, you are in constant
danger of being provoked to use your cane upon them,
in which case the chances are that you will be fined by a
local magistrate^ and have your name published in the
newspapers. Such being the case, you are driven to
employ the inhabitant of Goa, partly because he speaks
English fairly, partly for the reason that he washes himself
occasionally, and can upon a pinch present an appearance
bordering upon respectability, though that is not often;
and partly also because he distinctly understands the inad-
visableness of stealing your clothes, and confines his opera
tions to cheating you out of small sums in paying your bill's
— an achievement which affords him infinite satisfaction,
and is possibly less annoying to the victim than are the
vagaries of the native servant.
What the Prince did at Goa you have already been
informed. There are many ways of decorating a place, but the
most original method I ever witnessed was adopted at
Baroda. It was getting dark in the evening on which
the Prince was to drive through the native town when I
passed over the bridge that led to the railway station.
Across the bridge was a triumphal arch of palm leaves ;
on both parapets oil lamps had been placed in such a
- fashion as to illuminate the road very grandly. But it
was neither the arch nor the lamps that surprised me.
There was nqthing very extraordinary in the arrange
ment of the foliage or the situation of the lamps. Nor

108 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA
was the bridge itself worthy of any great attention. On
that bridge, however, was a sight to be witnessed which
I had not seen before. The decorators were manufactur
ing angels. It has probably not been the fortune of
many among the British public to see the youths of
Baroda. They are mostly Hindoos, who never wander
from home ; and just as they do not go to the outer
world, so the outer world very seldom goes to them. I
may therefore mention, by way of information, that a
Baroda boy is one of the most ill-favoured in the land.
He has a face like a Hottentot, arms like a chimpanzee,
a dark brown skin, and bloodshot eyes. Anything less
angelic it is impossible to conceive. Yet it was out of
material like this that the Guicowar's decorators were
making angels.
Two ideas were prominent in the mind of Sir Madava
Eao's decorators ; first, that his angels must be white ;
next, that they must have wings. Whether he had read
of Pope Gregory and the Saxon slaves, or had borrowed.
his ideas from Milton, I do not know. There was a
society that Hood wrote about, which, finding that it was
impossible to rub negroes white, determined to gild them;
but the Baroda artist was far cleverer. With a huge pot
of whitewash and a collection of properties which would
have done credit to the store-room of a London theatre,
he set to work furiously. Ten boys were fixed at
different points of the bridge, and the position known in
the army as ' eyes right ' once obtained, the angel-maker
proceeded. With a great brush, such as is used by bill-
stickers in London, this ingenious man whitened each
young Barodian from top to toe. Then to white cords
passed round their breasts he attached golden wings of
the most approved pattern. On their half-shaven crowns
he fixed long flowing auburn wigs, and surmounted this

THE VOYAGE TO CEYLON. 109
piece of decor/ition with gilt coronets ; in each hand he'
placed a long white wand, and the picture was complete.
You need not be told the result ; how in the flickering
glare of the lamps these angels mPre closely resembled
whitewashed imps than seraphim ; how now and then
some urchin more mischievous than the rest would take
off his locks and expose a bald black pate ; or how, as
he passed by, the Prince was thrown into convulsions of
laughter. I only mention the incident to give you an
idea of the pitfalls into which native decorators are apt
to stumble when to their care is confided the beautifying
of a place.
Mr. Gregory, the excellent Governor of Ceylon, had
fortunately no such helpers, and in spite of the extra
ordinary difficulties he experienced fast turned the beau
tiful city of Colombo into fairyland. I believe it was
Bishop Heber who remarked that in Ceylon ' Every pros
pect pleases, and only man is vile.' About the villainy
of Cingalese man I cannot say inuch. He is not good-
looking ; he wears long hair done up in a chignon at the
back, with a tortoiseshell comb to keep it off his fore
head ; he chews more betel-nut than the Hindoo of the
mainland ; he delights in a long bright-coloured petticoat,
and, unless he is a Mohammedan, wears no turban ; but
whether he is vile or not I cannot say. The Cingalese-
cabman knows well that you must ride when the ther
mometer is 100 deg. in the shade, and he is a trifle exor
bitant, almost as much so as his London cousin would be
under similar circumstances ; but that is not villainy, it is
human nature. Yet I will not quarrel with the writer of
the hymn. He is right as to the prospect ; the men may
take care of themselves.
Ceylon is certainly a lovely island. We descried
when a long way at sea — a land of orange and cinnamon

110 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
groves ; a land of the date and the bread-fruit ; where plan
tains have the largest leaves, the banian tree most foliage,
where the palm spreads widest, and lovely singing-birds
are most numerous. For, doubly-favoured isle, it has the
rain of the Temperate Zone intermingled with the heat of
the Tropics. The ground is continually fertilised, the
plants and trees see the sun always ;¦ the spice-laden
air is full of richness,, and the surrounding sea makes
night cool and refreshing. Colombo from the sea is a
fine picture of architectural beauty in a deep setting of
green. Vistas of pleasant retreats aud leafy shades, of a
wide beach and handsome buildings, meet us at every
turn. And when we landed we found the view from the
distance excelled by the sight which a closer inspection
gave us. Truly it was a wonderful place to which we had
come. With such natural advantages and so energetic and
loyal a Governor as Mr. Gregory, what might not have
been made of Ceylon on the occasion of the Prince's
visit ? I am afraid to say what orders were given by the
Decoration Committee, and what arrangements were
made for utilising the natural beauty of Ceylon. All that
was wanted was that the time should be specified, or,
failing that, sufficient notice to allow of an alteration in
the plans. Yet, strange to say, the- gentlemen who
managed, or rather mismanaged, the Prince's tour, although *
they knew perfectly well more than a fortnight ago
that the Neilgherry trip was impossible in consequence
of cholera, failed to make the fact known to the Council
at Ceylon, and, indeed, only mentioned that the visit of
the Prince would take place earlier than at first arranged.
Fortunately, his Excellency the Governor did not resent
this cavalier treatment, as less amiable and sensible men
might have done, but addressed himself to the task of

THE VOYAGE TO CEYLON. Ill
preparing to receive the Prince. The result was magnifi
cent. Triumphal arches — one of which, close by the
landing-place, is a marvel of skill, erected in the form of
a castle and pavilion— sprang up as though by magic.
The Queen's House — for so the Governor's residence is
called — was ready for the Prince ; the fleet was in the
offing ; and all that was wanting was the ' Serapis,' with
her Eoyal traveller.
Within an hour of landing at Ceylon I learned from
the Governor that England had practically become owner
of the Suez Canal ; and as the notes of one . who but
lately passed to the East by way of this wonderful route
may be of interest, I venture to give my own experiences
of the canal. I do not propose to set down a single
figure ; my talk shall be of the manners and customs of
the people who inhabit the region and the canal
itself. I do not think that at Port Said, the point where the
canal begins, the ordinary Englishman would find much
to .please him. I have been told that after a soldier has
passed the regulation year at Perim, he looks upon Aden
as the Garden of Eden. A man would have to live a;
long while in a very bad place before he regarded Port
Said in any such light. There is a railway which some
body began a long time ago ; but which nobody, appar
ently, proposes to finish. There is a dockyard which is a
model of disorder. I believe that the Arab population,
which fortunately lives by itself, is the most rascally in
the world, and I am sure that the streets in the native
quarter more than vie, in point of uncleanliness, with the
worst parts of Alexandria. I was in charge of a guide,
and as I traversed the lanes and alleys of the town, took
his opinion of his fellow-citizens. ' The people,' he re
marked, ' very great blackguards indeed. Best you riot

112 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
come ashore, sar, night-time. Arabs like to see gentle
men with watch and chain in streets at night-time very
much. Plenty murders here, sar.' 'But,' I rejoined,
' are the thieves not punished ? ' 'Oh yes, sar,' was the
reply ; ' they beaten on the feet every day, but they not ,
care a bit.' My informant was not far wrong, for we had
hardly gone a hundred yards when we came upon one of
the residents of Port Said undergoing at that moment the
penalty of the bastinado for - some malpractice or other.
Temporarily, I should judge, from the grimaces he made,
that he objected to the punishment most seriously, but,
practically, I expect, he did not ' care a bit,' as his
loquacious countryman said. Why should he, forsooth?
The pain of the bamboo cane once over, but little induce
ment to good influences the native. Everything runs
riot in Port Said. The Government roads, as distinct
from the Canal Company's roads, are almost impassable.
The streets are full of dogs, donkeys, pigs — why do
Mohammedans keep pigs ? — and children. The heat is
fierce ; the sand is blinding ; crime is rife, and punish
ment is irregular. What can an Arab gain by being
good at Port Said ?
Leaving, then, this delectable spot, let us go on board
the steamer, and, passing through a gate-like entrance,
begin our voyage down the canal. Several ideas strike
you at once. First, that the canal is very narrow;
secondly, that the distance is measured by English miles
and not French metres ; thirdly, that there is a continual
succession of mirages, so that phantom lakes of delicious
aspect surround you, and thickly foliaged trees, to your
mistaken vision, cover the desolate plain. I say nothing
of the sandfly, which exceeds the mosquito in power of
jaw and activity of wing, or of the melting sun. The
latter you find everywhere in the East ; the former is

THE VOYAGE TO CEYLON. 113
absolutely welcome in place of the pestering fly of
Alexandria and Port Said. You move along very slowly,
making not more than about five miles an hour, and this
gives you the opportunity to notice several curious facts.
One is that the construction of the canal has brought
with it here and there something akin to what we are
accustomed to call vegetation. There are occasional
patches of green on the banks, and at some of the
stations or landing places on the canal, out of which
trimly-dressed French officials emerge as you pass by,
there are little groves of trees. These are but of recent
growth, and some one near tells you that they are fostered
by heavy dews, which now fall frequently, and rain which
before was not known in Egypt. We have good proof of
this at nightfall, when we anchor off Ismailia. There we
see a grand expanse of water, a large natural lake, and
you are wondering whether the pilot cannot be induced
to take you on by moonlight, when a thick fog falls, and
all hope of moving on is stopped, not only for the night,
but for the greater part of the next day too.
Nothing more is needed to prove that the climate is
rapidly altering, and that in the process of time the desert
may, literally as well as figuratively, " rejoice and blossom
as the rose.' Indeed, at Ismailia there are already much re
joicing and much blossoming too. There are public gardens
of no ordinary beauty, long groves of young trees, luxu
riant hedges, and fruitful fields. Ismailia is by no means
a town to be despised, as its well-built houses and grand
summer palace testify. And if anything were wanting to
prove its great respectability, it is the fact that all its don
keys are named after the statesmen and military celebri
ties of Europe. Napoleon, Alfonso, King William,
Moltke, Francis Joseph, and Garibaldi, were all waiting
at the jetty ready saddled when we landed. I chose
I

114 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Bismark — a grizzled donkey of great strength, and, look
ing back on that moonlight ride, I am bound to say that
he outstripped all competitors, and carried off hon
ours both as a racer and as a kicker. Let the great of
Europe know that their highest honour in Ismailia is to
have a donkey named after them.
Ismailia is about halfway down the canal, and sup
posing the fog to clear away before midday, you ought to
arrive at Suez by night. This is, however, by no means.
certain, even in these days of steam. Every now and
again some slight turning occurs, and then the chances are
that, unless directed by a very skilful pilot and a good
crew, the ship will run aground. A variety of enter
taining incidents follow. You may be asked to leave the
vessel in company with the rest of the passengers, and so
lighten the ship — a diversion by no means to be desired,
as it involves the chance of your having to sit upon the
hot sand for some hours, while the sailors are exerting
themselves to move their unwieldy vessel. Or you may
be allowed to stop on board, but required to dispense
with the awning which alone makes hfe bearable in the
desert ; and, worse than all, be deafened for hours by a
badly working, clattering donkey engine and windlass,
which almost invariably for the first fifty attempts to.
grasp the cable — which is attached to a post ashore, and
which, if properly gripped, would pull the vessel round,
lets it slip at the very moment when a well-sustained pull
would put everything right. If you get through the
Canal with less than a couple of such experiences, you will
be very fortunate. The ' Serapis ' went aground for a short
time, and so has almost every vessel of considerable ton
nage that I have heard of. Occasionally the blades of
the screw are lost in the attempt to move the ship, as was
the case with the ' Sumatra ' some time back ; or perhaps

THE VOYAGE TO CEYLON. 115
the ship has to stop for twelve hours till the tide lifts her,
so that it is by no means certain that if you leave Ismailia
in the morning you will see Suez before night. Still, if
you have good fortune, and can avoid the bad places in
the Canal, you may go along quicker even than that,
especially through what are called the Bitter Lakes, where
ten knots an hour, or even more, may be made. In this
way you go, along, through some of the most uninviting
scenery in the world — arid desert, only now and then
relieved by the little patches of vegetation which have
recently sprung up, an occasional mirage, a flock of birds,
and now and then a party of Arabs with their camels^
their wives and their children, sometimes with merchan
dise and sometimes not, but always ineffably dirty and
excessively wild. They are more frequently to be seen
at the little boat bridges, which are placed at certain
points at one spot. They claim absolute right of way,
having enjoyed the proprietorship of a road to the East
from Egypt ever since Abraham roamed about with his
camels and goods.
I will not attempt to describe at length the landing of
the Prince in Ceylon. One or two pictures presented
themselves, and these I will give you.
I have before remarked on the adaptability of the
palm leaf for purposes of ornamentation. Perhaps it may
be argued that in a place so full of foliage as Colombo
floral decoration was needless. But given that triumphal
arches are an orthodox expression of loyalty, Colombo
outvied Bombay itself. It is the home of fruits, as well
as flowers. The mango is richer, the pine-apple finer, and
the cocoanut more plentiful here than anywhere besides.
It was therefore with little astonishment that I saw pyra
mids of fruit eight feet high surrounding the bases of
arches, fruit hanging in great clusters all along the line of
12

119 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
route, and fruit on the arches themselves. Pray do not
imagine that what we in England know as a triumphal ,-
arch was to be seen in Ceylon. Here were lightness and
strength, but nothing solid or heavy. Thin bamboos
strongly tied together till an arch not three inches thick,
but fully seventy feet high and as many feet broad, was
raised, might well excite wonder in a mind unused to
such sights. Then when all kinds of fruit were hung
from the supports in rich clusters — the bright yellow and
red of the young cocoanuts contrasting with the green
plantains and mangoes, the bread fruit, and the areca nut
— an arch was made which needed no inscription to tell
its meaning, though the native Christians of Colombo had
made it, and thought fit to say so.
Yet, lest there should be sameness, the ingenious
gentleman to whom the decorations of Colombo were
confided bethought him of something new, and as Ceylon
is not only a great fruit store and conservatory of grandly
painted flowers, but also the home of the elephant, he
made arches of effigies of these magnificent creatures,
arches of elephants composed of canvas and rich Oriental
blossoms, arches representing the king of Ceylon beasts
entwining trunks and tusks, and upraising their heads in
order to let the Prince pass under. You never lost sight
of the elephant in Ceylon. True that he was not in the
streets, as in Baroda, or even in the suburbs, as in Hyder
abad, but the effigy was everywhere. We saw ebony
elephants on drawing-room tables, golden elephants on
the collars of officials, painted elephants on banners, brass
elephants on Government stamps, and the first thing that
the Prince set eyes on when he landed at Colombo were
two black images of elephants with eyes like tea-saucers,
and long black trunks grasping cocoanuts firmly. There
were other classes of arches, however. Towers were

THE VOYAGE TO CEYLON. 117
light — so light, indeed, that a man might almost have
walked away with a whole archway easily — semi-circular,
arches, square arches, and arches of a pattern which I
have never seen before, sprang up everywhere. The
materials were certainly close at hand ; it was but the
transfer of the branches and leaves from the trees on the
roadside to the arches ; but for all that the artistic beauty
of the structures was greatly to be admired, and Mr.
Gregory's island looks its very best.
I will not trouble you with the addresses of the Execu
tive Council, or the Municipal Council, nor even with the
reply of the Prince, first of all because from the place in
which I stood I heard nothing ; secondly, because they
are stereotyped ; you have had their purport already, and
their only merit was that they were very short. I believe
the good gentleman who compiled the Cingalese eloquence
was thrown from his carriage and severely bruised an
hour afterwards. He has, however, for consolation the
knowledge that a grateful people praise his skill in
condensing the local welcome into a few very choice
words. The great feature of the Colombo arrival, however,
was the display on the water. Eoyal processions, on
entering fresh places, are pretty much the same every
where. The aides-de-camp of the Eesident Governor
walk first, three abreast, and very upright indeed. The
Prince follows by the side of the Governor, bowing first
on this side and then on that, and smiling very graciously.
The suite come next in something very fike disorderly
array, and a number of local magnates bring up the rear
of the procession. It is the same at every capital, and
needs no special description. Perhaps the fact that the
native gentlemen wore chignons and semicircular combs in
their hair, long petticoats, and low shoes, might add

118 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
something to the interest of the scene ; perhaps also the
appearance of sundry old gentlemen who were adorned
with great discs of gold, given them as rewards for good
behaviour by successive Governors, broad bands of gold
lace, and golden daggers, should be described. The
readiness with which one of them, a very high functionary
indeed, with an excessively ugly face and an exceedingly
pretty coat, stood to be sketched, showed that he at any
rate thought himself worthy of especial notice, and the
admiring nods of his friends testified to their approval.
But, after all, triumphal arches, curiously-attired
natives, and even the Eoyal procession itself, were by no
means the things to be most carefully noticed. The
scene on the water was the most extraordinary sight.
There were funny old people who had engaged drum-and-
fife bands to play in their barges loyal tunes in various
keys. There were young ladies who dressed like old
men, and old men who dressed like young ladies, seated
under the canopies of foliage, and placidly waiting for
the Prince, who kept them for five hours, owing to wax-
foreseen accidents and to the foolish miscalculations of his
suite. Yet there was nothing but goodwill and loyalty.
The cheers which accompanied the salute from the fleet
and the fort were full of hearty good humour, and it is a
question whether anywhere else the Prince met more
gladsome people or people saw a more gratified Prince.

119

CHAPTEE IX.
CINGALESE FAIRY LAND.
On the journey to Kandy, I saw what I believe to be
the prettiest spectacle in the world. Before the vivid
impression it has made upon my mind dies away let me
strive to depict it.
' You have seen nothing till you have been to Kandy,'
said the Governor of Ceylon — hospitable Mr. Gregory — ¦¦
as we sat and discussed the visit of the Prince. ' It is the
loveliest place in creation, and when you have seen it
you will say so,' added his Excellency. It was, there
fore, with no little expectation that I looked forward to
my trip to Kandy. Everything tended to make that
expectation greater. Coffee-planters praised the decoration
of Colombo, but recommended Kandy as a place need
ing neither ornamentation nor beautifying. Inhabitants
of the port themselves, while proud of the city, yet point
to Kandy as the summum bonum of civic excellence.
Kandy must be a pretty place, or no more faith could be
placed in the word of man. Seven o'clock in the morn
ing was fixed for the hour of our departure into- the
interior, so that we had the best part of the day before
us. A shady sky, too, favoured the travellers, who would
otherwise have been half-roasted, crowded together as
we were, before the six hours' journey was a thing of the

120 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
past. At length we started, and then a panorama of
surpassing beauty, which never closed for a moment till
we reached our destination, and still surrounds us which
ever way we look, opened before us. It is vain for me
to attempt to describe the landscape of Ceylon. Bring
together the grandeur of Alpine lands, the mellow beauty
of Swiss scenery where the lake of Lucerne looks prettiest ;
add to the sketch admirably cultivated fields of grain, and
fill the picture with the luxuriant foliage of the tropics,
and you have a faint idea of the lovely scene through
which we passed.
It is a great privilege to see Adam's Peak. When
first I looked at it we were fifty miles from Ceylon, in
half a gale, on our beam-ends. Still trying as was the
tossing of the ship, and doleful as looked the inky sky,
with its afterwards fulfilled promise of storm and lightning,
there was the summit bearing the footprint of Buddha, to
look upon which is as meritorious an act for a Buddhist
as a journey to Mecca is for a follower of the Prophet.
For aught we could tell to the contrary, the print of that
wonderful foot might be on the very side of the mountain
upon which we were gazing, All Oriental persuasions
revere the phenomenon. Ask a Mohammedan, and he
will tell you that the huge mark was the footprint of
Adam; enquire of a Chinese, and he will award the
honour of possessing the largest pedal appanage in the
world — it is five feet long — to Fo. Portuguese writers
have quarrelled from time immemorial over the conflict
ing claims of St. Thomas and the Eunuch of Candace to
this mark on the rock ; the Brahmins have every reason
to be perfectly sure that Shiva's toes effected the imprint;
while Moses of Chorene — a very sad man, who ought to
be remembered with much reprobation — said the. foot
print was that of Satan himself, and not of a saint at all.

CINGALESE FAIRY LAND. 121
While on the journey to Kandy we had plenty of
time to consider all this. Adam's Peak stood out against
the sky ever so m'any miles away, and formed the
centrepiece in the background of the picture. Bound its
elevated head the clouds played, yet ever and anon the
summit would be lit up by the sun's rays, the sharp peak
glittered as brightly as though it were incandescent.
Among the things we had been told to expect was a
thrill of excitement at what is most appropriately known
as Sensation Eock. Have you ever looked into the
interior of the crater of Vesuvius, sat in the train as it
passes on the edge of the precipice which overhangs
the light green lake of Neuchatel ; walked on the ledge
which joins the Capel Curig and the Beddgellert ascent of
Snowdon ; passed along the line which leads to the Mont
Cenis tunnel ; looked down the Eighi ascent ; gone to the
edge of any one of the chasms which abound on Mont
Pilatus, or looked down the precipices over which you
pass when you go over the Bhore Ghauts on the road
from Bombay to Poona ? If so, you can estimate the
grandeur of the sight from Sensation Eock when you
learn that it far exceeds in terrible magnificence any and
all of these.
Moreover, you are not looking down upon a flinty
surface of barren rock. On the contrary, nowhere else is
vegetation so abundant. You are full of wonder as you
see the myriads of trees and flowers which cover the
ground. Scarcely a fruit or a leaf that( belongs to
tropical climes is -missing. Were you to fall over the
edge into the abyss below, you would never reach the
earth. Palms, mangoes, plantains, banyans, bread
fruit trees, arecanut plants, the interlacing arms of con-
volvoli, trumpet-flowers, huge ferns, and a hundred other
exuberant members of the vegetable world would catch

122 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
you. You would be killed, for a fall of five hundred
feet upon the softest of couches would be deadly. But
you expire upon a bed of unequalled beauty, with roses
for your pillow and palms for your coverlet. Every
moment the scene changed, too, in this wonderful tripi
Coffee plantations climbing the hills would be seen, then
the striated surface of land cultivated for rice, next thick
jungle with scarcely an open space of a foot wide to be
distinguished, then the mountain scenery, with its preci*
pices, and afterwards a flower- producing district of sur
passing beauty. In this way the six hours flew pleasantly
by, till at length we reached Kandy and found it all we
expected. Kandy railway station presented altogether a novel
sight to the Prince and those who accompanied him. All
at once we found ourselves in a new land. The people
belonged to a different type and race ; the scenery was
different — everything was strange except the palm-leaf
decoration, which I have admired so much before. I
will not stay to speak of the flags and the other matters
— suffice it to say that the station, without a single person
in it, would still have looked very pretty. But the great
sight was the assemblage. Away outside, on the sides of
the high hills which shut the town in like a little amphi
theatre, were small knots of gaily dressed people under
the shade of trees, the bright red and white dresses
pleasantly contrasting with the varied hues of light and
deep dark green, and on a slope inside the town, close to
the station, thousands of sightseers had taken up a posi
tion. All along the road on both sides were very extra
ordinary persons ; they were called ' headmen,' and wore
something peculiar, greatly resembling a square pin
cushion, on their heads. Note that it was not this gear
from which they derived their title. Their business is to

CINGALESE FAIRY LAND. 123
control districts under the management of superior officers.
If you chanced to be a Cingalese — and you could not find
a lovelier home — you would be registered by a headman
directly you were born ; your arrival at the age of fifteen
— a date which renders you liable for military service —
would be chronicled by the headman ; to a headman you
would go when you wished to be married, and to a head
man your relatives would go when they wanted to bury
you. Such were the men who lined the road by which
the Prince was to travel when he left the station. They
led the way to the pretty triumphal arches circled by the
town ; they pointed to the beautiful trophy with a re
volving minaret erected by a Mussulman grandee, which,
when the Prince arrived, sent out a golden canopy rest
ing upon wires fixed high in the air, in such fashion that
it overshadowed the canopy of the Prince till he came in
front of Government House.
But, to return to the inside of the station. The most
prominent object for the Prince's inspection was a party
of Veddas advantageously placed on the top of a cattle
truck. Here were the veritable wild men of the jungle
-—eight in number — with their equally veritable wild
women. The Cingalese looked at them in mute astonish
ment. Even they had never seen such savages before.
Miserable skeletons with long matted hair — one of them,.
an elderly and toothless person, resembled a ship's mop
more nearly than anything else I can think of — with
great rolling eyes, almost naked bodies, grasping their
bows and arrows and looking round nervously as though
they would jump off the truck and dart away, these
Veddas crouched together and glared fike wild beasts.
They had been brought down from the hills in the
Eastern province for the Prince to see, and they were a
strange company to behold. Next day I saw them once

124 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
more, and the result of my observation you shall presently
have. Just below them stood the 57th Eegiment, under
the command of Colonel Logan, all in white dresses, and
wearing white helmets. Then a number of gentlemen
with doubtfully fitting dress coats, stood grouped together,
the Municipal Council of the city of Kandy. But these
were by no means the conspicuous portion of the gather
ing. Have you ever heard of the old Kandyan Chiefs,
the grand old men who still hold the drums captured
from Major Davie's force when they beat the English
down to the gates of Colombo, and extended their inde
pendence for twelve years ? If so, let me say that they
are now the most loyal subjects of the Queen, that one of
them has conferred great favours upon Kandy, and that
they are now as contented as they were once trouble
some. Still, had they been dressed in the costume of
Europeans, they might not have attracted so much atten
tion, certainly they would not have added so greatly to
the interest of the scene. They came down in their
most resplendent robes, with the pincushion cap, richly
embroidered and crowned in the centre by an aigrette of
emeralds, pearls, sapphires, and rubies, long white dresses
and drawers, marvellously worked and gilded jackets, and
broad gold lace bands round their waists. And there
they stood, in two groups on each side of. the carpet
along which the Prince would pass, ready to give him
a Kandyan welcome. Behind them again were some
Buddhist priests, with dirty shaven heads and long yellow
robes ; the people, the horses and carriages did the rest.
How enthusiastically the Prince was. received, how he
was received, how he spoke to the chiefs, entered the
carriage, and drove away up to the town to the music of
bands and the shouts of the people, have all long since
been told you, and I, therefore, do not stay to tell you
again.

125

CHAPTEE X.
KANDYAN CURIOSITIES.
From the day when I first read ' Mangnall's Questions,'
and trembled lest I should forget their answers when I
stood before my tutor and the desk in which I knew a
particularly thick cane was hidden, I have understood
that the Buddhists had eecentric ideas. But until the
day I visited Kandy I did not know that they could be
half so eccentric as I now find them to be.
It had been announced that a Perahera would be held
in the evening in front of the Pavilion or Government
House, in which the Prince temporarily stays. What a
Perahera was it was not easy to learn. That it was a
religious procession, and had something to do with very
religious elephants was well known, but, for the rest, my
own very imperfect knowledge of the elegant language
called Tamil, and the ignorance of English displayed by
my informant, conveyed very little information. It was,
therefore, with some slight degree of curiosity that I took
my place in the garden of the Government House, and
waited for 'the fete. I had seen sacred — very sacred —
bulls, monkeys, and goats at Bombay, but as yet it had
not fallen to my lot to see sacred elephants. The
gardens of the Pavilion are equally beautiful with the
rest of Kandy. Leaves of all shades, flowers of all sorts,
surround a very pretty mansion, A fine portico with

126 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
very wide steps and grandly-designed pillars opens upon
a broad pathway. It was in this pathway, close by the
portico, where, about ten o'clock in the evening, the seats
for the few privileged spectators of the Peraheran sacred
procession were placed. A somewhat similar spectacle
was promised to the people for the morrow. This was
to be a very select and private performance. Looking
down the pathway, which was purposely very dimly
lighted by a few Chinese lanterns, you saw at the far
extremity a great blaze of torches and lamps. An in
ordinately inquisitive person would probably have gone
at once to the gate, and dissolved the spell of mystery
which overhung the proceedings. But those who
were wise took the Governor's advice and waited on
either side of the Prince till a signal was given and the
glare and flare of the torches came nearer. It was then
clear that an extraordinary spectacle had been prepared
by the Buddhist priests as a token of extreme favour to
the Prince of Wales. For there were the chiefs _ of the
temples, the custodians of the sacred tooth of Buddha,
with their elephants, banners, and insignia of priestcraft,
attended by their dancers and tom-tom beaters, and
accompanied by the Kandyan chieftains whom we saw at
the station.
To those who have not heard religious tom-toms
played by religious men, it is difficult to convey the
sensation which we, who were not used to such a noise,
experienced. Twenty very large tom-toms, beaten with
very large sticks by very strong fists, made the attack.
In advancing upon us the players had considerable
advantages. They wore very fittle clothing, so that their
sinewy arms were quite unincumbered; they were
celebrated for the clatter they could make, and had been
incited to excel themselves en this occasion ; then they

KANDYAN CURIOSITIES. 127
had to aid them a beautiful echo, which vastly increased
the din ; and, lastly, they were allowed to come as close
as they pleased, I do not complain that my ear-drums
tingled — I do not think anybody dreamt of mentioning
the ear in connection with that terrible noise. Long
before the tom-toms and their beaters had taken up a
good position the sound had penetrated far beyond the
ear, and was preying upon the vitals of the half-stunned
Englishmen; it struck upon the cavity of the chest, it
descended to the pit of the stomach, the ear gave up
resistance as useless, and let the sound fly all over the
body till we absolutely quivered.
While this noise was going on, there emerged from
the procession about a dozen of the ugliest young men
we had yet seen. They were plentifully ornamented
with strings of pearls and bangles ; on their ankles,
wrists, and necks were little cymbals, which made a
rattling, clinking sound, which, therefore, would intro
duce a new element of misery to listeners, had not the
tom-tom players been by this time exhausted and obliged
to play with considerably less vigour. The twelve men
began to dance, while the torches were held round in
order that they might see where to jump. For jumping
would be a better description of their exercises than any
other word. First they would spring forward and then
they would fly back, then twirl round on their heels,
shake their cymbals, strike the little tom-toms which
they- carried under their arms, and utter a yell. As a
savage performance it, no doubt, had its merits, but when
it had been repeated a dozen times the Prince had had
enough of it, and they were ordered to move on.
Next to them came a long string of elephants, ridden
by priests, and very gaudily dressed. I had good reason
to know that the first rider was chief of a temple, for

128 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
during the afternoon I had wandered into the interior of
a shrine on the assurance that my presence would not be
objected to, when that old gentleman rushed in, threw
off his long yellow robe, and performed a dance round
me very similar to that which the jumping twelve had
favoured the Prince with. A dignified retreat became
advisable, as the priest was being imitated by some of
his assistants, and their rage was rapidly increasing. I
had, therefore, as I backed out of the temple, keeping
my face towards my assailants, good opportunity for
noticing the lineaments of that fierce priest's face, and
hence my recognition of him when the elephants went
by. Somehow or other, to his evident chagrin, nobody
else seemed to know him, however, and the three first
elephants were allowed to pass by almost unnoticed.
The fourth was a particularly fine animal, and as he
approached, the Prince held out a tempting piece- of
sugarcane, upon which the loyal creature dutifully knelt,
conveyed the cane to his mouth, and then, thoughtful,
held out his trunk for more. He got more cane, but not
quite of the kind he hoped for ; it was a stroke from a
malacca, admonishing him to get up and make room for
another. That other was not far behind ; indeed, he
was down on his knees, holding out his trunk, before the
Prince could give him a handful of plantain. But his
energy was rewarded — he received the fruit, and made
off with it as rapidly as possible. After this fashion
about a dozen elephants were treated, and then the
Kandyan chiefs whom we had seen in the afternoon
came up in a body, preceded by their banners and
sword-bearers, made a low obeisance to the Prince and
passed on.
In this way the procession continued without flagging.
The dancers varied in costume, and in manner of per-

KANDYAN CURIOSITIES.* 129
formance; the elephants had their own idiosyncrasies:
some preferred sugarcane, some chose plantains, some
refused to move till they received both. Then the
dancers, as they sprang out of the surrounding gloom
into the glare of light, had their eccentricities. There
was one who insisted on turning somersaults till he got
too giddy to turn any more, and had to be led away.
There were a dozen with conical caps made of strips of
brass, who danced till they had to be removed. There
were tom-tom beaters, too, who played and jumped and
jumped and played till Mr. Gregory could bear with
them no longer, and they were chased away ; and there
were even dancing torch-bearers, whose gyrations were
both fearful and wonderful. Little need for wonder was
' there that a tiny elephant, unused to such a clatter, made
a. shrill trumpeting noise with his trunk, rushed at thie
gateway, and vainly attempted to dance too — in this in
stance, a fandango on the body of a native. For two
hours the din continued, the enormous procession having
apparently no end. But at last it was over. The Prince
retired, and Kandy went to sleep.
The - knighting of Mr. Gregory, now Sir William
Gregory, K.C.M.G., and the exhibition of the sacred
tooth of Buddha, are two events which will long be re
membered in Kandy. To a Buddhist the description of
the tooth and its surroundings would be most important,
for great advantages come to the fortunate man who
looks upon that sacred relic and lives. To a loyal
Englishman the investiture ceremony would be of para
mount importance. Let us be loyal, and look into the
audience- chamber of the old palace, where already, an
hour before the announced time, all society in Kandy is
assembled. No insignificant building is that in which we find
K

130 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
ourselves. A large oblong apartment, with a richly-
carved ceiling, supported by magnificent columns of teak,
having a broad space in the centre, colonnades on each
side, and at one end a raised dais. On the dais are a
throne of crimson velvet for the Prince and an armchair
for the Governor. Flags hang from the walls ; floral
decorations are plentiful ; the English ladies and gentle
men who are ranged in tiers inside the colonnades are
brilliantly attired in evening dress and uniforms. A
guard of honour holds the approaches to the dais ; the
apartment is resplendently lighted ; only one fault is
noticeable — the Prince will face the south when pre
sently he sits in Durbar, the saddest omen of danger
that the Cingalese know. Why did not some well-
instructed person tell his Eoyal Highness that a King
of Kandy, or an Heir Apparent to this mountainous
realm, should always face the north when on the throne?
Inside the centre space, to the right of the dais, was a
scene which has seldom before been witnessed. A num
ber of Kandy ladies, dressed in white, and beautifully
decorated with jewels, are seated in a long row, ready
to welcome the Prince. You look at them, and see at
once that they are high-caste ladies of no mean birth.
The conclusion is right ; these grand-looking dames are
no less than the wives of the chiefs of Kandy, come for
the especial purpose of seeing their lords wait upon his
Eoyal Highness. While we are regarding all this, a stir .
is noticeable outside. A band, which is stationed be
tween two lines of artificial elephants, strike up the
National Anthem, and instantly the Prince, loudly
cheered, enters the hall, accompanied by the Governor
and suite, and ascends the dais. The officers group
themselves behind, the audience settles down, and no-
thing is heard but the faint cheering of the crowds out-

KANDYAN CURIOSITIES. 131
side. It is a marvel that that is heard. For a tropical
storm has burst over Kandy. The lightning is flashing,
the rain is descending in torrents, the illuminations which
but a few moments before made Kandy brilliant, from
the tops- of the mountains where bonfires blazed to the
island in the lake which occupies the centre of the city,
and was resplendent with Chinese lamps, are fast going
out. But we must leave the people outside, for' the
chiefs are passing along the hall, not on all fours, but
erect and proud, conscious of their dignity and fully
equal to the exigencies of the occasion. Five abreast,
with those extraordinary hats of theirs on their heads,
-they approach slowly, and then, as their names are
severally announced, bow and retire. Not for long, how
ever. A few minutes later they return, bearing in their
hands a huge silver casket of exquisite workmanship,
containing all kinds of silver instruments for the enjoy
ment t>f the betel nut. With great grace they present
this, and with equal grace it is received. Then they file
off once more, and leave the space in front of the dais
vacant. Just now the Governor is seen to leave his place at
the left of the Prince, and, in mysterious fashion, pass
down the hall by one of the corridors. There is simul
taneously with this movement a procession forming at
the far end of the room. It advances slowly, and then
we see that Mr. Gregory is advancing towards the dais,
followed by Mr. Douglas, " the Auditor-General ; Mr.
Birch, the Colonial Secretary ; and the rest of his Excel
lency's suite. Everybody stands up, Mr. Gregory makes
a profound bow to the Prince, who at once begins a
short address, which is to the purport that the Queen,
recognising the many merits of her right trusty coun
cillor the Governor, has resolved on making him a
k2

132 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Knight Commander of the Most Illustrious Order of St.
Michael and St. George ; that he (the Prince) has been
commanded to confer the honour, and that it was with
pecufiar pleasure that he did so. Then a gentleman-
with a roll of paper in his hand steps forward and reads
a patent, which tells how that, on the 3rd of December,
the Queen was pleased to direct that William Gregory
should be distinguished ; and next a document directing
the Prince to carry out the patent; whereupon Lord
Charles Beresford unsheathes a sword and hands it to
his Eoyal Highness. Mr. Gregory kneels down, and the
Prince, touching him on both shoulders, says, ' Eise, Sir
William Gregory ! ' and, as the newly-made Knight gets
up, shakes hands with him. I need not give the exact
text of the address the Prince delivered. It was compli
mentary to the Knight, to his suite, to his province.
Nor need I trouble you with the words in which Mr.
Gregory expressed his thanks. Suffice it to say that
they were few, well chosen, and loyal. Sir William will
always value the Order, but most of all because it has
been presented him by the Prince. Then the Governor
has to read the time-honoured document which pro
mises, in case of promotion, degradation, or death, Sir
William, his heirs, or assigns, will duly return the glitter
ing star which the Prince has just clasped round his
neck, and then, with another shake of the Eoyal hand
and another bow to the Eoyal throne, he reascends the
dais, and takes his seat once more by the side of the
Prince. Without much loss of time, the Prince now
decorates two members of the Council with the dignity
of C.M.G., leaves the platform, advances to the wives of
the chieftains, shakes hands with them all, and then,
followed by his suite, makes for the Buddhist Temple"
and Buddha's tooth.

KANDYAN CURIOSITIES. 133
It was fortunate that the temple was within the
precincts of the palace, for the storm continued, and the
rain fell fast. We^ however, were happily able to pass
by a covered way into the sacred building through the
serried ranks of hundreds of Buddhist priests, all clad in
yellow silk robes, a fine array of proud men, with their
closely shaven beards and their bared right arms. They
did not bow, for a Buddhist priest knows of none greater
than himself save Buddha ; but their welcome seemed
none the less hearty. On we went through the sacred
corridor, up the sacred steps, into the sacred shrine itself,
where the high priest stood ready to welcome the Prince.
There were eight priests and twenty Englishmen crowded
into a little room about eight feet square, which, brightly
lighted and heavily hung with drapery, combined to form
a very ' warm corner ' indeed. However, his Eoyal
Highness with great good humour accommodated him
self to circumstances, and, refusing to listen to the sug
gestion of one of his underlings that all save one or two
should quit the apartment, waited for the production of
the sacred tooth.
It was not to be exhibited in a hurry, however, with
out due ceremony, or indeed, without some respect for
our nerves. So he first of all produced some pretty
jewellery, next some chains, a great quantity of precious
stones, and then a large bell-shaped casket of silver, richly
ornamented with gems and chains. Eaising this "very
slowly, he exposed another carandua, similarly wrought
and similarly ornamented, then another and another, each
enclosed within the rest. We looked with some surprise
at our Buddhist friends, and wondered whether after all
the tooth was there. But, at last a little gold casket was
reached, beautifully ornamented with rubies, sapphires,
and diamonds, and then it became evident that the last

134 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
box had been reached. Besides, too, the priest had now
taken the box in his hands, and was slowly raising the
lid. How necks were craned forward and eyes strained
to catch the first glimpse of this relic of Gotama
Buddha. 'At last it burst into view, and we were
in possession of all the good which those gain who
are fortunate to see the mortal remains of a god. I am
bound to admit that it was large enough to satisfy any
body, and, more than that, to say that if Gotama Buddha
ever did have such a tooth as that in his head, he might
fairly claim to be excused from all responsibility for any
thing he said or did. What we saw was a huge piece of
ivory, about two inches and a half long, and about half an
inch in diameter, rising slowly to a smoothly rounded
cone, reposing on a gold lotus leaf.
After this we were shown the largest emerald in the
world, a huge gem three or four inches long and nearly
two inches deep, in the form of a likeness of Buddha.
Of its value the priests could say nothing ; but there was
little doubt that it was real, the Prince very shrewdly
remarking that the Buddhists were too good judges to be
deceived in such a matter ; then an anklet which used to
be worn by the Kings of Kandy, and a number of other
jewels, amongst them a great sapphire as large as a
walnut, very richly set. This concluded the exhibition,
whereupon the Prince presented the priests with two
handsomely-bound dictionaries, promised to hear a part
of their scriptures read presently, and also to receive as
a present a copy of their sacred books. This done, his
Eoyal Highness quitted the shrine, which was once more
closed and jealously guarded. So much for the tooth for
which one of the Kings of Siam offered a million sterling.
Next day, when I visited the temple, hundreds of eager
Buddhists were crowding into the sacred room. They

From the Graphic.
BUDDHIST PHIESTS EXHIBITING BUDDHA'S TOOTH TO THE PRIXCE AT KANDY.

KANDYAN CURIOSITIES. 135
had brought offerings of money, of cloth, of beads and
ornaments ; one carried a great bottle of eau-de-Cologne
(as a gift, another had brought a picture. In the corridors
of the temple were some dozens of men and women with
plates full of beautiful flowers, which they sold as offerings
to Buddha ; and altogether a strange scene of chaffering,
bargaining, crowding, giving, and worshipping was
witnessed. The ceremony of hearing the words of Buddha was to
take place in the Octagon, a tower also belonging to the
palace where the Kings of Kandy were wont to view their
subjects. It is an eight^sided room, with an open ve
randah. Seated here, the Prince could look down upon
the Esplanade, a green square near the centre of the
town, and see the people massed in thousands waiting to
see his Eoyal Highness, and waiting to see, moreover, the
public Perahera, or Procession of Elephants, a private re
hearsal of which we had attended on the previous evening.
It was not long in taking place. Some priests entered,
bearing two rolls of manuscript, which were presented to
the Prince in return for the dictionaries, a selected reading
was gone through, there were smiles, congratulations, and
a parting. Then looking out of the verandah upon the
Esplanade, through the heavy rain which still fell, the
Prince waited the procession of elephants. There is
no doubt that the sight would have been as pretty and as
effective as was the rehearsal had not the rain spoilt
everything. Down it came, putting out torches and
lamps and Chinese lanterns alike, making the very ele
phants so miserable that some of them refused to trumpet
with their trunks when they went past the Octagon, a
breach of manners which would otherwise never have en
tered the head of a well-bred elephant. Still the people
stood patiently till the procession had passed and the

136 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Prince had gone, when they slowly separated, though"
drenched to the skin by the dismal rain. Next morning
the Prince, as you already know, went away to the far
interior to shoot elephants.
Here it was that his Eoyal Highness met with the
only accident of his trip ; and after this fashion. It is
universally conceded that no human being can by any
possibility be in two places at once. Let me, therefore,
while delaying to chronicle the adventures of the Prince
in the forests of Ceylon, recount first of all what befell the
Duke of Sutherland, Lord Alfred Paget, Lord Carington,
and one or two others of the Prince's suite who left
Colombo for Neurafia, and so parted company with his
Eoyal Highness for a day or two. To do this it must
first of all be understood that Neurafia is a hill station,
blessed with a climate very similar to that of England,
producing all the fruits and flowers that we love best at
home, while at the same time it has many blossoms and
trees of which we in England see nothing. More than
that, its woods abound with game of all kinds ; the elk is
plentiful, bison and buffalo abound, cheetahs, too, and
panthers, to say nothing of the great guana — a lizard of
gigantic proportions, which runs at you, opens its great
mouth, and if report be true, bites like a young alligator
— snakes, and leeches. Then there are floods which
swamp the country ; so that perils wait the huntsman by
water as well as by land. You may be strangled by a
boa, eaten by a panther, or drowned by a stream at any
moment, — excitement enough for anybody. It was to
this pleasant district that part of the Prince's suite went.
I wish I could picture to you the country through
which they passed ; high hills covered with coffee-plants,
plains of paddy (or rice) fields, thick jungle in which the
lentana, the palm, plantain, and other plants are founds-

KANDYAN CURIOSITIES. 137
a vegetable thicket only to be found in the zone of the
tropics. It must not be supposed that the Prince's party
travelled hither on foot. On the contrary, an appointed
carriage — an omnibus in size — conveyed them to the place
where Sir William Gregory spends a fourth of the year,
as Governor of the island. Thence the trip was of a more
sportsmanlike character. Quitting Neurafia early in the
morning, the party proceeded, partly on horseback and
partly on foot, to the place where sport was expected.
At length an estate belonging to ah hospitable planter
named Denning was reached, and here a pack of deer-
hounds was found. Without more ado these were soon
taken out, and as quickly were in full cry. Through the
jungle, round by paths marked by travellers, over hills
and across valleys^ the elk was pursued, till at length it
was caught by one of the foot-hunters who pursued the
game armed with long knives for the purpose of killing it
'should the dogs fail. They had been exceedingly useful
in this instance. The elk was found to be stabbed and
dead, and with this, as rain was falling heavily, the party
returned to Neurafia, and next day rejoined his Eoyal
Highness. The news that the Prince had met with an accident
created some consternation in Colombo. ' Intelligence of
that kind loses nothing by travelling, and it was soon
stated most positively that the Prince had had a very
narrow escape, that the carriage in which he rode had
been broken to pieces on the very edge of a precipice,
that he was picked up out of the relics of the vehicle in
much the same manner as a cask of flour is removed from
a wreck; and that altogether the 'catastrophe' was one
of a most serious description. I .at once telegraphed
home to the effect that all this was an exaggeration. The
facts were these: the Prince having spent a Sunday at

138 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Euanwella, advanced on the Monday morning to a kind
of platform in the jungle, close to which it was reported
a party of seven elephants were hidden. Amongst them
was a ' rogue ' — that is, a peculiarly vicious tusker —
whose charging propensities were already well known to
hunters in Ceylon ; and it was hoped that the savage
animal would fall a victim to the Prince's rifle. To en
sure this, if possible, a number of beaters were sent out to
drive the elephants past the crow's-nest on which the
Prince was stationed. But it was all to no purpose ; the
elephants refused to take part in the fun, and, after wait
ing for three or four hours, the Prince was as far from
shooting the ' tusker ' as ever. At last wiser counsels
prevailed, and the Prince, descending from his waiting-
place, entered the jungle, accompained by two good shots
of colonial celebrity. Presently the Prince got sight of
an elephant, fired, and brought him down ; the beast was,
however, only wounded, for he got up, and went off
almost immediately afterwards, with great ease. Another
chance of sport offered itself, however, almost directly,
and this time it was successful ; a fine large elephant was
shot, and his tail secured as a trophy for his Eoyal High
ness. One or two more were wounded later on, and then
the party prepared to return. Eeturning, however, from
a shooting expedition in Ceylon, is not always an easy, or,
indeed, practicable feat, and the Prince, in the return
journey from Euanwella was unfortunate. The night was
dark, fireflies and the torches of natives, stationed at
various intervals, were the only fights to be seen, when
at a sharp corner about five miles from the scene of the
shooting a piece of bad ground was found. It is not an
easy thing to drive * Ceesar and all his fortunes.' The
Governor's coachman lost his head, and upset the vehicle.
Over it went with a crash, but so complete was the somer^

KANDYAN CURIOSITIES. 139
sault that no one in the carriage was hurt. The Prince
was safe, though covered with debris. Lord Charles
Beresford, the hero of the Poona accident, crawled out
unhurt, and an aide-de-camp who was one of the party
was not inconvenienced. By the light of torches the ele
phant's tail, the Prince's trophy, was discovered amid
much merriment. His Eoyal Highness took his' seat in a
spare carriage, and proceeded at once on his journey to
Colombo, being so little incommoded by his misadventure
as to hold a levee in the afternoon, visit the Horticultural
Gardens later in the day, and attend a State dinner and
State ball in the evening.

140 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.

CHAPTEE XI.
THE VEDDAHS OF CEYLON.
Who is it that says a Veddah cannot smile ? If it be
Mr. Hartshorne, as an indignant and personal friend of
the Veddahs told me, let him hear of the following
incident. The Prince had hardly left the railway station, and
his followers had scarcely done struggling for carriages,
when a Cingalese clergyman, by name the Eev. D.
Somanader, courteously enquired if I would fike to make
the acquaintance of the savages on the top of the railway
trucks ? I had read Mr. Hartshorne's story with too
much interest to hesitate for one moment, and I at once
invited the whole of the Veddahs to a breakfast in the
garden adjoining my apartments. Seven o'clock was the
hour appointed, and, true to the minute, the eight gentle
men and three ladies composing the party, attended by
Mr. Somanader and a clergyman of the district, named
Coles, entered the garden.
The breakfast of a Veddah is not a serious business.
Very often it consists of plenty of fresh air, a drink of
water, and a long walk. Our cuisine was an improvement ;. J
on this. We had green cocoa-nuts, plantairis, some rice," "
and a little curry. You must know that the Veddah likes
meat as well as fruit. In his native home he enjoys a

THE VEDDAHS OF CEYLON. 141
roasted monkey or a toasted lizard (the guana) exceed
ingly, and would not mind at any time eating a piece of
venison, if fortune chances so to favour him. When the
fickle goddess is not kind,, he goes without flesh meat, or,
like the flying ant of the island, eats anything he can get
short of iron. The appearance of the cocoa-nuts de
lighted our guests, and they proceeded to partake of this
first course with as much gusto as a London gourmand
tastes his turtle and punch. It is always a joy to a Ved
dah to get a good meal. If in talking to him — always
supposing, on the principle of the old cookery-books,
that you can first catch your Veddah, and next that when
you have caught him you can understand his pleasant
language — you suggest exertion of any kind, he is courte
ous but firm upon one subject. Before he works he
must eat, and he will point to an empty stomach at once
to indicate this to you. This peculiarity was accordingly
met by the provision we had made, and it was the busi
ness of the Veddahs to make the most of the opportunity.
Taking the hatchet kind of hammers they carry in their
waist-cloth, they knelt down and cut through the fibrous
covering of the nut, through the hard shell also, and
so reached the kernel, which they pushed into their
mouths as rapidly as possible. I thought I detected
a smile on the face of one shock-headed old gentleman
without teeth, when he found that his nut was one of un
doubted goodness. But it was needless to look just then
— he laughed heartily presently, as you shall know. As
for the young ladies, a very tender nut, some plantains,
and bread were handed to each of them. They consumed
nearly the whole at once, and handed- over the fragments
to a thoughtful-looking male friend, who, without regard
for anybody who might chance to be near, took off his
waist- cloth, and, wrapping up the surplus eatables therein,

142 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
replaced it in such a fashion that, had he been a European
lady instead of a Veddah savage, the articles in question
would have constituted an excellent dress -improver.
Then the party adjourned into a corner to cook the rice
we had given them, which enabled me to make enquiries
of their guardian and Mr. Coles as to their manners and
customs. The party in Kandy were taken purposely from a
very savage hill tribe, and only persuaded to come down
by very considerable gifts of money, and ornaments for
the women. Each of the girls had from twenty to thirty
silver rings on her fingers, besides rings on her ankles and •
arms, given her before she started : and of these treasures
they were all very proud. I have spoken of their food ;
let me tell of their marriage customs. Living in huts
which can be built in an hour, and making their cooking
utensils mainly from the leaves of trees, the household
arrangements of the Veddahs are not such as to call for
any serious preparation. When a young man falls in love
with a maiden he first of all obtains her consent and then
waits upon her parents, who only demand that he shall
present their daughter with, a piece of cloth. He assents,
the cloth is produced, the lovers become husband and
wife at once, and remain so. There is no religious cere
mony, for of religion the Veddah has no idea. The only
supernatural being of which he has any notion is a devil,
which, by the way, is a very respectable sort of fiend
indeed, and not at all so implacable and bad as our
Western Beelzebub. The Veddah's demon is really only
a misguided person, who is fond of mischief; and when,
therefore, anybody falls ill, his friends get some jaggery
or native sugar, a little piece of cocoa-nut, and any other
luxury which circumstances permit of, and, placing it on
a leaf, dance round it till they think the Satanic anger is
appeased.

THE VEDDAHS OF CEYLON. 143
Breakfast over, the Veddahs were summoned to shoot.
So much has been said about their skill with the bow and
arrow, that we were careful to watch their powers very
narrowly. We placed a leaf about ten inches long by
six square upon a bamboo, about thirty yards from the
place where they stood, and then invited them to shoot.
Two arrows were sped at once ; the first shot of the
shock-headed old man went clean through the leaf ; the
second, discharged by a thin man with long hair, struck
the bamboo and knocked it down. It was clear that the
target was too close for such marksmen, and we removed
it to nearly double the distance, when the shooting began
again. In all about twenty arrows were fired ; scarcely
one fell six inches from the target, most of them either
went through the leaf or touched it ; a man at the
distance would have, been struck by eighteen arrows at
least. When a marksman made a particularly good shot
there was a shout of congratulation ; when a bad. shot
was made the archer looked at his bow with anger and
adjusted the string with great care. The thin man — why
call one thin when all were skeletons ? — was most suc
cessful, and won a rupee ; the gentleman with the vagrant
locks came next, and received threepence. As . for the
rupee, I am bound to say it was1 received as a matter of
course — seized with ungrateful avidity ; but the three
penny-piece was clearly a matter of surprise. A second
prize evidently entered info nobody's calculation. I sus
pect that when a race for a plump monkey takes place,
the rule is, Eclipse first, and the rest nowhere — the for
tunate, person who gets the monkey eats it all, and his
friends look on. Anyhow, the two-anna piece was a sur
prise. The recipient turned it over twice — it was a new
coin, and glittered in his dirty palm very enticingly. In
an instant he popped it into the rag encircling his waist,

144 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
and then refuted Mr. Hartshorne by laughing. Yes, there
could be no mistake about it; — the Veddah had got some
thing to laugh for. An unexpected threepenny-piece was
all gain — he could well afford to be merry. Nor let it be
thought that he was not a pure wild man. He was the
typical man of the party, with more hair, fewer teeth,
and less clothing than any of them — a magnificent hand
at eating green cocoa-nuts, and a great lover of some
bitter red bark, which he placed between his gums occa
sionally, and mumbled with great pleasure.
The shooting over, and this jocular Veddah having sat
for his portrait, a dance was proposed and agreed to, on
the exhibition of a few rupees, which were subscribed for
the purpose. You must not suppose for a moment that
the ladies danced. Still, the part they took in the ceremony
was one that astonished me. We were under the shade
of some plantains ; a cool, quiet nook, covered by leaves.
Five of the men formed a kind of a circle ; three stood at the
side ; the women took up a position a little way off. Till
then I had not had an opportunity of looking fully at them ;
but now I noted that although they were very thin, their
countenances were bright, their eyes bright, their carriage
almost as erect as that of the Mahratta women of Bom
bay, and their skin several shades lighter than the men's.
They were of a distinctly different type from the Cinga
lese, not having a single feature of resemblance ; but
although undoubtedly savages of a low order, they were
neither repulsive nor indeed ugly. The three men struck
up a song ; the five began a singular dance which con
sisted in a hop on one leg and a bob of the head — alto--
gether something both novel and funny. Just then I
looked up, and the Veddah women were actually laughing
— laughing and hiding their , faces, too, as though they.
were bashful. What could it all mean? A bashful

THE VEDDAHS OF CEYLON. 146
Veddah lady is, if I mistake not, altogether unmentioned
by Mr. Hartshorhe, and was quite unlooked for by me.
But the secret was soon explained. Those sad dogs of
Veddahs, those gay young men from the hills, were sing
ing a love song, with some questionable passages in it,
and the girls were laughing. So far as the faces of the
men, dancers and singers alike, were concerned, no con
firmation of this could be gained, for from the low
monotonous chant and the savage dance I could learn
nothing. Yet I have no doubt that the reverend guardian
of these savages was right, and that Veddah humanity is
very like other humanity all the world over.

146 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.

CHAPTEE XII,
THE SACRED TOOTH.
It was my fortune to obtain a second glance at Buddha's
tooth, under somewhat singular circumstances.
Some years ago, when the funds of the temple
became low, and it was necessary to raise money for the
crowd of priests who live in Kandy, the tooth was
exposed to the view of pilgrims for three weeks, and a
good round sum was obtained. Those who gave much
enjoyed a prolonged stare, smaller donors were allowed
to look and move on, whilst the rest, whose offerings
were insignificant, but who were admitted on the old
principle that ' mony a mickle maks a muckle,' were
hurried past. It had been expected that the tooth would
be exhibited now for a similarly long period, and the
faithful in the country were gathering up their skirts and
girding themselves for a pilgrimage to Kandy, when
suddenly the Dewee Nilemee, a kind of Dean of the
Temple, issued a notice that the relic would be put away,
and at the same time invited me to witness its restoration
to its place. I had before imagined that the room to
which the Prince of Wales had been admitted was the
ordinary shrine of the relic, and at first hesitated to obey
the summons ; but deliberation resulted in a change of
intention, and I repaired to the temple.

THE SACRED TOOTH. 147
To reach the room to which I was told the relic had
been conveyed it was necessary to go to the side of the
temple, and thence by a narrow and dimly -lighted stone
staircase, jealously guarded by priests, into a small square
ante-room. As I entered the door of the apartment I
noticed that it was covered with beaten gold, that the
posts were composed of an outer strip of finely carved
wood, then a strip of ebony, next a strip of carved ivory,
and after that one of embossed silver, the inner strip of all,
namely, that next the door, being of gold. Passing under
a curtain which was now lifted, I entered the room and
found myself in the company of about twenty priests, all
guarding very jealously the inner apartment of all. It
was clear that I had arrived , at the resting-place of the
relic, else what could mean the sliding iron barred gate,
which, being drawn back, showed a golden door with
- ornamental posts, exactly like those I have already
mentioned ? A heavy curtain, however, prevented my
looking through the doorway, and three or four stout
Cingalese prevented my further progress. It was possible
that I might have to turn back after all, for the priests
gave me looks that could not be called affectionate, and
muttered in their unpleasant language remarks the
reverse of complimentary. I was wondering whether
the purchase of a plateful of flowers which, stood on a
table would be of service, whether I should drop
some money into an iron grating close to the door,
evidently the receptacle of offerings, and so try the effect
of benevolence, or whether I should retreat, when the
Dewee Nilemee's face appeared in the doorway, and I
was admitted into the sacred chamber.
The room I was now in was scarcely more than six
feet square and nine high. The ceiling was heavily hiing.
with what had once been yellow silk, now discoloured
L 2

148 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
and almost black. The walls were bare ; there were two
other doors — on the right, and on the left — both fastened,
and I could discover no window and no means of ven
tilation whatever. Facing the door, on the step of which
I stood, was a square iron cage, raised three feet from
the ground and reaching to the ceiling. The floor of the
cage was of beaten silver. In the centre of the floor
was a huge silver gilt bell-like structure, beautifully em
bossed, more than four feet high, and at the base nearly
three feet in diameter. On a silver table in front of this
¦ cage were all the jewels we had seen exhibited on Friday
night to the Prince ; some half-dozen golden pagodas,
the receptacles for these treasures, were there also, and
nine priests were preparing under the supervision of the
Dewee Nilemee to put all away. There lay, also, the
sacred tooth on the golden lotus leaf, ready to be placed
in the largest pagoda of all. Eight or ten lighted wax
candles, some in stands and some in the hands of the
priests, added to the almost unbearable heat of the apart
ment, in which thirteen or fourteen people were crowded
together. With great ceremony the fittle golden casket
containing the tooth was closed by the high priest, his
brethren of the golden robe raising their hands in pious
attitude the while. The largest pagoda was then opened,
and all the inner cases I had previously seen were taken
out and opened. One by one they received the relic,
only now each was wrapped in muslin as it was placed
in the next largest case. There seemed occasionally to
be especial care to arrange the muslin in a certain way.
Everything was clearly done according to rule, and those
shaven yellow-robed priests were determined to do their
work well. A curious sight it was to see them bending
over the refic, the guttering candles in their hand, while
the Dewee Nilemee jealously watched the gradual

THE SACRED TOOTH. 149
swathing of the treasure. Case after case received it,
more muslin was handed up whenever wanted, till at
last it was ready for the golden pagoda. Then it finally
disappeared from view, a golden key was produced, the
pagoda was locked, and for the present placed on one
side. I wish I could fully describe that pagoda. It must
be of great value, for it is of pure gold, is very heavy,
'and nearly two feet high. From the umbrella or top
most story of the pagoda, hang chains which support
splendid jewels, catseyes nearly an inch in diameter, a
sapphire quite as large, besides diamonds and rubies ;
but only an actual sketch in bright colours can convey
to the eye an adequate idea of its beauty.
The next treasure to be similarly wrapped in muslin
and put away was the emerald Buddha, which was also
placed in a pagoda, somewhat smaller though quite as
pretty. There were the anklet and one piece of open
gold filagree work, heavily set with diamonds and other
stones, to go into another pagoda, and then the great
sapphire we saw an evening or two ago. Each was
wrapped up carefully, each hidden under the closest
supervision, and of each due account was taken by the
Dewee Nilemee. At length the two high-priests climbed
up into the cage, and proceeded to lift the top of the
bell from its place. They were strong men, but the
effort needed was a great qne, and it was some little time
before the massive piece of gilded silver was taken up.
So soon as it was done, however, one of the priests knelt,
and, handing out some more muslin, produced at length
a silver bo-tree, a bag full of little golden images of
Buddha, some chains, studs, and, in fact, about as mis
cellaneous a collection of jewellery as you would find in
a West-end shop. Out it came by handfuls, to be counted

1-50 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
by the Dewee Nilemee, and given into the custody of the
priests, who placed the articles in the remaining pagodas.
But an end will come to the production of treasures, be
they never so many, and an end came to these ; the
pagodas were full, and it now only remained to wrap
them all in thick folds of muslin. This done, the
receptacle of the book was lifted up by the high priests, a
deep obeisance was made, and then it was placed in the
centre bell-shaped case. One after another , the rest of
the pagodas were placed round it, the silver bo-tree
following last of all ; and, when this had been achieved,
and the number duly counted, the priests lifted the silver
top once more, and with a supreme effort got it into
position. The Dewee Nilemee, with evident pride, pro
duced a large gold key, and locked the huge casket.
This was not all, however. A band of thin iron
was now brought, and entwined round the bell in such a
way that, with the aid of a small padlock which was
attached to it, entrance to the bell was most effectually
prevented ; and, the padlock being fastened, some more
muslin was brought, wrapped over the lock, and sealed
with the Dewee Nilemee's seal, bearing a golden dodo,
and his name in Cingalese. A gold umbrella from which
chains and jewels hung was fixed on the top of the bell,
prnamental pieces were added to it, till at length it stood
out in the centre of the cage, a glittering pagoda, ready
for the worship of all who visit the shrine and are
allowed for a consideration to peer through the bars at
the resting-place of the tooth. The barred gate having
been drawn and fastened by a key in custody of one of
the high priests, the candles were put out, and we, per
spiring and faint, emerged into the outer room, saw the
door locked, the second grating fastened, and a watch
appointed to guard the treasure. The relic of Buddha
had been safely consigned to its shrine.

151

CHAPTEE XIII.
A WEEK IN MADRAS. ,
In the room where I sat to write this there was the en
graved portrait of a very extraordinary old man. His
face wore the most complete expression of idiotic joy
that could possibly be infused into any countenance.
Underneath was the following inscription : ' Eajah of Eajahs,
Eajah Chundoo Lai, Maharajah Bahadoor, the devoted
servant Of Asuf Jah ; who is the Eoostum of his Age, the
Aristotle of his Time, the Conqueror of Countries, the
Administrator of States, the Governor of Eealms.' Ex
hibited almost anywhere else, that grin depicted on Baha-
door's face would be almost incomprehensible. But, with
the fair view of the wide-spreading sea shore, the pleasant
campaign, and the grand city of Madras, I could understand
why the ' Eoostum of his Age ' felt very happy. If then,
the ownership of the fields, the strand, and the streets of
Madras made this ancient Euler gleeful, how proud should
the Duke of Buckingham, modern administrator of more
than the ' Governor of Eealms ' ever ruled over, be to
day ! Since the Maharajah has departed, Madras has in-*/
creased in stateliness and beauty. Palaces are everywhere,
broad parks and sheltered walks have been added to what
was already a grand city, till the place which the Prince
of Wales entered is as proud a capital as may be wished
for.

152 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Since the mainland was reached at Tuticorin the pano
rama which passed before us of landscapes, cities, and
people was singularly changeful. I do not refer to an
extraordinary passage which it was the fate of the special
correspondents of the London press to make in the Ceylon
Government steamer ' Nagotna.' Far be it from my
purpose to excite the risibility of those who sent us to sea
in a small flat-bottomed steamer, 160 tons in measure
ment, in one of the worst gales ever experienced in the
Gulf of Manaar. How we were thrown from side to side
of the creaking, helpless craft ; how the captain, with a
look that Dickens's ever-memorable Bunsby might have
envied, admitted, on the second night, that he did not
know where he was ; how we arrived at Tuticorin just as
his Eoyal Highness had left for Madura ; and how, to gain
a sight of his reception at Trichinopoly, we had to avail
ourselves for twelve miles of such accommodation as a
bullock- van whirled along by a special and very powerful
engine over a very rough, because newly-made, road
afforded, need not be dilated upon. Suffice it to say that
we did not experience that keen enjoyment which a
passage by sea and a run through one of the most
delightful parts of Southern India would otherwise
have afforded.
In my recollection, however, there is a curious spec
tacle, illustrative of the manner in which the old and the
new eras come continually into contact in this strangely
Conservative land. Look at it for a moment, and com
pare it with the spectacle of the Prince of Wales's entry
to Madras. The locale is the railway station at Trichino
poly. A great crowd of natives are on the platform ;
there is an English guard of soldiers ; outside are half-a-
dozen camels heavily laden wtth luggage ; both in and
out of the station are some singularly-attired sepoys in

- A WEEK IN MADRAS. 153
the pay of the Princess of Tanjore. These sepoys have
huge chimney-pot hats, clumsily-painted black old match
locks, green coats, no trousers, and a few have boots.
11, The band which accompanies them has the funniest col
lection of old brass instruments, tom-toms, and pipes.
They are all on the tiptoe of expectation, and drawn up in
as good order as their notions of drill will permit. Sud
denly a train runs into the station with a centre saloon
carriage, through the open windows of which may be
seen a chieftain richly dressed and ornamented with
jewel, and two fittle boys. At the sight of the train a
number of native officials emerge from a room on the
platform, and come forward with heads bent low, as though
about to seek audience of some very distinguished per
sonage.' The door of the saloon carriage thereupon opens,
and the Prince — for it is the Prime Minister and husband
of the Princess herself — comes forward. A few moments'
conversation, carried on with great show of condescension
on the one side and of humility on the other, ensues, and
then some attendants bring to the door of the saloon a
curious canopy of yellow brocaded silk. Immediately
the sepoys draw up to tbe canopy, and, while the four
posts are being given to four bearers and the sides of the
canopy let fall, take precautions that the crowd shall not
touch the screen. What can be the reason ? A moment's
enquiry shows that the Princess in passing her capital de
sires to descend from the train for refreshment, and that
the guard of honour and the assemblage of her chiefs is
in recognition of her rank. Yet no one on the platform
may see the face of the ruler he so greatly respects. He
may gaze upon the rustling yellow silk canopy, may even
note the form of its fair occupant as her Highness uncon
sciously presses against the hanging sides ; but, however
much he may esteem and reverence her, however great

154 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
his loyalty to her dynasty, he may only be granted the
privilege of a glimpse of the outward sign of Eoyalty. SOj
too, when she returns to the carriage, a quarter of a'n hour
later, what struggling of soldiery and canopy-bearers to
prevent the eye of the curious from gazing upon the Eoyal
lady's face. It so chances that they are not so clever as
zealous, and that just as her Highness is being smuggled
up the carriage steps the poles shift their position, and the
eyes and forehead of a handsome dame of some thirty years
are for a moment visible. But such a glimpse was by no
means intended. The only Eoyal personage who might
be looked upon at will at this moment in Trichinopoly is
the son of another Eoyal lady — the Empress of India.
Trichinopoly has undergone many changes and wit
nessed many spectacles. Yet it is doubtful whether it
has often been the scene of a more momentous event
during its singular history than that which took place on
Saturday. As a general rule it has figured in most of
the wars of the district. It fell a victim to the ever-wan
dering Mahrattas in 1741 ; a little later the Nizam took
possession of it ; the French had it next ; then Clive,
after which the Tangerines held it for a time. Eventually
the English came again, turned the Tangerines out, and
settled down with the determination to remain masters of
the district for ever. The result is that a collectorate is
established there, that European troops and native soldiers
under European officers parade its streets, that the British
flag flies on the summit of the Eock, and English laws are
obeyed with promptitude.
Never, however, so far as I can learn, has any repre
sentative of English Eoyalty appeared here. Trichinopoly
was accordingly en fete to receive the Prince on his arrival,
and European as well as Native residents did the best they
could to express their loyalty. I may at once note that

A WEEK IN MADRAS. 155
the chief characteristic of the Hindoo, next to his love for
chandeliers — in which peculiarity he surpasses all rivals —
is his love of painting. He has not the slightest idea of
perspective, his notions of the human form are vastly in
ferior to the ideas which painters in the time of Senna
cherib possessed ; the faces he draws are the ugliest con
ceivable, and the colours he uses are the worst that can
be found ; but for all that he will paint whenever the
Opportunity occurs. He paints the outside of his house
and the inside of his temples ; he bedaubs the walls of
his garden if he has a garden wall to daub, and he paints
his neighbour's wall if he has none of his own. And when
a procession — such as that which the Prince made — takes
place, he paints the arches which are erected with all his
energy. He did so in honour of the Eoyal visit, and the
result was a little startling. Scarcely a house in the place
has a roof; many dwellings boast only their walls ; old
..temples with blackened walls, dilapidated palaces, and
broken-down bridges are on every side. Here is a pagoda
surmounted by a cross, there a mosque without a dome
— it is a scene of hopeless desolation.
Yet even these ruins are very picturesque. They are
found on the banks of an exquisitely pretty river, in the
centre of a wide-spreading and well- wooded plain, superior
to that on which Poona stands ; and in the centre of all
is a rock, which even a Scotchman would allow to be
superior to Arthur's Seat. A great red mass of stone rises
sharply from the grqund to a harshly-defined point.
On the sides 'are galleries constructed of white marble ;
on the top is a pillared structure, of great massiveness,
but still of singular elegance, surmounted by a flag-staff.
"Nothing else of any height is near it ; it rises about five
hundred feet in an almost perpendicular fashion, sharply
and abruptly. At a distance it looks like a huge building,

156 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
so wonderfully does it shoot up from the centre of the town,
like the great Athenian hill, though by many feet its su
perior. At its foot is a bright, clear lake, well filled with
water, and encompassed by a marble terrace. And then,
in a wider circle, lies the dilapidated, ruined town, and
outside this are the walls that enclose the fort. The de
corations consisted of such arches as have not hitherto
been seen anywhere else. I have said they were painted ;
their colour was black. Span and supports alike were
then divided into spaces some two feet square, and on
these panels native artists exercised their ingenuity. At
Baroda the energetic engineer, while encouraging the
natives to erect triumphal trophies, decidedly curbed their
passion for daubing ; but at Trichinopoly the peculiarity
was encouraged. As a result, the streets exhibited a series
of the most extraordinary pictures ever seen. One arch
was covered with delineations of animals — blue cats,
green dogs, red tigers, purple lions, yellow elephants, and
snakes with heads fike crabs and continuations like quad
rupeds. Another arch depicted the trades of Trichino
poly. Blue-faced men with pink hair were hammering,
with green hammers, purple-coloured gold bracelets. The
other pictures of artisans were in excellent keeping with
this specimen. A third arch portrayed all the deities of
the district — Shiva, Vishnu, and the rest of their pleasant
company. I do not know the exact number of arms and
legs which each particular god and goddess claims as a
right ; but I am sure that uglier faces were never por
trayed, and that an English painter would have had some
trouble in producing anything like them. At first I
thought the climax of caricature was reached in what
was intended as a likeness of the Queen ; but later on I
saw an arch which bore a ' likeness ' of the Prince, with
the inscription underneath, ' His Eoyal Highness did come

A WEEK IN MADRAS. 157
after all,' and was then obliged to admit that the painter
of that picture had surpassed all his countrymen.
The Hall of the Thousand Pillars at Srirangam is
known far and wide. It is dedicated to that very respec
table deity Vishnu, is the centre of one of the finest
temples in India, is surrounded by massive towers, and
contains many precious treasures. A visit from the Prince
therefore was a certainty, and the priests prepared accord
ingly. The road along which his Eoyal Highness had to
pass was exceedingly beautiful. Date and cocoanut palms,
with almost every other kind of tropical tree, overhung
and shaded it ; the varied costumes of the people added
to the brightness of the scene, and consequently the drive
was very enjoyable. Arrived at the pagoda, the Prince
was received by the dignitaries of the temple with all pos
sible pomp and show. Old men in long white robes, ac
companied by a number of nautch-girls gaudily dressed,
ornamented with bangles, rings, jewels in their hair, and
wreaths of flowers on their heads, met the Prince at the
end of a long corridor and conducted him to the temple,
the girls singing a low chant and scattering flowers on the
pathway. In this way the Eoyal party moved into a kind
of reception saloon, where the treasures of the place were
displayed on a table. As usual, they were of the most
varied and curious kinds, valuable apparently only for
their weight as pieces of embossed gold and for the jewels
which enriched them. No possible use, for instance, could
be made of a golden hand eighteen inches long and pro
portionately broad ; or of a foot of even greater size.
Nor were the ornaments available for personal decoration,
unless a man felt inclined to hang himself in golden
chains, when the assortment at Srirangam might be
useful. However, it was interesting to look at these curiosities ; ,

158 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
interesting also to watch the countenances of the priests,
as with evident pride they directed the attention of the
Prince to one article after another ; and his Eoyal High
ness courteously waited till the exhibition was concluded
without the slightest sign of impatience. His patience
may be better understood when it is known that in addi
tion to the delay already incurred it was proposed to read
an address. Smilingly his Eoyal Highness assented to
this also, whereupon an old gentleman with a wonderful
name read some mild platitudes and assurances of loyalty
with great self-satisfaction. True that the wrords were
engraved upon a sheet of gold. A Miss Kilmansegg might
have valued the oration on that account. But the history
of Trichinopoly scarcely needed to be told again, and we
were all very glad when the priest had done reading it.-
The inspection of the Hall of the Thousand Pillars
followed, and was better appreciated. As an architectural
work the singular apartment could scarcely be called a
triumph. Half the number of pillars, better carved and
more regularly arranged, would have produced a better
effect ; half that number again would have been a further
improvement ; the roof was irregular, the supports were
crooked, and the vista very defective. So much for the
interior. The view from the roof, to which the Prince
was presently taken, was good. Here the towers of the
temple with their rich carving were fully in view, and
they repaid the trouble which the Prince had taken in
mounting. A few minutes were accordingly spent en
joying the prospect, and then the Eoyal visitor departed.
All was not over, however, even as far as the temple
was concerned ; for a portly priest, whose eyes twinkled
with delight at having been introduced to the Prince,
proposed that the girls should dance once more in honour
of the occasion. Whereupon they began the low chant

A WEEK IN MADRAS. 159
and curious shuffle, the jingling of bangles and the beat
ing of sticks which I have described in a previous letter.
There was a conspicuously ugly man who sang, or, to be
more just, howled vigorously. There was a piper, and,
you may be sure, a large gathering of spectators. The
audience, in fact, seemed to spring out of the ground, so
suddenly did it appear, and so numerously. In less than
a minute there must have been an assemblage of some
hundreds — men, women, and children — all crowding round
to see the dance. Then, as though by some preconcerted
signal, the great doors of the pagoda opened, and in
bundled, all together, helter skelter, a number of ele
phants, a sacred buffalo or two, a donkey, and a great
crowd of people of all ages. The animals made quickly
for their resting-places. The people increased the dense
mass of onlookers, and we, to avoid suffocation, struggled
through the perspiring mass into the open air, much to
the disappointment of the chief of the temple, who pre
sently retired and wrote a long letter of eight quarto
pages, which he forwarded to those who represented the
English press.
A far more picturesque spectacle was that afforded by
the rock when illuminated at night time. I don't know
that any great talent was needed to produce a remarkable
effect in the rugged outlines of the rock itself. The
curious pagoda which crowns its summit, and the build
ings on its sides only required to be lighted up in the
most careless manner to ensure a spectacle worth looking
at. The priests of the temple on the rock had, however,
done their utmost to render the occasion memorable, and
as a result the rock blazed with light. Coloured fires
were lighted on each projecting point. Every line of the
grand natural structure and of the temple was marked by
hundreds of lamps ; the whole standing out against the

160 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
dark sky in bold relief. Daylight had scarcely gone
when the Prince, attended by his suite, took up his posi
tion in a temporary building erected opposite the rock,
for the special purpose of enabfing his Eoyal Highness to
witness the illumination and promised fireworks. A huge
silver throne had been placed on a dais under a marvel
lously worked canopy of gold and silver foil, crimson and
blue paper, and such like decorative material. Here the
Prince took his seat ; his suite ranged themselves on both
sides of him in velvet chairs, ladies and gentlemen of the
district came in and stood behind the Eoyal party ; a band
which was situated in the road struck up, and then the
entertainment began.
The rock itself was simply magnificent. The great
square tank of water which intervened between the Prince
and the temple was radiant with lamps; the masses of
red and white turbaned people, the long fines of troops,
and the occupants of the gardens were all parts of a very
striking picture. But the fireworks were a dismal failure.
It mattered little whether we enjoyed it or not; the
people were delighted beyond description, and any un
pleasant effects from the clouds of smoke which filled the
air were more than compensated for when, as was the
case every now and then, the noise ceased for a minute,
the vapour cleared away, and we saw the rock once more
blazing as brightly as ever. Once we saw a cataract of fire
falling down one of the crevices of the rock, and now and
then the colours of the lights changed, and the mountain,
which was bright red a minute before, was suddenly
brilliant in bright green. It was altogetlier a novel and
pleasing sight, and one which attracted the Prince for
two or three hours.
I do not know how the notion arose, but by some
means or other' I had come to associate Madras in my

A WEEK IN MADRAS. 161
mind with almost all that is objectionable. In praise of
Bombay whole books had been written, for Calcutta there
were always plenty to speak ; but no one to say a good
word for Madras. That you could not land on its surf-
beaten shore without the certainty of a tossing, and the
probability of a drenching ; that the Black Town was as
uninviting a spot as any on earth ; that its climate was
sultry and its atmosphere redolent of ague and cholera,
everybody asserted. Consequently, when I entered the
capital of the Southern Presidency my expectations were
not great. Little did I expect to find a broad beach of
bright sand some miles in length and many yards in
depth, with a bright blue sea in front, and the prettiest of
watering-places behind. Nowhere did the Black Town,
that great bugbear of the city, obtrude itself. There was
scarcely anything to show that we were not enjoying a
, summer day's retreat on the English coast. Between us
and even the English houses and Government buildings
for the most part a wide promenade and spacious gardens
extended. There were English children playing on the
beach ; English ships of war riding in the offing ; the
English flag was flying from the flagstaff of that famous
old fort whence Clive was wont to sally ; unmistakably
English sailors were wandering along the shore ; and the
heat for the moment was scarcely more than that of an
English July day.
Yet there were tokens that we were not in England.
A glance at the boats coming ashore revealed those most
singular crafts, the catamarans, with their intrepid boat
men and strange cargoes. Two pieces of wood fastened
together somewhat after the fashion of an open raft, and
a pole with a flat end, completed the boat equipment,
forming altogether such a water-conveyance as one would
scarcely care to travel in. The black fishermen, standing
M

162 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
erect on their extraordinary craft, now riding over the
surf, and next letting a heavy wave go over him, could
scarcely be found off Hastings or Eastbourne ; nor should
we meet with such a group of coloured women engaged
in drying fish at either Aldborough or Ehyl. For all that,
the scene is not un-English, and the illusion is not al
together destroyed when we look inland. There are
beautiful buildings such as could only have been designed
by English architects. There is the spire of an English
church, rising high in the air ; you come upon English
shops immediately upon leaving the strand, and the drums
of your ears are being rent by salutes from English guns.
Of course you can be under no mistake when once you
have crossed the park-like space which runs down to the
shore, and enter the Black Town. You are then in the
very blackest of black places that can be imagined. The
marvel is how the inhabitants who are crowded together
within its walls contrive to live in such an atmosphere as
they breathe. Let me describe the sort of house they
dwell in.
In Bombay two-storeyed tenements, with great win
dows, fronted by a brick terrace or seat, on which the
friends of the shopkeeper can squat and talk, form the
native bazaar. In Madras, however, the houses have
only one storey, boast no windows whatever, and are
fronted by two terraces, raised about eighteen inches
above each other, the door, which is the only mode of
ingress, light, or ventilation, being always a very subsi
diary consideration. Along each side of the road runs a
broad gutter, somewhat after the fashion which obtains
in Baroda. Into this the sewage of the town runs freely,
with such effect as need not be detailed. Oijjfche terrao
the population eat, drink, and sleep. I saw .a school o:
jabbering, naked children on one terrace ; the school

A WEEK IN MADRAS. 16,3
master sat apparently fast asleep in their midst, while
they kept up a monotonous hubbub such as no other
children in the world could have surpassed ; on another
ledge there lay a corpse, over which a number of women
-^professional mourners — were making loud lamenta
tions ; while on a third a lady of exceptionally dirty
appearance was frying some cakes of dough and fat,
coloured apparently with turmeric. I did not attempt to
enter their dwellings ; a glance through tihe open door
showed that they were rather more objectionable than an
ordinary English pigstye, and almost as small. Nor was
it necessary to enquire as to the actual prevalence of
cholera in the town. If it did not exist just then, it did
very lately, and with the return' of very hot weather
would probably appear again.
Madras Eaces were a great success. If a drawback
attended them it was the necessity for turning out at five
o'clock in the morning — for, if Madras gets up early, it
has no idea of going to bed at a reasonable hour. No
matter whether you are fortunate enough to dine at the
house of the Honourable Mr. Ellis, the well-known mem
ber of Council- — than whom I know no more genial
host; — or at the hospitable Madras Club, famed for its
curries and its balls, you cannot find your couch till long
after midnight is past. The dinner at Madras is a-sacred
institution, held in the highest consideration. Course
follows course with the regularity of clockwork, yet not
with unseemly speed; and by the time that coffee and
the petit verre arrive your night is gone and morning has
.come. Yet races cannot be run in a mid-day sun, arid
rest must therefore be deferred. Grumble, however,
though one may very justly at all this, the scene on the
course more than repaid for the trouble experienced iri
reaching it. Like their more northern brethren, the
m2

164 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Arabs, the Hindoos are passionately attached to horses.
So they sallied out by thousands before even the day
broke ; and wheri we reached the ground, had taken up
their positions all along the course, adding their coloured
costumes to the bright green of the landscape.
The course is a long oval in shape, well within view
of the Grand Stand all the way. On this Stand, by a
little after six o'clock, the English residents of Madras
had assembled, and I am bound to say that their number
comprised the prettiest bevy of ladies we have yet met in
the East. But if the ladies and their costumes were
striking, how much more so. the native chieftains who
occupied the very centre of the Stand. There were the
brother of the Eajah of Cochin, grand in a golden robe
and turban ; the Eajah of Johdpore, irreverently named
the savage Eajah, leaning on his sword ; we missed for a
time the Maharajah of Vizianagram, but in place of him
the Eajah of Arcot was to be seen, umbrella in hand,
looking about him with great curiosity. Then there was
a number of minor potentates — all fine handsome men,
and not boys like those we saw at Bombay — sitting
amicably in the fittle railecl-off space appointed for native
royalty, their countenances beaming with delight.
Presently the Prince, accompanied by Lord Alfred
Paget, Lord Charles Beresford, Lord Carington, Lord
Aylesford, Major Bradford, and some of the- less im
portant members of his staff, drove up, attended by an
escort of cavalry. The races at once began. Gambling
was not a characteristic of the meeting. Not a betting
man was in sight ; the sounds of ' Two to one ' or ' Four
against the field ' were missed. I do not think a bet was
made on the course. Members of the Madras Club were
allowed to risk ten shillings in a sweepstakes on each
race, depositing cards in a box which will be opened on

A WEEK IN MADRAS. 165
Christmas Day ; but beyond this you could not stake a
sixpence. Many of the horses, too, were ridden by their
owners, so that the meeting partook very much of the
nature of a series of private races. The Prince could
and did leave the seat provided for him, and walk into
the saddling enclosure without fear of being mobbed ; he
coidd chat with the English residents and others who
chanced to be near, while the course was being cleared
and the judges were taking their places. Everything
was admirably ordered, even to a refreshment buffet,
from which hot coffee and tea with toast and fruit came
to all who thought fit to breakfast on the ground.
Nothing, in fact, could be more enjoyable or satisfactory :
the racing was good, the steeplechasing was better, and
the conduct of all present, if possible, better still. Now
and then a funny incident occurred. Wandering about
in the enclosure, in a disconsolate manner, was a man
attired in a very extraordinary costume. His bearing
was that of one disconsolate, and enquiry resulted : what
did he want, why his misery? At length it turned out
that he wanted to ride in a race from which the com
mittee had excluded him on account of his singular dress.
They held that a man in a red turban, green coat, blue
continuations, and white petticoat, was not attired suit
ably as a jockey ; he on his part asserted that the two
horses he - had entered for two consecutive races would
beat everything else on the ground. At last it was ruled
that he should try, and try he did accordingly. The
results to that doleful man were conclusive. The limping
animal he bestode vainly endeavoured to take part in the
race ; his red turban was seen nearly a quarter of a mile
behind the black and red caps of his jockey competitors,
and when at length he did reach the goal, he received

166 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
such a derisive greeting from both natives and English
men that he slunk away quickly, and was seen no more.
The event of the meeting was the Sandringham
Steeplechase, for a cup given by the Maharajah of Jey-
pore. Nine horses were entered, Arabs and Mysore
breds ; the natives gathered at the j umps, and every field-
glass on the stand was brought into requisition. I believe
that every soul on Madras Bacecourse would have will
ingly foregone all the other races rather than havev
surrendered that steeplechase. Nine such horses, too,
are not often to be found. There was a veteran named
Phantom, on whom an enthusiastic sportsman from the
Neilgherries announced his readiness to stake his coat ;
there was a steed called Eed Deer, ridden by a Captain
Bullen, on which any number of tickets were put into the
Pari Mutuel box. There were some who would have
liked to risk five hundred instead of five rupees on the
pretty chesnUt owned and ridden by Captain Bullem
There was a mare called Gazelle, who presently behaved
very unlike the type of swiftness and good temper, re
fusing absolutely to go to the starting post, despite all
the efforts of her Hindoo admirers to coax her. I do
not think the Gazelle was heavily backed ; her reputation
was well known, and tickets bearing her name were not
numerous in the box, There is always a dark horse at
such a time about which, though nobody knows much,
there is a good deal of whispering and winking. We
had that horse at our steeplechase ; his name was Arta-
xerxes. The Prince was clearly anxious to see the end,
for he left the place of State and bounded up to the top
of the stand with a readiness which spoke more for his
physical powers than the longest possible certificate from
Dr. Fayrer.
At last eight horses were got into position, the

A WEEK IN MADRAS. 167
Gazelle having by this time been given up as a bad job.
Somebody said that Captain Bullen's horse in going to
the starting post had suffered a tumble ; but to the relief
of at least a third of those on the Grand Stand, Eed Deer
could be seen mounted by her gallant owner in rose-
coloured jacket and black cap, ready to be off in a ,
moment. And off he was, with all his rivals, directly
afterwards, without a false start, steering straight for the
first jump of a good high hedge. On went Eed Deer,
cutting out the pace in terrible fashion, flying over
earthen walls, ditches, hedges, one after another as
though Captain Bullen was a feather-weight. The rest
were ' nowhere ; ' Phantom was last of all, and the dark
horse only just in front of him. The horses were now
approaching the water jump, about half a mile from
home ; it was the crucial test, and their riders knew it.
A horse called Warwick suddenly shot to the front,
cleared the water, and then stopped as though that leap
was the end of the race. Phantom was not far behind —
say about fourth. Eed Deer was second. Then ensued
a struggle. The old favourite carried a heavy weight,
and his rider strove in vain to catch Captain Bullen and
his fleet horse ; yet the race seemed to be between them,
and some were calling for Phantom, while the majority
shouted Eed Deer, when that terrible dark horse with
colours of black and crimson forged ahead away from the
rear, past the striving pair in front, and cantered in first
as easily and carelessly as though it had simply been out
- for a morning's exercise, and was just finishing an agree
able gallop. ' Artaxerxes ! ' screamed the crowd. It
was quite true ; Mr. Taafe, the owner, had won by about
a dozen lengths, leaving Eed Deer and Phantom to finish
in a neck-and-neck struggle. This was the last of the
sport ; it was nearly nine o'clock, and the Eothesay

168 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Plate, the Denmark Plate, the Prince of Wales's Plate,
the Alexandra Plate, and the Sandringham Cup, all given
by native Eajahs, in honour of the Prince and his home,
were handed to their winners ; the people cheered, as the
Prince entered his carriage and drove away.
' Eeception ' is at best a vague term. There are, in
ordinary life, cold receptions and warm receptions ; there'
are formal receptions and informal ones ; and in Indian
State phraseology a ' reception ' may mean anything.
Hence the cards which were sent round by the courteous
Major Hobart, military secretary to the Duke of Bucking
ham, and which invited those who were favoured to a
'reception,' were subjects of some discussion.
A great feature in apartments of all kinds built by
Europeans in India is that they are lofty and well venti
lated ; the reception-room at Madras is no exception to
the rule. A fine saloon, admirably lit, decorated with
paintings of some merit, fitted up with a dais at one end,
and a prettily-arranged orchestral stand at the other, was
the place in which the Duke of Buckingham met his
guests. From one wing the fireworks, for which Madras
had paid £1,000, could be seen to advantage; in the
other a refreshment buffet offered attractions which resi
dents in India well appreciate. Inside the hall the
Prince was already on the dais, attended by his suite,
when ten o'clock struck ; the orchestra was singing a
chorale of no ordinary merit, composed in honour of his
Eoyal Highness, and in commemoration of his visit. The
space between was occupied by ladies and gentlemen in
evening dress, officers in uniform, a number of the Eajahs
at present in Madras, and their principal chieftains.
Sometimes some one more notable than the rest was
taken to the dais, and presented to the Prince. Occa
sionally his Eoyal Highness, recognising some one whom

A WEEK IN MADRAS. 169
he had seen before, descended to the floor, and honoured
the individual with a word of greeting. All the ad
vantages of a private gathering — for everybody knew
everybody else — with all the grandeur of a State cere
monial were there ; and if anything is remembered with
satisfaction during the visit of the Prince — and I think
the arrangements have been satisfactory — it must surely
be this ' Eeception.' Midnight was long past before the'
carriages were called for and the guests separated, and
we then went to our respective destinations, through long
fines of illuminated streets, lit by oil lamps arranged in
all kinds of devices, with mottoes of the usually loyal
description. In a city so famous for jugglers, snake-charmers, acro
bats, and chevaliers dHndustrie generally, ladies and
gentlemen who live by their wits, in the most proper
sense of the word, and who apparently make a very
good living, it was scarcely likely that the Prince of
Wales would be permitted to stay long without witness
ing the feats of skill for which these wandering Madras-
sees are celebrated. The Thursday of the week of his
stay being a comparatively open day, therefore, the
morning was selected for an al fresco exhibition of this
kind. The town lost the nomads, Government House
gardens received them.
Amongst them was a savage who appeared to make
the dried skin of a cobra live. It is a favourite trick-^-
you may see it done twenty times a day in the streets of
Madras. You may examine the apparatus closely every
time and watch the operation as carefully as you please,
yet you cannot detect the modus operandi. The per
former hands you a little flat wicker basket, some eight
inches in diameter, and asks you to inspect it, while he
folds the cobra skin, which you have previously well

170 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
.examined, into a square, leaving only the tail unfolded.- So
soon as you have given the basket back- the juggler places
it on the ground in full view, and under the lid puts the
folded part of the serpent's skin, the tail being in your
sight all the while. You may, at this stage, lift the lid
once more to see that nothing but the serpent's skin is in
the basket, after which you must rest content. A white
cloth is taken by the man and placed over the basket,
after having been well shaken so that you may be assured
nothing is in it. A pipe is produced, and with it a hor
rible noise, similar to that always made by snake-charm
ers, and not unlike the sound a cracked and badly made
bagpipe would emit, is made. No one goes near the cloth
or basket, except the almost naked man, who cannot
possibly hide any five snake in his sleeves, for the simple
and sufficient reason that he has neither sleeves nor jacket,
nor, indeed, any other kind of clothing than a small waist-
cloth, which would certainly be a most inconvenient
hiding-place for a lively young cobra. The sheet is lifted,
you look at the basket and see the tail of a living snake
being gradually drawn into it, and on the fid being opened
a most distinctly energetic serpent is discovered. No
sooner is it stirred than it rises on its tail, spreads out its
hood, and strikes with its fangs and tongue at the charmer.
No one would care to examine that basket now with a
cobra four feet long making vicious snaps at the juggler.
The charmer takes good care that the snake comes near
you, for with a dexterous movement he seizes the reptile
by the head, and holding it in one hand comes to you
with his basket in the other, while you put a rupee into
the receptacle, if only to induce him to go away.
The snake gone, a stout, strong girl comes forward,
makes a deep obeisance, and then stepping back throws a
man weighing fully 11 st. over her shoulders. Nor does she

A WEEK IN MADRAS. 171
stop here, for she seizes her victim once more, places him
crossways on her back, and then tosses him into the air
as though he were made of feathers, and not a broad-
shouldered human being. Turning backwards on her
feet, she picks up straws with her eye-lids, throws somer
saults and lifts weights which would astonish the ordinary
London acrqbat. While she is thus performing, jugglers
are- changing pebbles into birds, birds into eggs, and eggs
' into plants ; men thread beads with their tongues, join
innumerable pieces of cotton into one long cord, keep
half-a-score of sharp knives in the air at once, throw
cannon balls with their toes, and spin tops on the end of
twigs. Pandemonium reigns, the clatter is unbearable,
and one is compelled, as was the Prince, to dismiss the
tribe of vagrants without further delay.
Supposing the visit of the Prince to result everywhere
in the commencement of works of utility, as it has already
in most of the places his Eoyal Highness has touched at,
the working population of India will have cause to be
permanently grateful. Foundation stones of asylums and
- hospitals, inaugurations of railways, and memorial stones
of breakwaters and harbours, all tend to the employment
of thousands, and, as such, should undoubtedly be valued.
But at Madras the work begun was peculiarly useful. It
will not only be the means of transferring rupees and
annas from the pockets of the trading community to the
waistcloths of , the estimable artisans of the Black Town,
but it will be a 'joy for ever ' to the thousands of travel
lers who in years to come have to land at Madras. It
would require the most devoted attachment to ancient
customs for anyone to reason that, because for ages it has
been the fashion to get a drenching in the surf before the
esplanade at Madras is reached, it would be well to con
tinue the custom ; and as the inhabitants of this city are

172 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
by no means wedded to antiquity, it was suggested that a
harbour should be constructed, and that the Prince should
lay the first stone.
How admirably the ceremony was managed may be
told in a very few words. Everything was arranged on
the principle that ' silence is golden,' a maxim which other
places the Prince has yet to visit would do well to bear
in mind. ' The stone was hung in its place under a frame
prettily decorated, a cloth covered with the plans of the
harbour was laid upon a table, while the mortar-board
and trowel were arranged so that as soon as his Eoyal
Highness should arrive the formality of fixing the stone
might be got through expeditiously. The ladies were
ranged in tiers of seats on either side of the stone ; in
front were two other stands for less distinguished persons,
troops lined the road, and the preparations were complete.
The people and the sea filled in the picture, and a strik
ingly pretty one it was. In sight of everybody the foam
on the shore and the huge waves breaking over tossed
and tossing catamarans supplied an ever-recurring reason
for the enterprise. All along the line of route tens of
thousands of people testified to the interest with which
the work was regarded.
It was a different crowd from what we had seen any
where else. The Mahratta turban in which the native of
Bombay delights could nowhere be seen ; the hideous
Parsee headdress was, greatly to our relief, absent, too;
nor could the Cingalese comb be discovered anywhere ;
the full Madras turban, sometimes red and sometimes
white, frequently trimmed with gold, and always cleverly
made, was almost the only kind of headdress. But if the .
turbans were not of a very varied hue — if the pink, green,,!
blue, and yellow of the Mahratta were wanting, there was
plenty of colour after all. A pleasant practice of staining;*

A WEEK IN MADRAS. 173
the face bright yellow is much in favour with the native
dames and damsels of' Madras. Most of the men wear a
device iri white and red on their, foreheads as a token of
piety. There are as many shades of difference in the
skins of the dwellers on the Coromandel coast as could be
found between Nubia and Italy, and the dresses which
are worn on high days and holidays boast every hue of
the rainbow. As they packed themselves together to
await the coming of the Prince, the women grouped by
hundreds, the men in similar numbers, the front rank
seated on the ground, those behind kneeling, while the
rearmost of all stood up and peered over the heads of the
others, they formed a vast and far-extending mass, to see
which a journey of even eleven thousand miles was not
too much. Every now and then carriages containing
rajahs and maharajahs in picturesque costumes, escorted
by the Governor's body-guard in bright scarlet and gold
uniforms, and followed by parties of their own wild-look
ing horsemen, drove past ; and at last the Prince himself
came, cheered vociferously by the crowd. The spreading
of the mortar and the lowering of the stone occupied the
slightest possible time, and before most ceremonies would
have begun this was over, and the Prince well on his way
back to Government House.
Old Indians will, however, ask one question, which
must perforce be answered — what of the Madras Club
ball ? For of all the clubs in India that of Madras, at
once the oldest and the widest known, is held to be the
best. In competition with it are the famous Byculla Club
at Bombay, and the Bengal Club at Calcutta ; but these
are held by the men of Southern India to be inferior to
the famous home of curries. Such high claims bring with
them high obligations. It is not enough to boast of being
the best ; it is necessary to prove it. If the Madras Club

174 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
understands anything, however, it is the art of good living.
Let others boast larger billiard-rooms or finer libraries ;
the Madras Club places side by side with these advantages,
for the judgment of the thoughtful and hungry, the best
dinner in India, in the handsomest dining-room. For
several days past the Club had been turned upside clown
for the purpose of decoration and preparation. The dining-
saloon was converted into a ball-room, the library became
a drawing-room, and the whole magnificent building was
lit up with lamps, and wreathed with foliage and flowers.
From the time that the arrival of a funny little captain
was mistaken for that of the Prince of Wales, and honoured
by the formation of a long lane down the room, soon to
be closed amid a peal of laughter, to half-past two o'clock,
when the Prince left, everything was the very perfection
of enjoyment. Wherever a corner could be found, dancers
availed themselves of it, covering not only the floor of the
ball-room itself, but the passage which ran between it and
the library, and extending into this last-named room itself.
Nor was this difficult, for wide archways united the three
into one, and from any given point the whole could be
seen. At the supper the Madras Club held its own
bravely, vindicating its claim to be the best of providers ;
and so the ball was a grand success, and one of which the
Club and the city are alike proud. The capital of the
Presidency did well ; and the encomium which the Prince
passed on the ball extends to all that has been achieved
during the week that was spent at Madras.

CHAPTEE XIV.
INDIAN AMUSEMENTS.
It is the old air of ' Bonnie Dundee.' At first you could
scarcely recognise it. The six semi- frantic Hindoo mu
sicians who are performing on a discordant violin, a pipe,
a tom-tom, and some conch shells, make a fearsome noise ;
but now and then the old tune crops up for a bar or two,
though it ' crops ' down for a good many bars directly
afterwards. Were sturdy old Claverhouse here, he would
make short work of such minstrel boys with that clay
more of his. It is enough to make the blood of a
Scotchman tingle again. Yet listening patiently, and even
.smilingly, to this terrible burlesque of the good stirrup
song is the Prince of Wales, Duke of Eothesay, and Lord
of the Isles, surrounded and supported by a hundred
Scotch ladies and gentlemen, to say nothing of two or
three hundred English residents of Madras, and at least
four thousand native gentlemen. Perhaps the peculiarity
of the occasion may account for this extraordinary pla
cidity under such' very irritating circumstances. Let us
see where -we are, and judge for ourselves.
In a great hall, some five hundred feet long and a
hundred and fifty broad, are gathered together the rank
, and fashion, native and European, of the Presidency of
Madras. English officers in scarlet rub shoulders with

176 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
aged Mahominedans dressed in white and gold. Euro
pean ladies sit next to young Tamil beaux ; Hindoo
princes and chieftains who probably never heard of each
other before fill every line of chairs on a raised dais.
French and English naval officers hob-nob at a refresh
ment buffet, the bright glasses of which can be seen
through their muslin curtains, partially looped up, col
lectors of districts and the people who have to pay the
taxes, all are here decked out in full dress. In the centre
of the dais, which, by the way, is on the right centre of
the room, sits the Prince of Wales, on a golden throne.
His suite are clustered behind him. On his left is the
Duke of Buckingham, in the full uniform of a Governor of
Madras ; on his right Mrs. Shaw Steward, the Maharajah
of Travancore, who, by the by, is just such another quick-
eyed little gentleman as Sir Madava Eao of Baroda, the
Maharajah of Vizianagram, and, the Prince of Arcot, all
gfittering with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and gold. On
either side of the Prince, below the dais, is a great sea of
upturned faces ; in front of his Eoyal Highness is, first of
all, a little table bearing an immense gold casket, the lid
of which is surmounted by a silver tiger, then an open
raised platform in the centre of which hang a dozen
coloured ropes, fastened together at the top ; while far- '
ther back still is a stage on which are squatted some fifty
natives, male and female, all attired in the most fantastic
fashion ; a screen fastened to the wall in rear of them de
picting a jungle scene and a springing tiger. As your
eye wanders round the building you notice that the roof
is one of extraordinary beauty, ornamented with flowers,
stars, circles, and all kinds of devices by the artists, evi
dently of Tanjore. The gold, silver, and crimson foil in
this remarkable ceiling, as well as on the sides of the
pillars which support it, glitter and glisten in the light

INDIAN AMUSEMENTS. 177
which scores of chandeliers throw upon them ; but more
than ever when flashes of limelight thrown from four
points in the building hurl a dazzling gleam across the
hall. You might perchance wish that the gentlemen who
have charge of the latter knew how to manage it, and
that they would not blind you at one moment and leave
you in comparative darkness the next, but you must not
complain. This is a native entertainment given to the Prince,
managed by natives from the doors to the limelights, in a
place with a very native name — to wit, Eoyapooram —
having for its chief entrance a door leading into a way
called in native parlance Thumboo Chetty, decorated by
natives, arranged, controlled, and now almost filled by
natives. The programme promises an entirely native per
formance, the presentation of a native casket, Kdl&ttam or
Plait dances, concerted pieces on the Saranthe Sittar,
... Vina and Dol, and a native drama in four acts. You
,w might wish that the native plan of smiling and making a
present quickly had been pursued in regard to that
casket, instead of a tedious imitation of that most trying
of all customs, the presentation of an address ; but this
is an innovation insisted upon by the long-robed, red-
turbaned gentlemen who flock up to the dais just before
the band ' strikes up, and read and stand in front of the
Prince ; while one of their number, happy man, reads a
long rigmarole, of which we cannot hear even the purport
were we so disposed. Of course the Prince replies
M, pleasantly, as is his wont, using almost the same words,
however, as have been put into his lips twenty times
already ; and then the entertainment begins.
Looking at the matter from a purely metaphysical
point of view, it may, perhaps, be conceded that not only
lights, but even shades', are advantageous in our pleasures.
N

178 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
The easy chair which suddenly discovers a broken spring,
the comfortable cot which presently lets you down on the
hard deck below, the buck-jumping horse, and even a'
voyage like that in the ' Nagotna,' all have their useful
lessons, all aid to make unalloyed pleasures the more
appreciated. Viewed thus, the native entertainment was
a complete success. It was in itself the most dismal and
trying performance ever witnessed, yet the memory of
the misery endured during its continuance may tend to
make those who sat in that tinselled hall, from nine in the
evening till two the next morning, a little less captious in
future. But while I digress the music, if music it can be
called, is going on, and ' Bonnie Dundee ' on pipes and
tom-toms, conch shell and fiddle, is being murdered. At
last a dozen girls, strangely attired, come away from the
throng squatted down in front of the screen, and walk up
to the coloured ropes. Unlike the celebrated lady of
Banbury Cross, they have not only ' rings on their fingers
and bells on their toes,' but they have rings, great pearl-
adorned rings in their noses, rings in their ears, rings of
bells on their ankles, and wreaths of flowers on their
heads. Strictly speaking, not one of them can be styled
pretty ; their features are regular and their forms fairly
good, but these beauties of Madras, selected on account
of their personal attractions to dance before the Prince,
are neither graceful in appearance nor lithe in movement.
Their dress, which could not be more resplendent, so en
tirely covered is it with gold, silver, and jewels, has a
cumbersome look about it which by no means adds to the
facility of motion, and the long red trousers which each
damsel wears hang in a slovenly manner over the naked
feet, and occasionally impede the danseuse in the very
midst of her steps. Still it must not be denied that these

INDIAN AMUSEMENTS. 179!
nautch girls are picturesque in appearance. Their long
black hair, worn in plaited tresses, their olive-coloured
skins and great white eyes, their curious costume, and
their wonderful ornaments, lend them in the flashing lime
light a fictitious weirdness which the three witches whom
Macbeth saw might have sighed for in vain. And when
they seize each a coloured rope, and to the tune of that
extraordinarily rendered ' Bonnie Dundee ' fly round in a
frantic dance, twirling in and out and backwards and for
wards, till the ropes are all twisted and they are brought
close together, and then, with more dancing, unravelling
what appeared to be a very Gordian knot, and so gradu
ally bringing the ropes into their first order, you have
good cause for wondering, and, were they to stop now,
reason to be pleased.
But neither the dancers nor the conch-shell players
have any idea of ceasing yet, and the girls, occasionally
joining in the chant, hop arid skip and twirl till you are
giddy with looking on, and long for an end of the
K61attam. "You are, however, in the hands of a stolid
old gentleman in a long green gown and a great purple
turban, who occasionally looks at the dancers and then at
the Prince, a look of honest delight and pride beaming
through his great round spectacles as he says most un
mistakably by his self-satisfied grin, ' See what a tremen
dous discord they can make, and how admirably they
can keep it up.' They do ' keep it up ' for, nearly an
hour, during which many Europeans enjoy a nap — the
most wakeful, and certainly the most graciously patient,
being the Prince himself. At last the purple-robed stage-
manager finds his troupe exhausted, whereupon he orders
forward a fresh supply of players, and a celebrated
nautch-girl named Gnyana who is to dance a Carnatic
pas seul. N 2

180 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
I need not describe the appearance of this damsel.
Had her charms only equalled her excessive vanity and
astonishing powers of endurance, we might not have
objected possibly to her prolonged gyrations. Nor would
the everlasting drumming on conch shells, tom-tomming,
pipe-playing, and fiddle-scraping which accompanied her
movements have been so unbearable as they presently
became had they not been accompanied by the hideous
noise which the six players were good enough to call
singing. In a former letter I have said something about
Hindoo music ; how it is all that we hold to be most ob
jectionable in England, exaggerated to the utmost extent
of human power. The principal vocalist of the six, this
time, was the most terrible of his class. All of them dis
pensed with the nose in singing ; he did without nose or
mouth either, and sang apparently from the pit of his
stomach, sending a volume of sound up his open throat
that completely astonished even experienced Anglo-
Indians. And as for power of lungs, he must have
borrowed a pair of bellows from Vulcan to have main
tained such a howl for so long a time as he did. In a
feeble way his companions attempted to accompany him,
and occasionally the girl ceased her dancing, and yelled
at the top of her voice too ; but he needed no assistance,
the pair of conch shells he clapped together and his in
comparable windpipe did all that was necessary, and it
needed the most frantic efforts of the tom-tom beater to
create the slightest impression. We could see the fiddler
playing as though he had orders to go at the rate of a
hundred strokes a minute and was working against time,
but the result of his efforts troubled us not ; we could see
the pipe-player's dark face getting darker still as he
fought despairingly against the man with the voice ; but
whether he was going on with ' Bonnie Dundee,' or giving

INDIAN AMUSEMENTS. 181
a selection from Weber, we never knew. All was
swallowed up by that man in the white turban and long
white gown. His face worked convulsively, his body
bowed and bent ; he would lean forward and then back
ward ; throw his arms frantically into the air, and then
turn round upon his comrades as though he could remon
strate With them if only he dared stop shouting for a
moment — without wearying or pausing, much less stop
ping. And the strangest thing was that the natives
smiled and gibbered as though they were being pleasantly
enchanted by the soft song of a syren. As for the
manager of the stage, he was simply beside himself with
joy, and nodded his head with satisfaction till his spec
tacles tumbled on to the floor.
I do not know how the Prince went through that try
ing ordeal. He said, I was afterwards told by an enthu
siastic native, that he was very much astonished, and no
doubt he was ; but nothing except his most imperturbable
good humour could have carried him through it., Yet he
continued to look pleased as the girl squatted down, and
jumped up, turned round with one arm raised, and then
strutted up to the edge of the Eoyal dais ; or, moving
backwards on her heels, joined her screeching companions
and helped them to ' sing ;' although for more than an
hour she continued the same monotonous movement, and
the musicians the same wonderful noise, the Prince neither
remonstrated nor for a moment looked weary. At length,
as it was now getting far into the morning and there were
five other pieces on the programme, the old gentleman in
purple essayed to stop the Carnatic dame, and this, after
much rebellious conduct on the part of the white-turbaned
singer, he was enabled to do.
So soon as Gnyana and her cornpanions could be
moved off, a fresh set of musicians accompanied another

182 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
and a darker girl to the foot of the dais, and then squatted
down, while she, sitting in their midst, began a ' Vinah '
solo. Apparently this was too much for the Prince, and
she had not squealed and beaten a tom-tom which was
placed in front of her more than ten minutes when the
Prince bowed, rose, and led Mrs. Stewart to supper. This
was a signal for the Vinah solo- to stop, and for another
batch of K61attam or Plait dancers to gather round the
coloured ropes ; but when the Prince presently came
back he stayed for a few moments only and then took his
departure. I never heard whether the programme was
continued afterwards — whether the song by Krishna, the
concerted piece, or the drama in four acts, were even
attempted. If so, and each occupied the time of that
Carnatic dance, they must be going on now. I had already
determined that at what time I heard the Saranthe, Sittar,
Vina, and Dol, I would call for my carriage and set out
on the five miles journey which lay before me ; but the
departure of the Prince stifled any scruples which a strict
adherence to the demands of etiquette previously required,
and in company with the rest of the European portion of
the audience, I quitted the Eoyapooram Hall.
While in this city the Prince of Wales paid a visit to
the Madras Club, and there tasted some thirteen curries
and eight chutnies ; his cook also had lessons in the Club
kitchen, with a view to introducing the bestmade curry
into the Marlborough House cuisine. . The record of
Madras loyalty and hospitality, therefore, fitly closes
here.

183

CHAPTEE XV.
THE PRINCE IN BENGAL.
Three times the Prince of Wales landed on Indian
soil — first of all at Bombay ; next at Tuticorin, the most
southerly port of the Peninsula ; and lastly at Calcutta,
the capital of the Empire and the seat of the Viceroy of
India. Let us transport ourselves at once to the landing-
place, at Prinseps Ghaut, where on Christmas Eve, the
entry of the Prince was effected. It is three o'clock in
the afternoon ; we are in the centre of an open space
which lies between two open pavilions. In front is the
Hooghly, looking marvellously like the Thames on a
bright summer's day. The sun plays upon the waters,
upon the thousands of boats that crowd together close
to the pier, and the roofs of the warehouses which stand
in' a long line on the opposite shore, just as they do on
the Surrey side of the grand' old London river. The
warehouses are shut, however, and yonder crowd of boats
are full of holiday-makers ; the ships are gay in colours ;
and the throng, which reaches to the water's edge in one
direction, and right away through the city of Calcutta in
the other, is no ordinary gathering, but comprises all that
is alive in this great Bengal capital. It is commonly said
that Calcutta crowds lack the colour which makes an

184 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
assemblage of Bombay natives so picturesque. If so, the
ordinary aspect differs from that of to-day, for the dark
faces of the sightseers, and their red hats, flowing robes,-
and strange decorations, combine to form a notable dis
play hardly inferior to anything I have seen elsewhere.
No combs are visible in the heads of the men, nor many
Mahratta turbans with the curious, distinguishing point
in the centre thereof. One looks almost in vain for the
Parsee hat and the Madras puggaree ; yet there are fine,
handsome, manly faces, and the graceful Bengal hat is
worn in every conceivable colour ; rich shawls, too, and
costly dresses are not. uncommon, so that the natives of
Calcutta may well be proud of their appearance to-day.
My point of view, however, is outside the crowd, next a
pillar hidden away in palm leaves, which helps to support
both the pavilions on either side. A crimson carpet leads
down to the end of the pier ; behind is a huge triumphal
arch, whereon a welcome to the Prince is inscribed in
roses — artificial, perhaps, but still roses ; floating on the
river, immediately opposite, is the ' Serapis,' clad in bunt
ing, and on either side, at some distance removed, are
the belles and beaux of Calcutta. I have said at some
distance, because between my standpoint and them are
all the Eajah and Maharajah-dom of the Bengal Presi
dency, together with princes and princelets from the
South and North, who are come hither to see the Prince,
and, if possible, to greet him. The Viceroy is moving ,
about, shaking hands with his feudatories ; it is a time of
great rejoicing, and everybody is glad.
An air of ease and comfort characterises the reception
pavilions. By placing the English residents, both ladies ,.-i
and gentlemen, on seats which, while rising one above ;
another, abut upon the walls of the pavifions on either (
side, a broad square space is formed, in which the native

THE PRINCE IN BENGAL. 185
dignitaries can move about at pleasure. Here movable
couches, sofas, easy chairs, and lounges are scattered
about, and' any one may sit or stand. The Bengal wolf
may lie down with the Madras lamb. Maharajahs and
Sirdars can meet on an equal footing. Thus the Maha
rajah of Puttiala, a short stout gentleman in a white
turban and a bright blue satin coat, stands next to the
good Bishop of Calcutta in shovel hat and shorts ; and
not far off are the three members of the Burmese Em
bassy, who look, for all the world, as though they were
victims of the Spanish Inquisition. High conical hats,
long crimson purple velvet gowns ornamented in extra
ordinary fashion with bright gold braid, and the funniest
faces that could be drawn, are the characteristics of these
well-born, highly honoured, and very excellent repre
sentatives of' the Lord of the Golden Foot. The pecu
liarity of their costume is perhaps heightened by the
yellow-plumed, helmeted, and blue-trousered French
officer from Pondicherry who now and then turns a
pirouette on his high-heeled boots. A curious group
that, and one to be regarded attentively.
Then there are the Maharajah of Cashmere, the
Maharajah of Benares, and the three sons of Jung Baha
door, all in friendly conversation. He of Cashmere is
quietly dressed in white and gold, is a portly person of
some sixty years, and is happy in the possession of two
very handsome daggers which he wears in his cummer-
band or girdle. His compeer of Benares is older — a
very patriarch in fact, grey, bent, palsied — yet withal a
grand old fellow, gorgeously arrayed in the far-famed
Khin-khob cloth, which is fi handsome mixture of silk
and cloth of gold, and would make the eyes of any
English dame of fashion glisten with delight. The three
young gentlemen from Nepaul are stout, nor do they pre-

386 , WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
sent any striking contrast to the other notables here,
except that these youngsters are more brilliant in dia
monds than most of their seniors. On the Maharajah of
Cashmere's neck is certainly a row of pearls, costly in
their way, yet only small pearls ; but in the turban of
yonder round-faced Bahadoor, just above the two little
black eyes which can scarcely be seen to twinkle for the
fat which surrounds them, is a diamond aigrette such as
the Maharajah of Mysore would view with interest and
delight. He is not so distingue with jewels as the chief
whom we just now saw close to the prelate of Calcutta.
That potentate bought, it will be remembered, the jewels
of the Empress Eugenie, and as he stands there he is
worth three hundred thousand pounds. Still the repre
sentatives of Jung Bahadoor are eminently respectable,
and, I should say, could sell their diamonds for as much
as would buy a considerable street in the West-end of
London. There is, however, another posse of young men who
have claims to distinction. They are three melancholy
youths, not stout, but thin, standing close together, but
otherwise alone. Nobody goes near them ; they are not
pressed to the left and right breasts of Eajah or Maha
rajah, as are all the rest we see. Save that some political
agent now and then accosts them, they say nothing . to
anybody, but stand still and look on at all that passes
with quiet interest. In attire they resemble the old
pictures of Martin Luther — black velvet caps, somewhat
like the old biretta with earlaps standing out straight,
long black velvet gowns, sandalled feet, no ornaments,
not even a pearl or a diamond. Who can they be ? I
turn to the courteous Colonel Martin Dillon, the secre
tary of Lord Napier, who, like his chieftain, is in full
dress covered with medals and decorations, and from

THE PRINCE IN BENGAL.' 187
him learn that these are the grandsons of Tippoo Sahib.
Shades of the great, what a different scene do their eyes
look upon to-day from that which they would pro
bably have witnessed but for the valour of British and
native soldiers, and the skill of Arthur Wellesley ! They
might have been gazing at a successor of that most un
fortunate captive, Sir David Baird, who not so many
years ago was placed in a water-wheel and made to
work' it for the amusement of Tippoo and his ladies.
Quien sabe 1 To-day, these unhappy ones, ejected from
Mysore, no longer rulers of Seringapatam, stand meekly
in the background to see the Prince of the race which
annihilated their family's greatness pass by in state. They
are not even honoured by a nod or a shake of the hand.
When Tippoo fell, the grandeur of the dynasty fell with
him ; that thrust of the private soldier's bayonet in the
fatal gateway not only killed Tippoo, but upset his suc
cessors to all time. Those young men would not be
here to-day had the Treaty of 1793 been observed. In
such case they would have been received with a twenty-
one gun salute at Madras, met on the edge of the carpet,
conducted to a grand seat at the right hand of the Prince,
and been favoured with the pleasant conversation which
is now reserved for those who are greater than they.
But moralising is out of place here, for we must look
round before the Prince lands. There is the Maharajah
of Eewah, a fine tall man, with an astonishing aigrette
of diamonds in his cap, and splendidly clad in bright
colours. A certain lankness about the hair and whiskers
of this notability perhaps awakens suspicions ; but few
are prepared to see anything half so forbidding as his
countenance when he turns round. His face is painted
red ; he must surely be a descendant of the Sandwich
or savage islanders, so curiously tattooed are his cheeks

188 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
and his forehead. No such thing. He is a victim to
leprosy ; his terrible face is the sign, and his feeble walk
the result. Yet he is not avoided. How could a man
who carries thirty thousand pounds' worth of brilliants
in his turban be shunned? See, the Maharajah of Cash
mere clasps the leprous Eewah to his bosom ; and a little
stout Eajah, in a red turban, bright purple satin coat,
and light green trousers, trots up full of joy at being
next saluted. That amusing person who carries his
sword before him so carefully wrapped up in silk that
it looks as bulbous as a teapot, squeezes the red-faced
Maharajah to his breast, and then runs off as pleased as
though he had embraced Shiva, and Parvati into the
bargain. It is clearly a great thing to be a Maharajah.
Not far distant is a tall, fine, clear-complexioned gen
tleman in a long green robe spotted with golden stars.
On his head is a small golden crown, just like those
depicted upon the school-history likenesses of William
Eufus. He has a high forehead, a noble expression, a
skin quite unsullied by leprosy ; yet there he stands all
unnoticed. Why ? He is not a Prince, ' only one of
those fellows from Oude,' says an officer ; and splendid
fellow though he is, even the tainted ruler of Eewah
would not vouchsafe to give him one salute. He might
wear fifty crowns, he will not be squeezed to the breast of
anybody here. Just now Lord Napier of Magdala spoke
to him, and here comes the veteran Commander-in-Chief
leading somebody else up to Scindiah, who, with a yellow
hat, and a white robe, with diamond armlet and the
riband of the Star of India over his shoulder, is sitting on
a sofa. Who can help regretting that India is about to
lose the services of so far-seeing a general and so careful
a diplomatist — more so than ever,, indeed, when he grasps
you by the hand, bids you welcome to Bengal, and tells

THE PRINCE IN BENGAL. 189
you that on your arrival at Delhi there shall be a tent for •
yourself, a peg and a rope for your horse, and a restaurant
to save you the six miles' ride into the city when the
daily fighting is over and you need rest? A rare old
soldier is Lord Napier, and-you honour him for what he
has done. Close behind him is Sir Eichard Temple, who
but lately jumped from his horse, then falling over a
precipice, and so saved his life, and near him are Colonel
Earle, Captain Evelyn Baring, and Captain F. Baring. A
group of favoured ladies and gentlemen admire the case
in which the address to the Prince will be placed, a fine
gold box, much ornamented, the treasure casket of
Calcutta eloquence and loyalty.
Meanwhile the guns of the men-of-war blazed away,
the old sixty-four converted making but a feeble boom
when compared with the ear-splitting crash of their
seven-inch rivals ; and his Eoyal Highness made for the
shore, followed and preceded by his followers and re
tainers. At length they landed, and a number of Baboos,
officers, gentlemen in cocked hats who belonged to the
Legislative Council, and others crowded round his Eoyal
Highness, while the chief policeman,- Mr. Stuart Hogg,
read very deliberately. This is, however, mere guess
work. From my coign of vantage I could see the depu
tation nod their heads at what appeared to be paragraphs
in a much-admired address ; the Prince also bowed in
return, and it was evident that he was saying something.
When the inaudible business was over, all joined in the
cheer which saluted his Eoyal Highness as he moved
towards the pavilions. There was very little enthusiasm at
Bombay, less at Colombo, still less at Madras ; here there
was a genuine English shout of joyous greeting, and it
was . prolonged . long after the Eoyal party reached the
pavilion.

190 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
In the midst of all this there are presentations — the
Viceroy presenting the Eajah of Cashmere and Holkar,
next Eewah, and after that Prince Scindiah, who all stand
in the order they themselves choose, and shake hands
with the Prince with great cordiality. How for each the
Prince has a pleasant word, how it takes nearly twenty
minutes to shake hands with them all, and how, when
his Eoyal Highness left the arch, a louder cheer than
ever was given, can be imagined. Nor need the order
of the procession be given, since the Viceroy and the
Prince must necessarily occupy the same carriage ; and it
boots not for the English people to know whether the:
members of Council rode before or behind his Eoyal
Highness. Suffice it to say that, escorted by volunteers
and native troops, always cheered by the people, and at
one place saluted by the school children of Calcutta, who
sang a new version of the National Anthem, he at length
passed the gates of Government House, and took up resi
dence in that magnificent building. I should not omit •
to mention that next day a local newspaper appeared in
deep mourning, in consequence of the address having
been read by the police superintendent.
That night the streets and squares of Calcutta were in
a blaze of light. The place which has been justly called
the city of palaces, was lit up in so artistic a style as to
bring to mind the grandest tales of the ' Thousand and
One Nights.' In the luminous atmosphere dusky forms,
clad in Oriental garments, flitted about noiselessly by
thousands ; palankeen bearers, coaches, buggies, and
bullock vehicles were carrying unwonted loads ; and
Christmas Eve was a night of joviality in honour of the
Prince. I wish I could portray to you as vividly as I
saw it the beauty of the scene. No Aladdin was needed
to cry new lamps in exchange for old ; every building

THE PRINCE IN BENGAL. 191
seemed to be one vast lamp full of oil and light. The
resources of the East and West were brought into play
together, Hindoos and Mohammedans under a celebrated
local firm, and English makers and designers, joining to
decorate this already handsome city. There were stars
and crosses, all kinds of devices, such as Birmingham,
Sheffield, and London delight in on great days of festivity,
in gas, and in addition to these thousands of oil lamps
hung in festoons and loops, or stretched over the roads
in arches, covering fronts of houses and walls, and the
railings of the squares. It was, without doubt,' the
grandest Christmas Eve Calcutta had ever seen, a night
of great and unalloyed rejoicing. And Christmas Day
itself was to be kept this year in real English fashion by
a Prince and his followers, and by hundreds of English
men and Englishwomen, in the Empire city of Calcutta ;
while that night we began the festivity by lighting up the
streets as they never had been before in honour of the
Eoyal visitor and the Eoyal visit.

192 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.

CHAPTEE XVI.
A SUNDAY IN CALCUTTA.
Sundays in Calcutta are not spent at the Zoo for the very
sufficient reason that Calcutta has till lately had no Zoolo
gical Gardens in which to spend its after-church Sunday^
But it has long had its own fashionable resort, for all that;
and while people in England were buttoning their over
coats and putting thick gloves on, preparatory to taking
their favourite race through the frost-bitten gardens in
Eegent's Park, Calcutta — that is to say, of course, Euro
pean Calcutta — having achieved its devotions at cathedral,
church, and chapel, in accordance with the fashionable
method out here, was getting ready to move off to the
Botanical Gardens, which lie on the opposite side of the
grand river Hooghly. It was Christmas-tide, and the
good old Bishop, since dead, had droned out the last sem
tence of what at one time promised to be an endless
sermon ; the choir had sung the fifth and last hymn ; the
offertory had been made, and sixpences had been fur
tively slipped into red velvet bags which certainly should
haye opened to nothing less than rupees ; and the orga
nist was thundering ' For unto us a Child is born,' when
one of the gentlemen who had just made the collection
stepped across the aisle of the church and invited me to
luncheon. All innocent of Botanical Gardens, and far
away from the guidance of any member of the Sunday

A SUNDAY IN CALCUTTA. 193
Observance Society, my thoughts naturally turned in the
direction of a sober meal within four white walls, under a
waving breeze-making punkah, somewhere in the suburbs
of Calcutta. But, to my surprise, the carriage of this
estimable and hospitable person stopped neither at staid-
looking bungalow nor white-faced house ; but, passing
under the triumphal arch which had welcomed the Prince
on the day of his landing, pulled up at the water's edge,
close to a dingy, in which sat four or five semi-nude
boatmen. Would you know what a dingy is ? Then take the
shabbiest gondola that Venice can furnish, knock off all
that is ornamental in the shape of carved prow or stern,
move the covered seats in the centre to one end of the
craft, give it a flush deck, and thereupon place four not
handsome native rowers, and you have a first-class dingy
—just such a one as we entered on that bright Sunday
afternoon. We were not alone in our expedition, for already
seated in the dingy were four or five gentlemen who, un
like ourselves, had not been to cathedral, and from whom
I learnt that our ultimate destination was the Botanical
Gardens, where we should have to lunch on the grass
' the same,' my informant continued, ' as everybody in
Calcutta does.' Onward the boat sped towards the other
side of the river, where the sail was to be hoisted. On
the Hooghly was many another craft of the same descrip
tion ; some with parties of intending lunch-takers, and
others with parties of intended lunch-makers, namely,
servants who were carrying boatloads of provisions and
wine to the place for which we were bound. Still, there
was no unseemly noise ; nothing fike the hideous cackle
of the catamaran rowers at Colombo. There, if you
o

194 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
would be quiet on the water, you would have to beg your
boatmen as a particular favour not to sing the songs they
love, else you would be treated to a series of yells com
pared with which a London street singer's melodies
would be agreeable music. And even then you would be
startled every minute or so by the eternal ' La ilia, la, la,
la,' wafted from some other boat on those , troublous
waters. Here, however, there was no ' singing,' only the
steady plash of the oars in the water as we passed along
the bank of the river.
Eespecting the Hooghly at the point where it pierces
Calcutta, there is not much to be said. It is rather more
uninteresting than the Thames below Gravesend ; about
as wide, but less turbulent, though more turbid. On one
hand stands the city proper — on the other a long line of
cotton-spinning factories, which promise some day or
another, according to local prophets, to be an exceeding
trouble to Manchester and a great source of supply for the
London market. But as you pass down the river you
find the scenery more diversified. On one side is the
present residence of the ex-King of Oude, with its gardens
and pleasaunces, on the other the Botanical Gardens. It
was at a little landing-stage attached to these last that we
stepped ashore, walking now up a slight incline to a
shady spot, where, under aromatic trees of great beauty,
we found seats and a tablecloth spread on the grass, with
a luncheon fit for the Prince himself. Guards, too, there
were — coloured gentlemen armed with sticks, who were
waving them about as fiercely as though a band of Dacoits
were somewhere in the bushes. Yet there could not be
Dacoits in the gardens, and the bunch of squalid Hindoos
who were squatted on the pathway some little distance off
scarcely required such a display of force to keep them
from the cold game-pie or the sherry. They looked

A SUNDAY IN CALCUTTA. 195
hungry enough — were hungry, too, Heaven knows ; and
their reason for squatting in the pathway was, without
doubt, the hope of getting just one mouthful of some
thing to eat presently — -just as a pariah dog close by
them came there in search of a bone ; but they no more
dared to seize upon the boiled leg of mutton, steaming
hot and savoury, with the turnips and carrots artistically
and temptingly arrayed on a great dish, than they would
dream of plundering Government House.
Where was the enemy, then ? We had scarcely sat
down when we discovered that recondite foe. One of
the party had helped himself to a choice slice of beef. On
the joint itself was a Government mark of undoubted
genuineness, indicating that the beef was of the very best
quality, in accordance with rules laid down for the guid
ance of meat inspectors in the Calcutta, markets from
time immemorial. But neither inspector's mark — the
corner of the cross was on that identical slice — nor the
sticks of the guardians of the feast could save that unlucky
morsel. Down from the sky above us, at a moment when
least expected, swooped a voracious kite. Like a flash of
lightning that unconscionable bird, utterly regardless of
the rights of property, and not caring a single snap of the
bill for inspector or proprietor, came through the picnic
party, and, seizing that choice cut of beef, flew aloft and
away before we could utter the Hindostanee equivalent
of the proverbial ' Jack Eobinson.' That was the thief,
then, against whom the men with the sticks were warring ;
that was the marauder against whom they had to fight ;
and, worse than all, his friends and acquaintances were
hovering by the score, about forty feet above us, ready to
seize the rest of the provisions if only we would let them.
Had we only got one of the descendants of the Lord
o 2

196 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Cardinal of Eheims there, he might have ' solemnly cursed
that rascally thief,' and, perchance, brought him to re
pentance, just as the great Lord Cardinal himself dealt
with the jackdaw that stole the ring ; but we had no one
amongst us who could lay the slightest claim to belonging
to the Eheims Cardinal's family. So we had to sit a httle
closer, advise the guards to wave their sticks more fiercely,
and to watch the kites more closely. It was necessary, I
firmly believe, to eat things as quickly as possible ; even
the beer seemed in danger, though, so far as I could
learn, the most voracious and reckless kite had never
been seen to fly away with a bottle of Allsopp. Yet,
with the Darwinian theory of natural selection before us,
and the possibility that in course of time some elderly
kite might possibly have advanced from the seizing of
eatables to the purloining of drinkables, we disposed of '
what potions we had brought with us, and presently
adjourned to the great banian tree, of which Calcutta and
the chief of the Botanical Gardens are proud.
There is always some satisfaction in seeing the largest
specimen of any particular class — the biggest balloon, the
highest mountain, the hugest ship. We went to the
largest banian tree in the world. I know that in Guzerat
there is a tree of this class which claims the premier
place ; also, that at Barrackpore there is a banian of un
doubted respectability. But the Calcutta specimen is,
after all, the king. You could bivouac a whole regiment
of soldiers comfortably under its branches ; if you had it
in your garden there would be room for nothing else, but
you might live under its shade and call it your ' roof-
tree ' with some propriety. Indeed, in one respect, it is
not altogether unlike the Hall of a Thousand Pillars — for
the banian tree has one great peculiarity which is not

A SUNDAY IN CALCUTTA. 197
generally known in England. From its branches drop
feelers or hangers, somewhat in the way that the straw
berry-plant's feelers spread out, and, there taking root,
become eventually strong trunks themselves, several feet
in girth, and the parents of other roots again. In this
way the space under the tree is filled with pillars of wood,
behind which you could hide, and between which lovers
were seated, and — what is still more sad — some were play
ing what Cromwell designated ' that most ungodly game
of kiss-in-the-ring.' Others, too, were picnicing under
the umbrageous shade of this grand tree, which is never
aught but green summer or winter, while more were
perched on the branches which extend in almost every
direction for very many yards. I say ' almost,' because
the tree, curiously enough, has not shot out a single tendril
towards the north, but confines its leafy shade to other
parts of the compass. But that scarcely detracts from its-
beauty ; it covers a huge circular space from the heat of
the sun, and constitutes a marvel of which Calcutta may
well be proud.
Of the gardens themselves, I scarcely think so much,
could be said. They are not to be compared with those
of Kandy, either in beauty of landscape or rarity of plants.
Palms are plentiful ; but where are the vanilla, with its
wonderful pods, the picturesque plantain, the lovely
pommelo, or the leafy nutmeg tree ? Where are the
groves which make Peradinya so lovely — where the rich.
clusters of flowers that load the air with perfume ? There-
is nothing like that here. The groves are thin, even the
fernery is small; a vast expanse of plain, barely
: covered with trees and plants, constitutes these gardens.
Yet, borderirig on the Hooghly, they are a great source of
1 comfort to European Calcutta on Sunday, and we, in

198 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
going thither, only did what all the world and his wife
in these warm regions do. Before night had set in, or
the church bells for evening service had sounded, we had
once more landed on the opposite shore, all the fresher
and more gladsome for our pleasant picnic on the grass.

199

CHAPTEE XVCI.
POLO-PLAYING AND SNAKE-CHARMING.
Cricket at Lord's, lawn tennis at Prince's, football at
Eugby, racing at Epsom — are seen at their best. But to
learn how polo should be played you should have spent
an hour on the Maidan at Calcutta, a large open grass-
covered space, when there were galloping there at a ter
rific pace fourteen semi-savage Munipuris. I do not for
a moment desire to disparage the feats of Mr. Murietta,
or any of the other gentlemen whose powers with the
polo stick are undoubted. But of this I am sure, that
there is not an admirer of polo at home or in India who
would grudge to award the palm of superiority to these
masters of the game. It was with no small feeling of
pleasure that I received an invitation to attend a polo
match, at which it was expected the Prince and Viceroy
would be present. To see the Munipuris play would be
to see the style of the tribes who first taught India, and,
through India, England, this pleasant athletic diversion.
How well their skill had been maintained had been
already shown, when the savages beat the skilled horse
men of Calcutta with a rapidity and an ease that greatly
surprised the Europeans.
It was four o'clock in the afternoon when, by the aid of
a policeman, who gently whipped my recalcitrant coach-

200 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
man, I reached the Maidan. The driver having an eye to
that honest penny which it is the ambition of every Hindoo
to turn as frequently as possible, had made arrangements to
use the vehicle which I had hired for the day as a hack car
riage for people attending the Prince's levee, and at such
moments as he found himself unwatched carried out his
project with considerable energy. An unexpected de
mand, therefore, that he should bend the carriage wheels
in the direction of the Maidan met with something very
like rebellion — a reprehensible state of affairs which it
was necessary to deal with. Eeason at length prevailed ;
the troublesome worshipper of Siva was persuaded to do
his duty, and an hour's drive brought us to the place
where we would be.
There was no overlooking the workmanlike appear
ance of the Munipuris ; both they and their ponies were
ready for anything. These latter were scarcely over 11
hands high, but as strong as lions and as fleet as deer,
somewhat shaggy, but under extraordinary control. The
saddles were broad, and had the front turned over in such
a way as to give the rider the strongest possible grip ; the
stirrup leathers so short that the knees of the player were
actually higher than the top of the saddle. To guard the
flanks of the pony, on either side a thick piece of hide,
about eighteen inches deep and two feet long, was
hung, strongly secured by thongs of leather, and, to give
additional protection to the knees of the rider, this hide
was also turned round at the ends. For the rest, the
trappings of the ponies were very ornate. Woollen
rosettes and balls of varied colours hung all round them,
giving a pretty effect when the animals were in rapid
motion. The men were habited in a turban tightly
fastened on to the head, close-fitting jackets, seven dark
and seven light, ornamented with golden spangles. On

POLO.PLAYING AND SNAKE-CHARMING. 201
their legs were thick leather guards, extending a little
above the knees. Fastened to their }eft wrists were the
thongs of a whip. A short white gown completed their
dress. The sticks they carried were about 4ft. 6in. in
length, ihade of the lightest bamboo, with the cross-piece
at the end rather more slantedtnan those used at Hur-
lingham, or, indeed, in Calcutta. There were three
ridiculously-dressed men for keeping the ground, each
clad in a long white gown, and a cap with three points of
the exact pattern worn by English clowns, and wanting
only the bells to be the perfection of ugliness. The ball
used was about the. size of a cricket ball, and was made
from the root of the bamboo being subjected to a drying
process lasting over nearly a year before fit for use.
There were no goal posts ; the area, which was in the
form of a parallelogram, was marked out by a deeply-cut
line in the grass, over which the players did not hesitate
to rush occasionally, to the discomfiture and terror of on
lookers- While all this was being noted, those invited were
gathering. The Viceroy and his staff — -whether the Prince
eventually came I do not know — a few Maharajahs, some
American generals who chanced to be in Calcutta, a few
officers from the camp, and a carriage or two full of
ladies, together with a score or so of gentlemen from
Calcutta, composed the spectators. The contest had been
kept secret, in order, that the Prince, in case he might find
time to attend, might do so without being mobbed.. At
length the players range themselves up on two sides, very
close to each other, the dark jackets facing the north.
The ball is thrown in, and the game begins. We notice that
it is caught up and sent whirling over the heads of the dark
jackets. Helter-skelter they go in a terrible rush, the
leather flank guards clattering against the sides of the

202 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
saddle with a noise like that of small drums, the white
ball constantly in the air, but still getting nearer and
nearer the goal of the dark jackets. They fight with
tremendous bravery, and at one moment rally so strongly
as to force their opponents back some yards. But it is
only for an instant ; the next sees a white jacket, standing
in the stirrups, with his head bent lower than that of his
horse, fly past, and then, turning round, swing his arm
over the hind-quarters of his pony, and, achieving that
most difficult stroke known to polo-players, land the ball
in the enemy's goal.
Back they go at once to the centre of the ground, and
again the ball is thrown. This time the struggle is even
more exciting, for the ponies have entered thoroughly
into the spirit of the game, and require no lashes from
the whip-thongs which are on the left wrists of the riders.
Indeed, it would go ill with the players if they did ; for,
curiously enough the game is almost wholly a left-handed
fight, and is won by a left-hand stroke, given by a white
jacket again. The friends of the dark jackets are some
what disheartened this time, and a Calcutta polo-player
who is seated on a splendid fittle pony of about 12
hands gives it as his opinion that he could beat ' any of
those fellows easily.' Not so easily, though ; for the next
goal and the next are won by them, and now comes the
conquering game.
I do not think there is a single spectator who is not car
ried away by the enthusiasm of the moment. The sound of
martial music in the camp close at hand ; the red orb of
the sun as just before it goes to rest it lights up the open
work of a neighbouring church steeple; the palatial
houses of Calcutta in the distance ; the long fines of green
trees which surround the Maidan ; and more than all, the
appearance of that little corps of horsemen and their

POLO-PLAYING AND SNAKE-CHARMING. 203
steeds panting alike for excitement and want of breath,
all combine to give interest to the scene. I could con
ceive of Mr. Pickwick himself hazarding a rupee on the
chances of the struggle. At last the ball is thrown once
more, and before we can get out of the way the ponies
are nearly upon us, for the white bamboo-root comes
skimming along over the boundary, and is out. Back it
goes again, only to meet with a like fate ; and a third
time expectation is at its highest. This time the issue is
decided. For nearly five minutes the struggle continues.
A great dog rushes away from its master into the very
thick of the fray, and speedily comes back sadder and
wiser. Then the group breaks, and there is a rush to the
white goal which bids fair to succeed ; but unhappily at
the supreme moment two green jackets cannon against
each other, and roll over on the grass. Though they rise
at once, and join in the battle, the ball speeds it way to
wards the other goal. One desperate effort is made. A
white jacket is tearing along in chase of the little sphere,
and about to strike it a final blow, when an opponent
catches him and entangles his stick in his own. It is use
less. Another white jacket is close behind, and with a
tremendous cut he sends the ball over the heads of the
rivals,, and gains the fifth victory. Of course, we applaud
this feat, and, as it is rapidly becoming dark, hasten across
the grass to congratulate the riders and pat the ponies,
which, strange to say, after the stupendous efforts they
have made, are still fresh and just as ready as ever to
rush into the fight once more. It is too late; in the
distance the triumphal arches are being lit up ; lights are
rapidly extending along the streets. We must return to
the city.
To leave Calcutta without seeing the snakes at the
General Hospital would have been an omission of which,

204 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
at any rate, we could not be guilty. Accordingly it was
with great pleasure that I accepted an invitation to visit
the collection. Bear in mind that no snake-charmer was
present, that neither pipe nor whistle was used, that every
snake had its poison fangs or teeth in capital order, and
that no means save the marvellous skill of the native
operators was employed in the exhibition which followed,
and you will have a good idea of the peril through which
those Hindoos passed.
It was early in the morning — not, however, before the
snakes, which were in a series of wire-covered boxes,
were awake and lively — that we were shown into a stone-
floored room some twenty feet long and twelve broad.
In the boxes were the strongest and deadliest snakes in
India : pythons, ophiophagi, cobras, korites, Eussell snakes,
and many others. The Hindoos who had charge of them
were two slim wiry little men, nude to the waist, as most of
their countrymen are. They wore neither gloves nor any
other protection, and had no instrument of any kind in
the place. After showing the varied collection under
their care, they proceeded to open the python cage, and
one of them, putting his hand in, seized a monster serpent
and threw him upon the floor close to our feet. The
python objected to such treatment, and began to hiss,
making at the same time a vigorous effort to rise. But
the snake-keeper was waiting for this, and no sooner did
that huge shining back begin to curve than the keeper
put out his hand, and, seizing the creature's tail, pulled it
back with a jerk. Instantly the python was powerless-
hissing, but unable to move ; the more he struggled the
more tenaciously did the keeper hold his tail, explaining
meanwhile that so long as the reptile was controlled in
that fashion there was no danger of its doing mischief;
then just as its rage was becoming ungovernable, the man

POLO-PLAYING AND SNAKE-CHARMING. 205
lifted it quickly, and with a jerk deposited it in the box.
Its companion was now taken out in similar manner, and
slapped and buffeted till throughout its entire length,
some twelve feet, it quivered with passion, but all to no
.purpose ; it, too, was presently replaced in the cage, and
shut up to hiss at its leisure.
The fact that an ophiophagus is in the Eegent's Park
Zoological Gardens rendered the next exhibition more in
teresting, although it may be doubted whether the sudden
throwing into so small a room of a snake seven feet long
was agreeable to the visitors. However, there was really
no danger, for the venomous creature was so completely in
its keeper's power that we had no occasion for fear.
One bite from the reptile, and any one of us would have
been dead in five minutes, for it was exceptionally strong
and lively ; but it was no more able to bite us than the
fittle mongoose caged outside the door. Up rose its head,
out came its slithering torigue, its eyes dilated, its huge
throat swelled, and all seemed ready for a desperate at
tack, when the keeper struck the reptile's mouth with the
back of his hand, and before it could strike him had
seized it just under the head. Then it struggled, but
only to get away — it had met that native before, and did
not at all approve of his treatment. The other native
now seized its centre and tail, and without more ado the
terrible creature was hoisted into the air as harmless as a
butterfly, and its fangs exposed by the aid of a small piece
of wire. Those teeth were literally full of poison —
enough to have killed a dozen persons. At length, our
curiosity satisfied, this monster was put into his cage, and
his brother plucked out by the naked native, with the hand,
and thrown on the floor. He, too, was truculent for a
minute, endeavouring to follow the unpantalooned Hindoo
round the room; but he had reckoned without his host,

206 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
or rather his keeper, for he was seized presently by the
tail and hoisted up just as the other had been. In vain
he hissed and spat. His tongue might move in and out
as often as it pleased, but all to no purpose ; whether on
the floor or in the air its efforts to bite were perfectly un
availing, and when the cage was opened it slunk in, a dis
concerted serpent.
A cobra was the next to be turned out, a strong,
healthy snake, nearly five feet in length, with a hood the
power of moving which somewhat startled us. But move
as it might, the agile native was too quick for it. He
would put his knee within a foot of it as it stood up ready
to strike, and it would make a dart, as futile, however,
as it was sudden. Then it would hiss as though hoping
to frighten its adversary ; it might as well have hissed at
the wall. And, just when it had got up again, and was
so enraged that it could scarcely wait for a good oppor
tunity to strike at the native's knee, which was moving
before it in a most tantalising manner, the keeper's hand
was quietly placed under its head, and it was removed like
its predecessors. ' Will it bite? ' I asked. ' See,' said the
native. Taking up a piece of bamboo stretched across a
shell, he held the wood to the serpent's mouth. Instantly
the reptile seized the proffered bait, its eyes glistening, its
neck distended, and -crunched the wood as though it was
tinder. Two or three moments elapsed as the teeth
penetrated further into the fibre, and then we saw the
poison falling in white drops into the shell which acted
as a kind of saucer. I was particular in noticing two
points in regard to this incident : first, that the poison did
not come from the fangs immediately the bite was in
flicted — a fact which will account for the mongoose living
sometimes after he is bitten by the cobra ; and, next, that
the quantity of venom emitted was much greater than is

POLO-PLAYING AND SNAKE-CHARMING. 207
generally supposed. There were five or six large white
drops in the shell, and probably one or two absorbed in
the bamboo. When forced to surrender the wood the
serpent seemed by no means exhausted ; the fibre was
much torn, for the teeth had penetrated nearly a quarter
of an inch.
For all that, I should mention that when presently
another cobra equally large was examined, it was shown
that the teeth were set back some distance in the head,
and that they were by no means so large as those of a
viper which was shown afterwards, and which was so
quick in its movements that it had to be lifted out of its
box by means of a hooked stick. Cobras and ophiophagi
might be seized by the hand, but not so this huge viper,
which made such desperate attempts to strike one or two
of us that we were by no means sorry when the keeper
seized him by the neck and tail and opened his mouth.
His fangs were undoubtedly large — larger than the
cobra's by one half, and very strong. They must have
contained a great quantity of venom. However, he was
not invited to try them, and by the time he got back into
his box was, I think, heartily tired of the exhibition. A
Eussell snake, with a golden spotted back, was the
next on the floor, and it hissed violently, but was taken
up just as easily as the others after it had been provoked
to a great rage for several minutes. A korite, proverbi
ally deadly, had been played so many tricks before that
it was slow to take part in the fun. Once or twice it
struck viciously at the keeper, but without any effect,
and at last ceased- to make any effort to bite the Hindoo.
There was no need to play a pipe or tom-tom to awe that
snake. It was only too glad to get away into his blanket
and box again.
The exhibition was ended by the showing a biscobra,

208 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
or small guava. What cared we for a wretched snake-
charmer who, with a few serpents whose fangs had been
abstracted, a lot of pipes and charming sticks, and all
kinds of protections, waited outside, and offered to give
us an entertainment ? ¦ After such an exhibition as we
had witnessed the cleverest snake-charmer was the merest
impostor. Passing across the grounds, a valuable piece
of information was given us. Chained to a wall was a
pariah dog, with a severe wound on one of its legs. This
animal, we were informed, had been experimented upon
by Dr. Wall with wonderful success ; a large quantity of
cobra poison had been injected under its skin, and yet it
had been recovered by an antidote which Dr. Wall is said
to have discovered. More may probably be heard of
this. In the hospital visitors' book was a note in the
writing of the Prince : 'lam very much pleased with the
hospital, which I find in good order, and well ventilated.
Albert Edward, Jan. 1 ' — the signature of the Duke of
Sutherland being also appended. A little lower down
was a similar certificate from Dr. Fayrer. The hospital
certainly deserves the highest encomium.

209

CHAPTEE XVTH.
a captive king.
Wajid Alee, ex-King of Oude, is too well known in his
tory to need much description ; but of what sort is the
Royal prison in which he is now confined very few out
of the precincts of Calcutta appear to have any idea ;
and it was with this impression that I accepted the kind
permission of Colonel Mowbray Thompson to visit the
residence of the ex-King.
A drive of nearly an hour by the side of the Hooghly
brought me to an imposing gateway, guarded by troops.
Not English soldiers, mark, nor, indeed, sepoys in Eng
lish pay, but men belonging to his ex-Majesty of Oude,
of the same type and costume as those good fellows who
committed the butcheries at Cawnpore and elsewhere.
However, they were undoubtedly civil, and I was quickly
admitted to what at first sight appeared to be an admir
ably designed garden. I think it is Miss Carpenter who
advocates the plan of endeavouring to reform criminals
by making delightful residences of gaols. If her theory
is right, Wajid Alee should certainly be reformed by this
time, for a more lovely succession of groves, parterres,
miniature park-like plots of grass and pleasant terraces
I have never seen. And what was more astonishing still
to me was to discover in these grounds a zoological col
lection surpassing in many respects the grand menagerie
P

210 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
in Eegent's Park. At first the prospect, however, was
forgotten for a moment in the contemplation of one of
those extraordinary pictures for which India is famous. '
Hung in a large window in such a manner that all its
beauty, or rather ugliness, should burst upon the spectator
at once, this wonderful daub portrayed a battle-piece, of
which the locale might perhaps be the Crimea. One
thing was charming about the object, and only one — its
absolute impartiality. A Eussian officer, with a lobster-
coloured face, was cutting down a French soldier ; while
an English infantryman was bayoneting in the most satis
factory manner a Eussian who had injudiciously planted
his back against the side of a gun. I think the fight
might be described as ending in the defeat of the French
by the Eussians and the route of the Eussians by the
English, which doubtless appeared the most satisfactory
result of the struggle to the artist engaged.
A step more, and the celebrated pigeons of the ex-
King were in full view. I do not wonder at their being
famous ; you in England have no idea of what Wajid Alee
has achieved. It would be no exaggeration to say that
many scores of varieties, most of them surpassingly beau
tiful, appear in every direction. I am not an ornitho
logist; — I do not know the name of a single pigeon ; yet
my uninstructed eye was delighted with the success of the
Eoyal breeder. If he did not succeed as a potentate, it
was because he was accidentally placed in a position for
which nature did not intend him. He should have been
a gentleman of moderate means residing somewhere in
the South of England ; his skill and his patience would
have astonished his rivals ; he would have gained prizes
everywhere, and everybody would have united to praise
him. He was unfortunately a King, and all his ex
cellences are forgotten in the one fact that he was a

A CAPTIVE KING. 211
Eoyal failure. He is as fond of the birds as ever, and
here, in the centre of the garden set apart for them, has
a pretty little bungalow, furnished in Oriental fashion,
with a couch at each window, on which he can recline
and look at the pets that brought him into trouble.
There are not many men who, if they lost a kingdom for
the sake of pigeon-breeding, would take great pleasure in
that particular hobby afterwards. Thus thinking, we
passed into another garden, walled in, and in its centre
boasting of a marble tank of extraordinary dimensions.
I should say, roughly speaking, that it is a hundred and
fifty yards square ; it is very deep, the water is clear, and
on its surface and at its sides are ducks and .fowl of all
kinds. Scores of pelicans, divers, teal, swans, curious
ducks with wonderful plumage, storks, cranes, and pea
cocks wander all over the garden or go to the tank as
they please. They are in no confined cage, cramped up
in a space of twenty feet square as in London, but roam
all about the delightful square in the bright sunshine,
chirping, cackling, hissing, and chattering, and withal as
happy as though all the world was before them. Here
' and there an unruly one is confined in a large pagoda
like cage till he learns to do well ; but these moral
lessons do not appear to be often needed, for there are
only some twenty ne'er-do-wells in custody. Perhaps the
prisoner of Oude is tender to evil-doers.
Our next step was into another walled-off space which
is even more noteworthy. Here there are several large
tanks, trees of abundant foliage offer opportunities of
-shade, and luxuriant climbing plants cover the sides of
the enclosure. Here are buffaloes, goats, deer, and
almost every species of herbivorous animal in nature,
and the larger birds as well. As you stand under a tree
you may be gently brushed by the feathers of a passing
p 2

212 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
ostrich,- who winks at you confidentially as he makes his
way to a choice box of food he sees at a little distance,
and which a cousin for whom it was brought has not
noticed yet ; or you may be prodded in the back by the
horn of a sacred bull as he hints to you the necessity
of getting out of his way. Indeed, if you would avoid
having to beg the pardon of a resident bird or beast, you
must be careful not to walk about quickly, for they are
all round you, and, as the weather is exceedingly pleasant,
are apparently taking a ' constitutional ' preparatory to
the afternoon dinner. It is a grand idea of the ex-King
to give his mute subjects so much liberty ; human beings
would not have had the same amount had the mutiny
succeeded and he remained at Lucknow. But that is a
detail into which we need not enquire too deeply. Less
fortunate are the feras which are in an adjoining enclosure.
It clearly would be a mistake to let half-a-dozen energetic
panthers, or a leopard or two, loose in any garden, par
ticularly if visitors were invited to enter promiscuously.
I saw a couple of cheetahs in a cage who would soon
clear the place of its attendants — three Eajahs, who, in
purple and gold, were seated comfortably under an
arbour, and a Hindoo gentleman, who was apparently
engaged in worshipping the sacred Beble tree. Of tigers, '
there are, singularly enough, none ; the two that were
here have just died ; but there is a pair of wolves who
would do nearly as much mischief if turned loose, and,
fastened under a tree by a strong iron chain, is an enor
mous stag, with antlers nearly two yards long, who
would be only too happy to be liberated for a moment ;
indeed, he made several attempts to reach the Hindoo
gentleman but fortunately failed. Of jackals, too, there
are some good specimens, but that is a superfluity, for
you can see as many as you wish any night in the less-

A CAPTIVE KING. 213
frequented streets of Calcutta, and will certainly be
awakened by them unless you live in the busiest part of
the city. Hyenas and foxes, porcupines, and many other
uncomfortable animals, from the lion to the mongoose,
are here, and, if this collection is not so large as the
other, its deficiencies are more than compensated for by
what we next see.
In the centre of another garden, beautifully laid out,
and superior in point of style to most of those in England
or France, there is a structure of singular description. In
form at a short distance it looks like a magnified ant-hill,
in three conical portions, and the fact that its sides are full
of round holes confirms for a moment the suspicion that
it has been produced by some huge insects, and must
now be their abode. But it is nothing of the sort.
Constructed with enormous care, this extraordinary
building is seen on closer inspection to be the work of
human hands. Its base is fixed in a large square well,
and is surrounded by water ; you note, too, that the sides
of the excavation arch inward, as though to prevent the
escape of something or other, but of what it is not very
clear. All over these cones, which rise to a height of
about thirty feet, and are more' than six times that dis
tance in circumference, are little spikes of iron ; the
holes are about three inches in diameter, and are very-
numerous. While we are wondering what can be the
use of this building, our eyes light on a couple of big
cages in the centre, looking into which we descry two of
the largest pythons ever captured. At a rough guess
they must be thirty or forty feet long, and their bulk is
tremendous. We at once divine that the structure is a
snake-house, and, looking up again, remark that in
almost every hole the head of a snake may be seen.
While we watch, too, a long cobra slowly emerges into

214 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
the sunlight, clasps one of the iron spikes by its tail, and
so swings himself into an opening a little lower down.
Every minute, too, serpents are to be seen moving in and
out as though they are engaged in morning calls or
shopping. It is by no means a pleasant idea that creeps
over us just then. What if that arched well and narrow
stream of water failed to Suffice for the imprisonment of
these animals ? There are five hundred of them in all,
of which I learn that half are venomous, and they all
look strong and healthy enough when two men come up
with some baskets of frogs, and throw the chirping
struggling creatures to the snakes. Out rushes every
member of the colony, and, for a few moments, the frogs
have a very uncomfortable time. Some of them are
seized by two serpents at once, and are rent in halves
forthwith ; some are bolted before they have time to
jump an inch, and all of them are disposed of in ten
minutes. Then the snakes go back to their holes, some
pieces of meat are given to the pythons, and you move
away. Not out of the gardens yet, however, for we
must first of all go through an immense series of huge
cages, full of small birds of lovely and varied plumage,
and past another of the six residences belonging to the
Maharajah. There is little here, however, that we do not
see in every rich Hindoo's house ; scores of shilling
German-manufactured coloured prints representing girls
smoking cigarettes, the Madonna and Child, the Emperor
William, and Teuton farmers and dairymaids ; a collec
tion of chandeliers, such as would fill a large shop, and a
great number of couches. Gubbins, in his ' Mutinies of
Oude,' says that Wajid Alee was a man of considerable
taste. If that is so, he must have left the furnishing of
his domicile to some such genius as he who decorated
the palaces of the Guicowar of Baroda. The gardens,

A CAPTIVE KING. 215
the zoological collection, the bungalows themselves, are
well-nigh enchanting ; and we are careful not to lose so
pleasant an impression by a prolonged inspection of the
interior of the habitations. In such a mood we pass
once more through the gateway, leaving the ex-King
of Oude alone in his glory.

216 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.

CHAPTEE XIX.
LIFE IN CALCUTTA.
It has been properly remarked that a ball is a ball all
the world over. There is the eternal quadrille to begin
with ; you are sure to waltz, galop, and polka ; and,
although now and then the air may be different, the
measure is the same, and such a thing as a new kind of
dance seems unknown to the polished floor of conven
tional society. For this reason it is absolutely unnecessary
to describe at any length the ball which was given at
Government House, Calcutta. That the Prince danced
heartily and laughed merrily, that there was a tremendous
crush in ball-room and supper-room alike, and that the
tune of ' We won't go home till morning ' might have
been appropriately hummed by everybody present, is all
that need be said. But a garden party at Calcutta is a
different thing from an English fete champetre. At a
garden party at home you have the same pathways to
traverse, the same flower-beds to admire, the same people
to converse with, the same tent for champagne and ice,
time after time ; the same band plays the same tunes ;
you go at the same hour and you leave at the same
moment ; there is nothing fresh except the breeze, which
makes a garden party pleasant. In India all this is
reversed. Let us repair to Belvedere, the residence of

LIFE IN CALCUTTA. 217
Sir Eichard Temple, Lieutenant-Governor of the Bengal
Presidency. Unless you have been in an Indian equestrian crowd
before, your patience -will be sorely tried. Oriental
imperturbability may not be yours, any more than it
belongs to an artillery officer who is close to us, and who
is just now yelling at his driver. A thousand vehicles of
all kinds are jammed together in a very narrow road,
and can only move over the ground at a snail's pace.
Even the Maharajah of Benares, all unused as he is to
being stopped anywhere, sees that it is useless to storm,
and, leaning back, lets a benign smile play upon his
countenance. He knows Sir Salar Jung is a good forty
feet ahead of him, and will get the best seat in the
gardens without fail, yet he never fumes nor frowns.
Very differently does a particularly fat Eajah in a very
small gig behave. The gentleman who has the honour
of driving his horses has a sore back, I trow, by this
time ; the Eaj all's stick has been by no means idle for
the last five minutes. I do not see the Maharajah of
< Cashmere, however, although he is yet a great distance
from the gate, conferring any such distinction upon any
body. He is apparently only too delighted with the
novelty of the scene to wish to be out of it for a moment ;
and the three stout sons of Jung Bahadoor are models of
patient bearing. Not so a civilian official in the next
carriage to us, who is in a frenzy of fear lest he shall
miss the opportunity of displaying himself. If he could
see himself as others see him, he might perchance sit
down quietly; as it is, he gesticulates as violently as
though he were endeavouring to address a noisy consti
tuency from a very high hustings. However, he is kept
in countenance by a hundred others who are behaving in
pretty much the same manner,. and one only wishes that

218 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
a photograph could be taken of fashionable Calcutta
going to Sir Eichard Temple's garden party. At last the
gateway is reached, a ticket is given to your carriage —
which, by the way, you see no more — and you pass over
a carpeted walk on to a grass plateau. Possibly after
three hours spent in gaining the gardens, the refreshment
tent, which is pretty much fike what one would see in
England, offers most attraction, were it not that the
sound of the tom-tom is heard. It is certain to be the
accompaniment of some entertainment ; the sound of a
gong in a well-ordered house no more surely betokens
dinner than does the noise of the black man's thumb and
fingers on the tightly-drawn parchment, performances
more or less amusing. Besides, yonder wide circle of
people, all craning their necks forward, betokens what
the vulgar would call ' high jinks.' Jinks, indeed, they
are too — pretty much such as one would expect to see
were the inmates of Dante's Inferno given a holiday, and
urged to lose no time but be merry.
At a moment when we enter the crowd, about a
dozen of the most hideously-arrayed natives are engaged
in a dance. To dance before the Prince — who, by the
way, is seated on one side of the enclosure, with the
Viceroy, the Governor of Ceylon, Miss Baring, and a
host of Maharajahs on one hand or the other — Sir
Eichard Temple has forty or fifty men and women, not
all attired exactly alike, but varying their costume
according to their individual taste. Some wear their
hair very long, reaching down to their waists, and
adequately supplied with the stickiest of mud, others are
cropped as closely as though the whole period of their
dubious lives had been past in a convict prison. Some
bind their foreheads with rings of metal, others wear an
arrangement of coloured feathers that would move an

LIFE IN CALCUTTA. 219
Ojibbeway to a paroxysm of envy. In the matter of
painting, too, they are not guided by any hard and fast
social line, but are allowed to be as artistic and prodigal
of paint as they please, which also produces an effect all
its own. The weapons differ as widely as the attire ;
some have bows and arrows, some swords of a cumber
some and ugly pattern ; others again -hide a club behind
their backs, or clasp the handles of small daggers. In
facial expression, however, they are very much alike ;
they come from the hills of Assam, and are therefore
Mongolians, though not of pure blood. We hear various
bystanders bestowing upon them all kinds of technical
names ; but as these authorities differ amongst them
selves, and are moreover not at all likely to be right, we
leave that detail and watch the dance. . We are told that
the twelve fellows who are now jumping about in front
of the Prince are illustrating their mode of attempting
to avoid the arrows of their enemies. They could not
make more ugly contortions of face or body if their
enemies' arrows hit them. When they move off, they
are replaced by some of their musical kinsfolk, who pipe
and tom-tom for five minutes, and then are induced to
pack up and begone, only to be followed, however, by
four other musicians who come up with a kind of three-
stringed fiddle and scrape away with great energy.
They, too, have leave to retire, whereupon another posse
of savages hop into the ring, and are beginning to dance,
when the Prince, always patient, but now very tired,
rises, and, leading the way to the refreshment tent, stops
the performance. Night is coming on, the sun is down ;
and all around us, lighting up the Lieutenant-Governor's
mansion, his trees, his ponds, and his gravel-walks, are
almost innumerable oil-lamps. It is a happy finish to the
spectacle in the ring ; and though we may have to wait

220 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
hours for our carriage, or possibly walk home five or six
miles in consequence of not finding it, there can be no
doubt that Sir Eichard Temple's garden party has been a
novelty and a success.
Whatever else is missed, native entertainments given
to the Prince must be attended. With a feeling of this
sort I quitted a dinner-table at which sat the most genial
of company, to penetrate the native town and so discover
the place known as Belgatchia Villa. Its history alone —
printed on a large sheet of paper — could not have war
ranted any extraordinary effort, although to a native the
record was doubtless flattering. The place had at one
time belonged to a gentleman with a name the spelling
and pronunciation of which might take rank as a puzzle,
who once had the honour of entertaining Lord Auckland.
To please this excellent native, the kindly Governor-
General went, it appears, in a grand style, ' making,' to
quote an extant letter of his sister, ' all the noise we
could ; ' and, as such another trip to the Belgatchia Villa
would please the natives exceedingly, the Prince deter
mined to go to the fete.
There is a great deal in an attractive programme.
That issued by the managers of the fete was uncommonly
attractive. A present was to be made to the Prince ; his
Eoyal Highness was to be ' blessed ' in a Jajur Vedic
Mantra — whatever that might be — by three Vedic stu
dents ; a gentleman who called himself Pandit Satyavrata
Samaswami, had promised to chant a hymn ; four native
amateurs had volunteered to sing a welcome song in
Bengali ; a native musical concert was down on the fist,
after which the Baboo Kally Prosmo Bannerjee was to
play on two flutes at once by blowing, not with his
mouth, but with his neck ; and another gentleman, named
Gopal Chuckerbutty, was to sing a song. I hope I shall

LIFE IN CALCUTTA. 221
never hear Chuckerbutty sing any more. A trio on the
sitar was promised by three other native instrumentalists ;
a Nautch dance, a supper, and' fireworks were moreover
announced. To hear the music and see the Prince, nearly two
thousand natives had assembled in a hall built expressly
for the purpose close to the villa, nearly two hours before
the arrival of the Prince. The apartment itself would
bear some inspection, with its blue star-spangled -roof, and
its green star-spangled pillars. The arrangement of the
place was a little peculiar too. For the Prince a throne,
with two chairs on either side, was placed, with tiers of
seats behind rising one above another, intended for the
use of the Prince's suite. Facing the carpeted gangway
which led to the throne, and was not very wide, were the
seats, in equal numbers on each side, whereon visitors sat.
There was no platform, no raised dais for the performers —
simply the pathway ; the result being that of the perform
ance itself scarcely anybody but the Prince and his at
tendants saw anything. Long before the entertainment
began there was a great excitement amongst the managers.
Baboos were flitting about hither and thither, as though
they had to march up and down the hall a certain number
of times before the Prince arrived, and were afraid their
task would scarcely be -completed. More objectionable
perhaps than their continual movement was a constant
droning sound, which penetrated the building and told of
Baboos and instrumentalists rehearsing their music. Was
it the Sultan Mahmoud who delighted in the noise of
fiddle-tuning ? He would have been enchanted with the
preparations of our Hindoo musicians. We, whose tastes
were not thus educated, were less pleased.
At length the Prince's arrival was heralded by a fan
fare of trumpets outside ; we could hear an order given

222 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
to the Sikh regiment drawn up at the door to present
arms, and then in came the Prince leading Miss Baring,
and followed by the Viceroy, Sir William Gregory, and
most of the minor members of his suite. The Duke of
Sutherland came later. You may now spend a moment
in looking at the audience. Yonder is Sir Eichard Temple
in a cocked hat and feathers of wonderful dimensions, just
such a hat, in fact, as an alderman might view with envy ;
hard by is the descendant of Tippoo Sahib, with a sort of
Lutheran hat on his head, but a dress as unlike that of
the sober-minded German reformer as may well be. Still
that solemn face and that velvet cap cannot be dissociated
from the idea. It is Luther still ; but Luther going to
races or a ball. He would have been the last man in the
world to wear cloth of gold in a church, whatever his
Protestant followers may do nowadays. And then, seated
quite with a crowd — it is a very fashionable, albeit native
crowd — is the Maharajah of Jheend ; an ancient gentle
man, with a long beard, who delights in a golden turban
and a white dress. He is not alone in his princely glory ;
for there are at least twenty of his compeers here ; the
Maharajah of Travancore is not twenty feet away, and his
Highness of Cashmere is close by, smiling as pleasantly as
ever. I fancy the aged chieftain of Benares is, after all,
the happiest. How he rubs his hands, and peers through
his spectacles at all that is going on around him. I verily
believe that even the Baboos, who are hopping past us
every moment, and whose claim to be elected to the
Wanderer's Club should be incontestable, please him.
Why should he not enjoy it all ? Time, which has dealt
kindly with him, cannot long continue its favours. In
looking at his happy face one almost forgets the banging
and cracking that are going on outdoors. When the
Prince visited Kandy, gallant Captain Byrde, who had no

LIFE IN CALCUTTA. 223
cannon, and could not bear the idea of receiving a Prince
without a Eoyal salute, manufactured twenty-one bamboo
guns, and filling them with powder, burst them one after
another in honour of the Eoyal traveller. So, too, at
Baroda Station, the traffic superintendent, also a man of
resource, laid fog signals on the fine over which the Eoyal
train ran, and thus caused sufficient noise to satisfy the most
exigeant. Outside the hall to-night they are doing some
thing of the sort, and the delighted countenances of the
managers show that the noise is quite equalling their most
sanguine anticipations. Inside, just in front of the Prince
the three Vedic students are going through their ' blessing,'
an edifying process, of which we cannot catch a word.
Directly after these are gone the hymn is chanted from
the Sama Veda.
I think I might be chary of criticism thus far ; the
professionals are bearable, but alas for those who have to
listen to the four amateurs. There is no doubt abqut the
song ; the words are in print on huge cards, already given
us, and the refrain in Bengali runs :
' Though humble our reception be,
And though our strains may halting run,
The loyal heart we bring to thee
Is warmer than our Eastern sun.'
Perhaps it is ; so we pardon the noise the amateurs
make for the sake of the words they sing. They should
have very loyal hearts. Their lungs are undoubtedly
powerful, though nature forgot to give them any vocal
ability. But another crowd is forcing its way up the
aisle — a crowd of determined-looking old men who carry
under their arms and on their shoulders all kinds of
instruments. Their smile is portentous. They are going
to play before a Prince ; not a man in the dozen or so

224 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
now passing up the hall would leave off playing till the
end of the tune, if death itself threatened. And they do
play too ; no mere short-lived galop or waltz, but a good
set piece with plenty of all kinds of bars in it, except
bars of rest, an omission for which we heap malediction
on the head of the composer when a quarter of an hour
of thumping and scrooping has passed. However, they
cease at last, and then the gentleman with the two flutes
stands before the Prince, and certainly does produce a sin
gular effect therewith. The two tin tubes are placed on
either side of his neck, he shuts his mouth and turns red
in the face, whereupon the flutes emit sounds, and a tune
is played. Then comes the redoubtable Chuckerbutty,
who, sitting down, begins the vocal music promised. To
attempt to describe his ' music ' is impossible. He appears
to have shut his mouth off from all communication with
the nose, and to be shouting from the pit of his stomach.
Enough, Chuckerbutty, the Prince longs to be delivered
from thee. Nautch girls come now, some half dozen in
number, and begin such a shuffle as I have previously
described. They are not pretty, but their movements are
graceful, and they have the good sense to divine when it
is time to go. Thankfully we now repair to the refresh
ment room, on the tables of which is spread a liberal
supper, and from the windows of which the fireworks may
be seen. Tell it not how we were nearly all asphyxiated
with the fumes of gunpowder, and how at three o'clock
in the morning we waited for our carriages, Eajahs,
Maharajahs, Baboos, Parsees, all. To learn what native
entertainments are it is necessary to go to them. But
they should not take place too often.

225

CHAPTEE XX.
KNIGHT-MAKING.
Would you know how Knights of the Star of India are
made ? Then imagine that you are in Calcutta on the
1st of January in the year of Grace 1876. The scene is
an enclosure the form of which is an oblong square, en
compassing a space nearly a quarter of a mile in length
and about half as broad. It stands in the centre of an
extensive mead, is itself carpeted with the greenest turf.
At not only the northern and southern extremities, but
those also which point to the east and west, are gates'
wide enough to admit several horsemen abreast. At
each of these portals are stationed guards — strong bodies
of men-at-arms — for the purpose of maintaining order
and ascertaining also the quality of those who present
themselves at the entrances. Along the inner sides of
the enclosure looking north and south are sixteen
pavifions, adorned with pennons, the chosen colours of
the knights to whom they belong. Beside these pavilions
also stand the squires of the knights, many of them!
quaintly attired in fantastic dress, in each case according,
to the taste of his master. At the eastern end of the
enclosure is a pavilion raised higher and more richly
decorated than the others, graced by two thrones and
canopy, on which the Eoyal arms are emblazoned. Squires,
pages, and yeomen in rich liveries wait around the place
Q

226 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
of honour, which is clearly designed for personages of
high degree. Galleries on either side are filled with
knights and nobles in their robes of peace, whose rich
tints contrast with the splendid habits of the ladies, who,
in greater numbers than the men, have come hither to
witness the sport. In a yet lower space are such of the
lesser gentry as from modesty, poverty, or dubious title,
to say nothing of inability to persuade somebody in office
to give them a more desirable post, dare not assume any
higher place.
This tented, field is within a mile of the city of
Calcutta. Yonder thrones of silver and blue — the one
surmounted by the crown, and the other by three feathers ;
both of them placed on a dais raised three steps from the
ground, and under a canopy of the same material as the
thrones themselves — are intended for the Viceroy of
India and the Queen's son. The tents, at the doors of
which stand clusters of singularly attired retainers, hide
Knights of the Star of India, Grand Commanders from
Scinde, Cashmere, Travancore, and Indore ; the guards
at the gates are battalions of Sikhs, bronzed warriors
from the Punjaub, athletic soldiers of Bengal. Inside,
the helmets of white and glittering weapons are those
of British troops and British sailors, drawn up in strong
lines in front of the tents, and forming a guard of honour
on either side of the pathway which leads to the Eoyal
pavilion. The splendid spectacle is not only romantic in
itself, but to persons acquainted with the style and title
of ,all that are notable here, it is an extraordinary but
very intelligible scene. Inside the Eoyal pavilion, and
on either side of the dais, no less than at the back of it,'
were tiers of seats filled with native grandees, English
generals and naval captains, political officers, and ladies,
the beauty of whose uniforms and dresses was marvellous

KNIGHT-MAKING. 227
to behold. Scarlet, blue, cloth of gold, silks of the
brightest hues, all combined to give warmth and colour
to this delightful picture. The pale blue of the Order,
which was apparent everywhere, on throne and canopy,
in banners pendant from the roof, and in the cloaks of
those who were about to be invested as Knights Grand
Commanders — the recipients, as yet invisible — actually
relieved the eye, so overwhelming was the assemblage
of gaudy colours. Nor were ' Queens of Beauty ' want
ing ; there were many here whose beauty entitled them
to be every whit a queen ; it was an assemblage of all
the fair and all the brave in Bengal. Allowing your eye
to run along the red carpet, on which was emblazoned
the Eoyal arms, and so looking right and left, you found
at the entrance to the Eoyal tent other galleries erected
for and filled by those whose rank or deeds were not
sufficient to entitle them to the premier places. Yet
even these were much to be envied, and, indeed, were
envied accordingly by those whose fortune it had not
been to receive an invitation. They were content to sit
under insufficient canopies, braving the hot sun for hours,
rather than lose an opportunity of being present at the
greatest fete which India witnessed in modern times. It
is a long and striking vista — the vastness of the enclosure
and the brightness of the sunlight, render objects some
what less distinct, mellow down the tones of colour out
side the pavilion, and give to the whole spectacle more
than may be easily imagined the attributes of an admir
ably painted picture or a fairy scene, rather than the idea
of life and reality. ' Nothing shall be omitted which will
redound to the dignity of the said Order,' says the
Eoyal Warrant which commands the Prince to hold the
chapter. Standing, as we do, in the Eoyal pavilion, then, this
ft 2

228 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
splendid morning, before the Prince arrives and the
chapter is opened, there is much to notice. Of the tents
outside this throne-room, but, of course, inside the en
closure, that on the right-hand side looking towards the
entrance is reserved for the Viceroy, who, as Grand
Master of the Order, has the chief place ; the opposite
one belongs to the Prince of Wales. Next to that of
Lord Northbrook is the tent of the Maharajah Scindia;
next to the Prince of Wales's the pavilion of the ruler
of Cashmere. In order of precedence as follows are the
tents of the Maharajah Holkar, the Maharajah of Jeypore,
the Maharajah of Eewah, Sir Bartle Frere, the Maha
rajah of Travancore, Lord Napier, the Maharajah of
Puttiala, Sir Salar Jung, and the Begum of Bhopal.
Bound the doors of these tents, for their occupants have
already arrived in order appointed, stand their retainers,
in all the costumes of the Indies. There are two more
large tents, one for Knights Commanders and another
for Companions of the Order. Pathways to all of these
have been marked by red carpet ; their doorways are
all guarded by English troops. Inside the pavihon fresh
arrivals are swelling the already crowded audience every
moment. Several of the Prince's suite, headed by the
Duke of Sutherland — who wears the scarlet coat and
plaid of a Highland regiment, the plaid being fastened
to his Grace's epaulettes by the aid of white ribbon —
and Lord Alfred Paget, in a general's uniform and sash,
stroll in at one door at the precise moment that Sir
William Gregory, brave in his Governor's gold-em
broidered uniform and newly acquired collar of St.
Michael and St. George, enters by another, leading Miss
Baring and followed by his aide-de-camp. Miss Baring
stands and chats with the Duke, Lord Alfred Paget and
Sir William Gregory are apparently wishing each other a

KNIGHT-MAKING. 229
happy new year, when a stir at the door betokens the
arrival of somebody of great importance. One marvels
who it can be, and has reason to marvel still more when
the apparition makes its way into open view.
Surely nothing more grotesque was ever seen before.
Four olive-coloured gentlemen with Mongolian faces,
attired in fashions so fantastic as to provoke a general
murmur of surprise, even from people somewhat used to
singular dresses, are waiting for seats. Golden hats, red
collars, green robes, dragon-headed swords, all belong to
the representatives of his Majesty of Burmah. What
reason for wonder that the subjects of that potentate
occasionally commit fittle excesses if the magnates of his
Empire wear dresses like these. The sons of Jung Baha
door are just entering, and are led to a post of honour.
Their aigrettes of diamond and horsehair plumes are no
mean addition to the head-dresses of the audience ; be
sides which one of them is to be decorated presently.
There is a native officer, too, of the Viceroy's staff — a
fine, soldierly man, dressed like a European, save that
he wears a turban and a short plaid petticoat, and he is
placed in a good seat ; and another native — this time a
civilian, one of those who is to receive the medal" of the
Order — by name Baboo Degumber Mitter, follows, and
is placed close to Colonel Eamsay, who, like his native
friend, will shortly be called up and be publicly honoured.
At length, however, a far more notable incident occurs.
Amid heavy salvoes of artillery, the presenting of arms
by the troops, playing of bands, and hurrying of umbrella
bearers and aides-de-camp, the entrance of the Prince
and the Viceroy to the enclosure is announced, and they
are conducted to their tents preparatory to the forming
of a procession to the Eoyal pavilion. For a moment
there is a pause ; the chiefs of the Order are seen moving

230 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
from their tents across the enclosed plain, while a lively
march is played and distant guns are firing.
The first Knight Grand Commander of the Star of
India is just upon the point of entering the tent, heralded
as becomes the possessor of titles and dignity so un
doubted, by a goodly array of men-at-arms. Turbaned
warriors in pairs, eight in number, two of them Nawabs
in their own right, precede the knight, while an officer
of rank bears the Bhopal escutcheon. Fancy pictures a
stalwart soldier in rear of that silken sheet of blue and
gold — a broad-shouldered, fierce -looking winner of
honours, when following the banner, which by this time
has entered the tent, totters forward a native lady, so
closely muffled-up and veiled in blue silk that not a hair
of her head or a feature of her face can be descried by
the most inquisitive ; a little Mahommedan dame, dressed
in the blue robe of the Order, with a shield in the place
where her right arm should be, an embroidered star on
her left side, the medal of the Order hung round the
mufflers which cover her neck, and the star of brilliants
pinned to her breast. It is certain that she can in some
way or other, to us unknown, peer through that thick
blue veil, or that tottering shuffle would degenerate into
a helpless halt. As it is, she moves slowly forward, her
train being held up by two httle pages in yellow turbans,
till she finds her chair of state, and subsides. But another
group is coming forward, and we have not time to look
longer at the little Begum of Bhopal. Make way for Sir
Salar Jung, who- is preceded by eight attendants. Clad
in a black velvet coat richly embroidered with gold,
and with the blue robe of the Order thrown over his
shoulders, the great Minister of the Nizam steps slowly
forward, a single page upholding his train, and takes his
place exactly opposite to the Begum of Bhopal who, by

KNIGHT-MAKING. 231
the \ay, is standing up once more. Then his Magnifi
cence bf Puttiala;- with banner and attendants, appears in
the way. A broad-shouldered potentate, truly ; the front
of his turban and of his coat alike nearly covered with
those famous brilliants which once glittered at the Tui-
leries, and atlSt. Cloud, at the assemblies of the Knights
of the Legion of Honour, when the Empress Eugenie'
looked on the grandest pageant which France could
afford. Their owner stands by the side of the tiny lady
Knight, a very tower of strength — a giant magnified the
more by the contrast he makes with the Begum of
Bhopal. Behind him, not very far behind, is a more
notable Knight than he, Lord Napier of Magdala, eight
English officers heralding him, and one bearing his
banner aloft — a broad silk flag of brown and gold. For
pages this hero of many fights has a midshipman from
the ' Immortafite,' in navy blue, and a sub-lieutenant in
bright scarlet uniform ; fit followers of one who has
achieved so much by sea and by land. The little Maha
rajah of Travancore, with only four heralds and two
little boys^ attired in Bengalee fashion, is close behind,
moving in as graceful a manner as though he had all
his life long made Chesterfield and Bruminell his models
and study. Sir Bartle Frere follows, and then the Maha
rajah of Eewah, preceded by his banner of black and
gold, and having pages prettily attired in cloth of gold.
Jeypore the Eajpoot is next, with a banner of curious
kind. Divided lengthwise into stripes of various colours,
it portrays at once yellow, blue, white, green, red, and
black. His train is supported by boys in hats like sugar
loaves — yellow hats, and extremely ugly. Holkar's red
puggaree is in view a minute later — Holkar, the plainly-
dressed Maharajah, clad wholly in white excepting the
blue robe which he wears in common with all Knights

232 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Grand Commanders — and then the Maharajah of Cash
mere, whose banner is of gold and white, and whose
little pages wear tiny pink turbans. Scindia the senior
now approaches, wearing a white Tyrolese hat trimmed
with a yellow feather, and as. he follows his blue and
yellow banner, stops here to shake hands with Lord
Napier, there to bow to his Highness of Travancore, then
to exchange a word with his vis a vis of Cashmere, and
lastly to speak to Holkar, whose seat is next his own.
All the Knights Grand Commanders are then in their
places ; the band plays the march still ; all are now in
suspense, for the Prince and Viceroy are coming ; their
processions are moving towards the tent.
About the dignity connected with an umbrella, many
great authorities, from King Coffee in the West to the
Jam of Nowanuggur in the East, are agreed. But when ¦
there are not only one, but three umbrellas, when one of
these is of gold, and the two others of blue and red, wj.th
massive gold broideries, there can be no manner of doubt
in the minds of the most ignorant in such matters as to
the amount of dignity and honour they confer. In front '
of these insignia of pomp march with steady tread twelve
chosen esquires, attendants on the Knight Grand Com
mander, whose banner it is which is seen in the distance.
That banner, too, is worthily borne, for it is carried by
no less a warrior than General Probyn, to whose name
attaches all that is dear to a soldier. And close behind,
under the gold umbrella, comes the Prince of Wales, clad
in a general's scarlet uniform, with the blue cloak of the
Star of India over his shoulders, the gold chain of the
Order about his neck, and that of the Garter beside it.
Following this procession is that of the "Viceroy, very
similar and quite as grand, boasting two other little pages
almost the counterparts of those who follow the Prince.

KNIGHT-MAKING. 233
His Excellency takes his seat on the dais, the audience
sits down, there is a short consultation between Lord
Northbrook and his Foreign Secretary, and then Mr.
Aitchison stands forward, a long roll in his hand, and
proceeds to call out the names of the members of the
Chapters. He begins with Albert. Edward, Prince of Wales,
and the Prince, in a loud tone of voice, says ' Here ! '
Lord Northbrook comes next on the roll. ' Here ! '
Then the Duke of Edinburgh, to whose name there is
no response. So the roll goes on, each knight present
answering to his name, until at length it is finished, and
then the Chapter is declared open, and we await with
curiosity for further proceedings.
In a loud, clear voice Mr. Aitchison reads the warrant
authorising ' our well-beloved son ' to hold a ceremony
of investiture of the Order on behalf of her Majesty, and
details by all those repetitions of which lawyers are so
fond, but of which all other people are so tired, the
separate rights1 and powers to which certain and sundry
chosen already for the honour will hereafter be entitled,
' all statute, rule, or usage to the contrary notwithstanding.'
After which satisfactory statement, there is silence while
the Prince and all present stand up, and his Eoyal High
ness is saluted. Hereupon, Mr. Aitchison moves forward
again — he is the principal personage here after all, and
will appear very often, but he is a good and untiring
official, and deserves all prominence — and hands to the
Prince the warrant, which by his Eoyal Highness is
transferred to the hands of one of the pages at the back
of the throne, and the ceremony proceeds.
Mr. Aitchison now goes in quest of the Maharajah of
Jodpore, who is hidden away in a tent in the dim distance,
taking with him four macebearers, the Under-Secretary
of the Foreign Department, and two junior Knights-

234 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Commanders, while the bands outside, strike up a quick.
march. It is a long distance that has to be traversed,
and it is some time ere the little procession has turned
to the left and gone towards the pavilion of the waiting
Maharajah. But as time passes it is seen returning, this
time swelled by the attendants and person of his High
ness of Jodpore, who with pages and bannerman is now
coming up. It may be that you are tempted to laugh
outright as that extraordinary party from the tent ap
proaches, till you remember that you are in the very
presence of Eoyalty and in the chapter of a . lodge of
Knights. Six very fat men, with long pink gowns drawn
tight to the knees, so that they can scarcely walk, but
bulging out thence, and frilled so stiffly as to resemble
a large Chinese umbrella, are not, perhaps, stately objects,
albeit, that one of them is a Maharajah. However, the
soldiers and sailors present arms as the cortege passes,
the bands play a slow march, and it enters* the Eoyal
pavilion with all state and show. Conducted to the foot
of the dais, where he makes profound bows, kissing his
hand in approved* style, the Maharajah hears the warrant
for his decoration read over, is then taken to a table on
one side, where he receives his cloak and badge, then
back to the Prince, who, ejaculating the words, 'In the
name of the Queen, and by her Majesty's command,
I here invest you with the honourable insignia of the
Star of India, of which most exalted Order her Majesty
has been graciously pleased to appoint you to be a
Knight Grand Commander,' places the chain round the
bent neck of the recipient without himself rising from the
throne. Immediately a salute of seventeen guns is begun;
the newly-made Knight bows to the Prince and Viceroy,
who both remain seated with their helmets on ; a blast

KNIGHT-MAKING. 235
1 of' trumpets heralds the proclamation of his style and
title, and Jodpore of the red petticoat is led to his seat.
Then another pause ensues ; Mr. Aitchison sallies
forth again, this time in search of the Eajah of Theend.
He presently appears followed by the Foreign Secretary,
clad in cloth of gold, and wearing a golden turban. He
is a grand man, in appearance firstly, for his long grey
beard and manly carriage betoken a patriarchal warrior ;
in repute secondly, for he it was who first led Sikh troops
to conquer the fiends at Delhi. The ceremony of his
investiture is the same as in the case of his predecessor of
Jodpore, save that eleven guns only are fired in his honour.
And then the Knights Commanders are brought up. The
first is Mr. Eobinson, of Madras, who immediately receives
a collar of blue silk and medal from the hands. of the
Prince, and then is made a Knight Bachelor of Great
Britain by the placing of a sword, which General Probyn
has ready, on his left and right shoulders. The rest, with
' the exception of Colonel Eamsay, who receives the same
honours as Mr. Eobinson, are unknown to the English
public. Companions of the Order are next nominated,
the Prince handing the medal to Mr. Aitchison, who pins
it upon the breast of the selected one, who bows re
verently, and so the ceremony draws to an end. The
newly-made Companions take their appointed places ;
their names are called out and responded to with much
humility : the Secretary informs the Prince that there'
is no further business before the Chapter, whereupon he
is commanded to declare the Lodge dissolved ; a Eoyal
procession is once more marshalled ; the guards of honour
present arms ; bands play a grand march ; one more
Eoyal salute is fired, and tbe Prince and Viceroy leave
the pavilion, stopping in their way out to speak to the

236 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
great chieftains as they pass. A few minutes later, and
the enclosure itself has been quitted by the Eoyal party,
and the rest of us are moving to the gates on our way
home. The Chapter of the most exalted Order of the
Star of India is dissolved.

237

CHAPTEE XXI.
THE SACRED CITY OP BENARES.
Benares is undoubtedly a fine city. The view from the
river is perfect ; but a person beholding it for the first
time on a chilly moonlight night, in a rickety vehicle
that threatened to turn over every moment on a bridge of
boats, with only a very vague idea of where he would find
a bed for the night — that bed being, at all events, quite
six miles off — might fail at that particular moment to
recognise the attraction of Benares. On the other hand,
a believer in Shiva, a red-turbaned, shuffling, white petti-
coated, olive-coloured native of Hindostan, with his heart
set upon visiting the sacred city of India, would leap for
joy ; wquld forget the mist and the dimness, the chilly
wind and clammy air, the chance of having no bed, and
possibly no board either, and rejoice with exceeding joy
at the prospect of plunging in the- Ganges next morning,
and washing away what peccadilloes and Avorse might cling
to his soul. The slow-moving, shrunken stream — for the
rains are long since past — would assume a new appear
ance. Yonder innumerable steps down to the river would
be but as Jacob's ladder reversed ; not, indeed, leading
upwards to glory, but downwards to happiness here and
hereafter. A grand position is that of a Hindoo pilgrim to

238 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Benares — a lot to be envied by the myriads who live in
the far North, and the millions who inhabit the distant
South, the natives of the Malabar Coast and those whose
vista is a view of the Coromandel Sea. These may yearly
send their roll of fortunate men — men who have done
wrong and had misgivings, but who come hither to bathe
and be morally clean henceforth and for ever ; but the
vast majority can hope for no shriving, no indulgence, no
pardon ; the waters of the Bombay Abana or the Madras.
Pharpar may be blue and beautiful ; but the Benares
Ganges, the sacred river, can alone do good to the crowds
of natives whose dread is Shiva the destroyer. Of course,
the wealthy of the land can come hither and be blest.
'.See Naples and die,' say the Italians, ' See Benares and
die,' echo the Hindoos ; and, in hope of dying here and
being consumed by fire on the river shore, many a rich
native hurries on, despite agony of body indescribable.
What becomes of him when he reaches the sacred city ?
Visit the river banks, and entering a dingy, or covered
boat, move slowly down the stream, and see.
On the right bank is a wide plain, somewhat similar
to the Essex marshes which skirt the Thames below Til
bury ; there is the palace of the Maharajah of Benares at
a distant point, but with this exception the right side of
the Ganges is deserted. On the left, however, a very
different picture presents itself, and such a one as cannot
be forgotten so long as memory lasts. A great city sud
denly fronts us — a city not only sacred, but grand in its
edifices of palaces and temples, the chief of which are on ,
the water's edge. Here are hundreds of flights of stone
steps forty or fifty feet broad, rising high up the river
bank. The steps, or ' ghauts,' lead to magnificent Oriental
buildings. Here is the Ghaut Scindia, with the palace of
the Euler of Gwalior above ; there the Ghaut Nagpore,

THE SACRED CITY OF BENARES. 239
with the Eajah's house at the summit ; a little further
on the Ghauts of Vizianagram, Benares, Nagpore, and
Peshwa, with the mansions attached. The subsisting
Maharajahs and Eajahs, having always an eye to the pos
sibilities of fate, and anxious to make ' the best of both
worlds,' have a house in the sacred city, where they can
comfortably retire when the warning comes and prepa
ration for departure is judicious. Poorer people must
manage without all this, and indeed do so manage. In
view at this moment are thousands of them bathing in the
water, lapping it, washing their clothes — if a waistcloth
can be called ' clothes ' — and taking up a vesselful of the
sacred water for the benefit of their friends. The water
is not bright or clean. It might, were it not so sacred,
be called very dirty. And there are, just now at any
rate, some thousands of people bathing in it continually.
But that matters not ; it is the holy river, and the wor
shippers of the Ganges fill their mouths with the water,
lave in it, drink of it, quite happily. Every dip _ they
take, every drop they swallow, washes off moral unclean-
liness. To us strangers the sight is amazing. Under the
shadow of temple and mansion alike, troops of men,
women, and children are coming down the steps. A
short prayer, a momentary uplifting of the hands, a cer
tain, or rather uncertain, rolling of the eye-balls, and then
a plunge into the river. All along the bank, huddled
together against the landing stages, in the stream up to
their necks, clinging to the bamboo posts to which boats
are fastened, every devotee is happy, each ready to pay
for a garland of yellow flowers, each determined, to make
the most of a liberation from the ill-deeds of the past.
'<¦ While thinking about this unwonted scene, the boat
man attracts attention by a touch on the arm, to say we
are opposite the burning ghaut. To be burnt at -Calcutta

240 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
or Bombay may be a satisfactory contemplation for the
dying native ; but to be placed on the funeral pyre at
Benares, to be first of all washed in the Ganges, and then
to have his ashes thrown into the sacred river, is indeed
a happiness. As we look on the shore, the boat being
drawn close to the edge, a curious sight meets our eyes.
In a little space, fashioned somewhat after the shape of an
amphitheatre, are three burning heaps of wood. Looking
down upon these, quite thirty feet high above the pyres,
and enveloped in the smoke, are some forty or fifty
men and women, perched on the steps like so many rooks,
looking complacently down while the remains of their
relatives are being consumed. Down at the water's edge,
partly in the water indeed, are two human bodies. One is
that of a woman, the other of a man ; each is wrapped
in white linen. Very little ceremony is needed, but that
little is observed. The fire pile has been prepared for
the reception of the corpse to be burnt. The body is
therefore placed by the side of the river, and then dipped
into the water, so that all the sheet is covered. Lest
there should be any doubt about this, however, a vessel
of water is twice emptied over the head of the corpse
before it is removed, and then the two men in attendance,
lifting the body, place it upon the pyre ; logs of wood
thrown to them by assistants are laid on it ; fight, dry
chips placed beneath ; a torch is fetched, and the fight
applied ; there is a blaze, and— of the rest nothing need
be said. Our boat is now propelled a fittle further down the
stream, till the Great Mohammedan mosque is reached.
Two minarets, one of which may be ascended without
danger, stand on either side of it ; but we decline the
proffered opportunity.
I have said that Benares is a holy city ; it is notable

G. Dura-ad

From the Graphic.

THE MONKEY TEMPLE AT BENARES.

THE SACRED CITY OF BENARES. 241
in many other respects. Were nothing more to be seen,
its Observatory, its Golden Temple, its sacred well, and
its strange bazaar would give it the title to be ranked
amongst the most notable places in the world. But it
has, in addition to all these, and the most holy point of
the Ganges, long groves of trees — orange, citron, plain
tain, and palm ; and the most singular monkey temple in
the world. On arriving at the temple the Prince was
supplied with a plate of parched peas and a number of
white sweetmeats, of which it was said that the monkeys
had many times signified their approbation, and thus fur
nished, his Eoyal Highness entered the temple. We had
been told that on stepping inside a great assemblage of
monkeys might be expected, and sundry signs had not
been wanting that monkeys were somewhere about in
great numbers. Up in the neighbouring trees, on the
walls and the roofs of houses, in the roads, chasing luck
less children, and on the fronts of the shops, these crea
tures seemed to be everywhere. That they were
mischievous was also undoubted, for now and then they
would hurl stones or pieces of wood at passers-by with an
aim by no means to be despised, or would lean over the
wall and quietly snap off the turban of some thoughtless
pedestrian, who might shout, and call not only the monkey
but the monkey's sister and mother — the approved style
of abuse here — all kinds of unpleasant names ; but his
turban might be considered as gone, all efforts of its
owner notwithstanding, and the best thing he could do
would be to buy another puggaree as quickly as possible.
Our entry to the temple was the signal for a general
assemblage of these pleasant animals. They tumbled
down from the minarets of the temple, they came ever
the walks by scores, they wriggled through holes and
crevices, rushed in at the doorways, and, in short, so
R

242 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
readily obeyed the summons as to form a body that
could, without the slightest trouble, have had a great
piece of fun with the Prince and his suite. Fortunately,,
they were peaceably inclined, and as the stock of sweet
meats and peas was large, and their hunger not great — for
they are fed on an average fifty times a day by pilgrims and
worshippers — they were content to take what was thrown-
them, and filling their cheeks as full as possible, make
off. I am not sure that at times the gold lace on the
Prince's coat was not a temptation, for the monkeys' eyes
glistened as they looked at the Eoyal uniform. But the
visitors were, fortunately, on three steps, kept clear by
energetic priests, and the Eoyal party came away without
any accident.
Not far from here is the celebrated Golden Temple,
to visit which is the ambition of every Hindoo. To see
it thoroughly, the Prince was, on arrival, conducted to an
adjacent window, whence the golden dome, with its sur
rounding minarets, one of them golden also, could be
inspected. The stone carving of this edifice is very rich,
and so minute as to cause a feeling of considerable sur-
prise in the minds of all strangers. It is as neatly carved.
as the finest ivory boxes, and the sharpness of the figures,
although they were fashioned hundreds of years ago,
remains to this day. Inside, some hundreds of Hindoos
were going through their worship as they did in the
days when the carvings were new, without variation or
alteration. There is a well here which, as the residence of a deity-^
no less a personage than Shiva himself — is greatly wor
shipped. The proper thing for a pilgrim on arrival at
Benares is to do ' Poojah ' in the first instance to this
well. This he accomplishes in two ways — by throwing
holy Ganges water and flowers into the well, and as much

THE SACRED CITY OF BENARES. 243
money as he can scrape together into a bright silver box,
which a thoughtful priest is careful to point out. One
may look at the well without throwing anything into it,
and be just as much rewarded, provided that he place
something in the box, as if he had brought the Ganges
into the temple. But if you throw all the flowers in
Benares into the tank, and only look at the box, be good
, enough to remember that you are still an unregenerate
Hindoo, and not at all a favourite of the very respectable
deity who, strange to say, prefers for a dwelling-place
one of the most horrible stench holes in the universe.
We, as pilgrims, held our noses and gave up our purses.
It was an act of homage which the priests understood and
approved — the most effective way of doing Poojah at the
Gyan Bapee.
Other wells in Benares are almost equally holy — one
named Mankarnika, which is said to have been built by
Divine hands and sanctified by the dropping of one of
Parvati's earrings into the water. The dropping of
flowers and refuse into the water since that memorable
moment has made it so unbearable a cesspool that one
glance is sufficient, and a hasty retreat necessary. We
did no Poojah here— perhaps we were> good enough
already. A Brahmin told me— he was a highly educated
man— that originally the well was filled with, the perspi
ration from Vishnu's body ; but it was his belief, and
here1 he became quite confidential, that Vishnu had not
visited the well for some time — a statement which credits
Vishnu with great good sense. But the Brahmin was an
attendant on a rival well, so he must not be implicitly
trusted. From the well a move was made to the Observatory,
where a considerable number of interesting objects were
to be viewed. There was a stone wall, eleven feet high, nine

244 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
feet one inch broad, in the plane of the meridian, which
is used as a quadrant, and I was told that the sun's alti
tude and zenith distance at noon, as well as its greatest
declination, and the latitude of the place, could all be
ascertained by the help of this instrument — if so a stone
wall can be named — by a very aged and excessively dingy
astronomer who was chattering in Tamil to one of the
party. Then there were two large circles of stone, and a
square, and another arrangement of stone in the shape of
a staircase, by all of which various astronomical problems
may, it is said, be worked. The staircase was called
Yantrasamrat, or Prince of Instruments; and a very
knowing old gentleman was .pointed out who could tell
the declination or right ascension of a star by the aid of
it. As a staircase, I may impartially admit that it was
respectably constructed, and not difficult of ascent ; more
over, that it afforded an admirable view of the city and
the river when once we Avere perched on the topmost
step. As to its use as an astronomical ' guide, philosopher,
and friend,' I can say nothing. The old gentleman tried
to explain something to me, but as his language was
not similar to mine, the conversation was of a very one
sided character. However, the sum of two annas, politely
offered and gratefully received, was at least understood
and accepted in lieu of learned discourse.

245

CHAPTEE XXII.
A LEVEE 0E THE BRAVE.
Lucknow saw the levee of the Brave. Not a dress exhi
bition of such braves as may be found anywhere ready to
march past a Prince — the brave in gold and tinsel, in
moustaches and uniforms ; but the brave who, at the
peril of their lives, and despite the entreaties of friends,
remained true to the flag at a moment when fidelity pro
mised nothing but suffering.
It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when a
sharp drive landed me in the midst of an extraordinary
scene. In the background stood a pile of charred ruins,
bullet-seamed, shell-beaten, fire-broken heaps of stones.
A circle of trees enclosed the whole scene— trees heavy
with foliage, deep groves of bright green leaves. In the
centre was a mound of earth, on the top of which was a
triangle of wood, surmounted by two Union Jacks. In
front and on the two other sides, the third of which was
the ruin I have referred to, were long lines of troops ;
those in front Sikh and Punjabee regiments, attired some
what after the fashion of Highland soldiers, except that
they wear ' breeks,' while those at the sides were Euro
pean battalions.. In rear of the Sikhs, and under the
shade of the trees, two batteries of artillery were drawn
up ready to salute. Inside the space thus held by the

246 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
soldiers, and cldse to the mound, were ladies and gentle
men in brilliant costumes. Natives, too, in the bright-
hued dresses of holiday attire, helped to fill in the already
striking picture by clustering round the lines, of the troops
and endeavouring to peer over their shoulders and
between their fixed bayonets. But neither ladies nor
gentlemen, English nor Punjabee soldiers, were the most
notable of those present. The dark hues of the artillery
and Sikhs contrasted with the bright scarlet of the Line ;
the deep, full turbans of the Punjabees and the helmets
of the English, with the snowy white puggarees of the
Bengalese — all this and much more might have been
noted, but they were not all. Only as a setting to a rich
gem such as might be gazed at again and again, could all
this be considered. You wonder what this may be. On
the top of the mound, close by the foundation stone,
stand some two hundred veterans, grizzled and grey,
their breasts covered with medals and stars of valour.
Their uniforms are as varied as are their castes and races.
Sikhs tall and stalwart, Bengalese small and wiry, Portu
guese and half-caste, Punjabees and natives of the Mala
bar coast, all are there. These are the brave of Lucknow,
the natives who kept yonder charred ruined in those dark
days when death stared them in the face and escape
seemed only possible by treachery.
Suddenly the guns under the trees thunder out a
salute. How the buildings rattle, how the noise echoes
through the corridors of the ruin ! From tbe very spot
where that artillery is placed — not one gun at a time, but
fifty, loaded to the muzzle with grape and canister, or
crammed with heavy shot, hurled missiles against those
trembling walls. Ladies and men, too, are actually
shaking their heads at the clatter and the din which these
little nine-pounder Armstrongs make as they are dis-

A LEVEE OF THE BRAVE. 247
charged singly. The veterans on the mound swerve not ;
they could tell you of an hour when the earth trembled
with the vibration of artillery, when thousands of blood-,
thirsty ruffians, hidden away under the trees round
the mound, were discharging their muskets every mo
ment at anything that appeared like a human being on
the walls of the Eesidency. One gun, forsooth ! — -that
pandemonium of 1857 cannot be forgotten in the clatter
• and the din of to-day. The firing is not intended, how
ever, to remind us of the terrible noise of the Lucknow
siege ; it is a salute — a sound of joy. The Prince is
coming, attended by his suite, to lay the foundation-stone
of a memorial to thenative brave who fell in the fight, in
•the presence of the brave who survive.
All on a sudden the word of command is given for a
Eoyal salute ; arms are presented along the lines ; the
bands united play the National Anthem, and the Prince
and his suite, the Duke of Sutherland, Lord Alfred Paget,
Lord Suffield, Lord Aylesford, Colonel Owen Williams,
Major Sartorius, Mr. Knollys, and some other persons,
come past the corner of the ruins, and so upon the mound.
The veterans raise their hands to their foreheads ; the
-(spectators bare their heads ; the Prince bows ; and then
L Mr. Cooper, himself one of the members of the brave
band who held the Eesidency, steps forward and delivers
an oration on the merits of the grey soldiers who stand
before the Prince. It is a subject upon which he may
well be eloquent. Who could not wax warm when
dwelling on that fight of heroes ? His address, too, is
extempore, and, what is more to the purpose, at times
impassioned. He remembers the dark days when, had
yonder brave men faltered, the dark sea of rebellion had
swallowed them up alive ; and, mindful of the fact that
he is one of those who owe their lives to the fidelity of the

248 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
vieux soldats, he stints not language in telling of then-
deeds of valour. You and I have heard addresses of
which we grew tired ; many a time we have wished the
laboured speech could be "taken as read.' But in pre
sence of the dark ruins, in presence of the piece of stone
which, hanging from the triangle of wood, is to comme
morate for ever, telhng to generations unborn the grand
deeds which faithful natives achieved, he may well be
careless of time. How one turns round and looks with
new interest at the tiny fortress, the mere house in fact,
which for five months sustained that terrible siege ! How
shut out from all the world it seems by that dense circle
of trees ! Why, it is in a hollow, that hollow in the
centre of a wide-stretching plain which it has taken you
hours in a swift morning train to pass over. You re
member that when these veterans were in those battered
walls help was far away, and vengeance very near. You
need no fancy to paint the myriads of bloodthirsty villains
in the groves, or working under cover of huts and broken
houses, close by the Eesidency. Gaze round you ; place
a musket in the hands of the thousands who are now
quietly looking on this peaceful scene ; send 500 men,
women, and children into the ' fort ' once more, give to
the Sikhs and Punjabee regiments, with many more of
their comrades, plenty of artillery, an unlimited supply
of ammunition, and leave to kill and destroy — thought
need travel no further — yet you have not then half
pictured the scene which Lucknow beheld before Have-
lock had reached it while yet Lawrence lived.
The Prince as he stands thus is evidently no careless
listener. Without any sign of weariness he hears Mr.
Cooper to the end, and then, without notes of any kind,
touches his hat and replies. Brief but to the point are
the words he chooses. He acknowledges the bravery of

A LEVEE OF THE BRAVE. 249
the men he meets to-day ; he praises them for their fide
lity, and then points out that such monuments as that
about to be constructed must tend to the good of all, must
act as incentives to bravery and fidelity to Europeans and
natives alike. Then, moving back to the stone, his Eoyal
Highness takes the trowel in hand with all the air of an
accomplished mason, and spreading the mortar carefully,
while the veterans look curiously and inquisitively on,
himself superintends the placing of the stone, gives it
three taps with the mallet, and declares it well and
truly laid.
Then comes the levee of the brave. There is no
raised dais, no servants with maces, no punkah-bearers,
no carriers of umbrellas, no clerkly person to call over a
roll of names. There are those on the Prince's suite who
would like something a little more stately — some fitting
ceremony in a proper place — somewhere from which the
common herd could be excluded, and from which special
correspondents might be shut out. This is scarcely digni
fied enough for such exquisites ; and one or two of them
do not fail to say so. But the Prince is of inore sensible
stuff, is more of a man than many around him, and he
holds his levee of the brave in sight of the place where
their glorious deeds were done. Standing, then, on the
green mound — a little in advance of his suite — his Eoyal
Highness awaits the introduction of his courtiers. Major
Cubitt at once steps forward to act as Master of the Cere
monies ; .Canon Duckworth, minister of peace, but none
the less admirer of the brave, assumes the role of Assis
tant-Master of Ceremonies ; Lord Alfred Paget and
General Probyn are close at hand to direct the move
ments of the veterans as they pass by, and thus the Court
is formed. The first who have the honour of being introduced to

250 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
the Prince are a number of scarlet-coated Jemindars and
Soubadhars who have since the memorable days of 1857
risen from the ranks to the dignity of officers. As they
go by they salute the Prince, and then, at the bidding of
General Probyn, hold out the handles of their swords,
whereupon the Prince touches them, and the veterans,
saluting again, move on slowly. These officers know
their duty, are well disciplined, and have not forgotten
the rules of the service. Not so those who follow them.
These have, since the days when they were on parade —
years ago in the case of many of them — lost sight of the
golden maxim of strict obedience, and are altogether un
mindful of the injunction to 'move on.' They linger,
indeed, as long as they possibly can, gazing wistfully into
the face of the 'Burra Sahib,' the Prince, for whose
Eoyal mother they once fought so well. They are not
content with one salute, or two even, but raise their
withered hands over and over again to their grey heads,
and smilingly bow to the great stranger without so much
as a notion of leaving the mound and making room for
some one else. The Prince, too, shows no haste to be
rid of them, but good-naturedly bows to each of them
several times, smiling at their honest loyal enthusiasm,
and forgetting for the moment that the sun is setting.
Very differently, however, does the stern though kindly
General Probyn view the matter. All must pass the
Prince, or endless jealousies would be aroused and
grievous wrong done — therefore all must obey the rule of
motion, and go forward. So when one fingers long he is
taken gently by the arm, and passed quietly along to the
rear of the mound, generally receiving in such case a
kindly word from Lord Alfred Paget or a pressure of the
hand from the worthy Canon Duckworth. The old
soldiers seem to understand it all — at any rate, they are

A LEVJEE OF THE BRAVE. 251
the last men in the world to mutiny now that they know
what the Sahibs wish.
Then come by a number of turbaned veterans, in light
brown uniforms. Many of them have four medals on
their breasts; they are now officers in the police, and
admirable fellows there are. They too, hold out their
sword-handles, which are touched. After them come a
number of old men, whose appearance fills the eyes of
many present with tears. There is one who can only
walk- with the aid of his two sons, for he is blind ; a
splinter of shell within the walls of the ruins deprived
him of sight ; another who cannot walk at all, even with
help, but who comes by on the palms of his hand, swing
ing a crippled body as he moves along. How that poor
face lights up with joy as he is addressed by the Prince,
and actually asked to extend his hand that his Eoyal High
ness may touch it ! This is, indeed, an honour which he
had never expected — to have his hand taken by one who
is greater than the greatest Princes of his own land. To
be spoken to at all seems too great an honour to one poor
old fellow, who forthwith bursts out crying, and has to be
led away sobbing by Canon Duckworth. It is, indeed,
too much for many of the poor souls, who quite forget
the necessity for going on, and, lost in amazement, stand
chattering and gibbering fike bewildered monkeys. Some
times, however, a smile is raised by the furtive attempt
of some disappointed one who has carefully prepared a
petition which he intends to present to the Prince. Fur
tively he conceals it in the palm of his hand, and just
when he thinks General Probyn's quick eye is a fittle less
wakeful than usual, he pushes the paper into the Prince's
hand. But it is all to no purpose. The Prince would look
at it, perhaps ; but he must not. The crumpled, soiled
document is promptly handed back to its owner, who

252 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
shuffles away full of disappointment. What is his griev
ance ? Can it be that some of those brave ones who
saved India for us are in actual want ? I hear a whisper
that such is the case. Would that that whisper could be
proved untrue ! I fear it cannot.
In this way the procession moves past. There is a
man with only one leg and another with a curiously
wounded foot, which he shows the Prince ; another has
no legs at all ; several have only one arm. In uniforms
they vary, as I have said, very greatly. One old gentleman
has got on a coat which looks as though it belonged to a
field-marshal's uniform ; another looks like a Frenchman
of Pondicherry. They totter up one after another;
some are touched on the hands ; others are specially in
troduced to the Prince by Major Cubitt. Men who
carried messages through the enemy's camp ; men who
risked their lives over and over again in open conflict ;
men who. were patiently faithful in the presence of all
kinds of temptation and danger — such were honourably
mentioned as they went by. Two hundred men of an
Old Guard, superior in point of bravery to the windy
corps that made its boast that it died but never sur
rendered; two hundred faithful followers of Horatius,
who in days of old kept the bridge ; two hundred valiant
ones thus passed by the Prince in presence of many
thousands of their countrymen just outside the city of
Lucknow. Then, the levee over, the troops once more
presented arms, and again the band played. The guns
rattled out a Eoyal salute, and the Prince passed to his
carriage. While many a one, mindful of the days in which the
veterans gained their honours, wandered into the Eesi
dency, through the vaults, between the bullet-scarred pil
lars, and past the loopholed walls, wondering how so frail

A LEVEE OF THE BRAVE. 253
a structure, riddled as it was with shot and shell, could
be held for an hour against the hordes of the rebel
lious soldiers — what thoughts came into our minds at
such a moment time forbids to tell. How the tablet
which marks where Lawrence fell, the board which points
out where the Baillie guard was stationed, the charred
walls and the sashless windows, affected such of us as had
never looked on so thrilling a scene before, need not be
dwelt upon. The levee of the brave was over ; darkness
was coming on ; it was high time to leave the scene of
England's pride and her enemies' humiliation.
The next day was partly spent in an inspection of the
ruins of Lucknow, and partly in a pig-sticking expedition,
which was about as unsuccessful as the previous attempts of
the Eoyal party, and resulted in an accident to Lord
Carington, who broke his collar-bone while attempting
to spear a boar.
On the previous evening, however, a short ceremony
took place in the Kaiser Bagh, or King's Eesidence, which
deserves some notice.
The Talukdars of Oude are, without doubt, a noble
set of men ; their dresses may be eccentric and their
habits objectionable, but in their veins runs the blood of
the barons who had titles when our respected ancestors
lived upon acorns and made their toilets with the aid of
blue pigment. When therefore, a gilt card was received
announcing that the Talukdars of Oude 'requested the
honour ' of my company, I looked upon the missive with
about the same feelings that would animate a caballero
of Spain were he invited by all their worships of Castile
to favour them with his company. There was nothing on
the document to denote the nature of the ceremony con
templated, ft might be a nautch dance and a song or
two from the rival of Mr. Chuckerbutty, of Calcutta. It

254 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
could not well be a banquet, for the hour was too late ; and
if only an address were to be presented to the Brince, the
occasion could scarcely be styled a fete. , There was some
thing very mysterious about it, and I accordingly set off
early in search of the famous hall, was ushered in with
equal expedition by a mute giant who carried a sword,
and so entered the apartment in which the entertainment
was to take place.
I remember, when very young, receiving as a present
from a thoughtful friend a box of wooden slabs on which
were imprinted representations of the Kings and Queens
of England. But for the knowledge that I was actually
with the Talukdars of Oude, I should have imagined that
those slabs had been vivified in some unknown way, and
that the Kings of England were all walking about in the
room. There were no Queens. Elizabeth with her ab
normally long bodice and huge frill, and the much meeker
Queen Anne, were neither of them to be seen ; but King
John most distinctly sat in a corner with the very crown he
always used to wear, according to those painted bricks,
on his head and his sceptre in his left hand, also fike the
ancient picture. King Eichard, a little dark perhaps, but
undoubtedly the original Cceur de Lion, marched up and
down with a great hatchet in his belt and a very serviceable-
looking steel coronet on his head ; and although I could
not detect Eufus of the red hair, I came across Edward
II. two minutes afterwards. Indeed, had I still had those
bricks with me, I could have fixed upon the names of
every one present in a few minutes, for the twenty or
thirty gentlemen present all wore crowms, and though
some were seated on chairs and others squatted on the
floor, they looked all of them kings ' every inch.' One,
however, attracted my particular attention, and, without
minute reference to history, I named him Edmund the

A LEVEE OF THE BRAVE, 255
Uneasy. Incessantly this worthy monarch wandered
about as though he were the troubled ghost of somebody
who, having centuries ago hidden his crown, had come
back to tell treasurerseekers where to find , it. His mis
sion, however, turned out to be the very reverse of this,
and what that was will presently transpire. Up to this
the Kings were all alone — no one else had had the curi
osity to come early — but now the company began to
arrive and to be placed. The natives who came found
no difficulty in this. The floor was wide ; it was only
necessary to preserve the line of march to a throne
which stood at one end of the room, so they pleasantly
sat down on the boards, crossed their feet and their
hands, and were happy. As for the Europeans, they
stood in the rear, or walked out on to a large balcony
where chairs were placed, and whence they could see the
illuminations of Lucknow.
All this time Edmund the Uneasy flitted about
anxiously. At length he appeared to gain confidence,
and after some consideration invited several of us into
an inner room where lay the treasure he so carefully
guarded. There were golden vessels for betel nut and
pan leaves, intended specially, we were told, for the use
of the Princess of Wales, though in what way her Eoyal
Highness is to use them we were not told. But these
were only subsidiary gifts. The real present was a great
crown of crimson velvet and gold, covered with gems of
considerable value, and decorated with all the skill that
natives could devise. We were not allowed to touch the
precious head-dress — only to look, being kept at a very
respectful distance, while the crown was lifted an inch or
so out of its case, and then popped back as quickly as
though it had been a sensitive plate which could not bear
the light. Just at this moment a band announced the

256 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
approach of the Prince, whereupon five or six Talukdars
entered the apartment and proceeded at once to take
charge of the treasure. Then a procession was formed,
which, between the rows of people seated on the floor,
passed up to where the Prince was with the crown, and
the betel nut and pan-leaf cases, and a huge address on
an enormous roll. I do not know what the Prince
thought of the apparition ; but he had plenty of time to
recover his composure before the address was finished ;
for the declaration of loyalty from the Barons of Oude
was not a light or insignificant document, but a work of
considerable labour, and as such required to be, read
slowly and with emphasis. At length it ended, the crown
and other presents were produced and accepted, the
Prince returned thanks, and then a general move was
made first of all to the balcony for a peep at the fire
works, and then to the supper table, where Talukdars
and people who till that night were not even aware that
such notabilities existed sat down together and feasted.
A notable fact in connection with the visit to Lucknow
might here be mentioned. Both on coming to and de
parting from the fete the Prince received a royal salute of
artillery ; his every movement, indeed, was the signal for
heavy firing — an arrangement which seemed to impress
the native mind most satisfactorily.
' I was standing by this well, sir,' said an old Sikh to
me as we passed through the Eesidency, ' saying prayers
to my God, when two bullets came and killed an English
officer who was on one side of me, and a comrade who
stood on the other. I come to this well every year now
to say a prayer, and that is why I am here to-day.' It
was a grand old veteran who thus spoke, one who had
been presented to the Prince the previous day, on whose
breast four medals and the star, which bears the words
' For valour,' hung ; so we thankfully accepted his offer

A LEVfiE OF THE BRAVE. 257
to guide our portion of the party over the ground so
bravely held by Sir Henry Lawrence.
Lucknow Eesidency has been too often described for
a detailed account of what the Prince saw to be written.
Yet there are several facts to be mentioned. We found
the ruins themselves in excellent preservation ; the tops of
the broken walls had been covered with a composition
which retained the loose stones in their places ; and the
Eesidency bids fair to stand, black, shot-riddled, ruin as it
is, as a monument of English endurance. Here and there
plants have climbed the walls, found their way through
holes, and covered desolate corners with a warm covering
of leaves ; but this does not affect the appearance of the
place. These bare walls tell their own tale, though the
ground round them is now converted into one of the
loveliest gardens, and roses and honeysuckles are being
trained up the tower. . Happily the spot where each par
ticularly brave action and heroic deed occurred has been
fixed, so that the Prince as he went along could learn,
from tablets fixed on little pillars specially erected, which
was Sikh-square, where were Inglis's quarters, where the
celebrated house in which Mr. Gubbins lived, and in what
room "the brave Sir Henry Lawrence died. Even the rent
by which that fatal shell, entered was pointed out, and the
places struck by pieces of the fragments noted. Some
one complained that the monument which was erected
some years ago inside the garden, had been placed upon
a mound, and by that means a full view of the position
was obstructed. But when the celebrated tower was as
cended -the whole was seen at once, and the fearful odds
against which the handful of British soldiers fought
appreciated. A field of moderate size, partly enclosed by a wall,
partly by a hedge, containing two or three buildings of

258 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
no very solid description — such was the place which these
brave people held. They were shut out from all the world,
could see nothing but the trees and the enemy, except
when they ascended the tower, where the distant river and
the stone bridge by which the mutineers eventually escaped
coidd be descried. I do not think the Prince went down
into the cellars in which the women and children were
placed, but some of us did, and found the place in the
same condition as they left it in, except for the fact that
all the Smiths, Browns, Joneses, and Eobinsons in the
world appear to have written their names on the wall with
a number of remarks, amongst which passages of Scrip
ture are frequent. It is a pity that for such an outrage
they were not shut up in the vaults for a few days in the
hot weather — their loquacity would have diminished with
considerable rapidity.
The Secunder Bagh, where two thousand rebels were
caught and put to death, a great square enclosed by a high
wall, remains as it was, save that a road has been run through
at one end. Still the walls are otherwise untouched ; the
loopholes which the sepoys made are there yet-; the gate
is a ruin, and the tomb inside a wreck. All over the
ground a number of young trees are shooting up, so that
in process of time the scene of the massacre will be ex
ceedingly pretty. Where Havelock rests in the Alumbagh
roses cover the ground; the walls here, too, are un
touched, the breaches made in them have been left as
they were, and the palace itself has not been repaired.
Most of the party received from the hands of a native
who takes charge of the grave a bunch of roses and other
blossoms as a souvenir of the place.
At Cawnpore the Prince's visit was a very short one.
His Eoyal Highness arrived late in the afternoon, dined at
the house of one of the local civilians, visited the scenes

A LEVJQE OF THE BRAVE. 259
of the massacre, the Memorial Gardens, the river, and the
church, and then took his departure for Delhi. A full
moon had risen in a cloudless sky when we started for
these historic places. Of course there was a certain
order to be observed, quite different from what the
chronological course of events would warrant, but in the
end everything was shown us.
The first place to which we drove was the well,
situated in the centre of magnificent gardens, at the gates
of which all natives were requested to remain. Slowly
moving up the pathway between richly-flowering beds of
roses, the cuttings for which had come from England, we
came at last to the Memorial, ' sacred to the perpetual
memory' of the slain. As is already well known, the
well is covered with a marble seraph, which, with out
stretched wings, watches over the place where the dead were
hidden. I cannot describe the effect of the bright moon's
rays on the white marble work — how the whole memorial
stood out in its lonely grandeur on that delightful night.
They did well to exclude natives from the place ; the feel
ing aroused by the sight of that memorial and the adja
cent graveyard is not congenial to them. The slaughter
house where women and children were hacked to pieces
is gone, but scores of graves, some with monuments
erected by ' passers-by,' by ' brother-soldiers,' by ' men of
the regiment,' and some without either name or date, tell
their own story. Over eaeh hang roses from England ; the
grass is carefully tended, the pathway admirably kept.
If they must be buried in alien soil, no more beautiful
spot could be discovered in the world.
From thence to the Memorial Church, which is an
extremely pretty red -brick building, and built on tbe site
of Wheeler's entrenchment, was no very great distance.
It has only just been consecrated, and has therefore an
B 2

260 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
appearance of newness, which does not quite accord with
the objects around it. It also boasts an echo, which,
I am told, bewilders the clergyman and astonishes his
hearers, so that, on the whole, it is scarcely a success.
But we had little time for a prolonged inspection, having
to hurry away to the river side where the Nana began
his miserable butcheries.
Coming to the top of a slope which led down to the
water's edge, we were requested to dismount, there being
no road for carriages ; and quitting the vehicles, there
fore, at the corner where the victims first gave themselves
into the hands of their destroyers, and where later on the
brother of the Nana was hanged on a gallows, we passed
down the gully which was before us. It was no great
length, some two hundred yards perhaps, and then the
Hindoo temple in which the Nana planted his cannon
was reached. The scene of so much villany is happily
a ruin, yet not so greatly destroyed as to prevent a full
appreciation of what took place on that memorable day.
On the left of the pile was the place at which the fugitives
embarked ; their desire was to pass the temple, and so go
*down the river. The Nana had stationed his men all
along the shore on the opposite side of the river, and
in the temple too, and how he used them need not be
related again. An aged Hindoo said that the Nana, after
giving the order for the massacre, ran away. I cannot
trust myself to give expression to the feelings which we
experienced as we looked at the astonishing scene in the
bright moonlight.

261

CHAPTEE XXIII.
A REVIEW AT DELHI.
Although it is unnecessary to describe at length the
Prince's entry into Delhi, there can be no doubt that of
all places in India this city of the Moguls boasts historic
recollections most dear to Englishmen. It was the scene
of fighting such as must ever stamp our soldiers as the
bravest of the brave, the centre and stronghold of the
mutiny, the key to the possession of India ; and when
it was proposed, therefore, to hold a grand review on the
plains where less than twenty years ago the great struggle
took place, English from all parts, of the land, from the
plains of Madras to the hills of Simla, from the mouth of
the Hooghly and the frontier of the Punjab, from Bom
bay, and even from Ceylon, came to see and be seen.
Nor were these all the strangers. A goodly number had
come out from the mother country itself to be present
at the spectacle ; there were American Generals and
a German Count ; a nervous little man whispered,, too,
that there were Eussian spies, which was very likely true,
but also very possibly only the creation of the imagination ..
Foremost among the spectators of course was the Prince,
in whose honour, indeed, the fete was to take place — one
which will long be remembered in military annals.
Six o'clock had scarcely struck, when, driving into

262 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
the road which leads to the Cashmere State, I found my
self in a motley throng such as could not be met with
outside of India. People in every description of clothing,
from the simple waistcloth to the thick quilt, people with
turbans and people with hats, people on horseback and
people afoot, riding on elephants, on camels, on mules,
on cows, some in open carriages, and others in the
pleasant vehicles of the country — contrivances somewhat
of the shape of parrot cages, very fittle larger, and much
less inviting — some again in bullock gharries, and others
in nondescript carts, which, for the want of a better
generic title, must be called gigs, hundreds in close
oblong boxes, hight cabs, and many more in palanquins,
all crowded together in the road, hustling, shouting,
shrieking at each other, beating their animals, occa
sionally thrashing each other, and always regardless of
the comfort or convenience of everybody else save them
selves and friends, so anxious were they to be at the
review. For many reasons it is well that the streets
of Delhi are not narrow. They might be the hiding-
place of rebels ; they would certainly be the receptacle
of much that is equally objectionable, and, what is more
to my purpose just now, would have been simply im
passable to such a mass of struggling life as filled them
that morning. The elephants would have trodden down
the mules, the camels would have cannoned against the
horses, bullocks would have run wild, gharries been
upset, and soldiers and civilians alike, horsemen and foot
men too, would have been mingled in disaster. Happily
this was not the case We grumbled, we shouted ; some,
sad to relate, used expressions which would have shocked
good Lord Chesterfield ; we now and then grazed wheels,
trod on each other's corns — it was just as well not to
tread on the elephant's toes — but, though we all made

A REVIEW AT DELHI. 263
everybody else and ourselves supremely uncomfortable,
open collision was avoided, and, like a very troubled
stream, we slowly rolled along. Still the place was con
veniently fitted for a struggle — the very air seemed to
smell of powder.
We were in the exact place .where in 1857 the most
desperate fights on record took place. For were we not
under the shelter of the Cashmere Gate, that terrible
entrance which witnessed the slaughter and the final
entry of the British troops — the place where deeds of
valour were done at which both listener and recounter
even to-day turn pale ? Why, yonder was the breach
made by the English guns, now filled up by mud, but
never to be rebuilt, fit monument of English pluck and
Mohammedan defeat. , We can fancy how the crowd
of treacherous sepoys fled as red-coated soldiers poured
in at this gate and over the wall, catching them at the
base of a stone triangle and bayonetting them as they
ran. Some such struggling as then was seen we are
suffering now. Ours, however, is, after all, a peaceful
fight, a bloodless war, a strife for place, not for life — we
are not revengeful or despairing ; we only wish to get
away from each other to be the best of friends for ever.
Fortunately for us, no battery is placed on the ridge
opposite to meet us as we pass through the gate, and
throw us into more confusion than ever ; we cross the
breach in the wall and the mosque from whence it was
made, and so into the open country, though not into an
open road. There is no space anywhere — -it is going to
the Derby in the good old days, in company with a more
disorderly throng than ever filled the way to Epsom. A
very Babel, too, is this place, so great is the confusion
of tongues, and so intent is everybody upon making as
much noise as possible. Our onward progress is more

264 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
due to the fright of the draught animals than to any
skill on the part of their drivers, as many a broken panel
and splintered pole abundantly testify. As we go along
we see long lines of elephants drawn up on either side.
One is for the Prince ; its head is covered with a mantle
of gold made wholly of gold mohurs, each worth at least
thirty shillings a piece, and not so large on the face as an
English sovereign — you may guess the value. Its howdah
is of scarlet cloth, richly embroidered with gold ; the
Imperial crown is on one side of its trappings, the three
feathers are on the opposite one. Other elephants have
less splendid equipment, yet all are equally decorated,-
and seem to know it. A mile further on we find the
Prince's horses waiting to take him on to the review
ground ; about a mile further still is the flagstaff itself.
Once in position, we have time to survey the field.
A wide-stretching plain surrounded by trees is that upon
which you stand. In front of you are the troops drawn
up, the infantry in columns of battalions/ in their rear
the cavalry, artillery, and siege train. At the distance
which separates you from them, you might imagine your
self standing beside a huge table on which a kind of
Kriegspiel is presently to be played, so level is the ground,
so compact and toyfike look the columns. Every kind of
uniform is there — English, Affghan, Bengalee, and Sikh.
There is unfortunately no control or transport service
present ; a hundred camels or so are close behind you,
but they are not in review order, and will not be officially
inspected. In the immediate neighbourhood of the flagstaff an
open space has been reserved for the Prince; on each
side of this rows of carriages are drawn up, and then,
extending in a long line, leaning over ropes as though
they were expecting races rather than a review, are tens

A REVIEW AT DELHI. 265
of thousands of natives. Had you time, this crowd is
worthy of minute inspection. You would see men pass
ing huge pipes one to the other, taking a prolonged draw
and then handing them on ; and scores who have brought
out with them not dogs, but little birds, partridges, hawks,
or, more proudly still, the jay, perched upon their arms.
For the last, be it known, is the bird in whom Vishnu
especially delights ; it is his steed, carries the god, and
is venerated accordingly. A curious fancy is this of the
Hindoos for feathered pets ; they stroke them, tend them,
kiss them, talk to them, just as the Arab does to his
horse, or you at home do to your pet dogs.
While you are looking at them, however, the noise
of horses' feet behind you draws attention to the fact
that Lord Napier and his staff are coming by, and the
good old General, attended by Colonel Martin Dillon,
his, private secretary, dashes to the front at once. He
has hardly taken his place before the Prince rides on
to the -ground, , advances to the General, shakes hands
with him, exchanges a word with Colonel Dillon, and
then proceeds to inspect the troops To us, who have
to wait behind, this would in any other place be a tedious
business. But on such ground as this what half-hour
could be badly spent? The Prince is actually on the
very soil where the first battle of the mutiny, excepting
a slight skirmish at Meerut, was fought. You can just
see the walls of Padlee Ke Serai, where the fearful
struggle took place. An officer who stands by tells you
how on that day two thousand English troops routed hosts
of the enemy, captured twenty-six well-served guns, and
drove the discomfited wretches headlong into the city —
how, at one period of that action, he became so confused
by the uniforms which the rebels wore — spick and span
direct from the arsenal — that he gave orders to his men

266 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
to cease firing, so nearly did the enemy resemble English
troops. And another recounts hair-breadth escapes, re
lates to you how the deep seam across his face was made
by one of a great party of sepoys who cut him off from
his men, and almost from the face of the land altogether;
while a third, a Victoria Cross man, modestly describes the
fighting which took place where he stood. They occupied
the ridge which faces you before noon on that fearful
day, and began the investment of Delhi which resulted
in the suppression of the mutiny.
At length the bands have ceased to play the National
Anthem in different keys, the Prince is returning to the
flagstaff, and the musicians themselves are massing for
the purpose of playing as the troops go by. Then you
hear ' Bonnie Dundee,' and know that, if not the Camp
bells, at least the artillery are coming. With superb
dressing the famous chestnut Troop A of the A Brigade
sweeps past, the guns in exactest line, the men and
equipment perfection itself, and the 2nd Battery, with
Armstrong guns, is quite its equal. The 3rd Battery has
some white horses in the centre of its line, and these
somewhat spoil the effect ; but the 4th Battery, under
Major Fitzgerald, is simply superb. i This completes the
Horse Artillery, of whom it may be said that a finer
brigade was never seen. The field batteries follow,
headed by Colonel Corder, six of them all admirably
turned out, and presenting a magnificent appearance —
in all sixty guns, well horsed, well manned, perfectly
disciplined, and fit for anything. It would be invidious
to pick any out from amongst the others — they are all so
good. And now came a sight which could not be witnessed in
England. A company of Bengal Infantry, in blue uniforms
and red turbans, marched two deep, with their curved

A REVIEW AT DELHI. 267
swords on their, shoulders, followed by a number of mules
bearing all kinds of curious and useful implements. There
were six little mountain guns, with the use of which King
Theodore became so well acquainted : there were engi
neering implements of all kinds, and generally all that is
useful to the soldier in mountain warfare — in all thirty-six
mules well equipped, after which came another company
of men armed like the first. Then the huge forms of some
particularly large elephants were seen approaching with
people on their backs, carrying little steel picks in their
hands. Wondering what use these particular animals
were put to, we eagerly leant forward, and, in doing so,
saw that three 40-pounder Armstrong guns, each drawn
by two elephants, were being brought along as easily as
though they were ' unconsidered trifles light as air ' in
reality. On they came at a slow, measured pace, appa
rently quite oblivious of the fact that they were drawing
a siege train which it would have taken twenty-four or
thirty horses to have moved, and quite double that number
to take for any distance over Indian roads and rough
ground. Traction engines indeed ! What need of engines
at all in a country which boasts such natural means of
locomotion, save when rapidity of transit is required ?
The elephants go by, a bullock train along with them,
dragging three large howitzers and tumbrils for ammu
nition, and then we prepare for the cavalry, who are now
coming on.
But what tune is that? It was 'Bonnie Dundee'
just now, reminding us sadly of that terrible hour we
spent in the native entertainment .at Madras, where four
uncomfortable scarecrows sang it with a conch-shell and
tom-tom accompaniment. There is some confusion, for
the Scotch melody is not yet finished by some of the
bands, and some of the players are not yet certain that

268 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
' it's up wi' the bonnets o' bonnie Dundee.' At length ,.
however, the struggle ceases, and the tune, ' Among our
ancient mountains,' rises above everything. The 10th
Hussars are coming by, and the Prince's air salutes them.
I need not say how the old rivals of the 12th Lancers
looked ; three such squadrons as theirs are scarcely to be
seen anywhere, certainly nowhere but in the English
Army. Yet they are worthily followed, for, to the
' March of the Men of Harlech,' the 4th Bengal Cavalry
come by, their servicable blue uniforms and turbans
suiting them well. Lord Mark Kerr says he could lead
such men against any troops in the world, and he is no
mean judge. They are a hussar regiment ; those who
come next are the 10th Bengal Lancers, coloured Uhlans,
with red and black pennons, revolvers at their waist, and
medals on the breast of nearly every one. They go past
magnificently, quite equal to the 11th Hussars who follow,
gay in their cherry-coloured breeches and high boots, and
especially noticeable for the white squadron which comes
second, which would be perfection were it not that they
have a roan and two duns to make up the number. The
5th Bengal Hussars, whose officers have breast-plates of
gold lace, march next. A buff regiment of exceptionally
tall men follow ; they are the Central India Horse. Some
body whispers that their commander has picked the best
squadrons out of the two regiments he has, but perhaps
they are only envious of their admirable appearance. We
notice that the front rank of each squadron are lancers,
while the rear rank are armed as hussars, with sword and
carbine. We have heard of mounted infantry before, but what
say European sqldiers to a cavalry regiment composed
half of lancers and half of hussars ? The helmets of the
officers are of purple velvet and gold, the most superb

, A REVIEW AT DELHI. 269
head-dress I have ever seen. As to the 13th Hussars,
who follow them, and whose officers, like their brethren
of the 10th, have leopard skins on their saddles, but little
can be said in praise ; they are scarcely so good as the
6th Bengal Cavalry, who have made all their troop pivot
men lancers, the rest being hussars. The 15th Mool-
tanees, in dark green dresses and red puggarees, a wild set
of horsemen, go by in excellent order just afterwards,
followed by the 15th Hussars, who are in good condition;
and the rear is brought up by the 11th Bengal Lancers,
in dark blue uniforms, the same regiment which Probyn
once commanded, the name of which spread far and wide
to the terror of the rebels. Without loss of time the in
fantry now go by— English and native vying with each
other to do their best. Needless is it to specify each as
they pass — all are good. Perhaps the 73rd of the line
are the best, with the 15th Sikhs, tall, strong men in
scarlet coats and yellow striped turbans, as formidable
rivals. To the eyes of such Of us as are used to military
spectacles in England the appearance of the Eifle Brigade,
as it comes on in black helmets with black puggarees,
looks strange, and, in good truth, they are almost outdone
in their march past by two battalions of Ghoorkas, who
are dressed in dark green with black forage caps, and step
out as well as any troops in the service. They are not
very big men ; they are little fellows, of a Chinese type
.almost, very like the savages from Assam whom we saw
a week- or two ago at Sir Eichard Temple's garden party.
Yet that they are valiant in the fight we well know, for
they were Ghoorkas with whom Sir Charles Eeid held the
ridge opposite Delhi for five long months in face of all
the efforts of the rebels. Then, too, there is the 33rd
Native Infantry, recruited almost entirely from herdsmen,
and led by Colonel James Harris, of Chinese fame, who

270 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
are as well drilled and set up as any regiment could well
be, and an admirable proof of what can be effected by an
intelligent commander who has skill and patience. Other
regiments there are which deserve praise of the highest
kind, but to recapitulate their names would be to write a
long catalogue for which you would not care. Suffice it
to say that the army corps thus placed in the field reflects
the highest possible credit upon Lord Napier and his ex
cellent secretary, Colonel Martin Dillon. The hero
of Magdala and his alter ego may well be proud of the
force which the Prince reviewed.

271

CHAPTEE XXIV.
THE BATTLE ON THE RIDGE.
Were the fate of the. Empire dependent — which happily
it is not — upon the battle which took place just outside
Delhi on the Friday and Saturday during the Prince's
visit, it would doubtless be matter of greatest interest
to know exactly how the contending forces were dis
posed, with a thousand other technical details dear to a
soldier's heart. But as, after all, the fighting was un
real — very unreal indeed — and ended only in fiasco and
smoke, I do not propose to trouble you with more of
such particulars than are absolutely necessary, but to,
take you at once to the field in the capacity of a spec
tator who is quite indisposed to be critical, but anxious
to see of what stuff are our troops in India, and of what
capacity their commanders. To reach the scene of the
struggle it is necessary that you should pass out by the
Cashmere Gate, close by the famous breach, and so over
the rocky ridge which, in 1857, was the vantage-ground
from which English soldiers peppered their rebellious
adversaries. This latter place would, in case of actual
fighting, be a very difficult part to assail ; in fact, it
could be rendered impregnable by a force sufficient to
hold it. Such being the case, it was not given to Sir
Charles Eeid, who commanded the army of defence, but
was reckoned only as an ulterior line in case the troops

272 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
whose object it was to prevent Delhi from assault should
have to fall back in disorder. It is for this reason that
we find the defenders a couple of miles in front of the
ridge, occupying a straight line of ground, the left of
which is on a canal, the centre on a village called
Wazeerpore, situated in a wood just as was the German
centre during the manoeuvres of 1874 at Hildesdorf, and
the right on another hamlet named Daheerpore. All
round these points is a wide stretching plain, without
cover for troops of any kind, and it is over this that
General Hardinge has to advance to the attack. Eeid's
force is behind entrenchments in the line I have men
tioned ; Hardinge's army in front of it, but some miles
distant. It being now nearly eleven o'clock, we are able
to take a view of our position. Away on the extreme
right are the heavy Armstrong guns drawn by elephants,
the mortar battery drawn by bullocks, a battery of horse
artillery, and our cavalry, consisting of the 10th and 11th
Hussars, the 4th and 5th Bengal Cavalry, the 2nd Punjab
Cavalry, and the Central India Horse, all hidden away in
a little wood. The 2nd Infantry Brigade, consisting of
two battalions of Ghoorkas and the Eifles, are in the
centre ; and on the extreme left, under Brigadier-General
Brown, is the 1st Brigade, comprised of the 73rd Foot
(English) and the 33rd and 11th Native Infantry. Two
brigades of infantry are somewhere close to Daheerpore.
They hold their ground well, do nothing very noteworthy,
and in the end are held to have defeated the attempts of
their opponents.
We who are just now on the extreme left have some
thing very pretty and interesting to look at, for the
commander there — Colonel Harris, of the 33rd Native
Infantry — a soldier of great experience, one of those
who fought on the ridge in 1857 and was desperately

THE BATTLE ON THE RIDGE. ' 273
wounded. He has seen plenty of service in China and
elsewhere, and earned many an honourable distinction,
but while the army is in the hands of Society, he stands
less chance of promotion than if he had done nothing
more than rely on influential friends. ' Our left is, as I
have said, the canal, and the two battalions of native
infantry, half a battery of artillery, three companies of
•sappers, and a troop of native cavalry, are holding a
long shelter-trench, which reaches from the water's edge
to the wood of Wazeerpore. In that the 73rd Infantry,
with half a battery of guns, are posted. The canal has
a banked pathway on either side, and on this, the left
side of the water, Colonel Harris has constructed an
entrenchment capable of concealing the three guns he
has with him ; almost strong enough to resist the fire of
artillery. Down in this temporary bastion are posted
the trio of cannons, their muzzles peeping through tiny
portholes just big enough to admit of their discharge and
nothing more. In the low ground under the pathway the
cavalry are hidden out of sight.. The infantry men of the
33rd N.I. and the 11th crouch down in the shelter-
trench, and two or three companies with some mortars
that have been posted along the canal up to the point
which has been fixed as the extremity of ground to be
manoeuvred over, are all in their places. Not a head is
to be seen, not a sound is heard — all we want is an
enemy. The brigade opposed to us, as our scouts tell
us, is that commanded by Colonel Basden, a gentleman
who has not apparently instilled much terror into the
hearts of our men. They do not believe he can take
the position, and they shake their black heads and show
their white teeth as they look over the top of their
shelter, and laugh at the English who are coming against
them. For remember that to take this line of Sepoys

274 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Colonel Basden has a battery of artillery, three troops of
horse, two battalions of English troops, the 1st of the 8th
Foot and the 85th Foot, with the 32 nd Native Infantry,
to watch the 73rd, who are at Wazeerpore. Just while
we are looking out the cavalry does make its appearance
on the other side of the canal, but rushes away directly
fifty shots are discharged, so that for another half-hour
we are quiet, and can only hear a distant banging of
guns. At length there is a movement in our front ; it is
certain the enemy is coming, for two miles distant we
can descry by the aid of a glass the white faces, white
helmets, scarlet coats, and bright bayonets of the English
battalions, as they advance, in close skirmishing order,
only one pace apart, upon the trench. Of course we
expect to see their approach heralded by artillery fire ;
very naturally, we look round for the cavalry which but
lately disappeared, but there are none of them present ;
so our men, without more ado, wait till the enemy is
within range, and then open a rattling fire upon them
such as no English or German troops could excel. Sud
denly up rides an umpire out from the attacking force,
one Colonel Chippendale, and in a confused manner gives
us the order to retire. Of course our commander remon
strates, but this military Daniel come to judgment refuses
to hear a word, and back we have to go, till Colonel
Harris points out firmly that his force behind shelter is
much superior to that of the enemy in the open, where
upon Colonel Chippendale is obliged to yield, and gallops
away rather faster than he came, to tell our opponents
that they 'must go back. In actual warfare they would
never have done so ; a few might perchance have escaped
our rifles, artillery, and cavalry, but Colonel Basden and
all his merry men who were not shot would have been
taken prisoners to a certainty. It was altogether the

THE BATTLE ON THE RIDGE. 275
most ridiculous exhibition I have ever seen. Two
battalions of infantry marched two miles in the open to
attack more than their own numbers snugly entrenched
and supported by cavalry and artillery, with guns posted
in Wazeerpoor Wood raking the flank of the advancing
force every moment.
But, grotesque as this spectacle is from a military
point of view, something much more funny is about to
follow. We are all in our trenches. A company and a
half of the Englishmen who came across the plain just
now are ordered out of action, and we are wondering
what will be the next move of the strategic Basden, when
Captain Dyke, who, we know, commands the artillery of
that gentleman's brigade, comes pleasantly along the path
on our side of the canal, his charger caracoling as though
it were heading a procession. There is no hesitation, no
distrust ; he gently ambles up to our trenches, and, pull
ing up, says, ' Can you tell me where Basden's brigade
is ? ' ' Of course I can,' is Colonel Harris's reply, as he
lays hold of Captain Dyke's bridle-reins ; ' only, as you
are my prisoner, the news won't be worth much to you,'
saying which he led the astonished Dyke gently into
our enclosure, took his parole, and sent him to the rear.
Now, where one sheep goes the rest are sure to follow,
and we had not to wait long for Captain Dyke's battery.
A quick-eyed sepoy descried it, Colonel Harris prepared
for, it, and a gun was trained on to the pathway, as it
came on. Why should it fear ? Was not its commander
in front, and had there been any alarm ? So it trotted
forward, with the canal on one side and a precipice of
twelve feet on the other, until it got another four hun
dred yards, when our gun was discharged point blank at
it. Had this been a real fight, yonder battery would
have been overthrown at once, for seven hundred rifles
T 2

276 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
are pointed at, it, three guns cover it, and the Punjab
Cavalry are all ready to rush upon its flank. Again the
men, like their leader, are not distrustful. They imagine
that a mistake has been made. They are determined to
consider us as friends, and so they come on still further.
We are determined to claim them as prisoners. Colonel
Harris orders a company of the 33rd to spring from their
trenches and run along the bank, and then calls to the
gunners to surrender. There is no option — the native
riflemen have every one of them at their mercy. They
must submit — the choice is not pleasant, but what can
they do in presence of five times their number ? They
accordingly give in ; are conducted down the bank under
the escort of half a company of sappers and half a com
pany of infantry ; hand up their linch-pins and washers,
their ammunition and arms ; and are then led to the
rear, guns and all, guarded by native troops. What use
are the boasted English artillery if they can walk into
such a trap ? And now we hide away once more in
hopes of other wanderers. Nor are we disappointed.
Five minutes elapse, a rumble of wheels is heard ; we "
look up very cautiously, and see the spare ammunition
wagons of the battery, their hospital doolies, and their
provision carts, all coming along. No gun is fired this
time, for the Quartermaster-General of the enemy's camp
can be seen in his cherry-coloured trousers riding at the
head of the train — Captain Carnac, of the 11th Hussars.
A troop of cavalry is got in readiness, a company of
infantry fixes bayonets, and as soon as Captain Carnac
shouts out, ' Have you seen  . ? ' they are upon him.
A bold man is this Quartermaster-General, used to fight
and to danger, and without ado he makes a struggle for
liberty. Down the bank, so steep that in descending it
just now a gun was nearly upset, he dashes, cutting

THE BATTLE ON THE RIDGE. 277
through the Sepoys, albeit that one discharges a rifle
close to his ear, and for an instant it seems that he will
get clear. But the cavalry close up round him, twenty
Sepoys spring upon his bridle, and he is powerless at
last, to be at once led in, sent to the rear, and offered
some luncheon. So, too, are the drivers of the wagons
with their charge, all placed under guard of native
soldiers. You need not look round to see how the
Sepoys enjoy all this. The low chuckle which indicates
satisfaction is heard on every side. What can be thought
of white sahibs who run into such a snare ? On the left,
too, are now perceived the enemy's cavalry, the three
troops we saw before, just the other side of the canal,
and almost within easy rifle range. A very few moments
and they will be our own. The artillery is being trained
on them, the infantry is being got ready, and the cavalry
are in saddle, when an excited jemadar gives his men the
order to fire ; a musket or two is discharged, and the
horsemen, taking the hint, wheel round, and rush away
without ever finding the artillery of which they are in
search. We should have liked to introduce them to
each other in rear of our entrenchment, but that unfortu
nate jemadar has prevented a meeting.
While all this has been going on the cavalry near
'Daheerpore have been preparing for a fight, and by this
time are advancing in full force, excepting only the few
squadrons which have been detailed for other duty, upon
each other. Ten minutes' ride brings us to the village,
from whence we are able to watch all that passes. On
our right are the 11th Hussars, supported by the 10th.
In front of the houses are three squadrons of the 5th
Bengal Cavalry and three of the Central India Horse.
All are in line, except one squadron of the latter, which
• is about a hundred yards in rear. The reserve is formed

278 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
by the 2nd Punjab Cavalry and the 4th Bengal, and
these are placed on the left of a village. Now, were
these in the hands of an experienced cavalry general
going into action, there can be no doubt as to how they
should be used. Captain Chevenix Trench's admirable
translation of the new German cavalry regulations and
our own new orders, which, if I mistake not, were issued
somewhere about last June, would dictate all that is re
quired. You remember that we are in an open plain ;
that we are supported by the elephant train of 40-pounder
Armstrongs ; that we have a mortar battery to aid us,
and a battery of horse artillery in rear. The enemy's
cavalry are well in sight ; already the huge guns drawn
by the elephants have opened upon them, so effectually
that the 15th Hussars are ordered on to fight, and any
German cavalry officer would tell you in a moment how
to overwhelm and destroy the whole force opposed to
you. But, fortunately for the unmilitary spectator, the
Prince has expressed a desire to see a charge, and
although under actual circumstances this would not take
place, and the enemy would be in full flight long before
the horsemen had time to manoeuvre upon their flank.
the request must be listened to, and a piece of unsoldierly
performance gone through. So we allow the squadron
of the 15th Bengal Cavalry to approach our left flank,
accompanied by two guns, the 1 3th Hussars, to advance
against our 11th, and the 6th Bengal Cavalry, with two
squadrons of the 15th, to come towards our centre.
Then the fun begins. You are perfectly well aware that
nothing of the kind could possibly happen in war, and
you are therefore not very much alarmed when you see
the 13th and 11th Hussars rush full tilt at each other.
On they go at a terrible charge, the 13th going through
a little stream which runs by Daheepore at headlong

THE BATTLE ON THE RIDGE. 279
speed. There is every prospect of a collision ; when
suddenly the charge is stopped, the men being at a dis
tance of ten yards only from each other, and victory is
declared in favour of the 13th. They cannot, however,
advance, for the 10th is in front of them, so they scramble
off the ground without more ado. By this time the
Central India Horse and the 5th Bengal Infantry are
forming up and preparing to charge the enemy, which
consists, as I have already stated, of native horsemen.
On they go, too, at a headlong speed, their turbaned
heads lowered, their lances and swords ready, and a
fight takes place which ends in the defeat of the enemy
and the ordering out of action of a squadron or two of
them. The extended line on our side is admitted to have
won, and notwithstanding that the attacking force has
dismounted some of its men for the purpose of using
them as skirmishers, we are admitted to have outflanked
and beaten "them. Then, while everybody is wondering
what will be the next ridiculous spectacle, the sound to
cease firing is heard, and the battle all along the line is
ended. Infantry regiments hear the word of command,
and go home, officers jump into the saddles and ride
^away, while we join a pleasant tiffin party and lunch on
the ground which, but a few minutes before, was so hotly
contested.

280 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.

CHAPTEE XXV.
FEATS OF SKILL AND STRENGTH.
Yet if the battle at Delhi was somewhat theatrically
managed, there was a contest of a different nature on the
following Monday which was very real indeed. It had
been announced that after a cavalry parade in the
morning the Prince would be present at some sports
in the camp of the 15 th Hussars, at which both Eng
lish and native soldiers from the whole army would
appear as competitors. As on the day of the review,
therefore, all fashionable Delhi turned out ; some on
horses, elephants, and camels, others in vehicles, with
multitudes on foot. For just then the native of Delhi
was quite ready to don his most startling dress at a
moment's notice, and would, I believe, have slept in it if
that arrangement woidd have ensured his gazing at every
sight engendered of the Eoyal visit. This being the case,
he systematically appeared everywhere with his children
and his birds, leaving only his wife at home. She never
came out. Unlike the dame of Madras or Bombay, she
might be curious, but she must not be visible ; she
might see, but must not be seen. No rows of hand
somely-attired ladies with olive complexions and long
oval eyes welcomed the entry of the Prince to the old
capital of India ; no bullock-gharries full of native dam-

FEATS OF SKILL AND STRENGTH. 281
sels rolled and jolted on the camp-ground to look at the
sports. Had the revelry been held in front of the houses
in the Chadni Chauk, inquisitive faces might have been
pressed against the gratings which act as windows in the
native houses. But, there being no houses near from
which they could look, the Hindoo and Mohammedan
ladies were shut out from witnessing the sports ; while
their lords put on the best puggaree and quilted coat,
and sallied forth for the day. However, it was not for
them that the fete took place, but for the English
ladies and gentlemen, who came up in hundreds, and
began a grand picnic an hour before the time announced
for the sports. It was ad bright day. The space was
pleasantly shut in by trees ; all round, under the shade,
well-appointed equipages might be seen. There were
luncheon-baskets of all shapes and sizes ; the sound of
the champagne-cork was heard in the land, and bril
liantly-dressed ladies might be seen everywhere. Those
huge elephants with gold and scarlet howdahs, those
camels with trappings of bright colours, those black
servants, that singular crowd of dusky faces, and those
broad-shouldered Sikhs with gold-striped turbans, belonged
to no English city. Where the Prince was to sit long
lines of native infantry were drawn up to keep the
ground, and there the native horsemen, preparing for the
contest, were also in full view. I remember how varied
were the feelings with which I waited by the arena at
Baroda to see the fights between wild beasts. There was
all the curiosity which belonged to ignorance ; one won
dered what a rhinoceros contest would be like — after
what fashion elephants would struggle ; but withal there
was a strong sense of the brutal which would crop up
every moment and spoil all interest in the sport. But
here was a sight which could be regarded with unmixed

282 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
satisfaction ; the swordsman of India were to be pitted
against the Hussars of England, the Lances of the Punjab
against the best horsemen from home. Then too, there
were to be races afoot, high jumps and low jumps, tour
naments with blunted spears, and many another diversion.
Oddly enough, a band of European strollers, their faces
bedaubed with lamp-black, their heads covered with
woolly wigs, in their hands the familiar banjo, concertina,
and bones, and on the backs of their necks the old, old
hats, which we used to look at with amazement when
very young indeed, appeared close to the Prince's dais,
and favoured his Eoyal Highness with a version of c I'm
off to Charlestown,' from a Christy's Minstrel melody book.
The effect was almost too ridiculous for anybody to re
quest them to go to Charlestown at once. They sang
their song in a villanous fashion, held out their shabby
hats for money, and forthwith departed to frighten ele
phants, camels, and horses with their discordant shouts.
The National Anthem sounded the arrival of the
Prince, and immediately afterwards the bands — there was
plenty of them — struck up a more lively tune, and the
competitors entered the lists. The first champion, a
broad-shouldered Sikh, wore a blue puggaree round his
head, and a blue linen coat. On the head of the lance
he carried was a huge piece of cork or indiarubber, and
on his breast shone many a medal ; the star, with the
magic words, ' For Valour,' glittering on his dress ; at the
sight of him many a caitiff rebel had fled ; his lance had in
days not very long gone by been couched at stubborn
foes, and had overthrown them. To meet him there came
another no mean antagonist, a burly Punjabee, with his
puggaree curled round his head in military fashion, with
a red end turned over the front. He, too, led by the
gallant Nicholson, had used his lance against Sepoy foe-

FEATS OF SKILL AND STRENGTH. 283
men. No child's, play was the thrust of his arm when his
blood was up. The spectator looked on with some awe.
Both warriors were well matched, and it was a great
question who should win. The chargers of the opponents
were pawing the ground waiting for the signal. At last
it was given, and each dashed against the other. Thud !
Thud ! but to no purpose ; the shock has effected nothing,
for the horsemen have wheeled round. Once more they
rush, and again without success, though you and I, and
less marvellous horsemen, would have been hurled out of
the enclosure. No fear is there that their lances will
shiver ; as well might you expect to see a Muniporee's
polo stick break. They clash and then charge again, they
strike each other on the backs as they wheel round, they
plunge their lances into each other's stomachs, but all to
no purpose, till after some minutes the Sikh contrives to
get upon the flank of his antagonist. Only for a minute,
but what a minute is that ! Out goes his arih, in goes the
spear. His opponent receives the head in his ribs, his
horse staggers, rocks, and the rider falls to the ground, as
the lance is pressed home by that terrible Sikh. Cossack,
or Uhlan, would that you could hear the crash of that
falling man.
Nor was the scene less exciting in another part of the
arena. Those who have not seen tent-pegging as practised
in India may like to know what the work for the compe
titors was. Driven into the ground so as to remain about
six inches above the surface was a genuine tent-peg —
hardwood, nothing more or less than the piece of hard
fibre which is used to fasten the canvas down. To stand
by it and strike it with one of the ponderous lances which
our cavalry, Indian and English, carry, is no easy task.
You might try a hundred times and not thrust it through.
But what will you say to a man who could ride at a full

284 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
gallop three hundred yards, and, while his horse rushed
past it, almost like a flash of lightning, could pick up the
piece of wood on the end of his spear ? Yet this was the
task set, and how it was fulfilled you shall see. A signal
being given, an English cavalryman burst from a group
at the distance named, and rushed up the course. I
noticed that he did not keep his lance's head near the
ground ; that, indeed, he held the head up, but lowered
his own face somewhat, so as to see the little white mark
the more readily. All depended upon his being able to
strike at the precise moment when he should reach the
miniature target set up for him ; there was no jugglery,
no trick ; all depended upon a quick eye, a cool nerve,
and a strong and ready arin. Onward he flew with light-.
ning like rapidity, not diminishing his pace one whit till
he reached the peg, when, with a dexterous turn of the
wrist, he struck the wood in the centre and carried it off
triumphantly. Less successful was his rival who followed,
or the one who came after that, the man of the 11th
Hussars, remaining facile princeps till three or four had
gone, when another achieved a like distinction, and was
loudly applauded. Two or three more came very near it,
and then it was the turn of native horsemen. At a given
signal a rider in blue turban and dress came flying towards
us, his lance held rather more slanting than those of the
English, and a little more loosely. He rode easily, how
ever, with his eye fixed on the peg, and, just as he came
up to it, sent his spear clean through the middle, and bore
the trophy away. Another peg was fixed, and another
horseman rode at it. But this time the fates were not
propitious ; he struck the ground a foot from the little .
mark, and was nearly jerked out of the saddle ; another
and another came on, but some went a little too high and
others a little too low, three only of the party succeeding

FEATS OF SKILL AND STRENGTH. 285
in carrying off the peg. And now came the deciding
heat, for each horseman was to have two trials, and the
conqueror was yet to appear. This time three English
men in succession struck the mark, one of whom won the
prize. Of the natives there were none who struck the
peg twice ; each did so once in the two trials without
difficulty, but none were equal to the hussar, and so the
prize fell to the Englishman, and the Sikhs and Punjabees
acknowledged the justice of the award with a loud cheer.
Jumping over a bar was the amusement which followed
this achievement, being duly rewarded by a prize of some
•value, and this occupied the attention of the spectators
till the arrangements for the next trial of skill, as distin
guished from force, were completed. Then the horsemen
who had been upon the course left it, the jumping ceased,
the perspiring competitors retired, and made way for
other men. What had been done in the interval was
simply this. Three sticks, duly prepared, had been driven
into the ground, and on the top of these three little
limes, none of them larger than a respectable pigeon's
egg, had been placed. At a distance of three or four
hundred yards a body of swordsmen had been collected,
and these, native and English, now waited to try their
skill.' No mean trial was that to which they were invited.
It was simply this — to ride four hundred yards at a
gallop, sword in hand, and to cut the three limes in halves
as they passed the sticks with a sword. The first man
was a trooper of the 11th Hussars ; his name was Jones.
He carried the ordinary cavalry sabre of the service.
As he came on I noticed that he leaned very much on
the right stirrup, with his head lower than the pommel of
his saddle. His sword-arm was free, and the weapon loosely
held. As he came by the first lemon fell in halves, the
second was clipped of its rind, and the third was cut in the

286 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
middle with a powerful blow that showed Mr. Jones to
be one of the keenest swordsmen living. Three such
strokes in less than seventy yards were not easy to deliver.
Then there came another hussar Of the same regiment,
carrying a native sword, curved but sharp. To him the
first and second lemon fell, but the third was untouched
as he galloped by. A third Englishman came and missed
all three, overthrowing, however, two of the stands as he
swept on. Then a fourth rode up, and rivalled the feat
of Mr. Jones, cutting all three lemons with the ease of a
man who was aiming at a world rather than at such a
tiny mark. In this way the trial of skill proceeded ;
three more Englishmen achieved the feat, but the rest
had less success. Then came the native swordsmen, dash
ing along at a furious rate one after another. They, too,
were very successful, four of them, as against five English
men, clipping the limes in half. A neater feat of horse
manship could not be imagined ; Cossacks of the Don
would have shuddered to see these Sikh horsemen dash
along the plain. The second trial ended no better for
the natives ; the English carried off the prize, and even
Punjabees and Sikhs shouted applause, so great was the ,
feat these soldiers achieved. Eaces on foot came next, in
which the Englishmen won laurels again with ease ; and
then the entertainment ended, the trials of strength and
skill were over, the Prince went away, and the company
dispersed.

287

CHAPTEE XXVI.
JUMMOO THE MAGNIFICENT.
At Jummoo the farthest point of our journey was reached.
The trip culminated in the frontier town of Cashmere,
and, as was befitting, the Prince found his most splendid
reception there. It was early in the morning that a party
specially invited by the Maharajah of Cashmere as his
guests started from Lahore by rail to Wazirabad, the last
railway station in the North of India. We did not pass
over the land where Porus fought and Alexander con
quered, with unseemly haste. Six hours were consumed
in a journey of some fifty miles. We had plenty of time
to meditate upon the ups and downs of political fortunes,
to gaze at Eunjeet Sing's famous burial place, where thir
teen faithful wives shared the tomb with their lord, and
at the grave known best for its four towering minarets
and its splendid wall. Save for its historic recollections,
the country could scarcely be styled interesting. A con
stant -succession of plains and ditches without monuments
of any kind is not calculated to create enthusiasm, and
until Wazirabad was nearly reached, and the snow-
covered peaks of the Himalayas came in view, something
very akin to monotony was observable. But this was not
to last. The poetry of motion which a ' dak gharry,' or
Indian stage-coach, engenders was in store for us, and

288 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
very soon we were seated in two of the funniest bur
lesques upon vehicles that can be conceived. How we
went over hedgerows and ditches, plunged into cart-ruts,
and very nearly turned over ; how we passed the last
British outposts, took short cuts over ploughed fields, and
at last arrived in sight of Jummoo, needs not to be de
scribed. It was at the moment of sunset when the town
was seen. Behind it were the everlasting hills, on one,
indeed, of which it is seated. All round was dense jungle.
For hours the sky had been beclouded ; we had not seen
a bright ray all the afternoon, till at this moment the sun
burst out and lit up the landscape with its marvellous
light. Pink, orange, dark purple fell upon the snow
capped ridge, threw the three-peaked Tri-couta into bold
relief, glittered upon the dome and minarets, the golden
spires and white stone buildings of Jummoo, lightened
the dark green of the jungle and then left us in gloom.
After this we entered the thicket, passed by devious ways
from the altitude we had reached, namely, a thousand
feet, to the bed of the river Tow, where a surprise not
altogether pleasant awaited us. By the fight of the stars,
now shining pretty clearly, we could just discern the
sluggish stream at our feet. Upon a hill on the opposite
side twinkled the lights of Jummoo. Our means of con
veyance were elephants, which waited on their knees for
us to mount and ride. It may be prejudice, it may be
ignorance, but if asked for a positive opinion, I should
not travel for choice on the back of an elephant at night
time where the rivers have to be forded and hills as
cended. A Member of Parliament who was one of the
party, finding that the howdah which he was invited to
ascend was not fastened so rigidly as to absolutely war
rant security against a fall, implored some other means of
transit, and was eventually conveyed to Jummoo in a

JUMMOO THE MAGNIFICENT. 289
palanquin, which was borne op the shoulders of four men
across an exceedingly rickety bridge of boats. The rest
of us, however, mounted and started for the water.
Down a steep bank, the elephant cautiously feeling his
way, at one time deep in the mud, and the next in the
water, with the elephant's head, huge .as the animal was,
only just clear, and its great trunk lifted high in the air,
our progress was not very rapid. Occasionally the ele
phants would stand still as though undecided which way
to go ; then an advance of half-a-dozen strides would be
taken, and another standstill arrived at. Sluggish as was
the stream, it was very wide, and it seemed as though the
opposite shore would never be reached. At length, how
ever, we stood on dry ground, and prepared to ascend the
. hill. Our way lay through roads not more than six feet
wide, through passages crammed with horses, camels, and
men. Up steep staircases, whereon the elephants' feet
slipped, and from which a fall would have been extremely
inconvenient ; and so through the narrow gate of the city,
where the streets were thronged and Pandemonium
reigned. Still there was no time to stop, for the how-
dahs shook violently, and threatened to turn round every
moment. Some of us urged our way to the palace of the
Maharajah, where tents were provided and a welcome
rest was found. I am particular in thus detailing the
peculiarities of the way to Jummoo, as it was over this
ground that the Prince of Wales had to travel on the
following day.
Day had scarcely broken, the light had hardly
struggled over the mountains, when such a drumming
and trumpeting as could only be heard in an Eastern city
rpused everybody from sleep. Every Cashmere regiment
—and the city was full of troops — was in motion, every
band was playing what it liked best. And when it is
u

290 WITH THE PRINCE ii\ INDIA.
noted that scarcely any two instruments were in tune
with each other, that some hundreds of musicians
were doing their best, and that at least thirty different
airs were being performed at once, some idea may be
formed of the din and the clatter. Meanwhile, the
Maharajah and his son, each mounted on a beautiful Arab,
attended by all kinds of horsemen, and surrounded by
scores of runners on foot, entered the city to inspect the
preparations. More troops too filed in at the gateways,
thousands of workmen prepared the roads, gave the finish
ing touches to a grand palace which his Highness has
specially erected in honour of the Prince, while the
police went round and shut up the shops, clouted the
recalcitrant, overturned the money tables, and bid every
body be merry. As a consequence Jummoo decked itself
out in its very best, gave its finest shawls to its inhabi
tants, displayed a wonderful collection of flags, and
received the soldiers with all demonstrations of joy.
The visitors from Leh, specially brought hither to aid in
the fete, were invited to lend the energy of their arms
and the noise of their tom-toms to the general rejoicing.
And if anybody was not inchned to be merry, he went
where the eye of the inspector and the staff of the police
men could not reach him. As for the troops, they poured
in till, with shoulder close to shoulder, they lined all the
way from the river to the Prince's tent on both sides, a
distance of nearly three miles ; and there stood, the great
shakos and heavy muskets weighing down their diminu
tive forms very nearly to the ground. At very short in
tervals their bands were placed in position, rocket-guns
were in the street by scores, the artillery of the Maha
rajah Was posted inside the gates of the city and the gates
of the palace, and the populace filled up the picture.
This was ready at twelve o'clock ; but the Prince did not
arrive till five.

JUMMOO THE MAGNIFICENT. 291
Down at the river-side a very extraordinary scene
presented itself. To have an idea of the locale take any
one of the wider reaches of the Ehine, trebling the width
of the river and the hills 'on either side. Bound the
natural amphitheatre thus obtained bring the highest
mountains of the Alps, with their snow-capped tops.
There would, of course, be no vines, but in place of these
tiny trees substitute a dense jungle. Then fix on one of
the nearest hills behind the river a city of white and red
stone, plentifully decorated with palaces and temples,
towers and golden minarets. A palace not unlike Wind
sor Castle, at one point of a precipice, would then suffice
to represent Jummoo very nearly. Otherwise, ride along
the banks of the Tow, at the moment when the last
rays of the sun are gilding the peaks of the Pier-punjal
range. Then we are transported back centuries upon
centuries. Nothing that meets the eye has anything to"
do with the age in which we were living a minute or two
ago ; the West has altogether disappeared ; we are lost
to civilisation ; only the East, with its barbaric splendour,
is before us. I cannot call to mind any such other spec
tacle. A like sight may have been witnessed in the old
days, and now, as then, there are in the procession which
stands on the bank Persians with high Astrachan caps,
long cloaks', gaiters, and sandals. They certainly have
a kind of blunderbuss on their shoulders, but from the
huge bell mouth of the weapon no more effective missile
could be sent than those which the followers of Darius
and Poriis used to hurl. Then, too, there, are men-at-
arms here — no counterfeit specimens, but real men in
armour, with little brass caps something like inverted
tea saucers with a spike in the centre, on their heads,
chain mail covering their ears and necks, brass breast
plates, brass backplates particularly thick— brass guards
v 2

292 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
for the elbows and arms — gloves of brass, and brass
protections for the ribs, hips, knees, and ankles. In
their hands are long javelins, at their sides curved
swords, called tulwars, while from their waistbelts hang
pistols of the good old pattern prized in the days
when such things were first invented. They surely
have no part or lot in the nineteenth century. Nor is
a party of men who wear turbans, and, apparently,
carry any weapon they like best, more modernised.
Away with the drill which makes machines and
destroys independence ! Here are some warlike gentle
men who are allowed to make themselves look as
fierce as they choose. But their parti-coloured petticoats,
their -boots, their blankets, their spears, their shields, and
their tulwars all belong to his Highness the Maharajah,
whose emissaries they are. And the two golden banners
round which they swarm are his escutcheons. Perhaps
I was wrong in saying there is nothing modern. A body
of cavalry in front of all have certainly got helmets which
closely border upon the headdress of the French Cent
Gardes. But that is all. Lose sight of the casque for
a moment, and glance at the bodies and nether extre
mities of these warriors. The present is forgotten at
once; the past remains. The most gentle object in view
is the elephant which stands close beside you and jingles
every minute or two the great bells which hang at his
side. Yet even he has his peculiarities, as you discover
when he reaches out his trunk towards the neck of your
terrified horse, and after you hear in more detailed
fashion of the ease and grace with which he has cap
tured and killed no less than thirteen human beings
during his stay at Jummoo. There are plenty of his
brethren here. Thirty, in fact, are on this bank of the river,
all highly decorated and painted in approved style, while

JUMMOO THE MAGNIFICENT. 293
across .the river, well within sight, are nearly two score
more, two with grand worked gold and silver howdahs,
fit, as indeed they are intended, for the Prince and Maha
rajah. They are regal elephants, these ; on their backs
and tails the painter's skill has been recklessly lavished ;
their foreheads and trunks are masterpieces of pictorial
art, and on their trunks are the faces of gods and goddesses
portrayed with endless care. Even their ears are not
forgotten. On the wide-spreading flaps are drawings
of lions leaping upon fishes or whales encountering tigers,
while on their sides are Eoyal coats of arms and pictures
of the three feathers. Perhaps with a very strong glass
glimpse might be caught of a troop of English Lancers —
the 9th — who wait the coming qf the Prince as he will
emerge from the jungle, but this is only momentarily ;
they are lost immediately afterwards, in the crowd of
black horsemen who sweep along the bank and envelop
the tiny company.
A gun from a distant hill just now wakes the echoes,
and immediately afterwards a stir on the opposite bank
of the river announces the arrival of the Prince. Salute
after salute is fired ; the Persians shoulder their blunder
busses with more pride than ever; the men-at-arms
stand closer together ; yonder horsemen in the helmets
sit straight in their huge Eastern saddles ; the crowd of
chieftains who have descended from Jummoo, and whose
horses have brought them down to the river's edge — a
bediamonded, begilded, silk-bedecked crew — form into
column four deep ; the tom-toms beat faster than ever ;
the pipes are blown more vigorously than before ; while
a tall Asiatic horseman gallops over the little bridge of
boats which partly connects the opposite shores, then
plunges into the water, and so up the banks to where
the soldiers are waiting, and bids them prepare for the

294 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Maharajah Saheb and the Prince Saheb. No need to tell
them — they have all prepared, their eyes twinkle with'
pride and curiosity, for are they not the bravest of the
brave, and is not the sight they are to witness the
grandest in the world ? Just now the elephants on the
other side are seen to kneel one after another, as they
then receive their riders, and as they turn to descend
into the river the horsemen of the Maharajah, headed
by the 9th Lancers, gallop across to the shore we stand
on. Very slowly the Prince's elephant places one foot
after another in the water, so carefully that the howdah
scarcely sways at all, as with measured tread it feel its
way through the bed of the river. Following close be
hind comes the elephant of the Maharajah ; then those
carrying the Prince's suite, together with Major Hender
son, the former Eesident, and Colonel Jenkins, who, dur
ing the temporary absence of the Major with the Prince,
fulfilled the duties of Eesident, and fulfils them well. Pre
ceded by the motley soldiers, the Eoyal procession wends
its way round the side of the hill on which Jummoo
stands, now passing by the edge of a precipice and now
going between the jungle, till at last it conies to the foot
of the last ascent before the gate of the city is reached;
But what a climb it is ! Scarcely less steep than the
staircase of an ordinary London dwelling-house. Indeed,
it would be impossible for us to ride up it were it not
that it has been cut into wide stairs, and paved with
rough boulders — boulders, by the way, upon which the
feet of horses slip horribly, to the constant peril of riders.
However, up these steps must the procession go — ele
phants, horses, footmen, and all. Night, too, is, coming
on- — has caught us in. As we pass between the long lines
of soldiers who are armed with flintlock muskets, they
stand close shoulder to shoulder and salute as we go by.

JUMMOO THE MAGNIFICENT. 295
Nothing more funny was ever heard than the way in
.which the National Anthem is played by musicians of
all descriptions, placed at intervals of about two hundred
yards all along the line of route. They have probably
never attempted it before they were ordered to rehearse
for to-day. They play with energy, at least, though to
our ears the result is appalling. But at the instant when
our thoughts run in this wise, they are turned sharply in
another direction ; for suddenly the city above and the
;i hedgerows around break out into a blaze of flame as
thousands of torches, lamps, and fires are kindled simul
taneously. No wonder the horses fly among the terror-
stricken soldiery, no wonder the elephants execute a
fandango on the steep staircase. Yet, somehow or other,
although several are thrown from their seats, we all
get up and pass through the narrow gate of the city,
where we are received by a salvo of artillery from brass
guns not twenty yards distant. The Artillery and scores
of bands massed near the gateway have been too much
for the procession, and the conspirators are struggling
to get away from the elephants and horses. On we go ;
the Lama priests are true to their post on the top of the
house, and fully maintain their ancient reputation as
noise-makers as the Prince passes by ; the healthy, broad-
chested, strong-armed gentlemen of Leh, who never wash,
are also in fine, form, and play with all their reputed
vigour. They are easy victors over a brass band oppo
site—the street is just twelve feet wide — which is trying
' God save the Queen ' in a newly-discovered key. The
horses are clearly of this opinion ; for they rush from
the musicians of Leh into the very arms of the bands
men of Cashmere. However, we stay not : our path lies
between more bands, more soldiers in extraordinary cos
tumes, more crowds of delighted people who gather in

296 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
the shop-fronts and on the tops of the low houses, and
gibber with unqualified pleasure at the unearthly din.
And So we come to the foot of another ascent which
leads to the new palace which the Maharajah has built
for the Prince. Again we are received with artillery,
clatter, and shouts, aided also by bouquets of rockets,
which seem to shoot up at our very feet, and thus enter
the camp, where, 'mid tent pegs, ropes, pitfalls, and
obstacles of various kinds, we find our way to appointed
places, and dismount. The Prince is conducted to his
apartments by the Maharajah, and time is given to pre
pare for the State dinner of the evening.

297

CHAPTEE XXVII.
SPORT IN CASHMERE.
To be a sportsman in Cashmere, as in Spain, you must
not be burdened with sensitive feelings. You will not
enjoy the programme if you are a prominent and con
scientious member of the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals. Still you must go as a dutiful guest
to see the entertainments your host provides for you,
although the sight may not be in accordance with
your tastes. Leaving then the refinement of humanity
behind you, let us mount our ponies to be off in
the direction of the rendezvous for sport this after
noon. You are promised polo playing, gymnastic games,
and feats of skill, to which you cannot, by any possi
bility, object. In addition to these there is something
much more delightful to the Cashmere mind ; there
are to be hunts by wild animals in the presence of the
Maharajah. Once across the river, an hour's gallop brings
us to our destination. The Prince, who has been hunting
all day, and, by the way, has succeeded in killing some
game, is expected shortly, so in the meanwhile you have
an opportunity of examining the ground and those who
are on it. At one side is a raised dais, with a refreshment
tent for the Eoyal party ; on the right of this are some

298 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
camels and elephants, and, squatted on the ground, a
number of semi-nude black men from the valley across
the river. At present these are not worth much attention,
as other groups deserve more. There are, for instance,
some scores of persons with hawks, kites, and falcons on
their arms, some hooded, some not, but all anxious for
flight. A fittle in rear of these are some black fellows
who have charge of two cheetahs like those we saw at
Baroda, and two or three great lynxes, apparently very
furious beasts. Sadder by far is a group of three beauti
ful deer, one buck and two does, two or three hares, and
a couple of jackals, who fie close to each other on the
ground, their feet tied, and their tongues hanging out of
their mouths, possibly for want of water ; perhaps owing
to fear. Then, further on still, almost exactly in front of
the raised dais, are some hundred and fifty men and
boys — Baltis, from over the hills, side by side with their
ponies. They are here to do battle to-day in presence of
the Heir Apparent, and you naturally expect great things.
Polo players in England will be interested in learning that
these mountaineers have a very different kind of stick
from that used either by the Munniporees or the players at
Hurlingham, namely, a club-like weapon curved at the
end, and very much heavier than those in use elsewhere.
As for the ponies, they have no guards of leather, and
indeed are not very good animals either. However, as
these people have come five hundred miles over the
Himalayas to show their method of playing polo to the
Prince, you are not disposed to be too critical as yet,
but wait in expectation of some wonderful work. Major-
General Biddulph explains, too, that the gentlemen who
are here to-day, clad in gorgeous silks of every conceiv
able colour — that is to say, half of them, the rest having
no clothing to speak of at all — have till lately been a

SPORT IN CASHMERE. 299
sad trouble to peaceably disposed folk. They only now
behave themselves because they are vassals of the Mahara
jah ; and yonder sturdy little chieftain, who -is trying hard
to bend his disagreeable features into a pleasant cast
while an artist sketches him, was long renowned as a
sort of Cashmere Eobin Hood, whose followers were
more wily than honest, and whose merry men were the
terror of travellers. However, at such a time as this,
when the Prince is stepping upon the dais, we must let by
gones be bygones, although there are at least a score of
the savages glaring at the English strangers as though
they would heartily enjoy a few minutes cutting and
hacking with the curved tulwars they grasp in their
nervous hands. ' But their comrades in silk are mounting
the ponies, and they, as well as we, are quickly absorbed
in the interest of the game. Advancing to the centre of
the open space before the Prince, these polo players
make a low bow to his Eoyal Highness, whereupon some
musicians with trumpets quite two yards long, also some
sinewy tom-tom players, squat on the ground and commence
an awful din. More astonishing still is the noise which
the multitude who have no silk, but only rags, indulge
in. No sooner do the ponies and their riders move to
wards one end of the ground than every savage howls or
whistles to the utmost of his power. Then a sudden lull
takes place ; the ball is hurled into the air and sent whirl
ing along the plain, while the horsemen go after it helter-
skelter, whereupon trumpeters, tom-tom players, and
howlers make more noise. So it is every time the players
pass by — a blast proceeds from the trumpets, a thunder
of sound from the tom-toms, and a vocal accompaniment
from their admirers of no uncertain note. They are
clearly delighted .beyond measure to see their countrymen
so gallantly attired moving before the Prince, and they

300 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
could make the most hideous roaring for many hours if
allowed. Somehow or other, those engaged in the game
achieve nothing; they miss the ball continually, they
tumble off their horses, they do not compete with oppo
sing sides — four Munniporee players would beat twenty
of them with ease. At last the Prince sends to ask if
they cannot form into two parties of say five each, and
try the regular game, to which, after much discussion,
they agree. But it is all to no purpose, and very soon
they are requested to disappear and make room for better
men. They go, and the athletes in the corner take their
places. The chief points about these gentlemen appear
to be that they were almost naked, very greasy, and cap
able of almost any grotesque movement that suggested
itself. Two would meet with a rush, and each placing
his head between the other's legs would forthwith turn a
series of spinning wheels, making us wonder whether they
were really human beings. Then they woidd throw all
. kinds of somersaults while clasped in couples, fly over
each other's heads, and generally impersonate the dusky
goblins with whom we were made familiar in our very early
days. But their chief excellence consisted in the amazing
distances they could bound. Fixing a rough spring-board
in the ground, they would run and jump twelve or fifteen
feet into the air and alight without the slightest shock.
Presently a couple of camels were brought up, whereupon
one savage after another ran and threw somersaults over
the camels, humps and all, coming down on the other
side as lightly as a feather. Then an elephant of the
largest size was placed in position for a similar purpose,
and at the first attempt a man bounded comfortably into
the howdah on the top of the animal's back. But the
success was only momentary, for the huge creature lifted
up his trunk, trumpeted with all his might, and then ran

SPORT IN CASHMERE. 301
away, utterly declining to come near that spring-board
any more. Another equally large elephant was procured,
but with similar results. Every time the athlete took a
run the sagacious animal would turn round and hold out
his trunk in a threatening manner, blinking his little eyes
and snorting in so defiant a fashion that, after some vain
attempts at blindfolding him, the experiment was given
up, and way was made for. less manly sports.
I have already described to you cheetah-hunting as
practised in Baroda. It is not an economical way of
chasing deer, and I do not know that it is a very refined
class of sport. But it is very seldom the cheetah succeeds
in catching his prey ; so that the spectacle of a savage
beast tearing the neck of a handsome deer is not often
afforded. The Maharajah of Cashmere was, however,
quite determined that there should be -no lack of amuse
ment in that direction, and the way he managed it was
this. The spectators, including the athletes and the
Baltis,„were requested to form a wide- spreading circle,
embracing, perhaps, two acres of ground. Of horse
men, ladies, officers, gentlemen, and natives, there were
sufficient to do so; and, all being now in readiness,
the deer which we saw lying on the ground an hour
before were carried by their legs to the centre of
the ground, and deposited there. Similarly, though
with the greatest possible care, a cheetah was brought
up to the dais, patted, caressed by its keepers, and
admired by the visitors. At length one of' the deer,
a splendid black buck, was released and urged to run.
Poor beast, his numbed limbs and dazed eyes scarcely
admitted of a great deal of motion, and it was really
some time before he could understand what was required
of him. But when at last the struggling cheetah was
held near him, he did comprehend that he was expected

302 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
to do something, and accordingly began a slow trot to
wards the left-hand side of the dais. He might, perhaps,
have gone about two hundred yards when_ the leopard
was let slip, and there is little doubt he would have been
caught at once but for the timely interposition of a little
dog, which at that particular moment got in the way.
Now, I believe a cheetah likes dog-flesh as much as
venison, especially when there is less trouble in getting
the former than the latter, and the unlucky puppy was
chased without loss of time. But it was all to no pur
pose : the terrier was too smart for the heavier brute,
and after a little running in a circle the pursuer gave up
the attempt. All this while the wretched buck had been
looking for some loophole of escape. He might as well
have tried to fly to the clouds. And as ill-luck would
have it, at that very moment when the cheetah had
crouched down in the grass, chagrined at losing the dog,
the buck, endeavouring still to find an opening in the
crowd, came within a yard of him. Then the fierce
creature sprang up and was after him. Bound they went,
the one striving for life, the other for blood. In terror
the deer ran to the side of the circle, hoping perhaps to
leap it and get away, but without effect. Slowly the
cheetah came up with his prey, although the buck, now
frantic with fright, skirted the little circle inside the crowd
with wonderful celerity, till at last the leopard succeeded
in springing upon the hindquarters, entwining its forelegs
round its victim's loins. Then followed the most sickening
scene I have ever witnessed. The Prince and his suite,
though they loved sport, murmured with vexation as the
gasping terrified deer struggled and groaned so loudly
that its pitiful cries might be heard by everyone present.
Slowly the cheetah climbed on its back, though at one
moment there was some hope that the beautiful creature

SPORT IN CASHMERE. 303
would escape, for the former, somehow or other, failed, to
fasten its fangs in the buck's neck at first, and the two
rolled on the ground together. I will do the crowd —
that semi-fashionable, semi-savage crowd — the justice to
say that I believe if the buck had got clear this time they
would have opened to let it pass. But this fit of mercy
came too late. The strength of the deer was failing fast
— another plunge, another roll, another loud groan and
cry, and then the end came. The cheetah's teeth pierced
the neck of the overpowered buck, there was a tearing
noise, a final struggle, and then the bloodthirsty beast
was seen sucking away the fife of its motionless victim.
It may be said that at one point, namely, on the
extreme left of the dais, there was an open passage
through which the deer might have passed, and per
haps did go at first ; but behind this there was a
strong fine of beaters, and the fact that the buck was
driven back into the circle is sufficient proof of its
inability to escape. The next amusement was the pro
duction of some lynxes and a jackal. This did not
end satisfactorily, according to Cashmere ideas. The first
lynx, on being let loose, absolutely fraternised with what
should have been its prey, by rubbing its nose against
that of the jackal, afterwards quietly trotting back again
to its keeper ; and, by the time that the second lynx was
let loose, the jackal having found an opening in the
crowd, made purposely, I fancy, by some of those who did
not care for the spectacle of death, trotted off too, think
ing, probably, that there was really nothing of interest to
wait for. This was somewhat discouraging, and so a
plump hare was held forthwith to the noses of the lynxes
and then untied and set free. But the fittle animal also
got away, for the lynxes were anything but hungry, and
as sport seemed to be on the wane, a couple of falcons

804 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
were sent in pursuit, which after several swoops succeeded
in killing him. It was an open plain, there was no
cover very near, and the terrible birds soon disposed
of their chase. This ended the 'fun.' The guests and
the Maharajah entered their carriages, and we galloped
in the rear towards Jummoo the Magnificent.
It must not be supposed that there was a lack of
objects of rational interest in Jummoo. On the contrary,
the capital of Cashmere is perhaps more deserving of a
visit than any other place the Eoyal party has been to,
not even excepting Kandy or Benares. We were alto
gether in a new world, to which the inhabitants and
customs of Europeans had not extended. We saw the
Asiatic in his own home, untrammelled by the laws of
more modernised races. In fact, a party of those attached
to his Eoyal Highness, discovered, in the course of a
short morning's tour, some of the strangest religious
curiosities of Asia. Our principal object in setting out
was to witness the Lamas or Thibetan Buddhist priests.
The yellow-robed ecclesiastics at Kandy had told us
When in Ceylon that the Thibetan fraternity differed
only from them in the colour of the dress they wore.
We were desirous of judging for ourselves, and om*
observations led to the following conclusions : that in
almost every particular the Ceylon and Asiatic Buddhists
differ essentially ; that while the former wear yellow
robes and wash frequently, the latter seldom or never
divest themselves of their dingy red habits, and certainly
do not use water at all. One amiable old gentleman,
whose grimy face, long matted hair, excessively objec
tionable cap and cloak, told their own tale, owned that
he had never taken off his gown since first he adopted
it, now many years ago. ' Why should he ? ' he asked
of an interrogator. Whereupon somebody suggested that

SPORT IN CASHMERE. 305
a plunge in the Tow at the foot of the hill might be
advisable. To which the holy man replied by a simple
artless smile, which indicated doubt and unwillingness
combined. The priests of the South performed their
devotions almost silently, those of the North made as
much noise as possible. There was no idol on the
Buddhist altar in Ceylon, certainly no objectionable
pictures were there, and I did not remark any oblation
beyond a quantity of flowers and some coin of the realm.
But in the North there were idols in plenty. There was
also a work of art, to say the least, out of harmony with
English tastes and certainly with our ideas of sacred
propriety, and there was, ' food for the Gods ' enough to
feed all the religious men who sat round the altar. The
whole business, too, was different. Our first interview
with the Lamas was a somewhat curious one. Guided
by the sounds of brass instruments, cymbals, clappers,
tom-toms, and whistles, we climbed up the side of a
dilapidated house by means of some old boarding, and
so reached the, roof, where, seated in a tent open at
the end, wpre ten burly priests proceeding wfith their
devotions. The picture referred to hung opposite the
entrance ; and before it were piles of sweetmeats, brass
cups full of oil, corn, grain, and flour, an idol, an inde
scribable instrument on a stand, a lighted lamp, and some
pieces of gold cloth. Squatted on' their haunches, these
ten gentlemen were singing and playing, one amongst
them having the words of the song before him and lead
ing the melody. How dreadful the din was which they
made I cannot describe ; until you have heard the Lamas
sing you can have no idea of their powers. To one a
"most important task was committed — the turning of the
praying-wheel, an apparatus unknown to the Cingalese —
x

306 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
and the way in which he whirled round the rattling
machine showed him to be a great adept in the sacred
art. Passing from the midst of these devotional people,
we went on to the chief Hindoo temple of Jummoo, just
at the moment when the doors were being opened for
the faithful. An attempt to enter was at first vigorously
opposed by some Fakeers, who hurried up with their
dismal countenances, and insisted on our taking our
boots off. To this we objected, and as a result we were
followed by a hostile crowd to the doorway, over which
we did not attempt to pass, for the whole temple was
visible from the entrance. The principal idol was
Vishnoo, who was bedecked in a golden robe and wore
a Pope's mitre. On his right hand was a goddess wear
ing a mitre also, while on his left sat another female
divinity, who had apparently not risen to the dignity
of a head-dress, and was, in consequence, obliged to do
without one. There was nothing of importance to see
beyond this, so we went away, and as we did so a very
conscientious person took a bowl of water, and, sprink
ling the steps on which we had stood, washed away the
defilement which the stone had contracted from our
infidel feet. The next evening the Lamas danced before
the Prince, and the Hindoo priests passed his Eoyal
Highness in procession. Space forbids my attempting
to describe the State dinner, at which the Prince pre
sided — the Maharajah, as a good Hindoo, studiously
keeping out of sight — or of the nautch dance which
followed. Nor can I give more than passing mention
of the fact that, after two days' stay at Jummoo, his
Eoyal Highness departed in similar fashion to that in
which he arrived, and on his way back to the North-

SPORT IN CASHMERE. 307
¦
west breakfasted with the English officers at Sealkotej
opened a bridge at Wuzirabad, driving in with some
ceremony a silver rivet with a golden hammer ; attended
a native fete at Lahore, and the next day paid a visit to
Umritzur and its golden temple.

308 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.

CHAPTEE XXVIII.
AKBAR'S CAPITAL.
That the Prince was well received in the city of Agra
the telegraph declared, and these lines confirm. But
how the descendants of the Mussulmans and the sons of
Timour the Tartar met the Shahazada, and after what
fashion they saluted him remains yet to be told.
The records of distant ages are dim. Little is known
of the gentlemen who one after another ruled this
favoured spot. Not that we are wholly ignorant of their
eccentricities and playfulness. Pleasant stories, con
served in marble, tell their own tale of amusements and
pastimes in which a Henry the Eighth would have
revelled. But what was their manner in regard to the
more solemn acts of life, history fails to narrate. I mean
by solemn acts the reception of some friendly Monarch,
some neighbouring King. Yet I do not refer exactly to
the actual durbars, the presents, the pleasant words of
welcome, but to what occurred before the potential visitors
arrived. Take, for instance, the reception of Ali Merdan
by Shah Jehan. Did the Monarch of Akberabad issue
fresh regulations every twenty-four hours for a fortnight
before the great Persian arrived ? Did he sit on his pea
cock throne in the palace and rehearse the smiles and the
bows he intended to make ? Did he make the elephants

AKBAR'S CAPITAL. 309
learn their parts, and have the camels put through their
facings ? I think he must have done something of the
sort, for at Agra there was a love of rehearsal which can
not be found anywhere else, and.it must have descended
from somebody or other.
Having witnessed the preparations for the Prince all
over the peninsula, I can say with some certainty that
nothing like the arrangements at Agra were witnessed
elsewhere. At Bombay, Colombo, Madras, and Calcutta
they discussed and diverged, issued edicts and cancelled
them, set up arches and pulled them down again, gave
orders and rescinded them, and very generally worried
themselves and everybody else to the verge of insanity ;
but that was all. I do not believe the priests of the
Temple at Kandy had a full dress rehearsal with the ex
hibition of Buddha's tooth ; the gentleman who read the
address at Madras had got it all off by heart ; but I am
sure that the managers of the Bankapore entertainment
were not clear as to what would be done. Even at La
hore there was a pleasant uncertainty up to the last
moment, and, indeed, even then ; but at Agra nothing of
the sort existed. All had been arranged to work like a
clock. For a week before the Prince arrived everybody
had been placed in full review order. The soldiers had
lined the roads, their bands had taken up their positions,
the gharry drivers had been thrust into fields and out-of-
the-way places, and the public had been hustled and
pushed, penned up, and belaboured with all the energy
incident to an actual festival. The elephants had been
marshalled outside the railway station gates ; their drivers
had kicked and yelled, and beaten the animals, just as it
was desirable they should do when the grand day came ;
the trees of the gardens of the Taj had been partially il
luminated ; even to the ball, a battalion of sepoys had

310 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
been despatched ' to see how six hundred people would
look,' as an official explained. The only thing which
appears to have been left out of the rehearsal programme
was an experimental supper. And all this was easily
achieved in a happy community in which everybody
knows his place, where a colonel would not dream of
offering his arm to a general's wife, where the exact posi
tion of a commissioner at table is defined, where assistant
magistrates are held to be the exact equals of captains,
and settlement officers are looked down upon by district
judges. The only thing to be taken for granted was that
everybody who knew his place and his work did accord
ing to his lights, and thus, of course, Agra must ' receive '
fike clockwork.
At length, however, the expected day arrived, and the
city went out to meet the Queen's son. The hour of
entry was fixed for four o'clock in the afternoon ; every
body was in position by one. And lest, after all, some
body should have forgotten his lesson, the parts were all
rehearsed again. The elephants — there were nearly a
hundred of them — were placed in fine, formed into
column, and then marched back again. The sepoys were
brought to their places, and drilled on the spot with un
relenting energy. The Bengal Cavalry passed and re
passed over the ground till the faces of the riders were
recognised by the crowd, and the people in their starchy
gowns and their big turbans were ' regulated ' for three
hours without any regard for exhaustion on the part of
their active preceptors.
There was one thing, however, which refused to be
bound down by the programme, and, accordingly, sadly
bothered the manager of the entertainment. We were
all, as I have said, in our places ; the police had got every
wheel of the city mechanism into working order; the

AKBAR'S CAPITAL. 311 ,
native musicians, on native-made platforms of extra
ordinary description, were tom-toming to their hearts'
content, in accordance with rules laid down, when —
whew ! — ra whirlwind sprang up and nearly choked us all.
It came over the arid plains by the riverside, over the dry
sandy bed of the river itself, down the roads and through
the gardens, stirring up the dust in great clouds, and
plunging it into our very midst, till no one could see
across the road, and even the gentleman who had to read
the address was nearly choked. It was all to no avail
that the police waved their staves, and the inspectors
galloped about. The wind would not be still. It whirled
the surface of the plain into the streets and into the
station itself; it snatched away umbrellas, and tore down
awnings ; it hid officers from their men, and the public
from the constables ; and it kept up this merry game
with the officials of Agra till the Prince had entered and
reached his destination.
I have mentioned native music-stands. They were
certainly, till the dust-storm came, well worth looking at.
Have you ever taken part, in a wedding festival in the
North- West ? If so, you will remember that, as aids to
the splendour of the procession, figures of ladies and
gentlemen, of great artistic beauty, are often borne aloft.
It is not in the exact similitude to nature that the charms
of these images lie. On the contrary, it is generally the
practice to portray humanity not as it is, but as the Hin
doo artist thinks it should be. Consequently there is that
pleasing divergence from sameness which we call variety
— a result exceedingly pleasant to the native mind.
What matters it indeed if a gentleman is represented
with four arms instead of two ? Why should we always
be bound down to one nose or one head ? There was
a really admirable lady dressed in silver, and presumably

312 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
stuffed with straw, whose head had four mouths, eight
eyes, four noses, and two very fine ears. She was placed
at one end of a decorated platform, whilst at the other a
gentleman wearing a red elephant's trunk kept watch and
ward. Between them were squatted all the friends and
acquaintances of a wealthy Hindoo, all of them waiting
to welcome the Prince. They had brought with them
musicians also, celebrated players upon the cymbals and
bones, noted performers on the tom-tom and reed whistle,
some friends who knew how to blow great brass horns,
and a couple of dancing ladies, who jumped about to the
sound of the music as long as they could. Nor were
they at all alone in their glory ; there were, indeed, ever
so many of these musical stands along the line of route.
Happy were we to whose ears the sound of the sackbut
and lute never reached ; happy we who could see the •
energetic gentlemen with the cymbals, but could not hear
them. Happier still, however, were the owners of the
stands themselves as they sat, with clasped hands and
radiant faces, in the very centre of all the din, proud of
themselves, proud of their friends, but prouder still of the
noise they were making.
But this was not the only special feature of the recep
tion. The arrangement of the Europeans was very
picturesque. Tribunes rising from the ground tier above
tier were apportioned to the visitors who had flocked into
Agra, and ladies in bright dresses, and gentlemen in bril
liant uniforms, filled the seats in anticipation of "events.
All was, indeed, arranged for an exceedingly pretty
spectacle, when the wind rose, and the dust came on.
The elephants were splendidly painted and caparisoned ;
thirty rajahs and chieftains were in their gold and silver
howdahs at the station; there were retainers with the
very funniest headgear, and some with no headgear at

AKBAR'S CAPITAL. 313
all ; there were soldiers who carried matchlocks and war
riors who clutched javelins and pistols ; the bands were
ready ; the address was there — when the whirlwind came
on. And so it chanced that, after all, the reception at
Agra lost much of its beauty. Let it not be supposed
that we saw nothing ; on. the contrary, between the dust-
clouds, we caught a good view occasionally of Lord
Charles Beresford's elephant behaving contumeliously, of
the Prince holding to the howdah with one hand and
bowing with the other, of Lord Aylesford and Lord
Alfred Paget abreast on gigantic animals, and a crowd
of rajahs in the rear. But who could enjoy the scene?
We had just fixed our binoculars for a good gaze at the
features and dress of the youthful Eajah of Dholepore
when a blast of wind obscured him from view, and the
next potentate we saw was the Eajah of Chickari or the
Jaghirdar of Alipuia, of the existence of whom we were
to that moment profoundly ignorant. But vexation was
all to no purpose. The wind cared not a jot for the rage
of spectators or the mortification of the simple-minded
ones who wished to be seen in the procession ; and we
were glad at last to take shelter in our carriages, and
drive away home as fast as frightened horses, bad drivers,
an uncertain road, and coming darkness would allow.
Besides which, there was an entertainment in the evening,
to which the police ' invited ' early attendance, and hence
our exertion.

314 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.

CHAPTEE XXIX.
A TOMB AND A TOWER. i
It is, after all, very questionable whether even a comet
obtains a satisfactory view of the universe. Its journey
is extended, but it is too rapid ; there is too much to be
seen for a flying inspection to suffice. Perhaps the Prince
thought, this as he quitted Agra, for he determined on
visiting the Taj Mehal twice, and the second time by
moonlight. In an Indian clime, at this season of the year, there
was no need to consult the weather. Clouds may be left
entirely out of consideration ; if the moon was there, we
were sure to see it. She was visible when we arrived at
Agra — a fine full one, too — lighting up the landscape
with a brilliancy of which you in England, and even the
dwellers at Eome, know nothing. Perchance it may have
occurred to you in time gone by to roam inside the
Coliseum when the moon's rays broke through the ruins'
and lit up the place with a ghastly glare. The seleno-
graph imprinted on your memory at such time may still
appear to you the most beautiful picture you ever saw.
But those Eoman beams had, after all, to penetrate
through the mists of the Eoman marshes, and, though
unknown, parted with some of their finest rays, as they
swept the damp air away. The moon at Agra had no

A TOMB AND A TOWER. 315
such trouble. Unimpeded by watery particles, it shot
through the clear, crisp atmosphere a flood of such bril
liant light, that the marble of the Taj became etherealised,
and to the wondering spectator looked as though it would
suddenly rise up and fly off. It was a singular sight to
look through the grim red sandstone gateway and watch
the Eoyal party as it filed along the marble terrace-walk
which leads to this marvellous tomb. Fountains were
playing ; the music from a band situated nobody seemed
to know where, but not far off, echoed and re-echoed
against Taj and mosque ; the great cypress-trees cast their
dark shadows over the pathway, and vandycked it with
sharply-defined forms, and the perfume of innumerable
flowers filled the air — it was an entry into fairyland. No
oil-lamps disfigured the trees, no limelight blinded the
vision; the Taj stood unornamented in its own wonderful
grandeur, just in front of those who were less fortunate
enough to visit it. As we approached, a glow of heat
was felt by everybody. The ' hot sun playing upon the
white marble all day had left it still palpably warm to the
touch, and even now at midnight the air was warm with
the unexhausted caloric. This was, however, no draw
back ; for, though the days are sultry, the nights are
piercingly cold, and the genial temperature was rather to
be courted than avoided. StiU it would not do to stand
constantly close to the building.
To see the Taj you must go to each of the four cor
ners of the great marble platform on which it stands, and
note its huge spandrils in bold relief, the jewelled arches
as they are illumined by the moon, its wondrous dome
and grand minarets. Indeed, it is necessary to go up on
those very minarets in order that the full beauty of this
architectural gem may the better be seen, that its rich
landscape setting may be fully appreciated, that the slow-

316 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
flowing Jumna close by may take its part in the picture,
and that the sleeping city of Agra, its fort and its temples,
may also have their place.
To me it was a source of much gratification that I had
spent some hours in the daytime inspecting the grandest
of all buildings in the world, and that after that nothing
could mar the memory of its great beauty. A great
white marble tomb, built after the similitude of a Turkish
mosque, its walls inlaid with precious stones, its front in
scribed in Arabic, with the praises of the great woman in
whose memory it was written, its huge white dome glis
tening in the bright sun, the tombs below and the false
tombstones above, the resting-places of Shah Jehan and
his lovely wife — such was the picture I saw. Nothing on
earth equals it. The spandrils may not be in proportion.
I believe a Scotsman who visited it at the same time I did
proved successfully to another Scotsman that one of the
arches was a quarter of an inch too higb and another a
quarter of an inch too low. I am aware that gentlemen
whose knowledge of Eastern architecture is as small as
the knowledge of critics usually is have given at least
eight satisfactory reasons why the Taj must not be con
sidered perfection ; but I do not care a bit. I love the
marvellous screenwork cut from white marble, which,
with its eight sides, encloses the two tombs. To me the
resting place of the First Napoleon in the Invalides
seemed the merest pretence at magnificence when I had
looked for a moment into the dim vaults below ground ;
and when I was led to the top of one of the minarets,
and gazed down upon the work of the great Shah Jehan,
thought of the millions of money expended in its com
pletion, of the thousands of workmen who toiled here for
years, of the sightless crew which issued from yonder
gates when the top stone had been added, and the decree

A TOMB AND A TOWER. 317
which went forth that not one of the workmen might ever
see again, lest some other potentate, jealous and envious,
might essay to build a structure as handsome in some
foreign land — I felt that here was a spectacle for the
Prince worthy the fatigues and trials of his whole journey.
One fact was very satisfactory — the Joneses, Browns, and
Eobinsons had not been allowed to write their names .or
carve their initials on the tombs. They did, in days gone
by, chip out the precious stones when nobody was watch
ing ; but now they cannot do even that, and are obliged
to leave the building without recording their visit in any
way. Peace, disappointed scribblers ! it is one of the few
places your vagrant pencil has not desecrated.
I do not think there was much talking that night as
we passed from point to point, and looked again and
again at the wondrous building which the Shah Jehan
erected. Hearts were too full of admiration to admit of
frivolity or careless thought ; we were gazing upon a
scene the like of which we had never witnessed before.
One idea seemed common — that to enjoy a trip in India
the Taj at Agra should be the last place seen. Else with
what comfort can you look afterwards upon the inferior
resting-places of Akbar, Adum Khan, Suftur Jung, or
even Humayon's tomb? To you, as an exacting and
scrupulous archaeologist, the sepulchre of the Great Mogul
at Secundra may afford many delights ; the purity of its
architecture will please your eye and help you to point
many an historical and perhaps useful moral, as a patri
otic Englishman. Again, the grave of Humayon may
have pleasant memories, in so far as it was the place
where the mutiny received its final blow, the spot where
the scheming, traitorous old King of Delhi was led away
into, captivity, and where his three wicked sons were led
out to execution by the gallant Hodson. But after you

318 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
have once seen the Taj, the grandest marble domes, the
prettiest Motee Musjid in India — and what a number of
these Pearl Mosques there are ! — sinks into insignificance.
You regretfully turn back to the Taj, and its beauty
overtops them all.
There is another structure of great grandeur, but
it is wholly dissimilar from the gem of Agra. It
likewise received a parting visit, though not by moon
light. Not a score of miles from Delhi stands a high tower,
the top of which may be seen from any part of a circle of
many leagues. Who built it and why it was constructed
no one can tell. Yet it is claimed with equal force by
both Hindoo and Mussulman, who both have some dozens
of reasons to show that to their ancestors belongs the
honour of having erected the highest pillar in the world.
I do not, however, propose to solve the doubt, the only
matter of importance to such as were invited to visit the
Kootub being that it belongs just now to the English, and
is an exceedingly pleasant retreat as well as a great archi
tectural marvel. It was early in the day when, in well-
appointed carriages, we found ourselves passing through
the Delhi gate, and so along the road which goes by the
tombs of Humayon and Suftur Jung. How the magnifi
cence and squalor of the East intermingled, how pariah
dogs and old women howled for food under the very
shadow of marble domes, curiously inlaid and sculptured
walls ; how mud huts surrounded these masterpieces of
art, and gilded minarets alternated with the poorest of
straw thatches, need scarcely be told. A couple of hours
brought us into the gardens of the Kootub, under the
shade of the trees which environ it, and the tent which
had been erected for the refreshment of such as had been
specially favoured.

A TOMB AND A TOWER. 319
It was not without some satisfaction that we learned
our proximity to the very centre of the world. There could
be no doubt at all about it, for a large number of the very
holiest men to be found in this part of India, whose word
could not by any possibility be doubted, consulted their most
trustworthy oracles ever so many years ago, and placed the
matter at once beyond a question. In those days there
lived the Eajah of Prithie, who, being somewhat anxious
to remain King of Delhi as long as possible, and leave
the throne in the family of which he was at once the head
and principal ornament, called round him the most pious
Brahmins whose acquaintance he had had the honour to
make. I do not know what form the fete to which he
invited them, took ; but from what I have seen of holy
men of late I should infer that a feast was at least one
part of the entertainment, and that the exhibition of some
x)f the coin of the realm was another. Any way, they
appear to have been satisfied, for, on his presently ask
ing them what he had better do to obtain a permanent
seat on the somewhat shaky throne, they at once put him
into possession of a most valuable secret. Just under the
piece of ground on which they were sitting was the head
of the serpent which supported the world ; there could
be no mistake about it ; they knew it for certain ; and if
the Eajah of Prithie would only make a -long iron pillar
and drive it into the earth in such a way as to transfix the
head of that recondite snake, he would reign for ever and
a day, and his children after him. How he made the
pillar, how they had another great feast, how the iron
was driven into the ground and actually caught the ser
pent exactly in the very centre of his head and transfixed
him, may easily be imagined. The only regrettable cir
cumstance is that the Eajah was not satisfied when the
Brahmins told him all was right. He wanted to make

320 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
sure for himself, and would by no means be convinced
by those pious men — in fact, he was determined to have
personal evidence that the snake was caught. So, like
another misguided gentleman who killed the goose that
laid the golden eggs, he pulled the pillar up when, to his
astonishment, the end was found to be covered with
blood ; proof positive that the Brahmins had been right
after all. But, although he had put the iron in the right
place at first, it by no means followed that even a Eajah
could catch the serpent twice. Thus it happened that,
the next time, the animal got away ; and, sad to ielate,
the Eajah of Prithie very shortly afterwards was upset by
an enemy, and lost not only his throne, but his eyes, ears,
and head into the bargain. Still, a venerable old gentle
man, who was making a chupatty close by, informed me
that there is no doubt the pillar extends many hundred
feet into the earth, and is within an inch or so of the
centre after all. I did not think it necessary to tell him
that General Cunningham some years ago bored the
ground close by it, and found the end of the pillar was
only fourteen feet below the surface — he would have
disbelieved me, and worshipped it all the same. What
was infinitely more unpleasant to him was my refusal to
contribute to the support of the shrine of which he was
the presiding genius.
Not far distant from the tower is a wonderful well,
and thither we were taken. Constructed in the shape
of a tank, about 30 feet square, and about 120 feet deep,
this well contains generally about 40 feet of water. For
drinking purposes this spring is, doubtless, valuable ; but
it is much more beloved by the natives for a very dif
ferent reason. To jump from the top down into the dark
pool 80 feet below would apparently be certain death ;
at any rate, on looking down into the tank you would

A TOMB AND A TOWER. 321
not easily believe that the spring could be made with the
slightest chance of safety. Yet the Hindoos of the village
close by step up, and offer to make the attempt for a
very small present. Indeed, before you can say yes or
no, a dozen men and boys have stripped off all save the
smallest possible waistcloth, and are standing on the edge
of the well ready to jump. A moment later, and an aged
savage has taken the leap. For the first fifty feet his arms
are extended wide and his legs are far apart, but just
then he claps his ankles together, brings his hands close
to his sides, and, striking the water with a fearful crash,
disappears. It is but for an instant, however ; out of
the inky depths comes that old grey head, and you see
the man is swimming towards the wall, and that he
intends to climb up the side of the tank to a hole about
twelve feet above him, through which he can creep into
an adjoining reservoir, and so come to earth again. He
is scaling the wall, when a little lad of some ten years
makes the fearful spring. For a moment you shudder
involuntarily ; for the little waif of humanity has, to all
appearance, jumped out too far, and is in danger of
striking some stonework. But no ! he misses the rocky
points by about a yard, his little hands and feet close
together just as did those of his predecessor, and he falls
like a pebble into the water. Will he come up again ?
You wait nearly two minutes, and no little face is seen.
Can he be drowned ? you anxiously ask. Is it possible
that no effort will be made to save him? You turn
round and look eagerly for a swimmer to jump in and
rescue the child if possible, when at your elbow stands
the naked, grinning little imp, his head and body dripping
with moisture. It seems that under the surface of the
water a trap-door communicating with the reservoir in
similar fashion to that by which the old man climbed out
Y

322 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
is found, and that by this the boy has escaped from the.
well ; the silence of the men at the top being only
another trick to arouse the sympathy of the white sahibs.
After this they jump in one after another as rapidly as
possible, almost falling in pell-mell on the top of each
other, as though the eighty-feet spring were the merest
bagatelle. Bound they come through the trap-doors to
earth again, dripping, steaming, shouting, and so down
into the well again ; but we have had enough of it.
Little did the beneficent constructor of that tank think
of what use it would be turned to five hundred years
later on. Fresh clean water, indeed ! To what better
purpose can it be turned than as a means of getting
money from sight-seeing travellers ?
Still, the Kootub itself was, after all, the object of
our visit, and thither we bent our steps very soon after
wards. To reach the tower it was necessary to go
through a City of the Dead, a great space covered with
tombs, which were erected many hundred years ago,
and have now fallen into decay. It was easy to see
how beautiful was this Mohammedan cemetery when
Akbar reigned at Delhi, and the nobles of the. land
were buried one after another under the marble domes
which are now crumbling to dust. Then the trees, of
which one now only finds the thick, leafless stumps, were
young saplings ; the broken ground was covered with
flowers ; the fountains, of which only the remains are
left, played with full vigour ; and what is now a desert
blossomed as the rose. Those days are gone, and in
place of the dead Mohammedan, scores of squalid Hindoos.
and pariah dogs inhabit the tombs, crouching for shelter,
from the sun in the summer, and the rains in the wet
season, behind the ruined walls, and only emerging to
beg of the stranger as he passes by. I do not know

A TOMB AND A TOWER. 323
which were the more objectionable, the dogs or the
people — all were so utterly loathsome and unclean. Per
haps the animals were, after all, most bearable, for with
a stick or stone we could frighten them away. But not
so the pestilent crowd of human beings, who followed
close upon our heels, now exhibiting sores and defor
mities, sightless eyes and useless limbs, and now cursing
us for our want of appreciation and sympathy. I am
afraid that some of them ultimately got encouragement
from some of the younger travellers, who forget that, so
long as this degraded tribe can obtain alms, they will
refuse to work for a livelihood.
At length, the foot of the Kootub was reached, a tall
circular column nearly twice the height of the Campanile
at Venice, and quite as large round as that square pillar
which all the travelled Browns, Bobinsons, and Smiths
know so well, and which bears their honoured names
wherever the space' to write a word could be found.
Indeed, it was impossible to forget Venice all the while
we were at Delhi or Agra. How could we forget, for
instance, that famous Bridge of Sighs and the dark
passages below where the old nobles passed on their way
to strangulation and worse, when, following a torch-
bearer, we explored the foundations of Akbar 's Palace,
and saw the well in which he drowned his troublesome
wives, and the dark cells into which assassins entered in
the dead of the night and perpetrated nameless cruelties
upon innocent men and women ? Was it not about the
same time, too, when that wicked old Council of Ten
sent despairing victims through the dismal secret door
which the panels hid so nicely, that Akbar was dispos
ing of his enemies in those dark passages of Agra?
Akbar — Doges, all are gone; but the monuments of
their, genius and the memory of their crimes live after
T 2

324 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
them, and show that the civilisation of Venice and
the barbarity of India were not very dissimilar, after
all. As for the Kootub, it was impossible to ascend its 375
steep steps without being amazed at the untiring energy
which must have been employed in a work so tremen
dous. It does not reach to the heavens, as did the Tower
of Babel ; yet it is twenty times as high as another pile,
which was intended to be a rival, and was actually begun
some few yards distant from it. Just as no one knows
who raised the great pillar of sandstone up which we
climb, so no one can tell who began the rival work which
ended so disastrously. But the two remain ; the grand
column, with its six storeys, its ornamented galleries, its
countless inscriptions, its wonderful sculpture, and, close
by, the ruined abortive attempt at building, overgrown
with moss and rank weeds — the one a model of persever
ance, the other a monument of unsuccessful ambition.
But there is fittle time for moralising, the steps have to be
cfimbed, till at last we stand on the little platform at the
top, scarcely eight feet in. diameter, and look down upon
the country below. Then what a panorama bursts into
view ! The City of the Dead is at your feet, the city of
the living, teeming, crowded Delhi, only fifteen or twenty
miles away ; the tomb of Humayon apparently so close
that you imagine it would not be very difficult to throw
a stone on to its marble dome ; the burying-place of
Adum Khan, where his widow placed his remains after
he had been twice thrown from Delhi battlements by
order of the Emperor ; and farther away still, the camp
ing ground of that gallant army which held the Eidge
in those famous fights when Delhi was in the hands of
rebels, and the fate of English rule in India hung in the
balance. How full of food for historic thought was
every inch of that remarkable landscape !

325

CHAPTEE XXX.
NATIVE COURTS AND PRISONS.
I did not find that the Prince of Wales visited a court of
justice during his stay in India. His Eoyal Highness
consequently missed a spectacle which is so purely Indian
in its characteristics, that a description of the way in
which wrong is set right and right is maintained in the
country districts of the Empire should be given. I do
not refer to the higher courts, over which Chief Justices
or Judges preside. There the terror to evil-doers is pretty
much the same sort of person he is at home, sits in a
robe, and if he does not wear a wig has at least bands
round the neck, and the look of a lawyer stamped on his
face. But in the small towns and villages this is scarcely
the case.
Justice here is administered by collectors, magistrates,
joint magistrates, and assistant magistrates — a goodly array
of young gentlemen whose knowledge of jurisprudence is
. mainly derived from the occasional perusal of a kind of
law catechism which is supplied by the Central Govern
ment. This is by no means their fault ; they come out to
the country as civil servants, after passing a somewhat
stiff examination in most of the subjects with which they
will not be required to deal. They are not barristers,
they know nothing of English law ; but to some extent

326 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
they are made acquainted with the rudiments of Indian
practice ; they have a slight — very slight — knowledge of
Hindostanee, and thus equipped they are sent into the
various districts to fulfil the somewhat varied duties of
revenue officers and magistrates. At certain periods of
the year they travel from village to village to try cases,
collect taxes, measure land, make reports, and generally
look after the tract of country through which they pass.
Many of them are very young-, say between twenty-one
and twenty-six years of age ; most of them entertain the
profoundest contempt for the natives, and all of them
are endowed with powers such as a Bow-street magis
trate of a dozen years' standing would never be allowed
to use. What would Sir Thomas Henry say to a youth
of twenty- two being allowed to order a man twenty lashes
and two years' imprisonment ? Theoretically, these sen
tences are all subject to revision : they are always re
corded in a book, with a short reason appended. But in
the course of four months' careful enquiry, I could only
discover four instances in which the sentences had been
revised by the collectors, and in one of these cases the
punishment was increased. Very often an appeal to the
High Courts, however, puts a stop to injustice ; and it
is in setting right the vagaries of these youthful adminis
trators of law that the centres of justice are mainly en
gaged. That there are great difficulties to be contended
against, no one can deny. The impossibility of placing
faith in what native prosecutor or witnesses on either side
may say, the certainty that more or less perjury is mixed
up in every statement, and the knowledge that any
amount of evidence on either side can be obtained for a
few annas, places the magistrates frequently in a great
dilemma, and this may possibly account for some of the
mistakes that are made.

NATIVE COURTS AND PRISONS. 327
I will take you into a court of the ordinary kind,
where a typical case is to be tried. It is a large, square
room, very plain, very bare of furniture. Its only orna
ments are a table, at which a very youthful magistrate
sits, and two forms, one at his side, the other in front
of him. At the door is a crowd of chattering, noisy
natives, who are arranging what is to be done in the case
about to be heard. Inside the room there are two native
policemen, three moonshees, or native scribes, seated close
to the magistrate, and in the centre of the room a mise
rable-looking lad of the barber caste, waiting for judg
ment. The Daniel at the table eyes him sternly for a
moment, whereupon the barber-prisoner clasps his hands
in the attitude of petition, and assumes the nearest ap
proach to penitent submission which he can call up in
his inexpressibly ugly face. His offence is a curious one :
he has nearly cut off a woman's nose — the police say he
is mad, and ought to be locked up, and here he is for
examination. JT the truth were really told, it is probable
that the statement of the lady who prosecutes would be
as follows : ' I am unhappily burdened with excessively
large eyebrows — at least, so my friends and my own judg
ment tell me. There is not much in my appearance to
recommend me ; my clothes are ragged and dirty ; .my
face is by no means pretty; but these are things over
which I have no control. With my eyebrows the case is
different — I can get them trimmed for a few cowrie-
shells if a very low-caste barber is applied to, and hence
I employed Motia. Our agreement was, however, unfor
tunately, not Successful— he did not trim my eyebrows
satisfactorily. I refused to pay him ; and he then at
tempted to cut my nose off. I think he is a little mad —
he certainly is very violent.' All this would be rendered
in the native language, were the prosecutrix inclined to

328 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
tell the truth. To an uninstructed mind there would
appear no reason why she should fail to do so ; to those
who know India, however, there is a very great reason
indeed. That lady in rags has, curiously enough, all the
objection in the world to anybody knowing she has her
eyebrows trimmed. Were she a Mohammedan she would
not mind a bit ; were the barber a high-caste Hindoo, she
would be less squeamish. As it is, she will not admit for
a moment that she sent for Motia to improve her per
sonal appearance. She must tell quite a different story to
that. So she borrows somebody else's baby boy, a little
urchin of some two summers, the crown of whose head
has been recently shaved in approved fashion,- and, carry
ing him in her arms, shuffles into the court. Just before
she arrives the prisoner has been making a statement
which somewhat tallies with the truth, saying that he was
just finishing the lady's left eyebrow when somebody
jogged his elbow and made him cut her nose. The
police, at whose instance the man has been brought up —
for the prosecutrix is quite opposed to the action — how
ever, deny that he was jogged at all, and declare that he
is mad. It now remains to hear the woman's story, and she
begins as follows : ' I am a poor woman, and have one
little boy— this one (holding up her neighbour's child).
I saw that his head ought to be shaved, so I sent for
Motia and asked him to do it. Motia is a very careless
man, but a very good man indeed, very good. Motia
was not thinking of his work, I believe, for just when he
ought to have been looking at the child he was looking
at me ; and when the boy moved Motia's hand slipped,
and so his razor cut my nose.' ' Is that the truth ? ' says
the magistrate, though that is a needless formality, for
the lady has previously promised, her right hand in the

NATIVE COURTS AND PRISONS. 329
air the meanwhile, that she will ' tell the truth according
to righteousness and nothing else.' ' Let me see your
nose,' continues the embodiment of justice. The woman
comes forward, uncovers her face, and shows a gash
which certainly no slip of the hand from such a razor as
Motia owns will account for. Yet what is to be done :
the woman, whose forehead has evidently been lately
shaven, denies that her eyebrows were touched, says
quite indignantly that she would not let Motia shave her
face for any consideration. Thereupon a native doctor is
sent for, and is asked whether he" knows anything of the
prisoner. 'Yes, Saheb, I have examined him,' is the
reply, for the doctor prides himself on his English, 'I
find him very funny man ; he laugh very much when he
no right to laugh ; - sometimes he stare at things you not
stare at at all. I think he not got all the mind ; he not
violent, but strange' It is clear that the man cannot
be punished for laughing when he ought not, or for not
¦ possessing ' all the mind.' So more witnesses are called
for, and they come in one after another. Each tells
a different story — some confirm the eyebrow shaving
story, but say that the child jogged Motia ; some swear to
the tale that it was the child's head that was being shaved,
while one old lady, unfortunately, lets out the secret that
the boy does not belong to the prosecutrix at all. Not a
single version of the case agrees ; the police reiterate what
they said at first ; the woman with the gashed nose con
tradicts them flatly; while the prisoner, staring at the
wall, and so confirming the doctor's remarks, waits calmly
while the opposing parties fight the matter out. At
length the youthful magistrate delivers a Solomon-like
oration. He finds that Motia cannot be sent to gaol
because the chief sufferer will not pursue him, he finds
that .he cannot punish the woman because she is not

330 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
legally before him, and he finds that the police have
made a muddle of the whole business — and all this he
first of all says and then writes down in the magisterial
book before him. The crowd of witnesses thereupon file
out, and justice is satisfied.
Of course when at Agra the famous gaol under the
care of Dr. Tyler could not be missed. Consequently
the Duke of Sutherland, attended by a large party of the
Prince's suite, paid this abode of 2,500 criminals a visit on
Thursday morning. I was not so fortunate as to accom
pany them ; but an hour afterwards I received a courteous
invitation from Dr. Walker, the Inspector-General of
Gaols in the North- West Provinces, to join him on a tour
of inspection. A few minutes afterwards I found myself
in a comfortable wagonnette, and shortly after that re
ceived by a guard of honour, composed of the company
of sepoys whose business it is to guard the gaol. It is
needless to say that we were accompanied on our rounds
by five soldiers. The attempted murder of Dr. Tyler
only two months ago warrants every precaution, for the
most desperate ruffians in India are confined here for fife,
and they are not to be despised.
Once inside the prison walls, how forcibly we were
reminded that we were in an Eastern land ! A beautiful
garden, shaded by the huge, leaves of the plantain-tree,
was before us ; fruitful herbs were in plenty, and what in
England woidd have been a desert, blossomed as the rose.
There was little to remind us of the precincts of a prison.
True, that here and there a gentleman in heavy fetters
tied up a lettuce or earthed up a cauliflower. But you
might see his fellow anywhere else in Agra. It was truly
a pleasant place, albeit the ante-room to a dungeon. Our
first introduction to the prisoners was an entry into the
department where small boys were confined — some scores

NATIVE COURTS AND PRISONS. 331
of little ignorant imps, who, squatting on the ground,
were just then engaged in eating their mid-day meal.
Their two hours' morning lesson over, they were about to
work at carpet- making — an occupation at which, I learn,
they are great adepts. Passing by these we came to the
yards in which the female criminals were kept — young
women who had committed theft, and old ladies whose
ideas of vagrancy were not consistent with those of the
local magistracy. In one section were those who had
committed heinous crimes, and were in prison for life.
How squalid, how wretched were the countenances of
this unenviable company can never be learnt by you at
home. I do not refer to the dresses ; the ordinary grey
prison garb had little about it that was repulsive. Nor
do I allude to the modern badges which each wore, at
tached to a chain passed round the neck, and held up in
obedience to command. But what a story did those fifty
faces tell ! Tales of infanticide, under singularly revolt
ing circumstances ; Of poisoned husbands and fathers ; of
murders both by strategy and force. One aged matron,
whose toothless gums and sightless eyes told of approach
ing dissolution, had been there ever since the year of
grace 1837— her crime was the murder of her children
and their father. Another, a very young woman, had just
entered upon her term for the destruction of a brother
and father. There they sat, some spinning wool, some
nursing their children — a helpless crev^ to whom hope
never comes, before whom yonder barrier gates would
never open.
From such a spectacle we turned sick at heart, and
were not at all sorry when we entered the place where
young men were employed at mat-making — gaining what
they never knew before, an honest livelihood. Nor was
the next ward less admirable, the cooking ranges of the

332 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
establishment, and the bakery of the gaol. A scene of
animation followed, but of a lucrative and satisfactory
sort. On a raised platform, at a pace of fully three miles
an hour, were forty-eight rapscallions turning round a huge
capstan. Two abreast they marched at quick step, not
to the sound of a band, as sailors do at sea, but to the
time marked out by a warder, whose whip encouraged
the tardy, and invited them to activity. They were no
useless servants, however; on the contrary, the capstan
they so rapidly moved gave off four horse-power, which
we found to be utilised in driving wool-carding and spin
ning machinery, at which a number of other prisoners
worked. Bound went the wheel, the machines moved
merrily, and wool for all the looms in the prison was
being prepared. How much was needed may be guessed
when it is known that some scores of prisoners were em
ployed in making cloth for all parts of India, some with
hand looms, others with larger machines moved by hand
and feet together. There were carpets, too, waiting for
wool, curtains, tablecloths, all kinds of things demanding
more material. Well might the forty-eight be encouraged ;
theirs was no idle task.
But it must not be supposed that they were the only
ones employed in hard labour. Many scores were grind
ing flour with the old-fashioned Eastern mills, pumping
water, working at printing presses, and cleaning the cells.
Where, however, more refined and more remunerative
labour could be adopted, it was given out ; and thus it
was that we presently found ourselves in a great factory
for manufacturing what are known as Persian carpets. To
my surprise it was under the care of an English convict,
none other than Captain Lyat, who, only four months ago,
was convicted of forgery and sent to prison for two years.
Of his case I say nothing ; but certainly his shop was in

NATIVE COURTS AND PRISONS. 333
wonderful order. His men were all at work, making
money for the Government, and, indeed, earning a good
deal. Their task for the day consisted of six inches, of
carpet two feet wide — a carpet which, by the way, is sold
for about £l a square yard when manufactured, and quite
treble that sum in England. It was here that we had the
pleasure of seeing a Dacoit who for many years had been
the terror of the North-west Provinces, and was now
undergoing a sentence of seventeen years ; -a gentleman of
most forbidding countenance, whose leg irons testified to
his irremediable badness. In this way we came to cells
where dangerous criminals were shut up ; the yard for
English convicts, now happily nearly empty ; and so to
the gardens once more, having seen the finest prison in
India, and probably the best governed one in the world.
Will it be believed that the profit on materials supplied
for prison labour at Agra last year exceeded 4,000^. ?
There are few gaols in England that could show such a
balance-sheet.

334 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.

CHAPTEE XXXI.
AN EASTERN PARIS.
In the record of Eoyal entries to Eastern cities the
chronicler has to be careful lest, by awarding the palm of
superiority to any one reception, he may find himself
unable to give to the next one its proper meed of praise.
As the first place to receive the Prince of Wales, Bombay
had certainly a great advantage ; the magnificent land^
scape of Ceylon lent undoubted charm to the festivities at
Kandy ; the absence of all foolish and needless etiquette
at Calcutta rendered the Eoyal landing on the banks of
the Hooghly memorable ; at Delhi the grandest military
spectacle we had witnessed was presented, when the Sha-
hazada passed the Jumna Musjid in the sight of a score of
thousands of people ; the Himalayas of Cashmere, the
broad Eiver Tow, the ascent to Jummoo on the hill,
the barbaric music and the strange Asiatic costumes
marked the procession in the far north as strikingly
grand. We have again seen a magnificent spectacle, and
this time the locale is the Paris of India — Jeypore.
I do not know who it was that gave to the city which
Jey Singh built this happy title. Comparatively few
travellers have visited it, for only lately a line has been
laid hither from Agra. It was far from the civilised
world, the home of an independent Prince, of whom

AN EASTERN PARIS. 335
almost as little was known as of the Grand Lama of
Thibet. But times have altered ; that modern civiliser,
the railway, has grasped Jeypore, brought it within
a ten hours' ride of the city of Akbar, and three days
ago the Prince of Wales entered it with greater ease
than Gwalior or even Jummoo. And now no more appro
priate name could be given to the capital of the Mahara
jah than that of the Paris of India. They say that Jey
Singh was an enlightened man — that he was filled with
an idea that even narrow streets on the top of a moun
tain were not so healthy as wide thoroughfares on a plain,
especially when that stands at an elevation of fifteen hun
dred feet above the level of the sea ; that large houses well
ventilated, and a good system of sewerage, were preferable
to small houses, no drains, and plenty of cholera ; and that,
seeing all this, he left his Eoyal Palace and built another.
He then invited his people to quit their mud hovels for the
roomy mansions which he erected, and without more ado
constructed such a city as is not to be met with elsewhere
in the world.
Nor is this a mere phrase — a vague, exaggerated idea ;
for the main thoroughfares of Jeypore are 111 feet wide,
and intersecting each other are respectively two miles and
forty yards, and one mile and a quarter long. These
again are crossed by a third main street nearly two miles
long, and thus the city is divided into six perfectly equal
portions. Even in these the streets are fifty-five feet wide ;
and each house has a garden, each house a family tree.
Nor must it be supposed that the buildings are unworthy
of the streets. Erected by one designer, they are com
posed wholly of stone ; and though the handsome front
ages vary, and the eye is thus relieved, one idea runs
through the whole. There is not a mud cottage-^not one,
of any kind within the walls which surround Jeypqre.,

336 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
It is a city of palaces, the fronts of which are artistically
dyed pink and white. Even on the smallest dwellings,
the same care has been bestowed as upon the largest ;
handsome flights of steps run up to the minarets and
domes, the flat roofs, and the upper rooms of the build
ings ; the parapets are artistically designed ; and it is
as though a huge palace had been framed for the residence
of a king.
A Eoyal residence there is beside, or rather in, one
part of the city, but it scarcely exceeds in beauty the
places in which the people live. In its surroundings it is
magnificent, but then all these — gardens, lakes, fountains,
and marble walks — are open to the people. They may
not own the alligators which swarm on the water's edge',
but they may see and feed them, and what more can the
Monarch himself do ? To them may not belong the fee
simple of the orange groves and paths overhung with
Cyprus, myrtle, plantain, and palm, but they may walk in
them, and pluck the rich, juicy fruit ; the fountains and
the marble walks may not be at their disposal, but they
are for their use ; they inherit the pleasures of the locality
without any of its responsibilities. And if ever they are
inclined to be ungrateful and rebel they have only to look
towards the hills upon the ruined dungeons of old Ambair,
to be reminded of the days that are past and of the better
times that are come. I call it a new city, but that is not
strictly correct. Will it be believed by London vestry
men that it was in 1728 that Jey Singh made Jeypore a
handsomer spot than our metropolis of to-day, and that
for a hundred and fifty years the city of Eaj poo tana has
had wider thoroughfares and better drainage, prettier
houses and larger gardens, than any rival in civilised
Europe ?
It was in such a scene as this, then, that the spectacle
of February the 4th was cast.

AN EASTERN PARIS. 337
We take a carriage and drive through the streets while
the day is yet young and the period of the Prince's ar
rival some hours distant. The houses on each side of the
street are seldom more than two storeys high. The lower
portions have mostly open shop fronts, the upper are
almost wholly composed of stone lattice work. In the
former the men of Jeypore are seated by thousands ; in
the latter the women of the city are assembled, peering
through the screen which hid them at the preparations
for the entry of the Prince. Here, as elsewhere in India,
the crowd is dressed in gay colours. Perhaps scarlet
predominates, but there are yellow, light green, fight blue,
light red. Anyway, the people are attired in the brightest
costumes. The very arrangements of their streets aided
to make the sight a stirring one. When in Londonwe
went to the procession, it may be of a newly-recovered
Prince or a newly-married Princess, there were many
things to be taken into consideration. It might rain or
snow, or a hundred things may militate against a com
fortable view. But in Jeypore there was no such trouble
some thought. The Prince could only enter on an ele
phant ; the bright blue sky above forbade the suspicion
of rain. So the natives who wished to be spectators, and
there were many thousands of them, thronged the path
ways, sat in the shop fronts, got behind windows, perched
themselves upon the roofs, and filled the staircases, with
the assurance that they would all have a good view of the
Maharajah's guest.
. There were nine residents in Jeypore, however, who
were not allowed to witness the Eoyal entry, albeit that
their dwelling-place was not a hundred yards from the
Prince's route. Nine residents of Jeypore, in cages, not
so much. because they were wicked in the past as that
they might possibly be troublesome were they allowed

338 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
to mingle at present with the' crowd in the streets. It
was well they were so confined, for few more savage than
they were ever seen. I have in different parts of the
world visited zoological gardens, and wondered at the
animals collected therein, but never did I see such fearful
beasts as were these nine. There was a tiger fully twelve
feet long, which had made twenty-five hearty meals off as
many unoffending men, women, and children. There was
a tigress which, as often as she saw Europeans, waxed
furious and frantic, and endeavoured to tear down the
slight cage in which she was pent up. There was an old
tiger whose powers and propensities were such that even
Jeyporeans had thought fit to vote him a double set of
bars, eating half a goat, and growling as though he would
leave it and spring into the street every moment. There
was a lank tiger which, it was said, could spring further
than any of its kind in the world — an acrobatic, athletic,
wiry beast, that once, some months ago, lept up into a
tree, and took therefrom a thoughtless shikaree, who
imagined that at the height of fifteen feet from the ground
he was perfectly safe, and could laugh any savage animal
in the kingdom to scorn. And there were three more,
about each of which terrible tales were told of ravaged
villages, plundered flocks, and desperate struggles before
they were enticed into traps, and thence conveyed to the
Maharajah's cages. Two leopards, who appeared to have
arrived at the border of frenzy, completed the nine who
alone in Jeypore were not invited to bid the Prince wel
come. All the rest were there ; even the convicts, with
their heavy leg irons, were allowed a glance at the Eoyal
guest — a day of happiness in a life of gloom.
But perhaps the most curious section of those who
came to cheer the august visitor were the members of a
tiibe with which you in England are somewhat familiar,

AN EASTERN PARIS. 339
and everybody must have heard of the Nagas, the unruly
children of the hills in Central India, the gentlemen
against whom an expedition was lately sent, and some of
whose villages were very recently burned. Well warned
by that timely chastisement, and' suitably admonished as
to the necessity of good behaviour, these reckless wild
men were invited to do honour to the Prince. Nor was
their duty merely the passive one of suffering the proces
sion to go by without molestation. Their part was the
active one of adding to the glory of, the entry in a more
pronounced manner than even their prototypes of Ceylon,
the Veddahs of the hills of that island.
Before, however, I tell you what they did, let me tell
you what they are like.
It was early in the afternoon when I visited their en
campment for the purpose of making acquaintance with
these singular creatures. My introduction was the fiat of
the Maharajah, my protection the generosity of the people
themselves. For, though they will occasionally murder a
European, as circumstances lately showed, they are gene
rally friendly, and, unless provoked, are fairly civil. I
think that the exhibition of a lead pencil which would
make a palpable mark upon paper was the magnet which
attracted them into a circle — the rest was easy. In a few
minutes they were persuaded to form up into two lines of
about fifty apiece, and there stand while some of the party
were sketched. To be drawn — to appear in a picture —
was to them a new sensation. The only difficulty was to
keep them- from settling the moot point as to who should
be selected by an immediate appeal to the arms they
carried. Such a reference would have been most incon
venient. Each had a curious kind of blunderbuss, which,
however, was by no means the most important part of
their equipment. The formidable sword they carried
- z 2

340 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
was the principal weapon. Picture to yourself a blade
five feet long, the handle of which is a great steel arm-
guard, such as the knights in England wore as gauntlets
in the ' good old days ; ' give to that sword a flexibility
compared with which the Toledo blade is stiff and unbend-
able, and sharpen it till it equals the steel of Damascus,
and you have the Naga's falchion. Hand this to a fierce
gentleman whose whiskers are mixed with his turban,
and meet in a knot at the top of his head, and whose coun
tenance is as objectionable as that of any Thuggee or
Dacoit. in India. In his waistcloth place a dagger of for
midable size, give him a shield of metal or hide, round his
naked legs put bangles' and rings, on his feet a hard
leather shoe — and you have a Naga ready for anything.
Or in place of the dagger arm him with a spear fourteen
feet long and a pistol or two ; he can take his place in the
ranks before us. To complete the party some would have
to wear nothing but a waistcloth, while to others might
be given jackets of tiger-skin, or singular coats, with great
epaulettes and protections for the back of the neck ex
tending higher than the ears ; some, too, should have linen
tied round their faces, as though they had toothache.
vSuch were the gentlemen who came to take part in the
procession. Their work was a simple one. If they understand
anything, it is the use of the sword. It is their constant
practice and amusement, and, in case of disputes, the
approved way of arranging the difficulty. Does one
gentleman think that another has unlawful aspirations for
the possession of his wife ? Then he invites him to take
his weapon and his shield and decide the question of
ownership at once. There is no veto in the way of such
a proposition. The respective parties place themselves in
position, give a preliminary caper for the amusement of

AN EASTERN PARIS. 341
their friends, and then cut and thrust till one or the other,
or perhaps both, are run through. They have none of
the scruples as to shedding blood which beset the ordinary
Hindoo. They are, as a matter of fact, a kind of depraved
Buddhists. ' We do not worship in a temple,' one of them
said to me ; ' but we pray with a book to our God.' The
fact that Buddha disapproved of fighting, however, never
troubles them ; they love their swords and like to use
them. Like to use them, indeed ! At the very mention of
such a thing two stepped into the pathway and began a
friendly combat. One was an elderly warrior, with huge
eyes and a yellow face ; the other a stripling, who had
painted most of his body blue. With an exhilarating
flourish, they struck each other's shields and then began. >
Bound and round they went, now rushing close to each
other and stabbing, and now falling on their knees and
clashing their blades together with all their might.
Sometimes the points of their swords would go within an
inch or two of their faces ; sometimes it seemed as though
their optics would be picked out cleaner than by any vul
ture. But no ! not even a feather in the peacock's-tail
plumes which they wore in their turbans was injured ;
they were both as safe as a mongoose from a cobra's bite.
And when, with great reluctance, they were persuaded to
leave off, two more went at it, and clattered away as
merrily as the others. Thus couple after couple fought,
like the knights in days of yore, challenging each other to
feats of dexterity — sometimes rolling in the dust, some
times chasing each other with every sign of fierceness,
now imitating defeat and now victory.
At length, however, we persuaded them to stop. But
their entertainment was not yet finished, and they were
determined we should see what they could do. So then

342 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
there rushed forward a savage, who carried a stick from
which hung by iron chains several wooden balls covered
with spikes, and, without more ado, he swung them round
so close to my head that I wished myself comfortably at
home in an armchair once more. Flinching would have
been more serious still, so with great effort I stood firmly
while the spiked balls whirled round my helmet and came
past my face. I am told that gentleman can send any one
of the six balls within a quarter of an inch of any given
object. The whole business was most troublesome, as
those who wanted to ' form a group ' for the artist were
legion, and all who were there were erratic and wilful.
At last, when everything appeared to be arranged, some
jealous Naga, whose face was not a fortune, and whose
appearance was certainly not prepossessing, proposed that
they should dine ; whereupon a mutiny arose, which all
our efforts to quell were unavailing. In the end the great
food question led them to rise in a body and troop off to
their tents ; and such were the gentlemen whose special
business it was ' to fight the way of the Prince ' into
Jeypore. It was nearly dark ; the policemen, armed with great
cudgels, had amused themselves for hours with thrashing
the populace first from one position to another, and then
back again ; the thousands in the shop-windows, behind
the lattice-work, and on the roofs, had chewed as much
betel-nut as the vendors with baskets could produce for
the occasion ; and the few Europeans who were in
Jeypore had taken up their position on the top of the
Medical Hall, opposite the palace gates, when a bouquet of
rockets and a din of tom-toms announced that the Maha
rajah was going forth to meet the Prince. A moment
later, and his Highness sallied forth on horseback, pre
ceded by a small body of the Nagas, who ran in front of

AN EASTERN PARIS. 343
him for a little way, fencing and capering in most approved
fashion. They stopped when they came to a huge tower
which stands in front of the city, and about which a
curious story is told of its builder, Jey Singh, who, it is
said, erected it in order to look into somebody's harem.
Thence the Maharajah proceeded alone, in all the glory
of ordinary potentates, with horsemen and footmen, but
no Nagas. Fortunately, we had not long to wait for the grand
spectacle, and that little while was beguiled by a conver
sation with a Fakir who chanced to go by, and whose
acquaintance I made. He was a very holy man, as will
be easily understood when it is explained that his hair,
matted in tails, hung below his waist ; that a quarter of
an inch of mud covered his face and neck ; that he had
painted that mud a striking pink and yellow ; that round
his eyes were bright blue rings ; that he wore about his
otherwise naked ribs a rope which had never been untied
since the first day it was fixed there, fifteen years ago ;
that he had stained his legs a dull grey; and that his
nails had been allowed to grow to the length of an inch
beyond the toes. Indeed, his sanctity was palpably
acknowledged by all the other Fakirs in Jeypore ; and
when he stalked along the streets on the extremity of his
heels — that was his favourite method of locomotion —
shook a club from which were suspended a number of
fittle bells, and yelled out ' Yo ho ! yo ho ! ' they made
way for him as a man of whom the gods were peculiarly
fond. ' Why did you become a Fakir ? ' was the question
put to this amiable gentleman. ' Because I love my God
very much, and because it is the easiest way of getting to
Heaven,' was the reply. ' You are certain to go there, are
you not ? ' ' Yes,' said the Fakir, ' I'm going there very
fast, and so will you if you give me some backsheesh,'

344 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
saying which he held out a cocoanut shell, and, receiving
a small coin, gave the club another shake, shouted out
' Yo ho ! ' and continued his march once more.
Just then, darkness fast coming on, a salute of guns
proclaimed that the Prince had reached the railway
station, and was coming into the town. Of course we all
prepared to receive him, and the police thrashed the crowd
with renewed vigour. At length, through a triumphal
arch on our right were seen the running footmen of the
procession, shuffling along with a lot of irregular cavalry
-in the rear. Very irregular indeed were these horsemen,
very irregular were their almost unmanageable steeds,
too ; but they came on, knocking down a few natives,
perhaps, but still covering the ground as directed. Pro
bably they were the more careless of doing harm for the
reason that, with admirable forethought, the good Maha
rajah had ordered to be swung from one- fourth of the
Venetian masts that decorated the streets a very special
and effective charm against the wiles and snares of the
Devil which had been given him by the excellent priests
of the Sila Deva Temple at Amber. This consisted of
two half-squares crossed, and coming from such a source
could not fail to be useful ; yet it made the irregular
horsemen more irregular than ever.
As to the procession, it seemed to me unique of its
kind. Perchance it was because there was not the slightest
European element in it. All was Jeyporean in every par
ticular — the runners, the cavalry, the tom-tom beaters
who followed in crowds,. and the festive gentlemen who
were trying to play ' God save the Queen ' on wooden
whistles. The little band of Europeans on the housetop
were lost in comparison with the thousands of visitors
below. It was a grand pageant of the East. What else
coidd be said of the men in red turbans and long red and

AN EASTERN PARIS. 345
yellow gowns, who, bearing banners, rode by. the side of
two elephants that carried huge flags ? Where else, save
in India, could be found such javelin men as those who
came along with great silver javelins held high in the air ?
And, then the chieftains, who came next, Eajahs, Sirdars,
Nawabs, all mounted on magnificent horses, and sur
rounded by crowds of retainers. How they scurried
along, maintaining no sort of order, but simply heralding
the coming of the Prince, as they mingled with each
other, and urged their steeds forward ! Not inferior
either in appearance was the calvacade of led horses which
followed — animals magnificently caparisoned, whose
saddles were cloth of gold and round whose necks hung,
hundreds of gold and silver coins. Next there were
horsemen in double lines, armed with spears and attired
in Eajpoot costumes, while in the distance could be seen,
slowly coming under the archway, torchbearers with a
great blaze of fights.
We might regret that the day was fast closing in, we
might wish for the sun and the warmth of the morning,
but for an Eastern spectacle could anything be more
fitting than the gloom of evening and the torchlight?
The torches were advancing in two lines on the pathways,
in the road were the elephants on which the Prince and
Maharajah rode, and in front of these huge beasts were
our friends the Nagas, fighting their way in the most
approved fashion. It is difficult to describe the effect
produced by these capering wild men in that fitful blaze,
as they jumped and thrust and ran and fenced under the
trunks of the two elephants that were coming up the
street. No knightly appearance had they just then ; they
danced like demons, and struck at each other with their
brands. You could hear the clash of their weapons as
they rung on the shields. You could see them falling on

346 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
the ground as though mortally wounded, rolling over and
over, and then springing up again, sometimes maintaining
a mimic battle in fine, and sometimes a running fight,
shouting, crying, yelling, as though the combat were real
and their energy not assumed. Just behind were the
Prince and the Maharajah, behind them again the Eoyal
and Eaj suites, on a long line of elephants numbering
nearly a hundred, and in rear of all an escort of cavalry.
The people did not cheer, yet they smiled a pleasant
assent to the doings of the day. They could not be called
enthusiastic, but they were as satisfied with the pageant
as it was fair to suppose they could be with anything.

347

CHAPTEE
TIGER SHOOTING AND A DURBAR.
Jeypore is noted for tigers. I have told you something
of its captive ferse ; let me describe how the Prince shot
his first tiger in- the Jeypore jungle.
First of all it is necessary to dismiss from your minds
any apprehension of dangerous propinquity to the lord of
the Indian jungle. To stalk a beast of this description on
foot in a dense wood, when it may spring upon the sports
man at any moment, or to follow it along a nullah, or
dry river-bed, alone, when evening is fast approaching
and the tiger can see him while he cannot see it, is a feat
of some danger. Equally dangerous is it to track the
brute to its lair, it may be in some deep, dark cavernous
hollow, as did that model of bravery, Sir Eichard Outram ;
but such was not the peril to which the Maharajah of
Jeypore exposed the Queen's son. Indeed, so fearful was
his Highness lest any evil should befall his Eoyal guest
that no precaution of safety was neglected, and no chance
of danger left.
The jungle outside Jeypore, especially in that direc
tion which was selected by the Prince, is not very dense.
There is a ridge of high hills in horseshoe form protecting
Jeypore from the great Western Indian Desert, the sands
of which press even into the town. Climbing these you

348 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA,
look down upon a wide, expansive treeless plain — a great
yellow, drifting level similar to that which one witnesses
on the Egyptian frontier. Ever and anon the wind whirls
a sand-storm into the air, and sends it up the hills, through
the gorges, and so by the passes inside the walls of Jey
pore. A merry game is that which the wind has with the
drifting dust of the desert. On these wide-extending
desolate expanses neither tiger nor leopard can live ; their
only shelter is the range of hills — the home of game of
all kinds, driven thither by the sand. That there are great
numbers of these terrible fugitives a glance at the ground
over which we are climbing will readily show. Here is
the footprint of a tiger, there the mark of a chetah ; we
can see where the cushions of those heavy feet pressed ;
it needs no imagination to know that the animal had claws.
You may have heard of the Gulta, of the far-famed Temple
of the Sun, and of the glorious view to be gained of the
desert, and of the far-distant hills of Ajmere. If so,
climb over the boulders and stones till an altitude of some
seven hundred feet is reached ; and then ! Then you look
down into a precipice of wonderful grandeur — a straight
descent to the lowest level, and thence right across the
desert, seeing nothing but sand in front, and nothing but
high hills to the right and left. Behind is Jeypore, spread
out like a map ; round it are the jungles in which the
tigers hide.
But it is on the range where you stand that their
favourite home is found, and looking away to your right
you can easily descry a green house of two storeys — a
house with a flat roof and a parapet — on the side of one
of the hills. Passing along the ridge a large number of
natives become apparent who have been sent out to beat
the woods, and to drive the game down to yonder shoot
ing-box. Moreover, the Prince and Maharajah, several

TIGER SHOOTING AND A DURBAR. 349
of the Prince's suite, and some of the most, famous native
shots are all on that roof comfortably hidden behind the
loopholed wall. A Jeypore shikaree avers that the tiger
which the Prince is to shoot will be driven within twenty
feet of that house, and that the dangers of the sport are
only for those who may chance to be within , range of
somebody's rifle or in the way of an unexpected leopard.
However, the spectators wait, although the day is sultry
and the sand is hot. You are not invited to the top of
the house ; indeed, no one knows of your whereabouts ;
and it is too late now to discover yourself, for at any mo
ment the tiger may be driven down, and the rifles of the
party behind the parapet open fire.
Driven down, indeed ! All over the hills is a noise
which might well frighten the boldest beast in the jungle
were he here. There is sure to be something, too ; since
for many days past — three months, I am told — strong
wooden cages, with live goats inside them, have been
placed on the hills to attract the tigers. How the great
growling brutes have rubbed their noses against those hard
teak cases ; how they have waited till day-light came, and
then, sullenly picking up the stray pieces of flesh which
were scattered about the ground, have sought a friendly
bush in which to hide themselves from the fierceness of
the sun, might be easily told. They are not far off, de
pend upon it ; the increase of shouting on the left bodes
the coming of the prey. Suddenly a great rush, followed
by a leap — the bound of a frightened animal — is heard,
and then a huge tigress is seen close to the house. Close
to the house ? Not more than twenty feet from it, clearly
in sight, ready for the Eoyal gun. Bang ! bang ! It may
be that the first shot has not hit it, but the second has, for
see ! the tigress is making for a hillock, and is passing out
of sight.' She must not escape, however, or the Prince

350 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
will not kill to-day. Some effort must be made to reach
her in her hiding-place, the haven to which in her terror
she has fled. So a trusty elephant is brought — an ele
phant which would dispose of the largest tiger in India in
a minute with the greatest possible ease — an elephant
which has been in the jungle on such expeditions a score
of times before, and that knows as much about tiger-hunt
ing as Major Bradford, the great tiger shikaree, himself.
Up in the howdah, quite out of danger, accompanied by
one or two of the finest Jeypore shots, goes the Prince to
despatch the wounded tigress. Very cautiously, and making
a wide detour, the Prince goes round, till at length he
comes opposite his victim, when, with rifle raised, he pours
two shots into the struggling brute, and lays her dead. A
minute after, and the suite are on the spot to congratulate
his Eoyal Highness. Nor is the little Maharajah behind
hand in his praises. The Prince receives their felicita
tions graciously, a grand triumphal procession is formed,
and back into Jeypore goes the Shahazada with his first
victim. That the tigress on being skinned is found to be
the prospective mother of three cubs, is considered matter
for further rejoicing.
A real Indian Durbar has but seldom been seen during
our progress through India. For reasons best known to
the advisers of the Prince, the gentlemen who had the
distribution of the fire-engines, medals, organs, albums,
swords, photographs, rings, and snuff-boxes, which com
prised the miscellaneous collection on board the ' Serapis,'
thought fit that these delights of the eye should be trans
ferred from the Eoyal hands to the possession of the re
cipients in private. We heard occasionally of a Maharajah
receiving a gold pin and a walking-stick in his own house ;
once or twice we witnessed the affixing of a medal in the
sight of the crowd, but not often. The stately display of

TIGER SHOOTING AND A DURBAR. 351
Eastern and Western magnificence was often achieved,
and it was therefore with feelings of pleasure that we
looked forward to the promised Durbar at Jeypore.
How it was held may now be narrated. (
In the new palace of the Maharajah is a stately apart
ment, which, according to Indian fashion, is called the
Dewan-i-am. Here, at stated intervals, the councils of
the Eaj are held ; here the Eajah dispenses some justice
and occasionally a little mercy ; here there is a great dais
erected on which a throne usually stands, and round it
meet in solemn conclave the dignitaries of Jeypore. In the
evening, long before the tiger-shooting party had returned,
there had gathered in this great hall the rajahs, chiefs,
sirdars, and head men of the nation, each dressed in his
most splendid uniform, wearing the Eajpoot turban of
state, and adorned with all the jewellery which he pos
sessed. On the dais were two thrones, ; and on either
side were six long rows of nobles seated, perhaps in all
twelve hundred notable grandees, the Prime Minister of
the Maharajah having the first place on the left-hand side
of the Heir Apparent. On the right-hand was a row of
chairs in which the Prince's suite were to sit. The place
was brilliantly lighted ; in a gallery in rear of the dais
were such European ladies and gentlemen as desired to
witness the ceremony; and in a courtyard into which
one end of the room opened was a band of musicians.
It would have been amply worth the while of a
stranger to traverse that vast hall and note the costumes
of those who were assembled there, what curious swords
they carried, what strange shields, what grand arrays of
jewels they boasted, and what handsome robes they wore.
There were men with . such a profusion of gold, in tur
ban and cloak, that it might well have been doubted
whether more of the precious metal coidd, by any possi-

352 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA. ¦
bifity, have been, added to the needlework. There were
some with grand pearl beadwork -of immense value and
singular beauty. Hours might have been spent in a sur
vey of the curious shawls from Cashmere and the far
North, the Centre, and the East of India — such cunning
needlework as the rich men of the land are most renowned
for. But hours could not thus be spent, for the Prince
was coming up the steps into the Dewan-i-am, led by the
Maharajah — a little, bent man, wearing spectacles, a gold-
embroidered cap and gown. Of course, the great assembly
received the Prince upstanding, remained so while he took
his seat on the dais at the right hand of the Maharajah,
and while his suite flocked in, in no very regular order,
and occupied the places assigned them. All sat down
when the signal was given and the Durbar was opened.
Then Major Henderson came forward, and accompanied
by Mr. Lyall, the Governor- General's agent for Eajpoo-
tana, together with the Eesident here, led up, one by one,
and introduced to the Prince the principal nobles of the
State of Jeypore.
A pretty spectacle was that which we now witnessed.
Chieftains in all their magnificence coming forward one
after another to the foot of the dais, handing a card, on
which their names were inscribed, to the Eesident, and
then when announced ascending the steps, presenting an
offering of a gold piece of money to the Prince, with a
low bow, waiting while he touched it, Eastern fashion,
and then, with many indications of humility and loyalty,
with much patting of the forehead and many bows, re
tiring backwards and making way for other chiefs. I did
not notice that any distinction was made. In coming up
the steps they were received by the Prince sitting, and
each retired backwards. But when the presentation was
over two were called up and presented with a medal by

TIGER SHOOTING AND A DURBAR. 353
his Eoyal Highness, a word being said to each indicative
of the approval of the Queen of England. I fancied they
looked a little puzzled at the ceremony, and wondered
whether it conveyed a title such as Mr. John Jones or
Mr. William Smith receives when a sword is placed on his
shoulders and he is told to rise ; but it was a cheap mode
of decoration, and was, at any rate, a distinction.
I know that there are those who will contend that
this was not a Durbar in the right sense of the word at
all. There was one old gentleman whose liver had suf
fered the variations of an Indian climate for seven-and-
twenty years, who was dreadfully irate because the Prince
did not take his gold pieces and give something in ex
change. But when I suggested that the money — gold
mohurs — would have been almost useless to his Eoyal '
Highness, even if an attendant had, by the close of the
presentation, filled a small bag with them, and that the only
equivalent present which the Prince could have made in
return would have taken the form of a number of tele
scopes or concertinas, that old' gentleman's wrath took
another form, and he declared against the visit and all its
belongings. While he was thus inveighing, however,
another ceremony was going on, and Lord Alfred Paget
was called up, presented to the Maharajah, and wreathed
with a garland of flowers ; similarly, too, Sir Bartle Frere's
neck was adorned, and then a noble went round, accom
panied by an attendant, who carried a huge basket of
blossoms, and threw a wreath over the necks of the suite
and the hussar officers who accompanied them. Then
there was some conversation, the band played Brinley
Eichards' Welsh" air, and the Prince, shaking hands with
the Maharajah, left the hall for the dining-room.
The scene of the banquet was not artistically beautiful.
I have before remarked on the disadvantages and defects
A A

854 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
of Indian decorative painting. There is a freedom about
it, an absence of regard for economy, a lavish waste of
colour, which, however satisfactoiy to the Eastern mind,
does not fill the traveller with delight. The ceiling of the
' European room,' close by, was undoubtedly a great suc
cess ; but then it had been designed by an Englishman,
and if nine-tenths of the chandeliers and lamps in the
apartment could have been thrown out of the windows —
if a selection could have been made from the musical
instruments in the room, comprising a musical snuff-box,
an organ, a piano, a harmonium, a whistling mechanical,
bird, an accordion, and a drum, it would have been still
further improved ; but to make the banquetting hall look
better one would require to take down the ceiling and put
up another with only one-hundredth part of the paint
upon it. Still, if the room was not tasteful, the table was
prettily laid in Eussian fashion, and the banquet which
followed was not unworthy of it. Much more pleasant
still was the arrival of the Maharajah just as the ladies
were leaving, and his taking a seat at the right hand of
the Prince. Unlike the ruler of Gwalior, he of Jeypore,
however, is no speaker ; and thus it was that he proposed
the healths of the Queen and the Prince successively in
one word, drinking a full bumper of champagne to each,
and then beaming through his gold spectacles on the
assembled company. How the Prince replied is' not
matter of singular importance. The most notable thing
his Eoyal Highness said was that he thanked his host for
giving him the opportunity of shooting his first tiger — a
remark which was, of course, heartily applauded by every
courtier present.
And then, with cigars and hookahs, a quiet half-hour
was spent — comparatively so would, perhaps, be the better
expression, for, to beguile the time, the Maharajah had

TIGER SHOOTING AND A DURBAR. 355
ordered in a juggler who had certain eccentricities of no
mean order. This worthy could put a decanter of water
on his head, and, by the simple movement of his eyebrow's,
work it round the nape of his neck, over his ears, past his
nose, and so up to the apex of the skull once more ; and
it was a highly entertaining diversion to watch the de
canter slowly moving round the edge of that vagrant
juggler. Then a gentleman was introduced who, similarly
to one at Calcutta, essayed to play two little trumpets
with his neck. A kind of ' There is no deception, gentle
men' expression pervaded this worthy man's face, and
the Maharajah proceeded to explain that this performance
was called ^Nasataranga, and that it was achieved by the
swelling of the veins in the player's neck, and thus by
the forcible propulsion of air through the tubes of the
trumpets. But the player had not counted upon the
guests ; at any rate, he had not quite expected to meet
Dr. Fayrer, for when that gentleman took down a candle
. from a girandole, and attempted to hold it before the end
of one of the trumpets, to see if any air was really blown
through, the player, who saw his ' occupation gone,' re
sisted, and could only be compelled by a direct order to
submit. Whereupon he did so with a very ill-grace ; no
air came through, and in the end he was pronounced a
ventriloquist and an impostor, and told to begone.
All this being happily settled, an adjournment took
place to a courtyard, where a tedious nautch dance took
place, amongst the performers being an ancient dame of
some fifty summers, whose only qualification appeared
to be that her eyes stared more violently, her feet moved
more irregularly, and her twirling and jumping were more
erratic than anybody else's. However, a native told me
that she was the greatest danseuse in Jeypore, so I for
bore to make further comment. If her dancing was
A A 2

356 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
ridiculous, the music was as bad, and so was a perform
ance on musical basins which followed, so that on the
whole nobody was particularly sorry when his Eoyal
Highness called for his carriage, and gave the signal for
departure. The Sunday following was spent in a visit to the ruins
of Ambair, the Eoyal party picnicing among the ruins of
Jey Singh's ancient city, and visiting the Temple of Silla
Deva, where once men were slaughtered, but now only
goats ; and a very eminent Brahmin sang a sacred song
in his loudest and most discordant manner. Next day the
Prince departed for Agra once more, this time with a view
of proceeding to the Terai, with a portion of his suite, on
a three weeks' shooting excursion.

357

CHAPTEE XXXIII.

SCINDIA'S WELCOME.

It was early in 1872 when, one evening, remembered still
by all who, coming from the mother country, reside in
Gwalior, a distinguished company assembled to dine in
the Palace of the Maharajah Scindia. The banquet over,
decanters of wine were circulated, glasses filled, and
silence procured ; whereupon the ruler of the State en
tered, a huge silver bowl in his right hand, and essayed
to make a speech. Its language was Hindostanee, but
its subject-matter British. In terms of loyal affection
Scindia spoke of the Sovereign to whom he owed alle
giance, whose troops had rescued him from, the blood
thirsty Tantia Topee, whose representative had restored
him to his throne. And then, without pause, he told his
hearers how that good Queen's eldest son, once stricken
by fever, had at length recovered, and, amid loud shouts-..
proposed the health and long life of the Prince of Wales.
How Sirdir and Chieftain vied with Eesident and English
official in obeying that call need not now be told. Next
morning came the news that Lord Mayo was killed, and
all that day minute guns told of Scindia's loyal grief.
From that time to this the ruler of Gwalior has been one
of the most trusted of the feudatories of the Queen ; and
that he should receive special recognition at the hands of

358 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
the Prince was, therefore, to be expected. At length the
long-talked-of Eoyal visit to his dominion took place.
Looking from my coign of vantage on the back of an
elephant, I saw on both sides of the street that, although .-
it yet wanted some hours to the Prince's arrival, the
inhabitants were perched in their windows, and gazing
complacently into the road. The natives were chatting
together, patting their scarfs, adjusting their white turbans,
or squatting on their haunches, full of joy at finding them
selves so respectably attired, and so unmistakably the ob
served of all observers. They were in the very van of the
procession, too ; to the keeping of each had been entrusted
a bright silver javelin, and the ladies of Gwalior were
looking at them through the blinds of the upper windows,
or, more adventurously still, were popping their heads
out every now and then, and peering between their fingers
at the gallants in the road. What mattered it to them
that for seven hours they had to wait in the broiling sun ?
Was not the approval of these recondite damsels a full
reward ? If they did not think so, those who followed
them, and wore red turbans and long yellow coats, did ;
for if ever contentment was portrayed, it was on the faces
of these last-named owners of ancient matchlocks. They
also sat down in the centre of the road, hardly deigning
to move when the broad feet of the elephants threatened
to annihilate them, willing to do and suffer anything
rather than lay down their muskets. and flee. A little
further on were some scores of camels, all standing two
by two in expectation of orders ; behind these again were
fifty of the Maharajah's horses, all gaily caparisoned and
led by servants in uniform. Then there were men carry
ing red flags, and others with white silk banners ; there
were more javelin-men, and more who bore matchlocks;
then a number of elephants, and after that chieftains and

SCINDIA'S WELCOME. 859
attendants galore. This end of the procession was hard
by the old palace of Scindia ; its head was scarcely half
a mile from the new one just built.
It is not easy to tell you how excited the good people
of Gwalior were at all these preparations. They were
simply beside themselves with joy at the prospect of see
ing the promised show. Apparently they had invited all
their friends, too, not charging for good seats as the more
practical people of Birmingham or Sheffield would have
done, but turning their stores upside down, desiring their
¦ friends and acquaintances to come and rejoice in the very
best windows they had got. Merry they were beyond a
doubt, after the fashion of their kind, sitting closely to
gether, clasping , their hands and beaming with silent
delight all the day long.
At the new palace itself a different scene was occurring.
There the Europeans of the district were taking their
places in corridors situate over the grand gateway in ex
pectation of the pageant. Hundreds of native workmen
were putting a finishing touch to the interior decorations,
hundreds ' were outside hanging up lamps for illumina
tions. The building, which was as yet barely finished,
looked like nothing so much as Buckingham Palace re
painted. From the railings outside to the flagstaff on the
roof there was scarcely any difference, only that, in place
of the stone quadrangle inside, there was a handsome
garden, prettily laid out in European fashion, boasting a
splendid fountain and some beautiful marble work. But
Buckingham Palace has no such apartment as Scindia's
great drawing-room. Upon this the ingenuity of a dis
tinguished gentleman named Fellowes had been wholly
exhausted ; its Persian carpet, upon which two thousand
people might comfortably stand, was of the richest hue and
the most costly work ; over the back of the gilded chairs

360 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
hung the rarest cloth of gold ; its furniture was of the
newest and the best. On the walls were handsome mirrors ;
all its pillars glistened with gold ; the dome-like ceiling,
nearly a hundred feet from the floor, was chased with
delicate tints and gilt, and if there was a chandelier too
many the light was all the brighter. I have not seen a
drawing-room so beautiful in India, and cannot call to
mind its equal anywhere. Branching away from this
were corridors leading to the rooms wherein were gold
toilet services, baths of silver, all kinds of contrivances
for making life delightful, even to bottles of scent whereof
the labels proclaimed that they were ' The Brince of
Wales's own Bouquet.'
How what but a week or two since was an unfinished
mass of stone had been converted into this palatial retreat,
one could not imagine, unless upon the supposition that
the 7,000 workmen who had^been employed had worked
with quintupled energy, or that Scindia had for a moment
or two got hold of the veritable wishing cap. Anyway,
there the palace was, with a grand garden in front as well
as one in the centre, all the rooms furnished, guards of
honour mounted, the mechanical singing birds whistling
melodiously on the drawing-room tables, servants all in
their places, and nothing wanting except the Prince, then
on his way to Gwalior, on the high road. For as to
Jummoo, so to Scindia's capital, no railway runs; but
some seventy and odd miles have to be traversed by car
riages which do not always avoid ruts and holes. The
Prince, however, did not suffer from the rugged track ; he
had a comfortable carriage on light springs, which heeded
none of these things : nor, indeed, were we, who had to
sit in the humbler dakgharry so uncomfortable as when
on the rougher road to Jummoo ; yet seventy-two miles,
in the morning by horse conveyances, is not the happiest

SCINDIA' S WELCOME. 361
prelude to an elephant ride of seven miles, and it was
well that Scindia's palace boasted armchairs and lounges
in plenty for the weary ones who were hourly expected
—the more so as a State dinner was 'fixed for the evening,
at which the Prince must be present. Gradually the day
declined, the ladies and gentlemen in the corridors took
tea, the lamps which were placed on every fine of the
palace were lit, darkness came on, and still the procession
waited. At length a sound of cannon was heard, and
presently the shouting of crowds announced that the
Prince was really at hand ; by the light of innumerable
torches we could discern the moving mass of colour as it
pressed towards the palace gates and waited the approach
of the Shahazada.
Nor was there now long to wait. The wind blowing
on the verandah brought with it the sound of tom-tom
and reed, of trumpets and of cheers. A long line of
lights, too, was seen approaching. The Queen's son was
very near. On came the procession ; the javelin-men,
preceded by players upon the instruments which the
Hindoo loves, holding their spears aloft in' the air, and
moving with no unconsidered shuffle, but a stately tramp;
and on came also their companions with their matchlocks,
the camels and the horses moreover, the steeds prancing
just as the stately animals do when in an. Eastern wedding
procession they precede the bridegroom. Nor were the
men with the banners less conscious 'of the dignity of their
position. No matter to them that the evening was ad
vancing ; it was the first time in their lives that they had
had so much honour/ The white sahebs up in the cor
ridor might be impatient, but they were not. The palace
courtyard would end their dignity, and they were in no
hurry to reach it. But the Eoyal elephants must come
on, and at last they were in sight, each bearing its own

362 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
lanterns, and moving with majestic step. On the first of
them — in a bright silver howdah, upon which the lights
of the torches flashed — sat the Prince, on the right hand
of the Maharajah, with General Sir Eichard Daly behind,
as interpreter-in-chief. And following these were the
suite of the Prince and that of the Euler of Gwalior, all
forming a grand array of distinguished personages. The
10th Hussars, moreover, were on either side of them; in
rear were more bands, far-extending masses of cavalry,
and behind all, the surging, astonished crowd, hand in
hand, pressing on, and wondering why the great Maha
rajah should thus receive the Prince Saheb. Then sounded
out the National Anthem played by an English band ; then
English ladies waved their handkerchiefs and English
gentlemen their hats ; then the Prince graciously returned
the welcome accorded him by a band of countrywomen
and countrymen, and so passed into the palace garden,
dismounted from his elephant, was led by Scindia to the
Eoyal apartments, and then left to preside at the feast
which followed.
That India is held by the merest handful of white
people is sufficiently clear to all who have travelled over '
its length and breadth, and, indeed to those who have not.
But never was the singular nature of our position so
clearly demonstrated as when we saw Scindia's army
drawn up in review order under the shadow of the fort
and close by his palace. We had been' told that as a
soldier the Maharajah has few superiors ; Sir William
Mansfield had years ago wished that all our brigadiers
were the equal of the enterprising Mahratta ; but it
remained for us to see the pitch of perfection to which a
native Prince could bring his troops. At Cashmere we
had seen thousands of soldiers, .but they were little better
than barbarians ; in the South, the troops of the Nizam

SCINDIA'S WELCOME. 363
had failed to impress those of us who entered Hyderabad
territory with anything approaching awe ; we had yet to
see the Gwalior army, and judge of it. A great surprise
awaited us.
It was scarcely seven o'clock when, on mounting our
elephants and proceeding to the parade ground, we found
the army of Scindia drawn up in review order. Five
strong battalions, numbering quite a thousand a piece,
were in the front line ; in rear were three regiments of
cavalry and four batteries of artiilqry — as admirable a
brigade as could be desired in point of numbers. Ten
minutes later Scindia himself, accompanied by a trumpeter,
arrived on the ground, and was received by his suite,
already in front of the troops. He had scarcely taken his
place before guns announced that the Prince was near,
whereupon Scindia went to meet his distinguished visitor,
and very quickly conducted him into the field. I am
afraid to say how many spectators . there were. The
thousands who had turned out at this early hour moved
constantly from one part of the ground to the other, their
gay turbans and bright dresses mingling till they looked
like the colours which a well-filled kaleidoscope shows.
The English were mostly on elephants, of which there
were great numbers, and the tinkling of the bells which
hung from the howdahs added to the brightness and
pleasantness of the scene.
I need not tell you that the Prince went round the
troops, and closely inspected them. Scindia follows
European usages too closely to permit of such a custom
being broken. It is of the march past I would speak.
We had already heard of the excellence of the Maha-*
rajah's artillery, and were consequently glad to see it
preparing to come by. But what will be thought at home
when it is known that to the sound of 'The British

364 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
Grenadiers,' played by a band just opposite the flagstaff,
a battery of horse artillery, came by, equal in drill, preci
sion, and appearance to some of our best troops in the
A brigade? Work on the 'pivot system,' indeed? Here
was a battery which could go over the ground in a
manner which would put the best artillery in France or
Germany to shame. Those who in 1874 saw the gunners
that Von Moltke could show went home disappointed.
There was no one disappointed here. Old soldiers who
had seen a score of fights, and whose home was the parade
ground, ejaculated, ' Beautiful ! ' and Scindia looked proud
as he left their head and took his place by the Prince's
side. And yet another battery was close at hand, almost
if not quite as good, the six guns going by as one, every
horseman in his place, every sword in a fine. Nor were
the two bullock batteries which followed with heavier
guns at all to be despised. The men marched past as
well as the best troops in the world, and I saw nothing at
Delhi to beat the drivers. Scindia may not have known
why he sent his artillery past first ; he may have only
imitated the English, because he considered them the best
models to, copy ; but he certainly opened the review in a
way which surprised everybody present. Shall I add
that his artillerymen wore a uniform exactly like the un
dress of the Eoyal regiment in England, and that at a
very short distance it would have been impossible to dis
tinguish them from European gunners ? Then came the
cavalry, three regiments, each containing four squadrons,
the first two being hussars, with the pivot men carrying
lances, and the last lancers entirely. On they swept with
marvellous precision, their officers wearing the white
English helmet and the golden red-striped sash, as do the
gentlemen who carry her Majesty's commission. I could
see nothing in point of uniform or movement to distin-

SCINDIA'S WELCOME. 365
guish these men from the best Punjabee cavalry we had
been shown a few days before by Lord Napier. The
most captious critic could see nothing to exercise his skill
upon ; the regiments were perfect. I for one could cer
tainly find no fault with their movement to the tune of
' Annie Lisle.' The Queen's Guards may claim the tune,
but even they would scarcely grudge their regimental air
to such soldierly men.
But if we admired Scindia's cavalry and artillery, our
praise was by no means decreased when the infantry came
by. We could perceive them forming up on our left, we
could see the Pioneers preceding them, we could hear the
' British Grenadiers.' We were fain to cheer loudly as,
with bayonets in exact line, they came on with a steadi
ness that our best troops could not surpass. I have seen
Chasseur battalions go past in far less soldierly fashion ;
I have even witnessed parades at Aldershot reviews that
I should not have liked a severe critic to attend ; but these
native regiments could afford to defy inspection. The
finest battalion, moreover, wore the English dress, helmet
and all. I noticed that they were well shod, and that
their uniforms had been carefully looked to. Even their
comrades who had only the English forage cap elicited
loud exclamations of praise ; they could but be admired.
And when they had all gone past there was but one
opinion about them all — unqualified admiration. Of the
gallop past I need say no more than that it was excellent.
The main interest now centred in a sham fight, and
the troops were instantly divided into two equal portions,
the commander-in-chief holding -a ridge in front of
Gwalior, while Scindia prepared to attack it. I am not
prepared to say that the result was not knqwn before
hand. He would be a bold subject who would presume
to defeat his master in presence of a Eoyal visitor, and a

366 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
disloyal one into the bargain. But if it was arranged
that Scindia should be the conqueror in his own dominion,
there was, at any rate, the opportunity afforded of seeing
how the troops could work in the field. There are those
of us who have been present at some funny spectacles at
Aldershot, who have seen batteries disposed of, and posi
tions taken in a way which would have made us rub our
eyes and wonder what it all meant, if we had not known
that the whole thing was intended simply for a pretty
show to amuse some potential visitor. Do none of us re
member the famous battle in the Long Valley, when the
Czar of All the Eussias was amused by impossible cavalry
.charges, and wonderful artillery defeats ? Let us not be
too harsh upon Scindia, who wanted to please the Prince
and exhibit, his soldiers. At any rate, he hid his men
well behind some excellent cover, and if the bullocks
which drew the heavy cannon into position were exposed
to rifle-fire within a few hundred yards, what of that ?
Do not our friends the Germans do likewise with their
horses ? I am told that all the men we saw were armed
with old percussion-cap muskets. If so the skirmishers
which appeared on the right of Scindia's enemy fired very
quickly, and had better not be trusted with the Snider.
Worse practice has been often made with breechloading
weapons. And as for the artillery, it may have been
placed in peril now and then unnecessarily, as it moved
forward to support the attack. General Lysons could tell
you of a certain opponent of his who once upon Fox Hill
exposed his guns in similar fashion ; and Colonel Basden,
at Delhi, the other day, not only endangered but actually
lost his battery. Altogether there was not a great deal to
find fault with. A cavalry charge at the far left of the
enemy was magnifique, even if it were not la guerre, and
the infantry came over the ground in admirable style,

SCINDIA'S WELCOME. 367
although in ordinary fighting it would probably have
appeared there for the very last time.
We all knew Scindia would win, and so we pressed
our elephants forward, keeping well in a line with the
•guns, which rattled merrily and quite woke up such
sleepy people as still remained in bed within a radius of
three miles. Indeed, it was hard to persuade oneself that
Tantia Topee was not in yonder wood, making ready to
run away, as he did in the days now happily gone. For
tunately that person is hanged, his followers, who learnt
to run after their leader, have moved at such a speed that
they will never be found again, and Scindia is in no dread
that the result of any action he may fight will deprive
him of his throne or his palace. With which cheering
knowledge the efforts of the enemy to stop an advance at
any point were regarded with such complacency as could
be accorded by hungry men and women, who felt that
the more the action was prolonged the longer a much-
wanted breakfast was delayed, and eagerly desired the
commander-in-chief to throw up the sponge, hoist the
white flag, or surrender, in the politest Hindostanee, to
the Maharajah. Some such thought appears to have
occurred to the commander-in-chief himself, for suddenly
he sent word to his batteries to waste powder no more, to
his battalions to pile their arms, to his buglers to sound
cease firing, and to the occupiers of the ridge to go home.
Wherenpon all who occupied the howdahs blessed his
loyal discretion, and forthwith made for home to recount
the events of the morning and prepare for the levee,
which presently took place in the drawing-room I have
described. Meanwhile the Prince galloped up, to Scindia,
.complimented him on the appearance of his men, made a
neat little speech to the soldiers also, and so departed to
the palace himself.

368 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.

CHAPTEE XXXIV.
SCENES IN GWALIOR..
A day or two later on it was my lot to come upon a happy
valley — not that which Easselas and Dinarbas so rashly
left, but the happy valley of Gwalior Fort — not much
larger than the crater of Vesuvius, situated in the very
heart of the famous rock which stands in the centre of
Gwafior's dominions. On all sides but one it was
bounded by thickly foliaged trees ; but on that referred
to there was hard stone, carved by the Jain worshippers
of old into grotesque idol figures ; and in the middle of
it was a deep well. From the eminence of the fort it
looked fike a huge trap into which you might be decoyed
for the sake, of the umbrageous shade with which it
abounded, only to lose your life in the almost hidden
water below.
It was early in the morning, some hours before the
Prince paid his visit to the fort, that I started from the
Eesidency, where I was the guest of Colonel Hutchinson.
A lofty rock, starting suddenly out of a plain, surmounted
by battlements, some four hundred feet high, a mile long,
and in some places half as broad — such was the place to
which we were directed. Had we gone straight to the
foot of the pathway which leads from the native town to
the top of the hill, and at which spot two elephants were
waiting to convey us to the summit, our task would have

SCENES IN GWALIOR. 369
been comparatively light. But my companion was an
Indian archaeologist of note, a member of the Council of
Orientalists, and he had heard that on the outer scarp of
the rock, on the eastern side, were some Jain figures, com-
- pared with which all that had been seen by other tra
vellers faded into insignificance ; and at his suggestion I
agreed to scale the side and inspect the sculptures.
Your readers have heard of the Elephanta Caves of
' Bombay, which were visited by the Prince. They know
something, too, doubtless of those of Ellora. But of the
Gwalior caverns, and their carvings, few know anything,
and none very much. It may be that the work of explo
ration has not been to the taste of travellers. To reach
them you must ford a somewhat rapid though fortunately
narrow river, and then climb up the precipitous face of
the rock till you are within a hundred feet of the top.
Such a labour on a broiling day is not seductive, and few
have taken the trouble to attempt it. In crossing the
river we were fortunate. A pony was offered us, and one
or other would probably have mounted and essayed to ,
ride, when, without warning, the intractable beast rushed
into the stream, and, lying down in the water, refused to
move. This settled the question, and we went over on
foot forthwith. How we clambered up, slipping here
and tumbling there, how we penetrated bushes, and
clutched at stumps of trees, need not be dilated upon.
At length we stood on a ledge which faced the caves and
images, and were free to inspect them.
From the point where we stood we could count a
score or so of sculptured figures, each nearly forty feet
high. Some were sitting down, and some were standing
up ; they were most of them chipped and broken ; but
the Elephanta Caves had nothing like or equal to them,
and their counterpart is nowhere to be found. I am
BB

370 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
almost afraid to say whom they represented. A guide
book, written by the learned but destructive Baber, said
Parisnaut, but my archaeological friend triumphantly
proved, by a close argument of which I did not under
stand a single proposition, that they were somebody else,
and I am content to leave him master of the field. I be
lieve that the identity of these same images for a long
time exercised the minds and jeopardised the friendship
of at least half-a-dozen of the most erudite archaeologists
in England, and I therefore leave it in uncertainty. All
I can say is that, if Parisnaut was half as ugly, his
countenance would have told sadly against him in the Old
Bailey dock.
But the gods themselves were not the only things
worthy of note. The carving which surrounded them
was as marvellous as the forty-feet giants themselves.
Bound their heads were shields, over which serpents
gazed with perceptible awe. Under their feet were
animals of all kinds, while indescribable creatures were re
presented as wandering about in a purposeless but very
palpable manner ; and at intervals of every twenty feet or
so were hollows, into which we penetrated, and found
steps leading up into the rock, conducting us face to face
with more divine representations ; while here and there
we came to a recess in the wall, wherein was found a god
or goddess prone, with feet high in the air, for the devout
to worship, Yet funniest of all was the admixture of
Mohammedan shrines with the Hindoo deities. Four steps
only from a goddess who boasted the thickest pair of
lips I ever saw, and was squatted upon a very bad imita
tion of a cobra, was the tomb of a very devout follower
qf the Prophet, with the conventional ostrich- egg hanging
over it, and a very bright gold cloth immediately upon it.
And under the very shade of the most able-bodied god in

SCENES IN GWALIOR. 371
the collection sat a Mohammedan fakir, who was just then
engaged in superintending the construction of a model of
a tabout, in anticipation of the great Mohuram festival
now close at hand, not ten feet away from a Brahmin
devotee. There was the greatest possible contrast between the
two. Had the Mohammedan harmonised with the place
he was in, he should have been covered with mud, and
should have whined loudly for backsheesh. He was
quite clean, and if his beard was undipped, as becomes a"
follower of the Brophet, his hair was trimmed. I should
think he had washed his face that very morning. The
only thing in which he resembled his Hindoo brother was
in the anxious way in which he looked for a present at
the end. Perhaps he thought the Brahminical fakir had
quite enough clay on his face for any two people ; perhaps
he had some idea of the comfort of religion. He did not
seem to lead a life of great self-abnegation. In one of
the caves close by were his wife and children ; the
chupatty he was eating appeared to me to be as well
made as the undivided attention of an otherwise un
employed man could make it, and he had as toothsome a
curry as you would get at the Madras Club in his brass
dish, close by. The only thing he denied himself was
work ; he preferred to sit on a broken monument in the
sun, eat and sleep, sleep and eat — only varying this pro
gramme by holding out his hand for the alms of the faith
ful. The serenity of his existence was never perturbed
by anxiety for employment ; with the exception of occa
sionally taking a bath he did absolutely nothing. The
Hindoo was much livelier. The fates had apparently not
been so kind to him. He had no chupatty, and I looked'
in vain for his curry ; he certainly had no wife, and I
should say that he had no cave either. Here he was^-the
B B 2

372 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
nearest relation to the gods on the rock — a most estimable
person, probably as objectionable an object as could be
seen in a day's march, and yet he had not even a piece of
betel-nut to chew. Why was he thus neglected ? Nobody
could say. He made noise enough to attract the atten
tion of people half a mile off, yet, apparently, they left
him to do as best he could. If this state of things'
were to continue, he would have to cease to be holy and
actually take to labour. Is there no Hindoo Missionary
Society to assist so pious a fakir ?
We left him and clambered from ledge to ledge, in
specting the wonderful sculptures of the place. Most of
them had been sadly mutilated by the Mohammedans ;
some of the images had lost all signs of serpents' heads,
some of them were noseless, many had parted with both
hands and feet. Yet here they stood, monuments of the
work of the seventh century — a permanent protest
against the supposed barbarism of that age. The execu
tion was, in fact, most elaborate — as fine as any in India,
which is the highest compliment that can be paid them.
Quitting the examination of the caves, we now de
scended the sides of the rock, and prepared to enter the
fort by what is facetiously styled the ' road.' I believe
the Capel Curig ascent to Snowdon has been called one
before now, but why such a name should be given to the
narrow pathway leading to the top of Gwalior Fort which
rises one inch in four in most places — even more than
that in some — and is so narrow in parts that two
elephants can hardly pass each other on it, I cannot say.
However, the fort had to be visited ; and not only the
Prince but all who followed him mounted to the howdahs,
and presently were rising foot by foot at the rate of
about five yards to the minute.
I am bound to say that the procession was not a

SCENES IN GWALIOR. 373
pleasant one. Occasionally an elephant would stop, and
partly turn round, and -there was always the possibifity
that one of them might take fright and run backwards, in
which event some of the party would have had an un
pleasant and unsatisfactory adventure. However, at last
we reached the top, and entering the narrow gates very
carefully, were carried into the fort. The Happy Valley
was behind us, a Jain temple before us ; there was a
Mohammedan mosque, now used as a powder magazine,
close by, and not very far off was a temple built in the
style common to Southern India, but of which there is
, scarcely another specimen in the Northern and Central
Provinces. Under the guidance of Major Gordon and
the rest of the officers of the 63rd, these curiosities were
inspected till evening came on.
We were in a huge enclosure bounded on every side
by a wall and a precipice ; below lay the town of Gwalior,
the Maharajah's Palace, and the English cantonments at
Morar. Whichever way we looked the panorama was
magnificent, and extended for miles. We could see the
remains of the batteries which the English made when
Sir Hugh Eose drove the rebels out of the fort and forced
them to take shelter in the jungle. We could descry the
. battle7field on which Tantia Topee suffered his heaviest
defeat. The walls themselves were in ruins, an agreement
having been entered into with Scindia that they were not
to be repaired ; but through their crevices and over their
sides were views of landscape such as Turner would have
loved, and several of our party stayed to sketch. Unfor-
. tunately there was no one in the Eoyal suite capable of
explaining to his Eoyal Highness the peculiarities of the
buildings he saw, or much that is interesting might have
been evolved. As it was, the most attractive place ap
peared to be the mess-room of the hospitable regiment

374 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
which holds the place ; and an embrasure about which
there was a legend that in the early days of British occu
pation the soldiers used to smuggle in spirits from below
by means of a rope and a basket at this spot and so
managed to become dreadfully tipsy. Legends of Jain
and Brahminical temples there were none related — mot
even the history of the Musjid was told ; and as to learn
ing from any competent person why old temples had been
patched in places with older stones taken no one knew
whence, that was, of course, impossible. Still, it was
pleasant to wander about amongst the ruins, and to note
the wonderful stone carvings which lay in heaps every
where, or still remained in the places where they were
put in times of, which we have but a very dim historical
record. Indeed, a whole week, instead of two or three
hours only, might have been profitably spent in examining
the figures of gods and goddesses, portrayed in almost
every attitude and action. But the time was limited ;
the grandest dinner of the visit waited in the Fuhlbagh
below, and a hurried inspection was all we coidd make.
It is not likely that ever Gwalior will give us trouble.
Its ruler knows too well, and those who come after him
are likely to learn, that the English are the best of
masters. But, at the same time, prudence would suggest
that it should always have at least a battery of artillery in
it, which is not the case just now ; that its walls should
be restored and bastions erected, so that its permanent
possession should always be a matter of certainty, and, at
the same time, the curious temples might in some way be
preserved as valuable records of an almost forgotten past.
But the State banquet which was given the Prince
still remains in my memory as the grandest and most
memorable feature of the entertainment which Scindia
provided for the Queen's son. For reasons of space, ,or

SCENES IN GWALIOR. 375
rather the want of it, only three of those of us who have
followed the Prince's movements in the East were invited
to the dinner. Scindia's dining-room is by no means com
mensurate with the wants of so hospitable a potentate,
and a hundred and fifty covers were all that could be
laid. But if the . guests were comparatively few, the
occasion was none the less important. It had been
announced that although Scindia could not, as became a
good Hindoo, eat with us who profess to be Christians,
his Highness would come into the banqueting hall imme
diately after dinner. How the feast therefore progressed,
what courses and what viands were produced, it boots
not to tell. The Prince — who had on his right hand the
wife of General Eothway, and on his left the daughter of
Colonel Hutchinson, the Eesident — presided, till thecloth
was removed, when a stir at the door behind the Prince
told of the advent of Scindia.
I have purposely refrained from describing the ruler
of Gwalior, waiting till such time as he should appear in
striking contrast to those around him. The banquet
brought that opportunity. Habited in white, the Star of
India on his breast, with a yellow Mahratta turban on his
head, a pleasant-looking gentleman of some forty-five
years appeared in the hall-entrance,' accompanied by a
single attendant, his Prime Minister or Dewam There
could be no mistake as to who the stranger was, his quiet
but regal mariner proclaiming him at once, and the Prince,
who by this time was aware of the presence of Scindia,
jumped up, seized his Highness by both hands, and placed
him at once in the post of honour, the seat at his
own right hand. Immediately upon this General Daly
came up, and, taking a chair immediately behind the two
illustrious personages, began to translate their respective
compliments.

376 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
It was easy to see that the Maharajah was almost
overcome with delight and excitement. There was,
indeed, some reason. That morning his troops had dis
played as fine an appearance as any in this part of the
world, receiving the highest encomiums, and he was now
in the chief place at a table round which were gathered
a more illustrious assembly than he had ever before met.
For a few minutes he remained talking to his guest, while
his Eoyal Highness lit a cigar — the signal for all present
to smoke, for the ladies had by this time retired. Then
up jumped Scindia, and spoke a few words to Sir Eichard
Daly, who at once interpreted as follows : ' May it please
your Eoyal Highness and gentlemen, his Highness the
Maharajah wishes me to declare that he feels profoundly
grateful to the Queen for allowing her son to come to
Gwalior to see him ; that he desires to express his pro
found loyalty to her Majesty, and to add how deeply
attached he is to the English Throne — he calls upon you
to drink the health of the Queen.' Of course all present
responded, but somehow or other there was a hitch —
somebody gave a signal to the band, and the National
Anthem effectually stopped all attempt at a cheer. But
Scindia was not disheartened, and he was up again im
mediately afterwards with a bumper of champagne in his
hand. This time he spoke audibly in Hindostanee. His
voice was tremulous, however, with emotion, and he pal
pably shook with excitement. ' Gentlemen,' he said, ' I
am delighted to see his Eoyal Highness the Shahazada
(Queen's son) here to-night: I am proud that he has
come to visit me, and deeply sensible of the high honour he
has done me. I wish him a long life and much happiness,
and I sincerely hope that the voyage home may be a"
prosperous one. Gentlemen, drink with me the health of
the Prince of Wales.' He sank down in his chair and

SCENES IN GWALIOR. 377
drained his goblet, whereat everybody else did the same,
and Brinley Eichards' air was played.
It was now the turn of the Prince to speak, and he
did his part well. Everybody upstanding, his Eoyal
Highness, turning towards Scindia, said : ' I wish to call
upon all present to drink to the health of the Maharajah.
I am delighted at what I have seen here, and at being
able to visit Gwalior. I appreciate the kindness and hos
pitality of the Maharajah, and I shall not fail to con
vey to her Majesty the Queen the loyal sentiments he has
uttered. Gentlemen, let us drink this toast in the English
fashion' — ejaculating which, the Prince bowed to his
host, and, waving his glass, led the cheering himself.
Again and again was that call responded to, for Scindia's
honest face warranted it, and his hospitality had gained
the friendship of everybody. Five loud hurrahs were, in
fact, shouted out before the company sat down, and they
were only ended then because the Prince himself was
tired of cheering. There was no formal attempt at re
sponse: — that was needless. But Scindia bowed his
acknowledgments, and then, rising to go, was conducted
by the Prince to a drawing-room, whereupon he threw a
garland of flowers over the neck of his Eoyal Highness,
and then went to the door accompanied by the Prince
and nearly the entire company. A salute from the fort
proclaimed the departure, and thus this pleasant episode
ended. The festivities shortly after concluded with an im
promptu dance, and then a number of us entered dak
gharries and spent the night in rumbling and tumbling
over the road which leads from Gwalior to Agra.

378 WITH THE PRINCE -IN INDIA.

CHAPTEE XXXV.
HUNTING IN THE JUNGLE.
For reasons best known to themselves, some of the
advisers of the Prince decided that none of the special
correspondents of the London press should accompany
him into the Terai or to Nepaul, Sir Jung Bahadoor's
very courteous invitation notwithstanding. However,
there was no difficulty in visiting the jungle alone, even
without the firman of that eccentric purveyor of Eoyal
amusements, Sir Bartle Frere, and I am consequently
enabled to give you some idea of what kind of country
it was over which the Prince shot, and in which he
spent some three weeks of his time in India. I may
premise this by saying, that only a few of the Eoyai
suite accompanied the Prince into this, the wildest
portion of his tour, and that Sir Bartle Frere, who
was present at the less dangerous ' Sports in Cashmere,'
excused himself from the more manly sports of the
jungle and -went to Peshawur. Similarly Canon Duck
worth, whom we all greatly respected, went to the fron
tier also, and one or two others chose different courses ;
so that only a portion of those who had figured in Eoyal
processions through cities and towns were present when
the more serious work of ferreting out the tiger in his
lair was undertaken.

HUNTING IN THE JUNGLE. 379
Perhaps it is well that I should at once conduct you
to the frontier of Nepaul, which is cut off from British
dominion proper by the river Sarda. This stream is
doubtless at some periods of the year a torrent of what
Mr. Disraeli would designate ' high consideration.' When
the rains swell it out, it flows down grandly and swiftly,
and there is no doubt about its claims to respect. When
we saw it, however, its right to admiration was not so
well proved. The nullah in which it runs was almost
devoid of water; it was a sluggish, hesitating stream,
with just as much water as would suffice to raise it-
beyond the rank of a brook. At a rough guess its depth
might be fixed at about six feet in the centre ; and it
was about twenty feet across. Here it was, then, that
the Prince first entered Nepaulese territory. In front of
him ran the great Himalaya range, the chief among the
mountains in sight being the stately Dhwalaghiri. Time
was when this great sugarloaf peak, covered as it- is with
snow, was accounted the highest in the word, and ac
cordingly reverenced. But long-headed irreverent mathe
maticians have since then made calculations, and, despite
all remonstrance, have installed Mount Everest as queen
of hills. Still the huge eminence before you as you cross
the Sarda is not to be. despised. Twenty-eight thousand
feet above the level of the sea, it towers aloft beyond
any other rival within many leagues, and it were well
worth the journey to its base to see its cloud-capped top
and its snowy sides.
Nor can it be considered as a valuable gem in an
unworthy setting ; for wherever the eye turns rich ver
dure, great thick forests, and tall elephant grass, higher
than the howdah in which you sit,- is seen. One would
as soon think of looking for a needle in a haystack- as a
tiger here, and, indeed, the search would be about as

380 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
fruitless, were it not that experience has shown the way
by which the brutes can. be reached. Place but a single
torch to the base of a bunch of grass and instantly the
air is full of smoke. With a loud crackle and roar the
prairie burns wildly, leaving here and there a patch un-
consumed. Thither have fled tigers, leopards, wild boars,,
bears, and all other kinds of game, and now your only
requirement is a steady elephant and a sure rifle. For
these jungles are by no means the peaceful places their
appearance at first sight denotes. Enter any one of the
little villages which dot the plain, and without much
trouble you may almost invariably see the marks of the
lord of the Indian forest. Some cow which has strayed
a few feet from the huts is shown you, its neck marked
by the four canine teeth only of the strong beast which
has killed it, and purposes to return when night falls to
eat it. Occasionally the skull may be found smashed by
the huge forearm of the tiger, but that is not often. One
terrible bite and all is over ; there is no time for resist
ance or struggle. Even the thorn hedge by which all
villages are surrounded has been unavailing to save the
feeble victim. Nepaulese tigers are not to be baulked
of their prey by any such device. They care no more
for thorn hedges than they do for the masonry pillars
which are close to the river, and mark off Nepaulese
from British territory. Why should they? They are
almost as numerous as the half-clad, half-starved people
themselves, and much more intelligent. This, then, is
the region to which the Prince went with much
ceremony. Of course Sir Jung Bahadoor met him, and in the
name of the Maharajah presented a flowery address ;
equally, of course, the Prince replied in pleasant terms.
There were very naturally references to the Mutiny, and

HUNTING IN THE JUNGLE. 381
to the services of the Nepaulese Government in those
troublesome times ; there were promises of future loyalty
on the one side, and continued friendship on the other.
Then came a review, in which Sir Jung Bahadoor's
troops^ drawn up in line, acquitted themselves much in
the same way as the soldiers of the Maharajah of Cash
mere, and then the formal, reception was over. But the
pleasures of the trip had only just begun. As a loyal
and dutiful subject of the Queen, Sir Jung Bahadoor
had determined to give her eldest son some of that
pleasurable excitement which every true sportsman so
dearly loves, and to this end had organised a grand hunt
which should cover all that part of the jungle which con
tained the largest number of tigers.
I have already told you what efforts the Maharajah of
Jeypore made to attract the wild game of his district
to the neighbourhood of his capital ; it is only fair to add
that the Maharajah of Nepaul had more successfully
exerted himself. All the means he could devise were
put in motion, all the tigers he could drive into a good
position for the Eoyal rifle were driven up, and all the
elephants he had were placed at the service of the
Prince. One unhappy result was arrived at through
these very precautions. As a general rule this vast mass
of elephants so intimidated the tigers that they absolutely
refused to move, and were shot where they crouched for
cover. Very generally the wretched animals were pointed
out to the Prince, who forthwith fired at them at a safe
but certain distance and so killed them. Once, however,
a tiger charged his Eoyal Highness's elephant. Up it
sprang well nigh into the howdah in which the Prince
was standing ; the elephant turned its flank ; the Mahout
was frightened, and there was for a moment some peril.
But getting into the howdah is a very different matter —

382 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
for a tiger — from climbing on to the side of the elephant,
and it is questionable whether the infuriated beast would,
after all, have done any very great damage. However,
the Prince who had plenty of rifles at hand, and very for
tunately had presence of mind sufficient to fire into the
tiger's face, and so put an end to all further doubts by
killing the wretched animal.
On another occasion his Eoyal Highness was present
at the entangling of some wild elephants in the Nepaul
jungle. But this is a sport which has been so frequently
described that I need do no more than allude to it here.
Generally the hunters returned at the close of the day
with what in England would be called a good bag ; and
once the Prince of Wales shot six tigers before he came
back to camp. At first, camp etiquette prevailed to a
greater extent than afterwards, and no one but the Prince
was supposed to shoot ; but after a while this was forgotten,
and very often the members of the Eoyal suite shot more
than their master. ,
Useless is it to attempt to chronicle the doings of the
Nepaul hunting party, for what they achieved was done
with the aid Of resources which were never before afforded
to sportsmen, and possibly never will be again. More
interesting by far is it to me to recall the delightful morn
ings I spent in the Himalayas, hard by Gungootra and
Jumnootra, the frequent views of the land of perpetual
snow, the vast expanse of mountain land, which spreading
towards Thibet may be seen from the hill stations of the
north of India. To such as may visit our empire of the
East in times yet to come, I would recommend a trip to
the hills, in preference to anything else I can think of in
connection with my visit to the far East.

383

CHAPTEE XXXVI.
ALLAHABAD AND ITS SIGHTS.
Allahabad, which was one of the last places the Prince
visited, the capital of the North-west Provinces of India,
is no unimportant city. If it has nothing else to recom
mend it to the pious Hindoo, it boasts the undying sacred
tree, to worship which thousands of religious people have
travelled thousands of miles and have given thousands
of rupees. As an ardent admirer of the constant circu
lation of money, I regret to say that the object of rever
ence is in great adversity just now ; that rupees are likely
to be brought to its roots no longer ; that the indefatig
able , priests whose business and pleasure alike it is to
conduct the ceremonies which experience has shown are
best fitted for such a tree are in great dread lest the ser
vices should cease for very lack of faithful worshippers ;
and that, in short, the famous underground temple of
Allahabad Fort is in a very fair way to be shut up alto
gether. The cosmopolitan religionist, the lover of all
kinds of worship, will, perchance, ask why this calamity
overhangs so sacred a shrine. Let me relate.
Many, many years ago, so far back that no one even
guesses at the date, an exceptionally devout man, whose
dwelling was below ground, discovered in his cave a tam
arind tree which, although it never pierced the upper

384 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
crust of the earth, flourished in the darkness below. He
did not keep the knowledge to himself ; on the contrary,
he disseminated it among his acquaintances and friends ;
and as in those good old days there were no uncomfort
able sceptics, his cave became shortly a very holy place.
I do not think that tamarinds were ever supposed to
grow upon that wonderful tree ; the only thing the fakir
urged was that shoots, delicate young green shoots, came
out every spring on that recondite log, and that their
appearance was the work of a highly respectable deity.
Still, that was surely sufficient ; it was a perpetual yearly
miracle. Who that hoped for salvation, provided he
were rich enough, would fail to procure one of those
wondrous shoots ? Besides, was not the very fort itself
built close to the confluence of the sacred Ganges and
the almost equally sacred Jumna ? Could not the sandy
yellow stream which flows from Gungootra be actually
seen from the walls of the citadel as it crossed the flood
of the river from Jumnootra? It undoubtedly was a
fortuitous and fortunate concurrence of events which
should take the pilgrim to Benares, to the golden temple
and the burning ghaut ; but, failing that, no journey
could be more profitable than the one which should bring
the devotee to the junction of the rivers and the sacred
tree. The fact was recognised. For hundreds of years the
faithful from Madras and the Himalayas, from Calcutta
and Bombay, from the other side of the Great Desert, '
and even from Ceylon, came to do Poojah in the cave and
buy a sprig of the tree. Very obligingly the most pious
fakirs of the district united to assist at the worship.
They cut out the cave with great care, they collected the
idols of all sorts and conditions of Hindoo men, and put
them up in suitable places ; they made, in fact, all kinds

ALLAHABAD AND ITS SIGHTS. 385
of arrangements to please everyone who might chance to
appear. Did a Jain come hither, there was the well-
known figure for him to adore ; was Parbati the deity of
the visitor, she was to be found in a most comfortable
corner without -the slightest difficulty ; Kali of the black
face, Hanaman with the monkey's tail, Silla Deva, Shiva,
Vishnu, and Brahma, all were there ; so that the visitor
had ample and unrestrained choice. Little wonder then
that the shrine was popular, or that devotees were
numerous. But reverses of fortune come to all, and the sacred
tamarind tree, the cave, and the priests proved no excep
tion to the rule. A military Pharaoh who knew not the
Fakir Joseph who lived in the cave came to Allahabad
Fort, and without any hesitation pronounced the tree a
swindle. ' It is not,' rejoined the Fakir. ' We shall see,'
replied the Major, and he forthwith gave orders that when
the next spring time came no tree trunk ready to sprout
should be allowed to pass the gates of the fort. Never
theless, the priests were triumphant ; the Major presently
found them in full possession of a live tree and sur
rounded by thousands of congratulating Hindoos, who
rejoiced exceedingly at the continued miracle. Still the
Major was not to be conquered ; he made fierce inquisi
tion, and then found that a venal sergeant of the guard
had, in consideration of the sum of fifty rupees, allowed
a fresh tree to be passed into the fort in the middle of
the night. Then began the troubles of the priests once
more, and since that day they have continued, for, with
the additional precautions taken, their efforts to substitute
a fresh tamarind have been frustrated, and the old trunk,
which sprouted so satisfactorily last year, shows no more
.shoots this spring than if it had been dead a century.
Allahabad, then, is celebrated, if for nothing else, for
co

386 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
the possession of this once prosperous but now fallen
shrine ; it is, however, notable for much more. Not
only was it a favourite residence of Akbar, but it was
here that Nana Sahib held his court in 1857. Now,
however, instead of being the head-quarters of law
breakers, it is the chosen seat of law-makers and adminis
trators, the fountain of justice for the whole of the North-
West. To it come the litigants of the province, and how
numerous they are those can estimate who know how fond
of law Hindoos are, and how discontented and trouble
some forty millions of such suitors can be.
Entering the courts of justice, you find five or six
Judges, presided over by Sir Eobert Stewart, the Chief
Justice. Of these legal gentlemen two are, very fortu
nately, barristers, who, in consideration of a display of
ability and fitness at home, have been sent out to India ;
the others are civilians. In the first court, Sir Eobert and
one of his brethren are hearing an appeal which may be
taken as a fair sample of the cases which employ them
all the year round. To an eye unaccustomed to Oriental
courts the scene is peculiar. No one wears a wig, not
even the chief himself. Nor have all the barristers
gowns ! they, indeed, are about as motley a group as may
easily be found in India. Seated at a long table in the
well of the court, they represent the natives of the country
in more senses than one. The one at the extreme right,
as you sit on the raised dais appropriated to the Judges,
is a Mohammedan, very admirably attired in a brown
striped turban, a dingy yellowish green gown, and cum
merbund; he has neither rings on his fingers nor shoes on
his toes, and as he stands up to speak, barrister of large
practice though he is, his naked feet have to meet the
boards. Next to him is an English pleader, in gown and
bands. A Bengalee Baboo, with the hat so well known

ALLAHABAD AND ITS SIGHTS. 387
to all who have visited Calcutta, and long black cloak, is
third ; then a Hindoo pur et simple, with white turban,
drab petticoat, and naked feet. A Mohammedan, attired
exactly like his English brethren, gown, bands, and all, is
the fifth ; and a half-caste, or Portuguese, the last.
Just as their appearance is eminently characteristic,
so is the case which they are debating. A Hindoo lady
long since defunct lent various sums of money to a
native gentleman also gathered to his fathers. She and
he both being dead, what more natural, according to
Hindoo usage, than that her descendant should claim from
his that the lady had actually lent more than was origi
nally supposed, and that therefore, the borrower's heirs
were liable for more than they had reckoned upon. And
what more natural either than that the other side should
vigorously dispute the matter, and bring up just as many
witnesses ready to swear anything as the plaintiffs had
contrived to produce ? All this being eminently in accord
with the customs and practices of the enlightened people
over whom we rule in India, it may be justly inferred
that long practice has made them very perfect, and that
to dismember the case from its intricacies would require
all' the legal acumen of the most clear-sighted Judges.
Thus it is that you find after the Mohammedan owner
of the striped turban has finished his statement that an
exhaustive argument begins on the meaning of some par
ticular word in a kind of agreement which is produced.
' The word Ar in this document,' says the Mohammedan,
' means mortgage, and is intended to convey the wish of
the borrower to give up his land if he could not pay his
debts.' ' No such thing,' rejoins one of the Hindoo bar
risters, ' Ar means nothing of the sort' ' What does it
mean .then ? ' asks the Chief Justice ; whereupon a number
of dictionaries are brought in, and the barristers are soon
o c 2

388 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
all immersed in philological research. ' My dictionary
gives " Ar, a ladle used in a sugar factory," ' says Mr.
Justice Pearson. ' Mine calls it " a goad," ' ejaculated
Sir Eobert Stuart. 'It is a line drawn across' the fore
head, my lord,' says the Baboo barrister, ' and probably
refers in some distant manner to the pledge of religious
fidelity which my countrymen give when they worship.'
'That's not right,' rejoins the Hindoo; ' Ar is the
synonym for drowning, and is intended to convey the
idea of being deep in debt.' Whereupon the Court very
sagely wags its head, and rules against the idea that mort
gage is meant, and so the case proceeds. Incidentally it
transpires that the interest on the original sum claimed
has already amounted to five times the principal, and that
in process of litigation the estate concerned has long since
been swallowed up. After all, it would seem that ' Ar '
was not a bad word to apply to that defunct gentleman's
ground. In this way the case proceeds all day. Technical
objections are raised every few moments by one side or
the other -, there is an endless fight over words ; and at
last the court rises, and the question of what is meant by
the document after all, or whether the gentleman who
wrote it ever had the money he wanted, is left undecided.
However, the lawyers are happy if their clients are not,
and, as time is ' no object ' to any well-bred Hindoo, it is
probable the litigants themselves are not greatly disap
pointed after all.

389

CHAPTEE XXXVII.
ENGLISH LIFE IN THE HILLS,
Smallest of all the mountain stations to which Indians
escape from the heat of the sun, Nynee Tal received a
visit from the Prince, who stayed but a few hours in the
hills, whilst his presence was marked by no occurrence
worth noting. How different the case might have been
had his Eoyal Highness been led to Mussoorie, let me
point out.
Unlike Simla, the great summer capital of India, this
eagle's nest is within twelve hours' reach by rail. Were
you inclined to see the chain of snow-clad mountains
from the Viceroy's Palace, you must needs submit to a
five hours' journey in that most uncomfortable of vehicles,
the dak-gharry — a kind of dilapidated London cab with
the well boarded over — and then a perpetual ascent upon
ledges more or less narrow for fifty-six miles farther,
your choice of conveyance lying between a kind of palan
quin, called in the language of the district a 'jhampan,'
borne on the unequal shoulders of eight reckless savages,
or a country pony the only qualification of which is that
he is tolerably sure-footed. To reach Mussoorie the
difficulty would be far less. You would have a rather
more prolonged jolting in the dak-gharry, perhaps you
might get a tumble over a little precipice, as did some

390 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
travellers only a few days back ; but once at the foot of
the hills, in the village of Eajpore, the only remaining
effort would be a steep ascent of seven miles, which on a
country pony could be achieved in as many hours. I
have mentioned that a happy characteristic of these crea
tures is their sure-footedness ; and it is fortunate they
possess it, for it is over no wide, easy, well-guarded road
that your path lies. As a general rule, you are most of
your time within a foot of the edge of an abyss many
hundreds of feet deep. It is useless to endeavour to force
your horse to go closer to the rock above. Experience
has taught him that sometimes those overhanging stones
are loosened and fall, perhaps at some time or other he
has had a narrow escape from being crushed, and he
resolutely declines to obey the bit. It is as much as your
life is worth to spur him or to fight the question of
mastery out in such a place. Most probably it is not five
feet wide in all, and a sharp jerk might send you over the
side. There is the remembrance of Sir Eichard Temple's
narrow escape on just such a ledge not many months ago,
when the ground over which the horse was trotting gave
way, and the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal only saved his
life by springing from the saddle.
Yet difficult and somewhat unpleasant as is Mussoorie
of access, it would not be wise to miss it on that account.
Every step taken, every corner passed, every fresh alti
tude attained, unfolds to the astonished eye fresh beauties
and marvels of nature. Down below is the Dhoon valley,
through which runs the Jumna, on its way to Allahabad.
Like a bright streak of quicksilver it divides the pleasant
landscape, and gives it fertility. Nor is the valley itself
unworthy your attention. Here and there it is dotted
with little villages, of which that of Eajpore, through
which you came, is a fair specimen. In those mud-built

ENGLISH LIFE IN THE HILLS. 391
hovels, with straw thatches, live, all their lives through,
the contented people of the plain, almost wholly engaged
in the cultivation of tiny plots of ground and in the cur
ing of skins. For round about here bear, leopard, lynx,
and even tigers roam free. There are deer in plenty, with
game of the lesser sort, and these harmless people, having
learnt the art of dressing skins as no others can, are em
ployed all the year round by the white Sahebs, who
come hither for the purpose of shooting. It is nothing
to them that the work is monotonous ; that their whole
fives are spent in the everlasting scrubbing and scraping
of buck and cheetah skins. They are paid, and that is
all they care for. What is life to them but a succession
of eating, drinking, sleeping, and waking ? Far from their
ken lies the restless, busy world beyond, and they have no
desire but to do as their fathers did before them.
Very different people are those who are carrying your
luggage up the mountain side. They are men of the
hills — strong, muscular, restless beings, who love nothing
so much as roving and roaming. Most of them were
born in Thibet, or in the stray hamlets which are to be
found in all parts of the Himalayas. Their hair in front
is cut short, so as not to impede the vision of their Mon
golian eyes. It hangs down long at the sides as a protec
tion for their ears. All the covering they have is a rough
rug, and their feet are kept from the crags by only a straw
shoe. Yet, thus equipped, they would start immediately,
if directed, across even the great snow-covered ridge of
mountains into Central Asia, at the risk of getting nothing
more substantial than icy water for days— four hundred
miles of mountain' travelling. They smile when you say
it is an impossibility ; and three out of six of them tell
you they have already achieved it. Indeed, an English
officer who is near confirms their story by stating how,

392 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
one bleak October, he and a companion, escorted by a
hundred and twenty of these hardy savages, were safely
conveyed through snow, river passes, and over steep
ridges, with little more trouble or danger than we are
experiencing now, and points to the fact that four men
who died in process of that journey were not natives of
the hills, but counterfeits, who wore warm clothing, and
thought by such means to emulate the nearly naked but
immeasurably hardier children of the Himalayas.
What these great heights are like you cannot as yet
tell ; for though the distance beneath is immense, you
cannot see many feet upwards so projecting are the moss-
covered cliffs. And sometimes you catch a glimpse from
some rounded spur of a mass of mountains, though this
is only for an instant. At length you begin to near the
top, and to gain an idea of an Indian sanitarium. Perhaps
the first notification is a cutting blast of a cold north wind.
Then you look round, and find that you are skirting a
kind of huge basin; that the ledge you are on leads
slowly up to a point on which a great white building
stands ; that here and there other houses are peeping
forth from cavernous hiding-places, and that all these
various structures are upon shelves similar to that which
you are traversing. You are, in fact, making your first
acquaintance with Mussoorie, with all its bungalows and
cottages. Perhaps you somewhat expected to find a
street or road, some kind of thoroughfare on which you
might amble at ease. There is nothing of the sort, in
the ordinary acceptation of the terms, in the place. -It
is one succession of ledges and precipices. Wherever a
level spot could be found, or a hill-top whereon a house
could by any possibility be placed, there one has been
erected. Then, to reach it, a cutting has been made in
the rock sufficiently wide for two horses to pass ; perhaps

ENGLISH LIFE IN THE HILLS. 393
a slight railing has been fixed at the more precipitous
parts and abrupt turnings, and all that is considered
necessary has been done. If you are ignorant of the way,
you will not wander about at night-time alone. A false
step would, precipitate you into the valley below.
Once in Mussoorie, it is easy to see why wealthy Anglo-
Indians should flee here to escape the sun in the plains.
Seven thousand feet above the level of the sea and even
more, a cool breeze is perpetually playing ; the tempera
ture is almost the same as that of England, and, were the
ground only moderately even, life in this retreat would
be a delight. Level it is in one direction, and in that
only. Passing by the English church, which is itself
perched on a point of rock overlooking a deep valley, the
traveller quits the houses of Mussoorie, and enters the
jungle which covers the hills. How beautiful this is only
those who have seen it know.
Gingerly picking its way, your horse leads you
through forests of rhododendrons fifty feet high, with stems
as thick and as strong as elm trees, and branches covered
with myriads of bright red blossoms — or you find your
self in a region of ferns, with the huge wide-spreading
leaves overtopping your head — or a little further on you
find your path bestrewn with acorns, shed from the Him
alaya oak. Pheasants, startled by the unwonted sound of
your horse's hoofs, fly up with a whirr into the impene
trable recesses above or down into the denser foliage
beneath. Magpies chatter round you by hundreds, and
parrots with bright green feathers keep them company.
You will do well not to have brought a favourite dog
with you, for below are crafty, leopards waiting quietly
for such stray pets as may incautiously penetrate their
hiding places ; and your presence will scarcely suffice for
its protection should a hungry cheetah cross your terrier's

394 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
path. With a bound much swifter than those tame
hunters of Baroda and Jummoo, the leopard gains the
ledge, seizes its prey, and disappears into the thicket.
Last season, at the very spot on which we are standing,
the retriever of my companion was well-nigh snatched
away, two strong men barely sufficing to baulk the leo
pard of its intended victim. Let it not be imagined that
a man need fear anything. The strength of the leopard
is no gauge of its bravery ; and he never faces a human
being unless brought to bay.
At length you emerge from the jungle for a few yards,
and then what a view presents itself!
Straight away in front lie the larger mountains of the
Himalayas, the great snowy range of which so much has
been said, but of which so little is known. There is Gun
gootra, the source of the Ganges, with its four bright
peaks and long connecting range, and almost touching it
Jumnootra, whence flows the Jumna we have but lately
seen in the valley of the Dhoon. From yonder glaciers
the two streams flow, reinforced in different places and
from different mountains, till they become the gigantic
rivers which the Hindoos worship, which meet at Allaha
bad, and flow into the sea by Calcutta. Side by side they
move together. You could cross them both in a single
day were you but down in the valley. Indeed, there is a
point at which you can see the crevices of two separate
waterfalls, each of which you are told empties itself into
a different river. But on this point you can scarcely
assure yourself. You would have to climb over scores of
mountains, each of them as high as the great Pilatus at
Lucerne ; you would have to press your way through
jungles so dense that in the summer-time, when the rains
have fallen and vegetation is ripe, they are almost impass
able, and you would have to be careful not to lose your

ENGLISH LIFE IN THE HILLS. 395
way, else you might hopelessly wander in search of your
goal till you reached an uninhabited region, and there
cease to exist. Still there are those who have success
fully adventured, and tell you that Jumnootra, when close
at hand, resembles nothing so much as a huge cathedral,
that its towering peak, which reaches a height of twenty-,
four thousand feet, is like the spire of a lordly fane, and
that its snows make you almost believe that it is , built of
the purest white marble.
One might easily believe this sitting under the shadow
of bending bamboos, close to a little waterfall which has
been utilised for the purpose of lunch, so grand is the
mountain which shuts in the horizon. But unhappily a
lengthened look is scarcely possible, for.the sun is fast set
ting, and what is more important still, a storm is gather
ing, and we are six miles from home. Every now and
then the moan of wild beasts can be heard among the
trees, the clatter of the birds is incessant, and our horses
plunge and kick as the black clouds float towards the
valley we are in. Six miles to climb up rocky path and
jungle, six miles on ledge and shelf, our horses unsteady,
and the rain coming on ! Yet who would miss the sight
of a storm in the Himalayas ? The stream of fight which
now and again revealed the two great mountains and
all their lesser kin more than compensated for the terrific
downpour of rain which accompanied the vast illumina
tion ; and if the journey was tedious, the spectacle was
grateful as being one we might never witness again.
Such, then, is the place to which wealthy Anglo-
Indians go in the hot season, and send their wives and
children. Once here, their diversions are numerous, for
to the English whose fife is spent in India the chief
thought always is how much pleasure may be best ex
tracted from the life they are forced to lead. Very

396 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
naturally this characteristic is not left idle in the hills, and
thus it is that in addition to the private social reunion
there is always a daily assembly of all who are held to
belong to society.
To effect this it is necessary that there should be a
general rendezvous, and this is formed by the establish
ment of an Institute at every station. Thither, as soon
as the sun loses somewhat of his power, in the afternoon
all bend their steps. Ladies are carried in their jham-
pans, gentlemen go on horseback or afoot. To be absent
would be about as unwarrantable a failing as an Anglo-
Indian could well imagine. Nor is this without reason,
for more pleasant hours could not be spent. For the
stronger men, who are swift of foot and adroit of wrist,
there is lawn tennis, in playing which residents in the
North-West are adepts. Perhaps it is owing to the fact
that in years gone by racquets were a favourite game.
Anyhow, men who come fresh from England invariably
find themselves no match for the residents, and have to
work hard before they can cut a respectable figure in the
lawn tennis court. But after all Badminton holds its
own against all other diversions ; and if you have any
doubt as to the perfection to which this excellent game
can be brought, you have but. to invite the first two or
three ladies who may chance to come from India to
illustrate their skill, when you will be quickly convinced,
especially if you chance to figure in the opposing court.
They form parties which, evening after evening, from one
month fo another, play without ceasing. You know
where to find Colonel S  ; you can tell exactly at
which net his wife is playing ; the Commissioner will be
at his post to a moment, and the Assistant Magistrate's
wife will be cheerfully batting away on the spot where
you saw her a week ago, at the very same hour. There

ENGLISH LIFE IN THE HILLS. 397
is no obstacle they will not overcome to insure their
favourite game. Is the sun still too hot for them to ven
ture out of doors ? Then a bed-room is turned out, the
net is stretched across, and the shuttlecock is soon flying
merrily in every direction. Are they at a hill station,
where all is ledge and shelf and slope ? A hundred
coolies are immediately set to work to hew and cut at
the ground till a level place is made and roped in ; then
up goes the ever-appearing net, and the bats are in full
swing directly.
Of course, Mussoorie is no exception to the rule.
All round the Institute crooked places have been made
straight, and rough places plain, rock has been actually
blasted with gunpowder to make way for the all-pervad
ing shuttlecock, and as to trees, they have certainly not
been allowed to stand in the way. Only mention the
possibility of Badminton, and the trees are moved off as
if by magic. Nor is this altogether without its good re
sults. How much liver complaint has been warded off
doctors do not like to say. But the fact remains that
fewer people in proportion go home to England in the
hot weather, though money is apparently more plentiful
than ever. For those, however, who do not care for
such athletic exercises there is the well-kept floor of the
Institute itself; some volunteer is always at the piano;
no master of ceremonies is needed, for all know each
other; and partners are whirling round without inter,
mission. Staid old men spend their time in the reading-
room or at billiards ; matches, are even made here by
thoughtful mammas, and young .officers, military and
civilian, are inveigled into the joys and sorrows of
matrimony. I know a station in which five officers in
one English regiment have thus been entrapped during
the past six months, two of them subalterns.

398 WITH THE PRINCE IN INDIA.
This, then, is life in India ; another side to the picture
could be shown, of terrible heat and utter prostration
during the six summer months down in the plains. But
why think of this when the ringing laughter from the
Badminton court mingles with the music in the Institute,
the clicking of the billiard balls, and the soft conversation
of lovers? The journey of the Prince of Wales, so far as India
was concerned, concluded shortly afterwards ; His Eoyal
Highness merely pausing on his way from Allahabad to
Bombay, to pay a flying visit to Holkar, at his capital of
Indore. Of the political and social results of the trip
it is not my purpose to speak in this place. Suffice it to
say, that owing to the united efforts of military and civil
officials of India, his Eoyal Highness was afforded, in the
course of the four months he spent in that marvellous
country, an opportunity of gaining knowledge with
regard to its resources and its peoples, the fike of which
was never enjoyed before, and, possibly, never will be
again

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