Across India by Oliver Optic

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"She was a vessel of about four hundred tons," added the viscount. "I was
in the pilot-house at the time, though the weather was so thick that I
could hardly make her out as she slipped off from our starboard bow, and
went on her course."

"Didn't she hail you, and offer to stand by you?"
inquired the commander.

"I heard something like a shout coming from her, and in a moment she was
beyond hailing-distance. I supposed we were going to the bottom in a few
minutes, and had my hands full, so that I had no time to look out for her,
though I supposed she would come about and render assistance; but we did
not hear from her again."

"It is possible that she did so, and was unable to find you, for it was
very dark, and the sea was very rough," suggested the commander. "But her
conduct looks heathenish, and I will warrant that she was not an English
steamer; for the British tars never pass by their fellow-beings on the
ocean in distress without rendering assistance."

"It was a new experience to me," added his lordship, "and perhaps I
neglected something I ought to have done."

"I think not; for your first and supreme duty at that time was to look out
for the safety of your own vessel," replied Captain Ringgold.

"So far as that was concerned, I believe I did all I could do to repair the
mischief," continued the viscount. "The chief engineer reported to me that
the side of the yacht was stove in near the bow, and that the water was
pouring into the hull. He suggested that a double sailcloth be hauled under
the vessel. We had no sails, but we promptly made use of an awning, and we
succeeded in drawing it under the bottom, and covering the aperture."

"That was precisely the right thing to do," said the commander.

"Probably it enabled us to float a short time longer than we should
otherwise have done; but the yacht had taken in too much water before we
applied the remedy, for suddenly, on the top of a huge wave, she made a
heavy roll, capsized, and came up with her keel in the air. I am only
afraid that I did not do all that might have been done."

"I could have done no more if I had been there with all my ship's company,"
the commander declared; for the amateur captain of the Travancore was a
conscientious man, and desired to relieve his mind of all blame for his
conduct; and he had really done all that could be done, though the remedy
applied was a failure.

"My chief engineer was an experienced man, and I followed his counsels in
everything," added the viscount.

"His lordship did all that it was possible for any man to do in such a
case," interposed the chief engineer of the Travancore, who was seated on
the platform. "I can only thank God that we were all saved, and I am sure
that no one is to blame."

"I am told that our cabin waiter and four coolies were picked up by the
other steamer," said Lord Tremlyn, as he looked about him.

"That is true, sir," interposed Mr. Boulong, who stood on the deck by the
platform. "Sir Modava told me there were eleven persons on board of the
wreck. I saw that number saved myself."

The details of the wreck of the Travancore were fully explained, though
individuals continued to talk about it until lunch-time. At the mid-day
repast the commander gave up his plan of seating the party, and invited the
members of it to select their own places; and they all took those they had
occupied at breakfast. In the afternoon the rough sea had almost entirely
subsided under the influence of the north-east monsoon, and the motion of
the steamer was easy and pleasant.

The company assembled in the music-room after a walk on deck, and the
captain, with the three notable guests, joined them after they had finished
their cigars; for all of them smoked. The "Gospel Hymns" and other hymn and
tune books were distributed. It was the usual time for singing, and the
trio from the Travancore contributed largely to the volume of tone on the
occasion. The new third officer had been stationed in the watch with Mr.
Boulong, and Scott had the first part of the afternoon watch. The officers
and engineers not on duty, as well as the members of the party from the
wreck, gathered at the windows of the music-room, and the commander invited
them to take seats in the apartment, thus adding still more to the volume
of the harmony. The music was all sacred, and nothing purely secular was
permitted by the captain.

Dr. Ferrolan, who had a fine bass voice, was invited to sing "Rocked in the
Cradle of the Deep," at the suggestion of Lord Tremlyn. His lordship sang
"Oh that I had Wings!" and Mrs. Belgrave, who was the pianist of the
occasion, gave a solo, while Sir Modava sang the "Missionary Hymn," which
is still a favorite in England and America, translated into the Hindu
language. The party who could not understand him followed in the
hymn-books.

"I wonder who wrote that beautiful hymn," said Mrs. Blossom, when there was
a pause as the singer finished. "It says Heber in my book, but I don't know
who he was."

"Reginald Heber was an English clergyman and poet, born in 1783. He was a
student in an Oxford college; I forget which," replied Sir Modava.

"Brasenose," prompted the viscount.

"As a student in this college he wrote 'Palestine,' for which he obtained
the prize; and it still holds a place in the literature of England. He soon
obtained a living, and occupied a prominent position among the clergy of
his native island. In 1823 he was made Bishop of Calcutta.

"Three years later, in the midst of his zealous labors in the service of
his Master, he died at Trichinopoly of apoplexy, greatly lamented. Perhaps

'From Greenland's icy mountains,
From India's coral strand,'

which you have sung this afternoon, is the widest-known of Bishop Heber's
hymns; but will you indulge me if I ask you to sing another of them, which
I find in the book I hold in my hand?--

'Brightest and best of the sons of the morning,
Dawn on our darkness, and lend us thine aid.'"

The hymn was sung to Mozart's music by about twenty voices, and the effect
was exceedingly agreeable. Sir Modava seemed to be in a rapture, as the
piece was his favorite, and came from one who was connected with his native
land.

He was a rather tall and slender man, and all the ladies declared that he
was very handsome; and his slightly dusky hue added to, rather than took
from, the beauty of his countenance. He wore a small mustache, but no other
beard. He was a nervous and highly sensitive person, and there was always a
smile on his face. He had already become a favorite among the gentlemen as
well as the ladies.

Another meeting was held in the evening, which was varied by some speaking
on the part of the gentlemen, including the guests, Uncle Moses, Dr.
Hawkes, and the commander. At the conclusion of the exercises, Sir Modava
begged the company to close by singing another of Bishop Heber's verses,
which he repeated from memory, though it was in one of the books:--

"God that madest earth and heaven,
Darkness and light;
Who the day for toil hast given,
For rest the night,--
May thine angel guards defend us,
Slumber sweet thy mercy send us,
This livelong night!"

With this musical prayer on their lips, the company retired. Most of them
went to their staterooms; for the guests were very tired, and the regular
inmates of the cabin had left their berths at an unusually early hour in
the morning. All of them, whether technically religious or not, had been
greatly impressed by the music and the speaking of the evening. Dr.
Ferrolan was a more inveterate smoker than his companions in misfortune,
and he went with the commander to the deck, and was invited to the
captain's cabin, where he was provided with cigars.

"As you have already learned, Doctor, I am greatly interested in the
educational feature of my ship," said Captain Ringgold, after they had
conversed a while. "I desire to make it as attractive as possible, and I
have studied to vary it all I could."

"You have turned your ship into a noble and useful institution," replied
the guest. "Lord Tremlyn and Sir Modava have both spoken in the highest
terms of this feature. And these lectures are mainly for the benefit of Mr.
Belgrave, your owner?"

"The plan was introduced principally on his account; but it has grown into
an exercise for all the cabin party, and most of them are speakers as well
as listeners; for it makes all of them feel a greater interest in the
conferences," replied the commander. "To-morrow we are to begin upon India,
dwelling upon its geography, civilization, government, and history. Now, I
wish to ask you, Doctor, if there would be any impropriety in my asking the
members of your party berthed in the cabin to take part in these
exercises?"

"Not the slightest, Captain Ringgold."

"Probably you are all better informed in regard to the affairs of the
peninsula than any three other men I could find if I were to search for
them here and in England," added the commander.

"You are not far from right, sir, as far as my associates are concerned;
for officially or unofficially they have visited every part of India, and
studied up in detail everything relating to the people, the country, the
army, and the institutions, both native and British."

"As you have been with Lord Tremlyn in his travels, you must be very
familiar with the affairs of India, Doctor."

"Reasonably familiar; but not so well acquainted with them as my
companions," answered the physician. "Perhaps I do not violate any
confidence in saying that his lordship and his Hindu friend had a
conversation just before dinner to-day, in which they were discussing in
what manner they could best assist you in seeing India. As you suggest,
they are the two men who know more of India than any others I think of, not
excepting the governor-general and his subordinates."

"I came to this conclusion when I learned the nature of their mission."

"Sir Modava is personally acquainted with all the native princes; and he
and his lordship are regarded by them as second only to the viceroy, as he
is often unofficially designated. Every door in India, except those of a
few mosques and Parsee temples, open to them, and procure for them and
their friends all the privileges that can reasonably be expected. We
respect the religious exclusiveness of the sects, and do not ask them to
exempt our people from the operation of their rules and customs. The
British government rules India in the spirit of kindness and toleration,
and interferes with the religious, or even political, institutions only so
far as humanity and progressive civilization require. Both of them propose
to volunteer to attend you in your travels in the peninsula, if agreeable
to you."

"We should be delighted to have such conductors, and I shall gladly pay all
the expenses incurred," the commander declared, with an earnestness that
attested his sincerity.

"The expense is a matter of no consequence to the two gentlemen; for both
of them would be multimillionaires in America, though pounds don't count so
numerously as dollars. I am not at all sure they wouldn't gladly pay the
expenses of your party as well as their own; but I am not authorized to
speak on this point. I advise you not to mention expense to either of my
associates. But you can form no idea of the depths of gratitude in the
hearts of the three quartered in your cabin for the timely and skilful
service you rendered in saving us from certain death. I base my views on
what I have heard them say, and what I feel myself," said the doctor with
enthusiasm. "I am certain that any suggestion in regard to expense would
hurt the feelings of my friends and companions."

"I thank you, Dr. Ferrolan, for the frankness with which you have spoken,
and I shall assuredly profit by what you have said," added the commander.

"In what I said about expense I have been moved by what I should do myself
if I had the control of the matter, and were as able as Sir Modava and his
lordship to incur a heavy outlay; though I have a sufficient income to
support a bachelor, I am a poor man compared with them."

The interview closed, and the doctor retired at the end of his cigar. The
next morning Captain Ringgold obtained the ready assent of the two
gentlemen to take part in the conference appointed for half-past nine, and
later that of Dr. Ferrolan.

CHAPTER IX

CONCERNING THE GEOGRAPHY OF INDIA

"Ladies and gentlemen, it affords me very great pleasure to present to you
Sir Modava Rao, who has kindly consented to give you a lesson on the
geography of India," said Captain Ringgold when the company were seated in
Conference Hall.

This announcement was greeted with unusually stormy applause, in which the
ladies joined, and then flourished their handkerchiefs as an additional
welcome to the handsome Hindu.

"I have also the pleasure to inform you that Lord Tremlyn and Dr. Ferrolan
have indulgently permitted me to call upon them for the instruction in
regard to India which they are so abundantly competent to give us,"
continued the commander with a very pleasant smile upon his dignified
countenance. "Their subjects have been arranged, and I congratulate you and
myself upon the satisfaction with which we shall all listen to these able
exponents of the present condition of this interesting country. Sir Modava
Rao, ladies and gentlemen."

The Hindu gentleman was again received with vigorous and long-continued
applause. His handsome face, the expression of which was intensified by the
fascinating smile that played upon his black eyes and around his finely
moulded mouth, was not wasted upon the ladies, or even upon the gentlemen;
and it was a considerable time before the plaudits of the company permitted
him to speak; and he stood upon the rostrum bowing so sweetly that he was
irresistible to the assembly.

"Mr. Commander, ladies and gentlemen," he began, "I have no claim upon you
for the exceeding warmth of the reception you have given me, and I thank
you with all my heart for all your kindness to me, a shipwrecked stranger
on board of your ship. I shall give you as briefly and clearly as I can
what I know about the geography of India. I understand that this was the
subject to be treated by Captain Ringgold; and I am confident that he could
have done it quite as well as I can, though I am 'to the manner born.' But
I will proceed with the subject, without wasting any more of your valuable
time.

"India is a vast territory, forming the southern peninsula of Asia, with a
population, including the native states, of very nearly two hundred and
fifty-four million people," continued the speaker, taking a paper from his
pocket. "I have received a hint from your worthy commander that I ought to
give a comparison of my figures with those of the United States, and our
population is about four times as great as that of your country.

"The area in square miles is more than a million and a half, enough larger
than your country to cover the State of Georgia;" and the speaker indulged
in a cheerful smile. "I did not know what I am saying now till this
morning; for I have been studying the 'Statesman's Year-Book,' in order to
comply with the commander's request.

"The name of India came originally from the Persians, and was first applied
to the territory about the Sindhu River, its Sanscrit name, the early
literary language of India. A slight change, and the river was called the
Hind, which is still the language of the natives, while the country around
it is Hind, from which comes Hindu, and Hindustan; but these designations
really belong to a province, though they are now given very generally to
the whole peninsula," continued Sir Modava, turning to the enormous map
which had been painted by Mr. Gaskette and his assistants.

"Hind, or Hindustan, is the territory near the Jumna and Ganges Rivers, of
which more will be said later," as he pointed out these great watercourses,
and then drew his pointer around Sind, now called Sinde, on the border of
Beloochistan.

"How do you spell Hindustan, Sir Modava?" inquired Mrs. Belgrave. "We used
to write it Hindoostan when I went to school."

"I think the orthography of the word is a matter of fashion, for the letter
_u_ in most European and Asiatic languages is pronounced like the
English _oo_; but it is now almost universally spelled with a
_u_. It is now almost generally absorbed in the name of India, and the
application of the term to the whole of the peninsula is entirely
erroneous; and English authorities usually pronounce it so.

"The name India is now given to the peninsula lying to the eastward of the
Bay of Bengal. Siam and Tongking are in native possession, or under the
protection of France, while Burma is a part of the British Indian Empire.
It was only last year that the French had a brush with Siam, and materially
strengthened their position there; and it will not be a calamity when all
these half-civilized nations are subjected to the progressive influences
which prevail in India proper, in spite of all that is said about the greed
for power on the part of the great nations of the world.

"But I am wandering from my subject. India is about 1,900 miles in extent
from north to south, and 1,600 in breadth in latitude 25 deg. north. The
boundaries of this vast country, established by nature for the most part,
are the Bay of Bengal (now called a sea in the southern portion) on the
south-east, and the Arabian Sea on the south-west. On the north the
Himalaya Mountains separate it from China, Thibet, and Turkestan; but some
of these countries are called by various names, as Chinese Tartary,
Mongolia, Eastern Turkestan, and so on. On the west are Beloochistan and
Afghanistan, and on the east Siam and China, though the boundaries were
somewhat disturbed last summer in the former."

"We used to pronounce the name of your great northern range of mountains
Hi-ma-lay'-a; you do not call it so, Sir Modava," said the commander.

"I have always called it Hi-mal'-a-ya, the _a_ after the accented
syllable being very slightly sounded; this is the pronunciation of all the
Indian officials," replied the speaker, with his pleasant smile. "These
mountains consist of a number of ranges; they extend 1,500 miles east and
west, and are the sources of the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra. The
highest is Mount Everest, the loftiest mountain in the world, 29,002 feet;
and I could mention several other peaks which overtop any of the Andes.
Himalaya means 'the abode of snow,' and the foot-hills are the resorts of
the wealthy to obtain a cool climate in the summer.

"India is remarkable for its fertility, and its luxuriant growth of plants
of all sorts, from the productions of the torrid zone to those of the
temperate in the hilly regions of the north. It is abundantly watered by
the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, the Jumna, the Indus, the Godavari, and other
great streams. The Ganges, though it does not vie with the great rivers of
America, is 1,557 miles in length. To the natives it is a sacred river, and
the land through which it flows is holy ground. To bathe in its waters
washes away sin; to die and be buried on its shores procures a free
admission to the eternal paradise of heaven.

"The Ganges Canal, constructed in 1854, is 445 miles long, and is used for
both navigation and irrigation. Doubtless you will sail upon it, and learn
more about it. Near the Indus are two deserts, one 500 miles long, and the
other 400, though the grains may be cultivated in the valleys and other low
places; and perhaps these regions will be reclaimed by artificial
irrigation. In ancient times gold-mines were worked in the south-west, and
the currency consisted of this metal instead of silver, as at the present
time; but the veins were exhausted, and the Mysore mines are all that is
left of them.

"I suppose you Americans have been accustomed to regard India as an
exceedingly hot country; and this is quite true of a considerable portion
of it. In a region extending from the almost tropical island of Ceylon,
nearly 2,000 miles to the snow-capped summits of the highest mountains in
the world, there must necessarily be a great variety of climate. India has
three well-defined seasons,--the cool, the hot, and the rainy. The cool
months are November, December, January, and a part of February.

"The rainy season comes in the middle of the summer, earlier or later, and
ends in September. Winter is the pleasantest season of the year; but
autumn, unlike England, is hot, moist, and unhealthy. Monsoon comes from an
Arabian or Persian word, meaning a season; and you have learned something
about it by this time. It is applied to the south-west winds of the Indian
Ocean, changing to the north or north-east in the winter. This wind
produces rain, and when they infrequently fail, portions of the country are
subjected to famines.

"At an elevation of 7,200 feet the temperature is an average of 58 deg.
Fahrenheit, as I shall give all readings of the thermometer. At Madras, on
the south-east coast, it is 83 deg.; at Bombay, 84 deg.; Calcutta, 79 deg.; and in
Delhi, in latitude 29 deg. (about the same as the northern part of Florida), it
is 72 deg.. These annual average temperatures will not seem high to you; but I
beg you not to form a wrong impression, for the heat of summer is generally
oppressive, and the average temperature is considerably reduced by the
coolness of the winter months. In Delhi, quoted at 72 deg., the glass often
indicates over 100 deg..

"The rain varies greatly in different regions. In the north-east it exceeds
75 inches, and in one remarkable year 600 inches fell at an observatory in
north-east Bengal. In some of the western parts it is only 30 inches, while
it is hardly 15 on the southern shores of the Indus. I think I must have
sufficiently wearied you, ladies and gentlemen."

"No! No! No!" almost shouted the company with one voice; and perhaps there
was something so fascinating in the manner of the distinguished Hindu which
exorcised all weariness from their minds and bodies.

"Thank you with all my heart; but really you must permit me to retire, for
I am somewhat fatigued, if you are not, and I shall be happy to contribute
to your entertainment at another time," replied the speaker; and he retired
from the platform.

"I shall next call upon Mr. Woolridge, who will speak to you of the fauna
of India," said the commander.

The magnate of the Fifth Avenue, not much accustomed to speaking in public,
was somewhat diffident about addressing the company in the presence of
those who were so well versed in Indian lore; but he conquered his modesty,
and took his place on the stand. In expressing his appreciation of the last
speaker, he mentioned that he occupied a difficult position in the presence
of those who knew India as they knew their alphabet, and begged them to
consider his talk as addressed only to the Americans of the party. The
guests declared that they should be very glad to hear him; and he bowed,
smiled, and proceeded with his remarks:--

"Fortunately I have not much to say, for it will consist mainly of the
mention of the names of the principal animals in the fauna of India," he
began.

"Are all the animals fawns?" asked Mrs. Blossom, who evidently mistook the
meaning of the term used.

"No, madam; some of them are snakes. But I shall refer the serpents to Sir
Modava; for I am very anxious to hear the views of a native on that
subject. The cattle are cows, buffaloes, and oxen, the two latter used as
draft animals, and as agricultural workers. Bulls and cows are sacred
beasts, and the Hindus never kill them for food."

"Except Christianized natives, like myself," interpolated Sir Modava.

"Thank you. The native breeds of horses have been greatly improved under
the direction of the horse-fancying Briton; but they are never used on the
farm. Ponies, donkeys, and mules are in use for various purposes. There are
plenty of sheep and goats--so there are of hogs; but the higher of the
middle class, like the Jews, regard them as unclean beasts, and would as
soon take poison as eat the flesh of a pig. I don't sympathize with them,
for I like roast pork when it is well brought up and kept clean.

"Monkeys are as tame as they are mischievous; and doubtless they are tame
because they are held to be sacred, and have a better time than they do in
Africa and elsewhere. But all the fun of the fauna is concentrated in the
wild animals, such as the tiger (about the gamiest 'critter' that exists),
the panther, cheetah, boar, bear, elephant, and rhinoceros. Two kinds of
crocodiles (not alligators) live in the mud and water of the rivers; and I
suppose they snap up a man or woman when they get a chance, as they do in
the Philippine Islands and other countries. I advise you all to give them a
wide berth; for their bite is worse than their bark, like that of some men
we know of.

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