Across India by Oliver Optic

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"Leave that to me, if you please."

In another half-hour the Guardian-Mother was at anchor off the Apollo
Bunder, the wharf, or landing-place. The custom-house officers came on
board; and, as the ship was not one of any regular line, a high official
came off with them. As soon as he reached the deck he discovered his
lordship, and rushed to him, bowed profusely, and addressed him in the most
deferential manner.

"This is a very unexpected visit, my Lord, and in a steamer flying the
American flag," said he, as the viscount gave him his hand, a piece of
condescension he appeared to appreciate very highly. "What has become of
the Travancore?"

"She was wrecked in the Arabian Sea in a collision, and went to the bottom
after holding us up for a few hours. We were rescued from certain death by
this steamer, and we have been treated with the utmost kindness and
consideration," said his lordship quite hurriedly. "Sir Modava Rao and Dr.
Ferrolan are on board. I am entirely devoted to those to whom we owe our
lives, and I am in their service as long as they will stay in India. What
is your business on board, Mr. Windham?"

"It is in connection with the customs, my Lord."

"You will dispense with everything in that connection, for this is a yacht;
and you will oblige me by not subjecting any person on board to any
annoyance, Mr. Windham."

"Certainly not, my Lord; and not a trunk shall be opened. But the
newspapers will want the account of your shipwreck, and a reporter came off
with me," replied the official.

"Refer him to my secretary."

The under-official obtained particulars from the first officer in regard to
the steamer for the custom-house, and Dr. Ferrolan gave the reporter an
account of the disaster to the Travancore which he had written.

"I propose to land and proceed to our hotel as soon as the ladies are
ready," said Lord Tremlyn, when he had retired to the captain's cabin with
the commander. "While they are preparing, we will consider the programme of
the tour."

"Very well, your Lordship; I will have the party notified. Mr. Scott," said
the captain, opening the door into the pilot-house, "inform all the company
that we go on shore in half an hour; and you will go with them. Mr.
Boulong, lower the gangway, and have the barge ready."

"Perhaps you have arranged a programme yourself already," suggested the new
host of the party.

"I have considered the matter. I proposed to see Bombay, and perhaps run
down to Poona. Then go to Surat in the steamer, and visit Baroda, and
proceed by the ship to Kurrachee. From there I thought I should send the
Guardian-Mother round to Calcutta in charge of Mr. Boulong, while we
travelled to Lahore, Delhi, Cawnpore, Lucknow, Allahabad, Benares, and
Calcutta by railway. From there we will go to Madras and Ceylon by the
steamer," said the commander, who seemed to have arranged the whole trip.

"Excellent, Captain Ringgold!" exclaimed the viscount. "I can hardly better
that."

He made some suggestions; but this route was substantially adopted.

CHAPTER XVI

A MULTITUDE OF NATIVE SERVANTS

The barge was ready as soon as it was needed, and lay at the platform of
the gangway, with the crew in their white uniforms, quite as smart as
man-of-war's-men. The coolie boatmen who were seeking a job to put the
passengers on shore were disappointed. The clothing of the guests had been
taken in hand by Sparks and Sordy, the cabin stewards, dried, cleaned, and
pressed. They wore them now, and had returned the borrowed garments.

The party were impatient to see the strange sights on shore; and they were
ready at the gangway when the viscount, to whom the commander had abandoned
the direction of the company, gave the word. The ladies were assisted to
their places, and the "Big Four" went into the fore-sheets. Bargate, the
old man-of-war's-man, was the cockswain, and his lordship gave the word to
him to give way.

"Pull to the Apollo Bunder, if you please, my man," said he.

"Which, your honor?" asked Bargate blankly.

"I mean the bit of a basin you see nearly abreast of the ship," the new
leader explained, pointing out the locality.

The cockswain shoved off the stern of the boat, the oars dropped into the
water, and the men gave way. It was a pull of but a few minutes, and the
barge shot into the basin, and came to a convenient landing-place. On the
shore they found Mr. Windham, one of the chief officials of the
custom-house, who had been on board of the ship. He was surrounded by a
small mob of young Hindus, neatly dressed in the native garments of white
cotton. The ladies were assisted to the shore first. All of the party
carried small valises or satchels containing the needed articles for a few
days' stay at a hotel; and these natives took possession of them as they
landed.

"What is this man, Sir Modava?" asked Mrs. Belgrave, as one of them
relieved her of the bag she carried.

"He is your _Khidmutgar_, madam," replied the Hindu knight, with a
smile on his handsome face.

"My what?" demanded the lady. "And must I pronounce that word?"

"Not unless you wish to do so. This man is your servant, your waiter."

"But what are we to do with such a lot of them?" inquired Mrs. Belgrave, as
she looked upon the group of Hindus.

"There is only one for each person of the company; for every one must have
his servant. We are going to the Victoria Hotel, and this _Khidmutgar_
will attend upon you at the table, and do anything you require."

"I don't think I shall need him all the time," added the lady, who thought
he would be a nuisance to her.

The young Hindus presented themselves to all the passengers as they landed,
taking their small baggage, canes, and umbrellas. Some of them had heard
Sir Modava's explanation, and Lord Tremlyn repeated it to others. Most of
them had decided to take things as they came, and accepted the custom of
the country without any friction. Mrs. Blossom looked rather wildly at the
satellite who was to attend to her wants; but her good friend told her to
say nothing, and she submitted without a word.

"Captain Ringgold," said the viscount, as he brought forward a rather stout
man, with spectacles on his nose, and an odd-looking cap or turban on his
head, "this is Pallonjee Pestonjee, the proprietor of the Victoria Hotel."

"I am happy to know you, sir," replied the commander, as he took the hand
of the gentleman, who was a Parsee, though he did not attempt to pronounce
the name.

"We have half a dozen _shigrams_ here," continued his lordship.

"What are we to do with them, my Lord?" asked the captain.

"They are two-horse carriages; and, if you please, we will ride to the
hotel in them," laughed the distinguished guide.

The party seated themselves in the vehicles, which were of English pattern;
and they saw cabs and omnibuses in the vicinity. Taking Rampart Row, they
passed the university, the court-house, and other public buildings, into
Esplanade Road, leading to their destination, about a mile from the
landing.

"On our right is Byculla, one of the divisions of the city, and a business
quarter, where you will find the retail shops, though they are not all
here," said the viscount. "This locality is generally called the Fort; for
though its walls have been removed, it retains the old name. Just below the
Apollo Bunder, where we landed, are the Grant buildings, or warehouses.
Perhaps you saw them from the deck of the ship. Below these, at the
extremity of the point, is Colaba, the native town, which is largely
occupied by commercial buildings. But we shall ride over this ground again,
and you will have the opportunity to see the various structures in detail."

But the tourists were not very much interested in the buildings; for they
wanted to see India, its manners and customs, and for the last year they
had been seeing edifices as noted as any in the world, though they had yet
to be introduced to the temples and palaces of this country, which were
different from anything they had seen before.

They soon arrived at the Victoria Hotel; and the _khidmutgars_,
carrying the light baggage, were not behind them, though they had run all
the way from the bunder. The landlord had come in a carriage. Felix
McGavonty, who was the captain's clerk, had made out several lists of the
passengers, at the request of Lord Tremlyn; and one of them had been sent
to the hotel, so that their rooms were already assigned to them. Their
servants appeared to be familiar with the Victoria, and they were taken to
their apartments at once.

"What the dickens do we want of all these fellows?" asked Scott when they
had been conducted to a room with four beds in it. "They will be a nuisance
to us."

"We don't need all you fellows," added Louis Belgrave, turning to his
servant. "We are accustomed to wait on ourselves. One of you is enough for
all of us."

"No, Sahib; no _khidmutgar_ waits on more than one gentleman," replied
Louis's man, with a cheerful smile, displaying a wealth of white teeth
which would have been creditable to an Alabama negro.

"That's what's the matter, is it?" added Scott. "I have learned that no
Hindu will do more than one kind of work, take care of more than one
person; and no groom will take care of more than one horse. If you have six
horses, you must have six hostlers. That is what Sir Modava told me."

"Custom is law here, and we must follow the fashions," replied Louis. "What
is your name, my boy?" he continued, turning to his servant.

"Sayad, sahib," answered he.

Scott's was Moro, Morris's was Mobarak, and Felix's was Balaya; but the
last two were speedily abbreviated into "Mobby" and "Bally," to which the
young Hindus offered no objection. They were all under twenty years of age,
and spoke English passably well.

"Here, Sayad! black my shoes," said Louis, determined to make use of his
servant.

"I don't clean the shoes," replied the fellow, shaking his head. "I call
the porter;" and he did so.

"That is just what Sir Modava told me," added Scott.

But Sayad had opened his master's valise, placed his toilet articles on the
bureau, and brushed his coat, which he had taken off. He arranged
everything with good taste, and smiled expansively every time Louis looked
at him. The shoes of all four were polished in time; and they were ready to
begin their explorations of the city, though it was rather late in the day.

"What time is dinner, Moro?" asked Scott.

"Seven o'clock, sahib," replied the boy; and he was more of a boy than a
man.

"What time are the other meals?"

"Meals?" queried Moro.

"What time is breakfast?"

"Bring sahib coffee at six in the morning; breakfast at nine; tiffin at
one."

"What's that last one, Moro?"

"We had tiffin at Suez, and it means luncheon," interposed Morris.

"I didn't hear the word; but it is all right, and tiffin it is after this
time. Come; are you going down-stairs, fellows?"

"There is a public sitting-room down-stairs, and we will find that first."

The four servants followed them when they went down-stairs. None of the
party had yet gone to the public room except Sir Modava, though Lord
Tremlyn soon joined him. Their attendants stopped outside the doors.

"We are going to the tailor's now," said the Hindu gentleman. "As you are
aware, we lost all our clothes except what we had on, and we must order a
new supply."

"May we go with you?" asked Louis.

"Certainly; if you desire to do so. You may find something to amuse you on
the way, as we shall walk; for we want to get our sea-legs off," replied
Sir Modava. "It is only five o'clock here, and we have two hours before
dinner-time. Ah, here is Miss Blanche."

She was followed by her servant, who was decidedly a nuisance to her,
though he retreated from her room as soon as he had put things in order,
and remained within call outside the door. Louis invited her to take a walk
with them, and she went up-stairs to consult her mother. She returned in a
few minutes, ready to go out; and she was as radiant as a fairy in her
light costume.

They passed out of the hotel; and the first thing that attracted Louis's
attention was a palanquin. It was not a new thing to the travellers, for
they had seen such conveyances in Constantinople and elsewhere.

[Illustration: "The young millionaire walked by the side of the vehicle."
--Page 155.]

"You must ride in that palanquin, Miss Blanche," said Louis; and he told
Sayad to have it brought up to the door.

It was a compartment like a box, about seven feet long, with a pair of
sliding doors at the side. It was balanced on a pole, with braces above and
below it. It appeared to be so poised, with the pole above the centre of
gravity, that it could not be turned over. The four bearers were coolies,
with bare legs, cotton turbans on their heads, and not otherwise overloaded
with clothing; but they were dressed like all the coolies about the streets
and in the boats of the harbor.

The fair young lady had never been in a palanquin, though she had seen
them, and she was pleased with the idea of the ride. It was dropped down
upon its four legs, or feet, and Louis assisted her to the interior. It was
provided with cushions, and Sir Modava instructed her to recline so that
she could see out of the open doors. The young millionaire walked by the
side of the vehicle, while the others all followed, with their servants at
a respectful distance.

"How do you like the motion, Miss Blanche?" asked Louis, after they had
gone a short distance.

"It is not as uneasy as the gait of a camel, though I can feel every step
of the bearers. But I should prefer a _shigram_, if it only had a
better name," replied she.

"You can call it a brougham, or simply a carriage, if you prefer. We are
not here to learn the Indian languages, and we can take our choice; and we
can talk 'good old United States,' in speaking of things," suggested Louis.
"There! what will you call that vehicle, Miss Blanche?"

"That is called a _gharri_" interposed Sir Modava, who was within
hearing.

The vehicle was such as none of the Americans had ever seen. It was a sort
of two-wheeled cart, with a top like an old-fashioned chaise, in which a
man was seated, while a rough-looking fellow rode in front.

"I should say it was an ox-cart, so far as the team is concerned," said
Scott.

"Those are not oxen; they are called bullocks in this country. As you see,
they have humps like a camel, though much smaller, in front of which is the
yoke," the Hindu knight explained.

"But they don't drive oxen in the United States with a pair of rope reins,
as this fellow does," said Scott.

"I have seen them do so in North Carolina," added Morris, who had travelled
in the South with his parents.

"I give it up, and it's all right. But what is that man in the cart? Is he
a Grand Mogul?"

"Hardly," replied Sir Modava, laughing. "The driver is the lowest caste of
laborers, who works for fivepence a day, and supports his family on it. The
man inside is the cook of a Parsee merchant I happen to know, and probably
he is going to market to buy supplies for the family. But here we are at
the tailor's. You can continue your ramble, and your servants can tell you
the way, and what the buildings are."

The two gentlemen entered the tailor's shop; for there are no stores here
any more than in London.

CHAPTER XVII

A HOSPITAL FOR THE BRUTE CREATION

The live boys did not care much for the buildings, though most of those of
a public character were architecturally very fine. Around a large open
space they found the Town Hall, the Mint, and all the great mercantile
establishments. At the time of the young people's visit, it was almost
entirely abandoned by those who had held possession of it during the day.
Business hours are from ten in the forenoon till four in the afternoon.

Before and after these hours the Fort, as the business section of the city
is called, is deserted. This quarter was formerly surrounded by walls or
ramparts, which have now been removed; but in its limits is concentrated
the great wealth of Bombay. There are no dwellings within this territory,
which is consecrated to trade and commerce; and both Europeans and natives
hasten at the early closing hour to their homes at Colaba, the Esplanade,
Mazagon, Malabar Hill, and Breach Candy, the latter on the seashore.

In front of the Grant buildings they found the Cotton-Green, deserted now,
though the stacks of bales were still there, with a few sheds and shanties.
A few half-naked coolies and policemen were loitering about the place; but
it is not convenient for a thief to carry off a bale of cotton on his back,
and a bullock cart in this locality would excite suspicion. In business
hours this is a busy place; and the Parsee and native merchants, robed in
loose white garments, not all of them indulging in the luxury of trousers,
reclining on the bales, or busy with customers, form a picturesque scene.

"I don't think this is the right time to explore this region," suggested
Scott. "We had better come down here when there is something going on."

"You are right, Scott," replied Louis; "and I dare say Miss Blanche has had
enough of the palanquin, or will have by the time we get back to the hotel,
for we are more than a mile from it."

"I don't think I like a palanquin as well as a carriage," replied the young
lady. "If you please, I should like to walk back."

She was promptly assisted to alight, and the palanquin bearers were paid so
liberally that they did not complain at being discharged so far from the
hotel. Sayad and Moro were sent ahead to lead the way, while the other two
walked behind. On their arrival at the Victoria, they found all the rest of
the tourists assembled in the parlor, to whom they gave an account of what
they had seen.

They went to the saloon in which dinner was served, closely followed
by their servants; and the scene there was decidedly unique to the
Americans, for there were as many servants as guests. The hotel furnishes
no attendants, and each visitor brings his own. But as soon as all were
seated, order came out of confusion, and the service proceeded. The dishes
were somewhat peculiar; but Sir Modava explained them to the commander and
Mrs. Belgrave, while Lord Tremlyn rendered a similar service to the
Woolridges and Louis, and Dr. Ferrolan to the professional gentlemen of the
company.

"I think you will find this fish very good," said his lordship, as the
second course came on. "It is the _bummaloti_, sometimes called the
Bombay duck, something like both the salmon and the trout. It is a
salt-water fish, abundant off this coast, where it is extensively taken,
salted, and dried, to be sent to all parts of India."

"It is elegant," said Mr. Woolridge, who was an epicure.

The roast beef and chickens were very good, and the fruit was highly
appreciated. The dinner finished, the party returned to the sitting-room,
and found themselves very nearly alone. At the suggestion of Captain
Ringgold, Lord Tremlyn consented to give the travellers some information in
regard to the city of Bombay.

"When I consider what a vast extent of territory you are to explore in
India," the speaker began, "I realize that not much of your time must be
taken up in long discourses, and especially not in lengthy introductions.
Bombay, the western province of the peninsula, includes twenty-four British
districts and nineteen native states, the latter governed wholly or in part
by Hindu rulers. This word Hindu, I repeat, properly applies to only a
portion of this country, but has come into use as a name for the entire
region.

"This is the Bombay Presidency, with a governor appointed by the crown, a
Legislative Council, a mixed garrison of English and native soldiers, under
a local commander-in-chief. That is all I shall say of the presidency,
which is one of three in India.

"The city of Bombay occupies the south end of the island of the same name,
and is one of a group of several, of which Salsette is the largest, with
which Bombay Island, eleven miles in length, is connected by causeways,
over which the railway passes. The business part is at the Fort, where we
landed, and the bazaars extend from that in the direction of Mazagon, which
lies to the north and east of it.

"You will find here many public buildings and commercial structures which
compare favorably with similar edifices in any city of the world; and we
shall see them to-morrow forenoon. The Princess Dock, where the great
steamship lines land their merchandise, cost a million sterling. Three or
four miles off this dock, to the eastward, you saw a couple of islands, the
farther one of which is Elephanta, with its wonderful cave, which you will
visit.

"The western terminus of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway is here, and
with its connections it extends all over India. This is the first port
usually reached by vessels from Europe, though Kurrachee is nearer. It is
the great mail port; and I have seen landed at Dover thirty tons of
post-bags, sent from here by Suez and through Europe by the Orient Express.

"Bombay now exceeds Calcutta in the extent of its commerce. The principal
exports are cotton, wheat, shawls, opium, coffee, pepper, ivory, and gums;
and the chief imports are the manufactured goods of England, metals, wine,
beer, tea, and silks. The prominent industries of the city and its vicinity
are dyeing, tanning, and metal working. It has sixty large steam-mills. Of
the vast population, now approaching a million, not more than 13,000 are
British-born. The water here is excellent, for it is brought from a lake
fifteen miles north of us.

"Goa is still a Portuguese possession, nearly three hundred miles down the
coast; and a year before they captured it they took possession of this
island, in 1509. They held it till 1661, when it was ceded to England as a
part of the dowry of the Infanta Catharine, who became queen of Charles II.
That is all I need say at present."

The next morning after breakfast the carriages bespoken were at the door.
The party seated themselves in the vehicles, which were English, and quite
commodious, according to their own fancies; and it need only be said that
the commander was in the one with Mrs. Belgrave, and Louis with Miss
Blanche. The viscount directed the driver of his carriage to pass through
Cruikshank Road to the Parsees' Bazaar, which is just north of the Fort.
Most of the Parsees and Bhorahs who do business here reside in the same
section; and there were many fine houses there, though they are abundantly
able to live at Breach Candy and Malabar Hill, the abode of the
_elite_. The vehicles stopped at an attractive point, and the party
alighted. They went into several shops, and were treated with the utmost
politeness and attention.

In one of them they were invited into a small rear saloon, magnificently
furnished, where they were presented by Lord Tremlyn to a Parsee gentleman.
He was dignity and grace united. He was dressed in white throughout, except
his cap, or turban, which was of darker material. He wore trousers, with
white socks and slippers. His shirt appeared to be outside of his trousers,
like the Russians, with a sort of vest over it. He wore a long coat, shaped
like a dressing-gown, reaching nearly to the floor.

He was kind enough to call in his wife and little daughter. Both of them
had pleasing faces. The lady wore a rich dress and a magnificent shawl,
with a head-dress of gold and diamonds. The little girl had on bagging
trousers like the Turkish women, and a heavily embroidered tunic, and both
of them wore Indian slippers, with the toes turned up.

The ladies of the party were presented to the lady. She spoke English
correctly and fluently, and the interview between them was exceedingly
interesting to both sides. The Americans did not meddle with forbidden
topics, as they had been cautioned not to do, such as their religion and
burial rites; but they could not help thinking of this elegant lady's
comely form being torn to pieces by the crows and vultures in the Tower of
Silence with absolute horror.

From the Bazaar the carriages proceeded through the Fort, and the public
buildings were pointed out to them. At the Cotton-Green they got out; for
the place was now alive with Parsees and other merchants, with plenty of
coolies, some of whom were moving bales, and others sorting cotton. From
this locality they rode through Colaba, and saw some native dwellings, as
well as some fine European residences, with beautiful gardens around them.
They alighted near the most southern point, and inspected a "bungalow,"
which they were politely invited to enter. It was fitted up with a view to
comfort rather than elegance, and the interior appeared as though it might
be delightfully cool in the heat of summer.

"What do you call that house?" asked Mrs. Belgrave, as they returned to the
road, which they call them all over the city, and not streets.

"A bungalow," replied Sir Modava.

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