A Journey through the Kingdom of Oude, Volumes I & IISleeman, W. H. (William Henry), Sir
History
A Journey through the Kingdom of Oude, Volumes I & II
Sleeman, W. H. (William Henry), Sir
Oudh (India) -- Description and travel
About seven years ago a trooper belonging to the King, and in
attendance on Rajah Hurdut Sing of Bondee, alias Bumnotee, on the
left bank of the Ghagra river, in the Bahraetch district, was passing
near a small stream which flows into that river, when he saw two wolf
cubs and a boy drinking in the stream. He had a man with him on foot,
and they managed to seize the boy, who appeared to be about ten years
of age. He took him up on the pummel of his saddle, but he was so
wild and fierce that he tore the trooper's clothes and bit him
severely in several places, though he had tied his hands together. He
brought him to Bondee, where the Rajah had him tied up in his
artillery gun-shed, and gave him raw-flesh to eat: but he several
times cut his ropes and ran off; and after three months the Rajah got
tired of him, and let him go. He was then taken by a Cashmeeree
mimic, or comedian (_bhand_), who fed and took care of him for six
weeks*; but at the end of that time he also got tired of him (for his
habits were filthy), and let him go to wander about the Bondee
bazaar. He one day ran off with a joint of meat from a butcher's
shop, and soon after upset some things in the shop of a _bunneeah_,
who let fly an arrow at him. The arrow penetrated the boy's thigh. At
this time Sanaollah, a Cashmere merchant of Lucknow, was at Bondee,
selling some shawl goods to the Rajah, on the occasion of his
brother's marriage. He had many servants with him, and among them
Janoo, a khidmutgar lad, and an old sipahee, named Ramzan Khan. Janoo
took compassion upon the poor boy, extracted the arrow from his
thigh, had his wound dressed, and prepared a bed for him under the
mango-tree, where he himself lodged, but kept him tied to a tent-pin.
He would at that time eat nothing but raw flesh. To wean him from
this, Janoo, with the consent of his master, gave him rice and pulse
to eat. He rejected them for several days, and ate nothing; but Janoo
persevered, and by degrees made him eat the balls which he prepared
for him: he was fourteen or fifteen days in bringing him to do this.
The odour from his body was very offensive, and Janoo had him rubbed
with mustard-seed soaked in water, after the oil had been taken from
it (_khullee_), in the hope of removing this smell. He continued this
for some months, and fed him upon rice, pulse, and flour bread, but
the odour did not leave him. He had hardened marks upon his knees and
elbows, from having gone on all fours. In about six weeks after he
had been tied up under the tree, with a good deal of beating, and
rubbing of his joints with oil, he was made to stand and walk upon
his legs like other human beings. He was never heard to utter more
than one articulate sound, and that was "Aboodeea," the name of the
little daughter of the Cashmeer mimic, who had treated him with
kindness, and for whom he had shown some kind of attachment. In about
four months he began to understand and obey signs. He was by them
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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