A Journey to Katmandu (the Capital of Napaul), with the Camp of Jung Bahadoor: Including a Sketch of the Nepaulese Ambassador at HomeOliphant, Laurence
History
A Journey to Katmandu (the Capital of Napaul), with the Camp of Jung Bahadoor: Including a Sketch of the Nepaulese Ambassador at Home
Oliphant, Laurence
Nepal -- Description and travel
had got up for the occasion, as he pointed to one of the buffalo's legs;
it had been moved an inch inwards, and that was sufficient to cause the
failure of the operation. Three or four times did this occur, and it
seemed essentially necessary to the success of the feat that the legs of
the animal should be perfectly stationary in a particular position. How
little was the buffalo aware that each movement he made prolonged his
life some seconds! I could not help thinking that there was a strong
resemblance between his position and that of Jung, for decidedly the only
chance the Minister has of his life is to keep continually moving. At
last down came the korah with crushing force, and passed right through
the animal's neck: the headless trunk tottered for a second, and then
fell heavily over.
I was horrified at seeing a second buffalo brought up for slaughter, and
my horror was greatly increased when I understood that I was expected to
exercise my skill upon it. This offer I declined as politely as I could,
accepting from the young Colonel, as a remembrance of his dexterity and
strength, the korah with which he had performed this extraordinary feat.
We next adjourned to another court-yard, which was surrounded with
bulldogs and terriers of every description,--a collection worthy the most
ardent votary of the Fancy. Two magnificent rams, which were tied up in
the corners of the yard, soon after showed us that a sport existed in
Nepaul unknown as yet to 'Bell's Life.' No sooner were these animals
untied than they dashed at one another with the utmost fury; the violence
of the shock caused the combatants to recoil, and it was a matter of
astonishment to us that their brains were not dashed out.
The whole fight consisted in their being separated and then let go at one
another again. This continued without any apparent advantage on either
side until we thought that they had inflicted punishment enough on one
another for our amusement, and then they were both tied up, and left to
meditate upon their splitting headaches and to scowl at one another
across the yard.
We walked through the Colonel's house, and found in his drawing-room the
usual collection of theatrical prints and portraits of opera-dancers,
mixed up with those of old statesmen, which he seemed to think perfectly
natural, and no doubt he fancies he has good reason for so thinking.
There were also a piano and some European luxuries strangely mingled with
barbarous inventions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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