Oh heavens! thought I, when I heard the old gentleman call out, "Lota! Lota _beebee-lee_! _Kabultah, meetoowah?_"[14] and away she vanished behind the door, with a smile to myself. The tone of the Judge's voice, and his speaking Hindoo, showed he was fond of his daughter at any rate. Off I went, too, as much confused as before, only for the new thought in my head. "The sea, the sea!" I shouted, as soon as out of hearing, and felt the wind, as 'twere, coming from aft at last, like the first ripple. "Yes, by George!" said I, "outward bound for a thousand. I'll go, if it was before the mast." All at once I remembered I didn't know the ship's name, or when. Next day, and the next again, I was skulking about my old place, but nobody appeared--not so much as a shadow inside the keyhole. At last one evening, just as I was going away, the door opened; I sauntered slowly along, when, instead of the charming Lota, out came the flat brown turban of an ugly _kitmagar_, with a mustache, looking round to see who was there. "_Salaam_, sah 'b," said the brown fellow, holding the door behind him with one paw. "_Burra judge sahib bhote bhote salaam_ send uppiser[15] sah 'b--'ope not _dekhe_[16] after sahib cook-maid." "_Joot baht, hurkut-jee_,"[17] said I, laughing. "Sah 'b been _my_ coontree?" inquired the Bengalee more politely. "_Jee_, yes," I said, wishing to draw him out. "I Inglitch can is-peek," continued the dark footman, conceitedly; "ver well sah 'b, but one _damned_ misfortune us for come i-here. Baud _carry_ make--plenty too much _poork_--too much graug drink. Turmeric--chili--banana not got--not coco-tree got--pah! Baud coontree, too much i-cold, sah 'b?" "Curse the rascal's impudence," I thought, but I asked him if he wasn't going back. "Yis, sah 'b, _such baht_[18] A-il-alàh! Mohummud _burra Meer-kea_. Bote too much i-smell _my_ coontree." "When are you going?" I asked carelessly. "Two day this time, sah 'b." "Can you tell me the name of the ship?" I went on. The Kitmagar looked at me slyly, stroked his mustache, and meditated; after which he squinted at me again, and his lips opened so as to form the magic word, "_Buckshish?_" "_Jee_," said I, holding out a crown-piece, "the ship's name and the harbour?" "Se," began he; the coin touched his palm,--"ring;" his fingers closed on it, and "Patahm," dropped from his leathery lips. "The Seringapatam?" I said. "_Ahn_, sah 'b." "London, eh?" I added; to which he returned another reluctant assent, as if it wasn't paid for, and I walked off. However, I had not got round the corner before I noticed the figure of the old gentleman himself looking after me from the doorway; his worthy Kitmagar salaaming to the ground, and no doubt giving information how the "cheep uppiser" had tried to pump him to no purpose. The Nabob looked plainly as suspicious as if I had wanted to break into his house, since he held his hand over his eyes to watch me out of sight.