Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 727, December 1, 1877Various
History
Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 727, December 1, 1877
Various
Periodicals
'The children at this camp are all collected together and fed first,
the grown-up people afterwards. This morning I saw five thousand
children, in age from twelve to infants, mustered for breakfast. An
old gentleman with great swagger played a tom-tom with a couple of
sticks; it was in the shape of a kettle-drum, and they all mustered,
standing up in a row. M---- and I walked down two streets of these
children. They were almost all bright and happy-looking; and on being
asked if they had enough to eat, they all replied in the affirmative,
save one boy about twelve, who shook his head and smote his belly. Poor
creature; his looks confirmed his words; there he was on two legs like
walking-sticks, mere bones without an atom of muscle, on which he could
hardly stand. On being asked when he came in, he said last night. Where
were his father and mother? Oh, father, mother, brother, sister, and
he all left village together; walked many, many miles; no food. First
sister, then mother, died on the road; then brother; yesterday father;
he alone being able to reach the Relief Camp.
'This tale is only a repetition of dozens of the same. He was ordered
milk and port wine as extras; and I hope the poor orphan being will
recover. We went over the rest of the camp; saw the men and women
all sitting patiently in rows in their dreamy eastern way, silently
awaiting the summons of the tom-tom after the children's breakfast
was over, to call them to theirs. On coming to the Mohammedan women,
about thirty in number, they all promptly stood up. One could not but
be struck with their appearance, so fair-skinned, clean-looking, and
handsome, compared to the Pariahs and others. They all spoke Hindustani
of course, and were most polite and respectful. Despite the poorness of
their attire and the absence of their jewellery, they had a refined air
about them, and a superior look totally foreign to the ordinary Hindu.
One young girl I was particularly struck with; she could only have
been about fifteen, with most lovely eyes and perfect teeth, and such
a figure. Ah! I thought, if this young woman was dressed in European
clothes and was a lady, she would make a figure in London. Dressed in a
scarlet and golden saree, with bangles and other jewellery, she would
to my mind have been the realisation of my idea of an Indian princess.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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