"Oh, heavens! thought I, when I heard the old gentleman call out--'Lota! Lota, _beebee-lee_! _Kabultah, meetoowah?_'[6] and away she vanished behind the door, with a smile dropped 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 strolled slowly along, when, instead of the charming Lota, out came the flat brown turban of an ugly _kitmagar_, with a moustache, 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[7] sah'b--'ope not _dekhe_[8] after sahib cook-maid.' '_Joot baht, hurkut-jee_,'[9] said I, laughing. 'Sah'b been _my_ coontree?' inquired the Bengalee more politely. '_Jee_, yes,' I said, wishing to draw him out 'I Inglitsh can is-peek,' continued the dark footman, conceitedly; 'ver well sah'b, but one misfortune us for come i-here. Baud _carry_ make--plenty too much _poork_--too much graug drink. Termeric--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_[10] Al-il aláh? 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 moustache, 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. [6] Little girl! Do you hear, sweet one? [7] Officer.