'Why, you see, my lord, I had a long job of it. The old man was a-saying of his prayers, and all the time he was praying, he was a-looking after my horses. At last he gets up, and I was tired of waiting in all that sun. But law! Miss Eden, then comes that picture that you've been a-painting of; and then the old man sends for his sirdar, and that sirdar and they all go down on their knees, a matter of sixty of them, and first one has a look and then the other, and Runjeet he asked me such a many questions, I wished the picture further. He talked about it for an hour and a half, and I telled him I never seed the Queen. How should I? I have been here with two Governor-Generals, and twelve years in India above that. So then he says, says he, "which Governor-General do you like best?" And I says, "Why, Maharajah, I haint much fault to find with neither of them." So then we had out the horses, and there the old man was a-running about looking at 'em, more like a coolie than a king. I never see a man so pleased, and he made me ride 'em. So, when I had been there four hours a'most, all in the sun, he give me this pair of gold bracelets and this pair of shawls; and he says, says he, "Go and show yourself to the Lord Sahib, just as you are: mind you don't take them off." But law! I did not like to come such a figure, so here they are!' B. was standing by, so I had the presence of mind to say, 'Of course Lord A. should let Webb keep those;' and he said directly, that for any actual service done, it was only payment, and they would hardly pay Webb for all the trouble he had with the young horses. So Webb went off very happy, and I suppose when we return to Calcutta Mrs. Webb will be equally so. CHAPTER XXVII. Sunday, Dec. 2, 1838. I was very much knocked up yesterday with the durbar of the day before. I never told you--such a horrid idea! That box of yours, with that lovely velvet pelisse--that blue cloak--those little '_modes_' of Mdlle. Sophie, are all food for sharks, I much fear. Pray always mention the name of the ship by which you send such treasures. You and R. both mentioned that these particular treasures sailed the last week in June; the only two ships in the list that _did_ sail then were the Seringapatam and the Protector.