'Up the Country': Letters Written to Her Sister from the Upper Provinces of IndiaEden, Emily
History
'Up the Country': Letters Written to Her Sister from the Upper Provinces of India
Eden, Emily
Eden, Emily, 1797-1869 -- Correspondence; India -- Description and travel
This morning we went half-way in the carriage and then got on elephants,
to meet the Rajah of Putteealah, whose territories we enter to-day. His
son came last night to meet G. He is a fine-looking boy, about eighteen.
Mr. E. says that the usual custom among the Sikhs is, that once grown
up, a boy ceases to be a son, or a brother--that he becomes an
_individual_, bound only to take care of himself; but the Putteealah
rajah has broken through this system, and has kept his son in his own
palace, under his own control. Last night was the first time he had ever
slept from under his father's roof. He had a grey-bearded tutor, who
never left his side, and an immense suite. Mr. E. says father and son
are on excellent terms. The rajah's procession was beautiful; not so
large as some of Runjeet's, but more regularly handsome, as all his
followers were equally well dressed, and their riding was very
striking. Runjeet's men cannot ride at all. Some of the men we saw this
morning put their horses into a gallop and then stood up on their
saddles, stooping down to the right and left to cut away the weeds with
their swords, very much what people do at Astley's, only there the
horses go round in a circle, which makes it more easy. Here, there is
not even a made road. Another man would ride up and fire off his
matchlock at a friend and then throw himself on the side of his horse,
hanging only by one stirrup, till his pursuer had returned the fire, and
then he would rise up again and stop his horse with the greatest ease.
Two little dwarfs rode before the rajah. We had them here this afternoon
to draw, and gave them two shawls, which pleased him much. He knows the
rules about presents in the Company's service, and when he and Mr. E.
were coming to the durbar in the evening, he saw these dwarfs strutting
along with their shawls on. He asked where they got them from; they said
the Lady Sahib gave them: upon which the rajah turned round to his Sikh
and asked, 'May they keep them?' and then laughed with Mr. E. at his
knowing exactly what the English would say. This evening the Bombay
extra arrived with news to the 27th of October; all good news.
Wednesday, Jan. 16.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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