'Up the Country': Letters Written to Her Sister from the Upper Provinces of IndiaEden, Emily
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'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
We came another ten miles yesterday, and always halt on Sunday. All
these places are so exactly like each other--a mere sandy plain with a
tank and a little mosque near at hand--that I never can make out why
they have any names; there is nothing to give a name to. The Rajah of
Benares marches with us till we come to his frontier, and he always
encamps within half a mile of us. He expressed a wish yesterday to see
our horses, so Captain M., who takes charge of the stables, went himself
this morning with all the whole concern. There are sixty horses
altogether in our stables--as the aides-de-camp keep theirs with ours,
and the syces are all dressed alike--so it made a very good show; and
there were 140 elephants. Captain M. and the rajah sat on two ivory
chairs, in front of the rajah's tent, and the horses and carriages and
elephants were all led round, and he asked the name of every animal, and
which each of us rode, and any that he admired he had brought round a
second time. It is one of the few civilities that amuse a native, so we
were glad it answered so well. Soon after the horses returned, the nazir
and three or four of the native servants came into my tent in great
perturbation: the rajah had sent the nazir a pair of shawls, one shawl
to the elephant jemadar, and another to G.'s mahout, and 300 rupees in
little bags for the syces and elephant coolies. And after the fuss that
was made a few days ago, about the servants taking no presents, the
nazir clearly thought he was in danger of losing his place for having
one offered to him. 'My shawls are a present, therefore, I fear,' he
said in his most timid tone. I sent for Mr. B., who said there was no
doubt that, as it was a private civility from the Governor-General to
the rajah, sending his own horses, &c. &c., that the servants might keep
their presents. I never saw people so happy as they were. Mr. Y. read
and preached so well to-day: it was the first Sunday in tents, and the
largest one was very well arranged, like a chapel. We had a larger
congregation than I expected, nearly sixty; amongst them some old
European soldiers, who looked very respectable. It was odd and rather
awful to think that sixty Christians should be worshipping God in this
desert, which is not their home, and that 12,000 false worshippers
should be standing round under the orders of these few Christians on
every point, except the only one that is of any importance; the
idolaters, too, being in their own land, and with millions within reach,
who all despise and detest our faith.
Tuesday, Nov. 28.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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