'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
I sent off my last Journal from Rajghaut, March 23. We got all our goods
over the river on Friday evening, and marched Saturday, 24th. The
regiment and the cavalry went the straight road, and we made an awfully
long march of seventeen miles towards the hills. It was the last day of
the dear open carriage, which has been the only comfort of my life in
this march. Nothing is so tiresome as all the miserable substitutes for
it--three miles of elephant and four of tonjaun, and then a pony. Both
men and cattle get so tired in a long march, or when they are employed
every day. The road is very pretty all through the Dhoon, and much
cooler than the plains. Chance is better, thank you. I knew you would
feel anxious about him. His constitution is dreadfully Indianised; but
perhaps the hills, and a judicious change of diet, may be of use.
However, he is done for as an English dog; he is just the sort of dog
you see at Cheltenham.
We came up to Nahun yesterday morning by means of elephants and
jonpauns. The road was very steep, but nothing like that to Mussoorie.
The Rajah of Nahun met us at the last stage, and came up the hill with
us to-day. He has his palace at the top, a sort of hill fort, and about
100 soldiers--imitations of our soldiers--and a band of mountaineers,
who played 'God save the Queen' with great success. He is one of the
best-looking people I have seen, and is a Rajpoot chief, and rides, and
hunts, and shoots, and is active. Nothing can be prettier than the
scenery, and altogether Nahun is the nicest residence I have seen in
India; and if the rajah fancied an English ranee, I know somebody who
would be very happy to listen to his proposals. At the same time, they
do say that the hot winds sometimes blow here, and that his mountains
are not quite high enough; and those points must be considered before I
settle here.
This morning we have been to see the palace, which is an odd collection
of small rooms, painted and gilded in curious patterns--of course, no
tables and chairs; and indeed the _only_ piece of furniture in the house
was an English barrel-organ, and in one of the rooms downstairs there
was a full-grown tiger, tolerably tame, and a large iron pot full of
milk for his dinner.
Naramghur, March 28.
We rejoined the other camp this morning. We came down the mountains from
Nahun on Monday afternoon with great success as far as we were
concerned, but a great many of the camels suffered from it, and we
passed several utterly unable to move. G. and I rode the last five
miles. By remaining at Nahun till the afternoon, we reduced ourselves to
one tent--all the others were obliged to go on for to-day's use, and
there is something particularly uncomfortable in a general tent.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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