which I had ordered." The people seemed satisfied, and ran off. Abdullah, when I came up, said that he thought this would be the case, and that there would be no occasion to trouble me with the matter, which was probably only a quarrel amongst the villagers themselves. The message from the nearest village came by one of the King's hurkarus, who accompanied me, and in fact required no answer. I saw no trace of the five hundred men as I passed it, and should be much surprised if one hundred effective men could have been found in it. At all events my escort would have chased them all. At Suromunuggur I found the tents peaceably pitched, the sentries posted, and every thing with the appearance of quiet. The Foujdar, however, though he had sent some milk, and a fine kid for my use, and a little firewood for the kitchen, was still jealous and uneasy at our neighbourhood. He did not like to admit us indiscriminately into his bazar, and promised that two of my servants and two of the sepoys should come in, to market for the rest. I returned answer, through Abdullah, that it was my particular order that not a single soldier or servant of mine should leave their places; that we only wanted food, and the usual necessaries for travellers, and that if his tradesmen would bring their baskets out into the field, they would find us no bad customers. Four or five people of this sort came out accordingly, as well as some labouring men, who, for an ana each, brought as much wood and grass as were sufficient for the party. The only quarrel which occurred, was from the misconduct of one of the elephant-drivers, always a brutish and impudent set, who began to help himself and his animal out of a field of maize. The old man to whom it belonged, came to me with a lamentable outcry, but was satisfied, since, indeed, no estimable harm had yet been done, with my making the fellow give back the little he had taken, and threatening him with a flogging. The kid which had been brought I saw paid for; and as I did not want it myself, gave it to the King's suwarrs, whose conduct and countenance throughout the discussion had been extremely good and soldierly. In the course of the day all jealousies seemed to have passed; and when I went for my evening's walk, merely adding a couple of spearmen to my yesterday's cortège, I asked if they would let me go into the village, and found no objection made; indeed, they said, the King's Aûmeen and the Foujdar were already well reconciled. The fortress is pretty much like a large serai, surrounded by a high brick wall, with round towers at the flanks, and two gothic gateways opposite to each other. That by which I entered had a tall iron-studded door like a college, with a small wicket in one leaf, which alone was now open; within, on each side of the 350 66 DESERTION OF A SEPOY. passage, was a large arched recess, about three feet from the ground, where were seated twelve or fifteen men, armed as usual, with one or two guns, and matches lighted, but mostly having bows and arrows: all had swords and shields. They rose and salamed very respectfully as I came in, and I passed on through a narrow street of mud houses, some looking like warehouses, and the whole having more the air of a place where the peasantry of a small district were accustomed to secure their stores, than the usual residence of any considerable number of people. Half way along this street I was met by the Foujdar himself, a peasant like the rest, and the old Aûmeen, who came out of a house together. The latter had every appearance of having been drinking, but said he had been at his daily work, arranging with his friend here, matters for Huzoor's comfort and progress next day!" After salutation I went on to the opposite gate, which was supplied with warders in the same way as the previous one, and then entered a little straggling bazar, which, with some scattered huts, completed the hamlet. I saw no mosque, but a small pagoda, and the warders were, apparently, not Mussulmans, but Hindoos, which I had previously found was also the case with my old Aûmeen. Thus ended a day which had a commencement apparently so formidable, but of which I cannot help entertaining some doubt that the difficulty was, in the first instance, considerably exaggerated by Abdullah and the other servants, partly to increase the apparent dignity and prudence of the answer returned, partly from the love of the marvellous which the vulgar in all countries cherish. I was not sorry, however, to have witnessed this little specimen of the warlike habits of Oude. The jemautdar told me during my walk, that these people and those of the other village had long been on bad terms, and that many men had been killed on each side. This will perhaps account both for the anger of the one party in the morning, when they thought that we were leaving their enemies to sponge on them, as also for the benevolent offer of the other to lend us their best aid in injuring their neighbours. But, altogether, it was not unpleasant to find myself at the head of so respectable a force as to make it extremely improbable that any of these hot-bloods would court a quarrel. Some little adventures had occurred during this journey, in the detail of my escort, which I forgot to mention in their places. A sepoy had deserted with his musket and clothes, which I chiefly notice, because it was regarded as utterly hopeless and idle to pursue, or even to describe him in my report of the circumstance to the officer of the next station, and still more, because his desertion was spoken of by all in the camp with surprise, and as if it were the voluntary abandonment of a comfortable situation. Two other sepoys had been ill for several days in much the same way with myself; I had treated them in a similar manner, and they were now doing well; but being brahmins of high caste, I had much difficulty in conquering their scruples and doubts about the physic which I gave them. They both said that they would rather die than taste wine. They scrupled at my using a spoon to measure their castor oil, and insisted that the water in which their medicines were mixed, should be poured by themselves. only. They were very grateful, however, particularly for the care I took of them when I was myself ill, and said repeatedly that the sight of me in good health would be better to them than all medicines. They seemed now free from disease, but recovered their strength more slowly than I did; and I was glad to find that the soubahdar said he was authorized, under such circumstances, to engage a hackery at the Company's expense, to carry them till they were fit to march. He mentioned this in consequence of my offering them a lift on a camel, which they were afraid of trying. Another sepoy, a very fine young fellow, called on me this evening to beg permission to go to see a brother who was with some companies cantoned at a little frontier post, eight coss to our left hand, the name of which I forget. He said that as he was to go into Rajapootana, he did not know when he should meet him again; and added that he could easily travel the eight coss that night, and would rejoin me at Shahjehanpoor. I told him not to hurry himself to do so, but to take the straight northern road to Bareilly, by which means he might fall in with me before I reached that city, and that I would give him a pass for four days. He was much delighted; and I mention the circumstance chiefly to show the falsehood of the common notion, that these poor people will take no trouble for the sake of their kindred. A pretty trout stream, named like the large river at Lucknow, the Goomty, winds under the walls of Suromunuggur, through a beautiful carpet of green wheat, interspersed with noble trees. It is strange, indeed, how much God has done to bless this land, and how perversely man has seemed bent to render His bounties unavailing! From Suromunuggur we proceeded, on the 9th, to Oudunpoor, five coss and a half. We passed in our way through Shahabad, a considerable town, or almost city, with the remains of fortifications, and many large houses. Oudunpoor is what would be called a moderate-sized market town in England. It has a fine "tope" (or grove) of mangoe trees adjoining, where the tents were pitched, covering six or eight acres, with a little shrine of Siva in the middle, and an open shed near it. The country is chiefly cultivated with cotton. This place also, some years ago, bore a very bad character, and is still dangerous for persons without a guard. On a frontier, it may be well supposed, idle and mischievous people, the refuse of both countries, are likely to establish themselves; but by what I learned, both here and at Shahjehanpoor, there is little to choose in this respect between the two sides of the boundary line. An old man, 109 years of age, was brought to my tent to beg to-day. He had his bodily organs perfect, but was apparently childish. He was evidently regarded with great veneration, both by the country people and my own servants, who said, "He must have been a good man to be allowed to live so long." In India, indeed, where the average duration of human life runs so low, such instances are naturally reckoned more wonderful than in the north of Europe. I know not how the idle stories arose, which are found in the ancient Greek writers, of Indian longevity. I remember Malte Brun supposes they must have been taken from the upper provinces; but here, in one of the finest and healthiest climates of the whole east, the age of man very seldom exceeds seventy. This old man had no means of support but begging, and his character of a religious person; he was, however, very cleanly and neatly dressed, with a large chaplet of beads, and was attended, to all appearance very carefully, by a man who called himself his disciple. Some men came with two young bears, exactly like those at Barrackpoor, and very tame. They wanted to make them fight before me, which I declined, but gave the men a trifle, and the bears my remaining stock of stale bread, for which I had no more human use. I asked where they were caught, and they told me in the mountains of Bundlecund. In the evening I walked round the town, before the principal house of which, under a spreading tree, I found the old Aûmeen, stripped all but his waistcloth, cooking his supper in the simple manner of a Hindoo. He followed me shortly after, and begged to introduce the principal “mohajun," or merchant, of the place, who wanted to see me. He was, as it appeared, a dealer in cloth, and in the other multiform commodities which generally stock an English country shop; a fat man, with a red turban, warmly and plainly, but neatly dressed, and looking like one well to pass in the world. He told me, in Eastern style, that my fame had gone through all the country, and that I was considered as the only great man who had come from foreign parts to Lucknow, with less disposition to take than to give money. "Most of them," he said, "come to strip us poor people." I certainly found myself, this evening, rather the sheared than the shearer, inasmuch as I had to take leave of the King of Oude's people, and give them their presents; they were all well satisfied with what they received. SHAHJEHANPOOR. I had, again to-day, given up the goat, which was brought for my use, to the suwarrs, and I found that these two successive dinners pleased them far more than even their fee, as being less expected. Nothing, however, seemed to give so much satisfaction to the jemautdar as a certificate under my hand, and with my great seal, of his good conduct. The Aûmeen also, who, besides a couple of coarse shawls, got forty rupees, was greatly delighted with a similar paper, kissing the seal, and pressing it to his forehead with high respect. I told them I wished them to see me over the frontier next day, but they said they hoped for my permission to escort me fairly to Shahjehanpoor. November 10.-From Oudunpoor to Shahjehanpoor is seven coss, of the same cultivated country. The frontier here is only an ideal line. Soon after I had entered the Company's territories, I was met by ten suwarrs, very gaily dressed, but neither so fine men, nor so well mounted, as those of the King. They had been sent to meet me by Mr. Neave, the judge of Shahjehanpoor. With them and the King's people, who would not relinquish their station, I rode on in high style, Cabul, (the name of my horse,) showing off in his best manner, as being much animated by so numerous a company; though, as we pranced up the street of Shahjehanpoor, I could not help thinking, that in the midst of this barbarous cavalcade, with musketeers, spearmen, and elephants closing the procession, my friends at home would have had some difficulty in recognising me, or believing me to be a man of peace. At the entrance of the town I passed the river Gurruk, a quiet, winding stream, over a little mean old bridge, by the side of a expense much more splendid one, begun some months since at the of the ex-minister of Oude, the Hukeem Mendee, who has a house and considerable property within the British territories in this district. The bridge would, if completed, have been a very good and extensive one, but is now much dilapidated, a great part of the unfinished work having fallen in during the rains. Shahjehanpoor is a large place, with some stately old mosques, and a castle. These are mostly ruinous, but the houses are in good plight. The bazars show marks of activity and opulence, and I could not help observing that there really is a greater appearance of ease, security, and neatness among the middling and lower classes of the Company's subjects, than among those of the King of Oude. I found my tent pitched just beyond the town, not far from the gates of the Compound of Mr. Campbell, the collector of the district, whose guest I was to be. I breakfasted and dined with him, and met most of the gentlemen of the station. I found no professional duties to perform; but endeavoured, |