SUBSIDING OF THE WATERS.

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year,

September 17.-After another day's sailing we moored under a high precipitous bank, which, like all those we now see, was worn into a regular succession of steps, following all the wavy lines of its face, and marking the gradual, though in this most rapid subsiding of the water. The uppermost of these was at least thirty feet above the present level of the river, and higher still the usual bank or sand-hill arose about twenty feet more. I climbed with some trouble to the top of this for my twilight walk, taking Abdullah with me. After passing the usual margin of high jungle-grass, with its beautiful silky tufts hanging over our heads, we got into a field of Indian-corn with a pretty good path through it, but no other appearance of a village, and the country, so far as the imperfect light allowed me to discover, more wild and jungly than any which I had passed since Sicligully. A brilliant light, however, beamed up among the trees at some distance, and I walked towards it in the idea that it was a cowman's cottage, and that I might get some milk, the goats I had on board being dry. On approaching it, however, and when we got within about one hundred yards, it suddenly disappeared, and we found neither path nor village. Abdullah observed, that these people could have been about no good, that it was " very like a jugglery fire, and we had better turn back again." I answered, that I thought they were more like thieves than jugglers, to which he replied it might be so, for a slip of country near us, either now was, or had been very lately under the Nawâb

4.20

NATIVE WATCHMAN.

of Oude, and was a mere nest of thieves.

"Well," said I," if they are thieves, it will not be desirable to have them so near our boats to night, and we will at least go up to the place where the fire has been. As for jugglery you know we are Christians, and the devil cannot hurt us." I had not, indeed, the smallest idea that there was risk, inasmuch as we were two of us, and my boat within hail. I felt also sure that a village was not far off, or at least a cowshed, from a shepherd's pipe which I had heard in that direction just before we landed. I still wondered we saw nothing, till I came close upon a little shed of straw, out of which a man thrust his head, and in answer to my question of "who's there?" answered "a watch." Abdullah

asked him why he had put out his light; he said that he was watching his cucumbers, that he had lighted a fire to keep off wild beasts, but on hearing our voices had covered it up with turf, lest its light should attract more company than he desired to his garden. The village, he said, was still at some distance, and with the little light which remained we should not easily find it. In fact, it was so dark by the time we returned to the bank, that I was obliged to call for a lantern to find my way down again. I asked what beasts the man had to apprehend, and he answered wild hogs and wolves; the former would certainly be likely to visit his cucumbers, and a fire might keep them at a distance, but the latter must be much more audacious in this country than in Europe, if they would come near a living and waking man. It is probable,

SNAKES.

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421

however, that the imperfect means of defence possessed by these poor people, together with their fatalist principles and consequent neglect of precautions, may give mischievous animals a greater confidence than they are likely to possess in the neighbourhood of the strong, hardy, and intelligent peasants of Russia or Sweden.

The district of which Abdullah spoke as subject to the Nawab of Oude, is about four miles a-head of our present station, and is called Lucha-geery. It was a part of the jointure of Saadut Ali Khân's mother, who refused to alienate it when Allahabad and the neighbouring provinces were ceded to the Company. Since her death it has been exchanged for a large tract of our conquests in Nepaul. While subject to the Begum and the Nawâb, it was indeed a nest of thieves, but is now under the same police with the rest of the Company's territories.

The day had been as hot as its predecessor, but towards sun-set a light pleasant air sprung from the east, in which quarter also I saw a collection of clouds with some lightning, and other indications of rain, if not immediately, yet, it might be hoped, in a day or two.

September 18. This morning, as I was at breakfast, the alarm was given of a great snake in the after-cabin, which had found its way into a basket containing two caps, presents for my wife and myself from Meer Ushruff Ali of Dacca. It was immediately, and without examination, pronounced to be a large "Chichta," cobra de capello, and caused great alarm amongst my servants;

however, on dislodging it from its retreat, it merely proved to be a water-snake. It appeared to have been coiled up very neatly round the fur of the cap, and though its bite would not have been venomous, would certainly have inflicted a severe wound on any body who had incautiously opened the basket. I had once or twice since leaving Chunar, fancied I heard a gentle hissing, but the idea of a snake in the boat seemed so improbable, that I attributed it to different causes, or to fancy. Much wonder was expressed at finding it in such a place, but as I have seen one of the same kind climb a tree, it is probable that it had ascended one of the ropes by which the boat is moored at night. I had heard at Patna of a lady who once lay a whole night with a cobra de capello under her pillow; she repeatedly thought during the night that something moved, and in the morning when she snatched her pillow away, she found the thick black throat, the square head, and green diamond-like eye, advanced within two inches of her neck. The snake was without malice, his hood was uninflated, and he was merely enjoying the warmth of his nest; but, alas! for her, if she had during the night pressed him a little too roughly!

The banks under Lucha-geery are more than usually picturesque, being very lofty and steep, covered down to high-water mark with beautiful pendant creepers, and backed by a considerable jungle. The stream was so rapid that we were obliged to cross to the other side, and fortunately had a light easterly breeze again to assist us. The

sun, however, was, I think, hotter than ever. I was amused to find that these boatmen have the same fancy with our English sailors about whistling for a wind.

Within these few days all the vermin part of Noah's household seem to have taken a fancy to my little ark. To the scorpions, the cock-roaches, the ants, and the snake, were added this morning two of the largest spiders I ever saw, and such as I regretted afterwards I did not preserve in spirits. In a bottle they would have made monsters fit for the shelf of any conjuror in Christendom. About three o'clock, as we were doubling a sand-bank, some fishermen came on board with a large fish, which they called "Rooh," something like a carp, and weighing, I should guess, twenty pounds, for which they only asked six anas, and I bought it for my servants. I asked if they had any more, on which they produced two others, between them a fair load for an ass, and of a kind which I never saw before. They were ugly fish, with heads a little like toads, a smooth skin without scales, of a pale olive colour, one high dusky-coloured upright fin on the back, and another on each side, with a forked tail; their name " Baghee." Abdullah said they were eatable and wholesome, so I bought them also as a feast for the dandees. The Mussulmans, however, objected to them on the Mosaic ground of having no scales, so that they fell to the share exclusively of the Hindoos, who form the crews of the baggage and cook-boats, and they were beyond measure delighted and grateful. Two