Page:Letters from India Vol 1.djvu/259

 England. I suspect—I don’t positively know—but I strongly suspect that that is their method. They will feel pretty considerably surprised and baffled when they see our aristocratic, intellectual camel trotting among their mercenary trading herd.

Your heron’s plume, dearest! I’m so sorry and ashamed that it is not yet on its way to England; but it is no fault of mine, and you shall have it still. Our slowness here in procuring anything not immediately under our hand is supernaturally great.

The argala is too clever a bird to remain on this large, green, swampy tablecloth we call Bengal, when it can fly off to the hills, and on the hills only it is to be found; also, I believe each bird produces only two feathers of the kind you mention. It is more than a year since I have seen one accustomed thing, except the living things that came with me. Every now and then, the strangeness of everything around strikes me as if I had not now been used to it for months. Last evening, persuaded me, instead of going that tiresome straight carriage road, to come up with him, in his boat. He has six native rowers with scarlet