Page:Letters from India Vol 1.djvu/38

 that I have not seen ‘a pretty boy’ amongst them. The Admiral gave us a very early dinner on board the ‘Dublin,’ and then landed us and some of his officers; and we went off, in two hired carriages, to the Botanical Gardens, through some magnificent scenery.

November 19.

We have dined twice with the Admiral, who is as deaf as a post, but very civil—too kind. We are just come back from such a hot dinner on board the ‘Dublin,’ where we met the French admiral and all his officers, and twenty others; and there we arrived in our barge, with our hair blown all nohow; and having scrambled up an immense companion-ladder, we were clawed on board by a strange lieutenant, with all our own officers struggling after us—such figures! And tomorrow, by way of making us quite happy, the Admiral gives us a ball. It is the oddest thing that, wherever we go they fancy that a ball would be the greatest pleasure we could have; and (poor old things!) we really cannot hobble about unless they pay us for it. However, we must do so many tiresome things for the next five years, that