Page:The Slave Girl of Agra.djvu/78

 pavilion. Sirish and Noren sat by him, and Sirish could hardly restrain his more excitable companion from demonstrations of a boisterous joy as the race commenced.

The Debipur boats made a gallant show. Hardly visible from the distance of a mile, they gradually appeared like black specks as they came nearer, and the distant sound of the oars and the wild song of the boatmen came floating over the water. Anon the boats came nearer and nearer, like great black insects skimming over the waters with their long, outspread legs, and when at last the flags were distinctly visible, and the eight boats swept in with the splashing of oars and the wild chant of boatmen, the sightseers rose like a man and a huge uproar filled the air. The noise turned into a continuous and deafening applause as the boats came close, and the first boat swept by the winning-post with the speed of lightning. Nobo Kumar himself rose from his seat and greeted the victors as he recognised in the helmsman of the winning boat a faithful subject of Debipur. There was joy and merriment in his pavilion, and a murmur of applause and satisfaction rose from behind the screen which hid the ladies from view.

"Thou hast done well, my faithful servant, and thy brawny arms have not lost their skill since I knew thee at Debipur," said Nobo Kumar, with a gracious smile.

"To see an old master is to win," said the helmsman, with that courtesy and politeness which comes natural to people in India, even of the humblest classes.