Page:Wanderings of a Pilgrim Vol 1.djvu/320

 CHAPTER XXII.

ADVENTURES IN THE EAST.

Gaiety of Allahabad—Lucnow Chetnee—Tails of the Yāk—Horn of the Unicorn—The Looking-glass Shawl—The first flight of Locusts—An Adventure—The Rats' Granary—Balls—Profiles—The leaf Grass-hopper—Appointed to Allahabad—Ramohun Roy—The Bottle of Horrors—Narrative of a Thug—The Quicksand—Meteors and falling Stars—Hanging oneself for spite—The Sipahi?] Guard—The Ghurī—The Sitar—The Ektara—The Gynee Club—Soonghees—Colonel Gardner.

1832, May.—Allahabad is now one of the gayest, and is, as it always has been, one of the prettiest stations in India. We have dinner-parties more than enough; balls occasionally; a book society; some five or six billiard-tables; a pack of dogs, some amongst them hounds, and (how could I have forgotten!) fourteen spinsters!

2nd.—Colonel Gardner has sent us twelve jars of the most delicious Lucnow chutnee, the very beau ideal of mixtures of sharp, bitter, sour, sweet, hot, and cold!

This station, which in former days was thought one of the least-to-be-coveted positions, has now become, what from the first we always pronounced it to be, one of the most desirable. We have a kind neighbourly society, as much, or even more of gaiety than we sober folks require, and, mirabile, no squabbling. I hope his lordship will not disturb our coterie by moving the Boards of Revenue and of Criminal and Civil Justice higher up the country, which some think not improbable.

A friend has made me a present of a pair of the most magnificent cow-tails, of the yāk or cow of Thibet. They are great curiosities, and shall go with my collection to England. These