Page:Wanderings of a Pilgrim Vol 1.djvu/362

 plans to improve the means of communication in this quarter."—Mofussil Achbar. "At five o'clock on Wednesday morning, the Great Gun at this place was burst, other means of breaking it up having proved unsuccessful. The gun was buried about twenty feet deep in the ground, and 1000 lbs. of gunpowder was employed for the explosion. The report was scarcely heard, but the ground was considerably agitated, and a large quantity of the earth was thrown on all sides. As far as we can learn, the chief engineer has at length been completely successful. A large portion of the European community and multitudes of natives were present to witness the novel spectacle. The inhabitants of the city were so alarmed, that a considerable portion abandoned their houses, and that part of the town in the vicinity of the Fort was completely deserted."—Mofussil Achbar, June 29.

July 18th.—Last night, as I was writing a long description of the tēz-pāt, the leaf of the cinnamon-tree, which humbly pickles beef, leaving the honour of crowning heroes to the ''laurus nobilis'', the servants set up a hue and cry that one of our sā'īses had been bitten by a snake. I gave the man a tea-spoonful of eau-de-luce, which the khānsāmān calls "Blue-dee-roo," mixed with a little water. They had confined the snake in a kedgeree-pot, out of which he jumped into the midst of the servants; how they ran! The sā'īs is not the worse for the fright, the snake not being a poisonous one; but he says the mem sāhiba has burnt up his interior and blistered his mouth with the medicine. I hope you admire the corruption of eau-de-luce—blue-dee-roo! Another beautiful corruption of the wine-coolers is, soup-tureen for sauterne! Here is a list of absurdities:—

Harrico, harry cook. Parsley, peter selly. Mignionette, major mint. Bubble-and-squeak, dublin cook. Decree, diggery. Christmas, kiss miss. Butcher, voucher. Prisoner, bridgeman. Champagne, simkin. Trumpeter, jan peter. Brigade major, bridget. Knole cole, old kooby.