Page:Wanderings of a Pilgrim Vol 2.djvu/294

 August 17th.—As to our military movements, something will be done, and danger is to be anticipated; but Russia will not be so foolish as to enter heartily into the quarrels of Persia. As for the Persians,—bah! I spit upon them, as Hājī Baba tells us they say of us. I was amused by a letter in the paper to-*day, which, speaking of the Russian Invasion, says, "We are being hemmed in all round like a pocket-handkerchief, and like it coming to blows." Are they afraid the bloodthirsty and ambitious Nicholas should push us from our stools and rob us of our salt? Eating the Company's salt is the native mode of expression for their wages of labour done under it.

Preparations for war are going on. Fifteen thousand men from Bengal, and ten thousand from Bombay are to march to Cabul, and defend that part of India in case of an attack from Russia and Persia. Burmah and Nepaul are looking hostile; we shall have war in abundance shortly. The Mahrattas talk about the "Russes;" indeed the whole bazār at Allahabad is full of it; they would have even a worse time with these ''Cupidons du Nord'', as the French called the Cossacks, than even with us, resumption regulations included.

20th.—For the last three weeks we have had rain night and day; sometimes it has cleared in the evening for two hours; any thing more unpleasant you cannot well imagine; certainly the rains are very disagreeable in the Hills.—Another plague.—The houses swarm with fleas. At first they did not attack me; for the last few nights I have hardly closed my eyes on account of their sharp fierce bites; they will worry me into a fever. To counterbalance this plague we have no musquitoes; and the climate is too cold to render a pankha necessary. How often have I remembered a poetical epistle of Mr. W. S. Rose's, beginning,

"These cursed fleas, they bite and skip so, In this Island of Calypso!"

The Hill-men say there is a certain stone which possesses a charm and keeps away fleas; this stone they put into their beds, and vow it keeps off the biters. My ayha tells me she