Across India; Or, Live Boys in the Far East

by Oliver Optic

  CHAPTER XXVI

  THE MAGNIFICENT PROCESSION OF THE SOWARI

  Felix had to repeat his story, and he was regarded as quite a hero by theAmericans, though Sir Modava and other natives thought but little of it.Mrs. Blossom continued to scold at him for not running away from theserpents.

  "How could I run away when I was surrounded by the snakes?" demanded Felix,when the worthy lady's discipline became somewhat monotonous to him. "If Ihad done what you say I should certainly have been bitten. I did better: Iclimbed the tree, and bagged the whole four at my leisure."

  "But snakes can climb trees," persisted the excellent woman.

  "I suppose they can, but they don't always; and I knew the one nearest mewouldn't do much climbing with a hole through his head. Besides, they saythe cobra does not come at you unless you meddle with him, like therattlesnake. I suppose I disturbed them, and they hoisted the flags to letme know they were in town. I wanted to reduce the number of the varmints alittle."

  "But why did Khayrat tell me I ought not to have shot a monkey?" askedMorris.

  "Because monkeys are harmless, and the Hindus consider them sacred. Beforeyou get to Calcutta you will find them housed in temples. Besides, thenatives are very tender of all animals," replied Sir Modava.

  "In the hospital for lame ducks and superannuated bullfrogs we visited inBombay, do they take in sick cobras?" asked Felix. "Do they nurse lametigers?"

  "They do not; it would not be quite safe to do so. Morris, the monkey youshot will be decently buried," said the Hindu gentleman.

  "I am willing; for, though they eat them in some countries, I don't hankerafter any monkey-flesh," replied the young hunter. "I met a man at myfather's house who had lived for years in Africa, and he said they ate theboa-constrictor there,--the natives did, not the white people."

  "So I have heard; but many Hindus never eat meat at all," added Sir Modava,as the party retired to dress for dinner.

  The party were to dine at the palace with the Guicowar, and it was to be astate dinner. Though contrary to Hindu etiquette, the ladies were allinvited, and they were treated with "distinguished consideration." It was avery elaborate occasion, and a few speeches were made at the last of it.The principal one was by the king himself, who enlarged upon his relationswith Lord Tremlyn and Sir Modava, whom he regarded as two of his bestfriends.

  From this point, he dwelt upon his esteem for the commander of theGuardian-Mother, who had rendered a service to India in saving them fromcertain death, which they, better than he, could understand and appreciate.

  Captain Ringgold and General Noury made fitting replies; and the partyreturned, escorted by a score of torch-bearers, to the "Garden of Pearls"as the summer palace in which they were lodged was called. They appearedearly in the morning, and after they had taken their coffee Louis and Felixtook a long walk outside the palace walls. At the gate they saw a littleanimal which seemed disposed to make friends with them. They had broughttheir guns with them, and Felix was on the point of firing at him whenLouis interposed.

  "That's a mongoose," said the latter. "Haven't you heard of him?"

  "Never did."

  "The creature is a sort of ichneumon, with a long body, extending back ofhis hind legs, which gradually decreases in size till it becomes his tail.His body is long, even without the portion of it which belongs to hiscaudal appendage. He has a small head and a sharp nose, and is somethinglike a weasel. He has the reputation of being the great serpent-killer ofIndia, and many wonderful stories are told of him. He is very useful abouta house in destroying rats and other small nuisances."

  The mongoose ran along ahead of the boys while Louis told what he knewabout him. Felix protested that a little fellow like that couldn't doanything with such a cobra as he had shot the day before, for the snake wasa trifle more than five feet long. They had gone but a short distancefarther before Khayrat stepped out from a tree which had concealed him.

  "There's a cobra in here somewhere," said the officer, who was one of theking's huntsmen. "I brought out my mongoose, but the little rascal has leftme."

  "There he is, just ahead of us," replied Louis. "He seems like a kitten, heis so tame."

  "He is my pet, and I am very fond of him, for I think he saved my lifeonce. I was just on the point of stepping on a cobra when Dinky attackedthe snake and killed him after a fight," added Khayrat. "I think he is onthe track of the enemy, for the serpent killed two chickens last night."

  "There he is!" exclaimed Felix, as he brought his gun to his shoulder.

  "Don't fire! Let Dinky take care of him; for my pet is spoiling for afight, as one of the Americans said yesterday," interposed Khayrat.

  The serpent was a large one, though not equal in size to the one Felix hadshot the day before. He had erected his head, and spread out his hood, andhe looked as ugly as sin itself. He knows all about the mongoose, and seemsto have an instinctive hatred of his little but mighty enemy.

  The little snake-killer made a spring at him, and then skilfully whirledhimself around so that the snake could not bite him. Dinky knew what he wasabout all the time; and though his foe struck at him several times, hedodged him and put in several bites. After considerable manoeuvring, thesnake appeared to have had enough of it, and deemed it prudent to beat aretreat. He dropped on the ground, and headed for a thicket; but this wasjust what Dinky wanted. He sprang upon the neck of the cobra, placing hisfore-paws on him, and then crushed his spine with his sharp teeth. Theserpent was dead, after writhing an instant.

  The fight was ended, and Khayrat caressed the victor. Louis declared thatthe mongoose was a friend worth having, and immediately made a bargain withthe huntsman to procure him a couple of them, and send them to Calcutta.They returned to the palace; and at the breakfast-table Louis told thestory of the battle, in which all the Americans were much interested. Butthe business of the forenoon was the great Sowari, or public procession;and the party were conveyed in carriages to the pavilion, from the verandaof which they were to see the spectacle. An abundance of easy-chairs wasprovided for them, and they were made very comfortable.

  It required more than an hour for the procession to pass the point ofobservation; and when the last of it had disappeared in the distance allthe Americans declared that they had never seen anything, even in Europe,which could be compared with it in variety and magnificence. It was anOriental spectacle, and the tourists could easily believe they hadwitnessed a pageant that had stepped out of the pages of the "ArabianNights."

  First came the regular soldiers of the Maharajah, who were sepoys, allunder the command of English officers; and they marched like veterans whohad been drilling half their lives. They were followed by a company ofArabs, who seemed to have been imported for the occasion. Sir Modavaexplained what the troops were as they passed. Next came a whole squadronof Mahratta cavalry, which looked as though they were serviceable soldiersof that arm, for they were good riders, well mounted, and were all lustyfellows.

  After the cavalry came a troop of dromedaries with small cannons mounted ontheir backs, with gunners to work the pieces. The military portion of theprocession was completed by several regiments of the Guicowar's specialarmy. Following the household troops, apparently acting as an escort, camethe royal standard-bearer, a personage of decided importance in an Orientalpageant. He was mounted alone on a huge elephant, magnificently caparisonedand adorned with the royal standard, a flag of cloth-of-gold, on a longstaff.

  In front of the elephant marched a band of eighteen or twenty nativemusicians, playing upon all sorts of Indian instruments, includingtom-toms, lutes, like flageolets, cymbals, and horns. Surrounding the greatbeast that had the honor to bear the flag of the Mahratta States werenumerous horsemen, all clothed in the richest Oriental costumes, armed withspears and curved sabres, with shining shields, and steel gauntlets ontheir hands. All these, and all the others, wore white turbans,picturesquely folded.

  Behind the standard-bearer were two m
ore elephants, each decked in all thesplendor of the East; and mounted upon them were some of the greatdignitaries of the court, over whom servants held highly fringed andornamented umbrellas. In the procession was a troop of camels, all dressedout in the style of the horses and elephants. To say that the Americanswere dazzled by the splendor of the scene would be to state it very mildly,for they were literally confounded and overwhelmed; and yet they had notseen the great feature of the spectacle, the Guicowar himself. Sir Modavahad to talk very fast to describe the scene as it passed before them.

  A dozen men, handsomely dressed like all the others, presently appeared,each bearing on a long pole something that looked like a crown. This was asort of incense-censor, in which perfumes were burned, and from which acolumn of blue vapor proceeded. They were immediately before one of theking's elephants, which now came in front of the veranda. He was a giganticcreature, bearing on his back a howdah of solid gold. He was robed like theothers, and the portions of his skin in sight were fantastically painted invarious designs.

  The howdah was surmounted by two pyramidal roofs, one in front of theother, supported by small columns. At the end of the elephant's tusks,which were sawed off square, were attached bouquets of rich feathers. Oneach side of the huge beast was a platform, suspended at the outside bygolden cords, on which stood four men very richly dressed. One of thembears the hook, or pipe, presented to the Guicowar by the viceroy, anotherwaves a banner, and the others flourish fans of peacock feathers. In frontof the mahout is planted an ornament reaching nearly to the top of thehowdah.

  The golden howdah was presented by the Queen and Empress of India, andglitters with diamonds and other precious stones. The two domes make itlook like two pavilions, and in the forward one sits the Guicowar in solemndignity. He wears a tunic of scarlet velvet, which is covered with gold anddiamonds. In fact, he seems to have diamonds enough to freight a schooner.Either he or one of his predecessors purchased a brilliant for which hepaid the bagatelle of four hundred thousand dollars. Under the rearpavilion, and behind him, is the king's prime minister.

  One of the officials at his side is the king's herald, who unfolds a flagof cloth-of-gold, and flourishes it before the people, and there are notless than a hundred thousand of them in the streets. As he does so heannounces in good Hindustanee and in a loud voice a proclamation:"_Srimunt Sircar! Khunderao Guicowar! Sena Khas Khel! ShamsharBahadoor!_"

  "Exactly so," said Felix in a low tone.

  "I suppose it is not given to outsiders to know what all that means?" addedLouis.

  "Certainly it is," replied Sir Modava. "It means, 'Behold the King ofKings, Khunderao Guicowar, whose army is invincible, whose courage isindomitable.'"

  "Is that in a Pickwickian sense?" asked Scott.

  "Not at all, for the Guicowar is as brave a man as ever put a foot intoshoe-leather, or went barefooted," replied Lord Tremlyn, "though there is alittle exaggeration common to the Orient in the proclamation."

  As his Majesty came in front of the veranda the party rose and saluted himwith low bows, and the waving of handkerchiefs by the ladies. He respondedwith a kingly smile and a graceful wave of the hand. The procession passedon, and shortly afterwards the booming cannon announced that the moment ofthe solemn benediction had come. The attentive officials of the courtpresently appeared with the carriages, and an invitation to the wholecompany to dine with the Guicowar again at his table.

  They had to wait an hour for the king, but they found enough to interestthem in observing the coming of numerous other guests. In an ante-room thefloor was almost covered with shoes, many of them of the richest material,even with precious stones upon them. Sir Modava explained that Easternetiquette required that the visitors going into the presence of theMaharajah should remove their shoes, but that Europeans and Americans wereexempt from this requirement.

  When the party entered they found the king seated in an apartment open tothe air of heaven on two sides. All were barefoot or in their stocking-feetexcept the Gruicowar, who occupied a bench, or platform, at one side. Hehad removed his state garments, and was dressed in a suit of white linen.Most of the native officials present were seated on the floor; but thegentlemen of the visitors were invited to sit with his Highness, thoughonly Lord Tremlyn and Sir Modava accepted it.