The King's Own

by Frederick Marryat

  CHAPTER FORTY THREE.

  The unwieldy elephant, To make them mirth, used all his might, and wreathed His lithe proboscis. MILTON.

  Captain M--- remained but a few days at Calcutta, where he perceivedlittle difference between the society and that of England, remarkingonly that the gentlemen were more hospitable, and the ladies drank morebeer. But I am trespassing, notwithstanding my promise to the contrary,at the end of the last chapter. I will therefore be off at once, beforeI am decidedly guilty of a breach of faith. The _Aspasia's_ orders wereto join the admiral, who had quitted the Bay of Bengal, and proceeded toBombay, to avoid the monsoon, which was about to set in; and as therewas no time to be lost, Captain M--- did not touch at Madras, but madeall possible haste to gain the tranquil side of the peninsula. Thegovernor-general had requested that he would call at Travancore, todeliver a letter and complimentary present to the reigning queen, whoheld her possessions tributary to our government.

  The _Aspasia_ anchored off the town, and was shortly afterwards boardedby one of the ministers of the queen, a venerable Mussulman, who broughta boat-load of compliments and vegetables. He was accompanied by one ortwo others, among whom was a very indifferent interpreter. CaptainM---, who was anxious to join the admiral, excused himself on the pleaof ill health, from delivering the present and letter in person, andexpressed his wish to the deputy that he would take them in charge,stating, that his services were required elsewhere; he requested that ananswer to the letter might be sent on board as soon as possible. Thiswas explained through the interpreter, and Captain M--- then inquiredwhat time would probably elapse before the answer would be sent. Thereply was, in a week, or ten days.

  "Ask him," said Captain M---, "whether it cannot be sent to-morrowmorning, as I am anxious to proceed?"

  After an exchange of several sentences between the interpreter and thedeputy, who observed the most imperturbable gravity, the former repliedto Captain M---.

  "He say no, sar. Little people, like you and me, write letter veryquick, all in one minute. Great people, like king and queen, notpossible write letter less than week or ten day. Not fashion thiscountry, sar."

  The presents being placed in the boat, and the letter presented on asilver salver, the deputy made a low salaam, and departed. CaptainM---, aware that all attempts to hasten them would be useless, made nofurther remarks on the subject. The next morning the same gravepersonage came on board, attended by the interpreter and his suite, withmany compliments from their royal mistress, who had sent a present forthe captain. During the time of the delivery and interpretation of themessage, the natives, who rowed in his boat, handed up a large blackmonkey, with a long white beard extending over his chin and shoulders.The animal, who did not seem well pleased with his change of situation,and who was naturally of a vicious temperament, flew round and round thelength of his tether, catching at the trousers of the sailors with hispaws and teeth, and using the latter without the least ceremony.

  "Queen say, sar--Many compliments, and tell you it very _high caste_monkey--very _high caste_, indeed, sar,--very fine present, sar."

  "It may be," observed Captain M--- to the first-lieutenant; "but I wishshe had saved herself the trouble. I must not refuse it; and what canwe do with the brute?"

  "It will amuse the men, sir; he seems to have plenty of devil in him."

  "Oh!" roared Prose, "I do declare he has bit a piece out of my leg.High caste, indeed. I should like to give him a _high cast_ overboard."

  "Really, Prose, that's not so bad," observed Seymour. "Jerry wascorrect in his assertion that you had plenty of wit, only it requiredstrong measures to extract it from you."

  "Queen say, sar, write letter in five or six days, and say, supposeCaptain Saib and officers come on shore, order everybody go hunt tiger:Queen tell people make everything proper. Very fine tiger hunt, sar."

  Captain M---, who was convinced that he must patiently await their owntime, did not expostulate at the delay. Not wishing to avail himself ofthe offer, he requested the officers would consider themselves atliberty to accept the invitation, which was intended as a compliment,and therefore ought not to be refused.

  A large party was formed, who, on the ensuing day, accompanied by thedeputy and his suite, and provided with fowling-pieces and muskets,landed at the town, where they were received by a few tom-toms, and somehundreds of spectators. On their arrival at a house which had beenprepared for their reception, they found a splendid breakfast awaitingthem, to which they did as ample justice as a celebrated traveller tothat which welcomed him at New York, although they did not, like him,revel to satiety, by plunging into oceans of tea and coffee.

  Again the talents of the interpreter were called into action, to explainthe reason why her Majesty could not receive them, which he did bylaying his hand across what medical men would term the abdominal region(or, as Mrs Ramsbottom would have said, "her abominable region") andinforming them that the queen was not well there. The party required nofurther explanation. They expressed their regrets, finished theirbreakfast, and then stated themselves ready to proceed.

  "Game not come yet, sar--game not come till to-morrow."

  "Well, then, we must go to it," replied Courtenay.

  "Ah, gentleman not understand shoot in this country," continued theinterpreter, who then, with some difficulty, contrived to make themunderstand that about four thousand men had been summoned to drive thegame close to the town, and that, to ensure a sufficiency of sport, thesweep which they had taken was so great, that they would not close intill the next morning. He added, that as, perhaps, they would like tosee the jungle to which the game was to be driven, horses and elephantshad been prepared, and refreshments would be provided at any spot wherethey might wish to alight.

  Macallan, who had provided himself with his hammers, and otherimplements requisite in the pursuit of his favourite sciences,mineralogy and geology, was not sorry for the delay, and the remainderof the party were satisfied with the idea of a pleasant excursion.Previous to their setting off; a variety of performers were ordered into amuse them with feats of juggling and address, which would have beenacknowledged, if seen in England, to have far surpassed those of thecelebrated Ramoo Samee and his associates. Amongst the rest, themajestic attitudes of the dancing snakes particularly attracted theattention of Macallan, who expressed to the interpreter his wish toprocure one of the species (the famed cobra di capella), with the fangsnot extracted. The interpreter, after a few words with the deputy,informed the doctor, with his usual politeness, "that all the snakes inthe country were at the service of the gentleman; but take care not letbite, because very high caste snake."

  "What do they mean by calling the animals of the country high caste?"inquired Seymour of Macallan. "I thought it was a term only applied tothe Brachmins and Rajahpoots."

  "Both the monkey and the snake are indirectly worshipped by thesepeople," replied the doctor, "as their supposed deities are representedto have assumed these forms. The more vicious, or the more venomous,the higher they rank. The cobra di capella is, I believe, the mostvenomous serpent that exists."

  "I do declare that that monkey deserves his rank," observed Prose. "Ican hardly walk, as it is."

  "Well, but you can ride, Prose, and here are the horses."

  The horses, with three elephants, two with howdahs on their backs, andthe other loaded with a large tent, were now paraded before the door;each horse was attended by his syce, or groom, who never quitted him,but fanned away the flies with a chowry, or whisk, formed of a horse'stail. They were beautiful animals, but much too spirited for some ofthe party, who felt alarm at the very anticipation of the difficultythey would have in retaining their seats.

  Prose, who had never been twice in his life on the back of any animal,was in sad trepidation; he looked first at the horses, who were plungingand rearing in the hands of the syces, who could with difficultyrestrain their impatience, and then at the elephants, whose stupendoussize, flourishing probosces, pr
ojecting tusks, and small, keen eyes,equally filled him with dismay.

  "I do declare," observed Prose, affecting an extra limp, "my leg is verybad. I think."

  "Come, come, Mr Prose, no hauling off; no leg-bail, if you please,"said Courtenay, who, with Seymour, was already mounted, upon a spiritedArabian; "take your choice--but go you must."

  "Well, then, if I must, which would you advise me to take?"

  "Take a horse," said Seymour, laughing; "of two evils always choose theleast."

  "Take an elephant, Mr Prose," cried Courtenay; "his size is double, buthe'll give you less trouble."

  "Why, that's a rhyme, I do declare; but how shall I get upon his back?"

  "Oh! he'll take you up in his trunk, and put you on."

  "Indeed he shall not," cried Prose, retreating some paces; "I say, MrInterpreter, how am I to get on the top of that great beast?"

  "As you please, sar. Suppose you like get up before, he lift up his legfor you to climb up. Suppose you like to get up behind, he not saynothing. Suppose you wish go up his middle, you ab ladder."

  "Well, then, Mr Interpreter, I shall feel very much obliged to you fora ladder."

  A ladder was brought. Prose, and Macallan, with his implements,ascended to the howdah, fixed on the back of the enormous brute. Theremainder of the party being ready, they set off; accompanied by thedeputy, the interpreter, and several other handsomely attired natives,who, out of compliment to the officers, had been ordered to attend them.The country, like most parts of India near to the coast, consisted ofpaddy or rice fields, under water, diversified with intersecting patchesof jungle and high trees. Occasionally they passed a deeper pool, wherethe buffaloes, with only their horns and tips of their noses to be seen,lay, with the whole of their enormous carcasses hid under the muddywater, to defend themselves from the attacks of the mosquitoes, and thepowerful rays of the sun.

  "Look at the buffaloes, Prose."

  "Where, Seymour? I can't see any. I never saw a buffalo in my life.It's like an ox, an't it?"

  "It's very like a whale," replied Courtenay.

  At this moment one of the herd, startled at the near approach of thecavalcade, rose from the stagnant pool, where he had been lying, andpresented his immense carcass, covered with mud, to Prose's wonderingeyes.

  "Lord, Molly, what a fish!" exclaimed Courtenay, with affected surprise,alluding to an old standing naval joke.

  "Now, is that a fish?" cried Prose, a little alarmed. "Well, I dodeclare! I say, Mr Interpreter, what is that thing?"

  "Call him buffalo, sar."

  "Well, I do declare! I always thought that buffaloes were animals thatlived on shore."

  "Nothing like travelling, Mr Prose," observed Courtenay; "you'll know abuffalo, now, if ever you happen to hook one, when you are fishing outof the fore-chains."

  "And you'll remember a high-caste monkey, if ever you meet with oneagain," added Seymour.

  "That I shall, all the days of my life."

  The country, as they proceeded inland, materially altered its features.Forests of large trees and fragments of rocks met their view, instead ofthe paddy-fields, which they had left behind; and Macallan now wished todescend, that he might collect geological specimens. Explaining hisreasons, he desired the interpreter to order the elephant to stop.

  "Suppose gentleman want stones, elephant give them," replied theinterpreter; "no occasion for Saib to get off;" and explaining thedoctor's wishes to the conductor of the elephant, the knowledge of whichoccasioned a laugh among the natives, who could not conceive why thedoctor should want the stones, he continued, "Now, sar, you point anystone you want."

  The doctor did so; and the conductor, speaking to the elephant, theproboscis of the sagacious animal immediately handed up the one pointedout, to his conductor, who passed it to Macallan.

  For more than an hour the doctor amused himself with breaking andexamining the different specimens presented to him, until he passed byan isolated mass, whose component parts, glittering in the sun, made himanxious to obtain a specimen. It was a large rock, about the size ofsix elephants, and the doctor pointed to it.

  "Ah, sar!" interrupted the interpreter; "elephant very strong beast, butno lift that."

  "I did not imagine that he would, but I must dismount to examine it,"replied Macallan, gravely, who was absorbed in his scientific pursuits.

  The elephant stopped; and the doctor, not aware of the great height,attempted to slip down his side; he succeeded in reaching the ground,not exactly on his feet, to the great amusement of the party.Regardless of trifles, when in pursuit of science, he desired Prose tothrow him down his bag of implements, and proceeded to the object of hisinvestigation, which appeared to him so peculiar, that he requested theothers to continue their excursion, and leave him to be picked up ontheir return.

  "Ah, massa! like stop this place?" said the interpreter.

  "Yes," replied the doctor.

  "Do you really intend to remain here?" inquired Courtenay.

  "I do: it is a very remarkable specimen of cinnamon-stone, and I mustprocure some of it if possible."

  "Well, I do declare!" said Prose: "I thought cinnamon grew upon trees.Doctor, I should like to stay with you, for this beast does shake me so,I'm quite sore--and I've such a stitch in my side."

  Prose accordingly prepared to descend, and was recommended by theinterpreter to slide down by the hind leg of the animal.

  "He won't kick, will he?"

  "Elephant no kick, sar," and Prose descended in safety, while theremainder of the party continued their excursion.

  The doctor walked several times round the rock, to find a point uponwhich he would be able to make some impression with his implements; butthe fragment, which had probably remained there since the deluge,without having been honoured by a visit from a naturalist, was wornquite smooth by time, and presented no acute angle, within reach, uponwhich his hammer could make any impression; nor could he climb it for itrose from its base in almost a perpendicular line. The more hescrutinised, the more anxious was he to obtain specimens, and hedetermined to blast the rock. Being prepared with a couple of shortcrowbars, and a flask of gunpowder, he fixed upon a corner, whichappeared more assailable than the rest, and commenced his laboriousoccupation.

  "Can I assist you, Mr Macallan?" inquired Prose.

  "You can, indeed, Mr Prose. Now, observe; continue driving the end ofthe crowbar straight into this hole until you have made it about nine orten inches deep; that will be sufficient. I will make another on theother side."

  Prose commenced his labour, and, for a few minutes, worked with dueemphasis; but he soon found out that he had volunteered to a mostfatiguing task. He stopped, at last, for want of breath.

  "Well, Mr Prose," inquired the doctor, from the other side of the rock,observing that he had ceased from his labour, "how do you get on?"

  "I wish to Heaven I had never got off;" muttered Prose, "for this isworse than the elephant."

  But the doctor was an enthusiast, a description of person who nevertires, and he judged of others by himself.

  "How far have you got now, Mr Prose?"

  "Oh--I think I have got an inch and a half good," answered Prose, quiteexhausted.

  "No more!" exclaimed Macallan; "why, you must work harder, or we nevershall blast it."

  "I have been _blasting_ it in my heart," thought Prose, "for these lastten minutes," and he resumed his labour.

  "You know nothing of mineralogy?" inquired the doctor, after a silenceof a few minutes.

  "This is my first lesson, doctor," answered Prose, out loud; andmuttering in continuation, "I do declare it shall be the last."

  "It's a very amusing study," continued Macallan; "but, like most others,rather dry at first."

  "Anything but dry," thought Prose, wiping his face with hishandkerchief.

  "I shall be happy to give you any information in my power," saidMacallan; "but you must be attentive--nothing is to be obtained withoutlabour."

 
"I'm sure mineralogy is not," retorted Prose, throwing down his crowbarfrom exhaustion.

  Fortunately for Prose, by the directions of the interpreter, the baggageelephant who carried the tent, and the natives accompanying it, nowhalted opposite to the rock, on the side where Prose was, for the wishexpressed by Macallan to remain there had been construed by theinterpreter as a selection of the place where the refreshments should beprepared. One of the natives, perceiving what Prose was about when hethrew away the crowbar, offered his assistance, which was readilyaccepted, and the labour was continued.

  "Well, Mr Prose, how do you get on now?"

  "Oh--capitally."

  "Don't you find it very warm?" continued Macallan, who stopped to wipethe streams of perspiration from his own face.

  "Oh, no," answered Prose, chuckling.

  "Well, I do, I can assure you," answered the doctor, who, not wishing toshow symptoms of flagging while Prose was working so hard, recommencedhis labour.

  Another quarter of an hour, and the doctor was quite exhausted; wishingfor an excuse to leave off himself, he called again to Prose--

  "An't you tired, Mr Prose?"

  "Not the least, doctor."

  "Oh, but you must be--you had better rest yourself a little."

  "Thank you, but I'm not the least tired."

  Another five minutes.--"Well, Mr Prose, I really give you great creditfor your perseverance. Let me see how deep you are," said Macallan, whocould find no other excuse for being the first to abandon his task.

  But Prose, who was not exactly a fool, determined not to lose his creditwith the doctor--pushing aside the native, he took the crowbar from him,and before the doctor had walked round, was again hard at work.

  "Upon my honour I give you great credit," observed the panting Macallan,as he witnessed the effects of the labour.

  "But," observed Prose, "why should we work this way when there are aparcel of black fellows doing nothing? here, I say, you chap, come andpunch here," continued he, pointing the crowbar to the native, whoimmediately resumed his labour. "You call another, Mr Macallan, andmake him work for you."

  "Well thought of; Mr Prose," answered the doctor, and another nativebeing put in requisition, in less than an hour the rock was perforatedto the depth required, without the least appearance of fatigue, or evenheat upon the skins of the temperate Hindoos. In the meantime the tentwas erected, the mats and carpets spread, the fires lighted, and therepast preparing by the cooks who were in attendance. The doctor, whowas absorbed in his views, heeded it not, and had just finished thecharging and priming of the rock when the cavalcade returned from theirexcursion.

  "Well, doctor, how do you get on?" inquired Courtenay.

  "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, asI'm about to fire my trains."

  "Fire your trains!--Why, what have you been about?"

  "I am going to blast the rock."

  "The devil you are--then I'm off;" cried Courtenay, who, with Seymour,retreated from the well-known effects of gunpowder.

  The natives who accompanied them also retired, although not aware of thenature of the operation. The interpreter understood "gentlemen makefireworks," and reported accordingly.

  The doctor lighted his matches and withdrew, followed by Prose, whoforgot his limp upon this occasion. The mines exploded, splitting largefragments from the rock, and shaking it from its base.

  "Capital!" exclaimed the doctor who, as soon as the smoke had clearedaway, ran up, and was in ecstasies at the variety and brilliancy of thespecimens which were now exposed to his eager view.

  But in his enthusiasm the doctor quite overlooked the mischief which hehad occasioned. One large fragment had struck the tent to the ground;others had scattered the cooking utensils, with their contents, andwounded the unfortunate cooks; while the affrighted elephant hadcompleted the demolition by trotting over the whole, his trunk raisedhigh in the air, uttering shrill cries, and regardless of theadmonitions of his conductor. All was confusion and dismay.

  The natives when they witnessed the damage were astonished. A longconsultation took place between them, as to what the doctor meant; atlast it was decided by the grave deputy that it was intended as acompliment to them--for all fireworks were compliments in that country.They therefore salaamed with great good humour: but the English knewbetter, and commenced a violent attack on Macallan, who was stillabsorbed in collecting specimens, and quite unconscious of the mischiefwhich he had created.

  "You've not only destroyed our dinner," continued Courtenay, "but you'vekilled three cooks, and wounded seven more."

  "Is it possible!" cried Macallan, with dismay, throwing away hisspecimens with as much haste as he had seized upon them, and running inthe direction of the men reported to be hurt. Fortunately for his peaceof mind, Courtenay's list of killed was all invention, and the woundedwere reduced to _two_, which the doctor conscientiously reported underthe head of _slightly_.

  There was no help but to proceed to town, and wait until another repastcould be provided. This was soon done, and the interpreter, with adouble salaam, informed the doctor, that "if gentleman wish, blow upanother tent, deputy have one ready for him next day."

  "Well, now, I do declare these people are very polite," observed Prose;"but I hope that if you do, doctor, you will not make me a party to it.I would never have punched so hard at that hole if I thought that it wasto have blown up my own dinner."

  "You're right, Mr Prose," answered Courtenay. "The doctor did nottreat us according to the Scriptures. We asked for bread, and he gaveus a stone--rather annoying too, after a long ride. But, however, asthe game is to come to us tomorrow, we had better be up early to receiveit in due form--so good night."