by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XVII
A HOSPITAL FOR THE BRUTE CREATION
The live boys did not care much for the buildings, though most of those ofa public character were architecturally very fine. Around a large openspace they found the Town Hall, the Mint, and all the great mercantileestablishments. At the time of the young people's visit, it was almostentirely abandoned by those who had held possession of it during the day.Business hours are from ten in the forenoon till four in the afternoon.
Before and after these hours the Fort, as the business section of the cityis called, is deserted. This quarter was formerly surrounded by walls orramparts, which have now been removed; but in its limits is concentratedthe great wealth of Bombay. There are no dwellings within this territory,which is consecrated to trade and commerce; and both Europeans and nativeshasten at the early closing hour to their homes at Colaba, the Esplanade,Mazagon, Malabar Hill, and Breach Candy, the latter on the seashore.
In front of the Grant buildings they found the Cotton-Green, deserted now,though the stacks of bales were still there, with a few sheds and shanties.A few half-naked coolies and policemen were loitering about the place; butit is not convenient for a thief to carry off a bale of cotton on his back,and a bullock cart in this locality would excite suspicion. In businesshours this is a busy place; and the Parsee and native merchants, robed inloose white garments, not all of them indulging in the luxury of trousers,reclining on the bales, or busy with customers, form a picturesque scene.
"I don't think this is the right time to explore this region," suggestedScott. "We had better come down here when there is something going on."
"You are right, Scott," replied Louis; "and I dare say Miss Blanche has hadenough of the palanquin, or will have by the time we get back to the hotel,for we are more than a mile from it."
"I don't think I like a palanquin as well as a carriage," replied the younglady. "If you please, I should like to walk back."
She was promptly assisted to alight, and the palanquin bearers were paid soliberally that they did not complain at being discharged so far from thehotel. Sayad and Moro were sent ahead to lead the way, while the other twowalked behind. On their arrival at the Victoria, they found all the rest ofthe tourists assembled in the parlor, to whom they gave an account of whatthey had seen.
They went to the saloon in which dinner was served, closely followedby their servants; and the scene there was decidedly unique to theAmericans, for there were as many servants as guests. The hotel furnishesno attendants, and each visitor brings his own. But as soon as all wereseated, order came out of confusion, and the service proceeded. The disheswere somewhat peculiar; but Sir Modava explained them to the commander andMrs. Belgrave, while Lord Tremlyn rendered a similar service to theWoolridges and Louis, and Dr. Ferrolan to the professional gentlemen of thecompany.
"I think you will find this fish very good," said his lordship, as thesecond course came on. "It is the _bummaloti_, sometimes called theBombay duck, something like both the salmon and the trout. It is asalt-water fish, abundant off this coast, where it is extensively taken,salted, and dried, to be sent to all parts of India."
"It is elegant," said Mr. Woolridge, who was an epicure.
The roast beef and chickens were very good, and the fruit was highlyappreciated. The dinner finished, the party returned to the sitting-room,and found themselves very nearly alone. At the suggestion of CaptainRinggold, Lord Tremlyn consented to give the travellers some information inregard to the city of Bombay.
"When I consider what a vast extent of territory you are to explore inIndia," the speaker began, "I realize that not much of your time must betaken up in long discourses, and especially not in lengthy introductions.Bombay, the western province of the peninsula, includes twenty-four Britishdistricts and nineteen native states, the latter governed wholly or in partby Hindu rulers. This word Hindu, I repeat, properly applies to only aportion of this country, but has come into use as a name for the entireregion.
"This is the Bombay Presidency, with a governor appointed by the crown, aLegislative Council, a mixed garrison of English and native soldiers, undera local commander-in-chief. That is all I shall say of the presidency,which is one of three in India.
"The city of Bombay occupies the south end of the island of the same name,and is one of a group of several, of which Salsette is the largest, withwhich Bombay Island, eleven miles in length, is connected by causeways,over which the railway passes. The business part is at the Fort, where welanded, and the bazaars extend from that in the direction of Mazagon, whichlies to the north and east of it.
"You will find here many public buildings and commercial structures whichcompare favorably with similar edifices in any city of the world; and weshall see them to-morrow forenoon. The Princess Dock, where the greatsteamship lines land their merchandise, cost a million sterling. Three orfour miles off this dock, to the eastward, you saw a couple of islands, thefarther one of which is Elephanta, with its wonderful cave, which you willvisit.
"The western terminus of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway is here, andwith its connections it extends all over India. This is the first portusually reached by vessels from Europe, though Kurrachee is nearer. It isthe great mail port; and I have seen landed at Dover thirty tons ofpost-bags, sent from here by Suez and through Europe by the Orient Express.
"Bombay now exceeds Calcutta in the extent of its commerce. The principalexports are cotton, wheat, shawls, opium, coffee, pepper, ivory, and gums;and the chief imports are the manufactured goods of England, metals, wine,beer, tea, and silks. The prominent industries of the city and its vicinityare dyeing, tanning, and metal working. It has sixty large steam-mills. Ofthe vast population, now approaching a million, not more than 13,000 areBritish-born. The water here is excellent, for it is brought from a lakefifteen miles north of us.
"Goa is still a Portuguese possession, nearly three hundred miles down thecoast; and a year before they captured it they took possession of thisisland, in 1509. They held it till 1661, when it was ceded to England as apart of the dowry of the Infanta Catharine, who became queen of Charles II.That is all I need say at present."
The next morning after breakfast the carriages bespoken were at the door.The party seated themselves in the vehicles, which were English, and quitecommodious, according to their own fancies; and it need only be said thatthe commander was in the one with Mrs. Belgrave, and Louis with MissBlanche. The viscount directed the driver of his carriage to pass throughCruikshank Road to the Parsees' Bazaar, which is just north of the Fort.Most of the Parsees and Bhorahs who do business here reside in the samesection; and there were many fine houses there, though they are abundantlyable to live at Breach Candy and Malabar Hill, the abode of the_elite_. The vehicles stopped at an attractive point, and the partyalighted. They went into several shops, and were treated with the utmostpoliteness and attention.
In one of them they were invited into a small rear saloon, magnificentlyfurnished, where they were presented by Lord Tremlyn to a Parsee gentleman.He was dignity and grace united. He was dressed in white throughout, excepthis cap, or turban, which was of darker material. He wore trousers, withwhite socks and slippers. His shirt appeared to be outside of his trousers,like the Russians, with a sort of vest over it. He wore a long coat, shapedlike a dressing-gown, reaching nearly to the floor.
He was kind enough to call in his wife and little daughter. Both of themhad pleasing faces. The lady wore a rich dress and a magnificent shawl,with a head-dress of gold and diamonds. The little girl had on baggingtrousers like the Turkish women, and a heavily embroidered tunic, and bothof them wore Indian slippers, with the toes turned up.
The ladies of the party were presented to the lady. She spoke Englishcorrectly and fluently, and the interview between them was exceedinglyinteresting to both sides. The Americans did not meddle with forbiddentopics, as they had been cautioned not to do, such as their religion andburial rites; but they could not help
thinking of this elegant lady'scomely form being torn to pieces by the crows and vultures in the Tower ofSilence with absolute horror.
From the Bazaar the carriages proceeded through the Fort, and the publicbuildings were pointed out to them. At the Cotton-Green they got out; forthe place was now alive with Parsees and other merchants, with plenty ofcoolies, some of whom were moving bales, and others sorting cotton. Fromthis locality they rode through Colaba, and saw some native dwellings, aswell as some fine European residences, with beautiful gardens around them.They alighted near the most southern point, and inspected a "bungalow,"which they were politely invited to enter. It was fitted up with a view tocomfort rather than elegance, and the interior appeared as though it mightbe delightfully cool in the heat of summer.
"What do you call that house?" asked Mrs. Belgrave, as they returned to theroad, which they call them all over the city, and not streets.
"A bungalow," replied Sir Modava.
"Why do you call it so?"
"That reminds me of the German," interposed Captain Ringgold, laughingheartily. "'Do you know vot vas der reason vy ve calls our boy Hans?'"
"Well, what was the reason, Captain?" inquired the lady seriously.
"'Der reason vy ve calls our boy Hans is, dot is his name.'"
"Well, that is precisely why we call that house a bungalow," added SirModava. "It is the house usually occupied by Europeans here. They are onestory high, with a broad veranda, like the one we have just visited. Almostalways they have a pyramidal roof, generally thatched, but rarely slated ortiled. When the body is of brick or stone, they call them _pucka_houses. Doubtless you wished to know the origin of the word, Mrs.Belgrave."
"That was just what I wished to know."
"They were probably first called Bengalese houses, and the present name wascorrupted out of the adjective."
The party collected together on the seashore, for the viscount appeared tohave something to say. The captain of the Guardian-Mother called theattention of the company to the shape of the small bay before them, whichlooked exactly like a lobster's big claw.
"The point where we are is Cape Colaba, and the small point is CapeMalabar," said Lord Tremlyn. "I think we have seen all our time permits,and now we will drive back through the town and the Esplanade. Perhaps youhave not yet heard of the Jains. They are a religious sect, and are moreinfluential and intelligent than most of the Hindus. More than any othersect they hold the lower animals in the highest regard, amounting to astrange sort of tenderness.
"They believe that man should not injure any animal; and more than this,that human beings are bound to protect the lives and minister to the illsof all creatures, even those the most despised. When, therefore, the piousJain comes upon a wounded creature of the lower order, he stops to attendto its needs, and even takes it into his house to be healed. To forwardthis charity, the wealthy of this sect have contributed money for thefoundation and endowment of hospitals for the care of sick and woundedanimals, and even of those permanently disabled."
"What a beautiful idea, if it is heathen!" exclaimed Mrs. Belgrave.
"We will now drive to one of these hospitals. We have to pass through theEsplanade again to reach the Black Town, as it is called, where most of thenatives reside; but we will go by a different road."
In about half an hour the carriages passed through the densely populatedregion of the Hindus, and stopped at the hospital. The party alighted in alarge court, surrounded by sheds, in which are a number of bullocks, someof them with their eyes bandaged, others lame, or otherwise in a helplesscondition. They were all stretched out on clean straw. Some of theattendants were rubbing them; others were bringing food and drink to them.
Passing into a smaller court, they found it contained dogs and cats in thesame unfortunate and suffering condition.
"It would be a mercy to kill them, and thus put them out of misery," saidDr. Hawkes to the native officer with him.
"Do you serve your sick and disabled in that way?" asked the official.
He could not answer this appeal for the want of time, and they passed intoa place for birds. Venerable crows, vultures, buzzards, and other bipeds,most of them with their plumage gone, pass the remainder of their lives inpeace in this curious retreat. At the end of the enclosure a heron proudlystrutted about with a wooden leg, among lame hens and blind geese andducks. Rats, mice, sparrows, and jackals have an asylum in the Jainhospital.
"I should like to have some of our people take a lesson from thisinstitution," said Mrs. Woolridge as they left the place.
The carriages then conveyed them to a Hindu temple.