124 REVIEW OF LITERATURE. 



and thither he bent his way. A few old friends saluted him as he entered, 

 expressing their wonder at the shortness of his mourning. " Nosey/' said 

 one, " you are soon abroad." " And why not ?" replied Nunkoo ; " it is 

 now three days since my father and mother died, and, poor souls ! if they 

 have had a prosperous voyage down the river, they are now three hundred 

 miles from this spot ; if I wept, they would not hear me ; if I groaned, my 

 sighs would not reach them ; and, since my sorrow cannot restore them to 

 life, I must needs, Mudasee, take something to keep life in myself." And, 

 so saying, he watered his mouth with the arrack. His heart again softened ; 

 and a's he bethought himself of his prospects in life, the tears coursed one 

 another down his piteous nose, which a neighbour observing, offered him the 

 consolation of a pinch of snuff. Nunkoo inhaled it with avaricious avidity ; 

 but he did not wait to hear*the ironical laugh of the donor, to discover that 

 a trick had been played upon him. He sneezed loudly, and again still 

 louder ; and on putting up his hand, he found, to his amazement, that the 

 substitute for " pungent grains of titillating dust" had horribly aggravated 

 the deformities of his most prominent organ. He called on Allah in a bad 

 spirit and a good spirit ; but as his sufferings excited no pity, he rushed out 

 of the shop, and went he knew not where. He wished devoutly that he 

 could not, as the wags advised him, follow his nose. Overcome at once with 

 rage and arrack, he sat himself down by the way-side, and after swearing a 

 prayer or two, fell asleep. In this condition he was found by a gang 

 of thieves ; and either mistaking him for booty, or wishing to play him a 

 trick, they carried him into the country. When he awoke next morning, 

 the sun shone in painful effulgence upon his nose ; and his odd figure had 

 collected in wonderment around him the goats and herds of the plains. 



Sobriety brings thought ; and poor Nunkoo began to reflect on his condi- 

 tion. Where was he ? The distant minarets of Delhi informed him that he 

 was not very far from his native city ; but just as he arose to return thither, 

 a troop of pilgrims came up. The first sentiment his appearance excited was 

 one of fear : they took him for some genie of the place, and made a detour 

 to avoid him. A priest, more bold than his companions, inquired who or 

 what he was ? " Truly," said Nunkoo, " a mender of soles, though not of 

 your profession ; and though I help to fortify the understandings of my 

 neighbours, they seem to grow no wiser or better on that account." At 

 this moment the priest's horse caught sight of the cobbler, and taking the 

 bit in his mouth, fairly ran away with his reverence. Nunkoo, for the first 

 time that day, burst into one of his horrible laughs ; and while the fit was 

 yet on him, a regiment of English infantry came up. Struck by the oddity 

 of his figure, the colonel halted ; and \pleased with the humour of the cob- 

 bler's replies, ordered him to be placed on the back of his own pony. The 

 pony resisted ; but his reluctance was overcome, and Nunkoo was fairly 

 seated on his back. When released from restraint, however, the pony en- 

 deavoured to rid himself of his burden, for which purpose he set off at full 

 speed. The colonel and all the equestrians present pursued, hallooing like 

 English fox-hunters. The herds and goats fled, and the crows hovered over 

 the fugitives. Poor Nunkoo soon lost the sight of his eye ; but as he had 

 taken the precaution to seize the mane in one hand, and the tail in the 

 other, he maintained his seat. The pony, alarmed at his cries, held on his 

 speed, and dashed with fury through the streets and bazaars of Delhi. Rice 

 stands were overturned, and the curry spoiled by the eagerness of the crowd 

 to see this Oriental Gilpin ; but the figure of the jockey provoked in all si- 

 multaneous fits of laughter. Among those who witnessed the race was the 

 son of the king ; and, as he was infinitely pleased with the sport, he ordered 

 that the rider should be brought before him. This being done, the prince 

 went to his father, related the particulars, and so pleased was his majesty 

 with the adventure, that, in grave mockery, he dubbed Nunkoo riding-master 



