CHAPTER I, 



HIS CHITS. 



A NATIVE without chits is like a ship without a 

 hehi]. Corvus splendens , being an oriental bird 

 and accustoiued to Indian ways, would be most un- 

 happy were I to introduce him without first showing 

 his testimonials, indifferent although many of them 

 be. In this country, however, as everyone who has 

 been a month in it has discovered, so long as a man 

 has a good supply of Ghits their subject-matter is of 

 no importance ; it is also a matter of supreme indiffer- 

 ence whether the contents of the aforesaid chits 

 refer to the holder, his great grandfather, or any 

 other person. So long as a servant is able to flaunt 

 a package of greasy testimonials before his future 

 master, this latter has no right to demand more. 



Of chits the crow has a multitude. These are all 

 his very own ; they refer to him and not to any other 



