A STATE VISITOR. 83 



town. The Tehsildar (mayor of the town) has been very 



civil, last night sending us watchmen and chuprassies to 



guard our tents, and this morning a message comes to ask 



permission to pay us a visit. About 2 p.m. he arrives, 



dressed in an English shooting coat of a loud check pattern, 



and purple silk trousers embroidered with yellow flowers. 



He evidently came in State, with a suite of officials and 



chuprassies and followed by a crowd of town-people. We 



exchanged greetings, and then some ten or twelve of his 



servants came forward, each bearing on his head a, large 



basket piled up with apples, pears, tomatoes, chilis, and 



many other vegetables. These were laid on the ground as 



an offering before Alan. Two baskets for me were filled 



with marigolds. After a short but very solemn interview, 



the Tehsildar asked permission to go, and departed at the 



head of his procession. 



Eahman told us the Tehsildar had a little girl he was 



very fond of, and suggested we should send her a present. 



In light-marching order as we are, we carry little besides 



the bare necessaries of life, certainly no children's toys, and 



we racked our brains to think what it should be. Suddenly 



we remembered a magnifying glass which had greatly 



amused our men, who were never tired of lighting fires and 



playing with it on the way. So we sent it to her. The 



shikaris rather repented of their idea of a present when 



they saw their toy go. 



a 2 



