PATNA DURING THE MUTINY. 



'57 



pose, like me, as a true-born Englishman — the incarnation of every 

 virtue. As for the Moors, poor devils, what did they know about 

 the theoretical short legs of syphons, and the heliocentric place of 

 a heavenly body ? whilst I had it all by heart. Indeed, by the time 

 I reached India, as my feeling of self-importance seemed to grow 

 at each succeeding port, I probably should have shared the fate of 

 iEsop's inflated frog had not sinister rumours reached our ears that 

 " Jack " Sepoy was beginning to regard himself as equal to his 

 master, and didn't intend submitting to our alleged superiority 

 any longer. 



On arriving at Calcutta I was met by the Chief Justice, Sir 

 Arthur Buller, who was an old friend of my people at home, and he 

 took me to his house for dinner. We dined alone, and on the table 

 lay an axe of antiquated shape, such as King Richard may have 

 used in his attack on Frond-de-Bceuf, though not so ponderous of 

 course. I took it for a badge of office ; but presently Sir Arthur 

 started up, and seizing it, administered many furious blows in the 

 corner of the room, I sitting all the time under the impression that 

 much learning had made him mad. But 

 presently the mystery was solved, for Sir 

 Arthur cried out triumphantly that he had 

 killed one of the numerous musk-rats 

 which, much to his annoyance, had taken 

 up their quarters and held their nightly 

 revels there. 



There was a little green parrakeet 

 examining a water-pipe leading from the 

 roof outside the window. " Oh look, Sir 

 Arthur! " I exclaimed, "there's your parrot 

 got out of its cage ; how will you catch it 

 again?" But he laughed and said, "My 

 parrot ! that's not my parrot, its a wild 

 one; and the rascals, in company with 

 monkeys, infest my garden and do much indian parrakeet. 



