OF THE OLD WORLD. 45 



(lied in convulsions, leaving her orphan progeny to 

 my paternal care, and I, like a good guardian, have 

 turned them over to the care of my grass-cutter's 

 wife, who nurses and suckles all six, with her own 

 little animal ; and as they tumble about in her lap, 

 howling, squalling, and caterwauling, I think the 

 father would have some difficulty in swearing as to 

 which was his own. He, however, looks upon his 

 wife's services as a good speculation, as I feed her 

 well, and he pockets an extra pagoda * a month ; 

 for the other day the scoundrel came up to me, 

 grinning and showing his teeth, with the request to 

 be permitted to provide another wife to bring up 

 the Poligar greyhound's litter ; and when I did not 

 agree to his proposal, he had the impudence to try 

 and persuade me that his wife's family were all 

 growing ' berry handsome ' about the face, on ac- 

 count of the good milk." 



" Well," answered Jock, " I must say they appear 

 to be a very thriving family, and do credit to their 

 ' bringings up,' But what do you say to my pro- 

 posal of politely insinuating to the begum, that 

 time hangs heavily on our hands in the evenings, 

 and that a nautch (dance) now and then would be 

 much appreciated, for I am quite sure some of her 

 dancing girls would prefer enlivening our spare 

 hours to wasting their sweetness on the desert air. 

 Do you not think a gentle hint, or a polite intima- 

 tion of the general wish, with our united salaam 

 * Pagoda — three rupees and a half. 



