94 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES. 



CHAPTER VII. 



BOMBAY A PSEUDO ARAB A REAL ARAB PAKSEES RETURN TO 

 ENGLAND. 



BEING not much more than boys neither of us having 

 completed our twentieth year and not as yet old Indianized 

 in our habits, we welcomed this return to comparative civili- 

 zation with delight, and having formed several agreeable 

 acquaintances, were not long in making the most of our short 

 stay at Bombay. 



"We visited the scenes best worth seeing in the harbour, 

 which is justly considered the most beautiful in the world, 

 its islands, and caves; the latter, although wonderful, far 

 inferior to Ellora ; the ruination shops, as they were then 

 called; and some of those rich Parsee emporiums, where 

 jewels and shawls, amongst other valuable articles, were 

 exhibited to us of almost incalculable cost. We experienced 

 much kindness and hospitality from the officers who were 

 quartered in the fort, and received a general invitation to 

 their messes. The chief object of our pursuit, however, was 

 the means of returning to England as speedily as possible, 

 and we were fortunate enough to meet with a vessel on the 

 eve of sailing for Liverpool. She was a small but very con- 

 venient ship, of about three hundred and fifty tons, and had 

 a very good reputation as a sailer. The captain seemed an 

 agreeable, good-natured man, and we soon came to terms for 

 our passage, &c. The small cuddy was excessively comfort- 

 able, and there were only two other passengers besides our- 

 selves. Our cargo was light (principally composed of cotton), 

 and everything seemed favourable to the voyage, which we 



