MILITARY AD VENTURES. 181 



or four men and a girl, and the only ad- 

 juncts they appeared to have with them 

 were one or two pretty large baskets and 

 some kaprd, or dirty white cloth, which I 

 suppose was to be held up for the purpose 

 of concealment; for, like their English 

 brethren, they do not wish their audience 

 to see more than they intend. I seated 

 myself under a tree at their request, and 

 let them arrange my chair themselves, so 

 that I should not spoil the entertainment 

 by being improperly placed. As soon as 

 I was seated, the whole company, in- 

 cluding the tamtam wallah (the man who 

 beats a kind of native drum) came forward 

 in a body and salaamed to me, while the 

 eldest of the party, quite a patriarchal 

 looking fellow, commenced a long address 

 in Hindostanee, which, unhappily for me, 

 I could not half understand, and I daresay 



