A Canvas Canoe 305 



head half submerged, is being scrubbed by his 

 attendants. The far end of the lake is fringed 

 with jungle and grass, " with reeds and rushes," 

 and in this, one glorious cold-weather evening, not 

 long ago, the writer was sitting watching a mass 

 of duck some way out from the shore. Presently 

 from the other side a lady appeared, and with her 

 two men carrying the " Alys " ready for action. 

 The manoeuvre was obvious. She was stepping 

 into the canoe when, from the palace near by, 

 the little Rajput king of the place came hurrying, 

 and begged to be taken on board. His retainers 

 panting after him arrived in time to hear the re- 

 quest. They looked at the frail craft, then looked 

 at the fair lady, and were horrified. Horrified was 

 the fat tutor in pink, horrified the Prime Minister 

 in canary yellow, still more horrified the marriage 

 ambassador from a neighbouring State, in grass 

 green. One and all begged him to desist from 

 his rash design and to " draw the feet of temerity 

 under the skirt of prudence." Threats were even 

 held out of the displeasure of the dowager mother. 

 But these were all in vain, and the " Alys " bore 

 the hopes of a nation from the shore. Though it 

 was not in a blue-blooded Rajput to show fear, 

 he evidently thought it more than possible that 

 the weedy bottom and crocodiles would be the re- 

 sult of his rashness. 



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