AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 



69 



firmed. But having to get all my things on board the 

 budjrow, and arrange them for the voyage up the river, 

 little time was allowed for moping meditation: and more- 

 over, our fleet, consisting of eight or ten budjrows, with a 

 cooking-boat attached to each, I did not much apprehend 

 that the trip would be a melancholy one. Nine people 

 out of ten know what a budjrow is; but, for the benefit of 

 the tenth, I will describe it: — Imagine a nondescript sort 

 of vessel, like Peter's fishing-boat, low before and high 

 behind, with two capital apartments running from the 

 stern to midships, and enclosed with green Venetians; 

 the roof flat, upon which the manjee, or steersman, is 

 perched; the rudder, resembling a pole, with a river-hatch 

 tied to the extremity; imagine a figure-head of Lord 

 Clive, or Lord Amherst, in turban, red coat, and buck- 

 skin breeches; a bamboo mast, and paddles of the same 

 tied to the gun-wale; and you have the budjrow complete. 



My destination was not very distant, being only to 

 Dinnapore, in Bahar, a large central station, 500 miles 

 from Calcutta by water; and I sent a favourite Arab, in 

 charge of two servants, over-land, whilst a Persian hack 

 accompanied me in the cook-boat — the sides of the boat 

 being lined with bundles of rush, to prevent his heels 

 from demolishing the crazy planks, and sending the whole 

 concern to the bottom of the river. 



Soon lost sight of Calcutta, and the taper flag-staff of 

 Fort-William; but at a sudden turn of the river the cur- 

 rent became so strong as to induce our lazy dandies to halt 

 early in the evening. We were all of us, except the cap- 

 tain, freshmen, or, in the Anglo-Indian tongue, griffs, 

 (perhaps so called from our similarity to fiery griffins, in 

 our new red flaming jackets,) and thought tigers in Bengal 

 were necessarily as plentiful as pepper-corns: so on shore 



we went at twilight, Ensign S and myself making for 



a beautiful woodland on our right. After beating till dark, 

 without finding any thing but a few turtle doves, and jun- 

 gle-crows, we espied a bangalow, (a snug kind of thatched 

 villa, belonging to mofassil, i. e. country residents,) and 

 near it the owner taking a quiet stroll on the lawn. Sup- 

 posing that no man in his senses could live in so lonely 

 a place, and one so garnish in appearance, without being a 

 sportsman, we made our salaam to him, and inquired what 

 part he would recommend for our morning's sport. I 

 shall never forget the frigid look of the Missionary, as he 

 answered, "Sir! / never indulge in such recreations!" 

 We bowed to the earth and decamped, wishing that we 

 had brought a bottle of claret with us, for that gelid tone 

 would have cooled it far better than could any saltpetre. 



Wednesday, 12th. — Stayed all day at Barrackpore. 



Jemmy G resolved on sport, loaded himself and two 



doriyas (dog-keepers) with ammunition — viz. powder, 



S 



shot, brandy, and cheroots, and went ashore; where he 

 entered the sacred purlieus of the Governor-General's 

 park — popped away at some tame antelopes — maimed a 

 gold pheasant for life — and at last narrowly escaped being 

 ripped up by the nasal horn of Lord Amherst's pet rhino- 

 ceros. Luckily for Jemmy, before he had committed 

 much devastation amongst this forbidden game, a native 

 sentry caught sight of the intruder, and fired a ball-cart- 

 ridge over his head. Jemmy took the hint, faced to the 

 right about, and was slinking quietly back to his boat, 

 when, as the devil, or Sheittaun, would have it, his blood- 

 thirsty eye caught sight of a tall and stately adjutant, (not 

 a spurred militaire, but a bird of the crane kind, six feet 

 high; and without delay, he saluted it with both barrels, 

 ball and buck-shot. The bird dropped dead, and poor 

 Jemmy revelled in glory, and had to pay fifty rupees for 

 destroying it — that being the fine for the death of this use- 

 ful scavenger. 



Thursday, 13th. — Got under way a little before sun- 

 rise, that most lovely period of a tropical day, which we 

 enjoy with the greater zest, because we know that in ano- 

 ther hour we shall all be gasping for breath, like shoals of 

 cray-fish in a basket. As we tracked past a village a 

 beautiful Brahminy-kite, with- its rich chesnut plumage 

 and snowy bosom, came floating above my head. It is a 

 bird esteemed sacred by the Hindoos, but the temptation 

 was too strong for a griff. I was sitting on deck with my 

 double-barrel loaded, and as the kite sailed over the budj- 

 row, I sent a bullet whistling through her heart. Nearly a 

 hundred Indians were bathing and praying in the river, 

 according to custom, and the yell uttered by them on this 

 occasion was quite startling, on witnessing the death of 

 their favourite bird. Juno would not have been more 

 wrathful to have lost one of her peacocks. It was a fool- 

 ish thing to offend the prejudices of a conquered people 

 in any way; but whoever wore a gold-laeed cap, and thought 



of 



consequences ? In fact, even now I am given to do 



first, and think afterward. Many of the plebeians rushed 

 into the water with menaces and execrations. This inso- 

 lence on the blackeys part might not be endured; I point- 

 ed my gun at them, and cried, "jow, begone." They 

 hesitated, but on shouting " cropedar, beware," in a louder 

 tone, they one and all gave back, and retired muttering 

 amongst themselves. Such is the habitual and fearful re- 

 spect which natives of India entertain for Englishmen — it 

 is that which alone upholds us in the East, and it is that 

 which at present we are labouring to destroy. 



After getting several miles above Chinsurah, the country 

 became more promising for a shot; and an hour before sun- 

 set I landed with a setter and pointer, near an extensive 

 morass, where I shot a brace of wild-ducks, and saw a 



