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, u Sir! I 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, 1 2th. — 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 , 1 3th. — 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-laced 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, ii jow, begone.” They 
hesitated, but on shouting u 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 
