Across India Part 15

"I propose to land and proceed to our hotel as soon as the ladies are ready," said Lord Tremlyn, when he had retired to the captain's cabin with the commander. "While they are preparing, we will consider the programme of the tour."

"Very well, your Lords.h.i.+p; I will have the party notified. Mr. Scott," said the captain, opening the door into the pilot-house, "inform all the company that we go on sh.o.r.e in half an hour; and you will go with them. Mr.

Boulong, lower the gangway, and have the barge ready."

"Perhaps you have arranged a programme yourself already," suggested the new host of the party.

"I have considered the matter. I proposed to see Bombay, and perhaps run down to Poona. Then go to Surat in the steamer, and visit Baroda, and proceed by the s.h.i.+p to Kurrachee. From there I thought I should send the Guardian-Mother round to Calcutta in charge of Mr. Boulong, while we travelled to Lah.o.r.e, Delhi, Cawnpore, Lucknow, Allahabad, Benares, and Calcutta by railway. From there we will go to Madras and Ceylon by the steamer," said the commander, who seemed to have arranged the whole trip.

"Excellent, Captain Ringgold!" exclaimed the viscount. "I can hardly better that."

He made some suggestions; but this route was substantially adopted.

CHAPTER XVI

A MULt.i.tUDE OF NATIVE SERVANTS

The barge was ready as soon as it was needed, and lay at the platform of the gangway, with the crew in their white uniforms, quite as smart as man-of-war's-men. The coolie boatmen who were seeking a job to put the pa.s.sengers on sh.o.r.e were disappointed. The clothing of the guests had been taken in hand by Sparks and Sordy, the cabin stewards, dried, cleaned, and pressed. They wore them now, and had returned the borrowed garments.

The party were impatient to see the strange sights on sh.o.r.e; and they were ready at the gangway when the viscount, to whom the commander had abandoned the direction of the company, gave the word. The ladies were a.s.sisted to their places, and the "Big Four" went into the fore-sheets. Bargate, the old man-of-war's-man, was the c.o.c.kswain, and his lords.h.i.+p gave the word to him to give way.

"Pull to the Apollo Bunder, if you please, my man," said he.

"Which, your honor?" asked Bargate blankly.

"I mean the bit of a basin you see nearly abreast of the s.h.i.+p," the new leader explained, pointing out the locality.

The c.o.c.kswain shoved off the stern of the boat, the oars dropped into the water, and the men gave way. It was a pull of but a few minutes, and the barge shot into the basin, and came to a convenient landing-place. On the sh.o.r.e they found Mr. Windham, one of the chief officials of the custom-house, who had been on board of the s.h.i.+p. He was surrounded by a small mob of young Hindus, neatly dressed in the native garments of white cotton. The ladies were a.s.sisted to the sh.o.r.e first. All of the party carried small valises or satchels containing the needed articles for a few days' stay at a hotel; and these natives took possession of them as they landed.

"What is this man, Sir Modava?" asked Mrs. Belgrave, as one of them relieved her of the bag she carried.

"He is your _Khidmutgar_, madam," replied the Hindu knight, with a smile on his handsome face.

"My what?" demanded the lady. "And must I p.r.o.nounce that word?"

"Not unless you wish to do so. This man is your servant, your waiter."

"But what are we to do with such a lot of them?" inquired Mrs. Belgrave, as she looked upon the group of Hindus.

"There is only one for each person of the company; for every one must have his servant. We are going to the Victoria Hotel, and this _Khidmutgar_ will attend upon you at the table, and do anything you require."

"I don't think I shall need him all the time," added the lady, who thought he would be a nuisance to her.

The young Hindus presented themselves to all the pa.s.sengers as they landed, taking their small baggage, canes, and umbrellas. Some of them had heard Sir Modava's explanation, and Lord Tremlyn repeated it to others. Most of them had decided to take things as they came, and accepted the custom of the country without any friction. Mrs. Blossom looked rather wildly at the satellite who was to attend to her wants; but her good friend told her to say nothing, and she submitted without a word.

"Captain Ringgold," said the viscount, as he brought forward a rather stout man, with spectacles on his nose, and an odd-looking cap or turban on his head, "this is Pallonjee Pestonjee, the proprietor of the Victoria Hotel."

"I am happy to know you, sir," replied the commander, as he took the hand of the gentleman, who was a Pa.r.s.ee, though he did not attempt to p.r.o.nounce the name.

"We have half a dozen _s.h.i.+grams_ here," continued his lords.h.i.+p.

"What are we to do with them, my Lord?" asked the captain.

"They are two-horse carriages; and, if you please, we will ride to the hotel in them," laughed the distinguished guide.

The party seated themselves in the vehicles, which were of English pattern; and they saw cabs and omnibuses in the vicinity. Taking Rampart Row, they pa.s.sed the university, the court-house, and other public buildings, into Esplanade Road, leading to their destination, about a mile from the landing.

"On our right is Byculla, one of the divisions of the city, and a business quarter, where you will find the retail shops, though they are not all here," said the viscount. "This locality is generally called the Fort; for though its walls have been removed, it retains the old name. Just below the Apollo Bunder, where we landed, are the Grant buildings, or warehouses.

Perhaps you saw them from the deck of the s.h.i.+p. Below these, at the extremity of the point, is Colaba, the native town, which is largely occupied by commercial buildings. But we shall ride over this ground again, and you will have the opportunity to see the various structures in detail."

But the tourists were not very much interested in the buildings; for they wanted to see India, its manners and customs, and for the last year they had been seeing edifices as noted as any in the world, though they had yet to be introduced to the temples and palaces of this country, which were different from anything they had seen before.

They soon arrived at the Victoria Hotel; and the _khidmutgars_, carrying the light baggage, were not behind them, though they had run all the way from the bunder. The landlord had come in a carriage. Felix McGavonty, who was the captain's clerk, had made out several lists of the pa.s.sengers, at the request of Lord Tremlyn; and one of them had been sent to the hotel, so that their rooms were already a.s.signed to them. Their servants appeared to be familiar with the Victoria, and they were taken to their apartments at once.

"What the d.i.c.kens do we want of all these fellows?" asked Scott when they had been conducted to a room with four beds in it. "They will be a nuisance to us."

"We don't need all you fellows," added Louis Belgrave, turning to his servant. "We are accustomed to wait on ourselves. One of you is enough for all of us."

"No, Sahib; no _khidmutgar_ waits on more than one gentleman," replied Louis's man, with a cheerful smile, displaying a wealth of white teeth which would have been creditable to an Alabama negro.

"That's what's the matter, is it?" added Scott. "I have learned that no Hindu will do more than one kind of work, take care of more than one person; and no groom will take care of more than one horse. If you have six horses, you must have six hostlers. That is what Sir Modava told me."

"Custom is law here, and we must follow the fas.h.i.+ons," replied Louis. "What is your name, my boy?" he continued, turning to his servant.

"Sayad, sahib," answered he.

Scott's was Moro, Morris's was Mobarak, and Felix's was Balaya; but the last two were speedily abbreviated into "Mobby" and "Bally," to which the young Hindus offered no objection. They were all under twenty years of age, and spoke English pa.s.sably well.

"Here, Sayad! black my shoes," said Louis, determined to make use of his servant.

"I don't clean the shoes," replied the fellow, shaking his head. "I call the porter;" and he did so.

"That is just what Sir Modava told me," added Scott.

But Sayad had opened his master's valise, placed his toilet articles on the bureau, and brushed his coat, which he had taken off. He arranged everything with good taste, and smiled expansively every time Louis looked at him. The shoes of all four were polished in time; and they were ready to begin their explorations of the city, though it was rather late in the day.

"What time is dinner, Moro?" asked Scott.

"Seven o'clock, sahib," replied the boy; and he was more of a boy than a man.

"What time are the other meals?"

"Meals?" queried Moro.

"What time is breakfast?"