CHAPTER XXIII
THE UNEXAMPLED LIBERALITY OF THE HOSTS
The Blanche, the elegant white steam-yacht of General Noury, which hadsailed in company with the Guardian-Mother from Aden, and which hadassisted in the rescue of the crew of the Travancore, had come into theharbor of Bombay, and lay at anchor not half a mile from her consort. Theowner was a Moor of the highest rank, and a Mohammedan; and he had friendsin Bombay, though he had never been there before. He had written to them ofhis intended visit, and they had taken possession of him on his arrival.
The general had been invited, with Captain and Mrs. Sharp, to join theparty of her consort in the business of sight-seeing; and Lord Tremlyn andSir Modava had united with Captain Ringgold in the invitation. Thecommander of the Blanche had visited the party on shore; but he was engagedin making some changes on board of his ship which required his attention.The Mohammedan magnates had kept the general very busy, night and day, and_feted_ him like a king.
Lord Tremlyn had taken care of the engineers and other people of thewrecked steam-yacht, and had treated everybody in a subordinate capacitywith princely liberality. He and his Indian associate were bothmulti-millionaires, with fortunes inherited from their ancestors and otherrelatives; and unitedly they had placed a large sum of money in the handsof the captains of the two steamers, to be equitably distributed amongtheir ships' companies. Captain Ringgold remonstrated against this lavishgift to his own people.
"It is a sailor's duty, and a large part of his religion, to assist thosein peril and distress on the sea, the poor and the rich alike, and Idislike to have my men rewarded in money for a service of this kind," saidhe rather warmly.
"It was the good Father in heaven who sent your ship to our aid when wewere perishing; but he works through human agencies, and I feel it to be asolemn duty to recognize my obligations to those so providentially sent tosave us," replied his lordship, taking the hand of the commander with muchfeeling in his tone and manner. "I shall never cease to be grateful toHeaven for this interposition in my favor, and that of my companions; forall of us were in the very jaws of death."
"I can understand your feelings, my Lord; but all my people, as well asmyself, may soon require the same service we have rendered to others, and Idesire to let what we have done be placed to our credit against thepossible debt of the future," added the captain.
"I shall feel better and happier when I have done, in connection with SirModava, what I propose, and I beg you will withdraw your objections,"persisted the viscount.
They argued the question for some time; but at last the commander yieldedthe point. Every seaman, fireman, and waiter received five pounds, andevery officer a larger sum, in proportion to his rank, after the manner inwhich prize-money is distributed on board of ships of war. The sameapportionment was made on board of both steamers, and Lord Tremlyn and SirModava were most vigorously cheered by the two ships' companies.
Due notice had been given to Captain Sharp of the intention to sail forSurat on Tuesday; and on the day before the cabin party of the Blanche,which included Dr. Henderson, the surgeon of the ship, came to dine withtheir friends at the Victoria Hotel. General Noury, who had been takingleave of his Mussulman hosts, was attended by three of them, who were atonce invited by his lordship to join them at dinner, and the band of theBlanche had been sent on shore for the occasion.
The general had been taken about the city and its vicinity by his host, andthey were anxious to retain him longer in Bombay. He was on excellent termswith Lord Tremlyn, who, though a strict Churchman, was not a bigot; and hisconnection with the affairs of India had brought him into intimateassociation with men of all religions, and there were about thirteenmillion Mohammedans in the Punjab.
His lordship renewed his invitation to the general to join the party whowere going across India, and he seemed to be inclined to accept it. HisMussulman friends declared that he would be most cordially welcomed by allthe people of their faith, especially if attended by such excellentChristian people; and they appeared to have none of the bigotry so oftenfound among the followers of the Prophet.
"I don't quite understand your plan, Captain Ringgold," said Captain Sharp."You go to Surat, and from there across the country;" for the conductorshad decided not to go to Kurrachee. "But what becomes of the ships?"
"The Guardian-Mother will proceed to Calcutta, as soon as we land, incharge of Mr. Boulong," replied Captain Ringgold. "We shall join herthere."
The commander of the Blanche shook his head; and after some discussion hedeclined to join the tourists, and his wife would not go without him.Doubtless he had some strong reasons for his decision, though he did notstate them; but probably he had not as much confidence in his first officeras Captain Ringgold had in Mr. Boulong. The question was settled that thegeneral should go, and he insisted that Dr. Henderson should go with him;and with three physicians in the excursion they appeared to be provided forany emergency.
The dinner was a very merry affair. The band played to the delight of all;and one of the general's friends declared that they had no such music inBombay, to which he replied that he had engaged the best he could find inItaly. The company retired to the parlor, and the band played on theveranda for an hour longer. Some of the most distinguished of the civil andmilitary officers located in the city called at this hour by invitation ofthe viscount, to pay their respects to the visitors; and Mrs. Blossomdeclared that she was never so "frustrated" in all her life.
"I should like to take my band with me," said General Noury, when theofficials had all departed. "I am very fond of music, and I think it willafford us all a great deal of pleasure; of course I mean at my ownexpense."
"I beg your pardon, General Noury, but it must be at my expense,"interposed Lord Tremlyn. "I was thinking myself what an addition it wouldbe to have such excellent music on our way, and I am sure it will add agreat deal to the earnestness of the welcome we shall everywhere receive.As to the expense, I hope and beg that not another word will be said aboutit. The entire party are the guests of Sir Modava and myself."
"I protest"--Captain Ringgold began.
"Pardon me, my dear Captain; you are all our guests, and protests areentirely out of order," interposed Lord Tremlyn.
It was a very pleasant and friendly dispute that followed, and his lordshiphad carried his point at the close of it. The commander had been to thelandlord, and asked for his bill; but the worthy Parsee informed him thatit had already been paid. He had remonstrated with the hosts; but they hadbeen inflexible. It was finally decided that nothing more should be saidabout expense; for his lordship declared that it was a very disagreeablesubject to him. The captain believed that he was entirely sincere; andthough he had never encountered such extreme liberality before, he gave upthe point.
"You can tie your purse-strings with a hard knot, Uncle Moses, for you willnot have occasion to undo them again for a month," said Captain Ringgold."I don't quite like it."
"I don't know that I wonder at the generosity of our hosts," replied thetrustee, as he put his fat arm around the neck of Louis, who stood next tohim. "If this young man had been in the situation of Lord Tremlyn and SirModava when you picked them up, I am very sure I should not have grumbledif I had been called upon to disburse a sum equal to what this trip willcost them, if they, or any one, had picked him up. There are two sides tothis question, Captain."
"Then you fight on the other side, though you hold the purse-strings," saidthe commander.
"Would I give a hundred thousand dollars for saving Sir Louis's life? Hismother would give ten times that sum, and all the rest of the young man'sfortune. That is a matter about which we must not be mean; and the otherside take that view of it. I quite agree that not another word ought to besaid about expense," responded Uncle Moses, giving the young millionaireanother hug.
"Uncle Moses is not a bit like the miser that could not afford a candle athis death-bed in the night," added Louis. "If they had don
e as much for usas we have for them, I should be glad to take them all around the world,and pay for an Italian band of music all the way."
"That's right, Sir Louis! Do as you would be done by," chuckled thetrustee.
"It just occurs to me, Captain Sharp," said the commander of theGuardian-Mother, as the former was about to leave, "that there is no reasonfor your going to Surat, for we can take the general, Dr. Henderson, andthe band along with us. You have a voyage of two thousand miles beforeyou."
"Which I can make in seven or eight days without hurrying," replied thecaptain of the Blanche. "I could get to Calcutta before you do if I sailedtwo weeks hence."
"Just as you please."
But General Noury seemed to like the idea of getting on board of theGuardian-Mother even for a day, and adopted the suggestion of CaptainRinggold.
"There is next to nothing to be seen at Surat, and we shall go from thereimmediately to Baroda, on our way to Lahore," interposed Lord Tremlyn. "TheMaharajah of Gwalior is an old friend of Sir Modava, and I am wellacquainted with him. I have no doubt we shall be very hospitably treatedthere, and that you will be introduced to many things that will interestyou. If Captain Sharp desires to see some Indian sports, he can go with usto Baroda, stay a week, and then return to his ship here by railway."
"I like that idea, as my wife wishes to see a little more of India onshore, though she does not wish to take the long journey you are to make,"added Captain Sharp.
This plan was accepted, and the party separated. The next morning thecarriages conveyed them to the Apollo Bunder, and at seven o'clock theGuardian-Mother was under way. The band was playing on the promenade, andthe party were taking their last view of Bombay and its surroundings.Captain Sharp and his wife were on board. The three doctors formed a trioby themselves, and were discussing jungle fever, which existed in the lowlands beyond Byculla.
The sea outside was smooth; and at four o'clock in the afternoon thesteamer was among the Malacca shoals, in the Gulf of Cambay, with a piloton board. She soon entered the Tapti River, fifteen miles from its mouth.The band had scattered after the noonday concert, and the party took thechairs in Conference Hall.
"I suppose you wish to know something about the places you visit, ladiesand gentlemen," said Lord Tremlyn, rising before them, and bowing at theapplause with which he was heartily greeted. "This is Surat, a hundred andsixty miles north of Bombay, on the Tapti River, which you may spell with adouble _e_ at the end if you prefer. It has a population of a hundredand ten thousand. It extends about a mile along this river, with thegovernment buildings in the centre.
"The streets are well paved, and the houses are packed very closelytogether. There are four very handsome Mohammedan mosques here, so ourfriend the general will have a place to go to on our Friday." The Mussulmanbowed, and gave the speaker one of his prettiest smiles. "The Parsees, ofwhom a few families own half the place, are prominent in business, as inBombay; and they supply the most skilful mechanics, the liveliest clerks,and the quickest boys in the schools. They have two fire-temples here. TheHindus, especially the Buniahs and the Jains, are as prominent as inBombay. The city was founded before 1512; for then it was burned by thePortuguese, who did it again eighteen years later.
"It had a very extensive commerce in its earlier years, and flourished onits cotton trade during the American war. In 1811 it had a population oftwo hundred and fifty thousand; but five and thirty years later it had lessthan one-third of that; but has gained somewhat up to the present time.Nearly a hundred years ago it was the most populous city of India. But I donot propose to exhaust the subject, and now you may see for yourselves."
His lordship and the Hindu gentleman, since their liberality had beenwhispered through the ship, were exceedingly popular, and both were warmlyapplauded whenever they opened their mouths. The party found enough tooccupy their attention till the ship came to anchor, with its brass band infull blast, off the public buildings. A steam-launch came off for thepassengers; for the hosts had written to every place they were to visit,and carriages were in readiness for them when they landed.
They rode over the town after a collation at a clubhouse, and saw all thatwas to be seen. They were quartered for the night at private residences,and there was almost a struggle to know who should receive them.