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Page 119 - ... infused into Oriental despotism the spirit of British freedom ; who never forgot that the end of government is the welfare of the governed ; who abolished cruel rites ; who effaced humiliating distinctions; who allowed liberty to the expression of public opinion ; whose constant study it was to elevate the moral and intellectual character of the Government committed to his charge.
Page 49 - Moonshee, which I found very easy. I had learned to speak Hindostanee like a gentleman ; and here let me impress upon all beginners the great advantage it is to learn to speak in a gentlemanly fashion. It may be a little more difficult to acquire the idioms; but it is well worth while. There are modes of address suitable to all ranks and classes, and often our people unintentionally insult a native gentleman by speaking to him as they would to their servants, through ignorance of the proper form...
Page 29 - I suppose they will all be too proud to speak to me now; but, fortunately, there was not one I cared twopence for, except young Shepheard ; that's a comfort. . . . The language is not difficult to get a knowledge of; but to be a good grammatical scholar is difficult, as it is not a written language. But Gilchrist, of London, has invented a way of writing it in English letters. The natives transact their business in Persian, which is a written language. This is a festival day, and the natives walk...
Page 76 - I will speak to him myself;" and we rode up the main street. I thought for a moment that it was rather a rash proceeding, for on the bastions of the fort many men appeared, showing themselves on the parapet and calling to us to go back. The Rajah lived in the fort, and some men came out and stood on the steps leading up to it, and asked me what 1 wanted. ' " The Sahib Bahadur wishes to see your Rajah Sahib," said my jemadar, "and he is tired, — he has ridden all night.
Page 78 - Bhudrinath had scrambled up behind the Rajah with a merry laugh, and kept consoling his companion by telling him the shot would hit him first. Narrayan Rao, however, maintained perfect silence, and told me afterwards he expected to have been hung upon the first tree, and supposed this to be my reason for ordering him to mount.
Page 88 - What could seem more plausible ; and who could conceive the horrible crimes that were concealed under so fair a semblance ? The subject haunted me ; why should so many men follow the same calling ? Where did they go ? Were they speaking truth 1 My people were at fault, and Bulram Sing shared my suspicions.
Page 96 - Mr Palmer's house continued my chief resort. There was a fascination about him quite irresistible to me, his knowledge was so varied — classical, historical, and political. His father, who had been secretary to Warren Hastings, had taken part in all the most eventful scenes of early AngloIndian history, and had married, as was very usual then among English gentlemen, a lady of high rank, one of the Princesses of the royal house of Delhi ; and his fund of knowledge and great store of anecdote made...
Page 84 - During these inquiries it transpired that numbers of persons of that part of my district were absent every year from their homes at stated periods. These were for the most part Mussulmans, who carried on a trade with Belgaum, Darwar, and Mysore, bringing back wearing apparel, copper and brass vessels, and the like. Who could these be ? Day after day I tried to sift the mystery, but could not. I registered their names, and enjoined Bulram Sing to have the parties watched on their return home. But...
Page 74 - We had thirty miles to march, but eventually the night's work proved far more. It was dark as we neared the village of Cooloor, where the proposed dacoity was to take place, and leaving four men for its protection I took on the other nine, including Bulram Sing and another jemadar of police ; I had also two grooms who rode my baggage-ponies ; and these constituted my little party. We rode first to a town called Sooloopett, where Narrayan Rao was reported to have been seen in the bazaar ; but we were...
Page 67 - I am struck with your face," he continued, "and I should like to see your hand and cast your horoscope. Do you know when you were born?" I gave him the date, and he proceeded to examine first my forehead and then my left hand. " It is a long and happy life on the whole," he said ; " but there are some crosses and some deep sorrows.

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