BOYS who are at all wild are not to be satisfied with ordinary
amusements: they constantly require new and fresh sources of
pleasure, and if they do not find what they want abroad, they
will return and sit in melancholy brooding at home. Those that
have uncles at home perhaps recover their lost spirits, for they
can chaff and joke with them to their heart's content: they will
at least go so far as to jest about making arrangements for their
last journey to the Ganges, on the ground that they are a burden
to the family. But when such is not the case, they are bored to
death, and regard the world with the eyes of a man who is sick
of life[28]. Passionately devoted as they were to practical joking
of all kinds, Matilall and his companions invented ever new pranks,
and it was hard to foretell what would be their next. Their thirst
for some form of amusement became more intense every day: one kind
might occupy them for a day or two, but it soon palled upon them,
and they suffered torments of _ennui_ if nothing else turned
up. Such was the way in which Matilall and his companions spent
their days. In course of time, it became incumbent on each of them
in turn to devise something new in the way of amusement.
So one day Haladhar wrapped Dolgovinda up in a quilt and, after
instructing all his chums in their different parts, repaired to the
house of Brojonath, the _kabiraj_. It was thick with smoke from
the preparation of drugs: different operations were in progress:
powders were being prepared, made up of a number of different
ingredients; essential oils were being refined, and gold ground
into powder. The kabiraj himself was just on the point of leaving
his house, with a box of his drugs in one hand and a bottle of
oil in the other, when Haladhar arrived and said to him: "Oh,
sir, please come as quick as you can: a boy is very ill of fever
in the house of a zemindar, and he seems to be in a very critical
state: his life and your fame, you see, are both at stake: you
will get undying honour if you restore him to health again. It is
thought that he may get all right by the administration of some
very powerful drug: if you can succeed in curing him, you will
be richly rewarded." Upon this, the _kabiraj_ made all haste,
and was soon at the bedside of the patient.
The young Babus, who were all present, called out: "Welcome,
welcome, sir _kabiraj_, may you revive us all! Dolgovinda has been
lying on his bed some fifteen days with this fever: his temperature
is very high, and he puffers from terrible thirst: he gets no
sleep at night, only tosses restlessly about. Please examine his
pulse carefully, sir, and meanwhile refresh yourself by having
a smoke." Brojonath was a very old man, without much education:
he was not very skilful even at his own trade, had no opinions
of his own, and could do nothing on his own responsibility. In
person he was emaciated, with no teeth, a harsh voice, and a
heavy grey moustache, of which he was so enamoured that he was
always stroking it. He sighed as he looked at the patient's
hand, and sat perfectly motionless. Haladhar then said to him:
"Honoured sir, have you nothing to say?" The _kabiraj_ without
replying gazed intently on the face of the patient, who was
glaring wildly about him, lolling his tongue out, and grinding
his teeth. He also gave a tug at the _kabiraj's_ moustache: and
as he moved away a little, the boy rolled about and straggled to
get hold of the bottle of oil in his hand. The Babus then said:
"Come tell us, sir, what is the matter?" The _kabiraj_ replied:
"The attack is a very severe one: there seems to be high fever
and delirium. If I had only had news a little earlier, I might
have managed to cure him: as it is, it would be impossible
even for Shiva to do so." As he spoke, the patient got hold
of his bottle of oil, and rubbed a good handful of it over his
body. The _kabiraj_ seeing the visit was likely to cost him
dear[29], hurriedly took the bottle away, corked it well, and got
up to go. "Where are you going, sir?" They all cried. The _kabiraj_
replied: "The delirium is gradually increasing: I do not think there
is any further necessity for keeping the patient in the house: you
should now exert yourselves to make his end a happy one by taking
him to the Ganges to die[30]."
As soon as he heard this, the patient jumped up, and the _kabiraj_
started back at the sight. The young Babus of Vaidyabati ran after
him, and as the _kabiraj_, who had gone on a short distance,
stopped dumbfounded and amazed, they began to hustle him, with
shouts of "_Hori Bol: Hori Bol:_" and one of them threw him over
his shoulders, and started for the Ganges. Dolgovinda then came
up to him, and said: "Aha my dear sir, you gave orders to have
the patient taken to the Ganges: the doctor himself it is who is
now being carried thither! I will myself perform the ceremony of
putting you into the water, and of then throwing you on to the
funeral pyre." The views of the fickle are ever changing, and so
a little later he said: "Will you send me to the Ganges again? Go,
my dear friend! go to your home, and to your children, but before
you go, you must give me that bottle of oil." With these words,
he snatched the bottle from the _kabiraj_, and all the young
lunatics, smearing themselves over with the oil, leaped into the
Ganges. The _kabiraj_ became as one bereft of his senses when he
saw all this, and thinking that he might breathe again if he could
only get away, he increased his pace. Thereupon Haladhar, as he was
swimming about, screamed out: "Ho there, respected _kabiraj_! I am
getting more and more bilious every day: you must give me some of
your powders to take: do not run away: if you do, your wife will
have to remove her bracelet and be a widow." The _kabiraj_ threw
down his box of drugs, and hurried home crying, "Alas! alas!"
In the month of Phalgun, as spring comes in, all the trees
are coming out in new leaf, and the sweet odour of flowers is
diffused around. Barada Babu's dwelling-house was on the banks of
the Ganges: some little distance in front of it was his favourite
garden-house, and all round it a garden. Barada Babu used to sit
every evening in the garden-house, to enjoy the fresh air and
his own meditations, or to converse with any friends who might
visit him there. Ramlall was always with him, and was made the
confidant of his most secret thoughts, whereby he obtained much
good advice. At every opportunity, he would question his preceptor
minutely on the means of attaining to a knowledge of the Supreme
Being, and to perfect purity of mind.
One day Ramlall remarked to Barada Babu: "Sir, I have a great
longing to travel: staying here, it is a constant grief to me
to listen to the bad language of my elder brother and the evil
counsel of Thakchacha, but my love for my parents and for my
sister makes me disinclined to stir from home. I cannot decide
what to do." Barada Babu replied;-- "Much benefit is to be
derived from travel: breadth of vision is not to be had without
it: the mind is enlarged by the sight of different countries,
and different people. Much knowledge too is acquired by a minute
enquiry into the different customs of the people of different
countries, into their habits, and the causes determining their
condition, whether good or bad. Association moreover with all
sorts of people, causes bitter prejudices to disappear and induces
good feeling. If a man is educated only at home, his knowledge is
derived from books only. Now education, association with good men,
practical employment, and intercourse with all sorts of people,
are all necessary to a man: it is by agencies such as this that
the understanding becomes clear, and an impetus is given towards
the moulding of a good character. But before he sets out on his
travels, it is all important that a man should know the different
matters he will require to investigate, for without this, travel
will prove a mere aimless wandering about, like the circling round
and round of an ox when threshing out the grain. I do not go so
far as to say that no benefit is to be had from such travelling,
that is not my meaning: some benefit or other there must be. But
when a man on his travels is ignorant of the kind of enquiries he
ought to make, and cannot make them, he does not derive the full
benefit of his labour. Many Bengalees are fond of travelling about,
but if you ask them for facts about the places they visit, how many
of them can give you a sensible answer? This is not altogether
their own fault, it is the result of their bringing-up. A
good understanding is not to be had all at once from the sky,
without some training in the art of observation, enquiry and
reflection. In the education of children it is requisite that
an opportunity should be given them of seeing models of a great
variety of objects: as they look at all the pictures, they will
compare one with another: that is to say, they will see that one
object has a hand, another has no foot, that one has a peculiar
mouth, another no tail; and by such comparison the faculties
of observation and reflection will be brought into play and
developed. After a time such comparisons will come easy to them;
they will be able to reflect on the causes for the peculiarities
of different objects, and will have no difficulty in perceiving
the various classes into which they naturally fall. By instruction
of this kind, assiduity in research is encouraged and the faculty
of reasoning exercised. But in our country an education like this
is hardly ever given, and as a natural consequence, our wits are
muddled and run to waste: we have no instinctive perception of
the essential and unessential features of any enquiry. When a
question is under consideration, many of us have not even the
requisite intelligence to know what kind of enquiries should be
made in order that a conclusion may be arrived at; and it is no
falsehood to say that the travels of a good many people are but
idle and profitless. But considering the education you have had,
I should imagine that travel would be of great advantage to you."
"Now if I do go abroad" said Ramlall, "I shall have to stay for
some time in places where there is society: and with what classes,
and with what kinds of people, should I chiefly associate?"
"That is no easy question," Barada Babu replied: "I must contrive
though to give you some kind of an answer. In every rank in life
there are people good and bad: any good people you may come across
you may associate with; but you know by now how to recognise such:
I need not tell you again. Association with Englishmen may make
a man courageous, for they worship courage, and any Englishman
committing a cowardly act is not admitted into good society. But it
does not at all follow that a man is therefore virtuous because he
happens to be courageous. Courage is very essential to everybody,
I admit; but real courage is that which is the outcome of virtue. I
have told you already and now tell you again, that you must always
meditate on the Supreme Being, otherwise all that you see, or hear,
or learn, will only have the effect of increasing your pride. One
thing more: men often wish to do what they see others doing;
the Bengalees especially, from association with Englishmen, have
acquired a false superficial kind of Anglicism, and are filled
with self-conceit in consequence; pride is the motive force in
all they do. It will do you no harm to remember this."
They were conversing together in this way when suddenly some
police-officers rushed in from the west side of the garden and
surrounded Barada Babu. He looked at them sharply, and asked them
who they were and what their business with him was. They replied:
"We are officers connected with the police: there is a warrant out
against you on the charge of illegal confinement and assault, and
you will have to appear before the Court of the English Magistrate
of Hooghly; we shall have moreover to search your premises for
proofs of the charge." Ramlall rose up at these words, and when
he had read the warrant, he shook with rage at the falsity of the
charge, Barada Babu took his hand and made him sit down again,
saying: "Do not put yourself out: let the matter be thoroughly
well sifted. All sorts of strange accidents befall us on earth,
but there is no need to be disturbed in mind at all when calamity
comes: to be agitated in the presence of misfortune is the mark of
an ignorant mind. Besides, I am conscious of my entire innocence
of the crime I am accused of: what cause then have for fear? Still
the order of the court must be attended to, so I shall put in an
immediate appearance. Let the officers search my house, and see
with their own eyes that there is no one concealed there." The
police-officers having received this order, searched everywhere
but found nothing. Barada Babu then had a boat fetched, and made
all his arrangements for his journey to Hooghly. Meanwhile by some
good chance Beni Babu arrived at his house, so he set out on his
journey to Hooghly, taking Beni and Ramlall with him. Both were
somewhat anxious, but by his cheerful conversation on a variety
of topics, he soon put them at their ease.