ARRIVAL OF THE GUARDIAN-MOTHER AT BOMBAY
The coast of Bombay was in plain sight, the province, or state, whose
capital has the same name. Groves of cocoanut, date, and other palm-trees
bordered it; and far back of it was a range of mountains, the Western
Ghats, a chain extending for hundreds of miles along the shore, though from
twenty to fifty miles from it.
The fishing-boats were Oriental, and nothing new to the tourists; but the
men in them were swarthy-looking fellows, not abundantly provided with
clothing. The greater portion of India has a warm climate, and the dress of
the people is adapted to it. For the most part, the natives are bundled up
in loose white cotton cloth, or what was originally white, which they twist
about their bodies with a skill acquired by practice. But these boatmen
were almost in a primitive condition.
The distinguished guests on board of the Guardian-Mother were perfectly
familiar with Bombay and its surroundings, as they were with all of the
country, and their services were just now in demand. The Woolridges had
attached themselves to Lord Tremlyn; Louis Belgrave was very likely to be
in their company most of the time, and the viscount had manifested no
little interest in the young millionaire. He was pointing out the country,
and describing it, to this group of four.
Dr. Ferrolan was not so much of a ladies' man as his two younger
companions, and was rendering similar service to his professional brother,
Uncle Moses, and Professor Giroud. They formed a quartet of educated men,
and were more in touch with each other than they might otherwise have been.
Sir Modava Rao had attracted to his side Mrs. Belgrave; Mrs. Blossom was
usually her shadow; and of course Captain Ringgold, when not employed in
his duties in the navigation of the steamer, gravitated, not materially but
sentimentally, to this group; for wherever Mrs. Belgrave was, the commander
was not far off.
Felix divided himself up among the three parties; and, as he was a lively
boy, he afforded no little amusement to all of them. The entire company,
including the captain and the third officer, who were to take part in the
business of sight-seeing, consisted of sixteen persons, which was just the
complement for four carriages, if they were large enough to seat four.
The pilot came on board, and was inducted into the pilot-house. He spoke
English, and seemed to be a bright fellow so far as his occupation was
concerned. The pilots are said to "pool their issues," and divide their
fees. They take their own time, therefore, and are very independent. But
this one, when informed that the Guardian-Mother was a yacht conveying a
young millionaire all-over-the-world, was very respectful and deferential.
"I have heard of this vessel before, and they say here that the young rajah
is worth millions of pounds," said he, when he had laid the course of the
steamer.
"I suppose he is as well off as some of your Grand Moguls; but I think you
had better call it dollars instead of pounds," replied Mr. Boulong,
laughing at the absurdity of the story; but the pilot knew nothing about
dollars, and perhaps the reports had been swelled by changing the unit of
American currency into that of the British Empire.
"Now you can see the islands more distinctly," said Lord Tremlyn to his
group.
"I don't see any islands," replied Miss Blanche.
"They are too near together to be distinguished separately. The Bombay to
which we are going is an island eleven and a half miles long. The town has
an abundant territory; but large as it is, portions of it are very densely
peopled, averaging twenty-one inmates to a house," continued the viscount.
"Next to Calcutta it is the largest city in India, and comes within 40,000
of that.
"Bombay has had its vicissitudes. Of course you know that your Civil War
produced a cotton famine in Europe; but it raised this city to the pinnacle
of prosperity. A reign of speculation came here, and it was believed that
Bombay would be the leading cotton mart of the world. Companies were
organized to develop the resources of the country in the textile plant; and
the fever raged as high as it did when the South Sea Bubble was blown up,
or as it has sometimes in New York and other cities of your country.
"New banks were started; merchants plunged recklessly into the vortex of
speculation. Then came the news of the surrender of General Lee, and the
end of the war in America. The bubble burst, even before it was fully
inflated, and the business prosperity of Bombay collapsed. The certificates
of shares in companies and banks were not worth the paper on which they
were written. Even the Bank of Bombay, believed to be as solid as the 'Old
Lady' of Threadneedle Street, had to suspend, and the commercial distress
was frightful.
"But it left its lesson behind it; and since that time Bombay has patiently
and painfully regained its former solid prosperity. It has recovered what
it lost, and is now steadily increasing in population and wealth."
"I never heard of the South Sea Bubble of which you speak," said Louis.
"That is not strange, as it was an affair of one hundred and eighty-one
years ago," replied Lord Tremlyn. "I have not time now to describe it in
full. The floating debt of England at that time was £10,000,000; and the
Earl of Oxford concocted a scheme to pay it off, and formed a company of
merchants for that purpose. The riches of the South Sea Islands, including
South America, were most extravagantly estimated at that time, and the
monopoly of the trade was secured by the company formed. The 'South Sea
Company' was bolstered up by the pledge of the duties on the imports from
these far-off regions, and the shares sold like wild-fire, increasing in
price in the most extraordinary manner. Shares at a par of £100 were quoted
at £550 in May, and £890 in June.
"The failure of the Mississippi Scheme, projected in France by John Law to
develop the resources of the American State of Louisiana, alarmed the
shareholders; but the managers declared that they had avoided the errors of
Law in their finances, and the enterprise still prospered. A mania for
stock-gambling spread over England, and the people seemed to have lost
their wits. The most tremendous excitement prevailed. The crisis came, and
it was realized that the scheme was a fraudulent one. Some of the biggest
operators sold out their stock, and a panic ensued. Consternation came upon
the bubble capitalists, and financial ruin stared them and their dupes full
in the face.
"The country was stirred to its very foundations. Parliament was called
together, and the books of the company were examined. The 'Bubble' had
burst, as it did in Bombay. The private property of the directors was
confiscated. The ruin brought about by this enterprise, rightly called a
'Bubble,' was beyond calculation; but it taught its lesson, as such affairs
always do."
"We are approaching the harbor," said Mrs. Woolridge, who was not much
interested in the South Sea Scheme, though her husband and Louis listened
to the explanation very attentively.
"We are, madam. You see to the northward of us two peninsulas. The one the
more distant has two hills on it. The first is Malabar Hill, and the other
Cumballa Hill. This is the aristocratic quarter of Bombay. The huge
bungalows of the rich merchants and higher government officials are here.
The scenery, natural and artificial, is very fine, and Asiatic magnificence
prevails there. That will be one of our first rides. You observe near the
point of the peninsula some towers, like pagodas, which will give you your
first impression of the temples of India."
Opera-glasses were then in demand, and were brought to bear on the towers.
"They are in the village of Walkeshwar. The peninsula now quite near is
Colaba. Indian names are very much mixed in regard to their spelling. The
_c_ and the _k_ are about interchangeable, and you can use either
one of them. Hence this point is often written Kolaba, and the hill yonder
Kumballa. The southern part of this neck of land is the native quarter. You
will visit all these localities, and it is not worth while to describe them
minutely."
"That looks like a cemetery," said Mr. Woolridge, as the steamer approached
the point. "There is the lighthouse."
The commander had left his party as the steamer approached the entrance to
the harbor, and had gone forward. The ship had slowed down, and the captain
spoke to the pilot about a convenient anchorage. The harbor was large
enough to accommodate all the navies of the world, and there was no
difficulty on this account. Lord Tremlyn had left his party to look at what
was to be seen by themselves, and came forward to the pilot-house. The
anchorage was settled.
"Captain Ringgold, if you please, we will now exchange places," said the
viscount. "Up to the present time we have been your guests; now I will
become the host, and you and your party will be my guests. I beg you will
raise no objections, my dear sir, and I shall feel very much wounded if you
do not accept the hospitality I tender to you. You are at home on the sea
as I am in Bombay."
"You have put it in such a way that I cannot refuse to accept," replied the
commander, laughing at the corner in which he was placed. "For the present
we are your guests, and we place ourselves entirely under your direction."
"I am extremely happy to take you all under my protection; but I cannot
submit to the proviso which you have added to my offer, though I will be
satisfied to have you 'for the present' as my guests, and we will leave the
future to take care of itself. But in whatever capacity we travel over
India, or such portion of it as you may elect, it is rather necessary that
we fix upon a plan for our operations."
"I am quite agreed that we had better draw up a programme, and I shall
depend upon your counsel in the matter," replied the captain. "For the
present, will you excuse me until the ship comes to anchor?"
"Certainly, Captain."
"Here is the custom-house boat, and I suppose I must attend to that."
"Leave that to me, if you please."
In another half-hour the Guardian-Mother was at anchor off the Apollo
Bunder, the wharf, or landing-place. The custom-house officers came on
board; and, as the ship was not one of any regular line, a high official
came off with them. As soon as he reached the deck he discovered his
lordship, and rushed to him, bowed profusely, and addressed him in the most
deferential manner.
"This is a very unexpected visit, my Lord, and in a steamer flying the
American flag," said he, as the viscount gave him his hand, a piece of
condescension he appeared to appreciate very highly. "What has become of
the Travancore?"
"She was wrecked in the Arabian Sea in a collision, and went to the bottom
after holding us up for a few hours. We were rescued from certain death by
this steamer, and we have been treated with the utmost kindness and
consideration," said his lordship quite hurriedly. "Sir Modava Rao and Dr.
Ferrolan are on board. I am entirely devoted to those to whom we owe our
lives, and I am in their service as long as they will stay in India. What
is your business on board, Mr. Windham?"
"It is in connection with the customs, my Lord."
"You will dispense with everything in that connection, for this is a yacht;
and you will oblige me by not subjecting any person on board to any
annoyance, Mr. Windham."
"Certainly not, my Lord; and not a trunk shall be opened. But the
newspapers will want the account of your shipwreck, and a reporter came off
with me," replied the official.
"Refer him to my secretary."
The under-official obtained particulars from the first officer in regard to
the steamer for the custom-house, and Dr. Ferrolan gave the reporter an
account of the disaster to the Travancore which he had written.
"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 Lordship; 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 shore 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 ship to Kurrachee. From there I thought I should send the
Guardian-Mother round to Calcutta in charge of Mr. Boulong, while we
travelled to Lahore, 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.