SIGHTS IN PONDICHERRY.--THE FRENCH EAST INDIES.--VOYAGE TO MADRAS.
The steamer lay quietly at anchor during the night, though she rolled
somewhat from the motion of the waves that sweep almost constantly from
the Bay of Bengal. The anchorage is only an open roadstead, and
sometimes the surf beats on the sandy beach with such force that landing
is next to impossible. There is a small river emptying into the sea at
Pondicherry, but it is only accessible to native craft, which draw but
little water, and to the smallest of foreign vessels.
In the morning all the passengers went on shore, with a warning from the
captain to return before noon, as he should sail for Madras a few
minutes after the sun had passed the meridian. There was hardly any wind
blowing, and the surf was quite light on the beach: our three friends
united with one of the other passengers in hiring a boat rowed by eight
men, which was to take them ashore and back again to the steamer for the
aggregate sum of four dollars. As soon as the four were seated in the
stern of the craft the natives pulled vigorously at their oars, and shot
the boat ahead with satisfactory velocity; they accompanied their rowing
with a song which was sung by the two sides of rowers alternately, and
then by the whole crew in chorus. The words, as near as the boys could
make them out, were about as follows:
"Ahee! ma wala deery--
Ahee! ja nala meery--
Ahee! wala, nala, jan!"
[Illustration: GOING ASHORE.]
As they reached the shore the boat rose on the crest of a wave, and the
instant she touched the sand the crew sprung out and seized her sides to
run her up the beach before the next wave could arrive. Nobody received
the least wetting, but the shore was so damp with the spray and surf
that walking was not desirable. The boatmen stepped into position to
receive the passengers on their backs, and our friends went ashore in a
manner that was not altogether dignified, though decidedly comfortable.
[Illustration: NATIVES IN THE SURF.]
When the north-east monsoon is blowing in its full force the surf is so
heavy that no boat can live in it. The great rollers rush in one after
the other in rapid succession, and with a front ten or twelve feet high:
foreigners are cautious about venturing into it at such times, but the
natives have no such fears, and many of them improve the opportunity for
surf-bathing. With a short plank to keep them afloat, they spring into
the waves and allow themselves to be tossed here and there by the
turbulent waters, and if they are thrown on the sand again and again
they sustain no injury.
[Illustration: SCENE NEAR PONDICHERRY.]
As they walked along the beach and into the city, Doctor Bronson told
his young companions about Pondicherry and its history.
"Pondicherry," said he, "is the capital of the French possessions in
India--_Les Indes Orientales Françaises_. It is a city of barely 50,000
inhabitants, and the French territory attached to it has about 200,000
inhabitants on an area of 112 square miles. There are two or three other
small settlements in India belonging to the French, but altogether they
do not number 50,000 people in their limits. This is all that is left of
the once wide possessions of the French in India. There was a time when
the French were more powerful in the East than the English, and about
the middle of the last century the latter began to fear that they would
be driven out of Hindostan by their rivals. The French held more than
half the country, and Madras and the principal cities in the English
possession were besieged by the French and their native allies. The
genius of one man turned the tide of war, and a succession of victories
gave the English practical control of the whole country."
"That man was Lord Clive, was he not?" said one of the boys.
"Yes, Lord Clive. He organized a small force of English and native
soldiers, and managed them so skilfully that one after another of the
enemy's strong places fell into his hands. I advise you to read the
history of his life whenever you have the opportunity, as it is
exceedingly interesting, and will amply repay you for the perusal. I
cannot, in the time at our disposal, give you even a brief outline of
it, as it covers many events of importance, and includes a period of
nearly twenty-five years. He fought many battles, and was nearly always
victorious: the most important was the battle of Plassey, which occurred
on the 23d day of June, 1757."
"I've read about that battle," said Frank; "it was the one that decided
the question of the English staying in India or being driven out of it."
"You are right," answered the Doctor; "if the battle of Plassey had gone
the other way, the English power would have been completely broken, at
least that is what the English historians themselves admit. Clive's army
consisted of only 3000 men, and two-thirds of them were native soldiers,
the rest being Englishmen. The native army opposed to him was 55,000
strong, consisting of 40,000 infantry, 15,000 cavalry, and having fifty
large cannon, drawn by elephants and oxen. It is proper to say that the
infantry was armed principally with pikes, swords, and bows and arrows,
and the only weapons using gunpowder were some old-fashioned firelocks.
The English had the best fire-arms of those times, and their artillery
was far superior to that of the natives, though the number of pieces was
smaller.
"The native nabob who commanded opened fire on Clive with his heavy
guns, but they did very little harm. The English artillery replied with
such deadly effect that the nabob ordered a retreat; Clive's army then
advanced, and the enemy was thrown into confusion, and the retreat
became a disorderly rout. All their artillery and camp equipage fell
into the hands of the English, and the victory was complete."
One of the boys asked if many of the combatants were killed.
"No," was the reply; "the loss of life on both sides was very small,
especially for such a complete defeat on one side, and a decisive
victory on the other. About 500 of the native army were killed, and a
great number made prisoners; the English lost twenty-two killed and
fifty wounded--when I say English, I mean the entire army under Clive's
command.
"Clive's victory at Plassey was followed by another at Patna over the
troops of the Great Mogul, and in the year 1759 he defeated an army that
was sent from the Dutch East Indies by the Governor of Batavia. Then he
went to England, where he remained four years before returning to India
to resume his command of the affairs of the colonies. On his final
return to England his administration was questioned, but he vindicated
himself in a parliamentary examination and died in 1774."
While this conversation was going on our friends were strolling through
the streets of Pondicherry, and observing its peculiarities. Fred said
he expected to see a great fort and many soldiers, but the Doctor told
him that when the place was given up by the English, in 1814, it was on
the condition that no European soldiers should be kept there, and no
fort should be built. The same was the case with the other French
possessions in India, and consequently they could never be of any
military importance, and would speedily fall into the hands of the
English in case of war between the two countries.
[Illustration: HOUSE IN THE EUROPEAN QUARTER.]
They found that the European quarter was well laid out along the sea
shore, and separated from the native portion by a ditch, which was
crossed by several bridges. The streets are broad, and shaded by
magnificent trees, and nearly every house has a fine garden attached to
it. The squares are large, and there are many temples and pagodas that
tell the traveller he is in India. Many of the natives speak French, and
altogether they appear content with the foreigners that rule over them.
[Illustration: AN INDIAN WOMAN.]
They met many natives, and the boys were impressed with the oddity of
the appearance of many of them. The quantity of jewellery worn by the
women surpassed what they had seen in Ceylon, or in any of the countries
hitherto visited, and one of them remarked that people in India were
willing to suffer much inconvenience for the sake of fashion. As he said
so he pointed out a woman who had a ring at least two inches in diameter
thrust through one side of her nose in such a way that it hung down over
her mouth, and reached to the level of the base of her chin. It
certainly appeared as though it would be a great hinderance to eating
and drinking, but the woman seemed proud of her adornment, and probably
would have been unwilling to part with it.
It was further observed that she had her ears pierced with several
holes, and each hole contained a ring. The whole front of the ear was
filled with rings. As if this were not jewellery enough, she had a
double string of beads on her neck, a great necklace of silver coins
that hung to her waist, and a couple of ornaments on each arm. Bells
tinkled as she walked, and, on glancing at her ankles, Frank and Fred
observed that they were beautified with heavy rings of silver.
[Illustration: AN INDIAN MAN.]
The fondness for jewellery was not confined to the women by any means,
as the boys had occasion to remark before they had finished their
discussion of the wearer of the many rings. They saw several men whose
ears were pierced in the same way as those of the women, but they were
content with filling the holes with delicate pearls. A few of the
wealthiest of the native men had diamonds in their ears, but the lower
classes could not afford such a luxury.
In front of the principal hotel of the city there was a group of natives
around a performer who appeared to be doing something interesting. Our
friends stopped to see what the attraction was, and found that a
snake-charmer was exhibiting his power over a _cobra-di-capello_. As
the boys had not yet seen a snake-charmer in India, the Doctor motioned
to the man to bring his serpent near the veranda of the hotel, where the
strangers took their seats. Accordingly the performer brought forward a
small basket, about the size and shape of an ordinary cheese, and then
squatted in front of it.
[Illustration: A SERPENT-CHARMER.]
With an instrument somewhat resembling a flute he began playing a dull,
monotonous air; in a few moments there was a movement under the bit of
cloth that lay in the basket, and presently the head of a cobra
appeared. Slowly the snake elevated himself till nearly half his length
was in the air, and as long as the music continued he swayed his head
backward and forward, and apparently tried to keep time to the tune.
When the musician laid aside his flute the snake subsided, and crawled
under the blanket as though he wished to go to sleep again. The
performance was over, and the man advanced with a low bow and extended
his hand for his reward. The Doctor gave him a sixpence, another
spectator added a similar amount, and the snake-charmer went away
satisfied.
"He was only an ordinary performer," said the Doctor; "I can show you
some that far excel him before we have been long in India. Their
adroitness will astonish you, and some of their tricks will appear like
the work of a magician; I will not detract from their interest by
telling you what they will do, but would rather have you wait and see
for yourselves. The time for our return to the ship is approaching, and
we had better move on."
Suiting the action to the word the Doctor rose, and was followed by the
youths. In a little while they were passing through the surf and out
toward the ship, which they reached without mishap of any kind. A little
past noon the anchor was lifted, and the steamer was under way for
Madras.
It is about ninety miles from Pondicherry to Madras, and as the steamer
was not a fast one, it was well into the night before she arrived at the
latter port. The captain announced that she would remain there until
evening of the second day after their arrival, and thus they would have
two full days on shore. They could do as they liked about coming off to
sleep on board or staying at a hotel. As there was a good chance of a
wetting in the surf while going back and forth, it did not take a long
consultation for them to decide to remain on shore. Rising early in the
morning they ate a light breakfast, and then took their satchels with
such toilet-articles as they desired during their single night on land.
Plenty of boats were at the ship's side, and a bargain was made to the
effect that for two rupees each they were to be carried to the shore and
back again, with a rupee additional to the crew by way of perquisite.
[Illustration: MASULLAH-BOATS IN THE SURF AT MADRAS.]
The boat they engaged was of the variety known as the _masullah_; it was
made of long thin planks, and the sides were very high in order to keep
out the surf, or as much of it as possible. The planks extended from one
end of the boat to the other, and were tied together with coir ropes
running through small holes bored in the edges. The seams were calked
with the fibres of the cocoa-nut-tree, and daubed with pitch; but in
spite of this precaution the craft was a leaky one, and a man was
occupied more than half the time in baling her out. The bottom was flat,
and covered with a quantity of small twigs to keep the feet of the
passengers from getting wet; the crew wore neither shoes nor stockings,
and consequently it made little difference to them whether their feet
were wet or dry.
The captain of the steamer told them that the masullah-boat was a
remarkable construction, and though it appeared frail, it was in reality
very strong. "It goes on the waves instead of through them," said he,
"and is therefore just what is wanted for the surf. The sides are so
flexible that they can be brought close together, and then sprung out
again without apparent injury, as I have seen them do repeatedly. They
bump against the sides of our ship for hours without any more effect on
them than on a rubber ball, and they will carry any sort of cargo that
can be lowered into them."
Away they went on their trip to shore, the crew singing the same kind of
song they had heard at Pondicherry, and rowing with curious-looking oars
or paddles that had quite a resemblance to enormous tea-spoons. As they
neared the land, the waves rolling in from the sea were not a pleasant
sight, and the situation was not improved when the men stopped rowing
just outside the line of surf and demanded double pay before going in.
This is a favorite trick with the Madras boatmen, and it frequently
succeeds where the passengers are timorous: this time it did not work to
their satisfaction, as the Doctor peremptorily ordered them to row back
to the steamer if they were unwilling to keep to their bargain. Finding
themselves foiled, they pulled away at the oars, keeping the head of the
boat straight on for the shore. She rose on one wave, and then on the
next and the next: there are generally three lines of waves pursuing one
another, and the third, counting from the outside, is the one that
breaks into surf.
As they struck the sand with the surf the boatmen sprung out and ran the
boat out of reach of the next wave. A little water was taken into the
stern of the boat in the shape of spray, just as they rose on the crest
of the last wave; Frank was slightly sprinkled with it, but the Doctor
and Fred escaped without the least wetting.
From the sand they were carried by the men to dry ground, and as soon as
they were fairly on their feet a great clamor was raised by the crew for
extra pay. The Doctor told them it would be due when they returned to
the ship and not before, and without more words the trio walked off with
their satchels, to which they had clung.
[Illustration: A CATAMARAN.]
The masullah-boat is not the only kind of craft that passes through the
surf at Madras. Just as they landed, Frank and Fred saw a sort of raft
with two men on it boldly launching into the waves, and it was followed
by another with only one man on it. The Doctor explained that these
rafts or catamarans were made of three logs that turned up at the ends,
and were lashed side by side, and they were chiefly used for taking
letters and light parcels from ship to shore, or from shore to ship. The
men that manage them have high hats with pockets in the lining, and
everything they carry is put there for safety.
At the side of the street, just above the beach, stood a garry, or
carriage, which the Doctor engaged to take them to the principal hotel.
The crowd of boatmen and beach attendants followed, and pressed so
closely that it needed several strokes of the umbrellas of our friends
to keep them even a yard away, and, as they entered the carriage, a
dozen hands were thrust into the windows with demands for backsheesh.
Some of these fellows followed the carriage for nearly half a mile,
shouting their complaints, and making a vain effort to be bought off.
Doctor Bronson said they were the most persistent beggars he had ever
seen, with the possible exception of the Arabs at the great pyramids in
Egypt, and it was quite possible that the latter might learn a lesson
from the beach-combers of Madras.
With the crowd shaken off at last, our friends had a chance to look
around them and obtain their first impression of Madras.
The city stands on a plain close to the sea, and extends seven or eight
miles along the coast. The view, as one approaches it from the water, is
quite picturesque; between the beach and the first line of buildings
there is a wide street, in which we see a good deal of activity in the
early and late hours of the day, but very little when the sun is at or
near the meridian. The densest part of the city is in the neighborhood
of the long pier, and for nearly a mile up and down the shore the line
of buildings is almost unbroken. This part of Madras is called the Black
Town, and nearly all the business of the place is conducted here; in the
rest of the city the buildings are much more scattered than in the Black
Town, and, altogether, Madras is said to cover an area of about thirty
square miles.
Frank wondered how many inhabitants there were in Madras, and what was
the proportion between the natives and foreigners.
[Illustration: HINDOO NATIVE OF MADRAS.]
"There are about 400,000 people living here," Doctor Bronson answered,
"and the majority of them are Hindoos. There are less than 2000 people
of English birth here, exclusive of the garrison, and there may be four
or five hundred German, French, Greek, and other European nationalities.
It is an odd spectacle to see so small a population governing a large
one, but you must bear in mind that this is the case in nearly all the
cities of the East where Europeans have obtained control."