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16 January 1906 — Allahabad | |
Tuesday. 16th [January 1906]. Mr Sarabji took us for a lovely cruise down the river. He drove us down to the river bank in his carriage & we started at . There we found one of the country boats with a thatched awning over it waiting for us. We had to wait a little while for the rest of the party several young Englishmen, Mr & Mrs Bradish from Assam & Mrs Wallach who was hostess of the party & brought the luncheon with her. At last we were all on board with a boat attached containing the servants & food & we rowed slowly down the stream, past the old Fort to the mela (fair)– We lunched en route sitting on the floor for the chairs provided for us were useless as the roof was too low. We were very comfortable—the day was lovely, there was a little breeze on the water– Boats full of natives going & coming to the mela passed us—all intent on their pilgrimage. There were the poor in overloaded boats—there were houseboats with the rich merchant sitting crosslegged in the midst of his dependents—fat & indolent– As we got nearer to the junction of the 2 rivers the noise of the hum of the crowd of people was audible. We stopped a while to hear the native music—old men with their tomtoms, & twanging kind of guitar with but one string– The scene was a strange one every one busy at his own affairs—either washing in the stream, or praying, or drying their garments in the sun or eating or sleeping. We landed & walked about on the sands & there we saw more wonderful sights still. Wild looking fakirs in their stalls—begging or sleeping, booths for buying simple wares used by natives. Queerly dressed children with crowns on their heads sitting solemnly in a row with quaintly dressed & painted dolls by their sides, all expecting the doles of the Levant. We walked through all this & along the narrow path which led along the shore till we got under the walls of the great Fort. We came to a kind of rock temple where the Hindu priests told us was the well at the bottom of which may be seen by the holy & believers the 3rd river which runs underground to join the other 2 sacred rivers—& we then rejoined our boat & were towed by 2 natives up stream till we reached the place from which we started. We took leave of our hostess Mrs Wallach. She is a handsome woman with gold hair & a good expression, but her manners were somewhat trying. She talked much & loud—called all the men “dear boy” & was not very soigné in her dress. She seemed popular & is probably very kind to all around her & is the outcome of her surroundings. We found our carriages waiting for us & Mr Sarabji drove me in his brougham to the Hockey tournament which was going on at the Club. There we found ourselves in the most fashionable European society– Lady Knox was receiving the Company & all the European community was there assembled. Sir John & Lady Stanley were there & we returned in their carriage to their house– There were several men at dinner in the evening. I had much talk with Sir John in the evening. He told me he was from Dublin & had made his way up at the bar there, that his wife had always been delicate but was stronger since she came to India—& that she is better at Allahabad than she was at Calcutta. It seems there is nothing really the matter with her, ill as she looks. Her nerves are evidently not strong & she got often very irritable with the servants, as I observed to be often the case with the “Memsahibs” in India. It seems, however, that the Stanleys are wonderfully kind to their servants & pay & treat them well. | |
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