The General, At The Same Time, Was Employed In Explaining
How Many Thousands The British Army Consisted Of, And How
Vastly
superior it was to all other armies whatever, not even making an
exception (as I thought he might fairly
Have done) in favour of the
"Invincible Forces," then and there manfully throwing out their feet
before him to the martial strains of "Home, sweet Home!" After the
last of the army had marched past, the general, with an energy little
appreciated by his friends in cloth of gold, jumped up, and, begging
permission to manoeuvre the troops himself, went off to throw the
unfortunate colonel commanding into a state of extreme consternation,
and to frighten the few English words of command he was possessed of,
fairly out of his head.
In the early mornings my chief amusement had been to watch the colonel
in question preparing both himself and his troops for the approaching
spectacle, and very sensibly he went through the performance. He
was arrayed on these occasions in the full dress of a green velvet
dressing-gown, worn in the style affected by the FEROCIOUS RUFFIAN
in small theatres, and, in place of a bugler, was accompanied by a
pipe-bearer. This aide followed him over the battle-field, wherever
the exigencies of the service required, and supplied him with whiffs
of the fragrant weed to compose his nerves at intervals during the
action. Their united efforts, however, although slightly irregular
in appearance, were attended with full success, for, with the help
of ten rounds of ammunition, the troops, even when handed over to the
tender mercies of the "Foreign General" got through their ordeal very
creditably; and, as they shot nobody, and did nothing more irregular
than losing their shoes upon the field, the event passed off smoothly
and pleasantly, and to the satisfaction of all concerned.
Here we met an old Sikh acquaintance of the road, who informed me
that he had taken service under the Maharajah. Next day he paid us
a visit, by appointment, and expressed himself highly delighted with
his entertainment; smoking and drinking, however, not being lawful in
society to the Sikhs, we could do but little in the character of hosts,
beyond letting him talk away to his heart's content, and with as little
interruption as possible. He told us his entire life and history,
in the worst of English, and we affected to understand the whole of
the narration, which, perhaps, was as much as any host could have
been called upon to do under the circumstances. The old gentleman's
dress was extremely gorgeous, and contrasted rather strongly with
our own woollen shooting-jackets and general exterior. He wore
a turban of purest white, entwined in endless folds round a light
green skull-cap; his waistcoat was of green velvet, embroidered,
and richly bordered with gold. His pyjamas - striped silk of the
brightest hue - fitted his little legs as tightly as needle and
thread could make them, and his lady-like feet were encased in cotton
socks and gold embroidered slippers.
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