house, and I took Mrs. H into the zenāna: as dark beauties always look best by candle-light, I had selected a late hour to visit the Begam; she was sitting on her gaddī when we went in, surrounded by her three beautiful children, and was in herself a picture. The little girl, my likeness, had lost all her shyness, and was figuring about like a dancing girl; on remarking the extraordinary change from shyness to such violent spirits, Mulka said, "She has had some opium, that makes her so fearless." We sat an hour with the Begam, and then took our leave. We found the gentlemen in the outer house, sitting over a warm fire, and an excellent dinner of native dishes was ready; having dined, we returned by torch-light to the tents.
My friends were much gratified with their visit to Khāsgunge; I had spoken so warmly of the beauty of Mulka Begam, that I was pleased to find Mrs. H admired equally both her person and manners.
25th.—Our morning march was thus: Mr. H, Major Sutherland and myself on horseback; Mrs. H in a palanquin-carriage, that rivalled Noah's ark; it held herself, three children, three ayhas, two dogs, and packages without number; four good Arab horses had hard work to pull it six miles over such roads: the rest of the march was performed in buggies, with a relay of horses on the road. Major Sutherland, on his beautiful Arab, used to fly over the country in true Pindaree style; some of his Arabs I coveted exceedingly. In the evening the gentlemen took their guns; no game was to be found,—the land was generally perfectly bare, not a blade of grass,—the game had perished for want of food. The whole country around Zezaree was very flat and uninteresting; the only picturesque object we could find during these evening rambles was an old well; these wells we used to seek out and peer into as if we belonged to the Thuggee department, and were searching for dead bodies. Our life in tents was very agreeable, and I believe the whole party were sorry the next march would bring us to Alligarh, and once more into the form and stupidity of life in a house; for myself, the idea of having any roof over my head but that of a
