30

FELLOW PASSENGERS.

French captain of infantry with his wife and daughter. Ever shall I remember the latter, the pretty and interesting little Adèle, and the terror with which she at first viewed a monstrous pet boa-constrictor I had brought on board, and which used to twine its shining folds around my body. Custom at last overcame apprehension, and it was a pleasing sight to see the lovely child fearlessly playing with the huge terrific-looking monster. Her father, a good-natured "vielle moustache" of the time of the empire, was returning to France after an exile of some twenty years, and bringing back, as a sample of Colonial service, a tall, ungainly Creole lady, the mother of little Adèle, and whose chief characteristics were, excessive good nature, a most extraordinary appetite, and the apparent facility with which she every morning at breakfast demolished huge quantities of cheese and salt fish.

On the 29th of April-after nearly a fortnight of this vexatious delay-we at last left the anchorage of Pondicherry, and setting sail, hoped to reach Columbo in a few days.

APPROACHING STORM.

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The wind for some time continued foul, but light, with an unruffled sea and cloudless sky : under these circumstances everything went on smoothly, and the Frenchmen appeared expert and fearless mariners; but a change was soon to come o'er the "spirit of our dream." Owing to the still adverse breeze, and the lightness of the vessel, we made much lee-way; but still had hopes of being able to weather Point de Galle, when, at the end of about a fortnight, the southwest monsoon began to shew itself in a more decided manner. The scud commenced drifting over-head, and a threatening sky, with occasional squalls, appeared greatly to discompose the skipper, who on these occasions invariably put the ship before the wind under close-reefed courses, losing thus in the space of a few hours the way we had laboriously been gaining to the southward in as many days.

Though not much of a sailor, still I could easily foresee that by following up this system of navigation, our voyage-like that of the flying Dutchman-would never come to a conclusion; when by degrees the whole truth

oozed out, and in so doing proved by no means a source of consolation to us. The short and long of the business was, that the skipper appeared to entertain serious doubts of the seaworthiness of his craft; and we learnt, when it was too late, that she had been for many years engaged in the West India trade, when,—being no longer considered fit for that, this enterprising individual had bought her cheap, to come out on an Indian venture; and no wonder was now entertained at his anxiety to have on board his wātāer pomps, as her rotten old hull proved in a very leaky condition, and every billow which struck it, making her quiver again to the very centre, accounted for Captain D's great readiness to flee before the least puff of wind.

We had now been nearly a month from Pondicherry; a gloom had settled on every countenance, nearly rivalling in darkness the inky colour of the lowering sky, which appeared as if enveloped in the heavy folds of a leaden mantle, for not a breath was stirring, and the sails flapped heavily against the rocking masts

as lazily we rolled to the grating sound of creaking timbers and groaning bulkheads, on the long swell of the black and heaving billows.

A sense of unnatural heat and oppression weighed down the atmosphere, and having escaped from the close and crowded dinnertable in the cuddy, with its smoking stews and ragouts, I had claimed the easily conceded privilege of an invalid; and, comfortably seated on the poop in an easy campchair, with a small tabouret before me, was gloomily brooding over our unhappy fate as I munched in silence my solitary meal.

In giving the list of passengers on board the good ship Clémentine, by some unaccountable omission that of a most prominent character has been left out. Jocko-for by that name he was known on board, though his real denomination happened to be the more euphonious one of Rungiah-was a native of Tanjre, and appertained to the much despised portion of the Indian community known as the Pariah caste— or rather, having no caste at all: his age might have been between twelve or thirteen, and

34

FRENCH AND ENGLISH.

although dark as polished ebony, his classical features and pleasing contour of countenance proclaimed him as no way akin to the African or negro race.

Though young in years, many were the vicissitudes of Jocko's eventful career. Left at an early age an orphan, numberless had been the adventures which he would relate to me as having undergone, and which led him at one time to occupy the important post of cookboy with an European regiment stationed at Bengalore; and hence the favour my red jacket ensured me in the poor little nigger's sight. His opinion of the respective merits of the French and English character was rather amusing. He used to say, that "Englishmen him plenty lick, but always give bellyful of rice; but d-n Frenchman, him lick and make starve too." Deserting his French masters-for everybody on board appeared to lay claim to the poor fellow's services-Mr. Jocko attached himself exclusively to me: he was a sharp, handy little fellow, and I found him particularly useful in many ways, particularly in