Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-01-19

ten by Rev. E. w Parker, a Missionary in
India, sent out by the Vermont Conference of
the M. E. Church:
BIJNow, India, Oct. Goth, 1852
We remained in Calcutta from Sunday eve,
Aug. 2lst, until Friday evening of the same
week, when we started north Tor Lucknow
In journeyng from Calcutta to Lucknow,
two hundred and forty miles we travel by rail-
way, and the remaining distance-some four or
five hundred miles-in small coaches drawn by
one horse, the horses being exchanged once in
five miles. The coaches are very conveniently
arranged, 80 that this would be very comfort
able and expeditions mode of travelling, if good
horses were provided. But with such horses as
are generally provided in India, it is slow and
tiresomc. We were therefore obliged to be on
the road for over week, travelling much of the
time night and day, and not reaching Lucknow
until Saturday evening, Sept. 3D..
We left Lucknow, Sept. Goth, for Bareilly,
on the way to Bijnow, our appointment. We
travelled in coaches until We reached Futteghar,
where, leaving the carriage road, we were
obliged to travel in palkees. These are about
six feet long, two and half feet wide, and
three feet high. At each end pole is fastened,
so that they can be borne on the shoulders of
men, This is the best and, in fact, the only
expeditions mode of travelling in the north west
Of India. Eight men are provided for each
palkee, four bearing it at time. There were
three of us; hence we required twenty-four
men for bearers, three to carry some light bag
gage, and three more to carry torches, as we
were to travel during the night. We left Fut-
teghar about four o'clock in the afternoon, hav-
ing prepared our palkee for nights rest, and
provided ourselves with some bottles of water,
and something for luncheon on the way, as
there were no places for refreshment on the
route.
Our bearers started off briskly with us, keep
ing time asst they moved on, by grunting excla
nations, which to us were certainly not very
musical. We went on nicely until about mid
night when we found it was raining very hard.
The torches were soon out, and we, of course,
set down for time. The palkees having been
for long time exposed to the sun, as the rainy
season was over, leaked very badly, and we
were soon quite wet. We urged the men on as
soon as their torches would burn but we had
not gone far when it rained harder, l thought,
than l ever knew it to rain in Vermont. Here
We were, in an open plain, with no protection
only that which our palkees gave, and forty
miles between us and our destination. But
here we remained until daylight, when we
again started; but soon found that we must
spend the day on the road, for the heavy rain
made the travelling very bad, SO that our bearers
could only walk, instead of running. The best
we could do, however, was to press on, which
we did as fast as possible. We had expected to
reach u little town, about twelve miles from
Berellly, at eight in the morning and had been
informed that here breakfast would be pro-
vided for us. As we rode en- through the day,
| inquired many times for that place, but no
one could tell us anything about it, until nearly
four o'clock that afternoon, when, as we were
passing through small village, | saw a very
fine looking native coming out to my palkee.-
supposed him to be some official" who was
coming to make his g salam," but as he drew
near he greeted us with pleasant &C good eve
ming" Here, thought to myself, is some one
who talks English, and Gun, at least, tell us
where we are But before could ask him, he
said that our breakfast was all ready, and that
he was sent by the Rev. MIR. Humphrey We
were not long in learning that this was Joseph,
one of our noble native preachers, You can
imagine, perhaps, how glad we We're to meet
him under these circumstances.
Our long day'sride had done much to prepare
us to enjoy our rather late breakfast, which so
greatly refreshed us that we went on our way
with renewed strength and rising spirits We
arrived at BareilIy about eight o'clock in the
evening, having been in our palkees for twenty
eight hours. ~
After remaining few days at Bareilly, we
started again by polkee DIX fer Moradabad, and
from thence to Bijnow. We had pleasant
journey, and through the goodness Of God we
arrived safely at our home Oct 18th, being
about seven months since we left our home in
Vermont. We found house all ready for ut
on our arrival, and having sent on little
furniture andso of our goods previously, We
were soon quite comfortably situated. Our
house is in one corner of beautiful grove o.
mangoe trees covering four acres of ground