Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1874-06-18
Fireside Department.
From the Lutheran Observer.
JOURNEY TO INDIA.
GCoNCLUSIoN.l |

IL hdo q fOh6 1AAS OfSA ehO 49,
Sea. A little sketch will explain
its peculiarities. This is the hot
test sea in the eastern route, and
dreaded in midsummer. We were
sailing along opposite to, and
out of sight of, Mecca. From nine
IN the morning, until fiye.in the
afternoon, it was sultry to un-
comfortableness. No air crossed
the saloon and we sought relief
under the deck awnings. The
ships motion started a current
backwards, refreshing in itself,
but loaded with SCOT from the
smoke stack and blackening face
and garment. With lungs long
ing for even the little current,
we were compelled to sit behind
a shelter and watch it play on
the awning edges. The sea tempt
ed us to pitch ourselves into its
waters, and was glass-like and
covered with sheen. Patches Of
brown sea wood, and shifting,
variously colored jelly fishes,
lazily drifted by. Coral islands,
above the surface of the water,
and knowing how many beneath,
were at our side, but ever far
enough away to make our sailing
safe and to hide the white or red
reefs of the rock-makers out of
sight. As the sun went down,its
light fell on the western coast
and revealed the low mountains
of Numidia. After many days,
the land narrowed down the sea,
and we were in the straits of Bah
elmandsb. Toward Arabia, bleak
hills were piled on hills as if they
had sat there in nakedness since
creation. In the little, narrow
border between these and the
shore the French had proposed
to erect a fort but we could see
only one large frame building.
On Perrin island, opposite, the
naturally rocky fortress was
trimmed down into garrison and
fort, ard over all the British flag
was waving. 1t is the mastery
OF the Red Sea. And there We
had seen England's stronghold,
Gibraltar, Malta and Perrin,
stretching from Spain through
the center of the continent. The
hills that line Arabia, project
down to the bend at the Gulf OF
Alden and extend into the water
in low, volcanic, hollow frus.
trums of cones. The edges of
one OF these frustrums seemed
rounded with the matter that had
been forced out and that had
rolled down the sides into the
sea.
At Cape Guardafui, we bade
farewell to Africa as we had al
ready done to Europe and Amer
lea. With no aid,. of wind we
steamed slowly across the Ara
bian Sea as if over aj-glistening
plain OF undulating glass. 1t grew
monotonous, and well it might,
for with bad coal, impaired en-
gine and dissatisfied fireman, we
often steamed no,more than five
miles an hour. Every part of
the deck, from the tiller of the
rudder to the fore anchor chains,
became YEARLY familiar. Jelly
fish and porpoises, sword fish and
sharks, flying fish and whales, all
lost their interest for us. With
out seeing the Laccadive and
Maldive islands we slipped be-
tween them; and, on a sunny af-
ternoon in March,a distant, cloud
like stretch of land loomed up
and up from out the sea until it
showed a hue of forest green.
While from quickened hearts
"Ceylon" was said and said again.
The sun was perpendicularly
above us. The north star trem-
bled on the horizon. The con-
stellation of the cross was as high
in the sky as our own Sirius ap-
pears from the Keystone State.
Our course changed to the north,
and on the Sth of March we near
ed Madras. The palms seemed
like immense umbrellas planted
along the coast. Cocoanut and
plantain trees took the place of
pine and beech and oak. We
met a native boat and were shock
ed until our feelings could abide
the scene somewhat, and then
we made first unhesitating, but
unpleasant, resolution to endure
many things at which our tastes
would revelt. The craft was a
native boat with Its hull sewed
together in all manner of ways,
and long, narrow sail stretch
ing across its breadth. Within,
in jarring commotion, and with
yet more jarring tongues, more
the native sailors, naked, save
one single morrow cloth; and the
sound of their harsh voices with
the sight of the dark bodies made
us nearly weep at thoughts of
the race among whom we chose
to spend our days.
There is no barber at Madras,
and the coast is very low. We
were within few hours of the
city before the light house tower
and the spires of churches and |
mosques came into view. We
mad been looking in all direc-
tons, coastward, for first
glimpse Of the landing place, and
when we saw it our hearts bound
ed and thrilled with commingled
emotions. Feelings were not
Tree, then, for all was strange,
and the details OF landing had to
be inquired about. For miles
along the shore the water was
iotted with natives, each on a
stick or two of wood four or five
eet long. and uhn mara tho ell