The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1876-06-01
Letter from India.

Aetter ITOm lIluiA.
The following letter was written te
Mr.. Mitchell, of Brookhaven, by his
brother, who is now residing in India.
1t will prove very interesting " 81.
BARERA, so MILES S. E. RAEpoRE, INDIA,
~ ~ January 18th, 1876.
My Dear Brother:-- 3t1G
/ received letter from you in the
end of July last, I think it was. You
wrote me to address You at Liverpool,
but your letter was so slow in coming
that I heard you were leaving England
before 1 received it, and 1 only procured
your address to-day.
In September I left Ranchi and have
travelled all up the valley of the Gam
ges to Alighur, few stations from Del
hi; from that back again to Allahabad,
then across to Bombay; from Bombay
to Nagpore and on across the country to
Raepore, a journey in all of about three
thousand miles, of which three hundred
were across country partly by palkee,
partly by "dak gharie" (mail wagon, }
and partly by tongah, light sort of
cart, something between dog-cart and
a bareilly cart, but drawn by
bullocks. The tongah is q regular in
stitution in this part of the country,
and only three people in Raepore keep
''traps" drawn by horses. Calling ev-
cry one goes in tongahs.
I can arrange my tongah for sleeping
and have travelled seventy two miles in
it in little over twenty-four hours with
dak bullocks. have first rate pair
of trotting bullocks myself and they
brought me in forty miles alone on one
occasion, when the dak had not been
laid for me by some mistake. 1t was on
the road between Raepore aud Belaspore,
SO there could be no mistake about the
distance. Since 1 came here l have
been knocking about the district, try
ing to check as far as possible the native
buyers of lac have under me. l buy
the lac in its crude state, viz: sticklac,
or as it is gathered from the trees and
dispatch it ON bullocks to Sumbulpore
and to Ranchi. The former place is
about one hundred and eighty miles to
the east of Raepore on the Mahanuddy
and they have just completed the new
factory there.
had long march up into the Belas-
pore district, the greater part being
through the densest iungles. | was
out for month; but had ventured into
these jungles, am afraid, little too
early in the season, as l suffered from
an attack of jungle fever during
Christmas week. The chief of police,
the only other who had been into iungly
parts was down at the same time /
was unlucky in my 'shikar' (hunting)
on that occasion only getting wild
peacock, though I saw wild buffalo.
four sambur Undian elk, cheetul or
spotted deer, and heard tiger, and
smelt the place he had been sitting in.
There are five tigers in "a bit
of Jungle, about half mile from
here, tiger, tigress and three
cubs half grown, but whether
I shall get chance at them or not, |
can't say. I mean to try to-day. The
"shikari' (huntsman) saw four of them
the day before yesterday. There are a
lot Of tigers in this district and should
like to get one very much.
Raepore is very nice little station.
When it is full there are never more
than twenty-five adults male and female,
but people draw together great deal,
and we have occasional gaieties on a
small scale. It seems absurd to talk of
dances, when there ere only six dancing
ladies, but we do get up excitement
even to that extent, and / believe We
enjoy them more than If there was a
larger number, as every one feels at
home at once, and there is no waiting
till supper time to get the starch out Of
your collar.
We have bennington, lawn tennis,
cricket or some amusement nearly every
evening.
I have not had any "pig sticking"
since last winter, when [ smashed my
collar bone while out after wild boar,
and was trussed up like roast hen for
three weeks. My own horse was lame,
and borrowed mag" from friend.
The beast looked well and was fast.
His owner was afraid to ride him in the
station, as he used to kick up "bob-
berry," whenever he got within half a
mile of his stable.
He went all right at first, but unfor-
tunately, he seemed little inclined to
stumble, and had just got away after an
old sssnorter" of boar, when he came
down on his head, and deposited me
some yards ahead. The worst of it was
the old boar got away, and he was such
a boar A regular gray old chap with
splendid tusks.
1 don't think you ever went in for
.spig- sticking when out here. but it is
grand sport to which I don't think you
have anything to compare in America.
I think I have given you an idea OF
nv present surroundings which your
knowledge of India will fill in. Re-
member in writing, that l don't know
anything of America, and the habits
and customs of the people.
Ever your affectionate brother,
+. J. M.
P. S.-January 18th. Tigers dead
failure. The beaters did not even stir
them, and I stayed my hand when |
might have shot spotted deer. in the
hope that should see stripes.
~-s-.ss- f. J. NJ.
A--