The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-04-25
"reminiscences of the Umballa Dur
BY MISS c. F. GORDON CUMMING.
From the Pail Mall Gazette, March az.

From the Pail Mall Gazette, March q.
At this time, when so much interest cen
tres in'the great ceremonial meeting at Rawul
Pindi of India's Viceroy with the Ameer
of Afghauistan, the minds of many will
naturally revert to a similar scene enacted
exactly sixteen years ago, when, on the in
vitation of Lord Mayo, Shere Ali Khan,
the reigning Ameer, summoned up courage
to adventure himself on British territory,
and travelled as far south as Umballa, there
to be received in state by the Viceroy at a
grand Durbar held in his honor on March
27, 1869. That gorgeous scene, and many
others scarcely less striking, which arrested
the eye in every turn during that memo
rable week, have furnished succession of
pictures never to be forgotten by those who
were so fortunate as to witness them. A
large body Of British cavalry, infantry and
artillery had been summoned to grace the
state reception of our Afghan guests, but
| far more attractive to artistic eyes were the
very irregular troops and strangely pic
/ turesque attendants of all the gorgeous
rajahs who had assembled at Lord Mayo's
bidding to do honor to Britain's ally
Sixteen "burra" rajahs-very great men
were there, besides innumerable lesser pot
entates, each bringing his military escort,
his elephants, with magnificent howdahs,
his camels and splendidly caparisoned
horses, covered with network of silk and
jewels, in addition to their jeweled trap
pings, and long, sweeping yak's tails.
Some of the horses were partly dyed pink,
others stained russet with henna, few
were adorned with anklets of gold and
gems. Even the huge ankles of the state
elephants were circled with heavy bangles
of silver encrusted with precious stones
On such festival day no elephants own
mother could recognize it. Within each
fantastic howdah sits dark chief, glittering
with jewels, and robed in some brilliant
material-silk, velvet or cashmere, stiff
with gold and silver-true raiment of
needlework, and always harmonious in col
curing. And at every movement of the
head or body the sunlight flashes from daz-
zling gems-large emeralds, rubies, dia-
monds, pearls-strange to say, often set in
silver. The attendants, too, are all in keep
ing with this splendor, fine turbaned men,
bearing great fans of peacocks' feathers, or
else privileged to carry their masters regal
umbrella.
Of all the native troops, none were so
picturesque as an Artillery Camel Corps
belonging to the Rajah of Putialah, very
great man, the splendor of whose camp
far outshone that of the Governor General.
Indeed, the whole city seemed to swarm
with his retainers, for he brought so many
regiments that they amounted to a small
army, and his elephants were apparently
without number. The Camel Corps were
said to be highly efficient regiment.
Each camel carries long gun, which re-
wolves on a swivel fixed to the pommel of
the saddle, and the bombardier, sitting
astride behind the gun, loads and fires with
wonderful rapidity, apparently placing the
poor camel's neck in imminent jeopardy.
The camels and their riders are draped In
scarlet and yellow, and when moving along
in line at swinging trot, with outstretched
necks, they are suggestive of flock of
famingoes or some such strange birds.
The ground at Umballa is peculiarly well
adapted for a great assembly of this sort,
a fine wide plain on one side of the city af-
fording ample scope for all manner of mil
itary evolutions The British troops and
the various rajahs were camped all round
the edge of this plain, and the thousands
of white or yellow canvas tents, with a
background of dark foliage, the Himalayas
| lying blue in the distance, and the brilliant,
ever-changing foreground of native figures
in brilliant colors, the whole scene bathed
in sunlight, combined to produce a beau
tiful picture At the further end of the
great plain lay the Governor-Generals camp,
and little further that of the Commander
in-C Chief-two white cities of tents, each
overshadowed by the Union Jack.
But to say this much is nothing, unless
it were possible to convey some idea of the
thousand picturesque items of native life
which in their ceaseless movements form
an eyer-varying human kaleidoscope of de-
light. There were native vehicles of every
sort and kind, crowded with gaily dressed
men, women and children, glittering with
color and with jewels. Queer little two
wheeled ekkas, with curtained hoods, drawn
by one fat pony at full gallop- stately
family coaches, with double pyramidal
hood, draped with scarlet and gold, and
drawn by beautiful and richly caparisoned
white oxen. There were camel express
messengers adorned with trappings of gay
cloth and tassels, ornamented with blue
beads and cowrie shells, with brass bells
round their necks to give notice of their
swift approach, and strangely incongruous
blending of East and West } there was a
smart English open phston, drawn by a
pair of dromedaries, which was outdone by
a similar carriage drawn by four of these
! long-legged creatures. But the pure and
simple native life was altogether fascinat-
/ ing-the turbaned crowd on foot, composed
of thousands upon thousands of figures,
each picture in itself; whole families out
for holiday, the women draped in fine
muslin, perhaps with one child sitting astride
on the hip, and a younger one on the
shoulder, with its head resting on its
mothers. And often the father carried
bamboo across his shoulders, from which
two large baskets were suspended by long
cords, the one containing the family lug
gage, including food and cooking-pot; while
probably in the other basket sat the pride
of the parents dark-eyed brown boy,
robed in rich silk or satin, with gay silken
cap embroidered with gold, and real jewels.
Strangely in contrast with all this display
of gay raiment and brilliant coloring, so
dear to even the poorest Hindoo, was the
dingy-I might say dirty-appearance of
the saIlow Afghans, all, from the chief
downward, clothed in sombre brown dress
ing-gowns and tall caps of curly black
sheepskin (Astrakan) men who looked as
though they despised the pomps and vani-
ties Of the world and cared only for the
arts of war; So military pageants and re-
views succeeded one another day after day,
and there the Ameer was in his element,
scanning every detail with the keen eye of
an old soldier and bestowing special interest
on the cavalry, the artillery and the High
landers. He showed his appreciation of
the latter by bestowing large backsheesh on
the fifteen pipers, whose wild music evidently
pleased his ears far better than the brilliant
execution on the piano to which he listened
so politely when in the Viceroy's tent.
Rrt ,o,,ch as ha admired the Hiohlauders