The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1897-02-04

OouInanQeT DOOJn tucker writes
for the New York World the following
account of his observations during the
last great season of rlague and fam
inc:
The last great famine. so called. in
India, was in 1867 7S It WAS ter
ror. More than 5,OOO.OOO people were
swept off according to the famine com
mission. Consoys of grain to the dis
tressed districts had to be guarded by
troops with bayonets fixed. And even
then the poor wretches would burst
their way through the Gordon of arm
ed soldiers, and needless of blows and
bayonet thrust would snatch handfuls
OF the uncooked grain and devour it
ravenously. Others would follow in
the wake of the carts and search the
! dust with their poor bony fingers and
eat it grain by grain as birds might
do
1t is almost impossible tn exagger
ate the hrrrors of these famines. The
homes are broken up. the bullocks die,
the fields are sold or mortgaged for q
mere song and then the Door creatures
flock in thousands to the various CEN
ters where they hear that relief works
are being established and food distri
buted by the government.
No, don't think the government is
to be blamed What other country is
| there in the world which would supply
relief works and food for one and
million people as is being done at the
present moment in India! Taxes are
remitted wholesale at an enormous
sacrifice of revenue, and the British
officials from least to greatest toll
ceaselessly to grapple with the scourge.
Bat when SO many millions are affect
ed what can you do?
And as for the natives, their patience
amounts to simple heroism. They
die in millions without murmur.
But then, you see, in q sense they
are accustomed to starvation and al
most come to look upon il as a matter
of course. Think of thirty to forty
millions, who never know what it is
not to be hungry, even in ordinary
times when harvests are abundant! It
is too ghastly for the mind to dwell
upon. And yet the above is the calm
calculation OF the ablest Anglo Indian
writer and statistician living, Sir Viii
liam Hunter.
My own experience verifies it. You
have probably heard that in India our
officers wear the native clothes, sleep
in their huts, beg food from door to
door and eat il with their fingers. 1
myself have slept for months in the
open air so as to be tbou1oughly &C
cessible to all castles. walking barefoot
and eating the coarsest native food.
More than once have they placed in
my begging bowl the last morsel of
food that they possessed. Oh, they
are hospitable and generous to sin.
have known natives to pawn their
cooking vessels rather than turn away
a beggar from their door.
Wonderful experiences had among
them. l would walk into a town where
was a perfect stranger, dressed of
course in the native costume, with the
peculiar colored robes that betokened
me teacher of religion and would
wait to see what would happen. Food
was invariably offered or brought
| WltAOuL DelnS aSke1 Tor.
You know how bigoted the Mahom
etans are against Christianity. They
hate it like poison and are full to the
brim of the most subtle and bitter ar
guments against it. And yet l have
sat for two solid hours in q Mahomet-
an zenana, talking to the ladies of the
house about Christ and him crucifed,
with the husband looking on in deep
est interest without word of objec-
ton. Of all Mahometans the sailors
are perhaps the most bigoted. And
yet remember one voyage with them
from Colombo to Bombay. After
pay ing my deck fare, which did not
Iinclude food, only had 6 cents left to
pay for my landing expenses at the
other end Thirty-two not very large
biscuits constituted ny provision for
the four days journey, while a small
office tin contained them, my papers
and all my belongings. / had fixed
myself up on the deck when an inter
ested group gathered around me
rough, weather-beaten Lascars with
out an ounce of sympathy or respect
for Christianity "Where was going?
How much had paid for the journey ?
Where was my food?" they asked
"In the tin box? Could they see it?
How could 1 live four days on so slen-
der a-supply? Was there nothing else
Had l no money? Only four annas
Could l eat native food? Would l
share their meals? Could they offer
me bunk in their hold7" Question
followed question in quick succession,
and in few minutes I found myself
comfortably installed in their midst,
sharing their food and their quarters.
The kind hearted captain of the ship,
hearing of my plight, sent to offer me
first-class cabin and q seat ct his
table. But I declined the honor, it
was such triumph to be the guest OF
these Mahometan Lascars. They de-
luged me with kindness. Their best
was at my disposal. One day 1 told
them l should require no food, as it
vas devoted to fasting and prayer.
The tender concern with which they
watched over me was touching in the
extreme, and just as the sun was dip
. ping behind the horizon the head
sailor brought me stedming and
specially delicate dish which he had
prepared Tor me with his own hands,
reminding me it was the custom
among Mahometans during their
month of fasting always to break their
fast at sunset. It was with deepest
expl essions OF regret on both sides
that we parted company at the con-
luSiOn of the VOYAGE.