Twenty-One Years in India (Volume 2)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1905. Excerpt: ... Early in February we began to consider the feasibility of undertaking the journey to Naini Tal. We were very anxious to make it before the extreme hot weather should set in, and Mr. Butler was very anxious to have us do so, that we together might lay our plans for opening our work in the plains. We soon had a communication from him proposing to meet us in Agra. It was thought that we might venture to undertake the journey with a fair degree of safety. But all means of travel were monopolized by the Government, it being a time of war; but we finally succeeded in arranging for coolies to propel us, we furnishing our own carriages. Accordingly, on the 24th day of February, i858, we started for Raneegunge, the terminus of the railway, ii2 miles from Calcutta. Here we found our carriages, and began our long journey to the northwest. We journeyed day and night with changes of coolies every ten miles. There is this to be said, the road was splendid. There is no better road in the world than the Grand Trunk road, stretching away from Calcutta to Peshawur, the magnificent distance of i,800 miles. We were nearly a fortnight in reaching Allahabad, a distance of 500 miles, and which may now be made easily, and with comfort in twenty hours. Here we were obliged to interrupt our journey, as a gentleman had given me the use of a carriage to this place for the sake of getting it up country, and he was to furnish me a horse dak from there on to Agra. So we were separated from our party here. The others went on, hoping to get coolies as they had so far on their journey; but they failed in their expectation. They succeeded, however, in pressing the horses into their service belonging to the Dak Company, that they found along the road every five miles, and so succeeded in re...