mean
Scotland as well--are just, and some of them may pity the fate of this
servant of Allah. I have friends both in London and in Edinburgh, for I
have twice visited both places. My name is Mahomed Ali Khan. I belong to
one of the best families of Rohilcund, and was educated in the Bareilly
College, and took the senior place in all English subjects. From
Bareilly College I passed to the Government Engineering College at
Roorkee, and studied engineering for the Company's service, and passed
out the senior student of my year, having gained many marks in excess of
all the European pupils, both civil and military. But what was the
result? I was nominated to the rank of _jemadar_, of the Company's
engineers, and sent to serve with a company on detached duty on the hill
roads as a native commissioned officer, but actually subordinate to a
European sergeant, a man who was my inferior in every way, except,
perhaps, in mere brute strength, a man of little or no education, who
would never have risen above the grade of a working-joiner in England.
Like most ignorant men in authority, he exhibited all the faults of the
Europeans which most irritate and disgust us, arrogance, insolence, and
selfishness. Unless you learn the language of my countrymen, and mix
with the better-educated people of this country, you will never
understand nor estimate at its full extent the mischief which one such
man does to your national reputation. One such example is enough to
confirm all that your worst enemies can say about your national
selfishness and arrogance, and makes the people treat your pretensions
to liberality and sympathy as mere hypocrisy. I had not joined the
Company's service from any desire for wealth, but from the hope of
gaining honourable service; yet on the very threshold of that service I
met with nothing but disgrace and dishonour, having to serve under a man
whom I hated, yea, worse than hated, whom I despised. I wrote to my
father, and requested his permission to resign, and he agreed with me
that I the descendant of princes, could not serve the Company under
conditions such as I have described. I resigned the service and returned
home, intending to offer my services to his late Majesty
Nussir-ood-Deen, King of Oude; but just when I reached Lucknow I was
informed that his Highness Jung Bahadoor of Nepal, who is now at
Goruckpore with an army of Goorkhas coming to assist in the loot of
Lucknow, was about to visit England, and