vasion the Bengalis on our territory took fright, and at their own
expense began a great ditch round Calcutta--we call it the Maratha ditch;
but the Nawab bought the Marathas off, the work was stopped, the walls of
the fort are now crumbling to ruins, and the cannon lie about unmounted
and useless. Worst of all, our governor, Mr. Drake, is a quiet soul, an
excellent worthy man, who wouldn't hurt a fly. We call him the Quaker.
Quakers are all very well at home, where they can 'thee' and 'thou' and
get rich and pocket affronts without any harm; but they won't do in
India. Might is right with the natives; they don't understand anything
else; and as sure as they see any sign of weakness in us they'll take
advantage of it and send us all to kingdom come.

"And I'm thinking of the womenfolk: India's no place for them at the
best; and I did all I could to persuade my wife and daughter to remain at
home. But they would come out with me when I returned last year; and glad
as I am to have them with me I sometimes get very anxious; I can't bear
them out of my sight, and that's a fact."

Mr. Merriman showed his relief when, on the thirtieth of April, he
noticed the yellow tinge in the water, which indicated that the vessel
was approaching the mouth of the Hugli. Next day the vessel arrived at
Balasore, where a pilot was taken on board, and entered the river. Mr.
Merriman pointed out to Desmond the island of Sagar, whither in the late
autumn the jogis came down in crowds to purify themselves in the salt
water, "and provide a meal for the tiger," he added. At Kalpi a large
barge, rowed by a number of men dressed in white, with pink sashes, came
to meet the Hormuzzeer.

"That's my budgero," said Merriman. "We'll get into it and row up to
Calcutta in half the time it would take the ship. Each of us merchants
has his own budgero, and instead of putting our men in buttons with our
arms and all that nonsense, we give them colored sashes--and don't our
women squabble about the colors, my boy, just don't they!"

In the budgero they passed the Dutch factory at Fulta, and the Subah's
forts at Budge Budge and Tanna. At Gobindpur's reach, Merriman pointed
out the pyramid of stone that marked the limit of the Company's
jurisdiction. Soon the gardens of the British merchants came in sight,
then the Company's docks, and at last the town of Calcutta, where the
Company's landing stage was thronged with people awaiting the arrival of
the budg