ere large enough to seat four.

The pilot came on board, and was inducted into the pilot-house. He spoke
English, and seemed to be a bright fellow so far as his occupation was
concerned. The pilots are said to "pool their issues," and divide their
fees. They take their own time, therefore, and are very independent. But
this one, when informed that the Guardian-Mother was a yacht conveying a
young millionaire all-over-the-world, was very respectful and deferential.

"I have heard of this vessel before, and they say here that the young rajah
is worth millions of pounds," said he, when he had laid the course of the
steamer.

"I suppose he is as well off as some of your Grand Moguls; but I think you
had better call it dollars instead of pounds," replied Mr. Boulong,
laughing at the absurdity of the story; but the pilot knew nothing about
dollars, and perhaps the reports had been swelled by changing the unit of
American currency into that of the British Empire.

"Now you can see the islands more distinctly," said Lord Tremlyn to his
group.

"I don't see any islands," replied Miss Blanche.

"They are too near together to be distinguished separately. The Bombay to
which we are going is an island eleven and a half miles long. The town has
an abundant territory; but large as it is, portions of it are very densely
peopled, averaging twenty-one inmates to a house," continued the viscount.
"Next to Calcutta it is the largest city in India, and comes within 40,000
of that.

"Bombay has had its vicissitudes. Of course you know that your Civil War
produced a cotton famine in Europe; but it raised this city to the pinnacle
of prosperity. A reign of speculation came here, and it was believed that
Bombay would be the leading cotton mart of the world. Companies were
organized to develop the resources of the country in the textile plant; and
the fever raged as high as it did when the South Sea Bubble was blown up,
or as it has sometimes in New York and other cities of your country.

"New banks were started; merchants plunged recklessly into the vortex of
speculation. Then came the news of the surrender of General Lee, and the
end of the war in America. The bubble burst, even before it was fully
inflated, and the business prosperity of Bombay collapsed. The certificates
of shares in companies and banks were not worth the paper on which they
were written. Even the Bank of Bombay, believed to be as solid as the 'Old
Lady' of Threadnee