id to me one morning, "Shipp, did I ever tell you the
story of my being invited to breakfast off a dead colonel?" I answered,
"No, Sir John; nor are my poor sides in a state to hear it."--"Oh, but I
must tell you: it's rather a serious story than otherwise." Finding
there was no escape, I put both my hands to my sides (a necessary
precaution to prevent them from bursting) and listened attentively. Sir
John had a peculiar manner of relating anecdotes, which, for effect, I
have never seen equalled; and a sort of squeaking voice, in which he
generally spoke, especially when pleased, added greatly to the drollery
of his stories. "I was invited to breakfast," said Sir John, "with a
queer old colonel of the Bombay Artillery. This colonel was famous for
giving good breakfasts, so I accepted his invitation, and went to his
residence rather early, where I walked without ceremony into the
breakfast-room. It is customary in India, when breakfast-things are
laid, to throw a table-cloth over the whole, to keep the flies off. I
thought it strange that I did not see a single servant; but I walked up
and down the room, very contentedly, for nearly a quarter of an hour. At
last I got quite hungry, so I thought I would help myself to a biscuit.
For this purpose, I lifted the end of the cloth, and the first object
that met my eye was--the colonel's head!" Just at this instant Sir John
Malcolm struck me a violent blow on the shoulders, which so startled me,
that I really thought the dead colonel was on my back. From that time,
however, I lost all symptoms of the liver complaint.

After a short time our generous entertainer good-naturedly accompanied
us to Indore, where the British resident, Mr. Wellesley, treated us in a
most splendid and hospitable manner. He took us to visit the court of
young Holkar, who, a short time before, had rebelled against the
government, in consequence of which his troops had been dreadfully cut
up at Mahidpoor, so that we could not expect a very cordial greeting.
We, however, all proceeded thither, mounted on elephants, and we were
received at the outer gates, by the junior officers of Holkar's court,
rather coolly. Here we dismounted, and in the inner court we were met by
some officers of higher rank, by whom we were conducted to a long room,
on which was spread a clean white cloth, with innumerable pillows and
cushions for the purpose of lounging on. Young Holkar rose on the
entrance of the resident, and we al