clumsy, oddly constructed "Ecce," a sort of native gig; besides these,
there were merchants and peddlers, who followed the camp as a matter of
speculation. Amidst an indiscriminate horde, our elephant jogged lazily
along, generally surrounded by eight or ten others, with whom we marched
for company's sake. We usually arrived at the mango tope destined to be
our camping-ground about ten o'clock in the morning, and lounged away the
heat of the day in tents; towards the afternoon Jung generally went out
with his gun or rifle, shooting with the former at parrots at ten yards
distance, and with the latter at bottles at a hundred. There was not
much attraction for the sportsman throughout the whole line of march, and
I only bagged a few couple of snipe, partridges, wild-duck, and quail.

Our dinner was always supplied from Jung's own carpet, for he does not
use a table, and it was with no little curiosity that at the end of the
first day's march I looked forward to the productions of a Nepaul
cuisine. We had not forgotten to provide ourselves with a sufficient
_stand-by_ in case it should not prove altogether palatable. Towards
evening an enormous dish, containing rice enough to have satisfied the
whole of the gallant rifle corps, was brought into our tent, closely
followed by about 20 little cups formed of leaves, one inside the other,
each containing about a thimbleful of some exquisite condiment; also
three or four saucers containing some cold gravy, of unpleasant colour,
in which floated about six minute particles of meat.

Filling my plate with rice, which had been well and carefully greased to
improve its flavour, and scientifically mixing the various other
ingredients therewith, I unhesitatingly launched a spoonful into my
mouth, when I was severely punished for my temerity, and almost overcome
by the detestable compound of tastes and smells that at once assailed
both nose and palate: it was a pungent, sour, bitter, and particularly