This letter rather damped the buoyancy of my spirits. The following morning I took leave of my good friend the missionary; his eyes filled with tears as he clasped my hands in both of his, and whilst pressing them to his bosom, pronounced a prayer and a blessing over me.
If it indeed be true, and we have no reason to doubt it, that the prayer of the righteous man “availeth much,” that prayer was deeply to be valued. Short as was the time of our acquaintance, I felt as if I had known him all my life, and was, consequently, much affected at parting. Half-choking as he rode off, I waved him a sorrowful, and what has proved a last, adieu.
CHAPTER XXV.
A few days more brought me to my last day’s march on the banks of the Jumna, and the mosques and minarets of the ancient capital of India broke on my delighted view.
I had scarcely dismounted from my pony at my tent door, which commanded a distant glimpse of the blue and “soft stealing” Jumna, when I perceived three Europeans on horseback approaching at a hard gallop. As they drew near, I recognized in one of the three my friend and Mentor, Captain Marpeet. He was soon up, and warm and cordial was our greeting.
“Well, my boy, long looked-for comes at last; glad to have you amongst us, Gernon,” said he, presenting me to his companions, two laughing, beardless ensigns; “let me introduce you to my two boys, Wildfire and Skylark; two intractable dogs,” added he, laughing; “have given me twice the trouble to break in that you did.”
Wildfire and Skylark shook hands with me, and in ten minutes we were as intimate as if we had known each other for six months.
“Come, mount again, Gernon,” said Marpeet; “you are but a few miles from Delhi, and it is useless for you to remain here all day. Come along; I have breakfast all ready for you at my shop; your things, you know, can follow to-morrow; you don’t, though, appear to be overburthened with baggage, Frank, eh? Dogs, too—hah—regular terrier bunnow.[[56]] Great a griff as ever, I see—hah! hah!”
We pursued our course towards cantonments, Marpeet riding in the midst of his protégés as proudly as an old gander on a green at the head of three orphan goslings.
We crossed the river Jumna in a broad, square, flat-bottomed ferry-boat; and after riding through some rich cultivation on its banks, joined a road skirting part of the ruins of ancient Delhi, which from that point exhibited a confused assemblage of ruins—fort, mosque, tomb, and palace—stretching far away behind us in the distance, towards what I afterwards learned was the mausoleum of Humaioon.