[CHAPTER XXVIII.]
NORTHWARD BY RAIL.—OPIUM CULTURE.—ARRIVAL AT BENARES.
From the terminus at Howrah, opposite Calcutta, the railway follows the right or western bank of the Ganges, sometimes quite near the stream, and again miles and miles away from it. As it was night when our friends started, there was little to be seen on the way, and they soon devoted their attention to the problem of sleeping.
RAILWAY TRAVELLING IN INDIA.
The railway-carriages are quite comfortable when not too crowded, and the Doctor and his young companions were fortunate in finding only one passenger in the compartment they occupied. Each of the first-class compartments is arranged with a wide sofa or stuffed bench on each side, and there is a shelf or bunk above it that can be lowered, something after the manner of the upper berth in a Pullman sleeping-car; consequently four persons are nicely accommodated, provided they have plenty of blankets and other coverings to keep them warm. Our friends had sought advice before leaving Calcutta, and each of them bought a rezie, or thick quilt, for use on the railway; these rezies, with their travelling shawls and overcoats, kept them comfortable during the long night that ensued after their departure from the Howrah station, and the boys declared it was the best kind of fun to travel by rail in India.
The company makes no extra charge for the use of these sleeping accommodations, but it does not provide any kind of bedding, and there is no colored porter to attend to the wants of passengers. By the rules posted in the carriage, a compartment is intended for eight persons, and when there happens to be this number of passengers the journey is anything but agreeable, as there is not room for all to lie down. At the end of the compartment is a wash-room with a supply of water, but no towels, soap, or any other toilet requisite. The Pullman car has not yet found its way to India, and there is a vast chance for improvement over the present mode of railway travel.