ruthless person has characterised Bartolomeo de
Braganza as drunken, lazy, and dishonest, Bartolomeo, who has learnt to
read English, promptly destroys the "chit," and the stern man's object
is thus frustrated. But you must take the Goa man as he comes, for it is
a law of the society that its members are offered in strict succession
as available, and that no picking and choosing is to be allowed. When
with the Prince of Wales during his tour in India, the man who fell to
me, good, steady, honest Francis, was simply a dusky jewel. My comrade,
Mr. Henty, the well-known author of so many boys' books, rather crowed
over me because Domingo, his man, seemed more spry and smart than did my
Francis. But Francis had often to attend on Henty as well as myself,
when Domingo the quick-witted was lying blind drunk at the back of the
tent, and once and again I have seen Henty carrying down on his back to
the departing train the unconscious servant on whom at the beginning he
had congratulated himself.

[Illustration: "THE OLD AMEER."]

In the summer of 1876, Shere Ali, the old Ameer of Afghanistan, took it
into his head to pick a quarrel with the Viceroy of British India. Lord
Lytton was always spoiling for a fight himself, and thus there was every
prospect of a lively little war. If war should occur, it was my duty to
be in the thick of it, and I reached Bombay well in time to see the
opening of the campaign. Knowing the ropes, within an hour of landing I
sent to the "Goa Club" for a servant, begging that, if possible, I might
have worthy Francis, who had fully satisfied me during the tour of the
Prince. Francis was not available, and there was sent me a tall,
prepossessing-looking young man, who presented himself as "John Assissis
de Compostella de Crucis," but was quite content to answer to the name
of "John."

John seemed a capable man, but was occasionally muzzy. After visiting
Simla, the headquarters of the Viceroy, I started for the frontier,
where the army was mustering. On the way down I spent a couple of days
at Umballa, to buy kit and saddlery. The train by which I was going to
travel up-country was due at Umballa about midnight. I instructed John
to have everything at the depot in good time, and went to dine at the
mess of the Carbineers. In due time I reached the station, accompanied
by several officers of that fine regiment. The train was at the
platform; my belongings I found in a chaotic heap, crowned by John fast