"I remember losing my belt, in the pocket of
which was about ten rupees* (it slipped from
round my waist), and I might by simply
extending my arm have recovered it, but it did
not cost me a thought; had there been five
hundred times as much in it, I am certain the
result would have been the same; all I cared
about, was to get forward. So I crawled along,
slowly and with difficulty, yet persevered until
I reached a level piece of ground, where some
buffaloes were feeding. I looked anxiously about,
vainly hoping to see a human being, but was
disappointed. At this moment a buffalo descried
me, who engaged my attention for the next ten
minutes. Approaching within a dozen yards of
me, he began lashing his tail and tossing his
head. To distract his attention, I laid hold of
a stone, and, making a great effort, stood up,
and attempted to throw it at him. God help
me! it fell at my feet; I was quite powerless.
This seemed only to enrage the animal more,
for he tore up the ground with his horns, and in
all likelihood I should have been the next object
for him to tear up, had not a black chokra
(boy), who now luckily saw my predicament,
run towards us, driven him off, and saved me.
* Eight years afterwards, when passing the place
on the march, Flanigan went to see where he fell
and where he had lain. He tracked right up, and,
strange as it may appear, he found his belt and
money where he left them. Probably, no human
being had been on that spot since.

"Upon discovering that I was an English
soldier, he ran off. to Khandalla, and in a short
time returned with assistance. I was very
carefully taken up and carried to the accommodation
bungalow, where two European gentlemen,
travelling dawk down country, had just arrived.
The natives had already explained to them all
about me before I was brought in, and then,
Indian like, set to, jabbering round about me all
at once. The two Englishmen cleared the place
of them, and, in the spirit and with the manner
of true Samaritans, washed my foot, bathed it
with brandy, dressed it, got me food and drink,
gave me a change of clothes, paid my fare by
dawk on to where the regiment was, and, at
parting, in a truly delicate and considerate
manner slipped five rupees into my hand. I
shall never, while I live, forget their kindness,
and I have regretted ever since that I did not
ask those gentlemen their names. But I was
too feverish and troubled to think of inquiring.

"I overtook the regiment that afternoon, and
was taken to hospital, where I lay for months
before I recovered."

COTTON CULTIVATION IN BENGAL.

SINCE the beginning of the present year,
cotton has engrossed the attention of the
British Indian government. With an uncommon
promptitude, it is exerting itself, to the utmost
extent compatible with the financial means of
the country, towards facilitating an immediate
increase of the production of cotton, as well as
towards improving the means of bringing the
product to shipping ports, in order to maintain
the activity of Manchester and the manufacturing
towns in Yorkshire. In a recent speech
delivered in this country, Mr. Laing, the
chancellor of the Indian exchequer, frankly acknowledges
the existence of serious difficulties in the
way of the Indian supply ever rivalling the
annual supply from America; but he still holds
out the hope that the Indian government will
continue its efforts towards making England as
much independent of America in the supply of
cotton as possible.

It has been said that the Indian cotton is
inferior to that of America; that the present
estimated annual production of the former is only
2,500,000 bales, being 1,500,000 bales less than
what is consumed in England itself; and that
it will take too long a time to facilitate the
means of transport in India. But it has not
been satisfactorily proved that these defects are
irremediable. A superior mode of cultivation
may improve both the quantity and quality of
Indian cotton.

From the earliest ages, India has supplied the
finest muslins, made of her own cotton, to
various civilised nations. Not to refer to the
Book of Esther (ch. i. v. 6), where the Sanskrit
word karpas (for cotton) occurs, it is pretty well
known that Indian muslins were used in Europe
in the first century after Christ. The "seriae
vestes," so highly valued by the ladies of
Imperial Home, were made of Indian cotton. The
author of the "Periplus of the Erythrean Sea"
mentions the extreme fineness and transparency
of the muslins of India. Two Mahomedan
travellers of the ninth century corroborate the
above statement. They say: "In this same country
(India) they make cotton garments in so
extraordinary a manner that nowhere else are
the like to be seen. These garments are, for
the most part, round, and wove to that degree
of fineness that they may be drawn through a
ring of middling size." Further, the abroan, or
"running water," the shubnem, or "night dew,"
and various other so-called fine cloths, the
delight of the females in the household of
Mahomedan emperors, were also produced in India.*
*Taylor's Topography of Dacca.

Undoubtedly, the best muslins used to be
manufactured in Dacca only; but those of
other parts of India were quite good for
ordinary purposes. There is no intelligible reason
why India should not retain, or rather regain, her
position as a cotton-producing country. If she
had not a rival in America, and if planters had
been encouraged instead of having been snubbed
and libelled, the commerce of India in cotton
would have been in a very different condition
to-day. In March last, the writer passed through
the district of Burdwar, in Bengal. He made
many inquiries respecting the mode of cotton
cultivation, and a brief sketch of their results is
now offered to the reader.

The seeds of cotton collected from previous
crops, and intended to be sown, are picked with
care and dried in the sun. They are kept