ON ALICO AND MAILA; OR, THE INJURED AFRICANS. AN ORIGINAL TALE. one of the burning fhores which give birth to the fable Africans, dwelt ALICO, furnamed the Mighty, from his fuperiority over his countrymen in every attainment of favage excellence in the chate he would spring on his prey with the fwiftneis of the pouncing eagle on the leveret; and by the power of his arm had often laid the felon tyger at his feet; he would climb with the agility of the rock-fox the highest nountain or tree, and for dexterity in managing the bow and lance, Alico was unequalled. His dwelling was a rude cavern, formed by nature at the foot of a foreft, where he was blessed with a partner to his rufhy couch, named MAILA, with an infant, the firft pledge of their mutual love. Alico, thus enjoying the fweets which fpring from connubial harmony and freedom, never extended his defires beyond the bounty of nature; he dreaded not the ravages of the tornado, or the prowling tenants of his woods; but acknowledged a Deity in the thunder of the Heavens, before whofe voice he would proftrate himself on the ground in a prayer of gratitude. But the unhappy hour arrived when the tons of Europe, led on by the gale of trafic, firft guided their bark to thefe hitherto fecluded fhsres. It was not with a delire to exchange the focial finiles of friendship, or to inftruct the untutored race in the bleffings of civilized nature, but to profit by their unnatural commerce in robbing the mothercountry of her children, to fever from each other's arms fond relatives and friends, and transplant them in flavery to diftant lands. Their fhip approached just as Alico had armed himfelt with his bow and quiver, and left his dwelling to feek for food. Maila was fitting alone, tending her infant charge, and waiting his return, when the thunder of a mufquet and the fhricks of terror affailed her ears! She started up at the unknown found, and, training her infant to her fluttering breast, went trembling to the entrance of her cave ;— but who can paint her furprize and difmay, as the furveyed the range race dragging furiously, unmindful of age or fex, her fellow natives by the limbs, and loading them with chains! Some, who fpurned reftraint, and whom the love of liberty animated to a refiftance, The beheld fall victims to the poniards of their cruel oppreffors. Ready to fink, fhe was just retiring, when, in the middle of the injured groupe, the traced the features of her aged father. Fired with the impulse of filial affection, the ruthed forward to the cene of rapine and murder; and, w streaming eyes, throwing her arms around him, fell infentible on his neck. The heavy stripe of the Europeans foon brought Maila from the transitory refignment of her reafon, when fhe felt her tender frame bowed dow with the iron load, and linked to her unfortunate parent: they embraced, hung over each other, and shed showers of tears at their unhappy deftiny: they groaned out the name of Alico, imploring his affiftance to avenge their unmerited injuries; but all the entreaties of dunb eloquence were unable to excite the fenfations of mercy among the flintyhearted Europeans, who exercised on their limbs the lafh of arbitrary power as they forced them along the beach. Alico now returned from the fatigues of the chafe, and bore on his fhoulders the fruit of his toil. He entered the cavern, and, eafing himself of his burden, turned round to give his Maila an affectionate embrace, when, lo! he milled both her and her child. Thrice he made the cavern refound with his Mala's name; but, alas, no other anfwer greeted is ears than the ccho of his plaintive voice. Wild and furious as the maniac, he armed himself doubly, and rushed out to feck her; he took the fame road as the barbarians had done before him, and gained fight of his Maila juft as their boat was conveying her from the thore. As the fond dove, who has left his neft to feek food for his mate, finds it on his return with full bill empty of all that is dear to his heart, and perceiving her whom more than life he loves in the talons of the devouring hawk, he drops his food, clofes his wings, and dies-So fell the fond and faithful Alico, when he beheld his Maila torn for ever from his arms, and under the controul of cruel ftrangers; defpair feized his brain; and, dildaining to furvive his lofs, he caft an imploring eye on Him who holds the fcales of justice above, plunged headlong into the waves, and vanished for T. ENORT. .ever. Borough, Dec. 27, 1796. Το SIR, To the EDITOR of the EUROPEAN MAGAZINE. THE accompanying Letter may amufe fome of your Readers, and I fhall be happy if you will infert it in your Magazine. As it is part of a Series of Letters on this Country, I beg it may be inlerted without Alteration; for thefe Letters may on fome future Day appear to the World in a more collected Form. The Indulgence you fhewed me in printing a Letter of mine in August 1792, giving an Acount of the REVOLUTION at DELHI, induces me to trouble you once more. I am, Sir, Your most obedient Servant, I Calcutta, Feb. 1, 1794. AM juft returned from a four months excursion with his Excellency the Nawab, and, as a sketch of our ramble may afford you fome amufement in an idle bour, I thall detail a few of the most agreeable and interefting circumstances which occurred. We left Lucnow on the 4th October laft, and directed our courte towards Baraeech: our Kafeela confifted of about 40,000 men and 20,000 beafts, composed of 10,000 foldiers, 1000 cavalry, and near 150 pieces of cannon; 1500 elephants, 3000 Hackeries, and an innumerable train of camels, horfes, and bullocks; great numbers of Ruts filled with the Nawab's women; many large and fmall boats carried on carts drawn by 50, 40, 30, or 20 bullocks; tygers, leopards, hawks, fighting-cocks, quails, and nightingales; pigeons, dancingwomen, and boys; fingers, players, buffoons, and mountebanks. In thort, his Excellency had every thing, every object which could pleafe or furprize, caufe a file, or raife a fneer, attract admiration, fix with wonder, or conyulfe with laughter; captivate the eye, lull the ear, or tickle the palate: above 500 Coolees were employed to carry his fhooting apparatus, guns, powder, hot, and etceteras; he has above 1000 double barrei guns, the fineft that Manton and Nock could make, and fingle barrels, piftols, fwords, and Spears without number. Religion confirained him to ftop fome days at Bararech to pay homage at the tomb of a celebrated Saint; all good men who are able refort to worship this holy Anchorite once a year, generally in the month of May; his bones were difcovered about 400 years ago, and manifefted their fanctity by fome miraculous marks. The witty and unbelieving fay, they were the skeleton of an afs, without thinking of the impiety in imagining there is any refemblance between an ais and a faint, whether dead or alive. LEWIS FERDINAND SMITH. From Baraeech we fteered towards Nanpara, a finall town in the first range of mountains, commonly called the Commore Hills, which extend from the Eaftern extremity of Bootan to Hurdwar, and divide Hindoftan from Tibet and Napal. Game of all forts were deftroyed every morning and evening without number or diftinction; his Excellency is one of the best marksmen I ever faw; it would be trange if he was not, as one day with another he fires above 100 fhots at every fpecies of birds and animals. The first tiger we faw and killed was in the mountains we went to attack him about noon; he was in a narrow valley, which the Narvab furrounded with above 200 elephants; we heard him growl horribly in a thick bufh in the middle of the val ley. Being accuftemed to the sport, and very eager, I pushed in my elephant; the fierce beat charged me immediately; the elephant, a timid animal, as they generally are, turned tail, and deprived me of the opportunity to fire; I ventured again, attended by two or three other elephants; the tiger made a fpring, and nearly reached the back of one of the elephants, on which were three or four men ; the elephant fhook himself to forcibly as to throw thele men off his back; they tumbled into the bufh; I gave them up for loft, but was agreeably iurprized to fee them creep out unhurt. His Excellency was all this time on a rifing ground near the thicket, looking on calmly, and beckoning to me to drive the tiger towards him, I made another attempt, and with more fuccefs; he darted out towards me on my approach, roaring furioufly, and lashing his fides with his tail. I luckily got a hot, and hit him; he retreated into the bush, and ten or twelve elephants just then puthed into the thicket, alarmed the tiger, and obliged him to run out towards the Nawab, who inftantly gave him a warm reception, and, with the affiftance Ruts are covered carriages for women, drawn by oxen. + Named Salar Gazee. of fome of his Omraos, laid the tiger fprawling on his fide as dead as a ftone. A loud thout of wha! wha! proclaimed the victory; and those who had been too timid to approach before, from idle apprehenfion, affumed their valour, and rushed on the fallen hero with flaughtering fwords. On elephants there is no dan ger in encountering thefe favage beatts, which you know from repeated trials. I have been at the killing of above thirty tigers, and seldom faw any one hurt if you recollect, I was once thrown off my elephant on one, and escaped with a bruife. The next sport we had of any magnitude was the attack on a wild elephant, which we met a few days after the battle with the tiger: we efpied him on a large plain overgrown with grafs. The Nawab, eager for fuch diverfions, immediately formed a femi-circle with 400 elephants, who were directed to advance on and encircle him. This was the firit wild elephant I had ever feen attacked, and confefs I did not feel very easy; however I kept along fide of his Fxcellency, determined to take my chance. When the femi-circle of elephants got within 300 yards of the wild one, he looked amazed, but not frightened; two large must elephants of the Nawab`s were ordered to advance against him; when they approached within 20 yards, he charged them; the fhock was dreadful; however, the wild one conquered, and drove the must elephants before him. As he paffed us, the Narvab ordered fome of the frongeft female elephants with thick ropes to go along fide of him, and endeavour to entangle him with nooles and running knots; the attempt was vain, as he fnapped every rope, and none of the tame elephants could ftop his progrefs. * The Nawab, perceiving it impoflible to catch him, ordered his death, and immediately a volley of above 100 shots were fired; many of the balls hit him, but he feemed unconcerned, and moved on towards the mountains; we kept up an incefiant fire for near half an hour; the Nawab and moft of his Omraos used rifles which carried two or three ounce balls, but they made very little impreffion; the balls juft entered the skin and lodged there. I went up repeatedly, being mounted on a female elephant, within ten yards of the wild one, and fired my rifle at his head; the blood gushed out, but the skull was invulnera ble. Some of the Kandabar horfe gailoped up to the wild elephant, and made cuts at him with their fabres; he charged the horsemen, wounded fome, and killed others. Being now much exhausted with the lofs of blood, having received above 3000 fhots, and many ftrokes of the fabre, he flackened his pace, quite calm and ferene, as if determined to meet his approaching end with the undaunted firmnets of a hero. I could not at this time refrain from pitying so noble an animal, and thought I law in him the great Epaminondas incompaffed by the Lacedemonians, at the battle of Mantineia, The horfemen feeing him weak and flow difmounted, and with their fwords began a furious attack on the tendons of his hind legs; they were foon cut; unable to proceed, this noble monarch of the woods ftaggered, looked with an eye of reproach mixed with contempt at his unfeeling foes, and then fell without a groan, like a mountain thrown on its fide. The Hatchetmen now advanced, and commenced an attack on his large ivory tulks, whilst the horsemen and foldiers, with barbarous infult, began a cruel and degrading affault on the extended hero; to try the fharpness of their fabres; difplay the ftrength of their arm, and fhew their invincible courage. The fight was very affecting; he still breathed, and breathed without a groan; he rolled his eyes with anguish on the furrounding crowd; and, making a last effort to rife, expired with a figh! Thus has many a brave Roman met his fate, overcome by fuperior numbers. The Nawab returned to his tents, as much flushed with vanity and exultation as Achilles; and the remainder of the day, and many a day after, were dedicated to repeated narrations of this vic: tory, which was ornamented and magnited by all the combined powers of ingenious flattery and unbounded exaggeration. "Sooth'd with the found, the Prince grew 46 vain, "Fought all his battles o'er again, "thrice he flew the flain.” From the mountains we directed our courie towards Buckra feel, where we arrived on the 4th of December. Bucka feel is a large lake about three miles round at its moft contracted existence, and about 30 in its extenfive period; fur Muft elephants are those who are in high rut; they are then very unmanageable, bold, favage, and often very dangerous. The male elephants become must at a certain age, which fome fay is forty years; the ft elephants are the only ones who will dare to face a wild one; they are also ufed in the elephant-fights exhibited before the Princes of India. Founded by thick and high grafs, at the foot of the Gorrackpoor hills; the Jungle which entours the lake is full of wild elephants, rhinocerofas, tigers, leopards, wild buffalos, deer, and every fpecies of aerial game. This was the place deftined for the grand hunt, which we were daily taught to expect with pleasing anxiety, by the florid defcriptions of his Excellency. On the 5th of December, early in the morning, we were fummoned to the Sylvan war: a line of 1200 elephants was drawn up on the North of the lake, facing the Eaft; and we proceeded rapidly through the high grais with ninds glowing with the expectati n of the magnanimous fport we should meet. Lay down your pipes, ye country fquires, who beaft in fuch pompous language the deftruction of a poor for or pup, and fay in what fplendid lexicon ye could find terms to convey a refemblance of the icene I faw, and now endeavour to detcribe. When we had arrived at the Eaftern extremity of the lake, we perceived a large drove of wild elephants feeding and gamboling at the foot of the mountains; I counted above one hundred and feventy. At this critical moment Mr. Conway, a Gentleman in the Nawab's fervice, fell off his elephant, owing to the animal's flipping his fore foot into a concealed hole; Mr. Conway was much bruifed, pale, and almost fentelets; the Nawab ftopped to put him into a palankeen, and sent him back to the encampment. This gave the wild elephants time to gaze on our dreadful front, and recover from their amaze; many of them fcampered off towards the hills: The Nawab divided our line of 1200 elephants into four bodies, and fent them in purfuit of the wild ones which they were to take or deftroy; I remained with the divifion attached to the Nawab we attacked a large male clephant, and after a long conteft killed him in the fame manner, as the one I have already dei tribed; we killed alfo four fmaller ones, and our divifion, including the other three, caught 21 elephants which we led to our encampment in high triumph. I have only given a fhort account of this grand hunt, as it is impoffible for the most fplendid language to defcribe what we faw and felt. The confufion, tumult, noite, firing, fhrieking, and roaring of 1200 tame elephants attacked and attacking 170 wild ones, all in terrible diforder toffed, formed a dreadful melange which cannot be imagined by the most luxuriant fancy; to attempt therefore a delineation would be to injure the fublime fubject. There were above 10,000 shots fired from all quarters; and, confidering the confufion, I am furprised the fcene was not more bloody on our fide; about 20 men were killed and maimed, and near half a dozen of hories. I had two rifles and two double barrels, and a boy to load for me. the Kharas *; yet I could not fire quick enough, though I expended 400 balls. Many of our tame elephants, who were mujt, and brought to oppote the wild ones, were knocked down, bruifed, pierced, and made to fly; the largeft elephant we killed was above ten feet hight, and would have fold for 20,000 rupees if it had been caught. Our prize of this day might, without amplification, be estimated at 50,000 rupees §; but you know the love of lucre was not our aim. Paufe for a moment, my dear Sir, and reflect on the fcene I have defcribed; and you will contefs, though feen through the imperfect medium of a delcription, that it must have been the fublimeft fight that ever was prefented to the mind of man in the Sylvan war. Apollo would have been aftonifhed; Acteon confterned; and Diana and her nymphs frightened out of their wits. We expatiate on it with rapture to this day; and no one who was prefent will lote the remembrance of it as long as he enjoys his rappellant faculties. From Buckia Feel we came to Faizebad, where we repoled for three weeks, to recover from the great fatigue we had undergone. After a gay fcene of every fpecies of oriental mulement and diffipa tion, we returned to this place, having killed in our excursion eight tigers, fix elephants, and caught twenty-one. Το enumerate the other kinds of game would require a theet as ample as the petition which was prefented to Junggaze Khan; and might perhaps be treated by you in the manner that conqueror treated the petition. Adieu. I am, my dear Sir, The Kharvas is a place in the rear of the Howda, where the attendant fits. The Howda is a carriage or box like the body of a phaeton, tied on the back of the clephant, where the rider is feated. Travellers fay there are elephants 16 feet high, but this is the language of romance; L never faw one 11 feet high, and I have feen above fome thousands. The Nawab gives extravagant prices for large elephants, and he has none 11 feet high. § Above 6ocol. sterling. |