DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9696#0026
xxii
INTRODUCTION
consisted of Mundy, Yard and their assistants, "Mirza and
all his people, and all the strangers that came with us"
and numbered about "150 persons" and "15 or 20 Carts
with some Cammells " (p. 45).
The journey to Agra was undertaken just at the time
when the effects of a long drought in Gujarat began to be
evident in the form of a " very greivous " famine, and all
the way to Burhanpur Mundy had frequent and painful
evidence of the distress and mortality caused by the dearth.
One direct result of the scarcity was the rapid increase in
the size of the kdfila, for at each village numbers of the
inhabitants, intent on escaping from the stricken area,
joined themselves to the caravan. By the time the travel-
lers reached Nandurbar, nine days' journey from Surat,
" the Caphila consisted of such a multitude of Carts and
people which drewe to such a length, that hetherto wee
could never see both ends from one place, and yett in-
creasing daylye " (p. 45).
Among the objects that attracted Mundy's notice during
the journey to Burhanpur were some two-humped Baghdad!
camels "thicker and stronger made" than the " ordinarie
sort" with "short leggs and verie hairie before" (pp.40—41),
fields of "paan," sugar canes, and " Beares " (ber) a fruit
in taste " somewhat like unto Apples " (p. 48). He also
noticed the patrol system carried on in the caravan at
night as a protection against thieves (p. 43). Of the
houses he passed, the " comon sort" were " litle and
lowe with mudd walls" while the " better sort," which
were but few, had " Gallaries on the outside like the
Balconies in Spaine " (p. 44).
The danger of attack by bands of half-starved outlaws,
the risk of infection from the putrefying corpses of the
victims of the famine, and the difficulty of obtaining
provisions en route were all sources of serious incon-
venience until the travellers reached Burhanpur on the
30th November. Here there were no means of recovering
the Company's debt, as the Raja of Bund! was not in the
city, but a delay of five days was caused nevertheless by
INTRODUCTION
consisted of Mundy, Yard and their assistants, "Mirza and
all his people, and all the strangers that came with us"
and numbered about "150 persons" and "15 or 20 Carts
with some Cammells " (p. 45).
The journey to Agra was undertaken just at the time
when the effects of a long drought in Gujarat began to be
evident in the form of a " very greivous " famine, and all
the way to Burhanpur Mundy had frequent and painful
evidence of the distress and mortality caused by the dearth.
One direct result of the scarcity was the rapid increase in
the size of the kdfila, for at each village numbers of the
inhabitants, intent on escaping from the stricken area,
joined themselves to the caravan. By the time the travel-
lers reached Nandurbar, nine days' journey from Surat,
" the Caphila consisted of such a multitude of Carts and
people which drewe to such a length, that hetherto wee
could never see both ends from one place, and yett in-
creasing daylye " (p. 45).
Among the objects that attracted Mundy's notice during
the journey to Burhanpur were some two-humped Baghdad!
camels "thicker and stronger made" than the " ordinarie
sort" with "short leggs and verie hairie before" (pp.40—41),
fields of "paan," sugar canes, and " Beares " (ber) a fruit
in taste " somewhat like unto Apples " (p. 48). He also
noticed the patrol system carried on in the caravan at
night as a protection against thieves (p. 43). Of the
houses he passed, the " comon sort" were " litle and
lowe with mudd walls" while the " better sort," which
were but few, had " Gallaries on the outside like the
Balconies in Spaine " (p. 44).
The danger of attack by bands of half-starved outlaws,
the risk of infection from the putrefying corpses of the
victims of the famine, and the difficulty of obtaining
provisions en route were all sources of serious incon-
venience until the travellers reached Burhanpur on the
30th November. Here there were no means of recovering
the Company's debt, as the Raja of Bund! was not in the
city, but a delay of five days was caused nevertheless by