LITTLE HENRY AND HIS BEARER. HENRY L was born at Dinapore, in the East Indies His father was an officer in the Company's service, and was killed in attacking a mud fort belonging to a zemeendar,* a few months after the birth of his son. His mother also died before he was a year old. Thus little Henry was left an orphan when he was a very little baby but his dying mother, when taking her last farewell of him, lifted up her eyes to Heaven, and said, "O God, I leave my fatherless child with thee, claiming thy promise in all humility, yet in full confidence that my baby will never be left destitute; for in thee the fatherless find mercy." The promise to which she alluded is to be found in Jeremiah xlix. 11. "Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me." 99 As soon as Henry's mother was dead, a lady who lived at that time in a large puckaht house near the river between Patna and Dinapore, came and took little Henry, and gave him a room in her house, giving strict orders to her servants to provide him with every thing that he wanted. But as she was one of those fine ladies who will give their money (when they have any to spare) for the relief of distress, but have no idea how it is possible for any one to bestow all his goods to feed the poor, and yet want charity; she thought that when she had reA landholder. The meaning of puckah is ripe, or strong: it here means brick or stone. : ceived the child, and given her orders to her servants, she had done all that was necessary for him. She would not afterward suffer Henry to give her the least trouble, nor would she endure the smallest inconvenience on his account and thus the poor child, being very young, and unable to make known his wants, might have been cruelly neglected, had it not been for the attention of a bearer, who had lived many years with his father, and had taken care of Henry from the day that he was burn. When he was a very little baby, Boosy (for that was the bearer's name) attended him night and day, warmed his pap, rocked his cot, dressed, and undressed, and washed him, and did every thing for him as tenderly as if he had been his own child. The first word that little Henry tried to say was Boosy; and when he was only ten months old, he used to put his arms round his neck, and kiss him, or stroke his swarthy cheek with his delicate hand. When Henry was carried to the lady's house, Boosy went with him, and for some years the little child had no other friend than his bearer. Boosy never left his choota sahib, except for two hours in the twenty-four, when he went to get his khauna. At night he slept on his mat at the foot of the child's cot; and whenever Henry called, he was up in a moment, and had milk or toast-and-water ready to give him to drink. Early in the morning, before sunrise, he took him out in a little carriage which was provided for him, or carried him in his arms round the garden. When he brought him in, he bathed him and dressed him, and gave him his breakfast, and put him in his cot to sleep: and all the day long he played with him; sometimes carrying him in his arms or on his shoulder, and sometimes letting him walk, or roll upon the carpet. Everybody who came to the house noticed the kindness of Boosy to the child, and he got presents from many people for his goodness to Henry. When Henry was two years old, he had a dreadful illness: so alarming indeed was it, that for many days it was thought he would die. He had another very severe illness when he was four years old, for he was never a * A servant whose work is to carry a palanquin, but who is fre quently employed to take care of children. + Food. Little master. very healthy child. During the height of these sicknesses his bearer never left him; nor would he take any rest, even by the side of his bed, till he thought the danger was over. These things considered, it cannot be a matter of wonder that this little boy, as he grew older, should love his bearer more than all the world besides; for his bearer was almost his only friend, no one else taking much thought about him. Henry could not speak English, but he could talk with Boosy in his language as fast as possible; and he knew every word, good or bad, which the natives spoke. He used to sit in the verandah* between his bearer's knees, and chew paun,† and eat bazar sweetmeats. He wore no shoes or stockings; but was dressed in panjammahs, and had silver bangles||| on his ancles. No one could have told by his behaviour or manner of speaking that he was not of Indian origin; but his delicate complexion, light hair, and blue eyes at once showed his parentage. Thus his life passed till he was five years and a half old: for the lady in whose house he lived (although he was taught to call her mamma) paid him no kind of attention; and it never occurred to her that it was right to give him any religious instructions. He used to see his bearer and the other natives performing poojah,P and carrying about their wooden and clay gods; and he knew that his mother sometimes went to church at Dinapore so he believed that there were a great many gods, and that the God to whom his mother had prayed at Dinapore was no better than the gods of wood, and stone, and clay which his bearer worshipped. He also believed that the river Ganges was a goddess, and called Gunga; and that the water of the river could take away sins. He believed, too, that the Mussulmauns were as good as Christians; for his mother's khaunsaumaun** had told him so. Henry was moreover taught by the servants many things which a little boy should not know: but the servants, being heathens, could not be expected to * An open gallery or passage. † An intoxicating mixture of opium and sugar, &c. A market. Trowsers. Ornaments generally worn round the wrists and ankles. A kind of house-steward. teach him any thing better; and therefore they were not so much to be blamed as the lady who had undertaken the charge of him, who might have been ashamed to leave the child of Christian parents under the care of such persons. When Henry was five years old, a young lady who had just arrived from England, came to reside for a while with his mother. She was the daughter of a worthy clergyman in England, and had received from him a religious education. She had brought with her from home a box of Bibles, and some pretty children's books and pictures. When she saw poor little Henry sitting in the verandah, as his custom was, between his bearer's knees, with many other native servants surrounding him, she loved him and was very sorry for him: for indeed it is a dreadful thing for little children to be left among people who know not God. So she took some of the prettiest coloured pictures she had, and spread them on the floor of the room, the door of which opened into the verandah near the place where the little boy usually sat. When Henry peeped in and saw the pictures, he was tempted by them to come into the room; but at first he would not venture in without his bearer. Afterward, when he got more accustomed to the lady, he was contented that his bearer should sit at the door, while he went in. at last he quite lost all fear, and would go in by himself: nay, he never was more happy than when he was with this lady; for she tried every means to gain his love, in order that she might lead him to receive such instructions as the time of her intended stay with his mother would allow her to give him. And She was very sorry when she found that he could not speak English: however, she was resolved not to be checked by this difficulty. She taught him many English words by showing him things represented in the coloured pictures, telling him their English names; so that in a short time he could ask for any thing he wanted in English. She then taught him his letters in one of the little books she had brought from home, and from his letters she proceeded to spelling: and so diligent was she that before he was six years old he could spell any words, however difficult, and could speak English quite readily. While this young lady was taking pains, from day to day, to teach little Henry to read, she endeavoured, by word of mouth, to make him acquainted with such parts of the Christian religion as even the youngest ought to know, and without the knowledge of which no man can be a Christian: and she did not like to wait until Henry I could read his Bible before she would instruct him in subjects of so much importance. The first lesson of this kind which she strove to teach him was, that there was only one true God, and that all things were made by him: namely, the glorious heaven, to which those persons go, who have been made the children of God on earth; and the dreadful hell, prepared for those who die in their sins; the world, and all things in it; the sun, the moon, the stars, and all the heavenly bodies. And she was going to teach him the following words from Colossians i. 16. "For by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth-" but no sooner did little Henry understand that she meant to teach him that there is but one God, than he got very angry, and told her that she did not speak a true word; for his mother had a God, and his bearer had a god, and there were a great many gods besides: and he ran out into the verandah, and told his bearer what the chootee beebee* had said; and down he sat between his bearer's knees, and would not come again to her that day, although she brought out her finest pictures and a new book on purpose to tempt him. The young lady did not fail to pray very earnestly for little Henry that night, when she had withdrawn to her room, and her door was shut. And her Father, on whom she called in secret, in the name of his beloved Son, heard her prayer; for the next day little Henry came smiling into her room, having quite forgotten his illhumour; and she was now enabled to talk to him with advantage on the same subject. And she made him kneel down, and pray to God to give him sense to understand the truth. She had also provided herself with one of the Hindoo gods, made of baked earth; and she bade him look at it, and examine it well: she then threw it down upon the floor, and it was broken into a hundred pieces. Then she said, "Henry, what can this god do for you? it cannot help itself. Call to it, and ask it to get up. You see it cannot move."—And that day the little boy was convinced by her arguments. * Young lady. |