March 6 Friday – In Jaipur, Sam had recovered enough to ride into town, to “the city of victory,” founded by Maharajah Jai Singh II in 1728. Parsons writes,
His most exciting trip to town was on a day of festivity. Everywhere, in streets, squares, and public gardens, in balconies and recessed colonnades of the huge and dazzling palace of Maharajah Sir Sawa Madho Singh, clouds of pigeons and “gloriously clothed people” made a boundless pageant. The occasion, at ten in the morning, was a rich Hindu’s parade of images and objects representing scenes in the life of some god or saint. Caparisoned elephants came like outlandish heralds, then floats bearing the still and holy forms, followed by wonderfully garbed riders on camels. Mark’s comment, “It was the most satisfying show I had ever seen” [“MT India” 91].
Comparing this description to Sam’s notebook proves interesting:
Mch. 6. The cow pestered by the crow in the big court. Drove to bazar….
Girls with Xtian skirt on, & naked busts & bellies.
Women clothed in gold bangles.
Elephants & plenty tall camels.
Huge Clouds of pigeons [NB 36 TS 56].
Sam also wrote to H.H. Rogers, probably before going to town, for there’s no mention of the spectacles he saw in town, no bare-breasted girls, no elephants, no tall camels.
Whether Harper gets my books or not, I do hope the copyright of Innocents Abroad will be renewed and not suffered to run out. …
I am in the doctor’s hands again. He made me cancel a week’s engagements and shut myself in my room and rest….We leave here to-morrow night and go lecturing along up to Lahore and so-on.; and we fetch up in Madras hear the end of this month and take ship there for Ceylon and the S. Africa.
Enclosed please find a “Duplicate” or “Second” for £101. If you will strike out the words in parenthesis I think you can collect it…You could get Dr. Rice to work it.
I have to go to S. Africa, but I suppose that will end my lecturing in this world. Mrs. Clemens is not willing that I shall continue the risk any further [MTHHR 196]. Note: Sam had mailed the check dated Feb. 19, 1896 for £101.12 and it evidently was lost.
By sheer coincidence H.H. Rogers wrote to Sam on this same day. He’d received a $511.61 check from Frank Mayo, who was touring with his dramatization of PW. Rogers had talked turkey with Walter Bliss, Frank’s brother, who had come to New York in Frank’s place due to illness. Rogers had little patience with the Bliss brothers, and had attempted with some success to force them into a favorable agreement with Harper & Brothers. Rogers was lobbying for a deal whereby Bliss would surrender rights to Sam’s older books and gain a portion of the royalty from Harper Bros. American Publishing Co. would continue to sell Sam’s older books singly as well as those Webster & Co. had published, though would pay Livy royalties on all books sold. Harper would be able then to publish a Uniform Edition.
May I ask you to decide only after careful deliberation. To review, please consider first, that the scheme provides for Mrs. Clemens’s receiving a royalty from Harper & Brothers on the uniform edition entire. She will also receive a royalty on all of the books sold by the American Publishing Co. singly as present, including those originally published by Webster & Co. She will surrender a portion of the royalty from Harper & Brothers on “Innocents Abroad,” “Roughing It,” “Tramp Abroad,” etc. now controlled by the American Publishing Co. This may be perfectly visionary on my part, and impossible to carry out, because of an objection that Harper & Brothers may make to it, but I believe that American Publishing Co. can be whipped into line, particularly if they can secure the privileges on your new book for a short term of years.
Colby had dropped into a state of lethargy for the moment, and we are dropping carpet tacks in his way to stimulate his ambition. He is a rather spasmodic sort of cuss [MTHHR 197-8]. Note: it should be remembered that Sam would not get this letter for about a month, but no acknowledgment of it was found in extant letters to Rogers.