'Don't
mind him!' our new friend waved scornfully in the direction of the eager tout
who had just spent the last fifteen minutes hard-selling us a houseboat in Kashmir...
'No?'
we asked in unison, beaming at the knight in shining armour who, with a few sharp
words, had chased away the offending lad.
He seated himself and proceeded to initiate
a friendly chat heavily laced with references to his honour and descriptions of
his family.
We
didn't jolt until it was too late, didn't flinch when the album was brought out.
Somehow,
our instinct to flee was squashed until we had seen the very last picture of magnificently
carved houseboats and were committed to staying on one.
