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From Madras we went by sea to Calcutta, and thence through Jamalpur to Benares, the city of a thousand temples. While we were there the King of Benares visited us. He was a very benevolent looking old man. He urged us to visit his palace, seven miles from the city, but we could not spare the time. Early the next morning, after his visit, we were surprised by the appearance at our bungalow of two enormous elephants, one of them the largest I ever saw. The old King had a herd of sixty, and sent two for our use. The largest was his favorite tiger hunting elephant. They were covered with trappings, and had howdahs upon their backs. We rode on the large one while we remained. The smaller one he wished to present to us, mahout and all; but we felt obliged to refuse the present. The royal old man evidently did not recognize the difficulties that might accrue to our traveling party were we to take an elephant on our hands.

After traveling thirty-five hundred miles over-land in India we set sail for Egypt: but there our visit was of the briefest. We glanced at the pyramids, spent a day or two in Cairo, and went on to Italy, landing at Brindisi on March 14. 1871.

A short tour of the principal continental cities followed. We were received by King Victor Emanuel at his palace in Florence, also by Prince Humbert, the late King and Marguerite, his beautiful wife. In Vienna we appeared before the Emperor Francis Joseph at his palace; and indeed we stood within most of the palaces of Europe, and were received by royalty in every captial.

April 18, 1871, we landed in England and traversed again the United Kingdom, exhibiting in two hundred and eight different cities and towns. We sailed from Liverpool on June 12, 1872, in the steamship Egypt, and sighted Sandy Hook on the twenty-second, three years and one day after the time of our departure.

To sum up the result of our tour, we traveled fifty-five thousand four hundred and eighty-seven miles, thirty-one thousand two hundred and sixteen miles by sea, gave fourteen hundred and seventy-one entertainments in five hundred and eighty-seven different cities and towns in all climates of the world, without, through accident or ills, missing a single performance wherever announced.

In 1876, Mr. Barnum invited us to visit him at Bridgeport. After dinner he asked us into his library, as he wished to have a private conversation with us. After a little chat, he said, "I feel that I am of no more use to you than the fifth wheel to a coach"; then, turning to Mr. Bleeker, he continued: "Although I am part owner, you have been the captain of the ship so long, and I not rendering any assistance even in the working of the vessel, that I feel as if I had no right to any share of the profit from the voyages. I therefore resign my interest, which you may take and divide between yourself, the General, and Lavinia. If at any time necessities should arise, whereby you may require my assistance, call upon me and I will freely aid you. I have long thought of doing this."

We all thanked his heartily. "But," he continued, "don't thank me. You could easily have thrown the old man overboard long ago, as thousands would have done; but I honor you for your friendship and fidelity to me. God bless you for it!" and the tears stood in his eyes as he took our hands.

In the summer of 1878, my sister Minnie died at our home in Middleboro. And here I will refute a general impression which meets me everywhere I go: which is that Minnie married Commodore Nutt. This impression arose, I think, from the fact that the Commodore was groomsman at the marriage of General Tom Thumb and myself, and my sister officiated as bridesmaid. Then they were with us in our subsequent travels over the United States and Canada, and completed our quartet on our trip round the world. Minnie married Major Edward Newell, a "little man," with whom she became acquainted in New York. He is now in London, England, and has a second wife. Minnie's grave is on the hillside in the beautiful cemetery of my native town.

It proved one of the greatest trials of my life to go again before the public without her, but it was the life work marked out for me, and I resumed it just as others resume their regular duties after an overwhelming grief. Even now, I do not find it easy to speak of it. All my other sisters and brothers were of normal size, and hence she and I were in a measure isolated from them and brought nearer each other.

The General and I continued our travels with flattering success until 1881, when Mr. Barnum induced us by a most liberal offer to travel with his "Greatest Show on Earth" for that season. Although every convenience and luxury that such a life afforded was ours, it was not to our liking, and at the end of the season we withdrew and again resumed our usual travel.

An even happened on January 10, 1883, the remembrance of which has ever since cast a gloom over my life, and indirectly was the cause of a change in my future. I allude to the burning of the Newhall House in Milwaukee, with all its accompanying horrors. My dearly beloved Mrs. Bleeker was the only victim of our party. Although her husband rescued her from the flames, she was so badly injured that she died twelve days afterward.