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diff --git a/44968.txt b/44968.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 5207d60..0000000 --- a/44968.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2902 +0,0 @@ - PEEPS AT MANY LANDS--INDIA - - - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - - -Title: Peeps at Many Lands--India -Author: John Finnemore -Release Date: February 19, 2014 [EBook #44968] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PEEPS AT MANY LANDS--INDIA *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - -[Illustration: Cover art] - - - - -[Illustration: A TAILOR AT WORK. _Page 1._] - - - - - PEEPS AT MANY LANDS - - INDIA - - - BY - - JOHN FINNEMORE - - - - WITH TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS - IN COLOUR - BY - MORTIMER MENPES - - - - LONDON - ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK - 1907 - - - - - _Published September_ 17, 1907. - - _Reprinted November_, 1907. - - - - - *CONTENTS* - - -CHAPTER - - I. THE GATEWAY OF INDIA - II. IN THE LAND OF THE RAJPUTS - III. IN THE LAND OF THE RAJPUTS (continued) - IV. IN THE PUNJAB - V. AMONG THE HIMALAYAS - VI. AMONG THE HIMALAYAS (continued) - VII. THE GREAT PLAINS OF THE GANGES - VIII. THE LAND OF THE MOGUL KINGS - IX. THE LAND OF THE MOGUL KINGS (continued) - X. IN THE MUTINY COUNTRY - XI. THE SACRED CITY OF THE HINDOOS - XII. THE CAPITAL OF INDIA - XIII. ACROSS THE DECCAN - XIV. AT THE COURT OF A NATIVE PRINCE - XV. THE RELIGIOUS MENDICANTS - XVI. IN THE BAZAAR - XVII. IN THE JUNGLE - XVIII. IN THE JUNGLE (continued) - XIX. IN AN INDIAN VILLAGE - XX. IN AN INDIAN VILLAGE (continued) - - - - - *LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS* - - BY MORTIMER MENPES - - -A TAILOR AT WORK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _frontispiece_ - -A BUSY BAZAAR - -A DISTINGUISHED MAHARAJAH - -A SIKH WARRIOR - -THE GOLDEN TEMPLE - -WATERING CATTLE - -THE TAJ MAHAL - -BENARES - -NATIVE TROOPS - -A BAZAAR, DELHI - -A NATIVE WOMAN WEARING NOSE ORNAMENT - -A NATIVE BULLOCK-CART - -Sketch-Map of India on page viii - - - - -[Illustration: SKETCH-MAP OF INDIA.] - - - - - *INDIA* - - - - *CHAPTER I* - - *THE GATEWAY OF INDIA* - - -To the vast majority of European travellers Bombay is the gateway of -India. It is here they get their first glimpse of the bewildering -variety of races, of colours, of types, of customs, which make up India. -After the journey through the Suez Canal, and the long run across the -Arabian Sea, the traveller is very glad to spend a day or two at Bombay, -gaining first impressions of this new, strange country. He may be -interested in the fine new buildings of the modern town, or he may not; -he is certain to be interested in the native quarter. - -Here he gets his first glimpse of that great feature of Indian life, the -bazaar--rows and rows of narrow streets filled with shops and crowds. -The shops are small booths, often built of mud, or archways, or, again, -are mere holes in a wall. Everything is open to full view; there are -neither windows nor doors. The merchant or shopkeeper squats beside his -goods; the artisan does his work in sight of the passers-by. The crowds -are stranger than the shops. Here you may see Hindoos, Parsees, -Burmese, Singhalese, Lascars, Moslems, Arabs, Somalis, Jews of many -countries, Turks, Chinese, Japanese, and a score of other nations. Amid -the throng of many colours move white people from every land of Europe, -and the babel of tongues is as astonishing as the mingling of costumes. - -Here is struck at once the note of colour which enlivens every street -scene in India. The people wear robes of every shade, and turbans or -caps of every hue--black, white, red, green, yellow, purple, pink, every -colour of the rainbow--and a hundred shades of every colour meet and -mingle as the crowds flow to and fro. - -Where there is an open space the snake-charmer squats beside his cobras, -playing on his strange pipe, and putting his venomous pets through their -tricks; or a conjurer is causing a mango-plant to spring up and put -forth fruit from apparently a little barren heap of earth. Busy Indian -coolies, naked save for a dirty turban and a wisp of cotton cloth round -the loins, hurry along with water-skins, and the skins, filled with -water, take roughly the shape of the sheep or goat which had once filled -them with flesh and bones. Other coolies are driving queer little carts -drawn by a pair of tiny, mild-eyed, hump-backed oxen; and others, again, -squat beside the way with their chins on their knees, waiting to be -hired. - -[Illustration: A BUSY BAZAAR. _Chapter XVI_.] - -When it comes to sight-seeing proper, the traveller will visit the -island of Elephanta, six miles from the city. Here stands a great -temple cut in the solid rock, its roof supported by huge pillars left -standing when the chamber was hollowed out. The temple is adorned with -colossal figures and carvings of Hindoo gods and of animals. Its -excavation must have been a tremendous piece of work, and it is -considered that it was carried out some eleven hundred years ago. - -Among the crowds of Bombay no people are more distinctive than the -Parsees. The Parsees may always be known by the strange head-gear and -long coats of the men and by the splendid dresses of the women, who move -about as freely as European women, and are not shut up like Hindoo women -of the richer classes. - -The Parsee man wears on his head a long, high, shiny hat in the form of -a cylinder; it has no brim, and is one of the oddest head-coverings that -may be seen. In origin he is a Persian, for the Parsees are descended -from a race that fled into India from Persia when that land was attacked -by the Arabs twelve centuries ago. The Parsee women are dressed very -splendidly, because their race is very rich. The Parsee is the banker -and money-lender of India. No other native is so clever in trade or -amasses wealth so swiftly as a Parsee. - -In his religion the most sacred thing is fire, and to him the sun, as -the emblem of fire, is the greatest religious symbol. Upon the shore of -the bay many Parsees may be seen at evening at their devotions before -the setting sun. Each seats himself upon the sand, bows to the sun, -taking off his hat and replacing it, and then, with a small brass jar at -his side, begins to read prayers from a sacred book, chanting them -aloud. - -The Parsee reverence for fire is seen in the treatment of his dead. The -Hindoo makes a funeral pyre and burns his dead. Not so the Parsee. He -considers that fire is too sacred to use for such a purpose; nor, on the -other hand, is he willing to defile the earth by digging a grave. So -the Parsee dead are exposed to be torn to pieces and devoured by -vultures. Beside the sea there stand five broad low towers, the famous -Towers of Silence. In these the bodies of the dead are exposed. One of -these is reserved for the use of a wealthy family, one for suicides and -those who die by accidental deaths, and three for general use. The -towers and the trees around are loaded with huge vultures, which, in a -couple of hours, reduce a body to a heap of bones. - - - - - *CHAPTER II* - - *IN THE LAND OF THE RAJPUTS* - - -Rajputana is the land of the Rajputs, a splendid warrior race of -Northern India. In times long gone by the Rajputs held power over the -wide plain watered by the Upper Ganges, but seven hundred years ago -their Moslem foes drove them westwards into the land still called -Rajputana. - -The history of the Rajputs is one of battle. They are born fighters. -They have taken a share in all the wars which have torn India through -all the centuries. They struggled hard against the British power, but -now they are good friends of ours, and their Princes rule under British -protection. - -The history of this fine race is full of stories of romance and -chivalry. Nor is the Rajput of to-day inferior to his brave and haughty -fathers: "The poorest Rajput retains all his pride of ancestry, often -his sole inheritance; he scorns to hold the plough, or use his lance but -on horseback." Of all the brave old stories of Rajput valour and -constancy none are more beloved than the tales which hang around the -three sacks of Chitore. Thrice was that ancient city seized and -plundered by Moslem foes, and never have those terrible days been -forgotten. To this day the most binding oath on Rajput lips is when he -swears, "By the sin of the sack of Chitore." - -Long ago there was a Prince of Chitore named Bhimsi, whose wife, -Princess Padmani, was famed far and wide as the most beautiful woman in -the world, and as good as she was beautiful. The report of her beauty -drew Allah-u-din, a great Moslem warrior, to the walls of Chitore at the -head of a powerful army. He demanded to see the face of Padmani, were it -only a reflection of her face in a mirror. Prince Bhimsi invited him to -a feast, and he saw Padmani. When the feast was over, the Prince -escorted Allah-u-din back to his camp. Then the wily Moslem seized the -Prince, and sent word to the chiefs of Chitore that, if they wished to -see their King again, they must send Padmani to become the wife of -Allah-u-din. - -Every one in Chitore was aghast at this treacherous deed; but the Moslem -was powerful, and Princess Padmani, with her attendants, set out for the -enemy's camp. Slowly the long train of seven hundred litters wound its -way from the city, and Padmani was in the hands of Allah-u-din. The -Moslem gave permission for Bhimsi and Padmani to take a short farewell -of each other, and then was seen a proof of Padmani's wit and Rajput -devotion. From out the seven hundred litters sprang, not weeping women, -but seven hundred warriors armed to the teeth, while the bearers flung -aside their robes, and showed the glittering swords in their strong -right hands. - -Covered by this devoted bodyguard, Bhimsi and Padmani sprang upon swift -horses and reached Chitore in safety. But none else escaped. The noble -Rajputs, the flower of Chitore, gave their lives to the last man to save -their King and Queen. - -Allah-u-din never forgot how he had been foiled. Years passed, and once -more he marched against the city set on its rock. No one had ever -captured it, and Chitore feared not Allah-u-din until he began to raise -a huge mound of earth. He did this by giving gold to all who brought a -basketful of earth, and at last he secured a vantage-ground whence he -could hurl his missiles into the city, and the end of the siege was near -at hand. - -Then one night King Bhimsi had a terrible vision, from which he woke in -affright. The goddess of Chitore had appeared to him, saying: "If my -altar and your throne is to be kept, let twelve who wear the crown die -for Chitore." - -Now Bhimsi and Padmani had twelve sons. So it was resolved to make them -twelve Kings by setting each on the throne for three days. Then the -saying of the goddess would be fulfilled, and these twelve must die for -Chitore. But when it came to the youngest of the twelve, to Ajeysi, the -father's darling, Bhimsi said no. The King called his chieftains -together. - -"The child shall not die," he said. "He shall go free to recover what -was lost. I will be the twelfth to die for Chitore." - -"And we will die for Chitore!" cried the warriors. "In bridal robes of -saffron and coronets on our heads, we will die for Chitore!" - -Then a great plan was made throughout the place: all, men and women, -would die for their beloved city. In the vaults and caverns which -stretch below the rock a vast funeral pyre was built, and to it came the -Rajput women singing, dressed in their festal robes, and glittering in -all their jewels. The last to enter the vault of death was Padmani, and -when the gate was closed upon her the men knew their turn had come. -Setting the little Prince in the midst of a picked band, who had sworn -to bear him off in safety, the King led his sons and chieftains to the -battle. The gates were flung open, and the warriors, clad in bridal -robes, hurled themselves upon the foe: for the bride they sought was -death. - -When the last had died for Chitore, Allah-u-din entered the city. But -it was an empty triumph. Every house, every street, was still and -silent, only a wisp of smoke oozed from the vault. This was the first -sack of Chitore. - -The second sack was in the time of Humayun, father of Akbar the Great. -The ruler of Chitore had died, leaving a baby son to inherit the crown, -and when a powerful foe came against the city, the child's mother, -Kurnavati, sent messengers to Humayun, saying: "Tell him that he is -bracelet-bound brother to me, and that I am hard pressed by a cruel -foe." - -There is an ancient custom in India by which a woman may choose a -bracelet-brother to protect and assist her. She may choose whom she -pleases, and she sends him a silken bracelet, called a ram-rukki. It is -a mere cord of silk, bound with a tassel, and hung with seven tiny -silken tassels--red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, the -colours of the rainbow. The man may accept this bracelet or not, as he -pleases; but once he has bound it round his wrist, he becomes the -bracelet-brother of the sender, and is bound to her service. In return -for the bracelet he sends the customary gift of a small breast-bodice. - -Now Humayun, the Mogul King, was bracelet-brother to Kurnavati, and when -he heard that she was in distress, he hurried to her assistance. But he -came too late, and the garrison of Chitore saw that their city must -fall. Then they remembered the first sack, and all resolved to die in -the same way. Kurnavati succeeded in getting her little son away in -safety; then she led the women to the funeral pyre. The men of the -garrison were few, for many had fallen, but the gallant handful, clad as -before in bridal robes and crowns, dashed upon the foe, and died to the -last man, ringed about with heaps of slain. - -[Illustration: A DISTINGUISHED MAHARAJAH. _Pages 11 and 58_.] - -Although the baby King, Udai Singh, was smuggled in safety from Chitore, -it was not long before he was in danger again. He was carried off to -the palace of his half-brother, Bikramajit, where he lived under the -care of his foster-mother, Punnia. One night Punnia heard a terrible -uproar, and then the screams of women. Enemies had broken into the -palace of Bikramajit. But whose life did they seek above all? Punnia -knew, and she saw that Udai Singh was in great danger. How could she -save him? There was only one way, a terrible way; but the Rajput woman -did not flinch. Two children lay sleeping before her, Udai Singh and -her own child. She caught up the baby King and thrust sugared opium -into his mouth that he might be lulled into deeper, safer slumber, hid -him in a fruit-basket, and gave the precious burden to the hands of a -faithful servant. "Fly to the river-bed without the city," she said, -"and wait for me there." - -Then she flung the rich royal robe over her own sleeping child, and -waited for the murderers. In they burst. "The Prince!" they cried. -"Where is the Prince?" - -With a supreme effort Punnia pointed to the little figure beneath the -splendid robe, and hid her face, giving the life of her own child to -save that of the little King. - -When all was over, and the last funeral rites had been performed over -the body of the child whom the conspirators supposed to be the young -King, Punnia sought the river-bed. There she found her nursling, and -with him she fled over hill and dale, never resting till she gained a -strong fortress held by a loyal governor. Into his presence she -hastened, and set the child on his knee. "Guard well the life of the -King!" she cried, this noble Rajput woman. - -The third sack of Chitore happened in the days of Akbar the Great, son -of Humayun, who had once hurried to the aid of the city. The Rajputs -and the Great Mogul came to blows. Akbar led a powerful army against -his foes. This was the last sack, "for the conqueror was of right royal -stuff, and knew how to treat brave men. So when the final consummation -was once more reached, and thousands of brave men had gone to death by -the sword, and thousands of brave women met death by fire, he left the -city, levying no ransom, and on the place where his camp had stood -raised a white marble tower, from whose top a light might shine to cheer -the darkness of Chitore. But a few years afterwards, when in dire -distress and riding for his life through an ambush, the man on Akbar's -right hand and the man on his left, shielding him from blows, making -their swords his shelter, were two of the defeated Rajput generals." - -These are stories of long ago. Here is one of times nearer our own, -when the English were mastering India. A beautiful Rajput Princess, the -Princess Kishna Komari, was sought in marriage by three powerful -suitors. She could not wed all three, and her father feared the -vengeance of the fierce men who quarrelled over his daughter's hand. -Lest their savage disputes might end in attack upon his city and palace, -he said that his daughter must die. "She took the poison offered her, -smiling, saying to her weeping mother, 'Why grieve? A Rajput maiden -often enters the world but to be sent from it. Rather thank my father -for giving you me till to-day.'" - - - - - *CHAPTER III* - - *IN THE LAND OF THE RAJPUTS (*_*Continued*_*)* - - -The ancient town of Chitore still stands on its ridge, with its grey -lines of ruined walls and towers broken by two beautiful Towers of -Victory, which raise their slender columns toward the sky. The smaller -tower is very old, having been raised in A.D. 896, and the larger was -built in A.D. 1439 to celebrate a victory of the Rajputs over their -Moslem enemies. The latter is ornamented with most beautiful carving, -rises to the height of 130 feet, and is divided into nine stories. - -Some sixty miles from Chitore lies Oudeypor, or Udaipur, a Rajput city -of great fame, for it is said to be the most beautiful city in all -India. It is also of deep interest as being one of the few cities where -the old native life goes on almost untouched by the presence and -influence of the white people in the land. Here strut Rajput nobles in -silken robes decked with gems, and followed by splendidly clothed and -armed retainers. Here the elephant is seen at its proper work of -carrying stately howdahs, carved and gilded and hung about with curtains -of rich brocade, while long flowing draperies of cloth of gold, -embroidered in the most lovely patterns and in the most striking and -brilliant colours, sweep down the broad flanks of the huge slow-moving -beast, and almost brush the ground with long fringed tassels. Here are -bevies of women who resemble a moving garden in their shining silks of -every hue that is soft and delicate, and here are naked coolies, whose -bronze bodies glisten with sweat as they toil along under their load of -water-skins or huge baskets heaped with earth. - -The people in the streets of Udaipur strike the traveller at once as a -finer type than usual. The men are tall, slender, and of lofty bearing; -their features are fine, sharp, and regular. As regards the women's -features you cannot judge, for in Udaipur the rule that no woman's face -shall be seen by a stranger is very strictly observed. Even the poorest -woman, however busily she may be at work, has a hand at liberty to draw -her filmy veil of coloured gauze, red or green or blue or pink, across -her face when anyone glances her way. - -As the crowd passes along, two things above all strike our eyes--the -beards of the men, the jewellery of the women. The beard of the Rajput -is very black; it is combed and brushed till it shines in the sun; it is -as large as he can grow it; then it is parted in the middle, and drawn -round the face so that it stands out on either side, and the ends are -curled. It is said that a Rajput dandy who cannot get his beard to -properly part in the middle will draw it round his face to the required -shape, and then tie a bandage tightly round his head to train the hair -to the mode which he and his friends affect. - -The jewellery of the women is overwhelming, and this word is meant in -its literal sense: the women are absolutely loaded with ornaments. If -they are wealthy, the ornaments are of gold, decked with precious -stones; the poorer classes are weighed down with silver. A Rajput woman -often carries on her person the wealth of her house, and may be regarded -as the family savings bank. One writer, speaking of the ornaments upon -a working woman of the lower classes, says: - -"Her smaller toes were decked with rings of silver, made by an ingenious -arrangement of small movable knobs set close together. She wore a -bracelet of the same design, which was one of the most artistic and -effective triumphs of the jeweller's art that I have ever seen. Upon -her eight fingers she wore twenty-six rings. She carried on her left -lower arm a row of many bracelets, mainly of silver, but with here and -there a band of lacquer, either green or red or yellow. Upon her left -upper arm she displayed a circlet of links carved into the shape of -musk-melons, each the size of a nutmeg. From this fell three chains, -each five inches long, and terminated with a tassel of silver. Upon her -right arm she had also many bracelets. Finally, upon her neck was a -chain of silver, of such length that, after it had been coiled several -times round her throat, sufficient remained to fall in a double loop -upon her bosom, where a heart-shaped silver charm finished both it and -her scheme of display." - -Another writer gives a sketch of a Rajput dandy which forms a good -companion picture to the above: "A long-skirted tunic or frock of white -muslin, close-fitting white trousers, and a rose-coloured turban with a -broad band of gold lace and tall flashing plume of dark heron feathers -and gold filigree were the salient points. Other accessories were the -sword-belt, crossing his breast and encircling his waist, of dark green -velvet, richly worked with pure gold, and thickly studded with emeralds, -rubies, and brilliants; a transparent yellow shield of rhinoceros hide, -with knobs of black-and-gold enamel; a sash of stiff gold lace, with a -crimson thread running through the gold; bracelets of the dainty -workmanship known as Jeypore enamel, thickly jewelled, which he wore on -his wrists and arms; and there were strings of dull, uncut stones about -his neck. The skirts of his tunic were pleated with many folds and stood -stiffly out, and when he mounted his horse a servant on each side held -them so that they might not be crushed. - -"The trappings of the horse were scarcely less elaborate. His neck was -covered on one side with silver plates, and his mane, which hung on the -other side, was braided, and lengthened by black fringes, relieved by -silver ornaments. White yaks' tails hung from beneath the embroidered -saddle-cover on both sides, and his head, encased in a headstall of -white enamelled leather and silver, topped with tall aigrettes, was tied -down by an embroidered scarf to give his neck the requisite curve." - -The streets through which these gay figures move are worthy of them. -Hardly two houses are alike, but all are beautiful in "this shining -white pearl among cities." No building is bare. Its front is decorated -with half-columns, carved panels, or frescoes in brilliant colours, -picturing horses, elephants, and tigers in pursuit of their prey. -Balconies and projecting windows are faced with panels of stonework so -delicately carved and fretted as to resemble lacework, and in the most -beautiful and graceful patterns. And everything is white, glittering -white, under a clear, glowing sky, and set beside a great lake as blue -as a great sheet of turquoise. - -Along the streets flows a most mingled crowd, clad in all the hues of -the rainbow, and through this brilliant throng all kinds of beasts of -burden thread their way. The mighty elephant, rolling along with his -ponderous tread, is followed by a tiny ass no bigger than a large dog. -Oxen just as small as the asses, and long-legged camels with great loads -on their humped backs, come and go, and people on balconies lean over -the parapets and gaze idly on the busy scene. - -The most striking thing in Udaipur is the vast palace of the native -Prince. The most beautiful things are the two lovely water palaces -which stand on islands in the lake. - -The former is entered by a fine triple-arched gateway. "Above this -gateway soars the great white fabric, airy, unreal, and fantastic as a -dream, stretching away in a seemingly endless prospective of latticed -cupolas, domes, turrets, and jutting oriel windows, rising tier above -tier, at a dizzy height from the ground. A single date-tree spreads its -branches above the walls of the topmost court, at the very apex of the -pile." - -From the foot of the ridge on which stands this glittering pile of -splendid masonry the dark blue lake stretches away, its surface broken -by two islands, each of which is occupied by a water palace of wonderful -beauty. Here one may roam through miles of courts, saloons, corridors, -pavilions, balconies, terraces, a fairyland of splendour, in which every -room, every gallery is decorated with the most exquisite art. And all -this has been wrought by the hand of man, not merely the marvellous -palaces, but the very lake itself. This site was once a desert valley, -but immense wealth and boundless power have filled the great hollow with -blue water, and littered its shores with temples and palaces and -pavilions, presenting a scene which, for charm of colour and beauty of -outline, can nowhere be surpassed. - - - - - *CHAPTER IV* - - *IN THE PUNJAB* - - -Beyond the wide desert which stretches along the north-western border of -Rajputana lie the plains of the Punjab, running up to the foot-hills of -the Himalayas. The Punjab (the Land of Five Rivers), where the Indus and -its tributaries roll their waters to the Arabian Sea, is, above all and -beyond all, the battlefield of India. For it was upon these plains that -the onsets of invaders first fell. Greeks, Persians, Afghans--swarm -after swarm poured through the only vulnerable point of Northern India, -and fought out on the plains of the Punjab the struggles which meant for -them victory or disastrous retreat. - -[Illustration: A SIKH WARRIOR. _Page 17_.] - -The last native rulers of the Punjab were the finest ones of all--the -Sikhs. The Sikhs, a nation of fanatics and heroes, fought the Moslems -for hundreds of years, and the prize was the rule of the Punjab. The -Sikhs won, and formed a barrier behind which India was safe from the -savage Moslem tribes of the north-west. - -The Sikhs are a warrior race pure and simple. They make splendid -soldiers under white officers, and the fine Sikh regiments are the pride -of our native Indian army. They did not yield up the Punjab to British -rule without a stern struggle. They were noble foes, and they proved -noble friends. They accepted the British Raj once and for all. Within -ten years after their conquest the Indian Mutiny broke out. The Sikhs -stood firm, and aided the British with the utmost gallantry and -devotion. - -The Sikh is a fine, tall, upstanding fellow, with an immense beard and a -huge coil of hair. This follows on his belief that it is impious either -to shave or to cut the hair. He holds tobacco in abhorrence, and -worships his Bible, which is called the Granth. In every Sikh temple -sits a priest reading in a loud voice from the Granth, while beside him -an attendant priest fans the holy book with a gilt-handled plume of -feathers. - -The most famous Sikh temple is at Amritsar, the holy city of the Sikh -faith. Here is the Pool of Immortality, and in the midst of the lake -rises the Golden Temple, standing on an island. From the gates of the -city a throng of stalwart, bearded Sikh pilgrims sets always towards the -Golden Temple. You follow in their train, and come suddenly upon a wide -open space. It is bordered by a marble pavement, and within the -pavement lies the famous Lake of Immortality. The Golden Temple rises -before you, glittering with blinding radiance in the hot sunshine, and -mirrored in the smooth water which runs to the foot of its walls. - -But you may not yet enter the sacred place and walk round the lake and -see the temple. At the gates you are stopped, and your boots taken from -you, and silken slippers tied on in their place. If you have tobacco in -your pockets that, too, must be handed over, and left till you return, -for tobacco would defile the holy place. Then you are led round by a -Sikh policeman, who will show you the temple and the hallowed ground. - -The marble pavement around the sacred lake is dotted with groups of -priests and pilgrims, and behind the pavement stand palaces of marble, -owned by great Sikh chiefs who come here to worship. Here and there are -flower-sellers weaving long chains of roses and yellow jasmine to sell -to worshippers who wish to make offerings. A teacher with a little band -of students around him is seated beside the pool, and in a shady corner -is a native craftsman busy fashioning wooden spoons and combs, and other -trifles, which he sells as souvenirs of the shrine. - -The Golden Temple itself is gained by a causeway across the lake, and -the causeway is entered through a magnificent portal with doors of -silver, and four open doors of chased silver give access to the -sanctuary itself. Here sits the high-priest reading the Granth, and -before the holy book is spread a cloth, upon which the faithful lay -offerings of coins or flowers. - -From Amritsar, the holy city, to Lahore, the capital of the Punjab, is -only some thirty miles. Lahore is a large town of great importance as a -military station, and many troops are quartered in the grand old fort -built by the Mogul Kings. Some of the palaces which once filled this -ancient fortress still show traces of their former splendour. There are -sheets of striking tilework, with panels of elephants, horsemen, and -warriors worked in yellow upon a blue ground. There are marble walls -inlaid most beautifully with flowers formed of precious stones. But -many of the halls have been converted into barracks, and in spots where -once an Emperor smoked his jewelled "hubble-bubble," surrounded by a -glittering Court, Tommy Atkins, in khaki and putties, with his helmet on -the back of his head, now puffs calmly at a clay pipe. - -Lahore has streets which display some of the finest wood-carving in -India. These streets lie within the city, the old part of the town, -enclosed by brick walls sixteen feet high, and entered by thirteen -gates. In one street every house has a balcony or jutting window of old -woodwork, carved into the most beautiful or fantastic designs, according -to the fancy of the owner who built and designed it long ago. The -balconies are of all sizes and shapes, and their line is delightfully -irregular. The walls, too, are painted and decorated lavishly, and -domed windows are adorned by gaily-tinted peacocks worked in wood or -stucco. The splendid woodwork, the shining beauty of paint and courses -of bricks richly glazed in red and blue, the gay crowd which throngs the -way--all these things combine to form a striking and splendid picture. - -At the end of this marvellous street rise the tall minarets of the Great -Mosque, and close by is the fine tomb where lies Runjit Singh, the -greatest of the Sikh rulers. Under him the Sikhs rose to the height of -power in India; but a few years after his death, in 1839, the Punjab -passed into our hands. - - - - - *CHAPTER V* - - *AMONG THE HIMALAYAS* - - -India is bounded and guarded on the north by one of the grandest -mountain-chains in the world. This is the mighty range of the -Himalayas, which stretches a row of lofty peaks from east to west, as if -to shut up India behind a gigantic wall. - -There are very few points where this vast range can be crossed, and then -only with the greatest difficulty. The most famous pass of all lies in -the north-west, the well-known Khyber or Khaibar Pass leading into -Afghanistan. Through this pass invader after invader in age after age -has poured his troops into the fertile plains of Hindostan. - -At this point Alexander the Great at the head of a Greek army crossed -the Indus and marched into India. To this day there are left in the land -tokens of that far-off raid. The Indian hakims, the native doctors, -practise the Greek system of medicine, and the influence of the invaders -is seen in old Indian coins which turn up with Greek inscriptions upon -them, in statues which are found in the soil, as full of Greek feeling -as any in Athens itself. - -But it is now a task for British brains and hands to see to it that no -fresh invader swoops through the pass, and it is very strictly guarded. -In itself the pass presents many difficulties. The way lies through -tremendous ravines, beside which tower precipices of stupendous height, -and the road could easily be blocked and destroyed at many points. The -people who inhabit this region are also of a very savage and dangerous -character. They are called Afridis, and belong to wild hill-tribes, who -are always ready for a fray, all the more so if there is a little -plunder to be gained by it. - -With these fierce and lawless people the British officers have come to -an arrangement: that for two days a week the Afridis themselves shall -furnish soldiers to guard the pass. For this duty an annual payment is -made, and thus the Khaibar Pass is quite safe on Tuesdays and Fridays. -On other days the traveller must look out for himself. He must keep a -wide eye open for the Zakka Khels, a notorious Afridi tribe. When a son -is born to a Zakka Khel woman she swings him over a hole in a wall, -saying, "Be a thief! be a thief!" And a thief he is to the end of his -days. - -Among the Himalayas to the north-east of the Khyber Pass lies the -beautiful vale of Kashmir, or Cashmere (the Happy Valley). Cashmere is -a lofty plain, yet it is not a plateau, for you go down into it from -every side. It is so high that its climate is nearer to that of England -than any other part of India. The summer is like a fine English summer, -but a little hotter, and with more settled weather. In winter the snow -lies on the ground for two or three months, but about the end of -February the snow disappears, and the spring bursts out, and the vale -becomes beautiful with the tender green of growing crops and grass and a -profusion of most lovely flowers. The scenery is very fine. Around and -far off is the great wall of lofty mountains, which encompass the plain -with glittering slopes of eternal snow. The vale itself is dotted with -hamlets and villages, with fields waving with corn and rice, with -meadows, with orchards of mulberry- and walnut-trees, with forests of -giant plane-trees. - -The capital is Srinagar, the City of Sun, whose many waterways winding -through the ancient city make it an Asiatic Venice. "The houses on the -banks are of many stories, most of them richly ornamented with carved -wood, while the sloping roofs of nearly all are overgrown with verdure. -The dome of one Hindoo temple was covered with long grass thickly -studded with scarlet poppies and yellow mustard. On all sides are to be -seen the remains of ancient temples and palaces, testifying to what a -magnificent city Srinagar must have been." - -Moving east along the Himalayan slopes, the next point of interest is -the small town of Simla. This is important, not in itself, but as the -seat of government in the summer, when the Viceroy and his staff escape -to its cool heights from the burning plain 7,000 feet below. "By the -time the month of May is advancing the season for Simla has begun. The -Viceroy and his Government, with some of the official classes, have -arrived, and the world of Anglo-Indian fashion have assembled. Social -gatherings on the greensward underneath the rocks, overshadowed by the -fir, pine, and cedar, are of daily occurrence. The rich bloom of the -rhododendrons lends gorgeousness to the scene. - -"The place is like a gay Swiss city isolated on the mountain-top, with -dark ilex forests around it, blue hills beyond, and the horizon ever -whitened by the Snowy Range. But in this paradise, tempting the mind to -banish care and forget affairs of State, the most arduous business is -daily conducted. Red-liveried messengers are running to and fro all the -day and half the night. Tons of letters and dispatches come and go -daily. Here are gathered up the threads of an Empire. Hence issue the -orders affecting perhaps one-sixth of the human race." - -In winter Simla is deserted. The Viceroy and his staff, the gay world -of fashion, all have gone back to the plains, and in severe weather the -little town often lies deep in snow. - -Simla lies near the Siwalik Hills, one of the many foot-ranges which -lead up to the greater heights of the Himalayas, and the Siwalik Hills -are famous, because through them the sacred Ganges bursts out upon the -plains of Hindostan. It is at the city of Hard war that the Ganges -forces its bright blue stream through a wild gorge and leaves the -mountains for ever; and Hardwar is a holy place. The city lies in the -gorge beside the stream. It has one principal street running along the -river; the others mount the hill-side as steeply as staircases. Temples -and ghats line the bank, and hither come vast numbers of pilgrims to the -great annual fair of Hardwar to bathe in the holy river. At that time -the country round resembles a vast encampment, "and all the races, -faces, costumes, customs, and languages of the East, from Persia to -Siam, from Ceylon to Siberia, are represented." - - - - - *CHAPTER VI* - - *AMONG THE HIMALAYAS (*_*continued*_*)* - - -But to see the Himalayas in all their majesty we must still keep our -faces to the east, and travel on towards the great central knot, where -Mount Everest and the Kanchanjanga spring nearly 30,000 feet, about five -and a half miles, towards the sky. Of these two mountain giants Mount -Everest, though the highest measured mountain in the world, presents the -less imposing appearance. This is because it lies so far in the -interior of the range, and is surrounded by a girdle of snowy peaks -which seem to gather about and protect their lord. They, however, block -the way for a complete view of the enormous height, and thus seem to -dwarf it. - -[Illustration: THE GOLDEN TEMPLE, AMRITSAR. _Page 18_.] - -For majestic splendour, Kanchanjanga bears away the palm. From the vale -of the great Ranjit River, a huge rushing torrent which pours past its -base, the whole immense mountain-slope may be surveyed in a single -prospect, a most sublime and splendid view. The traveller who climbs the -flanks of this great mountain will pass through belts of vegetation -reminding him of every zone on the earth's surface. He begins his climb -among the eternal green of tropical forests, through thickly-matted -jungle where large creepers bind tree to tree, and great bunches of -gaudily-coloured flowers blaze in the scorching heat of the tropical -sun. - -From the land of palm and plantain and orchid he ascends through groves -of bamboo, of orange, and of fig until he gains a height at which the -air is sensibly cooler, and the vegetation of temperate zones begins to -appear. On the border between the two zones grow splendid tree-ferns, -rhododendrons forty feet high, and groves of magnolia. When the two -latter are in blossom the scene is gorgeous, and the white flowers of -the magnolia seem to sprinkle the forests with snow. - -The trees are now those familiar to English eyes: the oak, chestnut, -willow, cherry, and beneath them grow the bramble, raspberry, -strawberry, and other well-remembered plants and shrubs. Deep ravines -score the flanks of the hills, and down each ravine dashes a brimming -torrent, tossing its spray over ferns and wild-flowers, and butterflies -with wings of the most striking and beautiful colours flit to and fro in -the sunlight. - -On goes the traveller, and now the underwood begins to thin, and the -land becomes more grassy, and the trees to gather themselves into -serried ranks of gigantic pines, firs, junipers, and larches. Up and up -he climbs, and at last the belt of forest is left behind. He is out on -the upper pastures beneath the open sky; he has gained the Alpine region -of the Himalayas. Fields of flowers run upwards--of poppies, of -edelweiss, of gentians--until at length the traveller stands at the foot -of the first snow-field, and sees above him the vast sweeps of snowy -glacier, the icy precipices and pinnacles which forbid his further -advance. - -We are now in the neighbourhood of the pass through which our troops -marched into Tibet in the advance to Lhassa. The pass is approached -from Darjiling, famous as a tea-growing centre, and Darjiling is -approached by a mountain-railway. The latter is a triumph of -engineering, so cleverly does it twist and turn its way among the hills, -skirting the edge of deep precipices, winding round spirals, and -affording splendid views at almost every turn of the way. - -At the point where the railway starts for Darjiling the Himalayas spring -up abruptly from the Indian plains. The first station is some 300 miles -from Calcutta and the sea, yet less than 400 feet from sea-level. Then -in less than 40 miles it climbs some 7,000 feet up to Darjiling. - -This town is not only a great centre of the tea industry, but is also -one of the show places of the world, for it commands the grandest known -landscape of snowy mountains in the Himalayas. Kanchanjanga is the -chief figure in the glorious panorama of snow-clad heights, but Everest -can be seen in the distance, and a whole host of minor peaks, each -taller than Mont Blanc, carry the eye from point to point in the -widespread survey. - -At Darjiling may be seen many Tibetans with their praying-wheels, which -they twist as they repeat their Buddhist prayers, and their -praying-flags, long poles of bamboo from which flutter strips of cotton -cloth, on which prayers are written. The bazaar is frequented by the -people of the country round about, and many different types of the -hill-tribes may be seen there. - -"There are Tibetans who have come down over the passes through Sikkim; -Lepchas, from Sikkim itself, who look almost like Chinese, the women -wearing heavy ear ornaments, and both men and women parting the hair in -the middle and combing it down on either side; Bhutras, the women some -of them rather pretty, with necklaces, carrying a silver charm-case and -with large ear-rings, and the men with pigtails; Nepali women, with -enormous carved necklaces, head-dresses of silver, and nose ornaments, -which sometimes hang down over the chin; and coolies carrying great -loads on their backs, supported by a wicker band across the forehead." - -In the valley around Darjiling the slopes of the hills are covered with -tea-bushes, and the cultivation extends to the foot of the range, where -great tea-plantations stretch over the Terai. The Terai is the name -given to a broad strip of land lying along the base of the Himalayas. -Here the tea-plant flourishes, but so does a terrible wasting fever, -which makes the growing of these precious leaves a dangerous task. For -the Terai is fearfully unhealthy. Down from the broad flanks of the -great range rush a thousand torrents. They overflow their banks and -soak the whole country until it is a huge swamp. Then there is a very -heavy rainfall, amounting to 120 inches in a year, and this further -saturates the sodden ground. The tropical sun beats upon this marshy -land and raises a thick vapour which is laden with malaria. Those who -live and work among this vapour are liable to be struck down by a -wasting fever. The fever is very deadly to Europeans, nor do the -natives themselves escape. The coolies who work in the tea-fields die -of it in large numbers. - -At one time the natives used to fire the jungle regularly. This great -sweep of flame through the region did much towards purifying the air; -but firing the jungle is now forbidden, for fear of harming the -tea-bushes and the houses of the planters. - -The sight of a tea-plantation is curious rather than pretty. The bushes -have no beauty: they stand in long, neat rows, and each bush is trimmed -to keep it low, broad, and flat. From a distance a tea-garden looks -like a great bed of huge cabbages. Among these bushes groups of -coolies, both men and women, are very busily at work, for there is -plenty to do, not merely in gathering the leaves, but in keeping the -bushes free from weeds, which would check and hinder their growth. -Under the burning sun and in the moist earth weeds spring up in great -profusion, and a plantation neglected for even a short time becomes -choked with them. - -All the tea-bushes are not alike. Some are of a darker colour than the -rest, and the leaves are smaller. This is the China plant, while the -lighter-coloured bushes with larger leaves are the Assam strain. The -coolies at work among the plants are gaunt, thin, miserable-looking -figures. This is not to be wondered at when their occupation is -considered, exposing them as it does to attack after attack of the -terrible Terai fever. When the rains are very heavy they often have to -work knee-deep in water and mud beneath a burning sun, and this reduces -their strength to withstand the poisonous malaria. - -When the coolies have filled their baskets with leaves, they carry them -up to the tea-factory. First, the leaves are weighed, to see how much -each coolie has plucked; then they are carried to the withering-house. -All the leaves are spread out on shallow canvas trays, and left all -night to wither. Next morning the leaves are put into the -rolling-machine, and after half an hour's rolling they come out in a -huge wet mass of leaf. This mass is broken up and spread out to dry on -trays, and left for some time to ferment. The process of fermentation -is carefully watched, for upon this the aroma of the tea will depend, -and the process must be checked at the right moment. - -Of all the rooms in the tea-factory the fermenting-room is the most -pleasant to visit. It is filled with the most delightful fragrance. -Next, the tea is thrown into a machine, where it is dried by hot air, -and after that it enters a huge sieve, where the first rough division of -the crop is made into large and small leaves. The next sorting is by -hand, when nimble fingers swiftly pick out the finer sorts of tea. -After this final separation the tea is dried once more, and then taken -to the warehouse, where it is packed ready to go into the market. - - - - - *CHAPTER VII* - - *THE GREAT PLAINS OF THE GANGES* - - -Beyond the Terai the traveller, turning his back upon the Himalayas, -enters a vast plain, hundreds of miles wide and a thousand miles long. -From Calcutta in the east to beyond Delhi in the north-west, from the -Himalayas in the north to the Vindhya Hills in the south spreads this -vast sweep of land, the Plain of Hindostan. Into this plain flow a -thousand streams, great and small, from the mountains which fringe its -borders. Every stream, sooner or later, is gathered into the broad bosom -of the Ganges, which winds its majestic current through the centre of -the immense level. The Ganges is more than the great river of India: it -is one of the great rivers of the world. To vast numbers of mankind it -is a sacred stream, and to bathe in its holy waters is a privilege for -which pilgrims will travel on foot from distant lands. But the mighty -flood is put to other uses than that of worship. A network of canals -gathers up the waters of itself and of its many tributaries, and spreads -them abroad upon the fields of the husbandman, and makes the plain -blossom into fertility. - -To travel this plain reminds one of being at sea. On all hands it -stretches away absolutely flat, and fades away into a misty horizon, -save that at morning and evening the great snowy heights of the -Himalayas shine out, and fade away again in the light of the rising and -setting sun. - -This great sunny plain swarms with life. It is covered with the -villages of the Indian peasants; it is coloured with the bright patches -of their crops, with green fields of paddy (rice), with golden wheat and -barley, with poppies white in flower, with yellow mustard, with lentils, -potatoes, castor-oil plants, and a score of other crops. These grow -freely where water is. Where water is not, the land stretches bare and -sterile, sand, stones, and rocks bleaching in the sun. - -Here and there a group of trees proclaims a village. The palm and the -feathery bamboo mingle their foliage; the huge banyan-tree stretches -itself over the soil and sends down its long shoots, which strike it -into the soil and form supports to the parent branches. Around the -village pastures the herd of buffaloes, often watched by a small boy, -and a clumsy cart, with wheels formed of two circles of solid wood, and -drawn by two mild-eyed, hump-backed oxen, creaks by as it journeys -towards a neighbouring place. - -The life of the villages in this plain is, as a rule, untouched by -modern ideas. They move upon the world-old ways which their fathers -followed. In many of them, far from the main river and the railway, a -white face is scarcely ever seen. There are great towns in the Ganges -basin, but these are only specks on the face of the mighty plain. The -Indian ryot knows nothing of them and goes on in his own way. - -Water is his first need, and lucky is the man who has a good well or -whose field is upon the bank of a river. The water is drawn in many -ways. One peasant employs the simple method of watering by hand, -filling his pots and emptying them upon the roots of the thirsty plants; -but if the crop be rice, which demands a flood of water, a pair of oxen -are set to the work. They are harnessed to a rope which runs over a -pulley and has a huge water-skin fastened to its farther end. As the -oxen go away from the well they pull up the skin full of water till it -reaches a prepared channel. Here a man is waiting, who empties the skin -into the channel, and the water runs away to the field. Now the oxen -come back, and the skin sinks to the water; then they turn again, and -the skin rises. One man drives the team, the other empties the water, -and so the work goes on from dawn to dark. - -[Illustration: WATERING CATTLE. _Page 32_.] - -These are the people who produce the wealth of India, these quiet, -patient toilers growing their endless crops of wheat, of rice, of -barley, of poppies for opium, of cotton, and of maize. They cut their -ditches for irrigation, and flood a once-barren stretch of country with -water. Thenceforth they take from it always two, and often three, crops -in a year. - - - - - *CHAPTER VIII* - - *THE LAND OF THE MOGUL KINGS* - - -Far in the north-west of the great plain of Hindostan, the ancient and -famous city of Delhi stands on the broad Jumna, the chief tributary of -the Ganges, and around her lies the land of the Mogul Kings. Delhi has -a great name in the history of India. She saw the empire of the -powerful Mogul Kings; she saw some of the most desperate fighting of the -Great Indian Mutiny of 1857, when the last Mogul was driven from his -throne. But long before the Mutiny the power of the Moguls had -vanished. Their palmy days were in the sixteenth and seventeenth -centuries, and the strongest of them all, Akbar, the Great Mogul, began -to reign in 1556. He came to the throne two years before Elizabeth -became Queen of England; he died two years after her, in 1605. - -Akbar the Great was only fourteen years old when he became King, but -"from that moment his grip was on all India." He proved a wonderful -ruler and leader of men. India was a welter of conflicting races, -tongues, and creeds. Under his firm and wise government strife died -away, peace and order took its place, and those who had been the -fiercest enemies lived side by side in friendship. He was at once -law-maker, soldier, ruler, and philosopher. He was tall, and as strong -in body as in mind, for he was the best polo player in India, and it is -recorded of him that he once rode 800 miles on camel-back, and then, -without staying for rest, at once gave battle to his enemy. - -To find the wonderful buildings which the Great Mogul left behind him, -we must leave Delhi and go down the Jumna to Agra and its neighbourhood. -Agra is still called by the natives Akbarabad, the city of Akbar, and -here stands the mighty fort which the monarch built, a city in itself. -In a land of magnificent buildings there is nothing grander than the -fort at Agra. Its battlements of red sandstone tower 70 feet from the -ground, the walls run a mile and a half in circuit, and the immense mass -of masonry dwarfs the modern town. Within the fort is a maze of courts, -pavilions, corridors, and chambers, wrought in dazzling white marble, -and decorated with the most beautiful carving and exquisite tracery in -stone. The chief features of the vast building are Akbar's palace, with -its golden pinnacles glittering in the sunshine, and the Moti Masjid, a -small mosque of most beautiful proportions, so perfect both in design -and in the beauty of its ornaments that it is called the Pearl Mosque, -being the pearl of all mosques. - -From Agra a drive of twenty-two miles takes us to Fattehpore-Sikri, a -marvellous town, erected by Akbar himself, "where every building is a -palace, every palace a dream carved in red sandstone." The name of the -place means "The City of Victory," and was given to it because Akbar's -grandfather defeated the Rajputs at this place in 1527. Here Akbar -built a splendid mosque, which stands on the west side of a great -courtyard. From the south the courtyard is entered by the Sublime Gate, -or Gate of Victory, "the noblest portal in India." Akbar's palace may -still be seen, and the chief place of interest is the Throne Room, -where, in the centre of a large chamber, rises a huge column of red -sandstone, with a spreading capital surrounded by a balustrade. Akbar's -seat was placed on the top of this mighty pillar, and from it ran four -raised pathways, leading to the places where his ministers sat, in four -galleries, one at each corner of the room. - -The tomb of Akbar is at Sikandra, about six miles from Agra. It stands -in the midst of a garden, which is entered by four lofty gateways of red -sandstone. From each gateway a broad causeway of stone runs to the -centre of the enclosure, where rises the great building which contains -the tomb of the Great Mogul. The building rises in terraces something -in the form of a pyramid, the lower stories of red sandstone, the top -story of white marble, the latter decorated with pierced panels of -marble wrought in the most beautiful patterns. The floor of the building -is open to the day, and in the centre stands the grandly simple tomb, a -huge block of white marble, on which is inscribed a single word, -'Akbar.' Near at hand is a small pillar in which the famous diamond the -Koh-i-noor was once set. - -Splendid as were the buildings of Akbar, yet his grandson, Shah Jehan, -was destined to surpass him; for Shah Jehan built the Taj Mahal, the -most glorious tomb that grief ever raised in memory of love, and one of -the wonders of the world. In 1629 Shah Jehan lost his wife, and he -determined to raise to her memory a monument which should keep her name -immortal. He employed 20,000 men for eighteen years, and the splendid -building was completed in 1648, the date being inscribed upon the great -gate. The most famous artists and workmen of India were gathered to -this task, and the result is a palace of the most wonderful beauty and -magnificence. - -The Taj Mahal stands in a great garden about a mile from Agra, and is -surrounded by trees and flowers and fountains: "the song of birds meets -the ear, and the odour of roses and lemon-flowers sweetens the air." It -is built of the purest white marble, and shines with such dazzling -brilliance that to look full upon it in strong sunshine is scarcely -possible. Seen by moonlight, it is a radiant vision of beauty, and the -charm of its lovely form is felt to the full. The great domes seem to -swim above in the silver light, the stately minarets shoot up towards -the dark blue of the sky, and the scene is one of unearthly beauty. - -Glorious as is this mighty building in the mass, it is just as full of -beauty when examined closely and in detail. Every part is covered with -the most graceful and exquisite designs, inlaid in marbles of different -colours. Every wall, every arch, every portal, is ornamented and -finished as if the craftsmen had been engaged upon a small precious -casket instead of a corner of an immense palace tomb. One striking -feature is seen in the arches of the doorways and windows. Around them -run inlaid letters most beautifully shaped in black marble. These -letters form verses and chapters of the Koran, the sacred book of the -Moslems, and it is said that the whole of the Koran is thus inlaid in -the Taj. - -The heart of the building is the vault where Shah Jehan and his wife -sleep together, for he was laid beside her. The tombs are formed of the -purest white marble, inlaid most beautifully with designs formed of -agate, cornelian, lapis-lazuli, jasper, and other precious stones, and -they are surrounded by a pierced marble screen whose open tracery-work -is formed of flowers carved and wrought into a thousand designs. - - - - - *CHAPTER IX* - - *THE LAND OF THE MOGUL KINGS (*_*continued*_*)* - - -It was Shah Jehan who returned to Delhi as the seat of government of the -Mogul Kings, and largely rebuilt the city. But the memories of Delhi -reach far, far back before the time of the Mogul Kings; they stretch -away into the dim dawn of Indian history, where the threads of truth and -fable are so intermingled that the historian cannot disentangle them. - -The modern Delhi stands in the midst of a plain covered with ruins--the -ruins of many cities built by many Kings before the present Delhi came -into being. It is a striking sight to drive from the city to the great -Tower of Kutb Minar, eleven miles away to the south. The road runs -through the traces of the Delhis that have been: heaps of scattered -brick, a mound that was once a gateway, a broken wall that was once the -corner of a fort, a tumbling tower, and a ruined dome. Through these -tokens of shattered palaces and tombs of dead and forgotten Kings you -pass on till the vast shaft of the Kutb rises from the plain like a -lighthouse from the sea. - -It is an immense tower of five stories, rising 240 feet into the air. -At the base it measures about 50 feet through, but the sides taper till -it is only 9 feet wide at the top. The three lower stories are of red -sandstone; the two upper are faced with white marble, and the whole -forms a very striking and wonderful monument. - -This colossal tower preserves the name of Kutb, one of the "slave" -Sultans of Delhi. Seven hundred years ago Kutb, who had been a slave, -rose by his military talents, first to the position of a General, and -then made himself Emperor of Delhi. He was the first of ten Moslem -rulers who reigned from 1206 to 1290, and it is believed that the Kutb -Minar was raised as a tower of victory. It is possible to ascend the -lofty shaft by a flight of 378 steps, which winds up the interior, but -"the view from the top is nothing. The country is an infinite green and -brown chess-board of young corn and fallow, dead flat on every side, -ugly with the complacent plainness of all rich country. Beyond the -sheeny ribbon of the Jumna, north, south, east, and west, you can see -only land, and land, and land--a million acres with nothing on them to -see except the wealth of India and the secret of the greatness of -India." - -But near at hand is a far more ancient monument than that of the slave -King. This is the famous Iron Pillar, the "arm or weapon of victory." -It is a pillar of pure malleable iron, and its erection is ascribed to -the fourth century before Christ, when it was raised to commemorate a -great Hindu victory. At present it projects some 23 feet from the -earth, and it is about a foot in diameter at the capital, but a great -part of it is buried. - -In Delhi itself stand the great fort and the great mosque, the Jama -Masjid, both built by Shah Jehan. The fort was at once the stronghold -and the palace of the Mogul Emperors who followed Shah Jehan. It is -surrounded by a towering wall built of gigantic slabs of sandstone, -crested with battlements and moated below. The usual entrance to the -fort is through the noble Lahore Gate, and the palace stands before you. - -You enter the hall of audience, a great hall of red sandstone open on -three sides. There is an alcove in the centre of the wall at the back, -and from the alcove projects a great slab of marble. From the four -corners of this marble platform spring four richly-inlaid marble pillars -supporting an arched canopy. The marble is beautiful, but the work upon -it is ten times more beautiful. The wall of the alcove is gorgeous with -tiny pictures of flowers and fruits and birds, wrought most cunningly in -paint and precious stones. In this alcove was sometimes set the Peacock -Throne, whose glories are still celebrated in story and song, the -marvellous throne which Shah Jehan had built for himself, the throne -which blazed with gems set by the most skilful jewellers of Delhi, men -famous throughout India for their craftsmanship. - -Next comes the hall of private audience, where the King sat among his -Court. This, too, is open, a noble pavilion on columns, where the -breezes could blow if any such were moving in the burning heats of -summer. "The whole is of white marble, asheen in the sun; but that is -the least part of the wonder. Walls and ceilings, pillars, and -many-pointed arches, are all inlaid with richest, yet most delicate, -colour. Gold cornices and scrolls and lattices frame traceries of mauve -and pale green and soft azure. What must it have been, you ask -yourself, when the Peacock Throne blazed with emerald and sapphire, -diamond and ruby, from the now empty pedestal, and the plates of -burnished silver reflected its glory from the roof?" - -Peacock Throne and plates of silver have long been gone. Nadir Shah -carried them off in 1739, when he entered the city with his victorious -troops, put the inhabitants to the sword, and sacked the place. Many an -attack has been made on the fort, but none, in English eyes, has so deep -an interest as the assault of 1857, and all English travellers visit the -Cashmere Gate. - -[Illustration: THE TAJ MAHAL. _Page 35_.] - -The Siege of Delhi by our troops is one of the great incidents of the -Indian Mutiny, and the historic ridge to the north-west is the site of -the British camp. After a patient siege the fort was attacked, the -Cashmere Gate was blown open by a storming-party, and the British poured -in, victorious at last. Upon the gate is an inscription telling of the -deeds of the noble forlorn hope who led the way and opened a path for -their comrades to rush in. Other monuments speak of the heroic -telegraph operators who "saved India" by sending far and wide news of -the Mutiny, and stuck to their posts though it cost their lives; and of -the gallant party under Lieutenant Willoughby who blew up the -powder-magazine in which they were posted rather than let its precious -contents fall into the hands of the rebels. - -Beyond the fort stands the Jama Masjid, the vast mosque, said to be the -largest in the world. It is a great building of red sandstone and -marble, "upstanding from a platform reached on three sides by flights of -steps so tall, so majestically wide, that they are like a stone -mountain." At the head of each flight is a splendid gateway, and that -which faces eastward is opened for none save the Viceroy, who rules -India, and the Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab. At the mosque are -preserved some Moslem relics, which the guardian priest will show for a -fee--a slipper of Mohammed, a hair of the Prophet, his footprints in -stone, and a piece of the green canopy which was once over his tomb. - -Now we will go into the city proper. Here is indeed a change! Mill -chimneys pour into the blue sky their long trails of black smoke. -Marble halls and mighty Kings seem very far off as you traverse a -cotton-spinning quarter where Delhi measures itself against Manchester. -The narrow streets are dirty and squalid, and filled with a crowd whose -dingy robes and shabby turbans bespeak the modern artisan of industrial -India. Many strange things has this ancient city seen, but nothing -stranger than this last turn of her fortunes, when she bends to her -clacking loom, and boasts that with her own cotton she can spin as fine -as any mill in Lancashire. - - - - - *CHAPTER X* - - *IN THE MUTINY COUNTRY* - - -Now we will leave Delhi and the Jumna, and strike away to the south-east -towards the parent river, the Ganges. Our journey lies across a rich -portion of the Great Plain, and this portion has a name of its own. It -is called the Doab, or Douab, the Land of Two Rivers, since it lies -between the Jumna and the Ganges. It is a most fertile stretch of -country, well watered and well tilled, yielding great crops of sugar, -rice, and indigo. - -At last we reach Cawnpore, on the Ganges, and now we are in the very -heart of the Mutiny country. Here took place the most dreadful incident -of that great struggle--the massacre of white women and children who -fell into the hands of Nana Sahib, a rebel leader. Their bodies were -flung into a well, and to-day a beautiful monument stands over the -place. The well is enclosed by a fine stone screen, and over the gateway -is carved the words: "These are they which came out of great -tribulation." In the centre of the enclosure, directly over the well -itself, rises the figure of a beautiful white marble angel, and the well -bears this inscription: "Sacred to the perpetual memory of a great -company of Christian people, chiefly women and children, who near this -spot were cruelly murdered by the followers of the rebel Nana Dhundu -Pant, of Bithur, and cast, the dying with the dead, into the well below, -on the 15th day of July, MDCCCLVII." Near by is the pretty little -cemetery where the victims were buried when the British troops seized -Cawnpore two short days after the massacre. - -The Cawnpore of to-day is a busy industrial town noted for the -manufactures of cotton and leather, and when the visitor has seen the -places connected with the massacre, the railway will soon carry him to -Lucknow, where the most deeply interesting memento of the Mutiny is to -be found. This is the Residency, the great house where the tiny British -garrison, with hundreds of women and children in their charge, held at -bay vast numbers of rebels from May to November, 1857. - -The defence of Lucknow is among the finest stories of British valour and -British endurance. Assault after assault was made by hordes of -well-armed and well-trained mutineers, for the men who wished to slay -the British had been drilled by them. Ceaseless showers of shot and -shell were poured into the place, and by the middle of September -two-thirds of the gallant defenders were dead of wounds or disease. -Still the brave remnant held their own, and kept the foe at bay. Among -the earliest losses was the greatest of all. This was the death of Sir -Henry Lawrence, who governed at Lucknow. By the foresight and prudence -of this great and unselfish man means were provided by which the -garrison was enabled to make good its defence; but he was killed by a -shell, and died on the 4th of July, 1857. His grave is covered by a -marble slab, on which is carved this fine and simple inscription, chosen -by himself: "Here lies Henry Lawrence, who tried to do his duty." - -Towards the end of September General Havelock cut his way into Lucknow, -but he had not men enough to carry away the besieged in safety. The -rebels closed round the Residency once more, and the siege went on. In -November Sir Colin Campbell arrived with a stronger army, and, after -most desperate fighting, defeated the mutineers and relieved the heroic -garrison. - -As a memento of that stern struggle and noble defence, the Residency has -been preserved to this day just as it stood at the end of that terrible -six months. The walls still bear the marks of shot and shell, the -shattered gates show where assault after assault was delivered, the -brick gateway of the Baillie Guard is pointed out as the famous spot -where rescued and rescuers met. - -The modern city of Lucknow is one of the largest in India. Standing on -the Gumti, a tributary of the Ganges, it is a place of great trade, and -its large native quarter is packed with bazaars devoted to commerce. -This part of the city was once famous for the excellence of its steel -weapons and the beauty of its jewellers' work. But the native Princes -and noblemen who purchased arms and ornaments are no longer to be found, -and these arts have decayed. - -Lucknow is the chief town in the province of Oudh, and when there were -Kings of Oudh, Lucknow was their capital. The palaces of the Kings -still stand in the court suburb, but there is nothing here to compare -with the magnificence of Delhi or Agra. The European quarter is of -great importance. Broad, smooth roads run through it, shaded by trees -and bordered by turf. On either side of these pleasant roads stand the -large, handsome bungalows of merchants, of officials, and of the -officers in command of the strong force of troops always stationed in -the place. There are beautiful gardens and parks, and the business -streets are lined with handsome shops and offices. - -Returning to the Ganges, and descending the course of that great stream, -the next place of importance is Allahabad, standing at the point where -the mighty Jumna joins its flood to the parent river. Allahabad is a -town of Akbar's founding, and the Great Mogul built the fine red stone -fort which is the chief object in the place. The fort looks across the -broad waters of the Jumna, here about three-quarters of a mile wide. -"The appearance of the Jumna, even in the dry season, strikes one as -very imposing, with its enormous span from shore to shore, shut in by -high, shelving, sandy banks, its then placid waters a clear bright blue. -What must be the effect in the freshes, when its surging waters rush -resistlessly past, and its banks are hidden by a suddenly formed expanse -of water more resembling sea than river?" - -The spot where the Jumna pours its bright flood into the muddy stream of -the Ganges is a sacred one in the eyes of all Hindoos. Great numbers of -pilgrims resort to it, above all at the time of the melas, or religious -fairs, held every year at the full moon in January and February. They -gather upon the sandy shores and recite their prayers and bathe in the -holy river. - -But there is one spot on the Ganges still more sacred to Hindoo -worshippers, and that is Benares, the holy city. It lies below -Allahabad, and in the fort of the latter city the mouth of a small -subterranean passage is pointed out. The priests say, and the natives -believe, that this passage runs to Benares. - - - - - *CHAPTER XI* - - *THE SACRED CITY OF THE HINDOOS* - - -There is one city of India to which pilgrims are for ever going or -returning. Its temples are always crowded with worshippers; its broad -stone ghats running down to the sacred Ganges are packed day after day -with adoring and reverent throngs. This is Benares, the most sacred -city in the world in Hindoo eyes. - -Its sacred character arises from the fact that here stands the temple of -Buddha, the great Hindoo teacher, who was born six centuries before -Christ, and whose followers are to be counted in myriads in India. From -all parts of that great country they come on pilgrimage to see the place -where their master taught, and to bathe their bodies in the sacred -stream. - -It is a wonderful sight to see the row of riverside palaces, temples, -and ghats which here fringe the broad river. It is still more wonderful -to see the vast crowd of worshippers who throng the wide stone stairs as -they stream up and down to the river to make their ablutions and to -repeat their prayers. - -The best time to see this striking sight is at sunrise. Then the crowds -are thickest, for all wish to enter the water at that instant when the -sun springs into the cloudless Indian sky and pours a flood of golden -splendour over the wide stream, and lights up the long row of temples -and palaces which face him as he rises. - -Viewed from a boat on the river, the scene is one of wonderful animation -and of most brilliant colour. The broad stone steps come down the bank -in stately sweep and vanish into the stream. They run on down to the -river-bed, and the saying goes among the natives that the river is here -so deep that it would cover the back of one elephant standing on the top -of another. Each ghat is crowded with Hindoo worshippers, and their -robes of bright and delicate colours make the flight of stairs look like -a huge bed of flowers. But it is a bed where the flowers are on the -move, and mingle with each other to form new pictures at every moment, -ever-changing combinations of the most delicate pinks, blues, greens, -yellows, of silk and muslin, with snowy turbans and white robes -intermingled with the brighter shades. - -At the foot of the great flight many worshippers are already in the -water. The men cast aside their robes, and the sunlight strikes upon -their brown bodies and makes them glitter like figures cast in bronze, -and then flashes brighter still as the bronze glistens with the sacred -water flung by the hands or poured from a brazen ewer; the women slip a -bathing-robe over their shoulders, and then remove their ordinary dress, -and not only bathe themselves but their garments also in the sacred -water. Many of the devotees throw offerings of sandal-wood, betel, -sweetmeats, and flowers into the stream, and some of them have great -garlands of flowers round their necks. These have been worshipping at a -temple which gives such garlands to those who frequent it, and now these -worshippers go into the stream and bend lower and lower until the -garlands are raised by the water from their necks and float away down -the river. - -At one place clouds of smoke rise into the air, and huge fires are -burning fiercely. This is the burning ghat, where the dead bodies of -Hindoos are burned, and their ashes cast into the sacred Ganges. Every -Hindoo wishes for this, but only the rich can have their bodies carried -to Benares; for the poor it is impossible. Yet, if the poor Hindoo has -a faithful friend who is going on pilgrimage, this may, in some degree, -be accomplished. A frequent sight is that of a man earnestly pouring -into the water a stream of ashes from a brazen vessel. The ashes are -those of a friend who has died far from the sacred river, and have -perhaps been brought many hundreds of miles by the pilgrim. - -[Illustration: BENARES. _Page 46_.] - -And so our boat might move along the stream past ghat after ghat and -temple after temple, the steps packed with those who wish to bathe and -those who have bathed. The latter spread out their clothes to dry in -the sun, and sit near them, reciting prayers or reading sacred books or -in the perfect silence of deep meditation, their bodies rigid and -unmoving as figures cast in bronze. For miles this wonderful scene of -devotion stretches along the river, and the bank is crowned with a -broken line of minarets, domes, and towers, which rise against the deep -blue of the sky. - -The first thing for a pilgrim to do is to bathe. After that he must make -the round of the city--a walk of about ten miles--and pay a visit to the -temples. The ten-mile walk is more easily done than the latter task, so -innumerable are the temples of the sacred place. Some, of course, are -more famous than others, and every one goes to see the Monkey Temple, -where offerings are made to a concourse of chattering monkeys; and the -holy Golden Temple, whose dome is plated with gold, and whose shrine is -always crowded with devotees. Near by is the Well of Knowledge, where -the god Shiva is said to live, and this well is half filled with flowers -thrown in as offerings to the god. - -For twenty-five centuries Benares has been a holy city. Through this -vast stretch of time an unceasing throng of pilgrims has swept to it -across the great plain in which it lies. They bathe in the Ganges, and -visit the temples. Then they depart for their distant homes, satisfied -that they have set their eyes on the sacred places of their faith, and -in sweep fresh thousands to take the place of each departing band. - - - - - *CHAPTER XII* - - *THE CAPITAL OF INDIA* - - -Below Benares the great river flows quietly on, ever widening as its -tributaries flow in on either bank, and watering as it goes vast -stretches of paddy-fields. Many pilgrims from the sacred city descend it -by boat as far as Patna, where they branch away to the south on a new -pilgrimage. They walk some ninety miles to Buddh Gaya, where Gautama -sat in deep meditation beneath the sacred Bo-tree, and became the -Buddha. - -The place is held in the deepest veneration by the countless followers -of the Buddhist faith, and vast numbers come to this day to see and -worship at the temple built upon the spot. Behind the temple still -stands a pipal or Bo-tree, and the natives hold that this is the very -tree beneath which the great teacher sat. - -As the Ganges approaches the sea through the plains of Bengal it is -joined by the mighty Brahmaputra, which has swept round the eastern end -of the Himalayas, and brought the waters of Tibet down to the bay. And -now the mighty stream begins to break up. The broad flood becomes -diverted to innumerable channels, and flows through an immense delta to -the sea. This delta is the huge, swampy flat of the Sunderbunds. The -Sunderbunds are very low, very unhealthy (for the swamps breed malaria), -and matted with tropical jungle. The tide flows in and the rivers flow -out, making an inextricable confusion of channels, creeks, canals, -waterways, of every shape, size, and direction. The water seems to flow -every way at once. The traveller is perhaps being rowed up a channel, -and his men are straining at the oars against a strong current. -Suddenly, without change of direction, the boat is swept forward on a -favouring stream. From some side creek a fresh current has poured in -unnoticed, and now bears the boat on. - -In times of flood or high tide the low, muddy banks can no longer hold -the streams, and the whole country becomes a vast swamp. The damp soil -is hidden beneath masses of canes and reed and low-growing palms, and -when the feathery fronds cover the scene with a carpet of beautiful -green the prospect is very lovely. Among the brakes of this thick -jungle wild animals swarm in great numbers. Deer and wild-boars abound, -and the broad round marks of a tiger's pads are often seen in the mud -near a drinking-place. Enormous crocodiles haunt the pools and channels. -From the deck of a river-steamer these huge reptiles may often be seen -sunning themselves on a warm mud-bank. As the steamer draws near they -glide down the bank and vanish into the water. Between their footprints -a long, deep groove is left in the mud. This is made by the great tail. - -The chief branch of the Ganges is the River Hughli, upon which stands -Calcutta, the capital of India. Calcutta is not the capital of India -because either of its beauty or position, but because of its immense -trade. It is the natural outlet for the riches of the vast plains of the -Ganges. Through it pour the vast stores of corn, of rice, of jute, of -tobacco, of tea, of a score of other things produced by those fertile -levels. - -As regards position, the site of Calcutta is bad, for it lies on the -flat beside the river, with the swamps of the Sunderbunds on every hand. -The heats of summer are overpowering, and the Viceroy and his officials -fly to Simla, high up among the Himalayas. But in the cold season the -town is very gay and splendid. The European quarter is laid out on -noble lines. The streets are of great width with park-like gardens, -called compounds, on either side. In these compounds, filled with -flowers and trees, stand large and stately mansions, princely residences -such as befit the rulers of India. - -The centre of Calcutta is the Maidan, or Park, a great open space beside -the broad river. On its western side stands Fort William, the building -of which was commenced by Clive in 1757. The original Fort William, -where stood the famous "Black Hole of Calcutta," was farther to the -north, and the site of the dungeon is marked in the roadway. A tablet -on a wall near at hand reads: "The stone pavement close to this marks -the position and size of the prison-cell in Old Fort William known in -history as the Black Hole of Calcutta." - -At one end of the Maidan stands the stately Government House, where the -Viceroy of India dwells, and near it are many fine public buildings. -The great park is bounded by the splendid streets in which are found the -mansions of the European merchants, bankers, and officials, and the -Maidan is the scene of the fashionable evening drive. - -North of the Maidan lies the native quarter, covering six square miles, -and packed with more than half a million people. The streets are -narrow, and the buildings are of no great interest. The bazaars are -worthy of the traveller's attention, not because they differ from -bazaars elsewhere, but because of the varied crowds of a vast variety of -tribes and nations which pour through this great centre of commerce. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIII* - - *ACROSS THE DECCAN* - - -The southern part of India is shaped like a huge triangle, and within -its coasts lies a vast triangular plateau, the Deccan. In the fierce -heats of summer this huge tableland lies flat and grey beneath the -burning sun, save where there is water. Then village after village of -tiny huts thatched with palm-leaves cluster along the banks of river or -lake, and the water is lifted by every kind of ancient device and poured -over the thirsty land. - -Water is all this rich soil needs. Given enough of the precious fluid, -the soil covers itself thickly with crops of cotton, tobacco, rice, -millet, saffron, and castor-oil plant. Everywhere the land swarms with -oxen, a sure sign of the people's wealth. - -We are now in the territory of Hyderabad, the greatest native State in -India, ruled over by the Nizam, the chief native Prince. This capital -city lies towards the south of the State, and is one of the most -interesting cities in India, not so much for its beauty or its -buildings, but for its life and, above all, for its military population. -Hyderabad is the paradise of irregular troops, and it is also rich in -regulars. Of the latter there are some thousands of British troops, and -30,000 who serve the Nizam himself; of irregulars, no man knows the -number, for every noble and chief maintains a private army of his own, -just as our barons did in feudal times. - -It follows, then, that the streets of Hyderabad bear the appearance of a -military camp. Every other man is armed to the teeth, and scarcely two -alike in weapons or uniform. A figure in turban and embroidered robes, -a girdle full of daggers, and a six-foot-long jezail over his shoulder, -is followed by a man in trim khaki, and the latter by a trooper in -burnished breastplate and helmet of polished steel. A lancer with long -spear swinging from his arm jogs by, and the next horseman carries a -great scimitar; and so the medley of figures and weapons passes -by--rifles and matchlocks, bayonets and tulwars, chain-mail and shields -of hide. - -But among the swarms of irregulars, the Arab troops stand out by -themselves. The Nizams are Moslem rulers, and to provide themselves -with Moslem troops have done much recruiting in Arabia. The desert -warriors with their rough, stern, dark features, their spare, stalwart -frames, their robes of snowy white, their triple row of daggers across -their bodies, look very different from the gaily-dressed, olive-faced, -handsome soldiery who are native-born. The Arabs are as stern and rough -as they look. More than once they have got out of hand, and it has been -a question whether the Nizam ruled them or they the Nizam. - -To the south-east of Hyderabad the province of Madras stretches along -the shore of the Bay of Bengal. This province is famous in the history -of British India. It saw the struggles between the English and the -French for the mastery of the land; it saw the victories of Clive which -raised him to power; it saw the rise of English authority. The chief -town is Madras, a large but not a striking city, especially when seen -from the sea. As the traveller approaches by steamer he sees a lofty -lighthouse, a few spires, rows of tall offices and public buildings, and -Fort St. George--nothing more. His vessel does not enter a bay, but a -roadstead; for Madras lies upon an open stretch of coast which is at -times swept by hurricanes of terrible fury. Yet, in spite of this -situation, Madras ranks as the third port of India, and has a great -trade. Some protection is now given to vessels by a couple of -breakwaters forming a harbour. - -The most interesting place in the city is Fort St. George, for here the -East India Company first gained its footing in India in 1639. The fort -was begun in the same year, and this was the first step taken in the -path which led to British supremacy in India. - -The native part of the city is known as Black Town, and is a dense mass -of poorly-built native houses crowded along narrow streets, and thickly -packed with Hindoo inhabitants. The European suburbs lie to the west o -Black Town, and, as at other great centres, consist of fine mansions -standing in spacious compounds. - -To the south of Madras lies a country containing cities where some of -the mightiest temples in India may be seen. Of these cities -Trichinopoli and its great temple of Srirangam may be taken as an -example. The temple of Srirangam is not merely, like the other temples -of Southern India, of immense size; it is the largest temple in India. -Its enclosure measures about half a mile each way. It stands on an -island in the River Cauvery to the north of Trichinopoli, and is a vast -building which must have cost immense labour and a huge sum of money. - -The chief features of this mighty temple are the Hall of a Thousand -Pillars and the Horse Court, which forms the front of the hall. The -Horse Court consists of eight pillars carved into the figures of horses, -each pillar "representing a stallion standing on its hind-legs, its head -supporting a bracket coming forward from the pillar, and its fore-feet -resting on a monster attacked by the rider or on the shield of a -foot-soldier who is assisting in the attack. The horses stand in other -respects free from the pillars except at the tails, which are split, or -rather doubled, so that each horse has two tails, one sculptured on each -side of the pillar. The horses, the figures, and the columns behind are -carved from a single block of granite." So great is this temple that -lofty trees flourish in its enclosure, and it is said that the priestly -families who inhabit it number more than twenty thousand people. - -[Illustration: NATIVE TROOPS. _Page 59_.] - -In this part of India the fondness of the women for silver jewellery -seems to be greater than elsewhere, if that be possible. Not only are -they loaded with the usual rings, bracelets, armlets, and anklets, but -they pierce the nose in three places to adorn it with trinkets. In each -nostril a sort of brooch is fastened, and the centre of the nose is -pierced to insert a large ring, which hangs down over the mouth. A -large hole is opened in the lobe of the ear to hold a heavy ring as big -as a bracelet, and in one district a great ear-lobe is considered a mark -of beauty. It is said that women may be seen, the lobes of whose ears -have been stretched and pulled out in such a manner that the owner can -thrust her hand and wrist through the opening. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIV* - - *AT THE COURT OF A NATIVE PRINCE* - - -An English traveller in India who enjoys the opportunity of paying a -visit to the Court of a native Prince, often gets a glimpse of a life -which has seen very little change for many hundreds of years. The -native Prince himself may be fond of slipping off to London or Paris, -where nothing marks him off from any other wealthy visitor save his dark -brown skin, but at home he keeps the state of his forefathers, and the -costume and customs of his Court may be just the same to-day as they -were when Saxon and Norman were fighting at Senlac. - -A state function at such a Court, for instance, as that of the ruler of -Udaipur is a most splendid ceremony, and an English visitor of -consequence will attend it in the company of the British Resident. The -latter is the agent of the British Government. No native Prince is -allowed to exercise the absolute power his fathers once held. At every -native capital there is a residency, and here lives the man who is the -real power behind the native throne, the representative of the British -Raj. - -The journey to the palace will be made upon elephants in howdahs carved -and gilded and hung with rich curtains. On the neck of the elephant -sits the driver in a bright dress, holding in his hand a short spear, -ending in a hook and a shining point. When the riders are seated in the -howdah, the driver urges the elephant forward with voice and spear, and -guides him through the streets. An elephant procession through the -streets of a native city is one of the noblest sights which can be seen -or imagined. Two by two the huge, stately beasts, with their ponderous -swaying stride, swing along between the rows of houses, whose gaily -adorned flat tops and terraces and balconies are crowded by spectators -in newly-washed robes of every colour which is bright, and fresh, and -gay. Here and there in the procession float glittering standards of -silk worked in gold and precious stones, and the gay dress of the -drivers, the richly-decorated howdahs, the splendid draperies which -almost conceal the great elephants, all shining and flashing in the sun, -present a wonderful picture of beautiful and stately movement. - -As the procession draws near the palace the way is guarded by native -troops, and these exhibit another striking scene. Their ranks do not -present the monotony of Western uniforms. Each band of the Prince's -body-guard wears the dress of that part of his dominions whence it was -drawn, and a bewildering variety of garbs and arms may be seen. One -troop is dressed like the Saracens who fought in the Crusades. They wear -armour of chain mail and glittering steel helmets, and carry lances and -great curved scimitars. Next, the line is guarded by warriors in massive -turbans, clothed in robes of rich stuffs, and armed with sword, spear, -and shield, and with quaint firelocks slung over the shoulder. Next -stand men in gleaming breastplates, whose helmets are sharply pointed, -and whose girdles are stuffed with daggers and pistols. Others bear huge -maces or heavy axes, and, in fine, almost every weapon with which man -has ever waged war may be seen in the lines of stalwart warriors who -keep the way. - -At the palace itself the outer halls are filled with the nobles and -chiefs who owe allegiance to the Prince. They are armed and equipped -like their followers without, but in more splendid fashion. Jewels -glitter and glow on great silken turbans; robes are stiff with gold and -costly embroidery; girdles are heavy with weapons, whose handles are -richly chased and set with diamonds and rubies; pearls and emeralds and -sapphires flash from necklet or armlet. - -Through these the visitors pass on to inner halls, where they are -received by members of the reigning family and escorted to the hall of -audience. - -Here, in a noble chamber, the Prince will be seated in state on a -splendid throne. On either side stand attendants, waving fans made of -feathers or of horsehair. The latter are only used to fan a Prince, and -are the emblems of sovereignty. - -The English guests are seated on chairs, and the nobles and chiefs, who -have followed them into the room, seat themselves on the beautiful -carpets spread over the floor. All except the guests are barefooted, -for the native company have left their gilded slippers outside the -chamber. - -The Prince and his guests converse, and very often presents are given -and offered--shawls, silks, brocade, or jewels. Perhaps nautch-girls -will come in and dance. They wear robes of shining gauze from head to -foot, and they dance with slow, graceful movements, often singing as -they move. - -At last the Prince calls for essence of roses with the leaf of the -betel-nut, and this is the signal that the interview is over. Now the -guests will be conducted over the palace, to see the public rooms and -courts; but the zenana, the women's apartments, are never shown; nor is -the visitor supposed even to glance towards the lattices and trellised -windows, behind which the native ladies are probably having a good look -at him. The evening will close with a grand illumination and display of -fireworks, managed with the utmost skill. From a terrace, so placed that -the dark smooth mirror of a lake lies between himself and the -illuminations, the visitor looks upon a fairy scene. The pavilions, the -courts, the balconies, the lines of the palace itself, will be picked -out in points of fire, and the whole is mirrored in the water. Then the -fireworks leap into the sky--rockets, great globes of many colours, -fountains spouting golden fire, and pictures of forts outlined in flame -and firing heavy broadsides from mimic cannon. Finally the visitor -climbs the ladder set against the side of his elephant, while the band -blares out, "God Save the King," and goes home to dream of the wonderful -things he has seen, and to try to disentangle the host of pictures which -dance before his eyes when he reflects upon his visit to a native Court. - - - - - *CHAPTER XV* - - *THE RELIGIOUS MENDICANTS* - - -India is the land of religious mendicants. They swarm in every part of -it; they are seen moving along the country roads and in the streets of -villages and towns; they flock around every shrine. - -Some are simply wanderers; they have abandoned all earthly goods, have -left their homes, and taken their place among the poorest. Smearing -themselves with ashes, their only garment a wisp of rag--and this they -wear simply because the police will not let them go without it--they -ramble from holy place to holy place. "Naked, homeless, he eats only -when food is offered to him, drinks only from the cup of cold water -which is given in the name of the Lord." - -Many of these men have been rich and powerful members of the society in -which they moved. Then a day came when they laid aside their robes of -muslin and silk embroidered with gold; they left their great houses -filled with troops of servants; without a word they slipped away from -wife, from children, from friends, and the place they had filled knew -them no more. They had gone to wander far and wide through the vast -plains, the mighty hills of India--strange, naked, wild-looking figures, -unwashed, unshorn, looking the veriest outcasts of the earth. - -Why is this done? For this reason. They feel deeply the vanity of -earthly things; they believe that the more one can get rid of the needs -and the wants of the body, the nearer he will get to the Divine. So -they cast aside everything which pampers the body and makes this life -sweet, and forsake all things of this world in favour of prayer and -meditation. - -It is not uncommon to meet a man who has the air of a naked, half-crazy -savage, and to find that man capable of arguing in the most able manner -on the highest topics. Mrs. Steel remarks: "They are often extremely -well educated. They will knock a false argument into a cocked hat with -easy ability. Some of them--these naked savages--will astonish you by -quoting Herbert Spencer; for even nowadays they are recruited from all -classes, and they belong by rights to the most thoughtful of each -class." Such men as these belong, of course, to the highest order of -the religious mendicants. The majority of their fellows are of a much -lower order, but one and all they practise poverty and live only upon -alms. - -Many of them, of the fakir class, practise all kinds of self-torture -upon themselves. One, perhaps, has held up his arm above his head for -so many years that it is now immovable, and stands straight up from his -shoulder, thin and shrunken, and as stiff as a piece of wood. Another -has held his fingers close shut in his palm until the nails have grown -through the flesh and stand out at the back of the hand. A third has -lain for many years on a bed of spikes, until his skin, hard as horn, -renders so uneasy a bed no discomfort. There are fakirs who have not -stood upright once in forty years. They travel by crawling, and as -their cry rings along the village street, the pious hasten to bring them -a handful of rice or a cup of water. It would be useless to offer them -better fare; they would refuse it. An account is given of one fakir who -sat so long without moving at the foot of a tree that the roots grew -around him and fettered him to his place. - -Many observers have been extremely puzzled by certain powers which these -fakirs possess. Fakirs have been seen to walk across a row of upturned -knife-blades, each blade sharpened to the keenest edge, yet no sign of -injury could be perceived on the naked foot. Another will climb a ladder -formed of a single pole, from the sides of which well-sharpened sickles -stand out to form the rungs. The fakir climbs to the top and descends. -He rests his naked hands and feet upon the keen edges, and no cut, no -mark can be seen; or he walks, still barefoot, over stones raised to -white heat in a furnace. These feats have been performed in the -presence of English gentlemen of high standing in the official -world--men who have taken such precautions that they were perfectly -certain that the feats were genuine--but they have been utterly unable -to explain how the things were done. And, finally, the fakir has -obtained such mastery of himself that he can be buried alive, being left -for a time in his living grave, and restored to life again. - - - - - *CHAPTER XVI* - - *IN THE BAZAAR* - - -What is a bazaar in India? It is, first of all, the quarter where the -shopkeepers are gathered together, where the tiny shops stand in -close-packed rows on either side of the narrow ways, and whither all who -have money flock to spend it. But it is more than that. It is the -place to which those who have no money resort just as freely, for here -ebbs and flows in one unending flood the news, the rumours, the gossip -of the town and country. - -All day long an Indian bazaar is filled with throngs of buyers, sellers, -newsmongers, idle loungers, merchants, sightseers--all the flotsam and -jetsam of the city. It is always a scene of wonderful colour and -movement. The sun strikes into the dusty ways on turbans of red, green, -and orange; on robes of white, pink and blue; on petticoats of rose and -saffron; on the bronze bodies of almost naked coolies who march along -beneath their loads. People of every colour--white, brown, black, -yellow--jostle each other in the crowded ways, and there is a -bewildering variety of tint and form in the striking and picturesque -scene. - -[Illustration: A BAZAAR, DELHI. _Chapter XVI_.] - -The shops are, as a rule, of the simplest nature in form--an archway, a -booth, a hole in a wall. Upon a low platform the trader spreads his -wares, squats beside them, and waits for customers. Let us stroll along -a row of shops and see what they have for sale. The first shop has a -crowd of customers, for it is a confectioner's, and the Hindoo, big or -little, old or young, has a very sweet tooth. The confectioner spreads -his wares on tiers of shelves or on a counter made of dried mud and -rising in steps, and at the back of his shop is a sugar-boiling furnace, -where he is busy on fresh supplies, pulling candy or making cakes of -batter fried in butter. He sells toffee covered with silver-leaf, candy -flavoured with spices, and many kinds of a sweet called luddu, made of -sugar and curded milk. This stall is not only a great attraction to the -children who have a pie (about one-third of an English farthing) to -spend, but to the flies also. The latter come in myriads to settle on -the sweet stuff, and though a boy is always at work with a whisk trying -to drive them away, he can never keep the place clear. - -Opposite the confectioner's is the flour-seller, and he, too, is a very -busy man, for from his stall the everyday wants of the people are -supplied. Great numbers of the Hindoos never touch meat, and the -bunniah (the grain-seller) furnishes the whole of their food. He has a -great number of baskets, and these are piled high with barley, wheat, -lentils, flour, sugar, peas, rice, potatoes, nuts, dried fruits, and the -like. He also sells ghee (clarified butter) and sour milk. He has a -big pair of scales to weigh out his flour, sugar, peas, or whatever may -be called for, but no bags to pack them in: he leaves that to the -customers. One brings a cloth, another a basin, another a brass ewer -for milk. Many have nothing, and they carry away their purchases in -their hands, or, if that be impossible, flour is poured into the corner -of a shawl or the fold of a robe. One man unwraps his turban and knots -his purchases into various corners of it, twists it into shape again, -and goes off with his day's supply on his head. Butter and milk are -carried away in a green leaf dexterously twisted into the form of a cup. - -The next shop is one which finds the grain-seller a very convenient -neighbour, for it is a shop which sells parched grain--a bhunja's shop. -At first glance there seems nothing in the place, then you notice a -large shallow pan set on a mud platform. Under the pan a fire burns, -and a woman steadily feeds the fire with dry leaves and husks. A second -woman is stirring the corn in the pan, and as the grain parches and -crackles a delicious smell fills the place, and passers-by sniff it, and -stop and throw down a small copper coin on the mud platform, which is -also the counter. Then they hold out their hands or a fold of a robe, -and receive the sweet-smelling parched wheat or maize, and go on, -munching as they walk. - -Next comes a goldsmith's. Here is no glittering shop with ornaments and -precious vessels in the window, as in a London street, but an archway or -a booth of mud exactly like his neighbours'. The goldsmith himself is -at work with his blowpipe at a little brazier, softening and shaping a -piece of gold into a bangle for a customer. He is a busy man, for the -country women bring him their silver to be made up into the ornaments -they love, and he has always a store of ear-rings and bracelets to sell. - -He sells his goods by weight, and weighs them in a most delicate pair of -scales, which he keeps in a sandalwood box. His weights are the oddest -things in the world--"tiny scraps of glass, a bean perhaps, an irregular -chunk of some metal, a bit of stick, a red and black seed, an odd morsel -of turquoise, and a thin leaf of mother-o'-pearl." His customers thus -have to take the weight on his word; and they do not always care about -that, for, as the saying goes, a goldsmith would cheat his own mother on -the scales. So that hot words often fly to and fro across the mud floor -of his little shop, and passers-by pause to listen to the fierce -dispute. - -Beyond the goldsmith's stands the shop of a cloth merchant, and this is -a very fine shop, one of the grandest in the bazaar. So large is the -merchant's stock that his booth is really big, or he fills three or four -archways with his piles of calico and woollen. Here you may buy the -strong woollen and cotton cloths of the country, made well and dyed in -quiet, tasteful colours--goods which will wash and wear for year after -year. But, alas! you may also buy from an even greater store of the -poorest and cheapest goods which Manchester can turn out--cottons which -will be of the flimsiest as soon as the dressing is washed out of them, -cheap gaudy woollens made of shoddy, and silks of no greater strength -than the paper which enwraps them. For the craze for cheapness has -invaded the Indian bazaar as elsewhere, and the splendid old silk -muslins, the brocade which would last for a century, the woollen shawl -that was handed down from mother to daughter, find few or no buyers -nowadays. - -The druggist (the pansari-ji) contents himself with one small room, but -it is packed from floor to ceiling with a thousand odds and ends--drugs, -medicines, spices, one can hardly tell what. He wraps his more precious -wares in scraps of paper, and stows them away in baskets, boxes, pots, -and pigeon-holes in the wall. He prides himself on keeping everything in -stock in his line, and one writer speaks of testing a pansari-ji by -asking for cuttle-fish bone, "and lo! there it was--just two or three -small broken pieces in a paper screw." The druggist may be the doctor -of his quarter as well, and a favourite method of cure will be to write -a mysterious talisman on a scrap of paper or a betel-leaf. This is -rolled into a pill and swallowed by the patient. Opium he sells -largely, and at evening he dispenses the sleep-compelling drug to knot -after knot of customers. - -The fruit-dealer's shop makes a beautiful patch of colour in the bazaar, -with its heaps of golden oranges, of purple plums, of speckled -pomegranates, of jackfruits and guavas, and many other kinds. But, as a -rule, the fruit-dealers and greengrocers like a stall in a more open -place, where they can pile their big melons up in a heap, and spread -their wares in the lee of a wall, and throw an awning over to keep the -sun off. - -Now comes the cookshop, where rows of turbaned customers are squatted on -the floor with bowls before them, and the busy cook is at work over a -fireplace fed with dried leaves. He fries cakes of rice in oil, he -spits half a dozen scraps of meat on a wooden skewer, and roasts them -over charcoal. Then a big pot simmers over the fire of leaves, and the -smell of a "double-onioned" stew is wafted across the place to mingle -with a thousand other queer smells of the bazaar. He sells vegetables -done up into all kinds of shapes, and made hot to the taste with plenty -of curry; he pickles carrots; he has sweetmeats and great stores of -pillau, a dish of meat cooked in rice. He has plenty of customers, for -his prices are very low. - -Then there is the kobariya, the marine-store dealer of the bazaar, whose -shop is heaped with second-hand clothes, scrap-iron, and odds and ends. -Mrs. Steel gives a vivid description of the wares of the kobariya: - -"Old things, and still older things, upside down, higgledy-piggledy, -hang on the top of each other: a patent rat-trap shouldering a broken -lamp, an officer's tunic sheltering a pile of tent-pegs, a bazaar pipkin -on top of some priceless old plate, a parrot's cage filled with French -novels, a moth-eaten saddle keeping company with an old sword, and over -all, sufficient scrap-iron to furnish forth a foundry; and in an old -caldron, incense spoons, little brass gods, prayer measures, sacred -fire-holders, all mixed up with battered electro-plated forks, hot-water -jug lids, and every conceivable kind of rubbish." - - - - - *CHAPTER XVII* - - *IN THE JUNGLE* - - -The jungle, the Indian forest, is the home of many wild creatures, and -the sportsman who goes into it in search of them often has to take his -life in his hands. This is true, above all, if he is pursuing the tiger, -the most ferocious beast that India knows, the king of the jungle. It -is true, there are lions in India, but not many, and the Indian lion is -of no great importance: the tiger is the beast of beasts. - -The tiger is a terrible scourge to the Indian herdsman: a big brute will -often take up his quarters near a village, and levy a regular toll on -the village herds, killing cow after cow, and buffalo after buffalo. He -is often perfectly well known, and the villagers see him about the -roads, or crossing their fields, or gliding through the jungle without a -sound on his soft pads. If a dozen of them are together they do not fear -him: they march right through his haunts, shouting and singing, rattling -sticks on the bamboo-trunks, and beating drums, and he gets out of the -way and stops there. This is if he be an ordinary tiger, a -cattle-killer; but if a man-eater haunts the neighbourhood, then the -ryot's soul is filled with fear. He dares scarcely leave his house: to -leave the village is to face a terrible danger; he knows not when the -monster may steal upon him. - -The man-eater goes about his work in dreadful silence. The ordinary -tiger will often make the jungle ring again with his hoarse, deep roar; -not so the man-eater. The latter glides without a sound, and under -cover of a patch of bamboos or a clump of reeds, up to the wood-cutter -felling a tree, or up to the peasant in his rice-field, or up to a woman -fetching water from the well. Silent as death, he bounds upon his -victims and fells them with a single stunning blow of that huge paw -driven by muscles of steel. The great white fangs are buried for an -instant in the throat, then the body is lifted in the mouth as a dog -lifts a rat, and is carried away to the lair, where he makes his -dreadful meal. - -Most remarkable stories are told of the ferocity and daring of -man-eating tigers. They have been known to venture boldly into a -village by night and carry off sleepers who had sought a cool couch out -of doors in the summer heats, and by day they have made fields and roads -quite impossible places to venture into. Villages and whole tracts of -country have at times been deserted by their inhabitants owing to the -ravages of these ferocious creatures, and when an English sportsman -arrives to tackle the savage beast he is hailed as a deliverer. - -There are two favourite ways of hunting a tiger. The first depends on -the fact that he must drink. The sportsman, by means of native watchers, -discovers the pool or water-hole where the tiger quenches his thirst. -Then in a field near at hand is built a machan, a little platform where -the hunter may watch and wait for his prey. He climbs into the machan -at sunset, and waits till the tiger comes to drink at some time between -the dark and the dawn, when a fortunate shot will put an end to the -marauder. - -The other way--a far more exciting and picturesque fashion--is to pursue -the tiger upon elephants. The sportsmen are in open howdahs, and the -elephants crash their way through the long grass, the reeds, the young -bamboos, in search of the tiger. At last the tiger is driven into the -open, and bullet after bullet is poured into his body by the marksmen. -He is rarely killed at once, and in his agony he will often turn upon -his pursuers with terrible fury. This is the moment of danger. With -the horrible coughing roar of a charging tiger, he hurls himself with -tremendous bounds upon his foes. His eyes blaze like green emeralds, -his great fangs glitter like ivory. At springing distance he leaves the -ground and shoots through the air like a thunderbolt, full upon the -nearest elephant. Now is the time to try the sportsman's nerve and -steadiness of aim. Unless the tiger be struck down by the heavy bullet, -he will land with teeth and claws upon the flank of the elephant, -striking and tearing with terrible effect at his foes. - -[Illustration: A NATIVE WOMAN WEARING NOSE ORNAMENT. _Page 57_.] - -More lives have been lost, however, by sportsmen following up a wounded -tiger on foot. The tiger lies apparently stiff and still, as if already -dead. The hunter comes too near, and finds that there is a flicker of -life left. Before he can retreat, the wounded beast puts forth its last -strength to spring upon him and take a terrible revenge for its -injuries. - -We said that the tiger is the king of the Indian jungle. There are some -observers who dispute this; they award the palm to the elephant. -Certainly there can be no more majestic sight than a herd of wild -elephants in their native jungle. They move slowly along, staying now -and again to crop the young shoots or to spout water over themselves at -a pool or river. The huge grey bodies, on the round, pillar-like legs; -the great flapping ears; the swinging, curling trunks; the rolling, -lumbering walk, present a scene of great interest, heightened by the -antics of the baby elephants, the calves, who trot along by their -mothers and frisk around the herd. - -The Indian elephant is rarely pursued and shot--it is far too valuable; -but the capture and taming of these mighty creatures is very exciting -and interesting work. In Central India, especially in Mysore, their -capture is usually carried out by means of a kheddah, a kind of pound. -Two huge fences are built in the forest in the shape of a mighty V. The -wide end of the V is often a mile or more across, and into this end a -herd of wild elephants will be driven by great numbers of beaters. The -elephants are urged forward to a large enclosure, into which the narrow -end of the V opens. Once they are in this, a great gate is dropped -behind them, and they are imprisoned. - -Now the work of taming them begins. Tame elephants take a great share -in this, and show much cleverness in bringing their wild brethren into -captivity. Two or three tame elephants, each with a driver on its back, -will surround a wild one, and hustle and push it towards a strong tree. -Now a man slips down from the back of a tame elephant, and slips a noose -of strong rope round the leg of the wild one. This is dangerous work, -and the man has to be very quick and skilful. The rope is now thrown -round the tree, and drawn tight. Other ropes are soon fastened, and the -huge wild creature is made a prisoner. - -The task of taming him at once begins. From the first the men move -about the captive and talk to him, to accustom him to their sight and -presence. They give him plenty of nice things to eat, and from the -first he does not refuse food, except in very rare cases. Very often -within a couple of days the elephant is taking pieces of sugar-cane and -fruit from the hands of his keepers. Now the friendship grows rapidly. -The men begin to pat and caress the huge captive as they sing and talk -to him, and within a couple of weeks his bonds are loosened, and he is -led away between two tame companions to complete his education. - -There is one elephant that no one tries, or dares to try, to capture. -This is the "rogue," and he is pursued and shot at once, if possible. A -rogue elephant is a savage, vicious brute who has left the herd and -taken to a solitary life. They are very dangerous, and many of them -will attack either man or beast that may come in their way. Their great -size and vast strength render them easy conquerors over all they meet, -and a rogue elephant is the dread of the neighbourhood where he roams. -To hunt him is a very dangerous sport. He is very wary, very cunning, -and quite fearless. If fired upon he charges full upon his foes, and, -unless a well-directed bullet brings him down, the death of the hunter -is certain. The rogue hurls him down and tramples upon him, smashing -the body beneath his huge feet. - - - - - *CHAPTER XVIII* - - *IN THE JUNGLE (*_*continued*_*)* - - -Through the jungle bound also the swift deer and the graceful antelopes, -who so often have to fly before the pursuit of their fierce neighbours -the tiger and the panther. The panther, when wounded, is actually more -feared by the hunter than is the tiger. The panther is much smaller -than the tiger, and his grey skin, dotted with black spots, enables him -to hide himself easily among the tangle of the forest undergrowth, for -he resembles a patch of shade. His limbs are long and powerful, and he -is the nimblest of all the jungle dwellers. He can run like a leopard -and climb like a monkey. - -He often lies in wait for his prey on a broad, low-hanging branch; then, -as the deer passes below, he springs full upon it, and bears it to the -ground. He is very savage, and always full of fight, and his ferocity -is employed with wonderful cunning. Two men have been known to fire -upon a panther and hit it. They were apparently safe, each in a machan -set in a tall tree. The wounded brute has darted up one tree and clawed -the man there in fearful fashion; then, quick as lightning, it has -descended, climbed into the second tree, and attacked its second -assailant. No other animal does this. As a rule, a wounded beast makes -a blind rush; but the panther seems to reason, to calculate. - -The bear is just the opposite. The natives consider him the most stupid -of animals. They say he is so stupid that he does not know enough to -get out of the way. He will stretch himself in the warm dust of a -jungle path, and lie there until, in the dusk, the passer-by stumbles -over him. Then he is angry. He rises and strikes out with his long -claws, and often deals terrible wounds, for he strikes at the head. One -writer speaks of seeing a man whose face was torn away--every feature -gone--with a single stroke of a bear's paw. But it is easy to avoid -this. On such a path a native sings or shouts as he walks along. The -bear is aroused by the noise, and moves away into the jungle. - -The wild boar gives great sport over the plains and among the hills of -India. He is hunted on horseback, just as the fox is hunted in England, -save that each rider has a spear with which to strike at the big, savage -beast. When he turns at bay he is a very dangerous animal. First he -"squats"--that is, he turns round and sits on his haunches--thrusting -out his snout, armed with great sharp tusks, towards his pursuers. Then -he picks out a horseman, and charges him furiously. A fine hand with a -spear will now stop him with a thrust in a vital part; but if the thrust -fails, the boar will often fetch down horse and rider. - -Then comes a time of great danger, for the boar will rip up both horse -and man with swift turns of his keen tusks unless his attention be drawn -aside by other attacks. In the end he falls under many spear-thrusts. - -A walk through an open piece of jungle is very beautiful. The bamboos -with their feathery crowns, the many trees covered with beautiful -flowers, the merry bands of monkeys which skip from branch to branch, -all draw the eye and the attention; but, at the same time, it is best to -watch where you are going. All of a sudden your native guide stops you -and tells you to step carefully. You look, and see something in the -path among the sand looking like a dirty little stick. But do not tread -on it. It is the deadliest snake in India, and its bite means certain -death. Or you think you would like to sit down on a fallen tree to -rest. Well, do not sit on that log which seems to have a bright patch -of fungus growing about the middle of it. Throw a stick at the patch -first. Ah! it uncoils, and a venomous reptile slides into the grass -with angry hiss. - -Look out, too, for the hooded cobra, who will sometimes dispute the way -with you, rearing himself on his lower coils, and erecting his swelling -hood, and "meaning venom." But the most wonderful snake of all is the -huge python, the boa-constrictor, 20 to 25 feet long, and with a body as -thick as a man's thigh. This huge snake destroys its prey by pressure, -winding its coils round the creature's body, and crushing it to death. -Then it swallows the body entire. - -Another creature greatly dreaded by the natives belongs partly to the -land and partly to the water. This is the alligator--a hideous grey -brute, with huge jaws, furnished with long rows of teeth, and a long -tail of immense power. On land the natives trouble little about this -great reptile, for his legs are short and his powers of pursuit are -small; but in the water or on the sandy margin it is a very different -affair. Be careful where you bathe or draw water. A single sweep of -that powerful tail will hurl you into the stream, and the alligator, -lurking in the shallows, has seized you for his prey. Above all, it is -necessary to be careful when walking along the pleasant sandy bank which -often borders a river. Here and there grey logs seem to be lying on the -sand. They may be logs or they may be alligators sunning themselves. -In the latter case, if the walker be on the land side, well and good; -but if he incautiously ventures between the alligator and the river, it -is at the peril of his life. With the aid of his powerful tail, the -frightful reptile hurls himself across the sand for a short distance at -wonderful speed, then his mighty jaws open and close upon his victim, -and the latter is dragged under water in the twinkling of an eye. - -The tiger himself, unmatched in combat with any other beast of the -jungle, sometimes falls a prey to the alligator. Coming to drink at the -river, the king of the jungle is seized by the waiting reptile. A -terrific struggle follows. Unable to wrench himself from those mighty -jaws, the tiger uses his terrible fangs and claws on the alligator's -back. Here for once they fail on that coat of horny scales. The tiger -does not know that the alligator is soft beneath, and there could be -ripped up by his claws of steel, and he continues to spend his strength -in vain. Inch by inch he is dragged into the river, and once under -water, he is lost. He swiftly drowns, and the alligators feast on his -body. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIX* - - *IN AN INDIAN VILLAGE* - - -We have spoken of temples and palaces and the magnificence of Kings and -nobles, but now we must turn to the homes of the common people, and see -how they live and work. Anyone who adopted the idea that India is a -land of general riches and splendour would be making a very great -mistake. The vast mass of the people live, not merely in the simplest -fashion, but also in the poorest fashion, for the land can scarce -produce enough food to satisfy the wants of its teeming millions. If -the rains should fail and a crop go wrong, there is famine at once over -wide districts, and vast numbers perish. - -An Indian village is a collection of small huts, with walls of mud and -roof of thatch. At break of day the men, the ryots, go out to labour in -the fields which surround the place, putting their bullocks into the -light wooden plough, which scarcely does more than scratch the soil. In -the shallow furrow thus formed they sow the grain, and then with hoe and -mattock they clean the weeds from a crop which is already springing up. -These few simple tools serve all the purposes of the husbandman, just as -they served his forefathers a thousand years ago. - -The women of the village go to the well to draw water, passing on their -way the village temple, where they offer fruits and flowers to the stone -image of the Hindoo god, in whose honour the temple was built. When they -have drawn their water, they return home to cook food and to work in the -small compound which surrounds each mud hut. Here they grow trees, -which yield the mango, plantain, guava, and other fruits. - -As they go back to their homes they cast looks of deep interest at the -door of a house where a figure is seated. It is a Brahmin sitting in -dharna, for this is an out-of-the-way village where old customs cling -fast. - -[Illustration: A NATIVE BULLOCK CART. _Page 86_.] - -What is dharna? It is really a form of intimidation. Some one has a -quarrel with the owner of that house, and he has hired a Brahmin, a -member of the priestly caste, to sit on his enemy's doorstep without -food or drink, until the latter will do justice. The Brahmin, having -undertaken the task, is certain to carry it through. He will starve -until the person at whose door he sits has given way. The latter always -happens. If the holy man were to starve to death, the sin would lie upon -the head of the owner of the house for ever, and his fate in the next -world would be dreadful. So, before long, some arrangement is made, and -the dispute is settled. - -The house before which the Brahmin is performing dharna is that of the -money-lender, by far the most powerful man in the village. When a ryot -cannot make both ends meet, and he is in trouble either about his rent -or his taxes, it is to the money-lender that he flies for assistance. -From that powerful personage he borrows a few rupees to tide him over -the time of need till his crops shall be ready for sale, and he has to -pay a very heavy rate of interest for the loan. - -The money-lender is one of the oldest features of Indian village life. -From the earliest times his trade has been in great vogue, and the -Indian peasant is to-day as dependent upon him as ever. Broadly -speaking, the ryot is always in debt. He is so careless, and thinks so -little of the future that he always lives from hand to mouth, and a -failure of his crop brings him within touch of famine at once. Then he -resorts to the money-lender to borrow money to buy food or pay his rent, -and to raise the money he often agrees to sell his next crop to the -money-lender at a price which the money-lender himself will fix. - -The price is very low, and the money is at once swallowed up to pay rent -or the interest on the last loan, and so the peasant is driven to apply -to the money-lender once more to obtain funds to carry him on to the -next harvest. In this way the ryot falls completely into the hands of -the money-lender, and, in order that the unlucky husbandman may not -escape his clutches, the creditor employs men to watch the farmer's -crops day and night, and the latter has to pay all these expenses. - -Just beyond the money-lender's house is the dwelling of the baid, the -doctor. He is sitting on his veranda, busily reading a very ancient -book on medicine. It is from the instructions in this book that he -treats all his patients. He has a store of herbs and roots, which he -uses to make pills and potions. He looks with the greatest contempt on -the European doctors and their medicines, and declares that they do not -know how to treat Hindoo patients. - -As a rule, the baid is a very poor hand at curing his patients. If they -get well he takes all the credit; if they die he says that the hour of -their death had come, and who can resist fate? But here and there are -to be found men who have so great a knowledge of herbs and simples that -they can effect wonderful cures. "A curious cure of asthma is recorded -of a European who derived little benefit from the treatment of his own -countrymen. A baid offered to cure him when his case had become almost -hopeless. The European laughed. However, getting quite desperate, he -submitted to the treatment of the Hindoo doctor, and the few sweet black -pills which the latter administered wrought a complete cure. The -grateful patient begged the doctor to name his own reward; but he would -listen to nothing of the kind, nor would he tell of what ingredients the -pills were composed. Indeed, this the baids will never do." - - - - - *CHAPTER XX* - - *IN AN INDIAN VILLAGE (*_*continued*_*)* - - -Now there comes up to the veranda a quiet-looking man with a little -bundle under his arm, and the baid lays aside his book. The village -barber has come to shave him. The Hindoo barber is a very important -man. Not only has he under his care the shaven crowns, the smooth -chins, and the close-cropped hair of his neighbours, but he is the -village surgeon also, for the baid knows nothing of surgery. It is the -barber who bores the ears and noses of the little girls to put in rings -and ornaments. - -He squats down beside the doctor and unrolls his little bundle and -spreads out its contents. He has a razor, a pair of scissors, a small -steel instrument for cutting nails, a leather strop, a little brass cup, -a scrap of looking-glass, and a towel. He uses neither brush nor soap -for shaving, but puts cold water in the cup and dips his fingers into -it. With these fingers he wets and rubs the chin, and then sweeps his -razor over it with light and skilful hand, doing his work like a master. -When he has finished he rolls up his little bundle and goes on to the -next house, for he has a fixed round of customers, and no Hindoo, -whether rich or poor, ever shaves himself. - -Going thus from house to house the barber knows every one, and is often -employed as a match-maker. In India parents always arrange the marriages -of their children, and the wishes of the latter are not consulted in the -affair. Indeed, marriages are often settled at so early an age that the -children do not understand what it means. A girl is fetched from her -play and married to a boy not much older than herself. She goes back to -her dolls, and he goes back to school, and perhaps neither sees the -other again for years. - -In arranging these affairs there is often much coming and going of the -family barber. He has to find out how much dowry the parents of the -girl will give with their daughter, or, on the other hand, he is sent to -see what examinations the young man has passed. This is an important -point. The Hindoos think a great deal of such distinctions, and a young -man who has passed a University examination can get a much richer wife -than he who has not. - -At the wedding the barber is a very busy man. Before the day he goes -round to the friends and relatives of the family inviting them to come -to the wedding-feast, and begging them not to fail in attendance. On -the day of the wedding he has to dress the bridegroom, and when the -guests are assembled he hands round betels to chew or hookahs to smoke. -He helps to serve the wedding-feast, and when it is over he distributes -the fragments among the beggars. - -The barber's wife is as important a personage as himself. She is just -as busy among the women as he is among the men. She enters the zenana, -the women's portion of the house, to dress the ladies and adorn them. -At weddings she dresses the hair of the bride, trims her nails, and -arrays her in the richest robes. Both the barber and his wife belong to -the barber caste. In India trades are handed down from father to son, -from mother to daughter. The children of the barber and his wife are -taught from their earliest years the duties of their business: they, -too, will become barbers in due time. - -As the barber goes away the water-carrier comes up. This is another -important personage; for, in the burning climate of India, fresh, pure -water is of the greatest importance. This water-carrier has not filled -his vessels at the village well, but has been to a spring at some -distance, where the water is very good. He carries it in two large -vessels of brass, and these are slung from the ends of a pole which he -carries across one of his shoulders, one vessel in front and one behind. - -If there are Mohammedans in the village you will also see the bhistee, -the Mohammedan water-carrier. He bears his load in a skin on his -shoulders, or in a pair of skins which he slings across the back of a -bullock. He sells water only to people of his own faith, for no Hindoo -will use for any purpose water which a Mohammedan has handled. - -The larger houses have flat roofs, and from the roofs of two standing -near each other a couple of boys are having a battle with fighting -kites. Flying kites is a very favourite amusement in India, and in some -villages old and young, rich and poor, spend much time on this sport. -The kites are square in shape, but of all sizes, and in the case of -fighting kites the string or thread is passed through a mixture of -pounded glass and starch and then dried. The thread has now a keen, -cutting edge, and if brought sharply across the string of another kite -will cut it through, and he who succeeds in setting his opponent's kite -adrift is the victor. - -At the farther end of our village there is a large native inn. This is -by no means a common thing to find in such a place; but, as it happens, -a well-travelled road passes through the country at this point. To see -this inn at its busiest we must go on some evening when a fair is to be -held in the neighbouring town, and a throng of travellers pause in it -for the night. - -The inn itself, as we approach it, shows a square of four flat naked -walls. There are neither doors nor windows to be seen, and the place is -entered by a wide opening, which can be closed by massive gates. Near -the gate are some small shops where one can buy rice, flour, salt, and -ghee to eat, or earthen pots for cooking. - -Upon entering, we find ourselves in a big courtyard, the middle of which -is packed with the bullock waggons and carts, from which the ponies and -bullocks have just been released and turned out to graze. Round the -walls inside is a wide veranda, and behind this veranda are rooms -wherein the wayfarers may sleep. The scene is one of the greatest uproar -and confusion. Men and women are bustling to and fro, shouting and -calling to each other as they draw water, light fires, cook food, feed -their animals, spread their beds, and generally make ready for the -night. - -Every inch of the veranda is taken up, and in front of each room burns -the fire of the party who intend to occupy it. A wealthy traveller will -engage a number of rooms for himself and his family or servants; but -poor men club together, and five or six engage a single room and stow -themselves away in it. The cost to them will then be about one farthing -per head. - -The inn is under the charge of a number of inn-keepers, each of whom has -a certain part of the inn-yard under his care and a certain number of -rooms to let. These people crowd about the traveller on his arrival, -each clamouring that his rooms are the best, and begging for his custom. -They are a thievish and quarrelsome crew, and are looked down upon as a -very low and degraded class. In a native inn the traveller has to keep -a very sharp eye on his belongings. He takes care to keep his money in -a safe place, and he never accepts tobacco or any eatable from a -stranger. There may be a drug in it which will throw him into a deep -sleep, from which he will awake to find all his valuables gone. - -When supper is dispatched the traveller prepares for sleep. If poor, he -stretches himself on the floor; if better off, he hires a wooden frame -from the inn-keeper, and spreads upon it his quilts and blankets. Now -the great gates are swung to and locked, and the inn is securely shut up -for the night. This is very necessary, or some of the animals would be -missing in the morning. There are also men who keep watch all night, -and the merchant with a stock of valuable goods gives one of these a -small sum to take particular care of his bales and animals. - - - - - BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD. - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PEEPS AT MANY LANDS--INDIA *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44968 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the -General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and -distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works to protect the -Project Gutenberg(tm) concept and trademark. 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