hurried survey of the city, but the heat
was so excessive that only a few gentlemen ventured ashore; however, we
had a little diversion on the steamer in the interval, as numerous
natives appeared with amber beads, ostrich feathers (which are a noted
commodity of the place) and fans; this provoked the usual contest in
bargains.

The evening brought us compensation for a day of heat, with its
consequent languor, in the shape of a gorgeous sunset; a huge ball of
fire hung in the west and radiated great streaks of red, yellow, and
blue, these fading away into the softer tints, and then came the most
wonderful afterglow, the heavens being suffused, and the whole scene
making one breathless, as if under a spell.

[Illustration: _The Suez Canal near Port Said_]

The Arabian Sea gave us an aftermath of heat, but, remembering with
considerable satisfaction that the days of our transit were nearly
over, we assumed an indifferent air.

* * * * *

BOMBAY, _December 6th_: On nearing India, with its far-away past, I was
convinced that I would be first impressed with its Oriental aspect, but,
on the contrary, the approach to Bombay presented a decidedly modern
phase. There is a fine, almost semi-circular harbor, with a modern quay,
and tall buildings encircling the shore, the tasteful Royal Bombay Yacht
Club in the front, the spacious new Taj Mahal Hotel to the left, having
about a block of frontage on the bay, while farther back were other tall
buildings. Dusky faces greeted us at the landing, and a Babel of voices
in an unknown tongue, or rather tongues, since many tribes were
represented, each with their separate dialect.

Arriving at the Taj Mahal, we felt a sense of strangeness, as the
arrangement of rooms and the service were distinctly foreign. There were
almost too many attendants or servants (two for each room, an upper and
a lower one), and the waiters in the dining-room were more interesting
to me than the menu,--the Portuguese wearing white uniforms with short
jackets, pink vests, and black ties; the Mohammedans attired in long
white tunics, with wide belts at the waist, loose trousers, and
barefooted.

It was reserved for an afternoon drive through the crowded native
quarter, however, to give us a striking impression of the India of the
past. Every nook and corner of the narrow streets seemed a blaze of
color--women in their full skirts of many shades of red (that color
predominati