aze
of light showed us a large open veranda, furnished with chairs, sofas,
and tables, and evidently the salon of the hotel. My room opened from
the end of the balcony, and it was large and cheerless, so all hope of
warmth vanished; a small, dark bathroom was at one side (with no light
except when a door was opened), furnished with the regulation high round
bathtub and a shaky washstand; neither of the outer doors would lock!
The floors on opposite sides of both rooms contained ominous-looking
square openings, suggesting the possibilities of certain reptiles which
we had been told existed, but which we had not yet seen. After viewing
all these "tranquillizing" influences, we retired, having first undone
the distasteful "hold-all" for extra bedding.

The next morning dawned without the door having been opened and without
the appearance of the dreaded lizards. The veranda salon presented an
animated appearance; several men in turbans and wearing camel's-hair
shawls (draped around the shoulders) were sitting on the floor,
displaying their many commodities, which included embroideries, shawls,
garnet beads (a specialty of Jeypore), necklaces of various kinds,
together with swords, daggers, and the like, all warranted to be
antique. "Memsahib" was heard in every direction, for the arrival of a
party of supposedly rich Americans had been duly heralded. Resisting
their importunities for the time being, we entered an inner room and
found comfort and a fairly good breakfast waiting us. Such persistency
and eloquence, nevertheless, as were later displayed by those dealers in
describing their wares are seldom heard! Fortunate for us that some of
the articles were attractive enough to be purchased, stilling the clamor
for a time! But as we had been told that this would be the usual
programme on our arrival at any place in the Orient, the future prospect
was not alluring.

While over a quarter of India's population as well as a third of its
area is under native rule, the "beaten track" is subject to English
regime. Hence the visit to Jeypore, the capital of the independent
province of Rajputana, is always regarded as a new experience. We found
indeed a unique city, situated on a plain, hemmed in by lofty hills,
with streets and buildings the color of old rose pink, and with broad,
regularly laid out thoroughfares, two long straight streets intersecting
each other at right angles near the palace, thus forming four corners.
Here is