, instead of the
ungodly tail. This transformation rejoiced the Emperor so much that he
presented the god with eight villages, to cover his private expenses.
Narayan's social position and property were inherited by Chintaman-Deo
II., whose heir was Dharmadhar, and, lastly, Narayan II came into
power. He drew down the malediction of Gunpati by violating the grave
of Maroba. That is why his son, the last of the gods, is to die without
issue.

When we saw him he was an aged man, about ninety years old. He was
seated on a kind of platform. His head shook and his eyes idiotically
stared without seeing us, the result of his constant use of opium. On
his neck, ears, and toes, shone precious stones, and all around were
spread offerings. We had to take off our shoes before we were allowed to
approach this half-ruined relic.----

On the evening of the same day we returned to Bombay. Two days later we
were to start on our long journey to the North-West Provinces, and our
route promised to be very attractive. We were to see Nassik, one of the
few towns mentioned by Greek historians, its caves, and the tower of
Rama; to visit Allahabad, the ancient Prayaga, the metropolis of the
moon dynasty, built at the confluence of the Ganges and Jumna; Benares,
the town of five thousand temples and as many monkeys; Cawnpur,
notorious for the bloody revenge of Nana Sahib; the remains of the city
of the sun, destroyed, according to the computations of Colebrooke, six
thousand years ago; Agra and Delhi; and then, having explored Rajistan
with its thousand Takur castles, fortresses, ruins, and legends, we were
to go to Lahore, the metropolis of the Punjab, and, lastly, to stay for
a while in Amritsar. There, in the Golden Temple, built in the centre
of the "Lake of Immortality," was to be held the first meeting of the
members of our Society, Brahmans, Buddhists, Sikhs, etc.--in a word,
the representatives of the one thousand and one sects of India, who all
sympathized, more or less, with the idea of the Brotherhood of Humanity
of our Theosophical Society.

Vanished Glories

Benares, Prayaga (now Allahabad), Nassik, Hurdwar, Bhadrinath,
Matura--these were the sacred places of prehistoric India which we were
to visit one after the other; but to visit them, not after the usual
manner of tourists, a vol d'oiseau, with a cheap guide-book in our hands
and a cicerone to weary our brains, and wear out our legs. We were well
aware that all th