lashing of
cymbals which awoke me so suddenly was really intended to make the
drowsy gods bestir themselves to partake of the supper which their
worshippers had reverently brought them.

When the gods were thoroughly roused, and the dainty food had
been set before them, the priest proceeded to fan them with some
peacocks' feathers while the meal might be imagined to be in course
of consumption, and meanwhile the worshippers bowed themselves on the
floor before them, prostrating themselves with arms and legs extended
on the stones and foreheads in the dust, the more zealous continuing
their prostrations as long as the meal lasted. In these prostrations
eight parts of the body have to touch the ground--the forehead, breast,
hands, knees, and insteps--and I have seen pilgrims travelling towards
a holy place some hundreds of miles distant by continuous prostrations
of this kind, the feet being brought up to where the hands were, and
the prostration repeated, and thus the whole distance measured out by
interminable prostrations. This formidable austerity may take years,
but will gain the performer great sanctity and power with the gods
whose shrine he thus visits.

The meal over, the worshippers knelt reverently in line, and received
a few drops each of the water left over, and a few grains of corn that
had been sanctified by being part of the meal of the gods, taking them
from the priest in their open palm, and drinking the water and eating
the corn with raptures of pleasure and renewed prostrations. One could
not but be forcibly reminded of a somewhat ceremonious celebration
of the Christian Eucharist. This over, the worshippers departed, the
gods were gently fanned to sleep, the priest and the most substantial
part of the dinner were left alone, and I became oblivious.

The next morning the Brahman and I were up betimes, and girded
ourselves for the accomplishment of the nine miles of forest which
still lay between us and our destination, before reaching which we
had to ford several small rivers. However, the rays of the sun had
scarcely become pleasantly warm when we found ourselves elbowing our
way through the Sadhus and pilgrims who were crowding the small but
striking bazaar of Rishikes. This place has so little in common with
the world in general, is so diverse from all one's preconceived notions
and ideas, its mental atmosphere departs so far from the ordinary
human standard, that it is hard to know whether to de