a neighboring ledge of rock. I became
agile from fear, but the fright occasioned by the cow's triumphant entry
was nothing to the brandishing of arms of the natives in charge. I was
brushed aside like a fly in the sacred enclosure, where no heretic was
allowed to enter. Truly, I felt far from home! Garlands of marigolds,
kept fresh at wells of water, are sold to devotees to lay at the feet or
to encircle the gods of brass and stone that are seen in every
direction. We are not permitted to enter a Hindoo temple, but get a
glimpse in passing of their tinselled gaudiness. This seething caldron,
where beasts usurp the rights of men, women and children, who are all
bowing down to objects of wood and stone, is a sight one may long
for--but once in a lifetime is quite satisfactory, and we gladly
withdraw.

The early dawn of day finds us driving through the already crowded
streets on our way to the "Ghats." Boats lie in readiness to convey us
along the sacred shore of the Ganges, for but one bank is consecrated;
the opposite shore seems a dreary waste. For miles homes and sacred
structures are reared; here and there massive ruins attest the powers of
the Ganges' floods on solid masonry. From a distance it is picturesque,
but on close inspection has a most dilapidated appearance. The
well-built stone steps, or Ghats, are crowded at this early hour with
pilgrims and devotees wrapped in their white robes. They wade out into
the holy stream, bowing and drinking double hands full of water, so
nauseous in appearance, and taking off from themselves garlands of
marigolds, throw them on the surface of the water, then wash their
mouths, and return on shore for certain ministrations that the priests
stood in readiness to perform for them, which seemed to complete the
purification. Their caste was manifested by certain marks made with
ashes or paint on their foreheads.

From the upper deck of our small steamer we overlook the ceremony of
cremation, not unlike that we had seen in Calcutta. The bodies were
wrapped in crimson-colored cheese cloth and laid upon a rude bier
composed of two poles, laced together with rope; so near the water were
these bodies placed that the feet were completely covered. We were told
that very sick persons were brought when dying, and the immersion in the
holy water would bring about a reaction, and restoration to health would
ensue. No mourners were around the body, and those who ministered at the
cremation we