brought with it a disagreeable odor. The carriages continued on their
way to the city; and when they entered a street, Lord Tremlyn called the
attention of those with him to a couple of native women who had stopped to
look at them, for the party excited no little curiosity wherever they went.
It had become known by this time that a dozen American ladies and gentlemen
were circulating through the place, engaged in sight-seeing.

They had comely features of a brownish hue, and were dressed in the loose
robes of the country, reaching to the ground; one of the garments extended
to cover the head, though not the face. Both of them wore heavy gold
bangles on their arms, but both were barefoot.

"They are not Mohammedans," suggested Mrs. Woolridge.

"They may be for aught I know," replied his lordship. "The women of this
sect here do not veil their faces as a rule."

"They are quite good-looking," added the New York magnate. "What caste or
class do they belong to?"

"I should say they were in the Vaisya caste, agriculture and trade. They
are well dressed, and therefore not Sudra. Probably they are the wife and
daughter of a shopkeeper.

"What is this crowd in the square?" asked Morris, who had been looking
about him.

"We will drive over there and see," replied the viscount as he directed the
coachman.

"Festival of Serpents," said the driver through the window.

"You have an opportunity to see one of the sights of Bombay; but we shall
be obliged to leave the carriages, for it is a great performance, and there
will be a large crowd." They alighted at a convenient place, and moved
towards the square. The ladies were in doubt as to whether or not they
cared to see such an exhibition; but the three gentlemen who were
accustomed to them declared that there was no danger.

"This affair is in the nature of a religious festival," said Sir Modava.
"There are scores of snakes brought before you; but they have had their
poison fangs extracted, and they could not harm you much more than a
playful kitten. This is a day appointed to make prayers and offerings to
the snakes, in order to conciliate them and to insure immunity from their
bites. Though these occasions occur all over India, I don't believe there
is a single bite the less for them."

"It is the anniversary of the killing of the great serpent Bindrabund,
which was creating terrible havoc on the shores of the river Jumna, an
event in Hindu mythology, which is as true