ble person, and made the acquaintance of
every one in the company. He then invited them all to dine with him that
day, as he had evidently intended to do in the morning, for the dinner was
all ready when they arrived at his palace. He was a magnate of the first
order, and his apartments were quite as sumptuous as those of the Guicowar
of Baroda. The dinner was somewhat Oriental, but it was as elegant as it
was substantial.

The noble host apparently wished to show the Americans what the Mussulmans
of India could do, and he crowned his magnificent hospitality by inviting
the entire company to install themselves in his mansion, which was large
enough for a palace; but for the reasons already set forth, the invitation
was gratefully declined. The next morning the travellers visited the Mosque
of Pearls, where the ancient emperors came to perform their devotions. The
interior is of carved ivory.

From this little gem of a church the company were driven to the Chandi
Chowk, which is a boulevard, planted with trees and lined with elegant
buildings. The stores of the principal merchants of Delhi were here, and
most of them were on the plan of an Oriental bazaar. The little square
shops challenged the attention of the party, and most of them alighted to
examine the rich goods displayed.

In the course of the ride they passed the Black Mosque, the only building
in the city dating farther back than the reign of Shah Jehan. They found
the bungalow surrounded and partly filled, on their return, by venders of
relics, curiosities, and other wares, anxious to find customers for their
goods. But they were not very fortunate in the enterprise, and finally they
were all driven away by an officer.

In the afternoon they drove out on the plains of Delhi, among the ruins of
palaces, tombs, and temples. They stopped at another black mosque, near
which was a handsome pavilion, which had been the library of the emperors.

"One of these emperors was Houmayoun, who recovered the throne after a long
banishment. He lost his life in consequence of a fall from the top of a
ladder he had mounted to obtain a book," said Sir Modava. "He was the real
founder of the Great Mogul dynasty. His mausoleum, to which we will go
next, is one of the noblest monuments on this plain;" and the carriages
proceeded to it.

It is a mass of white marble and red sandstone. It has a fine dome, around
which cluster several smaller structures, such as we should call cu