During the succeeding days the journey included visits to the Marble
Rocks, near Jubbulpore, and to the Caves of Ellora, _via_ Aurungabad.

[Illustration: The Fort, Poonah]

CHAPTER II.

_HYDERABAD AND POONA._

We arrived at Hyderabad at half-past eleven on February 9th, and found
Major Gilchrist (military secretary to the Resident, Mr. Cordery)
waiting with the Nizam's carriages to take us to the Residency. It is
an imposing building with a flight of twenty-two granite steps, a
colossal sphinx standing on either hand, leading to the portico
through which you reach the spacious reception and dining rooms,
whilst the comfortably furnished sleeping-apartments lie beyond. An
entire wing had been appropriated to the ladies of our party; and,
luxurious as our railway-cars had been, the increased space and size
of our new quarters appeared thoroughly delightful.

In the afternoon we went for a drive through the populous Hindoo
suburb of Chadar Ghat to the celebrated 'Tombs of the Kings' at
Golkonda, which, however, must not be confounded with the celebrated
diamond mines of the same name, for they are nearly one hundred miles
apart. The road to the Tombs passes over a stony belt or plain, on
which gigantic masses of dark granite lie on all sides in picturesque
confusion. The natives have a legend that they are the fragments left
over at the completion of the Creation. About seven miles from the
city, a solitary gloomy-looking hill rises, crowned by a fort, at the
foot of which stand the Tombs. They are magnificent buildings with
grand kubbabs or domes rising above the terraces, arcades, and
minarets of the main edifice. One of the finest of the Tombs,
dedicated to the memory of a Kootub Shahi king, has unfortunately been
whitewashed within and without. The Tombs are mainly built of grey
granite. They are nearly all covered with beautiful mosaics and
enamelled tiles, mutilated, however, in too many instances by the
hands of modern relic-hunters. The buildings are surrounded by gardens
fragrant with champa and orange-blossom, and gay with many other
flowers. One can see that formerly the gardens must have been much
more lovely and luxuriant than they now are. The decay and ruin were
caused by the great siege in the days of Aurangzib. Extensive repairs
have been carried out by Sir Salar Jung. He has restored the gardens,
and saved the Tombs from the destruction which had gradually been
creeping over them.

We dro