Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-05-04
0nr gumng folks.
Modes of Travel i'm India-Laying
Oak.
BY BISHOP KINGSLEY.

BY BISHOP KINGSLEY.
In India, excepting along the Hrs Of the
railroads, the principal travelling done by
foreigners is performed either by means Of
dak CHARTS, or doll, or palks OAKS, to be
described hereafter. There are no stage
coaches, such as are found at home. When
the roads will admit of it, the dak CHARTS
is employed. This is a sort of ambulance
with shafts like buggy, but much more
clumsy. 1t is so arranged that one can sit
up during the day, and 60 TO bed at night.
All travellers in India take their bedding
with them. This is rolled up in bundle,
and rides on the top of the CHARTS dur
ing the day, and is spread upon the bot
tom at night. Such ghari will accom-
modate but two persons. Two natives
always 20 along to attend to the horse.
The horses employed for this purpose are
kept at stations five miles apart, and
changed at the stations They are usually
not much above half the ordinary size of
English horses are very vicious, but gen.
orally unable to do as much mischief as
they desire, on account of the condition of
starvation in which they are kept Their
habit is to make fuss at starting, and
after the first freak of anger is ever, they
often perform a series of gyrator! notions,
describing spirals which would defy any
mathematician. After getting through
with this introduction, if they have strength
enough left, they will 60 as if Jshu drove
them to the next station. Hero the same
performance has to be gone through again,
and so every few miles. Wher there is
any elevation in the grade, as in going
over a bridge, the horse waits ftr the ma
tives and passengers to push the vehicle up
the ascent By this method hundred
miles can be made in twenty-folr hours.
In regions where this kind of travelling is
in use, there are no hotels at With for
eigner would care to stop. The natives
have, in their villages, sort of tiaRS call
ed seris, a corruption probably of the
word carauanSeri Such an inAtution is
a quadrangular building, one Ary high,
inclosing an area equal, in some tances,
10 two acres This immenselynl quad
rangle is made up of separas.TTy !: p~tties,
in each of which is rude uaEcgsSty--ead,
but no window, nor any furniture any
kind, unles it be a rough chair ans liable.
The building is usually of mud, with 8
floor of earth, and the walls inside aad out
washed with q mixture of soft day and
fresh COW dung. [ may remark il passing
that this method of ichitelcaShine batting
the ichite, is the most common one among
the natives in India, and is ued for
churches as well as for dwellings. / have
slept in house newly washed in this way
The odor of musk was strong enolgh for
the most fashionable toilet.
But am wandering. Such a ieri does
not answer the purpose of European and
American travellers. So at ceruin dis
tances, bungalos, as they are ca led, are
furnished by the government, tina is by
the English. These are one-story build
ings, large enough to accommodate four
or FIVE families each, where room can be
taken for a day at one rupee, and where
plain meal, consisting of curry and rice,
with tea can be had for the sane price
(half dollar.) Each room has bedstead
in it, and bath room adjoining. A ma
tive supplies water and makes you tea
Travellers take their own beds, and gener-
ally a large part of their own provision.
At some of the dak bungalos, bread and
mutton chop may also be had. These
plain bungalos are very welcome to the
warm and weak pilgrim, covered with
sweat and dust, and fatigued with hot
journey.
But not at all, not even a majority Of
cases, it is practicable to have the kind of
travelling apparatus Just described. Then
the doll dak is retorted to. The doll is a
sort of cage or box, made long enough for
a man to stretch himself in it at full length.
The bottom of the concern is made of rope
and rattan, like the bottom of a chair On
this is spread mat, which, with blankets
and a pillow, makes up bed. At each
side of the doll is door to get out and in.
Through the upper part of the cage,
runs bamboo pole, project
ing perhaps four feet at each end There
is usually at the foot of this box a shelf,
on which such articles as the Traveller must
have with him are placed. Travelling in
dolls is usually performed at night when
the distance is not more than can be made
during a single night. But how is the
thing going to move, you are ready to ask
Y GU shall know. Get in here at this side
uOOT. IL ID hiShS, tOECu ;
you tuck yourself up in bed as well as you
can. Fonr men, two before and two behind,
seize the machinery by the projecting pole
aforesaid, and placing the pole upon
their shoulders, one on his right and the
other on his left at each end, YOU find
yourself swinging in the air. The forward
movement now commences, kind of half
half walk and half trot, accompanied by
an unspeakable rythmical grunt, to which
all four keep time, both with grurt and
step. For full grown man, eight kahars
or carriers are necessary in order to insure
good speed. Thus four men carry you,
and four more run along by the side of the
doll, and relieve each other as often as
every five minutes. Beside the eight men
already described, another goes alonr with
a lighted torch at night. This torcI is, in |
addition to other advantages, often peo-
lection against wild beasts, for such Jour-
neys are made through jungles full OF tigers
and leopards, which have not the fear of
native Hindoos before their eyes.
If you have much baggage to 20 along,
it is necessary, in addition to the lhe men
already mentioned, to employ aaotber,
called bhaDgewalli, who will CAM YOUR
trunk on his head, or, if the bagasce can
be divided, will carry it on a pole after
the manner of the Chinese. So t,t ten