The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1873-08-16
Hindoo Women.


cart, with fresh horse for every Eve
miles, as was needful in view of the terri
Bile state Of the roads They were 50 bad
as to render the statement, t" No, cant
ride, but / can sit tight in shay" no
such very contemplate boast; but the first
three miles lay along the great Calcutta
road, which is, | believe, the finest in the
world, end runs all the way from Peshawur
to Calcutta. The moment we left this we
were bumped and battered and jolted, now
toiling through deep sand, now wading
through a portion of the road which lay
under water, and then straining the springs
OF the dog-cart by a sudden jolt over a
miniature mud canal, which carried water
across from one field to another. When
ever the instinct Of self-preservation left
me free to look anywhere but on the
road, | took in all the unfamiliar objects
with keen delight. Carts made like the
old Roman chariots, with thick, clumsy
wheels, drawn by oxen, and surmounted
BY little " "howdahs" made of scarlet cloth,
with one or more natives inside in gayly
colored turbans and dresses, sitting cross
legged in a cramped position, impossible
to Europeans great heayy-footed camels,
with stupid, ill-tempered looking faces,
one Of them with tiny, little one lying in
basket on its mothers back, and followed
by another young one, the most ungainly
creature imaginable, like badly made Of
trich on four legs; patriarchial-looking
groups Of men, women and children driy-
ing focks of bullocks and goats, and look
ing as Abraham and Isaac might have
done. What is this these two long-legged
natives are carrying between them sus-
pended from pole? 1t looks like scar
let bonbonniere, sort of bag, the bottom
of which is fat, and about the size of 5
o'clock tea-table. And it contains-a
Hindoo lady, probably on her way to pay
visit, though, how that bag can contain
her is mystery to me, unless, indeed, she
is lying coiled round and round, as only
these little dark-skinned daughters can
coil themselves, and in this position they
sometimes perform long journeys without
fatigue.
One is disposed to suppose that their
bones must be gristle, and their joints
India rubber. They never sit in any posi-
tion except on their heels, which seems to
afford them perfect rest, and it is marvellous
to see the rapidity with which they move
up and down, their feet touching each
other, without putting their hands to the
ground-all the strain and spring being in
their backs and knees. The women at
tracted me most, by their graceful carriage,
their picturesque drapery consisting of
full skirt and sort of bournous, which
passes over the head, almost completely
yelling the face. These vary in color,
being sometimes bright blue, and pink, and
yellow, the skirt often bordered with hem
of some other color, often very gaudy, but
the dark skin harmonizes itall. The most
artistic to my mind is the deep indigo
blue, but it is more rare in the Northwest
than in Southern India, where almost all
the lower class of women wear it. II is
pleasant to watch the easy grace with
which they walk, bearing round red earth
enware or bright copper water,jars on their
heads, steadying their burden with one
well shaped, small wristed dusky arm
stretched up to its full length, and covered
almost to the elbow, and sometimes above
it, with numbers of bracelets. These are
sometimes silver, but oftener plated metal,
or red and green lace. l once heard Of
school, the pupils Of which were trained to
walk about with tumblers of cold water on
their heads and when | saw the firm
footed, easy grace of these burden bearing
women, l regretted that the practice was
not universal. The pale faced race may
perhaps pride itself on its superiority in
the use Of the contents Of its head, but
these dusky daughters of the sun certainly
outdo their more favored sisters in the use
they make Of the outside of theirs. They
carry everything on their heads; jars of
water, pieces of cloth, baskets of vegeta-
bles, huge bundles of sugarcane, fuel, any
thing and everything, leaving their hands
free for any additional burden. They do
not even carry their little black babies in
their arms, but either balance them astride
on their shoulders, with their little hands
on their mothers head. or else astride on
one hip, encircled with strong arm. l
have seen a woman with four water-jars
towering on her head and her little baby
on her hip, walking along with springy
grace, jingling her silver anklets and toe
bells as she went.
AUSTRIAN LADIEs.--Mr. Fulton, of
the Baltinaore Americaa, writes:-"How
ID L. Us... l. L ~ ~ a