The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-07-25
A journey in India.

five miles, as was needful In view of the
terrible state of the roads. They were
so bad as to render the statement "No,
/ can't 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, and 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 sudden jolt over
miniature mud-canal which carried the
water across from one field to another
Whenever the instinct of self-preserva-
ton left me free to look anyWher but
on the road, took In all the unfamiliar
objects with keen delight. Carts made
like the old Roman chariots, with small,
thick, clumsy wheels, drawn by oxens,
and surrounded by little hosUdGhs made
of scarlet cloth, with one or more ma
tives inside in gayly-colored turbans
and dresses, sitting cross-legged in a
cramped position impossible to Europe
ans; great heavy-footed camels, with
stupid, nl-tempered looking faces, one
of them with tiny little one lying in
basket on its mothers kback, and fol
lowed by another young one, the most
ungainly creature Imaginable, like a
badly-made ostrich on four legs patri-
archal-looking groups of men, women
and children, driving focks of bullocks
and goats, and looking as Abraham and
Isaac might have done. What is this
these two long-legged natives are car
rying between them suspended from a
pole? 1t looks like scarlet bO71bOYl-
Mere, a sort of bag the bottom of which
is fiat, and about the size of a five-o' clock
tea-table. And it contains pa Hindoo
lady, probably on herway to pay a visit,
though how that bag can contain her is
a 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 at times to suppose
that their bones must be gristle, and
their joints India-rubber. They never
sit in any position 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 attracted me most, by
their graceful carriage, their pictur-
esque drapery consisting of full skirt
and sort of bournous, which passes
over the head, almost completely veil
ing the face. These vary in color, be-
ing sometimes bright blue and pink
and yellow, the skirt often boriered
with a hem of some other color, often
very gaudy, but the dark skin harmo-
nizes ALL The most artistic to my mind
is the dark indigo blue, but is more
rare in the northwest than in southern
India, where almost all the lower class
of women wear it. 1t is pleasant to
watch the easy grace with which they
walk, bearing round red earthen ware
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 COW
~ered almost to the elbow, and some
times above it, with numbers of brace
lets. These are sometimes silver, but
oftener plated metal, or red and green
pills in 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, / regretted that the
practice was not universal. The pale
faced race may perhaps pride itself on
the superiority In the use of the con-
tents of its head, but these dusky
daughters of the sun certainly Guido
their more favored sisters in the use
they make of the outside of theirs.
They carry every thing on their heads;
jars of water, pieces of cloth, baskets of
vegetables, huge bundles of sugar
cane, fuel, anything and every thing,
leaving their hands free from any
additional burden.
They do not even carry their little
black babies in their arms, but either
balance them astride on their shout
ders, with their little hands on their
mothers head, or else astride on one
hip. encircled with strong arm.
I have seen a woman with four water
jars towering on her head and her little
baby on her hip, walking along with
springy grace, iinkling her silver anlklets
and toe-bells as she went.
They sometimes wear large nose
rings through the left nostril, or else q
small star-like nail passed through the
nose.
Miss Eden says that little black ba-
bies are the prettiest in the world, but
1 cannot agree with her, for, although
there is something very attractive in the
bright dark eyes and the full, round
black limbs, devoid of any covering,
still they always looked to me missha-
pened. Whether it is natural conform
alton, or the result of their food, I do
not know, but seen en- profit they dis
play the proportions of the typical al
derman, with paunches which would
do credit to the stoutest of Punch's car
features.
We pass through dreary mud villages,
literally swarming with these little
creatures, and over miles and miles of
fiat fields, each with its creaking well,
worked by a pair of slow-footed bull
locks, and green with the young crops,
though it is near Christmas.
Near the canals and marshes we saw
bright-colored kingfishers darting after
their prey, and the notwithstanding
tender-hearted sarus birds, that live in
pairs, of which, if one dies the other
pines away, until grief ends It's solitary
life.
At last, toward dusk, we caught sight
of the longed-for white canvas cleaning
between the trees of a not distant
grove, and few moments more landed
us with final Jolt on the borders of
scene bewildering in it's strangeness
and it's picturesque detail.
In the first place, the sight of four
large tents, larger than any I had ever
seen except at a flower show, ditched |
close together, and fanked by some
smaller ones, relieved my mind of an
Overwhelming dread, and left me to
take in all the withsurrounding details
a hghtened heart.
How can l describe all I saw 4? In the |
two huge elephants Tapping
their ragged ears, and leisurely dispo- |
sing of hay-cocks of sugar canes as
though they had been straws. Near
these, six horses with their blankets
on, tied to some trees, and the trusty
steed who had borne us over orr final
reaping the reward of his la
bors in a vigorous rubbing down and a
hearty meal, while the dog-ca. was APP
Oarently resting its much abused |