Richland beacon., 1873-07-26
A Journey in India.


: terrible state of the roads. They Wei
so bad as to render the statement IN,
d, l cant ride, but l can sit tight in
shay no such very contemplate boast
but the first three miles lay along th
{ great Calcutta road, which is, | believe
the finest i'll the world, and runs all tn
a way from Peshawur to Calcutta. TIL
moment we left this, we were bumpe
g and battered and iolted now toilin
through deep sand, now wading throug
"A portion of the road which lay unde
water, and then straining the springs o
the dOg.cart by "a sudden jolt over
miniature mud-canal which carried tin
water across from one field to another
| Whenever the instinct of self-preserva
ton left me free to look anywhere bu
on the road, 1 took in all the unfamila
objects with keen delight. Carts mad
like the old Roman chariots, with small
thick, clumsy wheels, drawn by oxens
and surmounted by little hOwdahs mad,
of scarlet cloth, with one or more ma
tives inside i'll gayly-colored turbans
and dresses, sitting cross-legged in {
cramped position impossible to Europe
ans; great heavy-footed camels, will
stupid, ill-tempered looking faces, one
OF them with tiny little one lying in q
basket on its mothers back, 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 fiocks 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 a scarlet bOnbOn-
niere, 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 her way to pay a 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 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 rapiditv
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-
esqne 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 Dor tered
with 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
small-wristed dusky arm
stretched up to its full length, and COW
,red almost to the elbow, and some
lines above it, with numbers of brace
cts. These are sometimes silver, but
,ftener plated metal, or red and green
nc. once heard of a school, the pu-
Ills in which were trained to walk
bout with tumblers of cold water on
heir heads; and, when I saw the firm
eoted, easy grace of these burden
,earing women, regretted that the /
Practice was not universal. The pale
aced race may perhaps pride itself on
he superiority in the use of the con- {
ents of its head, but these dusky ,
daughters of the sun certainly OutdO &
heir more favored sisters in the use t
hey make of the outside of theirs. {
hey carry every thing on their heads I
ars of water, pieces of cloth, baskets of
egetables, huge bundles of sugar 1
ane, fuel, anything and every thing,
eaving their hands free from any I
dditiOnal burden.
They do not even carry their little S
lack babies in their arms, but either t
alance them astride on their shoul- +
ers, with their little hands on their a
lOther's head, or else astride on one v
ip. encircled with strong arm. t
1 have seen a woman with four water s
lrs towering on her head and her little a
aby on her hip, walking along with O
pringy grace, jinkling her silver anklets h
nd toe-bells as she went.
They sometimes wear large nose n
ngs through the left nostril, or else a a
nall star-like nail passed through the l,
Ose.
Miss Eden says that little black ba-
les are the prettiest in the world, but
cannot agree with her, for, although p
lefe is something very attractive in the t,
right dark eyes and the full, round p
lack limbs, devoid of any covering, &
ill they always looked to me missha- f,
sned. Whether it is natural conform q
ion, or the result of their food, 1 do 81
,t know, but seen en- profit they dis y,
ay the proportions of the typical al al
,rman, with paunches which would Il
, credit to the stoutest of Punch's car n,
atures. b1
We pass through dreary mud villages, ii
,erally swarming with these little &C
and over miles and miles of "
It fields, each with its creaEng well, fir
orked by pair of s,ow-footed bull bl
cks, and green with the young crops, al
Ough it is near Christmas. ey
Near the canals and marshes we saw ps
ight-colored kingfshers darting after NJ
eir prey, and the meditative-looking 1T
sarus birds that live in fr