American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1881-09-03
CuAprER MI.

The guide, in order to shorten the
distance to be gone over. left to his
right the line of the road, the con-
struction of which was still in process.
This line, very crooked. owing to the
capricious qualifications of the Vindhi:i
mountains, did not follow the shortest
route, which it was Phileas Fogg's in
terest to take. The Parsec, very IA
miliar with the roads and paths of the
country. thought to gain twenty miles
by cutting through the forest, and they
submitted to him.
Phileas togg and Sir Francis Gro
marty, plunged to their necks in their
howdahs, were much shaken up by the
mahout urged into rapid gait. But
they bore it with the peculiar British
apathy, talking very little, and scarcely
seeing each other.
AS for Passe partout, perched upon
the animals back, and directly sub
jected to the swaying from side to side,
he took care, upon his masters recon-
mendation, not to keep his tongue be-
tween his teeth, as it would have been
cut short of. The good fellow, at one
| time thrown forward on the elephants
neck, at another thrown back upon his
rump, was making leaps like a clown
on a spring board. But he joked and
! laughed in the midst of his somerscts.
and from time to time he would take
from his bag Il lump of sugar. which the
/ intelligent Kiouni took with the end of
his trunk. without interrupting for an
instant his regular trot.
! After two hours march the guide
stopped the elephant and gave HIM an
| hours rest. The animal devoured
branches of trees and shrubs, first hav-
ing quenched his thirst at a neighboring
pond. Sir Francis Cromarty did not
complain of this halt. He was worn
out. Mr.. Fogg appeared as if he had
just got out of bed.
but he is made of ironr' said the
Brigadier- General, looking at him with
admiration.
"Of wrought iron," replied Passe-
partout, who was busy preparing
hasty breakfast.
at noon the guide gave the signal for
very wild aspect. To the large forests
and dwarf palms. then vast, arid plains,
bristling with scanty shrubs, and strewn
with large blocks of syenites. All this
part of upper Bundelcund, very little
visited by travellers, is inhabited by
fanatical population, hardened in the
most terrible practices of the Hindoo re-
Ggion. The Government of the English
could not have been regularly estab-
lished over territory subject to the in
fluence of the rajahs, whom it would
have been difficult to reach in their in
accessible retreats in the Vindhias.
They were descending the last de-
clivit;es of the Vindhias. Kiouni had
resumed his rapid gait. Towards noon,
q IL, -
Kallenger, situated on the Cant, one of
ways avoided inhabited places, feeling
himself safer in those desert, open
stretches of country which mark the
first depressions of the basin of the
great river. Allahabad was not twelve
miles to the northeast. Halt was made
under clump of banana trees, whose
fruit, as healthy as bread, "as succu-
lent as cream,' travellers say, was very
much appreciated.
At two O. clock, the guide entered the
shelter of a thick forest, which he had
to traverse for space of several miles.
He preferred TO travel thus under cover
of the woods. At all events. up to this
moment there had been no unpleasant
meeting. and it seemed as if the jour-
ney would be accomplished without ac-
cident. when the elephant, showing
some signs of uneasiness. suddenly
stopped.
1t was then four o'clock.
"What is the matter?" asked Sir
Francis Cromarty, raising his head above
his howdah.
Il do not know, officer" replied the
Parsee, listening to a confused murmur
which came through the thick branches.
A few moments after, this murmur
became more defined. 1t might have |
been called a concert, still very distant,
of human voices and brass instruments. |
Passcpartout was all eyes, all ears. |
Mr.. Fogg waited patiently, without ut
tering word.
The Parsee jumped down, fastened |
the elephant to tree, and plunged in
to the thicke,t of the underground. A |
few minutes later he returned, saying: |
"a Brahmin procession coming this |
way. If it is possible. let us avoid be- |
ing seem"
The guide unfastened the ele-
plant, and led him into a thicket. rec
ornmending the travellers not to de-
scend. He held himself ready to mount
the elephant quickly, should flight be-
come necessary. But he thought that
the troop of the faithful would pass
without noticing him, for the thickness
of the foliage entirely concealed him.
The discordant noise of voices and
approached. Monotonous
chants were mingled with the sound of
the drums and cymbals. Soon the head
OF the procession appeared from under
the trees, at fifty PAGES from the spot
occupied by Mr.. Fogg and his compan-
ions. Through the branches they read
lily distinguished the curious personnel
OF this religious ceremony.
In the first line were the priests, with
miters upon their heads and attired in
long robes adorned with gold and sill
YER lace. They were surrounded by
singing a sort of funeral psalmody, in
terrupted at regular intervals by the
beating OF tam -tams and cymbals. Be-
hind them on a car with large wheels,
whose spokes and felloes represented
intertwined, appeared hid
eous statue, drawn by two pairs of richly
four arms, its body colored with dark
red. its eyes haggard, its hair tangled,
its tongue hanging out, its lips colored
with henna and betel. Its neck was
encircled by collar of skulls, around
its waist a girde of human hands. 1t
was erect upon PROSTATE giant, whose
head was missing.
Sir Francis Cromarty recognized this
statue
"Thc goddess Kali" he murmured;
'the goddess of love and death"
''Of death, l grant, but Of love, new
En- said Passepartout. 1.-The ugly old