Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-02-29
LIFE In INDIA.
A Description OF the Country-PeopIe
Living in Tents.

The following is an extract from
private letter to gentleman in this
city:
HURDA CENTRAL PROVINCES OF IN
Ola, Dec. q 983,-Last week my hus
band, Mr.. and Mrs. A. and /, had a
very pleasant little jaunt up to
Jabalpur, large city 200 miles north
of Hurda. Our object was to buy
tent for Mr. A. to live in. as it seems
impossible to get bungalow for them
in Hurda, and Jabalpur is where the
Thugs are imprisoned and kept busy
making tents. Many English officers
spend the winter season with their
families in tents, and it is said to be
very pleasant The railroad took us
to the place. On the way we spent
day and night at the famous Marble
Recks, few miles this side of Jabal-
pur pronounced Jubble poor. This
place is one of the wonders of India
We had a walk of two miles from the
station to the bungalow where travel
ers are accommodated, which stands
on a high cliff overlooking the
Nerbudda river, and from which we
had a lovely view of rough, billy
country covered with palm and other
tropical trees and studded here and
there with heather temples. We saw
the Rocks, both by moonlight and sun
light, and a wonderful place it is. At
the foot of the cliff on which the
bungalow stood we took boat rowed
by four Hlndoos and was taken up
the river one mile to the place where
it falls over a precipice thirty feet
nigh, forming a beautiful cascade.
Above the falls the river is some 100
yards wide and below it is compressed
into narrow gorge of about 90 yards
wide and is very deep and quite
placid. On either side rise huge
walls Of solid, pure, beautiful white
marble from so to 100 feet high. They
rise up like stately everlasting monu
ments carved by power not mortal
but divine. They extend almost the
whole distance of our ride, and the
course of the stream was almost as
romantic and winding as that of Ten
nyson's Brook, which winds about
and in and out" Many of the rocks
We're in most fantastic forms, the
work of tie elements for ages past,
and in the moonlight they looked
W eird and CHASTITY. 1t is favorite
haunt for peafowls and other birds,
and we were told of panthers also; but
we did not see anything but some
very pretty birds, plenty of fish and
crocodile summing itself on the bank.
We thought if this wonderful place
was only in American some enter
prising individual would make no
end of wealth out of it; but here it is
thought by the Hin6oes too sacred to
touch, because, in the first place, it is
on the sacred Nerbudda, few drops
of the water of which a religious
Hindoo will travel hundreds of miles
to get; then, anything beautiful or
unusual in nature is looked upon very
superstitiously by them.
We succeeded in getting suitable
tent, and enjoyed seeing Jabalpur, a
large and beautiful city. Travelling
in India is not pleasant. The rail
road carriages are not elegant and
comfortable as in America, and the
hotels are simply terrible. All along
the railroad at small stations there are
travellers or day bungalows, kept
open for transient visitors They
will usually accommodate about four
persons, and good cook is usually
on the premises, so that for a small
amount one can remain very comfort
able for few days; but these, though
better than the hotels, are nothing in
comparison with the elegant accom-
modations for travellers at homs.