The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1885-07-04

heartfelt sigh OF relief followed,
nearly every time, by Il volumous
cloud Of smoke and a potation from
the friendly flask without which
the average European pilgrim in
Hindoostan votes life to be hardly
worth living.
To be whirlcd along at the rate OF
twelve or thirteen miles an hour on
road as wide as broadway, and
as level as u die, with such sur-
roundings as may be found under
certain conditions, between Kalka
and Umballa, is enough to eXhilar-
ate the most sluggish minded and
prosiest of mortals.
The scenery is, to say the least,
impressive. In the distance, beyond
some acres of cultivated ground,
ranges of densely wooded hills rise
one behind another, standing out in
bold relief against fairyland-like
background ofsnow-clad mountains,
neighbors of the giant Everest.
On this particular morning, when
the lower ridges, dotted here and
there with he ruins Of q rajah 5
palace or Hindoo temple, where
ever and anon lighted up by the
fitful appearance, from behind slow
ly drifting clouds, of a moon Shin
ing with more than wonted brillian-
cy, it required no great stretch of
Imagination to conceive ones self
within the borders of q demon king
dom.
Innumerablc herds of iackals,
some approaching, some receding-
in the fields close by and among the
woods several miles away-made
the air ring with the echoes of their
wild, unearthly, never-hagging Choir
uses.
Solitary hyenas would ut intervals
indulge in laughter. Aye, and what
laughter Like nothing earthly,
but the voices of restless spirits pur-
suing each other around the tombs
of wicked men long since departed.
Now, one of these repulsive brutos
would seem quite near, as if halting
on his course, with upturned head
and dilatcd nostrils, to listen to the
changing of our horses hoois, as we
fastened along the metalled road
and in moment it would seem to
be far away, still laughing, as with
glaring eyes and nose quite close to
earth it hunted on in search of
struggling prey.
Huge bats fitted by necessarily
on their way to or from the ruins,
followed closely by loudly-scrcam-
hawks, whose presence bodied evil TO
these mysterious and ghostly enc
mics.
Gharry drivers drove past from
time to time in their convcyanccs
well laden with goods prepared for
sale in the bazars, telling the adven-
lures Of Vishnu and his attendant
deities in mournfully chanted, dole
ful hymns and songs, to the music
of jingling bells and crcaking wheels.
Mild, sleek, slender Hindoo pc
destrims glidcd by with stealthy,
thief-like tread, humming incanta-
{ tions written by their priests thou
sands of years ago.
Mahomedans, swarthy and savage
visaged, hurried along in twos and
threes, surging from one side to the
other, talking loudly in argument,
gesticulating fiercely, the subject of
their discourse the murder of the
, British Resident at Cabul and the
} massacre of English troops. Dang
erous people these Mahomedans
5 Like Christians occasionally met
with in every day life, they are cX-
} cellent friends so long as it suits
t their purpose-treacherous enemies
, when they discover that there is nc
= profit from the friendship,
r The first half of our journey was
= traversed without accident, or the
: occurrence of anything more extra,
ordinary than the successful fording
e of swollen stream, and the cross,
e ing, with some trepidation, of {
t shaky old wooden bridge that trcm
3 bled-visibly at every step we took
l threatening to hurl us and our coacl
!, into the rushing waters beneath.
J, Then horses were changed for thu
a second time, and we started off agail
a at a swinging pace toward our dcsti
k nation. How nedrly-how very
g near we were brought to a destina
: ton little dreamt of when we lcf
S Umballa!
9 Some two miles from the villag
> where we changed horses, drowsi
ness ovcrcame me, and / fell asleep
s How long l slept know not, bu
+ presently something, perhaps tn
n instinct of self-prescrvation, brough
Il me to state of scmi-consciousncss
IS only tn lisnnunr thnt ihn lrivnr IN.