Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-06-13
A LITTLE NAUTGR.
The Famed Dancing Girls of the
Far East.
An Evenings Entertainment at the luxur-
rious House of the ajah---Witnessing
a Queer Performance in Queer
Surroundings.
Ns,v York Tribune.


Rsiah gave a nsutch at his house and l
was invited. 1t was a very little nautch
chiefly remarkable for the patriarchial
simplicity of its entoutorage, The nsutch
(nscb) represents to the modern Indian
mind what the drama, the opsra and the
ballet do 10 ours. There are matches and
nsutches. There are some of them, acted
bsfore learned Plsudits and venerable Gu.
rms, which saint and sersphs might behold
unsbsshed, aud there are others from
which the Muses. and Grsces, sndIR fact
ali ladies whatever are very properly abb
sent st least when the mirth grows fast
and furious in the wee sms hours OF the
morning. Then there are the great pre-.
torusnces in the cities where thousands OF
guests come in their best array: and all the
EnElish residents are present, the men IN
White crsvats and swallow tails, the ladies
in what is ironically called full dress. On
such occasions the guests are sptlnkied
with rose water and have gsrlauds OF flow
era hung around their recks. They bring
svay more remembrauces of the flirting
and the fsas,ing, the social amenities be-
tween English digDitaries in black and the
native d,gnitaries in white, Of the band that
plays from "See the Conquering Hero
Comes" at the beginning 70 God Save the
Queen" at the end, than of the monotonous
native music, and the ugly,
ODDLY BEDIZENED DANCING GIRLS
that give a name and gu excuse for the
evenings proceedings.
But the Rajah's Was something rural and
pastoral, au hour or two of the Golden Age
1t was in the courtyard Of his palace. They
laid Persisn carpet over a yard or two o.
green turf and stretched a white awning
above tbem; it WAS Topped up little at
one corner, go that the Rsjah's wives, who
we're gsthered'aoout the windows might
See what wss goiog on, but they cruelty
placed my chair in such fashion that
could sec nothing in that direction. There
was also chair for the Rsj sh, though am
sure be would much rather have bsen
"curled up on the floor as all the Others
did. He came in at the head of his people
white from top to toe-turbaa, robe and
beard He could have taught department
even to Mr.. Turveydrop; there was not O
line or movement OF his figure that vas
not venerable and majestic and yet he
was not feet 6. Then they lighted up the
place with eight lrmps,-,all, twisted brass
rods surmounted by besked srucer OF OF
in which were laid four or five wicks tha'
hing over the edge and cent up q bright
unsteady fame, bent by every breath Of all
The musicians began to play a dirge Of
something of the sort--it is the wsy thes;
people have TO testify Joy There was {
variety Of musical instruments: a lonG
gawky stick of boy played q kind Of 6
flagelot of three parallel reeds,
A sTOLID, WHITE BEARDED OLD MAN
bea. two drams-pumpkins hoilosed out
with sheep skin stretched over the oper
ends--a short, soldierly.looking mau footed
a very shrill fife, and grinning DEATH
head Of follow stood just behind the chic
nau:ch girl, and bent down TO scratch 6
buIbens three stringed fiddle which he held
against hjs knee. The only melodious
sound among thin all came from the grea
silver bangles which the primR donna wore
on her ankles, and clipked now ard Their
most unsteady. She was a stout girl Gal
nautch girls are stoUt-stout as opera sin
gersl, with decided Monopgolian features
on the whole ugly (sll nsutch girls are
uglv) -but she was so bundled up in many
colorsd silks and sstins, 80 tricked out
with gold and eilve gems, that had come
difficulty IN making up my mind whether
she was stout and ugly or not She wore
rings on each Of her toes, and on an average
four on each of her fingers, and one in her
nose with petri in it; her esrings hung
down to her shoulders and weighed half 3
pound or so, her auklets epparrantly
We ghed half stone-but in India they
ere generally made hollow, otherwise there
would be no wearing them. She kspt her
feet still, except when she jingled these
anklets But she kept swaying her waist -
such as it was-and podding her head, and
bending her arms wrists ami fipgers into
all sorts of impossible positions, and she
STRETCHED AND sTREAMED AND FLUTTEREp
great gold.colored satin scarf with great
effect. In India they call all thIs dancing.
She wss graceful woman, ss they nearly
all sre out there, and she was era eful only
when she didn't Try to be SO She sang,
also, with rather sweet voice singing
in India is not 40 terribly nasal az it ia in
Western Asia and Southwestern Europe
she sang With great expression both of face
and gesture what understood to be duets
hetVcen The lover end his mistress. the To-
ver's part being taken by the thin violin
player, who grinned horribly Just behiOd
her. The two did not indulge in any mu-
tual partomine; ncr did they even face one
another, but sarg it oil to
the Rsish aud ne. When our
slueh Sank down exhausted at the end OF
what may call tie first act, she looked
natural and attractive for the first time
These nsutch-wsl'ahs had come from Junls
in Nepal; they were making tour about
the country, stoplng to perform at the lar
gar villages on their road, and they aver.
aged S. or Sc night, good deal Of money
10 these poor people. | did not care 90
much for the nsutch as for the people who
watched it. They gszed with grave, fixed
faces; it might have been enjoyment or
to them for all that their looks
told about it. Yet suppose it must have
been enjoyment seeing that they had come
;here night after night 10 se6 ia ring of
white crouched figures without motion or
emotion All the Askot world vas there
with it's wife snd children. The women
sat circlewise in the dark outside the tents,
only the stars above them, the dew drip.
ping down on them They kept timid
silence snd was hsrdly conscious Of their
presence.