Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-02-05
AN INDIAN HOME SCENE.
ENTERTAINED WITH MUSIC AND
THE DANCE OF NAUTCH GIRLS.
George Augustu, saIa's Account of His
Exception at the Home of a Hindoo
GentIemsn-Descripti of Beautiful
.Interior--Dance and Lovc-songS.

.Interior-Dance and Loye-songs.
On the evening Of our visit to the city Of
Poona and to the sacred hill Of Paryati,
we were invited To nautch dance at the
house Of an old and esteemed friend, Mr..
Dorabii Pudumii 1t is the custom on
festival occasions 20 illuminate the gardens
and house front with numberless oil
lamps set in pyramidal stands vt sus-
pended in the trees. A Hood Of light,
therefore, welcomes the guest on arrival,
and he passes into spacious apartments
equally bright, with candles in brass
butts, or handsome glass chandeliers
There is nowhere greater grace or cordial
ity of greeting than among the educated
families Of India; but, in truth, this l. the
land Of fine and noble manners, aud from
the cultivated parsee and MOhammedan
10 the peasant and the peon the western
traveller may receive. II he WILL perpetual
lessons of good breeding
A COUPLE OF NAUTCH GIRLS.
The ladies of. the house were ranged
ronnd the large central room in dresses of
light gauzy muslins or silks delicately en-
brUiderei, AMI dyed In all the loveliest
fints imaginable, rose color predominant
fiful flowers. The gentlemen wore black
coats and hats Of the well known Parsee
fashion, with trousers Of crimson or white.
In the center Of the apartment sat the two
nautch girls, Wazil-Bukhsh, Momham-
medan. and Krishna, Hindoo. both
amazingly arrayed in skirts of scarlet and
gold, with saris OF bright hues. plentifully
spangled tight gilded trousers and anE.
lets Of silver and gold bells, which make
q soft tinkling mt every p,uNem,ut of the
small brown feet. Behind them stand
their three musicians, one playing the
aavingi, a sort Of violin the other the tam
boora, deep-souniing Kind Of vinluncello,
and the third provided with bl>s and a
treble drum tied roul.d his waist on a
bright scarf.
The girls rose 10 their feet. salaamed,
and one Of them lrgan slow pas. ad-
yancing and retire ting with rlIythmical
waving Of hands and measured beat of
foot, which the other dancer then re-
peated. Next followed song. a series of
songs delivered in high head notes, and
principally of an amatory character: My
beloved is absent, and there is no sun in
the sky, no moon for me mt night! But he
IL coming, elk hat khali-'with one hand
empty'-bnt in it he carries me back my
heart.' Then krishna sang the Taxa ba
Taxa the musicians advancing and re-
treating with her tinkling PAGES, leaning
over the absorbed performers, and SEEM
ing In the intensity Of their accompani-
ment to nurse the singing and draw II
forth note by note. After this the Muslin
girl and her Hindoo sister executed to-
gether famous dance called the "Kur-
-ar," which consists Of series OF charac-
ter pictures. They placed coquettish lit
tie caps OF spanglei velvet on their black
\bptr. aud acted first OF all the Indian
jesfhe amolireux. adjusting his turban,
stroking his miistache, and penciling his
eyebrows. Then it was Govinda, one
corner Of the sari twisted up To represent
the barisula, on which the lighted hearted
god piped to the shepherdesses and Rahda
listening, and singing.
LovE-sTCK MAID OF THE Jingle
NeXt-tU the same neyer-ending rise and
fall Of the amorous music-WaZil Buksh
became love-sick maiden in the jungle,
picking blossoms To faslcn in her hair,
and Krishna followed, cnacting a serpent
charmer. Blowing on the beaded gOurd
the snake music which brings the hooded
cobra forth from his deepest hole, she
swayed her little body over the imaginary
reptile. chanting the notes of the dreamy.
bewildering, beguiling song: bent herself
over the half-eutrtuCgd snake, cOaXing
him out with long, low. weird passages of
Wild melody, until the charm was sup
posed 10 have triumphed. the serpent was
bewitched and captured; whereupou
Krishna rose 10 her feet and, drawing the
.lifIeriug fringe If her sari over her fore
head expanding iswith both hands 40 as
10 resemble a cObra's hood. she finished
with the snake-dance. amid cries Of "Sba-
BASH well done) which were acknOwl-
edged with deep salaams.
We were favored after this upon special
request, with the IlUli and Wasanta
7ongs. albeit not one of the seasoE-fUr
iIindoo singing l. more or less religious
and there are certain of these melodies
for the year aud for the daylight, and
others which must never he given except
after midnight. When the first part was
concluded the mistress IT the house hung
sharS, or garlunds. ar sweet scented bios
SONS ON the necks and wrists Of the
nauich dancers for II is the custom al
ways to honor them in this way before
any other guests. While they rested, and
munched hetel-leaf a skillful player from
Canara discoursed singular passages upon
an eight stringed star, accompanied by a
boy upon the tamboOra; and afterward
followed sweetmeats and altar Of roses,
whereupon some Of ms had had enough,
and we made ndieus. The natives will,
however. sit out whole nights, listening to
such music. and watching the soft move
ments Of the nautchees, which are the
more interesting, Of course, the better
they are comprehended.-G. \. Sala's
Baroda Qndia) Letter
Cross Between Wheat and Rye.
The result of the experiments that arc
being made 10 hybridize wheat and rye
are Described In The NentnrY IL Is hnpel