, 1890-09-04
: JAcKAL TEMPLE

= JNChSL EMILE
A Feast Spread and Homage Done to the
Animals by HIHdoos-
Between stI and seven thousand feet
above the level of the sea in the lower
range of the Himalayas, to the north
of Bareilly, lie the lovely lake and live
ly hill station of Eaini Tai. Besides the
usual floating population of visitors
there is in this earthly paradise a large
military depot, or hall sanitarium, where
officers and soldiers whose health has
suffered in the hot plains of Dude and
Hshilkund are sent up for a change of
air. One winter day, having been or
dered to march n party down to Bareil-
ly, and after encamping for the day /
started out to shoot francolin and hares,
which are very plentiful in the neigh
borhood. Before l started my servant,
an intelligent Hindoo Of higher caste
than usual, begged me to return before
sunset, as there was a curious ''Tam-
asha, the general expression in India
for any show or spectacle, to be seen
near camp.
Half an hour before sunset L returned
and asked my servant what the ''Tama-
sha" was. ct is a forest temple, sahib,"
was the answer. 1t sounded, quaint,
so 1 4 decided, though rather tired, to go
and see. A guide wa at hand. and off
l started, calling to some of the sol
diers to come, too, and cautioning
them to be silent and do nothing to of
fend the natives in any way. After
crossing two or three fields we came to
a great hedge of bamboos, about 100
yards long and very dense. A narrow
and t%ortuous path pierced this wall,
which was about twenty yards thick,
and then we found ourselves in an OBJ
long quadrangle OF high bamboos, at
one end of which stood a little Hindoo +
temple.
1t was a simple, clay built, white
washed building, the tall peaked roof
of straw being supported on a few old
and massive beams, whose projecting
ends were quantity carved. A flight of
six or seven broken stone steps led up
to the temple, in front of which hung
on n little cross bar n beautiful old
bronze bell.
On either side of the building a litte
row of very simply constructed cells or
cubicles occupied part Of the longer
sides of the quadrangle. Before each
cell sat a priest, naked, save the
waistcloth and sacred Brahman string,
and busy with the cooking of chupat-
ties, of a singularly thick and coarse
kind.
Tba gaftino 49, gfr,t,lr Oh, f. 90 lfrlt
through the delicate foliage of the top
most bamboo. The priests sat silent
and stolid before their fires and cakes,
as II ignorant of our presence. Then,
as the last rays Of the sunset died off
the feathers of the mighty hedge
round us, there issued from the temple
a man of extreme age, clad in white
robes, and closely shaven as to his face
and head. 1t was the chief priest, and
he began to toll the bell. Very sweet
and sonorous was its note. The whole
glade rang with the sound, the BAN
boo feathers seemed to toss in sym
pathy, and the now dusky thickets
caught up and repeated the solemn
tocsin.
Then all the priests arose, as if for
vespers, and moved solemnly and in
dead silence round the quadrangle,
bearing with them their huge chupat-
ties, which they broke up and depos-
tied on stones and old tree trunks and
on the steps of the temple. What
could it all mean? Just then a rustling
sound and a startled exclamation from
a soldier behind me made me look
down. A jackal, big and plump,
brushed past my leg, with an upward
curl of his lips and an upward look Of
surprise and resentment in the red
bronze, cleaning eyesl Simultane-
ously from every lane and passage in
the darkling thicket came other jackals,
singly and in pairs and even a whole
litter together, and filed the space be-
fore the temple.
Soon the feast was spread and the
head priest ceased to toll the bell, and
arm and a shout from the chief priest,
trotted, without rivalry or snarling or
confusion, to what was evidently his
allotted place and feast, seized the cake
in his jaws, turned and disappeared
through the spod. There was no ION
ding of the wild animals, no sign of
worship of them, no ceremonial, moth
ing but this silent, business like al
monry.
The rite was over, the priestly office
performed, and one by one the soldiers
moved back to camp. In vain did l
fee and question the priests as to the
meaning of this bounty. 1T had all
ways been so" was the answer-the
best argument and the most complete
raison d'etre for anything in the east
London Graphic.