The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-08-03

are crowded with bathers and women FILL
| ING their sparkling copper jars with water;
the varied colors of costumes. the fantastic
architecture. the dense foliage and droop-
ing branches of the great banyans wnicn
overhanQ the water. are all mirrored IN the
swiftly moving current. One OF the Rnats
is set apart for the women who come to
battle, and here is an ever-shifting kaleldo-
SCOPE of vivid color. The eye is caught by
the simmer of silk and gold, as
they throw of their shining draperies and
reveal their lovely outlines and the satin
lustre of their amber-brown skins. Some
times sudden shrek goes up from among
key Is seen scaling up to the wide caves OF q
temple, dragging after him an embroidered
"chuddah." Then there is great hubbub
ana babel of tongues, and the monkey po-
lice appear on the scene. The chief busl-
ness OF these men is to keep watchful eye
on the little demons. They are armed with
long white wands. which are only used TO
intimidate the transgressor. but it would
seem without much success. Their usua!
plan. since the shawl is always high out OF
reach. is to place a bit of fruit or
some other. tempting bait on lower
terrace. and then to steal around to
the rear, while the monkey is
expected to forget the shawl in his eaeerness
TO seize the new plumber; but l have seen
him cautiously descend, dragging the shawl
after him, secure the fruit, and then make
good his escape, without losing any of his
booty. to some eminence whore he could
safely deride with hideous grimaces his
batf1ed pursuers. A frequent object of Gu
pldlty is the small, glittering pot which ev-
cry hindoo carries for drinking purposes.
and which is sometimes filled with sour
milk. or some other succulent dainty. The
successful robber retires to the roof of some
shrine just above the heads of the crowd,
n 0IArN ,tc "a
pot. and then, forgetting all about it.
down it falls from his careless hand on
the head of some unlucky wight below.
One morning a.. ;;.....snal commotion arose
among the monkey population as an
elephant passed along the narrow street
intense, particularly among the smaller fry.
who followed along from roof to roof, peep
ing out from behind the openings at the
colossus with the eager curiousity of small
boys. most moving incident was fight
nearly to death between two rival patriarchs
and am sure that we could not have felt
more breathless interest at our first bull
fight in Granada. One would have expected
much preliminary chattering and mutual
vituperation; but no; the combatants went
at it with the quiet determination of two
vetean pugilists. At first there was consid-
cradle excitement among the others as they
all rushed down to take part in the fray;
but the monkey police used their sticks to
good advantage in keeping them back, and
then tried to senerate the principals; touch
them they dared not. All the crowd came
down and formed ring on the steps; some
threw water ON the combatants, but it was
of no use. They clinched, tugged and
wrestled; the fur flew; they both fell into
the water, and crawled out nearly drowned
and SO weakened by loss of blood that they
could hardly stand; and at last they
dragged themselves wssRily up the steps,
and limped down the main street, followed
by all the bystanders.-From "Street Life
in India" by Edwin Lord Weeks, in Har-
per's Magazine for August.