St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-04-08
AN I1L-oMENEp SPOT.
Experience With a Crocodile in an
Indian Palace.

Of all the experiences which have
fallen to the lot of my wife and myself
one of the most memorable was GER
tainly that which befell us in the Indian
city of Jeypoor. or Jypoor, says writer
III the New York Dispatch.
'Now think of it," said my wife, as
we sat at breakfast in the veranda of
the snug little hotel, ''this is the place
where the reigning Maharajah is said to
keep tank full of pet erocodileS in his
palace. We might go and see them"
few minutes later we were at the
main entrance itself. Even without its
wonderful accumulation of striking de-
tails, the mere height and size Of the
great structure would have Sufficed to
make it remarkable.
When we stood in the middle of the
inner courtyard and looked upward, we
saw above us a seemingly endless mass
of carved battlements, marble columns,
clustering turretS, curtained balconies,
flower crowned terraces. Sculptured
cornices, and brightly painted walls.
piled up against the clear blue sky like
ridges of some mighty mountain, while
high over all this blaze of many-eolored
glory fioated the golden standard of Jey-
poor,
But all this time there was no sign OK
the famous pet crOcodiles of which we
had heard SO much, and we were Just
beginning to wonder whether they
mightInot be, after all, mere travellers
tale, when our Hind0o guide suddenly
hurried US with marked alacrity up a
broad marble stair, OH to raised ter
race nearly midway along the garden
face of the palace. and then, leading lis
forward to q low, white parapet that
ran along the further side of the terrace
itself, pointed over it and babe us look
down.
At the sight of the horrible pit below
we both drew back with an irrepreSSi-
BILE start and culver of disgust. What
we beheld was just what we had eX-
peeted, and had come purpoSely to see;
but so frightful was the sudden revela-
ton of this foul, Shiny pool, crawling
with monstrOus and hideOuS reptiles in
the very midst of this splendid palace,
that had we seen herd of swine wal
lowing in fashionable drawing room
we could hardly have been more utterly
startled and shocked.
The beautiful white walls over which
we were leaning inclOsed a black, dis
nal swamp of thick, muddy, lifeleSS
water, from the Shiny depths of which
steamed upward through the hot,
breathleSS air, a Sickening stencil of
rank fOulness and decay. Above tue
thick, oily surface low banks of gliSten-
ing black mud arose every here and
there, and on that cOngeniaI couch lay
baslling the horrible reptiles which tho
Maharajah'S strange taste had pre-
served and nourished as pets.
Some lay ontstretched on the mud
banks in the full glare of the sun. torpid
as gorged snakes, but giving a sudden
snap with their cruel Jaws ever and
anon, as if they were dreaming of tear
ing some living victim to pieces. Others
were wallowing in the Sullen waters.
above which nothing could be seen but
their Scaly shouts and long, saw-like
tails.
Just below us the hugest of these foul
creatures lay asleep on an islet of mud,
half in the water and half out. Wishing
to stir il up, | threw a large stone at it,
which rebOunded from its scaly back
like a hailstone from a roof, but the
monster never moved.
Then two of the Hindoos, seeing what
we were at, joined in the bOmbardment
so Justify that the mud bank was stud.
ded like an almond cake with stones OF
all sizes; but to all appearances we
might have built an entire house upon
the phlegmatic crocodile without dis.
turbing it'in the least.
AT that moment tiny English child
having escaped from its ayah (natiYe
nurse) while the latter was engaged
watching the crocodiles, scrambled up
the parapet that Overhung the park. II
was horrible to see how, the moment
the poor little girl appeared, the
whole surface below was alive with
tapping tails and gaping jaws, as the
monsters caught sight of prospective
prey. Scared by the tumult the child
grew dizzy, staggered forward, and III
another instant would have fallen into
the terrible pool, when one of the Ma
harajah's native gardeners. an active
young fellow, sprang forward and
clutched her by the arm just in time.
'Crocodiles know how man flesh
tastel" said tall, gaunt Punjabi beside
us. ''When old Maharajah reign. that
time plenty man throw In here; crOcO-
diIes plenty much fat aha"
This speech, and the CHASTITY grin that
accompanied 1t, were all that was
needed to complete the horror of this
frightfu spectacle; and. turning away
with a shuddeT, we hurried from the ill
omened spot as fast as we could.