The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-30
IN Enchanted india


Karakeorgeortch.
His gift OF terse vivid description Is
well shown in the frst references 70 the
plague. which vas rasi lg IN Bombay
when the Prince landed there.
zone morning a quantity Of rats were
found lying on the ground. next some
pigeons and fowls. Then a man Sied- OF
a strange malady-an unkn5wa disease :
and then others before Il was even known
that they were III. A little fever, q
little swelling under the arm or in he
throat, or in the groin. and IN forty-sighf
hours the patient was dead The mys-
ferrous disease spread and increased. At
first 1t was attributed TO some dates i'm
ported from Syria, TO some corn brought
from up county. The dates were de-
stroyed. the corn thrown into the sea,
but the scourge went on aad Increased,
heralded by terror and woe"
Thuycidides himself II no brfefer and
scarcely more effective.
Again, on the same theme: "a town
In mournlng-in the suburban stations. 50
crowded but three weeks since. there was
nobody, and nobody In the train We trav-
elled by. TIE hotel was closed; all the
servants had fed in terror of the plague.
Every shop had the shutters up. In
front Of a house Theoretically closed Snd
painted with a round RED spot for each
person who had died there, a fire OF sui
phur was burning with iivi1 glow.
This IL like a scene from Dante's In
ferno brought up to earth's surface.
Elsewhere the victims themselves are
shown in their house Of torment.
At the door the sick mans wife was
washing a white robe In which he would
be dressed for the grave tomorrow" She
was required by the ritual to prepare
for this burial while her husband was yet
living" and wore a look OF mute and
fearless resignation which terrified me"
The plague-stricken man lay on a low
bed struggling with anguish. Large drops
OF sweat stood on his face. his throat
was wrapped in suet bandages. and he
spoke with difficulty, as In a dream.
Pane, sahib!-'water, siri'
Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep
at once; and so would he sleep till the
end.
When the express arrived that morning
from Bombay eight bodies were found
of victims OF the plague who had died
on their way. They were laid on the
platform and covered with white sheet,
and in the station there was a perfect
panic, a surge Of terror which spread to
the town and broke up the market. The
shops were all shut. and the people rushed
to their knees before the idols in the
temples.
Something must be done. The method
adopted was characteristic. The Hindoo
still trusts more to incantatiOns than to
"A falIir, his brown skin plastered with
flour, his long black hair all matted,
bent over the bodies muttering holy words
Then, flourishing two yellow rags that
he took out OF a wallet hanging from his
shoulder, he exercised the station, driv-
ing away the spectre Of the pestilence,
going very fast, running along the line
by which the evil had come and vanish
ing where the rails ended behind the
trees"
A still more surprising instance Of the
prevalence of superstition is given. An
juggler actually bullied ana
beat a railroad corporation.
eat a station where we stopped a man
with a broad, jolly. smiling face got into
the carriage. He was a juggler and magi-
cian-could do whatever he wanted. and
at the time when the line was opened
he threatened that II he were not allow
ed to travel free he would break the trains
into splinters. The officials had a panic
and the authorities were so nervous that
they gave way: so ne Is always travelling
from one station to another, living in the
Here was a successful strike, indeed.
Yet this fellow was a clever sleight-of-
hand performer, nothing more.
In a few passages dealing with repul-
sive subjects, such as leprosy and the
famine, the authors extreme vividness
OF style becomes a fault: IL is greater
than the average reader Will enjoy. Here
Is a brief and very moderate sample
which must suffice. 1t is from a descrip-
ton. of the burning OF the dead at Be-
mares. The body OF a maiden had been
laid on the pyre, near that OF a poor old
crone.
The flames rose clear against the sky
for long time before the smell OF her
burned flesh mingled with that of the
poor woman, whose limbs, under the ac-
ton of the heat. seemed to stretch out
to inordinate length. One arm. sticking
out from the fire. seemed to clench Its
fist. which was bright yellow. as II It
would clutch at something, and then all
was consumed. The woodpile fell In. the
skull cracking with a dull snap. and
nothing was left but q heap of embers."
This scene Is brought home to all our
ears and nose. II Is very
effective. but one finds IL pleasanter to
look away.
There are, OF course. many descriptions
OF scenery and buildings. as in all books
Of travel. Here, too, there are often eff
fective touches-such as this OF the ruins
Of the Presidency at Lucknow:
THE gateway looks as II II had been
carved by the dents Of bullets In the
stone, and close by branch In the huge
inclosing wall SCARED all over by shot.
gave egress to the murderous host In
side on the walls that are left standing.
and they are many. the bullets seem TO
have scraWIed strange characters.
The real interest, however. lies IN the
pictures Of the people. One. Is tempted
TO make more citations than space per-
mits. Here, for example, Is a real rajah-
A gentleman badly dressed in European
fashion. followed by black servants out
bedizened. when this person
age departed in his landau. rather shah
by but drawn by magnificent horses. T.
was obliged 20 tell me that he was a
q genuine rajah, and even
very rich. which Il somewhat rare In
these days"
And here f. . ratah's seven-year-oId
daughter.
The little princess took a seat behind
her father and me. To drive out she had
put on an incredible necklace with bosses
Of diamonds and heavy emerald pendants.
With her talismans round her neck IN
little gold boxes. with this necklace OF