Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-05-02
STREET PAY ROLL.
An East Indian Carnival.

An East Indian Carnival.
"Benares is an everlasting garden o
festivals" writes R. d. Mackenzie il
he May Century, in paper, illustrated
With pictures by the author, on "Tht
Maharajas Water Carnival"
The hot afternoon slowly sank into
evening, the river being like a sheet OF
glass; one almost gdsped for air. The
empled bank was slowly shrouded in
he gray veil of evening, and some
thing like disappointment hung in the
sultry atmosphere. when suddenly the
boatmen cried, Here they come!'
With difficulty l could make out some
small gray spots about two miles up
| he river, just coming into view around
he bend from Ramnagar Fort, the res
dence of the maharaja. Slowly they
approached, until at last they were
lose upon us. The air seemed to
grow cooler and the heat was forgot
en-. All attention was fixed upon two
'ovely visions-one could not call them
)oa;s-the foremost a pair of dapped
gray horses rising completely out Of
he water. supporting canopy of red
iilk on silver pcles, under which were
eated on the long boat of painted To-
us-flowers, the maharaja and his prin-
ess, dressed in the most delicate hor-
Monies of Oriental color, silver and
gold, in the midst CT which were few
lashes of scarlet. The crew, with
pink-bladed cars, dipped into the liq-
lid crystal of the river. The second
9oat represented a gigantic peacock,
'arrying on its long, distented back a
riple canopy of kincob strawberry
md gold, under which sat the NAH
,raja's sen and heir the ministers and
other state officials. Close on every
side were numerous small craft hover
ing in their wake like dancing water
beetles.
The last glow of light was fading
away, the little Noah's arks that so
nysterlously disappeared in the morn
ing came, quietly stealing out in clus-
:ers from their hiding, until by the
lime The temples were reached-which
was the purpose of the procession to
visit-the river was a chaotic mass of
moving color, over which the curtain
Of night was repidly falling. Without
rhe least warning a torch famed up in
the midst, and for an instant blottad
out the whole spectacle in inky black
ness. But gradually the eye became ac-
eustomed tc the change. the torch
burned slowly down. and in its place
crimson, a green and yellow flare
Of artificial fire burst forth with spas
modic sputterings, illuminating one
boat in green, another in crimson,
while another passed in sable shadow.
The deep purple reflection from the
sky alternated with
the crimson and green as the mahar-
alas boats attempted to lead through
the haphaZard mass back past the tenn
pies, and out to the floating tents in
mid-stream-a carnival indeed, and
full of that picturesque accident which
Is seen to such perfection in the uncon-
of an Oriental gathering.
One by cne The boats and barges at
-ached themselves to the floating tents
until the mass assumed enormous pro-
portions; they were variously illumin-
lted with lanterns and crystal chan
leliers, of which the native of India Is
very proud. The tents were crowded
TO their utmost limit; the wierd, thin
voices Of the nartch-girls were heard
IN the still night air, with the perpet-
nal accompaniment of their bell ank-
cts, stringed instruments and tom
oms. One of the most unique features
was the baZar of sweetmeat sellers.
Not to be done out of their business
because the fete was isolated in the
middle of the Ganges they took their
'ntire shops afoat, and the pyramids
" light-brown Jumps of sugared cream
eemed to afford a continual source CT
comfort to the festive.
Had quietly Withdrawn ten minutes
'arlier / should have enjoyed the per-
ect Illusion Of having lived an eve
ling in the sixteenth century; but
las! the ineongruous nineteenth cent
Try note so prevalent in the Orient was
leard in crash OF rawhide and brass, |
md blizzard of metallic discord out
If which | was able to pick up frag-
nents of 1--WE won't go hcme till
morning" | besought the boatmen,
Who seemed enchanted, to hurry me
way into the blackness of the night /
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