The Elbert County tribune., 1903-12-31
SCk

9 ~ 8 1t runs without break
4 L across the breadth of the
Tof land from Karacli to
A cyelist who had ridden round the
world on his bicycle once described it
as 1900 miles of the finest cycling tract,
ON earth.
1t is made OF kuntar. kind of stony
growth found on sandy ground and re-
sembling sandstone. When grosn1
fine and mixed with water. this yielus
mortar-like substance which gives
a surface 10 the road as hard and
smooth as a billiard table.
But once this surface is worn
through the kunSar reverts TO its
native sand. Hence the centre of the
Grand Trunk road. which is always
kept In repair for light traffic, is like
asphalt, while on each side of this
track is broad lane for heavy coun-
try traffic. where the dry sand lies Il
foot thick and the broad wheeled OK
carts raise pillar of dust as they
proceed and leave trail like the wake
of a ship behind them.
On each side of the main track is n
row of trees, and on each side of the
side track is yet another row. There
are thus four rows of trees in all 10
shield the wayfarers from the intol
erable heat and glare of the vertical
sun.
Along this great highway the many
sided life of India flows and eddies.
1t is peopled almost entirely by the
,afix-,, In, thafr dirty snttnu ainfIips
with bare brown legs showing be-
meath.
The sahlb keeps to his iron railroad
and leaves the people of the country
to their prehistoric slow moving rate
of progress. Here and there the Grim
son garments of the lower class women
and the different hued trousers of the
Mohammedan women in special, make
a splash of color amid the crowd OF
white-robed pilgrims.
There goes the graceful figure of Il
woman, straight as n dart beneath her
brass fotah of water. Better, however.
not to look at her face; very few of the
Indian peasant women have any beau
ty of feature, and the hard labor of
work in the fields under an Eastern
sun lelNtS Iutlu olu SlillNtltu
before their time.
Here comes native lady in burka,
and you could not look upon her fea-
lures IL you would. The burka is a
long, shapeless garment of unbleached
calico, which completely envelops the
figure from the crown of the head to
the feet; 1t has a lacework mask for
the face, through which only the eyes
are visible. 1t is astonishing how sell
dom this or any other native raiment
seems to get washed.
A herd OF goats struggle untended
down the highway. Farther along
some immense cattle with branching
horns block the traffic. 4 fast trot-
ting little bullock of the hump-backed
breed, harnessed TO an ekka, bumps
merrily along the centre of the road.
A boy flying kite cannons into the
passersby Two professional singers,
surrounded by a small crowd of wpmen
and children, stand under a branching
pipal tree, opening and shutting their
mouths alternately as they give vent
to n monotonous chant.
A fakir stalks by. clothed only in
a loin cloth, with long matted hair
and his head and body covered with
ashes, withered arm held straight
in front of him. Look at those Pathan
soldiers with their baGgy white
breeches and huge black puggaris.
swaggering through the crowd with
the contempt of the warrior for the
country pumpkin.
Along the portion of the Grand
Trunk which lies between Allahabad
and Benares, one day in late Septem-
ber two Englshmen were strolling
at their ease. 1t was just at the
change of the seasons when there was
stiil some bite in the sun in the day
time. and IL was not too cold to sleep
in the open air at night. The two men
were clad in native garb of dhoti and
puggari, partly for lightness and ease
in travelling. and partly to conceal their
fallen fortunes from their own com
patriots.
But though their faces were burnt
TO the hue of the natives themselves.
their nationality was evident at
glance to the passersby- There Is
something in the swing of an Eng
Iishman's walk that distinguishes him
from the down-trodden Hindu, while
the size of his chest and calves alone
would mark him out from the narrow
built. red-shanked natives of the
plains.
The simple villagers salaamed to
them as they passed, the Mohammedan
women with trousers tight from the
knee to the ankle. tho sign Of the
Oldest profession in tie world" be-