The Cook County herald., 1905-12-09
AN INDIAN RAILWAY.
PEcuIlARlTlEs OF TRAVELLING in
iS THE EAST.
Wandering Tribes Offer Tributes TO
the Passing Locomotive-Berths of
Cars Made Up in Layers for the
Economically Inclined. r. .E s

"ln India prospective traveller sets
OFT for the station with native ser
want, who will get the tickets, choose
the seats on the train. look after the
baggage and on the journey make all
necessary purchases says writer.
AT the station he finds a motley
crowd-the larger stations always
seem to be crowded-composed for
the most part of natives. Both the
women and the men display gorgeous
colors-even to the lowest castles. The
latter show turbans of many hues,
while the former. in addition to being
arrayed In robes of gladstone dyes,
have silver, glass and other gems.
many very valuable, in their noses and
as earrings Some, perhaps the ma
jority, have been waiting about the
station for an hour or so, for the In
dian natives are rich in time, if in
nothing else. The men are circulating
the hubble-bubble, or slowly chewing
the pansupari-thati is, the betel-nut
quid, the universal and perpetual sol
ace of India. You will try it once, but
the areca nut, broken up by a sort of
steel nut cracker and mingled with
a pinch of lime, the whole being
wrapped in a Leaf of the pepper vine
and fastened with Glove. The wOm-
en-, poor gentle souls, have some
chuppatties--cakes-i cloth, with q
hand of bananas or a basket OF man
goes and perhaps a water jug.
Even the tourist carries 'tflin'
basket, filled with potted meat, bis
cults, wine, soda water and machinery
for brewing tea. He has also his own
light bedding with him, two silk or
cotton rezais, well wadded, and pill
low; pillow case, calico sheets and
a basket. The seats in the train car.
riages are unusually deep and are SO
arranged as to form couches for the
night. All the tirst-class compart-
mentss haze q donhle roof to- en-, to,
sunshine, and the windows are dlpli:
Gated with purple or green glass and
shutters, to exclude the hot winds and
the choking dust On some lines, too,
the third and fourth class carriages
are fashioned in stories, SO that there
are layers of humble travellers berthed
over the heads OF the others. In this
luxurious fashion will the HindoO.
with his family, contentedly journey
day and night and go upon pilgrim
ages, being easily satisfied if he can
only get over the ground cheaply.
For miles and miles the journey is
to be beguiled by watching the mon
keys, the bandarlog, those strange
four-handed folk, who come down to
sit in the babul trees and to look at
the passing trains and the travellers.
They perch by families on the
branches of the trees lining the track,
with their long tails swinging and
their furry jaws busy with the fruit
which they have stolen. Or they
squat in companies about the fields
OF millet and grain, the old gossips
together and the youngsters merrily
playing. One of the most extraordi.
nary sights is the wandering tribes
offering tributes to the passing loco.
motives, and even prostrating them
selves before the telegraph wire.
which they style the, devils string
Nearly all of the engine drivers are
Europeans. for neither the Hindoo nor
Mahcmmedan has. as yet, the courage
or the knowledge to drive the terrible
and wonderful fire horse"