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My Trip Around the 
 World 
 
 BY 
 
 E L 1 ■- O N O R A HUN T 
 
 AUGUST, 1S95— MAY, 1S96 
 
 I'RIVA I l-I.V PRINTED FOR TH1-; A U 1 H O R 
 
 CHICAGO 
 
 1902 
 
1 
 
DEDICATED TO MY 
 GRANDSONS 
 
 John 
 
 and Hunt 
 
 Wentworth 
 
Inirodttction. 
 
 I must acknowledge that I hesitate to place 
 this manuscript in print. It has been a struggle 
 for me in my declining days, luith impaired 
 health and imperfect vision ; hut my desire is 
 that my grandsons, John and Hunt IVent^vorth, 
 to whom I dedicate this hook, may glean from its 
 leaves some knowledge and, perhaps, it may create 
 a desire to take the satne trip some day, having first 
 gained for themselves a storehouse of knowledge 
 with which they may be enabled to see the Orient 
 and other foreign lands with a greater degree of 
 appreciation. By that time, the '^ Problems of 
 the Far East^^ may have been solved, and light 
 divine will shine in the dark places. 
 
 If a few copies find their ivay into the hands 
 of friends, those 'who knoio me well will have 
 charity, as they know the difficulties I have had 
 to surmount in accomplishing the work. 
 
 E. H. 
 fuly 31, tgo2. 
 
Wm. Johnston Printing Company 
 Chicago 
 
My Trip Around the JVorld 
 
 Chicago, August 19, 1895. 
 
 Have you ever had a desire so great that it 
 became a controlling- influence, and when that 
 desire or wish was gratified and that day- 
 dream became a reality to feel an overwhelm- 
 ing sadness — a heart failure? If so, you can 
 realize how on August 19, 1895, at 6:30 p. m., I 
 left Chicago with a heavy heart for a voyage 
 around the world in company with my broth- 
 er, his wife and son, the latter just relieved 
 from college life. 
 
 We arrived in St. Paul in time for breakfast, 
 the train already made up that was to convey 
 us on the Canadian Pacific Railroad to Van- 
 couver, B. C. 
 
 Our attention was at once directed to the 
 immense wheat fields of Minnesota and vil- 
 lages few and far between. Through the end- 
 less prairies of the Dakotas, with no signs of 
 vegetation along the railway, and but little 
 animal life. A few Indians visit the station on 
 the arrival of trains ; some to barter, others — 
 blind or crippled — to beg. The third day out, 
 at 1 130 p. m., we reached the Glaciers, where 
 we remained twenty-four hours. Through 
 
Assinniboin, north of western Dakota, we had 
 noticed deep furrowed trails of the buffalo 
 crossing the road from north to south. Now 
 and then, their bones were seen in white 
 patches on the prairies, and at the stations 
 tons were ready for shipment east to make 
 tooth-brush handles and bone dust for soda 
 fountains, etc. AVe had been advised to stop 
 at the Glaciers instead of Banff, perhaps by- 
 some traveler who felt the inconvenience of 
 getting up at three o'clock in the morning to 
 take the train. We regretted it, however, 
 when we were told that the hotel is nestled 
 among the mountains rising over 5,000 feet 
 above it, all of them snow capped and far 
 down the sides of the deep gorges was still seen 
 the same white vestment. The Glacier House, 
 where we spent the night, is like a Swiss chalet 
 in architecture. To sit upon its piazza and gaze 
 on the lofty mountain peaks is a sublime sight. 
 To watch the sun climbing its sides, rose-tint- 
 ing the snows which lie like a mantle over 
 their height, is not soon forgotten; and to lis- 
 ten to the mighty roar of the foaming cata- 
 ract, which tumbles over the precipitous foot- 
 hills, one can but exclaim : Almighty One, 
 how^ great are thy works ! The path lead- 
 ing through the forest to the glacier is most 
 picturesque, but not easily trodden. The con- 
 stant fear of encountering a wolf or bear, to- 
 gether with the sight of the great mountain 
 of ice, soon cools one's ardor, and we Avere 
 
 RBC 
 NcU 
 
content to retrace our steps and to gather 
 after dinner around an old-fashioned stove in 
 the exchange of the Inn with a score of trav- 
 elers and listen to the stories of their adven- 
 tures and have for an object lesson skins of 
 the grizzlies but lately captured, which had 
 not a soporific effect, but less terrific than 
 meeting their majesties face to face. 
 
 The scenery from the Glacier House to Van- 
 couver, through the Selkirk Mountains is over- 
 powering; around countless curves, over lofty 
 trestles and ragged edges of fearful precipices 
 the line of cars pursues its way. The stupen- 
 dous heights are at times absolutel}^ shrouded 
 in smoke; the climb of twenty-seven hundred 
 feet in thirty miles around the mountain 
 shelves and through vast snow sheds (most 
 expensive in their construction), to emerge 
 again into the light for a glance down the 
 gorges into the glaciers, over and above to the 
 lofty summits, is all the imagination can pic- 
 ture, and the traveler feels like a "mighty atom" 
 in the midst thereof. 
 
 On the fifth day out from home we arrived 
 in the city of Vancouver. Our vessel, the 
 "Empress of Japan," lay at anchor very near 
 the wharf, and after securing our cabins 
 and seats at the table we returned to the 
 Hotel Vancouver, where we remained from 
 Saturday till Monday morning. Owing to a 
 delayed train, we did not sail before midnight. 
 We had forty-seven out-going missionaries, 
 
 9 
 
some returning from a vacation granted once 
 in seven years, others were about to enter on 
 untried duties. The Rev. S. F. J. Scheres- 
 chewsky, v^ife and daughter, were among the 
 number. He was a paralytic — the stroke was 
 superinduced by a sunstroke in China, where 
 he had labored heroically in a translation of 
 the Bible into the Chinese language. He was 
 taken to Paris where, under Charcot's care, he 
 recovered sufficiently to return to Cambridge, 
 Mass., where his work was completed ready for 
 publication. This he desired to have done in 
 Shanghai. We were told his translation would 
 excel all others that have ever been made. 
 
 At ID o'clock each day, during the voyage 
 of fourteen days the missionaries would gather 
 together for a short service in the salon, 
 where admittance was free to all. The ship 
 averaged 370 miles a day ; a few of the passen- 
 gers found the "rocking in the cradle of the 
 deep" rather disagreeable, but the majority 
 of them kept their chairs and were well repaid, 
 for the air was a tonic too good to be missed. 
 The ship was well disciplined, the table invit- 
 ing, the service entirely Chinese — whose sense 
 of decorum was most marked. 
 
 On Sunday evening, the thirteenth day out, 
 we expected to anchor at Yokohama, but a 
 fearful wind arose; the captain left his seat at 
 the dinner table in haste and ordered the ship's 
 course changed. We were skirting a terrific 
 typhoon. We were in sight of land, but in- 
 
 10 
 
stead of reaching it at seven-thirty in the evening 
 we did not accomplish it until lo o'clock Monday 
 morning. The steamer "Belgic" was stranded 
 that night forty-three miles from Yokohama. The 
 captain, who had for forty years made successful 
 trips, was destined to see his vessel wrecked; 
 no lives were lost but the rebuke he received 
 cost him the loss of his position — and much 
 srreater the loss of reason. He was taken to 
 a madhouse. 
 
 The 9th of September found us in the hands 
 of our guide, who had been engaged to meet 
 us on board the vessel on our arrival. Jin- 
 rikishas were in waiting, we rode to the cus- 
 tom house and from there to the Hotel Grand, 
 along the Bund skirting the water's edge. The 
 sun shone brilliantly, and all Nature seemed 
 to bid us welcome. The hotel site is un- 
 equaled; the gentle sea breezes seem to follow 
 us ; Englishmen and Americans crowded the 
 verandas, and apparently gave us a warm wel- 
 come. Long lines of jinrikishas formed a 
 barrier between the waters of Yeddo Bay and 
 the hotel, each in charge of a coolie, whose 
 dress (if any) shocked us; but to this nude 
 condition we soon became oblivious. 
 
 A ride along the shore of the Mississippi 
 Bay, and through the country where rice and 
 millet grow abundantly, in a jinrikisha with 
 a good natured coolie is a delight. The Bunga- 
 low of the native all exposed to view is a sam- 
 
 II 
 
pie of neatness, while the children, most gen- 
 tle with each other, play in numbers around 
 the home. 
 
 On this drive and but a short distance from 
 Yokohama is the English concession, homes 
 hidden almost from view by high walls and 
 dense foliage. In that land of sunshine, with 
 the cool breeze from the sea, the constant in- 
 flux of European and i\merican travelers, 
 keeping one in touch with the world and with 
 the simplicity of the surroundings, one can 
 imagine a tranquilizing life and a happy 
 coterie. 
 
 The streets of Yokohama are narrow, the 
 houses of one, sometimes two stories, all on 
 line with the sidewalk and with apparentlv no 
 privacy. The gutters are flushed with water, 
 which seems to be used for all purposes, even 
 to the bathing of children. The absence of 
 horses gives ample room for the masses of men, 
 women and children who throng the streets. 
 No haste is manifested, save when a line of 
 jinrikishas of heavily freighted coolies appear, 
 and then with perfect good nature the right 
 of way is given. No menace, no insults are 
 heard. The perennial smile of women and 
 the submission of the men is enough to con- 
 quer all antagonism to foreigners, if any 
 exists. Nevertheless, a guide is indispensable 
 to protect against intrusive curiosity, for 
 wherever you stop, there the gaping crowd 
 surrounds you. 
 
 12 
 
The shopping fever seems to manifest itself 
 almost immediatel}' on arrival at Yokohama ; 
 in fact, I heard of no epidemic so fatal to vis- 
 itors. Your guide, who has an eye to the 
 commission he will receive on all your pur- 
 chases, gives you his advice as to where you 
 shall buy — to his best advantage. As truth- 
 fulness is not a Japanese virtue, it is well to 
 consult your fellow traveler and to use your 
 own judgment as to qualitv. Each city of 
 Japan seems to have its specialty ; for instance : 
 We found the handsomest kimonas. the finest 
 cloisonais in Yokohama ; the best carving in 
 ivory in Tokio. 
 
 As for a gentleman's outfit it would be ad- 
 visable to go to Yokohama with an empty 
 trunk, for good materials and perfect fit are 
 guaranteed for marvelously low prices. There 
 your duck suits. Pongees and silk underwear 
 for the tropics are laid in with great satisfac- 
 tion. The adaptation in imitation is most 
 striking. A waist of a dress given the tailor 
 will be so closely copied in fit and style and 
 delivered in so brief a space of time that it 
 makes you fairly sigh when you think of the 
 waste of time and mistakes that our own 
 modistes often subject us to, but there is no 
 originality displayed by the Japanese. 
 
 The native woman is always clothed ; the 
 unmarried, known by the style of hair dress- 
 ing, are neat and gayly attired in their 
 kimonas and bright sashes, are attractive, 
 
 13 
 
but the absolute negligence of the mothers 
 is revolting. The hair if not in strings, is 
 most loosely bound up ; no more pomade and 
 bows; their teeth blackened, and their bosoms 
 so exposed that their elongated condition be- 
 comes revolting. We were told that supply 
 of the human dairy never ceases while the de- 
 mand exists. No sooner does one child let go, 
 than another takes hold — hence the accessibility. 
 
 To visit the temples is of daily occurrence. 
 There, hundreds of natives are huddled to- 
 gether, prostrating themselves before the 
 tinselled altars, leaving behind them in the 
 space they have occupied a coin, of but little 
 value, it may be, but something to denote their 
 willingness to support their religion. These 
 coins are gathered by the priests, and a theft 
 is unknown. 
 
 Strangers are admitted without hesitancy to 
 the rooms where cloisonai and bronze are 
 manufactured, the close quarters, the sim- 
 plicity of utensils, the perfection of workman- 
 ship, the untiring patience is to the nervous 
 American the wonder of the age. 
 
 At night the streets of the city are thronged. 
 Along and outside the curbstone are peddlers 
 with their wares spread upon the ground with 
 a single lamp light, around which gather the 
 customers. The jugglers seated behind open 
 lattice work perform their feats to admiring 
 groups, while theatrical performances all in 
 full blast, shut up from view from the street 
 with but a slight screen, seem well patronized. 
 
Many women are sold by their parents 
 for the payment of a debt or the support of their 
 famihes. The government confines these charac- 
 ters to their own quarters ; they are not allowed 
 on the streets of the city. We turn willingly on 
 the following day to something more elevating 
 and visit Enoshina, via the Imperial Railroad. 
 The chief object of interest at Kamakura, our first 
 stopping place, is the "Dai Butsa" — "Great Bud- 
 dha." It stands alone as the highest embodiment 
 of Japanese art ; height, forty-nine feet and seven 
 inches ; circumference, ninety-seven feet and 
 two inches ; surrounded by beautiful Camphor 
 and Echo trees. This bronze image is sup- 
 posed to have been erected in 1252. The tem- 
 ple built over this image was destroyed in 
 1494. Since then it has remained exposed to 
 the elements. AVithin the image is a space 
 containing a shrine. The eyes of Buddha are 
 of pure gold ; the silver boss on the forehead 
 weighs thirty pounds — it signifies light, or 
 wisdom. Not far from this image of bronze 
 stands the temple of Kovanon. the Goddess of 
 Mercy, whose image is seen indistinctly be- 
 hind folding doors. It is of brown lacquer, 
 gilded and is thirty feet high. We enter and 
 involuntarily lay our hand upon it for the vir- 
 tue that may arise from our act of faith. 
 
 We again summon our coolies and, along 
 the water's edge, are drawn to the hillside on 
 whose summit is one of the most picturesque 
 tea houses in Japan. The ascent is rather 
 
 15 
 
steep, but through shaded paths lined on either 
 
 side with stands where attractive souvenirs 
 may be purchased, chopsticks of fancy design, 
 jewelry, shell ornaments, etc., etc. The view 
 from the tea house overlooking the sea is most 
 charming. There our guide has laid for us a 
 tempting lunch brought from the hotel at 
 Yokohama. Tea and service is offered us by 
 most graceful Japanese waitresses, who have 
 no hesitation in assisting our gentlemen 
 change their clothing for the bathing suit, that 
 they may follow them to the water's edge to 
 see them sport like fish in the bright blue 
 waters, and w^ere it not for the pestiferous 
 fleas, one might declare the excursion perfect. 
 The journey to Niko by rail is most diver- 
 sified, shaded for miles by the Cryptomeria 
 trees. The pear tree, trellised with its luscious 
 fruit somewhat like our Russet apple or a 
 taste akin to watermelon, is seen. The day's 
 journey is made all the more agreeable by the 
 luncheon of quail sandwiches, fruits and hot 
 tea, the latter made by our guide in our compart- 
 ment. At five-thirty o'clock in the evening we 
 arrive at the Hotel Niko, the weather cold 
 and rainy, a poor table and damp, uninviting 
 apartments. A brazier is at the solicitation 
 of the guests placed in the drawing room. 
 There we barter all evening with natives for 
 furs of the monkey, idols of ivory and objects 
 of interest of wood and bronze. The trip to 
 Lake Chuzendi, eight miles from Niko, is made 
 
 i6 
 
by chairs and jinrikishas carried and drawn 
 by the coolies. For our party of four we take 
 two chairs and three jinrikishas and seventeen 
 coolies — four for each chair, two to pull and 
 one to push the jinrikishas. The third jinriki- 
 sha is for our guide and hamper of provisions. 
 The road zigzags in many turns up the steep 
 sides of the mountain, followed by a dashing 
 stream issuing from Lake Chuzendi, known as 
 "Kenon-no-taks," which falls in beautiful cas- 
 cades and seethes over the dizz}^ heights, while 
 our sturdy pullers keep up a tremendous pace 
 with a continuous cry of warning to a chance 
 pedestrian or cart of a street vender, whom 
 we meet on the narrow ledges drawn by the 
 same patient coolie. Baskets hung on a pole 
 and borne by two men often contain a native 
 woman and perhaps a child; mules with pan- 
 niers so large filled with vegetables and 
 merchandise that you can scarcely see thie 
 poor animal, slowly plodding along this highway 
 led by a woman or more often a small boy 
 with a rain cloak of straw and a wide brimmed 
 hat of the same material, which are so cumber- 
 some that 3^ou look almost in vain for the 
 wearer. We dismount wherever a fine view is 
 obtainable, and invariably find a tea house. 
 Attentive w^aitresses, clad in their bright ki- 
 monas, regale you with small cups of tea and 
 cake, to say nothing of the peppermint candies 
 offered for a few pennies with a low bow and 
 ^»ewitching smile. Cushions to rest upon — 
 
 17 
 
with invisible occupants (fleas), who insist 
 upon accompanying you during the journey, 
 notwithstanding your efforts to shake them 
 off. If a bright day is vouchsafed the trav- 
 eler the view from the summit is glorious, 
 the tea house commodious; fishing with nets 
 adroitly thrown brings in an abundant supply 
 for the table. Our curiosity led us into an 
 apartment where the noon meal was being 
 prepared by a wife for her liege lord. The 
 cooking was done over a few coals in a brass 
 brazier filled with ashes. A steel skewer 
 placed upright in the ashes on which was sus- 
 pended a fish, overhanging the coals, which by 
 frequent turnings was most effectually dried and 
 apparently made a savory dish. An omelet 
 most tempting and a bowl of rice was 
 then placed upon a low table before which 
 the husband sat upon his haunches and ate 
 most leisurely, while the wife retired into 
 a corner endeavoring to satisfy a hungry in- 
 fant. The great question of the Orient is: 
 Will the day ever come when an equality of 
 sex will be acknowledged? We put the ques- 
 tion to our well-educated guide, who shook his 
 head and replied, "In America women rule, but 
 in Japan the master is man." A missionary told 
 me that they endeavored early to marry the con- 
 verted man to the Christian woman and to in- 
 sist that they should sit together at their meals, 
 but it was a hard lesson and seldom adopted. 
 The temples of Niko surpass all others that we 
 
 i8 
 
saw in Japan. Broad avenues, well shaded, lead 
 up to the hills upon which they were built. In 
 1617 Hidetada, the second Shogun, removed the 
 body of his father to this spot. He was deified by 
 an order of the Mikado, under a name signifying 
 "The Light of the East," the great incarnation of 
 Buddha. His grandson finished the temple 
 erected in memory of his grandfather and was 
 himself enshrined there. The five-story pagoda, 
 105 feet high, lends interest to this spot. The 
 decorations of these temples are of carved wood 
 in panels, painted in gorgeous coloring. Much 
 of this carving is the handiwork of the celebrated 
 "Hidare Jingoro," other work that of "Tunza." 
 The group of three monkeys, blind, deaf and 
 dumb, and the "sleeping cat," all have religious 
 signification. The floors of these temples are 
 covered with padded matting; in consequence, 
 no one is allowed to enter without removing 
 his shoes, or slipping a cotton covering over 
 those he has on. The altars are ornamented 
 with immense brass storks, with candelabra in 
 their mouths, and tinselled lotus flowers with 
 leaves of brass are much in vogue. The tombs 
 are guarded with painted monsters representing 
 gods of Wind and Thunder. The services are 
 not unUke those conducted in the Catholic 
 Church by continuous chanting. Pilgrims are 
 coming and going, offering their prayers after 
 first signaling the gods by ringing a bell, the 
 rope of which is often made of human hair, a 
 sacrifice made to appease the gods during an 
 
 19 
 
epidemic. Near by and in the same enclosure is 
 the sacred horse, a stupid looking animal, 
 guarded by an old woman, who for a trifling 
 recompense will feed it a few beans from a small 
 saucer. 
 
 From Niko we go to Tokio, a city of magnifi- 
 cent distances, the home of the Mikado. We stop 
 at the Imperial Hotel, the best kept in Japan. 
 Temples and tombs set apart in sequestered 
 groves, seem to be the resort of pleasure-seekers 
 and pilgrims. Once the ceremonial worship is 
 over, the people clap their hands to notify their 
 god of their duties having been performed, and 
 turn for rice, tea or chat. Many of the petitions 
 are written on slips of paper and are left on the 
 gratings that protect the idols, and those fright- 
 ful guardians at the entrance are frequently cov- 
 ered with moistened balls of paper containing 
 their written prayers. 
 
 Thirty years of civilization has not changed 
 the agricultural implements. The same plow 
 that upheaved the soil one thousand years ago 
 turns it now ; the same punt that furrowed the 
 waters is the same to-day ; the style of archi- 
 tecture of the old Tartar order, derived from the 
 old Tartar tents, with immense curving and 
 overhanging roof, repeats itself in keeps and 
 temples. Possibly this stereotype is the result of 
 being for ages cut off from other nations. The 
 ponderous bells, struck by great beams of wood 
 swung from the outside, give forth mighty mys- 
 terious murmurings. 
 
 20 
 
The population of the city of Tokio is a mil- 
 lion and a half (1895) 2nd covers a territory as 
 large as London. The castle of the Mikado, in 
 the center of the city, occupies a space of several 
 miles in circumference. There are three castles, 
 and between each a moat; the inner side of each 
 has a wall of sixty to ninety feet high, built of 
 huge stones of massive weight. The inner castle 
 is surrounded by beautiful wooded grounds, 
 miniature lakes, streams and meadows. The 
 public buildings and those occupied by govern- 
 ment officials are of European architecture. The 
 streets of the city are narrow, no sidewalks, and 
 the one-story houses serve as workshop and 
 residence for the occupant. The inhabitants go 
 bareheaded, carrying umbrellas. The con- 
 venience of the river that runs through Tokio 
 and the canals that intersperse its streets is very 
 apparent. Public education is compulsory. 
 Japan in its whole extent, with all its islands in- 
 cluded, covers about as much territory as North 
 and South Dakota combined. Although it has 
 an immense system of irrigation, only one-twelfth 
 of its soil is under cultivation, and the rice crop 
 entirely dependent upon it. The population of 
 forty million of people of untiring industrv is 
 rewarded by a mere living. For centuries the 
 cultured class of patrons of the temples have 
 given these people w^ork, for every rich temple 
 adds to its wealth bronzes, lacquered work, vest- 
 ments of brocades, tapestries and carvings of 
 images, each having its fire-proof buildine in 
 
 21 
 
which its treasures are kept ; they are not seen 
 in the temples. As for the missionary work, we 
 visited the "Mary Colby Seminary," a boarding 
 and day school in Yokohama, Miss Grafton of 
 Vermont being principal. At that time there 
 were fifty native children as scholars, most 
 of them able to pay for their own tuition. 
 It is impossible to calculate the strength and in- 
 fluence of these teachings, and where the schools 
 become self-supporting they must be strong- 
 holds. We were told that demand for teachers 
 was much less than the number waitin? to be 
 called. At Kiota we visited the "Dobisha 
 School," a university started in 1875, under the 
 auspices of the American Board of Missions; 
 connected with this institution is the girls' 
 school and training school for nurses ; also a 
 hospital. A warm reception by Miss Benton, 
 the principal of the girls' school, from Los 
 Angeles, Cal., awaited us. and we were shown 
 through the buildings, and were most astonished 
 at the well built and commodious edifices, sur- 
 rounded by well laid out grounds. There were 
 not a half-dozen scholars. On inquiring why the 
 accommodations were so great and the number 
 of occupants so small, we were told cholera had 
 kept many away. The few half-grown girls were 
 seated around the table intent in reading a 
 translation from Shakespeare of "King Lear," 
 and others Walter Scott's "Lady of the Lake." 
 One of the girls played upon an instrument 
 some four feet long with two wire strings. Upon 
 
 22 
 
the third finger of her left hand she wore an 
 ivory ring, and with this she would strike 
 the ivory knots placed at intervals on the 
 instrument, producing sounds not unlike a 
 guitar. She sat upon the floor and seemed 
 sullen. The teacher remarked to us that many 
 were very obstinate. We saw the table prepared 
 for their dinner — a large bowl of rice in the 
 center and small bov/ls at each plate, with a 
 dried fish upon it and a pair of chop sticks. One 
 of the studies most enjoyed is the arrangement 
 of flov/ers, which is really a life's study. The 
 ceremonial tea is conducted with great precision 
 and is regarded as a graceful accomplishment. 
 The price of tuition was 2 yen 80 sen per montli. 
 caring for their own rooms and doing their own 
 washing. It is under the Congregational and 
 Presbyterian auspices, and was not in a flourish- 
 ing condition financially. After this we visited a 
 dancing school which was most interesting. The 
 teacher, a gray-headed v>'oman, sat upon the floor 
 with a dozen or more pupils around her. In one 
 hand she held a wand, in the other a fan. Each 
 child received individual instruction, the scholar 
 standing bare-footed, with her eyes fixed upon the 
 instructor ; in her hand an oiled paper parasol, 
 which when swaying her body to and fro she 
 handled most gracefully, while the only music 
 was the old woman's voice in mournful cadence, 
 by the rythm of which her fan seemed in sympa- 
 thy. With the wand she would strike her fan 
 when she wished an emphatic stamping of feet. 
 
 23 
 
The bronze factories, open to the traveler, are 
 well worthy of a visit. The mixture of gold, 
 copper, tin and silver into these ornaments are 
 regulated in price by the quantity of gold and 
 silver used. The intaglio figures are overlaid 
 with these precious metals, and the deft hand of 
 cunning workmanship is perceptible in every 
 article produced. The Rapids of Katsuragawa 
 (a famous resort in the maple season) is four- 
 teen miles by jinrikisha from Kiota, which takes 
 about three hours and a half to accomplish. 
 Our party of five required five jinrikishas and 
 ten men, much of the road being upgrade and 
 through tunnels. Rice fields abounded and the 
 scenery wild and picturesque. A tea house at 
 the end of the ride affords room for us to have 
 our own luncheon spread, and after an hour's 
 rest we take a boat, to which our jinrikishas 
 and coolies are transferred. The descent of the 
 rapids requires two hours' time. The pilot 
 stands half clad at the helm, w^hile three men 
 wath long ropes attached to the vessel run along 
 the rocky shore, pulling with all their strength. 
 The bed of the river is rocky. Artificial im- 
 provements have been made rendering the chan- 
 nel more navigable, but the weirdness of the 
 scene is heightened by the flashes of lightning 
 and the low, reverberating thunder claps that 
 were followed by slight rain. The boat trem- 
 bles and bends before the furv of the waters. 
 We are assured that the pilot is skillful and an 
 accident is the exception. We land at Arashi- 
 zama and resume our jinrikisha ride to Kiota. 
 
 24 
 
Alternate days are spent in the shops. We 
 find jade to be an expensive article. The stone 
 is very difficult to carve, hence its value. The 
 pale green in color is most desirable; a cup of 
 cornelian red, very tiny, was 145 yen; a small 
 figure of a lion, beautifully carved, 175 yen. 
 There is a superstition among the natives of 
 Japan and China that anklets or bracelets of 
 jade keep ofif the evil eye. 
 
 We next visit Nara, the holy city. It is 
 not to-day a tenth of its former size, as it is no 
 longer the imperial seat of government. Situ- 
 ated at the foot of a range of mountains are 
 beautiful groves, through which wind broad 
 avenues, shaded by the cryptomeria trees. Tem- 
 ples are hid away in sequestered spots; in one 
 of these the sacred rite of an ancient dance is 
 kept up by priestesses. For a stated fee you 
 can have it executed. The dress worn is of 
 ancient type and bears the Wisteria crest of the 
 Hasaga temple. These dancers wear a white, 
 expressionless mask ; their movements, together 
 with the doleful music furnished by the priests 
 with kotos, pipes and drums, make you feel well 
 satisfied with a brief performance, the tune sug- 
 gesting Watts' "Hark from the tombs, the dole- 
 ful sound," etc. Here we meet crowds of pil- 
 grims enjoying the beautiful groves with old 
 trunks of trees covered with camellias, wisterias, 
 plum and wild ivy, which are the marvels of the 
 place. The great bell, thirteen feet high, con- 
 taining thirty-six tons of copper, an image of 
 
 25 
 
Buddha, fifty-three feet in height-, and a museutn 
 erected and sustained by the government are the 
 chief attractions of Nara. Together with the 
 Temple of Taconda, with its fine wood carvings 
 and its beautiful little lake near by, with shoals 
 of speckled fish which are fed daily for the en- 
 tertainment of visitors. Our inn was strictly 
 Japanese. The apartment set aside for us was 
 partitioned into rooms by mosquito netting. 
 Imagine a room sixt}' feet long ; at intervals of 
 fifteen feet were hooks, placed in the cornice, 
 upon which were hung mosquito nets with 
 teaster-tops, forming, as it were, a square cham- 
 ber. On the floor of each, beds were made, 
 which consisted of three or four comforters or 
 futahs, immaculately clean, placed one upon the 
 other, while one was rolled for our head rest. 
 Before retiring we were asked to place our val- 
 uables in the hands of the proprietor for safety, 
 which we did in part. Our dinner consisted 
 of soup, chicken and potatoes, beefsteak and 
 onions. The curiosity of the waitresses of tlie 
 inn is laughable; nothing escapes their eyes; 
 even the linings of our dress skirts were investi- 
 gated. 
 
 The founder of one of the temples is said 
 to have ridden to this place in 767 on a spot- 
 ted deer. Since then the animal is almost dei- 
 fied and is by some supposed to be a messen- 
 ger from earth to heaven. The groves are full 
 of these favorites. 
 
 26 
 
Osaka, the Birmingham of Japan, is built 
 upon canals, on either side of which are lines 
 of storehouses containing- cotton goods, china- 
 ware and wooden utensils. The castle here was 
 occupied by a military force, and all admittance 
 was denied. Kobe, two hours' ride via railroad, 
 is the point of departure for us from Japan, after 
 sailing through the Inland sea and stopping a 
 few hours at Nagasaki. Kobe has an English 
 concession. Club houses, banks and good hotels 
 gives it a European appearance. The Japanese 
 portion has its bazaar, crematories and temples. 
 The hour for cremating is at six o'clock in the 
 evening, and we visited this place in time to see 
 three bodies already placed in the furnaces ; two 
 of these were in casks, as they w^ere in a sitting 
 position ; that of an infant in a rude box, in such 
 as our oranges are shipped, and tied with twine. 
 The crematory was on the summit of a hill, at the 
 foot of which was the cemetery, where the ashes 
 were interred. The sailing of the "Empress of 
 China" through the Inland Sea is lovely beyond 
 description. The sky cloudless, temperature 
 about 72 (Oct. 1st, 1895) ; Americans and Eng- 
 lish crowded the deck. The harbor at Nagasaki 
 is fine. War vessels from almost every country 
 lie at anchor in the sparkling waters. The 
 "Centurion" of the British line and the "Char- 
 leston," of the American, commanded by Captain 
 Coffin, Messrs. Sharp and Littlefield, ofificers, 
 gave us a courteous welcome. When the day v/as 
 far spent and the last rays of the setting sun re- 
 
 27 
 
iiected its beautiful coloring on the waters, which 
 glistened like diamonds in an emerald setting 
 around the vessels, our own flag waved its 
 colors and the soul-stirring strain, "Should 
 Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot," aroused all the 
 patriotism and tenderness in our hearts. As 
 we waved a good-bye to the land of "The Ris- 
 ing Sun" it was with the desire that we might 
 return to the scenes that had contributed so 
 much to our enjoyment. The twelve guns fired 
 from the "Centurion" in honor of the occasion 
 seemed as echoes from the hills bidding us adieu 
 with an au revoir. 
 
 28 
 
FROM JAPAN TO CHINA 
 AND CEYLON. 
 
 Steamer Empress of Japan, 
 Yellow Sea, October 4, 1895. 
 
 Seated at the table with the first officer, who 
 proves most loquacious and intelligent, we dis- 
 cuss the "Prince of Wales," the English rule in 
 foreign lands and the works of George D.Curzon, 
 a man of great expectations and great possibili- 
 ties. He loaned me "Problems of the Far East," 
 which I found most entertaining, clear and au- 
 thentic. On my left are seated Dr. and Mrs. Ash- 
 more. The former has been forty-five years in 
 the missionary field in China. Mrs. Ashmore, 
 as Mrs. Brown, was the founder of the "Mary 
 Colby Seminary" at Yokohama, afterwards re- 
 moving to China with her second husband. One 
 of her daughters married Mr. Curtis, editor of 
 a Kobe paper, the other, Air. McCarty, a trans- 
 portation merchant of Yokohama. Mrs. Ash- 
 more expressed her views freely regarding the 
 Dobisha school in Kiota. The great extrava- 
 gance in building and in furnishing the uni- 
 versity had forced it to the verge of bankruptcy. 
 Dr. and Mrs. Ashmore labor under the Baptist 
 auspices, and both feel that the most encourage- 
 ment is ofifered the missionary in China rather 
 
 29 
 
than Japan. The conversion of the Chinese was 
 far more permanent when once accomplished 
 than that of the Japanese; they were more truth- 
 ful and with less varnish. We have on board 
 Isabella Bird Bishop, gray-haired and with mild 
 blue eyes, rather below the average height of 
 woman. She writes so much in favor of Japan 
 that the freedom of the hotels is offered her. 
 After the third day of smooth saiUng we anchor 
 in the Yang-tse-kiang. as one writer says, "a 
 stream of lofty dignitv of conscious might." 
 Broken short ridges of mountains are seen 
 from a distance, with valleys and plains inter- 
 spersed. The great plain lying on the sea coast 
 is alluvial, made so by the deposit of the Hoang- 
 Ho and the Yang-tse-kiang (Broad River) com- 
 bined. The former river often bursts its con- 
 fines, causing great destruction to life and prop- 
 erty. The mouth of the Yang-tse-kiang to-day 
 is far removed from where it was many years 
 ago. The Hoang-Ho is for the greater part of 
 the year unnavigable, owing to floods during the 
 summer months, the disasters being so great it is 
 sometimes called the "Chinese sorrow." Fish 
 abound and is the flesh food of the average China- 
 man, although pork is his delight. The mode of 
 fishing is varied ; often men and bovs dive for 
 them, but the more entertaining method is bv the 
 cormorant. A dozen or more of these trained 
 birds are perched on a bamboo pole across the 
 bow of a boat, but before diving, a cord is 
 phced around their throat to prevent them from 
 
 30 
 
swallowing their prey, and thev rarely fail to 
 bring up one or more fish. Their eagerness for 
 success is most noticeable, and they are rewarded 
 after having satisfied their owner, by being given 
 some of the small fry. Our steamer anchored 
 fifteen miles off of Shanghai, and our heavily 
 freighted tender was two hours reaching land. 
 The harbor was filled with bright colored sail- 
 ing vessels, junks and sampans, stern-wheel 
 kickaway and chop boats ; also the bateaux of 
 the "Tanka" girls who work the ferries. The 
 form of the natural eye painted on these vessels 
 is most apparent; the reason for so doing is, 
 the Chinese will reply. "No eye, no see." 
 
 We at once contrast the well-built and im- 
 proved bund which skirts the water's edge with 
 the less pretentious Japanese ports. It is not 
 until we enter the Chinese quarters, with its 
 low dwellings and apparent squalor, that we 
 realize what the EngHsh concessions are to the 
 traveler. The dress of the Chinese is refresh- 
 ing to the eye after our sojourn in Japan, where 
 among the coolies little was left to the imagina- 
 tion. 
 
 The drive to the "Bubbling- Well," a square 
 enclosure of stone some eight feet in dimension, 
 reveals a spring of water whose surface was 
 green with slime, from which issued two clear 
 streams of pure crystal fluid. Well-dressed, 
 painted Chinese women, guarded by eunuchs, 
 drive in landaus along this fashionable drive, 
 which leads to club houses and well laid out 
 
 31 
 
grounds. The tiny feet of the women as they 
 peep out from) under the richly embroidered 
 gowns assured us that navigation to them on 
 foot was almost impossible. This process of de- 
 formity is begun about the sixth year of their 
 lives and rarely fully accomplished before the 
 seventeenth. The suffering is said to be intense. 
 Government has in many provinces interfered, 
 and as civilization advances it is to be hoped this 
 cruelty will be abolished. A missionary told me, 
 in appealing to the Chinese, "to desist from this 
 vain and sinful habit, they would at once retaliate 
 by replying, 'Why do American or European 
 women deform their waists ?' " The rough, uncul- 
 tivated fields attached to the homes along the 
 drives we are told are burial places of their dead. 
 Mere hillocks of earth, so scant as to allow the 
 caskets to be seen plainly, and oftimes skeletons 
 protrude. Do you wonder that epidemics prevail ? 
 The warning is constantly given the travelers to 
 keep away from native quarters, but curiosity 
 leads us into temptation. Warehouses, manu- 
 factories, shops, theaters, dwellings and temples 
 are crowded together ; the streets offensive and 
 disgusting. The shops for silks in the English 
 concession are most fascinating. Beautv of 
 coloring and quality, with most unique designs, 
 are offered at such low prices that one must 
 have great control over herself to resist buy- 
 ing in quantities. The better class of Chinese 
 are most elaborately gowned in these gold em- 
 broidered textures — far more costly than the 
 
 32 
 
simple embroidered kimonas of the Japanese. 
 The absence of jeweh-y in the latter makes the 
 love of it with the Chinese most conspicuous. 
 Anklets, imitation of jade and silver bangles are 
 always in evidence. 
 
 Jugglers throng the piazzas of the hotel, and 
 for a trifling compensation will swallow a sword 
 three feet long which he flaunts before our eyes 
 and which disappears to all appearances down 
 his throat with great strangling; this we do not 
 ask him to repeat. 
 
 A charming sail of three days brought us into 
 the harbor of Hongkong. The city is built on 
 the mountainside; a narrow strip along the 
 water's edge is laid out in a fine driveway, ware- 
 houses, hotels and club houses facing the water. 
 The dwellings, with beautiful gardens attached, 
 are built upon the terraces of the mountains, 
 which can only be reached in sedan chairs, 
 borne by coolies. The botanical gardens are 
 most attractive and are within walking distance 
 of the hotel. Alongside of these gardens is the 
 St. John's Cathedral, in Gothic style of archi- 
 tecture. The clock tower is a conspicuous build- 
 ing from which all local distances are measured. 
 On the summit of the mountain overlooking the 
 city is Victoria Gap. An inclined railway, 
 worked by means of cable to an elevation of 
 fourteen hundred feet, leads to it. It cost the 
 city 140,000 Mexican dollars, and pays about five 
 per cent on the investment. The round trip is 
 fifty cents. The views are grand in extent, but 
 
 33 
 
it requires considerable nerve to face the ap- 
 parent danger. However, we find ourselves 
 on the summit in an incredibly brief space 
 of time. The ten square miles of harbor 
 is spread out before you with its myriads 
 of vessels and floating hospitals. The en- 
 joyment of this scene quite repays one for 
 the undertaking. Queen's road (the principal 
 street of Hongkong) runs parallel with the 
 water; from this street, running toward the 
 mountain, the grade is uphill. We ascend stone 
 steps, twenty to thirty in number, to reach the 
 street beyond ; consequently we do not frequent 
 them often. Flowers are in profusion for sale 
 and most artistically arranged. The drive to the 
 "Happy Valley," the burial place of the Euro- 
 pean, Parsees and Mahometans, each within their 
 own walls, is indeed aptly named. We were pre- 
 ceded by two sedan chairs borne by four coolies, 
 each dressed in red kilted skirts and white tur- 
 bans. The occupants were two small boys, eight 
 and ten years of age, with their amia, or nurses, 
 who bore quantities of lovely flowers. On alight- 
 ing we followed them to two freshly made graves ; 
 from these the boys removed decayed flowers and 
 placed most lavishly those they had brought with 
 them. It was a touching sight. We imagined 
 the parents had been the victims of a scourge that 
 was still hovering over the city. It is a trying 
 climate. The American consul, Mr. Hunt, from 
 Tennessee, called upon us, and we returned the 
 visit at his home, nestled among the palm trees 
 
 34 
 
and alongside the botanical gardens. His family- 
 were feeling the effect of their protracted sojourn 
 here and yearned for a change. 
 
 The distance from Hongkong to Canton is 
 ninety-five miles by the river. We were some- 
 what surprised to find the captain of our ves- 
 sel from Prairie du Chien, Wis., whose family 
 was still residing there. It is said that a popu- 
 lation of 300,000 people live in boats upon these 
 waters and have no other home. With the baby 
 on her back the mother swings the heavy scull, 
 while the other children act as ducks in the 
 water, some being tethered to the vessel, appar- 
 ently without any sense of danger. At the slight- 
 est indication that one of these boats are needed, 
 fifty or more will rush to the spot, clambering 
 in loud voices for their rights ; while the won- 
 der is that the baby's head does not roll off of 
 its shoulders. The mother is seemingly indif- 
 ferent as to its existence. Along the shores of 
 the river are rice fields and orchards, inter- 
 spersed with pagodas, which from a distance 
 look like hanging gardens. Chance wind bears 
 sand and seed to these overhanging roofs, and 
 shrubs and flowers grow and bloom. Whampun 
 and Homan, two loftypagodas, made famous by 
 their age and height, are seen from the steamer, 
 and an occasional dead body of a Chinaman 
 floats by us. As we near the landing of Canton 
 small boats filled with lepers come alongside 
 soliciting alms. They are most pitiful in appear- 
 ance and, judging from the coins thrown them, 
 it is the only means of their maintenance. 
 
 35 
 
Guides are in waiting at the steamer's wharf, 
 and we only feel safe when protected by them. 
 Six chairs with four men each, made up our van. 
 Mr. Wilder, of Honolulu, had joined us. These 
 coolies g-roan as they trot along. With the 
 thermometer about 80 and no clothing save the 
 loin cloth, they stop only long enough to change 
 the pole from one shoulder to the other, which 
 are lacerated and in great welts. If it were not 
 for the novel sights that meet the eye the sym- 
 pathy aroused would be too trying for the trav- 
 eler. Canton is called the "City of Rams," or the 
 "City of the Genii." These names are derived 
 from the supposed visit of fire-protecting spirits 
 that came from heaven two thousand years ago. 
 It is the chief trading city of southern China. 
 Foreigners first visited here in the eighth century. 
 In 1568 the Portuguese were in China, and in 
 1615 the Tartars invaded it. We passed through 
 what is known as the Tartar town; it was neater 
 and cleaner than the other quarters. Later the 
 East India Company took possession and for a 
 century and a half controlled the foreign trade. 
 The British invaded the city of Canton in 1841 
 and took possession, but the ransom of six 
 million was made for its redemption. Again in 
 1857 the allied forces of British and French cap- 
 tured it, and for nearly four years it was in the 
 hands of foreigners, its government being admin- 
 istered by a joint commission. It has now its 
 European concession. Canton is a typical Chinese 
 city, the contracted streets, not exceeding six feet 
 
 36 
 
in width except in spaces where some official resi- 
 dence or temple is built. It is with great diffi- 
 culty we make any headway through these nar- 
 row lanes, and are often compelled to leave our 
 chairs and with our guide pursue our way on 
 foot. If by chance a shop is entered a gaping 
 crowd so surrounds you that you are not only in 
 danger of being robbed, but of losing your 
 guide. The foreign quarters are separated from 
 the mainland by a stream of water connected 
 by two bridges. A Avail encircles the native 
 quarter and the gates are closed at night and 
 guarded ; the discharge of firecrackers in the 
 early morning announce their opening, and from 
 the river boats another discharge, almost deafen- 
 ing, which is supposed to keen them from the 
 "evil one" through the day. 
 
 The Temples of Confucius, Buddha and 
 Shinto religions are much alike in their construc- 
 tion. One of the most famous of these is that of 
 the five hundred Genii, founded in five hundred, 
 the year of our Lord, and was rebuilt forty years 
 ago. In the midst of these immortal five hun- 
 dred images is that of "IMarco Polo," who visited 
 here in the twelfth century. The Temple of 
 Horrors, whose tableaux in brass and wood rep- 
 resent the punishments meted out to those in 
 Buddha's purgatory, boiling the culprit in oil. or 
 grinding him in a mill, or still worse, to place 
 him in an upright position between two planks 
 of wood and then sawing him in pieces — all these 
 pleasant reminders are heightened by the reincar- 
 
 37 
 
nation against the will of a man's soul into that 
 of a wild beast, destined to another life here on 
 earth, which is too realistic to dwell upon. 
 
 The Examination Hall, where all males from 
 eighteen to eighty years of age may compete for 
 honors, is well worth a visit. Stalls are built for 
 12,000 students, in which are placed a table and 
 chair. Once the man is seated there is no re- 
 lease for three days. A strict watch is kept to 
 prevent any communication; even if a death oc- 
 curs a hole must be knocked in the surrounding 
 wall to transport the body, for under no circum- 
 stances are the gates opened during the trial. 
 A subject for an essay is given, and each appli- 
 cant is forced to render an example of his ability. 
 Less than two score of these receive degrees, 
 and from this examination they go to a higher 
 court in Pekin and there hi^h honors await them 
 in official positions. No caste is observed. The 
 water clock, built five hundred years ago, is 
 composed of three copper vessels placed on top 
 of each other with an indicator in the lower one. 
 The passing of time is indicated by the raising of 
 the water in this lower one, into which trickles 
 the same fluid from those above. The prisons 
 seemed crowded ; the inmates were chained to 
 stones or bars of iron, all apparently in one large 
 hall, separated from the spectators by upright 
 bars of iron. When we aporoached they made a 
 rush toward us as well as their heavily burdened 
 limbs would allow, and begged for money with 
 which their freedom could be bought. The yoke 
 
 38 
 
some wore was most torturing. T could think only 
 of Dante's inferno. The execution <'rounds was a 
 most grewsome place, about twenty-five' feet 
 long and ten or twelve feet wide, used dailv for 
 drying and storing pottery. The prisoner was 
 made to kneel, bowing his head, while the exe- 
 cutioner's ax did the work. We saw a head 
 which had been decapitated before our arrival. 
 From the wall of Canton we could see mountain- 
 sides, which seemed to be one vast number of 
 graves, whose entrance were in the form of a 
 horseshoe. In the city is a building they call 
 the "Old Man's Paradise." It is kept up by the 
 wealthy class. The remains of the male dead 
 can be left here for five years, incased in a huge 
 lacquered wood coffin, costing $1,500. Under it 
 is placed plates of lime to prevent white ants 
 from destroying the wood. Before the coffin is 
 a drop curtain to shield it from the gaze of the 
 passer by, in front of which is an altar decked 
 with tinselled flowers ; beside this is an empty 
 chair, around which are grouped wooden images 
 supposed to be the servants of the departed mas- 
 ter waiting his return, v,'ith rice and tea prepared 
 and placed near by. A couch for a servant who 
 guarded the body was occupied each night. The 
 place was rather attractive than otherwise. We 
 lunched upon the walls of Canton in a deserted 
 buildinp-. but old with memories. We visited 
 some shops where the crepe, for which the 
 manufactory is noted, can be found in almost all 
 colors, some beautifully embroidered, for mod- 
 
 39 
 
erate prices. The. markets are disgusting with 
 the skinned rats and bloody fish which are 
 offered for sale, and a few days' sojourn amidst 
 such surroundings satisfies the traveler. 
 
 On our return to Hongkong (the port from 
 which we sailed) the sight of the French steamer 
 "Melbourne," which was to bear us on our jour- 
 ney, was an agreeable vision, although on that 
 line of steamers little is done for the pleasure of 
 the passengers. We took on at Saigon the Gov- 
 ernor of Siberia, his wife and secretary; also the 
 Siberian IMinister to China, with his wife, with 
 many Russians. The ladies of the party were 
 handsome, and often regaled us with their beau- 
 tiful voices. A Japanese colonel, who had by 
 his feats of bravery made himself famous, sat at 
 my right at the table, and it was with great in- 
 terest I listened to him telling of his trip on 
 horseback from Russia on the Trans-Siberian 
 line to China, which took seventeen months to 
 accomplish, with the use of three horses. The 
 extreme cold of Siberia, 45 degrees below zero, 
 with those sluggish peonle, made the days he 
 spent with them most memorable. He averaged 
 twenty-five miles a day, traveling through grand 
 forests, and, as daylight continued till midnight, 
 he was enabled to travel much at night during- 
 the summer months. He was in the employ of 
 the Japanese government. We afterward met 
 him at Cairo. Two days out from Hongkong 
 (Oct. 19, 1895) we skirted the Island of Hainan, 
 which is separated from the mainland of China 
 
 40 
 
by the Gulf of Tonquin, and passing^ the Empire 
 of Anan we enter the St. James River, eight de- 
 grees north of the equator — Far. 83. The river in 
 width is about forty rods, the banks of which on 
 either side are covered with dense jungles. The 
 mango and banana tree were strangely inter- 
 mingled with vines covered with flowers, while 
 groups of monkeys keep up a perpetual chatter 
 and bright plumed parrots were seen at every 
 turn, to say nothing of the wild boar that were 
 hid among the jungles. The low thatched huts 
 along the shore, surrounded by the waving palm 
 tree, looked rather attractive at a distance. The 
 dress of the Coachin-Chinamen consists of long, 
 loose flowing trousers, with a black or white 
 robe falling from the shoulders, and a red or 
 white turban on their heads. The heat at Saigon 
 in October was oppressive, and we were advised 
 to keep aboard the vessel till late in the even- 
 ing. Our ride to the botanical gardens over 
 smooth roads of red clay in the jinrikisha, with 
 a bright turbaned coolie, was most picturesque 
 amid the perfection of tropical growth of plants 
 and trees. Convoys of storks, plumed golden 
 pheasants, the Coachin China chickens, cages of 
 monkeys, leopards and bears all amuse and en- 
 tertain the traveler. Saigon is a French conces- 
 sion and has at least 100,000 inhabitants. Late 
 in the afternoon the Governor General of 
 Coachin China boarded the vessel with his son. 
 Citizens in their white duck suits and pith hel- 
 mets and soldiers escorted him to the steamer 
 
 41 
 
in their bright uniforms with great ceremony to 
 bid him bon voyage to France to negotiate a 
 loan in behalf of a projected railroad. The gov- 
 ernor wore the decoration of the Legion of 
 Honor and was most dignified in his bearing. 
 
 A smooth sea and fair breeze made the next 
 two days and a half fairly enjoyable, but the heat 
 was overpowering at times; the nights were 
 spent by many on deck, where the firmament 
 could be enjoyed, as the Southern Cross was 
 seen in its great beauty. Singapore, the next 
 stopping place, afforded us a fine drive in a char- 
 iot through the country. These vehicles seat com- 
 fortably four persons, a charioteer, who drove, 
 and an outrider seated behind. Their turkey-red 
 calico sacques, with a white cheese cloth skirt and 
 high red turban, gave them a showy appearance, 
 while the diminutive animal which drew us in 
 the most submissive fashion plodded his way over 
 the well-rolled roads of red clay. The tropical 
 growth of trees and shrubbery almost hid from 
 view the bungalows of the better class of people. 
 These buildings were one story in height, sur- 
 rounded by wide verandas, the roofs of which 
 were thatched with huge palm leaves, while the 
 bamboo split in two formed excellent gutters to 
 convey the water to the ground. Dates hung in 
 profusion upon the trees alongside of the road, 
 and bananas half as long as your arm were of- 
 fered you. the taste of which is very unlike ours. 
 The palm and rubber trees grow like the forest 
 trees in our own land. The red and white arbis- 
 
 42 
 
cus, running wild over trees and house, with the 
 ox-eyed daisy, almost as large as the sunflower, 
 and the marigold, which is the flower that the 
 Indian idolater uses in his worship, grows in pro- 
 fusion here. The abundant moisture from fre- 
 quent showers, followed by a blazing^ sunshine, 
 produces that tropical luxuriance for which this 
 portion of the Orient is celebrated. To sit unon 
 the steamer's deck at early dawni one sees close 
 to the horizon in the north the Pole Star, in the 
 south a few degrees higher the constellation of 
 the southern cross is in full view, while on land 
 the scene of the greatest activity is at this 
 hour. The rude cart, drawn by cream-colored, 
 humped-back, reversed-horn cattle, driven by a 
 coal-black Tamil in a bright red turban and per- 
 haps a loin cloth, lends interest to the picture, and 
 the superb shoulders of the natives are well ex- 
 hibited, as they unload from barges drawn close 
 to the steamer's side huge sacks of coal^ which 
 they heave to one another till they reach the hold 
 of the vessel. This is performed mostly by 
 women with a weird chant of "heave ho" that 
 seems to render the task less irksome. 
 
 Singapore was purchased by the British. It 
 is the greatest tin producing country in the 
 world. Sago is grown in quantities and shipped 
 to every port; it is the pith of the tree trunk. 
 Here the gum of the rubber tree is gathered and 
 dried in chunks, placed in gunny bags and sent 
 to all quarters of the globe in the crude state. 
 The rattan, which is elaborately woven by the 
 
 43 
 
natives into chairs and other useful pieces of 
 furniture, is light in weight and capable of great 
 endurance. The tree grows like a palm to a 
 great height, throwing above ground long 
 tendrils extending a half mile. These are cut in 
 lengths of thirty feet, soaked, scraped and ready 
 for use. The indigo bush is cut and dried, then 
 boiled, the sediment forming the dry substance 
 exported. Tea is also cultivated successfully. 
 Mangoes, yellow as pumpkins, in shape of pears, 
 with disagreeable flavor, but most in favor with 
 the natives, as well as the children of adoption, 
 are the Dorean fruits, with custard-like contents, 
 offensive to the smell, but agreeable to the taste. 
 The business portion of the city is substantially 
 built, but we were told that the use of opium, 
 like the Upas tree, casts a blight on this fair 
 country and its inhabitants. We invited a mis- 
 sionary to dine on the steamer with us. He con- 
 ducted a boys' school of 600 pupils. The build- 
 ing cost $20,000, built by local contributions of 
 the English and Chinese. They practice the 
 Salvation Army methods in gathering audiences 
 for Bible instruction, and those who accepted 
 Christianity closely adhered to their vows. 
 
 We now enter the straits of Malacca, as 
 smooth as a river, but clouds and showers ren- 
 der the atmosphere low and depressing. We 
 meet on the steamer those who have spent years 
 in this climate. A lady from Holland told me 
 that it was so exhausting that life was almost 
 unendurable. She spoke of the Queen of Hol- 
 
 44 
 
land, the young "Wilhelmina," and of her 
 mother, the Dowager Queen Emma, now acting 
 as regent. She was the second wife of King 
 William of Holland, and had this only daughter. 
 He had three sons by his first wife, all deceased. 
 This present widow was a German princess, and 
 at this time (1895) was thirty-four years old and 
 her daughter fifteen. It was very evident from 
 the conversation of this Holland lady that Ger- 
 mans were in disrepute with her people — the 
 Holland Dutch. From the straits we run into 
 the Indian Ocean, "with a wet sheet and a flow- 
 ing sea, and a wind that follows fast." To for- 
 get the swell I take up a sensational novel, "The 
 Old Love and the New," but that influence is 
 not enough to drive away mal de mer, that soon 
 gets the better of the passengers and drives us 
 to our cabins. Four days of sailing brings us 
 fo Ceylon's shores, where we fail to catch the 
 spicy breezes of which we have so often sung. 
 We are on deck early to realize the descriptions 
 given of the southern coast of this island, then 
 turn northward and round into the harbor of 
 Colombo. The hotels and government buildings 
 are located along the quay. The forest of co- 
 coanut palms and the lofty peaks of the moun- 
 tain form an impressive background. Ceylon 
 is two-thirds as large as Ireland and is in pos- 
 session of the English. Some English writer has 
 said "that in the train of England's conquests 
 comes the broadest, wisest and most tolerant 
 statesmanship the world has ever witnessed. To 
 
 45 
 
be humbled by her is to be exalted by her." 
 There seemed a good feeling betv/een the natives 
 and their rulers. The Oriental Hotel swarms 
 with people of all nations. Breakfast is served 
 in your room, consisting of cofifee, toast, fruit 
 and sweets. Luncheon is a hasty meal, but 
 dinner to the foreigner, served at 7 or 8 p. m., 
 seems thoroughly enjoyable. The Englishman, 
 dressed in black trousers, broad sash-belts of 
 black or red silk, which seems to make more pro- 
 nounced the smooth shirt bosom, with a spotless 
 white pea-jacket, forms a refreshing costume. 
 Ladies almost invariably are in low-neck black 
 dresses, with a broad piece of white lace which 
 droops gracefully as a bertha, with bright 
 flowers in their hair, while a band of stringed 
 instruments makes the scene enlivening. The 
 broad arcade from which you enter the din- 
 ing hall is after dinner filled to overflow- 
 ing with guests seated around small tables, 
 v.'here brandy and cofifee is served, and is the 
 harvest time of the tradesmen, who are allowed 
 to spread before you their embroideries, laces, 
 jewels and baskets of curious workmanship and 
 bright colors, together with elephants of ebony 
 and ivory. Close to the entrance of the hotel are 
 jugglers with their baskets of cobras, whose 
 poisonous fangs have been extracted : together 
 with the dwarfed trees which miraculously grow 
 before your eyes, and divers tricks are performed 
 to entertain the stranger and to earn for them- 
 selves a scant livelihood. The Singhalese and 
 
 46 
 
Tamil women, men and children, whose features 
 seemed carved in ebony, are of the Ayran race — 
 so different from the Mongol Malay race. It is 
 amusing when riding to be followed by the na- 
 tive children crying "No papa, no mamma, no 
 rice." And when these claims are recognized 
 they laugh immoderately and wait for other 
 persons to attack with the same pathetic appeal. 
 A drive to the Cinnamon garden, in the midst 
 of which is a fine museum with a rare collection 
 of sea urchins; these fasten themselves to a 
 rock, in which with their black, stiff, cigar- 
 shaped feelers they dig a cell, resembling ma- 
 chine work so accurate are they in their meas- 
 urement to fit their bodies. Here we are shown 
 the original tooth of Buddha, which looks more 
 like a small tusk of an elephant. This is placed 
 under a glass cover ; the sea-horse suckling its 
 young, the myriads of birds, besides every wild 
 beast of the forest are finely preserved. The 
 bungalows of more wealthy inhabitants are built 
 along these beautiful drives, and are almost con- 
 cealed by the dense foliage, and must necessarily 
 be damp, as the sun's rays can scarcely enter. 
 We are offered neatly bound bunches of cam- 
 phor wood and cinnamon by children on the 
 road, but which have little aroma left. The men 
 are athletic in appearance, erect and graceful, 
 hair black and curly. The Singhalese wear a cir- 
 cular shell comb to confine their glossy curls. 
 The men are semi-clad; the women wear low- 
 neck corset covers with an ample strip of cloth 
 
 47 
 
that is pinned around the body for a skirt, which 
 shows the ankles with their silver anklets, 
 while the black neck and arms are adorned with 
 gilt beads and bangles, the nose and lobes of the 
 ear being pierced and fairly weighed down with 
 jeweled rings. The deformity is appalling 
 among the lower class ; their only compensa- 
 tion is that the stranger never passes them by 
 without bestowing some gift, denoting their 
 sympathy. We are in Ceylon in the tail end of a 
 monsoon (October 30). Such sheets of water, 
 deluging alike streets and people, are scarcely 
 heeded — so soon do the sun's rays dry up the 
 roads. We take a cart drawn by two bullocks, 
 goaded by a small boy, who sits on the yoke and 
 so close to the animals that one can scarcely de- 
 tect his mode of thrusting a sharp steel instru- 
 ment into the body to make them move, but this is 
 his great incentive, as he easily could outwalk 
 them; it is the novelty that attracts, not the speed. 
 We are landed close by the market, where all 
 fish, fowl and vegetables are sold. We purchase a 
 bunch of Betel leaves, neatly piled one upon the 
 other. The nut of the same bush is cut into small 
 pieces, mixed with a teaspoonful of slackened 
 lime, and a little tobacco or more often opium. 
 This mixture laid upon a leaf is rolled and we 
 are asked to try it. We give that pleasure to 
 our small boy or guide. One of these leaves 
 will be material enough for two or three hours' 
 pleasure, and the coolie is seldom seen without 
 this delectable morsel in his mouth. He seldom 
 
 48 
 
expectorates but seems to swallow the fluid, 
 which is like red ink in color; the habit is most 
 disgusting, but assuages hunger. 
 
 We frequently see on the children's naked body 
 a cord around the loins. The placing of this is a 
 religious ceremony, with a religious signification. 
 The drive along the beach is grand, and the roads 
 smooth. The crowds of English and Australians 
 taking their evening outing, cheered by the music 
 of the military band and stimulated by the dash- 
 ing of the breakers on the sea-girt shore add to 
 the pleasure. If you are walking you are waylaid 
 at every step by some drummer who represents 
 his own or the shop of some one whose jewels are 
 displayed in the greatest profusion. Sapphires, 
 diamonds, rubies and pearls and other stones are 
 shown the customer until the eye fairly wearies 
 of the sparkle. If you decide not to purchase 
 them but to call again, woe be to you if you do 
 not keep your word, as you are followed and the 
 cry of "Lady, come back, you promised!" be- 
 comes a trifle wearisome. 
 
 To visit Kandy, situated eighteen hundred 
 feet above the sea, in the mountains of the 
 interior of Ceylon, we take passage on a rail- 
 road of marvelous engineering. To quote a 
 traveler's words may give you some idea of 
 the beauty of the views obtained : "As one 
 skirts the flanks of the mountains and looks 
 down into an enormous gorge, its sides clad 
 with the most beautiful and varied foliage of 
 flowers and trees, and on the level bottom 
 
 49 
 
lands can be seen cascades, which are formed 
 by the artificial lakes that overflow the exqui- 
 sitely delicate green of the young rice." Our 
 attention is directed to the Tollipot tree, which 
 flourishes for sixty years, and blooms just before 
 it dies. The bloom is at the top of the tree 
 and reminded me of huge bunches of pampas 
 grass. The distance from Colombo to Kandy 
 is seventy-eight miles. Roundabout this re- 
 gion live the tea planters with their families. 
 Kandy is a resort, during the summer season, 
 for the inhabitants of the lowlands, and is 
 built on the shore of a charming little lake, its 
 banks shaded by the Tamarind and roval palms. 
 The vine-clad bungalows add to its attractive- 
 ness. Within sight of the hotel is the Malag- 
 awa Buddhist temple, the most sacred of the 
 shrines of Buddhism. We are again shown 
 an actual tooth of the Deitv, two and one-half 
 inches long and one inch wide. 
 
 On the evening of our arrival a great fes- 
 tival was held at the temple. The procession 
 was headed by eight standard bearers, dresserl 
 in full white skirts, followed by eight more 
 in red costumes. Their waists were uncov- 
 ered. They bore aloft flaming torches, fol- 
 lowed by the most fantastically dressed mu- 
 sicians beating drums and dancing in a fran- 
 tic manner. Close behind these were the 
 "Devil dancers," four in number, whose 
 skirts of gay-colored silks were elaboratelv 
 studded with jewels and turbans to match. 
 
 50 
 
These skirts were so full that when makins;- 
 their convolutions they looked like inflated 
 balloons. The contortions of their bodies were 
 painful to witness, and as the reflection from 
 the torches lit up their faces one could but feel 
 they were aptly named. Three elephants 
 walked abreast, most gorg-eously apparelled, 
 and moved with a dignity most surprising. 
 They wore jewelled masks, their bodies envel- 
 oped with jewelled mantles, while on the back 
 of the center animal rested a gilded cage, in 
 which, in a pagoda-shaped vessel, was the sa- 
 cred tooth. Following the elephants were 
 more drummers, more Devil dancers and other 
 elephants, whose huge tusks were incased in 
 gold. Each animal was closely guarded by 
 his keeper, while riders sat astride in the most 
 gorgeous-colored skirts and turbans. The 
 chief man of the temple, representative of the 
 old Kandy kings, rivaled Falstaff in his ap- 
 pearance. He wore a full white skirt, a large 
 white hat, with a white mantle or cape thrown 
 over his shoulders. His dignified tread was 
 akin to that of Jumbo, and was greeted by all 
 along the procession. We were told he was 
 the banker of the village. During the August 
 festival the procession is much more impres- 
 sive, as three hundred elephants are in line. 
 The festivities ended by a feast at the tem- 
 ple. Along each side of the entrance the 
 poor of the village sat with their empty ves- 
 sels, which were to be filled by those in author- 
 
 5t 
 
ity. Buddha was most conspicuous on the 
 altar of the temple, carved woods and ivories 
 surrounding the image, where later a dance 
 was performed ; but we were too unholy to be 
 permitted to remain and witness it. A descrip- 
 tion of the Paradeniza gardens would be like 
 attempting to picture to one's imagination the 
 Garden of Eden. The two hundred and fifty 
 varieties of palms, the bamboo, one hundred 
 feet high and growing in clumps one hundred 
 and fifty feet in circumference, give some idea 
 of the tropical growth. We see spicy cinna- 
 mon, the chinchona, the upas tree, the latter 
 bearing to a great height its lofty head, not un- 
 like a palm in growth, with its bark gray and 
 spotted like a snake. It is not indigenous to 
 the soil, but comes from Java, where its dense 
 groves are called the "Valley and Shadow of 
 Death," and when T stood under its shade without 
 knowing the tree, I will confess a superstitious 
 fear came over me when I was told by our fright- 
 ened guide that I was in danger. The candle tree 
 produces a fruit shaped like a candle, but not edi- 
 ble. The traveler's palm gives the thirsty trav- 
 eler a refreshing drink when an incision in the 
 stem of its leaves is made. Cocaine grows in pro- 
 fusion, while alongside, coffee and tea plants and 
 nutmegs and other spices grow apace. The 
 Jacqueminot and La France roses grow to the 
 size of saucers, while the orchids fasten themselves 
 like grape vines over wooden props, beauti- 
 ful and varied in color, and are native to the 
 
 5* 
 
jungles, brought therefrom and sold by coolies 
 to the traveler for a pittance. The governor's 
 palace is beautifully located. From its win- 
 dows we gaze upon a beautiful river, while the 
 grounds are watered from the spray of foun- 
 tains. The palace was unoccupied and we 
 were permitted to go through its spacious 
 rooms and halls. The drives all about Kandy 
 are fascinating, and are made more so by now 
 and then a temple hid almost from sight, but 
 of interest when visited, while the industrious 
 weaver of straw mats, a yard and a half in 
 length and a yard wide, meets us along the 
 way, urging us to buy — a temptation we can- 
 not resist, although Ave wonder what we shall 
 do with them when we get them. But 
 adieux must be made to Ceylon, with its spicy 
 breezes, for the "Steamer Pekin" lies at anchor 
 off Colombo which is to bear us over 1,30c 
 miles to Calcutta, the voyage only broken by 
 a short stay at Madras, where a brief visit is 
 long enough, for the heat and dust are oppres- 
 sive. We see the juggernaut car lying in dis- 
 use on the roadside under a temporary cover- 
 ing of a palm thatched roof. A most cumber- 
 some vehicle, the wheels of which are so close- 
 ly set together that one can imagine the poor 
 victims over whose body it rolls, could easil}' 
 be reduced to powder. Government interferes 
 in its further usage, save in territories not 
 easily managed. The official buildings are 
 European, but the homes of the natives are 
 
 53 
 
of burnt clay, with no windows — a small open 
 door reveals its inmates stretched out sleeping, 
 almost devoured by flies. The filth of the quar- 
 ter makes it uninviting ; the botanical garden 
 is hardly worth the ride there. We take the 
 only small vessel in use to carry us back to 
 the steamer awaiting us in this beauti- 
 ful Bay of Bengal. The governor's house is 
 lofty in appearance, the exterior dingy from 
 dust and dirt, but we are told the household 
 appointments are magnificent, the decorations 
 partly in the oriental and some of them in 
 European style ; servants by the score, hun- 
 dreds of coolies who do nothing but keep the 
 Punkas (swinging fans) in motion in every 
 part of the building by day and night. The 
 natives of Madras are quite dark in color, with 
 straight hair and regular features, diminutive 
 in stature, slender forms, with small hands and 
 feet, and have a pensive look and manner. The 
 deformity among the beggars is revolting, and 
 we fear to alight from our chariot, lest we 
 may come in contact with these poor, unfor- 
 tunate beings. We learn that the wheels of 
 government move slowly in these oriental 
 countries. If an audience with the governor 
 is desired, a book is given you in which the 
 name of the solicitor is registered. At the 
 end of tw^o weeks the governor gives notice 
 that he wall give a public breakfast at the 
 palace, and those who have registered their 
 
 54 
 
names will be received and their requests will 
 be heard. Time seems not to be considered 
 of any import. 
 
 ■ The calm waters of the Bay of Bengal, with 
 its southern breezes, makes the journey pleas- 
 ant, as the traveler seeks his extended chair 
 on deck of the steamer, protected from the 
 scorching sun by its broad awnings. On en- 
 trance to the Hoogly River, a native pilot 
 comes aboard — for here the ever-moving sands 
 render navigation imcertain and perilous — un- 
 til the dangerous sand bars of tlie Tames p.nd 
 Mary rivers are passed ; every sailor must be 
 at his post as the steamer wends its wav 
 through the treacherous channel, and each 
 passenger silently congratulates himself Vv'h.cn 
 he is assured the Rubicon is past. The bot- 
 tom of these rivers is a vast quicksand. 
 The vessel entering must await the tide. The 
 banks are lovv-- and sandy. Straw thatched 
 huts, shaded by clusters of date palms, gave 
 a picturesque appearance to the shores, and 
 the tropical growth grew richer and more 
 dense as we approached Calcutta. The excite- 
 ment on arrival of the steamer is intense : cus- 
 tom house officers present themselves : all 
 baggage is ordered from the cabins on deck, 
 even to the smallest hand-bag; search is made 
 for fire arms: strict laws regarding them are 
 enforced, and if you are unfortunate enough 
 to have one in your possession, as was one of our 
 party, you are quickly relieved of it, and only 
 by paying as much as the original price, with 
 much red tape, are you enabled to regain it. 
 
 55 
 
INDIA. 
 
 India, in 1892, had a population of 300,000,- 
 
 000. The area of the land on which they hve is 
 equal to the United States, east of the Rocky 
 Mountains of Colorado. Much of it is unculti- 
 vated; other lands yield crops under irrigation. 
 The soil in places has become exhausted by use 
 without manure. Between monsoons (that is, 
 periods of no rainfall), these regions cease to 
 produce and there is a scarcity. 
 
 Regions cultivated by irrigation are enhanced 
 in value, for the products bring better prices, 
 but when rivers and tanks dry up from which 
 water for irrigation is drawn, then scarcity be- 
 comes a famine, where the rain has failed. 
 There are two annual crops in India ; the former 
 inferior grade is used for home consumption, the 
 other for export. Of the army, seventy thousand 
 strong, forty per cent are incapacitated by dis- 
 eases. Civil servants are superannuated at fifty- 
 five years of age and are sent home on a pension, 
 seldom enjoying life longer than two years after- 
 ward. 
 
 Seven per cent native males read and v^rrite; 
 only one per cent native females can read or 
 write. The different castes will not intermarry 
 and will not touch each other's food. 
 
 57 
 
Calcutta is a city of 500,000 inhabitants, 
 of these, 14,000 are Europeans. 
 
 The streets of the English concession are 
 broad and well laid out. Fine hotel buildings, 
 banks and storehouses line the main thorough- 
 fare. The hotels have broad verandas extend- 
 ing from the second f^oor, over the sidewalk, af- 
 fording a cool resting place for the guests, and 
 would be most acceptable were it not for the myri- 
 ads of insects that cover you. The protection these 
 porches afford at night to the natives who, wrap- 
 ped in their cotton blankets, lie closely huddled to- 
 gether along the sidewalk, while scarcely leaving 
 room enough for a pathway for the pedestrian 
 serve to exempt them (the natives) from the 
 dews of the night. The palace of the viceroy, 
 centrally located, is -surrounded by beautiful 
 grounds, with magnificent shade trees. It is built 
 upon the grand esplanade, three miles in length, 
 and skirts the water's edge. From the hours of 
 5:00 till 8:00 p. m. this grand avenue presents 
 a lively appearance, for all the elite of Calcut- 
 ta seems gathered there. Handsome victorias 
 drawn by beautiful horses, coachmen and foot- 
 men, with their bright turbans and oriental 
 dress, lends enchantment to the view and re- 
 minded one of the display Aladdin made when 
 he went to claim his bride. In the Garden of 
 Eden, near by, a band of forty native mu- 
 sicians, well trained, discourse sweet music — 
 the latest European airs. During the perform- 
 ances all vehicles must remain in one posi- 
 
 58 
 
tion. thus affording the scores of flower ven- 
 ders opportunity to move noiselessly round- 
 about the carriages, offering the beautiful or- 
 chids, camellias and roses, for a small pittance, 
 to the occupants. To say nothing of toy 
 monkeys, which one cannot resist buying. 
 The European residence quarters lie along this 
 beautiful, sun-baked road. The houses are 
 large and well built, with the luxuriant sur- 
 roundings of tropical growth that almost hide 
 the homes from view. On every veranda is 
 the tea table, with its urn or samovar ; all Eng- 
 lish observe the hour of 4:00 o'clock to serve 
 the necessary stimulant at home and abroad. 
 The city is supplied with water from the 
 Hoogly River, gathered into large reservoirs, 
 and filtered. The Esplanade is sprinkled by 
 the native coolie, who, from his well-filled 
 goatskin, moves gracefully in a surpentine 
 fashion over its well rolled surface; while the 
 streets in the business portion are watered 
 from carts managed by women. A visit to the 
 crematory at the early dawn, — the hour set 
 apart for burning their dead — is interesting, 
 but horrible, to witness. A building of 100 
 feet is located upon the bank of the river. At 
 intervals of ten feet on its earthen floor are 
 trenches, dug the length of a body; they do 
 not exceed two feet in depth, if that. In this 
 excavation is placed some clean straw and 
 sandal wood with myrrh and sweet perfumes. 
 Upon this is laid, first crosswise and then 
 
 59 
 
lengthwise, sticks of cordwood, and a fresh 
 bed of straw, upon which the body is laid. The 
 body of an aged woman was brought in for 
 cremation while we stood there. It was 
 wrapped in white cheese cloth and rested on 
 the bed upon which she died, which is their 
 custom to burn. It is the length of the body, 
 made of rope interlaced ; at each end are two 
 small wooden legs which support the wooden 
 sides and are, in height, like the old-fashioned 
 trundle bed. The winding sheet was removed, 
 the body anointed with oil and rubbed with 
 saffron powder. The face, which was most ema- 
 ciated and betrayed great suffering, was complete- 
 ly besmeared with this mixture. The body was 
 then placed face downwards on the pile. Being 
 somewhat longer than the bed prepared for 
 it, the limb from the knee was bent towards 
 the body. The cracking of the dry bones was 
 most grewsome. The body had a fresh wrap 
 of cheese cloth thrown over it, the face hav- 
 ing her caste designated by lines of ashes on 
 her forehead, made by a priest, and sticks 
 of cordwood were placed crosswise and then 
 lengthwise so close together that the entire 
 body was concealed. A pitcher of water from 
 the sacred Hoogly River, nearby, was brought 
 and thrown over the pile. Then the nearest 
 relative of the deceased ran violently around 
 the body seven times, crying in a loud voice 
 to the gods that another soul was awaiting re- 
 incarnation, while a wild-eyed, maniacal-look- 
 
 60 
 
ing priest took up a huge bunch of straw and 
 made the circuit seven times, giving vent to 
 the most uncanny wail, when the son or hus- 
 band of the dead touched the burning torch 
 to the straw underneath ; soon all was ablaze. 
 The mourners, a few women, withdrew, and 
 a man, whose office it is, stood near by, and as 
 the arms or legs or pieces of burning wood 
 fell, would replace them with a pitch fork. 
 Scores of bodies were brought in that morning, 
 but seeing two cremations was all we needed 
 to make an indelible impression not easily 
 eradicated. It requires about two hours to re- 
 duce the body to ashes, or a granulated substance, 
 when it is g^athered and thrown into the holy 
 river, and the excavation is made clean for an- 
 other body. 
 
 The Ghats or sacred steps leading down to 
 the waters of the Hoogly are in the same vi- 
 cinity. Throngs of bathing pilgrims, of both 
 sexes, were gathered for their morning ablu- 
 tions. After wading out nearly waist deep, 
 they would place their hands reverently to- 
 gether, and apparently after a prayer with 
 great earnestness, dip themselves three times 
 into the water, and those who had flowers (the 
 marigold seemed the favorite), as they prayed 
 would cast them upon the waters one by one, 
 then scour their feet, rinse their mouth and 
 wash their garment, filling a brass vessel which 
 hung to their side with the holy water, and pro- 
 ceed to the well situated under a Boho tree at 
 
 6i 
 
the head of a Ghat, when they would sprinkle 
 the diminutive gods that were placed there. 
 Priests stood in readiness with paint and 
 ashes and made upon their foreheads the 
 mark of their caste, for which they re- 
 ceived a compensation. At. a time during the 
 eclipse of the moon, 100,000 pilgrims often find 
 their way to this holy water. It seems as if half 
 their lives are spent in making these pilgrim- 
 ages in these eastern countries, and if they die 
 far from the holy stream" they are cremated 
 and their ashes sent to some priest, whose of- 
 fice is to make the consecration before sprink- 
 ling them on the sacred rivers. 
 
 We turn from this scene, not wishing to ob- 
 literate the memory, but to forget for awhile 
 in other and perhaps no less disgusting scenes 
 in the native quarters. We are warned to 
 make our visits few, for contagious diseases 
 lur^c in these narrow streets and among these 
 filthy people. 
 
 We enter narrow lanes, in these quar- 
 ters, flanked on either side bv tumbled-down 
 houses. Wc are in pursuit of pearls. Strange 
 surroundings for such beautiful gems. We 
 are led into a narrow hall and up a long 
 flight of steps of stone, so worn by the tread 
 of time that we could scarcely keep our foot- 
 hold. We reach a chamber fronting on a court. 
 The floors are covered with padded matting 
 over which were sheets spread. Kneeling, or 
 rather squatting on these were natives busily 
 
 62 
 
employed sorting pearls. Before each were 
 piles of different sizes. The wonderful dex- 
 terity displayed by these coolies in separating 
 the large, medium and smaller seed pearls from 
 each other in parcels, by or through the sense 
 of touch of the index finger, seemed to convey 
 to their minds weight and size. 
 
 A table or counter was in one end of this 
 room, behind which were seated dignified pa- 
 triarchal looking dealers, and evidently owners 
 of the establishment. We were shown dia- 
 monds of such weight and brilliancy that fair- 
 ly bewildered us and dazzled our eyes. Em- 
 eralds, sapphires, and pearls of different col- 
 ors (black, pink and white), the former of 
 such size that we almost doubted their gen- 
 uineness. Evidently we were in a wholesale 
 department, for while there, there came in for- 
 eign buyers collecting many of these precious 
 stones. Prices were fixed. The dealers were 
 in touch with the world's market, and values 
 ruled accordingly; there seemed no chance to 
 barter. Our address is taken when we decline 
 to purchase, which means that we will be fol- 
 lowed to the hotel by a native who will there 
 unfold the wonders of India's product again 
 to us — specimens even more tempting than 
 those shown in the shops. Our lack of confi- 
 dence in ourselves as experts and a growing 
 distrust of the dealer makes a breach between 
 buyer and seller. In these places where gems 
 are kept the stock ofttimes seems meager, and 
 
 63 
 
we manifest our disappointment, but are at 
 once assured that their supply is large, but at 
 the present time the rarest and most costly 
 have been sent to some Maha Rajah who 
 makes regal purchases, and those he declines, 
 perhaps from his sufficiency, are returned for 
 sale to those whose love for gems is weighed in 
 a balance with their purse. 
 
 An English lady artist Vv'ho was solicited 
 to paint the portrait of one of these Rajahs in 
 his own palace, and to abide in the premises 
 during her time of labor, told me her powers 
 of description failed her in the attempt to por- 
 tray to others what the coffers of these rulers 
 of provinces contained, and with which they 
 adorned themselves on slate occasions, and 
 to convey to canvas their beauties, would have 
 been the work of the Hand that created them. 
 
 Calcutta, cit}^ of palaces, has a number of 
 theaters, one of which we attended. The 
 evening was warm ; the audience quite large. 
 In the gallery sat parties in groups ; over each 
 stood stalwart coolies, in whose hands were 
 held a long-handled palm-leaf fan. Not for 
 one moment did they falter, but with an un- 
 erring movement, gracefully and uninterrupt- 
 edly handled this cumbersome article, which 
 must have had a soothing effect. The play 
 was not Vv^cll supported ; now and then was 
 pleasure or displeasure manifested by the audi- 
 ence in a loud voice speaking, we were told. 
 direct to the actors. After the play was over 
 
 64 
 
I by the way. it was long drawn out) the foyer 
 rapidly filled and great hilarity prevailed. 
 Full dress, now in evidence among the ladies, 
 and gentlemen with their tall silk hats and 
 boutonierres looked most like English swells, 
 while those in Oriental dress were not eclipsed 
 in brilliant coloring. 
 
 The insect life in Calcutta was most annoy- 
 ing. Before going to the theatre I had left a 
 small flicker from the gas jet in my room and 
 the windows open. What was my^ dismay on 
 returning to find the originally whitewashed 
 walls of my apartment of a dull grey appear- 
 ance. I doubted if my steamer trunk had not 
 been transferred in my^ absence to a more 
 sombre looking chamber, but on my appeal to 
 Brahma, my servant, who lay at my door, he 
 assured me that it was innumerable shad flies 
 (as we would call them) which had been 
 caught by the glare and had lined walls and 
 ceilings and covered my bed spread. Dust 
 pans and brushes were in requisition, coun- 
 terpane shaken, and lace mosquito netting 
 drawn down and tucked in before I felt like 
 retiring for the night. To attempt to read by 
 an overhanging light was simply impossible, 
 for the print of paper or book would be com- 
 pletely obscured by these pestiferous crea- 
 tures, and when we sought an outside veranda 
 that we might, in the darkness, at least, carry 
 on a conversation, they would fly down one's 
 
 65 
 
throat, when we opened our mouths. Imagine 
 what a sacrifice this was to be compelled to be 
 dumb, when we had so much to say. 
 
 In traveling through India a body servant 
 is indispensable. He lies at the door of your 
 sleeping apartment, waits upon you at the 
 table, buys your ticket, cares for your baggage 
 and divers other attentions are rendered by the 
 patient but most indolent Mohammedan. We 
 are advised not to employ a Hindoo servant, 
 as they refuse to serve flesh or fowl to you at 
 the table; according to their religious belief, 
 it would be pollution. 
 
 At 9:15 p. m., Nov. 18, 1895. we find our- 
 selves in a most comfortable compartment car, 
 with shower bath and other conveniences. 
 Alongside, but not connected in a way that 
 we could speak to them only by calling from 
 the car window or door, was the apartment 
 designated for servants. They lie down at 
 night on the floor with an extra cotton wrap, 
 which is used for the purpose, and I fancy 
 they use their turban for their pillow. To our 
 party of four we were entitled to an entire 
 compartment, and no intrusion can be made 
 en route, on our privacy. On either side of 
 the car are long, cushioned seats, well uphols- 
 tered and covered with dark green leather ; 
 over these are suspended corresponding ones 
 which, if not in use, are thrown to the ceiling, 
 where they are made secure. At the one end 
 is a shorter seat (width of the car) and at the 
 
 66 
 
opposite side a door leads into a toilet room. 
 The traveler provides his own bedding, which 
 consists of pillows or cushions, and steamer 
 blankets or shawls. The nights are cold, bul 
 the heat through the day, were we not in mo- 
 tion, would be insupportable, together with the 
 dust that arises along the road, for lack of 
 rain, adds nothing to our comfort. Our coolies, 
 if called upon to roll up our bedding, whether 
 from lack of inclination or from physical weak- 
 ness we know not, would look morose, or call 
 in, if at a station, additional help to share in 
 the labor, and never fail at the end of the day 
 to ask for compensation for the annas expend- 
 ed on their co-workers. 
 
 I could better appreciate the statement made 
 by an English missionary from the Isle of 
 Wight that he kept sixteen servants in his own 
 household (and he was a bachelor) ; that no 
 one coolie would perform what -he himself 
 considered to be the work of two men. I must 
 confess to their indolence, but it appeared to 
 me a trifle extravagant for a dependant upon 
 the missionary board. He was a most agree- 
 able gentleman, however, and I am under 
 many obligations for a prescription which en- 
 abled me, when I had it filled, to accomplish 
 my sight seeing, and travel in India, our own 
 remedies having no effect in that country 
 or climate. In returning to the question 
 of manual labor: the working of the "pun- 
 kas," or swinging fans, alone required many 
 
 67 
 
men, to keep the air in motion for the com- 
 fort of people. In the hotel dining room these 
 fans were hung on wires, stretched at intervals 
 the entire length and breadth of the salon, say 
 five feet apart. The material used was a white 
 or drab drilling (cotton cloth) made into 
 huge box plaits; wire or rope v/as attached 
 to and drawn above these punkas to holes in 
 the wall, which separated the dining room 
 from a corridor. There sat, or rather squatted, 
 a dozen, more or less, coolies with these 
 wires either in their hands or fastened to their 
 feet, and would sway to and fro, causing a vi- 
 bration in the air that was most acceptable in 
 these warm climates, while eating. 
 
 The native coolies are neither scrupulously 
 truthful nor honest, indolent to a degree, rather 
 sullen, but to all appearances submissive. They 
 are fond of stimulants, more especially opium 
 and tobacco. In traveling you are under the sur- 
 veillance of your servants, fearing you may make 
 some purchase without their knowledge, caus- 
 ing them to lose a commission to which they 
 feel themselves entitled for having directed your 
 steps or attenion to the shop of the dealer. 
 
 They receive their stipulated wages, traveling 
 expenses defrayed by the employer, but added 
 to this is a constant appeal to your sympathies ; 
 for instance : 'T am just in receipt of news from 
 home. My son is lying (great stress on son) 
 very ill. My mother has no monev to employ 
 a doctor. What am I to do if the good ladv 
 
 68 
 
will not assist me to send some help to her?" 
 It has been proven that these same applicants 
 have no family and have recklessly spent their 
 allowance in riotous living on their journey. 
 We have to provide a winter outfit if it is cold, 
 such as a night blanket of cotton cloth, and some 
 clothing — for during the heated term clothing is 
 unnecessary — and pay for the return trip to 
 their home, v;ithout v/e find travelers going the 
 same route we have just taken, and if the ser- 
 vants have merited a recommendation we eive 
 it to them and are thus relieved ourselves. We 
 found one of the tricks of the trade was for 
 the coolie to secure a returning party — we 
 will say, to make ourselves lucid, from Bom- 
 bay to Calcutta — but to keep the matter secret 
 from us so that we might give them a return 
 ticket, which they could easily sell. In spite of 
 our experience there must be some good and 
 true natives, for her majesty, Queen Victoria, 
 has for her closest body-servant the Indian, 
 chosen for his submission and faithfulness. 
 
 Our journey to Benares was at night, because 
 of the freedom from dust and heat. The early 
 dawn found us awake and peeping out of shut- 
 ters for a sight of the country through which 
 we were passing. The stations are well built, 
 and crowds of natives, men and women, flock 
 there on arrival of trains, ofifering for sale flow- 
 ers, sweets, fruits, the cocoanut, lemons and a 
 sort of banana. At your desire the cocoanut, 
 nicely scraped and clean, will be broken so that 
 
 69 
 
you may quaff at your leisure what must be to 
 them a dehcious cool drink — a little goes a 
 good way with me. It is well to be supplied 
 with plenty of their small coin, for they are so 
 slow in making the necessary change that the 
 car has proceeded on its way before they have 
 accomplished the task. 
 
 The experience of one of our party was a les- 
 son to us. A gentleman from California, desir- 
 ing some nuts or fruit, gave in exchange a 
 pound in gold— all he had at hand. The train 
 started, but all in vain were his protestations ; 
 the speed increased, and what was most provok- 
 ing, was to see at a safe distance the naked boy 
 running, apparently, trying to overtake us, but 
 laughing immoderately at the joke — he will get 
 his reward. This reminds me of a story to the 
 point. On one occasion in my own native land 
 I had an appeal made for help for a poor fam- 
 ily. Having often allowed my heart to run away 
 with my head, I determined this time to be 
 forearmed. So I visited the house of distress, 
 found things clean and tidy, but cupboards empty 
 and a man in bed, supposed to be the husband 
 of the woman who had sought my aid. It was 
 with apparent difificulty he spoke to me. I hur- 
 ried to order from the adjacent market a full 
 supply for several days. After exhausting my 
 strength I felt myself unable to go farther into 
 the city where I could replace an undershirt his 
 loving spouse said had been stolen from the 
 clothes Hne, and his need of a change was moat 
 
 70 
 
pressing. On my way home, tired and footsore, 
 I resolved to call on a neighboring friend 
 where gentlemen were more plentiful than with 
 me, and ask for cast-oflf underwear. On inter- 
 rogating me, my friend laughed to see my dis- 
 tress, and informed me it was an old trick of 
 the woman. The sick man was a perfectly 
 strong, well man — and rarely was the same man 
 on exhibition. Alack, for me! I had, during 
 the day, met our pastor, Mr. Monroe Gibson, 
 and begged that he might call at his earliest 
 convenience, lest the dying man might go out 
 of the world without a prayer, for his soul's 
 salvation. In the twilight I retraced my steps 
 to tell Mr. Gibson how, in common parlance, 
 "I had been sold." After a sympathetic look, 
 he in his Scotch brogue said : "Well, never 
 mind ; you remember the man who put a crown 
 in the contribution box where he intended to 
 put a penny and, on retiring from the church, 
 went to the man who had charge of the alms 
 box and told him that he had made a mistake. 
 The pastor did not ofifer to refund it, but simply 
 said : 'Brother, )^ou will have your reward in 
 heaven' " (for a good intention, not for the 
 amount given). 
 
 Low mud houses, hid among the palms, af- 
 forded shelter from the sun during the noon- 
 day hours. Men, women and children, the for- 
 mer and latter nude or scantily clad, grouped 
 together along the road; the faces of the women 
 were partially veiled. The scene is rather pic- 
 
 71 
 
turesque, with the chatter of the monkeys and 
 the singing of bright plumaged birds. They 
 lend some animation to the otherwise barren 
 prospects. We learn there are common schools 
 throughout the country for the male popula- 
 tion, but women are uneducated except in re- 
 ligious art and duties. Government no longer 
 tolerates the wife sacrificing her body on the 
 pyre of her dead husband ; but death is prefer- 
 able to a life of widowhood, owing to the self- 
 denial forced upon her by his family. 
 
 The chmate of India is conducive to economy 
 in clothing, as little, if any, is needed. The diet 
 of the native would be starvation in a cooler 
 clime. A mud hut gives the needed shelter, 
 and the ofifal of the animals, dried in cakes on 
 the sides of their hovels, give them sufificient 
 fuel to boil their rice and other vegetables. The 
 masses have never known anything but oppres- 
 sion ; they are apparently kind to man and beast. 
 We never heard any wrangUng. nor witnessed 
 any street brawls. A native will step aside, 
 rather than tread upon an ant, which is the pest 
 of the country. 
 
 Benares is sixteen hours' ride from Calcutta, 
 a distance of 450 miles. We find there Clark's 
 Hotel patronized by tourists, on the outskirts of 
 the city, a refreshing looking spot and most rest- 
 ful bungalow. We rested under the cool shades 
 of the palm fees until a favorable hour, and then 
 drove to the "Holiest of Holy Cities," situated on 
 the Ganges river, once alike holy to the Buddhist 
 
 72 
 
as it is now to the Hindoo. The sacred, the 
 three-fold divine river, runs, according to their 
 religion, through Heaven, Hell and Earth. To 
 die on its banks, and to have one's ashes thrown 
 upon its bosom, is a through ticket to Paradise. 
 Troops of men, women and children, tired and 
 footsore, are met wending their way to the 
 shrines. To bathe in the Ganges is to wash away 
 all sins. 
 
 Crowds throng the narrow, dusty streets; 
 the women rather gracefully attired, with a pro- 
 fusion of silver ornaments, ear-rings, nose- 
 rings, bracelets and bangles; the men nude or 
 with a scant loin cloth. The houses are built 
 of clay, sun baked, some of brick, stuccoed, 
 ancient as time in appearance, unfit for habita- 
 tion, but are grouped among the shops and tem- 
 ples in close proximity. The monkey temple 
 is especially interesting, surrounded by well 
 wooded grounds where the monkeys frisk and 
 frolic all day long and are fed by an admiring 
 crowd, who regard them as sacred animals. 
 These temples are reached by a long flight of 
 stone steps,which I found myself slowly climbing, 
 when, without warning, I was rudely pushed to 
 one side. On looking around, I saw a diminu- 
 tive grey cow ascending the steps with great dig- 
 nity, and it was the contact with this animal 
 that had so shocked me. I quickened my p-ait, 
 and in my attempt to get out of the way. I 
 rushed into the first opening that met my view, 
 which proved to be the entrance to the temple 
 
 73 
 
grounds, set apart for these sacred cows. The 
 animal was close beside me and I vaulted like a 
 school boy to a neighboring- ledge of rock. I 
 became agile from fear, but the fright occa- 
 sioned by the cow's triumphant entry was noth- 
 ing to the brandishing of arms of the natives 
 in charge. I was brushed aside like a fly in the 
 sacred enclosure, where no heretic was allowed 
 to enter. Truly, I felt far from home ! Garlands 
 of marigolds, kept fresh at wells of water, 
 are sold to devotees to lay at the feet or to 
 encircle the gods of brass and stone that are 
 seen in every direction. We are not permitted 
 to enter a Hindoo temple, but get a glimpse 
 in passing of their tinselled gaudiness. This 
 seething caldron, where beasts usurp the rights 
 of men, women and children, who are all bow- 
 ing down to objects of wood and stone, is a 
 sight one may long for — but once in a lifetime 
 is quite satisfactory, and we gladly withdraw. 
 
 The early dawn of day finds us driving 
 through the already crowded streets on our way 
 to the "Ghats." Boats lie in readiness to con- 
 vey us along the sacred shore of the Ganges, 
 for but one bank is consecrated ; the opposite 
 shore seems a dreary waste. For miles homes 
 and sacred structures are reared; here and 
 there massive ruins attest the powers of the 
 Ganges' floods on solid masonry. From a dis- 
 tance it is picturesque, but on close inspection 
 has a most dilapidated appearance. The well- 
 built stone steps, or Ghats, are crowded at this 
 
 74 
 
early hour with pilgrims and devotees wrapped 
 in their white robes. They wade out into the 
 holy stream, bowing- and drinking double hands 
 full of water, so nauseous in appearance, and 
 taking off from themselves garlands of mari- 
 golds, throw them on the surface of the water, 
 then wash their mouths, and return on shore 
 for certain ministrations that the priests stood 
 in readiness to perform for them, v/hich seemed 
 to complete the purification. Their caste was 
 manifested by certain marks made with ashes 
 or paint on their foreheads. 
 
 From the upper deck of our small steamer we 
 overlook the ceremony of cremation, not un- 
 like that we had seen in Calcutta. The bodies 
 were wrapped in crimson-colored cheese cloth 
 and laid upon a rude bier composed of two 
 poles, laced together with rope; so near the 
 water were these bodies placed that the feet 
 were completely covered. We were told that 
 very sick persons were brought when dying, and 
 the immersion in the holy water would bring 
 about a reaction, and restoration to health would 
 ensue. No mourners were around the body, and 
 those who ministered at the cremation were 
 ostracized socially, being considered unclean 
 for a certain length of time, and are of the 
 lowest caste. The sheik who has charge of the 
 burning has the ashes thoroughly sifted to se- 
 cure any jewelry that may have been on the 
 body, and as theft is often committed by the 
 men employed to rake up the ashes, great dis- 
 putes arise in consequence. 
 
 75 
 
The colossal form in stone of the "God 
 Beem" lies prostrate on the ground, and women 
 in peril of childbirth come in throngfs on moon- 
 light nights to pray for the safe deliverance of 
 a son; girls are at a discount in the Orient. We 
 saw a man stretched upon a bed of spikes, pay- 
 ing penance for some sin committed, or to find 
 favor by self-abnegation with his god. When 
 we appeared, incredulous as to the actual facts, 
 the man arose to show the pierced flesh and the 
 sharp points of which his bed was composed. 
 The upholding of an arm until the flesh withers, 
 and the limb stiffens, is most revolting. These 
 devotees allow their finger nails to become, so 
 extended that they look like claws, or more like 
 the roots of a tree seen in Ceylon, which lie on 
 top of the ground. We are privileged to visit 
 the palace of the Maha Rajah, which is quite a 
 distance from Benares and on the unconse- 
 crated shore of the Ganges. Numbers of naked 
 coolies run along the shore, pulling with all 
 their strength on the ropes attached to the 
 boat. When we arrive opposite the palace we 
 are transferred to a raft, which is rowed and 
 pushed to the landing. The gloomy structure 
 rises before us, and the approach to it is rather 
 intricate, through courtyards much littered up 
 with debris. As we enter with our guide, we 
 are informed of the Rajah's absence from 
 home, but we are permitted to wander through 
 rooms most inhospitable in appearance. A few 
 pictures adorn the walls and some handsome 
 
 76 
 
bric-a-brac is scattered here and there. We are 
 told that the Rajah himself is most hospitable, 
 and much more would have been shown us had 
 he been at home. The great attraction in mak- 
 ing this visit is to see the hundreds of elephants 
 and tigers he has in his possession, but "the 
 shades of night were falling fast" and we de- 
 clined any further delay. 
 
 Our trip to Benares was much more rapid 
 on returning. We floated down the Ganges 
 by moonlight ; it was a grewsome scene. We 
 were gathered together on the deck of our steam- 
 er, while our guide, at our feet, was beguiling 
 the weary hours by his weird tales. Visions of 
 crocodiles, awaiting their prey, float before our 
 eyes ; lights from the shore grew indistinct, and 
 our little group most abject; but the landing 
 place at length was in sight, and we had kept 
 our carriage awaiting our return. We were 
 driven through dark, narrow streets to the gar- 
 den of a temple, where lived the holy man of 
 Benares. We remained in our vehicle until our 
 guide ascertained whether we could have an in- 
 terview. It was 9:00 p. m., but being American 
 tourists, we were admitted. He was a man ap- 
 parently sanctified by his mode of living, not 
 unlike that of Buddha. He was emaciated, and 
 as we approached him, he arose from his cot 
 not entirely nude, but a simple loin cloth was 
 his only clothing. A canopy was above his 
 bed, and that was his home, day and night. He 
 is a profound Hindoo scholar, and without 
 
 77 
 
doubt will be canonized after death. His man- 
 ner toward us was most cordial and especially 
 towards the one of our group who hailed from 
 Chicago. He spoke through an interpreter, say- 
 ing that the governor of Chicago had called on 
 him before the World's Fair, urging the holy 
 man to visit him at the time of the exhibition, 
 but he could not think of ever leaving India. 
 He then sent for his book of registration and 
 showed us the name registered as Carter H. 
 Harrison. We were asked to write our names, 
 which we did, and were then olTered by an at- 
 tendant fruits and given a book containing his 
 own life to date. He was born in 1833, rnarried 
 at twelve years of age, and was a father at eight- 
 een. Like Buddha, he withdrew from all natural 
 ties and set himself apart for a religious life. 
 When asked if he did not feel the cold night air 
 to be injurious, his reply was in his graceful 
 gesture pointing heavenward, and in his signal 
 language made us understand that under a watch- 
 ful eye no harm could befall him. 
 
 The country from Benares to Lucknow is 
 but little different from what we have already 
 passed, though the distance is 190 miles. Popu- 
 lation, 250,000. ]\Ianufacturers of carpets, rugs, 
 gold lace and embroideries are found here, and 
 seemingly the natives are interested in their 
 employment, but are poor and oppressed. The 
 remains of mausoleums and palaces attest for- 
 mer grandeur before its ownership was abso- 
 lutely in the hands of its conquerors. Hotel 
 
 78 
 
accommodations are poor. We drove to the 
 park to "Leeundea Bagh," where durmg- the 
 mutiny of 1857 two thousand mutineers were 
 killed within two hours — Sir Cohn Campbell 
 imder command. The residency was built in 
 1800 by Sahondah Ally Kahn. During- the 
 mutiny it contained only 927 Europeans, who 
 were besieged by the rebels. Shot and shell 
 marks are to be seen in the walls. The Fort 
 Mueks' Bhawan, built during the famine as re- 
 lief work at great cost, is of much interest; also 
 a museum filled with objects of curiosity. Luck- 
 now, famous in song, ran through my mind as 
 we looked in vain for a Lalla Rookh, the imagi- 
 nary character of the poet Moore. 
 
 Cawnpoor, thirty miles further on, with 130,- 
 000 inhabitants, presents large industries of 
 leather work, rice mills and jute manufactories. 
 The drive to the beautiful park, which now 
 crosses the battlefield, is most interesting. The 
 stately monument of pure white marble, sur- 
 mounted by a female figure, with widespread 
 wings, and in each hand a palm of most ex- 
 quisite workmanship, combined v.atli graceful- 
 ness. An English officer stands near by ready 
 to give you a brief but graphic account of the' 
 mutiny. The monument stands on the spot 
 over the great well, into which were thrown 
 alive 700 men, women and children, who were 
 hurled into it in one day by the order of Nana 
 Sahib. A beautiful memorial church not far 
 away has been erected in memory of the loved 
 
 79 
 
and lost. We enter during vesper hours ; such 
 perfect peace and quiet reigns in and around 
 this sacred spot, where many Enghsh men and 
 women were gathered at the service. It seemed 
 so isolated to me so far from home. The drives 
 in the vicinity are fascinating, yet the rice fields 
 were beginning to grow scarce and less grass 
 was seen. We journey on. Wheat fields ap- 
 pear more frequently; apparently no de- 
 markation between land of different own- 
 ers. Trees are scarce, but the excrement 
 of cattle is sun baked and used for fuel. 
 The homes of the people are mud-walled pens, 
 huddled together, surrounded by walls of the 
 same material. This grouping of homes, such 
 as they were, attracted our attention all along 
 our journey. This is evidently for protection. 
 No isolated farm houses, with the comforts of 
 life, were in evidence. 
 
 The pay of the laborers who construct the 
 railroad is three annas a day (2^4 cents) ; an 
 English-speaking servant will get 34 cents a 
 day (one rupee and four annas) for food. We 
 do not realize how thickly settled the country is 
 in traveling on the railroad, but by and by we 
 see the mud-walled village again with its hun- 
 dreds of inhabitants, who rush out on the ap- 
 proach of the train, the women and children 
 crying piteously for backsheesh. The wealth 
 and strength of the past ages is now seen in 
 their morgues, mausoleums and palaces, many 
 
 80 
 
of them wrecks of their former beauty, but 
 patience and long years of toil are evident in 
 their crumbling walls. 
 
 The Punjab country lies between the five 
 great branches of the Indus River. The men 
 here are magnificent specimens of physical de- 
 velopment. The Sikh soldiers are the hand- 
 somest known. We see them acting as police- 
 men at Hongkong, and we stop to admire 
 their erect carriage and military tread. There 
 is one defect, however, in the anatomy of the 
 men of India; they have no calves to their 
 legs. The Sikh is less servile than any other 
 tribe, hard fighters, but attain to more or less 
 civility in their contact with Europeans. 
 
 Our next stopping place to Benares was Aigra, 
 so full of interest ; namely, the Fort ; the Pearl 
 Mosque, the imperial palace, built by Abkur, 
 the grandfather of Shah Jehan ; the palace 
 of wonders ; its walls inlaid with agates, topaz, 
 tagula and other more precious stones. The 
 rooms set apart for the harem women are ex- 
 quisitely beautiful. The oriental imagination 
 must have lost itself in the construction and 
 adornment of this palace. The apartments 
 built for his favorite wife, with a boudoir and 
 marble baths — the water furnished for the lat- 
 ter was delicately perfumed — and walls, mir- 
 rored with small pieces of glass, looked like 
 the firmament in its brightness, but it re- 
 mained for Shah Jehan to astonish the world 
 with the mausoleum built for his (not the most 
 
 8i 
 
correct) wife. The Tag Mahal, the tomb of his 
 sultana, Montag Mahal, is the most beautiful 
 creation in marble in existence. We are told 
 she was beautiful ; her devotion to Shah Jehan. 
 was proverbial, and his for her idolatrous. Her 
 dying request was that her husband should 
 never take for himself another wife, and in her 
 memory should build a tomb that could have 
 no rival, and one that all the world would ad- 
 mire. "Tag" is a pet name of endearment; 
 "Mahal" means great or beautiful; "Montag 
 Mahal," the chosen of the palace. In the words 
 of another I will describe the Tag Mahal, as I 
 know no more fitting words to use. "Passing 
 through a majestic Saracenic arch, eighty feet in 
 height, supported by two abutments of sand 
 stone, on the panels of which are carved pass- 
 ages from the Koran, is a long vista 
 of cypress trees, shading a marble 
 paved canal, on either side of which are 
 beds of flowers and crystal fountains. At the 
 end of this magic avenue stands the "Tag" on 
 a terrace ; at either corner of this square is an 
 edifice of sandstone, with a dome of the same 
 material. The "Tag" is built of polished white 
 marble, its oriental dome shaped like a globe, 
 tapering up into a spire surmounted by a gold- 
 en crescent. The platform upon which the 
 "Tag" is placed is a square of 313 feet each 
 side and eighteen feet in heiglit. From each 
 of the corners rise four lesser domes of the 
 same matchless marble, forming graceful min- 
 
 82 
 
arets. By moonlight and by sunset we g^aze 
 upon this Arabian night or day dream. "A 
 thing of beauty is a joy forever." Italian, Sa- 
 rascenic and Persian are all suggested in its 
 architecture, and we are told that Shah Jehan 
 expected to build for himself a tomb of black 
 polished marble within sight, but on the other 
 side of the River Jumna, but the depleted state 
 of the treasury caused alarm in the mind of 
 his son ; fearing he would be impoverished, he 
 made his father a prisoner in the imperial pal- 
 ace. We stood in the room wherein he had lain 
 in his dying hours, and gazed out of the win- 
 dows, as he did, upon the beautiful vision 
 which was within his sight, his last wish was 
 gratified, and his earthly vi.«k)n failed in the view 
 he had of Montag's tomb. He looked out be- 
 yond the Jumna, as the v;estern sun's rays kissed 
 the pure white marble, reflecting on its polished 
 surface — the reflex it may have been of a 
 heavenly vision, vouchsafed only to those who 
 pass the portals. 
 
 Delhi, the next station en route, notwith- 
 standing the dust and heat, has its attractions. 
 The Bungalow Hotel is kept by an English- 
 woman who, with her sons, had a number of 
 hostelries in India and along the tourist line 
 of travel. This one offered but few comforts. 
 The proprietress assured me that they would 
 soon build a good hotel, as travel demanded it. 
 She evidently had received a telegram that we 
 were on our way from her son's place, at 
 
 83 
 
whose table we had sat at Aigra. She sent 
 her private conveyance for us to the depot, 
 and received us herself with some cordiality, 
 and was much gratified to learn of our pleas- 
 ant memories of Aigra, with its tombs, tem- 
 ples, and its exquisite embroideries — the best 
 we saw in India — woven of the finest texture 
 and wrought upon with such delicacy that we 
 could scarce realize that the dark, swarthy 
 fingers of those poor native Indians could 
 work out such marvels. We bought handsome 
 table decorations in embroidered satin and be- 
 moaned that we did not get more, after we 
 were too far away to retrace our steps. 
 
 One of the attractions of Delhi is the tower 
 of Kutah Mina, rising to a height of 240 feet, 
 divided into five stories, built of red, buff and 
 pink sandstone. The column, or tower, is of 
 fluted architecture for most of the height, and 
 decorated at intervals with layers of white 
 marble slabs. We were told it was built for a 
 favorite daughter of the ruling monarch, that 
 she might, from its height, view the Holy 
 River Jumna, which was at a great distance 
 from her home. According to the tale told 
 us, this tower must be ascended before 
 she broke her morning fast. Near by stands 
 the iron pillar, nearly a foot and a half 
 in diameter and over forty feet high above the 
 ground. It is a solid shaft of malleable iron, 
 the natives claim its foundation is laid in the 
 center of the earth. To see the tower and iron 
 
 84 
 
pillar necessitates a ride of eleven miles 
 through dust and dirt and but little of any in- 
 terest along the wayside. We visited the 
 tomb of Johanara, the daughter of Shah Jehan, 
 who shared her father's captivity. Pure in 
 spirit and humble she chose a plain block of 
 marble or alabaster, to cover her grave, 
 screened by a delicately wrought white mar- 
 ble. The epitaph inscribed on her tomb reads: 
 
 " Place naught but one green herb above my head ; 
 This alone befits the poor and lonely dead." 
 
 Pious monks keep fresh grass on her tomb ; 
 a slab at the head of the grave bears this in- 
 scription in Arabic: "God is life and the res- 
 urrection." The shops are attractive and we 
 find and purchase some ivories and, if one 
 cares for the likeness of Shah Jehan. they will 
 be able to purchase paintings in miniature of 
 him and his wife, done on porcelain. Wheth- 
 er or not true to nature, we are unable to judge. 
 Beautiful pink pearls are shown us. How often 
 I have regretted not buying some of them ; we 
 never found them so perfect after leaving Delhi. 
 The enameled bracelets are shown in great vari- 
 ety, and yet we pass them by. 
 
 Jeypore is a typical Indian city, twelve hours 
 by rail from Delhi. The streets are wide and 
 well watered, the houses of stucco, gaudily 
 painted in hieroglyphic designs, are two and 
 three stories high. In the middle of the streets, 
 at intervals of two or three squares, are stone 
 
 85 
 
wells, around which rested diminutive gods of 
 wood and stone. In the early morning hours 
 the natives lay an offering of flowers before 
 these idols and wash their hands or faces in 
 the water and go on their wav rejoicing. In- 
 numerable pigeons, regarded as sacred, swarm 
 in the streets, where they are fed. 
 
 We spend Thanksgiving day (November, 
 1895) in Jeypore, sight-seeing, our hearts long- 
 ing for the dear ones at home. In our wan- 
 derings we met a wedding party. The bride, 
 we are told, was twelve years old, the groom 
 twenty-one. They were seated in a gaudily dec- 
 orated car, drawn by oxen. A scarlet canopy, 
 with India shawl draperies, hung gracefully 
 down and almost concealed the little veiled 
 lady; she wore a scarlet wrap. The groom 
 elect, sat Turkish fashion, wore a tall hat 
 and looked m.ost solemn. We entered a 
 bazaar, where bronze and lacquer were for 
 sale, together with ancient armor, kept by 
 one Mr. Zoroaster, a man of distinction. 
 While on the second floor of the build- 
 ing, overlooking a court-yard, some gaily 
 dressed veiled women came in and began to 
 beat their tomtoms. 3>Ir. Zoroaster remarked : 
 "It is only on great occasions that my sister 
 ever leaves her home. It is she who is below, 
 accompanied by her women in waiting, and 
 have come to bid my famil}^ to the wedding of 
 her daughter." He told us the bride and groom 
 were wealthy, and that her father was to give 
 
 S6 
 
a feast to five thousand people on this, their 
 wedding day. He, Mr. Zoroaster, told us the 
 dress of his sister for the occasion cost 2,000 
 rupees. It was crimson, embroidered in gold, 
 a fluted skirt; many yards in width. Her 
 bracelets and bangles were studded with jew- 
 els. The band played as the procession moved 
 slowly through the streets. 
 
 The palace of the Mahah Rajah was opened 
 for inspection; the rugs were rolled; the furni- 
 ture covered and, as the Rajah was away from 
 home, things seemed neglected. Pigeons were 
 stalking around and in the palace, and rare 
 birds of bright plumage seemed to the manor 
 born as they stood or flew in and out at their 
 own sweet will. Hundreds of elephants were 
 kept on these grounds and owned by the Maha 
 Rajah. It was an imposing sight to see these 
 clumsy but dignified animals with their orien- 
 tal trappings and painted ear flaps. The col- 
 oring was most harmonious. Horses innumer- 
 able were in the stables and were with their 
 care keepers, making ready for their daily out- 
 ing. It is a scene, when elephants, horses and 
 tigers are led through the streets and, per- 
 haps, witnessed nowhere else in such regal 
 splendor. Camels stalked through the high- 
 ways with their burdens ; panther dogs, led by 
 their masters, strolled leisurely along; in fact, 
 one might feel it was a gala day and a men- 
 agerie on exhibition. There are public cages 
 here; lions and tigers can be seen within the 
 
 87 
 
city's limit. Around these cages, where the 
 crowds gather, come the poor, wretched, de- 
 formed beggars, heart-rending to gaze upon — 
 to say nothing of the loathsome lepers, which 
 were more hideous than the wild beasts. 
 
 A school of fine arts, sustained hf the rulers 
 of Jeypore, was well equipped with men and 
 boys, who were industriously and skillfully 
 beating and moulding brass into useful and 
 decorative articles. Potter}'-, and especially 
 lacquer work is carried on, we were told, to a 
 greater degree of perfection than elsewhere in 
 the world. 
 
 It was at Jeypore we saw the Nautch girls, 
 kept by the Maha Rajah for his own amuse- 
 ment. Our guide would have us believe 
 that we were greatly favored in this, our 
 opportunity. One hour spent with them was 
 (juite enough, and cost us six dollars, a ridiculous 
 expenditure. However, we have started out to 
 see the sights; this is one of them. We were 
 taken to a house and led up to the second story 
 back porch, we might call it, overlooking a 
 gloomy courtyard. A white quilted rug was 
 thrown upon the floor. Three native girls ap- 
 peared, dressed gorgeously in knife-pleated 
 skirts to the knees, embroidered in gold. On 
 their heads were thrown beautiful grenadine 
 scarfs, drawn gracefully over their shoul- 
 ders. Coronets studded with jewels, with ear- 
 rings, bracelets and bangles resplendent with 
 dazzling gems. Three women stood behind 
 
 88 
 
these girls, advancing and retreating, keeping 
 time with their rude musical instruments. They 
 move their bodies in a most disgusting manner 
 from the hip down, while they attempt to por- 
 tray great intensity of feeling. In a short time 
 they became very familiar, and disposed to be 
 very flirtatious with the gentlemen of our 
 party, taking ofif their bracelets, ear-rings and 
 other ornaments and attempted to place them 
 on their wrists or hang them on their ears. 
 They, in return are anxious to secure a ring 
 or any ornament we wear. They are repulsive 
 and full of evil, judging from their looks and 
 actions. They were roughly spoken to by an 
 old, grey-headed woman, who evidently had 
 them in charge, and, we thought, was urging 
 them to offer us wine or refreshment, from 
 which we could not escape before paying, but 
 we had been forewarned and hastily withdrew, 
 our guide settling our bill, while we hurried 
 into our carriage. In their gyrations they 
 would represent snake charmers, kite-fiyers and 
 divers and other mysterious movements that 
 were anything but graceful. 
 
 Our visit to Amber, a city of ruins adjacent 
 to Jeypore, was made partly by carriage and 
 the ascent of the mountain by elephant to 
 the winter palace of the Rajah. A small ladder 
 was attached to the howdah on the back of the 
 animal, and one by one we climbed and took 
 our seat, two on one side and two on the other 
 — back to back. While making this climb the 
 
 89 
 
huge elephant knelt, all four feet doubled un- 
 der him. When we were seated he arose. The 
 motion was not pleasant, but all fear was dis- 
 pelled by the two faithful coolies who walked 
 on either side of Jumbo and directed his foot- 
 steps with an irqn probe. We reach the pal- 
 ace, after a tedious ride, and to alight was a 
 feat, but we were quite repaid by the interior 
 views. We were too late for a sacrifice 
 that had just been made of a sheep or 
 lamb ; saw nothing but a sprinkling of blood 
 and the dying embers, or ashes, upon which a 
 portion of the animal sacrificed is cooked for 
 the priests in attendance. The walls of the 
 palace were most unique. Doubtless, while the 
 plaster was still wet, pieces of mirror, the size 
 of a 25-cent piece were imbedded in it, and so 
 thickW studded were these walls and ceilings 
 that the effect was brilliant. The rooms were 
 large and orange trees grew apace where a 
 spot of ground appeared. The ruins of Amber, 
 which we overlook, seemed the haunts of fa- 
 kirs, naked and covered with dirt; with their 
 thin, long hair matted, hanging over their 
 shoulders or on their faces. These fanatics, 
 in their self abnegation, are looking for their 
 reward in Nirvanna, where they think only those 
 enter who from self-denial purify themselves. 
 Our return down the mountain seemed peril- 
 ous, but our sure-footed Jumbo forbids fears 
 and where his instincts failed the goad of the 
 native caretakers seemed effective. We found 
 
 90 
 
it a slow mode of traveling, but sure. We 
 could but admire the oriental coloring of Jum- 
 bo's ear flaps ; they were those of a superb In- 
 dia shawl. On the wayside we saw altars for 
 sacrifice and to imitate blood was rude be- 
 spatterment of red paint or a like mixture. I 
 wondered if their religion taught them that 
 this is emblematic of the blood that cleanseth 
 from all sin. I could not learn from inquiries 
 made of my guide. 
 
 BOMBAY. 
 
 The trip from Jeypore to Bombay was the 
 most tedious of any made in India, as we made 
 no stops. It took us from 10:30 p. m. Monday 
 till 8:30 p. m. on Wednesday. The road was 
 monotonous and dusty ; however, the nights 
 were cool and comfortable. Our compartment, 
 although commodious, was covered with, it 
 seemed, the dust of ages, but on pointing it out 
 to our stupid servant he immediately took off 
 his turban of white cheese cloth and mopped 
 with it the seats and floor, shook off the dust, 
 literally, and replaced it in form of a turban, 
 slightly changed in coloring. The chiaroscuro 
 was striking. The meals obtained at the sta- 
 tions were most unattractive. 
 
 Bombay is built upon an island, although 
 the separation from the mainland is scarcely 
 perceptible. The waters of the bay are studded 
 with islands, and the harbor is capacious 
 enough for the commerce of the world. The 
 
 9^ 
 
beautiful road skirting the bay leads to Mal- 
 abar Hill, upon which are the homes of the 
 foreign officials, and upon this boulevard is 
 the exquisite statue in white marble, most deli- 
 cately carved, of Queen Victoria in her palmy 
 day appearance, when }'outh and hope make the 
 countenance brighter. This statue was rudely 
 defaced during the recent plague (1899) by 
 unknown hands. On the summit of Malabar 
 Hill are the Towers of Silence, surrounded by 
 a grove of palm trees, vvith well laid out 
 grounds. On either side of the entrance to 
 these towers are chapels on whose altar burns 
 the unquenchable fire and in whose purifica- 
 tion the following of Zoroaster believe. 
 
 There are eighty steps to ascend to reach 
 these towers, the place where the Parsee dead 
 are deposited. Four carriers support the bier, 
 followed closely by two long-bearded men (who 
 alone enter the tower, handling the corpse with 
 tongs and gloved hands). Fifty or a hundred 
 men follow, two by two (clothed in 
 white, wath the funnel-shaped hat worn by 
 the Parsees). One peculiarity of this sol- 
 emn procession was the tying of the 
 right and left hand of each couple, which 
 had some religious signification. A short buri- 
 al service is held in the chapel and then the 
 body deposited at the foot of a ladder that 
 clines to and reaches the door of the tower. 
 This aperture is about five feet from the top 
 of the tower, wherein lies a gridiron circular 
 
 92 
 
in form, ready for the dead. The tower is 
 cylindrical in shape, built of strong masonr3% 
 at a cost of from $100,000 to $150,000. There 
 are four of these in the enclosure ; the largest 
 is twenty-five feet high, and from eighty to one 
 hundred feet in diameter. A deep well is un- 
 derneath the tower, and as the flesh is con- 
 sumed by the vultures, which are perched close 
 beside each other on top of this circular wall, 
 the bones fall into a deep well (subterranean), 
 where by some chemical process they soon dis- 
 solve and pass off through a conduit to the sea. 
 The voracious vulture is so gluttonous over the 
 amount of food brought for their consumption 
 that they frequently become so gorged that 
 they are unable to fly back to their perch from 
 the grating. There is nothing visible that is 
 revolting, and no odors are emitted. The wind- 
 ing-sheet used on and dispensed with on de- 
 positing the body in the tower is burnt; in this 
 way there are no remains of impurity. The 
 Parsees worship one supreme God, and revere 
 the sun and fire only as manifestations of the 
 Deity, and never fail to show their adoration 
 when the sun is declining below the horizon, 
 by stretching forth their hands and bowing to 
 its expiring rays, thus acknowledging the 
 teachings of Zoroaster, their leader. 
 
 Bombay has a mixed population. Besides 
 the native Indians are Persians, Arabians, Ab- 
 yssinians, Syrians, Turks, Greeks and people 
 from the Island of Madagascar, and — last and 
 
 93 
 
much in evidence — the English. The Parsees, 
 the most respected sect, vie with the educated 
 Hindoo in establishing charity schools and hos- 
 pitals, and both are alike represented in the 
 legislative councils. The more opulent of the 
 Parsees educate their sons at Cambridge and 
 Oxford, and generally are great travelers. They 
 dress in European costume, but never at 
 home lay aside their Parsee hat, so character- 
 istic of the sect. We w^ere told it is never 
 discarded by day or night. Caste does not 
 separate them and animal food is not forbid- 
 den. 
 
 We are invited to the home of ?\Ir. Tata, a 
 Parsee gentleman. His family ranks high in 
 wealth and position in Bombay. My brother 
 had, on one occasion, traveled with him up the 
 Nile. His father and mother adhere to the 
 Parsee dress, but their sons, having been edu- 
 cated in Cambridge and Oxford, have adopted 
 the European dress, but still wear the hat 
 of their sect. Their home occupied an entire 
 square, and a small park separated it from the 
 boulevard. We were invited to a four-o'clock 
 tea. As we drove into the grounds and to a 
 porte cochere we passed, in a victoria, Mr. Tata's 
 brother with his wife. She was dressed in the 
 graceful, elegant robes that the Parsee lady 
 wears with such apparent case. The doors 
 were thrown open on our approach, by two 
 turbaned and handsomely clad servants. Their 
 v.hite turbans were striped with gold 
 
 94 
 
thread ; their dignified, quiet demeanor was 
 refreshing. At the head of some twenty mar- 
 ble steps, full thirty feet in length, we were 
 met by more servants in oriental dress, and 
 were shown into the reception room. Mr. Tata 
 was there to receive us, and after a few com- 
 monplace remarks I could restrain myself no 
 longer and began to expatiate on the surround- 
 ings. He then told us that the house was 
 thrown open once a week for a length of time 
 after it was first built, that their friends might 
 come and bring guests to see their collection 
 of bric-a-brac and the rare pictures. At the 
 head of these marble steps we reached a hall, 
 the walls of which were lined with valuable 
 oil paintings. The house was built on the line 
 of the street — a solid front — but the interior 
 rooms faced a court 3'ard, filled with the most 
 exquisite foliage plant and palms like forest 
 trees. A glass roof, that could be slid aside, 
 kept these from the elements. With a modest 
 air of ease Mr. Tata took us from room to 
 room. The portieres separating these apart- 
 ments had been made to order in Japan — em- 
 broideries on satin of pale grey, lined with 
 dififerent shades of pink, blue, nile green, and 
 some with white silk. On both sides of these por- 
 tieres were hung what we would call the 
 sheerest linen cambric. Tying back each pair, 
 when desired, were ribbons or tassels of cor- 
 responding colors. All the wood used in this 
 house was imported, rare in quality. The 
 
 95 
 
collection of carved ivories was surpass- 
 ingly beautiful, as were also articles of 
 jade. We, who had priced them in China, 
 Japan and India, knew their value. The din- 
 ing room was oblong, and at an oblong table 
 in the middle of the floor could be seated five 
 hundred guests. The table had a hollow cen- 
 ter. By lifting up a hinged leaf persons could be 
 seated on either side. We were shown the but- 
 ler's pantry, large enough for an army 
 of servants. Its floors were inlaid as Mo- 
 saic with pieces of broken china and cut 
 glass. Air. Tata said it was his father's idea 
 and he urged him to get out a patent. The 
 wine department made one thirsty, and the cool- 
 ers are most unique, built in the wall, each bot- 
 tle lying on its side in marble chiseled grooves, 
 the process of cooling being hid from 
 sight. We ascended a stairway of marble, 
 whose broad steps aflforded a landing place for 
 our feet, and we could but linger to admire 
 the works of art hung upon the walls. A beau- 
 tiful stained glass window, with full effect of 
 the setting sun, fronted the south and west at 
 the head of these steps of mammoth dimen- 
 sions. We were taken into Air. Tata's own pri- 
 vate parlor and from his bed-room, or an ante- 
 room, sprang at our approach more turbaned and 
 splendidly arrayed servants, who immediately 
 after seating us offered on gold salvers deli- 
 cately shaped tea cups, filled wdth the 
 inviting Indian tea, and delicious rolled 
 
 96 
 
sandwiches hid in doilies of jeweled satin. 
 Well, we drank the tea, but visions of the 
 castle that Aladdin had built in one night by 
 the fairies was before my eyes, and fairly 
 blinded me. We were disappointed in not meet- 
 ing his mother and father, both of whom he said 
 were at the bedside of his aunt, who was very ill. 
 In bidding adieu to our admirable host, we were 
 told a carriage was ready to join ours that would 
 convey his best friend with us to a Parsee wed- 
 ding. We wondered why Mr. Tata himself did 
 not accompany us, but found no Parsee would be 
 bidden or allowed to enter the place set apart for 
 the guest at a wedding feast, without a wedding 
 garment, and when we saw that of the gentleman 
 who went with us, we thought Mr. Tata did 
 not care to make such an appearance before his 
 American friends. 
 
 The dress of the men was of white cotton 
 cloth, made into short, stiff and exceedingly 
 full skirts reaching to the knee, an embroi- 
 dered jacket and a tall Parsee hat, bare legs 
 and sandals. The ladies wear one outside gar- 
 ment of silk crepe about five yards long of deli- 
 cate pink, blue and other dainty tints and on 
 either edge of this garment is a narrow velvet rib- 
 bon an inch wide, of a contrasting color — dark 
 blue, light blue, pink or maroon in shade. This 
 strip of velvet is embroidered in gold and sil- 
 ver thread and inlaid with turquoise, emer- 
 alds, pearls, etc. This article of drapery 
 is first thrown over the head to cover one ear, 
 
 97 
 
on the other of which, by the way, Is hung the 
 most gorgeous solitaire diamond, emerald or 
 ruby. This scarf is then draped most artistically 
 about the shoulders and waist and droops in 
 graceful folds over a silk or satin petticoat. 
 They are very expensive; even those wrought 
 with imitation gems cost more than we felt like 
 expending. 
 
 There seems to be a building, or rather two 
 of them, set apart for the wedding ceremonies 
 which, we were told, were only consummated 
 at certain seasons of the year (December and 
 January). The grounds around were beauti- 
 fully laid out with arches of electric lights span- 
 ning the fountains, with their sparkling wa- 
 ters, made more scintillating by the flickering 
 lights above them. The bride's house was on 
 one side of the entriance, the groom's on the 
 other. Her friends were with her ; the groom's 
 friends with him. He sat at the door, with a 
 magnificent India shawl folded and thrown 
 over his arm, the gift of his best man, and 
 wore the costume described above. The bride 
 wore a blue crepe of very light shade. At a 
 given signal she, with a female friend, was 
 followed by all of those men, women and chil- 
 dren in procession from the door of her apart- 
 ment to that of the groom's. He received her 
 at the threshold and conducted her to one of 
 four seats — two for themselves and two for 
 their attendants. These chairs were placed on 
 a rug. Priests, two in number, stood on either 
 
 98 
 
side of them. A table with a large silver 
 salver, filled with well scraped cocoanut in 
 their shells, to.s^ether with two large bowls of 
 rice were brought and placed before them, the 
 former designating plenty, the latter denoting 
 increase or conveying the command, "multiply 
 and replenish." These the priests hold in 
 their hands after first causing the bride to take 
 a seat opposite her husband elect and, throw- 
 ing a cord around their waists, tie them close- 
 ly together, and begin alternately to speak in 
 an emphatic manner, showering, continually, 
 the rice on their devoted heads ; when the 
 quantity was exhausted the bowls were re- 
 plenished. Afterwards cocoanuts were given 
 to each to hold, and for two hours this went 
 on. The crowd, in the meantime, stood while 
 a rug was spread and chairs were given to us, 
 the honored guests. The children were most 
 elaborately attired in pink and blue satin, 
 short and full skirt, with bracelets and bangles 
 in profusion ; they were very attractive. One 
 of these dear little girls never let go my hand, 
 but had led me in the procession to the groom's 
 house, and sat with me during the ceremony. 
 Love begets love and I felt like keeping her 
 close to me. Beautiful little satin slippers matched 
 their dresses. After the ceremony was over, 
 the cord was loosened and the bride sat at her 
 husband's left and received congratulations. We 
 then returned to the bride's house, across the 
 court-yard and had a rich feast of fruits, dainties 
 
 99 
 
and wines; a few drops of the latter turned my 
 head, but had to be drank for the sake of poHte- 
 ness. The ceremony was only half over when we 
 left, all exhausted, for immediately after re- 
 freshments another two hours of this harangue 
 by the priests had to be endured. What bliss 
 was this? 
 
 On the following day the visit to the Elphanta 
 caves by sailing vessel was most tedious, as the 
 wind was against us, but on our return it was in 
 our favor, "and we flew like a bird from the 
 mountain" homeward. The landing at these caves 
 was difficult. Stepping stones of huge dimensions 
 stretch out into the water like a pier ; an ascent of 
 one hundred and fifty steps from the sea level 
 brings us to the home of the carekeeper, who at 
 once, for an admittance fee, proceeds to the tem- 
 ple close by and explains clearly all things neces- 
 sary for our enlightenment. The temple is of 
 solid rock; the builders began half way up the 
 mountain of stone and cut down perpendicularly, 
 thus removing the mountain face to a depth of 
 thirty feet by one hundred and fifty feet in width. 
 This Besaltic rock is chiseled into the interior of 
 the mountain, where perfect chambers, with 
 colossal gods, wrought by hand out of the stone, 
 stand in representation of the Trinity gods. 
 Brahma represents the creative power; Vishnu 
 the preserving power, and Siva the destroying 
 power. The guardian of this temple, an old 
 Englishman and his wife, who keep things 
 scrupulously clean, and in their own habitation 
 
 lOO 
 
offer us refreshments for a small compensation. 
 Our ship the "Caledonia," Capt. Andrews in 
 command, sails to-morrow. All is bustle and 
 confusion at the Oriental Hotel. We have en- 
 joyed Bombay, with its beautiful carved woods ; 
 its ivories, and lovely sandal wood boxes ; its 
 teak furniture ; its markets, where everything 
 from a shoe string- to a monkey or parrot can 
 be bought ; its bazaars, where one must have a 
 level head to survive the noise of bartering-, to 
 say nothing or but little of the jugglers who 
 swarm beneath the veranda of the hotel, perform- 
 ing most marvelous feats with their cobras and 
 swords for the few piasters that are thrown 
 from an admiring and amazed crowd of travelers. 
 We must not fail to speak of pleasant acquaint- 
 ances made ; of Sir Richard and Lady Campbell, 
 who will be our companions en voyage when we 
 leave this port of Bombay until we shall say good 
 bye to them, and Mr. and Miss , of Eng- 
 land, of whom I have before written. We ship 
 all trunks, save our steamer, to Albert Docks, 
 London, where we hope to reclaim them before 
 re-embarking for home. The parting of retired 
 army officers, their wives and daughters, 
 from the sons and brothers who are left behind 
 to achieve fame perhaps, or lose their lives in 
 the farther service to their country, seemed less 
 affecting than I imagined such scenes would be, 
 but we find patriotism very pronounced among 
 the British subjects. They expressed hope of a 
 speedy return for one or many more wild boar or 
 
 lOI 
 
tiger hunts amid the jungles, where they may 
 add to their ah'eady large stock of skins. 
 We found the best stock of these for sale in Cal- 
 cutta in a famous house on the opposite side 
 of the street from the Grand Hotel. It is essen- 
 tial to select a tiger skin with perfect claws 
 and natural teeth, as too often artificial ones are 
 used to promote a sale, and to have them per- 
 fect in their curing is most desirable ; if not, 
 your trunk in which they are packed will be well 
 filled with vermin. A zinc trunk is advisable, 
 which can be purchased in the shops, and at rea- 
 sonable prices. 
 
 Adieux are spoken, the beautiful bay sparkles 
 in the sunlight, and we bid a farewell to the 
 land we may never see again. My own per- 
 sonal regrets are few, for I have suffered dur- 
 ing the entire sojourn from a depression very 
 unlike my normal condition. I hope this be- 
 nighted race may yet be brought from darkness 
 into light and that one common brotherhood 
 may be established, and love divine shine over 
 all. 
 
 102 
 
EGYPT. 
 
 The Arabian sea is to me a reminder of tran- 
 quility; the thought of no more temples to see, 
 no more heights to climb, no poor, wretched 
 beings, whose only existence is prolonged agony 
 to behold, for at least from the hour of sailing, 
 12 a. m., on Saturday, 14th of December, 1895, 
 until we reach Ismalia, Saturday, December 21, 
 at 12 :30 p. m., what blissful anticipation, and 
 so fully realized on this quiet trip. A snug, 
 cool cabin all to myself, which opened into a 
 private hallway with a great open hatchway, 
 or open half-door, gave me the delicious sea 
 air in its fulness of life and vigor without the 
 necessity of my going on deck. Our steamer 
 chairs bought at Hongkong were shipped 
 through from Ismalia on the same vessel we 
 were sailing to Albert Docks, London, where I 
 found mine in good condition. I could recline 
 in this private hall, book in hand, and cull from 
 its valuable contents, information of the objects 
 I had seen, and what was still in store for 
 me — all the Oriental steamers have well- 
 chosen libraries for the benefit of travelers. I 
 had in anticipation from the beginning of my 
 trip a strong desire to note in my diary items 
 of interest, that I might have enough driftwood 
 on my return home for winter fireside, and from 
 
 103 
 
further research to be able to leave to my grand- 
 children some fruit that would be to them a 
 lasting remembrance of me. 
 
 We have booked on the steamer "Caledonia" 
 seventy first-class passengers. Among them, 
 my new-made acquaintances, Sir Richard Camp- 
 bell, wife and two daughters. The former was 
 none too happy in his retirement from active 
 service to a passive one in the bogs of Ireland 
 or to a shoot on the moors of Scotland. We 
 will credit him with no desire to capture and 
 hold captive the native coolies, but with a long- 
 ing while still in sight of India's coral strand 
 for the boar and tiger haunts. I suggested 
 when he bemoaned of having no longer 
 suf^cient work to do to keep him happy, that 
 he would write a book of experiences of his life 
 in English service. He replied : "The market 
 is overstocked and with but little variety or 
 freshness in the productions of the pen." His 
 wife wall long live in my memory as a fac simile 
 of gentleness and refinement. I doubt whether 
 she is in the body at my time of writing, as a 
 slow but sure sapping of life's strength was 
 going on from her long stay in India's treach- 
 erous climate. 
 
 Sunday's service was read on board our 
 steamer by an officer, at whose right hand at the 
 table, I \vas seated during our voyage. He was 
 clever and I enjoyed the conversations held with 
 him. A smooth sea and a fresh-laundried shirt 
 waist W'Cre most refreshing on that warm, but 
 
 104 
 
lovely sail. We landed at Aden, a British port 
 and important coaling station, at ii :oo a. m., 
 December 17 (Wednesday), where we lay three 
 hours. From Aden is exported Mocha coffee. 
 Where it grows I cannot imagine, for the port 
 is to all appearances, the most rocky, barren 
 shore we have yet seen — desolation of desolation. 
 Fortunately no coaling was necessary for our 
 vessel ; it is a most disagreeable task, and passen- 
 gers go ashore if possible to escape the dirt and 
 noise. All the carpets and furniture are cov- 
 ered with temporary coverings during the trans- 
 fer from the barges of these huge sacks filled 
 with coal. From hand to hand are they tossed 
 by the native coolies, the majority of the num- 
 ber employed being women. The labor here, 
 as on the Nile, seems to be lightened by a cry, 
 or wail, which never ceases till the work is ac- 
 complished. Natives in their canoes came in 
 swarms around the steamer as she lay at anchor, 
 bringing their stock in trade, which consisted 
 of ostrich feather boas, black or a color bor- 
 dering on it, with those of the original grey. 
 In our excitement to get a bargain we pur- 
 chased, but they were poor specimens and not 
 worth the pound we paid for them, but we en- 
 joyed the fun of bartering. Some of the pas- 
 sengers bought long, stiff, white plumes, which 
 could be utilized in making fans. After our 
 purchases were made Mrs. Dudley and mvself 
 having each selected a grey boa, were warned 
 
 by one who had been there before that we had 
 
 105 
 
more than we bargained for, and that it would be 
 better before depositing them in the trunks to 
 investigate. We needed no farther explanation, 
 but held at a safe distance the coveted articles and 
 rushed to my cabin, while Mrs. Dudley sent to 
 the head steward for a package of cayenne pep- 
 per, which had been my su"'9'estion. After a 
 fierce struggle, we succeeded in thoroughly 
 sprinkling the feathery lengths, and then pur- 
 loined a steamer towel, sewing them up until we 
 should reach Paris, where we determined to 
 have them steamed and curled, providing there 
 was anything to curl. On my arrival in that 
 city of fashion, I immediately sought a Tapissier 
 or cleaner, and besought them not to sue me for 
 damages, if they should, on opening the pack- 
 age, sneeze themselves to death. In a few days, 
 on my return to our Pension with two friends, 
 we passed the feather cleaner's establishment, 
 when what to my wondering eyes did appear, 
 but a huge caterpillar in appearance in the win- 
 dow, which we all declared, must have escaped 
 from the jardin d'acclimatation. After many un- 
 complimentary remarks, I was compelled to ac- 
 knowledge that it belonged to me and was 
 bought in the Orient among other articles of 
 "virtu." But to return to Aden. We were 
 struck with the weird looks of the natives, with 
 nothing to conceal their nakedness but the 
 sacred cord around their loins. Their hair was 
 red; their skin black; the "Witches of Endor" 
 would have paled in comparison. The water 
 
 1 06 
 
seemed to be their native element; they would 
 dive down and under the vessel, apnearinp" on 
 the opposite side for a piaster, which, when 
 thrown from the deck of the vessel into the water, 
 they would bring to the surface in their mouths. 
 The day following we were on the Red Sea — 
 smooth sailing, and no land in sight ; weather, 
 (December i8th,) beautifully cool and pleasant. 
 The passengers on deck enjoyed the sport so 
 much in vogue on these "P. and O." steamers. 
 "Pull for your life," which enlisted the participa- 
 tion of ladies and gentlemen; the latter, after re- 
 moving their shoes, could stand on the well-sand- 
 ed deck. The leaders locked horns and their com- 
 rades chose sides, each placing their arms around 
 the waists of the one preceding them, and then 
 came the "tug of war." It was as great fun to 
 the bystander as it was good exercise for those 
 engaged in the sport. A reward followed to the 
 victorious side, which, perhaps, took the form of 
 ginger ale or seltzer. We enter the Suez canal 
 at 4:00 p. m., December 21st (Saturday after- 
 noon). The evening shadows closed around us; 
 the low shores sank into half-transparent vague- 
 ness, and threw into relief against the evening 
 sky a solitary individual straying along the 
 water's edge, while within, a hundred yards 
 from shore, were a band of Arabs, folding their 
 tents, preparatory to a long journey across the 
 desert. It was a most impressive scene. The 
 quiet was almost overpowering. The lonely 
 hour and the more lonely surroundings, all com- 
 
 107 
 
bined, made an indelible impression. The cam- 
 els were in the act of kneeling to receive the 
 burden they must carry on the journey. 
 In the moonlight, the undulating sands of the 
 Lybian and Arabian deserts looked like the bil- 
 lows of an ocean, and the camels with their 
 swaying motion like moving sail vessels, were 
 lost to sight in solemn silence. This voyage on 
 the Suez canal has a charm of its own inde- 
 finable. 
 
 The Suez maritime canal is about 120 miles 
 in length from sea to sea (Mediterranean to the 
 Red). Out of this length only thirty-eight miles 
 were found to be above sea level ; the remain- 
 ing eighty-two were either below or on the 
 same level. About midway between the two 
 seas is Lake Timsah, nine miles in circumfer- 
 ence. That basin is converted into a central 
 harbor, where vessels may at all times find a 
 safe and convenient anchorage. From El Guise, 
 through which the canal passes to the INIediter- 
 ranean, the width is 240 feet, and from El Guise 
 to Ismalia it is 180 feet, after which it passes 
 into the proper width, 240 feet. The estimate 
 of keeping the canal in order, from its comple- 
 tion in 1869 to 1895, is about £75,000 sterling. 
 Great dredges lie near the shore as we pass, 
 from which vessels steer away. Charges agreed 
 upon for transit are ten francs, or two dollars, 
 per ton ; hence, our steamer "Caledonia" paid for 
 her weight of 4,125 tons, $825. The Indian steam- 
 ers, instead of stopping at Suez, steam direct- 
 
 108 
 
ly to Port Said, anchoring off Ismalia only 
 long enough for passengers to land. We 
 reached this point at 12:00 p. m. Before ar- 
 riving a late supper was ordered by a few to 
 celebrate the leave-taking, for many who had 
 traveled together so far were to continue their 
 journey to Marseilles and from thence to Eng- 
 land, and others with us were to go into 
 Egypt. We here bade good-bye to Mr. and 
 Miss Donnesthorpe, who had been with us en 
 route from Nagasaki, Japan. Before leaving 
 Mr. Donnesthorpe gave me his confidence re- 
 garding his engagement to an English girl he 
 had left at home. The outward-bound vessels, 
 instead of stopping at Alexandria, steam direct 
 through the canal to Suez and Bombay, while 
 one vessel homeward bound passes through 
 this canal every week. Thus, two vessels a 
 week make 104 a year. Averaging 1,000 tons 
 per vessel, the aggregate 104,000 tons at two 
 dollars a ton will produce the sum of £41,600 
 sterling annually. These vessels carry to and 
 from home about 10,000 persons a year, and 
 this number pay £4,000, so that from the 
 Peninsular and Oriental line of steamers alone 
 the canal company will receive £45,000 an- 
 nually, exclusive of the duties received from 
 coal ships. Total averages from other lines 
 are about £185,000, to say nothing of the 
 pilgrim.s from Tunis, Tripoli, on their pilgrim- 
 ages to Medinah and Mecca. $5,000 to $8,000 
 is saved on this route of travel to the mer- 
 
 log 
 
chants from England to India. The depth of 
 this canal in every part is twenty-six feet. 
 Steam is supplanting the use of sails, for the 
 Red Sea offers no exceptional difficulties to 
 steamers. No vessel v^ould require more than 
 her sails, for the wind blows strong and steady 
 during nine months of the year. 
 
 The opening celebration of the canal by the 
 viceroy was regal. An opera house, theatre 
 and circus were constructed in Cairo; gas was 
 introduced into the city of the Mameluke Ca- 
 liphs ; Ezhekiah plaza was renovated in a man- 
 ner that ten years before would have been 
 thought impossible ; the streets were laid out 
 and flanked by granite and freestone curbing, 
 and sidewalks laid with massive flagstone; rail- 
 way stations renovated and the streets leading 
 to it improved, so that on first introduction a 
 stranger would be favorably impressed. The 
 viceroy's palaces were repainted and every 
 hotel in Cairo was engaged for the guests of 
 the Khedive, to feed them and lodge them at 
 48 shillings per day per capita; all carriages 
 and cabs free and at their disposal, the cost of 
 entertainment was $2,000,000. Light houses 
 were erected at Bitter Lake, and electric lights 
 of great power at Port Said. Ismalia, the 
 center part of the Suez canal, is on Lake Tis- 
 mah; it was filled with water from the Medi- 
 terranean, November, 1862, through the canal 
 the average depth was nineteen feet. Ismalia 
 stands at the confluence of three canals; the 
 
 no 
 
Maritime, Sweet Water from Suez to Ismalia, 
 and the canal from Zazazed to Ismalia, which 
 runs through Ancient Goshen, in whose confines 
 dwelt the children of Israel 400 years. 
 
 ''The harbor of Suez roadbeds was found to 
 afford anchorage for 500 ships, its depth 
 being from sixteen to twenty-four feet, bot- 
 tomed with soft mud. In 1858 the canal com- 
 pany chose for its president M. Ferdinand de 
 Lesseps. In 1859 the work was commenced. 
 Mohammed Said Pasha of Egypt took 177,642 
 shares. In 1863 Said Pasha died and Ismail, 
 son of Ibrahim, son of Mohammed Ali, suc- 
 ceeded to the vice-royalty of Egypt. England 
 was jealous of the concession to France. The 
 sultan wavered, but Napoleon III. had his eye 
 on him, and he was frightened out of his in- 
 tended course. Ismail broke his contract with 
 the canal company and would furnish no fel- 
 lahs. Napoleon III. came to the rescue of De 
 Lesseps. A committee composed equally of 
 French and Egyptians, was called by Napoleon 
 and declared in favor of the company to the 
 amount of £3,600,000, to be payable in install- 
 ments in fifteen years." 
 
 De Lesseps, long calumniated, individual- 
 ly persevered against disadvantages in the un- 
 dertaking, until finally (November 17, 1869) 
 he exhibits with worthy pride his mighty 
 achievement to the civilized globe, represent- 
 ed by crowned heads and dignitaries of all coun- 
 tries, monarchial and republican. 
 
 Ill 
 
During our stay of twenty-four hours, or 
 even less time, in Ismalia, we visited the home 
 De Lesseps occupied during his sojourn here. 
 It was within an enclosure where beautiful 
 trees overshadowed the house and it looked 
 lonely and forsaken. We also went to the 
 house or palace vrhich the Viceroy had built for 
 himself. Dogs formidably guarded the en- 
 trance. We did not tarry long, but my brother 
 and I wandered far enough into the sands of 
 the desert to satisfy all our longings forever- 
 more. The canal was built by the French, but 
 the English bought most of the stock and have 
 control of it, although it runs through Egyp- 
 tian territory. From . the inhospitable Hotel 
 Victoria we rode on a tramway to the depot, 
 where rather a poor train of cars awaited us, 
 conveying us for miles through the desert 
 sands, suddenly merging into plains and reach- 
 ing Cairo at 6:00 p. m., the 22d of December. 
 Little by little the plain becomes less green as 
 we approach the Egyptian capital; the valley 
 contracted and the pyramids appear roseate be- 
 neath the rays of the setting sun. On the rigfht, 
 through the palm trees, against the yellow 
 tones of the Lybian desert, are the heights of 
 Mokattam, with the citadel and the mosques 
 of Mahomet Ali, the dome of which shines 
 brilliantly between two tapering minarets. A 
 forest of minarets and white vralls and we have 
 arrived amid deafening cries of the cabmen 
 and the running omnibuses for the different 
 
 112 
 
hotels. My brown "Cheap Jack" purchased in 
 Bombay to carry a steamer rug which I had 
 bought there again proved a white elephant, 
 but after many gestures it is transferred by a 
 porter to Shephard's Hotel. Crowds stand wait- 
 ing for rooms to be allotted them, and as good 
 luck has so far followed me both on steamers 
 and at hotels, I find myself in a brief time 
 nicely ensconced in a sunny room. We hasten 
 to make ready for dinner, and are most happy 
 to be seated alongside of Mrs. John A. 
 Logan and her party of four young ladies and 
 Doctor B., who heads the table and proves 
 himself a most fitting decoration. The salon 
 is crowded, and at one end on a stage is sta- 
 tioned a band of native musicians, male and fe- 
 male, with European musical instruments up- 
 on which the latest opera airs were played. It 
 is customary after dinner is served to join the 
 immense crowd that promenades or is seated, 
 according to choice, in the corridors and ex- 
 change of the building. There tiny cups of 
 cofifee with brandy, absinthe and cigarettes 
 are offered by the coolies in picturesque 
 dress. Ladies, as well as men, partook freely, 
 handling the cigarette with an air of nonchalance 
 which bespoke its frequent use. It seemed that 
 people from every nation and every tribe vv'ere 
 assembled there. The air became dense, and it 
 has been truly said that nowhere else than in 
 Shephard's Hotel can such a transformation 
 scene be witnessed. Manv of mv own neighbors 
 
 113 
 
from Chicago were here. We met our Japanese 
 colonel again. He had just returned from the 
 Nile trip. He walked with the assurance of a man 
 who had won laurels and was wearing them. 
 I was glad to meet him, as our close proxim- 
 ity at the table on the steamers promoted a 
 good feeling between us. Cairo is a winter 
 resort for English, Arabians, Swedes and in 
 fact the climate attracts from all over the 
 world. The ladies who are there for the sea- 
 son make as great a display of fine clothes as 
 we see in our own drawing rooms at home ; in 
 fact, the display of jewels is regal. But of this 
 the traveler wearies, as our days are so busy ; 
 we willingly retire early to restore nature's 
 wasted powers. One old lady from Wales sat 
 with her gouty feet on a cushion, to which you 
 were oblivious, for she was so bejewelled. She 
 was an Egyptologist, she told me. I found hcv 
 an agreeable woman, but fond of display. I 
 apologized for my Quaker-like garb, explain- 
 ing to her why I did not feel at ease in such a 
 crowd in my quiet silk gown ; that I had only 
 a steamer trunk with me, and while its con- 
 tents might ordinarily have passed muster, the 
 piling on top of them — a lot of "Benares brass" 
 —had crushed what little stiffness my balloon 
 sleeves had once maintained. She scanned me 
 closely and, with a confidential air, whispered: 
 "You are a good conversationalist, anyhow, 
 so never mind." I really began to feel a sense 
 of inflation, and looked to see my sleeves puff 
 up. 
 
 114 
 
The poor villages of Egypt, a collection 
 of dilapidated houses built of clay, baked 
 by the burning sun and roofed with dry 
 sorghum leaves, were scattered here and 
 there. Here are seen cafes built of loam and 
 straw and rickety planks upon which exhaust- 
 ed beggars sleep in sordid rags, where poor 
 peasants devour a doura cake and drink a cup 
 of coffee; women in long, blue gowns, carry- 
 ing water in heavy clay pitchers ; camels load- 
 ed with sugar-cane; asses bending beneath 
 bulky bags of rice; heron, plover and white 
 pigeons ; Pharaoh's chickens hover overhead, 
 watching with piercing eyes their prey; peli- 
 cans amid the Papyrus, a blue lotus, a plant 
 dear to the Pharaohs, which one finds every- 
 where engraved on the walls of their temples ; 
 dusky girls with long, slender hands and tap- 
 ering fingers, the nails reddened with Henna, 
 holding a corner of their garment between their 
 teeth to hide their faces and pushing flocks of 
 turkeys before them. They walk slowly, gazing 
 frankly, while the copper bangles clank gently 
 on their delicately moulded ankles. 
 
 The population of Cairo in 1895 was about 
 350,000. The Khedive lives with his wife and 
 family at the Palace of Ismalia, near the Nile 
 bridge. He is a strict monogamist, loyal in 
 his married life and detests slavery as much as 
 polygamy. All his attendants are paid wages. 
 He is said to rise at 4:00 or 5:00 a. m., eats no 
 breakfast, exercises two hours, and between 
 
 "5 
 
seven and eight o'clock drives in state to Abdin 
 Palace, which is about a half mile from Is- 
 malia, his home. Abdin is the usual place for 
 receptions and ceremonial visits. Here the 
 Khedive spends the day, transacting various 
 business, seeing ministers, reading letters and 
 telegrams and talking with his courtiers. 
 At 5 :oo p. m. he drives again with his guard, 
 preceded by his athletic sais about forty feet 
 in advance, while in his victoria sits always 
 some companion beside him. These sais at- 
 tract much attention, so very graceful are 
 they in appearance. Their white Turkish 
 trousers, their gold embroidered bolero jacket, 
 with bright, oriental sashes and a cap of bright 
 color that sets off their fine features and well- 
 shaped head. They are very fleet, but we were 
 told that their earthly race is soon run, the ex- 
 ercise being too violent. We take donkeys to 
 visit the bazaars. There is a change of tem- 
 perature, about 60 deg. Fah., but the attempt 
 made to keep our seat on our lively animals 
 brought out the perspiration, as this was our 
 maiden effort. The name of the present Khe- 
 dive is Lewfak (1895). On a recent occasion 
 he was asked : "What would be the effect on 
 the harem if the slaves and eunuchs were no 
 longer on guard?" He replied: "The women 
 would rush into all sorts of license." He agreed 
 that education was the one thing needful, and 
 in accordance with his convictions has started 
 a high school for girls, at his own expense. 
 
 116 
 
The Mussulman women's morals are very low ; 
 their influence on the children of the harem is 
 most deplorable. The Ezbekiah Garden con- 
 fronts us nearby the hotel. It was formerly a 
 lake surrounded by trees and habitations. At 
 the present, after many changes, it is of rec- 
 tangular form, with corners cut off, surround- 
 ed by an iron railing. A basin with swan, and 
 carefully sanded paths with strange trees 
 brought from the interior of Africa is a beauti- 
 ful sight. The limpid blue sky and the rays 
 of the magnificent eastern sun makes it an at- 
 tractive place to linger, particularly so at 4:00 
 p. m., when a military band performs its Euro- 
 pean repertoire. Beer shops, restaurants and 
 photographic pavilions are installed in and 
 near this garden ; veiled women, men in silk 
 gowns of various colors, mostly blues, roam 
 about with the most perfect ease. Beau- 
 tiful Egyptian tents were erected for a bazaar 
 while we were there. No one can appreciate, 
 without seeing their effective display, made of 
 sailcloth, with red, yellow and blue calico in 
 plain colors, appliqued on in strange hiero- 
 glyphic designs. Rugs were on the ground 
 and tapestries were used as portieres, while 
 the Turk or Egyptian sat in the doorway, ap- 
 parently indifferent to the passerby. To visit 
 Heliopolis, we took a victoria and an expert 
 dragoman. We passed the viceroy's palace, with 
 its lane of lemon trees and the well cultivated 
 plain of Metarrah, covered with gardens. We 
 
 117 
 
stop at the virgin's tree, where Mary and the 
 child rested in their flight to Egypt. This, with 
 the field around it, is watered by a sakieh, which 
 draws sweet and refreshing water from the bot- 
 tom of a well. With the cooling draught, we are 
 presented with a tiny bunch of flowers, for which 
 we return a few piasters. A paling surrounds 
 Mary's Sycamore, under whose shade, tradition 
 says, she washed the infant's clothes, and that 
 wherever a drop of water fell a Balsam tree 
 sprang up. All that remains of Heliopolis. the 
 city of the sun, is the obelisk of Usertesan. Heli- 
 opolis is the On of the Hebrews. It was here the 
 Bennonz, Phoenix, the fabled bird, with its gold 
 and crimson plumage, without a mate, came from 
 Arabia every five hundred years to expire, and 
 to be reborn of its own ashes on the altar of the 
 sun. 
 
 I left my companion in the victoria, and 
 wended my way alone to the obelisk, not far 
 distant. It may be he preferred to contemplate 
 on Heliopolis' past glory, as he was fresh from 
 Yale's classic shade, and deep, no doubt, in its 
 lore, rather than touch its hieroglyphics. To see 
 the bees so thickly settled there was of little 
 satisfaction, but what were we there for if not 
 to touch, taste and handle? The climatic ef- 
 fects will preserve this wonderful monument 
 for ages, while their consorts on the Thames 
 and in New York Central Park already show 
 signs of decay. 
 
 ii8 
 
The ostrich farm was a more enhvening 
 scene. One thousand of these ugly, vicious 
 birds were kept in an enclosure, the fence 
 surrounding them being so high we were 
 obliged to seek an elevation from which we 
 could look down upon them. They are most 
 ungainly, but their strut is indicative of vanity. 
 To probe them, as some did through an open- 
 ing in the gateway, was to arouse their wrath, 
 and the warning was soon given to desist, by 
 the care-keepers. Many of the eggs were emp- 
 tied of their contents and for sale. Through- 
 out the land morgues are crumbling to ruins, 
 the Arab seemingly powerless to repair them, 
 or to build new ones. Cairo is built from the 
 ruins of Heliopolis and Memphis. 
 
 To return to Cairo by the Kooha road is to 
 meet at 5 :oo p. m. the Khedive and suite on 
 their return from Abdin palace. It is said the 
 Khedive is never seen to smile; we can testify 
 that he did not smile on us, although we rode 
 parallel with him that day. The tramp of his 
 attendant cavalry always attracts a crowd. We 
 see, as we drive along, the donkeys roll with 
 their saddles in the sand ; swarms of naked 
 soiled children, with their deafening yell, in- 
 crease the clamor made by the native pipe seller 
 and blower. These are made of bamboo, and, 
 when properly handled, give out a noise peculiar 
 to those people. Water-sellers, with filled goat- 
 skins on their shoulders, leather aprons to their 
 knees, striking their copper goblets one against 
 
 119 
 
the other, richly caparisoned mules, bearing 
 venerable ]\Iohammedan priests, whose gowns are 
 kissed as they go by — all these and more join this 
 medley in human or animal form. Traffic is 
 suddenly stopped by a long string of camels 
 coming, laden with thick pieces of timber, rug- 
 ged stones or enormous bales of merchandise. 
 They walk silently in the dust with long strides, 
 waving to and fro, exhaling an insupportable 
 odor. Their heavy, incommodious cargoes 
 strike right and left, breaking everything before 
 them. Woe betide the pedestrian, who does not 
 anticipate their coming, and prepare to skip. 
 These caravans are only momentary disturb- 
 ances, then all is righted till another passes. 
 Through all this pandemonium we drive to the 
 tombs of the Caliphs, the independent sover- 
 eigns of Egypt from the ninth to the twelfth 
 century. In the face of the ruins crumbhng 
 slowly beneath the action of centuries, one feels 
 an unutterable melancholy. Mosque of El 
 Achraf-ynal El Ght)urs is near the tombs of the 
 Caliphs, their courts are full of rubbish and 
 plants and brambles, with its fountains for ablu- 
 tions in ruins. These mosques contain tombs 
 and stone mausoleums. We pass out into a 
 dilapidated village of low mud houses, few 
 shops, with fruits to sell, camels lying down, 
 asses and tattered children and old men. We 
 ascend not far away the staircase with disjointed 
 steps, the mosque of Karl Bey. The interior 
 court, open to all elements, is paved with mar- 
 
 120 
 
ble mosaics. The ceiling of the mosque is 
 carved, painted and gilded. The rose windows, 
 cut in massive stone, is in great perfection, but 
 all is crumbling, like everything else in the east. 
 The tombs of the Caliphs we overlook from 
 the citadel, where we listen to the guide who 
 relates the daring feats of the Mamelukes. To 
 see the sun set from this point is one of the 
 pleasures that Cairo afifords. Here is a fortress, 
 where Ramises II detained his Assyrian cap- 
 tives, when the Roman legion under Caesar held 
 Egypt. The vile, stuffy smells that greet you 
 on entering are appalling, and the ragged chil- 
 dren eaten up by vermin, and afflicted by sore 
 eyes rub against you. You enter the Coptic 
 church of the Virgin Mary ; partitions in wood- 
 work separate three naves. Mother of pearl and 
 ivory inlaid work decorate the interior, but it 
 was so dark the beauties were lost to me, but 
 we are not insensible to the vile uncleanliness, 
 for that is paramount. We are taken to the 
 banks of the Nile, shown the ancient Nile meter, 
 and the exact spot where Moses was found in 
 the bulrushes. From all this we turn with weary 
 steps to the university, where scholars from the 
 extreme north, south, and those who scarcely 
 know from whence they came, are here to study 
 the four rites taught from the Koran. They 
 board at the Mosque and also receive a sm.all 
 allowance and oil for their lamps. Gathered to- 
 gether in circles, holding their tablets in their 
 hands, lying or sitting on their mats covering 
 
 121 
 
the ground, they learn by heart verses from 
 the Koran, which they recite aloud in a drawl- 
 ing voice, swinging the body, as is peculiar 
 to the Orientals. A special fund is raised from 
 pious fanatics for the support of the blind who 
 become scholars, no less fanatic than their 
 teachers. 
 
 Another day for the museums at Boulah to 
 be taken before, and after going up the Nile. 
 From its terrace the views are splendid. The 
 supporting walls bathe in the Nile, where mul- 
 titudes of vessels lie side by side. Across the 
 desert come caravans from Abyssinia, with cof- 
 fee and incense from Arabia ; pearls, precious 
 stones, cassimeres and silks from India. 
 
 In dahabehis from Esneh come ivories, 
 ostrich feathers, acacia gum, nitre from Kenner, 
 boats loaded with pottery of porous earth, in 
 which to keep the water of the Nile in amphorae 
 (large earthen jugs) in all sizes. Edfou sends 
 its pipes, vases of red clay and black. Barges 
 filled with indigo, cotton and barley, dahabehis 
 of carpets and woolen stuff s with flagons of rose 
 v.^ater. From the North come rice, maize and 
 Syrian tobacco; draperies from Aleppo, Smyrna 
 and Damascus ; dried grapes from the mountains 
 of Karamania ; soap from the isles of the Archi- 
 pelagos, and in the midst of all this enterprise, 
 donkey boys yell, and camels make their un- 
 earthly cry, while I, who am mounted on a 
 donkey, scarcely look to the right or left, lest I 
 go over "Abraham Lincoln's" head. 
 
 122 
 
We have left the museum and are on the road 
 leading- to Cairo, the Champs Elysee of this cap- 
 ital city. Tuesdays and Sundays the gay world 
 is met on this thoroughfare. We overlook the 
 port of old Cairo to see all we have described, 
 besides dahabehis from Nubia and Soudan 
 with goods and passengers. The ferry passing 
 between Bedrashen and old Cairo is full to 
 overflowing. Men, women, Bedouin negroes, 
 asses, camels overburdened with merchandise, 
 cages of fowls, and fruit in koufifas ; people ges- 
 ticulating and grumbling in an inconceivable 
 manner — all this confusion we pass through to 
 reach our hotel to dream of our journey to the 
 pyramids the following day. Our dragoman 
 secures an open carriage that seats four per- 
 sons, besides the coachman and himself on the 
 coachmen's seat. We are told that twenty years 
 were consumed in building the great pyramid, 
 costing 600 talents (the Hebrew weight 94 lbs.) 
 in Hebrew money; 100,000 men were employed 
 on the works, and were changed every three 
 months. They say nothing changes in the val- 
 ley of the Nile; the Fellah has always bent the 
 spine to the stick. Lives innumerable were 
 sacrificed by the Pharaohs in building for them- 
 selves, and others, tombs that time could not 
 change, and where thieves could not break 
 through and steal. How all earthly plans are 
 frustrated. Now the hidden places of the pyra- 
 mids are laid bare. The museum at Boulah 
 contains the mummied forms of the builders, and 
 
 123 
 
the entrances to their sepulchres are open to 
 bats and men. I did not ascend the pyramids 
 farther than to look into these excavations. This 
 effort was most exhausting, even when assisted 
 by these athletic Arabs, and the demand for 
 backsheesh was overpowering. The sheik, un- 
 der whose patronage these coolies work, stands 
 looking on without intervention until your dra- 
 goman is forced to appeal to him to quell the 
 disturbance, but we could see that he berated 
 those who were delinquent in making their de- 
 mands good. The sphinx near by can be reached 
 either by camels, who stand in readiness to con- 
 vey you, or you can walk. We prefer the lat- 
 ter rather than to have another bombardment 
 for backsheesh, but waiving, as we did, all as- 
 sistance but our dragoman, we were followed by 
 these wretched persecutors. There is in this 
 colossal figure a dignity — an air of mystery. It 
 is with difficulty that the sands of the desert are 
 kept from enveloping it, but the climatic effect 
 is wonderful; it seems destined for time and 
 eternity. 
 
 Friday is the day for religious service with 
 the howling dervishes. One never cares for a 
 repetition. Those who take active part in the 
 ceremony are men whose regular features are 
 set off by a tall, round, sugar-loafed hat, sur- 
 rounded at its base with a turban wound very 
 tight, clothed in long, flowing gowns, very full, 
 open in front. A second gown underneath of 
 mauve silk shows a blue jacket and orange-col- 
 
 124 
 
ored trousers. One carries a flute, and now and 
 then a soft, ethereal note is heard. Around this 
 musician are others with their instruments. In 
 a semi-circle, with arms falling at their sides, 
 stand at least thirty dervishes, their long gowns 
 of different colors fastened tight around their 
 waists with a red silk sash, red, white and green 
 turbans, and linen or woolen caps. Their hair 
 is of extraordinary length, dyed with henna, and 
 falling to their knees. At a signal from their 
 leader, all uncover their heads at the same mo- 
 ment, and, as they bend .balancing themselves 
 slowly at first, with each jerk pronouncing the 
 word "Allah!" This swineing motion becomes 
 by degrees rapid; voices burst out; one hears 
 the piercing note of the flute, and the ring of 
 the cymbals. The sepulchral roll of the Dara- 
 bonkas make the flesh creep, and finally ends in 
 a delirious exaltation. - They assume frightful 
 contortions; their bodies bend; the hair whips 
 the air and the cry of "Allah! Allah!" pene- 
 trates bone and marrow. After a while their 
 ways become more regular, voices clearer, and 
 they seem again to possess their faculties. 
 
 The great artery of trade cuts bazaar quar- 
 ters into the old Frank quarters where east and 
 west mixes. Living side by side, the occupants 
 of these shops speak, when opening the shut- 
 ters in the morning, and when closing them in 
 the evening, and frequently offer each other tea 
 and cigarettes through the day, and that termi- 
 nates all connection. A Babel street, dealers in 
 
 125 
 
French novelties; an American dentist; a bar- 
 ber, a Jewish money changer side by side, 
 Avhile on foot in the roadway divers people 
 from diverse nations throng — few groups 
 but a constant movement. Among them are 
 loaded camels, people on horses, donkeys, mules, 
 victorias drawn by Arab steeds always on the 
 trot. The guards driving to one side the crowd 
 by blows in the face Vvith their sticks, water car- 
 riers, soldiers, in fact, everybodv. hustling, 
 bustling in search of something. In the bazaar 
 of Khan Khabiel we found copper utensils of all 
 forms and sizes, coffee pots, perfume burners, 
 ewers, chandeliers for mosques, Persian caskets 
 chiseled to perfection, articles of rhinoceros horn, 
 Circassian and Saracen steel armor, inlaid with 
 gold, tables of mother of pearl and ivory. A 
 dealer in old clothes sat at the angle of the 
 street playing a game of chance with his neigh- 
 bor. We see Koran letters in green on black 
 ground hung in black frames standing against 
 the wall, while the owner sits dreaming near by, 
 apparently deriving much comfort from his kief. 
 The streets are narrow, often hedged from 
 houses by a trellis work, fashioned from palm 
 leaves. The sun penetrates in spots. Through 
 these apertures one sees the clear blue sky and 
 black kites, vultures and hawks describing cir- 
 cles, and at intervals wild geese from the notth 
 go flying by. The roads are covered with dust 
 which, when it rains, becomes almost impassable. 
 We see coming towards us women accom- 
 
 126 
 
panied by slave bathing attendants, going 
 to a public bath house reserved for females. 
 They meet by appointment, burn perfumed aloes, 
 etc., send for singers and treat themselves to 
 pastry and sweets. 
 
 The roofs of carpet bazaars, half covered with 
 mats and shreds of cloth, permit the soft light to 
 filter through, and upon the sacred prayer rug 
 throws a mellowed light. Piles of camels' bags, 
 some brilliant in color, with mountains of rugs 
 from all parts of the east; those of the velvety 
 silken texture with blended colors come from 
 Persia. A coarser kind of many stripes comes 
 from Rabah, Tunis and Kurdistan. Long squares 
 with ground of soft blue are used by the Mo- 
 hammedans in their devotion and are made in 
 Smyrna and Bokhara. The gem polisher sits 
 within the doorway of his shop, with wheels 
 and implements, whereon he perfects his work. 
 We are interested in the Persian turquoise, the 
 most desirable to be purchased. We buy, we 
 think, flawless ones of exquisite shades. 
 
 The Ramhadin, or season of fasting, by the 
 ^loslems, continues one month, and during that 
 time they neither taste nor smell food or to- 
 bacco between sunrise and sunset. After this 
 vile durance, we were told, their appetites can 
 scarcely be appeased, nor their tempers curbed. 
 
 The weddings in December and January are 
 in rule and, by applying for an invitation, your 
 dragoman as a great favor to his lady, can and 
 will obtain one or more, for which you must 
 
 127 
 
compensate him. besides defraying all expenses, 
 and giving flowers and presents. You must expect 
 ])iit little less expenditure than at our own wed- 
 dings in our own country, and but little to 
 repay you. On the evening of the 24th of De- 
 cember (1895), Christmas trees were on exhibi- 
 tion at the hotel for the benefit of the guests; the 
 ladies only received presents. The room was most 
 brilliant with electric lights and three large 
 trees most artistically decorated with bright 
 balls, cornucopias and trinkets. A card was 
 given each lady and the number thereon drew a 
 prize. My first was a box of candy and a small 
 toilet article. Not eating candy, I presented both 
 articles and asked Mr. Bailey, our host, for an- 
 other chance, which drew me a white satin sofa 
 cushion cover. For a time we almost forgot we 
 were so far from home. There were so many 
 familiar faces gathered around those trees, be- 
 sides no limit to others who believed that the 
 "Coming of Christ" meant good gifts to men. 
 The 30th of December my brother and his family 
 left me to return to America. I was over-per- 
 suaded to go up the Nile, a trip I most reluct- 
 antly made. As I felt the depression of the Egyp- 
 tian atmosphere, added to my depressed condi- 
 tion from the medicine taken (prescribed by 
 a missionary doctor on board the steamer 
 "Pekin") throughout my Indian journey that 
 I was unfit to travel any longer — and I had 
 no desire to die so far from home — the pres- 
 sure against my own judgment outweighed in 
 
 128 
 
the balance, and I left Cairo on the steamer 
 "Ramises III" at 9:15 o'clock A. M. December 
 31st, 1895. The room assigned to me by Thomas 
 Cook & Co. was No. 63, on the upper deck. 
 I had no room mate, much to my joy. This 
 was my "mascot" from the time I boarded 
 the steamer at Vancouver — with but one ex- 
 ception, and that was on the steamer "Pekin" 
 from Columbo to Calcutta v.here I had a dear 
 old lady from Australia (Mrs. Champion) 
 share my cabin. We had seventy first-class pas- 
 sengers. Among them were Mrs. John A. Logan, 
 Dr. B., of Brooklyn, Miss Paul, Miss Koon and 
 Miss Dousman, Mr. and Mrs. George Hale and 
 his sister, Mrs. Mathews, Conan Doyle, wife and 
 sister, and from England we had the knighted 
 organist of Westminster Abbey and Lady 
 Campbell and daughter, while others I could 
 mention to whom I became attached were 
 Mrs. Allis and daughter, of Milwaukee, and 
 Mrs. Wilbur and daughter, from Flatbush, 
 Long Island. I must not fail to speak of Mr. 
 Osterburg, the Swedish consul in Cairo, who 
 made himself most agreeable. Our dragomen 
 were Richard and Claudius, the former a 
 Syrian, the latter I saw less of, but some of 
 the passengers, who became interested in him, 
 visited in person his little wife, about fourteen 
 years old, who had a mud hut in the vicinity of 
 one of the stopping places on the Nile. 
 
 After lunch was served on our first day out 
 we made our first landing at Bedrashead, site 
 
 129 
 
of Memphis and Sakkarah, where we saw the 
 colossal statue of Ramises II, lying prostrate, 
 in readiness to be transferred to some less fa- 
 vored spot. I had a fine mount, and Richard 
 stuck close to "my lady" (you must remember 
 that much respect is paid to the aged in the 
 Orient). The temple of Ptah, the step pyra- 
 mid, p3^ramid of Teta, pyramid of Pepi ist, 
 and the Ape's Mausoleum, were shown us. 
 This last was most interesting. Magnesium 
 lights of the guides enabled us to distinguish 
 in these dark, subterranean passages, where 
 3,700 years ago, naked foot-prints left on lay- 
 ers of sand, placed in the corners of these 
 mortuary chambers, testify to a primitive ap- 
 pearance. Here people made superhuman ef- 
 fort to hide their burial places for all ages to 
 come, to prevent rude hands from pulling 
 their bones apart until, according to their re- 
 ligion, their souls would again return to their 
 well preserved bodies — to enjoy Nirvana. 
 
 We saw the tomb of "Thi," Necropolis of 
 Saharah ; also Marrek's house. To the latter 
 is due much credit for his perseverance in un- 
 earthing and protecting the contents of these 
 buried ruins. My first donkey ride was a suc- 
 cess, not that I enjoyed it, but owing to a 
 most considerate donkey boy, who walked at 
 the side of the beast (instead of the rear) and 
 allowed me to hold in my left hand the reins 
 and my right arm around his swarthy neck. 
 Thus, I took all those excursions on the Nile 
 
 130 
 
without an accident, till I gave myself the title 
 of "the lady of a fond embrace," while others, 
 more daring and perhaps more dainty of touch, 
 were more than once thrown over the don- 
 key's head, suffering from bruises that took 
 more than a day to heal. Immediately on 
 reaching the steamer, at 4:30 p. m., tea was 
 served on deck. I was more than weary and 
 so sore I could scarcely taste of my dinner, 
 but, thanks to a kind Providence, I was by 
 morning on deck, but that day we made no ex- 
 cursions. The following day we landed at 
 Beni-Hassan, visiting the Rock Tombs, con- 
 sisting of chambers, shaft and corridors, where 
 the mummJes were once placed, but now all 
 are swept and garnished. All that remains 
 to tell the tale, are the writings and sculptur- 
 ing on the walls. The scribe has taken pre- 
 caution that he who runs may read. The se- 
 ries of bas-reliefs is a biography in stone with 
 illustrations. The entire life of a man is writ- 
 ten there. I must quote from a writer a few 
 lines that have impressed me: "It is said that 
 man's head becomes smaller every day, his 
 muscle and chest enlarged; animal strength 
 develops at the expense of the brain, which 
 diminishes in proportion. The law of the 
 strongest is the law of human species, one- 
 half of which is seeking to destroy the other." 
 These scenes depicted on the crumbling ruins, 
 enriched by color, are strikingly realistic, built 
 partly during the life time, and often after the 
 
 131 
 
death of the person. These give the best pos- 
 sible insight into the Hfe of the Egyptians of 
 that period. From past ages to the present 
 hour are men building their own monuments, 
 immortalizing, if possible, their virtues. How 
 well the foundation should be laid, that the 
 principles, overlapping each other, may make 
 a fitting example for future generations. 
 
 There are no new cities built of any magni- 
 tude; the new would only depopulate the old. 
 From Memphis, reduced to a state of quarry, is 
 built Alexandria ; from Heliopolis we have Cairo. 
 In passing the limestone cliffs we experience 
 cold and wind ; the mummied crocodile pits we 
 pass, and stop at Aizril. Peddlers besiege the 
 vessel, and the vociferating yell was kept up 
 until long after io:oo p. m., the hour when all 
 lights in the cabin are shut ofif. At Aizul, 
 we buy Nubian veils, which are made by em- 
 broideries in gold stars on black and white 
 heavy netting, and are most becoming when 
 worn by Nubian women. Soudanese embroid- 
 ery is thrust upon us, but to all we turn 
 a deaf ear and again mount donkeys to 
 visit the bazaars. It was market day ; the 
 roads dusty; long lines of camels with their 
 undulating necks and inhuman cry, impeded 
 our way and shocked our nerves. What 
 vagueness in the stare of a camel ; what great, 
 sad eyes ; walking slowly with their heavy 
 burdens, urged on by the voice and gesture 
 of sober-looking Bedouins, perched upon the 
 
 132 
 
beast. Women with ravaged features and 
 with soiled garments pass us, with babies 
 seated astride of their shoulders; little girls 
 clutching their gowns, with leather or silver 
 amulets on their neck or suspended between 
 their eyes; the flowing chemise, of crude col- 
 ors, mostly blue, their heads bound in a turban 
 of muslin, their black tresses flying in the wind. 
 The arms of these children of the desert 
 are encircled in bracelets, some of which 
 we purchased with a few annas. They are 
 gilded and tarnished, perhaps from lack of 
 usage. A sad smile seems to lurk on their 
 faces, casting a gleam in their dark eyes, and 
 they will follow for a great distance your don- 
 key, offering you their poor, little, ragged dolls 
 for a backsheesh ; the very touch of them 
 would be pollution. You cannot resist, if an 
 anna is within reach, of throwing it to them 
 and receiving in return a glimpse of their pear- 
 ly teeth between their red lips in their at- 
 tempts at a smile. The Arab men, wrapped in 
 their burnoose, look on mechanically, turning 
 their rosewood beads in their hands. Their yel- 
 low dogs, with pointed muzzles, prowl around 
 restlessly, as if they would cry out with joy 
 if a bone was thrown them. On passing 
 through the bazaars I spied a Nubian veil, 
 and to inspect it within a doorway, I was 
 obliged to dismount ; not being satisfied with 
 work or quality, I attempted to remount, with 
 the assistance of my diminutive donkey boy, 
 
 133 
 
but alas, we were not equal to the feat; when, 
 from a distance, came a red coat, an English 
 soldier, who threw me on the saddle and 
 demanded a backsheesh. Is begging con- 
 tagious, or is their need so great? Over 
 the tranquil scenes creep the cold shadows of 
 night, with their unhealthy, impenetrable 
 gloom ; lights of the steamer are extinguished ; 
 the water shadoufs, with lean bullocks for 
 their motive power, with hanging fetlocks, 
 conducted by a little fellahin, gave a sharp, 
 hollow, grinding sound as the brake wheels 
 were made to revolve. These brake wheels set 
 others in motion, which in their turn start still 
 others at the extremity of the spokes on the 
 water circles, where jars of baked clay were 
 fastened with cords made of palm fiber. The 
 latter, in their constant rotation, scooped up 
 water, pouring it into basins, from which ran 
 gutters, dug at right angles in the earth, and 
 spread like silver threads through this thirsty 
 land. These shadoufs are placed at intervals 
 along the Nile and from its beneficent waters 
 the desert is made to bloom as the rose. 
 
 The early mornings are bright, but cold. 
 As we proceed up the Nile the noonday sun 
 feels uncomfortable, but invariably the nights 
 are cold. Then it is that the awnings are 
 closely drawn around the upper deck, where 
 a piano, tables and chairs are placed for the 
 pleasure and convenience of the guests, while 
 flags of different nations brighten and enliven 
 
 134 
 
the scene, festooned on the canvas that wraps 
 us in from the prevailing miasma. An even- 
 ing on the Nile steamer may not be irksome, 
 although our steamer ties up at nightfall. The 
 lack of motion is made up by music and danc- 
 ing and pleasant intercourse. A few moments 
 after dinner I would retire to the saloon or 
 library room, where pens and paper were pro- 
 vided for the guests. There I would jot down 
 in my journal my transactions of the day and 
 write home if we were within postal quarters. 
 We never made excursions on the Sabbath 
 day ; our trips were so arranged by Cook, who 
 had our boat imder his rules, that all who 
 cared for rest might enjoy it. We disembarked 
 at Dendarah, where we spent two hours in 
 the early morning. As we recall these days 
 on the Nile, with Richard in his Oriental robes 
 of lovely colors, fully conscious of his good 
 looks, taking his position between the extended 
 tables of the dining room at the close of the 
 meal and there make known the plan for the 
 next day's excursion. "Ladies and Gentle- 
 men !" was generally followed by an audible 
 smile, the guests knowing full well what was 
 to follow — breakfast at the early hour of seven, 
 a ride from five to fifteen miles either by 
 donkey or chair, with a set speech when we 
 arrived at tombs or temples; but we had come 
 to see, why not muster up courage for still an- 
 other prolonged agony? I found books in the 
 library, most entertaining when off duty, by 
 
 135 
 
Mrs. Edwards and Charles Dudley Warner, 
 together with the book furnished by Cook to 
 each purchaser of a passage ticket. This at- 
 tempt to post up on what I saw, and what was 
 yet in store for me, precluded much sociabil- 
 ity, of which I am fully aware with such pleas- 
 ant people as we had on board, was my loss. I 
 denied myself much, but I was unable to cope 
 with both to any great extent, but I shall long 
 recall with pleasure the few hours I gave myself 
 in this delightful recreation. 
 
 Our arrival at Luxor by sunset was well 
 timed. The beautiful rays of the departing god 
 seemed to throw over all the surroundings a halo. 
 We knew an early breakfast meant early to bed, 
 which command I was not slow in obeying. 
 At 9 :oo a. m. we took donkeys for Karnak, 
 passing through the village on a market day, 
 where each man squatted before his salable 
 articles spread upon the ground under the 
 shade of some umbrageous tree. Through a 
 long road, lined at intervals, were the remains 
 of the Sphinx, of which we have so often 
 read. The ruins are most imposing, excava- 
 tions were still being made. The Nile's in- 
 undations are fast making inroads, under- 
 mining the foundations, especially at Luxor, 
 vvhich temple is located so near the bank. We 
 linger and gaze on the stupendous work, even 
 in its crumbling, tottering condition it is one 
 of the wonders of the age. We find the 
 Scarabaeus are bonr^ht here to an advantage. 
 
 136 
 
The Arabs, however, have no scruples in sell- 
 ing false beetles for the genuine ones that are 
 sometimes taken from the tombs in excavat- 
 ing. They are becoming more and more rare. 
 Mummies, so diminutive, made of metal or 
 plaster, Stela, a small column, having neither 
 base or capital, which are sold as the genuine 
 antique, is manufactured almost within sight. 
 One of the amusing scenes on shipboard is to 
 see purchasers comparing these articles ; their 
 ignorance of their value is laughable. The 
 beetle, or Scarabaeus, is a symbol with this an- 
 cient people of "eternal duration." We are 
 told it lays its eggs near the shores of the 
 Nile, afterwards to roll them through the dust 
 and sand to a safe place of deposit, thus pro- 
 viding for a perpetuation of their species. I 
 am not an admirer of the beetle, consequently 
 bought no reminders of the bug. I did buy 
 here a string of red cornelian beads, not for 
 their value but as good specimens. The trip 
 to the tombs of the kings, most laborious of 
 all, I declined to take. I did not feel I was 
 able, but by rem.aining alone on board of the 
 steam.er was like choosing between two evils. 
 The days when the vessel is deserted the crew 
 go through a systematic house cleaning pro- 
 cess. Truly, there is not a dry place for the 
 sole of your foot. My only safety was in 
 bed, but even there intrusions were frequent. 
 Like all Oriental workmen, they sway the 
 body and keep time to the scrub brush and 
 
 137 
 
broom with their voices, in a monotonous wail 
 of Allah! Allah! After some six to eight 
 hours it grows a trifle irksome, as it is inces- 
 sant, so that I quite resolved before the day 
 was over that tombs were pleasant places to 
 visit and donkeys delightful animals upon 
 which to ride. When a half-hour's ride was 
 suggested, the next day, to the temple of 
 "Rameses the Great" and tomb known as "35," 
 I did not remain on deck, but on the contrary 
 wandered through the Judgment Hall of 
 Osiris, and through the temple of Medinah 
 Kaboo; also inspected a small temple of 
 "Thotmas III," passing the "Colons" on our 
 way to the small boats, to which we were car- 
 ried through the water in the arms of natives. 
 We lay at Luxor three days, leaving at 1 1 :oo 
 a. m. the fourth morning after our arrival. We 
 stopped at Esneh, where another temple was 
 on exhibition, and proceeded to Edfoo, where 
 we tied up for the night. There we saw really 
 a wonderful temple, fresh from the hands of 
 the excavators. On the 12th of January we 
 arrived at Assouan, at 4:00 p. m., and small 
 boats were brought alongside the steamer for 
 those who wished to visit the "Elephantine 
 caves." Not to see it would have been just 
 the thing you should not have missed. And 
 again we buckled on the armor and struck out 
 direct from the shoulder. The sail around 
 the island was an agreeable pastime, but the 
 Arabs clamoring for backsheesh and for the 
 
 138 
 
sale of their beads, were beyond human en- 
 durance. I felt almost murderous. I bought 
 a few strings of beads, and for days, when- 
 ever I touched them, each one seemed to cry 
 aloud : backsheesh ! backsheesh ! We went 
 from Annan to Philae by train; and what a 
 train ! No provision whatever for the com- 
 fort of the traveler. If by chance a seat was 
 given you, you were in luck; if none was se- 
 cured, "you beat the bush" all the way through 
 the desert sands. The distance is not great. 
 In a half or three-quarters of an hour we are 
 on the spot which artists have sought and 
 many have longed for and died without the sight. 
 We lunch in among the ruins, and are then 
 led into the interior of the temple as it now 
 stands, falling and fallen. Crowds of little 
 Arab children offer their services as guides, 
 and I recall, with a sense of pathetic pleasure, 
 Mr. George Hale, with his crown of grey 
 hair, being led by one of these little girls. 
 "December and May" — old age and infancy. 
 She was not over five years old, poorly clad, 
 with her silver amulet on a leather string 
 around her neck, and barefooted. In her hand 
 she carried a Nile fly brush, with which she 
 would gently attempt to brush off from Mr. 
 Hale any invader, and in the same breath 
 would whisk it with a vengeance in the face 
 of any of her comrades who sought to take her 
 charge from her. It was an amusing scene. 
 Many purchase from these children their 
 
 X39 
 
amulet. I could but wonder if they were pun- 
 ished on returning to their homes for having 
 parted with their talisman, which are religious- 
 ly placed upon them in childhood. We now 
 return to our boats. We are to skirt the first 
 cataract of the Nile. We are divided into 
 groups, and small boats are provided for each 
 party. With fear and trembling we embark, 
 but confiding in the Arab pilot, who seldom 
 fails in the work assigned him, we soon regain 
 our equilibrium. To me it was not as perilous 
 as the descent of Lachine Rapids, in the St. 
 Lawrence River, nor more exciting. That 
 everlasting wail of Allah ! Allah ! was kept up 
 until we landed near our Rameses III, and un- 
 til we had filled well the bag with piasters 
 that was handed around. We were not able 
 to disembark. As I hastened alone to the 
 gang plank of our river home, I saw Mrs. John 
 A. Logan, whose boat had preceded ours, with 
 her head of crowning glory, stretched from 
 the low windovi^ of her cabin and in her hand 
 was the "Red, white and blue" unfurled to the 
 Nile zephyrs. I thought of Barbara Frietchie, 
 and exclaimed: "Take in your flag!" That 
 night there was a jollification on board, for 
 the day following we were to begin our de- 
 scent of the Nile. We took on board many 
 passengers who had gone up on the previous 
 trip of the Rameses III, and gone beyond to 
 the second and third cataract and had returned 
 to Assuan for the downward trip. Among 
 
 X40 
 
these were the widow of Major General Jed Bax- 
 ter, of Washmgton, D. C, and also Mrs. Stroud, 
 of Philadelphia. Mrs. Logan brought Mrs. Bax- 
 ter to me, and introduced her. "Can this be 
 my Mrs. Baxter?" I said, and she replied: 
 "And this my Mrs, Hunt, of whom dear Sen- 
 ator Morrill has so often spoken ?" 
 
 We were mutually bound together bv one 
 common friend, who had, by his praise, made 
 us friends without ever having met before. We 
 vv'ere no longer strangers. We stopped again 
 at Luxor. There I had time, before the night 
 shades gathered around us, to call at the hotel 
 Luxor, where a gentleman with an attack of 
 malarial fever had been transferred on our 
 upward trip. His wife and daughter I had 
 become much interested in. They were from 
 the state of Maine, and we had mutual friends. 
 They were glad to see me again, and were 
 feeling most depressed in their isolation, but 
 were buoyant with the hope that the husband 
 and father would soon be able to be taken 
 back to Cairo. They had been able to secure 
 a trained nurse, and a good physician I think 
 Luxor is a military post. Many of the pas- 
 sengers improved the shining hours in revisit- 
 ing the bazaars and by moonlight the gay, 
 light-hearted and free among our young folks 
 went again to see the ruins of Karnak. We 
 bought many photographs here, which wer6 
 most satisfactory. We next visited Keneh, 
 where the jugs and gargoulets are made, for 
 
 141 
 
the Nile water. The factories are near by and 
 many purchased these porous amphorae, hop- 
 ing that in their own homes the water poured 
 in them might come out as dehciously cool as 
 did the water of the Nile. 
 
 We stop at Dirneh and Ballianah, but at 
 Abydos we linger longer, where we take a seven- 
 mile ride to the temple of Seti, finding on those 
 sculptured walls much to admire. We lunched 
 again in the ruins, and having no desire to eat, 
 I fed through the iron-barred gate my share to 
 the poor, wretched Arab children that swarmed 
 around. I hate to recall these poor, down-trod- 
 den people. Is life worth living to them? What 
 I declined to eat, they devoured with such vo- 
 raciousness that it almost made me hungry. I 
 am told Cook & Co. are regarded by these na- 
 tives as a Godsend. He surely does much to- 
 wards bringing them in touch with humanity. 
 And now a day's rest is to follow this tiresome 
 one, and until we reach Assouit we can rest 
 without any rude alarms, which will be at least 
 for twenty-four hours. Confusion, worse con- 
 founded, was the scene at the landing at As- 
 souit. The wharf was piled high with parcels 
 of merchandise, the owner of each crying in a 
 deafening voice, the surpassing features of their 
 commodities, pushing and pulling each other to 
 establish their rights. We dare not pass through 
 this motley crowd to mount our donkeys until 
 our dragoman interfered, striking indiscrimi- 
 nately right and left with his stick, which too of- 
 
 142 
 
ten fell upon their heads or backs. We did suc- 
 ceed in examining the rhinoceros canes, made 
 of hides, which sold at $5.00 apiece, and of teak 
 wood, which, we were told, were inclined to 
 splinter. However, we took our chances. There 
 were also embroidered portieres, and draperies, 
 most elaborate Soudanese embroideries, speci- 
 mens of which I gladly possessed myself. If the 
 crowd is too threatening, you can barter from 
 the steamer's deck. These Arabs are very dex- 
 terous ; they bundle their goods, and with a 
 grace v,-e know not of, throw them up to the 
 deck for inspection. Woe betide the unfortunate 
 one who attempts to return the articles by the 
 same process, if by mischance the precious 
 bundle falls into the water. Sheiks rush in 
 frenzy, and the noise from the crovvd grows like 
 the roar of a mighty cataract ; and in one case 
 of the kind, where the party was unlucky in 
 his aim, he was compelled, for the peace of the 
 passengers, to pay for the lost articles. I heard 
 among the crowd on deck some one exclaim : 
 "This is great fun!" Perhaps it is, but I failed 
 to appreciate it. 
 
 At 4 :oo p. m., the 19th of January, we landed 
 in Cairo, a tired but a wiser crowd, and we are 
 not yet through the wilderness. O, for a Moses! 
 Why did he not survive the Deluge ? Backsheesh 
 from every one of that crew. Those who had 
 brushed the dust or sand from your shoes or 
 clothes as you flew by them at each landing 
 place; those with shoo-fly or brushes, whom 
 
 143 
 
we had never encountered during the entire trip, 
 were in Hne for a piaster, to say nothing of the 
 big fees expected by the male attendants at table 
 and in your cabin. But greatest of all were the 
 expectations of the dragomen, who were most 
 sullen if anything less than one or two pound 
 note or gold piece was offered them. It is safe 
 to say to go under "Thomas A. Cook & Co.'s 
 auspices up the Nile," you cannot get off with- 
 out paying at least three hundred dollars for a 
 three-weeks' excursion. xA.lready, competing 
 companies at reduced prices are manifesting 
 themselves, and I heard with perfect satisfaction 
 to their patrons, but the Sheiks, they say, are 
 bought up by the "Cook's." How much of this 
 is Nile gossip, I did not attempt to fathom. I 
 had made the trip; never missed but one excur- 
 sion, and still being in the body, gave thanks 
 that it v;as finished. 
 
 We w'ere again booked for Shephards. What 
 a cosmopolitan crowd gathered in the exchange 
 of that hostelry that evening. Many permanent 
 guests for the season; many more in a transition 
 condition; many waiting for the return of our 
 vessel, as it was the best on the river, to go again 
 on that bourne, from which most travelers re- 
 turn. The room allotted me was on the ground 
 floor ; I think in my weakness I would have ac- 
 cepted it, but ■Mrs. Stroud and Baxter, my pa- 
 tron saints, declared it unfit for me, and a cot 
 was placed in a large upper room which had 
 been assigned the=e ladies, and I was forced by 
 
 144 
 
them to take the best bed. At the end of three 
 days the crowd grew less and accommodations 
 better, and a sunny, bright room was given me 
 all to myself. Can such kindness as those friends 
 conferred upon me ever be forgotten? Not by 
 me, nor those of the name who come after me. 
 One is not apt to forget an "oasis in the desert." 
 Having decided to remain in Cairo for at least 
 two weeks, in anticipation of meeting a friend 
 vv'ho had followed in my wake "around the 
 world," I decided to have some repairs made in 
 my wardrobe, such as old buttons taken off, new 
 ones in their place; new veils, new gloves, etc. 
 All this was done at a little shop near by, kept 
 by an English woman named Cole. There Mrs. 
 Baxter accompanied me, and I came out quite 
 renewed, as far as my clothes were concerned. 
 Having a spark of life yet remaining, and with 
 my usual amount of energy, I was again per- 
 suaded to go to Jerusalem with a party, rather 
 than to remain for the Bombay steamer that 
 was, I supposed, to bring my friend with whom 
 I had agreed to return home. When the propo- 
 sition was made me by Mrs. Logan — I will con- 
 fess, even to my grandsons, to a little irrever- 
 ence — the very thought of more temples to see 
 and more tombs to encounter, was a trifle too 
 much for my endurance, and I simply said "No! 
 Not if I expected to meet my Lord!" for to tell 
 you the truth, I expected and felt He would 
 come and meet me if rest was not soon obtained. 
 But after a week's sojourn in Cairo I agreed to 
 
 145 
 
join the party and go over to Jerusalem and 
 Damascus for a brief stay of ten days. Plans 
 were made with T. Cook & Sons for dragomen 
 and provisions, when all were frustrated by 
 quarantine being declared. Our only escape 
 from Egypt was to be made by Brindisi and 
 Marseilles. All ports of the Turkish dominion 
 were shut ofif from us on account of several 
 cases of cholera which had broken out in Alex- 
 andria. "To arms" was never before more read- 
 ily responded to than by the inmates of that car- 
 avansary. Tickets were secured by those who had 
 not yet bought. I had, in purchasing mine at 
 Bombay, bought through to Marseilles ; luggage 
 was brought forward, big bags, little bags and 
 my "Cheap Jack" was much in evidence. Lunch 
 baskets were prepared by the hotel for the jour- 
 ney to Ismalia that resembled great wooden 
 bird cages. Among those friends we left behind 
 were those destined for the Nile trip and a few 
 habitues of Cairo, not easily frightened. With 
 homesick eyes, those of our country followed us, 
 and as a parting gift gave us lovely bouquets of 
 flowers. 
 
 I must, before leaving Cairo, give an account 
 of a large ball given in honor of those who had 
 been up the Nile, and those who were awaiting 
 a departure thence. It was given by the pro- 
 prietors of Shepheards. The salon was cleared 
 of its tables and the military band assisted the 
 house musicians in furnishing music. The 
 crowd was large, but I speak truthfully and 
 
 146 
 
without exaggeration when I say that American 
 women take the palm in dancing. There is a 
 stiffness, a want of gracefuhiess, in those ladies 
 of foreign nations. We were shocked by the 
 innovation of the British army ofificers, with 
 their red coats, and swords dangling at their 
 side, which w^ere permissible in this Oriental 
 city, but when their spurs were worn, to the det- 
 riment of the gauzy draperies of ladies partici- 
 pating in the dance, it was a breach we could 
 not overlook. 
 
 M7 
 
FROM EGYPT TO FRANCE 
 
 And now we are in Ismalia, our sailing port. 
 Two steamers are momentarily expected; one 
 bound for Brindisi, the other for J\Iarseilles. The 
 poor hotel accommodations were emphasized 
 when this avalanche of people came down upon 
 them. After baggage was identified and there 
 was no room in the inn for many of us, I se- 
 lected a sofa in the drawing room, on vvhich to 
 rest till the signal was given that the "Caledonia" 
 was in sight. It V\-as not a bed of roses, but 
 many around me had a worse accommodation ; 
 but upon it I became half unconscious from 
 sheer exhaustion, when a tender hand was laid 
 upon me, and a kind, persuasive voice whispered 
 in my ear: "Come w^ith me; there is room for 
 you with us." Almost reluctantly I arose and 
 followed Airs. Logan, who had, through her 
 V\'ell-known forethought, secured two apart- 
 ments for herself and party, the latter having 
 agreed to double up and give me the extra cot 
 in i-.Irs. Logan's room. We expected surely the 
 cr}' would come at midnight, and we slept with 
 one eye open to sight our steamer's coming. It 
 was a cold, moonlight night. The desert's glis- 
 tening sands w'ere on one side of us, the spark- 
 ling waters of Lake Tesmah in the Suez Canal 
 
 149 
 
on the other. There was a bird with a lone, 
 peculiar cry that added loneliness to the scene, 
 and when the morning light da\M'ied upon us we 
 were still in Ismalia. A most inhospitable break- 
 fast was served us, and at nine o'clock came the 
 welcome cry: "Ship ahoy!' The wharf from off 
 which these steamers anchored was near to the 
 hotel and a procession of yawning pedestrians 
 was soon on its wending way, followed by in- 
 numerable dragomen, who were still in anticipa- 
 tion of one more backsheesh, and a crowd of 
 blear-eyed, frowsy Arab children brought up the 
 rear. Breakfast was awaiting us on the good 
 old ship "Caledonia,'" and a warm welcome from 
 Capt. Andrews. My spirits rose, and my trav- 
 eling friends, Mrs. Wilbur and her daughter, 
 soon were on deck, taking in the surroundings. 
 We landed at Port Said about 5:00 p. m. I in- 
 vested my last piaster in an olive wood paper 
 cutter. Port Said is said to be the most wicked 
 place on earth. As I hailed from Chicago I 
 thought perhaps honors were even. We did not 
 go ashore, but got our steamer chairs in readi- 
 ness for the next day, as we were told we would 
 have a choppy sea, and we fully realized the 
 truth of the prophecy. Our cabins proved the 
 safe retreat, and there I remained until we 
 reached Brindisi, at 6:00 a. m., February the 
 5th. At 5 130 we were called on deck by a visit 
 from the health officers, as our vessel hailed 
 from an infected district. All bore the inspection 
 and we soon set sail again and landed in Mar- 
 
 150 
 
seilles the 7th of February. My baggage was 
 soon O. K.'d, and a cab took me with my luggage 
 to the hotel. Later in the day I took a drive 
 through the city, and was much impressed with 
 the growth since a former visit in 1881. Off the 
 coast of Marseilles is built the famous prison 
 Chateau d'lf, immortalized by the author of 
 Monte Cristo, a fine view of which is seen from 
 the church of Notre Dame, built on a high rock 
 on the outskirts of the city. The train for Paris 
 leaves at 9 :oo p. m., and after a fair night's rest, 
 1 am in the French custom house, where I have no 
 trouble. A cab is secured for me and I land safely 
 in time for coffee and rolls at Madame Therries, 
 where I am expected. A hasty toilet and refresh- 
 ments taken, gave me fresh strength, and I soon 
 found my way to Brown & Shipley, bankers, 
 where I found eight letters from home. I took up 
 one, the latest date ; found from its contents "all 
 were well," and I retraced my steps to my own 
 apartment, where I spent a most blessed day, 
 reading and writing letters. 
 
 Paris, as it is to-day (1896) strikes a visitor 
 as one of the most cleanly, most attractive cities 
 in the world with its triumphal arches, which 
 Napoleon had erected in commemoration of 
 his victories, one of which, "The Arc de 
 Triomphe," was begun in 1806, although the 
 work was not completed till 1836, long after the 
 founder and architect had passed away. This 
 arch is the largest in the world. The arch is 
 ninety feet high and forty-five feet wide. It is 
 
 151 
 
considered too narrow for its height, and the 
 insignificant ornaments along the top of the 
 structure destroy all grandeur of outline. You 
 will find "Hare's Walks" your best guide book 
 for Paris and its surroundings. A year and a 
 half's researches are herein condensed. I never 
 fail to revisit Versailles, when the opportunity 
 presents itself. Your early studies in history 
 will enable you, in later life, after seeing this 
 beautiful architectural pile, to long for a more 
 extended history. The fountains are only in 
 full play on the Sabbath day, and throngs of 
 people of all walks in life, are seen in these 
 grounds and crowd the corridors of historical 
 paintings. La Madeline, one of the popular 
 churches, resembles a Pagan temple. Begun by 
 Louis XV (1777) as a church, and finished un- 
 der Louis Philippe in 1832, it resembles the 
 Parthenon of the Greeks. You will hear fine 
 music at the Church of "La Trinita," but the 
 Parthenon is full of interest. The first church on 
 or near this site was built by Clovis, and dedi- 
 cated to St. Genevieve ; it was burnt by the Nor- 
 mans and after numerous changing of owners, 
 it was finally, by the order of Louis XV, torn 
 down and rebuilt, as a votive offering to St. 
 Genevieve, who he believed to be his patron 
 saint during his extreme illness. The first stone 
 of the new church was laid by this king in 1764, 
 and was completed by the architect, Rondelet, 
 the pupil of the first architect Soufflot (de- 
 ceased), in 1780. It is the burial place of illus- 
 
 152 
 
trious citizens. Its possession was in a transi- 
 tion state for years; first a church of God, then 
 a resting- place for the immortal dead. At length, 
 in 1885, it was taken from the worship of God 
 and given Victor Hugo, whose tomb to the 
 right as you enter is usually the first to be 
 shown. The tombs of Voltaire and Rousseau are 
 empty, having been pillaged during the revolu- 
 tion. Pere La Chaise and Montmartre are ceme- 
 teries where familiar names are recorded on 
 tombstones and mausoleums. In the former lie 
 Abelard and Heloise, the tragedienne Rachel, 
 and the open sarcophagus ready for the remains 
 of Sarah Bernhardt, when she, too, shall lay ofif 
 this mortal coil. There are in Pere La Chaise, 
 and in Montmartre, many musical celebrities. 
 While I was there, in April or May (1896), Am- 
 brose Thomas' funeral cortege solemnly wended 
 its way from La Trinita to this field of tombs. 
 The funeral dress of the Frenchman is what we 
 term full evening dress. The bier or catafalque is 
 clothed in black broadcloth, embroidered in sil- 
 ver. The floral offerings are piled upon it; colos- 
 sal wreaths of violets and immortelles, strung 
 on wire, are emblematic in their designs. No 
 music on that lonely march on foot but the quiet 
 tread beats a requiem for the dead. 
 
 Fine views are obtained from the galleries of 
 the Trocadero. In the same vicinity is the "Palais 
 dTndustrie," which was used in 1852-55 for the 
 great exposition, and will be utilized again in 
 1900 for another fair. The shops of Paris are 
 
 153 
 
small ; the windows seemingly contain most of 
 the stock. We must except those great maga- 
 zines, the "Louvre" and the "Bon Marche." 
 
 "The Musee de Luxembourg, by the order of 
 Louis XVIII, contains only such works of 
 living artists as were acquired by the state. 
 The works of each artist are removed to the gal- 
 leries of the Louvre ten years after his death ; 
 the pictures are constantly changing. The walks 
 in the Garden of the Luxembourg are the best 
 types of ancient palace pleasance. They are 
 considered the pleasantest spots in Paris. The 
 character of the Louvre has changed from a 
 fortress or a state prison (1367) to a picture 
 gallery. It was the great dungeon tower in the 
 center of this palace, or castle, called the 
 Louvre, that the great feudataires came to take 
 or renew the feudal oaths ; it was there the great 
 ceremonies took place. The Louvre was en- 
 larged by Charles V, who added many towers 
 and surrounded it with a moat, which was sup- 
 plied from the Seine. He made a palace into a 
 complete rectangular, always preserving the 
 great central dungeon tower. Francis I de- 
 stroyed this tower (1527). It took five months 
 to do this, as it was as strong as the day it was 
 built. It was regretted by the populace, because 
 they lost the pleasure of seeing great lords im- 
 prisoned there. The existing palace was begun 
 under Pierre Lescot in 1541. During Henry IPs 
 reign of twelve years, Lescot continued his 
 work. After Henry IPs death his widow, 
 
 154 
 
Catherine de Medici, came with her children to 
 Hve in the new palace. Henry IV united the 
 buildings that Catherine de Medici had built 
 with those she had previously built, which, 
 under the name of Tuilleries, were still out- 
 side the limits of the town. And from this 
 time no one touched the Louvre till Richelieu de- 
 molished all that remained of the feudal buildings 
 and used only in rebuilding the existing wings as 
 the half of his facade of his new Louvre, and 
 built two others on the same plan to make the 
 building a perfect square. 
 
 While the minority of Louis XIV lasted, 
 Anne of Austria lived with her children in the 
 Palais Cardinal, now Palais Royal, and even 
 while the work was going on at the Louvre, 
 apartments were given to the exiled Henrietta 
 Maria of England, daughter of Henry IV, who 
 met with most generous treatment from her sis- 
 ter-in-law. Little more was done toward im- 
 proving the Louvre through the reigns of Louis 
 XV and XVI, and then came the revolution 
 (1848). Napoleon III determined, as he was 
 in power, to unite the Tuilleries and Louvre into 
 one great whole. This was carried out and ac- 
 complished in 1857." 
 
 During my visits to Paris (1881 and 1896) 
 the repairs to the central facade of the Tuilleries 
 had not been made. This unmeaning, desolate 
 space presents to the mind the ruthless hand of 
 war in the conflict of man's ambition for su- 
 premacy. Before the revolution of 1876, his- 
 
 155 
 
torians tell us that between the beautiful chest- 
 nut avenues, across the brilhant flowers and 
 quaint orange trees of the garden, beyond the 
 sparkHng glory of the fountains, rose the ma- 
 jestic facade of a palace, infinitely harmonious in 
 color, indescribably picturesque and noble in 
 form, and interesting beyond description from 
 its associations, the one spot to be visited bv 
 strangers, which attracted the sympathies of the 
 world. 
 
 We see the Arc de Triomphe du Carousal, 
 built in 1806, by Fontaine, for Napoleon I. The 
 car and horses are a reproduction of the famous 
 group on St. Marks at Venice, which Napoleon 
 captured, but were afterwards restored by the 
 allies. The street scenes of Paris are most en- 
 tertaining, but to enjoy it in its perfection, go 
 when you are young, before your muscles grow 
 stiff and your eyes dim, for the "run for your 
 life" requires agility and good vision. 
 
 156 
 
HOMEWARD BOUND 
 
 We now bid "an revoir" to Paris, and cross 
 the English channel, from Calais to Dover, with- 
 out any great inconvenience. And mighty Nep- 
 tune did not call on us for many returns of the 
 day. We proceed from Charing Cross station 
 to the hotel of the same name, where we remain 
 until we obtain more pleasant surroundings in 
 the west end of London. Daily excursions, al- 
 ways on top of omnibuses, when there were 
 seats for us, run to the Picadilly, Pall Mall, down 
 Regent and Oxford streets and into Dickens' 
 haunts, when time afforded, out to St. John's 
 Woods, and without fail to Kensington, to the 
 Museum, which is most absorbing of time and 
 interest. We take carriages and drive through 
 Carleton terrace and through streets where the 
 city homes of the royalty are located. To drive 
 in Hyde Park or Rotten Row, with a crest on 
 your carriage door, would be fine, but as we had 
 left our crests at home we v/ere denied many of 
 those privileges. I recall here with pleasure an 
 opportunity that was afforded my daughter and 
 myself, in i88i, v.'hile on a visit to Kensington. 
 While wandering in the vicinity of Albert Hall, 
 we were attracted by crowds of people gathering 
 roundabout its doors. On inquiry we learned 
 
 157 
 
a bazaar was in progress therein for the benefit 
 of some London hospital. By paying the ad- 
 mittance fee of one pound each ($5.00) we 
 could enter, where we could see royalty, each 
 person of note in his or her booth with the name 
 attached. "Maidens like moths are caught by 
 glare," and we were soon in regal atmosphere. 
 Here were ladies of high degree, dressed in 
 Queen Anne's style, who had been brought 
 thither by lackeys in sedan chairs of that an- 
 cient class. Most marvelous was the display of 
 jewels which met our bewildering gaze, and 
 these high-born ladies, with their pretty feet and 
 high insteps, delicately formed hands and taper- 
 ing fingers, gave evidence of good blood. We 
 were approached by these noble men and 
 women, soliciting us to take chances in prizes 
 that were to be raffled ofif, but we declined for 
 two reasons. In the first place, we could not 
 see how we could accommodate in our steamer 
 trunks the huge Chinese umbrella, under whose 
 shade at least fifty people or more could find 
 shelter at a garden party, and the greater reason 
 why we did not invest was that our entrance fee 
 was cjuite enough for the good cause. How- 
 ever, we felt ourselves most favored at this ex- 
 traordinary opportunity of witnessing the gentle 
 manners, and hearing the musical intonation of 
 voice that marks good birth. 
 
 On Sunday afternoon we went in search, in 
 the east end of London, for the "Palace of De- 
 light," and its surroundings. We took the tram- 
 
 158 
 
way and inquired of a demure, missionary-look- 
 ing lady, the way to the most degraded quarters. 
 She repHed : "You are in that region now," and 
 having no male escort, Ave were not particularly 
 over-confident of our position. The streets were 
 swarming with children; some fairly well clad, 
 others ragged and soiled. Groups of men and 
 women, many in Sunday attire, others whose 
 habiliments were evidences of great want and 
 poverty. But few were hilarious. On the con- 
 trary, serious countenances betrayed earnest 
 conversation between and by these groups of 
 people. We encountered no special exhibition 
 of degradation; but upon the women's faces we 
 detected the marks of toil and care, and in many 
 of their ofifspring, idiotic, expressionless faces. 
 Woman's work among women may brin? in 
 God's own good time a fulfillment of things 
 hoped for. Again, I recall a scene I witnessed 
 in 1881. We were inmates of Mr. Burr's hotel, 
 as he termed it. Among his guests were people 
 of some distinction. Mrs. Mary Livermore, of 
 Massachusetts, was in this category. She had 
 been sent over by her state or the city of Bos- 
 ton, to investigate the "Coffee Houses" of Lon- 
 don, and Mr. Burr was known as a philan- 
 thropist in that city. Preparations were made to 
 see London by gas Hght, and I was among the 
 few invited to go with Mrs. Livermore. Two 
 carriages were provided for the party, and each 
 held besides four occupants, a seat either for Mr. 
 Burr or his son, with the respective coachmen, 
 
 159 
 
We drove to the station and then took the steam 
 cars to "Wandsworth," a short distance from 
 London. On disembarking we walked to one of 
 the public resorts known as a "Coffee House," 
 where light refreshments, with tea, coffee and 
 chocolate are offered at a trifling price ; also a bot- 
 tled drink labelled Ozone, which had no intoxicat- 
 ing influence. These institutions were for the con- 
 gregating of the laboring classes, where they 
 might spend an hour or so in discussing the news 
 of the day, or in social intercourse, where no in- 
 toxicating beverages could be obtained, and 
 which served to entertain and keep them off the 
 streets or from dens of infamy. Here husband 
 and wife, with clean hands and faces, and perhaps 
 sweethearts for aught we knew, were apparent- 
 ly happy in this hour of recreation. Mrs. Liver- 
 more was asked to speak to that body of people, 
 and her satellites drew close around her, not 
 knowing how she would be received. Suffice to 
 say that motherly face drew the attention of all, 
 and the appeals she made to men and women 
 present drew many a tear from the female por- 
 tion, and to suppress an emotion, an apologetic 
 cough issued from rough exteriors. We retraced 
 our steps to London and there our carriages 
 awaited us. We were driven to the "Seven 
 Dials," and worse places, if possible, where we 
 were subjected to jeers and penetrating glances 
 into our carriage by the passers-by. Across 
 these streets were hung clothes lines and under 
 the glare of electric or gas lights could be in- 
 
spected the second-handed garments that were 
 hung thereon. Markets, whose stale and un- 
 heahhy condition revealed itself to our sensi- 
 tive nostrils, and we were glad to turn away 
 from this unkempt crowd to a theatre in close 
 proximity, whose doors were thrown open 
 early to those who could afiford a penny or more 
 to enter. On the stage was a young girl, dressed 
 in clean apparel. A check apron gathered at her 
 neck and fell nearly to the tops of her shoes. 
 She was amusing the audience with a dance 
 they called a "hoe down." She kept time to the 
 music by the clatter of slip-shod shoes. Then 
 some "Punch and Judy" exhibition followed, and 
 refreshments similar to those we saw at Wands- 
 worth, were passed around, from which the hun- 
 gry could appease their hunger, and with the 
 tea and cofifee, their thirst was satisfied for a mere 
 trifle. 
 
 Thus the hours wore away which might 
 have otherwise been spent, and would have 
 rendered these people unfit for the next day's 
 work. By ten o'clock all was over, and a 
 very orderly crowd dispersed, we will hope, 
 to their homes. The theaters in London are 
 well patronized. I saw among other plays 
 the "Prisoner of Zenda/' and realized fully 
 that to wear the court train, and handle it, and 
 yourself gracefully must be to wear it often. 
 The boxes are well patronized by coroneted 
 women. I saw no one who struck me as be- 
 ing to the manor born. The universal law of 
 
 i6i 
 
removing all head covering is most strictly ob- 
 served. The average appearance of the Eng- 
 lish w^oman does not compare w^ith dainty, 
 well-gowned French woman, but neither Eng- 
 lish nor French rival the American woman, 
 when she starts out to please. No one visits 
 London for the first time without seeing the 
 tawer, with its grewsome walls and its regal 
 splendor of the crown jewels. The national 
 and royal academies claim many hours, and 
 to visit the churches and cathedrals one makes 
 haste. 
 
 We were in London on Easter Sunday. We 
 heard in his own pulpit Dr. Parker and, more 
 than that, his wife, now deceased, stood on the 
 left of the pulpit. Before the sermon by her 
 husband, she appealed to the women of Lon- 
 don, as well as the women of every nation, to 
 spare the birds, and repeated several verses of 
 her own composition in their behalf. 
 
 We fully intended to visit the cathedral 
 towns of England, but sickness of one of our 
 party, deprived us of that privilege, and after 
 a lot of shopping, and more sight-seeing, we 
 spent one day at Windsor, and saw the Eton 
 College grounds. Not far away, but in sight, 
 I believe, of Windsor Castle, is "Stoke Pogis," 
 made memorable by "Gray's Elegy." 
 
 Her majesty, the queen, was not at home. 
 We were shown one room in particular, which 
 has been thrown open to the public since my 
 visit there in 1881 ; that was, the one contain- 
 
 162 
 
ing the "jubilee gifts of 1897," when hearts 
 and hands must have been emptied in mak- 
 ing these loyal presents. The treasures of 
 India were there, those of Afric's sunny shores. 
 and from every nation and every tribe that 
 acknowledged Victoria. Queen and empress, 
 each and all, poured forth their trophies at her 
 feet. Her stables were shown us, well stocked 
 with thoroughbred steeds from far off Arabia 
 and the Shetland Isles. 
 
 "Time and tide waits for no man," and we 
 are booked for the "Augusta Victoria," that 
 
 sails April , 1896. Some love to roam, but 
 
 I like it better when I am nearer home. Our 
 trip across the Atlantic is not what we hoped 
 for, and a choppy sea with an occasional swell 
 made us feel uncomfortable. I had the pleas- 
 ure in Paris of making the acquaintance of a 
 gentleman, wife and young lady daughter, wTio 
 invited me to return to America in their com- 
 pany, and seldom, if ever, has it been my lot 
 to have my lines cast among more delightful 
 people than they and, although our homes are 
 far apart, my heart often goes out to them. 
 
 When our own home port is sighted and 
 the sensation the appearance of a custom- 
 house officer always creates is over, and the 
 welcome "O. K." is visible on our luggage, we 
 feel like taking ofif our chapeau to "Liberty En- 
 lightening the World." 
 
 It is midnight when we land on the Jersey 
 shore, and the gallant captain^ no less courte- 
 
 163 
 
ous on land than on sea, bids us return to our 
 cabins and rest, when we have obeyed our 
 country's mandate, the custom house officer. 
 A hasty breakfast and a few good-byes are 
 spoken, and my heart swells within me, as I 
 spring from the gang-plank to the shore, and the 
 
 lines 
 
 "My native country, thee, 
 Land of the noble free, 
 
 Thy name I love; 
 I love thy rocks and rills, 
 Thy w^oods and templed hills. 
 My heart with rapture thrills 
 Like that above," 
 
 seem to express all and more than all that I 
 could say. 
 
 A short stay of a few hours in New York, 
 and an uneventful trip on the New York Cen- 
 tral Railroad brought me into Chicago, where 
 those nearest and dearest to me were in wait- 
 ing to bid me welcome home. And now in 
 closing, my dear children, I will say: "That if 
 the w^ork I have done in leaving you these im- 
 pressions and footprints, gives the pleasure 
 hoped for, I will feel compensated, notwith- 
 standing 1 have labored when the flesh was 
 weak and my vision clouded. When you 
 have reached my age (sixty-three), when 
 youth and vigor are not in their fulness, this 
 work of love may then be appreciated. 
 
 Your Grandmother, 
 
 ELEONORA HUNT. 
 Nov. 20, 1897. 
 
 164 
 
RARE BOOK 
 COLLECTION 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 AT 
 
 CHAPEL HILL 
 
 Travel 
 G440 
 .H86 
 1902