6o4 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



When a native chief goes out, he is accompanied by a soivdri 

 — literally a " riding " of ministers, servants, guards, and attend- 

 ants of all sorts. Formerly all rode ; but, with good roads, good 

 carriages have been introduced, and usually in these days only 

 the horsemen of the guard ride. But on state occasions, led 

 horses, richly caparisoned, always form part of the show, and there 

 are many animals in princely stables kept solely for processional 

 purposes. The animals most liked are the stallions of Marwar or 

 Kathiawar. White horses with pink points, piebalds, and leopard- 

 spotted beasts are 

 much admired, 

 especially when 

 they have pink 

 Roman noses and 

 light-colored 

 eyes, with an un- 

 canny expression. 

 Their crippled, 

 highly arched 

 necks, c u r b y 

 hocks, rocking 

 gait, and paralyt- 

 ic prancing often 

 proclaim them 

 as triumphs of 

 training. 



The docility of 

 the elephant is 

 never more evi- 

 dent than when 

 he is dressed for 

 parade on an oc- 

 casion of state. 

 It is a long and 

 tiresome business 

 to clothe the 

 creature in the 

 ornaments and 

 housings with 

 which Oriental taste loves to bedizen him. If the occasion be 

 a very grand one, a day or two will be consumed in prepara- 

 tions. First the forehead, trunk, and ears are painted in bold 

 patterns in color. This is a work of art, for the designs are 

 often good, and the whole serai, excepting always the elephant 

 himself, is deeply interested. His mind and trunk wander ; he 

 trifles with the color-pots ; so with each stroke comes an order to 



A Painted Elephant. 



