50 A COLLECTING TRIP 
are filthy and in size often not more than ten feet 
by ten, I should say, and crowded with animals. How 
they live in such filth I do not know. Nevertheless 
it is interesting to see them. Amir Hussain (a Mo- 
hammedan scoundrel) our native servant, interprets 
the native language for us and tells us where to go 
and what to see. He obtained a pass to go through 
the Maharajah’s gardens, grounds and stables. The 
gardens are fine, filled with many kinds of beauti- 
ful tropical flowers, flowering shrubs and with foun- 
tains playing. The palace is seven stories high and 
built of red sandstone and most elaborate in its cu- 
rious decoration. It overlooks the gardens. We saw 
the Maharajah’s crocodiles and fed them. Then we 
went through the stables; he has three hundred and 
fifty horses and a man to look after each horse. The 
horses are fed on sugar and carrots. Amir then took 
us to a most fascinating native bazar where we 
bought a beautiful inlaid enamel bracelet. The next 
day we drove about six miles to the foot of Amber 
Hill (old Jaipur); there we met an elephant (one 
of the Maharajah’s) and rode on him the rest of 
the way to the ruined city. The old palace is mag- 
nificent. The Rajah’s apartments are entered by 
a splendid gateway covered with mosaics and sculpt- 
ures; over it is a pavilion of marble most beautifully 
latticed, through which the ladies used to look out 
upon the Durbar. Beyond this is a garden with 
fountains surrounded with palaces, brilliant with 
mosaics and marbles, and panels of alabaster, some 
inlaid and others painted with flowers. His rooms 
literally glittered with inlaid work of gold, glass and 
mirrors; the doors are heavily carved sandal wood 
