36 thé Indian cottage, a tale. Sept. de 
meadows. Through the eddying whirls of dust and of leaves, one 
saw the avenue all waving with them; one part of them laid dows 
to right and left flat to the ground, while the other rose sighing to 
the gale. The doctor’s people afraid of being crufhed by’ them, or 
overwhelmed by the waters of the Ganges, which overflowed 
their banks, took their route acrofs the plains, directing their course 
at a venture towards the neighbouring heights. Meanwhile night 
comes on, and they had travelled three hours in the most profound 
darknefs, not knowing whither they were going, when a flath of ligh- 
tening rending the clouds and illdminating all the horizon, thowed 
them afar upon their right the pagoda of Jaggernaut, the isles of the 
Ganges, and the raging sea ; and close before them a little valley and 
a wood between two hills. They ran thither for fhelter, and already the 
thunder was heard rolling along in most tremenduous peals, when they 
arrived at the entrance of the valley. It was flanked with rocks, and 
full of aged trees of a prodigious size. Though the tempest bent 
their tops with a dreadful bellowing noise, their monstrous trunks 
were as immoveable as the rocks that environed them. This portion 
ofthe ancient forest seemed the asylum of peaceful repose; but it was: 
difficult to penetrate. The brambles which were entwined with 
each other, and crept around its fkirts, covered the foot of the trees ; 
dnd the ivy tendrils which reached from one trunk to another, pre- 
ented on all sides only a leafy rampart, within which there appeared 
some green Caver is,, but without any outlet. Meanwhile the reis- 
pouts having opened a pafsage with their sabres, all the doctor’s suite 
entered with himself in his palanquin. There they thought them- 
- selves secure from the tempest; when the rain that fell as fast as it 
could pour, formed around them a thousand torrents. In this perplex- 
ity, they perceived under the trees, in the straitest part of the valley, 
a light from a hut. The Masalchi ran thither to light hisflambeau ; but 
he came backalictle after, out of breath crying,“ Keep off, keepoff; a 
paria, a paria +”, Immediately the whole troop afrighted cried * A pa- 
ria, a paria!? Thedoctor i imagining that it was some ferocious animal, 
clapt his hand upon his pistols. ‘ What is it you call a paria, said he 
to the fellow that carried his fambeau2’ “ It is, replied the latter, a 
man that has neither faitn nor law.” “It is replied the chief of 
the reispouts, an Indian of a cast so infamous that it is lawful to kill 
” 
kim if he only touch one. If we enter his house, we cannot, for nine 
moons, set our foot in any pagoda; and to purify ourselves it will Le 
necelsary to bathe ourselves nine times in the Ganges, and to cause 
