THE RANEE. 123 



We pass into another and interior quadrangle, in the 

 centre a fountain and swimming bath, on which are several 

 tame and wild ducks. The Maharaja tells us that during 

 the winter, real wild ducks often come down, and that he 

 has shot several in the middle of this enclosed yard. 

 Another square has a sort of cloister or big open gallery 

 round it. From all the windows are beautiful views, look- 

 ing on the snowy mountains, and down the river and valley. 

 Many of the windows are built with large bays and 

 cushioned divans inside : just the place to lounge away a 

 summer's day. Most of the rooms are painted white, 

 sometimes with a little gilding, but a few anterooms are 

 coloured and enamelled with pictures of native life. Long 

 processions of soldiers, horses, and elephants, or shooting 

 scenes, with peculiarly ferocious-looking tigers. The win- 

 dows of the Zenana are in front, and look down on the 

 polo ground, which is also the racecourse. So the ladies 

 see more of the outside world than one thinks. Leaving 

 Alan outside, I went to pay my respects to the Eanee, 

 rather a shy little lady with beautiful big brown eyes. 

 She was dressed in Indian fashion in bright green silk, 

 with a large loose outer wrap of cloth of gold, one end of 

 which is draped round her head. Of course she was covered 

 with jewellery and precious stones, some of them being very 

 fine emeralds. A jewelled ornament hung in the centre of 

 her forehead, such as one sees in old engravings of beauties 



