264 TRAVELS IN THE EIGHTIES. 



the village, were invariably strutting hundreds upon 

 hundreds of peacocks and peahens, never harmed by 

 the inhabitants, yet no one's property, their gorgeous 

 plumage contrasting markedly with the dry, barren 

 country and the squalid nature of the mud-houses; 

 and mingled with them were thousands upon thou- 

 sands of ringdoves, so tame as to alight almost within 

 reach of one's hand. On one occasion we stopped to 

 rest the camels for a few moments under the shade of 

 one of the large trees, which, as previously mentioned, 

 invariably marked the site of a village, while the men 

 procured some water. I had been wondering at the 

 unusual absence of the accustomed flocks of peafowl, 

 until presently there was heard on every side the 

 squalling, as it seemed, of cats, which I now found 

 proceeded from numbers of the gaudy creatures, who 

 were perched upon the branches of the trees imme- 

 diately overhead, and were thus protesting at our 

 arrival having disturbed their usual mid-day siesta. 



Occasionally fierce-looking inhabitants of Eajputana 

 were encountered, riding swiftly trotting camels, and 

 resembling in appearance Arabs of the African desert. 

 It was long after sunset that we entered the gate of 

 Ghusaniana, the officials of the tehsildar having ridden 

 on ahead to get things ready. The town was walled 

 in, not by earth or masonry, but by something far 

 more effective, namely, an enormous hedge of the 

 same impenetrable brambles with which the fields 

 were divided. The houses were formed entirely of 

 mud, and seemingly without any fixed model each 



