40 THE INDIAN ECLIPSE, 1898. 



feeling better. Perhaps it was the most blissful hour in our 

 lives when four hours later we reached Clarke's paradise of an 

 hotel at Benares and the luxury of an Indian bathroom. 



A little later, tiffin over, the spirit of curiosity began to assert 

 itself, so by general consent gharries were ordered, and our 

 entire party started off for our first visit to the native quarter. 

 The ancient observatory was our first goal, and naturally possessed 

 special interest in our eyes ; but we were disinclined for much 

 exertion in the heat, and quickly yielded to the temptation of a 

 river barge. And so we were soon drifting past those sights of 

 the ancient Brahmin capital surely unequalled in all the earth : 

 the endless piles of crowded temples, the huge and hideous 

 gods, the worshippers, the devotees, and the nameless horrors of 

 the Burning Grhat ; the memories of all which can surely never 

 more fade out. 



But the time for sight-seeing was not yet. That night Mr. 

 Johnson and myself, dodging the mosquitoes somehow, got two 

 or three hours' beauty sleep, and then rose at 3.30 to catch the 

 early train to Buxar, our chosen eclipse ground, fifty miles away. 

 A hasty tl chota hazri " and a sleepy " gharry wallah " were in 

 waiting, and we were at Benares station an hour and a half yet be- 

 fore sunrise. Of course it was pitch dark, and the babu deputy 

 station master was not there, but his office was open and we 

 entered to have a worry round. The place was bare, however, 

 except for a number of dark-coloured sacks neatly tied up and 

 arranged all over the floor in orderly double row. Through lack 

 of light I trod on one of these, which spilt me over a second, 

 and so spread-eagle fashion on to half a dozen others. The 

 sacks shook themselves, mildly remonstrated, and settled down 

 again. It was pilgrimage time, and these were Hindus. 



At Buxar station we were met by Mr. Chapman and Mr. 

 Cargill, who gave us a most cordial welcome, and as a first proof 

 of that unbounded and, in my experience, unexampled hos- 

 pitality which followed, treated us to a breakfast at Kellner's, 

 the like of which is unknown at any English railway refresh- 

 ment rooms. Then we were conducted amidst much serious 

 talk to a solitary mango grove, a short half-mile distant, and 

 there we learnt how severe a tax was indeed being put upon the 

 whole country-side to supply canvas, provisions and necessaries 

 of all kinds for the distinguished guests who were coming with 

 their legions of attendants. Moreover, as I have mentioned, the 

 great native pilgrimage of the year was in progress, and a 

 ceaseless tide of dusky humanity from all over India was setting 

 along every highway, blocking the railways and crowding every 

 road with the million and more that were gathering to bathe in 

 holy Ganges on eclipse day. And that now was but five short 

 days hence. Before half the tale was told it seemed as if our 

 venture must after all end in disaster. Surely under such 



