INDIA. 339 



alternative left but to make the trip of two miles and the 

 climb of 1,500 feet on foot in a temperature of 132 F. 

 as registered by my thermometer. It is needless to say 

 that when I reached the palace my clothes were not 

 only wet through and through, hut my feet and socks 

 were soaked in sweat that ran down the legs in streams. 

 After seeing the sights the belated bullock cart ar- 

 rived, and on it I made the return trip. The cart was 

 a first-class one, but what a vehicle ! I first tried to 

 ride a la native by doubling myself up in monkey style. 

 As the springless rough cart jumped over the stones, 

 into and out of ruts, this position soon became unendur- 

 able. If it had not been for my inborn pride to sur- 

 mount hardships I would gladly have jumped out, paid 

 the owner and his old wife, who accompanied us and 

 who helped her spouse in keeping the bullocks in mo- 

 tion, for their trouble, and returned as I came, on foot. 

 As it was, I rendered my position endurable by sitting 

 crosswise in the cart with the numb legs hanging over 

 one of the immense wooden wheels. I made up my 

 mind at the time that as long as I remained in India 

 I would ride on anything else but a bullock cart. It 

 was my first and last experience with this rude anti- 

 quated native vehicle. 



A CROCODILE TANK. 



In the rear of the palace of the maharajah of Jaipur 

 is a tank covering several acres and containing a green- 

 ish turbid water covered for the most part with the 

 scum of algae. It is inhabited by crocodiles and tur- 

 tles. Stone steps lead down from the palace* to the 

 edge of the water. On the advice of the guide we had 

 brought with us from a nighboring butcher-shop delica- 

 cies with which to feed the crocodiles. As soon as we 

 reached the edge of the tank a palace guard commenced 

 to make a barking noise and in a few minutes some- 

 thing appeared on the surface of the water which 

 looked like a black log about fifteen feet Ions:. The 



