100 HAUNTS AND HOBBIES 



to talk about them. The constellations are not quite 

 the same as those we see in England : those that in 

 England lie far to the north are here invisible, while 

 we look on many that in England never rise above the 

 southern horizon. 



Most conspicuous in the firmament appeared Orion. 

 High overhead it shone with a brilliancy hardly 

 conceivable to those who have only seen it in our 

 northern skies. It goes here of course by a different 

 name, and is represented, as are also many other of the 

 constellations, by a different figure. From Orion we 

 wandered off to gaze at and discuss other constella- 

 tions, and finally the Milky Way. It is styled by the 

 Hindoos the " Ganges of the heaven," but it is also 

 believed to be the road which leads to the palace of 

 Raja Indra, the king of the skies. It is along this road 

 that Raja Indra proceeds, seated on " Indraguj," his 

 elephant, when he repairs each night to hold court 

 in his palace and see the "thousand fairies" dance 

 before him. " Indraguj," far more magnificent than the 

 elephants of earth, is also further distinguished from 

 them by the possession of two trunks. 



My servant being a Mahomedan, had of course no 

 faith in these fables, nor had he any more in my 

 information regarding the moons of Jupiter, the planet 

 Neptune, and the other discoveries of our European 

 astronomers. After listening for some time he made 

 a remark which, coming from one of his religion, a good 

 deal impressed me : " Your learned men say one thing, 

 ours say another; but, after all, who can say what 

 really exists up there ? " pointing as he spoke to the 



