A RUN THROUGH KATHIAWAR. 321 



off my shoes on going down, in order to avoid pro- 

 fanation as far as possible, and had not touched the 

 images. 15ut still the spreading of a mischievous 

 report of this kind "was unpleasant ; because, though 

 the Jains are usually an extremely quiet people, they 

 are capable of being excited, as I have already men- 

 tioned, even to the committal of murder, by what 

 they regard as insults to their religion ; and to have 

 wantonly eaten a fowl before their most sacred image 

 Avould certainly have been an unpardonable offence. 

 I know not how this report arose ; but in such cases 

 there is usually some mischievous scoundrel who sets 

 the story going, but keeps himself well in the back- 

 ground. 



With the Jiinaghar state and the prestige of a 

 Sahib to back me, there was very little reason for 

 alarm ; but religious fanaticism is not a thing to be 

 trilled with, so I thought it prudent to make a diver- 

 sion ; and a happy thought occurred to me. Telling 

 my people to remain quiet in the palace, I ascended 

 alone in the evening to the Mother of Gods, with the 

 aid of a long bamboo, which I had brought up with 

 me by way of alpenstock. This took the pilgrims by 

 surprise ; and, as I afterwards learned, a report spread 

 among them that I was going to spend the night on 

 Kalika with the Dread Mother. Possibly this may 

 have been suggested by the same inventive genius 

 who originated the story about the fowl, or the lively 

 Kooshal may have hit upon it ; but at all events it 



VOL. v. x 



