A II UN THROUGH KATHIAAYAR. 335 



and become Aghoras in fact if not in name. The 

 word seems to have originally meant "Fire-eater," 

 but it is now associated with the eating of anything 

 (1 road ful. 



I am sorry to say that my attempted ascent of 

 Kalika turned out a failure. I wished to start early 

 in the morning ; but all my efforts could not get the 

 ascetics who were to accompany me to show the way 

 to move before nine. They objected that they had 

 religious rites to perform, but what these were I could 

 not discover. At last, however, we got off, leaving 

 behind the unfortunate Man of Pleasure, who could 

 not be prevailed upon to attempt an interview with 

 the Dread Mother. He had the same story as one 

 mentioned by Colonel Tod, to the effect that wln-n 

 mortals are rash enough to make the ascent, they are 

 joined by some devotee who offers to show them the 

 way, and soon devours them, after having appeared 

 as the Dread Mother herself. I did not like the idea 

 of leaving him alone, so I suggested to him that the 

 Dread One might take advantage of our absence, ap- 

 pear before him in the shape of a Bawa, and swallow 

 him up where he was ; but this idea, which did not 

 seem to have struck him before, knocked him, as it 

 Avere, into still more of a heap. The ascent of Kalika, 

 however, was still more dreaded by him ; and such a 

 feeling on the part of a Brahman resident so near 

 Oirnar, and also a Government official, went far to 

 convince me that the dread mount zV dangerous 



