80 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHEKES. 



way, is the hull Nuridi himself, the daily object of adoration 

 and worship, so it will be seen whether keeping our salt beef 

 a secret was not necessary. 



Here, however, and under the very noses of the most 

 celebrated divinities in Hindoo mythology, and who are 

 supposed to be rigid enforcers of an aqueous and vegetable 

 regime, we sipped our mulligatawney, generally composed of 

 pea-fowl, stork, &c., and washed down our curries of fish, 

 flesh, and fowl with ample potations of Hodgson and loll 

 shraub,* puffed the fragrant Bilsaht in the very nose of 

 Brahmah, and perhaps expectorated on the sacred toe of 

 Vishnu. Nothing could be more delightful than the cool- 

 ness of this vast and sombre hall, in the very bowels of the 

 mountain, yet at the same time the place was perfectly dry, 

 and no signs of damp appeared upon the highly-polished 

 granite walls and ceiling. Never, during my residence in 

 Hindostan, did such agreeable and refreshing slumber visit 

 my eyes as in this magnificent, but gloomy abode of ancient 

 superstition. I believe that our servants considered it rather 

 a dangerous experiment on our part, and expected that we 

 should be haunted by Pandoo and his family, or swallowed 

 up by Siva and his wife. They themselves took up their 

 quarters at a respectable distance outside; nor would any 

 inducement have caused them to remain with us during the 

 night. 



On the first break of day, having assembled a number of 

 coolies as beaters, and taken a delightful bath in one of 

 the sacred fountains, we proceeded to beat the surrounding 

 country for game of all kinds. The crowing of the j ungle- 

 fowl, invisible indeed themselves, but heard in every direction 

 through the forest, was the first sound that saluted our ears. 

 A fine peacock now and then rose with a startling whir 



Beer and claret. t A fine sort of tobacco. 



