72 ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 



seven bells hung in a row over the door, in front of which 

 stood a pillar made of wirework, nearly as high as a ship's 

 mast, with a weathercock at the top. 



Visitors were met by four men — some kind of mini- 

 strants or servitors of the temple — scantily attired from 

 the waist to the knees in calico, and having each of 

 them three strings over the right shoulder tied under the 

 left arm. 



These men sprinkled the party with water from a fountain, 

 and gave each person powdered sandalwood to strew on his 

 head, making the sign of the cross themselves. 



The images inside and painted round the walls had such 

 frightful faces and forms as to suggest anything but saints 

 and angels, so that some devout Portuguese Roman 

 Catholics who were amongst the visitors began to doubt 

 whether it could be a Christian church after all. In the 

 centre was a small chapel, where stood an image which, 

 from the darkness of the place, could be seen but very in- 

 distinctly. None but the priest might enter here. He 

 paused before the figure and chanted in quite a fine voice, 

 ' Maria ! Maria ! ' Whereupon some natives who were 

 following behind fell flat on their faces three separate 

 times, and the Portuguese, taking it to be an image of the 

 Virgin, dropped on their knees and prayed. 



In Calicut, as in most largish towns, there is a vast tank, 

 with immensely deep, shelving sides, and steps to the 

 water's edge, built of solid masonry, and ancient before 

 history was. At certain times this tank is blessed, and 

 then the people are eager to bathe, and children are dipped 

 in it. It is now ' holy ' water, and, though the reverse of 

 pure, is swallowed with a fine faith in its efficacy to cure 

 disease. 



Ordinarily the level borders round the tank are crowded 

 with booths, where fruit, toys, sweetmeats, vegetables, 

 etc., are sold ; and the people squat about, washing their 



