KASHMIR TO CHINA 211 



parade-ground, was of unusual charm and pictur- 

 esqueness. 



When visiting at private houses in India, just as in 

 the hotels, one's own servant attends to one's wants, 

 bringing water, arranging clothes, and even serving 

 one at table. In the newer and more up-to-date 

 hotels, such as the Taj Mahal in Bombay, which 

 during my visit was only in the course of construc- 

 tion, this and other former arrangements have, I 

 believe, given place to western customs. The pun- 

 kah-wallah is now no longer a feature of Indian life 

 in the big cities, for the electric fan has come to 

 relieve him of his functions. But in former days he 

 was indispensable in private house and hostelry 

 alike. He lay outside your bedroom door, always 

 asleep, save when on your entrance a reminding 

 prod started him hastily jerking the punkah-cord 

 to and fro. The punkah, a big swinging curtain sus- 

 pended over one's bed from the centre of the ceiling, 

 moved heavily back and forth, and breathing was 

 rendered possible in the stifling atmosphere. One 

 awoke at night with a consciousness of unbearable 

 heat, found that the punkah had stopped, and shied 

 a boot through the door; the cord and punkah 

 jerked hysterically for a few moments, then gradu- 

 ally came again to rest as the wretched Hindu with- 

 out sank once more into profound and peaceful 



