08 Travels in India. Part II. 



4 



Indigo, which is made at a great Town, not tar from Jitoadabat, called Strang 

 There was in that place a Paged, which the Mahometan's have pnll'd down, and 

 built a Mofauee in the place. Before yon. enter into it, you mult crois three large 

 ■ Courts pav'd with Marble, and encompalt with Galleries ; nor mult you enter into 

 the third Court till you have pull'd off your lhooes. The infide of the Mofa m 

 is adorn'd with Mofatc-xvoxk, the greateft part whereof is of sigats of divers 

 colours,, which they fetch from the Mountains of Cambnya, not above two days 

 journey off. There are fevcral Sepulchres of the ancient Idolatrous Kings, that 

 look like little Chappels, of JMcfaic-vrork, built upon a Vaut that is under the Se- 

 pulchre. There runs a R'tfer from Amadabat toward the North-weft, which du- 

 ring the rainy-feafons that continue three or four Months together, is very wide 

 and rapid, and does much mifchief every year. It is lb with all the other Rivers 

 in India 5 and after the rains are fallen, you mult itay fix weeks or two months 

 before you can ford Amadabat-Rwer ', where there is no Bridg. There arc 

 two or three Boats ; but they are of no. ufe, when the itream is ib fwift 5 fo that 

 you mult Itay till the waters are fall'n. But the people of the Countrey will not 

 itay ib Jong 5 for to croft from one River to another, they only make u(e of Goat- 

 skins,which they blow up and fill with wind, and then tye them between their lto- 

 macks and their bellies. Thus the poor men and women fwim crois this River 

 and when they would carry their children along with them, they put them in- 

 certain round pots of Earth, the mouth whereof is four-lingers wide, and drive 

 the Pots before them. This puts me in mind of a Pailage, when I was at Amx- 

 ddbat in the year 1642, which is toe remarkable to be omitted. • 



A Countrey-man and a Countrey-woman one day pait the River as I have rela- 

 ted, and having a child about two years old, they put it into one of theft Pots, fo 

 that there was nothing but the head appear'd. Bling about the middle of the 

 River, they met with a little bank of Sand, where there lay an huge Tree, which 

 the itream had cam d thither ; whereupon the Father fhov'd the Pot toward that 

 part, to reft himfeflF a- while. When he came near the Tree, the trunk whereof 

 lay fomewhat above the water, a Serpent leapt out from among the roots, into 

 the Pot where the Infant was. The Father and the Mother frighted at the acci- 

 dent, and having almoft loft their fenfes, let the Pot go a-drifc where the itream 

 carri'd it, and lay almoit dead themielves at the bottom of the Tree. About two 

 leagues lower, a Banian and his Wife with a little Infant, were warning themielves 

 in the River before they went to eat. They defcry'd the Pot a-far-otf, with the 

 half of the Infant's-head that appeared above the hole. The Banian immediately 

 fwjms to the relief of the child, and having ftopp'd the Pot, drives it to the (hoar. 

 The Mother followed by her own, comes prefently to take the other child out of 

 the Pot^ at what time the Serpent that had done no harm to the other child, 

 fhoots out of the Pot, and winding about hers, ltings ir, and infuies its venom in- 

 to the Infant, (0 that it dy'd immediately. However, the accident, being fo ex- 

 traordinary, did not trouble thofe poor people ; who rather believ'd it to have 

 happened by the fecret difpofal of their Deity, who had taken from them one 

 child, to give them another for it, with which opinion they prefently comforted 

 themfeJves. Some time after, the report of this accident coming to the ears of 

 the firft Countrey-man, he.«comes to the Banian to tell, him how tbe mifchance 

 had happen'd, and to demand his child of him ; the other Indian affirming that 

 the child was his, and that his God had fent it him, in the place of that which 

 was dead. To be fhort, the bufinefs made fo loud a noife, that it was at length 

 brought before the King, who order'd, that the child fhould be reftor'd to the 

 Father. 



At- the fame time there happen'd another very pleafant accident in the lame 

 City of .Amadabat. The Wife of a Tich Merchant B anion , nam'd Saint idas, ne- 

 ver having had a child, and manifefting her eager defire to have one, a fervant of 

 the Houie took her a-fide one day, and told her, that if fhe would but eat that 

 which he would give her, fhe fhould be with child. The woman deGrous id know 

 what fhe was to eat, the fervant told her it was a little fifh, and that fhe fhould 

 eat but three or four. Now the Religion of the Banians forbidding them to eat 

 any thing that has life, fhe could not refolve at firft to yield to his propofal j but 

 the fervant having. promifed her that he would io order the matter, that fhe 



mould 



