70 Visit to Bewangari. [Jan. 



of timber. It gave me the idea of an old-fashioned farm-house, which 

 after having been long deserted and neglected had suddenly been 

 adopted as a place of shelter and placed in a state of temporary repair. 

 The lower story, with exception of the great yawning entrance, is nearly 

 destitute of apertures for the admission of light or air — in this respect 

 resembling a block-house. I expected the Rajah would have come out 

 to meet me, but this he did not do, and I for some time debated in my 

 own mind whether, under such circumstances I should go to him. How- 

 ever as I had come to his village an unexpected and an uninvited guest, 

 I decided that it would not be derogatory to my dignity to be conducted 

 to his presence by the messenger he deputed for the purpose, and I 

 accordingly entered the gloomy mansion. The ascent from the lower to 

 the upper story is accomplished by means of something between a 

 staircase and a ladder, which I had to grope my way up. The lower 

 apartments, with exception to the hall are, I understood, only used as 

 cells for prisoners, consequently the admission of light and air is a 

 secondary consideration ; at the top of the ladder however, I found 

 myself in a well ventilated and roomy anti-chamber without furniture of 

 any description, but in which the numerous attendants of the Rajah were 

 demurely seated all round with their backs to the walls. 



In the next room I found the Rajah seated on a small square plat- 

 form covered with red cloth, very grave and grand, but very dirty, with 

 legs crossed and arms folded, looking as like one of the figures of the 

 immortals I had just been examining in the temple, as it was possible 

 for a mere erring mortal to do. In a recess to his right there was a 

 repetition of the gilded figures of the temple, which he said was a 

 representation of the Dhurma Rajah. Before these the people, who 

 were with me, connected with Dooars who knew the customs of this 

 little court, made humble obeisances and one or two in the back ground, 

 whom from having been formerly under him, the Rajah knew by name, 

 he directed to do so, but he paid no attention to the nonconformity of 

 myself and followers with the usage. For me an arm chair was placed^ 

 in which I seated myself without any ceremony. 



The Rajah had before him a little low table on which oranges and 

 other things fancifully arranged in the style of the offerings before the 

 altars, were deposited, and on it several joss sticks were burning, which 

 emitted an aromatic odour ; before this table, as before the altar, a pan 



