Travels in India. 



Part II. 



Indigo, which is made at a great Town, not far from Amadabat, called Sarcjusfs. 

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

 built a Mofyme in the place. Before you enter into it, you muft crofs three large 

 Courts pav'd with Marble, and encompaft with Galleries ; nor muft you enter into 

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

 is adorn d with Mofaic-\vovk } the greateft part whereof is of Agats of divers 

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

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

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

 pulchre. There runs a River 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 fo with all the other Rivers 

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

 before you can ford Amadabat-Kiver, where there is no Bridg. There are 

 two or three Boats - 3 but they are of no ufe, when the ftream is fo fwift 3 fo that 

 you muft ftay till the waters are fall'n. But the people of the Countrey will not 

 ftay fo long ; for to crofs from one River to another, they only make ufe of Goat- 

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

 macks and their bellies. Thus the poor men and women fwim crofs 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-fingers wide, and drive 

 the Pots before them. This puts me in mind of a Paiiage, when I was at A ma- 

 dab at in the year 1642, which is too remarkable to be omitted. 



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

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

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

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

 the ftream had carri'd thither ; whereupon the Father fhov'd the Pot toward that 

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

 lay iomewhat 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 fentes, let the Pot go a-drift where the ftream 

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

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

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

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

 fwims to the relief of the child, and having ftopp'd the Pot, drives it to the fhoar. 

 The Mother follow'd by her own, comes prefèntly to take the other child out of 

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

 moots out of the Pot, and winding about hers, ftings it, and infufes its venom in- 

 to the Infant, fo 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 

 happen'd by the fecret difpofal of their Deity, who had taken from them one 

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

 themfelves. 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 the 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 noifè, that it was at length 

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

 Father. 



At the fame time there happen'd another very pleafànt accident in the fame 

 City of Amadabat. The Wife of a rich Merchant Banian t nam'd Saint idas, ne- 

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

 the Houfe took her a-fide one day, and told her, that if (he would but eat that 

 which he would give her, fhe mould be with child. The woman defirous 10 know 

 what fhe was to eat, the fervant told her it was a little fifh, and that £he 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 propofàl - t but 

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



mould 



