30 



ON HYGIENE IN 



by being deprived even for a short time of this necessity. 

 On arriving at camp a great flag leads the columns ; each 

 division takes up its position beyond the standard without 

 regularity or order ; the chief pitches his tent in the midst 

 of his party, the men being arranged around without order 

 or regularity ; their shelter such only as can be extemporised 

 by mats, grass or branches. In an amiy in movement the 

 utmost profligacy prevailed ; the establishments known in 

 Bengal as lal bazaars existed in every camp and were freely 

 resorted to, the generals making by them a source of profit ; 

 among the followers were mountebanks, magicians, fortune- 

 tellers, thieves, beggars and all sorts of useless mouths, so that 

 to an army of 25,000 fighting men there was a following of 

 some 200,000 persons, or even upwards. In fact as were the 

 armies of India in the most ancient times regarding which 

 we have a history, as were those of England in the times of 

 the Crusades, so in India they continued to be even up to the 

 time when red became the color upon the map of each succeed- 

 ing province. 



7. Camps. — In Yedic and Brahmanic times, as in those of 

 more recent date, camps speedily became offensive. Even 

 then however there was at least one class of persons in India 

 to whom evil smells, and consequently standing camps, were 

 an abomination ; and of whom it is related that " they were 

 distressed with things of evil smell." In selecting camp- 

 grounds great consideration was paid to the vicinity of whole- 

 some water ; thus in the story of Damayanti and Nala, a 

 caravan is described as encamping by a pleasant lake fragrant 

 with lotus flowers, that is Nymphcea lotus, which is still venera- 

 ted by Hindus. From this circumstance it would seem that 

 the fact was then understood that stagnant water was rendered 

 non-malarious by means of living vegetation in it. 



The following particulars regarding a camp are taken from 

 the story of Mahabarata, namely, a level and fertile spot 



