Street scenes in Bombay include 8 pious Brahmin leading a sacred 
cow, and holding a bunch of green grass- If you buy the grass 
to feed the cow, you acquire merit. 
People sleep wherever and whenever they please. fit no hour of the 
day can you walk along the street and not have to step over 
prostrate natives. 
Even the mongoose and the cobra feud is still carried on, 
although we did not see any very spirited version of it. One 
night on fesxrstxjskip on the wharf alongside the gilverash 
a native brought a cobra out of a basket, and a mongoose out 
of a sack, and tried to get them interested in each other. 
The fight never came off, although we were told later that 
the o ner of the animals had to be assured of a. fair-sized collec- 
tion before he would risk a fight to the death. In other words, 
if the audience would put up the price of a new cobra - or 
mongoose - he was willing to have a fight to the finish, 
It was from this native that Bill secured his cobras. He insisted 
on having specimens that had not had the fangs removed, and 
was assured that the eight or ten he bought were perfect specimens. 
They cost eight rupees each - probably an awful gyp. 
