SCENES IN INDIA. 
126 
During my residence in India I saw many instances 
of the presumption of these mendicants, which never 
could happen hut in a country where begging is held 
to be a saintly avocation. I one morning found at 
the door of my tent, which was enclosed by a strong 
railing of bamboo, a man asking alms with noisy 
importunity. He was young and sleek, bearing 
about him evident signs of good feeding and of 
the utter absence of privation. He was imperti- 
nently pressing, and all but demanded relief with 
an air and manner which expressed a determination 
to be satisfied. I desired him to be gone, telling 
him that I was not in the habit of relieving idle 
vagabonds who were too lazy to work for a mainte- 
nance. He looked at me for a moment in silence, 
and there gradually arose on his cheek a sort of 
defiant smile, the lip finally curling into an ex- 
pression of ineffable scorn. I again desired him to 
quit the door of my tent, when he had the audacity 
to tell me that he did not beseech me to give him 
money for charity’s sake, but only in order that he 
might afford a Christian the blessed opportunity of 
doing himself a spiritual service by administering to 
the sacred necessities of a Hindoo saint. He loudly 
declared that thousands of wretched sinners had se- 
cured for themselves an entrance into the Hindoo para- 
dise by pampering him in his lazy occupation of men- 
dicant, of which title he professed to be proud, saying 
that no truly spiritual man should labour. I became 
angry, and assured him that if he did not depart I 
would order some of my people to remove him by 
force. Still he only derided my threats and persisted 
