INDIAN DANCE. 
19 
He invited us to see a notch, or an entertainment of dancing women, 
and received us in a saloon lighted up with a great profusion of lamps, 
where, after we had sat a while, the dancing women, escorted by a band 
of Indian musicians, were introduced. After much preparation and 
entreaty, (for ladies of this profession are the same in all parts of the 
world,) one of the women stood up to dance. She first called for the 
ornaments of her naked feet, consisting of silver chains, which she fas¬ 
tened on her ancles before all the company, as she was seated on the 
floor. Then standing up, she arranged her dress, which was grotesque 
enough, for it consisted of a petticoat of more, I should suppose, than 
an hundred yards of light muslin, which terminated in countless folds 
at about the swell of the leg; and then of a shawl, which came over 
her shoulders, and part of her head, and which also fell in folds over 
the petticoat. Her hair was unornamented, being parted in the middle 
and kept close down by the oil of the cocoa nut, which added much to 
its jet and gloss, although it was most disagreeable in smell. Behind 
her ear was a large bunch of pearls, like a cluster of grapes, and a ring 
was suspended through one of her nostrils. Her complexion was of a 
dirty brown ; and her face, which to my taste was odious, was by the 
audience (amongst whom were many English gentlemen who had 
resided some time in India,) pronounced to be beautiful. This woman, 
in her dance, was accompanied by a child of about ten years of age, 
whom she was training up to her profession ; and close behind her 
were two musicians, one a performer on the siringee, a sort of violin, 
and another on two little drums that were struck with the fino;ers and 
palms of the hand. There was also a youth who played upon brass 
castagnets; and an old satyr-like personage, whose theatrical character 
I could not comprehend, but whose faded eye became greatly animated 
at particular parts of the song, and who then joined his hoarse and 
broken voice to the loudest strains of the music. 
The dancing consisted in a certain methodical kicking of the right 
foot, which caused the chains on the ancles to jingle in unison with the 
music, the dancer now advancing, then retreating, sometimes with the 
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