CHAPTER XXII.

DELHI.

DELHI, January 21, 1890.

Yesterday at noon we left Agra, passing over the river by a fine iron bridge, from which we had another view of the beautiful Tâj, which was lovely beyond expression. We had an English compartment car to ourselves, and were very comfortable. Highly cultivated fields and frequent great barren plains, with now and then an elephant, were to be seen, and once a long caravan of camels. Monkeys were in the woods, and flocks of parrots flying about, and often the beautiful peacocks were perched on the fences or wandering about the fields.

It will be remembered that the Hindoos consider all animal and bird life sacred, and never kill them, and consequently we see them everywhere.

We passed on at the rate of about twenty miles an hour, having forty-three carriages and over a thousand passengers, mostly natives, and stopped at a station at 1 P.M. for lunch. The stations in India are all large, this one being more than a thousand feet long, and there were collected in it more than a thousand pilgrims bound for the sacred Ganges with their bags and bedding.

I went among them accompanied by the native guide, and saw that many of them carried painted poles, from the top of each of which was suspended a bag containing the ashes and bones of some relative, which they had brought from their far-off homes, and were taking to the Ganges to be thrown into the (to them) sacred river.

I looked at a group of handsomely dressed women. Among them was a bride, who had a profusion of silver ornaments in her nose and ears, and on her arms and toes. My appearance among this party seemed to entertain them very much, judging by their looks and their chattering.

We passed through great fields of the castor-oil plant, cotton, and mustard, and at 9 P.M. rolled into the big station here, and were soon at the hotel enjoying the comforts of a wood fire.

This is the most dreadful climate I know of--eighty degrees to ninety degrees during the day, and down to sixty degrees at night. The hotels have rooms only on the ground-floor, which is paved with stone, and any thing but comfortable.

This city has great historic interest, having been ravaged many times by conquerors, beginning with Tamerlane, who burned it, and killed a hundred thousand of its inhabitants, men, women, and children.

Taking a drive, I saw monkeys running along the walls, and was everywhere beset by a great lot of beggars, dancing girls, and merchants wanting to sell shawls, jewelry, and many other articles.

We have been here several days, constantly driving about and seeing magnificent palaces, tombs, and mosques. In one of the great marble palaces was a large hall in which was erected the famous Peacock Throne in the year 1638.

The following account of it is given by Tavernier, who, in the seventeenth century, travelled extensively in the East, and saw all the wonders that he relates:

"The largest throne, which is set up in the hall of the first court, is in form like one of our field-beds, six feet long and four broad. The cushion at the back is round like a bolster; the cushions on the sides are flat. I counted about a hundred and eight pale rubies in collets about this throne, the least whereof weighed a hundred carats; but there are some that weigh two hundred. Emeralds I counted about one hundred and sixty, that weighed threescore, some thirty, carats. The under part of the canopy is all embroidered with pearls and diamonds, with a fringe of pearls round about. Upon the top of the canopy, which is made like an arch with four panes, stands a peacock with his tail spread, consisting all of sapphires and other proper colored stones; the body is of beaten gold enchased with several jewels, and a great ruby upon his breast at which hangs a pearl that weighs fifty carats. On each side of the peacock stand two nosegays as high as the bird, consisting of several sorts of flowers, all of beaten gold enamelled. When the king seats himself upon the throne there is a transparent jewel with a diamond appendant, of eighty or ninety carats, encompassed with rubies and emeralds, so hung that it is always in his eye. The twelve pillars also that uphold the canopy are set with rows of fair pearl, round and of an excellent water, that weigh from six to ten carats apiece. At the distance of four feet, upon each side of the throne, are placed two parasols or umbrellas, the handles whereof are about eight feet high, covered with diamonds; the parasols themselves are of crimson velvet, embroidered and stringed with pearls.

"This is the famous throne which Tamerlane began and Shah Jahan finished, which is really reported to have cost a hundred and sixty million five hundred thousand livres of our money [thirty-two million one hundred thousand dollars]."

The famous and beautiful Cashmere shawls are made in the province north of here, and are mostly sold in this city, where there are many storehouses filled with them. It is said that it takes the labor of two men a year to make one of these shawls of moderate size.

Wishing to purchase, I went to one of the largest establishments accompanied by three friends. The merchant showed me a book in which were written recommendations of his goods by Gen. U. S. Grant and Col. Fred. Grant, and among them was one written in German, which was translated by my friend from Vienna as follows: "I have bought shawls of this man, and think I got them cheap, but do not offer him a third of what he asks." We spent much time looking at a great variety of the shawls, and finally, aided by the excellent taste of my friends, Mr. Norris of Baltimore, Mr. Kolish of Vienna, and Mr. Jackson of Manchester, I selected two, which I thought very beautiful, and asked the price. The merchant consulted two or three of his sharp, bright-eyed clerks in their own language and said: "I have not sold a shawl to your party; I sell you very, very cheap; you may have those beautiful shawls for 1,400 rupees." Having in mind the German gentleman's remarks, I said, "No; the price is absurd; let us go," and we started out. Then the merchant followed saying, "Don't go; make me an offer," and I said, "I will give you 400 rupees for both shawls." Greatly to my astonishment he replied, "Take them; I will send to your hotel." Fearing a substitution or some other trick I said: "No; hand them to me, if you please. Here are 100 rupees, and you may come to the hotel and get the balance." To this he agreed and the purchase was made.