Show I 1 AN INDIAN PILGRIM I 1 I 1 latown I 1 A town of temples and shrines to which pious flock la in thousands every twelfth year when jupiter enters the sign dign of leo tile the ganges ge s itself is ia supposed in some mysterious way tu to how flow down domi the godit goil divory y bed edi abild pilgrim canic came to ll 11 gr k t alie e benares Zv estern india lit in thousand from all patis parts of fedin each pilgrim 1 as I A lie enters tle the town jim haa to pay at a small tux tax and tile the le ic capt i show that people had come collie aud and pone grone in the lat la t eleven months the ethe iiii of life WM was juslin 1111 unc enAng when I 1 was there Furi the igns ini came by b oal foad spending mont 14 oll 1111 tile the way tilt they coil come e by rail now the Bra limani 11 tile tho rails ra ilvy vily with site lucli I 1 success that tin tile bration is four miles frum eli alk town there them is ia however 1 n I good road planted with lady hady t tai 1 I I 1 lint iiii iski isk i and amacias acacias on oil either cither side ahr station tati when I 1 was w us crowded with pilgrims ri ilia of at all ri inki men women and children and tile the road rua 1 wai blocked with a double stream of bullock carts still and pony earls carts while under the trees were iver groups 3 resting from the sun or slowly plodding ou on to their destination at certain points near the tha town they ibey are met inet by the bragain priests who make large foi fortunes tunes out of their pious cirit visitors ors there sire are about apeci it il Brahn ians called hyah alio keep large C loding lodging anil bonding bo aiding houses housego and claici to be the far family ay priests a of all pilgrim grim families they keep heep huge hug ge i recount books containing records of nil all former r 11 or visitors anti and the they greet each I 1 ll 11 barim larim with si a demand for liis or ti her er name and birthplace birth place if lit ho or ins his father or grandfather arother or other ancestor remote is entered in all any brahman s book lit he belongs to that ura Bra linian durin during his stay some of the file boks backs go a as fur far backas back as emperor time the victim is marched off to the Bra brahmans Brah limans mans house where lie he will find it at least I 1 50 others othe rii 11 his is bag or at labori gathered rupees boarded tor for uis tills supreme oc occasion camon comus comes out and a system of apes bei argin all which goes on oil jintil i the pi pil I 1 rim leaves olives or the b ig is ii empty after tho the first fee is s add tile the T in os is functions ot at the pilgrimage begin lie ic has haa cirit lu ILI fust fast tor for twenty tour hours li nui chic la lie he gued co to a one of the many temples temple un it the aver bink bank with offet tings of lieo lice suid and I 1 flowers flower and outler butter then riichi tired nud mad exhausted with t to toil nud flud travel and want ol at boril lie ho is ii led into tile the river abild tilt fees abgill 0 aadi ngien 11 have aepli in ill tile bed of tilt the strAi in for fill lie hf I 1 bathers bat litTS when thu the river arlins dry oil licul ij i wore sacred than another and each fresh bathing 0 via requires a sile special cill iw feu lie wishes allies not juat only to purse purge ann alf rion s sin sill buttillo but also tilso to free tile the souls of his is allce ancestors tills this again require requires a fee the cel Taint of salvation whether for himself or his fathers idellen defendi di entirely on oil the amount 01 of ili liis gift i ft at last lie ii i led out of t tho 1 0 water ater after hours of exposure and he alks to the house in his wet clothes perhaps richer in holiness hilt but certainly poorer ill jn worldly wealth lie he then can take his its first meal itaw haw vegetables in vast quantities bread and rice tire are liis itis food ile he probably pr overeats overheats ove himself his di digestion estion is weakened by fusting fasting aud and exposure and his next exposure isa iff a bout of diarrhea or dysentery or at cien cholera cholera cleoler had a firm birin hold leold of basik the wit whole of that pilgrim binl year and as on one walked through tho the town and and I 1 saw the dirt and smelt the lii one only woud wondered ered why the disease should ever relax th that d hold our friend is next licit sent oft off to Trim bulk balk the source of M the sacred river ile he is jolted there ii in I 1 a bullock bul loik cart carr oi or hits has to walk according it to the state of his rupee lp bag at Trini buk he bathes again jut but this thid binic not in the stream itself but in it tank through the rier jl is supposed to ilow how here ho must not v bathe but bat drink lie he water cateri chere literally thotis andi have washed the collector of basik once took a battle full of this water find and showed it to sonic conle of tile the leading UM liman of the town it win full of organisms flioy needed no microscope tile they were plainly visible v i b 1 t to 0 t the naked 1 k d eye 1 i is P pious 0 1 1 s f friends r i ei i d s 0 only ii 1 3 shrugged ii r t ig ge ede t their hei r s shoulders li 0 ti 1 i and said that hint paradise wai waa worth gaining oven ovell nt at that inice the whole place illace is steeped I 1 in ll 11 i ignorance I 1 und and out of which a handful hind ful of atul balce thell their fortunes fortune and they ato not likely tu to lend a hand lit iny any re reform forni is not a 1 pilgrim rila who arbo comes collies but lio ile bili believe evvA himself to lt be from i iii li this baghill ba bathing thill and drin drinking drinkin kim C thue is M in an air of 11 1 11 coli tent rii on all their ailt ii es 14 1 1 i the 0 IS is over mull they squat on tho plat platform forill lirt patiently I 1 clitty wailing fur for tho thil that will take thrill leonle li gaill yet bwy ii iau all ail left of af ye buim behind ii ivr aoth ill itcy to chow lor for it ave v the lit ill lie tie v coald MOil Bl cirii cup 0 of rl diio 1 le liola water e hicl tell carrm carrier back kisr to liis freel fre nl torme ii ia I 1 soni ahing OIL lafor ali t dr tul lately f bwy t y 1 t ap balry away with them kioa signi li i g ii vi ctr ir I 1 it the mariom liver r 1 l tair ollita tl holy illace iLic for of I 1 binl nd ie rii na it t oil I 1 v t figu I 1 e big JIM or lif ell aera at it tilt plate it lt r k is wn ike in caw nt lit basil ait C cir ar tap iru are nij dij it ixta s taw t IAP ii tin 1 i of if ettril dt biliti il nair thu aiwas di eia 11 II 1 birr I 1 lilii tle tie pt ir treat iria tuA arc ae i ile file inet 1 I 1 04 ay iy of livi s during their st MI journ abild it they ilo do not take ili di dicag cae on tile iio spot i ellry i irry alky ay iy bici hi 6 iu U dt bulj lu lj in ill anine dia tut i illie ill i 0 e their hrvat macit it of gf oil liia di 14 u natif pitiful 1 u clr ilcin 1 ra aras vr rr As uz d the siring ivyng e biwer r ut of alii lie river water lor t r int tine in ill IN nik amail while tin tilt el i l li d nari t I 1 1 al AJ II ea 1 iss I 1 A medi medic itic 7 bic ei e tile I 1 by govi ru ni ment and were albatys il y r batly yet the sufferers BufTer eM never hant lit for the doctor indeed the whole family as a rule combines to coile ell the cab ga fahim timy |