cquired by the Europeanised. There are women here as well
as men; look at that handsome creature whose crimson scarf has slipped
off her sheeny black hair, showing the gold ring in her nose and the
huge decorative ear-rings! She is hugging a tiny boy with one blue bead
slung round his neck as a charm, just as it was round the donkey's neck
in Egypt,--people are very much alike all the world over! This little
chap has silver bangles on his podgy ankles but not a rag of any sort of
clothing.

[Illustration: NATIVES AT THE RAILWAY STATION.]

These people are packed so tightly you could hardly get a foot in
between them, but they are very happy, because they love travelling.
Natives have no idea of time, and when they are going to start on a
journey as likely as not they arrive at the station the evening before,
sleep rolled round in their garments where they may happen to be, and
next day eat a handful of something or other they carry with them,
waiting patiently till that marvellous object, the train, condescends to
start. Most of these here are munching sweetmeats; they love them as
children do, and the sweetmeat-seller never lacks trade. There he is,
with a tray on his shoulder! A man with a water-pot stops by the third
classes and pours some of the precious fluid into the cups held out to
him, and even into one man's hands. You notice that he is careful not to
touch either hand or cup. In India there is an extraordinary custom
called caste, deep-rooted in the natives. They are all divided into
higher and lower castes, according to their birth, and those of a higher
caste will not allow those of a lower caste to touch them or prepare
their food and drink, for they fancy they would be defiled! Only the
lowest castes of all will do dirty work, such as scavenging and carrying
away refuse, and you can imagine what difficulties all this leads to.
The Brahman, who is the highest caste, will not touch food which has
been defiled even by having the shadow of another fall on it, he would
throw it away and remain hungry sooner.

As we stroll back to our places we pass various men with marks on their
foreheads; these are caste-marks and to those who understand they tell a
great deal. Standing beside the second classes we see a short-sighted
gentleman in glasses, wearing an alpaca suit; he has with him a lady,
who, like himself, is coffee-coloured. She is wearing a full petticoat
of brocaded silk, and has a very lovely shawl edge