"

"No, I did not. I simply went there myself because it is a long time
since I saw them last. Examining them took me longer than I expected,
and so I was too late to meet you at the entrance."

"Probably the Takur-Sahib was enjoying the freshness of the air in the
cells," suggested the mischievous Babu, showing all his white teeth in a
broad grin.

Our president uttered an energetic exclamation. "Exactly! How on earth
did I not think of that before?... You could not possibly have any
breathing air in the cells above the one you found us in.... And,
besides,... how did you reach the fifth cell, when the entrance of the
fourth was nearly stopped and we had to dig it out?"

"There are other passages leading to them. I know all the turns and
corridors of these caves, and everyone is free to choose his way,"
answered Gulab-Sing; and I thought I saw a look of intelligence pass
between him and Narayan, who simply cowered under his fiery eyes.
"However, let us go to the cave where breakfast is ready for us. Fresh
air will do all of you good."

On our way we met with another cave, twenty or thirty steps south from
the verandah, but the Takur did not let us go in, fearing new accidents
for us. So we descended the stone steps I have already mentioned,
and after descending about two hundred steps towards the foot of the
mountain, made a short reascent again and entered the "dining-room,"
as the Babu denominated it. In my role of "interesting invalid," I was
carried to it, sitting in my folding chair, which never left me in all
my travels.

This temple is much the less gloomy of the two, in spite of considerable
signs of decay. The frescoes of the ceiling are better preserved than in
the first temple. The walls, the tumbled down pillars, the ceiling, and
even the interior rooms, which were lighted by ventilators cut through
the rock, were once covered by a varnished stucco, the secret of
which is now known only to the Madrasis, and which gives the rock the
appearance of pure marble.

We were met by the Takur's four servants, whom we remembered since our
stay in Karli, and who bowed down in the dust to greet us. The carpets
were spread, and the breakfast ready. Every trace of carbonic acid had
left our brains, and we sat down to our meal in the best of spirits.
Our conversation soon turned to the Hardwar Mela, which our
unexpectedly-recovered friend had left exactly five days ago. All the
information we got from Gulab-Lal-S