, and, with the usual ceremonies, "_Prana pratishta_" was
performed. This is a special ceremony, by which the Hindoos think life
is imparted to an image, or that a god is made to enter into an idol.
Thus they supposed that the deified old schoolmaster entered into the
image of `Goobbe-Appa,' which had been made for him to dwell in. And
there, in that temple, he is the most popular god of all within twenty
or thirty miles of Goobbe. He is not only worshipped daily by many who
live in the town, but also once a year by eight or ten thousands of
people who, at the anniversary, come in from all the adjacent towns and
villages.

When Daniel was about fourteen or fifteen years of age, he had to take
part in one of these annual festivals. It appears that some rich man,
probably a descendant of Burree Gowda, had determined that year to have
a specially grand procession. He, therefore, months before the time,
began to make preparations. He had a car, or carriage, made, purchased
fireworks, lamps, torches, etcetera. The washermen far and near were
told to bring cloths of different colours with which to cover and
decorate the car, and payment for them was promised. Some people
brought garlands of flowers, evergreens and other foliage as presents;
so that when the procession started at midnight, with thousands of lamps
and hundreds of torches burning, the vast crowds of people gazed with
wonder and delight. Daniel had to attend and help to decorate the car
with such cloths as his father had been called upon to supply. This
being done, he had to carry a torch. The procession had not proceeded
very far before some of the cloths on the car took fire, either from the
lamps or from the fireworks, and a terrible confusion was immediately
produced. The priest of the temple, who was riding upon the car, was
very severely burned, while shrieks and cries were heard on every hand
from many who had been knocked down and injured. When the priest was
helped out of the burning car he ran into some deep water to cool
himself. The idol also was taken out of the flames, and finished its
journey in a palanquin. Daniel says, "I saw all this: and at the time
when the priest came out of the water, he ordered me to walk by his
side, and light the way for him with the torch which I had been directed
to carry; but as I proceeded, a sharp thorn ran into my foot, and gave
me great pain, so that I could not walk, but was obliged to sit down.
The