l find him over the door of places of business; and
contracts open with an invocation to Ganesa, sometimes given by a picture
of the god. He was the son of Siva and Parvati. His picture is that of a
short, fat man, with four arms and an elephant's head.

"Though he was Siva's son, the father was jealous of him, and struck off
his head. Siva was sorry for what he had done, and wanted to bring Ganesa
back to life; but his head was gone."

"Couldn't he put a head on him?" asked Scott very seriously; and the other
boys laughed.

"That was just what he did," replied Sir Modava, wondering what the boys
and some of the others were laughing at. "Siva selected a young elephant,
cut off his head, and affixed it to his son's shoulders; and that is how he
happens to have such a head. This head sometimes takes the place of the
whole figure on contracts. His festival is celebrated the last of April,
with the greatest magnificence. Effigies of the god are made of
terra-cotta, painted and gilded, and borne by processions through the
streets. Priests and musicians surround the idol; and young girls, widowed
before they are wives, dancing and waving their scarfs in solemn cadence,
lead the way.

"When the processions reach the river, they embark in fairy-like boats
propelled by sails or oars, forming a grand aquatic spectacle. At sunset
the idols are thrown into the river, and the festival terminates with a
grand frolic on shore, with fireworks, in which many Europeans take part;
and the river is thronged with boats decorated with many-colored lanterns."

The party spent two days more at Benares, and visited temples, mosques, and
many places of interest. They were visited by British civil and military
officers, who were extremely kind to them, and offered them every facility
for seeing the city. After dinner on the last day, Captain Ringgold asked
Lord Tremlyn to tell them something about Patna; and he evidently did so
with a purpose.

"Patna is the fifteenth city in India in population, one hundred and forty
miles from Benares," replied the viscount. "It extends nine miles along the
Ganges, and an average of two back from it. The streets are narrow and
crooked. The houses are mostly of mean appearance, and there are but very
few buildings there of any importance. You laid out your list of cities to
be visited yourself, Captain, and generally very judiciously; but if I had
made it out I should have omitted Patna. It has a population