We  kept  our  way,  slowly  ascending,  winding  around  the
liill  on  whose  crest  was  the  jjalace  of  Amber. Mrs. Grant,
with  her  couriers,  had  gone  ahead,  and,  a.s  our  procession
of. elejUiants  turjied  up  the  la.st  slope  and  passt-d  under
the  arch,  we  saw  the  lady  of  our  exjiedition  high  up  at  a
lattice  window  waving  her  hamlkerchief. The  court-yard


ai


594


GRANT'S    TOUR


was  open  and  spacious,  and  entering,  our  elephants  knelt
and  we  came  down. We  reached  the  palace  while  wor-
ship was  in  progress  at  the  temple. Dr. Hendley  told  lis
that  we  were  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  services  and  to  see
the  priest  offer  up  a  kid. Every  day  in  the  year  in  this
temple  a  kid  is  ofiered  up  as  a  propitiation  for  the  sins  of
the  Maharajah. The  temple  was  little  more  than  a  room
in  the  palace  —  a  private  chapel. At  one  end  was  a  i)lat-
form  raised  a  few  inches  from  the  ground  and  covered
over. Ou  tliis  platform  were  the  images  of  the  gods  —  of
the  special  god  —  I  think  it  is  Shiva,  whom  his  Highness
worships. On  this  point  I  will  not  speak  with  certainty,
for  in  a  mythology  embracing  several  hundred  millions  of
gods  one  is  apt  to  become  bewildered. Whatever  the  god,
the  woi'ship  was  in  full  progress,  and  there  was  the  kid
ready  for  sacrifice. We  entered  the  inclosure  and  stood
with  our  hats  off. There  were  a  half-dozen  worshippers
crouching  on  the  ground. One  of  the  attendants  held  the
kid  while  the  priest  sat  crouching  over  it,  reading  from
the  sacred  books,  and  in  a  half-humming,  half-whining
chant  blessing  the  sacrifice,  and  as  he  said  each  jirayer
putting  some  grain  or  spice  or  oil  on  its  head. The  poor
animal  lit-ked  the  crumbs  as  they  fell  aliout  it,  rjuite  uncon-
scious of  its  holy  fate. Another  attendant  took  a  sword
and  held  it  before  the  piiest. He  read  some  j^rayers  over
the  sword  and  consecrated  it. Then  the  kid  was  carried
to  the  corner,  where  there  was  a  small  heap  of  .^and  or
ashes  and  a  gutter  to  carry  away  the  blood. The  priest
continued  his  prayers,  the  kid's  head  was  suddenly  drawn
down  and  with  one  blow  severed  from  the  body. 