couple of Muhammadan Kasais driving a small flock of sheep, dyed pink and
blue in patches, which they urged forward in approved Native fashion by
driving the fingers into the base of the hindmost animal's spine; and after
them wandered a Syed in a faded green silk robe and cap, carrying the
inevitable peacock feather brush, which plays so large a part in exorcism
and divination. Later in the day a Hindu lady-doctor hurried past on her
way home, and four youths of the student-class, who had left their legal
studies in the Fort to see what was toward in the northern portion of the
Island. A Municipal sweeper lurched across the open and proceeded to spend
twenty minutes in brushing the grating of a drain, leaving the accumulated
filth of the adjoining gutter to fester and pollute the surroundings; and
two elderly cooly-women, each carrying a phenomenal head-load of dung-
cakes, becoming suddenly aware of the presence of troops and thereby struck
with terror, collided violently with one another and shot the entire
contents of their baskets on to the road. This caused some amusement to the
passers-by, particularly to a Pathan who had just taken a very complete
bath under one of the taps of the memorial fountain, but the trouble was
soon mended by a small boy who, bribed by the offer of one dung cake,
helped the old ladies to repack their burdens and replace them on their
heads. Next came a swarthy gentleman from Palanpur, who said he was a
hawker of glass sugar-bowls, and produced one bowl without a top as proof
of his profession. He struck me as being uncommonly and perhaps designedly
vacant in speech and appearance, and seemed to have no stock of glassware
whatever. I am still wondering whether that topless bowl was really his own
or whether he may not have filched it from some convenient dispense-khana.
Meanwhile the Irani at the corner where the trams halt did a roaring trade.
He must have boiled his tea-leaves four and five times over in order to
supply the constant demands for "adha kop chha-a," preferred by casual
visitors who had come up out of the City to see what was going on. Memons,
Bohras, Khojas, Jews, Eurasians and Europeans all patronized his shop
during the days of tumult, and the amount of soda-water, "pick-me-up" and
raspberryade which was consumed was phenomenal. It was as good as a play to
watch the constant stream of people who came out to have a look at the
soldiers and to hear their remarks on the situation. "I have heard," one of
them would begin,--and then followed a string of the wildest bazaar-
rumours, interspersed with many a "tobah" (fie) "iman-se" (honestly or
truly) or "mag kai" (what happened next), which apparently produced such a
hunger and thirst that the Irani, thanking his stars for the outbreak of
disorder, had to ransack all his cases for comestibles, aerated waters and
tea. They sat in deep attention when Motor Car No. O swung out of De Lisle
Road and halted near the fountain; they watched with animation the Punjab
cavalry trot homewards to their lines after a scurry in Kalachauki; and
they burst into merriment when a refractory mule deposited one of the
Northampton Regiment plump in the muddiest portion of the Circle. They had
a thoroughly interesting week, these sight-seers; but not half so
interesting as he did, who watched them and chatted with them and spent
hours interrogating the human flotsam and jetsam of this City of a myriad
castes.
End of Project Gutenberg's By-Ways of Bombay, by S. M. Edwardes, C.V.O.