A COLLISION.
"The drive lasted an hour or so, and when it was fairly dusk the carriages filed away, and the Maidan became perfectly quiet with the exception of a stray vehicle now and then which had been belated, or the matter-of-fact bullock cart or wagon of the lower classes. Sometimes the fashionable carriages come in collision with each other, but generally the accidents that occur are the result of carriages and bullock-carts meeting, owing to bad management by the drivers of the latter. We saw one of these encounters, and for a few seconds it seemed as though the bullock would step into the carriage, in spite of the efforts of his driver, and also of the gentleman on the box of the carriage, to keep him out.
"The compradors attached to the foreign commission houses have a special kind of light cart with two wheels, which they use in going from their offices to the harbor and back again. The comprador is his own driver, and it is not an unusual sight in the busy hours of the day to see one of these fellows dashing along to the great peril of the people on foot; he is generally in a hurry, or at least pretends to be, but his hurry is confined to his riding rather than to his walking. If you watch him when he is on foot, you find that he moves with as much dignity as any one else, and does not intend to throw himself into a perspiration.
"Every carriage of any distinction has a syce or groom to run ahead of it, and they tell us that these men will keep up with the horses as fast as the latter can go, and will often be practically unwearied when the animals are tired out. They are all Moslems, and are fine muscular fellows, with only a turban on the head and a strip of cloth around the waist, so that they have perfect freedom for the movements of their limbs.
AN UNPLEASANT OCCURRENCE.
"In one of the smaller streets we saw a collision between two palanquins, which resulted in the occupant of one being spilled out, and a general mixing up of the little crowd around it. For a few minutes it looked as though there would be a fight, but nothing of the kind happened, and the whole affair was soon over. The natives are very careless while driving or walking, and you must keep a sharp lookout for the poles of palanquins or palkees. They are as cunning as they are careless, and we have heard some funny stories about their tricks. Here is one of them:
"An Englishman bought a black horse one day from a native dealer, and particularly admired the glossy coat of the animal. That night an attempt was made to steal him from the stable, and it came very near succeeding; the next day the purchaser discovered that the horse had been dyed with a peculiar preparation that would wash off with strong soap and water. It was the intention of the dealer to steal the horse before the trick could be discovered, and then by washing him he could not be identified, as the natural color of his coat was gray; the gentleman learned that the horse had been sold and stolen at least half a dozen times. Doctor Bronson says the American horse jockeys might learn some useful lessons by coming to India, and he hopes a good many of them will come—and stay.