"Stone pillars support the roof, and the interior is so dark that torches are needed for exploring it. The walls are covered with sculptures in bold relief, and both sculptures and pillars have been greatly injured; it is said that the Portuguese placed cannon at the entrance of the cave, and fired solid shot into the temple for several hours, in order to destroy the work of the idolaters. At present the cave is carefully protected, and guards are constantly on the lookout to prevent injury by visitors.
"The sculptures show that the temple, or at any rate a part of it, was devoted to the worship of Siva, one of the Hindoo divinities, as his figure appears in several places, and there are numerous emblems such as we find in his temples elsewhere. There is a three-headed bust to represent the Hindoo trinity—Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva—and in one place there is a figure of Buddha, which is thought to be more modern than the rest. Some persons think this temple is older than the Caves of Ellora, while others believe that Ellora is the more ancient. Nobody can tell, and perhaps it is not of much consequence after all, as either of the works is venerable enough for modern visitors.
COTTON MARKET AT BOMBAY.
"The hotel where we stop is the resort of snake-charmers, jugglers, and others, who hope to pick up a little money by amusing the visitors; of course they are not allowed to enter the building, but they gather in front of it, especially after breakfast and during the afternoon, so that we can have a performance at any time at very little cost. We had heard a great deal about the wonderful skill of the East Indian jugglers, and have missed no opportunity of seeing them when there was a prospect of something marvellous, but, from all we have observed, we unhesitatingly declare that they do not equal Hermann, Blitz, and other sleight-of-hand exhibitors in the United States.
"Travellers have written about the basket trick, in which a boy enters a basket just large enough to hold him; the performer then begins a conversation with the boy, which becomes more and more violent as it proceeds, and finally a sword is thrust into the basket and apparently pierces the occupant. He screams, and calls out that he is killed. The sword is thrust in again and again; the boy's screams become fainter and fainter, and finally cease, and it is supposed that he has been killed. The basket is soon after lifted, and found to be empty, and the boy appears in the crowd of by-standers. We have seen this trick two or three times, and in each instance there was plenty of opportunity for the boy to escape before the conversation began, and, of course, the screams could be made to come from the basket by means of ventriloquism. In another basket trick the boy remains in the basket, and the sword is handled in such a manner as to avoid touching him.
"A trick more difficult to explain is that of making a tree grow in a short time. The juggler takes a common pot filled with earth, and plants a mango-seed in the centre; then he squats in front of it, and begins playing on a musical instrument, or perhaps he sits perfectly still and looks at the ground. In a minute or so the earth in the centre of the pot swells, and then bursts, so as to show the plant springing from the seed; the shoot appears and rises slowly, and it grows and grows, till at length the leaves come out, the blossoms form, the fruit shapes itself, ripens, and is plucked off and handed to the spectators. The whole process of growth, from the planting of the seed to the ripening and plucking of the fruit, occupies about half an hour, and the performer does not touch the pot or bring his hand near the tree until the fruit is to be plucked.
