"Durga is the favourite deity. Her husband and Krishna
and old Brahma are back numbers. The fact is that the common people are
afraid of Kali. They think she can do them such a lot of harm."
"What does the festival consist of, old chap?" asked Daleham. "What do the
Hindus do?"
"Well, the image is worshipped for nine days and then chucked into the
water," replied the engineer. "Tomorrow, the fourth day, is the one on
which the sacrifices are made--sheep, buck goats, and buffaloes are used.
Their heads are cut off before this idol and their heads and blood are
offered to it. Tomorrow you'll see the Rajah kill the bull that is to be
the sacrifice. At least, he'll start the killing of it. Now, we'll go along
back to the Palace."
The visitors' dinner that night was quite a magnificent affair. The
catering for the time of their stay had been confided to an Italian firm
in Calcutta. The cooking was excellent, but the waiting by the awkward
Palace retainers was very bad. The food was eaten off the Rajah's State
silver service, made in London for his father for the entertainment of a
Viceroy. The wine was very good. So the guests enjoyed their meal, and
most of them were quite prepared to think the Rajah a most excellent
fellow when, at the conclusion of the meal, he entered the dining-room
and came to the long table to propose and drink the health of the
King-Emperor.
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