Chapter 7 Chapter VII The Pilgrims of Pergu

Belair is the former Magadha Kingdom. In the era when Buddhism prevailed, it was once regarded as a holy land, and the temples and monasteries built in those days can still be seen today.But over the centuries, the monks who believed in Bodhisattva were gradually replaced by Brahmins. They relied on the tribute brought from all directions by the believers of the Lord Buddha to maintain their livelihood. Slowly, they monopolized the holy water of the Ganges and the pilgrimage of Benares. and the religious ceremonies of the Jagnat, and at last the whole region was in their hands. This is a fertile land.There are endless rice fields, poppies all over the mountains, and one town after another is hidden in the dense palm, mango and date palm forests, like a dense vine net sprinkled by nature.The road is full of lush greenery, and the moist land exudes the fragrance of soil.Driving according to the map, we will never get lost.The roar of the elephants was mixed with the shrill chirping of birds and the shouting of monkeys.Fields of phoenixes and banana trees were shrouded in spiraling circles from the train, golden bananas twinkling like stars in the mist.The moving train startled a flock of small birds pecking at the rice fields, their white feathers blurred by the white steam from the train.Sometimes we can still see a cluster of banyan trees or pomelo trees. The one-meter-high trunk supports a huge crown, showing the appearance of not bearing a heavy load. They dot the distant scenery.

But although the scenery is beautiful, the weather is unbearably hot!Not a breath of cool air comes through the vetiver hanging by the window!Waves of heat—heated by the wind as it crosses the western plains—were overwhelming.It's time for the June monsoon to drive away the heat.This fiery sun has the possibility of suffocating people to death at any time. So, the fields are empty.Even Indian peasants have long been accustomed to the sun, but at this time they have to give up farm work.Cars could only drive on the boulevards, and we were all forced to hide inside the house.As for Kalut, the fireman, I don't think he has a platinum body, because even platinum is melted, and he must be forged from pure carbon, which is the only one that can withstand the high temperature of the steam furnace.but not!This upright Indian has an incredible ability to withstand high temperatures.Besides pure charcoal, he seems to be the second substance in nature that can endure such high temperatures!

On May 19, a thermometer hanging on the dining room wall registered a high of 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius).In the evening, instead of our usual routine, we went for an avakana walk near the train campsite, the word itself means "to eat the air", which means after a hot day, we went to breathe the night Warm and fresh breath.But this time, the air outside was enough to suffocate us. "Mr. Mockley," said Sergeant Mark Rael to me, "I recall that late in March, when Mr. Ug Rhodes stormed Jhansi with the only two guns, trying to breach the gates, Sixteen days ago we crossed the Betwa River, during which time many horses died. We fought among the high granite walls, which were as hot as the hearth of a blast furnace. There were special soldiers in the army Carrying sheepskin bags full of water, they poured water on our heads as soon as we started the fire, otherwise we would just fall down as if struck by lightning. Listen! I remember it very well! At that time, I had I was exhausted, and my head was about to burst. I couldn't hold it any longer... At this moment, Colonel Moreau saw me, and he immediately grabbed a sheepskin bag from a soldier and poured water on my head... That was the remaining The last sack of water! . . . You know, these are never to be forgotten! Never to be forgotten! A drop of water will be repaid by the spring! Even if I give everything I have to my colonel, it will not be repaid! Clear the debt I owe him!"

"Sergeant Mark Real," I asked, "haven't you noticed that Colonel Moreau has been more worried than usual since the beginning of the trip? It seems like every day..." "That's right, sir," replied Mark Rael, interrupting me hastily before I could finish, "but it's only natural! Because my colonel is going step by step to Lucknow, Kanpur, these The bloody massacre by Nana Saib is near... Ah! I can't talk about this without getting excited! Perhaps it would be better to take another route, so that we don't have to pass through these devastated areas! After all, the terrible How can we calm down when the facts are so close at hand?"

"Why don't you go the other way? If you'd like, Mark Reel, I'll go tell Bonkers and Captain Ord..." "It's too late," replied the sergeant, "and it seems to me that the colonel insists on seeing, perhaps for the last time in his life, those bloody battlefields, and going to the place where Mrs. Moreau was murdered." Go, she died too badly!" "Mark Rael, as you suggest, we'd better go along with the colonel's wishes and let him do what he wants, and everything goes according to plan. Going to the grave to mourn our loved ones is often a kind of inner sympathy." Painful consolation..." I replied.

"Yes! Go to the grave to mourn!" Mark Rael said loudly, "but can the dry well in Kanpur, which is piled up with the corpses of the victims, be used as a grave? Is it also the same as our flowers and trees? Like the shadowy Echos cemetery, does God take care of everyone who dies? Ah! Sir, I'm afraid the colonel will die of pain! But still, I say, it's too late to stop him. Who knows when he will Will not refuse to continue walking with us! Well! Let it be! God will guide us!" Obviously, Mark Rael, who said these words, knew Mr. Edward Morrow's plan clearly.Did the Colonel, according to what he said, decide to leave Calcutta in order to go to Kanpur?In any case, the place where his poor wife had died seemed to be a magnet to him! ... Therefore, he must be allowed to do what he wants to do!

At the time, I was tempted to ask the sergeant if he himself had run out of revenge, in other words, if he thought Nana Saib was dead. "No," Mark Rael replied simply. "Although I know that there is no basis for my thoughts, I do not believe and cannot believe that Nana Saib could die with impunity for killing so many people! Impossible! But now, I do not Don't know the truth, I've gotten nothing for so long! . . . Just an instinctive feeling that drives me! . . . Ah, sir! Know that just revenge is the great thing in life! May God bless my premonitions to be right Yes, someday..."

The sergeant didn't finish his sentence...but his gestures clearly expressed what he hesitated to say.The thought of the two masters and servants is absolutely the same! When I communicated the gist of this conversation to Bonkers and Captain Ord, they agreed that at present we should not and could not change our course of travel.Besides, Kanpur has never been on this route.After crossing the Ganges at Benares we shall go straight north through the eastern regions of the kingdoms of Ud and Roylkand.No matter what Mark Real thought, after all, he didn't know whether Colonel Edward Morrow really wanted to revisit Lucknow or Kanpur, two places that would bring him infinite painful memories; but if he did If we are willing to do so, we will never say no to it.

As for Nana Saib, since he is a well-known figure, we should have heard more about him if the notice announcing his presence in Bombay had been true.But since we left Calcutta, there has been no news of the headman, which makes one wonder whether the authorities have made a mistake. In any event, in case there was any truth to what the notice said, and Colonel Morrow had indeed concealed his intentions, it would be strange that Sergeant Mark Rael should have been the one to know, not the Colonel's last. Close friend Bonkers.Presumably, as Bonkers himself said, it was because he had tried so hard to prevent the Colonel from risking his life in a futile pursuit of Nana Saib, whereas the sergeant might have been of the same mind!

At noon on May 19th, we had already passed the small town of Jitra.At this time, the steam house has traveled a total of 450 kilometers. The next day, May 20th, the steel giant arrived near Gaya in the evening after a day of intense heat.The convoy stopped at the banks of the holy river known to pilgrims, the Pergu.On the beautiful tree-lined bank, two miles from the town, this night there were two more mobile houses on the bank. We are going to stay in this place for thirty-six hours, that is, a day and two nights, because it is really a strange place and well worth a visit.I will say a few more words here.

The next day, to escape the midday heat, Bonkers, Captain Ord, and I said good-bye to Colonel Moreau at four o'clock in the morning and went straight to Gaya. It is said that 150,000 devout believers flock to this holy place of Buddhism every year.This is no lie.Every road into the city is crowded with pilgrims, men, women and children in groups.They arrived here after a long pilgrimage to fulfill their sacred religious obligations. Bonkers had visited the city of Belair while he was doing prospecting work on a railroad that hadn't yet been built.So he knew the area well and we naturally had a best guide.Before leaving, he asked Captain Ord to leave all the hunting gear he was carrying with him in the car.So there is no need to worry about delaying time due to hunting on the way. The city is known as the "Holy City".Just before entering town, Bonkers stopped us at a sacred tree, which was already crowded with pilgrims of all ages and genders, who clearly revered the tree. It was a linden tree with a thick trunk, and although many of its branches were dead, it was not difficult to guess that it had only survived two or three hundred years. Also saw this. Long ago, there was a sacred grove here, the oldest of which was planted in 500 BC, and now only the last one remains as a representative.To the devout worshipers who fell before it, the tree was the incarnation of the Bodhisattva, the platform under the tree was dilapidated, and there was a brick temple beside it, although it was very old. Among the thousands of Indians, the three Europeans were still spotted at a glance.But people didn't gossip about us, it's just that we couldn't squeeze onto the platform or get into the ruined temple.After all, there are crowds of people everywhere, and it is very difficult to squeeze out a passage. "If a Brahmin lived in the temple, our visit would be perfect, and we might see enough of the temple," Bonkers told us. "Why is this so!" I wondered in my heart, "Could it be that monks are not as strict as their own disciples?" "My dear Mockley," replied Bonkers, "there is no strictness in Ruby's presence. Brahmins have to live anyway!" "I don't think it's necessary," said Captain Ord, without expressing an admiration for the Indian morals, their prejudices, habits, and fetishes, with which his countrymen always tolerated them only appropriately. . To the captain at that time, India was nothing more than a vast "sanctuary". Compared with the Indians, he undoubtedly preferred the ferocious carnivores in the woods. After observing in front of the sacred tree, Bonkers took us back to the road to Gaya.As we approached the holy city step by step, the pilgrimage team grew stronger and stronger.Soon, through a gap in the forest, we saw a rock top surrounded by elegant Buddhist buildings, that is Gaya. The most notable of these is the Vishnu Temple.A few years ago, Queen Holka ordered it to be rebuilt, so the temple in front of me is a modern building.What makes it extraordinary is that when Vishnu came to the mortal world to fight the devil Maya, he left his footprints here.Naturally, the battle between God and the devil will soon be resolved.The devil was defeated, and on the wall of Vishnu Pad, one could see a unique stone with the deep footprints of the gods on it, which proved that the devil had indeed met his formidable enemy and had no choice but to bow down. It is not accurate to say that it is a visible stone, and I should immediately add that only Indians can see it.In fact, Europeans could not see footprints in stone at all.Perhaps in order to see the miracles of these gods, one must have great faith in the gods, but this is already impossible for Europeans.This time, Bonkers actually donated some rupees to the temple, but none of the monks would accept the sacrilegious money.I dare not pretend that money has not touched the hearts of Brahmins.Anyway, we didn't get to go into the temple to see it.I still wonder to this day how tall was the handsome and mild-faced young man in the temple, who had sky-blue skin and was dressed like a king of old, known by his ten incarnations, and the murderous Destroyer Siva, on the contrary, is the symbol of the guardian.Worshipers of Vishnu consider him the first of the 330 million deities in Hindu polytheistic mythology. Despite its disappointments, there is no need to regret this visit to the Holy City and Vishnu-Pad Temple.If you want to pass through the layers of temples and bypass one courtyard after another in the bustling crowd.Ariana's son Taize may not be able to get out of this maze!So we decided to say goodbye to Gaya on the Rock anyway. But Captain Ord has been aggrieved and wants to settle accounts with the brahmin who did not allow us to visit the Vishnu-Pad Temple. "Ode, what do you think?" Bonkers stopped him, "Don't you know that in the eyes of the Indians, their priests, these Brahmins are all very noble people, and they are born superior?" When we came to the Pergu River under the Gaya Mountain Rock, we had a panoramic view of the spectacular pilgrimage procession.Layers upon layers, there were men, women, old people and children, city people, country people, rich men and the poorest vagabonds, Vaikyas, merchants and farmers, and Catlias, proud soldiers, Sudras, poor artisans, and Palias, lawbreakers, even their eyes are dirty—in short, all classes of India, all classes People of all castes mingled together, stout Radrups elbowing thin Bengalis, Punjabis against Skander Mohammedans.Some came by sedan chair, and some came by ox cart.Some lay beside their camels with their viper-like heads sticking out from the ground, others came on foot, and people from all over the peninsula gathered here.There are pitched tents, unloaded carriages, and huts for pilgrims to live in. "There are too many people!" Captain Ord couldn't help but sigh. "The water in the Pearl River must be very nasty this evening!" Bonkers told us. "Why?" I asked puzzled. "Because the water in this river is holy water, all those who are suspected must go to the river to bathe, just like people on the banks of the Ganges go to the Ganges to bathe." "Are we downstream?" Ord asked loudly, pointing in the direction of our campsite. "No, don't worry, we are upstream." The engineer said with relief. "Hurry up, Bonkers! We must not let the steel giant drink this unclean water!" But at this time, we were crowded with thousands of Indians in a small open space. The first thing heard was the incongruous sound of chains and bells.It turned out that a group of beggars were begging in public. Here, the large-scale beggar gangs that spread throughout the Indian peninsula will bring together all kinds of beggars.Most of them wore fake wounds like medieval Cropin-Trouyfers.But if most beggars pass themselves off as handicapped, the same is not true of the religious fanatics.It may be unbelievable. Some dusty, almost naked monks and beggars were also mixed in with the crowd; one's arm was too stiff to move; another's palm was pierced by his own nails. There are also some beggars who measure their journey with their own bodies along the way.Lying down, getting up, lying down again, they measured out hundreds of miles in this way like a land surveyor's ruler. Here, some believers who became delirious after ingesting a mixture of liquid opium and marijuana were hung from branches with iron hooks pierced through their shoulders.They hung there in circles until the piece of flesh on their shoulders fell off before they fell into the Pelgu River below. There, some devotees of Shiva, whose legs and tongues were pierced by sharp arrows, were letting snakes lick the blood from their wounds. These scenes are too shocking for a European.I was about to leave when Bonkers stopped me. "The ceremony has begun!" he said to me. At this time, a Brahmin in the crowd pointed his right hand at the sun that had been hiding behind the Gaya cliff. The radiant first ray of sunlight is the signal.Almost naked devotees throw themselves into the holy river.At first they were baptized just like westerners, just soaking in water, but I can't deny that soon this simple soaking became a real water game, and there was hardly any religious meaning in it. .I don't know if the people in the water are chanting scriptures dictated to them by the monks to cleanse their souls or to cleanse their bodies.In fact, they scoop up a handful of water, sprinkle a few drops in the east, west, and north directions, and then splash the water on their faces, just like those who play with the waves rushing to the beach on the beach.Also, I should add that the pilgrims had to pull out at least one hair for every sin they committed.How many believers should have come out of the holy water with their heads bald! The believers frolicked in the water, jumping into the river for a while to splash the water, and slapping the water with their heels like a master swimmer.The terrified blunt-nosed crocodiles fled to the opposite bank in a hurry, where they lined up, staring at the crowd that had occupied their homeland with turquoise eyes, making a fuss in the water, making the sound of grinding their jaws from time to time.But the Pilgrims are as unfazed by them as they are by a weak lizard. Then, it is time for these strange believers to prepare to enter Cairas, which is the paradise in Brahmanism.We remounted the banks of the Pergu and returned to our bivouac. Everyone gathered for lunch and spent a hot afternoon with nothing to do.In the evening, Captain Ord went hunting nearby and brought back some game.During this time, Stoll, Karut and Gumi added some water and fuel to the car.We're leaving early tomorrow morning. At nine o'clock in the evening, we had already returned to our respective rooms.The thick night was very still.Thick clouds covered the stars in the sky and made the air more dignified and dull.After sunset, the temperature did not drop. The suffocating air made it difficult for me to sleep.Through the open window, all I could feel was waves of scorching heat hitting my face, which I figured must be bad for my lungs. By midnight, I hadn't fallen asleep for a minute.I would very much like to get three or four hours of sleep before heading out, but trying to control my sleep is a mistake.It is always within reach.The will becomes utterly useless at this point. About one o'clock in the morning I thought I heard a muffled sound along the banks of the Pergoo. My first thought in this heat was that there might be a storm blowing from the west, perhaps not cool at all, but at least moving the atmosphere so that the air wasn't so suffocating. But I was wrong.Because the branches and leaves around the campsite were motionless. So I stuck my head out the window and listened carefully.Distant voices were heard again, but I saw nothing.The surface of the Pearl River was dark and calm.It seemed that the sound came neither from the water nor from the air. But I didn't see anything suspicious either.So I lay down again, and finally fell asleep in the tiredness. From time to time, I could still hear the inexplicable sound, but finally I fell asleep completely. Two hours later, there was a glimmer of dawn in the dark night, and I suddenly woke up from my sleep. I heard someone calling for an engineer. "Mr. Bonkers?" "What's up?" "Come here." I recognized the voices of Bonkers and the mechanic from the corridor. I got up immediately and left the room.Bonkers and Stoll were already on the front balcony.Colonel Moreau was ahead of me, and Captain Ord was soon among us. "What happened?" the engineer asked. "Sir, look over there." Stoll replied. In the twilight of dawn we could see the banks of the Pergo and the road ahead.What surprised us was that there were hundreds of Indians crawling there. "They were yesterday's pilgrims," ​​said Captain Ord. "What are they doing?" I asked. "Probably waiting for the sunrise, and then jumping into the holy river!" The captain replied. "Impossible," Bonkers disagreed with the captain. "Can't they stay in Gaya to cleanse themselves? They must be here because..." "Because our steel giant has caused a sensation again!" Captain Ord shouted loudly, "Perhaps they learned of a giant elephant that they had never seen before, a giant beast parked nearby, so they came to admire it One time!" "I hope they just admire it!" said the engineer, nodding. "Bonkers, what are you worried about?" Colonel Moreau asked. "I am worried that these fanatical religious elements will block the way and prevent us from passing!" "In short, be careful! You must be careful when dealing with these lunatic believers." "Exactly," Bonkers replied. Then he called to the fireman: "Kalut, is the fire ready?" "Sir, you are ready." "Then light the fire." "Yes, turn on the fire, Karut!" Captain Odd shouted excitedly, "Add fire, Karut, let our elephant spray the smoke and steam on the faces of those pilgrims!" It was three thirty in the morning.It only takes half an hour to start the whole locomotive.The fire was lit, the logs crackled in the hearth, and a puff of black smoke from the elephant's trunk rose and disappeared among the tall branches. At this time, I saw some Indians approaching us, and then all the people moved, and they were getting closer and closer to the train.The first few rows of pilgrims raised their arms towards the elephants, bowed, knelt, and finally fell in the dust, evidently in the utmost reverence for our steel behemoth. Colonel Moreau, Captain Ord, and I were standing on the balcony, anxious to know how far this frenzy would go.Mark Reel also stayed with us, quietly watching what happened before him.Bonkers went to work with Stoll in the turret on the back of the elephant, where he could control the movement of the convoy at will. At four o'clock, the fire in the steam oven was already roaring.Hearing such a loud sound, those Indians must have thought it was the supernatural elephant roaring in anger.At this moment, the barometer showed a pressure of five atmospheres, and Stoll let the steam escape through the valve, as if it would pass through the thick hide of an elephant. "Enough air pressure, Moreau!" Bunks shouted. "Come on, Bonkers," replied the colonel, "but be careful not to overwhelm anyone!" By this time it was daylight.The road along the Pergo River was so crowded with devout believers that it was almost impossible to get through.Driving forward in these conditions without crushing someone is no easy feat. Bonkers blew his whistle two or three times, and the pilgrims yelled wildly. "Spread! Scatter!" the engineer yelled, telling the mechanic to open the regulating valve a little. At this moment, the steam in the cylinder thundered loudly.As soon as the wheels turned, the locomotive shook.A puff of thick white smoke came out of the elephant's trunk. The crowd dispersed immediately.Regulator valve is half open.The giant steel beast roared and finally started to move. The Indians crowded on both sides of the train, and seemed unwilling to let it go. "Bonkers, be careful!" I shouted suddenly. When I leaned out of the balcony just now, I saw a dozen fanatical believers lying on the road, obviously wanting the weight of the locomotive to crush me to death. "Beware! Beware! Stand back," Colonel Moreau said to the Indians, motioning them to their feet. "Those fools!" cried Captain Mudd, "are thinking our machine is Jaguerno's car! They want to crush themselves to pieces under the feet of this sacred elephant!" The mechanic turned off the steam according to Bonkers' instructions, but the pilgrim lying on the ground seemed to have no intention of getting up again.The people around them also shouted wildly and made gestures of encouragement. Our car finally had to stop.Bonkers, too, was at a loss and looked very anxious. Suddenly, he had an idea. "It's a good look now!" He unscrewed the venting cock of the cylinder, and strong steam immediately burst out against the ground, and at the same time, a sharp siren sounded in his ears. "Good! Good! Good! Bonkers, teach them a lesson!" Captain Ord shouted excitedly. This is indeed a good way.Those fanatical believers stood up screaming as if they were scalded by boiling water when they touched the steam.Crushed to death, good!Burned to death, no! The crowd was forced to back off, out of the way.Then the regulating valve is opened again, and the wheels roll over the road and drive forward. "Go ahead! Go ahead!" Captain Ord clapped his hands and laughed happily. The steel giant flew straight on the road like a smoky monster, and soon disappeared from the eyes of the stunned Indians.