lower in the scale of civilization than the Gónds, among whom they are
found; and to these the richly-caparisoned elephants of some wealthy
Bhopal gentleman making a journey. We lingered long among the
marvelous old Buddhistic _topes_ or tumuli of Sanchi, and I interested
my companion greatly in describing the mounds of the United
States, with which I was familiar, and whose resemblance to these
richly-sculptured and variously-ornamented ruins, though rude and far
off, was quite enough to set his active fancy to evolving all manner
of curious hypotheses going to explain such similarity. The whole way,
by Sangor, Gharispore, Bhilsa, Sanchi, Sonori, presented us with the
most interesting relics of the past, and the frequent recurrence of
the works of the once prevalent Buddhistic faith continually incited
us to new discussions of the yet unsolved question, Why has Buddha's
religion, which once had such entire possession of this people's
hearts, so entirely disappeared from the land?

And, as nothing could be more completely contrasted with the desert
asceticism which Buddha's tenets inculcated than the luxury into which
Mohammed's creed has flowered, so nothing could have more strikingly
broken in upon our discussions of the Buddhistic monuments than
the view which we at last obtained of the lovely Mohammedan city of
Bhopal. To the south and east ran a strip of country as barren and
heartacheish as if the very rocks and earth had turned Buddhist,
beyond which a range of low rounded hills, not unlike _topes_,
completed the ascetic suggestion. But, turning from this, we saw
Mohammedanism at its very loveliest. Minarets, domes, palaces,
gardens, the towers of the citadel, waters of lovely lakes, all
mingled themselves together in the voluptuous light of the low
sun: there was a sense of music, of things that sparkled, of pearly
lustres, of shimmering jewels, of softness, of delight, of luxury.