“I wish we could fall in with a Brahmin,” said Banks; “we might then inspect the temple, and feel we were doing the thing thoroughly.”
“What!” cried I, “would a priest be less strict than his followers?”
“My dear Maucler,” answered Banks, “the strictest rules will give way before the offer of a few rupees! The Brahmins must live.”
“I don’t see why they should,” bluntly said Captain Hood, who never professed toleration toward the Hindoos, nor held in respect, as his countrymen generally do, their manners, customs, prejudices, and objects of veneration. In his eyes India was nothing but a vast hunting-ground, and he felt a far deeper interest in the wild inhabitants of the jungles than in the native population either of town or country.
After remaining for some time at the foot of the sa
