There are many other strange conveyances to be seen in Turkey, perhaps the most curious of all being the sedan chairs which, although they have quite disappeared from other cities of Europe, are still used at night or on snowy days in the streets of Constantinople. In the eighteenth century sedan chairs were common in England, and in them the powdered and patched ladies went to their balls and routs, but it is strange to think of the quaint old-world conveyances being carried by stalwart Turkish porters along the dark, muddy streets of an Oriental city. These chairs, like the agricultural carts of Wales, come down to us from a past age, and another strange survival is seen at Schiessel, a village near Bremen, where the peasant girls drive to weddings and other festivities in large wagons that, painted and decorated with garlands of flowers, are exactly like the old carts and charettes of the Middle Ages. Russia is a country where the carriages appear very strange to English eyes, for there three horses are driven abreast, and while the two outer animals gallop, the one in the centre is trained to trot. As may be imagined, a very skilful and experienced driver is necessary to guide these droskeys, as they are called, along the rough country roads or through the crowded streets of a city. [Illustration: SCHIESSEL CART.] Among other curious vehicles which may be seen in Europe are the small two-wheeled omnibuses of Portugal and the quaint, gaily-decorated carts of Sicily. These latter conveyances are picturesque and interesting, for they are covered with paintings of figures and landscapes, while even the wheels are ornamented and carved. Donkeys draw these brilliant little carts, and they are usually used by fruit-sellers, but often they may be seen with a heavy load of passengers. [Illustration: SICILIAN CART.] Before the time of railways large public travelling carriages, called diligences, were used in France, Switzerland, and other European countries. They were great, cumbrous vehicles carrying many passengers with their luggage. In out-of-the-way country districts, and among the mountains, these old-fashioned diligences are still to be seen, clattering along the dusty roads or toiling up the steep passes across the Alps. CHAPTER IV JOURNEYS THROUGH INDIA We have seen some of the strange vehicles of England and Europe, and now we will travel eastward into Asia. There, as is only right, we must go first to India, for the great peninsula is one of King George's dominions, and its inhabitants, whether they be black, brown, or yellow, Hindoo or Mahomedan, civilised or savage, are as much British subjects as we are ourselves. [Illustration: STATE ELEPHANT IN INDIA.]