"'In a closely packed, eager throng of a hundred thousand men and women, many of them unaccustomed to exposure or hard labor, and all of them tugging and straining to the utmost under the blazing tropical sun, deaths must occasionally occur. There have, doubtless, been instances of pilgrims throwing themselves under the wheels in a frenzy of religious excitement; but such instances have always been rare, and are now unknown. At one time several unhappy people were killed or injured every year, but they were almost invariably cases of accidental trampling. The few suicides that did occur were, for the most part, cases of diseased and miserable persons, who took this means to put themselves out of pain. The official returns put this beyond doubt. Indeed, nothing could be more opposed to the spirit of Vishnu worship than self-immolation.'" "In that case," said one of the boys, "we shall be very glad to visit Pooree, and see the car of Juggernaut. The romance is gone from it, but it will be an interesting sight on account of the story that has so long been connected with it." "One of your countrymen," said the captain of the steamer, who had been listening to the conversation--"one of your countrymen was a passenger with me last year on the voyage we are now making. When I told him we were not to visit Pooree he was greatly disappointed, as he wanted to see the famous car, and also hoped that he might witness the traditional slaughter of the pilgrims. When I told him what you have just learned he was still more angry, and said that all the poetry of the East was gone. He had hoped to see a widow burnt by the side of her dead husband, and to witness the Juggernaut procession with its old-time attractions; the loss of these interesting spectacles was too much for him, and he heartily wished he had never left home." "We won't be so cruel in our tastes as all that," one of the boys answered, and then the conversation on this topic came to an end. In due time they reached the port in question, and anchored in front of the town. Doctor Bronson and the youths engaged a boat, and were taken ashore; and with the consent of the captain they were accompanied by one of the servants of the steamer, who spoke English and could serve them as guide. They found that the town was not a large one, its population being estimated at about 30,000; but its streets were crowded with people, and they were not surprised to learn that it was annually visited by more than a million pilgrims.