"We passed ghaut after ghaut, and saw thousands of pilgrims and residents taking their morning bath, and finally came to the mosque of Aurengzebe the Great. At its foot, as at many other points along the bank, there were dozens of great umbrellas, under which the priests sit to give absolution to the faithful who are willing to pay for it; the umbrellas protect them from the sun, and at a little distance they resemble enormous mushrooms. We asked the guide if there were any accidents in bathing; he said a few persons were drowned every year by getting beyond their depth, and once in a while a crocodile came and carried away somebody. He told a story we had heard before, that a thief who was an expert swimmer once fixed up the skin and head of a crocodile so that it was a very good counterfeit; he would swim around near the bathing place and watch his chance to drag some of the women under water, where he drowned them for their gold and silver ornaments. "Every day one or more would be taken away, and the fear of the crocodile was great. But one time there came along a real crocodile, who ate up the counterfeit; the dried skin and head were found a few miles farther down, and then it was found how the murders had been perpetrated. "As we walked in the crowds we thought they were very respectful, as they made way for us wherever we went; we afterward learned it was not respect, but fear of pollution, that made them move out of our path. You must remember that nearly all the people we see are pious pilgrims, who have come long distances to worship at the shrines of Benares, and have a cordial hatred for our race and color. As our guide walks along in front of us he says something to the people in Hindostanee which, of course, we do not understand; we are told that he warns them to get out of our way, so that they will avoid being polluted by our touch! [Illustration: MOSQUE OF AURENGZEBE THE GREAT.] "We went inside the mosque, but did not climb to the top of the minarets, from which there is said to be an excellent view of Benares and the country around it. The mosque is identified with the history of Benares, as it dates from the time the Mohammedan rulers of Northern India captured the city, destroyed nearly all of its Hindoo temples, and built their own places of worship from the ruins. The mosque stands on the site of an ancient Hindoo temple, and after the Hindoos came in possession of the city again they allowed the building to remain, though it might have been expected that they would tear it down. The Mohammedans make very little use of the mosque, and of all the 400,000 inhabitants of Benares there are less than 40,000 who adhere to the religion of the Prophet of Mecca. There is nothing remarkable about the building except the minarets, and we only remained there a few minutes. [Illustration: A STREET NEAR THE GREAT MOSQUE.]