"In the court-yard of the mosque is an iron pillar twenty-two feet high, with a capital at the top, which is said to date from the Hindoo king who ruled before the Mohammedans came here. The tradition is that he dreaded the fall of his dynasty, and consulted the Bramin priests; they told him that if he could sink an iron pillar, and make it pierce the head of the snake-god Lishay, who supported the world, his kingdom would endure forever. He sunk the shaft, and after a while took it up, to see what effect it had had; it was found covered with blood, and then the priests told him he had hurt the snake without killing him, and his kingdom would come to an end. Their prediction was verified, for soon after this event the Moslems came and captured his kingdom, and put him and many of his followers to death. [Illustration: TREES IN THE COURT-YARD OF THE MOSQUE.] "There are some tall trees growing in the court-yard. We did not realize how large they were till we saw a group of natives seated beneath one of them, and waiting to beg from us as we approached. Some of these trees are very old, and show conclusively that the place has been in ruins for a long time. "We spent two or three hours around the Kuttub Minar, and then returned to Delhi, stopping on the way to see the tombs of several kings and queens, whose names would not be particularly interesting to you, and who have been dust and ashes for hundreds of years. The Government preserves these tombs from injury, and appoints keepers to look after them; but before the English took possession of India there was a good deal of destruction and negligence. It seems to have been the rule with these Eastern monarchs to destroy the works of their predecessors, rather than to preserve them; and if they failed to do so in any instance, it was because the destruction would cost too much, or require a long time. "There is enough around Delhi to keep a visitor occupied for at least a week, and if he is greatly interested in antiquities he might stay here a month and find something new every day. We are afraid of becoming tedious, and so we will cut this letter short, and say good-bye to Delhi." From Delhi the party continued its railway journey to Umballa, 161 miles, without stopping, as there was nothing of importance to be seen along the route. Doctor Bronson had telegraphed the day before their departure for dawk garries to be engaged to carry them to Simla, and when the train reached the station a messenger informed them that the carriages had been secured. What the dawk garry is, and what was to be done with it, was a matter of some interest to the boys, as this was their first journey away from the line of the railway. How their curiosity was satisfied we will learn in the next chapter. CHAPTER XXXIII.