"Though the distinctions all exist in India, it is well known that they are rapidly breaking up. The second and third castes are being mingled so that it is hard to tell one from the other; the introduction of the railway, which throws men of all castes together, and often compels them to touch each other while sitting in the same carriage, is doing much to destroy the system, and the Government has enacted laws that aid in the movement. By the rules of the system, loss of caste is followed by forfeiture of all property and civil rights; but the Government steps in and prohibits any such forfeiture, and in several instances has punished the priests ordering it, by convicting them of conspiracy, and sending them to prison. From present indications it may be hoped that the caste system will some day be abolished, though such a result can hardly be looked for in our lifetime." [Illustration: HINDOO ROBBERS IN PRISON.] In the afternoon they took another drive through Allahabad, and as they passed the prison one of the boys indicated a desire to see it. The carriage was stopped, and the Doctor was taken to see the superintendent, who permitted the strangers to enter. In one cell there were three ill-looking fellows, who were said to be robbers, and in an adjoining cell there were four equally repulsive characters, described as Thugs. The Doctor expressed his surprise, as he had supposed the system of _Thuggee_ or _Thuggery_ was extinct; but the chief of the prison said that once in a while bands of Thugs were found plying their trade, and they generally proved to be some who escaped arrest in the general movement for their suppression, or were simply robbers who had adopted the principles of the Thugs. In other cells and in corners of the yard were some ordinary thieves and other violators of the law; there was nothing attractive about the place, and after a short visit the party withdrew. As they rode away from the prison, one of the boys asked Doctor Bronson to tell them about the Thugs, and their peculiarities. "It may astonish you," replied the Doctor, "to learn that they were a body of assassins religiously devoted to their horrible work. They went about murdering people, and supposed they had the approval of their goddess in doing so." The Doctor had surmised rightly, as the boys opened their eyes widely in the astonishment which this information caused. When the eyes had resumed their former appearance, he resumed: "The discovery of the existence of this organization was made by accident, or rather through the guilty conscience of a member of it. [Illustration: THUGS AWAITING TRIAL AT ALLAHABAD.]