"We had a pleasant run across the harbor, and in due time reached the end of the stone causeway that leads up to the caves. The island takes its name from the statue of an elephant that formerly stood nearly half-way from the landing to the caves; it is about five miles in circumference, and is occupied by a hundred inhabitants or so, who raise sheep and poultry to sell in Bombay. The caves are about 250 yards from the water, and consist of a series of temples hewn from the solid rock, or rather of one large temple, with smaller ones at each side. From the entrance to the rear of the cavern it is 123 feet, and the width of the whole is said to be 130 feet. We do not know by whom they were made, but the general belief is that they were excavated about a thousand years ago. "Stone pillars support the roof, and the interior is so dark that torches are needed for exploring it. The walls are covered with sculptures in bold relief, and both sculptures and pillars have been greatly injured; it is said that the Portuguese placed cannon at the entrance of the cave, and fired solid shot into the temple for several hours, in order to destroy the work of the idolaters. At present the cave is carefully protected, and guards are constantly on the lookout to prevent injury by visitors. "The sculptures show that the temple, or at any rate a part of it, was devoted to the worship of Siva, one of the Hindoo divinities, as his figure appears in several places, and there are numerous emblems such as we find in his temples elsewhere. There is a three-headed bust to represent the Hindoo trinity--Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva--and in one place there is a figure of Buddha, which is thought to be more modern than the rest. Some persons think this temple is older than the Caves of Ellora, while others believe that Ellora is the more ancient. Nobody can tell, and perhaps it is not of much consequence after all, as either of the works is venerable enough for modern visitors. [Illustration: COTTON MARKET AT BOMBAY.] "The hotel where we stop is the resort of snake-charmers, jugglers, and others, who hope to pick up a little money by amusing the visitors; of course they are not allowed to enter the building, but they gather in front of it, especially after breakfast and during the afternoon, so that we can have a performance at any time at very little cost. We had heard a great deal about the wonderful skill of the East Indian jugglers, and have missed no opportunity of seeing them when there was a prospect of something marvellous, but, from all we have observed, we unhesitatingly declare that they do not equal Hermann, Blitz, and other sleight-of-hand exhibitors in the United States.