’Their first march was to the adjacent village, where every house was visited in turn by the monkeys, without success; no one ever venturing to obstruct or drive away the intruders, fearing their resentment.  After which they sallied out of the village to the main road, minutely looking for footsteps, as a clue, on the sandy pathway; and by this means discovering the track of the Hindoo, they pursued the road they had entered throughout the day and night.  Early in the morning of the following day, the monkeys advanced to the serai (inn, or halting place for travellers) soon after the Hindoo himself had quitted it, who had actually sojourned there the previous night.

’On the road, when the horde of monkeys met any traveller, he was detained by them until the chief of them had scrutinized his features, and he was then liberated on finding he was not the person they were in pursuit of.  After having marched nearly forty miles from their home, they entered one of the halting places for travellers, where the Hindoo was resting after his day’s journey.

’The monkey having recognized the robber, immediately grasped him by the arm, and others entering, the frightened robber was searched, the purse discovered in his wrapper, which the chief monkey angrily seized, and then counted over its contents, piece by piece.  This done, finding the number correct, the monkey selected eight pieces, and threw them towards the Hindoo; and distributing the remaining number of gold mohurs amongst the monkeys, who placed each his coin in the hollow of his cheek, the whole body retired from the serai to retrace their steps to the jungle.’

[1] Hanuman, the divine monkey of the Ramayana epic, who helped
    Rama to recover his abducted wife, Sita.

[2] Langur, Semnopithecus entellus.

[3] Now worth a little more than a sovereign.

LETTER XXIII

The Soofies.—­Opinion of the Mussulmauns concerning Solomon.—­The Ood-ood.—­Description of the Soofies and their sect.—­Regarded with great reverence.—­Their protracted fasts.—­Their opinion esteemed by the Natives.—­Instance of the truth of their predictions.—­The Saalik and Majoob Soofies.—­The poets Haafiz and Saadie.—­Character and attainments of Saadie.—­His ’Goolistaun’.—­Anecdotes descriptive of the origin of that work.—­Farther remarks on the character and history of Saadie.—­Interesting anecdotes illustrative of his virtues and the distinguishing characteristics of the Soofies.

The life of King Solomon, with all his acts, is the subject of many an author’s pen, both in the Arabic and Persian languages; consequently the learned Mussulmauns of Hindoostaun are intimately acquainted with his virtues, his talent, and the favour with which he was visited by the great goodness of the Almighty.  In the course of my sojourn amongst them, I have heard many remarkable and some interesting anecdotes relating to Solomon, which the learned men assure me are drawn from sources of unquestionable authority.