Between six and seven o’clock in the morning, the man who was to be swung made his appearance for a few moments, and then disappeared.  The hooks by which he was to be swung, as well as the iron rods with which a number of devotees were immediately to pierce their sides, were carried through the streets, and held up that they might be seen by the people.  Soon afterwards the man again appeared with the hooks in his back, and went up to the end of the beam to which he was to be fastened.  This, of course, was lowered.  Notwithstanding the dense multitudes of people, I made my way to the same spot, determined to be satisfied whether or not there was any deception in the application of the hooks.  There was no deception.  They passed through the skin, on the sides of the backbone.  To these hooks were attached yellow ropes, by which he was fastened to the beam, as you will perceive in the picture.  This being done, the men, five or six in number, who had hold of the ropes fastened to the end of the beam which you see resting on the ground, and which was then, of course, high in the air, drew him up until the beam lay horizontally.  Then, after making him perform one circular motion around the car, they elevated him, as you see in the picture.  When thus elevated, it was thought that he was forty feet from the ground.  All being ready, the people seized the ropes which you see in front of the car, and began to draw it.  Mr. Chandler and myself accompanied it through the streets, until it came to the place from which it set out.  The distance of ground passed over was at least half a mile, and the time in which the journey was accomplished exceeded an hour.  Of course he was swinging more than an hour.  As the car passed through the streets, the people threw plantains from the tops of the houses to the crowds below.

The man who was swung was adorned with flowers and other ornaments.  He had a tinselled turban on his head.  His body was rubbed over with a yellow paste, made, most probably, from the sandal-wood.  Around his ankles were rings, hung with little bells, which he made to tinkle, as he was swinging, by striking his legs together.  He wore a dark or black pair of pantaloons, which came a little below the knees, and which had a border of gold around them.  He held a handkerchief in one hand, and a knife somewhat resembling a dagger, in the other.  These he kept in constant motion, by moving his arms.  On one occasion, a bunch of plantains was tied to one of the long ropes which you see hanging down by the side of the swinger.  These he drew up, and afterwards scattered over the people on a house opposite to him. [Illustration.]

After following the car for a quarter of a mile or more, we went before it, and there witnessed another appalling sight.  There were five or six men, who had the rods of iron which I just mentioned passed through the skin of their sides.  They were dancing along, and, as they danced, they made these rods go backward and forward through the skin.