our temple, and with the butt ends of their muskets they knocked off their legs and arms, and smashed their noses, and flung them on the ground, and desecrated them.” I told them we had no pity for them. They had, with their eyes open, joined these “Budmash” Mohammedans, to expel a Government that had never outraged their religion, but always protected them in its exercise, and which they themselves had often declared was the best Government their country ever knew. They admitted the assertion; and when we asked them why they did so, they replied, “Because, Sahib, we were deluded. Those people told us, if we would only join them this once, they would give us perpetual deliverance from all fear of the growing power of Christianity, which, they said, was about to destroy our religion; and that they would also give us equal rights and privileges. Their war cry was, ‘Do deen ek zeen men,’ (two religions in one saddle;) but they soon gave us to understand that one of the two must ride behind; and when they came to decide which it should be, they settled that after their fashion.” He added, “I prayed to God for your return to this city, O, how thankful we are that your Raj has come back again!”
I asked if I might take two or three of the broken idols. They submissively replied, “What you like; you are master here.” They lent me a basket, and procured a coolie to carry the three which I picked out. I placed some money in their hands for them. They seemed surprised that I had not acted on my “right of conquest,” and taken them without payment. On asking them what they were now engaged in worshiping, as their other gods were destroyed, they seemed afraid to reply. We told them they need not be, and that we had heard of it, and knew what it was, and only wished to see it. After obtaining our promise that we would not demand that too, if they showed it, they led us into the sanctuary, and there it was, nothing more nor less than the upper and hinder part of a bull, (Nundee Davee,) carved and polished in black marble. The flowers and Ganges water were fresh upon it, showing that it had been worshiped that day. And this was Hindoo worship, in one of its chief temples in the imperial city!
