304 EARLIER INDIAN SPEECHES
authorised number. This compartment was constructed to carry 9 passengers but it had constantly 12 in it. At one place an important railway servant swore at a protestant, threatened to strike him and locked the door over the passengers whom he had with difficulty squeezed in. To this compartment there was a closet falsely so called. It was designed as a European closet but could hardly be used as such. There was a pipe in it but no water, and I say without fear of challenge that it was pestilentially dirty.
The compartment itself was evil looking. Dirt was lying thick upon the wood work and I do not know that it had ever seen soap or water.
The compartment had an exceptional assortment of passengers. There were three stalwart Punjabi Maho- medans, two refined Tamilians and two Mahomedan merchants who joined us later. The merchants related the bribes they had to give to procure comfort. One of the Punjabis had already travelled three nights and was weary and fatigued. But he could not stretch him- self. He said he had sat the whole day at the Central Station watching passengers giving bribe to procure before he could get his ticket and his seat. These three men were bound for Ludhiana and had still more nights of travel in store for them.
What I have described is not exceptional but nor- mal. I have got down at Raichur, Dhond, Sonepur, Chakradharpur, Purulia, Asansol and other junction stations and been at the ' Mosafirkhanas ' attached to these stations. They are discreditable looking places where there is no order, no cleanliness but utter confusion and horrible din and noice. Passengers have no benches
�� �
