Old Daniel | Page 9

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and decorate the car, and payment for them was promised. Some people
brought garlands of flowers, evergreens and other foliage as presents;
so that when the procession started at midnight, with thousands of
lamps and hundreds of torches burning, the vast crowds of people
gazed with wonder and delight. Daniel had to attend and help to
decorate the car with such cloths as his father had been called upon to
supply. This being done, he had to carry a torch. The procession had
not proceeded very far before some of the cloths on the car took fire,
either from the lamps or from the fireworks, and a terrible confusion
was immediately produced. The priest of the temple, who was riding
upon the car, was very severely burned, while shrieks and cries were
heard on every hand from many who had been knocked down and
injured. When the priest was helped out of the burning car he ran into
some deep water to cool himself. The idol also was taken out of the
flames, and finished its journey in a palanquin. Daniel says, "I saw all
this: and at the time when the priest came out of the water, he ordered
me to walk by his side, and light the way for him with the torch which I
had been directed to carry; but as I proceeded, a sharp thorn ran into my
foot, and gave me great pain, so that I could not walk, but was obliged
to sit down. The priest commanded me to get up, and come along with
him. I said, `Be patient, my lord; I am suffering from a thorn in my
foot.' However, in a very loud and angry tone he said, `Get up, I
command you, and come with me after the god.' Then I felt angry too,
and replied, `Why do you bawl out in that way? The god does not want
me; but if he does, I cannot come; I am lame; he may help himself.' On
hearing these words of contempt for the god, the priest abused me very
much, took the torch from me, and ordering another person to carry it,
he left me on the ground trying to get the thorn out of my foot. Whilst I
was lying there in great pain, I heard a cry of `Thieves!
thieves!--robbers! thieves!' and saw many men running back from the
burning car to the town. I learned afterwards that a great many robbers
had laid their plans to enter the town quietly as soon as the inhabitants
had left their houses and shops to join the Goobbe-Appa procession.
The thieves did not accomplish all they planned to do, but they stole
very much valuable property." All that happened at this festival served
to convince Daniel that `Goobbe-Appa' was as helpless as any other
idol, and that the so-called worship was senseless.

This whole account of `Goobbe-Appa' shows how Hindoo ideas as to.
God and His worship differ from the ideas of Christians who have been
favoured with the Holy Scriptures. And the account will, it is hoped,
excite pity for the Hindoo men, women and children; and induce the
juvenile collectors, as well as others, to renewed efforts for sending
more Missionaries to India.
At the annual festival, which lasts ten days, the Missionaries are fully
engaged distributing tracts, preaching, and conversing with serious
inquirers who have come from distant towns and villages. The
accompanying sketch, in which a Missionary is preaching, was taken
near the entrance to the town of Goobbe, close to the `Mantapa' in front
of `Goobbe-Appa's' temple. A mantapa is an open temple, or
halting-place for an idol on procession days.
CHAPTER TEN.
THE IDOL WHICH SHED TEARS.
When Daniel was about sixteen years of age, the cholera broke out for
the first time in Goobbe. It prevailed for about eighteen months, and
many persons died of it every day. The inhabitants of Singonahully,
and of all the other villages round about, were in consequence very
much afraid to enter the town. One day, during the prevalence of this
disease, an ass belonging to Daniel's father was missing. It had strayed,
and Daniel went from Singonahully towards Goobbe in search of it, but
without any intention of entering the town. On his way he met a great
crowd of people. There was in the crowd something different from
anything of the kind he had ever seen. He noticed that many of the
people had their bodies painted yellow, and there was to him something
very strange in their appearance, dress, and conduct. As he was gazing
at the people and walking slowly along, he stumbled, and fell over a
dead body, probably a victim of the cholera. He was very much
alarmed; and as he got