you. The first few steps are tn full daylight,

you. The first few steps are tn full daylight, but you gradually descend into almost total darkness, broken only by the feeble light of the guides' flashlights. There ar? no “up and down" tracks; everybody pushes in and out as best he may. Our little party was a drop in an ocean of people. Our footing was ^ rendered precarious by the tattered canvas shoe-covers one has to wear over one’s shoes because the Taj is treated like a mosque. My slightly claustrophobic wife would never have gone on down if a couple of wellmeaning guides had not grabbed her by both arms and propelled her onward, crying, “Make way! Make way!" I fought my way in and out again as best I could. Persephone brought back from Hades could barely have felt more relieved on returning to the light of day.

At the entrance gate, our pretty. charming and knowledgeable conductress waited patiently for the stragglers and shepherded the whole party back to our buses. We moved on to our second Red Fort, where she lost my love. From the roadway to the center of the fort, up a long curving drive through two archways, it is a fairly stiff climb. My days of moutain scrambling are long past. I tried to keep up with the lady’s cracking pace but just could not make it. Barely managing to reach the top. I decided I must skip the rest of the Red Fort. After a brief rest. Virginia and 1 idled down to the outer gate and sat ourselves on a low wall outside, to watch the green parrots overhead and the varigated throng of tourists—more Indians than foreigners—marching in and out.

At last, our more vigorous colleagues emerged, and we got into the buses for the long ride back. I have already spoken of the most telling feature of the journey so far as I was concerned. Arrived at the Ashoke, we were directed to the main restaurant for a blessedly informal supper. Virginia and 1 ate as fast as we dared and retired as soon as we decently could, remembering that next morning we were due for another early start.