>>513217579
At one place where we halted for a while,
the foul gush from a sewer was making the water
turbid and murky all around, and there was a
random corpse slopping around in it that had
floated down from up country.
Ten steps below that place stood a crowd
of men, women, and comely young maidens
waist deep in the water and they were
scooping it up in their hands
and drinking it.
Faith can certainly do wonders,
and this is an instance of it.
Those people were not drinking that fearful stuff
to assuage thirst, but in order to purify
their souls and the interior of their bodies.
According to their creed, the Ganges water
makes everything pure that it touches—
instantly and utterly pure. //
The sewer water was not an offence to them,
the corpse did not revolt them;
the sacred water had touched both,
and both were now snow-pure,
and could defile no one.
The memory of that sight
will always stay by me;
but not by request.
Mark Twain
Following the Equator
