Anxious to see that
the pillar was really where the priests supposed it to be, that his
posterity might be quite sure of their position, Prithi Raj had it
taken up, and he found the blood and some of the flesh of the snake's
head adhering to the bottom. By this means the charm was broken, and
the priests told him that he had destroyed all the hopes of his house
by his want of faith in their assurances. I have never met a Hindoo
that doubted either that the pillar was really upon this snake's
head, or that the king lost his crown by his want of faith in the
assurance of his priests. They all believe that the pillar is still
stuck into the head of the great snake, and that no human efforts of
the present day could remove it. On my way back to my tents, I asked
the old Hindoo officer of my guard, who had gone with me to see the
metal pillar, what he thought of the story of the pillar?
'What the people relate about the "kili" (pillar) having been stuck
into the head of the snake that supports the world, sir, is nothing
more than a simple _historical_ fact known to everybody. Is it not
so, my brothers?' turning to the Hindoo sipahis and followers around
us, who all declared that no fact could ever be better established.
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