scription in two lines (No. 191). Kinnaras with garlands. King in a chariot with driver and chaori-bearer, attended by elephant riders.

III. A siege and Relic Procession. - Lower.-A part of this interesting scene has been made known by James Prinsep;* but the architrave is broken, and the portion to the right of the boss, which has not been published, seems to complete the story, although it forms a different compartment. The scene in the middle of the architrave represents a besieged city. The battlements, the city gate, and the upper stories of the houses, are filled with defenders, who are shooting arrows and hurling stones upon the assailants below. The attack is carried on with arrows only; but as several of the besiegers are covered with long shields, they were no doubt furnished with swords. One horseman and several elephant riders appear on the left, with two standard-bearers.

To the right of the boss, the king appears in his chariot, attending an elephant, which bears a relic-box on its head, covered by the honorary chatta.

The siege represented in this scene was probably undertaken for the purpose of gaining possession of some holy relic, which the king is carrying off to the right. The dresses of the soldiers are remarkable,

and the mode of fastening the quiver to the back is very peculiar and picturesque. The quiver is fastened to the right shoulder, and the fastenings, which are apparently leather straps, are passed over both shoulders, crossed in front, and carried to the back, where they were probably passed through a ring in the end of the quiver, and then carried to the front and again crossed, the ends being secured by loops to the upper straps. The only apparent clothing is a kilt; but there was no doubt a tight fitting jacket of some kind to cover the body. The whole costume has a striking resemblance to that of the Highlanders of Scotland.

The swords throughout the Sánchi sculptures are all short and broad. A specimen, hanging by one of the porter's sides, is given in Plate XXXIII., fig. 2. It agrees exactly with the description of Megasthenes: "All wear swords of a vast breadth, though scarce exceeding three cubits in length. When they engage in close fight, they grasp these with both their hands that the blow may be stronger."

The whole account of Megasthenes, although three hundred years earlier in date than the Sánchi basreliefs, is still partially applicable, and may be quoted as much to show the changes which had taken place in that period as to illustrate the military equipments

This description recalls the words of the Psalmist regarding the children of Ephraim, who, being harnessed, and carrying bows, turned themselves back in the day of battle.-Ps. lxxviii. 10. + Arrian, Indica xvi.

of the sculptures. In the time of Megasthenes, "the infantry usually carried a bow of the same length with the bearer." This agrees with the bas-reliefs, which represent nearly all the foot soldiers as archers; but the less ancient bows are much shorter than the bearers, and do not appear to have been more than four feet in length. Most of the bows appear to be straight pieces of bambu, but a few have the double curve, with a straight hand-piece in the middle, similar to the modern ornamental bows of buffalo's horn.

"Their arrows," says Megasthenes, are little less than three cubits long, and fly with such force that neither shield nor breast-plate, nor any armour, is strong enough to withstand them."* The arrows in the bas-reliefs appear to be from 3 to 5 feet in length. "Some of them," he adds, "use darts instead of arrows." In one of the bas-reliefs a soldier covered by a shield is represented holding a dart horizontally ready to launch it forward. The same dart is placed in one of the porter's hands at the western gate. "Upon their left arms they wear something resembling pelta, made of raw hides, rather narrower than their bodies, but nearly as long." The most usual shield represented in the bas-reliefs is long and narrow, and rounded at top. It covers the bearer from the head to the knee, and must therefore have been about 34 feet in length and 1 in breadth. In

* Arrian's Indica. Q. Curtius, however (viii. 9.), says "that their arrows were only two cubits in length, and were discharged with more exertion than effect, as their weight checked their velocity."

the time of Megasthenes, however, it was fully five feet in length. "The shields of the cavalry were smaller than those of the infantry." This is the case throughout the bas-reliefs, in which the horseman's shield is always about two feet in length. It is very peculiar in form, being shaped like a bell with a very wide mouth, and much rounded at bottom. The usual ornament of the shields both for horse and foot was a double cross, the St. George and the St. Andrew; but a cavalry shield on the western gate bears only a crescent and two stars.*

WESTERN GATEWAY.

RIGHT PILLAR-FRONT FACE.

Trial of the Bow.—A river; archer on the left bank shooting at a rock on the right bank, from which water is gushing forth. A monkey is leaping across the river to a tree on the left bank. Two figures seated under a tree; one with a bare head and clad in a a dhoti, the other richly dressed.

Below, the prince on

horseback, attended by a chatta-bearer, a fluteplayer, a bowman, and others in procession.

This story is also mentioned by Fa Hian,† who places the scene of action beyond the walls of the city of Kapila. There the Prince Siddharta "drew

See Plate XXXIII., figs. 3, 4, 5, of this work. + Fo-kwe-ki, c. xxii.

a bow, and the arrow flying to the south-west struck the ground at the distance of thirty li (five miles), and caused a spring of water to gush forth. In after times the people built wells on this spot to supply travellers with drinking water." M. Remusat* has given a long account of this popular story from the Chinese works; and it is curious to compare this with the original story preserved in the Páli annals of Ceylon. These annals, which were carried to Ceylon by Mahendra, the son of Asoka, in B. C. 240, give the following account:-" When Prince Siddharta had reached the age of sixteen, his father demanded the daughters of the neighbouring chiefs in marriage for his son; but they all refused, because the Prince, though handsome, had not been taught any martial accomplishment, and was, therefore, incapable of controlling women. The Prince inquired "What accomplishment is it necessary for me to exhibit?" His father replied, "To string the bow which requires a thousand persons to bind.” "Bring the bow," said the prince. The bow was brought to him, and he, while still seated, "twisted the bowstring round his great toe, and drawing it with his toe, strung the bow; and taking the bow in his left hand, and drawing the string with his right, let it (the cord) fly. The whole town started, and to the inquiry," What noise is this?" the answer was, "The clouds are rolling with thunder;" some others Fo-kwe-ki, c. xxii., note 7.

+ Turnour in Prinsep's Journal, vii. 804.