in immediate sequence, for a period extending over almost a month the Valley is given up to prayer, feast, and rejoicing. Added to these, one of the strange recreations of the festival, and one that seems difficult to reconcile with any religious function, is that of gambling. It is true that a portion of this holiday time is considered sacred to Lakshmi, the goddess of good fortune, and luck and gambling are not widely separated, but the fact remains that cards, dice, and kindred pastimes are indulged in excessively all over India by those who observe this feast. In Nepal this particular festival is the only time when public gambling is permitted by the authorities, and for several days it is carried to excess, the whole State being engaged in some form of licensed play. Within recent years strenuous efforts have been made by the administration to limit the number of days devoted to this sport, with very satisfactory results, and the evils attendant on this delirious outburst have been considerably mitigated. Extraordinary stories are told of the stakes which have been won and
