Mr.Fogg patiently waited without a word.

The Parsee jumped to the ground, fastened the elephant to a tree, and plunged into the thicket.

He soon returned, saying: "A procession of Brahmins is coming this way.

We must prevent their seeing us, if possible." The guide unloosed the elephant and led him into a thicket, at the same time asking the travellers not to stir.

He held himself ready to bestride the animal at a moment's notice, should flight become necessary; but he evidently thought that the procession of the faithful would pass without perceiving them amid the thick foliage, in which they were wholly concealed.
The discordant tones of the voices and instruments drew nearer, and now droning songs mingled with the sound of the tambourines and cymbals.
The head of the procession soon appeared beneath the trees, a hundred paces away; and the strange figures who performed the religious ceremony were easily distinguished through the branches.