From Volga to Ganga

IT IS GRATIFYING to an author to see the first edition of his work exhausted within seven or eight months ; and still more gratifying is the resentment it has aroused among conservatives, which sometimes expresses itself in the form of unrestricted nonsense and abuse. But I believe that the stream of abuse has now diminished. Certain respectable persons, making decidedly unsuccessful efforts to keep their tempers, have indulged in pedantic criticisms, and have wished me to write a defence of myself. In general I have no desire to avoid writing ; but there must be something solid to write against.

I have had a good deal of material as the basis of each story : various languages and their comparative philology ; records deducible from or written on clay, stone, copper, bronze, iron; unwritten songs, tales, customs, magic rites. It was my hope while writing, and still is, to publish an indication of these materials in the shape of an appendix ; but this would be a heavy task, and lack of time has hindered me from undertaking it. In any case, it could not be included in this volume, as it would more than double its length. I do, however, intend to see about it. In this second edition I have made very few changes, except to add a small touch here and there. I had hoped to include illustrations with each story, but wartime difficulties have not permitted this.

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