In March, 1654, he states, that some Dutchmen, who had
gone purposely to examine it, wore shewn by the Buddhist
priests a representation of it in gold, and of similar di-
mensions, on which different images were engraven, which
had before been exhibited upon the impression of the foot
in the rock. But, said they, when these images had been
pourtrayed in gold, they vanished from the stone, f



* Ekox has here, as in some other places, described the Hindus as
Sloors. He refers in this instance to the Aandiy^, >rho from about 1590
to 1750, were the custodians of the Peak (sec ante, page 39), In their
dress these fakeers somewhat resembled the Mohammadans, but smeared
their foreheads with ashes. Elsewhere, Knox particularly distinguishes
thft Moors "who are Mohammadans hj religion."

t This, according to a Buddhist tradition, implicitly believed by many
of the people, was not the first time impressions vanished from the surface
of that sacred rock. Each of the three Buddhas who preceded Gautama
BudUlia left the impression of his foot-print on the spot; and each time
an impression was made, the former one sank through the rock to the
bottom of the mountain, where it still remains, and would be clearly
visible, if only the mountain could be turned npsidedown to exhibit it.
