22 BOMBAY NATUKAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



highways of heavy traffic. The tides, flowing not only np and down 

 the creeks, but up and down the coast, are as good as two slow 

 trains a day each way ; and the usual alternation of land and sea 

 breezes tends still further to facilitate the fine-weather coasting 

 traffic. 



The waters which I have chosen to illustrate to-day are those of 

 the great Janjira fiord and of its northern branch, the Malati Creek, 

 which is the mouth of a small and nameless stream rising in the 

 Habsan plateau. Suppose that we are standing early on a cold 

 weather morning at the bottom of a saucer-shaped valley in this 

 plateau, perhaps five miles across. All round the hills rise to nearly 

 a thousand feet above us, their summits usually hog-backed or flab, 

 their flanks sloping and thickly timbered. A couple of exceptional 

 crags show the ruins of old-time fortresses against the sky. The 

 bottom of the saucer is cleared and cultivated, and in its very centre 

 is a patch of salt marsh, partly covered with mangrove scrub. Into 

 this projects a little rocky point, on which is our position. 



The in-coming tide of the creek at its foot, and a couple of coast- 

 ing craft loading up with fuel for Bombay, are the only signs of the 

 neighbourhood of the sea, which is, indeed, nearly twenty miles 

 away by the course. Off the landing place our own boat is lying 

 ready, and the dinghy comes ashore for us. For in these creeks it 

 is good navigation to get over the shallowest water against the last 

 of the flood, and we have less than an hour left of that. Wo draw 

 only three feet ; the coasters, which draw six, are beneaped ; that 

 is, they must wait for a spring tide to get away. 



That you may understand what follows, I must describe the party. 

 The captain, fully clothed after his fashion, squats in the very stern 

 to steer. Four men are at the oars amidships, and two forward use 

 long bamboo poles, much more efficient things in shallow currents. 

 These are got up like the gentleman in Midshipman Easy, on the 

 principle of duty before decency. A clout, a cap, and a knife (hung 

 round his neck) is the outfit of each ; whereof we shall presently 

 see the reason. For the purpose of destruction wo require a couple 

 of sporting griffins, who are posted one on each bow, with strict 

 injunctions to keep the muzzles of their guns out board ; and the 

 courteous stranger is invited to take his seat aft beside the commander 

 of the expedition, who has now the honour to address you. Lastly, 

 the ever-useful Don Domingo is busy making coffee over three sticks, 



