72 The Gardens of the Stm. [ch. iv. 



at night, and for several days previous the women had 

 been busy bringing in fire-wood and cleaning rice. 

 On the day on which this gathering was held the culi- 

 nary operations were on an extended scale, and, at the 

 appointed meal time, great heaps of rice, vegetables, fish, 

 and fruit, were piled on fresh banana leaves right down 

 the centre of the house. A dignified green-coated old 

 hadji graced the repast with his presence, and he was 

 pleased to kill the fowl for my own dinner, according 

 to native rite, and evidently liked being noticed as a 

 traveller, for his dark eyes sparkled with pleasure when 

 I asked him of his voyage to Mecca. He complained 

 very much of the insults, losses, and hardships, to which 

 pilgrims were exposed, but his appetite was evidently 

 as good as ever, since the clearance of rice and fish he 

 made around him at dinner was something startling 

 to see. 



These people had but few domesticated animals. The 

 Muruts had plenty of dirty, half-starved black pigs run- 

 ning about the jungle near their house, and a few goats. 

 They had also a peculiar race of small, brown dogs, 

 resembling terriers, which are very useful in pig hunt- 

 ing. The Kadyans had cats wonderfully like our own, 

 but with abnormal tails. Poultry are represented only 

 by cocks and hens. Some of the wild birds of the forests 

 are domesticated as pets, the most common being Java 

 and little red sparrows; a beautiful little green ground 

 pigeon; paroquets of two kinds, one very small like a 

 love-bird, the other having two long blue attenuated 

 feathers in its tail. Mino birds are not unfrequently 

 tamed, and they may be taught to speak words or 

 phrases quite readily. Some of the larger hornbills, 

 the "rhinoceros" variety especially, are also tamed, and 

 are most amusing creatures. There was one in a house 



