139 



'^alicut on tlip Malabar Coast, while Surofeon-Major Thomson, 

 Dr. uckniaster and I returned to Madras. 



Christinas was close upon us, and it became a question 

 where we should spend Christmas Day. The Madras Club 

 would be compaiatively deserted, for all who could get away 

 would be spending their holidays in the cooler air of Utaca- 

 mund or some oth r station in the Nilghiris We, therefore, 

 agreed to visit Mahabalipur mi and its seven Pagodas described 

 by Southey in the ' Curse of Kehama.' Southey by the way 

 was never in India, nor was "'oore in Kashmir, but this ia a 

 detail, 



Mahabalipuram lies about thirty miles south of Madras on 

 the sea coast. It is however best reached by an artificial canal, 

 which runs from Madras past the pagodas. On Christmas Eve, 

 accompanied by two of our servants and liberally pi'ovided by 

 the steward <'f the club vyith food and drink, not forgetting 

 some Christmas cheer, we embarked in a most curious house 

 boat, apparently built expressly for navigating the canal. Long, 

 narrow, and with little keel it nevertheless carried a fair sized 

 mast and sail forward. I'he hull was almost filled by a series of 

 low rooms for eating, sleeping and cooking, all under one flat 

 roof. We soon found that we were not undisputed tenants of 

 this strange craft, for on going below to test the merits of an 

 excellent plum cake which the club steward had given us on 

 starting we discovered some half dozen cockroaches busily 

 engaged upon it. This was rather a shock to my companions, 

 for cockroaches are not as common in India as out here I was 

 more hardened by sad experience, and succeeded in killing and 

 throwing oveiboard most of the invaders. It was however not 

 pleasant to think of the myriads which might rise during the 

 night fr(>m the unknown depths of the hold, beneath the floor 

 of our room, so Buckmasti-r and I elected to sleep on the roof, 

 Thomson preferring cockroaches to a possible chill. All went 

 well for a time. It was pleasant to lie on the flat roof in our 

 pyjamas, looking up at the stars and fanned by the soft night 

 air. listening the while to the inufiled dirge of the coolies as they 

 walkt-d along the tow path pulling our boat. iSleep gradually 

 fell upon us, but there was a rude awakening. A deluge of 

 water accompanied by louil and excited talking on the part of 

 the boatmen drove us below half asleep, but sufficiently awake 

 to feel that any berth was preferable to the one we had left. 

 We soon found that we had left the canal and entered a shallow 

 lake. The boatmen had hoisted the sail, but a sudden squall of 

 wind and rain from sea-ward had for the moment rendered our 

 ship unruly, and disturbed our slumber. Order was soon 

 restored, and before long wo had crossed the miniature lake and 



