2i6 THE WOODLANDS ORCHIDS 



dozen mixed lots established. We have, to my knowledge,' 

 reckoning on his fingers, ' Tortoises, Tigers, Crows, Eels, 

 Grass-spiders, Fishing-nets — ay, and a lot more, besides 

 Stars and Wild-geese. Of course, they quarrel at sight, 

 and we don't interfere unless the chelan gets serious. 

 What's the good .^ But, besides that, there is a standing 

 provocation, as you may say. Some of our coolies have 

 been with us many years. They don't care to go home — 

 for reasons good, no doubt, but it's not our business. 

 Well, two of these fellows have married — one, a Potato, has 

 married the Stomach of a pig ' 



' Eh } ' Forstermann could not contain himself. 



' Those are their families, you know.' The manager, 

 quite grave hitherto, laughed out suddenly. ' Of course, it 

 seems mighty droll to you, but we're accustomed to it. Each 

 clan claims to be descended from the thing after which it is 

 named. You mustn't ask me how the Stomach of a pig can 

 have children. That's beyond our understanding. The point 

 is that certain of these stocks may not intermarry under 

 pain of death — that's their law. So you may fancy the 

 rumpus when strange Potatoes arriving here find one of their 



breed ' he laughed again. ' It does sound funny, when 



you think of it ! Last night, however, when the usual dis- 

 turbance broke out — a new gang arrived yesterday, you 

 know — Minjar, the Eel, who is the other fellow that has 

 married some girl he ought not to, declared he had made 

 blood-brotherhood with the chief of the Bhutias across the 

 river, who would come to avenge him if he were hurt. And 

 I fancy that's not quite such nonsense as you would think. 

 I saw Minjar there that time I got the orchid ' 



Forstermann heard no more of the tale. The orchid ! 

 They reached the pool, and he shot ducks conscientiously, 

 but his thoughts were busy in devising means to lead the 

 conversation back to that point. 



