18 



AFOOT THROUGH THE 



I was disgorged at the dak bungalow. Two days' 

 coddling worked wonders of healing, and then things 

 having been arranged for my reception, I took possession 

 of my floating home. Now, in theory, a " doonga " is a 

 light and airy thing, a house-boat without the house, a 

 hull with a straw canopy; practically, a doonga can 

 be remarkably cosy. The wooden boat is from fifty to 



I took possession of my floating home 



sixty feet long, with flat bottom and carved ends, and 

 overhead are thick straw " chuppars," or screens, 

 supported on wooden poles, and forming a covering and 

 sides so close and firm that all but the fiercest wind and 

 coldest blasts are kept out. Chuppars also divide the 

 boat into compartments, leaving the stern end for the 



