SLUMP IN BABOOS 45 



ing at the water-edge. Porpoises dart gracefully 

 across the steamer's bow, and half-wild cattle 

 come down to bathe and drink. It is a delightful 

 trip and quite to my taste, as it is altogether 

 Iii'lian. 



The steamer stops at intervals to land and take 

 up natives, and the process is well worth watching. 

 A gondola-like boat with a free-board of about 

 2 inches is crammed with Indians who stand on a 

 few rough planks, packed like sardines. That 

 they do not go overboard always surprises me. 

 Occasionally they do, and then results a slump 

 in baboos and a tidy meal for Mr. Crocodile. I 

 know nothing more delightful than this river 

 trip. It obliges one to forget Calcutta and Simla. 

 It is the India of John Company's time. Just at 

 this time of year the river is full of craft. The 

 boats are most wonderful native creations and 

 they all have different coloured sails pink, red, 

 green, heliotrope, yellow, brown, and white. 

 They are very picturesque and a delight to the 

 eye. They bring rice, jute, and millet to Barisal, 

 whence it is taken to Calcutta in large steam- 

 floats. 



At Barisal I found my friend Herman Meyer. 

 I called on his wife, a nice, cheery, bright-eyed 

 lady and very young-looking to be the mother of 

 three half-grown-up sons. 



Meyer and I started for the Bay of Bengal in a 

 cranky fifty-year-old launch with a marvellous 

 Indian-built engine warranted to give in at short 

 notice. Our destination was the island of Mookeri 

 in the open sea. Our launch drew only 2i feet 

 of water and is a river boat, so we ran a risk in 



