Reminiscences of Jungly pur. 1 19 



method employed is to obtain the services of some of the 

 Korku hill-men as scouts. These are supposed to wander 

 about within a ten to fifteen mile radius of Cantonments, 

 collecting and sending in news of any sport worth a visit 

 from their employer. The Korku is by no means a born 

 hunter or tracker. In addition, he has become exceedingly 

 lazy, since, paradoxically enough, famine has brought him 

 plenty ! But he is the only man to be had locally, and 

 now and then does a useful piece of work when the 

 spirit moves him. All the hill-folk within reach of 

 Junglypur know that their reward is certain if they 

 happen to mark a beast home, and will only sit and 

 watch it while one of their number fetches the sahib. 

 Even this knowledge, and the fact that some neighbour has 

 just made an easy fortune in such a manner, will not how- 

 ever of a necessity tempt them to do likewise when the 

 chance offers. Laziness, pure and unalloyed, is the only 

 reason one can adduce to account for such apathy. Yet 

 they will labour hard enough to collect and carry, for a 

 similar distance, to the Cantonments bazaar, a bundle of 

 firewood weighing half a hundredweight and worth a few 

 annas. 



These Korkus are a branch of the aboriginal tribes of 

 prehistoric India, and are of Kolarian stock, although by 

 this time they have a large admixture of more or less Aryan 

 blood among them. Where they have not had much contact 

 with the dwellers of the plains, they show broad, squat, 

 black features, smooth, hairless, thick-lipped faces, and, as 

 a rule, stunted, though hardy and wiry, little frames. When 

 they have not too free intercourse with the superior (?) 

 native of purer Aryan descent, they are extremely honest 

 and truthful, and are at all times characterised by much 

 good nature and -a considerable sense of humour. 



