LABOUR ON THE PLANTATIONS. 139 



Spain ; and like all of that order they are thieves from 

 infancy. When employed on coffee plantations they, 

 of course, occupy separate lines of huts, as all others 

 do belonging to different gangs and castes. 



Soon the daily work is apportioned to each set of 

 coolies, tools delivered into their hands, and off they 

 file to tlie gardens under the wing of their maistry, 

 who is responsible for the work done. The latter does 

 not always lead an enviable life, amongst such strangely 

 assorted people, mostly of the lowest type and caste, 

 besides they have their domestic troubles too. Whilst 

 I was at Pore there was a tall, good-looking young 

 fellow named Kamanaik, who had lately risen to the 

 distinction of headman, on the strength of which he 

 had married a pretty girl, by the payment of a con- 

 siderable sum, probably thirty rupees, to her mother. 

 After a time the latter, a sordid old woman working 

 on another estate, persuaded her daughter to return to 

 her on a visit, with a view of selling her again to some 

 other man who was offering a tempting number of 

 rupees. Bamanaik, becoming uneasy about his wife's 

 long absence, begged leave of the dhoray to go and 

 fetch her ; however, the poor fellow never returned, for 

 his mother-in-law had managed to poison his food, and 

 thus get rid of him. 



When there are large numbers of coolies employed 



