148 HO.Nri-; mtk in 'iiii: iiim.s. 



On our arrival at Pore I found heaps of letters and 

 newspapers, always a most welcome sight in India, and 

 the dozen different London journals sent by kind 

 friends, were food enough to last me initil the 

 subsequent mail brought a fresh supply. People at 

 home have little idea how much an old papei' is valued 

 out there. During the remainder of my stay in the 

 Mj^sore hills, which now rapidly drew to a close, 

 visitors occasionally turned up, although our nearest 

 neighbour lived five miles off, an exceedingly kind- 

 hearted widow lady, who managed her own coffee 

 estate, and who supplied me with medicine and other 

 things when I was down with fever, for the latter few 

 can escape ; it is not of a malignant character and soon 

 gives in to a dose or two of quinine, else there is no pre- 

 vailing sickness here, and the former only occurs after 

 the heavy rains Avhen the mouldering leaves and 

 vegetation create a miasma. The natives, at times, 

 suffer much from boils, but cholera is rare up 

 here. 



Amongst my parting rambles in the neighbourhood 

 I had a very agreeable trip to Mercara, the capital of 

 Coorg, a considerable military station, which lies in a 

 hollow surrounded by hills ; here I spent a few pleasant 

 days at the bungalow of a successful coffee planter, 

 where I was most hospitably entertained, and I was 



