LIFE ON A RUBBER PLANTATION 75 



according to the size of the estate, and a number of 

 natives, called "coolies." The planter, a white man, 

 has his own bungalow. On the big estates such 

 bungalows are large, well-built, convenient residences, 

 of country-seat rank. If the planter is married, his 

 wife probably lives with him. His business may have 

 brought him to a lonely spot, where at present there 

 may be only a poor sort of bungalow to serve as the 

 manager's quarters, but his wife has chosen to rough 

 it with him, rather than say " Good-bye." And there 

 may be some little English girls and boys to welcome 

 Daddy Planter when he comes in from his work of 

 looking after many things and many people ; for, as 

 a rule, white children thrive in the tropics until they 

 are seven or eight years old, and then, when the sad 

 time of parting does come, they are sent " home " to 

 England not only for the sake of their health, but in 

 order that they may have the advantage of going to a 

 good school. The assistants on a plantation are usually 

 white men ; in Malaya and Ceylon, almost all of them 

 are English. They chum together in a bungalow. The 

 labourers are coloured men, women, and children, in all 

 shades of yellow and brown ; their quarters are called 

 " coolie lines," and are long buildings of the bungalow 

 type, which are partitioned of! into family residences. 

 Many of the rubber estates, especially here in Malaya, 

 seem to be so isolated that we are tempted to compare 

 them with a seringal in their loneliness. In reality, 

 no plantation, even though it be in the heart of the 

 Bush, is isolated in the strict sense of the word. Some- 

 where, not very far away, there is a good road leading 

 to some centre of civilization that can be reached in 

 a few hours, maybe an hour or two by motor. Many 



