TIGERLAND 



are being driven in, fastens the guys to the top end of the 

 poles. Some twenty or thirty men then " tail on " to each 

 rope, and amidst tremendous shouts and yells, the huge 

 mass of canvas, gradually assumes a perpendicular position. 

 Pegs are now driven in opposite the lesser ropes, which 

 are hauled taut, till the top portion of the tent is square 

 and symmetrical. The " walls " are then laced on through 

 the eyelet holes and the tent is complete and ready to be 

 furnished. 



The first step in this direction is to strew the floor with 

 straw, to about the thickness of a foot a necessary pre- 

 caution, for after four months' incessant rain, the ground 

 is somewhat damp. Heavy cotton carpets, called 

 " setringhis," are then spread over this pile, which under 

 their weight soon settle down evenly all over, and when the 

 furniture is brought in and placed in position the inside 

 of the tent has all the appearance of a comfortably furnished 

 dining-room. 



The same process is repeated till all the larger tents 

 are erected and furnished according to the purpose for 

 which they are respectively intended. The " shuldares " 

 or servants' tents are next put up at some distance from the 

 others. 



Meanwhile the cook, assisted by his " mate " and others 

 whom he has impressed into the service, has created his own 

 premises, including an elaborate kitchen range, constructed 

 out of mud, and is already well advanced in his culinary 

 operations. 



Gangs of the village watchmen, armed with brooms 

 improvised out of branches, are now set to work to clean 

 up the encampment, the empty carts are sent off to the 

 village, the table laid for breakfast, and the " camp " 

 is now in readiness for the reception of the sahib. 



The work, from start to finish has occupied, possibly, 

 four hours ; but in this comparatively short period what was 

 once a wild and desolate wilderness, has been transformed 

 as if by magic into a street of canvas houses, replete with 

 all the comforts of more permanent habitations. 



188 



