20 THE FORESTS OF UPPER INDIA 



who came every year in gangs of lOO men each for 

 the season's work, November to May. There were over 

 2,500 of them at work at times. They were engaged at 

 two annas a day each, and worked very fairly well under 

 their own chaudhris (gangsmen), who were responsible for 

 the work. These people are somewhat Uke Gurkhas. 

 They possess but a blanket each and a lota (brass pot) to 

 cook with, and they complain of great poverty in their 

 own country. Their pay came seldom to a rupee a week, 

 more often to twelve annas. Yet they lived so frugally 

 on millet (a small grain called moth) that they generally 

 had a good few silver rupees to take home, tied up in the 

 end of a dirty loin-cloth. 



The names of coolies in these hills are short, such as 

 Jugia, Munnoo, Joga, Motee, distinguished by the addition 

 of their caste or trade, such as Lohar (iron-worker or 

 smith) — thus Jehan Lohar corresponds with John Smith 

 — Sunar (silversmith), Darzi (tailor). Those who called 

 themselves mistri were masons or carpenters, and brought 

 some very primitive tools, similar to those used probably 

 at the building of the Tower of Babel and Noah's ark. 

 They use an adze and a drill worked by a bow, and a saw 

 which works when pulled towards one, and hold the wood 

 with their toes. Barhai mistri is a master carpenter, 

 lohar mistri, a master blacksmith. The bellows used are 

 made of two goat-skins, connected with an iron pipe which 

 is built into a stone hearth. They are worked by a man 

 who sits holding the ends of the bags, one in each hand, 

 clasping two pieces of wood which open the end to let the 

 air in as he draws it out, and when clasped and pressed 

 expel the air through the pipe — right hand and left alter- 

 nately — into the hearth where the charcoal fire bums. 

 The anvil is a large stone, and with hammer and tongs 

 very fair work is done. 



Then there were the lime burners, timber workers, and 



