xxxii Coco-nuts The Consols of the East 



stand this even for a short while. He must 

 have first-class and perfectly safe head-covering. 

 There is for this purpose nothing to compare 

 with the helmet made out of pith, and the best 

 shape is that which comes well down over 

 the temples and covers the neck in such a 

 manner that even in stooping it does not 

 expose the wearer. The best shapes are the 

 mushroom and the " Cawnpore Club," as worn 

 by me in East Africa (see p. 144). The worst 

 drawback to a pith helmet is that in the rain it 

 becomes soggy and extremely heavy. It will 

 take up quite a lot of water. On this account, 

 when raining, very thin oil-silk covers are useful 

 to cover the helmet for those who dislike carry- 

 ing an umbrella. The best thing to keep off 

 the everlasting rain in the monsoons is a large- 

 sized Chinese umbrella, which costs about 

 eightpence. Mackintoshes are a nuisance. 

 Some people adopt the enormously wide hats, 

 plaited of reeds, made by the Sundanese people 

 in Java. These are often three or more feet 

 in diameter, closely woven, and the outer sur- 

 face covered with a gum or resin which makes 

 them perfectly impervious to the heaviest 

 shower. These hats are held to the head by 

 means of a rim of bamboo fitting the circum- 



O 



ference of the head and this rim is fitted to the 

 underside of the hat by means of little wooden 

 stilts, which ensures plenty of ventilation. 

 Other people again favour the " rain capes " 

 made of coir fibre. It is evident from all this 



