LABOUR AND LABOURERS. 45 



annas a day, and the most they could earn was little more 

 than two shillings a-week. Even the little children came up, 

 ducked their small shaven heads in comical homage to the 

 great white sahib, and held out very small brown hands for the 

 price those hands were supposed to have earned at the rate 

 of a penny a-day. Last of all, the maistries received pay at 

 the rate of six or eight annas per diem ; and then the horse- 

 boys, cook, sweepers and hangers-on of all sorts. When these 

 were satisfied, there was still a small crowd of non-contents 

 who came up and complained that their money was bad ; 

 would I change it ? which I always did when possible, as, if a 

 poor fellow earned one rupee and chanced to get paid with a 

 bad, unchangeable coin, there was nothing but starvation for 

 him during the next week. Others thought there was a mis- 

 take somewhere always to their disadvantage and their 

 names had to be hunted for, and the amount of money given 

 compared with that entered in the book. It was hopeless to 

 please them all ; but on going over the accounts during the 

 course of the next evening, I was well satisfied to find there 

 was only an error of a few annas happily too much given 

 out, not too little. 



" Muster and paying over, and the stores and outhouses 

 locked up, the estate pony seen to, and his feed of grain 

 measured out, there were still the sick and ill clustered round 

 the bungalow verandah to be attended to before being released 



for the day. With these I was much helped by R 's son, 



who, having spent all his life in the south of India, knows the 

 language and habits of the natives. Between us we bandaged 

 up half-a-dozen ulcerated legs, sewed up a chopped finger, 

 administered castor oil and epsom salts a horrid brew of 

 Charlie's invention to two babies, gave a dose of quinine to 

 a young coolie girl who thought she had fever, and some 

 sulphur ointment to two in-patients suffering from the itch. 

 One old woman who had recently had smallpox came up for 

 her daily allowance of cod liver oil. All these and many 

 others had to be attended to before we could dine." 



We have said the blood of the native is thinner 





