ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 5 



is this last that a legend is told of a certain ruler who sent 

 men to all parts of his dominions to learn the varying 

 tongtfes. When those sent to Malabar returned, they only 

 rattled peas in a gourd, narrowly escaping death for daring 

 to jest before majesty, but they assured their prince that 

 that was the sound of Malayalam, which was not to be learnt 

 by any stranger. 



Of Tamil there are two kinds — High Tamil and Low 

 Tamil ; three indeed, if one include the lowest of all, which 

 is only used by people of the lowest castes, such as coolies, 

 house-sweepers, scavengers, and also by the casteless, such 

 as the Wuddahs, a folk who dig out and eat rats. 



The network of caste is too intricate to be understood 

 by Western minds. Roughly speaking, ' caste ' means 

 ' class,' though, to a native of India it involves an immense 

 deal more than the idea of class does to us, religion entering 

 into the question. The distinctions of class are social, 

 secular, and alterable ; those of caste, religious and im- 

 mutable. 



High Tamil, as against Low, is as the English, say, of 

 Macaulay's Essays, to the ordinary daily talk of educated 

 persons, or the diction of newspapers. The literature and 

 poetry of Southern India is all written in High Tamil, 

 which, derived from Sanscrit and retaining the grand sound 

 of that noblest of languages, is very beautiful to the ear. 



The ordinary Low Tamil of one's household servants 

 is easily picked up, though the use of English is almost 

 universal amongst these people now. 



We moved about a great deal, and I acquired a smattering 

 of some seven dialects, forgetting each in turn as another 

 was wanted — in this falling considerably short of F.'s real 

 gift, for he never forgot or mixed them up. 



A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and what I said 

 was often far enough from what I meant. On one occasion 

 when my husband was absent, and a letter had arrived to 



