ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 15 



CHAPTER II 



The cardamom forests — Hamadryads — An easy palanquin — Jail in- 

 dustries — Burmese dacoits — Mode of travelling — The Churmers — 

 Porters and their chants — Machans — Beauties of the forest — 

 Pishashas — A clever travelling cook — Ayah and bear — Smallpox 

 scare. 



The gathering of the cardamom crop was the occasion of 

 one of my earliest forest expeditions, starting from our then 

 headquarters, Coimbatore. 



Cardamoms are a government monopoly, and a rigorously 

 guarded one. The spice is rather expensive ; it is largely 

 used in India, but not half appreciated in this country. 

 Those who do not know the plant must imagine tiny, 

 gummy, black seeds (which constitute the spice, and are 

 most aromatic and delicate), closely packed in a small husk, 

 or bag, about as big as a currant. It grows on low bushes, 

 and the forest tracts where it is found are not very safe ; 

 at least I took care, when we were up there, not to wander 

 far, in case the story were true as to certain fearful snakes 

 which are said to live in them — hamadryads, or snake- 

 eating snakes, which will chase human beings — perchance 

 catch them up, too — but are, fortunately, not very numerous, 

 thanks to their own cannibalism. 



When we were to encamp pretty high up, the way I mostly 

 travelled, if not riding, was in a palanquin carried by several 

 men. Mine had been made for me at the local jail, and 

 was a very light affair of cane or rattan, cushioned, and fitted 

 with iron bars, and having two rings for a bamboo pole to 

 pass through, overhead, so that the person within could 

 be carried without jolting, and be able either to sit up or he 



