20 



ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 



grubs and horrible-looking larvae — horrible, that is, regarded 

 as food ; of dead, the longer dead the better. 



These new men, two and two, to change with each other — 

 no more, though not professional bearers — made nothing 

 of their burden, chanting rhythmically the while, with deep 

 chest notes, in perfect time and harmony, as they kept step. 



BEARERS' CHANT. 



E^=eE« 



E 



SEgEf =F=f =£EgEEEEgj Eg 



Ha! ha! ha! ha! Ha! ha! ha! ha! 



-i 1 1 — 



:£=f=£z-£: 



f f f 



Hoo ! 



ha ! ha ! ha ! ha ! 



ha! ha! ha! ha! 



PP-= 



ha! ha! ha! ha! Hoo! 



I can recall those chants now, and always greatly enjoyed 

 those journeys if for them alone. Bearers, boatmen, 

 sawyers, axemen — all have their distinctive chants, differ- 

 ing in the various localities and presidencies of India. Carry- 

 ing loads is no effort to professional bearers, though they 

 could not do so long or so straining a day's work in the 

 fields, or in any other way, certain sets of muscles having 

 been cultivated at the expense of the rest. To illustrate 

 this, I remember seeing a frail-looking old woman bent 

 beneath her load, which was a very long one, of thin branches 

 for firewood. She was carrying it on her head with a cloth 

 pad under it ; it turned out to be for our use, and the old 

 woman the grandmother of one of our syces, or grooms. 

 Her load weighed sixty pounds ! She was so accustomed to 

 it as to be surprised at my surprise. 



