46 ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 



CHAPTER V 



Fishing-tour adventure — Temple in the forest — Coffee planter's pre- 

 dicament — Leeches — Ticks — Caterpillars — Green - bugs — Pet shrike 

 — White ants — ' Praying ' mantis. 



Wandering through the primeval forests of Malabar one 

 comes now and again upon vestiges of a culture and 

 worship far older than our own — ruined temples and fallen 

 images of exquisite workmanship and of impressive gran- 

 deur even in their decay. 



It was during a fishing tour that I once found myself 

 close to a temple, not a ruin this time, however, and again 

 caused a break in the day's sport thereby ; my fault, as 

 before, with the difference that my husband recognised 

 danger where I, in my ignorance of the land, never dreamed 

 of there being any. With him was a peon, as keen a fisher- 

 man as himself, and they had, as usual, settled down 

 patiently for a longer or shorter wait till the fish should 

 bite. 



It was a very pretty spot ; grassy glades overarched 

 with plumy, green bamboos enticing one into their shade. 

 Things being very dull according to my idea, I began 

 sauntering about some little distance from the bank so 

 as not to cast a shadow on the water, and presently came 

 upon a small oblong temple, some sixty feet in length and 

 in perfect proportion, raised on a platform, with steps all 

 round the four sides. Had any one been about I should 

 have asked leave (and been refused it, as I afterwards 

 learned) before pushing open one of the heavy doors and 

 entering the building ; but no one was about, so I looked 



