74 ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 



CHAPTER VII 



Calicut — The Zamorin and his palace — The Thears — Domestic scenes — 

 Feeding the babies — Natives callous to animal suffering — The 

 Moplahs — Malabar law — Christian and ■ heathen ' servants — ' Idol 

 worship ' — Logan-harri — Missions and missionaries. 



Calicut, whose sacred cobras and strange, composite 

 temple I have described, is one of the most interesting 

 towns in Malabar, owing to its great antiquity. 



It gives the name to calico, being the first place whence 

 Europeans got cotton cloth. Here, too, is the favourite 

 residence of the Zamorin (ruler), a native potentate. 



The honour of an audience was once accorded to some 

 English and Portuguese gentlemen, who would not be 

 likely to forget the experience, bought, as it was, at too 

 high a cost, to their thinking. 



They were conducted by the court officials through lovely 

 shady gardens, with fountains, running rosewater, here and 

 there. Some dozen men preceded them, armed with sticks, 

 to clear the way, for the disorderly mob thronged through 

 with the party in order to catch a sight of the Zamorin. 

 Such was the crush that several were squeezed to death ; but, 

 in deference to European notions as to the sacredness of 

 human life, the affair was hushed up at the time, and no 

 fuss that I know of was ever made about it afterwards. 



The Zamorin received them very courteously. His dress 

 was simplicity itself, consisting of a white calico jacket, and 

 straightly wound petticoat like that of his subjects, but 

 it was heavy with gold embroidery and sprays and adorn- 

 ments of beaten gold ; his fingers and toes blazed with jewels. 



The hall contained but little furniture ; what there was 



