ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 99 



the glossy, glassy hardness to the bamboo as to all giant 

 grasses, rattans, canes, etc. I never saw this stone found 

 but that once, and F. said that it was a rare occurrence in 

 his experience also. 



As we travelled up the river on rafts, or rode along its 

 banks to encamp farther on, some people of a most odd 

 little tribe visited us, none of them standing much more 

 than four feet high. They were basket-makers by occu- 

 pation. They were used to F., as he inspected those parts 

 yearly, but they never tired of staring at me, as I was a 

 novelty to them then ; not admiringly, however — I was 

 too big for a woman, they thought — peering round corners 

 furtively and comically, with that mixture of shyness and 

 inquisitiveness which is as characteristic of the wild man 

 as of the wild animal ; not so very shy after all, but shy 

 and inquisitive by turns. If I approached them — I was 

 quite as much interested in them as they were in me — they 

 made off, but kept peeping in and out at the camp work, 

 volunteering small services such as chopping, fetching, 

 carrying, etc., knowing full well that there were many things 

 much to their fancy to be had in return — knives, for ex- 

 ample, or perhaps even chewing-tobacco. I daresay they 

 wished that F. came oftener ; indeed, they said so when we 

 went away. 



This chewing-tobacco, so greatly prized by all, is prepared 

 in long strings of some twenty inches. We never started 

 on a trip without a great bale of it for the use of our people, 

 including beaters, mahouts, and hangers-on generally, for 

 whom work could always be found, each man's portion being 

 several strings twice a day. 



Money the little people refused to take for their baskets. 

 If offered it they held their baskets tighter, looking at each 

 other and laughing, as if much entertained, herein showing 

 their intelligence ; for they knew that we sold nothing, so 

 that money would not get for them what they wanted of 



