120 ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 



CHAPTER XI 



Difficulties of travel — Travellers' Bungalow at Sultan's Battery — Broken- 

 down bridges — A banquet under difficulties — Story of a premonition 

 — Difficulties as to supplies — Substitute for coffee — Smallpox — The 

 dhoby's ways — Indian thieves. 



* The best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley.' 

 This holds good in most mundane affairs, as we found out 

 from time to time, much to our discomfiture. 



If I have not hitherto touched on the difficulties of our 

 tours it is not because we never met with anything of the 

 kind, or that no hitch ever occurred in our plans. To tell 

 the truth, they were many and frequent : predicaments 

 arose for which no provision had been, or could have been, 

 made ; but a way out was generally found, and they were 

 put up with, more or less cheerfully, by all. 



When a tour was in prospect our people, being just 

 given the headlines, as it were, of the expedition afoot, 

 were left to fill in details of arrangements themselves, and 

 were held responsible for deciding what quantities of food 

 supplies for all purposes must be taken from home, as well 

 as for ascertaining what other necessaries could be procured 

 by the way and where they would be obtainable. Our 

 servants, therefore, were always chosen with an eye to their 

 capabilities for such duties. 



Written ' characters ' are more reliable documents in 

 India than sometimes in England ; bogus ones can be bought, 

 but it is not safe for servants to depend on them. If one 

 requiring an applicant's services does not personally know 

 his late master he probably knows some one who does, so 

 servants once engaged can generally be trusted. Having 



