122 ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 



expected ; had we been announced all traces of the last 

 occupants would have been hidden under a coat of white- 

 wash on the walls, and the floors would have been freshly 

 ' leeped,' that is, bespread with cow-dung. This may sound 

 disgusting, but is in reality a most cleanly plan, for the 

 surface dries and hardens quickly. A newly-leeped floor 

 also keeps off mosquitoes. Of course, the room would not 

 be occupied while the leeping was still moist. It is the cus- 

 tom to treat floors thus in native houses, also in the kitchens 

 and ' go-downs ' (servants' quarters) connected with the 

 houses of Europeans. These quarters, I may here mention, 

 are quite detached, in order that the heat from the kitchen 

 fires may not be felt in the houses, nor the smell of cooking 

 be perceptible — a plan which might with advantage be 

 adopted in many a cramped English household if it were 

 possible to arrange it. 



The fact that the traces alluded to were not yet removed 

 showed that the travellers had but just left, so we could 

 only hope that their expectations of finding the bridges 

 beyond in order were well grounded, or they might, perforce, 

 return, which would have been inconvenient for all parties 

 alike. 



One can be very comfortable in these bungalows if one 

 has all one's necessaries with one, which unfortunately we 

 hadn't, nor any immediate prospect of their arriving. The 

 horses were better off, for they were stabled and promised 

 a warm feed — no difficulty about that, as every village 

 affords gram, a sort of grainstuff bullocks eat when they 

 are lucky enough to get anything but what they pick up. 

 As to our stranded carts, we knew that they were packed 

 with food for men and animals, so that we were not disturbed 

 about those with them, as every one was used to this sort 

 of thing, and they would be looked up in the morning. 



The old man in charge of the bungalow asked us what we 

 should like for dinner, adding that he had only chickens ; 



