ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 189 



was the wife of one of our syces, so it surprised me that she 

 had not done so before, being apparently too poor to feed 

 her child properly. She came, and was given condensed 

 milk and baby biscuits, protesting the while that her way 

 was the right one ; nevertheless, I insisted. As ill-luck 

 would have it, the baby died, and its mother said openly 

 that ' the Dursani's bad food had poisoned it/ I have no 

 doubt she honestly thought so, arguing, perhaps, from the 

 fact that her other children, all brought up on a castor-oil- 

 and-bread diet, were thriving. What could be said in the 

 face of that ? 



Being wanted, therefore, by the people for a double pur- 

 pose, it was not likely that the supply of leaves from these 

 plants would give out, as they needed only the seeds. 



It may sound imaginative, but nevertheless it is a literal 

 fact that the caterpillars were in such myriads, and so 

 voracious, that they could be heard feeding. There was a 

 constant rustling, apart from that of the leaves — the cease- 

 less action of tiny jaws working day and night. Busily, 

 faithfully, the little creatures were doing their part, prepar- 

 ing for the impending change, when nothing would remain 

 but to wrap themselves, each in its silken shroud, to await 

 the new birth. Could it be that they were aware of their 

 approaching transformation ? Yet how could they know ? 



In other ways besides tending and keeping them within 

 the bounds of their respective trays — no light undertaking — 

 our enormous families needed care. They had to be kept 

 moist and fresh by being constantly sprinkled with the fine 

 rose of a watering-pot. This had to be done gently but 

 thoroughly, or, artificially circumstanced as they were, 

 none would have lived through the critical time in their 

 existence, namely, that of the sloughing and renewing of 

 the outer skin. They would have been unable to rid them- 

 selves of the old skin before it shrivelled and cracked and 

 dried hard upon their tender bodies, which must be kept 



