200 ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 



possibly not having expected us. Living in a cold climate 

 as they do, every one is enveloped from head to foot in very 

 heavy linen stuff, woven by themselves of flax fibre, and 

 bordered quite handsomely in blue and red designs. When 

 the members of the tribe are grown up enough to require 

 clothing they are given a cloth ; this suffices for them till 

 they marry, when a new one will be provided, and that will 

 be made to last them their lives ; a third is given for their 

 burial, which seems inconsistently lavish. This rumoured 

 extreme economy of theirs in dress — not as to inches, but 

 in regard to the time they will continue to wear the same 

 identical cloth — we had heard of, and we thought we could 

 smell it to be true. Disregarding the condition of these 

 garments, it was the way they wrap themselves in them 

 that made us think of togas and ancient Romans when 

 looking at the classic-featured wearers. 



It had needed some interest for us to get the privilege 

 of entree to their mund ; it was also necessary to crawl, 

 almost on our chests, to get into their huts, the doors being 

 only some eighteen inches square. Once inside, we were 

 conscious of nothing but a wish to be out again, such was 

 the atmosphere of thick, pungent, malodorous smoke. 

 Very little could be discerned by our unaccustomed eyes 

 except the mud divans all round the walls ; there was no 

 furniture whatever, straw and skins serving for beds. 

 Windows there were none, only a hole in the top of the bee- 

 hive-shaped hut. We had been warned of what we might 

 expect if we carried curiosity so far ; but the chance was a 

 rare one, not granted to everybody, and we risked it, though 

 it was a week before we felt really clean again. 



These people are polyandrists, only in the sense, however, 

 of a woman being the wife of several brothers. Her chil- 

 dren belong to the family generally, and the eldest brother 

 is head of the house. If a man have no brother, then his 

 wife has but one husband. 



