WRECKED TREES 167 



of desolation. A magnificent large mango tree, 

 the monkey tree, had fallen straight over from the 

 roots, exhibiting a large hole in the ground, and a 

 hollow trunk devoured by white ants. The weight 

 of water had borne it over from such a slight 

 support in the earth. In falling, it had struck a 

 kuddum tree near, and knocked the whole of its 

 head and half its trunk straight over the top of 

 the wall, where it hung in the Mahomedan burial- 

 place. That, in falling, came in contact with a 

 great date-palm tree on the other side of the wall, 

 and levelled it to the ground, and there lay the 

 three giants perfect wrecks. Ours was along the 

 path, blocking it for some distance, and an elbow 

 had buried itself deep into the earth ; but strange 

 to say, it had missed most of the tub palms, and 

 seemed to have fallen mostly in and out of them, 

 so though the present beauty of them is disfigured 

 by broken fronds, none are irretrievably ruined, 

 though it will take two or three years to put them 

 right again. Nor were my ferns all badly damaged ; 

 but everything was pinned down by the mango 

 branches. As soon as it cleared a little, we had 

 ten men cutting and lopping away; and then I 



