THE SECOND YEAR OF THE MADRAS FAMINE, 177 



overwhelmed, and compelled in self-defence to refuse them entirely. 

 Had I obeyed the dictates of my feelings, I would, in a week's time, 

 have been wholly bankrupt About that time, however, efficient 

 measures for the rehef of the famine-stricken people were adopted 

 by the Government. 



The child we found wandering, and the star\ing man w^ho ap- 

 peared at the same time, we took with us to Animallai, where there 

 was a relief camjj. We were told that the parents of the former 

 were both dead, and there was absolutely no one left to care whether 

 it lived or died. A coohe carried the child along with me, and the 

 man, being unable to walk, was left to get into one of my bandies 

 when they came along. On reaching the relief camp I gave the 

 child into the charge of the doctor, who placed it in a hospital shed 

 and promised that it should have every attention. 



A wide-spread famine of a year's duration, in a country as thickly 

 populated as India, means the death of thousands in spite of all help. 

 But when it extends over two years, as did that of Madras in 1876- 

 77, it means the death of millions. In April, 1876, the southwest 

 monsoon failed to bring rain, and none fell until late in the follow- 

 ing year. The ground became literally baked, and refused to yield 

 either grass or grain, the wells and tanks dried up, the people con- 

 sumed all the grain remaining from the previous crop — very little 

 at most — and soon became wholly dependent upon the grain im- 

 ported from Calcutta, Burmah, and Ceylon, and landed at Madras. 

 The ever-poor agricultural laborers, and equally poor ryots, who are 

 all the slaves of the money-lenders, and the small shop-keepers of 

 every description, were the ones who soonest ate up aU they 

 owned and sold everything they could spare for food. In the 

 Madras Presidency and Mysore there are thirty-five million people, 

 of whom about twentv milhons were directly under the famine 

 scoui'ge. Think of it. Not a few thousand people in the State of 

 Kansas, or Wisconsin, or the burned districts of IVIichigan, but 

 more than one-third as many peojDle as there are in the lohole 

 United States, to be fed upon imj)orted food for nearly two years, 

 and that, too, at famine prices. 



In a comparatively short time, thousands were wholly dependent 

 upon charity, and each succeeding month the number was increased 

 by thousands more. Private charity exhausted itself, and had not 

 the Government taken measures to save life regardless of cost, 

 it would now be easier to count the liring than the dead. The 

 treasury of India was opened to supply the starring people with 

 12 



