CEYLON COCOA ESTATE 15 



runs short goes out and shoots a hare or some 

 pigeons. He is only twenty-two, but besides 

 the qualifications I have mentioned, he speaks 

 Malay, Tamil, Cingalese, and English, and is 

 most useful on emergency, as an interpreter. 



Next in importance to him comes a boy of 

 seventeen, a Malay, who lives for his smart caps 

 and coats, and is as stupid as his fellow-servant is 

 clever. He was chosen on my arrival because 

 he thinks he can understand English. His 

 business is to sweep and dust the Bungalow, 

 attend to my room, wait at table, and act 

 generally as a sort of house-parlourmaid. The 

 kitchen cooly does the usual work of a between- 

 maid in an English house, and also gets the 

 necessary firewood. In addition, Rob has a 

 horsekeeper who grooms and looks after his 

 horse, and occasionally condescends to lend a 

 hand in the Bungalow, or to bring me a jungle 

 fern, but this is quite an extra piece of civility 

 on his part. The kitchen cooly and horse- 

 keeper are allowed us by the Estate ; at least 

 they allot two allowances to this Estate, and we 

 have chosen these two. The other " boys " 

 only cost £2 a month in wages between them, 

 and a certain amount of rice, and keep them- 

 selves. 



It is the cheap labour which makes it possible 

 to live in Ceylon on the small salaries given to 

 the assistants, and younger superintendents, 



