CEYLON COCOA ESTATE in 



intendent can treat the less serious cases, with- 

 out calling for the services of the medical 

 officer, as fees and mileage come often at the 

 end of the year to a good round sum. Here I 

 should like to mention a very simple cure for 

 chicken-pox, which Tamils firmly believe in and 

 which we have found in every case to be quite 

 effectual. It is to drink the milk of unripe 

 cocoanuts called a coorimba. Two or three 

 coorimbas usually cure a mild attack of 

 chicken-pox. They are indeed, at any time, a 

 most refreshing drink, and are much used by 

 Planters during an exhausting day's work in the 

 field, or on shooting expeditions. 



At this season, owing to the swarms of small 

 eye flies, sewing becomes a work of difficulty, 

 and one is apt to get behindhand with the 

 household mending ; piles of underwear and 

 socks, to say nothing of larger garments, remind 

 one that something must be done to lessen the 

 heap. Not feeling equal myself to the effort of 

 fighting the flies, and at the same time sewing 

 with half-closed eyes, I bethought me of an 

 ayah living on the next Estate. Here she is 

 now, sitting on a mat on the floor of the back 

 verandah, sewing away for dear life, and look- 

 ing quite a picture. She is clothed in many 

 folds of white Indian muslin, with a three inch 

 border of crimson and yellow, her hair smoothly 

 braided, and twisted into a knot at the back, 



