176 EVERYDAY LIFE ON A 



her grave beside the Mahavillagange river. 

 All the rest of the day, tom-toms were beaten 

 in a monotonous way, that quite got upon one's 

 nerves. 



It is extraordinary in what a variety of ways 

 this gong-like instrument can be played. 

 There is one tune (so to speak) for muster, 

 another for a wedding, and a third for a death ; 

 the significance of the different sounds being 

 well understood by the coolies. 



There appears to be no special spot set 

 apart for graves — but everyone seems to be 

 buried (provided, on this Estate, that it is not 

 close to a road), just where their own fancy may 

 have led them to direct, or their friends may 

 choose. Many graves are found beside the 

 Government road, some of them being quite 

 imposing mausoleums, either built of brick and 

 coloured white, or of mud afterwards covered 

 with chunam. These are usually the Kanganies 

 of the Estate bordering that portion of the road. 

 Sometimes in passing I have noticed an 

 ornamental lantern suspended close to the 

 grave, to scare away jackals, and other beasts, 

 and almost always there is some little attempt 

 at a garden. In our district there are a good 

 many Roman Catholics, so one often sees little 

 white crosses of wood or iron, marking the last 

 resting-place of one of their creed. 



I am told that the Tamil coolie is an 



