188 EVERYDAY LIFE ON A 



untruthfulness. Of course, these are the 

 besetting sins of all Eastern nations, but here 

 the lying and pilfering is done with such 

 childlike simplicity, that were it not so grave a 

 matter, it would be quite laughable. A coolie 

 will tell a lie in a most assured manner, though 

 if he exercised any thought, he would know 

 that in the course of two or three minutes the 

 lie would be found out, and when detected he 

 only smiles. If caught in the very act of 

 purloining, he still smiles and makes the most 

 fatuous excuses, either that he thought we 

 "didn't want the article in question," or that 

 " he was only taking it to use for a little time," 

 or this, very often, "the Appu had given it 

 him." A young boy of fourteen that Rob had 

 taken into the bungalow to be trained for a 

 servant helped himself to a rupee which he 

 found on his master's dressing-table. The 

 Appu caught him red-handed, and as he could 

 not deny the theft he said he had put it into 

 his pocket to keep it safe for Master. Shame 

 at being found out seems not to enter into their 

 nature at all. 



In connection with this prevalence of 

 dishonesty, I must here give the sequel of the 

 little romance which took place when we were 

 at Raneetotem. It may be remembered that 

 I wrote of the young daughter of the head 

 Kangany who was taken to India to be married 



