208 EVERYDAY LIFE ON A 



bungalow was a perfect bower of foliage and 

 flowers. I must not forget to mention a curious 

 native adornment which our " Appu " hung up 

 in the archway between the two sitting-rooms. 

 It consisted of a round stem (part of a banana 

 tree) about 2]/ 2 feet long, depending from this 

 and fastened into it at each end were nine half 

 hoops made of the centre of young banana 

 leaves, with trefoils cut out and left at regular 

 intervals — the whole formed a graceful kind of 

 lantern, in which during the evening a lighted 

 candle burned. 



The decorations being complete, and mid-day 

 breakfast over, the whole household retired to 

 their respective quarters for a much needed 

 siesta. At three o'clock the first of our guests 

 arrived, preceded as usual by a box coolie 

 carrying the inevitable tin box containing his 

 master's changes of raiment. 



In these solitudes one really does sincerely 

 welcome friends. After all, the human race 

 is naturally gregarious, and one has only to 

 retire to the wilds to find out the truth of 

 that fact. If you have not seen a fellow 

 creature of your own race for a fortnight, when 

 you do meet him, you are ready to receive him 

 with effusion, so we all met prepared to be 

 pleased with each other's society. Tennis 

 followed tea. When twilight came we passed 

 a pleasant hour in the verandah listening to a 



