228 EVERYDAY LIFE ON A 



which cannot be gratified, and make friends 

 from whom he must eventually be parted. 

 The Europeans here are to be congratulated 

 on having such a good school as St. Edwards 

 on the island, and should do their utmost to 

 avail themselves of its advantages for their 

 sons, and thus give it an amount of financial 

 support, sufficient to enable the management 

 to provide masters trained at English univer- 

 sities, and so keep abreast with the best 

 educational methods of the day. 



I have before mentioned the clever way in 

 which coolies make use of the simple means at 

 their disposal. I was much struck yesterday 

 by an instance in point Going down with 

 Rob past the cart shed I saw some crooked 

 looking branches heaped on the ground, each 

 piece four or five feet long. He told me they 

 were part of a jungle creeper which the men 

 bark and then divide into longitudinal narrow 

 strips, these are beaten into shape, even wetted 

 if necessary, and form the tough so-called 

 " jungle-rope," with which all the vanilla 

 fencing is tied and also by which all our 

 verandah flower basket-are suspended. It is 

 strong enough to bear a heavy weight, is quite 

 as tough, and does not rot nearly as soon as 

 coir rope. 



Just as children, where toy shops are non- 

 existent, make their playthings of stones, and 



