292 FOREST LIFE AND SPORT IN INDIA 
Chenchu thinks nothing of firing the forest, and, if 
the thought struck him, would not hesitate to start 
out to rob or to put an arrow through his special 
enemy. 
Mr. Wood writes that, as an example of the 
characteristics of this tribe, one man, an outlaw for 
murder, only visits his village at night for food ; 
while another, after suffering six months’ imprison- 
ment for an assault on a Forest Officer, visited a 
temple festival in the neighbourhood, and returned 
with enough loot to purchase six milch buffaloes, so 
that he is now wealthy and contented. He adds 
that the plantation work is a great success, and 
that the forest now being created by the labour of 
these men will be a valuable property in the future ; 
while the Chenchus, who at first would only work 
when they wanted to, are now keen to obtain 
regular employment that is honestly paid for, and 
afford the greatest assistance in protecting the forest 
from fire, which was previously an impossible task. 
The future of these tribes is thus assured, provided 
that the officers who have charge of them from time 
to time continue to treat them as children, in a 
sympathetic manner. For instance, much harm 
may be done by Indian Excise officers hunting for 
private stills amongst jungle tribes who cannot 
withstand the inroads of malaria and dysentery if 
deprived of alcohol or opium. The rigid application 
of Excise laws in the case of Thdérus, who could not 
understand why they should be haled to prison for 
brewing rice when there were licensed shops for the 
retail of inferior liquor in their neighbourhood, has 
before now proved most unsettling to the community ; 
