446 
THE  TROPICAL 
AGRICUI.TURISr. 
[Jan.  1,  1897. 
not  then  been  disbanded  so  the  ffeniis  loafer  was 
unknown;  hence  the  wayfarer  throughout  the  coun- 
try was  received  with  the  old  unbounded  hospitality 
which  the  now  defunct  Indians  of  the  old  school 
delighted  to  exercise.  I tarried  at  Dacca,  then 
garrisoned  by  H.  M.  51th  whose  worthy  Coiuinaudant 
I had  become  acqiainted  with  a year  previously. 
On  resuming  the  journey  I found  the  Moss  Presi- 
dent had  restocked  both  my  larder  and  cellar  in 
the  most  bountiful  manner  and  I was  conducted  to 
my  boat  in  the  witching  hour,  by  a band  of  well- 
wishers,  after  one  of  those  dinners  the  regiment  was 
famous  for.  To  cut  a long  story  short  it  was  ou 
the  evening  of  the  twenty-first  day  I reached  Chattue, 
having  to  proceed  to  Gherrapoonji  first  of  all.  All 
notice  of  that  damp  but,  011  the  whole,  delightful 
sanitarium — oh  why  was  it  ever  abolished? — I re- 
serve for  a future  paper.  After  a short  sojourn  of 
two  days,  during  which  I learnt  my  temporary  desti- 
nation was  to  be  Gachar,  1 rode  down  to  Sylhet  for 
the  X’mas  week.  That  pre'.ty  liitle  station,  nestling 
in  its  ernbaymeut  of  wooded  teelahs,  was  then  a 
far  different  place  of  residence  than  now ; there  was 
a full  staff  of  civilians ; a wing  of  the  gallant  S.  L.  I., 
who  had  earned  for  themselves  tho  distinction  of 
holding  the  frontier  tribes  in  check  lur  three  decades, 
capping  their  exploits,  the  previous  year,  by  scatter- 
ing the  misguided  mutineers  of  the  31th  id.  I.  ou 
the  field  of  Latoo,  but  with  the  loss  of  their  genial 
C.  O.  whose  tomb  in  the  cemetery,  on  the  anniver- 
sary of  his  death  for  some  years  afterwards,  was 
regularly  illumined  with  chirags  by  the  men  of  the 
regiment,  till  theirs  and  his  tame  faded  gradually 
away  into  matters  of  frontier  history.  Shot  througn 
the  groin,  poor  Byug  bled  to  death,  declining  all 
surgical  aid  until  his  wounded  men  had  been  attended 
to.  1853  was  the  last  great  X’mas  held  in  Sylhet, 
for  tliere  were  150  men  of  the  Naval  Brigade  there, 
and  a capital  little  theatre.  It  being  before  the 
adveut  of  competition  wallahs,  at  least  to  the  penal 
settlement  as  Sylhet  was  then  designated,  all, 
from  the  Judge  down,  were  true  to  the  old  Hailoy- 
bury  traditions,  good  horsemen  and  tolerably  decent 
shots.  Perhaps  the  perfunctory  method  of  conduct- 
in'' public  business  at  that  time  would  not  suit  the 
present  idea  of  the  presiding  powers,  but  that’s  a 
detail.  More  of  Sylhet  anon.  Five  days  in  a sump- 
tuous pinnace  took  my  guide,  philosopher  and  friend, 
together  with  myself,  to  the  highest  point  ou  the 
river  that  could  be  reached  in  our  heavy,  cumber- 
some, albeit  comfortable  boat,  and  here  wo  expected 
to  find  our  horses  but,  as  not  uufrequently  happened 
in  those  days,  the  animals  had  gone  to  the  wrong 
place,  so  a trudge  of  eight  miles  over  a roadless 
country  awaited  us  and,  as  the  troubles  of  the  past 
year,  when  my  friend's  regiment  had  saved  the 
bustees  from  being  looted,  were  still  fresh  in  the 
people’s  memory,  milk  and  what  fruit  was  to  be  had 
at  that  season  were  freely  tendered,  payment  being 
declined,  though  sundry  siccies  distributed  among 
the  children  were  duly  appreciated.  At  length  we 
reached  the  station  and  were  soon  comfortably 
housed  in  the  hospitable  bungalow  of  Bob  Stewart, 
the  Superintendent,  as  he  was  then  cal'ed.  An  effort 
had  been  made  to  induce  the  hill  men  to  come  in 
aud  enter  into  friendly  relations— an  invitation  not 
over  freely  responded  to  as  the  moat  urbulent  failed 
tJ  put  in  an  appearance  having  sundry  qualms  of 
conscience  mayhap,  relating  to  past  misdeeds,  IXow- 
ever,  there  was  a goodly  sprinkling  of  Munipoories, 
a few  Burmese,  with  a mixed  community  of  Kukis 
and  representatives  of  sundry  claus  of  Nagas : a 
few  of  the  latter,  by  the  way,  caused  the  two  ladies 
present  to  beat  a hasty  retreat,  by  thier  novel 
costume — or  rather  the  want  of  it  for  with  the 
exception  of  an  ivory  or  jade  ring  they  were  in 
mluralibus  puribus.  However,  all  went  merry  as  tlie 
marriage  bell,  for  the  four  days  devoted  to  the 
mela  It  may  interest  p anters  of  the  present  day 
to  learn  that  some  first  class  ponies  were  brought 
down,  the  highest  price  then  given  being  KGU,  for 
which  I became  the  lucky  poisessor  of  a mouse- 
colored  beast  afterward  well-known  in  the  district 
as  the  Mutpjra,  but  who  carried  me  for  eight  years 
without  being  a day  sick  or  sorry. 
The  European  patriarch  of  the  district  was  an 
elderly  Frenchman  who  some  four  years  previously 
had  come  up  from  the  Mauritius,  wandering  all  the 
way  to  this  ultima  thule  of  British  India  to  plant 
colfee.  Failing  in  that  he  had  invested  the  remains 
of  his  capital  in  rice  land,  becoming  a zemindar  in 
a small  way,  taking  unto  himself  a Muni^ioorie  wife, 
and  eventually  subsiding  into  a veritable  bustee- 
wallah.  His  only  ouiting  was  these  annual  gather- 
ings, but  as  years  passed  ou  he  kept  to  his  solitary 
ban,  communicating  with  no  one  but  two  of  the 
pioneer  planters,  till  his  death  in  18(12.  Boor  old 
De  Fouche,  I visited  him  once,  finding  t at  though 
fallen  as  he  was,  the  innate  politeness  of  his  nation 
still  shone  out  in  vivid  contrast  to  his  meagre 
surrounding. 
’The  gathering  over  we  scattered.  We  planters 
(save  the  mark)  hieing  us’  off  to  the  five  factories 
(?)  then  existing.  There  were  but  six  of  us  all  told, 
and  our  qualifications  for  performing  in  an  efficient 
manner  tne  duties  required  of  us  may  be  gauged 
from  the  fact  that  out  senior  was  a wild  Irisiiinau 
caught  in  a lawyer’s  office  in  Belfast,  next  came  one 
from  a London  broker’s  esLab.ishmeiit  who  asiouished 
the  natives  by  appearing  for  some  months  in  full 
fig  as  if  he  weie  about  to  attend  church ; two 
brothers,  one  of  whom  had  been  quarrying  lime- 
stone, the  other  fresh  from  tne  Australian  diggings, 
an  cn  Bengal  pilot  and  myself  (almost  direct  from 
three  years  at  sea).  All  were  actuated  by  the  best 
intentions  but  somewhat  deficient  in  the  agricultural 
line.  The  place  to  which  I was  bound  necessitated 
oar  passing  the  night  at  the  nearest  plantation  (?) 
and  as  we  neared  our  goal  my  curiosity  was  rather 
excited  as  to  what  a tea  garden  for  growing  the 
plant  was  like  ; my  previous  notions  being  derived 
from  such  Loudon  suburban  retreats  as  tlreeiiwich 
and  i£ew,  where  you  regaled  on  shrimps  and  bread 
and  butter,  in  the  back  premises,  and  brought  your 
own  tea  and  sugar,  the  hostess  supplying  boiling 
water  at  2d.  a head.  “ There’s  the  garden  " said 
my  friend  who  was  to  initiate  me  into  the  mysteries 
of  planting;  I certainly  failed  to  detect  anything 
in  tne  shape  of  a garden,  though  among  a sea  of 
luxuriant  waving  thatching-grass  the  dilapidated  roof 
of  a tolerably  large  building  towered ; further  pro- 
gress on  pony  back  was  interrupted  by  a deep  aud 
exceeding  muddy  khal,  spanned  by  what  was  known 
as  a Kuki  bridge,  a delightful  contrivance  of  two 
bamboos  laid  lengthways  ou  others  driven  into  the 
mud  in  the  form  of  the  letter  X,  there  w s a hand 
rail,  deficient  in  parts,  to  keep  one  steady  on  the 
six-mch  foot-way,  but  we  all  got  over  without  mis- 
hap, each  carrying  his  saddle,  the  ponies  flounder- 
ing ihrough  the  slush  as  best  they  might,  and  ou 
emerging  from  which,  their  heads  alone  shewing  the 
real  color  of  their  hides,  the  rest  ef  the  body  being 
of  a dingy  bluish  grey.  A rather  sinuous  path  led 
through  the  grass,  before  mentioned,  to  the  house, 
which  stood  on  piles  about  three  feet  from  the 
ground ; there  were  sundry  gaps  in  the  creaking, 
bamboo  floor  which  our  host  cautioned  us  against 
intimating  he  intending  building  a new  bungalow 
immediately.  I mentally  thought  it  about  time,  for 
the  present  walls  were  propped  up  secundum  arteni 
by  cross  bamboos  that  endangered  one’s  head  and 
shins.  The  furniture  having  been  derived  at  odd 
times  and  from  various  sources,  had  the  recommend- 
ation of  variety,  chiefly  consisting  of  a table  formed 
of  planks,  ultimately  destined  to  be  turned  into  tea 
boxes,  bed-steads  of  bamboo,  aud  a few  cane  chairs 
that  needed  cautious  sitting  upon  first  of  all,  to  avoid 
sundry  obtrusive  spikes  that  came  through  the  seats, 
aud  needed  careful  balancing  lest  tne  occupaui 
should  topple  suddenly  over : I must  not  omit  to 
mention  a “Sam  Slick”  clock  whose  outward  shell 
having  succumbed  to  the  dampness  of  the  previous 
rains  was  neatly  kept  together  by  strips  of  split 
ca  le.  I essayed  a bath,  but  beyond  the  coolness  of 
the  water  can't  say  I henedtted  much,  as  when 
eniptying  the  gurrahs  over  my  head  I became  aware 
of  little  tricklets  of  mud  coursing  down  my  body. 
As  I rejoined  the  party  after  my  ablutions,  the  host 
remarked  that  the  water  was  clearer  in  the  rains. 
