'^LIKE MASTER, LIKE MAN.” 
resting with a slight curve over the ground; under 
\ iiis domha tree, securely sheltered fr m wind and rain, 
sat the assistant; he was smoking, and a small charcoal 
tire was at his feet ; he had no doubt sent to the 
lines for a fire-stick, and then had laid it down, so 
that the fire ri.;ay have been, in a manner, not pre- 
meditated, but merely the result of a sudden impulse. 
Around him w-re squatted a number of the kanganies, 
and they were all seemingly enjoying a social fellowsLiip. 
The periya durai did n’l say much, but he thought 
a good deal. It is wonderful when once one begins 
to find out delinquencies how fast one follows on another. 
It was afterwards moo ed, that the hard-working 
assistant frequently spent a good deil of his time in 
the lines. And, if be was suddenly called or wanted 
for any purpose, he would c >m uence rushing about, 
shouting and bawling, as if he had only ma^te a tem- 
porary and unpleasant visit, in order to apprehend 
some skulkers, and drive them out to work 
There was anothe** assistant who would never have 
been guilty of anything so low as this. He, like the 
former, was out all day, allowing himself hal!'-an-hour 
for his breakfast Instead of concentrating his work 
as much as possible, he would try to flo everything 
at once; smdl detached parties of coolies would be 
scattered all over the estate, at different works. The 
consequence was, he did nothing but walk all over 
the place inspectinir, or rather visiting these different 
gangs. When he left one working pa’ty, they knew 
very well his “ route,” and about the time he would 
be back again, and of course they did not work during 
the inteival. It may be said : “ But at the next in- 
spection, the as-'istant would surely perceive what work 
they bad done?” Not he: so long as he saw them 
working, it did not enter into his pe’ ception that 
they might not be working when he did not see them. 
“ You are too hard on the assistant.” But they 
were nob all so. It was the fault of their trainers 
the j^eriya durais. It is astonishing how the con- 
duct and general behaviour of the manager reacts or 
reflects on the assis'an', and it is for this very 
reason, that we have so often lieard of an assistant, 
who had been a ve y clever active fellow under one 
manager, being quite the reverse, or at all events far 
short of the mark, under another. Like master, 
like man,” is an old and true proverb. A story was 
told of a manager, who, when his visiting agent, said 
to him: “I air» astoni-h ‘d, M**, Big, that you don’t 
go out to the work occasionally and see what is going 
on,’ said : ‘ Na, na, sir, Mr. Small does all that sort 
of thing. I sit in the house and think, and give 
directions,” Just so* Hss subordinate took a leaf out 
