MASONS AND CARPENTERS. 
penters and masons stopped. These gentlemen only 
gave a grim smile ; they had received two months’ 
wages in advance, and had their passage and expenses 
paid from Cochin. They were under an agreement, 
but found that if they could only get q^uite of this 
agreement, they could make a very considerably amount 
of wages more, elsewhere. It was quite apparent 
they wished to irritate and annoy their employer in 
order to procure a discharge and be set free. There 
were cases in court, and stoppages of w^ork, a few 
days’ drunkenness after receiving further advances of 
cash, and it would be endless to state all the deten- 
tions entailed on the work. One day there was no 
lime ; another there was plenty of lime and no sand; 
the next, when both these articles were in abundance, 
there were no stones ; so after having made a collec- 
tion of stones, which was done by sending out gangs 
-of coolies to collect and bring them in to the required 
spot, each cooly carrying a stone on his head, of 
course as small and light a one as he could con- 
veniently find, often so small that he had to pretend 
it was very big and heavy, by putting both hands to 
his head to support a stone not the size of one of 
them, walking heavily as if in great distress, and at 
the working place letting it drop from his head with 
41 sigh and groan, the expectant mason, standing ready 
w'aiting for the stone, h immer in hand, in order to 
stress it, gives it a slight knock and off it goes into 
two or three pieces, quite useless. The mason shoulders 
liis hammer, takes a chew of betel, waiting the arri- 
val of another stone. At last the masons would be 
ordered to stop work, until stones were collected. 
Surely now there were no obstacles. Why, matters 
were worse than ever. The coolies, having become 
disgusted with the work, had all run away during 
the night, so that there were none to pound lime, 
carry sand, supply the masons with stones, or the 
carpenters with timber, quite a gala time for them : 
in fact ; all the work was at a stand for some inde- 
finite period of time. A fresh supply of coolies 
having been procured, it was now difficult to collect 
the masons and carpenters, as having no work they 
had gone off somewhere. At last all were collected 
and ready to resume operations, when it was suddenly 
■<liscovered that there was no lime. “Well,” says 
the master, “ w^e will soon settle that point. All 
bands to muster — fifty all told. Here are bags, away 
with you to the lime-kiln down the valley, and bring 
up half a bushel each.” The journey to the lime-kiln 
and back would occupy the whole day ; so, as after- 
noon set in, the gang would return with nothing I 
