Page:Life in India or Madras, the Neilgherries, and Calcutta.djvu/247

Rh execute your commands. He is a pensioned soldier, and shows with pride two medals given for good conduct in the wars with Burmah and China. He was at the taking of Ava, the capital of the Burmese Empire, when the American missionaries were saved from the sword of the executioner by the hurrahs of the British army as they scaled the city walls. Our cook, who had left Madras before us, also came forward to make his salaam and unpack his cavady-boxes. He had made his purchases in the town, and soon gave us a breakfast of chicken, eggs, and tea. The bearers adjourned to the shade of a tree, and, after cooking and eating their rice and curry, stretched themselves out for sleep, while we enjoyed the hospitable shelter of the bungalow.

These bungalows, or rest-houses, are provided for the entertainment of travellers, ordinarily by the government, sometimes by the charity of individuals. They contain a few simple articles of furniture, and are kept clean by servants who receive a small pay from the government and also presents from visitors. The total absence of inns, and the barriers raised by caste, make some such refuge absolutely necessary for the enter-