Page:Life in India or Madras, the Neilgherries, and Calcutta.djvu/305

Rh the bungalow servants to enjoy the rare privilege, in this secluded spot, of having some one to wait upon. Our arrival threw them into a state of immense excitement, and our few wants were supplied with great speed; one of them especially, running to bring us the oriental luxury of a jar of water for bathing, as if it were to save his life.

The old fort is now in ruins, but bears evidence of having been built with great expenditure of Hindu labour. The view of the villages around, from the ramparts, was very pleasing, and in our walks about Wandiwash our favourable impressions were confirmed. It is composed of a collection of clusters of houses, each cluster mostly inhabited by one caste; and is surrounded with fields of rice, Indian grains, and indigo. In a pleasant grove, with its indispensable tank, the monkeys were skipping from branch to branch among the trees, quite at home in their undisturbed quarters, while minas and other birds flitted about or chattered and quarrelled on the ground. We were reminded in one of our walks of the command to Moses, “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground,” (Ex. iii. 5,) by the respectful behaviour