Page:Life in India or Madras, the Neilgherries, and Calcutta.djvu/368

318 piece of rope around his anclesankles [sic] to keep his feet from slipping apart, and passing a band around his own body and the trunk of the tree, he places his feet against the trunk, and leaning back upon the band, commences his ascent. He reaches the top with an ease and rapidity given by long practice, and resting himself upon the band around his waist, with his feet braced against the tree, has his hands free to cut the flower-bud, and hang from it his earthen pot; or, when this has previously been done, to empty the sap which has accumulated into the vessel which he carries at his girdle. The climber ascends tree after tree, and empties the fluid into larger vessels on the ground; these his wife sets over a fire which she kindles among the trees. It is boiled down until it is thickened into a syrup, which is poured out and cools into lumps of coarse black sugar, called in Tamil karupu-katty or black-lump. The life of both husband and wife is very laborious, and the danger of falling adds to the hardship of the Shanar's calling. But, though from time to time an accident occurs, and the poor toddydrawer is found lying mangled or with broken limbs at the foot of his trees, practice makes them as much at home among the leaves and