Page:On the Coromandel Coast.djvu/181

 'Oh, no!' replied the hillmen. 'They often come here, but only to shoot. They have nothing to do with the government of the country.'

Some time before we reached our destination we saw the wonderful rock, brooding in the valley with the town clustering at its feet. Trichinopoly is one of the largest towns of South India and is famous for its temples. The rock is a natural fortress easy of defence. From the time when men first cultivated the swamp-loving rice it must have been an object of attraction to rulers who desired to retain possession of their lands. Gold and grain might be safely stored and guarded there, and workers in the fields might retire there to find a secure refuge from marauders.

In the middle of the sixteenth century Trichinopoly was deserted, and the fertile land of the Cauvery Valley was overgrown with jungle.

Various causes contribute to the desertion of cities in the East. One is epidemic disease, such as plague or cholera, which even the skill of modern science cannot control or subdue. It sweeps down upon a place, sparing neither palace nor hovel. The terrified people appeal to their gods with bloodshed and beat of drum. Perhaps it dies out; but if, on the other hand, it continues in unabated fury the miserable remnant of the people creep away, carrying what they are able of their household goods, and silence reigns over the city. Vegetation is rapid in growth. The deserted streets are soon covered with a mantle of green, which rises above the low houses and hides them from view. White ants assist in the decay of beams. Roofs fall in and floors give way, and the ruined town is known only to the jackal and the tiger. Sometimes gaunt famine has been the destroyer and driven the inhabitants away. Occasionally the devastating troops of an enemy have done the work of destruction. When there was nothing more to be stolen the marauder departed, leaving