n every village, a bundle of rice would be gone by the
morning.

As in Greece, where every man has to watch his vineyard at night, so
here, the _kureehan_ or threshing-floor each has its watchman at night.
For the protection of the growing crops, the villagers club together,
and appoint a watchman or _chowkeydar_, whom they pay by giving him a
small percentage on the yield; or a small fractional proportion of the
area he has to guard, with its standing crop, may be made over to him
as a recompense.

They thresh out the rice when it has matured a little on the
threshing-floor. Four to six bullocks are tied in a line to a post in
the centre, and round this they slowly pace in a circle. They are not
muzzled, and the poor brutes seem rather to enjoy the unwonted luxury
of feeding while they work. When there is a good wind, the grain is
winnowed; it is lifted either in bamboo scoops or in the two hands. The
wind blows the chaff or _bhoosa_ on to a heap, and the fine fresh rice
remains behind. The grain merchants now do a good business. Rice must
be sold to pay the rent, the money-lender, and other clamouring
creditors. The _bunniahs_ will take repayment in kind. They put on
the interest, and cheat in the weighments and measurements. So much has
to be given to the weigh-man as a perquisite. If seed had been borrowed,
it has now to be returned at a ruinous rate of interest. Some seed must
be saved for next year, and an average _poor_ ryot, the cultivator of
but a little holding, very soon sees the result of his harvesting melt
away, leaving little for wife and little ones to live on. He never
gets free of the money-lender. He will have to go out and work hard
for others, as well as get up his own little lands. No chance of a new
bullock this year, and the old ones are getting worn out and thin. The
wife must dispense with her promised ornament or dress. For the poor
ryot it is a miserable hand-to-mouth existence when crops are poor.
As a rule he is never out of debt. He lives on the scantiest fare;
hunger often pinches him; he knows none of the luxuries of life.
Notwithstanding all, the majority are patient, frugal, industrious,
and to the full extent of their scanty means even charitable and
benevolent. With the average ryot a little business goes a great way.
There are some irreconcileable, discontented, worthless fellows in
every village. All more or less count a lie as rather a good thing to
be expert in; they lie natura