Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-29
Small Troubles and Great
Ones Among Indian Servants.
ALL WAGES ARE CHEAP
SERVICE NOT ALWAYS THE BEST
AND THEFTs FREQUENT.
Experiences With Four Men and Six
Women Leave No Il
lusionS.
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star
ANY one who has lived in India for even
a few months must have had some expe-
rence in ayahs and bearers. and any one
who has had that experience will undoubt-
edly agree heartily with us that In no
other class in the world are so many an
noying qualities found as in the ayah class.
unless 1t be in the genus bearer We IN
our short sojourn here have had. we feei'
vast experience. in that we have mad FOUR
bearers and six ayahs during these lie"
months. Our first experience was Moham-
med. a gentleman of years. MohamIne-
dan, needless to say. with white hair ana
beard stately bearing and very satisfactory
manners. He asked % rupees month,
which we thought very little as he spoke
English after fashion and was accus-
toned to travelling. We were told.
His chits, or references. were satlsiac-
tory and certainly $S.33 month does
not seen. much when one first arrives
in India for well-recommended servant
for whom one pays no board or lodging
bills. Mohammed was quite content to SIT
for hours outside our door and to sleep
on "A wadded quilt on the stone floor of
the draughty passage. and he was In many
ways satisfactory. but when we found that
night after night at dinner we were
brought the legs of the usual tough fowl,
that We're never served until after every
one else. and that, in spite Of or because of
his patriarchal look and stately manners,
poor old Mohammed was pushed aside and
given the worst of everything; that in trav-
cling he knew not the word hurry. and
that, in spite of liberal tips to the
coolies who carried our luggage, he allow
ed to be peStered to death by them
in place of protecting US from them. we de-
Cided that a younger man, even If less
honest, would be more to the purpose; one
who would not wait to be told and who
would do the work in place of leaving 1t
to u.s. we made the change and were
Immensely relieved and pleased when we
secured Kullen. young. brisk-looking Mo-
hammedan, whose experience of travel in
cluded Japan. China and South Africa. To
be sure, we had to pay 10 rupees more for
the honor of his company, but when we
looked at his neat turban. spotless raj
ment and clean hands We felt that he was
worth it. and when in the morning we
heard his cheerful accents at our door.
Good morning, sir. Badih (bath) ready,
SIR. we felt We were blessed indeed! He
proved a good travelling servant. protect
ing us successfully from the Unsuitable
coolie always on time. always cheerful.
and the flaw did not appear until We began
to do a little shopping. AlaSi then dis
covered that were not only the prey
of our bearer. but that he arranged spoils
sufficient for the ghari-driver well as
the occasional volube guide" whom
found it necessary to take with us. 1t was
a bitter blow to us when We discovered
that our prize Kullen. whom thought
the soul of honor. was in reality contin-
ually engaged in getting his tenth. for it
was indeed so, and for every bottle of
soda water. every coolies tip and every
other thing for which money was required,
he came for a share of the proceeds.
However. in the course of time we got
accustomed to this. and simply took better
care of our own disbursements, tipped the
coolies with hands and had the
soda water brought to our carriage. so that
we might pay the man ourselves. and Kul-
len became a sadder and a wiser man!
annoyaEces we had to indure, for they are
all alike. One sends them on errand
from which they ought to return in ten
minutes. and it is invariably two hours be-
fore they come back. and when rebuked
the excuses pour forth in cataracts until
from among so many one is forced to be-
lieve that there may be a fraction of truth.
They must always have three hours a day
for their meals, which no one else can
cook or look at and two hours at night,
and they cannot be asked to help carry
the luggage for that is the work of the
coole: or to sweep up ones room, which
the sweeper must do; or to bring pitchers
of hot water. which is exclusively the
work of the bheestie,
Babe Him Farewell.
Kullen we kept for several months as, in
spite of his thieving propensities he was