me advantages in
the fact that certain trades are practically confined to the members
of certain castes. A _dhobi_, for instance, does not expect or aspire
to be anything different. Hence he begins to learn his craft almost
from infancy. Again, as I write, I can see in the stream below a busy
family of three generations of _dhobis_. The grandfather is
grey-haired, and though taking a good share of the work is obviously
getting into old age, although probably not much over fifty. But for
most Indians that means old age. His son is a hale man in the prime of
life. Two or three women, the wives of one or other, or of each, are
assisting. But there is a little grandson about three or four years
old. He still walks rather unsteadily on bowed legs. He is already
absorbed in learning the mysteries of his ancestral trade. He is given
a pair of stockings to wash, and, small as he is, he copies exactly
the actions of his parents. He rinses the stocking in the water, beats
it on the stone so far as his limited supply of strength will allow,
rinses it again, beats it again, and finally casts it on one side when
the process is complete, as he sees his father do. He is almost a
full-fledged _dhobi_ as soon as he has learned to talk and walk. Not
being very great at the latter accomplishment, he rides home on the
bullock, which is a necessary part of the stock and trade of every
prosperous _dhobi_. The bullock carries the clothes, which are formed
into a sort of huge bolster, which, when put on the back of the
bullock, nearly touches the ground on either side.

Bullocks almost invariably have a bell hung round their necks. When
cattle are out grazing the bell is useful, because it serves to
indicate their whereabouts when they have strayed. They also follow
more or less the sound of one anothers' bells, so that they tend to
keep a flock or herd together. The bells on the bullocks which are
employed in road traffic have a practical use, because, when
travelling by night, the proximity of a bullock-cart is often first
indicated in the dark by the tinkling of the bells. These are often
two or three inches in diameter, and in the comparative stillness of
night can be heard at some distance. When a string of a dozen or more
bullock-carts follow each other in close succession the jingling of
the bells rings out cheerfully. In fact, an additional reason why
people like to have bells on their bullocks is that the Hindu is
mostly timid at nig