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$Pretitle{}
$Title{Australia And The Islands Of The Sea
Chapter XXXIV.  The Laccadive And Maldive Islands.}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Larkin, Dunton}
$Affiliation{}
$Subject{islands
coral
trees
wear
government
hundred
island
tree
water
}
$Date{}
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Title:       Australia And The Islands Of The Sea
Author:      Larkin, Dunton

Chapter XXXIV.  The Laccadive And Maldive Islands.

     Between ten and twelve degrees north latitude, in the Indian Ocean, is a
group of small islands of coral formation known as the Laccadive Islands.
They are so low that, were it not for the cocoa palms with which they are so
thickly studded, they would scarcely be discernible.  The soil of all of them
consists of a light, white, coral sand, and beneath this, a few feet down, is
a stratum of coral.

     Of the eight inhabited islands, four belong to Great Britain, and the
other four to the estate of a native ruler.  The people are of mixed Hindu and
Arab descent, and are Mohammedans.

     Kiltan Island, which belongs to the British, is typical of the other
Laccadive atolls.  It is a long, oval reef inclosing the usual lagoon, with
one entrance at the northwest corner.  The reef is surrounded by a shelving
bank, varying in breadth from one eighth of a mile to a mile. Beyond the edge
of this bank the line drops at once into very deep water. The lagoon is very
shallow and nearly dry at low water, and the island is covered with cocoa
palms from one end to the other.  This tree yields its ripe fruit week after
week throughout the whole year, and is highly prized by the natives.  They
deem trees which ripen their fruit only once a year as rather unsatisfactory
freaks of nature, and therefore set no great value upon the trees which bear
breadfruit, limes, horse-radish, and plantains, all of which have been
introduced into the islands.

     In the central portion of the palm grove which covers the island, about
two hundred houses are scattered, containing nearly eight hundred people.  The
walls of most of these houses are solidly built of blocks of coral rock, and
the roofs are composed of palm leaves laid on rafters made of wreck wood or
split trunks of palm trees.

     Grain, pulse, bananas, and vegetables are cultivated; but the natives
depend upon the mainland for rice.  One of the commonest shrubs is a coarse
heliotrope.

     In some of the islands the people are very much troubled with rats, which
live up in the crowns of the palm trees, and often drop the nuts on the heads
of people passing by.  They also seriously damage the crops, and make
themselves disagreeable generally.  The government, anxious to succor the
people, suggested sending cats to the islands.  But these the people had
already; and, as there was a plentiful supply of fish below, the cats could
not be persuaded to run up ninety feet of the bare trunks in search of rats,
of whose existence they were ignorant.

     Then the government sent over a lot of snakes and mongooses.  The former
the people quickly exterminated, not seeming to think them a desirable
accession to the community; and the latter did little good, as they could not
climb the trees.  Then the government tried owls.  But the people called them
by an evil name, and declared they kept them awake at night and "made the
children scream and the old women foretell death and ruin."

     At last the government gave it up, and the native men are still assembled
at regular seasons, according to their custom, for a "koot," or rat hunt.  The
younger men climb the trees and drive the vermin down, to be dispatched by
those below.  The rats scurry from tree to tree, only to find a fresh foe in
each.  Of course many escape, but the numbers are thus reduced.

     The people are a peaceable, order-loving population.  They have been
accused of plundering wrecks; but about the worst that can be said of them is,
that when they find abandoned wrecks on the reefs, and useful articles
scattered about handy, they very naturally help themselves.  Until lately, no
inducement was ever held out to them to act otherwise.  They have always
treated shipwrecked mariners with kindness; and now that salvage has been
offered them, this petty pilfering will probably become less common.

     The Maldive Islands are situated in the Indian Ocean, about three hundred
miles from Hindustan.  They are coral atolls and are arranged in seventeen
round or oval groups, each one being about ninety miles in circumference.

     Standing in the center of one of these atolls, you see all around you a
great reef of coral, which protects the inclosed islands from the impetuosity
of the sea.  These reefs each have four openings, varying in width from thirty
to two hundred yards.

     To those who sail near the islands they appear of exceeding whiteness.
This is due to the fact that all the shoals and reefs are covered with a fine
white sand.  Some of the islands have fresh water; but others do not, and in
that case the inhabitants go to a neighboring island to get it.  They also
employ simple contrivances for catching rain water. They stretch a cloth
horizontally, with a stone in the center of it, and underneath they place a
vessel which catches the water as it filters through.  They also tie cocoa
leaves tightly around the tree trunks near the bottom, and the rain, as it
runs down, is conducted into vessels.

     The sea yields all kinds of fish, and this is the principal food of the
natives.  They use besides a great deal of poultry, which runs wild and costs
them nothing but the catching.  The islands abound in pigeons, ducks, rails,
and other birds that may be used as food.  The people are much troubled with
rats, mice, and ants, which destroy their grain, provisions, and fruit.  To
escape these pests, they often build their storehouses and granaries two or
three hundred yards from the shore.

     The principal island of the group is called Mali.  It is about six miles
in circumference, and is the most fertile of all.  It is the residence of the
Sultan and his court, and for this reason the most thickly inhabited of any.
The Sultan pays a yearly tribute to the Governor of Ceylon on behalf of the
British Government.

     There are no walled towns, but the houses in the villages are generally
separated by streets into quarters and neatly arranged.  Those of the better
class are built of wood, or occasionally of stone; those of the poorer people
being constructed of cocoa thatch, twigs, and mud, with thatched roofs.

     The outer garment worn by the men consists of a large robe of cotton or
silk reaching to the ankles.  For a belt they use a large handkerchief
embroidered with silk and gold, folded in three plaits, and tied in a knot in
front.  Over this they wear a piece of silk of bright color, reaching to the
middle of the thigh; and last of all gird themselves with a long silken sash,
letting the ends hang down in front.  On their heads they wear bright-colored
turbans of silk or cotton.

     The women also wear a long robe of finest cotton, bordered with blue and
white and reaching to the feet.  It is fastened at the neck with two gilt
buttons.  On their arms they wear heavy bracelets of silver, sometimes
reaching to the elbow, and weighing three or four pounds.  They also wear
silver chains around their waists, which are not seen except when the robe is
very transparent.  They braid their hair, of which they take the best of care,
and fasten it in a knot at the back of the head, drawing over it a gold
netting, which the richer women stud with precious stones.  In each ear,
beginning with the lobe and running around the cartilage, they wear twelve
golden ornaments, the holes being bored in early life.  They color their
finger nails and their feet red with the sap of a certain tree, this being
their notion of beauty.  The people are of a dark olive complexion with black
hair.

     As to their religion, they are Mohammedans.  They say prayers before
meals.  They use no table, but sit crosslegged on a mat on the floor. Instead
of linen, they use large banana leaves, - the food being placed on these in
covered dishes.  They deem it bad manners to eat otherwise than in the
greatest haste; and they never converse while taking food, even when company
is present.  After the meal is over, betel is served as dessert.  They have no
regular time for meals, but eat whenever they feel inclined to do so.