[Picture: Grasswallah] The _Nalbund_ leads naturally to the _Ghasswallah_, or grass-man, whose sign is a mountain of green stuff, which comes nodding in at the back gate every day upon four emaciated legs. A small pony’s nose protrudes from the front, with a muzzle on, for in such matters the spirit of the law of Moses is not current in this country. The mild Hindoo does muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. His religion forbids him to take life, and he obeys, but he steers as near to that sin as he can, without actually committing it, and vitality is seen here at a lower ebb, perhaps, than in any other country under the sun. The grassman maintains just so much flesh on the bones of his beast as will suffice to hold them together under their burden, and this can be done without lucerne grass, so poor Tantalus toddles about, buried under a pile of sweet-scented, fresh, green herbage, ministering to the sleek aristocracy of his own kind, and returns to gnaw his daily allowance of _kurbee_. There is, however, one alleviation of his lot for which he may well be thankful, and that is that his burden so encompasses him about that the stick of his driver cannot get at any part of him. I believe the _Ghasswallah_ is an institution peculiar to our presidency—this kind of _Ghasswallah_, I mean, who is properly a farmer, owning large well-irrigated fields of lucerne grass. Hay is supplied by another kind of _Ghasswallah_, who does not keep a pony, but brings the daily allowance on his head. That allowance is five _polees_ for each horse. A _polee_ is a bundle of grass about as thick as a tree, and as long as a bit of string. This hay merchant does a large business, and used to send in a monthly bill to each of his constituents in due form, thus:— To Hurree Ganesh, JANUARY. Mr. Esmith, Esquire _Dr._ To supplying grass to Rs. 7 0 0 one horse Ditto to ½ horse 3 8 0 Total Rs. 10 8 0 E. E.& contents received. The ½ horse was a cow. [Picture: Shirakee] As the monsoon draws to a close and the weather begins to get colder, a man in a tight brown suit and leather belt, with an unmistakable flavour of sport about him, presents himself at the door. This is the _shikaree_ come with _khubber_ of “_ishnap_,” and quail, and duck, and in fact of anything you like up to bison and tiger. But we must dismiss him to-day. He would require a chapter to himself, and would take me over ground quite outside of my present scope. What a _loocha_ he is!