The scope allowed for employment in the prison is somewhat limited, for, while the work must be of sufficient severity to act as a punishment, it must of necessity be of such a nature that the tools accessory to it are not of a kind that can be used by those handling them in an attack on jailers or fellow-prisoners. Among the tasks set are coir-pounding, in which a certain quantity must be produced and made into bundles every day: the heavy mallets used are fastened, for safety, by a short lanyard to the beam on which the husk is broken up. Again, oil has to be expressed from a given weight of _copra_ by pounding the material in iron mortars with unwieldy wooden pestles. Wool-teasing is yet another form of occupation. Besides the wards, there are a number of cells for solitary confinement; some of these were occupied by prisoners suspected of malingering, others by those awaiting punishment. This last, of course, takes various forms, from--for instance--the dark cell, where an offender may be incarcerated for twenty-four hours, to castigation with a rattan, in which, it is said, the maximum sentence of thirty strokes can be applied so severely as to be fatal to the recipient. Lastly, of course, comes execution by hanging, which is inflicted in the case of those prisoners, who, being already under severe sentence, attempt the lives of their fellows, their warders, or the officials of the Settlement. The transportation of European offenders is now discontinued, but a large number of female convicts are engaged mainly in turning the wool prepared in Viper Jail into blankets. Caste--a most important point in connection with people of India--is carefully respected, and the Brahmin prisoners are nearly all employed as cooks. The majority of the convicts are from the Indian Peninsula, and are resident for life. Of the Burmese, however, the greater part are serving sentences of ten years, for engaging too recklessly in the national pastime of dacoity, and many of them are employed in the jungle and as boatmen. To maintain discipline, and for the protection of the Settlement, a military force of about 440 men is stationed at Aberdeen, Ross, and Viper--two companies of European and four of native troops--and a battalion of military police. After leaving Viper Island we returned to the headquarters of the Settlement, where next day we left behind the last post of civilisation met with, until three months later we reached Olehleh, the most northerly of the Dutch colonies in Acheen. CHAPTER III MACPHERSON STRAIT--SOUTH ANDAMAN AND RUTLAND ISLAND Gunboat Tours--South Andaman--Rutland Island--Navigation-- Landing-place--Native Camp--Natives--Jungle--Birds--Appearance of the Natives--Our Guests--Native Women: Decorations and Absurd Appearance--Trials of Photography--The Village--Food--Bows, Arrows, and Utensils--Barter--_Coiffure_--Fauna--Water--New Species.