The boat they engaged was of the variety known as the _masullah_; it was made of long thin planks, and the sides were very high in order to keep out the surf, or as much of it as possible. The planks extended from one end of the boat to the other, and were tied together with coir ropes running through small holes bored in the edges. The seams were calked with the fibres of the cocoa-nut-tree, and daubed with pitch; but in spite of this precaution the craft was a leaky one, and a man was occupied more than half the time in baling her out. The bottom was flat, and covered with a quantity of small twigs to keep the feet of the passengers from getting wet; the crew wore neither shoes nor stockings, and consequently it made little difference to them whether their feet were wet or dry. The captain of the steamer told them that the masullah-boat was a remarkable construction, and though it appeared frail, it was in reality very strong. "It goes on the waves instead of through them," said he, "and is therefore just what is wanted for the surf. The sides are so flexible that they can be brought close together, and then sprung out again without apparent injury, as I have seen them do repeatedly. They bump against the sides of our ship for hours without any more effect on them than on a rubber ball, and they will carry any sort of cargo that can be lowered into them." Away they went on their trip to shore, the crew singing the same kind of song they had heard at Pondicherry, and rowing with curious-looking oars or paddles that had quite a resemblance to enormous tea-spoons. As they neared the land, the waves rolling in from the sea were not a pleasant sight, and the situation was not improved when the men stopped rowing just outside the line of surf and demanded double pay before going in. This is a favorite trick with the Madras boatmen, and it frequently succeeds where the passengers are timorous: this time it did not work to their satisfaction, as the Doctor peremptorily ordered them to row back to the steamer if they were unwilling to keep to their bargain. Finding themselves foiled, they pulled away at the oars, keeping the head of the boat straight on for the shore. She rose on one wave, and then on the next and the next: there are generally three lines of waves pursuing one another, and the third, counting from the outside, is the one that breaks into surf. As they struck the sand with the surf the boatmen sprung out and ran the boat out of reach of the next wave. A little water was taken into the stern of the boat in the shape of spray, just as they rose on the crest of the last wave; Frank was slightly sprinkled with it, but the Doctor and Fred escaped without the least wetting.