78 THE MALAI-KONDIGARUS
In several parts of Malabar a tribe is to be found called the Malai-Kondigaru, which, though as wild as those mentioned above, has perhaps a little more in common with civilized humanity. They live in the forests, and their principal occupation is to extract the juice of the palmtree, part of which they drink, the rest they sell. The women climb the trees to obtain it, and they do so in a surprisingly agile manner. These people always go about naked. The women only wear a little rag, which flutters about in the wind and most imperfectly covers that portion of their bodies which it is supposed to hide. During one of the expeditions which the last Sultan of Mysore made into the mountains, he met a horde of these savages, and for, however
was much shocked at their state of nudity; depraved Mahomedans may be in their private life, nothing
can equal the decency and modesty of their conduct in public. They are horrified at word or look that even verges on indecency or immodesty, especially on the part of their women. The Sultan therefore caused the headmen of the Malai-Kondigarus to be brought before him, and asked them why they and their women did not cover
their bodies more decently. They excused themselves on the plea of poverty, and that it was the custom of their caste. Tippu replied that he must require them to wear clothing like the other inhabitants of the country, and that if they had not the means wherewith to buy it, he would every year provide them gratuitously with the cotton cloths
necessary for the purpose. The savages, however, though urged by the Sultan, made humble remonstrances, and begged hard to be allowed to dispense with the encumbrance of clothing. They finally told him that if they were forced to wear clothing, contrary to the rules of their caste, they would all leave the country rather than put up with so great an inconvenience; they preferred to go and live in some other distant forest, where they would be allowed to follow their customs unmolested. The Sultan
was accordingly obliged to give way.
In and around Coorg is another tribe of savages known
by the name of Yeruvaru. It is akin to the Pariah caste,
and is composed of several communities scattered about in the jungles. These people, however, work for their