* * * * *

12. OUR INDIAN COUSIN.


1. MY DEAR CHILDREN,--I am now in the north of India, not far from the
great river Ganges. It is a long railway journey from Bombay to this
place. I have been in the train two days and two nights.

2. I am now beginning to understand what a vast land India is. Do you
know that it would make sixteen lands as large as our own? One in every
five of all the people on earth lives in India.

3. Perhaps you can guess why I have made this long journey from Bombay.
My brother, your uncle, is the chief man in this part of the country. He
and I have been parted for many years. I am now living in his house.

4. Let me tell you about little Hugh, your cousin. He was born in India
seven years ago, and he has never been to England. He hopes to come
"home" to see you all in a few months' time.

5. Hugh's home is a big house, all on the ground floor. It has no
upstairs. The rooms are very large and lofty. This is because the
weather is very hot for the greater part of the year. If the rooms were
not large and high, they would be too hot to live in.

[Illustration: {Hugh's house}]

6. In every room there is a beam of wood with a short curtain hanging
from it. This is the punkah. The beam is hung from the roof by ropes. In