[Illustration: {A village schoolhouse}]

10. The boys sat on forms, just as you do. The teacher wrote on a
blackboard, and taught the children to do sums with a ball frame. Each
boy had a reading-book. It was not printed in English, but in the tongue
spoken in that part of the country.

11. Some of the boys wrote in copy-books, but most of them wrote on thin
boards, which they used instead of slates. Instead of a pencil they used
a pen made of a reed.

12. Chalk was ground up and wetted in a little cup. The boys dipped
their reed pens into the cup, just as you dip your steel pen into the
ink. The letters and figures which they wrote were very different from
ours.

13. Some of the boys read their books very well, and worked hard sums.
They sang "God save the King" for me in their own tongue.

14. In the towns there are large and good schools. Some of the scholars
are very clever indeed. I think Indian boys are much fonder of their
lessons than our boys.

* * * * *

15. ELEPHANTS AND TIGERS.


1. In his last letter Tom asked me to tell him something about elephants