The cattle are cows, buffaloes, and oxen, the two latter used as
draft animals, and as agricultural workers. Bulls and cows are sacred
beasts, and the Hindus never kill them for food."
"Except Christianized natives, like myself," interpolated Sir Modava.
"Thank you. The native breeds of horses have been greatly improved under
the direction of the horse-fancying Briton; but they are never used on the
farm. Ponies, donkeys, and mules are in use for various purposes. There are
plenty of sheep and goats--so there are of hogs; but the higher of the
middle class, like the Jews, regard them as unclean beasts, and would as
soon take poison as eat the flesh of a pig. I don't sympathize with them,
for I like roast pork when it is well brought up and kept clean.
"Monkeys are as tame as they are mischievous; and doubtless they are tame
because they are held to be sacred, and have a better time than they do in
Africa and elsewhere. But all the fun of the fauna is concentrated in the
wild animals, such as the tiger (about the gamiest 'critter' that exists),
the panther, cheetah, boar, bear, elephant, and rhinoceros. Two kinds of
crocodiles (not alligators) live in the mud and water of the rivers; and I
suppose they snap up a man or woman when they get a chance, as they do in
the Philippine Islands and other countries. I advise you all to give them a
wide berth; for their bite is worse than their bark, like that of some men
we know of.
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