Women and children flung sheafs of
green indigo plants into the vats which were carefully and quickly stowed by the noisy coolies the gratings spread over them and hove tight down by means of stout cross beams and iron pins and then as each vat was filled the reservoir sluice was opened and the water rushed in down narrow channels, but long before the last vat was filled the sun had disappeared in a red twilight glow...as the first streaks of dawn appeared there was a sound of wooden mallets hammering at huge wooden plugs and then a rush of orange coloured water pouring in to the lower vats.