rple mountains beyond, and that mysterious Peak of Adam in the
distance; while on the left glittered the blue sea, studded with islets,
round which were dancing masses of white foam; the yellow beach,
approached almost to the water's edge by the green fields and tall
palms, while here and there bold headlands rise up and form sheltering
bays to the fishermen, whose primitive craft we could see moving along
the shore.

There are several resting-places on the road. We remained longest at
Caltura--considered, from its position on a height facing the sea
breeze, one of the most healthy places in Ceylon. The scenery in the
neighbourhood is also magnificent. From the extent of the cocoa-nut
groves, arrack is here largely distilled. The toddy or juice is drawn
from the trees into bowls suspended to catch it, and numbers of the
great bat _Pteropus_, called by Europeans the flying-fox, come and drink
from them. They begin quietly enough, but by degrees the toddy takes
effect, and, like human beings, they break into quarrels, and continue
increasing their noise till it becomes most uproarious.

Having been ferried across several rivers, we reached Colombo in about
twelve hours after leaving Galle.

Colombo is not an interesting place. It is on a level, strongly
fortified, and has a lake in the rear, from which the inhabitants are
nightly serenaded by huge frogs and mosquitoes, and tormented in the day
by numberless flies. The European merchants, therefore, have their
houses chiefly in the neighbourhood shaded by palm-trees among the
cinnamon plantations. We spent but a day here, while, with Mr
Fordyce's assistance, I made inquiries for my grandfather and Alfred,
but could gain no information on which I could in any way rely. We
again, therefore, continued our journey in the same way to Kandy.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

MY NEW FRIENDS--JOURNEY TO THE CAPITAL--KANDY--FINE ROADS--MAGNIFICENT
SCENERY--COFFEE PLANTATION--MOUNTAIN TRAVELLING--KEURA-ELLIA--ITS
REFRESHING COOLNESS--MY FIRST BUFFALO HUNT--UNPLEASANT CONSEQUENCES--
SOLON TO THE RESCUE.

Were I to describe all the wonderful and curious things I saw and heard
of in Ceylon, I should very soon fill my pages. After leaving the sea
the palm trees soon disappeared, and we were surrounded by the graceful
arecas, mixed with the kitool or jaggery palm, and numberless flowering
trees and shrubs, the murutu with its profusion of lilac blossoms, and
the gorgeous imbul or co