f native life which the short stay at
stations afforded. Time thus passed in the mountains and country of
Ceylon is indeed fraught with delight. We had an object lesson in the
habits and customs of the so-called hill-country, Kandy furnishing many
marked examples; there was particularly the large two-wheeled cart with
oxen as propelling power. We were also interested in the Rodiyas, living
in the outskirts, a people oppressed on account of a curse pronounced by
a king many years ago, one of the conditions being the prohibition of
clothes above the waist, both for men and women. The latter are noted
for their beauty, and excel as singers and dancers, but they suffer
under the stigma of immodesty for the reason given above.

Three restful days followed; the hotel wore a homelike air, and the time
was full of content and quiet enjoyment. Ceylon fascinated me from the
first, and after the trip to the mountains and a more perfect
realization of the natural advantages of the island, the impression
deepened.

The native people also struck me as being cheerful, but with more
strength of character than the Burmese, and possessing a certain kind
of dignity that was pleasing. The bazars too were found unusually
interesting on a closer inspection, and offered many new and novel
articles.

[Illustration: _Street scene in Kandy, Ceylon_]

While there were carriage drives, this was our first introduction to the
jinrikishas, and we found them most convenient and a novelty; only there
was an uncomfortable feeling that the jinrikisha man in Ceylon was too
slight for his occupation.

The street scenes presented almost as cosmopolitan an aspect as those at
Rangoon, and with quite as varied a mixture of nationality.

There was a notable carriage drive of eight miles to Mt. Lavinia, a
seaside resort with only a hotel perched on a hill, while below on the
sandy beach were many fishing-boats. Here we whiled away an hour, and
had afternoon tea.

On Saturday evening, February 8th, we bade adieu to Ceylon, taking
passage on the steamer _Delhi_ of the P. & O. line, which was to be our
home until the 14th. We were assigned pleasant rooms, and the general
environment was agreeable. There was little of incident on the trip
until we landed at Penang, Malay peninsula, on the morning of the 13th.
We made a special tour, and noted many beautiful homes with surrounding
grounds and a general air of thrift. We were once more reminded of Great
Brita