ea, with the usual solemn ceremony. It was a
wild, stormy day, when the body was committed to the deep, causing the
scene to be all the more impressive from the attendant rage of the
elements.

CHAPTER V.

Sailing Due West.--The Indian Ocean.--Strange Sights at
Sea.--Island of Ceylon.--Singhalese Canoes.--Colombo.--A Land of
Slaves.--Native Town.--Singhalese Women.--Fantastic Nurses.--Local
Pictures.--Cinnamon Gardens.--Wild Elephants.--Lavishness of
Tropical Nature.--Curious Birds and their Nests.--Ancient
Kandy.--Temple of Maligawan.--Religious Ceremonies.--Life of the
Natives.--Inland Scenery.--Fruits.--Precious Stones.--Coffee
Plantations.--Great Antiquity of Ceylon.

After leaving Penang our course lay due west across the Indian Ocean, on
a line of about the tenth degree of north latitude; the objective point
being the island of Ceylon. We sighted the Andaman Islands as we passed,
more than one of which has the reputation of being inhabited by
cannibals; and as a matter of course some of the passengers became witty
over the second-hand jokes about roasted missionary. The rains which we
encountered in this equatorial region were so profuse, and yielded such
a marvelous downpour of water as to almost deluge us, and set the inside
of the good steamship Brindisi afloat. But the air was soft and balmy,
the nights gloriously serene and bright, so that it was even more
refreshing, more restful than slumber, to lie awake upon the
quarter-deck, and gazing idly among the clustering stars, to build
castles in the limpid atmosphere while watching the fleecy clouds
floating across the gleaming planets, as a lovely woman's veil covers
her luminous eyes for an instant only to vivify their splendor.

In the daytime large sea-turtles came to the surface of the water to
sun themselves, stretching their awkward necks to get sight of our hull.
Big schools of dolphins played their gambols about the ship, darting
bodily out of the water, and pitching in again head foremost, no doubt
holding their breath when submerged in atmospheric air, as a diver does
when he plunges into the sea. Flying-fish were so numerous as to cease
to be a curiosity, often skimming on board in their awkward attempts at
aerial navigation, and being caught by the crew. As it is known that a
light will attract these delicate little sea-moths at night, sailors
sometimes extend a bit of canvas on a pole from a forwa