Ceylon, at harvest time on the plantations, imports
laborers from the southern provinces of India, who are very glad thus to
earn a small sum of money, a commodity of which they see little enough
at home. Seven or eight hundred of these laborers, having fulfilled
their object at the island, were returning to the main-land, and
literally crowded the lower deck of the Kebela fore and aft. They formed
rather picturesque groups as they reclined or stood in their rags,
nakedness, and high colors combined.

When we got up the anchor in the harbor of Colombo, it seemed to be
pleasant enough, but scarcely were we outside of the breakwater before
the steamer began to roll and pitch like an awkward mule under the
tickling application of the spur. Too much accustomed to the roughness
of the sea to heed this, we were nevertheless very sorry for these
exposed deck-passengers, few of whom escaped seasickness. Crowded
together as they were during the copious rainfall, their sufferings that
afternoon and night were pitiable. There were some families with women
and children, and such shelter as a canvas awning could afford was
kindly arranged for them. When we anchored in shoal water off the coast
next morning, and the big flat-boats came to take them ashore, they had
hardly strength and spirit sufficient to tumble into these craft, no
doubt promising themselves, as usual, never, never again to quit the dry
land. The water being very shallow, the Kebela anchored five miles from
shore, making it necessary for us to take a small steam-launch to land
at the little toy pier built on the beach. Our miniature vessel was
tossed about like a bit of cork on the waves, but we had long since come
to regard a wetting by salt-water as a trifling matter.

Tuticorin is a quaint old place of very little importance, dingy and
dilapidated. It is represented to have twenty thousand inhabitants, but
one would not have set the figure at more than half that number. There
is still something done here in the pearl fisheries, though the most
active stations are situated some thirty miles up the coast. We here got
our first view of a new race of people, the East Indian proper, in his
native land. It was easy to detect special differences in the race from
the people left but a short day's sail behind us. They were tall and
erect in figure, square shouldered, and broad chested. Their
complexions were lighter, features clearer cut, and they were a more
active rac