t met them, and Colonel Carey, a Rugby friend of
Tom's, now commanding the Engineers here.

We have had great difficulty to-day in obtaining possession of a box
sent on to us from Bombay. I left orders yesterday that it was to be
obtained from the shipping-agents this morning, but it was only after
an infinity of trouble to ourselves and to the people on shore, who
had locked up their offices and gone home, that we were able to get
hold of it this evening. At last everything and everybody were
collected on board; our usual parting gifts of books and newspapers to
barracks, hospitals, and schools were sent ashore, and we steamed
slowly out of the harbour and round the breakwater. Then 'Full speed
ahead' was the order given, and once more we left the lights and
luxuries of land behind us and sailed forth into the soft tropic
twilight.

[Illustration: Point de Galle]

_Tuesday, March 8th._--It was 1.10 A.M. as we passed the lighthouse.
I stayed on deck until the land seemed to be swallowed up in the
darkness; but when I came up again at 6 A.M. we were still running
along the coast, near enough to see some of its beauties, though not
so close as to make it possible to appreciate the exquisite loveliness
of the Bay of Galle. Once the principal port of call for all the most
important lines of steamers, the town of Galle is now comparatively
deserted, and the charms of the neighbouring country are unknown to
the modern traveller. The difficulties of landing there were always
great during the monsoon period, and more facilities having been
afforded at Colombo by the construction of Sir John Coode's great
breakwater, all the steamers now make use of that port to take in
water, coal, and provisions.

At noon we had run 95 miles, and Trincomalee was 244 miles distant. At
10 P.M. we passed inside the Great Bass Rock, and afterwards the
smaller Bass Rock.

_Wednesday, March 9th._--At noon to-day 184 miles had been made, and
Trincomalee is only now twenty miles ahead. We had passed Batticaloa,
the capital of one of the divisions of the island, and early in the
morning saw the celebrated rock called 'Westminster Abbey,' which is
curiously like that grand old pile, especially when the two pinnacles
are seen from a distance. As you pass it to the northward the
resemblance gradually becomes lost.

The sun was sinking fast when we shaped our course for the entrance to
the harbour of Trincomalee. I was on the topgallant forecastle