ee the remains of so many huge beasts sacrificed just
for the love of killing something. They had not even been tuskers, so
that, unless their heads and feet were used for mere decorations, I
do not see that their slaughter could have answered any useful end.

[Illustration: Sami Rock]

We next drove to the Admiral's house--a charmingly-placed dwelling,
with one end for each monsoon (south-west from April to September,
north-east from November to February). A well-cared-for garden
encircles it, full of valuable plants and flowers; and the view over
the bay is wide and lovely. We went through the barracks, and then
walked, or rather climbed, up to the signal station, below which a new
fort is being made which will carry heavy guns. Close by is a curious
old Dutch graveyard, with a few quaint English monuments in it, dating
from the beginning of the century. The way was long and the road
rough; but still we climbed on and on to reach the famous Sami Rock,
which rises sheer from the sea, and is a sacred spot for Hindoos, who
have come here by thousands to worship for many centuries. Behind the
rock stands a small monument, erected in memory of a young Portuguese
lady, who, having seen her lover's ship leave the harbour and
disappear below the horizon, threw herself in despair from the cliff.

The sun had now set, and the night was calm and brilliant; but so
powerful had been the sun's rays that the rocks burnt our feet as we
walked, and made it impossible to sit down. We returned to lower
levels much more quickly than we had ascended; but I felt very tired
before we got back to the gharries, and was only too glad to 'rest and
be thankful' until the others arrived and were ready to start. They
had had a delightful afternoon, and had caught several walking-fish (a
kind of perch), after seeing them both walk and swim; besides
gathering more lotus-flowers, and enjoying several good games at
lawn-tennis.

The drive to the boats, behind Major Nash's fast-trotting pony, was
all too short, and the time for the inevitable farewells came but too
quickly. Steam was up when we got on board, and in a few minutes we
were leaving this beautiful harbour behind us, exactly twenty-four
hours after we had entered it, and under almost precisely the same
conditions of wind and weather. Trincomalee is certainly a noble
harbour, but Tom is strongly of opinion that it would be more valuable
in the hands of the Indian Government than under the