121 CHAPTER X. CEYLON TO MADRAS. It was about six o'clock in the evening when we entered the harbour of Point-de-Galle, near the southern extremity of the Island of Ceylon. It is a natural harbour,* surrounded by lofty hills covered with vegetation, and all around the harbour and also within it, there are craggy rocks over which the sea breaks with violence when it is all rough, as it was on the occasion of our visit. It is really a pleasant spot, and appeared especially so to us after seeing nothing but sea, and the dreary desert of Egypt and Arabia for so long a time. No sooner had the ship reached her berth, than a good number of natives scrambled on board from canoes which had brought them alongside; some of them were dhobies or washermen, seeking to be entrusted with the linen of the passengers * But a very dangerous one, and it would seem from several shipwrecks which have taken place there, that a few minutes' inattention are sufficient to allow a vessel to drift upon the rocks. to wash, promising faithfully that it should be returned properly got up before the ship again sailed the following day. Others were lapidaries and jewellers, bringing their valuable property to dispose of amongst the passengers; these consisted of pretended gold chains, rings, and such like articles, and also what they represented to be precious stones, found in great plenty on the island, and customers. many of the passengers became A similar scene is enacted upon the arrival of every passenger ship; and on my last visit to this port on my way home in 1850, I witnessed it in great perfection; some of these jewellers had brought for sale what they called gold Trichinopoly chains for ladies' wear, apparently of exquisite workmanship. One was bought for the sum of three pounds; the vendors pressed hard for customers, and at length sold two more for the same money that they had previously taken for a single one; this at least was a suspicious circumstance, and it was afterwards amusing to see how the price dropped as purchasers flagged during the time the ship remained in the port, not quite a whole day. At length, just before we got under weigh, one of these jewellers who had during the day been urgent with me to become a purchaser, hearing the cry now for shore," actually at the last moment offered me one of these valuable chains for an old coat or an old umbrella. I however, had neither the one nor the other to spare, or I would have made an exchange in order to give myself the laugh at the other purchasers, who had, as might be expected, bought worthless articles at high prices; and I suspect the buyers of the precious stones subsequently found that they had been in like manner done, and placed in possession of pieces of coloured glass only. Money changers also beset us; they were very desirous of purchasing sovereigns, offering more money for the George and Dragon sovereigns than for others, because, as they stated, they were made of gold a little finer in quality. The evening shades were closing around us when we landed, and upon our proceeding to the hotel, we were discomforted by learning that the house was already filled, and that there was no room for us. They could not, or they would not take the trouble to obtain a bedroom for us elsewhere, in which case we might have boarded in the hotel. Several of our fellow passengers, and among them a Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, were circumstanced in like manner; there was another hotel, but we were told that it was a place wholly unfit for our reception, being both bad and dirty. After some further endeavours to procure accommodation, we resolved, although unwillingly, to return to the ship for the night, a prospect anything but cheering after the night of suffocation, stewing, and coal dust, we had experienced at Aden whilst the ship was coaling at that port. To carry out our intentions we returned to the water-side, where we found at the landing place but one boat only and that we all entered, the black fellows of boatmen appeared delighted with this unexpected fare; but before they pushed off one of them entered the boat and demanded money for the work they were about to perform, and a very exorbitant sum he asked. We demurred, and said we would pay whatever sum the officers of the ship should name as soon as we were on board, this was refused and an altercation ensued. Blackee and his mates thought they had us in their net, and knowing how we were circumstanced, expected to make а harvest of us; resolving to disappoint them, we determined to get on shore and make a further attempt to obtain lodgings, but the fellows actually resisted our landing unless we gave them “ backshish," which Mr. Wilson liberally distributed with his "fists,' "* and sent the crew flying. * Bamboo backshish, which people are often obliged to threaten when hard pressed. When again on shore, a decent looking halfcaste young man pressed through the crowd (for the row we had got into had drawn together a crowd of natives all ready to take sides with the boatmen in the event of a battle), and assured me that comfortable accommodation could be had at the hotel which had previously been represented to us as bad. "Any port in a storm," said we, and away we marched, escorted by our new acquaintance, and followed by the crowd, to the "Royal Hotel," kept by one Samuel Barton (also a half-caste), at 47, Flag Street. Fortunately the place proved better than we had expected, and here we stayed till the ship left Ceylon, the next afternoon. Having secured bed accommodation, we held a discussion as to how we should spend the follow, ing morning, so as to see as much as possible of the locality in the short time we had to remain ; our host recommended a visit to the Cinnamon Gardens, and we gave directions for the necessary conveyances to be ready immediately after breakfast, and then retired for the night. Soon after reaching the hotel, I had, upon the recommendation of the landlady, engaged an ayah (ladies' maid) to attend upon my wife during our stay; she was very dark skinned, rather old, and at first sight not easily distin |