Sketcher

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 21, 19 August 1893, Page 4

Sketcher

MAORILAND TO BRITAIN. (By Aiiboea.) No. 9. Our second day at Colombo was one of the wettest I have ever ielt; it was an awful treat ; no Turkish bath that I was ever in was a patch upon it; we drove up and down the streets with our fans, but unless we kept them constantly in -motion it was worse than without them. Each of, our party took a rickshaw, and off we starred ! These rickshaws are like great big perambulators, drawn by men; I can’t say I like them—l don't. To my mind it is a terribly cruel method of getting about, and yet the men bother you incesssntly to patronise them. You get up into one, the man grasps the shafts in front, and off you go at a cantering pace. If there are four or five together they race, and then it really becomes painful to those who are occupying the conveyances. But no amount of talking will make them believe that you would like them to go more slowly. These rickshaws are most unsociable concerns. If you get a little in advance of your companions you have to drive along in solitary state, and when you want to be talking about all the strange sights you are passing, this isn’t very pleasant. I heard on very good authority that the rickshaw men never by any chance live longer than nice years, and I am not surprised to hear it ; running for miles under a burning hot sun, bathed in perspiration, is not the most likely way to lengthen life. Well, be that as it may, it wouldn’t do to visit Colombo without having a ride in a rickshaw, so to be in-the fashion we hired our men. I looked out for the biggest and strongest, feeling that I should have less compunction about mounting behind a big one than a little one. They drove us first of all to the Hindoo temple. Of course we were not permitted to enter, but still the carving and beautiful work outside was worth driving a long way to see. I have never seen anything half so gorgeous as the outside decorations of that temple, every figure was a study, and every figure was different. We had an amateur photographer in our party, so we had more fun than most of the others; whenever anything very interesting presented itself we got down, and distributing ourselves amongst the natives, had ourselves committed to paper. The natives enjoyed it immensely, and posed, some of them, iix the most ridiculous attitudes. They fully realised the serious work they were taking part in, and gave us to understand that they knew as much about it as we did. We also visited the market, but we were glad to get away ; they literally overwhelmed us with fruit ; you can try every fruit they have on their stalls, and then go away without purchasing a single thing’, though, of course, they would much rather you made a bargain with them. They love to drive a bargain, and nothing delights them more than to stand half an hour and dispute with you about the price of a dozen oranges. It is a marvellous market place, and the people who are in it are more marvellous still. From here we drove off to the Native town, and this was really' the most interesting of all. Every house seems to he a shop—the ugliest, dirtiest little shops you ever saw. They all seem to he sellers, and where the buyers come from I don’t know. Every child seems to be an orphan, and they try to move you to tears by tire most pitiful tales of woe. Our rickshaws -were surrounded, and wo halted for a moment just to see what they would do. We couldn’t tarry long, though, as the street was very narrow and the odour not altogetherpleasant. All the women seemed to be cooking rice, and all the .men seemed to he lighting cigars at the end of a burning rope. The children earned the broad for tlro : family - by begging. VvVgofc away. from tins qua:vcr. atler,; seeing, all. that there

was to be seen, and then proceeded to Buddha’s temple. ; This, too, is a beautiful structure,, and. w;eil worth a lengthy visit. We got into conversation with several of the natives, they were very willing to give us all the information: that we required; a Mahommedan made himself particularly interesting : he told us that they were allowed to have four wives, that he had been married once, and was saving up as fast as he could to marry his second. We suggested that he should try and content himself with one, but he evidently thought we were heathen, and couldn’t undei’stand how it was so many of our party had so long remained in single blessedness. One should certainly not leave Colombo without visiting the silk shops. Of course they try to swindle yon here just as they do at every other place in the island ; never by any chance should you give the price which they at first ask you. Most of our passengers secured an Indian silk dress, some of them got bargains, and some of them didn’t. You may imagine that you have got the better' of the Indian, but don’t make a mistake; however cheaply he may let you have an article, you may be quite sure that he hasn’t lost anything by his bargain. The natives are very much afraid of the policemen, and it is quite funny to see a small crowd dispersing when a “ keeper of the peace ” hails in sight. Our last day at Colombo we spent at Kandy. To try and describe the trip would be useless. I have asked several of the passengers to tell me what they thought of it, but all they can say is “ Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.” These words convey a great deal to me, but I am afraid they will not enlighten you very much. However, I do say this, that none should visit Ceylon without going to Kandy. It. is the most beautiful journey I ever made. There is such a variety of scenery; it just looks in some places as though the sea, during a violent storm, had suddenly become petrified, and then had sprung up the most gorgeous trees and shrubs that anyone could possibly imagine. The town at night is lighted up with variegated lamps which makes it look very lovely when viewed from the ship at anchor in the bay. We were all very loth to leave Ceylon,—in fact, for my part I almost wished that our stay there had been for three weeks instead of three days. As it was, we were fortunate to have so long as we had, but that comes of travelling by a P. and 0. steamer.