CHAPTER X. CYCLONE CEYLON GALLE MAIL COACH- COLOMBO "Up anchor, and away," says the gallant and gentlemanlike Captain Perrin of the Peninsular and Oriental ship China, and we steamed rapidly away from the rolling surf of Madras, and got to see the Southern cross and the false cross at sea more distinctly. The former is a disappointing constellation, as I had heard so much of it. It is not very bright, and at times the false cross looks the better of the two. But at twelve o'clock at night I ceased to be a star-gazer, and opened my mouth rather than my eyes at the wonders that arose. For we were on the edge of a cyclone. Captain Perrin was more than equal to the occasion, and ran seventy miles out of our course so as to get clear of it. That was a terrible night, and only succeeded by a worse day and night; and the end was that we arrived a day late at Galle, and then too late in the evening to get with safety into that dangerous harbour. So we stood out to sea, and woke up in the morning fifteen miles from shore. As we neared Ceylon our wearied eyes were refreshed by the everlasting green of this beautiful island. It was a fine clear morning after the storm, and we sighted "Adam's Peak"-about which there are numberless traditions - and the "Haycock." At last, about half-past seven, we steamed safely to our moorings, and gladly landed.* I was received very kindly by the Peninsular and Oriental superintendent, and I found a young friend also in the office. Thus with a very nice fellow who I had come on shore with-a Russian, M. Pessarief-I went to the Oriental Hotel. This is a strange place. It was the property of the Oriental Hotel Company, which I believe has ceased to be troubled by its debts, and is now, I think, in private hands. It is well and actively kept by Mr. and Mrs. Barker, and having endeavoured to drown, not in the bowl, but in a warm bath, the sad memories of the "China," we made a capital breakfast, and began to look about us. The singularity of the place is this. Standing out in the ocean, Galle receives the flying visits of all nations. We have had in the last week a * I was unfortunate here, for I lost the Lottery for time of arrival by only half a minute. steamer from Madeira, Rangoon, two from China, one from London, one from Bombay, one from Australia, so that in the verandah and at dinner we had the most wonderful mixture of nationalities -Dutch, French, German, and Italian-all uniting to make a most inharmonious discord. But it was very pleasant. In the afternoon we had a charming drive. through the cocoa-nut trees to Wag Walla and the cinnamon gardens, where, I am ashamed to say, I was victimised by a sapphire merchant. I won't say what I gave for it, but I will confide the fact that it was glass, and worth twopence. But I have the satisfaction of knowing that it came from Birmingham. It is therefore a great traveller, and I shall have it set accordingly when I get home. That night we had a good dinner, and the least possible quantity of champagne. Sunday morning I went to church, which was very well conducted; and in these parts it will not do to quarrel with a little ritualistic absurdity. After church I drove to tiffin with Captain Bailey, who is a remarkable specimen of a man getting, and increasing his comforts about him, by virtue of his office. He is superintendent of the Peninsular and Oriental steamers, and so has facilities for furnishing a beautiful verandah at the back of his house with every variety of fern set in beautiful corals. He has also a great deal of furniture made of the ebonies and other woods of the country, all exquisitely carved. I had a delightful visit, and returned home, after calling on the Superintendent of police, rejoicing. Dined and took a stroll down by the lighthouse, and inhaled the fresh sea-breezes. We had learned that the Barada would not start for Australia till the 14th, so, though Galle was very pleasant, we determined to make a start for Colombo and Kandy on the Monday morning. So a Russian gentleman, M. Pessarieff, and another gentleman and myself, started on the mail. This proved a very fair conveyance. We stopped at Berntol half an hour for breakfast, and anything more charming than the whole route cannot be conceived. Such vegetation! "Shoe" trees of bright red and another colour, bread-fruit trees, jack wood, tulip trees, cocoa nuts, and banana, formed a beautiful arcade, with the sea always close to our left hand, and a great part of the way fifty yards only on our left. A good level road enabled two fresh little horses, changed every seven miles, to gallop us into Colombo, seventy-two miles, by half-past four. We passed several good sized rivers, crossed by wooden and girder bridges, and marvelled at what are hothouse plants with us, growing like weeds by the roadside. Such a scene of rich luxuriance and in my beauty must be seen to be believed; and though I have not read Sir Emerson Tennant's book, so as to be free first impressions, high flown as I have heard his descriptions are, I cannot believe that they are exaggerated. Colombo is a nice bustling place on the sea shore, with a good esplanade running along it, and, as is usual in these places, the town, Government House, &c., is contained in the fort. I did myself the honour of paying my respects to Her Majesty, and her representative, Mr. Gregory, by leaving my card at Government House, his Excellency being at Nimera Ellia, called by the planters, Nuralia, where there is a cold station with a freezing thermometer, and where they were preparing a "Gym Khanna" for this week, consisting of races, &c. I then drove round the town and saw the lighthouse, and got some photographs, and did those things which people ordinarily do on arriving at a fresh place. We then had a famous dinner, under the new auspices of a retired barrack-master, Mr. Lambe, who three days ago had embarked in this hotel the Galle Face," and the hotel at Kandy. He carries it on very nobly, and I prophesy that in a very few years he has either made his fortune or―. I hope his fortune. There is a large lake of five hundred acres, K |