OUTRIGGER BOAT FROM LADRONE ISLANDS.
The youth now perceived a log of wood nearly as long as the boat, and sharpened at the ends, lying parallel to, and about twenty feet away from it. It was held in place by means of a couple of bamboo poles, that were curved above the water so as to offer no resistance by dragging. Frank had observed the poles, but had not noticed the log, as it was almost completely submerged, and, besides, it was so near the color of the water that it could not be readily distinguished from it.
"You see the use of the outrigger," said the Doctor; "when sailing, they always keep it on the windward side, and before it could tip over the boat must lift the log clean from the water, and high in air, which it is hardly able to do. Perhaps it might in a cyclone, or in a very strong gale, but at such times the boats seek the shelter of the land or lie to and face the storm as best they can."
"I remember now," said Fred, "that we saw some boats with outriggers while we were at the Philippine Islands, and there were some at Rangoon and Singapore, but I don't think any of them were as graceful as this."
"That is so," was the reply. "The Cingalese, as the people of Ceylonare called, are famous for the lightness and swiftness of their boats, and their speed is something marvellous. They have been known to sail fifteen or twenty miles an hour, and when at their best speed they hardly seem to touch the waves, which they skim with the velocity of a bird; they go far out to sea, and have been known to make voyages of hundreds of miles. Their carrying capacity is not great, but the wants of these people are so few that they can get along with a much smaller stock of provisions than the majority of sailors."
"Why don't they put two boats together, and make a double one?" inquired one of the boys.
DOUBLE CANOE, FRIENDLY ISLANDS.
"As to that," answered Doctor Bronson, "I can only say, because they don't. Double canoes are in use in some of the South Pacific Islands, and have been found very successful; they sail finely, and have a great carrying capacity, and when used insheltered bays, or in parts of the ocean where the waves are not likely to rack them too much, a deck or platform is built to cover both boats. This is the case in the Society and Friendly Islands, where the double canoe has long been used, and is famous for its high speed; in the Ladrone Islands the outrigger is more popular, and is made on the same principle as that of Ceylon; but the boat is neither so sharp nor so long in proportion to its length.
DOUBLE CANOE, SOCIETY ISLANDS.
"These outrigger boats sail in either direction; the sail is attached to two poles, which are raised and lowered with it; the mast is in the centre, and the ends of the craft are exactly alike. The change of direction is made by raising one pole and lowering the other; when this is done the boat immediately reverses her movements, and the outrigger is always kept to windward. The same is the case with the double canoes of the Friendly Islands, which sail either way, but the canoes of the Society Islands are pointed at the bow and flat at the stern, and consequently can only go in one direction.
FEEJEE ISLAND CANOE.
"The people of the Feejee Islands make their boats on a combination of the two systems. They have the outrigger principle in place of that of the double canoe, but they make the outrigger hollow, and use it for stowing cargo; and in large canoes it is the home of a part of the crew. Then they have the platform, as in the case of the double canoe, and sometimes they have a sort of upper deck, or pilot-house, on the platform, where the captain stands to direct the movements of the craft. All these forms of boats are steered by means of paddles, and not with a rudder."
"I wonder somebody in the civilized world does not take something from these savages in the way of boat-building," said Frank, as soon as the Doctor paused. "Seems to me there is a good deal in these ideas of the double canoe, and the way they manage them."
"A great many persons have wondered as you do," the Doctor answered; "and some have ceased wondering, and tried the principles on both small and large craft. A few years ago one of the races of the New York Yacht Club was won by a boat on the double-canoe principle, and since then several of these boats have been built with different degrees of success. In England a steamer called theCastaliawas built for crossing the channel between Dover and Calais, but she proved to be very slow in spite of her enormous engines, which were intended to propel her not less than twenty miles an hour. The chief defect in her construction was that she was built like two complete boats placed side by side, whereas she should have been shaped like a single boat that had been sawed in two from one end to the other. The water is ploughed off from the bows of a boat, as you can see at any time, and when two boats are close to each other and parallel, the water is banked up between them and retards their progress; but where a double boat is built as I have suggested, and as the South Sea Islanders build them, the case is different, and the two hulls glide as smoothly as though they were only one.
AMERICAN MODIFICATION OF A SAVAGE BOAT.
"An American, who has given much study to the subject, has devised a form of boat for pleasure purposes along the coast, that he claims to be a vast improvement over the boats we now have in use. He suggests a double hull sixteen feet long, and each half of the hull eighteen inches wide at the top, and the same in depth. He puts these hulls five feet apart, connects them by beams, and lays down a light deck thirteen feet long and eight feet wide at its broadest part. He places a rudder on each hull, and attaches the two to a single tiller, and he rigs the boat with a lateen sail, though he frankly confesses that the ordinary boom-and-gaff sail is better for all purposes except that of picturesqueness. Asthe Americans are a practical people, they are not very likely to adopt the sail of the Mediterranean and the South Seas because it looks well."
While this conversation concerning boats was going on the strange craft swung into the path of the steamer, and a rope was thrown from the latter to the former. It was caught by one of her men, and without the speed of the steamer slacking in the least, the Cingalese boat came along-side and was made fast. A native clambered up the rope with the speed of a monkey, and Frank observed that he grasped it between the first and second toes of his feet, exactly as the Malays do. Like the Malays they go barefooted all their lives, and consequently the toes retain far more freedom of action than they would if confined in boots or shoes.
The occupants of the boat were fishermen, and they had a stock of freshly-caught fish, from which the captain of the steamer made a liberal purchase for the use of his passengers and crew. Then they had some of the fruits of Ceylon, principally cocoa-nuts, both green and ripe; the former were in the greatest demand, as they afforded an agreeable relieffrom the warm water that had been the beverage of the party since their departure from Rangoon. The juice of the green cocoa-nut is one of the most delicious drinks imaginable; it is slightly acidulous, and an excellent tonic for the stomach. The natives drink it without the least restriction, and it is very rarely that a foreigner finds any ill effects resulting from its use.
The Parawas, or fishermen of Ceylon, are a distinct class or caste by themselves, and it is a curious circumstance that they are all Catholic Christians. They are of the same race as the fishermen of Southern India, and were among the first converts of the Portuguese missionaries more than three hundred years ago. The fishermen of Northern Ceylon invited St. Francis Xavier to go and teach them in the doctrines of Christianity in 1544; they were converted through his labors, and their descendants have remained faithful to the creed that was then promulgated. Partly in consequence of the difference of religious belief they have comparatively few relations with the other inhabitants of Ceylon, and stick persistently to their occupations. They are divided into thirteen sections, and each has its own work connected with the fishing business. Some of them are boat-builders, others are carpenters, others weave the nets, and others make the spears and various metal implements that are used. Those who go out to catch the fish are divided into various classes, such as rock-fishers, beach-fishers, net-fishers, spear-fishers, boat-fishers, rod-fishers, etc. They are a brave and hardy people, and though few of them get rich, they usually lead comfortable lives, as the seas around Ceylon abound in fish, and the man who pursues them patiently is pretty sure to be rewarded.
The boat delivered the purchases made by the steamer, and then dropped off, and was soon left far behind. The next morning, when the boys went on deck, the coast of Ceylon was in sight, eight or ten miles away. Near the shore it was a mass of green, with here and there a little nook opening into what might possibly be a harbor, and for the greater part of the way the verdure came closely down to the water. As they drew nearer and nearer, the boys made out the verdure to be a limitless extent of cocoa-nut trees, and they were not at all surprised when told that there were many millions of them on the island of Ceylon.
SCENE ON THE COAST OF CEYLON.
"You observe," said the Doctor, "that all along the shore the trees hang over the water, and apparently their roots are pushed out into the sea. The tree is fond of the salt-water, and grows better at the edge of the sea than away from it. It is a wonderful provision of nature thatthe tree bends over the sea, as the fruit when ripe falls into the water, and is carried away to other lands. It may furnish food for men and animals, or it may be cast on a sandy shore, where it develops and takes root, and grows into another tree, that follows the example of its parent."
At this moment the captain of the steamer approached them, and pointed out a chain of mountains that could just be designated on the horizon. "The sharp one is the Peak of Adam," he explained; "you'll probably know more about it by-and-by."
"Why is it called the Peak of Adam?" was the inquiry that naturally followed this announcement.
"Because," was the reply, "it is supposed to bear the mark of Adam's foot when he stepped from the island to the Kingdom of Siam. This is the Mohammedan tradition, but the natives claim that the footprint was made by Buddha, and for this reason they hold it in high veneration, and have a temple on the summit. For sailors it is a landmark, as it is the highest mountain in the island, with a single exception."
"Perhaps we may have an opportunity to ascend it," said the Doctor;"and if we do, we shall see many things about it and from its summit to remind us of our ascent of Fusiyama, in Japan."
The steamer rounded the southern extremity of the great island, and headed for the port of Point de Galle. The scenery of the coast was not materially changed as the miles were left behind, and our friends began to weary a little on account of its monotony. It seemed as though the cocoa-nut-trees were unending, and one of the boys declared that he had seen enough of them to last him for some time. By-and-by a flag-staff was visible on a little promontory, and the captain announced that they were close to their destination. Several boats were cruising about in front of the entrance to the harbor, and, as the steamer came into sight, two or three of these boats headed for her. They were outriggers, of the same pattern as we have already encountered, and from one of them a pilot was taken to guide the steamer to her anchorage.
A ship arriving in front of Galle at night must anchor outside, or cruise up and down till daylight, as the pilots never come off during the hours of darkness, no matter what signals are made. The harbor is not an easy one to enter, and requires great care on the part of the pilot to bring a ship safely to anchor. There are several sunken rocks inside, and a stranger would be almost certain to run on them, even with the assistance of a good chart; a steamer was once lost here owing to the delay of only a few seconds in the transmission of an order for the stoppage of the engines, and others have received serious damage from similar causes. Many plans have been devised for improving the harborby the removal of the rocks, and it is said that contracts have been made recently with some Americans for that very desirable work.
RUINS OF A PORTUGUESE CHURCH.
The steamer was brought to the place assigned her, and securely moored, and as soon as this had been done, our friends entered one of the curious little outrigger boats and were carried to the shore. The boys were so pleased with the picturesque beauty of the place that they wished to make a sketch of it, but there was no time to do so, and the proposal was dropped. The port is a delightful nook in the coast of Ceylon, surrounded with cocoa-nut-trees that grow down to the very edge of the water, and have their roots washed by its spray. At one side is the old town or fort, which dates back to the Portuguese occupation of the place, and gives a hint of its age by its venerable appearance. Some of the old buildings are in ruins, as the government does not care to reconstruct them.
Point de Galle has very little local commerce, and its chief importance comes from its geographical position. Nearly all the steamers between Europe, on the one hand, and China and the Far East, on the other, touch at Galle for coal, and many thousand tons of this fuel are handledthere every month. Some days there are eight or ten arrivals and departures, and rarely is there a day without a steamer entering or leaving. A glance at the position of the place, with reference to other ports of the Indian Ocean and the Eastern seas in general, will show its great importance as a coaling-station. Its name is supposed to be derived from the great number of coral rocks—Galla—on this part of the coast, and particularly in the vicinity of the harbor.
A YOUNG NATIVE AT BREAKFAST.
Doctor Bronson and the youths had hardly set foot on land before they were pestered with natives offering precious stones for sale. Ceylon is famous for its real gems, and as there is rarely a good thing in this world without a counterfeit, there are plenty of imitation gems in the hands of the peddlers. In fact, it may be set down that nearly all that are offered are false, for the reason that the profit on their sale is greater than can possibly happen with real stones. The stones for which Ceylon is famous are the sapphire, ruby, topaz, and garnet, but they are not sufficiently abundant to yield fortunes to those who dig for them. Some of the rivers flowing from Adam's Peak are literally paved with garnets, but they are nearly all so small as to be worthless. The only use for these garnet-sands is for sawing elephants' teeth into plates, and for polishing other gems.
The annual exportation of precious stones from Ceylon is about $50,000; this does not include the stones, nearly all false, that are sold to passengers on the steamers touching at Galle. When there is a goodly number of verdant travellers on a steamer, the harvest is likely to be a rich one. The European naturally thinks there is a relation between the asking and the selling price of an article, and when a native demands a hundred dollars for a gem, the stranger is very apt to offer five or ten dollars for the stone, and even then he thinks he has acted meanly. He is astonished to find his offer accepted, and still more astonished to find that, his purchase is not worth twenty-five cents.
A couple of natives followed our friends in their walk on shore, and persisted in offering a select assortment of rubies, sapphires, and other stones. One of them urged Frank to buy a fine ruby for ten pounds, and a sapphire for fifteen, with the guarantee of his word of honor that they were genuine. Frank thought of his sister and Miss Effie, and how much these gems would please them, and finally asked the dealer his lowest price.
The man meditated a moment, as if balancing in his mind the figure that came as nearly as possible to the actual cost, and then said he would sell the two for twenty pounds, or one hundred dollars.
Frank referred the matter to Doctor Bronson, and asked how much it would be wise to offer. The latter looked at the stones for a moment, and suggested that a rupee (fifty cents) would be about the thing.
Frank was rather taken aback at this difference in figures, but gravely followed his mentor's advice. He tendered the rupee, which was refused with indignation; but when he held the stones in one hand and the rupee in the other, for the man to take his choice and be gone, the rupee was accepted, and Frank was the happy owner of a sapphire and a ruby of excellent color and "finest water," that had their origin among the makers of false gems in Paris or London. The native makers are, however, quite as skilful as the Europeans, and it is said that some of the best fictions in the way of precious stones are produced in India.
VIEW OF THE COAST NEAR GALLE HARBOR.
Our friends went to the Oriental Hotel, the principal hostelry in the city, and thence to the banker's, where it was thought there might possibly be letters waiting for them. Frank remarked that the streets were very quiet for a place of as much importance as Galle, but Fred reminded him that its chief business was to serve as a coaling-station for steamers, and it was not to be expected that the steamers would come up into the streets to get their coal. Frank acknowledged the force of his cousin's argument, and the subject of conversation was changed.
A STREET IN POINT DE GALLE.
The houses were rarely more than two stories high, and they had shaded balconies where the occupants could be partially protected from the heat during the middle of the day. Point de Galle is cooler than some places farther north, for the reason that the wind blows with greatforce for a large part of the year, and sometimes it is so fierce that it rolls the surf into the harbor, and causes small craft to dance uneasily at their anchorage. The houses are solidly built of stone or stuccoed brick, and many of the floors are of the same material, on account of the greater coolness. Another reason for the use of stone or brick instead of wood is the presence of a white ant that devours the latter substance with great rapidity; teak and one or two other kinds of wood resist him, but all others are his legitimate food. Speaking on this subject, the Doctor told the boys that some years ago a quantity of machinery was sent from America to Ceylon, and the shippers hoped to make a fine profit on their venture. The machinery was partly of wood and partly of iron, and the wood happened to be of a kind that these ants are fond of. In less than three months they had devoured it; the machinery fell to pieces, and was utterly useless, and the whole value of the shipment was lost. "American exporters," said he, "would do well to learn the peculiarities of the countries where their goods are going before they venture on making consignments."
Ceylon contains a varied assortment of ants, and some of them are great nuisances: they swarm over everything, and seem to consider that the house and all it contains belong to them. There is one variety that is a terror to every living thing; it is about an inch long, and has a pairof powerful jaws with which it inflicts a severe wound. It is formidable in consequence of always moving in great numbers, and when it is once started there is hardly anything that will stop it.
AN ARMY OF ANTS ON THE MOVE.
An army of these ants will march through a forest, and make a road a yard or more in width that resembles a well-trodden path. When hungry they spread out over the fields and devour every green thing, and they can kill cattle, horses, and even large snakes that happen in their way. It is said that their favorite way of killing a snake is by first biting his eyes out, and when they have reduced him to a condition of blindness his capture is comparatively easy. They eat every particle of flesh and leave the bones, and if a skeleton that they have operated on can be found before the bones are scattered by the wild beasts, it is in exactly the condition required for a museum. They show great ingenuity in crossing rivers, and their performances have a strong resemblance to reason. When they come to a stream they search for an overhanging tree, and as soon as they have discovered it a lot of ants proceed to the end of the branch that reaches the farthest over the water. Here they form a chain by linking their bodies together, and the one at the end of the chain grasps a branch on the opposite side, and thus completes a suspension-bridge, by which the rest of the army can cross. When all are over the bridge dissolves and brings up the rear. If the overhanging branch does not reach to the other side, they swing the living chain till the ant at the lower end can seize hold of something, and sometimes they give it additional strength by throwing out guy-ropes or braces of strings of ants.
It was proposed to take a ride to Wockwalla, a famous place near Point de Galle. There were several carriages in front of the hotel, and one of them was engaged for the ride, with the understanding that the return would be made through the cinnamon gardens. The ride was through a rich tropical forest, and the boys both agreed that they had seen no forest more luxuriant than this since they left Java. The trees for much of the way overhung the road, and sheltered the travellers from the sun; and at almost every step they caught sight of birds playing among the branches. Small boys ran after them with bunches of jasmine and other flowers for sale, and one of the youths bought a bunch of mace which was just blooming, and showing the brown nutmeg inside. They regretted that they could not carry it home just as it was, and show their friends the great beauty of the nutmeg-tree when it puts forth its flowers.
Wockwalla proved to be a hill from which there was a fine view of rice-fields and tropical forests, and a pretty river winding through them.With an eye to business some one had built a refreshment-stand on the top of the hill, and a notice was posted that all who did not patronize the establishment would be expected to pay for the privilege of sitting on the balcony. As the day was warm, it was promptly decided that lemonades would be in order, and they were speedily prepared. Mangoes and two or three other kinds of fruit were brought, and an hour was passed very pleasantly in the contemplation of the attractions of Wockwalla, which were not altogether confined to the scenery.
ENTRANCE TO THE CINNAMON GARDENS.
The return to Galle was by a different route, which led them by the cinnamon gardens, where a fee was charged for looking at the trees. Some of the natives stripped off a portion of the bark of one of the trees, and allowed the boys to taste and smell it to make sure that it was cinnamon and nothing else. It was not the season of gathering the bark, and consequently they were unable to witness the process of obtaining the spice, which forms an important export to Europe and America.
While they were wandering about the gardens, and looking at the trees, the Doctor told the boys about the plant they were studying.
"You see," said he, "that the trees are from fifteen to thirty feet high, and when you stand half a dozen yards away the strong perfume that rises from them is plainly perceptible. The scientific men call it theLaurus cinnamomum, and it was known to the ancients long before the beginning of the Christian era; it is a native of Ceylon, and it is saidthat there are not far from 15,000 acres of ground in the island devoted to its culture. The trees are grown from seed, and when they are eight years old they begin to yield the cinnamon of commerce, and they continue to yield it till they have passed a hundred years. An acre of ground well planted with good trees will give not less than 400 pounds of cinnamon in a year, and sometimes as much as 500 pounds.
"The bark is stripped off in pieces about forty inches long, and is then fermented till the outer skin separates from the inner, which is the one that is wanted. Then the inner skin is dried in the sun very slowly, and it is this drying that makes it curl up in the way you see it in the stores at home. It does not require a rich soil for its production, and many of the cinnamon gardens of Ceylon are on sandy land that would not easily produce anything else."
Frank asked if all the cinnamon used in the world came from the island of Ceylon.
"Not by any means," was the reply; "but there was a time when Ceylon had a monopoly of the commerce. When the Dutch held the island they carried the trees to Java and started the culture there; and the Chinese have a tree that belongs to the same family as this one, though its product is not as good. The Chinese variety is called cassia, and is extensively used for medicinal purposes. About half the cinnamon used in Europe and America comes from Ceylon, and the rest from Java, China, and South America."
It was near sunset when our friends returned to Galle, and were dropped at the door of the hotel. Before starting on the ride to Wockwalla the Doctor had sent the commissionnaire of the hotel to bring their baggage from the steamer, and on their return they found it waiting for them in the corridor. The heavy trunks were sent off early in the evening by a wagon bound for Colombo, and the three passengers were to leave about ten o'clock at night by the coach.
The distance between Galle and Colombo is nearly seventy miles, and a coach runs each way daily; the fare is £2 5s., or about $11.00, and an extra coach of four seats may be had for £11. The steamers of the P. and O. Company do not touch at Colombo, and passengers bound for that place are ticketed through at the same rates as to Galle alone. After the arrival of a steamer of this company at Galle the coaches are apt to be greatly crowded for a day or two, and, as one was due the next day, the Doctor thought it best to get off at once; besides, they had exhausted the sights of Galle, and there was no use in waiting longer.
The coach came to the hotel at the appointed hour, and the threepassengers took their places. They found that they had the vehicle pretty much to themselves, as there was only one other passenger, an English coffee-planter who lived up country, and had been to Galle on business. The vehicle was a rickety affair, and the horses were not half as good as those that had drawn the boys in their journey through Java; Frank remarked the low condition of the team, and the Englishman told him that horses were dear in Ceylon, as they were not raised in the country, but were imported from Burmah, Australia, the Malay Archipelago, and the Persian Gulf. "Those of us who want horses," said he, "are constantly on the lookout for new lots of whalers, as we depend on them to recruit our stocks."
Fred modestly asked what the whalers had to do with bringing horses to Ceylon.
"I see," said the Englishman, laughing, "you don't understand our expressions. A 'whaler' is a horse that has been imported from Australia; when you get to Colombo you will see placards on the walls, or advertisements in the papers, that choice lots of whalers have just been received, and will be sold at auction on a certain day if not previously disposed of at private sale."
"I suppose," Frank remarked, "that it is in the same way that foreigners living in China call an imported horse a 'griffin;' do you call these horses griffins as well as whalers?"
"Not often," answered the Englishman; "but sometimes you hear the name from an Englishman who has been in China. In India and Ceylon the term griffin is applied to a newly-arrived Englishman, and it sticks to him till he has been a year in the country. Griffin is frequently abbreviated to 'griff,' and those who are familiar with the talk of Englishmen in India know perfectly well what is meant when a man is called a griff."
"Returning to horses," he continued, "the best are from Australia, and they sell for nearly double the prices that the others will bring. Then we have them from the Persian Gulf, of a poor quality so far as appearance is concerned, but they do very good service. The team that we now have is composed of Gulf horses, and what they lack in speed they make up in savage tempers. They are difficult to manage, and, as one of your countrymen once remarked in my hearing, 'they are very handy with their heels!' A better horse than this is the Pegu pony, as it is called; it comes mostly from the western end of Sumatra, and stands the climate very well, besides being less vicious than the rest, but it cannot equal the Australian for speed."
DONKEY AND PACK-SADDLE.
"We use donkeys here for carrying burdens, just as they are used in nearly every part of the world. They are rather too weak for riding purposes, and you will not often see them with riding-saddles on their backs; the pack-saddle is almost as large as the animal that carries it, but it is lighter than you would suppose, as it is made from pandanus-leaves and coir-rope, and serves its purpose very well."
The greater part of this conversation occurred after the coach had started on its journey and before it reached the first station for changing horses. The road was excellent, and the team made such progress as to surprise the boys, who had thought such sorry animals could go little faster than a walk. The horses kept an even pace of about seven miles an hour, and hardly broke from a trot for miles where the road was level. The road was lined on each side by cocoa-nut-trees, and their new acquaintance told the boys that the trees continued without interruption all the way from Galle to Colombo.
The change of horses was made by the light of torches, and the kicking and general restlessness of the animals confirmed what the Englishman had said about their bad tempers. The drivers and stablemen seemed to have a wholesome respect for the brutes as long as they were in danger from their heels—but when the team was all ready, and the driver had mounted to his box, he made up for any previous forbearance by a liberal use of the whip.
GATHERING COCOA-NUTS.
After passing the first station the travellers settled down to sleep, and, as there were four of them, each had a corner to himself. The boys slept quite well during the night, waking only from an occasional jolt or when stopping at the stations for the change of horses. The night air was damp from the fog that poured in from the sea, and, by advice of their new acquaintance, they wrapped themselves well around the throat to avoid taking cold.
In the morning they were still among the cocoa-trees, and, as they looked out on the forest of tall trunks extending as far as they could see in any direction, the conversation naturally turned upon the uses of this product of the earth. The coffee-planter told them that there were fifteen varieties of the palm-tree in Ceylon, the most of them growing inthe hilly regions of the interior of the island. "The cocoa-nut palm," said he, "grows only along the coast; you find it occasionally among the hills, but not often, and it never seems to flourish there."
"And I suppose its chief use is to produce cocoa-nuts?" Fred remarked, as the stranger paused.
"That is its principal use," was the reply; "but, according to the natives, it has ninety-nine others."
"A hundred uses for one tree!" replied Fred, in astonishment.
"Yes," said the stranger, "the natives claim that they can rely on the cocoa-palm for a hundred different things. It is sufficient to build, rig, and freight the small vessels of the Maldive Islands. It produces wine, water, oil, sugar, spirits, vinegar, and milk; a species of sago is obtained from the pith of the trunk near the head, and a vegetable like cabbage from the young buds when boiled; the old leaves make huts, fences, baskets, and the like, and the young leaves are yellow and transparent, so that they make pretty lanterns and decorations; the shells of the nuts are made into cups, ladles, spoons, and similar utensils, and, when not wanted for any other purposes, they can be converted into charcoal for cooking food. From the fibres of the leaves brooms can be made, the butts of the stalks make paddles and handles to farming implements, while the fibres of the husks may be converted into ropes, twine, matting, carpets, and mattresses.
"You may think that is all, but it isn't. The tree has many medicinal properties: the natives extract a powerful oil from the bark, which they use in cutaneous diseases; the juice of the flower makes an astringent lotion like alum; a decoction of the root is given in fevers; and the juice of the leaves mixed with some of the oil is used for ophthalmia. Cocoa-nut-oil is the best remedy for the stings of insects, and it is already well known to European and American chemists. The bamboo is said to beone of the most useful trees in the world, but I doubt if it holds a higher place than the cocoa-nut-tree."
Frank wished to know how long the trees lived, and how soon they began to bear fruit.
A YOUNG COCOA-PALM.
"They begin to bear about the seventh year," replied the coffee-planter, "and are in full bearing at twelve years. As long as they live they produce from forty to fifty nuts a year on the average, and they keep it up for seventy or eighty years. They produce their fruit at different times in the year, so that you may see it in all stages of growth, from the blossom up to the nut that is ripe and ready to fall. Look at any of the trees as we ride past them, and see for yourselves."
The boys looked out of the windows of the coach, and verified the statements of their informer. While he was doing so, Frank made a mental calculation something like the following:
"There are said to be 20,000,000 cocoa-nut-trees in Ceylon. Now, if each tree makes forty nuts a year, they have 800,000,000 nuts, and I wonder what they do with them?"
He propounded the problem to the stranger; the latter smiled, and replied,
"Ceylon exports 2,000,000 gallons of cocoa-nut oil, and consumes as much more; it takes forty nuts for a gallon of oil, and thus we dispose of the product of 4,000,000 trees.
"Then there are 5,000,000 trees that produce toddy, which is the juice obtained by tapping the base of the buds just before they blossom. It is drunk sweet or fermented, but in the latter condition it has intoxicating qualities that are not at all beneficial. It contains a good deal of saccharine matter, and is boiled down sometimes into coarse sugar, and sometimes into a sort of cheap molasses. Toddy makes excellent vinegar, is used for leavening bread, and is distilled into the spirits called arrack. The word 'toddy' has gone into other languages, and is known in both England and America.
NESTS OF THE TODDY-BIRD.
"During the season of gathering the juice of the palm the gatherers are greatly disturbed by a small bird that drinks the juice, and calls all its friends to share it with him; it is known as the 'toddy-bird,' and his nest is shaped somewhat like that of the Baltimore oriole. The bird is a social one, and sometimes hundreds of nests will be found together on a single tree.
"We have disposed of the product of 9,000,000 trees, and have 11,000,000 remaining. Many millions of nuts are annually used as food by the natives, either in a green or ripe state, and great numbers are destroyed by the monkeys and other animals that infest the trees. For making the best qualities of coir-rope the nuts must be gathered when green, as the fibres become brittle when old, and the rope is of a poor sort. Then there are many millions of nuts exported to other countries, and on the whole very little of the product of the forest is allowed to go to waste."
RESIDENCE OF A WEALTHY FOREIGNER.
As they approached Colombo there were occasional glimpses of houses among the trees, and the boys were not surprised to learn that the cocoa forest was considered a desirable place of residence for the foreigners in Colombo who could afford homes out of the city. Avenues of palms led from the road to the dwellings, and in several instances there were evidences of liberal expenditure and excellent taste in the arrangement of the houses and their surroundings. Seven or eight miles from Colombo the planter called the attention of the boys to an island that was just visible through the trees, and was separated from the land by a very narrow channel. He explained that it was a favorite resort of the foreigners in Colombo when they wished to indulge in sea-bathing, and that a railway had lately been completed to it.
It was about eight o'clock in the morning when the coach rolled from the edge of the forest and out upon an open space which is used as adrilling-place for troops, and also for the races in which the residents of the city indulge occasionally. On the sea-front of this area the surf was breaking, and the pure breeze from the waters was a grateful refresher after the ride of the night. As they rose to the crest of the ridge the boys came in sight of the red walls of the city; in less than a quarter of an hour they were at the door of the principal hotel of Colombo.
SCENE ON THE COAST NEAR COLOMBO.
Colombo consists of two parts, "The Fort" and "The Black Town." The Fort includes the foreign quarter: the government offices are here, and also the principal hotels and warehouses, as well as the residences of the English inhabitants. The Black Town, or Pettah, is made up of a mixed population, principally natives and half-castes, with a sprinkling of Moormen, Parsees, and other nationalities more or less uncertain. The Pettah formerly extended close up to the Fort, but when the Dutch were about to be attacked by the English, near the end of the last century, they cleared a space of several hundred yards, and it has remained clear ever since.
Our friends took a stroll through the Fort and down to the harbor, where they found a miscellaneous collection of ships from the coasts of India and Ceylon, and from other parts of the world. The harbor is accessible only to small vessels of native construction: foreign ships are obliged to lie farther out, and to land and receive their cargoes and passengers in lighters and row-boats. When the south-west monsoon is blowing the surf rolls unpleasantly from the sea, and the operation of landing or embarking is a serious one for nervous persons. A long pier or breakwater was begun in 1875, and the authorities promised to have it completed within ten years from the date of commencement. When finished, it will afford shelter for large ships, and greatly increase the importance of Colombo.
Frank asked the Doctor if the place was named for Christopher Columbus, the great navigator.
"Yes and no," was the answer. "It is called Col-amba in the native histories as far back asa.d. 496, and an Arabian traveller, in 1344, speaks of it as 'Kalambu, the finest town in Serendib.' It kept the name of Kalambu till the arrival of the Portuguese, who changed it to Colombo in honor of the famous Genoese discoverer of America. There has been a town or city here for nearly if not quite two thousand years, but it wasnever of much importance till the Portuguese, and after them the Dutch and English, held the island."
In the course of their promenade the boys discovered that the walls of the Fort were nearly two miles in circuit, and of considerable strength and thickness. The Doctor told them the Fort was built by the Dutch, and had been only slightly altered by the English, but there was a prospect that the most of the walls would be removed in a few years to make way for new buildings. The Fort stands on a promontory between the sea and a couple of lakes, and is consequently a place of great natural strength. The houses are solidly built, the streets are lighted with gas, and altogether Colombo is far from uncomfortable as a place of residence.
A BUSINESS STREET IN THE "BLACK TOWN."
Numbers of peddlers were in the streets, and the corridor of the hotel was crowded with them. They were of the same character as the itinerant merchants of Singapore and Point de Galle, and quite as persistent in offering their wares for sale. The goods were chiefly the products of India and Ceylon, and included some very pretty shellwork, carvings in ivory, ebony, and sandal-wood; Indian jewellery, and gems; the most of the latter being the false gems from Point de Galle. The boys were attracted by the models of Cingalese boats, and after a good deal of bargaining they bought one to send home. It was of the outrigger pattern, very much like those of Galle and the eastern coast, but with the outrigger larger in proportion to the size of the boat.
In the afternoon the Doctor ordered a carriage and went with his young companions to the Pettah, or Black Town, and into the open country beyond it. They found that the Black Town was laid out with wide streets, and had a handsome market-house, under the superintendence of an Englishman. The fine display of fruits in the market showed how Colombo is favored by its tropical climate, and the varied lot of fish told of the wealth of the sea. Frank called the attention of his cousin to several fishes whose like they had not seen before, and Fred responded by pointing out some fresh varieties of fruit.
They passed stores and large shops that were kept by men with foreign features, but with skins quite as dark as those of the natives. TheDoctor said these men were descended from the Portuguese, who were the first Europeans to settle in Ceylon, and take possession of the country. Many of them had accumulated large fortunes, and their houses were on a scale that corresponded to the wealth of the owners. Many of these houses have fine gardens attached to them, and there are some gardens that cost many thousands of dollars. The Dutch, who held Ceylon after the Portuguese, and before the English occupation, have left a good many descendants in Colombo, and nearly all of them are rich and correspondingly happy. They spend their lives in Ceylon, and never think of going to Holland to reside.