Holo to subdue refractory Horses. 371 



When at last we got to Colombo about midnight, pretty 

 well knocked-up, we comforted ourselves with the reflection 

 that the inconveniences attending personal transport between 

 Galle and the scat of government, can by no means be 

 classed among events of rare occurrence ; since, in conse- 

 quence of the inveterate obstinacy of the native horse, one 

 must have recourse to the most incredible expedients to get 

 the carriage under weigh. For instance, at every station 

 the ears of the post-horse were twisted together and then 

 suddenly relaxed in order to set the vehicle in motion ; and, 

 when this torture failed, a pole, or thick stick, was inserted 

 under the tail of the recalcitrant, and rubbed up and down 

 till the poor animal, smarting under this painful operation, 

 took to the collar. Once the carriage is started in this 

 extraordinary fashion, the coachman swings to and fro 

 at the peril of his life, and endeavours by continually 

 "pitching into" the horse, to keep him at the gallop. 

 Thus between whooping and whipping the next station is 

 reached, where the same trial of patience awaits the 

 traveller, and a similar martyrdom for the next horse. 



Our first business the following morning was to take a 

 walk through Colombo, which, like Galle, consists of "The 

 Fort," or White City, and the " Pettah," or Black Quarterj 

 in the latter of which are situated the houses and shops 

 of the natives, and where the chief traffic and the greatest 

 activity are combined. Here one rarely encounters a white 

 man, for even the soldiers and police belong to the brown 



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