Hospitality of a Catholic Missionary. 399 



into thin strips. The inventive ingenuity of the Cingalese had 

 endeavoured to represent the various birds found in tropical 

 forests, which were suspended in ornamental baskets of 

 green leaves among the festoons. Over the entrance to this 

 bower, improvised out of materials supplied by the primeval 

 forest, was placed a picture painted by the good Father 

 himself, representing a large anchor, with the superscription 

 in Italian " La speranza non confunde ! " (Hope never dis- 

 appoints !) This was evidently a delicate allusion of our 

 kind-souled entertainer to the hope which he had expressed 

 during our previous visit, that he should see us on our 

 return from Colombo, " which had not been disappointed." 



In the interior of the arbour appeared an elegantly ap- 

 pointed table, that seemed ready to give way under the 

 weight of good things spread upon it, around which were 

 placed a number of arm-chairs, worked in tapestry, while 

 the plastered floor was strewed with the glistening green 

 leaves of the Ficus religiosa. As soon as we had taken 

 our seats, the members of the community, consisting of more 

 than a hundred tawny, half-naked Cingalese (principally 

 men and children), arranged themselves in a circle, and 

 some half-dozen dancers began to execute a very ordinary- 

 looking dance to the sound of a drum. The entire figure 

 consisted in their simply approaching each other from 

 opposite sides, during which they struck the hollow-sounding 

 instrument pretty sharply, holding it in their hand the while, 

 after which they drew away from each other, and wound 



