Civilisation : Its Cause and Cure 



of prayer, a beautiful naked brown figure, which could 

 be nothing else than the famous statue of the ' Youth 

 Adoring.' How surprised I was when the graceful bronze 

 statue suddenly came to life, and dropping his arms fell 

 on his knees, and after raising his black eyes imploringly 

 to mine bowed his handsome face so low at my feet that 

 his long black hair fell on the floor ! Socrates informed 

 me that this boy was a Pariah, a member of the lowest 

 caste, the Rodiyas, who had lost his parents at an early 

 age. He was told off to my exclusive service, and in answer 

 to the question what I was to call my new body-servant, 

 the old man informed me that his name was Gamameda. 

 Of course I immediately thought of Ganymede, for the 

 favorite of Jove himself could not have been more finely 

 made, or have had limbs more beautifully proportioned 

 and moulded. 



" Among the many beautiful figures which move in 

 the foreground of my memories of the Paradise of Ceylon, 

 Ganymede remains one of my dearest favorites. Not 

 only did he fulfil his duties with the greatest attention and 

 conscientiousness, but he developed a personal attachment 

 and devotion to me which touched me deeply. The poor 

 boy, as a miserable outcast of the Rodiya caste, had been 

 from his birth the object of the deepest contempt of his 

 fellow-men, and subjected to every sort of brutality and 

 ill-treatment! He was evidently as much surprised as 

 delighted to find me willing to be kind to him from the 

 first, ... I owe many beautiful and valuable contributions 

 to my museum to Ganymede's unfailing zeal and dexterity. 

 With the keen eye, the neat hand, and the supple agility 

 of the Cinghalesc youth, he could catch a fluttering moth 

 or a gliding fish with equal promptitude ; and his nimble- 

 ness was really amazing when, out hunting, he climbed 

 the tall trees like a cat, or scrambled through the densest 

 jungle to recover the prize I had killed." (p. 200,) 



292 



