416 THE NOKTHERX FORESTS. [Part IX. 



presented many objects of curious interest ; it was fre- 

 quently crossed by rivulets from the mountains, one so 

 densely charged mth calcareous matter that it had coated 

 the rocks in its descent with a deposit, wliich lay so thick 

 as almost to form an elevated channel for the stream ; 

 others were impregnated with iron, and so highly coloured 

 as to indicate its presence in great abundance in the liills 

 above. 



For the first ten miles after leaving Kandy, the 

 rivers are either bridged or fordable ; but, after sunset, 

 we came to the Maha-oya, the first which presented 

 neither of these facihties. As we rode down to its 

 bank, a headman, the coralle of the district, appeared 

 with his foUowers on the further side, and a httle raft 

 pushed off towards us, constructed of branches laid 

 across two hollowed trees. On this we placed ourselves 

 and our saddles, and with our horses swimmmg behind 

 us, reached the opposite bank, whence a ride of two 

 miles to the top of the pass of Gonnegamme brought us 

 to the native house, where oiu* servants were awaiting 

 om^ arrival. It was a poor hovel, its wretchedness 

 but ill concealed by the wliite cloths with which, ac- 

 cording to the native fashion, the walls and ceilings 

 were hung in honom^ of strangers. It afforded us, 

 however, cover for the night, our servants sleepmg out- 

 side in the open air, and before daybreak we were 

 again in the saddle by torchhght en route for the^bank 

 of the Ooma-oya \ wliich we hoped to reach in time for 

 breakfast. 



The low-country Smghalese make these torches, or 

 " chules," as they are caUed, out of the dry leaves of the 

 coco-nut palm, binding them into bundles six feet long, 

 and three or foiu- inches in diameter, and these burn for 

 about half an hour if dexterously carried. In the north, 

 however, wdiere tlie coco-nut is rare, the inhabitants employ 

 an mgenious substitute, and form a much superior torch 



1 Ganga, in Singaleso, meaus a gi-eat river; Oya, a smaller one; and 

 EUa, a ri^1llet or stieam. 



