CUAP. III.] 



THE VEDDAIIS. 



441 



is a dialect of Singhalese without any admixture from 

 the Sanskrit or Pah ^ — a circumstance mdicative of thek 

 repugnance to intercourse with strangers. But so de- 

 graded are some of these wretched outcasts, that it has 

 appeared doubtful in certain cases whether they possess 

 any language whatever. One gentleman^ who resided 

 long in thek vicinity has assm'ed me that not only is 

 their dialect incomprehensible to a Singhalese, but that 

 even thek commmiications with one another are made 

 by signs, grimaces, and guttural sounds which bear little 

 or no resemblance to distinct words or systematised 

 language. They have no marriage rites ; although they 

 acknowledge the marital obhgation and the duty of 

 supporting their own famihes. Marriages, amongst 

 them, are settled by the parents of the contracting 

 parties ; the father of the bride presents his son-in-law 

 with a bow ; his own father assigns him a right of chase 

 in a portion of his hunting gTOund ; he presents the lady 

 with a cloth and some rude ornaments ; and she foUows 

 him into the forest as his wife. The community is too 

 poor to afford polygamy. A gentleman who in a hunt- 

 ing excursion had passed the night near a clan of Wild 

 Veddahs, gave me a description of their mode of going 

 to rest. The chief first stretched himself on the ground, 

 after having placed his bow at hand and clutched his 

 hatchet, which is always an object of much care and 

 sohcitude. The children and younger members next 

 lay do^\m around him in close contact for sake of the 

 warmth — whilst the rest took up thek places in a 

 circle at some chstance, as if to watch for the safety of 

 the party during the night. 



They have no knowledge of a God, nor of a future 



^ The Dutch, in tlieir limited in- 

 tercourse with tlie Yeddahs, found 

 them sing'uhxrly disposed to silence 

 and to intercourse by siirns, and 

 Vaxentyn dwells on the paucity of 



words in theii- dialect. — Oitden Kiemo 

 Oost-hulien, ch. xv. p. 208. 



* G. R. Mercer, Esq., of the Civil 

 Service, who held office at Badidla. 



