Chap. Y.] GREAT TANK OF TADIVIL. 501 



village ; and along with his company, the following morn- 

 ing, we resumed our tour round the north of the lake, 

 completing the circuit at Amera-Yayal, whence we had 

 started two days before. 



In order to do this, we had to cross the river flowing 

 out of the great tank of Padivil, by which the lake 

 of Kokelai is formed. The dimensions of this tank may 

 be inferred from the fact, that the stream issuing 

 from its ruins is between two and three hundred feet 

 broad, and so deep and impetuous, that it was mth 

 difficulty our horses crossed it in safety. The country 

 along its banks is rich, and would be fertile, but the 

 place is so neglected that herds of wild buffaloes were 

 rolling in the marshes, and elephants are so abun- 

 dant that the water was still trickling into the foot- 

 marks in the sand, which they had left a moment 

 before, having crossed a branch of the river on our 

 approach. 



As the immediate vicinity of the great tank is so 

 infested Avith malaria, as to render it dangerous to 

 pass the night there ; we arranged to halt and sleep at a 

 Tamil village about ten miles to the south-west of it, 

 called Liende-hitte-hamelawa. The following day, after 

 inspecting the tank in the morning, we proposed to ride 

 to Koolan-colom, eighteen miles beyond it, and there to 

 rest for the night. 



As this plan involved a long day's journey, we 

 started for the tank, from our sleeping-place, by torch- 

 light, some hours before the sun. It was tedious work ; 

 the path under the trees being used by the natives 

 only on foot, the branches, thorns, and cHmbing plants 

 closed overhead so low, that for a great part of the 

 way it was impossible to ride in tlie gloom, and we 

 were obhged to get down and load our horses. The 

 direction of the foot-path had nowhere been chosen 

 with a view to the convenience of riders ; it ran along 

 the embankments of ne<2:lected tanks, and over rocks of 

 gneiss, wliicli occasionally diversify the mountainous level 



K K 3 



