UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 27 



he purchased some few articles which he thought 

 might be acceptable to the friendly Bedah ; and 

 by setting out in the night he arrived early in 

 the morning at the forest, and deposited his 

 offering on the very spot where, for so many suc- 

 cessive days, the food had been placed which saved 

 his life. In vain he delayed there in hopes of 

 seeing the Bedah, till he was obliged to return to 

 his work ; but as he heard the well known growl 

 at no great distance, he knew that he was observ- 

 ed, and that his presentwould be found. Colonel 

 T. says, that the dogs of the Bedahs are re- 

 markable for their sagacity in tracing game and 

 in distinguishing the scent of different animals. 

 On the approach of a stranger, or of any dan- 

 gerous beast, they first put their master on his 

 guard, and then help to defend him; and so in- 

 valuable are they to this tribe, that when their 

 (laughters marry, these dogs form their portion. 



Our industrious Ceylonese had built a hut 

 during his residence at the cinnamon plantation ; 

 it was formed from a single cocoa nut tree ; the 

 stem furnished posts ; the branches supplied 

 rafters, and the leaves formed a covering suffi- 

 cient to repel both sun and rain. The Cey- 

 lonese huts are fastened entirely by withes of 

 ratan, or by coy a rope, which is made of the 

 fibrous threads of the husk of the cocoa nut. 

 They are sometimes strengthened with slender 

 pieces of wood or bamboo, and daubed over 



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