chap. xii. A JUNGLE TRIP. 309 



into Kandy, forty-seven miles, arriving in good time 

 on the evening of the 30th November. 



Having parted with V. B., we saddled and mounted; 

 and, following our guide through a forest-path, we 

 arrived at Curhellulai after a ride of four miles. Noth- 

 ing could exceed the wretchedness of this place, from 

 which we had been led to expect so much. We could 

 not even procure a grain of rice from the few small 

 huts which composed the village. The headman, who 

 himself looked half-starved, made some cakes of kor- 

 rakan ; but as they appeared to be composed of two 

 parts of sand, one of dirt and one of grain, I preferred 

 a prolonged abstinence to such filth. The abject 

 poverty of the whole of this country is beyond des- 

 cription. 



Our coolies arrived at eight A.M., faint and tired ; 

 they no longer turned up their noses at korrakan, as 

 they did at Monampitya, but they filled themselves 

 almost to bursting. 



I started off V. B.'s coolies after him, also eight 

 men whose loads had been consumed, and, with a 

 diminished party, we started for Bibille, which the 

 natives assured us was only nineteen miles from this 

 spot. For once they were about correct in their ideas 

 of distance. The beautiful 'Park ' country commenced 

 about four miles from Curhellulai, and, after a lovely 

 ride through this scenery for sixteen miles, we arrived 



