300 COCOA-NUT TREE. 



trance, he beheld a large expanse of water, 

 which he tasted, and found it both salt and 

 nauseous, although of a fine green* colour near, 

 and blue in the distance ; having on its margin 

 immense groves of trees of a rare kind, such as 

 he had never before seen ; for, instead of 

 branches in various directions, as other trees 

 had in his country, a tuft of large leaves, as 

 they then appeared to him to be, crowned the 

 lofty summit of each individual tree, which, to 

 an immense height, was totally divested of 

 branches or foliage. — This tradition is believed 

 by many eminent Tirinanses, or high priests, of 

 Budhoo, who attach to it great antiquity. 



The Kottah rajah, having awakened from his 

 trance, felt his mind deeply impressed with the 

 unusual nature of his dreams ; but, in the na- 

 tural excitement which the hope of his recovery 

 encouraged, he renewed his oblations and 

 prayers, believing that a display of omnipotent 

 mercy would be the result. A Cobra de ca- 

 pello, the Naya of the Singalese, {Coluber naja, 

 Linn.) and sacred snake of the Budhists, shortly 

 afterwards approached, and, having expanded 

 its spectacle-marked hood, raised its head a 

 cubit above the ground, and observed the rajah 



* A liberty is here taken with the tradition, blue and 

 green being synonymous in Singalese, (Nil-pata.) 



