COCOA-NUT TREE. 305 



of fruit, much larger than he had ever seen in 

 his own country of the interior, of green, yellow, 

 and red* colours, and others apparently black. 



There were no human beings on the coast^ 

 but wild beasts, such as leopards, bears, sloths, 

 and elephants innumerable. To climb the cocoa- 

 nut tree, (the promised source of health,) was 

 then unknown, and considered beyond the power 

 of mortal man ; but, as fire had been pointed 

 out as the means of obtaining its fruit, the rajah's 

 followers procured two dry sticks, which having 

 prepared, by pointing the end of one, and making 

 a small hole in the middle of the other, for the 

 reception of the pointed stick, friction produced 

 fire, which was immediately increased, by the 

 application of dried leaves to the emitted flame. 



Scarcely had an hour elapsed, after the fire 

 had been kindled that was to fell the pride of the 

 coast and the most valuable boon of nature to the 

 Indian world, ere, with a tremendous crash, it 

 became prostrate upon the earth, whence, from 

 its capacious and verdant crest, crept out crea- 

 tures innumerable : large blue scorpions, brown 

 and yellow centipedes, snakes of various hues, 

 from the Polonga to the less dreadful rat-snake ; 



* The Singalese language has no signification for brown, 

 reddish, orange-coloured, scarlet, or pink, which are all ex- 

 pressed by the monosyllable " rat," red. 



VOL. II. X 



