A Jungle Trip. 267 



discharged our Veddah guides and took on others from 

 Oomanoo. These men told us that we were only four 

 miles from the Batticaloa road, and with great glee we 

 started at break of day, determined to breakfast on arri- 

 val at the road. 



The old adage of " Many a slip 'twixt the cup and 

 the lip" was here fully exemplified. Four miles ! We 

 rode twenty-five miles without drawing the rein once ! 

 and at length we then did reach the road ; that is to 

 say, a narrow track of grass, which is the track to Bat- 

 ticaloa for which we had been steering during our 

 journey. A native hut in this wilderness rendered the 

 place worthy of a name ; it is therefore known upon 

 the government maps as " Pyeley." 



From this place we were directed on to " Curhel- 

 lulai," a village represented to us as a small London, 

 abounding with every luxury. We obtained a guide 

 and started, as they assured us it was only two miles 

 distant. 



After riding three miles through a country of open 

 glades and thick jungle, the same guide who had at 

 first told us it was two miles from " Pyeley," now said 

 it was only " three ?niles farther on." We knew these 

 fellows' ideas of distance too well to proceed any farther. 

 We had quitted the Batticaloa track, and we immedi- 

 ately dismounted, unsaddled and turned the horses 

 loose upon the grass. 



Having had only one meal the day before, and no 

 breakfast this morning, we looked forward with impa- 

 tience to the arrival of the coolies, although I confess I 

 did not expect them, as they were too weak from want 

 of food to travel far. They had only half a meal the 

 day before, and nothing at all the day before that. 



