EN ROITTE TO A OEVn.ON TEA ESTATE 13 



of this country. V«ni will, I am surf, Ix* particularly 

 interestetl to find what a good " settler " it can be when 

 the soil and climate of a fort'ig!i land an* such a.s its 

 nature demands, and it is given careful atti'Ution. 



Wo are lanciing at Colombo in time to catch the 

 morning train up country, and we can save many 

 valuable hours by continuing straight on with our 

 journey to the estate on which we have been invited to 

 stay. So we get into rickshaws, and tell the quaint- 

 looking ragamuffins in the shafts to take us to the 

 station. 



CHAPTER IV 



EN ROUTE TO A CEYLON TEA ESTATE {continued) 



The estate for which we are bound is situated high up 

 among the mountains of Ceylon. We could reach our 

 destination to-night, but this would mean a very 

 fatiguing journey, and we should pass through some of 

 the most beautiful of Ceylon scenery in the dark. So 

 I have arranged that we break our journey nt Kandy. 

 where we shall arrive in time for lunch. 



Soon after leaving Colombo, the train begins to 

 cUmb. You have heard of the famous train-climb up 

 the St. Gothard ? Perhaps some of you have been 

 over that wondrous Swiss Pass. The route up to 

 Kandy is equally advent iiresome. and the panoramic 

 setting of the track entitles this line to a place of 

 honour among the finest mountain railways in the 

 world. There are breathless moments when we feel 

 certain the engine is heading straight for the jaws of an 

 unbridged chasm, exciting minutes when our earriago 

 copies the mule's favourite trick of taking the extreme 



