THE NORTHERN PROVINCE. 259 



the shark, and, so I was told, is not eaten by Europeans at all. 

 Nevertheless, I found it very good, tender, and of far better flavor 

 than any of the Jafiha beef I encountered. I was very glad to find 

 the Jafiha market-women do not cut steaks from living turtles in 

 the harrowing manner alluded to by Sir Emerson Tenuent in his 

 " Natural History of Ceylon." The animals are killed and after- 

 ward cut up in Christian style. They are ridiculously cheap,, even 

 to strangers, the price of those I bought ranging from three to ten 

 rupees. 



As a fair samj^le of the eternal cussedness of natives in work 

 like mine, I may cite an incident in the preparation of the large 

 turtle referred to above. I roughed out its skeleton at the market, 

 first sawing out its lower skull, and after putting all the loose bones 

 in the upturned shell, I directed my Singhalese seiwant, Henrique, 

 to take the bones down to the sea, wash them, and then can-y them 

 to the rest house. I charged him particularly not to lose a sin- 

 gle bone, but it seemed almost unnecessary, the bones being so 

 large and the skeleton in so few pieces. I went on to the rest 

 house, and after a reasonable delay Henrique put in an appeai'ance 

 with the shell on his head and the bones in it — aU that remained 

 at least. The stupid donkey had actually lost both shoulder- gir- 

 dles ! How he accomplished the feat, I never could understand, 

 for the bones were so large and of such awkward shape that neither 

 of them could have been j^ut in a peck measure. I should have 

 thumped the stupid fellow's head agaiast the wall, but somehow I 

 always fail in my duty toward my servants. The bones were never 

 found, and that fine, large skeleton is without them to this day. 

 The above is only a fair instance of the value of natives as assist- 

 ants. The very next day Henrique further distinguished himself 

 by leaning over the edge of a large box I was packing with corals, 

 holding in his hand a pound can of jam, which he managed to let 

 fall exactly in the centre of a splendid madrepore I had just placed. 

 Of course the cluster was a total wreck. 



One of the most pleasant episodes of my very busy fortnight in 

 Jaffna was a call from Mr. Leys, the genial and hospitable manager 

 of the Oriental Bank. He came to tell me there was a deposit in 

 his bank for my benefit in case I should need more funds — thanks 

 to the thoughtfulness of Messrs. Lee, Hedges & Co., and IVIr. Ben- 

 nett — and to invite me, a total stranger, to dine with him the next 

 evening in company with several other gentlemen. I accepted the 

 invitation, enjoyed a fine dinner, and spent an evening most agree- 



