48 EVERYDAY LIFE ON A 



box. On this present occasion, one of these 

 precious three was away on leave, and the two 

 others were ill with fever, so after early tea, 

 the Appu appeared in the sitting-room with a 

 very long face to say, " Please sir, there is no 

 kitchen cooly to-day." However, Rob soon 

 settled the matter by pressing into the service 

 an orphan boy whom he keeps to look after 

 the dogs and poultry. But the more important 

 problem of who is to fetch our supplies to- 

 morrow still remains unsolved. It behoves 

 housekeepers on remote Estates to lay in a 

 stock of tinned provisions in order to provide 

 for emergencies. It is wonderful what ap- 

 petising dishes can be made from them by the 

 Ceylon cooks ; indeed, in the absence of kitchen 

 ranges, and modern utensils, all their cooking 

 is perfectly marvellous. Here we have not 

 even a proper oven ; only a fire on the hearth, 

 and a clay oven improvised to cook the 

 Christmas turkey ; and yet some of the 

 entrees, and the scones and hot cakes our 

 " boy " sends up would do credit to a pupil of 

 the Kensington School of Cookery. I am so 

 struck dumb with admiration that I feel quite 

 shy of making any culinary suggestions. The 

 native cooks are also artistic in their work : 

 stewed fruit, for example, is sent up covered 

 with a most delicate tracery of white whip ; iced 

 cakes are perfect marvels of elegant decoration ; 



