102 EVERYDAY LIFE ON A 



my young driver, meanwhile, out of pure 

 devilry having goaded the bulls to a furious 

 pace, the hackery swinging along at the very 

 edge of precipices and just missing by an inch 

 or two stumps of trees and projecting rocks, I 

 holding on inside perfectly helpless, from want 

 of a knowledge of the language. 



Another time the bulls had a sulky fit, tried 

 first to take the hackery into a toll-keeper's 

 house, failing in this they proceeded to land 

 me in a native shop ; and finally after doing 

 their best to upset me into a deep drain, one 

 of the bulls got his neck out of the yoke, and 

 quietly turned round and looked at me. When 

 I tell you that a great part of the road is 

 bordered on each side by deep drains, to carry 

 off the heavy monsoon rainfall, you will under- 

 stand it was rather nervous work, and sympa- 

 thise with me in my rejoicing over having my 

 own small conveyance and an innocent little bull 

 to draw it. 



I think my greatest dilemma occurred lately. 

 I was anxious one afternoon to reach Kandy 

 early to do some necessary shopping, preparatory 

 to starting at seven a.m. the following morning 

 on a visit up country, so Rob sent a cooly to 

 Kandy in advance, to fetch a carriage to meet 

 me at the ferry, five and a half miles this" side 

 of the town. He gave the cooly strict in- 

 junctions not to leave the carriage until I got 



