CEYLON COCOA ESTATE 123 



misses the long northern twilight which would 

 be so delightful in this hot country where active 

 exercise is unpleasant until four p.m. We have 

 some compensation in the exquisitely beautiful 

 starlight and moonlight nights, than which 

 nothing could be more enjoyable. All the 

 tropical flowers seem to give their choicest scent 

 at night, and the weary frame draws in fresh 

 vigour from the absence of glare, and the cool 

 evening breeze. 



Yesterday, as I was driving along the Govern- 

 ment road I encountered something quite un- 

 expected, a great big elephant with a Sinhalese 

 man perched on his neck. They are much used 

 for moving large pieces of timber or stone and 

 can be hired for that purpose. There is a 

 regulation that they are not to use the Govern- 

 ment roads excepting at certain hours of the 

 day, when there is likely to be little traffic ; 

 for they are alarming objects to other animals. 

 If they should chance to meet a conveyance it 

 is the custom for them to be taken into the 

 jungle, at either side of the road. This particular 

 elephant was guided into a patch of cocoa, until 

 I had passed, but my little hackery bull did not 

 take the slightest notice of him. At Katugostata, 

 near Kandy, it is quite one of the sights to 

 drive and see these working elephants bathed 

 in the Mahavillagange River. 



I was lately taken to see a new clearing 



