CEYLON COCOA ESTATE 171 



gredients are a secret, like the Burling drink in 

 Kent which cures hydrophobia. I often wish 

 St. Patrick had paid Ceylon a visit on his way 

 to Ireland, for the danger of snakes precludes 

 many a tempting ramble in fern clad ravines, and 

 in grass fields, the summits of which promise 

 magnificent views ; in jungles where I imagine 

 I could find flowering creepers lovelier than 

 anything I have ever seen before, the snakes 

 have it their own way, and I am obliged to 

 walk sedately along the uninteresting road, not 

 that we have much to complain of, for every 

 Estate is intersected with miles of roads and 

 paths, so that one has always an infinite variety 

 of walks to choose from. 



This is English letter day ; a day to which 

 we all look forward with delight. Even a 

 postcard from home is welcomed with glee, and 

 the hours are always counted until the mail 

 arrives. I would have every one in the old 

 country realise how much pleasure they can 

 give their absent friends by a few lines of 

 remembrance, or even a newspaper, still more 

 a birthday card, showing they are not forgotten, 

 or an occasional book. Most of us here lead a 

 dual life, our mind is occupied by our daily 

 occupations and work ; but our heart is follow- 

 ing in imagination the lives of those we love in 

 England. 



In the planting districts of Ceylon, books are 



