192 EVERYDAY LIFE ON A 



yellow, flashing across the sky, and to hear peal 

 after peal of thunder, re-echoed from hill to hill. 

 Next day came the burst of the N.E. monsoon 

 when three inches of rain fell in as many hours, 

 one felt sympathy with anyone obliged to face 

 such a pitiless torrent, and very thankful to 

 have a water-tight roof over one's head and 

 a warm English dress to wear. 



When once the monsoon has burst, for some 

 weeks the afternoon weather is uncertain, so I 

 took advantage of a fine morning to start on my 

 homeward way, 6.30 a.m. found me in my 

 hostess' rickshaw and before nine o'clock, four 

 very active coolies landed me safely at Matale 

 station ; a run of fourteen miles, without change 

 of coolies, in two and a half hours ; a feat of 

 strength and agility I don't think many English- 

 men would care to emulate. It is a most 

 exhilarating feeling being rushed downhill in 

 the brisk morning air, but when I was whisked 

 round corners at the same furious rate, my 

 feelings were not quite so joyous, and I must 

 confess to calling out vociferously two of the 

 very few Tamil words that I have picked up, 

 " Pia po," " Pia po," which means "go more 

 slowly." To my surprise on my arrival at 

 home ; I found the monsoon had not yet burst 

 in Dumbera." 



This was only one of many pleasant visits I 

 was privileged to pay to friends residing in 



