202 EVERYDAY LIFE ON A 



three days' holiday. It would be difficult to say 

 whether coolies or Superintendents enjoy it 

 most. The coolies have a big " Saami " and a 

 great feast, and I am sorry to say consume a 

 considerable amount of arrack. The Superin- 

 tendents usually take advantage of no work to 

 get leave to go away for a few days. Rob 

 went up to the Rangalla hills, where a most 

 successful tennis tournament had been organ- 

 ised. I meanwhile accompanied a friend on a 

 delightful trip to Colombo. 



We stayed at the Galle Face Hotel situated 

 quite away from the noise and bustle of the 

 town, on the very brink of the sea. It is in 

 every way a most luxurious place to sojourn 

 in. I perfectly revelled at night in lying with 

 my windows wide open — the health-giving sea 

 breeze blowing in my face, and the splash of 

 the waves lulling me to sleep. At this time of 

 the year great care is always taken to select 

 rooms facing the sea, for a deadly wind, called 

 locally the " land wind," is very apt to blow off the 

 shore across the low lying swampy ground at the 

 back of Colombo, bringing in its train fever and 

 much sickness. People speak of a person hav- 

 ing a "touch of the land wind," as if it were a 

 distinct and fully recognised disease. 



Colombo is often called "the Clapham 

 Junction of the World," so many ocean routes 

 here converge, and at the innumerable small 



