CEYLON COCOA ESTATE 219 



CHAPTER XVI 



January 14th. — The Festival of Thai Pongal 

 has come round once more. It was kept by the 

 coolies this year on the 12th and 13th inst. 

 The Lines, being some distance from the 

 bungalow, we were not disturbed by their festivi- 

 ties, although we heard distant tom-toms be- 

 tokening that the revels were in full swing 

 somewhere. The first day Rob spent playing 

 golf on a neighbour's links, whilst I amused 

 myself at home, taking care to confine my 

 wanderings to the garden, lest perchance, if I 

 went further afield, I might meet some too 

 ardent devotee of the Arrack Tavern, which to 

 the annoyance of the planters on this group of 

 Estates, is situated only about a mile away. 

 The great idea of many of the coolies on these 

 occasions is to get drunk, and every effort is 

 made to prevent arrack being brought into the 

 Lines. The second day we remained at home, 

 and were visited in the afternoon by a party of 

 dancers, one was dressed to represent the devil ; 



