CEYLON COCOA ESTATE 223 



that last year the priests went about amongst 

 the people telling them that the end of the 

 world was coming, — and with this awful 

 event impending, it would be very wrong 

 to set hens, or to make preparations for the 

 future. In some instances the "goyas" even 

 neglected to sow their paddy fields, but happily 

 the bulk of the villagers, although still expecting 

 a catastrophe, keep at the same time a weather 

 eye open to this world, as it is now constituted. 

 As nothing remarkable happened in November 

 the prophets postponed the event. When the 

 date arrived our Appu brought a mat and 

 insisted upon sleeping outside his masters door, 

 saying he was going to take care of master, 

 but really the mortal terror was for his own 

 safety. 



"The Ceylon Standard" in its column of 

 country news from local correspondents often 

 had allusions to the subject. I copy a para- 

 graph which appeared under the head of 

 Galle news : — 



" Meretorious Acts. — Almsgiving and preach- 

 M ing of * Bana and Perit ' are indulged in by 

 "the inhabitants of that place in anticipation 

 "that the end of the world would soon come, 

 " as predicted, but for all this, there is no visible 

 " reform in morality amongst the poorer classes." 



It reminds one of what history records of 

 the time in the twelfth century, when the fair 



