CEYLON COCOA ESTATE 249 



people. Our servants gave us some dinner, 

 and then hurried off to join the festivities, 

 leaving us to the care of a watchman, who 

 mounted guard over the bungalow, whilst we 

 slept. 



Yesterday, besides being the wedding day, 

 was a great Mahomedan Festival of Ramadan. 

 No sooner had the bride departed than a 

 young Moor boy, whom we are training to be 

 a servant, arrived with a small brother and 

 sister, all bearing gifts — a parcel of Jaffna 

 cheroots for Rob, and pomegranites, bananas, 

 and eggs for me. We had let him go away to 

 attend Ramadan at great inconvenience to our- 

 selves, and I suppose this was his parents' way 

 of showing their gratitude. He did a most 

 unusual thing for a native — refused to accept a 

 santhosem in return for his gifts, saying when 

 he brought a present he didn't want to be paid 

 for it. Generally the dark race is most 

 rapacious, and I shall always respect this boy 

 for his proper pride and disinterestedness. 



During the last few months I have been so 

 much at the mercy of non- English speaking 

 servants, that I have perforce learnt enough 

 Tamil to give orders, and to ask for what I 

 want. When I do not know a word, I make 

 signs, the meaning of which the natives are 

 extraordinarily quick to catch. The other day 

 I felt supremely ridiculous when, after trying in 



16 



