Ceylon Pearl Fisheries. 201 



Ratnapura road. By bribing the few inhabitants 

 who were within a mile of the locality, permission 

 was at last given to conduct the washing at this 

 spot. 



By this time the accumulation of several boat- 

 loads was causing considerable indignation in 

 Colombo, and a general protest was being made 

 against the offending oysters. It must be admitted 

 that there was ample cause for this interference, 

 inasmuch as the horrible odour threatened some 

 fearful plague. As speedily therefore, as possible — 

 bullock carts being the only available means of 

 transport — the oysters were packed and despatched 

 under guard, to the place appointed, and a large 

 native hut was hired in the neighbourhood where 

 the sacks were deposited as the different cartloads 

 arrived. To make this hut more secure, it was 

 boarded up with planks, and every means of entry 

 stopped, except a door, which was protected by stout 

 padlocks. At special request, the authorities had 

 told off for private duty four policemen, who in 

 turns guarded the hut and its valuable contents, 

 by night and day for a month. 



Much preparation of the ground had to be 

 made, and hence there was necessarily some delay 

 before operations could be commenced. A deep 

 cutting in connection with a neighbouring stream had 



