the best motor car which Messrs. Walker, Sons and Co., 

 of Colombo, could supply. This we did, and commenced 

 our journey at 6.30 a.m. from the Grand Oriental Hotel, 

 Colombo. Everything went along merrily until 7.30 

 a.m., when one of the back tyres exploded, and delayed 

 us for quite an hour. The tyre once repaired, we re- 

 commenced our journey; but at 9.15 the second back tyre 

 burst. We were not making our own pace by any 

 means, for we had noted the information posted along 

 the route to the effect that " eight miles per hour " was 

 the limit for motors within Kalutara town limits. It is 

 impossible to hustle in Ceylon. 



Nor were the punctures our only source of delay. In 

 the afternoon, when driving along a country road where 

 stray cattle were abundant, we had the misfortune to be 

 charged by a cow. The car fortunately won the day; 

 the poor beast was landed under the wheels, and only 

 after considerable delay was it extricated. I have in past 

 times had the misfortune to run over dogs, a goat, a 

 pig, and a large number of the feathered tribe, but never 

 before have I been stopped by an animal the size of that 

 cow. We met more or less domesticated buffaloes and 

 elephants along the road, but they did not impede our 

 progress. The car did well, and only the badly-kept 

 roads and heavy rain could be blamed for the misfor- 

 tunes which befell us later on. We did our level best 

 to reach our destination, but owing to the heavy rains, 

 the unmetalled roads deep in mud, and the dilapidated 

 bridges, we had to turn back when witiiin some fou*- 

 miles of the plantation we had set our hearts on seeing. 

 On our return, as we were passing over the Kalutara 

 Bridge, the car sank in the soft mud; the back wheels 

 were buried midway to the axle. A large native force, 

 which always collects in any low country district to see 

 the fun, was soon at our command; by means of old rail- 

 way sleepers and iron flanges the car was raised and 

 pulled out of the mire. This was the most serious situa- 

 tion in which we were placed throughout the tour. When 

 the motor car sank in the mud it blocked the railway 

 line, and messengers had to be sent to the station- 

 masters on either side to stop all trains until we were 

 out of the way. 



