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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [Yol. VIII. 



frequently very serious results, but, strange to say, legal 

 proceedings are very rarely if ever instituted for the actual 

 assault. It seems to be considered an offence contra bonos 

 mores, or an insult to the goddess, to bring a case for 

 anything that has occurred during an-keliya, so that, what- 

 ever accidents may happen there, the courts hear nothing 

 of them. 



When the winners are tired of dancing round and insul- 

 ting their opponents, the latter are set at liberty, and the 

 winning horn is taken in procession to a Dewale, or some 

 other place specially prepared for its reception, where it 

 remains until the following day, and is then brought back 

 to the an-pitiya. The losers of the day before come prepared 

 with another horn, which may be as much as one-fourth 

 larger than its adversary, and the game is proceeded with as 

 before, the previous losers being, however, as a preliminary, 

 subjected to a repetition of yesterday's insults. If the old 

 horn breaks, its adherents are repaid their unpleasantness of 

 the day before, with interest ; but, if it is again victorious, the 

 losers are insulted as before ; so the game proceeds until it 

 is found impossible to break a horn within a certain pre- 

 arranged time, or until the Udupila wins twice, or the 

 Yattpila three times successively, when the game is brought 

 to a close.* 



The horns that have been victorious on several occasions 

 are prized very highly by their possessors, and the names 

 given to them are often very curious. I annex a few : — 



Pcmdakund == " the rotten tailed : " the larger end of 

 this horn is particularly rotten. Benardja == " the hollow 

 king : " the horn- has a hollow in its thicker end. Kal- 

 issa="the prawn:" this horn once slipped out of its 

 an-mola during the tug. Ginvpelikota = " the short fire- 

 brand : " it was accidentally found with some partly burnt 

 firewood. Gorokgaspaluwa =. "the destroyer of the goraka 

 trees : " this horn was once used, and was victorious when 

 the an-gaha was a goraka tree, and came down during the 

 struggle. 



* It is believed that Pattini is better pleased when the Udupila horn 

 (which represents her husband's stick in the sapu tree) is broken. 



