54 



JOURNAL, R. A. S. (CEYLON). [Vol. VIL, Pt. I. 



next one Eva, with her legs crossed under her body, on a stone shelf 

 like an altar, and an erect snake going up behind her back and over 

 her head as if pickiDg her brains, in the midst of her sons, of whom 

 the eldest is discerned by his size, being the same as his mother life- 

 size hewn out of stone. Outside there is a square shelf of which the 

 border is inscribed with characters which no one can read, but which 

 were explained. Near one of these small chambers one climbs 

 up by means of a great iron chain soldered into the mountain [proba- 

 bly on standards, for which the sockets were seen by the writer on his 

 recent ascent] and hewn steps, to near the top, which is reached by 

 an ugly crevice in the following manner. Five, or six, or more blacks 

 go up on their bellies climbing over, each, other the lower one holding 

 the upper by the legs. The topmost reaches out his hand, grasps the 

 handle at the end of the chain, and so pulls up to the top, where there 

 is nothing but a sham Pagoda and Devil's tree, the leaves of which are 

 like the points of pikes. This tree shoots through a cleft in the rock 

 an ever-flourishing root, whose sap is caught drop by drop in a chatty 

 set near, and is considered of great value for many purposes, and held 

 in great esteem as a cure for impotence. 



He then describes the truly miraculous effect of a few drops 

 upon women, but adds that he has not had an opportunity of 

 observing its effect upon their virtue. It would be extremely 

 interesting to know, whether these caves really exist, either on 

 Adam's Peak itself or in some of the hills of the Peak range. 

 Perhaps, if some of the gentlemen connected with the Revenue 

 Service, of whom several are members of this Society, were to 

 enquire from priests and headmen, some tradition would be 

 discovered which would lead to their identification. The writer 

 has been informed by the old priest of Aluwihare that there 

 are rock- cut shrines at the base or half-way up Adam's Peak, 

 that the approaches are now overgrown with jungle, and that 

 no one dare make the ascent ; that they lie on the west side. 

 Possibly the priest has framed his answer in accordance with 

 what he saw was the anxiously-expected answer, regardless of 

 strict truth. 



