No. 39. — 1889.] account of cbylon. 



257 



when she fortunately saw a crocodile that was waiting for 

 her, and began to move towards her ; although very much 

 frightened, she just managed to escape. The captain at once 

 ^sent for the blacksmith, and ordered him to make a great 

 hook, and when it was ready he caused a dog to be shot, 

 fastened to the hook, and put into the river with a long 

 chain. Two hours afterwards the crocodile appeared again, 

 came to the carcass, and swallowed the hook. We saw this 

 and quickly ran to the place ; some of us pulled it on to the 

 bank, others took iron rods, such as are used to load guns, 

 and nearly beat it to death ; then we filled a big powder 

 flask, put it into its mouth, and exploded it with a train 

 from a distance. Next day, when we cut the animal open, 

 we found that it had been living for fully eight hours 

 afterwards." 



If one searches, it is easy to find where a crocodile is: 

 it makes a somewhat loud sound similar to that of an ill- 

 tempered dog ; it knocks its jaws together, so that the 

 snapping is plainly audible at a distance. 



Besides the crocodiles and snakes there are many other 

 vermin in Ceilon. There is a kind of worm called by the 

 Portuguese Tin cento perf and by the Hollanders " thousand 

 legs." They are fully a span long, have brownish, or 

 often white feet, and are so poisonous that when they 

 bite swelling sets in at once, and the great pain drives 

 one almost delirious. During the night they glimmer like 

 sulphur, and the best thing to allay the pain is to put on 

 ear-wax.J 



* Wir hatten einen in der Compagnia, einen Schiffers-Knecht, der vom, 

 Gli'ick zu sagen wusteii in dergleichen Gefahr. In ein Gestraus kam Er 

 und wolte seine Nohtdurft verrichten, meinte auch nicht anderst, Er 

 ruhete auf einen alten Storn. Da aber Knal, und Fall, gieng, war es ein 

 Crocodil, das iiber dem Gepluder so wohl erschrack, und durchschosz als 

 Er erschrack, Sein Geraht gesohwind wieder zusamm raspelte, und mit 

 offnen Hosen lief, was Er lauff en kunnte, und, Gott lob ! auch da von kam. 



f Centopiedo (Dutch ed.), our centipede. 



% This may be one of the many native remedies. A Sinhalese medical 

 work (Yogalankaraya, Galle, 1885) prescribes tartar scraped from the teeth. 

 Schweitzer recommends "oil of cocos" {I.e., p. 292). 



