NO. 47. — 1896.] ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY, SIGIiUYA. 243 



Sinhalese villager to scale the dread Rock daily was an 

 entirely " new departure," due to final conviction that the 

 Archaeological Survey had effectually routed for ever the 

 yakJcu, or demons, of Sigiri-gala. 



At one time the full strength at work (jungle-fellers 

 excluded) reached 115 ; but with the vast amount of 

 excavation still to be completed on the summit alone — to 

 say nothing of perhaps as much below the Rock — I should 

 have welcomed four times the number of stragglers who 

 casually sought employment. 



As last year, I personally took charge from the com- 

 mencement of operations in February until the close of the 

 season's work on May 23, or little short of four months 

 altogether. 



Weather. 



The weather was fitful in February, with heavy rain at 

 times (on the 14th and the 15th it poured incessantly for 

 eighteen hours) : during March and April hot and still. 



May 2 and 3 witnessed the heaviest rainfall, marking the 

 change of the monsoon, and giving place almost at once to 

 the customary wind from the south-west, which steadily 

 increased in force. 



During the last ten days of our sojourn at Sigiriya it was 

 hardly possible to stand against the fury of the gale — much 

 less to work— at the southern end of the Rock's summit in 

 the teeth of a ceaseless storm of blinding brick-dust. 



Health. 



Throughout the treacherous month of February (when the 

 thermometer ranged considerably in the twenty-four hours) 

 chest complaints and fever prevailed to such an extent that 

 several coolies deserted. With the advent of March, how- 

 ever, and its dry calm weather, the general health of the 

 force rapidly improved, and continued good — with casual 

 exceptions — until the end. 



One or two stubborn cases of fever and indolent sores 

 had to be sent to Dambulla hospital for skilled treatment. 



