No. 50. — 1899.] van eck's kandyan expedition. 39 



sickly condition. Wherefore on the following day, Monday, 

 the 21st, he departed to Colombo for the sake of recovery 

 from that sickness ; and after His Excellency the G overnor had 

 marked out the camp at the above-mentioned Kattegampelle, 

 and had appointed the Lieutenant Van der Veen to the 

 command, he continued the march as before. 



On Wednesday, the 23rd, at 7 A.M. and at 12 noon, he 

 ordered the army to halt at Ettembole (the place of en- 

 campment the previous year). Thence they resumed the 

 journey, and without any hostile encounter arrived at 3 P.M. 

 at the chief camp at Wisenawe. 



On Thursday, the 24th, the body of cavalry on patrol 

 returned at midday with various booty, consisting of grass- 

 hoppers,* muskets, and pikes. 



On Tuesday, the 29th, at 4.30 A.M., Major Van Wezel set 

 out with the advance guard by the direct road to Ohomize, 

 and Captain Frankena made a detour to the right, with the 

 intention of attacking the foe in front and flank at a con- 

 certed time and place. Accordingly His Excellency also, 

 following the adopted plan, came right upon the enemy in 

 good time at a plain near Ohomize. Although the forces of 

 the enemy greatly exceeded ours, yet we attacked them 

 with no small ardour and compelled them to take to flight. 

 In this action one European, who was in the service of the 

 enemy, was struck by a bullet from one of our horsemen, 

 and thereby was laid low, but quickly slipped away. We 

 had in this affair only one dead and three wounded out of 

 the cavalry corps, but the loss of the enemy will possibly 

 not be counted by them, for our patrols sent out afterwards 

 discovered in the jungles at one time twenty dead and at 

 another twelve. The encampment for our troops was at 

 first located at the above-mentioned plain of Ohomize, but 

 afterwards at Pidroeivelle, situated half a leaguej further. 



* See supra, p. 76, and note. 



f The Dutch mile is 6,395 yards, and thus a little more than a " league," 

 by which word I have translated the Dutch myl. — A. E. B. 



