100 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XII. 



quarters of their General,] we piled all our arms £m the 

 guard-house,] £the chief officers and captains retaining their 

 swords,] which having been done we went up to the house 

 where we found the General and the major, 45 who received 

 us with undisguised joy, 46 [and drinking a toast to us they 

 desired to take their leave, saying that we might remain at 

 ease,] and that before it got later they wished to go and 

 receive the infantry and the Generals ; we answered them, 

 that their honours might go and receive the Generals, but 

 that all the men of war were present. At this reply they 

 changed colour, the great joy with which they had received 

 us giving way to evident chagrin, and after speaking to one 

 another in their own tongue for a while, they said to us : 

 " It appeared to us that Your Honours were the superior 

 officers"; and so it was of necessity, for on our having an 

 officer of any post killed, his place was at once filled up, 

 so that of the seventy -three there were as many officers as 

 soldiers. 47 [As soon as they had gone towards the city 

 there came a captain, who politely asked us to follow him, 

 and took us nearer to the fortress, putting us into some good 

 houses, which had the convenience of a walled garden, and 

 at the gate he placed as guard a band of soldiers, who served 

 us right willingly, bringing us what we had need of : here 

 we passed two days, at the end of which came their Camp- 

 Master-General, offering us many apologies that his duties 

 had not permitted him to be able sooner to look after our 

 comfort, and that he was sure we must have fared badly 

 through want of necessaries. He took us by that road 

 towards the city very slowly, conversing, and saying what an 

 account we should have to give to God for allowing so many 

 men to perish, in order to maintain what we were not able to ; 

 that he had gone over the posts that we had defended, and 

 that it was not possible that they could be garrisoned by less 

 than twelve hundred soldiers ; that he had read of many 

 sieges that had taken place in the world ; but that none 

 could compare with that, since others had lasted a longer 

 time, but not with the miseries and other incidents of this : 



