OF THE COCO-NUT TREE. 
121 
For temporary purposes, cadjan-houses are frequently 
constructed, both by natives and Europeans* During the 
insurrection in the Kandyan country in 1818, many of the 
sick were accommodated in cadjan-hospitals. Except the 
frame-work, every part of the house, walls, and roof, is 
formed of coco-nut leaves. They are capable of resisting 
all kinds of weather for a year or more. 
To prevent thieving, the owners of topes frequently fix 
a coco-nut leaf along the stems of fruit-trees. As the leaf 
rustles much when touched, a thief is cautious of ascending 
the trunk of the tree, lest he should alarm some of the in- 
mates of the neighbouring huts. Thunbekg mistook the 
use of these leaves, and supposed that they supphed " the 
place of ladders, by means of which the natives could climb 
up, and gather the fruit 
In warm climates, it is customary to travel during night, 
with the view of avoiding the influence of an ardent sun. 
Torches then become necessary, and coco-nut leaves are 
chiefly employed for this purpose. By tying the leaflets 
close to the centre-rib of a leaf, the ignition is prevented 
from being too rapid. Torches of coco-nut leaves are com- 
monly denominated choels {poloo attu, Singhalese) ; they 
are in constant use, to obstruct the inroads of wild beasts 
upon cultivated fields, more particularly of elephants. In 
the interior of Ceylon, every field under cultivation must 
be watched during night, to prevent the depredations 
which would be made upon the crops, were these animals 
to have free ingress. When burned, the coco-nut tree, 
especially the leaves, afford a large proportion of potash. 
The caste of washermen avail themselves of this qua- 
lity, and procure all the potash they require by the incine- 
* Travels, vol. iv. p. 192, 
