10 
RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON 
before he had told his whole history, and got every Briton and European 
there white hot by his comparisons, invidious and startling. In the 
midst of it I was pointed out to him as a fellow countryman, and he 
tried to get me into the fight, but I balked. Then he started in to impress 
me with his importance. 
“I come from God’s country,” he said, “but I've been all over every- 
wheres. I used to be consul at A . I lecture, too. When I w'as consul 
at A I often used to go aboard a man-of-war and lecture, sometimes 
for two or three hours, and I always got seven guns ; what do you think 
of that?” 
“Mighty poor shooting, so far, but they will get you some day,” I 
said with conviction. 
BREAKWATER AT COLOMBO, CEYLON. 
After leaving Aden I was able to secure an upper deck cabin, which 
was much cooler than those either on the main or spar decks. Now that 
we were in the Indian Ocean, the sea grew much smoother, and early in 
the morning, after a salt water bath, the men promenaded the deck in- 
pajamas until eight o’clock, after which ordinary clothes were required. 
We now began to feel the breath of the monsoon, while the water 
took on an even bluer blue, and flying fish in shoals fled to right and 
left from the onrush ing ship. The heaviest sort of showers also began 
to come with more or less regularity, the ship’s officers came out in white 
duck suits, prawn, fish, and other currvs appeared at dinner, and we 
kneiv that we were in the tropics. 
On the evening of December 5, we sighted Minecoi Island, a low 
lying, circular bit of land crowded with graceful cocoanut palms, and 
