386 
Journal of the Embassy 
This alarming uproar of the elements lasted for upwards of 
tliree hours; but although several tents were struck, providen- 
tially no lives were lost, nor indeed was the least injury done 
to any of our troops. 
23d. Tlie general ordered the whole body of pioneers and 
Jiascars, accompanied by a company of Europeans and one of 
Sepoys and Malays, to set about making a I'oad in our front 
for the artillery, as the paths through which the march lay, 
besides being exceedingly narrow, were so full of precipices and 
ravines, that wdthout smoothing the one, and filling up the 
other, it w'as absolutely impossible to proceed. The Adigar, on 
seeing the men at work for this purpose, sent to the general to 
express his disapprobation of this measure ; and remonstrated 
against any of his master’s territory being infringed upon in 
the slightest degree, though he knew that we must either re- 
pair the road, or give up our intention of proceeding further. 
Every thing indeed proved that this minister was by no means 
much inclined to shew us any favour. The whole tract, which 
it w^as intended we should pursue in our progress to Candy, 
w^as marked out by twigs and bushes set up at proper distances. 
We strongly suspected that a far easier road than that pointed out 
to us was known to the Adigar. Had we taken a direction either 
more to the west or to the south, as the Dutch w^ere accustom- 
ed to do, we should have escaped many of those inconveniences 
to which we were daily subjected. The minister seemed indeed to 
have pitched upon the most difficult and intricate paths for us, 
in order that we mio;ht suffer the more in our march. The 
circumspection with which we were constantly watched, shewed 
how little confidence the Candians reposed in the good faith of 
Europeans. At the distance of tw^o or three miles from our 
