THE EISINa SUPPEESSED. 
and the rising was at an end before it was well bo- 
gun. The amount of killed and wounded was very 
small. A proclamation was issued that all who re- 
turned to their homes and resumed their peaceable 
occupations would not be interfered with, and this 
proclamation was accepted and acted upon. Then 
all the villagers on the south side of Kandy congratulated 
themselves on and paraded Jtheir loyalty (?) ! Would 
it have been so, had the engagement at Mat ale )*e- 
sulted differently ? A story may be told in con- 
nection with this rioting, which will serve to show 
the character and disposition of the rebels. A party 
of planters were assembled at a bungalow in one of 
the disturbed districts. Of course, their guns were 
all loaded and ready for action, when a party of 
rebels was observed marching upon the bungalow. 
It, however, soon became apparent, that the direct 
object of attack was not the bungalaw, but the 
fowl-house ; having successfully accomplished the assault 
on this building, they speedily dispersed laden with 
the plunder. One fellow running away full-speed 
holding a goose by the neck was an irresistible 
tempta’ion for a rifle shot, so crack vent a rifle, 
the ball had lodged in one of the marauder’s “ twa 
soft cushions”; he dropped the goose, applied both 
hands to the cushions, and ran the faster ! The goose, 
released from its perilous situation, of course must 
behave like a goose. It ra^'sed its wings, flapj)ed 
them, screamed, and occasionally looked around, slowly 
making for the bungalow, seemingly perfectly 
ignorant of the narrow escape it had made 
from being converted into a Sinhalese curry. The 
goose evidently considered it had achieve i some 
great victory, not that it had been rescued by some 
unknown friendly power. Pity it is that there should 
be so many geese in this world of the same way 
of thinking. 
Some philanthropists (?) now began to talk about 
the rebellion. This sort of people always do turn 
up and create disturbances. It became more than 
talk, for it was tak^n notice of in Parliament, and, 
I am not certain, but think, that, on account of 
his action in this matter, Lord To rrington was recalled, 
and was examined in Parliament House, where the 
course of a tion he had adopted was entirely dis- 
approved of. But all those who know anything of the 
Sinhalese character will agree with me, not only in 
exonerating his lordship from all blame, but in stating 
our conviction that any milder policy would merely 
i{ave tended to strengthen the rioters and extend the 
irots. If they had met with any, even partial, success 
