A W VxJH STOLEN’, 
Pieris might havb la .ea all the beef himself — and 
served up for his master’s rne ds minced meat made 
out of sawdust, highly seasoned with pepper, chillies, 
cinnamon and oth-n^ spices, 
One morning we wore rather late for cooly muster, 
and weno out somewhat hurriedly ; after the people 
were told off to work, we became aware that our 
watch was forgotten. So we return to the, bungalow. 
On coming in sighb of the verandah, Pieris is observed 
very busy sweeping it out, a very unusual occurrence 
we proceed straight to the bedroom, to the place where 
the watch was left, but no watch was there. Now, 
if we were sure of anything it was this, that the 
watcli was looked at in the morning, and, as it was 
late, we had hiirrindly gone away, and forgotten to. 
put it in the pocket. Pieris was called, and asked what 
he had done with the watch ,* not a muscle of his 
countenance changed while he declared he had never 
been in the bedroom, “ Did not master see him sweep-, 
ing the verandah ? ” 
Just then, some half-a-dozen of coolies were pass- 
ing- the bungalow^ on their way to work, in a dreamy 
listless state, with their he^ids enveloped in cumblies, 
double-folded, as if they were suffering from a severe 
cold, or, provided the bare legs were not looked at‘ 
hooded up, like the “monks of old.” On being called 
into the verandah, and onr difficult position ex.plained,, 
and on its being also explained they would have to. 
escort Pieris off' to the police station and help master 
to tie his hands, how they did brighten up. You 
would not have known them to be the same men,, 
their cumblies were thown off, and bound round the^ 
head, turban fashion, shoulders hared, clothes tightened 
rout'.d the waist. One seized hold of an old broom, 
another the stick of an old umbrella, and the others, 
for lack of weapons, and seeing it was an urgent 
case, pulled two sticks out of the garden fence. All 
now' shouldered arms and stool bolt upright in the- 
verandah. It promised to be a grand spree for them,, 
for coolies dislike the Sinhalese. But they were dis- 
appointed. 
Having called Pieris into the bedroom, he was told it 
was useless wasting any time in talking. The nlti-. 
matum was— “ Deliver up that watch, or you are handed 
over to these coolies, to be marched off to the police 
station.” At the same time, from a corner of ihe 
verandah, some skeins of coir yarn, were handed to 
the coolies, w^bo commenced to twist it up info., a strong 
rope, and Peris had a hint that his hands would shortly 
be tied up behind his back, unless that watch was. 
very shortly delivered up. Pieris w'as now in great, 
perturbation ; he examined all the bed, under the pil«^ 
