“CLEAR THE WAY.” 
know who have ridden the Holosbage and Ambagatnuwa 
bridle-paths in those days ; on his head was a hunting- 
cap with a thick vrhite cover, which hung down like 
a flag over the neck and part of the shoulders ; in his 
hand was a good stout hunting whip, with a very 
long lash, the chief use for which was to keep off or 
at bay the paraya dogs, which, wherever one passed 
a native roadside hut, came out in troops barking and 
made no end of a row, so that if your horse was 
new to the country, and not as yet accustomed to 
this sort of thing, he would likely become troublesome 
and retire. Thus the good hunting whip with its long 
lash kept them off, and after a very short time the 
horse would become aware that, instead of the whip 
and its crack being his enemy, it was his greatest friend. 
The whip also kept at their proper distance droves 
of cattle and sheep which one sometimes met on the 
road; it even sometimes touched up a lazy box cooly 
or borsekeeper. A timely crack, when meeting a string 
of bullock carts, was certain to make the drivers more 
active in clearing the way ; in fact in many little ways 
the long hunting-whip was a useful and necessary 
article for the horseman to possess, whether he used 
it or not, for its crack, a premonitary crack, said plainly, 
“ Forewarned, clear the way.” The uninitiated used to 
laugh, and think this whip was just carried bj the planter 
for a brag and bluster, to crack to make a noise ; no 
doubt some liked to do so, but it was nob for this 
purpose it was carried. The planter, having seen his 
horse stabled, enters the public room amongst the staff 
-officers ; regardless of bis muddy state, he throws him- 
self down full length on a couch, where he is nicely 
balanced by both his spurs sticking into the pillow at 
the bottom ! His hat occupies one ehair, his huniing 
whip another. He shouts out “Boy!” who responds 
“ Sar ? ” the reply to which is: “A bottle of beer.” 
Having rested for ten minutes and polished oft' the bottle 
he raises himself up, and some of the staff gentlemen 
draw him into a conversation, by asking the newest 
“news.” Says he: “Why, old Stick-in-the-mud of 
the Seedy estate has got the sack and leaves end of 
the week ; fine estate, 300 acres, capital bungalow, got 
two rooms, and actually a small spare one in the corner o 
the verandah for visitors. However, the walls are neither 
plastered nor white- washed, but that is all Stick-in- 
the-mud’s fav\dt : he could have got liberty to do it if 
he had asked, but he does not care for that sort of 
thing. Kick-em-out and Company of Colombo are 
the agents. Fine berth : if I was not under an agree- 
ment would apply myself, fact, would,” and he drinks 
off his beer, and calls for a fire-stick. The staff gentle- 
men now all disappear into their rooms, and a great 
