PATCHED UP. 
most kindly reserved by our excellent friend ^ ‘ The 
Editor.’* Reader or readers, are you at dinner, and 
talking over the merits or demerits of curry andrice,” 
and whether it should be called so, or “rice and curry ?”^ 
Pass the sherry, fill up a toast, drink it in solemn 
silence to the memory of our brethren who are gone. 
There are few left of thirty years ago now you: can count 
them on your fingers. Fill up another with three 
cheers for those that are left, and if you like, only 
if you like, before rising, you can just say “Here’s 
luck . to 
P. D. Millie.” 
CHAPTER XXXII. 
Patched Up. 
In these times, nobody required any patching up t 
all were young, strong healthy fellows, who, in fact, 
presumed too much upon their health and strength ; 
that is to say, if we ever gave the subject a 
thought at all, which is very doubtful, we overtaxed 
and overstretched our health and strength in many 
ways, when it was by no means necessary to do so, 
either on our own account, or for our employers. 
But it must be admitted, few overtaxed their mental 
or bodily powers, especially the latter, unless it might 
be, as very frequently was, remaining rather longer 
in Kandy than was either necessary or expedient. 
After having transacted the estate business it might 
fee judged more than expedient, absolutely necessary, 
to make a push homeward and overtax our strength 
in riding out to the estate, thirty or forty miles, 
off, during the night, especially if it was moonlight, 
and many *of those roads travelled during the clear 
light of a tropical full moon presented to the 
eye ever-changing views of scenery if not the most 
amongst the most, magnificent in the world. But 
the worst of those long moonlight rides was, that' the 
next day we were unfit for work : arriving on the 
estate about or after midnight, after a long ride, it 
could not be expected we were to turn out at half- 
past five next morning, and muster the coolies; the 
want of sleep during the night was made up for next 
day. It may be asked what was the use of this? 
To what purpose or advantage did it tend ? In the first 
place it was much more pleasant and very much 
cooler travelling by moonlight than during the heat 
of the sun, and; he driving dust and sand in daylight ; 
and again, instead of sleeping or trying, to sleep in a 
