KANDY IN DAllLY PLANTING DAYS. 
thousand labourers were wanted from every district, 
failing compliance with which tbeir heads would be 
cut off and the women and children sold for slaves. 
This lake not only adds greatly to the beauty of the 
town and its surroundings, but is of great advantage 
to its inhabitants in many other ways. It tends in a 
great measure to cool the air, and alt must acknow- 
ledge how grateful a gust of wind has often proved 
when wafted across the water, and how useful, healthy 
and wholesome for the numerous bathers, whom one 
is sure to see at their ablutions in the early morning. 
This bathing does not at all offend the eye of decency, 
as the bathers just wear about their usual clothing 
partially covering the body, and which is so light as 
to cause no inconyenience ; a man, woman, or boy, as 
the case may be, steps into the Water up to the waist, 
and either with his own hands or by means of an- 
other standing beside the bather, chatty after chatty 
of water is raised and poured or soused over the 
head and shoulders. Then they v/ill duck down, and 
nothing* ** be seen for a few seconds but a mass of long 
hair floating on the top of the water ; then, after the 
bodily ablutions are over, they will stand up to the 
middle and clean their long hair, passing it carefully 
through the fingers, in fact just making a comb of 
their fingers. After this they will sun themselves on 
the edge of the water, sitting on their hind legs,’^ 
and the long hair of the head hanging down over the 
shoulders nearly concealing the whole body, to a casual 
observer having all the appearance of a hair block 
in a hair-dresser’s shop. Round the back of the lake, 
in a quiet corner, might sometimes be seen one or 
two white skins, probably planters, rubbing oiff the 
dust and stour, of a long journey into town the 
day before. Of course, all this was in the early morn- 
ing before the sun was up, and before any one, ex- 
cept a few horsekeepers, water-carriers and coolies, 
was astir ; and we are not aware whether this bath- 
ing is now allowed, or not — probably certain back corners 
of the lake are set apart for it ? ^ Along the northern 
edge of the lake is a raised embankment with a 
walk on the top ,• on this trees are planted, and seats 
placed at short spaces apart. This embankment is some- 
what raised above the level of the roadw^ay below, 
with here and there steps ascending to it from the 
road, and is called in common speech “The Bund, ’’and 
just opposite, to the north, with only a road between, 
is a small grass plat, probably a few acres in extent, which 
* Bathing places for the natives are provided and 
stringent regulations applied to prevent breaches of 
decency. — E d. C. O. 
