KANDY IN EARLY PLANTNG DAYS. 
make a very handsome profit. The “ tambis ” were 
not so easily dealt with at the hotels, and we have 
often wondered that hotel proprietors allowed their front 
verandahs to be constantly filled with their boxes 
to the great inconvenience and annoyance of their 
guests. Generally about half-an-hour before breakfast 
the hotel verandah would begin to fill : the tin boxes 
would be set down right in the middle of the ve- 
randah, utterly regardless of the comfort or conveni- 
ence of the inmates, the owners themselves sitting 
down on the edge with their feet in the drain, which 
was all red with their beiel-spittings. As people came 
in a short time before breakfast, the whole lot of 
tambis got up and commenced their systematic 
torment, “ to buy something.” They would look in 
at your bedroom window, even come in at the door 
while you were washing and dressing, with their 
hands full of ‘‘ very fine things, very cheap.” On 
sitting down to breakfast they would retire, and when 
they thought breakfast should be about done, one or 
two would get up and peep in at the door and win? 
dows, again retiring to report the progress of the 
repast ; — “ The masters will soon be out, the beef-steaks 
and other dishes are taken away ; they are eating 
curry and rice.” But what eventually set them all 
on the qui vive was the call, ‘‘ Boy, a fire-stick.” 
Breakfast was done, they were coming out to smoke* 
Boxes were opened and everything got in readiness 
for a general assault. It was just at this important 
juncture that a funny incident happened at the Royal 
Hotel, in order thoroughly to understand which it 
may be mentioned that these pedlars are, as a rule, 
all Muhammadans, with a fixed abhorrence of swine 
and pork. The planters had finished their breakfast, 
and looked with dread out into the verandah, knowing 
what they might shortly expect to undergo. “ What 
a pest,” says one, “it’s so hot inside, and no peace 
out there; what’s to be done?” A bright idea sud- 
denly struck one. He rose up, walked to the side- 
board, on which was placed a well-cut-in to cold ham. 
He lifts the ham by the knuckle bone, walks out into 
the verandah with it, and threatens to push it into 
the faces of the pedlars. What consternation ! what 
a rush and flight outside, leaving all the “ fine things ” 
scattered about the verandah. Whenever they ventured 
to return, a movement was made towards the knuckle 
of ham, until they were fain to acknowledge them- 
selves vanquished, call for a truce with leave to re- 
move all the tin boxes, and depart. This sort of 
thing was all well enough for a casual joke, but it 
w'ould have been rather dangerous to indulge in this 
freak too often. Muhammadans are very bigoted and 
intolerant in their religious principles, and if their 
