HAPPINESS AND THE PUESUIT OF IT. 
and again have them sewn up into their original and 
correct form, and find that there are plenty of bags. 
But after the coolies’ beds were converted into bags, 
filled and loaded, and we were at a loss for more, and 
told the cartmen, who were still waiting to load, that 
we had plenty of bags, but could not find them, they 
would be anything but satisfied with this solution of 
the difficulty. We have known a few estates in the olden 
times, on which “No bags got” was the general rule, a 
condition of matters which soon spread amongst the 
fraternity of cartmen, so that they would even positive- 
ly refuse engagements to proceed to such, and the 
Colombo agencies would experience any amount of trouble 
in procuring cartage for some of these estates, unless 
return empty or new bags were part of the up-loads, for 
then they were all right, not only themselves, but for 
others also. For, empty or “seeking” carts along the 
roads always had an out-look for those with empty bags. 
‘ ‘ What estate are you going to ?” So they followed in 
the wake of the carts with the empty bags like sharks 
in the wake of a ship, and very soon got them trans- 
ferred to their own carts, full, at a full rate of hire : 
three-quarters advance to pay tolls and food for cattle. 
Nothing less could possibly do : what small profits they 
must have had, frequently none at all, for they had no 
balance hire to receive on delivery, all owing to the 
bad measurement on the estate (?) or to the bad bags, 
which had burst, and allowed all the coffee to drop out 
and down on the road. There might to a certain ex- 
tent have been some truth in this, and we have often 
been surprised why the cartmen did not have proper 
bottoms made to their carts, which would have easily 
retained all the coffee burst out from the bags, for the 
bottoms were just merely loose planks, between which 
the coffee dropped or rather ran out upon the road, so 
that often on following up behind a batch of carts from 
the long white mark on the road, there could be no 
doubt at all as to the contents of that cart as clearly ap- 
parent from the line of leakage come out of it. We 
have often urged upon the cartmen the great advant- 
age and gain to themselves, which would result by their 
having the planks on the bottoms of the carts closely 
fitted, dovetailed, and nailed down, but they did not 
seem to see it at all, and only replied by a stupid 
stare, a shrug of the shoulders, with a blurt out, ‘ ‘ It 
is not the custom.” Now, the expense of having this 
done would have been so very trifling as compared 
with the advantage, gain and freedom from after 
trouble and loss to the drivers and owners, that we 
never could and still cannot understand the reason that 
they did not do it ; very likely there was some reason 
for it, and it may be, if they still drive their carts in 
this condition. What could or can it be ? 
