HAPPINESS AND THE PURSUIT OF IT. 
money taken from tlie cartmen was lianded over to one 
of these, who, with the carts and carters, returned to 
Kandy, purchased more rice, and conveyed it in safety 
to the estate, a month after it was due, while the 
contractor would retrace his steps, report having found 
the carts, despatched them on with a trustv/orthy per- 
son, and were doubtless arrived by this time. How 
could it be these contractors made so much money ? 
Perhaps, some share of the cart-hire also went to 
them, for we well remember, when cartmen were 
troublesome about advances for the down hire, of 
pointing out to them, that they really could not have 
spent all that heavy advance received in Colombo, 
when they would reply they knew nothing about it, 
they had merely received a very small sum for toils. 
Now, if the cartmen did not get it, why, and for what 
purpose, v/as it given to the contractor ? What occasion 
had he personally for all this heavy advance? We 
suspect the only answer v/ill be the natural love of the 
native for advances, whether they require it or not, 
the almost impossibility of getting anything done, 
unless it is first paid for, which leaves the recipient of 
the money in, to him, the pleasing position of being 
able to do the work, how, when, and where, he likes ; 
or the more pleasing contingency still of not doing it 
at all : in which case advanced money becomes to the 
advancer just similar to water spilt upon the ground, 
which cannot be gathered up again. Not that the de- 
faulter is so barefaced as to say, he will not refund. 
He is quite polite, acknowledges he owes the money, 
and will pay : but never does. The very idea of owing 
money to any one is so pleasing to his peculiar struc- 
tuie of mind, that he would consider himself very 
unhappy, an ill-used individual if he ever found him- 
self in the, to him, unfortunate position, as described, 
of owing no man anything. If he ever found himself, 
against his will, in this state, he would make use of 
it as the very best excuse for obtaining an advance. 
Master must advance him a certain sum, for he 
owed no man anything.” It would be in vain to 
advise him to remain in this position, for he felt 
very unhappy, it was a condition altogether unworthy 
of his high character. What, was a man of his good 
character not to be trusted ! He was not to be treated 
as one of the meanest of the vile, whom nobody would 
trust : he must borrow and that immediately, in order 
to sustain his reputation “ Kandappa,” and “Mathes”: 
these names will recall to those of our old friends who 
are left not the lights but the dark shadows of 
others days. What could we have done without them, 
what, but to submit to stolen rice, coffee 5 to 10 per 
cent short on delivery, or some times no delivery at 
