THE CEYLON MUHAMMADANS. 
approached the spot, and suddenly, leaving all their 
clothes at the spring, or rather spout, which proceeded 
from it, made a rush and dart underneath the bridge. 
We stopped, just on the centre of the bridge, rested on 
its railings, pulled out a pipe, and commenced to smoke, 
and admire the beautiful scenery all down the valley, 
streaked with thin and varied shades of the mists oi 
the early morning. This, those under the bridge were 
unconscious of, and, no doubt, thinking the unbeliever 
had passed on his way, came out to resume their bath, 
and dresses. But, on perceiving a man, and an iii- 
tidel, seated upon the railing of the bridge, they all 
uttered a loud scream, and again rushed under the 
place of refuge. So, having great respect for the feelings 
of the ladies, we made a great noise on the bridge, 
looked the other way, and moved off. Indeed, as a 
young man, in these times, our behaviour in these 
delicate matters quite won for us the esteem of the 
ladies, until they did not become in the least afraid, 
and considered it altogether unnecessary either to 
conceal their faces in their cloths, on our approach, 
on to turn round their backs until we had passed on. 
Hassan now walked leisurely about amongst the 
grass, to examine the slope of the land, in order 
to ascertain the possibility of leading the water 
from this spring down to the side upon which he had 
determined to build a house, and found that the ground 
all sloped down towards the road, and that easily, 
without the least difficulty, it could be done. So, he 
looked up the hill, and saw, a good way off, just 
touching the edge of the felled forest, and where these 
were already a few acres of coffee planted, a small 
bungalow, in which, he rightly concluded, dwelt the 
master, so he thought he would just walk up to it, 
not to ask the master’s consent to build a house, but 
to ask him for timber and grass, and also coolies to 
do so. “And a cool fellow this certainly was,” the 
reader will say. But do not speak too soon, for it will 
soon be shewn, that Hassan, instead of asking a favour, 
endeavoured to prove to that master that he was 
doing him a very great one, in coming to settle and 
build a house upon his land, and that he expected 
every assistence from him, in timber, grass^ and coolies, 
in doing so ; and being in a thinking frame of mind, 
the thought just struck him, that some wives would 
be useful in many ways. One wonld be apt to droop, 
feel lonely and dull in this desolate wild ; two would 
be sure to quarrel, and thus, instead of proving a 
comfort to himself, would prove an infinite source of 
-annoyance | so, under the circumstances, he must 
necessarily take three, for, if two of them quarrelled, 
the third would step in as a mediation and make 
