THE CEYLON MUHAMMADANS. 
oi salt fish, so far gone in decomposition, that the 
recipients could not eat it. He ordered and received 
from large bazar-holders at G-ampola stocks of sup- 
plies, and said, that he had no money to pay, but, after 
they were sold, he would be able to meet his bills ; 
but even after they were sold, he was still unable to 
do so, as the coolies had not paid him, because mas- 
ter had not paid them. But it may be reasonably 
asked, what became of the five pounds that he 
borrowed, for the very purpose of meeting his en- 
gagements, in opening up a sho p ? Who can tell ? 
It was never seen, nor heard of, never even men- 
tioned ; possibly he kept it concealed, in some dark 
recess of his abode, and in the late night, when all 
was quiet, brought it out, and spreading it out before 
him, in front of the small lamp, gazed, and gloated over 
it, in profound admiration. But, whatevet he did, 
or did not, one thing was certain : he neiher spentt 
it, nor paid his just debts. Probably he lent it ou. 
secretly to some of his own faith, receiving such a 
high rate of interest, that it v/ent far to keej) him. 
For five pounds, at two hundred per cent per annum 
would give him an annual profit of ten pounds 
‘^Borrowing money,” says he, “is the way to make it, 
Borrow from master, at an unlimited date, without 
paying him any interest at all ; lend out to the 
same, on short periods, at two hundred per cent. 
That ’s the way to make money, and the best of 
all is, no personal work is required, the interest is 
always going on, whether you work or not. Work 
indeed ! work is only for slaves and unbelievers.” 
Here the long beard again shook, underneath which 
again a low chuckle and rattle was heard. A book 
has just been writ ten by Major Osborn, in which be 
writes; — “The intellectual emmohility of the Mahom- 
inedan world proceeds, not from the inner conscious- 
ness of the divine presence, but from the total want 
of it. According to the Moslem belief, the spirit of 
man is apart from, and incapable of converse with 
the spirit of God. Apart from the indications of his 
will, contained in the Book, and the traditions, man 
neither knows, nor can know anything about Him, 
and his ways. All search therefore into the constitution 
of the universe, or the mind of man, the Moslem 
condemns at the outset, as perfectly useless, and prob- 
ably impious, and hence also, there is no creed, the 
inner life of which has been so completely crushed 
under the w^eight of ritual. For that deep impass- 
able gulf which divides man from God empties all re- 
ligious acts of spiritual life and meaning, and reduces 
them to rites and ceremonies. They are laws to be 
obeyed. They do not imply that a way has been opened 
