18 
THE ISLAND OF CEYLON, 
his dominions. This, after all their victories, Ithey were con- 
stantly obliged to do, and with the loss of a great number of 
their men. 
I have often heard persons, unacquainted with the interior 
of Ceylon, express their surprise that a tract of land in the 
heart of an island, cut off from all external supplies, and every 
where surrounded by European settlements, should so long have 
remained in the hands of a people neither strong nor warlike, 
in spite of repeated efforts to wrest it from them. I own that 
this circumstance appeared to. myself very extraordinary, until 
I had an opportunity of investigating the causes on the spot. 
The very appearance of the country, however, made me rather 
wonder that it ever should have been penetrated by an enemy, 
than that they were unable to retain possession of it. The 
whole country is high and mountainous ; the approaches are 
steep, narrow, and scarcely accessible, except by persons on 
foot. The thick jungles and woods every where obstruct the 
view; and they are only penetrable by narrow and intricate 
paths, known but to the natives themselves. Besides the diffi- 
culty of clearing a passage through such obstacles, every op- 
portunity is presented to those who know the country, of 
destroying the assailants without being seen or exposing them- 
selves to the least hazard; and this is the mode of fighting 
which the native Ceylonese continually practise. They know 
well that they are unable to cope with the discipline or bravery 
of Europeans in the open field ; their skill in war therefore 
consists in posting themselves in proper positions among the 
