THE ISLAND OF CEYLON. 
271 
CHAPTER XIII. 
Description of the Bedahs, or Vadddhs . 
1 HE most singular part of the inhabitants of Ceylon 
remains yet to be described. It has been supposed that 
man is so prone to society and civilization, that ignorance 
of them can alone induce him to remain in a solitary or 
barbarous state ; and yet among the woods and mountains 
of Ceylon we find a race, who are accustomed to see 
the luxuries of the Cinglese and the arts of Europeans, 
yet prefer the savage independence of their wilds, and the 
precarious subsistence procured by the cliace. The origin 
of the Bedahs, or Vaddahs, who inhabit the deepest recesses 
of the Ceylonese forests, has never been traced, as no 
other race can be found in the eastern world which cor- 
responds with them. Conjecture has, indeed, been busy on 
the occasion, as it usually is where real information is 
wanting. The Bedahs are generally supposed to have been 
the aboriginal inhabitants of the island, who, upon being 
overwhelmed by their Cinglese invaders, preferred the in- 
dependence of savages to a tame submission. A current 
tradition, however, assigns them a different origin. It is 
related that they were cast away on the island, and chose 
to settle there ; but refusing, upon a certain occasion to 
assist the king in his wars against some foreign enemies* 
2 
