Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-07-29
HIGHER THAN HANDY.
suRrHKR SCENES AND EXPERIENCES
IN cEyL0s.
where Tea ana Coffee arow-Eaunts OF
Wild ssts--sapplss Of
Sssnary.

David korr writes TO tho New York
2sn,cs from Ceylon.
Unce more the scene has changed, and
we are nov thousands OF feet above Kan
tsy itself, in the very heart Of those Won
herfGl hills upon whose slopes the famous
"Clngalcse tea is grown. The nearest
railroad hos miles away down tho valley,
and In order 20 reach the nearest high
way (which was only made few months
ago. We have 10 pick our way down a
snile and half OF steep rocky hillside
along narrow, ziezag, break-ncck
mountain path, worn smooth by the bare
feet OF native coolies Only this morn
tng. in the course Of our early$valk, my
host and l found the hooi-pfints OF n
,sge elk on tho border 81 the plants-
tiou. aud no longer ago than last week a
more troublesome visitor stiil--yiz., a
tng elephant with q remarkably good
tppctIio-was prowling around the es-
tate, and making "elegant extracts "
from the choicest OF the young shoots.
From the cool, shady yerAnda in which
am now writing with beau
&iful ferns and hung with the skulls and
sallers Of many noble " sambsr we
alants, Ou.sprend over ridge and hollow
ia all the brightness Of their glossy green
sesves. which gistGn like gold in the
cloudless sunshine. Beyond them surge
MP vast rounded bluffs, green 70 the very
tnmmit with short thick grass, and
altogether looking 30 like English bills
that could almost imagine myself
Alnck in the quiet little Surrey village
OF HOLLYWOOD from which so many OF
any letters we're dated last fall instead OF
SITS gorgeous Cinoalcse namesAke. In the
hOllo As beneath them, like fur trimming
upon green mantle. cluster dark masses
of untamed Jungle. the haunt OF many a
wild boar High overhead, wslling us IN
ON every side With It's gloomy rampant,
sisos tho greet ring of shadowy noun
Eains. clothed with dense forests from
base TO crest, and far above them all the
twO highest peaks in Ceylon rear their
mighty towers Of sombre purple against
the bluc southeastern sky.
But even in this seclusion we are not
wholly beyond tho reach OF that great
world OF life and hustle which lies some
where beyond those dark hills that shut
us in. On the table beside me lie q
thenf of English newspapers, brought
out by the last steamer that touched
at Colombo. The loud barking Of the
dogs heralds tho arrival OF bare-limbed
coolie with n batch Of new books from
fho Dimbula Library. miles away at
fbe lower end Of the valley. From the
walls OF the pretty little dIawing-room-
every corner of which bears traces OF
4a..,rv,fVa aud rrffroplqpf
without which the most comfortable
home loses its greatest charm -sdmlra-
BILE photographs Of ROmeand Venice look
down upon Ms, while through the glass
Front OF the neat book case in the dining
room peep handsomely bound edi-
tions Of John Lothrop Motley, Oliver
Wendell Holmes. Washington Irving,
and many another great writer OF whom
America Is justly proud.
In spite OF all these tokens Of ciyili2a-
ton, however. this district, though no.
Lhing can exceed tue kindness and hOspi-
tally Of its English inhabitants, is but a
haf-civilized region at best. especially
sor ladies. alt was just here that my wife
tumbled into the river aud broke one OF
Der ribs, said young planter to me
Inc other morning as coolly asif he were
only describing dinner party. "she
and / were having ride across
country one morning before breakfast,
and by some COMPOUNDED i'll luck
we happened 10 come down into
this hollow Just as lot Of
these Cingalese fellows had been
taking some wild honey on the edge
Of the Jungle Wonder, aud had stirred up
Che whole swarm of bees at once. The
moment we appeared down came the
bees upon us by thousands, hanging like
nose bags oil over our horses heads,
covering our faces and shoulders like a
veil, aud singing wherever they alighted.
Aiy beast went stark mad, and rushed
Eight up that steep ridge there, till ne
stumbled aud shot me of on to my head.
while my wife's horse, not seeing
where he was going, rolled head
over heels down the bank into
fhe river, carrying her along
with him. The moment / could stand
on my feet dor ut first was quito
Clddy with the fell | rushed TO her rs
rlstanco butwhile was dragging her up
j bad to let 90 OF her with one hand
0,ain and again 30 scfape of the bees
tlat were chngiog all over my face.
When We cot homo two OF my native
boys were hard at work for mn hour and
q half picking the stinfs out of my flesh,
end my whole head swelled up as big as
q pumpkin. til | was such figure that
NV own father wouldn't have known me-.
Nice SOFT Of an adventure, wasn't It "
Such "reminiscences as these, however,
are quite everyday matters IN II region
where there is hardly \ rock or gully
{or miles round which has not its own
legend Of exciting adventure aud peril
Gus sport. You ride or walk ont among
the hills in the early morning and come
- the edge OF 4 steep dechvity Of sixty
or seventy feet, at the foot OF which a
fOaming torrent ro2Ys and eddies amid
huge masses of splin,ered gneiss. "Ihis
Was whero a poor fellow whom | used 10
know very well was killed about year
or two ago, SAYS your host. =" He was
driving home about nightfall and dark
ness overlook him Just about here, and
he got too near the edge. aud the horse
SHE'D az something aud upset the trap,
and then horse aud trap ard man aud
I'll tumbled over the precipice right
down in the river, and OF course they
were all smashed to bits" Before you
have time 10 recover from the effect OF
this agreeable anecdote there starts up
IN front of you vast green, dome
shaped bluff, crested with four or five
stately trees like plumes on the head Of
an Indian chief. 4" That's Pilot Hill, !"
resumes your companion, named
after famous dog called Pilot,
which had the name Of being tho
bes. hunting-dog in the whole pro-
vince lie was last seen in full cry after
an elk up the side of that hill, and after
that nobody ever saw him again killed
by leopard l suppose. There are not
many leopards lett up here now, but you
fnd stray one turning up every now
aud then ju% when you don't want
him" And then the same uHwe0ried
chronicler proceeds to point out for your
A .l...lraf