Ellsworth American., 1892-04-07

trees are formed into minarets. pinnacle
and towers by the clinging vines formin;
at their bases and covering all the land in
dense, damp jungle, whose shade is tn
home of the leopard and deadly cobra
From the line to hundreds of feet abov
our heads, up the mountain side. stant
those beautiful towers and minarets 0
nature. painted in every hue of green, ant
decorated with fragrant flowers.
The string of adjectives needed to des
cribe this lovely mass of grand scenery |.
beyond my control. As we climb tn.
mountain. this luxuriant and abundan,
display of nature rises far above anC
reaches far below the line of travel. and
all that can say Is, that for hundreds OF
feet above and below extends bewilder.
ing wilderness of beauty.
In few moments more we reach the
station of Rumbanwa, and from here the
climb up the mountains begins in earnest
and another heavy engine is placed at the
rear Of the train. Just before we reach
the last station, train and scenery are
darkened by the threatening nimbns of the
southwest monsoon, and for five minutes
the rain comes down in torrents that
might equal the beginning Of freshe,
SAID to have taken place some years back
in which Capt Noah was quite conspicu-
Gus character. Eight or ten miles Of the
line lead up the north side and across the
head of one Of the most beautiful valleys
I | ever heteld. The line is cut along the
side of the mountain and in several place $
| the cliffs overhang the train.
| During the next thirty miles run we
4 pass through eleven tunnels. This valley
( Is called the valley Of the Maha Uga,-
great stream-and is. should say. on an
average. about two miles vide The bot
1 tom in places Is 600 or 500 feet below the
I line; in others 1000 or 1900 feet below.
The sides of the mountains In many places
are at angles Of from - to 30 ieglecS.
composed Of reddish soil for two-thirtis
of their distance To their tops. These
inciines are cut INTO terraces from near the
Z
upper fiat perhaps being not more than
! two feet wide. but gradually widening
| toward the bottom Of the valley until the
lower terraces are 800 or 400 feet broad
and miles long. running along the mount
ans side. On all of those terraces rice IL
grown by irrigation. the water supply
being furnished by the numerous mount
ain streams.
The scenery in this lovely valley is both
grand and beautiful. Numerous small
/, hills, as though man had placed them
there. dot the center of the alley, their
tops and sides being covered with lofty
palms and other trees. shelterlns the
native villages from the scorching rays Of
the sun, which must be extremely not in
this place where no wind can reach In
different directions We see the dark rrav
granite peaks that crown those lofty
heights, standing out in bold relief, clear.
cut against the bright blue sky, and in the
distance stands above all the rest. the
conical shaped Adams Peak.
The Buddhist will tell you that here was
the Garden Of Eden and that Adam when
he left, stepped from there across to the
mainland, A. the nearest point Of main
land is lSo miles from this peak. across
the gulf Of Manaar, Adam must have taken
a devil of stride. to say the least q
wonder how Eve got acros.?)
In annt har Y,nnru.p, a -. -.
with the wheels within four feet Of the
clir that falls 500 feet perpendicular, and
forget all about Adam and his peak III
admiring the picturesque beauty Of a
| native village, built n the shade Of a
tropical jungle formed by Towering trees,
vines and creepers.
After leaving the head of the valley. we
wind in and out among hills of soil and
granite over more level grade that takes
Us at times along the lovely banks Of the
Mahawilli Ganga-great river-whose
length Is more than 100 miles, and flows
from the kandian hills to the sea at Trim
| comalee, on the east coast of Ceylon.
This rlver takes the name of kurugal
Ganga, between Handy and the sea. In
places along the route this river is slug
I gish, flowing stream. fifty yards wide, be-
tween forest-clad shores; in others, roar
ing torrent, rushing wildly through.
| among and over huge boulders. between
te. Again its smooth surface glides be-
tween gentle sloping banks, past quiet
villages teeming with life and color
We are now in the tea producing section
of Ceylon. and pass several fine estates
before we arrive in Handy. WHAT can
say to give you an idea of the beauty of
this enchanting city of Handy: There is
nothing enchanting about the bricks. NOR
tar, filth, and tiles of the constructed city,
except its connection between the present
and remote past reaching back to the
| days of Judea's kings. Its enchantment
mostly consists in its natural scenery and
| beautiful surroundings. Located among
the mountains 1900 feet above the sea we
| find climate much cooler and more pleas
ont thou tHdt VIC ielt at COiOMDO. he
city is built along the bases of several
small hills, and in the vsles between them,
buried beneath shade trees, Towering
trees, and palms of many descriptions
More than thirty species of palms may be
| seen, some of them more than one hundred
feet high, towering above the highest
buildings, while lofty mountains rear their
heads hundreds of feet above all.
| Nearly in the center of the city is a
beautiful lake, the excavations for which
were mostly made during the reign of
| kandy's last king. | was told there were
| forty feet of water in one part, the ac-
cumulation of several mountain streams
In one part of the lake, perhaps 800 feet
| from the eastern shore, stands small
island with probably surface of 200 feet
square. This island was constructed by
kandy's last king. In his day it was COW
| cred by a prison in which he placed all
persons who had in any manner 'made
him tired" II was understood by the per-
son in command there, that whoever was
sent there would have no undertaker's bill
| This king was a Brigham Young on a
small scale, and now and then tackled
lady that made 1t lively for him, or for
| other reasons he wished to swap her for
| another. She was sent to the island in
the day, and that night she would be