Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-11-01

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scenery of Ceylon the traveller
must go to Handy or, still higher
up the mountains, to Nurwara
Eliya. At Colombo he can take
his place in a comfortable first-class
carriage with a dining car attached
and from his window he will see the
land where every prospect pleases and
only man, as the hymn writer says,
is vile. But as you watch the crowd
OF natives on the platform of Colombo
station, the men and women in their
bright attire, picturesque and happy,
are, indeed, as pleasing to the eye
as the fairy-like land that they an
habit. No railway station in America
ever presents a scene more brilliant
in coloring or more animated. The
natives, according to their custom,
have been waiting for hours for the
train; at the moment of departure
they crowd into the third-class car,
riages, hurrying as if they suspected
an intention to leave them behind
feverishly excited, calling to one an
other at the top of their voices,
The train plunges at once into beau
tiful scenery-into a world of amazing
greenery. A rice field among other
verdure is an emerald among all green
stones And for thirty or forty miles
it is through rice fields surrounded
by cocoanut palms that the train
passes.
AS Colombo is left behind, however
the traveller first looks out on gardens
of cinnamon and fields of grass. Then
the broad Kelani river comes in sight
From the forest of palms, grassy
slopes come down to the edge of the
water Floating down the stream are
native barges-two canoes joined to
gether by sort of raft and covered
over Kingfshers flash over the river
and hover among the scented white
blossoms of the mangoes. On the
green pools float pink and
white lilies red famingC
rises from among them and spreads
its broad wings against the blue sky
Buffaloes stand, up to their necks, in
the mud OF the swamps
Every minute the scenery becomes
more beautiful. There are high ridges
covered with palm trees and between
the ridges valleys of rice fields You
see sowing and reaping going on al
the same time. Up to their ankles in
water the natives, bare-legged, walk
behind the patient buffaloes, yoked tc
their primitive plows Here a group
of men are mending the little banks
Of the terraced fields; there women
with sickles are cutting the ripened
crop; in a little stream some boys
are bathing, holding to the branches
of the mangrove trees.
Scenes Almost Unreal.
The reflection of the palm trees
in the water, the shadow of the clouds
chasing the sunlight across the sub
merged neIds and the bright costumes
of the natives combine to form a pic.
ture so lovely that it seems almost
unreal to western eyes. The train
passes a tea garden shaded with rub
Der trees. Women with bright shawls
over their heads and huge baskets on
their backs, with shoulders and arms
bare, are working among the cleaning
shrubs that come up to their waists
The light trunks of the rubber trees
make an artistic background to the
Industrious scene.
The train crosses the main street
of a native village; on both sides is
a jungle of cocoanut palms. In little
clearings among the trees are the
huts of the Cinghalese-small white
houses, with brown tiled roofs and
broad verandas 1t has rained dur.
ing the night; now the sun is shining
on glowing red soil and glistening
leaves and grass; birds are singing
the golden oriole and the brilliant
parroquet dart through the palms
beautiful butterflies hang over the
trees. aflame with crimson blossom.
The train enters thick forest, all
the more tropical in appearance be
cause of the vast creepers that coil
round the tree trunks and wave in
the breeze in snakelike festoons. On
the banks of a stream in the forest
a crocodile basks in the sun; a lizard
four feet long creeps into the under.
growth.
The railway reaches rocky foothills
the underground is very dense. Trees
cover the hillsides which rise to green
pyramids against the sky Here and
there are cultivated clearings-
and rubber and tea plantations-high
above the level of the train. There
are rice fields terraced on the slopes
like the vineyards of Italy.
The train stops at station. Near
by are bullock carts loaded with
punches of bananas; natives on the
platforms offer bananas for sale and
oranges which are ripe though
bright green.
Soon mountain peaks appear. You
see them through waving mass of
palms, cocoanuts, arecanuts and tall
pots in flower.
AS we ascend the hills we look
down on valley filled with rice
fields. Hundreds OF terraces filled
with water CLEAN like irregular silver
steps leading up the mountainsides.