Gilpin observer., 1912-10-10
y order to get an idea of the
scenery of Ceylon the travelef
must go to Randy or. still higher

SCeueTy OIL CeylOu tHe tTdVeleT
must go to Handy or. still higher
up the mountains, to Nurwara
Eliya. At Colombo he can take
his place in 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 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 II 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
yerdure 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 a sort of raft and covered
over. Kingfishers flash over the river
and hover among the scented white
blossoms Of the mangoes. On the
green pools float pink and
white lilies: red flamingo
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 .eaping going on at
the same time. Up to their ankles in
water the natives. bare-legged, walk
behind the patient buffaloes. yoked to
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 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 fields 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
ber 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 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, afame 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; lizard
four feet long creeps into the under
growth.
The railway reaches rocky foothills
the underground is very dense. Trees
cover the hvsides which rise to green
pyramids against the sky Here and
there are cultivated clearings-b banana
and rubber and tea plantations-higf