Evening star., 1936-01-23
High Hopes of Democrats and Woman Reporter
Dashed on Visit to Kandy's Sacred Elephants
Herd at Temple of the
Tooth Enlisted IL,
Plot on e.. .O.P.
But Lady Scribe Fails to
Break Old Traditions
Dear to CeyLOn.
(This is the nth OF a series OF
trarel articles.)

"WtOt W UfSsSSCC./
BY BEN McKELWAY.
COLOMBO.-But for a series of in
cidents involving the determination
of lady reported to scoop the world
by riding a bull elephant. coupled
with the successful plans of two DEM
ccratic Senators-Reynolds Of North
Carolina and Wheeler of Montana
to capitalize for political purposes the
sacred elephants of the Temple Of the
Tooth, in Handy. the title of this
story might have been How America
Discovered Colombo"
But homeward bound passengers on
the steamship President Adams, re-
turning via Suez from the inaugural
ceremonies at Manila, saw little Of
Colombo. They spent the single day
at port in Handy. The reason was
that a personable lady reporter. with
pictures of flaming Sunday supple
ments in her head, notified passengers
she was going to Handy to get a story
about riding an elephant for her great
chain Of newspapers in the United
States. Moreover, Senator Bob Rey-
nolds of North Carolina was UNDER
stood to be planning political coup
of some sort with elephants. aided and
abetted by Emil Hurja. the fast and
deep thinking assistant to the chair
man Of the Democratic National
Committee. And fellow named Eli.
the ships barber, who has cut hair
and shaved himself around the world
many times and who also turns 4
pretty penny developing and printing
photos taken aboard ship by amateur
photographers, said he would arrange
everything for a few rupees apiece.
So most of the passengers raced across
the dock at Colombo and took to the
hills. bound for the Temple of the
Tooth and the sacred herd of ele-
plants at Handy.
Jewels and Short Change.
There were a few Interruptions due
to passengers buying star sapphires in
Colombo, one Of the greatest jewel
markets in the world. Rumors al
ways spread among passengers like
wildf1re, and at Colombo the runor
spread that no one should miss
buying star sapphire. whether
one wanted one or not. The Sinhalese.
natives of Ceylon. have developed the
science Of overcharging and short
changing tourists to high degree,
excelled in this only by the Egyptians,
and so the price of star sapphires de-
pends altogether upon the bargaining
powers of a customer It is not good
form to ask a person what he paid for
a star sapphire at Colombo. Just wait
and he will tell you-over and over
again. But never believe it. Add Is
per cent.
The trip from Colombo to Handy,
ancient city in the beautiful hills of
Ceylon, is about 80 miles by automo-
bile ove1 fine road that runs through
a county where every breeze is scented
with spice. where miniature bullocks
patiently plod along the shady. palm
lined highway, drawing huge carts
behint. them and making tinkling
music wherever they 60 as they shake
the clusters of tiny brass bells tied
arounc their necks; where most of the
black-sk.nned, long-haired Sinhalese
who are not sitting cross-Agged on
the mats before their doors are bath
ing themselves. their children or their
elephants in the streams that tumble
down ne hillsides.
Counterpart in Rock Creek.
A Sinhalese bathing his elephant
in a swift mountain stream resembles
nothing so much as the proud owner
Of fljvvel who has parked it in q
Rock Creek ford on a sunny Sunday
morning and is scrubbing it with soap
and fond devotion. The elephant lies
on his side in the water, the picture
of luxu ious comfort, but the activities
of the owners in both cases are very
much the same.
When the first elephant bathing
place was reached the barber, Eli,
with an eye to business, stopped the
cavalcade Of American elephant hunt
ers and ordered the photographers to
get busy. The elephants either rec
ognized Eli or smelled tourists, for up
they jumped with surprising agility
and went into their roles, raising their
trunks, spraying each other with
water. walking up to the eyes of the