The Ancient Capital of Kandy.--An Artificial Lake.--The
Great River of Ceylon.--Site of the Capital of the Central
Province.--On the Way from Colombo to Kandy.--The Tiny
Musk-Deer.--The Wild Boar.--Native Cabins.--From the Railway
Car Windows.--The Lotus.--Destructive White Ants and their
Enemies.--Wild Animals.--The Mother of Twins.--A Little
Waif.--A Zigzag Railway.--An Expensive Road to
build.--"Sensation Rock" with an Evil History.--Grand Alpine
Scenery.
Kandy, the Maha-neura, or "great city," of the Singhalese, one of the
ancient capitals of Ceylon, is beautifully situated in the bosom of
the verdant hills in the central province of the island, just about
half way between the east and west coasts, a little more than seventy
miles north of Colombo. Here the town nestles on a bend of the
Maha-velle-Ganga ("great sandy river"), which nearly surrounds the old
city at a distance of three miles from its centre. It became the
capital of the island in 1592. As it was repeatedly captured and
burned by the Portuguese, Dutch, and English, it presents no
architectural monuments with any pretension to antiquity. Here we are
about seventeen hundred feet above sea level, beside a spacious,
though artificial lake, which represents a small portion of the grand
system of irrigation for which Ceylon was so famous through a score of
centuries. There is no natural lake worthy of the name in the
country, though there are numerous ponds, large and small, here and
there, especially in the southern part of the island. In the centre of
this large sheet of water, with its charming aspect of repose and
freshness, is a tiny island, where the last king of Kandy, who was a
notorious tyrant, established his harem with true oriental lavishness.
It is now improved as a safe place for the storage of gunpowder and
other explosive war materials. At least, it was formerly thus
appropriated, though perhaps it is not so now. The infamous sovereign
referred to, Sri Wikrema Raja Singha, at whose death ended a long and
famous line of kings, was outrageous beyond all precedent. He was
accustomed to behead any one of his counselors who dared to disagree
with him, also wreaking his vengeance upon the individual's innocent
family, males and females, by treating them in a similar manner.
The immense tank at Kandy is of modern construction, having been
finished early in the present century by the king whose name we have
just given. The heavy embankment which holds the lake in its bed has
been made into a broad and most charming esplanade, decked with
handsome shade trees, thus surrounding the basin with an inviting
driveway and promenade, enlivened by choice flowering shrubs, whose
names only an accomplished botanist could remember. Among them the
ever-fragrant cape jessamine is conspicuous, together with beds of
violets and mignonette. Palms prevail everywhere on the island, with
their bare trunks reaching sixty or seventy feet upward, at which
point they throw out their deep green, gracefully drooping foliage in
thick clusters. The lake is about three miles in circumference,
encircled by a low stone wall, and is, judged even by modern rules, a
remarkably skillful piece of engineering.
The Maha-velle-Ganga rises in the base of the neighboring mountains,
and, flowing past Kandy, turns to the north, finally discharging
itself by several mouths into the ocean far away on the east coast,
near the port of Trincomalee. It drains in its course upwards of four
thousand square miles of territory, being a hundred and thirty miles
long, and is navigable by small boats nearly to Kandy. The hills which
encompass the town make of it a verdant amphitheatre, and are
themselves dotted with flourishing tea-plantations, mostly owned by
English agriculturists, the growing of tea, as already explained,
having largely superseded, or perhaps we should say supplemented, that
of coffee throughout the island. In the higher regions, near the
foot-hills, where the big river rises, there used to be a great coffee
district, healthy and populous; but alas! malaria and jungle fever lie
crouching upon its lower banks like a beast of prey, ready to pounce
upon the passing and incautious traveler, while hungry, wide-jawed
crocodiles lie half-concealed in the low mangroves, ready to snap up
any dog or young native child which thoughtlessly approaches their
domain. The Ceylon crocodile is a large animal, quite common on the
inland rivers and deserted, half ruined tanks, and frequently measures
over twenty feet from the snout to the tip of the tail. In the
malarial districts, all sorts of insects, reptiles, and wild animals
thrive and multiply abundantly, but to man, and even to most domestic
animals, such regions are poisonous.
The reason why the river-courses in Ceylon are so unsalubrious, so
fever-inducing, is easily explained. These waterways overflow their
banks in the rainy season, depositing an accumulation of vegetable
matter which remains to decompose when the river subsides, thus
infecting the surrounding country. The banks of swiftly flowing
streams are considered to be healthful localities, but they do not
prove so in this tropical island. The Maha-velle-Ganga, which is the
Mississippi of Ceylon, is no exception to this rule.
In coming to Kandy from Colombo, the railway for the first forty miles
threads its way through a thinly populated region, over a level
country which is often so low as to be of a marshy nature, though the
soil is marked by overwhelming fertility. About fifteen miles from the
capital is Henaratgoda, where the government Tropical Gardens are
situated. Here the process of acclimatization for exotics is tried
with plants which might not thrive at the altitude of the Botanical
Gardens of Peradenia, near Kandy. The railway stations, it will be
observed, are all beautifully ornamented with tropical flowers adapted
to the situation. This is getting to be a universal custom all over
the world. Even in Russia, on the line between St. Petersburg and
Moscow, every depot is thus beautified. The railways are a government
monopoly in this island, furnishing a handsome revenue. There are no
presidents to swallow up salaries of fifty thousand dollars each, nor
other ornamental officials receiving enormous sums of money for
imaginary services. At each station in Ceylon, pretty children of both
sexes offer the traveler tempting native fruits. They are very
interesting, these children, in spite of their unkempt hair and entire
nudity. Their big black eyes are full of pleading earnestness and
bright expression, while their dark brown skin shines like polished
mahogany under the hot rays of an equatorial sun. The land seen on the
route is interspersed by rice plantations, groves of palms, bananas,
and plantains, while the jungle at intervals is seen to be impassable,
the trees are so bound together with stout, creeping vines and close
undergrowth. Hump-backed cows and black swine, with an occasional
domesticated buffalo, are all the animals one sees, though there are a
plenty of wild ones not far away in less populous districts, including
bears, deer, leopards, and elephants. The buffalo is almost an
amphibious animal, and may be seen for many hours daily nearly
immersed in the ponds, lakes, or rivers, only its head, horns, and
nose visible above the water. Thus he will lie or stand for any length
of time, chewing the cud like other creatures of his kind, until
hunger compels him to seek food on the dry land. Happy for him if he
be not attacked, while thus exposed, by the voracious pond leeches,
more fatal than the flies which he strives to avoid by thus immersing
his body. The elephants are still numerous, notwithstanding so many
have been exported to the continent hard by. A carefully prepared
estimate published at Colombo last year (close of 1893) places the
probable number of wild elephants in Ceylon at five thousand. It is
also believed that the small numbers of these animals which are now
shot by Europeans annually will not decrease this aggregate, because
of the natural breeding which is all the time going on. There are also
found here in abundance the wild boar, jackal, ant-eater, and a great
variety of monkeys (the latter afraid only of Europeans), and the
cheetah. This last named is an animal of the leopard family, nearly
three feet in height, and six feet long from nose to tail-tip, but
exceedingly active and over-fond of monkey-flesh. It is of a dun
color, with round black spots distributed uniformly over the body.
The tiny musk-deer, so called, though it has no musk-bag or scent
about it of that pungent nature, is indigenous to Ceylon. There is a
stuffed specimen in the Colombo museum, but the author did not happen
to see one alive. It is only about twelve or fourteen inches long and
ten high when at maturity, but it is formed exactly like a full-grown
North American deer or antelope, having a gray hide dappled with white
spots, like a young fawn. Its exquisite delicacy of limbs is very
beautiful. Several attempts have been made to transport a pair from
this island to the Zoological Gardens of London, but the little
creatures have never survived the voyage. They prove to be as delicate
in constitution as in physical formation.
We have incidentally mentioned the wild boar, to hunt which is a sport
that has brought nearly as many Englishmen to Ceylon as has that
generally more attractive and much larger game, the wild elephant.
Strange to say, the boar, weighing on an average not much over two
hundred pounds, has proved quite as dangerous and even more formidable
in conflict than the huge monarch of these forests. The quick-witted,
cool, and experienced huntsman can avoid the giant elephant when he
charges,--he is necessarily sluggish on account of his size; but the
wild boar is swift, fierce, and armed with tusks sharp as a dagger's
point, which he uses with the adroitness and rapidity of a skilled
swordsman. Sir Samuel Baker says that he has killed these animals in
Ceylon weighing over four hundred pounds each, and has seen them here
even much larger. The boar is hunted with trained dogs, and is
scarcely ever driven to bay without seriously wounding and often
killing one or more of the pack. The hunter does not shoot at the boar
when at close quarters, lest he should kill the dogs hanging to the
animal; but the true form is for him to close in upon the fight and
bury his long knife in the creature's vital parts. Practiced sportsmen
aim to bury their weapon just back of the ears, at the junction of the
brain and spinal marrow; death to the boar is then instantaneous. Sir
Samuel Baker, who was an inveterate sportsman, had many narrow escapes
in wild-boar hunting in Ceylon, and was more than once seriously
wounded.
The natives inland, as observed on the line of the railway, live in
the simplest and rudest of huts, mostly formed of bamboo frames filled
in with clay baked in the sun. The thatched roofs consist, as usual in
this country, of large palm leaves braided together, one layer lapping
over another, thus effectually excluding even equatorial rains. The
eaves come within three or four feet of the ground. There are no
chimneys nor windows in these primitive abodes, but the doors, which
are always open, admit light and air. The natives only sleep in them;
during their waking hours, they are always under the blue sky. Each
native builds his own cabin, which rarely consists of more than one
apartment. In its erection no nails are used; the several parts are
tied together with rattans and stout vines, which become like rope
when they are once dry. The climate is so uniformly warm that many do
not even plaster their walls with clay, using palm leaves and boughs
of trees to form a sufficient covering. A sheltered situation is
chosen, so as to be protected from the weather when the monsoons blow,
for these natives have a fixed aversion to the wind and rain. There is
a certain harmony between the primitive simplicity of these people and
that of surrounding nature. To the casual observer, as he passes over
this route between Colombo and Kandy, there is an unpleasant
suggestion in the surroundings of possible jungle fever. The thick,
low-lying, tangled woods and stagnant pools one would think must be
the very home of chills and fever. They would be so considered in
continental India, or in the south and west of our own country; yet
the people hereabouts do not seem at present to suffer from any
special form of ill health. The men are thin in flesh, but muscular
and cheerful in aspect. They really seem to enjoy life after their
dull, animal-like fashion, though their principal occupation is that
of working in the wet rice-fields, an employment which no European can
safely pursue. The latter, in fact, never become sufficiently
acclimated to be able to live in low and swampy districts in Ceylon
without contracting malaria, the effects of which last through a
lifetime.
When this railway was being built, the coolies employed in the work
died by hundreds from the unwholesome character of the neighborhood,
until the rule was adopted of returning the laborers after the day's
work to Colombo to sleep, bringing them back again after sunrise. It
is the damp night air which prevails in the lowlands, and its
attendant miasma, which proves so fatal. One after another of the
European overseers and engineers sickened, and were compelled to
return home to England before a restoration to health was effected;
while some, apparently the most hardy, and who took the best of care
of themselves, succumbed altogether, and were buried in the island far
from their native land. Better drainage and cleared jungles have
greatly improved the sanitary conditions. The dense forest has been
opened to the influence of purifying breezes and the effect of the
genial sunshine, so that there is much less chance for the pestilence
to find a breeding-place.
Banana groves, with the trees bending under the weight of the rich,
finger-shaped fruit; tall cocoanut-trees, the tops heavy with the
nutritious food they bear; stout tamarinds and juicy mangoes;
ant-hills, looking like young volcanoes, half as high as native huts;
rippling cascades; sharp declivities; glistening pools; white cranes;
tall pink flamingoes, standing like sentinels on the muddy banks; an
occasional monkey leaping among the trees; golden orioles,
gaudy-feathered parrots, and other birds of dazzling hues, are
observed with never-flagging interest from the windows of the slowly
moving cars, while on this inland route to Kandy. The marabou, which
is so much prized for its delicate feathers, is occasionally seen
stalking watchfully by the shaded pools, seizing now and then upon
small reptiles with its formidable bill and devouring them at a single
gulp. It seems strange that these birds can swallow with impunity
snakes and other vicious reptiles while they are yet alive. One would
think that creatures whose bite is often fatal to human beings would
under such circumstances cause a fearful state of commotion in a
bird's crop. If ostriches, however, can swallow and digest large
nails, jackknives, and corkscrews, perhaps the gastric juices of these
smaller birds may have special properties to aid them in effectually
disposing of poisonous reptiles.
How well our first trip inland in Ceylon is remembered. While watching
the novel and intensely interesting sights, the air was heavy with
aromatic fragrance, and sweet with the odor of lilies, while a feeling
of quiet content stole over the senses, as in a half-waking dream from
which one does not desire to be aroused. Was the brain yielding to the
subtle breath of those gorgeous lotus flowers, which opened wide their
delicate pink petals to the sunshine? This queen of the lily tribe,
the lotus, is here seen in two varieties, the pink and the white. They
resemble very closely the common pond-lily of our own climate, but are
thrice their size. The seeds are a mild narcotic, and are sometimes
eaten by the natives to produce that effect. It is said that birds of
the wading family sometimes partake of them until they become
stupefied. The seed is about the size of a hazel-nut, and leaves a
bitter, puckering taste in the mouth.
The white-ant hills which rise to such proportions here and there in
the wooded districts remind us that these minute but marvelously
industrious creatures are one of the great pests of equatorial
regions, and that they are especially destructive in this island.
Attracted by the very dry condition of the wood, they bore holes in
the timbers which form the frames of the better class of dwellings,
and therein lay their eggs. As soon as the young ants are hatched,
they begin to devour the wood, and continue to do so until it falls to
pieces. They operate on the inside, avoiding the outer part, proving
to be the most stealthy of all aggressive invaders, and their presence
is often unsuspected until the mischief is done. The palmyra palm and
the ebony-tree furnish the only timber which resists the serious
ravages of these white ants. The author was shown a bungalow near
Kandy, which was in ruins, where the occupants not long before were
one day surprised by the roof tumbling in upon them while they were
seated at the dinner-table. The supporting timbers were no longer able
to bear their own weight, much less to hold the heavy thatched roof in
place, after having been reduced by the ants to a mere shell. One
would think that where an abundance of fresh, green vegetation and
ripe fruit are to be had, dry timber could have few attractions as
insect food.
One of the species of ants common in Ceylon has been made the subject
of careful investigation by competent naturalists, and with extremely
interesting results. The conclusions arrived at serve to corroborate
previously formed ideas, that of all small creatures the ant is
endowed with the most intelligence. Among other singular facts which
have been discovered, it is now known that when a conflict occurs
between rival tribes of ants, something like a regular military system
is observed by them. They march to the conflict in strict order,
divided into separate columns, which are evidently under command of
different leaders, while the advance is so correctly timed that the
attack upon the enemy is simultaneous. This requires mental
calculation; instinct does not suffice to fix such matters. During the
fight, the ants carry off their dead and wounded to a place of safety
in the rear. A large detail, whose members take no part in the actual
conflict, work like an ambulance corps attached to a well-organized
army. If we were treating the subject in detail, many other
interesting facts might be given, showing the remarkable organization
which exists among them, and the sagacity of these intelligent
insects.
On the island of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean, the inhabitants
protect themselves against the ravages of the white ants, which if
permitted would commit similar depredations upon their dwellings to
that already spoken of, by pitting a destructive enemy against them.
When it is found that a colony of these termites have invaded a
dwelling, the inhabitant knows that he must act promptly, as these
creatures have big heads and strong jaws, and they destroy rapidly. He
pours some molasses on the ground near by the path by which the white
ants move to and fro between their home and the house. The smell of
the treacle is sure to attract a bevy of black ants, which species is
very fond of sweets. These are the natural enemies of the white ants.
They notice the latter passing regularly back and forth, and govern
themselves accordingly. In a few hours, a whole army of black ants
approaches, marching in a column two yards long. They enter the
infected house in large numbers, leaving a reserve force behind, and
promptly destroy every white ant in the place. Finally the army
marches out, each of the black ants carrying away a dead white one,
which, cannibal-like, they devour!
But we are still on the way by rail to Kandy, and not writing a volume
on natural history, though in making these notes and with the objects
absolutely before one's eyes, the mind--and the pen as well--is apt to
follow the natural suggestions of the subject, even at the risk of
seeming to diverge from the purpose in hand. The patient reader thus
often becomes possessed of facts, the communication of which was
quite unpremeditated by the author. Let us take heed, however, not to
make such detail wearisome.
On remarking to an intelligent resident of the island, who was a
fellow passenger, that no wild animals were to be seen upon the route,
he replied that if we were to leave the more thickly settled district
and strike into the forest, abundant tracks would be met with of
bears, leopards, and elephants. The latter, especially, make broad
paths through the jungle by their heavy tread and shambling gait,
leveling the undergrowth right and left as effectually as could be
done by an army of bushwhacking road-makers. If a small tree impedes
an elephant's progress, he puts his broad forehead against the stem,
bends it so as to place his foot upon the horizontal trunk, and thus
snaps it short off. If it does not yield readily, he winds his trunk
firmly about it and pulls it up by the roots, as a dentist extracts a
rebellious tooth. As a rule, small trees go down before a fleeing
elephant like grass. Buffaloes are found in both the wild and
domesticated condition all over the island, but they abound only in
their wild state in the northern sections. The untamed buffalo is a
dangerous antagonist when assaulted and fairly driven to bay, and many
an English sportsman has been killed by them in Ceylon. The bulls are
particularly savage and pugnacious, giving battle upon the slightest
provocation.
At a point where the cars were stopped for a few moments to obtain a
supply of water for the engine, a female monkey was seen among the
trees, the mother of twins, holding the little things in her arms and
nursing them in a manner so human as to form a most ludicrous picture.
Presently, leaving her little ones in a safe place, she came down to
the cars, and was regaled from our lunch basket with what to her must
have been rare tidbits, supplied from the cuisine of the Grand Hotel
at Colombo. As a rule, the monkey tribe avoid Europeans or white men,
suspecting treachery, while they care very little for the native
people, who rarely interfere with them. The affection of the mother
monkey for its young is something very touching. If one of its little
progeny dies, the mother still clings to it, sometimes for several
days, carrying it about in her arms, until finally some instinct
causes her to lay it away, covered with leaves and the tender young
branches of the bamboo. Europeans have a cruel way of obtaining young
monkeys to take away from the island. It is accomplished by shooting
the mother, after which the bewildered little one is easily secured.
One of these small monkey orphans was brought on board the steamship
in which we left Ceylon, by its cruel captor. It was touching to see
how the diminutive creature had transferred its trust and affection
from its natural guardian to its present owner, to whom it clung
incessantly. Poor little fellow! it was well that it did not know its
new protector to be the sole cause of all its troubles. It proved to
be a bad sailor, and was so seasick that it soon died, but it clung to
its adopted friend to the last moment, who was, we are glad to say,
exceedingly kind to the little waif.
After passing through the low country on the way to Kandy, we began
gradually to climb an up-grade. This was at Rambukana, about fifty miles
from Colombo, two powerful engines being now required to move even our
short train, made up of four cars. The road winds zigzag fashion about the
hills, in startling proximity to the deep, threatening abyss, while the
ever-changing scenery of the Kaduganawa Pass becomes far-reaching and
grand, varied by precipitous declivities, deep green gulches, and falling
waters. The shelving rocks are here festooned with climbing plants,
daintily enriched by blossoms of vivid hues, and flowering creepers. As one
can easily believe, this was an expensive road to build, costing in many
parts over a hundred and fifty thousand dollars per mile, but it is most
thoroughly constructed on a gauge of five feet and six inches. The gradant
in some places is one foot in forty-five. Near the highest part of the line
stands "Sensation Rock," from which a grand and startling view is enjoyed,
recalling a similar experience on the author's part at "Inspiration Point,"
overlooking the never-to-be-forgotten Yosemite Valley in California. This
Ceylon rock has an evil history, it being, according to tradition, the
spot from which the ancient kings of Kandy ruthlessly hurled their
prisoners of war to destruction. This railway is a great success
pecuniarily and otherwise. So well has it been managed that in the
twenty-two years which have transpired since its completion, but one
accident has occurred of any special moment, and no European or American
has ever lost life or limb by mishap while traveling upon the road. It is
to be feared that we cannot cite a similar instance of any railway in this
country.
At last, after a hearty enjoyment of the bold and beautiful scenery
for two hours and more, winding snakelike about the steep acclivities,
and diving into and out of dark, gloomy tunnels, we landed in the old
and picturesque capital of the central province. It is not exactly a
city built upon a hill, but it is a city built among the hills.
The region in this line of latitude between the eastern and western
coast of the island, particularly in the central province, is one of
much grandeur, a country of Alpine heights and deep green valleys.
Here dark ravines and plunging waterfalls multiply themselves. Not
small, spraylike bodies of water, like many in Switzerland, but
fierce, restless bodies of foaming torrents, sweeping headlong over
abrupt declivities three hundred feet in height. The system of
mountains does not form a continuous range, but consists of a
succession of plateaus and of detached mountains rising from elevated
bases. Thus, Adam's Peak, were it to rise to its present height from
a plain at about the level of the ocean, would be far more grand and
impressive than it now is, with its direct upheaval beginning from so
elevated a base. So in the instance of the two famous mountains which
rise from the great Mexican plateau,--Mount Popocatepetl, and Mount
Ixtaccihuatl, which lose seven thousand feet of the effect of their
real height, because their base starts from a plain situated at that
elevation above the sea.