Manchurian Books

The nearer we approached our destination, the more varied and
changing became the scenery. At one time we might be closely hemmed
in by the mountains, and then the next moment they would stretch
away, one above the other, while their summits seemed to contend
which should outrival the rest in altitude and beauty of outline.
They were covered, to the height of several thousand feet, with
luxuriant vegetation, which, for the most part, then generally
ceased, and gave way to the bare rock. I was not less interested,
however, with the curious teams we sometimes met, than I was with
the scenery. It is well known that Ceylon abounds in elephants,
many of which are captured and employed for various purposes. Those
that I now saw were yoked in twos or threes to large waggons, full
of stones for mending the roads.
Four miles before reaching Candy, we came to the river
Mahavilaganga, which is spanned by a masterly bridge of one arch.
The materials of the bridge are most costly, consisting of satin-
wood. In connection with this structure, I learned the following
legend.


Pages:
356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380