CHAPTER I.

COLOMBO. PAGES The Suez Canal--Port Said--Gulf of Suez--The Red Sea-- Colombo--Its streets and population--Picturesque glimpses--Tommy Atkins in a jinrickshaw--The Tamils and the Cinghalese--Costume and Character--Language and Literature--The British and the Eurasians--Social arrangements and amenities--“Spicy gales”--The coco-nut palm--A catamaran 5–25