CHAPTER XXIV

Ceylon and India

SATURDAY, Jan. 18. Arrived at Colombo about five days
ago—I with a very bad cough. Exhausted by four P.M.,
went to bed in Bristol Hotel.

The most amazing varieties of nakedness and color and
all harmonious and fascinating. Ingredients—shining
black body, nine-tenths naked, one or more bright colored
rags and you have the perfection of dress—grace, com-
bined with convenience, comfort, beauty.

Presently into this intoxicating whirl and drift and con-
fusion of lovely colors and beautiful forms an offensive
discord is included—twelve prim little pious Christian
black girls, marching two and two from a missionary
school, and dressed precisely as they would be dressed on
a summer Sunday in an English or American village.

It would be difficult to match this thing for the two
qualities of surprise and shock. A promising way to do it
would be to discharge a flock of these nearly nude
Singalese into the midst of the grave and proper church
drift of an American or English town on a Sunday morn-
ing.

"Papa salaam, papa,"—a poor little girl touching my
foot—pretty little beggar girl. Beggar boy said, "How do,
Father."

The only entirely nude person was a black boy of three
or four, and even his nudity was not absolute, for he had
a piece of string around his middle.

News at Colombo from Dec. 23 to Jan. 14, Dr. Jameson
had been defeated and captured and Kriiger had mag-

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