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 commodity of that part;" we told him "that missing of the lading which we used to carry back, we were glad to come thither to see if we could make it up with dried flesh: and therefore if he would please to supply us—either for such wares as we had brought or else for our money—it would be a great favour; the which would oblige us for the future to bring him any necessaries that he should name unto us, when we should come again into those parts, as we used to do very often; and that we could furnish him, having dealings and being acquainted with the best artificers in Kandy."

At which he replied, "That he was sorry we were come at such a dry time, when they could not catch deer; but if some rain fell, he would soon dispatch us with some ladings of flesh: but however he bade us go about the towns and see whether there might be any or not, though he thought there was none." This answer of his pleased us wondrously well; both because by this we saw he suspected us not, and because he told us there was no dried flesh to be got. For it was one of our greatest fears that we should get our lading too soon; for then we could not have had an excuse to go further: and as yet we could not possibly fly; having still six miles further to the northward to go, before we could attempt it, that is, to Anuradhapoora.

From Anuradhapoora, it is two days' journey further through a desolate wilderness, before there are any more inhabitants: and these inhabitants are neither under this King nor the Dutch; but are Malabars, and are under a Prince of their own. This people we were sorely afraid of, lest they might seize us and send us back: there being a correspondence between this Prince and the King of Kandy: wherefore it was our endeavour by all means to shun them, lest, according to the old proverb, we might leap out of the fryingpan into the fire.

But we must take care of that as well as we could, when we came among them; for as yet our care was to get to Anuradhapoora, where although it was our desire to get, yet we would not seem to be too hasty, lest it might occasion suspicion, but lay where we were two or three days: and one stayed at the Governor's house a knitting; whilst the other went about among the towns to see for flesh. The ponds in