A beautiful Cantonese Girl in her Palanquin, with Maid Attendant, Canton, China
From Stereograph, copyright by Underwood & Underwood, New York
THE HANSOM CAB OF COLUMBO, CEYLON
Have you ever, when out in the country, seen an ox-cart with two patient oxen drawing a load of hay or stones?
Here we have a cab drawn by a little bullock, or zebu, which looks somewhat like those big oxen, but has a queer hump on his back and is very tiny. He looks gentle and kind, and no doubt trots about all day taking travellers through the streets of Columbo, in Ceylon.
Do you know where that is? It is an island ever so far away in the Indian Ocean, and is the place where many pearls and precious stones are found. It is a very beautiful island, and the roads, winding along between palms of many kinds and strange plants, with bright coloured birds and butterflies fluttering in and out among the leaves, are wonderful. Little bright green lizards dart here and there over the beautiful plants, looking like rare jewels, and very pretty ferns and flowers are all around.
Ceylon is such an interesting place to visit! There are ever and ever so many plantations where tea is grown, and rice, too. The labourers who work in the fields, and who draw the ’rickshaws we see in the picture, are called Tamils. The part of Columbo where they live is named Pettah and is very picturesque.
Their fruit shops look tempting and there are many kinds of fruit with curious names, as “papaws,” “lovi-lovis” and “rambutans.” Would you like to taste them?
The Hansom Cab of Columbo, Ceylon