Show a THE THEl SALMI ROCK A r lace in cel dahon where an evil ETU heathen debty dew is I 1 Lan landing dingo buo ouo c afternoon for a visit to tile salmi dojk ro k we came to the remaining fort of the place fort frederick a Illas massive sive st structure built by the dutch in 1675 to r resist land attacks from the interior bug budow ow occupied byan by an armed 0 garrison arrison c cs heavy artillery writes a 1 cair spon dent from ceylon passing t ough tile the fort and out to the dextre tie ue depoint point we came to a large rugged 0 I 1 re 1 ck k I 1 rising ing 1 precipitously out of the sea t to a hicl height 11 ait of nearly two hundred feet it is known as is salmi rock kock I 1 and the n have a tradition that it H is occupied I 1 by one of their evil deities to propitiate whom their hindmo priest holds a sacred service on the rock twice a week the alic europeans here know of only one event that has occurred to make file ho rock memorable sit since cc the first dutch settlers arrived here the daughter of one of the old dutch governors fell in ill love with a si at young lieutenant stationed on oil a 1 dutch man of war in the harbor her irascible old father opposed their union because the young lieutenant had nothing but his pay I 1 and in order to separate atheni hem ordered tit the man of war to sea on a long cruise As the ship sailed out of the harbor the young girl went out to the rock waved a last far farewell to her let lover over and then throw threw herself off of linto into tile the so sea and was drowned fortunately we got to the rock just as the service was about to begin on a narrow ledge right over the sea stood the priest a fine looking gi gray ity headed old fellow who w was attired in the narrowest loin cloth I 1 have yet seen near to him but clel clear r of tit the rock crock were about lifty fifty or sixty natives the lie men it it tired tery very much like the priest but the women resplendent cot eat in skirts of many colors ind and fairly loaded called down with gold and silver ornaments in nose and cars and on oil arms arins ankles and toes the priest was fairly surrounded with a load of fruit flowers vice rice and cocoa nuts the ore offerings orderings rings of liis his conre congregation 1 aaion lie he commane commenced ed the service by rin ringing ginga a bell beil T then bell holding a brass vessel in which was a I 1 blazing 0 tire lire in his ili liand land before hin him id apparently invoking some pili first sot some ile slips of bacr over tile he face of the rock his congregation colli coll I facing fallat tile the sea clasping cla p in he hands in front af of the body and crip M p m prayer after this was over ever ili the 1 priest ir oie t opened all of the cocoa nut el ci paying 0 the milk into a brass vessel vesel after I 1 lard ard lie he ili made abc a final filial prayer in rapid 1 keeping r the sea quiet wt so that acs hals fl tild on oil it and thell lien commenced Illen ced 0 ill throw row a part of the offerings 0 into th the ea ca lar alit t somo some flow flowers then lien sonic I 1 ri and finally some cocoa mits how ill alif i could reach tile evil daty doit I 1 could noi no to learn during the alie praying of the pru l chec poor natives looked evera every 1 bi hii I us t earnest and devout is as any of our at home would look ill ina I 1 c 1 I lite service VaU imore sum i |