The weight is slung at either end of the pingo, and the elasticity of the wood accommodates itself to the spring of each step, thereby reducing the dead weight of the load.

In this manner a stout Cingalese will carry and travel with eighty pounds if working on his own account, or with fifty if hired for a journey.

A Cingalese will carry a much heavier weight than an ordinary Malabar, as he is a totally different man in form and strength.

In fact, the Cingalese are generally a compactly built and well-limbed race, while the Malabar is a man averaging full a stone lighter weight.
The most extraordinary in the list of palms is the talipot.

The crest of this beautiful tree is adorned by a crown of nearly circular, fan-shaped leaves of so touch and durable a texture that they are sewn together by the natives for erecting portable tents or huts.