John Pierce (DD 753) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 40 text:

Last Handshake on Job Wei Done by water. Silvers greeted the unfortunate on thi other through the garbage-filled target sleeve. And tht men udt of the tub with Ins invention of flashlight batteries that came through that deevt had smiles of triumph on and wire. ( I niadt it all by myself. ) Then Parker, their faces, for they had received that most coveted of Reid ( Benedict Arnold), and company sped the Polywogs titlt . Shellback.

Page 42 text:

The tiny island of Ceylon lies south of India, and is an independent state. Colombo is her capital and largest city. A tour was arranged by the ship to visit the ancient Singhalese capital of Kandy, about 70 miles inland. The bus ride gave us an oppor- tunity to see the multi-colored tropical land- scape. Rich plantations and dense jungles spread everywhere. The natives raise crops of coconuts, bananas, fruits, bamboo and rubber, as well as the tea for which Ceylon is world- famed. On the way, our guide took us through one of the tea factories, where we saw the tea being dried and crudely ground as it has been for hundreds of years. The prominent point of interest in Kandy is the 1500-year-old Temple of the Tooth. This huge temple was built to preserve a sacred Bud- dhist relic: one of the teeth of Lord Buddha. The hotel at which we dined provided us with an after-dinner treat. A group of natives gave an exhibition of ancient ceremonial dances in full costume, with authentic accompaniment on the original instruments of their ancestors. On the return trip, we stopped to view the vast Botanical Gardens, which are maintained by students of agriculture at Ceylon ' s University. Instead of the usual souvenirs, we bought one of Ceylon ' s largest exports — precious stones. Everyone sported at least one star sapphire or cats-eye ring!