Yakada Yakā: The Continuing Saga of Sonnaby Von Bloss and the Burgher RailwaymenYakada Yaka is the second part of the Burgher trilogy that began with The Jam Fruit Tree When the conquering British roll out the first railway steam-driven locomotive in Sri Lanka, it causes quite a stir. The smoke-spewing, banshee-wailing, fearsome black thing hisses like a thousand cobras... and the villagers declare that this Thing is an Iron Demon-a yakada yaka. The Burghers who drive these Iron Demons have a penchant for challenging authority and courting trouble, sometimes just to liven things up in the railway outposts... and so it is that Sonnaboy and Meerwald chase a large group of villagers all across Anuradhapura, mother-naked but not much bothered by it, Ben Godlieb conjures up a corpse in his cowcatcher, Dickie Byrd single-handedly demolishes a Pentecostal Mission and is hailed as the messiah of the Railway fraternity, and Basil Van der Smaght filches a human heart and feeds it to the Nawalapitiya railway staff ...and to cap it all, Sonnaboy takes French Leave to act in The Bridge on the River Kwai! '(Muller) tells his tale with a gentle humour often bordering on tenderness, but couched in the vigorous rugged localese. Almost immediately we find ourselves empathizing with Muller's roistering band that sins and prays with equal zest.' -Business Standard '... The Burghers ...believed in living life to the hilt. Every situation occasioned wild revels, and there was nothing that could not be solved through a brawl.' -India Today. |
From inside the book
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Page 186
... Gonpala was , the Railway acknowleged , to be the big drive wheel soon . The Legislative Council had decreed that in the process of ' Ceylonization ' , Gonpala would be the country's choice as General Manager of Railways . Gonpala hadn ...
... Gonpala was , the Railway acknowleged , to be the big drive wheel soon . The Legislative Council had decreed that in the process of ' Ceylonization ' , Gonpala would be the country's choice as General Manager of Railways . Gonpala hadn ...
Page 191
... Gonpala was not impressed . He thought it most peculiar that these wild buffaloes strayed onto the line only to greet the Clay Special . He called for train tickets and banged his fist on his desk . ' Three months train tickets , ' he ...
... Gonpala was not impressed . He thought it most peculiar that these wild buffaloes strayed onto the line only to greet the Clay Special . He called for train tickets and banged his fist on his desk . ' Three months train tickets , ' he ...
Page 192
... Gonpala said . ' This is all nonsense . I don't believe this ! ' Gibbs shrugged again . ' What can we do then ? ' ' We'll see , ' said Gonpala darkly , ' next week's Clay Special , we'll see how late it comes . ' Sonnaboy was due for ...
... Gonpala said . ' This is all nonsense . I don't believe this ! ' Gibbs shrugged again . ' What can we do then ? ' ' We'll see , ' said Gonpala darkly , ' next week's Clay Special , we'll see how late it comes . ' Sonnaboy was due for ...
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Common terms and phrases
accepted Anuradhapura arrack asked baby began Beryl better bloody Bloss Board boys brake bridge bring British brother brought bugger bungalow Burgher called Carloboy Ceylon Colombo coming decided door drink driver elephant engine everything eyes face fellow fireman Gampola garden gave girls give guard hands happened head heart hell husband John keep Kinno Kirby knew later light lived look Meerwald mind morning mother moved needed never night Peebles Railway raised road scream seemed shouting side signal Sinhalese sleepers Sonnaboy Sonnaboy's sort station stationmaster stop sure talk Tamil tell thing thought told took track train tree turn wait waves whistle whole wife woman