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 5
... stationmaster had the time of arrival of Earl's train . At Aluthgama ( a case in point ) the stationmaster had his blackboard upon which was chalked the time of arrival : 9.02 . The cabinman would lower the yellow ' Fishtail ' signal at ...
... stationmaster had the time of arrival of Earl's train . At Aluthgama ( a case in point ) the stationmaster had his blackboard upon which was chalked the time of arrival : 9.02 . The cabinman would lower the yellow ' Fishtail ' signal at ...
Page 68
... stationmaster there huffed and puffed and decided to do nothing . Again a crowd turned out to watch and semaphore and shout and point . Godlieb grinned hugely . Judging by the reception along the line he must surely be the Railway's ...
... stationmaster there huffed and puffed and decided to do nothing . Again a crowd turned out to watch and semaphore and shout and point . Godlieb grinned hugely . Judging by the reception along the line he must surely be the Railway's ...
Page 205
... stationmaster hold the train for twenty minutes . The stationmaster said he would . Politically , things were hatching rather frenziedly in the island and it was known that soon the British would haul down their flag . It was vital , be ...
... stationmaster hold the train for twenty minutes . The stationmaster said he would . Politically , things were hatching rather frenziedly in the island and it was known that soon the British would haul down their flag . It was vital , be ...
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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