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 49
... tell to go from here . ' John made an effort to steady himself . ' You tell your husban ' ven he cum . Yam going to shoot him . ' Meerwald hooted . ' Just look at the bugger . Can't even hold the gun . ' ' Come and do something ...
... tell to go from here . ' John made an effort to steady himself . ' You tell your husban ' ven he cum . Yam going to shoot him . ' Meerwald hooted . ' Just look at the bugger . Can't even hold the gun . ' ' Come and do something ...
Page 107
... tell you , you tell Colombo . I'll phone the hospital . ' The S.M. thought long . His hand trembled over the Morse key . If the facts were known . . . . ' Heart damaged in van , ' he reported , ' guard disposed of it and cut off from ...
... tell you , you tell Colombo . I'll phone the hospital . ' The S.M. thought long . His hand trembled over the Morse key . If the facts were known . . . . ' Heart damaged in van , ' he reported , ' guard disposed of it and cut off from ...
Page 182
... tell you , ' Sonnaboy said , ' you tell you're going to divorce and must be in Colombo to put the case . Otherwise everytime will have to put leave to go to courts . ' Meerwald brightened up . ' I say , that's a pukka idea , men . If ...
... tell you , ' Sonnaboy said , ' you tell you're going to divorce and must be in Colombo to put the case . Otherwise everytime will have to put leave to go to courts . ' Meerwald brightened up . ' I say , that's a pukka idea , men . If ...
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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