Frank asked the Doctor if the place was named for Christopher Columbus, the great navigator. "Yes and no," was the answer. "It is called Col-amba in the native histories as far back as A.D. 496, and an Arabian traveller, in 1344, speaks of it as 'Kalambu, the finest town in Serendib.' It kept the name of Kalambu till the arrival of the Portuguese, who changed it to Colombo in honor of the famous Genoese discoverer of America. There has been a town or city here for nearly if not quite two thousand years, but it was never of much importance till the Portuguese, and after them the Dutch and English, held the island." In the course of their promenade the boys discovered that the walls of the Fort were nearly two miles in circuit, and of considerable strength and thickness. The Doctor told them the Fort was built by the Dutch, and had been only slightly altered by the English, but there was a prospect that the most of the walls would be removed in a few years to make way for new buildings. The Fort stands on a promontory between the sea and a couple of lakes, and is consequently a place of great natural strength. The houses are solidly built, the streets are lighted with gas, and altogether Colombo is far from uncomfortable as a place of residence. Numbers of peddlers were in the streets, and the corridor of the hotel was crowded with them. They were of the same character as the itinerant merchants of Singapore and Point de Galle, and quite as persistent in offering their wares for sale. The goods were chiefly the products of India and Ceylon, and included some very pretty shellwork, carvings in ivory, ebony, and sandal-wood; Indian jewellery, and gems; the most of the latter being the false gems from Point de Galle. The boys were attracted by the models of Cingalese boats, and after a good deal of bargaining they bought one to send home. It was of the outrigger pattern, very much like those of Galle and the eastern coast, but with the outrigger larger in proportion to the size of the boat. [Illustration: A BUSINESS STREET IN THE "BLACK TOWN."] In the afternoon the Doctor ordered a carriage and went with his young companions to the Pettah, or Black Town, and into the open country beyond it. They found that the Black Town was laid out with wide streets, and had a handsome market-house, under the superintendence of an Englishman. The fine display of fruits in the market showed how Colombo is favored by its tropical climate, and the varied lot of fish told of the wealth of the sea. Frank called the attention of his cousin to several fishes whose like they had not seen before, and Fred responded by pointing out some fresh varieties of fruit.