Having arrived at Doolana, on the 5th April, 1847, with good Moormen

trackers, who were elephant-catchers by profession, I started for a

day's sport, in company with my brother B. This particular portion of

the district is inhabited entirely by Moormen. They are a fine race of

people, far superior to the Cingalese. They are supposed to be descended

from Arabian origin, and they hold the Mohammedan religion. The

Rhatamahatmeya, or head man of the district, resides at Doolana, and he

had received us in a most hospitable manner. We therefore started direct

from his house.

Passing through a belt of low thick jungle, exactly in front of the

village, we entered upon the plain which formed the border of the tank.

This lake is about three miles in length, but is not more than a mile

in width in its widest part, and in some places is very much less.

The opposite side of the tank is fine open forest, which grows to the

water's edge, and is in some parts flooded during the wet season. At

this time the soil was deep and muddy.

This was not a place visited by sportsmen at that period; and upon

arriving at the margin of the lake, an exciting view presented itself.

Scattered over the extent of the lake were 'thirteen rogue elephants;'

one was not a quarter of a mile from us; another was so far off he could

hardly be distinguished; another was close to the opposite jungle; and

they were, in fact, all single elephants. There was an exception to

this, however, in one pair, who stood in the very centre of the tank,

side by side; they were as black as ebony, and although in view with

many brother rogues, they appeared giants even among giants. The Moormen

immediately informed us that they were a notorious pair, who always

associated together, and were the dread of the neighbourhood. There

were many tales of their ferocity and daring, which at the time we gave

little heed to.

Crossing the tank in a large canoe, we arrived in the open forest upon

the opposite shore. It was a mass of elephant tracks; which sank deep

in the soft earth. They were all so fresh and confused that tracking was

very difficult. However, we at length fixed upon the tracks of a pair of

elephants, and followed them up. This was a work of considerable time,

but the distant cracking of a bough at length attracted us to their

position, and we shortly came up with them, just as they had winded us

and were moving off. I fired an ineffectual shot at the temple of one,

which separated him from the other, after whom we started in chase at

full speed. Full speed soon ended in a stand-still in such ground; it

was deep, stiff clay, in which we sank over our ankles at every step,

and varied our struggles by occasionally flying sprawling over the

slippery roots of the trees.

The elephants ran clean away from us, and the elephant-catchers, who

knew nothing of the rules for carrying spare guns, entering into the

excitement of the chase, and free from the impediments of shoes, ran

lightly along the muddy ground, and were soon out of sight as well as

the elephants. Still we struggled on, when, presently we heard a shout

and then a shot; then another shout; then the trumpet of an elephant.

Shot after shot then followed with a chorus of shouts; they were

actually firing all our spare guns!

In a few moments we were up with them. In a beautifully open piece

of forest, upon good hard ground, these fellows were having a regular

battle with the rogue. He was charging them with the greatest fury, but

he no sooner selected one man for his object than these active fellows

diverted his rage by firing into his hind-quarters and yelling at him.

At this he would immediately turn and charge another man, when he would

again be assailed as before. When we arrived he immediately selected B.,

and came straight at him, but offered a beautiful shot in doing so, and

B. dropped him dead.

The firing had disturbed a herd of elephants from the forest, and they

had swum the large river in the neighbourhood, which was at that time

so swollen that we could not cross it. We, therefore, struck off to the

edge of the forest, where the waters of the lake washed the roots of the

trees, and from this point we had a fine view of the greater portion.

All the rogues that we had at first counted had retired to their

several entrances in the forest, except the pair of desperadoes already

mentioned--they knew no fear, and had not heeded the shots fired. They

were tempting baits, and we determined to get them if possible. These

two elephants were standing belly-deep in the water, about a quarter of

a mile from the shore; and the question was, 'How were we to get near

them?' Having observed that the other rogues had retreated to the forest

at the noise of the firing, it struck me that we might by some ruse

induce these two champions to follow their example, and, by meeting them

on their entrance, we might bring them to action.

Not far upon our left, a long shallow bank, covered with reeds,

stretched into the tank. By wading knee-deep along this shoal, a man

might approach to within 200 paces of the elephants and would be nearly

abreast of them. I, therefore, gave a man a gun, and instructed him

to advance to the extreme end of the shallows, taking care to conceal

himself in the rushes, and when at the nearest point he was to fire at

the elephants. This, I hoped, would drive them to the jungle, where we

should endeavour to meet them.

The Moorman entrusted upon this mission was a plucky fellow, and he

started off, taking a double gun and a few charges of powder and ball.

The elephant-catchers were delighted with the idea, and we patiently

awaited the result. About a quarter of an hour passed away, when we

suddenly saw a puff of white smoke spring from the green rushes at the

point of the sandbank. A few moments after, we heard the report of the

gun, and we saw the ball splash in the water close to the elephants.

They immediately cocked their ears, and, throwing their trunks high in

the air, they endeavoured to wind the enemy; but they did not move, and

they shortly again commenced feeding upon the water-lilies. Another shot

from the same place once more disturbed them, and, while they winded the

unseen enemy, two more shots in quick succession from the old quarter

decided their opinion, and they stalked proudly through the water

towards the shore.

Our satisfaction was great, but the delight of the elephant-catchers

knew no bounds. Away they, started along the shores of the lake, hopping

from root to root, skipping through the mud, which was more than a

foot deep, their light forms hardly sinking in the tough surface. A

nine-stone man certainly has an advantage over one of twelve in this

ground; added to this, I was carrying the long two-ounce rifle of

sixteen pounds, which, with ammunition, &c., made up about thirteen and

a half stone, in deep stiff clay. I was literally half-way up the calf

of my leg in mud at every step, while these light, naked fellows tripped

like snipe over the sodden ground. Vainly I called upon them to go

easily; their moment of excitement was at its full pitch, and they were

soon out of sight among the trees and underwood, taking all the spare

guns, except the four-ounce rifle, which, weighing twenty-one pounds,

effectually prevented the bearer from leaving us behind.

What added materially to the annoyance of losing the spare guns was the

thoughtless character of the advance. I felt sure that these fellows

would outrun the position of the elephants, which, if they had continued

in a direct route, should have entered the jungle within 300 yards of

our first station.

We had slipped, and plunged, and struggled over this distance, when we

suddenly were checked in our advance. We had entered a small plot of

deep mud and rank grass, surrounded upon all sides by dense rattan

jungle. This stuff is one woven mass of hooked thorns: long tendrils,

armed in the same manner, although not thicker than a whip-cord, wind

themselves round the parent canes and form a jungle which even elephants

dislike to enter. To man, these jungles are perfectly impervious.

Half-way to our knees in mud, we stood in this small open space of about

thirty feet by twenty. Around us was an opaque screen of impenetrable

jungle; the lake lay about fifty yards upon our left, behind the thick

rattan. The gun-bearers were gone ahead somewhere, and were far in

advance. We were at a stand-still. Leaning upon my long rifle, I stood

within four feet of the wall of jungle which divided us from the lake.

I said to B., 'The trackers are all wrong, and have gone too far. I

am convinced that the elephants must have entered somewhere near this

place.'

Little did I think that at that very moment they were within a few feet

of us. B. was standing behind me on the opposite side of the small open,

or about seven yards from the jungle.

I suddenly heard a deep guttural sound in the thick rattan within four

feet of me; in the same instant the whole tangled fabric bent forward,

and bursting asunder, showed the furious head of an elephant with

uplifted trunk in full charge upon me!

I had barely time to cock my rifle, and the barrel almost touched him

as I fired. I knew it was in vain, as his trunk was raised. B. fired his

right-hand barrel at the same moment without effect from the same cause.

I jumped on one side and attempted to spring through the deep mud: it

was of no use, the long grass entangled my feet, and in another instant

I lay sprawling in the enraged elephant's path within a foot of him. In

that moment of suspense I expected to hear the crack of my own bones as

his massive foot would be upon me. It was an atom of time. I heard the

crack of a gun; it was B.'s last barrel. I felt a spongy weight strike

my heel, and, turning quickly heels over head, I rolled a few paces and

regained my feet. That last shot had floored him just as he was upon me;

the end of his trunk had fallen upon my heel. Still he was not dead, but

he struck at me with his trunk as I passed round his head to give him

a finisher with the four-ounce rifle, which I had snatched from our

solitary gun-bearer.

My back was touching the jungle from which the rogue had just charged,

and I was almost in the act of firing through the temple of the still

struggling elephant, when I heard a tremendous crash in the jungle

behind me similar to the first, and the savage scream of an elephant.

I saw the ponderous foreleg cleave its way through the jungle directly

upon me. I threw my whole weight back against the thick rattans to avoid

him, and the next moment his foot was planted within an inch of mine.

His lofty head was passing over me in full charge at B., who was

unloaded, when, holding the four-ounce rifle perpendicularly, I fired

exactly under his throat. I thought he would fall and crush me, but this

shot was the only chance, as B. was perfectly helpless.

A dense cloud of smoke from the heavy charge of powder for the moment

obscured everything. I had jumped out of the way the instant after

firing. The elephant did not fall, but he had his death blow the

ball had severed his jugular, and the blood poured from the wound. He

stopped, but collecting his stunned energies he still blundered forward

towards B. He, however, avoided him by running to one side, and the

wounded brute staggered on through the jungle. We now loaded the guns;

the first rogue was quite dead, and we followed in pursuit of rogue

number two. We heard distant shots, and upon arriving at the spot we

found the gun-bearers. They had heard the wounded elephant crushing

through the jungle, and they had given him a volley just as he was

crossing the river over which the herd had escaped in the morning. They

described the elephant as perfectly helpless from his wound, and they

imagined that he had fallen in the thick bushes on the opposite bank

of the river. As I before mentioned, we could not cross the river on

account of the torrent, but in a few days it subsided, and the elephant

was found lying dead in the spot where they supposed he had fallen.

Thus happily ended the destruction of this notable pair; they had proved

themselves all that we had heard of them, and by their cunning dodge

of hiding in the thick jungle they had nearly made sure of us. We had

killed three rogues that morning, and we returned to our quarters well

satisfied.

Since that period I have somewhat thinned the number of rogues in this

neighbourhood. I had a careful and almost certain plan of shooting them.

Quite alone, with the exception of two faithful gun-bearers, I used to

wait at the edge of the jungle at their feeding time, and watch their

exit from the forest. The most cautious stalking then generally enabled

me to get a fatal shot before my presence was discovered. This is the

proper way to succeed with rogue elephants, although of course it is

attended with considerable danger. I was once very nearly caught near

this spot, where the elephants are always particularly savage. The

lake was then much diminished in size by dry weather, and the water had

retired for about a hundred yards from the edge of the forest, leaving

a deep bed of mud covered with slime and decayed vegetable matter.

This slime had hardened in the sun and formed a cake over the soft mud

beneath. Upon this treacherous surface a man could walk with great

care. Should the thin covering break through, he would be immediately

waist-deep in the soft mud. To plod through this was the elephant's

delight. Smearing a thick coat of the black mud over their whole bodies,

they formed a defensive armour against the attacks of mosquitoes, which

are the greatest torments that an elephant has to contend with.

I was watching the edge of the forest one afternoon at about four

o'clock, when I noticed the massive form of one of these tank rogues

stalk majestically from the jungle and proceed through the deep mud

towards the lake. I had the wind, and I commenced stalking him.

Advancing with my two gun-bearers in single file, I crept carefully from

tree to tree along the edge of the forest for about a quarter of a mile,

until I arrived at the very spot at which he had made his exit from the

jungle.

I was now within eighty yards of him as he stood with his head towards

the lake and his hind-quarters exactly facing me. His deep tracks in the

mud were about five feet apart, so great was his stride and length of

limb, and, although the soft bog was at least three and a half feet

deep, his belly was full two feet above the surface. He was a fine

fellow, and, with intense caution, I advanced towards him over the

trembling surface of baked slime. His tracks had nearly filled with

water, and looked like little wells. The bog waved as I walked carefully

over it, and I stopped once or twice, hesitating whether I should

continue; I feared the crusty surface would not support me, as the

nearer I approached the water's edge the weaker the coating of slime

became, not having been exposed for so long a time to the sun as that at

a greater distance.

He was making so much noise in splashing the mud over his body that

I had a fine chance for getting up to him. I could not withstand the

temptation, and I crept up as fast as I could.

I got within eight paces of him unperceived; the mud that he threw

over his back spattered round me as it fell. I was carrying a light

double-barrelled gun, but I now reached back my hand to exchange it for

my four-ounce rifle. Little did I expect the sudden effect produced

by the additional weight of the heavy weapon. The treacherous surface

suddenly gave way, and in an instant I was waist deep in mud. The noise

that I had made in falling had at once aroused the elephant, and, true

to his character of a rogue, he immediately advanced with a shrill

trumpet towards me. His ears were cocked, and his tail was well up; but

instead of charging, as rogues generally do, with his head thrown rather

back and held high, which renders a front shot very uncertain, he rather

lowered his head, and splashed towards me through the mud, apparently

despising my diminutive appearance.

I thought it was all up with me this time; I was immovable in my bed of

mud, and, instead of the clean brown barrel that I could usually trust

to in an extremity, I raised a mass of mud to my shoulder, which encased

my rifle like a flannel bag. I fully expected it to miss fire; no sights

were visible, and I had to guess the aim with the advancing elephant

within five yards of me. Hopelessly I pulled the slippery trigger. The

rifle did not even hang fire, and the rogue fell into the deep bed of

mud stone dead. If the rifle had missed fire I must have been killed, as

escape would have been impossible. It was with great difficulty that I

was extricated from my muddy position by the joint exertions of myself

and gun-bearers.

Elephants, buffaloes, and hogs are equally fond of wallowing in the mud.

A buffalo will gallop through a swamp, hock deep, in which a horse would

be utterly powerless, even without a rider. Elephants can also make

wonderful progress through deep mud, the formation of the hind legs

with knees instead of hocks giving them an increased facility for moving

through heavy ground.

The great risk in attacking rogue elephants consists in the

impracticability of quick movements upon such ground as they generally

frequent. The speed and activity of a man, although considerable upon a

smooth surface, is as nothing upon rough, stumpy grass wilds, where even

walking is laborious. What is comparatively level to an elephant's

foot is as a ploughed field to that of a man. This renders escape from

pursuit next to impossible, unless some welcome tree should be near,

round which the hunter could dodge, and even then he stands but a poor

chance, unless assistance is at hand. I have never seen anyone who could

run at full speed in rough ground without falling, if pursued. Large

stones, tufts of rank grass, holes, fallen boughs, gullies, are all

impediments to rapid locomotion when the pursued is forced to be

constantly looking back to watch the progress of his foe, and to be the

judge of his own race.

There is a great art in running away. It requires the perfection of

coolness and presence of mind, without which a man is most likely to run

into the very danger that he is trying to avoid. This was the cause

of Major Haddock's death in Ceylon some years ago. He had attacked a

'rogue,' and, being immediately charged, he failed to stop him, although

he gave him both barrels. Being forced to run, he went off at full

speed, and turning quickly round a tree, he hoped the elephant would

pass him. Unfortunately, he did not look behind him before he turned,

and the elephant passed round the opposite side of the tree, and, of

course, met him face to face. He was instantly trampled to death.

Mr. Wallet was also killed by a rogue elephant; this animal was shot a

few days afterwards, in a spirited contest, by Captain Galway and

Ensign Scroggs, both of whom were very nearly caught in the encounter.

A gentleman of the name of Keane was added to the list of victims a

few years ago. He had fired without effect, and was almost immediately

over-taken by the elephant and crushed to death. The most extraordinary

tale that I have ever heard of rogue elephants in Ceylon was told me by

the Rhatamahatmeya of Doolana, who was present at the scene when a lad.

I do not profess to credit it entirely; but I will give it in his own

words, and, to avoid the onus of an improbable story, I will entitle it

the 'Rhatamahatmeya's Tale.' In justice to him, I must acknowledge that

his account was corroborated by all the old men of the village.

THE RHATAMAHATMEYA'S TALE.

'There was a notorious rogue elephant at Doolana about thirty years

ago, whose ferocity was so extreme that he took complete possession of

a certain part of the country adjoining the lake. He had killed eight

or nine persons, and his whole object in existence appeared to be the

waylaying and destruction of the natives. He was of enormous size, and

was well known by a peculiar flesh-coloured forehead.

'In those days there were no fire-arms in this part of the country;

therefore there was no protection for either life or property from this

monster, who would invade the paddy-fields at night, and actually pull

down the watch-houses, regardless of the blazing fires which are lighted

on the hearth of sand on the summit; these he used to scatter about and

extinguish. He had killed several natives in this manner, involving them

in the common ruin with their watch-houses. The terror created by this

elephant was so extreme that the natives deserted the neighbourhood that

he infested.

'At length many months passed away without his being either seen or

heard of; the people began to hope that he had died from the effect

of poisoned arrows, which had frequently been shot at him from the

watch-houses in high trees; and, by degrees, the terror of his name had

lost its power, and he ceased to be thought of.

'It was in the cool of the evening, about an hour before sunset, that

about twenty of the women from the village were upon the grassy borders

of the lake, engaged in sorting and tying into bundles the rushes which

they had been gathering during the day for making mats. They were on the

point of starting homeward with their loads, when the sudden trumpet

of an elephant was heard, and to their horror they saw the well-known

rogue, with the unmistakable mark upon his forehead, coming down in full

charge upon them. The ground was perfectly open; there were no trees for

some hundred yards, except the jungle from which he was advancing at a

frightful speed. An indiscriminate flight of course took place, and a

race of terror commenced. In a few seconds the monster was among them,

and, seizing a young girl in his trunk, he held her high in the air, and

halted, as though uncertain how to dispose of his helpless victim. The

girl, meanwhile, was vainly shrieking for assistance, and the petrified

troop of women, having gained the shelter of some jungle, gazed

panic-stricken upon the impending fate of their companion.

'To their horror the elephant slowly lowered her in his trunk till near

the ground, when he gradually again raised her, and, bringing her head

into his mouth, a report was heard like the crack of a whip--it was

the sudden crushing of her skull. Tearing the head off by the neck, he

devoured it; and, placing his forefoot upon the body, he tore the arms

and legs from their sockets with his trunk, and devoured every portion

of her.

'The women rushed to the village with the news of this unnatural

carnage.

'Doolana and the neighbourhood has always been famous for its

elephant-hunters, and the husband of this unfortunate girl was one of

the most active in their pursuit. The animals are caught in this country

and sold to the Arabs, for the use of the Indian Government.

'The news of this bloody deed flew from village to village; war to

the knife was declared against the perpetrator, and preparations were

accordingly made.

'Since the murder of this girl he had taken up his abode in a small

isolated jungle adjoining, surrounded by a small open plain of fine soft

grass, upon a level sandy soil.

'A few days after this act, a hundred men assembled at

Doolana, determined upon his destruction. They were all picked

elephant-hunters--Moormen; active and sinewy fellows, accustomed to

danger from their childhood. Some were armed with axes, sharpened to the

keenest edge, some with long spears, and others with regular elephant

ropes, formed of the thongs of raw deer's hide, beautifully twisted.

Each division of men had a separate duty allotted.

'They marched towards the small jungle in which the rogue was known

to be; but he anticipated their wishes, and before they were within a

hundred paces of his lair, he charged furiously out. The conflict began

in good earnest. The spearmen were in advance, and the axemen were

divided into two parties, one on either flank, with an equal number of

ropemen. The instant that he charged the whole body of men ran forward

at full speed to meet him; still he continued his furious onset,

undismayed by the yells of a hundred men. The spearmen halted when

within twenty yards, then turned and fled; this had been agreed upon

beforehand. The elephant passed the two flanks of axemen in pursuit of

the flying enemy; the axemen immediately closed in behind him, led by

the husband of the murdered girl. By a well-directed blow upon the hind

leg, full of revenge, this active fellow divided the sinew in the first

joint above the foot.* (*Since this was written I have seen the African

elephant disabled by one blow of a sharp sword as described in the "Nile

Tributaries of Abyssinia.") That instant the elephant fell upon his

knees, but recovered himself directly, and endeavoured to turn upon

his pursuers; a dozen axes flashed in the sunbeams, as the strokes were

aimed at the other hind leg. It was the work of an instant: the massive

limb bent powerless under him, and he fell in a sitting posture, utterly

helpless, but roaring with mad and impotent fury. The ropemen now threw

nooses over his trunk and head; his struggles, although tremendous, were

in vain; fifty men, hanging their weight upon several ropes attached to

his trunk, rendered that dreaded weapon powerless. The sharp lances

were repeatedly driven into his side, and several of the boldest hunters

climbing up the steep ascent of his back, an axe was seen to fall

swiftly and repeatedly upon his spine, on the nape of his tough neck.

The giant form suddenly sank; the spine was divided, and the avenging

blow was dealt by the husband of his late victim. The destroyer was no

more. The victory was gained without the loss of a man.'

The natives said that this elephant was mad; if so it may account in

some measure for the unheard-of occurrence of an elephant devouring

flesh. Both elephants and buffaloes attack man from malice alone,

without the slightest idea of making a meal of him. This portion of the

headman's story I cannot possibly believe, although he swears to it.

The elephant may, perhaps, have cracked her head and torn his victim to

pieces in the manner described, but the actual 'eating' is incredible.

CHAPTER VI.

Character of the Veddahs--Description of the Veddahs--A Monampitya

Rogue--Attacking the Rogue--Breathless Excitement--Death of a Large

Rogue--Utility of the Four-ounce--A Curious Shot--Fury of a Bull

Buffalo--Character of the Wild Buffalo--Buffalo-shooting at Minneria

Lake--Charge in High Reeds--Close of a Good Day's Sport--Last Day at

Minneria--A Large Snake--An Unpleasant Bedfellow.

Doolana is upon the very verge of the most northern point of the Veddah

country, the whole of which wild district is the finest part of Ceylon

for sport. Even to this day few Europeans have hunted these secluded

wilds. The wandering Veddah, with his bow and arrows, is occasionally

seen roaming through his wilderness in search of deer, but the report

of a native's gun is never heard; the game is therefore comparatively

undisturbed. I have visited every portion of this fine sporting country,

and since I have acquired the thorough knowledge of its attractions, I

have made up my mind never to shoot anywhere but there. The country is

more open than in most parts of Ceylon, and the perfect wildness of the

whole district is an additional charm.

The dimensions of the Veddah country are about eighty miles from north

to south, by forty in width. A fine mountain, known as the 'Gunner's

Coin,' is an unmistakable landmark upon the northern boundary. From

this point a person may ride for forty miles without seeing a sign of a

habitation; the whole country is perfectly uncivilised, and its scanty

occupants, the 'Veddahs,' wander about like animals, without either

home, laws, or religion.

I have frequently read absurd descriptions of their manners and customs,

which must evidently have been gathered from hearsay, and not from

a knowledge of the people. It is a commonly believed report that the

Veddahs 'live in the trees,' and a stranger immediately confuses them

with rooks and monkeys. Whoever first saw Veddah huts in the trees would

have discovered, upon enquiry, that they were temporary watch-houses,

from which they guard a little plot of korrakan from the attacks of

elephants and other wild beasts. Far from LIVING in the trees, they

live nowhere; they wander over the face of their beautiful country, and

migrate to different parts at different seasons, with the game which

they are always pursuing. The seasons in Ceylon vary in an extraordinary

manner, considering the small size of the island. The wet season in one

district is the dry season in another, and vice versa. Wherever the dry

weather prevails, the pasturage is dried up; the brooks and pools are

mere sandy gullies and pits. The Veddah watches at some solitary hole

which still contains a little water, and to this the deer and every

species of Ceylon game resort. Here his broad-headed arrow finds a

supply. He dries the meat in long strips in the sun, and cleaning out

some hollow tree, he packs away his savoury mass of sun-cooked flesh,

and fills up the reservoir with wild honey; he then stops up the

aperture with clay.

The last drop of water evaporates, the deer leave the country and

migrate into other parts where mountains attract the rain and the

pasturage is abundant. The Veddah burns the parched grass wherever he

passes, and the country is soon a blackened surface--not a blade of

pasture remains; but the act of burning ensures a sweet supply shortly

after the rains commence, to which the game and the Veddahs will then

return. In the meantime he follows the game to other districts, living

in caves where they happen to abound, or making a temporary but with

grass and sticks.

Every deer-path, every rock, every peculiar feature in the country,

every pool of water, is known to these hunting Veddahs; they are

consequently the best assistants in the world in elephant-hunting. They

will run at top speed over hard ground upon an elephant's track which

is barely discernible even to the practised eye of a white man.

Fortunately, the number of these people is very trifling or the game

would be scarce.

They hunt like the leopard; noiselessly stalking till within ten paces

of their game, they let the broad arrow fly. At this distance who could

miss? Should the game be simply wounded, it is quite enough; they never

lose him, but hunt him up, like hounds upon a blood track.

Nevertheless, they are very bad shots with the bow and arrow, and they

never can improve while they restrict their practice to such short

ranges.

I have often tried them at a mark at sixty yards, and, although a very

bad hand with a bow myself, I have invariably beaten them with their own

weapons. These bows are six feet long, made of a light supple wood, and

the strings are made of the fibrous bark of a tree greased and twisted.

The arrows are three feet long, formed of the same wood as the bows. The

blades are themselves seven inches of this length, and are flat, like

the blade of a dinner-knife brought to a point. Three short feathers

from the peacock's wing are roughly lashed to the other end of the

arrow.

The Veddah in person is extremely ugly; short, but sinewy, his long

uncombed locks fall to his waist, looking more like a horse's tail than

human hair. He despises money, but is thankful for a knife, a hatchet,

or a gaudy-coloured cloth, or brass pot for cooking.

The women are horribly ugly and are almost entirely naked. They have

no matrimonial regulations, and the children are squalid and miserable.

Still these people are perfectly happy, and would prefer their present

wandering life to the most luxurious restraint. Speaking a language of

their own, with habits akin to those of wild animals, they keep entirely

apart from the Cingalese. They barter deer-horns and bees'-wax with the

travelling Moormen pedlers in exchange for their trifling requirements.

If they have food, they eat it; if they have none, they go without until

by some chance they procure it. In the meantime they chew the bark of

various trees, and search for berries, while they wend their way for

many miles to some remembered store of deer's flesh and honey, laid by

in a hollow tree.

The first time that I ever saw a Veddah was in the north of the country.

A rogue elephant was bathing in a little pool of deep mud and water near

the tank of Monampitya, about six miles from the 'Gunner's Coin.' This

Veddah had killed a wild pig, and was smoking the flesh within a few

yards of the spot, when he suddenly heard the elephant splashing in

the water. My tent was pitched within a mile of the place, and he

accordingly brought me the intelligence.

Upon arrival at the pool I found the elephant so deep in the mud that he

could barely move. His hind-quarters were towards me; and the pool not

being more than thirty yards in diameter, and surrounded by impenetrable

rattan jungle on all sides but one small opening, in which I stood,

I was obliged to clap my hands to attract his attention. This had the

desired effect; he turned slowly round, and I shot him immediately. This

was one of the Monampitya tank rogues, but in his muddy position he had

no chance.

The largest elephant that I have ever seen was in this neighbourhood. I

had arrived one afternoon at about five o'clock in a fine plain, about

twelve miles from Monampitya, where the presence of a beautiful lake and

high grass promised an abundance of game. It was a most secluded spot,

and my tent and coolies being well up with my horse, I fixed upon a

shady nook for the tent, and I strolled out to look for the tracks while

it was being pitched.

A long promontory stretched some hundred yards into the lake, exactly

opposite the spot I had fixed upon for the encampment, and, knowing that

elephants when bathing generally land upon the nearest shore, I walked

out towards the point of this projecting neck of land.

The weather was very dry, and the ground was a mass of little pitfalls,

about two feet deep, which had been made by the feet of the elephants in

the wet weather, when this spot was soft mud and evidently the favourite

resort of the heavy game. The ground was now baked by the sun as hard

as though it were frozen, and the numerous deep ruts made walking very

difficult. Several large trees and a few bushes grew upon the surface,

but for the most part it was covered by a short though luxuriant grass.

One large tree grew within fifty yards of the extreme point of the

promontory, and another of the same kind grew at an equal distance from

it, but nearer to the main land. Upon both these trees was a coat of

thick mud not many hours old. The bark was rubbed completely away, and

this appeared to have been used for years as a favourite rubbing-post by

some immense elephant. The mud reached full twelve feet up the trunk of

the tree, and there were old marks far above this which had been scored

by his tusks. There was no doubt that one of these tank rogues of

extraordinary size had frequented this spot for years, and still

continued to do so, the mud upon the tree being still soft, as though it

had been left there that morning. I already coveted him, and having my

telescope with me, I took a minute survey of the opposite shore, which

was about half a mile distant and was lined with fine open forest to the

water's edge. Nothing was visible. I examined the other side of the lake

with the same want of success. Although it was such a quiet spot, with

beautiful grass and water, there was not a single head of game to be

seen. Again I scrutinised the opposite shore. The glass was no sooner

raised to my eye than I started at the unexpected apparition. There was

no mistaking him; he had appeared as though by magic--an elephant of the

most extraordinary size that I have ever seen. He was not still for an

instant, but was stalking quickly up and down the edge of the lake as

though in great agitation. This restlessness is one of the chief

characteristics of a bad rogue. I watched him for a few minutes, until

he at length took to the water, and after blowing several streams over

his shoulders, he advanced to the middle of the tank, where he commenced

feeding upon the lotus leaves and sedges.

It was a calm afternoon, and not a breath of air was stirring;

and fearing lest the noise of the coolies, who were arranging the

encampment, should disturb him, I hastened back. I soon restored

quiet, and ordering the horses to be led into the jungle lest he should

discover them, I made the people conceal themselves; and taking my two

Moormen gun-bearers, who were trusty fellows that I had frequently shot

with, I crept cautiously back to my former position, and took my station

behind the large tree farthest from the point which commanded the

favourite rubbing-post and within fifty yards of it. From this place I

attentively watched his movements. He was wandering about in the water,

alternately feeding and bathing, and there was a peculiar devilry in his

movements that marked him as a rogue of the first class. He at length

made up his mind to cross the tank, and he advanced at quick strides

through the water straight for the point upon which I hoped to meet him.

This was an exciting moment. I had no companion, but depended upon

my own gun, and the rutty nature of the ground precluded any quick

movements. The watching of the game is the intense excitement of

elephant-shooting--a feeling which only lasts until the animal is within

shot, when it suddenly vanishes and gives place to perfect calmness. At

this time I could distinctly hear the beating of my own heart, and

my two gun-bearers, who did not know what fear was, were literally

trembling with excitement.

He was certainly a king of beasts, and proudly he advanced towards the

point. Suddenly he disappeared; nothing could be seen but his trunk

above the water as he waded through the deep channel for a few yards,

and then reared his majestic form dripping from the lake. He stood upon

the 'point.' I never saw so grand an animal; it seemed as though no

single ball could kill him, and although his head and carcass were

enormous, still his length of leg appeared disproportionately great.

With quick, springy paces he advanced directly for his favourite tree

and began his process of rubbing, perfectly unaware of the hidden foes

so near him.

Having finished his rubbing, he tore up several bunches of grass, but

without eating them he threw them pettishly over his back, and tossed

some from side to side. I was in momentary dread lest a horse should

neigh and disturb him, as they were within 200 paces of where he stood.

Everything was, however, quiet in that direction, where the hiding

coolies were watching the impending event with breathless interest.

Having amused himself for some moments by kicking up the turf and dirt

and throwing the sand over his back, he took it into his head to visit

the main shore, and for this purpose he strode quickly in the direction

of the encampment. I moved round the tree to secrete myself as he

advanced. He was soon exactly at right angles with me as he was passing

the tree, when he suddenly stopped: his whole demeanour changed in an

instant; his ears cocked, his eyes gleamed, his tail on end and his

trunk raised high in the air, he turned the distended tip towards the

tree from behind which I was watching him. He was perfectly motionless

and silent in this attitude for some moments. He was thirty yards

from me, as I supposed at the time, and I reserved my fire, having the

four-ounce rifle ready. Suddenly, with his trunk still raised, his

long legs swung forward towards me. There was no time to lose; I was

discovered, and a front shot would be useless with his trunk in that

position. Just as his head was in the act of turning towards me I took

a steady shot at his temple. He sank gently upon his knees, and never

afterwards moved a muscle! His eyes were open, and so bright that

I pushed my finger in them to assure myself that life was perfectly

extinct. He was exactly thirty-two paces from the rifle, and the ball

had passed in at one temple and out at the other. His height may be

imagined from this rough method of measuring. A gun-bearer climbed upon

his back as the elephant lay upon all-fours, and holding a long stick

across his spine at right angles, I could just touch it with the points

of my fingers by reaching to my utmost height. Thus, as he lay, his back

was seven feet two inches, perpendicular height, from the ground. This

would make his height when erect about twelve feet on the spine-an

enormous height for an elephant, as twelve feet on the top of the back

is about equal to eleven feet six inches at the shoulder. If I had not

fortunately killed this elephant at the first shot, I should have

had enough to do to take care of myself, as he was one of the most

vicious-looking brutes that I ever saw, and he was in the very act of

charging when I shot him.

With these elephants the four-ounce rifle is an invaluable weapon; even

if the animal is not struck in the mortal spot, the force of the blow

upon the head is so great that it will generally bring him upon his

knees, or at least stop him. It has failed once or twice in this, but

not often; and upon those occasions I had loaded with the conical ball.

This, although it will penetrate much farther through a thick substance

than a round ball, is not so effective in elephant-shooting as the

latter. The reason is plain enough. No shot in the head will kill an

elephant dead unless it passes through the brain; an ounce ball will

effect this as well as a six-pound shot; but there are many cases where

the brain cannot be touched, by a peculiar method of carrying the

head and trunk in charging, etc.; a power is then required that by the

concussion will knock him down, or turn him; this power is greater in

the round ball than in the conical, as a larger surface is suddenly

struck. The effect is similar to a man being run through the arm with

a rapier or thrust at with a poker--the rapier will pass through him

almost without his knowledge, but the poker will knock him down. Thus

the pointed conical ball will, perhaps, pass through an elephant's

forehead and penetrate as far as his shoulders, but it will produce no

immediate effect. For buffalo-shooting the conical ball is preferable,

as with the heavy charge of powder that I use it will pass completely

through him from end to end. A four-ounce ball, raking an animal from

stem to stern, must settle him at once. This is a desirable thing to

accomplish with wild buffaloes, as they may, frequently prove awkward

customers, even after receiving several mortal wounds from light guns.

The four-ounce conical ball should be an excellent weapon for African

shooting, where the usual shot at an elephant is at the shoulder. This

shot would never answer in Ceylon; the country is not sufficiently open

to watch the effects produced upon the animal, and although he may have

a mortal wound, he carries it away with him and is not bagged. I have

frequently tried this shot; and, although I have seen the elephants go

away with ears and trunk drooping, still I have never bagged more than

one by any but the head shot. This fellow was a small 'tusker,' who

formed one of a herd in thick thorny jungle. There were several rocks in

this low jungle which overtopped the highest bushes; and having taken my

station upon one of these, I got a downward shot between the shoulders

at the tusker, and dropped him immediately as the herd passed beneath.

The jungle was so thick that I could not see his head, or, of course,

I should have chosen the usual shot. This shot was not a fair criterion

for the shoulder, as I happened to be in a position that enabled me to

fire down upon him, and the ball most likely passed completely through

him.

I remember a curious and unexpected shot that I once made with the

four-ounce rifle, which illustrates its immense power. I was shooting at

Minneria, and was returning to the tent in the afternoon, having had

a great day's sport with buffaloes, when I saw a large herd in the

distance, ranged up together, and gazing intently at some object near

them. Being on horseback I rode up to them, carrying my heavy rifle;

and, upon a near approach I discovered two large bulls fighting

furiously. This combat was exciting the attention of the herd, who

retreated upon my approach. The two bulls were so engaged in their duel

that they did not notice me until I was within fifty yards of them.

First one, then the other, was borne to the ground, when presently their

horns became locked together, as though arm in arm. The more they tugged

to separate themselves, the tighter they held together, and at length

they ranged side by side, Taking a shot at the shoulder of the nearest

bull, they both fell suddenly to the ground. The fall unlocked their

horns, and one bull recovering his legs, retreated at a slow pace and

dead lame. The nearest bull was killed, and mounting my horse I galloped

after the wounded buffalo. The chase did not last long. Upon arriving

within fifty yards of his flank, I noticed the blood streaming from his

mouth, and he presently rolled over and died. The ball, having passed

through his antagonist, had entered his shoulder, and, smashing the

shoulder-blade, had passed through the body, lodging in the tough hide

upon his opposite side, from which I extracted it by simply cutting the

skin which covered it.

I have frequently seen the bull buffaloes fight each other with great

fury. Upon these occasions they are generally the most dangerous, all

their natural ferocity being increased by the heat of the combat. I

was once in pursuit of an elephant which led me across the plain at

Minneria, when I suddenly observed a large bull buffalo making towards

me, as though to cut me off in the very direction in which I was

advancing. Upon his near approach I noticed numerous bloody cuts and

scratches upon his neck and shoulders, which were evidently only just

made by the horns of some bull with whom he had been fighting. Not

wishing to fire, lest I should alarm the elephant, I endeavoured to

avoid him, but this was no easy task. He advanced to within fifty paces

of me, and, ploughing up the ground with his horns, and roaring, he

seemed determined to make an attack. However, I managed to pass him at

length, being determined to pay him off on my return, if he were still

in the same spot.

On arriving near the position of the elephant, I saw at once that it was

impossible to get him: he was standing in a deep morass of great extent,

backed by thick jungles, and I could not approach nearer than 150 paces.

After trying several ruses to induce him to quit his mud-bath and come

on, I found it was of no use; he was not disposed to be a fighter, as

he saw my strong position upon some open rising ground among some large

trees. I therefore took a rest upon the branch of a tree, and gave him

a shot from the four-ounce rifle through the shoulder. This sent him

to the thick jungle with ears and trunk drooping, but produced no other

effect. I therefore returned towards the tent, fully expecting to meet

my old enemy, the bull, whom I had left master of the field. In this

I was not disappointed; he was standing within a few yards of the same

spot, and, upon seeing me, he immediately advanced, having a very poor

opinion of an enemy who had retreated from him an hour previous.

Instead of charging at a rapid pace he trotted slowly up, and I gave him

the four-ounce when within fifty yards. This knocked him over; but, to

my astonishment, he recovered himself instantly and galloped towards me.

Again he stopped within twenty yards of me, and it was fortunate for me

that he did; for a servant who was carrying my long two-ounce rifle had,

in his excitement, cocked it and actually set the hair-trigger. This

he managed to touch as he handed it to me, and it exploded close to

my head. I had only a light double-gun loaded, and the buffalo was

evidently prepared to charge in a few seconds.

To my great satisfaction I saw the bloody foam gathering upon his lips,

and I knew that he was struck through the lungs; but, nevertheless, the

distance was so short between us that he could reach me in two or three

bounds. Keeping my Moorman with the light gun close to me in readiness,

I began to load my two big rifles. In the mean time the bull was

advancing step by step with an expression of determined malice, and my

Cingalese servant, in an abject state of fright, was imploring me to

run--simply as an excuse for his own flight. 'Buffalo's coming, sar!

Master, run plenty, quick! Buffalo's coming, sar! Master, get big tree!'

I could not turn to silence the fellow, but I caught him a fine backward

kick upon the shins with my heel, which stopped him, and in a few

seconds I was loaded and the four-ounce was in my hand. The bull, at

this time, was not fifteen yards from me; but, just as I was going to

fire, I saw him reel to one side; and in another moment he rolled upon

his back, a dead buffalo, although I had not fired after my first shot.

The ball, having entered his chest, was sticking in the skin of his

haunch, having passed through his lungs. His wonderful pluck had kept

him upon his legs until life was extinct.

I am almost tired of recounting so many instances of the courage of

these beasts. When I look back to those scenes, so many ghosts of

victims rise up before me that, were I to relate one-half their

histories, it would fill a volume. The object in describing these

encounters is to show the style of animal that the buffalo is in his

natural state. I could relate a hundred instances where they have died

like curs, and have afforded no more sport than tame cows; but I merely

enumerate those scenes worth relating that I have witnessed. This will

show that the character of a wild buffalo can never be depended upon;

and if the pursuit is followed up as a sport by itself, the nature

of the animal cannot be judged by the individual behaviour of any

particular beast. Some will fight and some will fly, and no one can tell

which will take place; it is at the option of the beast. Caution and

good shooting, combined with heavy rifles, are necessary. Without heavy

metal the sport would be superlatively dangerous if regularly followed

up. Many persons kill a wild buffalo every now and then; but I have

never met with a single sportsman in Ceylon who has devoted himself to

the pursuit as a separate sport. Unless this is done the real character

of buffaloes in general must remain unknown. It may, however, be

considered as a rule with few exceptions that the buffaloes seldom

commence the attack unless pursued. Their instinct at once tells them

whether the man advancing towards them over the plain comes as an enemy.

They may then attack; but if unmolested they will generally retreat,

and, like all men of true courage, they will never seek a quarrel,

and never give in when it is forced upon them. Many descriptions of

my encounters with these animals may appear to militate against this

theory, but they are the exceptions that I have met with; the fierce

look of defiance and the quick tossing of the head may appear to

portend a charge, but the animals are generally satisfied with this

demonstration, and retreat.

Attack the single bulls and follow them up, and they will soon show

their real character. Heavy rifles then make a good sport of what

would otherwise be a chance of ten to one against the man. It must be

remembered that the attack is generally upon an extensive plain, without

a single sheltering tree; escape by speed is therefore impossible, and

even a horse must be a good one or a buffalo will catch him.

Without wading through the many scenes of carnage that I have witnessed

in this branch of sport, I will sum up the account of buffalo-shooting

by a description of one day's work at Minneria.

The tent was pitched in a secluded spot beneath some shady trees,

through which no ray of sun could penetrate; the open forest surrounded

it on all sides, but through the vistas of dark stems the beautiful

green plain and glassy lake could be seen stretching into an undefined

distance. The blue hills, apparently springing from the bosom of the

lake, lined the horizon, and the shadowy forms of the Kandian mountains

mingled indistinctly with the distant clouds. From this spot, with a

good telescope, I could watch the greater part of the plain, which was

at this time enlivened by the numerous herds of wild buffaloes scattered

over the surface. A large bull was standing alone about half a mile from

the tent, and I thought him a fine beast to begin with.

I started with two well-known and trusty gun-bearers. This bull

apparently did not wish to fight, and when at nearly 400 yards'

distance he turned and galloped off. I put up all the sights of the

long two-ounce rifle, and for an instant he dropped to the shot at this

distance, but recovering immediately he turned round, and, although upon

only three legs, he charged towards me. At this distance I should have

had ample time to reload before he could have come near me, so I took

a quiet shot at him with my four-ounce rifle. A second passed, and he

pitched upon his head and lay upon the ground, struggling in vain to

rise. This was an immensely long shot to produce so immediate an effect

so reloading quickly I stepped the distance. I measured 352 paces, and

I then stood within ten yards of him, as he still lay upon the ground,

endeavouring vainly to rush at me. A ball in his head settled him. The

first shot had broken his hind leg--and the shot with the big rifle

had hit him on the nose, and, tearing away the upper jaw, it had passed

along his neck and escaped from behind his shoulder. This was a great

chance to hit him so exactly at such a range. His skull is now in

England, exhibiting the terrific effect of the heavy ball.

I had made up my mind for a long day's work, and I therefore mounted my

horse and rode over the plain. The buffaloes were very wild, as I had

been shooting here for some days, and there were no less than forty-two

carcasses scattered about the plain in different directions. I fired

several ineffectual shots at immense ranges; at length I even fired at

random into a large herd, which seemed determined to take to the jungle.

After they had galloped for a quarter of a mile, a cow dropped to the

rear and presently fell. Upon riding up to her I found her in the last

gasp; the random shot had struck her behind the shoulder, and I finished

her by a ball in the head. One of the bulls from this herd had separated

from the troop, and had taken to the lake; he had waded out for about

400 yards, and was standing shoulder-deep. This was a fine target; a

black spot upon the bright surface of the lake, although there was not

more than eighteen inches of his body above the water. I rode to the

very edge of the lake, and then dismounting I took a rest upon my

saddle. My horse, being well accustomed to this work, stood like a

statue, but the ball dapped in the water just beyond the mark. The

buffalo did not move an inch until the third shot. This hit him, and he

swam still farther off; but he soon got his footing, and again gave a

fair mark as before. I missed him again, having fired a little over him.

The fifth shot brought luck and sank him. I do not know where he was

hit, as of course I could not get to him; but most likely it was in the

spine, as so small a portion of his body was above water.

I passed nearly the whole day in practising at long ranges; but with no

very satisfactory effect; several buffaloes badly wounded had reached

the jungle, and my shoulder was so sore from the recoil of the heavy

rifle during several days' shooting with the large charge of powder,

that I was obliged to reduce the charge to six drachms and give up the

long shots.

It was late in the afternoon, and the heat of the day had been intense.

I was very hungry, not having breakfasted, and I made up my mind to

return to the tent, which was now some eight miles distant. I was riding

over the plain on my way home, when I saw a fine bull spring from a

swampy hollow and gallop off. Putting spurs to my horse, I was soon

after him, carrying the four-ounce rifle; and, upon seeing himself

pursued, he took shelter in a low but dry hollow, which was a mass of

lofty bulrush and coarse tangled grass, rising about ten feet high in

an impervious mass. This had been a pool in the wet weather, but was now

dried up, and was nothing but a bed of sedges and high rushes. I could

see nothing of the bull, although I knew he was in it. The hollow was

in the centre of a wide plain, so I knew that the buffalo could not have

passed out without my seeing him, and my gun-bearers having come up, I

made them pelt the rushes with dried clods of earth. It was of no use:

he would not break cover; so I determined to ride in and hunt him up.

The grass was so thick and entangled with the rushes that my horse could

with difficulty force his way through it; and when within the dense mass

of vegetation it towered high above my head, and was so thick that I

could not see a yard to my right or left. I beat about to no purpose

for about twenty minutes, and I was on the point of giving it up, when I

suddenly saw the tall reeds bow down just before me. I heard the rush

of an animal as he burst through, and I just saw the broad black nose,

quickly followed by the head and horns, as the buffalo charged into

me. The horse reared to his full height as the horns almost touched

his chest, and I fired as well as I was able. In another instant I was

rolling on the ground, with my horse upon me, in a cloud of smoke and

confusion.

In a most unsportsmanlike manner (as persons may exclaim who were

not there) I hid behind my horse, as he regained his legs. All was

still--the snorting of the frightened horse was all that I could hear. I

expected to have seen the infuriated buffalo among us. I peeped over the

horse's back, and, to my delight and surprise, I saw the carcass of the

bull lying within three feet of him. His head was pierced by the ball

exactly between the horns, and death had been instantaneous. The horse,

having reared to his full height, had entangled his hind legs in the

grass, and he had fallen backwards without being touched by the buffalo,

although the horns were close into him.

I was rather pleased at being so well out of this scrape, and I made up

my mind never again to follow buffaloes into high grass. Turning towards

the position of the tent, I rode homewards. The plain appeared deserted,

and I rode for three or four miles along the shores of the lake without

seeing a head of game. At length, when within about three miles of the

encampment, I saw a small herd of five buffaloes and three half-grown

calves standing upon a narrow point of muddy ground which projected for

some distance into the lake.

I immediately rode towards them, and upon approaching to within sixty

yards, I found they consisted of three cows, two bulls, and three

calves. I had advanced towards them upon the neck of land upon which

they stood; there was, therefore, no retreat for them unless they took

to the water. They perceived this themselves, but they preferred the

bolder plan of charging through all opposition and then reaching the

main land. After a few preliminary grunts and tosses of the head, one of

the bulls charged straight at me at full gallop; he was not followed by

his companions, who were still irresolute; and, when within forty yards,

he sprang high in the air, and pitching upon his horns, he floundered

upon his back as the rifle-ball passed through his neck and broke his

spine. I immediately commenced reloading, but the ball was only half-way

down the barrel when the remaining bull, undismayed by the fate of his

companion, rushed on at full speed. Snatching the long two-ounce rifle

from a gun-bearer, I made a lucky shot. The ball must have passed

through his heart, as he fell stone dead.

The three cows remained passive spectators of the death of their mates,

although I was convinced by their expression that they would eventually

show fight. I was soon reloaded, and not wishing to act simply on the

defensive, and thus run the risk of a simultaneous onset, I fired at the

throat of the most vicious of the party. The two-ounce ball produced

no other effect than an immediate charge. She bounded towards me, and,

although bleeding at the mouth, the distance was so short that she would

have been into me had I not stopped her with the four-ounce rifle,

which brought her to the ground when within fifteen paces; here she lay

disabled, but not dead, and again I reloaded as fast as possible.

The two remaining cows appeared to have taken a lesson from the fate of

their comrades; and showing no disposition to charge, I advanced towards

them to within twenty yards. One of the cows now commended tearing the

muddy ground with her horns, and thus offered a certain shot, which I

accordingly took, and dropped her dead with a ball in the nape of the

neck. This was too much for the remaining buffalo; she turned to plunge

into the lake, but the four-ounce through her shoulder brought her

down before she could reach the water, into which the three calves had

sprung, and were swimming for the main shore. I hit the last calf in the

head with a double-barrelled gun, and he immediately sank; and I missed

another calf with the left-hand barrel; therefore two escaped. I sent a

man into the water to find the dead calf, which he soon did, and hauled

it to the shore; and having reloaded, I proceeded to examine the hits on

the dead buffaloes. It was fortunate that I had reloaded; for I had no

sooner approached to within three or four yards of the cow that I

had left dying, when she suddenly sprang to her feet, and would have

charged, had I not killed her by a ball in the head from a light

double-barrel that I was then carrying. These animals had shown as good

sport as I had ever witnessed in buffalo-shooting, but the two heavy

rifles were fearful odds against them, and they were added to the list

of the slain. It was now late in the evening, and I had had a long day's

work in the broiling sun. I had bagged ten buffaloes, including the

calf, and having cut a fillet from the latter, I took a gun, loaded with

shot, from my horse-keeper, and gave up ball-shooting, having turned my

attention to a large flock of teal, which I had disturbed in attacking

the buffaloes. This flock I had marked down in a small stream which

flowed into the lake. A cautious approach upon my hands and knees,

through the grass, brought me undiscovered to the bank of the stream,

where, in a small bay, it emptied itself into the lake, and a flock of

about eighty teal were swimming among the water-lilies within twenty

yards of me. I fired one barrel on the water, and the other in the

air as they rose, killing five and wounding a sixth, which escaped by

continual diving. On my way home I killed a few snipe, till at length

the cessation of daylight put an end to all shooting.

The moon was full and shone over the lake with great brilliancy; the air

was cool and refreshing after the great heat of the day; and the chirp

of the snipe and whistling sound of the wild fowl on the lake were the

only noises that disturbed the wild scene around. The tent fires were

blazing brightly in the forest at about a mile distant; and giving my

gun to the horse-keeper, I mounted and rode towards the spot.

I was within half a mile of the tent, and had just turned round an

angle made by the forest, when I suddenly saw the grey forms of several

elephants, who had just emerged from the forest, and were feeding in the

high grass within a hundred yards of me. I counted seven, six of which

were close to the edge of the jungle, but the seventh was a large bull

elephant, who had advanced by himself about sixty yards into the plain.

I thought I could cut this fellow off, and, taking my big rifle, I

dismounted and crept cautiously towards him. He winded me before I had

gone many paces, gave a shrill trumpet of alarm, and started off for the

jungle; the rest of the herd vanished like magic, while I ran after the

bull elephant at my best speed. He was too quick for me, and I could

not gain upon him, so, halting suddenly, I took a steady shot at his ear

with the four-ounce at about seventy yards. Down he went to the shot,

but I heard him roar as he lay upon the ground, and I knew he would be

up again in a moment. In the same instant, as I dropped my empty rifle,

a double-barrelled gun was pushed into my hand, and I ran up to him,

just in time to catch him as he was half risen. Feeling sure of him, I

ran up within two yards of his head and fired into his forehead. To

my amazement he jumped quickly up, and with a loud trumpet he rushed

towards the jungle. I could just keep close alongside him, as the grass

was short and the ground level, and being determined to get him, I ran

close to his shoulder, and, taking a steady shot behind the ear, I fired

my remaining barrel. Judge of my surprise!--it only increased his speed,

and in another moment he reached the jungle: he was gone. He seemed to

bear a charmed life. I had taken two shots within a few feet of him that

I would have staked my life upon. I looked at my gun. Ye gods! I had

been firing SNIPE SHOT at him. It was my rascally horse-keeper, who

had actually handed me the shot-gun, which I had received as the

double-barrelled ball-gun that I knew was carried by a gun-bearer. How

I did thrash him! If the elephant had charged instead of making off I

should have been caught to a certainty.

This day's shooting was the last day of good sport that I ever had at

Minneria. It was in June, 1847. The next morning I moved my encampment

and started homewards. To my surprise I saw a rogue elephant drinking in

the lake, within a quarter of a mile of me; but the Fates were against

his capture. I stalked him as well as I could, but he winded me, and

came on in full charge with his trunk up. The heavy rifle fortunately

turned but did not kill him, and he escaped in thorny jungle, through

which I did not choose to follow.

On my way to the main road from Trincomalee to Kandy I walked on through

the jungle path, about a mile ahead of my followers, to look out

for game. Upon arriving at the open country in the neighbourhood of

Cowdellai, I got a shot at a deer at a killing distance. She was not

twenty yards off, and was looking at me as if spellbound. This provided

me with venison for a couple of days. The rapid decomposition of all

things in a tropical climate renders a continued supply of animal food

very precarious, if the produce of the rifle is alone to be depended

upon. Venison killed on one day would be uneatable on the day following,

unless it were half-dressed shortly after it was killed; thus the size

of the animal in no way contributes to the continuation of the supply

of food, as the meat will not keep. Even snipe killed on one morning

are putrid the next evening; the quantity of game required for the

subsistence of one person is consequently very large.

After killing the deer I stalked a fine peacock, who gave me an

hour's work before I could get near him. These birds are very wary

and difficult to approach; but I at length got him into a large bush,

surrounded by open ground. A stone thrown into this dislodged him, and

he gave me a splendid flying shot at about thirty yards. I bagged him

with the two-ounce rifle, but the large ball damaged him terribly. There

are few better birds than a Ceylon peafowl, if kept for two days and

then washed in vinegar: they combine the flavour of the turkey and the

pheasant.

I was obliged to carry the bird myself, as my two gun-bearers were

staggering under the weight of the deer, and the spare guns were carried

by my tracker. We were proceeding slowly along, when the tracker, who

was in advance, suddenly sprang back and pointed to some object in the

path. It was certainly enough to startle any man. An enormous serpent

lay coiled in the path. His head was about the size of a very small

cocoa-nut, divided lengthways, and this was raised about eighteen inches

above the coil. His eyes were fixed upon us, and his forked tongue

played in and out of his mouth with a continued hiss. Aiming at his

head, I fired at him with a double-barrelled gun, within four paces, and

blew his head to pieces. He appeared stone dead; but upon pulling him

by the tail, to stretch him out at full length, he wreathed himself in

convulsive coils, and lashing himself out in full length, he mowed down

the high grass in all directions. This obliged me to stand clear, as his

blows were terrific, and the thickest part of his body was as large as

a man's thigh. I at length thought of an expedient for securing him.

Cutting some sharp-pointed stakes, I waited till he was again quiet,

when I suddenly pinned his tail to the ground with my hunting-knife, and

thrusting the pointed stake into the hole, I drove it deeply into the

ground with the butt end of my rifle. The boa made some objection to

this, and again he commenced his former muscular contortions. I waited

till they were over, and having provided myself with some tough jungle

rope (a species of creeper), I once more approached him, and pinning his

throat to the ground with a stake, I tied the rope through the incision,

and the united exertions of myself and three men hauled him out

perfectly straight. I then drove a stake firmly through his throat

and pinned him out. He was fifteen feet in length, and it required our

united strength to tear off his skin, which shone with a variety of

passing colours. On losing his hide he tore away from the stakes; and

although his head was shivered to atoms, and he had lost three feet

of his length of neck by the ball having cut through this part, which

separated in tearing off the skin, still he lashed out and writhed in

frightful convulsions, which continued until I left him, bearing as my

trophy his scaly hide. These boas will kill deer, and by crushing them

into a sort of sausage they are enabled by degrees to swallow them.

There are many of these reptiles in Ceylon; but they are seldom seen,

as they generally wander forth at night. There are marvellous stories

of their size, and my men assured me that they had seen much larger than

the snake now mentioned; to me he appeared a horrible monster.

I do not know anything so disgusting as a snake. There is an instinctive

feeling that the arch enemy is personified when these wretches glide

by you, and the blood chills with horror. I took the dried skin of this

fellow to England; it measures twelve feet in its dry state, minus

the piece that was broken from his neck, making him the length before

mentioned of fifteen feet.

I have often been astonished that comparatively so few accidents happen

in Ceylon from snake-bites; their immense number and the close nature of

the country making it a dangerous risk to the naked feet of the natives.

I was once lying upon a sofa in a rest-house at Kandellai, when I saw

a snake about four feet long glide in at the open door, and, as though

accustomed to a particular spot for his lodging, he at once climbed upon

another sofa and coiled himself under the pillow. My brother had only

just risen from this sofa, and was sitting at the table watching the

movements of his uninvited bedfellow. I soon poked him out with a stick,

and cut off his head with a hunting-knife. This snake was of a very

poisonous description, and was evidently accustomed to lodge behind the

pillow, upon which the unwary sleeper might have received a fatal bite.

Upon taking possession of an unfrequented rest-house, the cushions of

the sofas and bedsteads should always be examined, as they are great

attractions to snakes, scorpions, centipedes, and all manner of

reptiles.

CHAPTER VII

Capabilities of Ceylon--Deer at Illepecadewe--Sagacity of a Pariah

Dog--Two Deer at One Shot--Deer-stalking--Hambantotte Country--Kattregam

Festival--Sitrawelle--Ruins of Ancient Mahagam--Wiharewelle--A Night

Attack upon Elephants--Shooting by Moonlight--Yalle River--Another

Rogue--A Stroll before Breakfast--A Curious Shot--A Good Day's Sport.

There are few countries which present a more lovely appearance than

Ceylon. There is a diversity in the scenery which refreshes the eye;

and although the evergreen appearance might appear monotonous to some

persons, still, were they residents, they would observe that the colour

of the foliage is undergoing a constant change by the varying tints of

the leaves in the different stages of their growth. These tints are far

more lovely than the autumnal shades of England, and their brilliancy

is enhanced by the idea that it is the bursting of the young leaf into

life, the freshness of youth instead of the sere leaf of a past summer,

which, after gilding for a few days the beauty of the woods, drops from

frozen branches and deserts them. Every shade of colour is seen in the

Ceylon forests, as the young leaves are constantly replacing those which

have fallen without being missed. The deepest crimson, the brightest

yellow and green of every shade, combine to form a beautiful crest to

the forest-covered surface of the island.

There is no doubt, however, that there is too much wood in Ceylon; it

prevents the free circulation of air, and promotes dampness, malaria,

and consequently fevers and dysentery, the latter disease being

the scourge of the colony. The low country is accordingly decidedly

unhealthy.

This vast amount of forest and jungle is a great impediment to the

enjoyment of travelling. The heat in the narrow paths cut through dense

jungles is extreme; and after a journey of seventy or eighty miles

through this style of country the eye scans the wild plains and

mountains with delight. Some districts, however, are perfectly devoid of

trees, and form a succession of undulating downs of short grass. Other

parts, again, although devoid of heavy timber, are covered with dense

thorny jungles, especially the country adjoining the sea-coast, which

is generally of a uniform character round the whole island, being

interspersed with sand plains producing a short grass.

Much has been said by some authors of the "capabilities" of Ceylon; but

however enticing the description of these capabilities may have been,

the proof has been decidedly in opposition to the theory. Few countries

exist with such an immense proportion of bad soil. There are no minerals

except iron, no limestone except dolomite, no other rocks than quartz

and gneiss. The natural pastures are poor; the timber of the forests

is the only natural production of any value, with the exception of

cinnamon. Sugar estates do not answer, and coffee requires an expensive

system of cultivation by frequent manuring. In fact, the soil is

wretched; so bad that the natives, by felling the forest and burning the

timber upon the ground, can only produce one crop of some poor grain;

the land is then exhausted, and upon its consequent desertion it gives

birth to an impenetrable mass of low jungle, comprising every thorn

that can be conceived. This deserted land, fallen again into the hand of

Nature, forms the jungle of Ceylon; and as native cultivation has thus

continued for some thousand years, the immense tract of country now in

this impenetrable state is easily accounted for. The forests vary in

appearance; some are perfectly free from underwood, being composed of

enormous trees, whose branches effectually exclude the rays of the sun;

but they generally consist of large trees, which tower above a thick,

and for the most part thorny, underwood, difficult to penetrate.

The features of Ceylon scenery may, therefore, be divided as follows:--

Natural forest, extending over the greater portion. Thorny jungle,

extending over a large portion.

Flat plains and thorny jungles, in the vicinity of the coast.

Open down country, extending over a small portion of the interior.

Open park country, extending over the greater portion of the Veddah

district.

The mountains, forming the centre of the island.

The latter are mostly covered with forest, but they are beautifully

varied by numberless open plains and hills of grass land at an altitude

of from three to nearly nine thousand feet.

If Ceylon were an open country, there would be no large game, as there

would be no shelter from the sun. In the beautiful open down country

throughout the Ouva district there is no game larger than wild hogs,

red-deer, mouse-deer, hares, and partridges. These animals shelter

themselves in the low bushes, which generally consist of the wild

guavas, and occupy the hollows between the undulations of the hills. The

thorny jungles conceal a mass of game of all kinds, but in this retreat

the animals are secure from attack. In the vicinity of the coast, among

the 'flat plains and thorny jungles,' there is always excellent shooting

at particular seasons. The spotted deer abound throughout Ceylon,

especially in these parts, where they are often seen in herds of a

hundred together. In many places they are far too numerous, as, from the

want of inhabitants in these parts, there are no consumers, and these

beautiful beasts would be shot to waste.

In the neighbourhood of Paliar and Illepecadewe, on the north-west

coast, I have shot them till I was satiated and it ceased to be sport.

We had nine fine deer hanging up in one day, and they were putrefying

faster than the few inhabitants could preserve them by smoking and

drying them in steaks. I could have shot them in any number, had I

chosen to kill simply for the sake of murder; but I cannot conceive any

person finding an enjoyment in slaying these splendid deer to rot upon

the ground.

I was once shooting at Illepecadewe, which is a lonely, miserable

spot, when I met with a very sagacious and original sportsman in a most

unexpected manner. I was shooting with a friend, and we had separated

for a few hundred paces. I presently got a shot at a peafowl, and killed

her with my rifle. The shot was no sooner fired than I heard another

shot in the jungle, in the direction taken by my friend. My rifle was

still unloaded when a spotted doe bounded out of the jungle, followed by

a white pariah dog in full chase. Who would have dreamt of meeting with

a dog at this distance from a village (about four miles)? I whistled to

the dog, and to my surprise he came to me, the deer having left him

out of sight in a few seconds. He was a knowing-looking brute, and was

evidently out hunting on his own account. Just at this moment my friend

called to me that he had wounded a buck, and that he had found the

blood-track. I picked a blade of grass from the spot which was tinged

with blood; and holding it to the dog's nose, he eagerly followed me

to the track; upon which I dropped it. He went off in a moment; but,

running mute, I was obliged to follow; and after a chase of a quarter

of a mile I lost sight of him. In following up the foot-track of the

wounded deer I heard the distant barking of the dog, by which I knew

that he had brought the buck to bay, and I was soon at the spot. The

buck had taken up a position in a small glade, and was charging the dog

furiously; but the pariah was too knowing to court the danger, and kept

well out of the way. I shot the buck, and, tying a piece of jungle-rope

to the dog's neck, gave him to a gun-bearer to lead, as I hoped he might

be again useful in hunting up a wounded deer.

I had not proceeded more than half a mile, when we arrived at the edge

of a small sluggish stream, covered in most places with rushes and

water-lilies. We forded this about hip-deep, but the gun-bearer who had

the dog could not prevail upon our mute companion to follow; he pulled

violently back and shrinked, and evinced every symptom of terror at the

approach of water.

I was now at the opposite bank, and nothing would induce him to come

near the river, so I told the gun-bearer to drag him across by force.

This he accordingly did, and the dog swam with frantic exertions across

the river, and managed to disengage his head from the rope. The moment

that he arrived on terra firma he rushed up a steep bank and looked

attentively down into the water beneath.

We now gave him credit for his sagacity in refusing to cross the

dangerous passage. The reeds bowed down to the right and left as a huge

crocodile of about eighteen feet in length moved slowly from his shallow

bed into a deep hole. The dog turned to the right-about, and went off as

fast as his legs would carry him. No calling or whistling would induce

him to return, and I never saw him again. How he knew that a crocodile

was in the stream I cannot imagine. He must have had a narrow escape at

some former time, which was a lesson that he seemed determined to profit

by.

Shortly after the disappearance of the dog, I separated from my

companion and took a different line of country. Large plains, with

thorny jungles and bushes of the long cockspur thorn interspersed,

formed the character of the ground. This place literally swarmed with

peafowl, partridges, and deer. I killed another peacock, and the shot

disturbed a herd of about sixty deer, who bounded over the plain till

out of sight. I tracked up this herd for nearly a mile, when I observed

them behind a large bush; some were lying down and others were standing.

A buck and doe presently quitted the herd, and advancing a few paces

from the bush they halted, and evidently winded me. I was screening

myself behind a small tree, and the open ground between me and the game

precluded the possibility of a nearer approach. It was a random distance

for a deer, but I took a rest against the stem of the tree and fired

at the buck as he stood with his broadside exposed, being shoulder to

shoulder with the doe. Away went the herd, flying over the plain; but,

to my delight, there were two white bellies struggling upon the ground.

I ran up to cut their throats; (*1 This is necessary to allow the blood

to escape, otherwise they would be unfit for food) the two-ounce ball

had passed through the shoulders of both; and I stepped the distance to

the tree from which I had fired, 'two hundred and thirteen paces.'

Shortly after this 1 got another shot which, by a chance, killed two

deer. I was strolling through a narrow glade with open jungles upon

either side, when I suddenly heard a quick double shot, followed by the

rush of a large herd of deer coming through the jungle. I immediately

lay flat upon the ground, and presently an immense herd of full a

hundred deer passed across the glade at full gallop, within seventy

yards of me. Jumping up, I fired at a doe, and, to my surprise, two deer

fell to the shot, one of which was a fawn; the ball had passed through

the shoulder of the mother, and had broken the fawn's neck upon the

opposite side. I am astonished that this chance of killing two at one

shot does not more often happen when the dense body of a herd of deer is

exposed to a rifle-ball.

Deer-stalking is one of the most exciting sports in the world. I have

often crept upon hands and knees for upwards of a quarter of a mile

through mud and grass to get a shot at a fine antlered buck. It

frequently happens that after a long stalk in this manner, when some

sheltering object is reached which you have determined upon for the

shot, just as you raise your head above the grass in expectation of

seeing the game, you find a blank. He has watched your progress by the

nose, although the danger was hidden from his view, and your trouble is

unrewarded.

In all wild shooting, in every country and climate, the 'wind' is the

first consideration. If you hunt down wind you will never get a deer.

You will have occasional glimpses of your game, who will be gazing

intently at you at great distances long before you can see them, but you

will never get a decent shot. The great excitement and pleasure of all

sport consists in a thorough knowledge of the pursuit. When the dew is

heavy upon the ground at break of day, you are strolling noiselessly

along with the rifle, scanning the wide plains and searching the banks

of the pools and streams for foot-marks of the spotted deer. Upon

discovering the tracks their date is immediately known, the vicinity

of the game is surmised, the tracks are followed up, and the herd is at

length discovered. The wind is observed; dry leaves crumbled into powder

and let fall from the hand detect the direction if the slightest air is

stirring, and the approach is made accordingly. Every stone, every bush

or tree or tuft of grass, is noted as a cover for an advance, and

the body being kept in a direct line with each of these objects, you

approach upon hands and knees from each successive place of shelter till

a proper distance is gained. The stalking is the most exciting sport in

the world. I have frequently heard my own heart beat while creeping up

to a deer. He is an animal of wonderful acuteness, and possessing the

keenest scent; he is always on the alert, watching for danger from his

stealthy foe the leopard, who is a perfect deer-stalker.

To kill spotted deer well, if they are tolerably wild, a person must be

a really good rifle shot, otherwise wise he will wound many, but seldom

bag one. They are wonderfully fast, and their bounding pace makes them

extremely difficult to hit while running. Even when standing they must

be struck either through the head, neck, or shoulder, or they will

rarely be killed on the spot; in any other part, if wounded, they will

escape as though untouched, and die a miserable death in solitude.

In narrating long shots that I have made, I recount them as bright

moments in the hours of sport; they are the exceptions and not the rule.

I consider a man a first-rate shot who can ALWAYS bag his deer standing

at eighty yards, or running at fifty. HITTING and BAGGING are widely

different. If a man can always bag at the distance that I have named

he will constantly hit, and frequently bag, at extraordinary ranges,

as there is no doubt of his shooting, and, when he misses, the ball has

whizzed somewhere very close to the object; the chances are, therefore,

in favour of the rifle.

The deer differ in character in various parts of Ceylon. In some places

where they are rarely disturbed they can be approached to within thirty

or forty paces, in which case a very moderate shot can easily kill

them; but it is better sport when they are moderately wild. The greatest

number of deer that I ever saw was in the south-eastern part of Ceylon,

in the neighbourhood of Pontane and Yalle. The whole of this country is

almost uninhabited, and accordingly undisturbed. Yalle is the nearest

town of importance, from which a good road, lined on either side with

cocoa-nut and bread-fruit trees, extends as far as Tangalle, fifty

miles. A few miles beyond this village the wild country begins, and

Hambantotte is the next station, nearly ninety miles from Yalle. The

country around Hambantotte is absolutely frightful-wide extending plains

of white sand and low scrubby bushes scattered here and there;

salt lakes of great extent, and miserable plains of scanty herbage,

surrounded by dense thorny jungles. Notwithstanding this, at some

seasons the whole district is alive with game. January and February are

the best months for elephants and buffaloes, and August and September

are the best seasons for deer, at which time the whole country is burnt

up with drought, and the game is forced to the vicinity of Yalle river

and the neighbouring pools. In the wet season this district is nearly

flooded, and forms a succession of deep marshes, the malaria from

which is extremely unhealthy. At this time the grass is high, and the

elephants are very numerous.

When I was in this part of the country the drought was excessive; the

jungle was parched, and the leaves dropped from the bushes under the

influence of a burning sun. Not a cloud ever appeared upon the sky, but

a dazzling haze of intense heat spread over the scorched plains. The

smaller streams were completely dried up, and the large rivers were

reduced to rivulets in the midst of a bed of sand.

The whole of this country is a succession of flat sandy plains and low

jungles contiguous to the sea-coast. The intense heat and the glare of

the sun rendered the journey most fatiguing. I at length descried a long

line of noble forest in the distance, and this I conjectured to be near

the river, which turned out to be the case; we were soon relieved from

the burning sun by the shade of as splendid a forest as I have ever

seen. A few hundred yards from the spot at which we had entered, Yalle

river rolled along in a clear stream. In the wet season this is a rapid

torrent of about 150 yards in width, but at this time the bed of the

river was dry, with the exception of a stream of about thirty paces

broad, which ran directly beneath the bank we were descending.

An unexpected scene now presented itself. The wide bed of the river

was shaded on either side by groves of immense trees, whose branches

stretched far over the channel; and not only beneath their shade, but

in every direction, tents formed of talipot leaves were pitched, and

a thousand men, women, and children lay grouped together; some were

bathing in the river, some were sitting round their fires cooking a

scanty meal, others lay asleep upon the sand, but all appeared to be

congregated together for one purpose; and so various were the castes

and costumes that every nation of the East seemed to have sent a

representative. This was the season for the annual offerings to the

Kattregam god, to whose temple these pilgrims were flocking, and they

had made the dry bed of Valle river their temporary halting-place. A few

days after, no less than 18,000 pilgrims congregated at Kattregam.

I was at this time shooting with my friend, Mr. H. Walters, then of the

15th Regiment. We waded up the bed of the river for about a mile, and

then pitched the tent under some fine trees in the open forest. Several

wild buffaloes were drinking in the river within a short distance of

us; but thinking this a likely spot for elephants, we determined not to

disturb the neighbourhood by firing a shot until we had first explored

the country. After a walk of a couple of hours through fine open forest

and small bushy plains, we came to the conclusion that there were very

few elephants in the country, and we devoted ourselves to other game.

After a day or two spent in killing deer, a few wild buffaloes, and only

one elephant, I felt convinced that we should never find the latter, in

the dry state of the country, unless by watching at some tank at night.

We therefore moved our encampment inland about twenty-five miles from

Yalle. Here there is a large tank, which I concluded would be the resort

of elephants.

A long day's journey through a burning sun brought us to Sitrawelle.

This is a small village, about six miles inward from the sea-coast

village of Kesinde. Here the natives brought us plantains and buffalo

milk, while we took shelter from the sun under a splendid tamarind tree.

Opposite to this was a 'bo'-tree; *(very similar to the banian-tree)

this grew to an extraordinary size; the wide spreading branches covered

about half an acre of ground, and the trunk measured upwards of forty

feet in circumference. The tamarind-tree was nearly the same size; and

I never saw together two such magnificent specimens of vegetation. A

few paces from this spot, a lake of about four miles' circuit lay in the

centre of a plain; this was surrounded by open forests and jungles, all

of which looked like good covers for game. Skirting the opposite banks

of the lake, we pitched the tent under some shady trees upon a fine

level sward. By this time it was nearly dusk, and I had barely time to

stroll out and kill a peacock for dinner before night set in.

The next morning, having been joined by my friend, Mr. P. Braybrook,

then government agent of this district, our party was increased to

three, and seeing no traces of elephants in this neighbourhood, we

determined to proceed to a place called Wihare-welle, about six miles

farther inland.

Our route now lay along a broad causeway of solid masonry. On either

side of this road, stone pillars of about twelve feet in height stood in

broken, rows, and lay scattered in every direction through the jungle.

Ruined dagobas and temples jutted their rugged summits above the

tree-tops, and many lines of stone columns stood in parallel rows,

the ancient supports of buildings of a similar character to those

of Pollanarua and Anarajahpoora. We were among the ruins of ancient

Mahagam. One of the ruined buildings had apparently rested upon

seventy-two pillars. These were still erect, standing in six lines of

twelve columns; every stone appeared to be about fourteen feet high by

two feet square and twenty-five feet apart. This building must therefore

have formed an oblong of 300 feet by 150. Many of the granite blocks

were covered with rough carving; large flights of steps, now irregular

from the inequality of the ground, were scattered here and there; and

the general appearance of the ruins was similar to that of Pollanarua,

but of smaller extent. The stone causeway which passed through the ruins

was about two miles in length, being for the most part overgrown with

low jungle and prickly cactus. I traversed the jungle for some distance

until arrested by the impervious nature of the bushes; but wherever I

went, the ground was stewed with squared stones and fallen brickwork

overgrown with rank vegetation.

The records of Ceylon do not afford any satisfactory information

concerning the original foundation of this city. The first time that we

hear of it is in the year 286 B.C.; but we have no account of the era

or cause of its desertion. Although Mahagam is the only vestige of

an ancient city in this district, there are many ruined buildings and

isolated dagobas of great antiquity scattered throughout the country. I

observed on a peak of one of the Kattregam hills large masses of fallen

brickwork, the ruins of some former buildings, probably coeval with

Mahagam. The whole of this district, now so wild and desolate, must in

those days have been thickly populated and highly cultivated, although,

from the present appearance of the country, it does not seem possible

that it has ever altered its aspect since the Creation.

Descending a steep bank shaded by large trees, we crossed the bed of

the Manick Ganga ('Jewel River'). The sand was composed of a mixture of

mica, quartz, sapphire, ruby, and jacinth, but the large proportion

of ruby sand was so extraordinary that it seemed to rival Sindbad

the Sailor's vale of gems. The whole of this was valueless, but the

appearance of the sand was very inviting, as the shallow stream in

rippling over it magnified the tiny gems into stones of some magnitude.

I passed an hour in vainly searching for a ruby worth collecting, but

the largest did not exceed the size of mustard seed.

The natives use this sand for cutting elephants' teeth, in the same

manner that a stonemason uses sand to assist him in sawing through a

stone. Elephants' teeth or grinders are so hard that they will produce

sparks upon being struck with a hatchet.

About two miles from the opposite bank of the river, having journeyed

through a narrow path bordered upon either side by thick jungle, we

opened upon an extensive plain close to the village of Wihare-welle.

This plain was covered with wild indigo, and abounded with peafowl.

Passing through the small village at the extremity of the plain, we

pitched the tent upon the borders of the lake, about a quarter of a mile

beyond it. This tank was about three miles in circumference, and, like

that of Sitrawelle, was one of the ancient works of the Mahagam princes.

The village was almost deserted; none but the old men and women and

children remained, as the able-bodied men had gone to the Kattregam

festival. We could, therefore, obtain no satisfactory information

regarding elephants; but I was convinced, from the high grass around the

lake, that if any elephants were in the district some would be here. It

was late in the evening, the coolies were heaping up the night-fires,

and as darkness closed upon us, the savoury steam of a peacock that was

roasting on a stick betokened the welcome approach of dinner. We had

already commenced, when the roaring of elephants within a short distance

of the tent gave us hope of sport on the following day.

At daybreak the next morning I strolled round the lake to look for

tracks. A herd of about seven had been feeding during the night within

half a mile of the tent. During my walk I saw innumerable pea-fowl,

jungle-fowl, hares and ducks, in addition to several herds of deer; but

not wishing to disturb the country, I did not fire, but returned to the

tent and sent out trackers.

In the afternoon the natives returned with intelligence of a small pool

two miles from the opposite shore of the lake, situated in dense jungle;

here they had seen fresh elephant tracks, and they proposed that we

should watch the pool that evening at the usual drinking hour of the

game. As this was the only pool of water for miles round with the

exception of the lake, I thought the plan likely to succeed, and we

therefore started without loss of time.

On arrival at the pool we took a short survey of our quarters. A small

round sheet of water of perhaps eighty yards in diameter lay in the

midst of a dense jungle. Several large trees were growing close to

the edge, and around these lay numerous rocks of about four feet high,

forming a capital place for concealment. Covering the tops of the

rocks with boughs to conceal our heads, we lay quietly behind them in

expectation of the approaching game.

The sun sank, and the moon rose in great beauty, throwing a silvery

light upon the surface of the water chequered by the dark shadows of the

surrounding trees. Suddenly the hoarse bark of an elk sounded within a

short distance, and I could distinguish two or three dark forms on the

opposite bank. The shrill and continual barking of spotted deer now

approaching nearer and nearer, the rustling in the jungle, and the

splashing in the water announced continual arrivals of game to the

lonely drinking-place. Notwithstanding the immense quantity of animals

that were congregated together, we could not distinguish them plainly on

account of the dark background of jungle. Elk, deer, buffaloes, and

hogs were all bathing and drinking in immense numbers, but there were no

elephants.

For some hours we watched the accumulation of game; there was not a

breath of air, although the scud was flying fast above us, occasionally

throwing a veil over the moon and casting a sudden obscurity on the dim

scene before us. Our gun-bearers were crouched around us; their dark

skins matching with the ground on which they squatted, they looked like

so many stumps of trees. It was nearly ten o'clock, and my eyes ached

with watching; several times I found myself nodding as sleep took me

by surprise; so, leaving a man to look out, we sat quietly down and

discussed a cold fowl that we had brought with us.

We had just finished a pint bottle of cherry brandy when I felt a gentle

touch upon my shoulder, and our look-out man whispered in my ear the

magic word 'alia' (elephant), at the same time pointing in the direction

of the tank. The guns were all wrapped up in a blanket to keep them from

the dew, so telling W. to uncover them and to distribute them to the

respective gun-bearers without noise, I crept out and stole unperceived

along the margin of the tank to discover the number and position of the

elephants. So deceitful was the moonlight, being interrupted by the

dark shadows of the jungle, that I was within ten paces of the nearest

elephant before I distinguished her. I counted three--one large and two

others about six feet high. Being satisfied with my information, and

having ascertained that no others were in the jungle, I returned to my

companions; they were all ready, and we crept forward. We were within

ten paces of the large elephant, when a branch of hooked thorn caught

W. by the clothes; the noise that he made in extricating himself

immediately attracted the attention of the elephant, and she turned

quickly round, receiving at the same moment an ineffectual shot from W.;

B. at the same time fired without effect at one of the small elephants.

The mother, hearing a roar from the small elephant that B. had wounded,

immediately rushed up to it, and they stood side by side in the water

about fifteen yards from the bank. The large elephant now cocked her

ears and turned her head from side to side with great quickness to

discover an enemy. I ran close to the water's edge, and the mother

perceiving me immediately came forward. I could hardly distinguish the

sights of my rifle, and I was, therefore, obliged to wait till she was

within four or five paces before I fired. She gave me a good shot,

and dropped dead. The young one was rushing about and roaring in a

tremendous manner, having again been fired at and wounded by B. and W.

By this time I had got a spare gun, and, wading into the tank, I soon

came to such close quarters that I could not miss, and one shot killed

him. The other small elephant escaped unseen in the confusion caused by

the firing.

The following evening we again watched the pool, and once more a mother

and her young one came to drink. W. and B. extinguished the young one

while I killed the mother.

This watching by moonlight is a kind of sport that I do not admire; it

is a sort of midnight murder, and many a poor brute who comes to the

silent pool to cool his parched tongue, finds only a cup of bitterness,

and retires again to his jungle haunts to die a lingering death from

some unskilful wound. The best shot must frequently miss by moonlight;

there is a silvery glare which renders all objects indistinct, and

the shot very doubtful; thus two animals out of three fired at will

generally escape wounded.

I was tired of watching by night, and I again returned to the

neighbourhood of Yalle. After a long ride through a burning sun, I went

down to the river to bathe. The water was not more than three feet deep,

and was so clear that every pebble was plainly distinguishable at the

bottom.

I had waded hip-deep into the river when my servant, who was on the

bank, suddenly cried out, 'Sar! sar! come back, sar! Mora! mora!' and he

pointed to some object a little higher up the stream. It was now within

ten or twelve yards of me, and I fancied that it was a piece of drift

timber, but I lost no time in reaching the shore. Slowly the object

sailed along with the stream, but as it neared me, to my astonishment,

a large black fin protruded from the water, and the mystery was at once

cleared up. It was a large SHARK about nine feet long.

In some places the water was so shallow that his tail and a portion of

his back were now and then above the surface. He was in search of grey

mullet, with which fish the river abounded; and at this season sharks

were very numerous, as they followed the shoals for some distance up the

river. My servant had been in a great state of alarm, as he thought his

master would have been devoured in a few seconds; but the natives of

the village quietly told me not to be afraid, but to bathe in peace, 'as

sharks would not eat men at this season.' I was not disposed to put

his epicurean scruples to the test; as some persons may kill a pheasant

before the first of October, so he might have made a grab at me a little

before the season, which would have been equally disagreeable to my

feelings. The novelty of a white skin in that clear river might have

proved too strong a temptation for a shark to withstand.

I never saw game in such masses as had now collected in this

neighbourhood. The heat was intense, and the noble forest in the

vicinity of Yalle river offered an asylum to all animals beneath its

shade, where good water and fine grass upon the river's bank supplied

their wants. In this forest there was little or no underwood; the trees

grew to an immense size and stood far apart, so that a clear range might

be obtained for a hundred yards. It was, therefore, a perfect spot for

deer-stalking; the tops of trees formed an impervious screen to the

sun's rays; and I passed several days in wandering with my rifle through

these shady solitudes, killing an immense quantity of game. The deer

were in such masses that I restricted myself to bucks, and I at length

became completely satiated. There was too much game; during the whole

day's walk I was certainly not FIVE MINUTES without seeing either deer,

elk, buffaloes, or hogs. The noise of the rifle did not appear to scare

them from the forest; they would simply retreat for a time to some other

portion of it, and fresh herds were met with in following up one which

had been disturbed. Still, there were no elephants. Although I had

upwards of fifty coolies and servants, they could not dry the venison

sufficiently fast to prevent the deer from stinking as they were killed,

and I resolved to leave the country.

I gave orders for everything to be packed up in readiness for a start,

after an early breakfast, on the following morning. The servants

were engaged in arranging for the departure, when a native brought

intelligence of a rogue elephant within four miles of the tent. It was

late in the afternoon, but I had not seen an elephant for so long that

I was determined to make his acquaintance. My friend B. accompanied me,

and we immediately started on horseback.

Our route lay across very extensive plains, interspersed with low thorny

bushes and wide salt lakes. Innumerable wild hogs invited us to a chase.

There could not be a better spot for boar-spearing, as the ground

is level and clear for riding. There were numerous herds of deer and

buffaloes, but we did not fire a shot, as we had determined upon an

interview with the rogue. We traversed about four miles of this style

of country, and were crossing a small plain, when our guide suddenly

stopped and pointed to the elephant, who was about a quarter of a mile

distant. He was standing on a little glade of about fifty yards across;

this was surrounded upon all sides but one with dense thorny jungle,

and he therefore stood in a small bay of open ground. It was a difficult

position for an attack. The wind blew directly from us to him, therefore

an advance in that direction was out of the question; on the other hand,

if we made a circuit so as to get the wind, we should have to penetrate

through the thorny jungle to arrive at him, and we should then have

the five o'clock sun directly in our eyes. However, there was no

alternative, and, after a little consultation, the latter plan was

resolved upon.

Dismounting, we ordered the horse-keepers to conceal the horses and

themselves behind a thick bush, lest the elephant should observe them,

and with this precaution we advanced, making a circuit of nearly a mile

to obtain the wind. On arrival at the belt of thick jungle which divided

us from the small glade upon which he stood, I perceived, as I had

expected, that the sun was full in our eyes. This was a disadvantage

which I felt convinced would lose us the elephant, unless some

extraordinary chance intervened; however, we entered the thick jungle

before us, and cautiously pushed our way through it. This belt was not

more than fifty yards in width, and we soon broke upon the small glade.

The elephant was standing with his back towards us, at about forty

paces distant, close to the thick jungle by his side; and, taking my

four-ounce rifle, I walked quietly but quickly towards him. Without

a moment's warning he flung his trunk straight up, and, turning sharp

round, he at once charged into us. The sun shone full in my eyes, so

that I could do nothing but fire somewhere at his head. He fell, but

immediately recovered himself, and before the smoke had cleared away

he was in full retreat through the thorny jungle, the heavy ball having

taken all the pluck out of him. This was just as I had expected; pursuit

in such a jungle was impossible, and I was perfectly contented with

having turned him.

The next morning, having made all arrangements for starting

homewards, after breakfast I took my rifle and one gun-bearer with a

double-barrelled gun to enjoy one last stroll in the forest. It was just

break of day. My first course was towards the river which flowed through

it, as I expected to find the game near the water, an hour before

sunrise being their time for drinking. I had not proceeded far before

immense herds of deer offered tempting shots; but I was out simply in

search of large antlers, and none appearing of sufficient size, I would

not fire. Buffaloes continually presented themselves: I was tired of

shooting these brutes, but I killed two who looked rather vicious; and I

amused myself with remarking the immense quantity of game, and imagining

the number of heads that I could bag had I chosen to indulge in

indiscriminate slaughter. At length I noticed a splendid buck lying

on the sandy bed of the river, beneath a large tree; his antlers were

beautiful, and I stalked him to within sixty yards and shot him. I

had not been reloaded ten minutes, and was walking quietly through the

forest, when I saw a fine antlered buck standing within thirty yards of

me in a small patch of underwood. His head was turned towards me, and

his nostrils were distended in alarm as he prepared to bound off. I had

just time to cock my rifle as he dashed off at full speed; but it was a

murderous distance, and he fell dead. His antlers matched exactly with

those I had last shot.

I turned towards the direction of the tent, and, descending to the bed

of the river, I followed the course of the stream upon the margin of

dry sand. I had proceeded about half a mile, when I noticed at about 150

paces some object moving about the trunk of a large fallen tree which

lay across the bed of the river. This stem was about five feet in

diameter, and I presently distinguished the antlers and then the head

of a large buck, as they appeared above it; he had been drinking in the

stream on the opposite side, and he now raised his head, sniffing the

fresh breeze. It was a tempting shot, and taking a very steady aim I

fired. For a moment he was down, but recovering himself he bounded up

the bank, and was soon in full speed through the forest with only

one antler upon his head. I picked up the fellow-antler, which the

rifle-ball had cut off within an inch of his skull. This was a narrow

escape.

I did not reload my rifle, as I was not far from the tent, and I

was tired of shooting. Giving my rifle to the gun-bearer, I took the

double-barrelled gun which he carried, and walked quickly towards

breakfast. Suddenly I heard a crash in a small nook of thick bushes,

like the rush of an elephant, and the next instant a buck came rushing

by in full speed; his long antlers lay upon his back as he flew through

the tangled saplings with a force that seemed to defy resistance. He

was the largest spotted buck that I ever saw, and, being within thirty

paces, I took a flying shot with the right-hand barrel. He faltered

for a moment, and I immediately fired the remaining barrel. Still he

continued his course, but at a reduced speed and dead lame. Loading the

rifle, I soon got upon the blood-track, and I determined to hunt him

down.

There were many saplings in this part of the forest, and I noticed that

many of them in the deer's track were besmeared with blood about two

feet and a half from the ground. The tracks in the sandy soil were

uneven--one of the fore-feet showed a deep impression, while the other

was very faint, showing that he was wounded in the leg, as his whole

weight was thrown upon one foot. Slowly and cautiously I stalked along

the track, occasionally lying down to look under the bushes. For about

an hour I continued this slow and silent chase; the tracks became

fainter, and the bleeding appeared to have almost ceased; so few and

far between were the red drops upon the ground, that I was constantly

obliged to leave the gun-bearer upon the last trace, while I made a cast

to discover the next track. I was at length in despair of finding him,

and I was attentively scrutinising the ground for a trace of blood,

which would distinguish his track from those of other deer with which

the ground was covered, when I suddenly heard a rush in the underwood,

and away bounded the buck at about fifty yards' distance, apparently

as fresh as ever. The next instant he was gasping on the ground, the

rifle-ball having passed exactly through his heart. I never could have

believed that a spotted buck would have attained so large a size; he was

as large as a doe elk, and his antlers were the finest I have ever seen

of that species. It required eight men with two cross poles to bring him

home.

I reached the tent to breakfast at eight o'clock, having bagged three

fine bucks and two buffaloes that morning; and being, for the time,

satiated with sport, I quitted Ceylon.

CHAPTER VIII.

Beat-hounds for Elk-hunting--Smut--Killbuck--The Horton Plains--A Second

Soyer--The Find--The Buck at Bay--The Bay--The Death--Return of Lost

Dogs--Comparative Speed of Deer--Veddah Ripped by a Boar--A Melee--Buck

at Black Pool--Old Smut's Ruse--Margosse Oil.

The foregoing description of sporting incidents closed my first visit to

Ceylon. I had arrived in the island to make a tour of the country and

to enjoy its sports; this I had accomplished by a residence of twelve

months, the whole of which had been occupied in wandering from place to

place. I now returned to England; but the Fates had traced ANOTHER road

for me, and after a short stay in the old country I again started for

Ceylon, and became a resident at Newera Ellia.

Making use of the experience that I had gained in wild sports, I came

out well armed, according to my own ideas of weapons for the chase. I

had ordered four double-barrelled rifles of No. 10 bore to be made to my

own pattern; my hunting-knives and boarspear heads I had made to my own

design by Paget of Piccadilly, who turned out the perfection of steel;

and I arrived in Ceylon with a pack of fine foxhounds and a favourite

greyhound of wonderful speed and strength, 'Bran,' who, though full of

years, is still alive.

The usual drawbacks and discomforts attendant upon a new settlement

having been overcome, Newera Ellia forms a delightful place of

residence. I soon discovered that a pack of thoroughbred foxhounds were

not adapted to a country so enclosed by forest; some of the hounds were

lost, others I parted with, but they are all long since dead, and

their progeny, the offspring of crosses with pointers, bloodhounds and

half-bred foxhounds, have turned out the right stamp for elk-hunting.

It is a difficult thing to form a pack for this sport which shall be

perfect in all respects. Sometimes a splendid hound in character may

be more like a butcher's dog than a hound in appearance, but the pack

cannot afford to part with him if he is really good.

The casualties from leopards, boars, elk and lost dogs are so great that

the pack is with difficulty kept up by breeding. It must be remembered

that the place of a lost dog cannot be easily supplied in Ceylon. Newera

Ellia is one of the rare climates in Ceylon which is suited to the

constitution of a dog. In the low and hot climates they lead a short

and miserable life, which is soon ended by a liver complaint; thus if

a supply for the pack cannot be kept up by breeding, hounds must be

procured from England at a great expense and risk.

The pack now in the kennel is as near perfection as can be attained for

elk-hunting, comprising ten couple, most of whom are nearly thoroughbred

fox-hounds, with a few couple of immense seizers, a cross between

bloodhound and greyhound, and a couple of large wire-haired lurchers,

like the Scotch deer-hound.

In describing the sport, I must be permitted to call up the spirits of a

few heroes, who are now dead, and place them in the vacant places which

they formerly occupied in the pack.

The first who answers to the magic call is 'Smut,' hero of at least

400 deaths of elk and boar. He appears the same well-remembered form of

strength, the sullen growl which greeted even his master, the numerous

scars and seams upon his body; behold old Smut! His sire was a Manilla

blood-hound, which accounted for the extreme ferocity of the son. His

courage was indomitable. He was a large dog, but not high, considering

his great length, but his limbs were immense in proportion. His height

at the shoulder was 26 1/2 inches; his girth of brisket 34 inches. In

his younger days he always opened upon a scent, and the rocky mountains

and deep valleys have often echoed back his deep notes which have now,

like himself, passed away. As he grew older he became cunning, and he

ran entirely mute, knowing well that the more noise the elk heard behind

him the faster he would run. I have frequently known him to be out by

himself all night, and return the next morning blown out with food which

he had procured for himself by pulling down a doe single-handed. When he

was a young dog, and gave tongue upon a scent, a challenge was offered,

but never accepted, that the dog should find, hunt, and pull down

two buck elk, single-handed, within a fortnight, assisted only by his

master, with no other weapon than a hunting-knife; there is no doubt

whatever that he would have performed it easily. He then belonged to

Lieutenant Pardoe, of the 15th Regiment.

He had several pitched battles with leopards, from which he has returned

frightfully torn, but with his yellow hair bristled up, his head and

stern erect; and his deep growl, with which he gave a dubious reception

to both man and beast, was on these occasions doubly threatening.

I never knew a dog that combined superlative valour with discretion

in the degree exhibited by Smut. I have seen many dogs who would rush

heedlessly upon a boar's tusks to certain destruction; but Smut would

never seize until the proper time arrived, and when the opportunity

offered he never lost it. This rendered him of great value in these wild

sports, where the dog and his master are mutually dependent upon each

other. There was nothing to fear if Smut was there; whether boar or buck

you might advance fearlessly to him with the knife, with the confidence

that the dog would pin the animal the instant that it turned to attack

you; and when he once obtained his hold he was seldom shaken off until

in his old age, when he lost his teeth. Even then he was always one of

the first to seize. Although comparatively useless, the spirit was ever

willing; and this courage, poor fellow, at length caused his death.

The next dog who claims a tribute to his memory is 'Killbuck.' He was an

Australian greyhound of the most extraordinary courage. He stood at the

shoulder 28 inches high; girth of brisket, 31 inches.

Instead of the surly and ferocious disposition of Smut, he was the most

gentle and affectionate creature. It was a splendid sight to witness the

bounding spring of Killbuck as he pinned an elk at bay that no other

dog could touch. He had a peculiar knack of seizing that I never saw

equalled; no matter where or in what position an elk might be, he was

sure to have him. When once started from the slips it was certain death

to the animal he coursed, and even when out of view, and the elk had

taken to the jungle, I have seen the dog, with his nose to the ground,

following upon the scent at full speed like a foxhound. I never heard

him bark at game when at bay. With a bulldog courage he would recklessly

fly straight at the animal's head, unheeding the wounds received in the

struggle. This unguided courage at length caused his death when in the

very prime of his life. Poor Killbuck! His was a short but glorious

career, and his name will never be forgotten.

Next in rotation in the chronicles of seizers appears 'Lena,' who is

still alive, an Australian bitch of great size, courage, and beauty,

wire-haired, like a Scotch deerhound.

'Bran,' a perfect model of a greyhound.

'Lucifer,' combining the beauty, speed, and courage of his parents,

'Bran' and ' Lena,' in a superlative degree.

There are many others that I could call from the pack and introduce

as first-rate hounds, but as no jealousy will be occasioned by their

omission, I shall be contented with those already named.

Were I to recount the twentieth part of the scenes that I have witnessed

in this sport, it would fill a volume, and become very tedious. A few

instances related will at once explain the whole character of the sport,

and introduce a stranger to the wild hunts of the Ceylon mountains.

I have already described Newera Ellia, with its alternate plains and

forests, its rapid streams and cataracts, its mountains, valleys, and

precipices; but a portion of this country, called the Horton Plains,

will need a further description.

Some years ago I hunted with a brother Nimrod, Lieutenant de Montenach,

of the 15th Regiment, in this country; and in two months we killed

forty-three elk.

The Horton Plains are about twenty miles from Newera Ellia. After a walk

of sixteen miles through alternate plains and forests, the steep ascent

of Totapella mountain is commenced by a rugged path through jungle the

whole way. So steep is the track that a horse ascends with difficulty,

and riding is of course impossible. After a mile and a quarter of almost

perpendicular scrambling, the summit of the pass is reached, commanding

a splendid view of the surrounding country, and Newera Ellia can be seen

far beneath in the distance. Two miles farther on, after a walk through

undulating forest, the Horton Plains burst suddenly upon the view as

you emerge from the jungle path. These plains are nearly 800 feet higher

than Newera Ellia, or 7,000 feet above the sea. The whole aspect of

the country appears at once to have assumed a new character; there is a

feeling of being on the top of everything, and instead of a valley among

surrounding hills, which is the feature of Newera Ellia and the adjacent

plains, a beautiful expanse of flat table-land stretches before the eye,

bounded by a few insignificant hill-tops. There is a peculiar freedom in

the Horton Plains, an absence from everywhere, a wildness in the thought

that there is no tame animal within many miles, not a village, nor hut,

nor human being. It makes a man feel in reality one of the 'lords of the

creation' when he first stands upon this elevated plain, and, breathing

the pure thin air, he takes a survey of his hunting-ground: no

boundaries but mountain tops and the horizon; no fences but the trunks

of decayed trees fallen from old age; no game laws but strong legs, good

wind, and the hunting-knife; no paths but those trodden by the elk and

elephant. Every nook and corner of this wild country is as familiar to

me as my own garden. There is not a valley that has not seen a burst

in full cry; not a plain that has not seen the greyhounds in full speed

after an elk; and not a deep pool in the river that has not echoed with

a bay that has made the rocks ring again.