I ..

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

•Da,r.

jL)arlington JVLenioriai l-<ibi

THE

RIFLE AND THE HOUND

IN

CEYLON.

London :

Spottiswoodes and Shaw,

New-street- Smiarfi.

THE

RIFLE AND THE HOUND

CEYLON.

BY S. W. BAKEE, ESQ,

WITH NUMEBOUS ILLUSTKATIONS PRINTED IN COLOURS, AND
ENGRAVINGS ON WOOD.

LONDON:
LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMANS.

1854.

INTRODUCTION.

The love of sport is a feeling inherent in most
Englishmen, and whether in the chase, or with
the rod or gun, they far excel all other nations.
In fact, the definition of this feeling cannot be
understood by many foreigners. We are frequently
ridiculed for fox-hunting. *' What for all dis
people, dis horses, dis many dog ? dis leetle (how
you call him ?) dis ' fox ' for to catch ? ha ! you
eat dis creature ; he vary fat and fine ?"

This is a foreigner's notion of the chase ; he
hunts for the pot ; and by Englishmen alone
is the glorious feeling shared of true, fair, and
manly sport. The character of the nation is
beautifully displayed in all our rules for hunting,
shooting, fishing, fighting, &c. ; a feeling of fair
play pervades every amusement. Who would
shoot a hare in form ? who would net a trout
stream ? who would hit a man when down ? A
Frenchman would do all these things, and might
be no bad fellow after all. It would be his way

A 3

Vi INTRODUCTION.

of doing it. His notion would be to make use of
an advantage when an opportunity offered. He
would think it folly to give the hare a chance of
running when he could shoot her sitting ; he
would make an excellent dish of all the trout
he could snare ; and as to hitting his man when
down, he would think it madness to allow him to
get up again until he had put him liors de combat
by jumping on him. Their notions of sporting
and ours, then, widely differ ; they take every ad-
vantage, while we give every advantage ; they
delight in the certainty of killing, while our plea-
sure consists in the chance of the animal escaping.
I would always encourage the love of sport in
a lad ; guided by its true spirit of fair play, it is
a feeling that will make him above doing a mean
thing in every station of life, and will give him
real feelings of humanity. I have had great ex-
perience in the characters of thorough sportsmen,
and I can safely say that I never saw one that
was not a straightforward honourable man, who
would scorn to take a dirty advantage of man
or animal. In fact, all real sportsmen that I have
met have been really tender-hearted men ; men
who shun cruelty to an animal and who are easily
moved by a talc of distress.

INTRODUCTION. vii

With these feelings sport is an amusement
worthy of a man, and this noble taste has been
extensively developed since the opportunities of
travelling have of late years been so wonderfully
improved. The facility with which the most re-
mote regions are now reached renders a tour
over some portion of the globe a necessary adjunct
to a man's education, and a sportsman naturally
directs his path to some land where civilisation
has not yet banished the wild beast from the soil.

Ceylon is a delightful country for the sporting
tourist. In the high road to India and China,
any length of time may be spent en passant^ and
the voyage by the Overland route is nothing but
a trip of a few weeks of pleasure.

This island has been always celebrated for its
elephants, but the other branches of sport are
comparatively unknown to strangers. No account
has ever been written which embraces all Ceylon
sports : anecdotes of elephant shooting fill the
pages of nearly every work on Ceylon ; but the
real character of the wild sports of this island
has never been described, because the writers have
never been acquainted with each separate branch
of the Ceylon chase.

A residence of many years in this lovely country,

Vlll INTRODUCTION.

where the wild sports of the island have formed
a never-failing and constant amusement, alone
confers sufficient experience to enable a person
to give a faithful picture of both shooting and
hunting in Ceylon jungles.

In describing these sports I shall give no
anecdotes of others, but I shall simply recall scenes
in which I myself have shared, preferring even
a character for egotism rather than relate the
statements of hearsay, for the truth of which I
could not vouch. This must be accepted as an
excuse for the unpleasant use of the first person.

There are many first-rate sportsmen in Ceylon
who could furnish anecdotes of individual risks
and hairbreadth escapes (the certain accompani-
ments to elephant shooting) that would fill volumes ;
but enough will be found in the few scenes which
I have selected from whole hecatombs of slaughter
to satisfy and perhaps fatigue the most patient
reader.

One fact I wish to impress upon all. — That the
colouring of every description is diminished and
not exaggerated, the real scene being in all cases
a picture, of which the narration is but a feeble
copy.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Wild Country. — Dealings in the Marvellous. — Enchanting
Moments. — The Wild Elephant of Ceylon. — - " Rogues." —
Elephant Slaughter. — Thick Jungles. — Character of the
Country. — Varieties of Game in Ceylon. — '^ Battery for
Ceylon Sport." — The Elk, or " Samber Deer." — Deer
Coursing - - - . - - Page 1

CHAP. II.

Newera Ellia. — The Turn-out for Elk-hunting. — Elk-hunt-
ing. — Elk turned to Bay. — The Boar - - 29

CHAP. III.

Minneria Lake. — Brush with a Bull. — An awkward Vis-a-
vis. — A Bright Thought. — Bull Buffalo receives his Small
Change. — What is Man ? — Long-shot with the Four-ounce.

— Charged by a Herd of Buffalos. — The Four-ounce does
Service. — The " Lola." — A Woman killed by a Crocodile.

— Crocodile at Bolgodde Lake. — A Monster Crocodile. —
Death of a Crocodile - - - - 41

CHAP. IV,

Equipment for a Hunting Trip. — In Chase of a Herd of
Elephants.^^ — Hard Work. — Close Quarters. — Six Feet
from the Muzzle. — A Black with a Devil - - 73

CONTENTS.

CHAP. V.

The Four-ounce again. — Tidings of a Rogue Approaching

a Tank Rogue. — An exciting Moment. — Ruins of Polla-
narua. — Ancient Ruins. — Rogues at Doolana. — B. charged
by a Rogue. — Planning an Attack. — A Check. — Narrow-
Escape. — Rogue-stalking. — A bad Rogue. — Dangers of
Elephant-shooting. — The Rhatamahatmeya's Tale Page 87

CHAP. VI.

Character of the Veddahs. — Description of the Veddahs. — ■ A
Monampitya Rogue. — Attacking the Rogue. — Breathless
i^xcitement. — 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 Min-
neria Lake. — Charge in High Reeds. — Close of a good
Day's Sport. — Last Day at Minneria. — A large Snake. —
An unpleasant Bedfellow - - - - 123

' CHAP. VIL

Capabilities of Ceylon. — Deer at Illepecadewe. — Sagacity of
a Pariah Dog. — Two Deer at one Shot. — Deer-stalking.

— Hambantotte Country. — Kattregam Festival Sitra-

welle. — Ruins of Ancient Mahagam. — Wiharewelle. — A

Night Attack upon Elephants. — Shooting by Moonlight

Yalle River Another Rogue. — A Stroll before Break-
fast— A curious Shot. — A good Day's Sport - 1 63

CHAP. VHL

Best Hounds for Elk-hunting. — Smut. — Killbuck. — The
Horton Plains. — A Second Soyer. — The Find The

CONTENTS. XI

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- - - - Page 198

CHAP. IX.

A Morning's Deer Coursing. — Kondawataweny. — Rogue at
Kondawataweny — A close Shave. — Preparations for catching
an Elephant. — Catching an Elephant. — Taming Him. —
Flying Shot at a Buck. — Cave at Dimbooldene. — Awkward
Ground. — A Charmed Life - - - - 232

CHAP. X.

Another Trip to the Park. — A hard Day*s Work. — Discover
a Herd. — Death of the Herd. — A furious Charge. —

Caught at last The Consequences. — A thorough

Rogue. — Another Herd in high Lemon-Grass. — Bears

A Fight between a Moorman and a Bear. — A musical
Herd. — Herd escape. — A plucky Buck. — Death of " Kill-
buck."— Good Sport with a Herd.— End of the Trip - 257

CHAP. XL

Excitement of Elephant-shooting. — An unexpected Visitor.
— A long Run with a Buck. — Hard Work rewarded. —
A glorious Bay. — End of a hard Day's Work. — Bee
Hunters. — Disasters of Elk-hunting. — Bran wounded. —
" Old Smut's" Buck. — Boar at Hackgalla. — Death of " Old
Smut." — Scenery from the Perewelle Mountains. — Dia-
bolical Death of " Merriman." — Scene of the Murder 292

XU CONTENTS.

CHAP. XII.

A Jungle Trip - - . . Page S23

CHAR XIII.
Conclusion ---..„ 409

THE

EIFLE AND HOUND

IN

CEYLON

CHAPTER I.

^VILD COUNTRY. — DEALINGS IN THE MARVELLOUS. ENCHANT-
ING MOMENTS. THE WILD ELEPHANT OF CEYLON.

" ROGUES." ELEPHANT SLAUGHTER. THICK JUNGLES.

CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY. VARIETIES OF GAME IN

CEYLON. " BATTERY FOR CEIXON SPORT." THE ELK, OR

" S AMBER DEER." — DEER COURSING.

It is a difficult task to describe a wild country
so exactly that a stranger's eye shall at once be
made acquainted with its scenery and character
by the description. And yet this is absolutely
necessary if the narration of sports in foreign
countries is supposed to interest those who have
never had the opportunity of enjoying them. The

B

2 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

want of graphic description of localities in which
the events have occurred, is the principal cause of
that tediousness which generally accompanies the
steady perusal of a sporting work. You can
read twenty pages with interest, but a monotony
soon pervades it, and sport then assumes an ap-
pearance of mere slaughter.

Now, the actual killing of an animal, the death
itself, is not sport, unless the circumstances con-
nected with it are such as to create that peculiar
feeling which can only be expressed by the word
" sport." This feeling cannot exist in the heart of a
butcher ; he Avould as soon slaughter a fine buck,
by tying him to a post and knocking him down, as
he would shoot him in his wild native haunts —
the actual moment of death, the fact of killing, is
his enjoyment. To a true sportsman the enjoyment
of a sport increases in proportion to the wildness
of the country. Catch a six- pound trout in a
quiet mill-pond in a populous manufacturing
neighbourhood, with well cultivated meadows on
either side the stream, fat cattle grazing on the
rich pasturage, and, perhaps, actually watching
you as you land your fish : it may be sport.
But catch a similar fish far from the haunts of
men, in a boiling rocky torrent surrounded by

WILD COUNTRY.

heathery mountains, where the shadow of a rod
has seldom been reflected in the stream, and you
cease to think the former flsh worth catchinc: ; —
still he is the same size, showed the same courage,
had the same perfection of condition, and yet
you cannot allow that it was sport compared
with this wild stream. If you see no difference
in the excitement, you are not a sportsman ; you
would as soon catch him in a washing tub, and
you should buy your fish when you require him ;
but never use a rod, or you would disgrace the
hickory.

This feeling of a combination of wild country
with the presence of the game itself to form a
real sport is most keenly manifested when we turn
our attention to the rifle. This noble weapon is
thrown away in an enclosed country. The smooth
bore may and does afford delightful sport upon
our cultivated fields ; but even that pleasure is
doubled when those enclosures no longer intervene,
and the wide-spreading moors and morasses of
Scotland give an idea of freedom and undisturbed
nature. Who can compare grouse with partridge
shooting ? Still the difference exists not so much
in the character of the bird as in the features of
the country. It is the wild aspect of the hea-

B 2

4 THE KIELE A^'D HOUND IN CEYLON.

thery moor without a bound, except the rugged
outline of the mountains upon the sky, that gives
such a charm to the grouse-shooting in Scotland,
and renders the deer-stalking such a favourite sport
among the happy few who can enjoy it.

All this proves that the simple act of killing is
not sport ; if it v/ere, the Zoological Gardens would
form as fine a field to an elephant shot as the
wildest Indian jungle.

Man is a blood-thirsty animal, a beast of prey,
instinctively ; but let us hope that a true sportsman
is not a savage, delighting in nothing but death,
but that his pursuits are qualified by a love of
nature, of noble scenery, of all the wonderful
productions which the earth gives forth in different
latitudes. He should thoroughly understand the
nature and habits of every beast or bird that he
looks upon as game. This last attribute is in-
dispensable; without it he may kill, but he is not
a sportsman.

^Ye have, therefore, come to the conclusion, that
the character of a country influences the character
of the sport. The first question, therefore, that
an experienced man would ask at the recital of
a sporting anecdote would be, " What kind of
country is it ? " That being clearly described to

DEALINGS IN THE MARVELLOUS. 5

hiin, he follows you through every word of your
tale with a true interest, and, in fict, joins in
imagination in the chase.

There is one great drawback to the publication
of sporting adventures — they always appear to
deal not a little in the marvellous ; and this effect
is generally heightened by the use of the first
person in writing, which at all events may give an
egotistical character to a work. This, however,
cannot easily be avoided if a person is describing
his own adventures, and he labours under the
disadvantage of being criticised by readers who do
not know him personally, and may, therefore, give
him credit for gross exaggeration.

It is this feeling that deters many men who
have passed through years of wild sports from
publishing an account of them. The fact of being
able to laugh in your sleeve at the ignorance of a
reader who does not credit you, is but a poor
compensation for being considered a better shot
with a long bow than with a rifle. Often have I
pitied Gordon Gumming, when I have heard him
talked of as a palpable Munchausen, by men who
never fired a rifle, or saw a wild beast, except in a
cage ; and still these men form the greater propor-
tion of the " readers " of these works.

B 3

6 THE EIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

Men who have not seen cannot understand the
grandeur of wild sports in a wild country. There
is an indescribable feeling of supremacy in a man
who understands his game thoroughly, when he
stands upon some elevated point and gazes over
the wild territory of savage beasts. He feels him-
self an invader upon the solitudes of nature. The
very stillness of the scene is his delight. There is
a mournful silence in the calmness of the evening,
when the tropical sun sinks upon the horizon, a
conviction that man has left this region undis-
turbed to its wild tenants. No hum of distant
voices, no rumbling of busy wheels, no cries of
domestic animals meet the ear. He stands upon a
wilderness, pathless and untrodden by the foot of
civilisation, where no sound is ever heard but that
of the elements, when the thunder rolls among the
towering forests, or the wind howls along the
plains. He gazes far, far into the distance,
where the blue mountains melt into an indefinite
haze; he looks above him to the rocky pinnacles
which spring from the level plain, their swarthy
cliffs glistening from the recent shower, and
patches of rich verdure clinging to precipices a
thousand feet above him. His eye stretches along
the grassy plains, taking at one full glance a

ENCHANTING MOMENTS. 7

survey of woods, and rocks, and streams ; and im-
perceptibly his mind wanders to thoughts of home,
and in one moment scenes long left behind are
conjured up by memory, and incidents are re-
called which banish for a time the scene before
him. Lost for a moment in the enchanting power
of solitude, where fancy and reality combine in
their most bewitching forms, he is suddenly roused
by a distant sound made doubly loud by the sur--
rounding silence — the shrill trumpet of an ele-
phant. He wakes from his reverie ; the reality of
the present scene is at once manifested. He stands
within a wilderness where the monster of the
forest holds dominion ; he knows not what a day,
not even what a moment may bring forth ; he
trusts in a protecting power and in the heavy
rifle, and he is shortly upon the track of the king
of beasts.

The king of beasts is generally acknowledged
to be the " Lion ; " but no one who has seen a
wild elephant can doubt for a moment that the
title belongs to him in his own right. Lord of
all created animals in might and sagacity, the
elephant roams through his native forests. He
browses upon the lofty branches, upturns young
trees from sheer malice, and from plain to forest

B 4

8 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

he stalks majestically at break of day, " monarch
of all he surveys."

A person who has never seen a wild elephant
can form no idea of his real character, either
mentally or physically. The unwieldy and sleepy
looking beast, who, penned op in his cage at a
menagerie, receives a sixpence in his trunk, and
turns round with difficulty to deposit it in a
box ; whose mental powers seem to be concentrated
in the idea of receiving buns tossed into a gaping
mouth by children's hands ; this very beast may
have come from a warlike stock. His sire may
have been the terror of a district, a pitiless high-
wayman, whose soul thirsted for blood ; who,
lying in wait in some thick bush, would rush
upon the unwary passer-by, and know no pleasure
greater than the act of crushing his victim to a
shapeless mass beneath his feet. How little does
his tame sleepy son resemble him ! Instead of
browsing on the rank vegetation of wild pasturage,
he devours plum-buns ; instead of bathing his
giant form in the deep rivers and lakes of his
native land, he steps into a stone-lined basin to
bathe before the eyes of a pleased multitude, the
whole of whom form their opinion of elephants

THE WILD ELEPHANT OF CEYLON. 9

in general from the broken-spirited monster that
they see before them.

I have even heard people exclaim, upon hearing
anecdotes of elephant-hunting, " poor things ! "

Poor things, indeed! I should like to see the
very person who thus expresses his pity going at
his best pace with a savage elephant after him :
give him a lawn to run upon if he likes, and see
the elephant gaining a foot in every yard of the
chase, iire in his eye, fury in his headlong charge ;
and would not the flying gentleman who lately
exclaimed " poor thing ! " be thankful to the
lucky bullet that would save him from destruc-
tion ?

There are no animals more misunderstood than
elephants ; they are naturally savage, wary, and
revengeful, displaying as great courage when in
their wild state as any animal known. The fact
of their great natural sagacity renders them the
more dangerous as foes. Even when tamed there
are many that are not safe for a stranger to
approach, and they are then only kept in aAve by
the sharp driving hook of the mohout.

In their domesticated state I have seen them
perform wonders of sagacity and strength ; but I
have nothing to do with tame elephants ; there

10 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

are whole books written upon the subject, although
the habits of an elephant can be described in a
few words.

All wild animals in a tropical country avoid
the sun. They wander forth to feed upon the
plains in the evening and during the night, and
they return to the jungle shortly after sunrise.

Elephants have the same habits. In those parts
of the country where such pasturage abounds as
bamboo, lemon grass, sedges on the banks of
rivers, lakes, and swamps, elephants are sure to
be found at such seasons as are most propitious
for the growth of these plants. When the dry
weather destroys this supply of food in one dis-
trict, they migrate to another part of the country.

They come forth to feed at about 4 p. m., and
they invariably retire to the thickest and most
thorny jungle in the neighbourhood of their
feeding place by 7 A. m. In these impenetrable
haunts they consider themselves secure from ag-
gression.

The period of gestation with an elephant is
supposed to be two years, and the time occupied
in attaining full growth is about sixteen years.
The whole period of life is supposed to be a

THE WILD ELEPHANT OF CEYLON. 11

hundred years, but my own opinion would in-
crease that period by fifty.

The height of elephants varies to a great degree,
and in all cases is very deceiving. In Ceylon an
elephant is measured at the shoulder, and nine
feet at this point is a very large animal. There
is no doubt that many elephants far exceed this,
as I have shot them so large that two tall men
could lie at full length from the point of the fore-
foot to the shoulder; but this is not a common
size ; the average height at the shoulder would be
about seven feet.

Not more than one in three hundred has tusks ;
they are merely provided with short grubbers,
projecting generally about three inches from the
upper jaw, and about two inches in diameter;
these are called '' tushes" in Ceylon, and are of
so little value that they are not worth extracting
from the head. They are useful to the elephants
in hookino; on to a branch and tearino^ it down.

Elephants are gregarious, and the average
number in a herd is about eight, although they
frequently form bodies of fifty and even eighty in
one troop. Each herd consists of a very large
proportion of females, and they are constantly
met without a single bull in their number. 1

12 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

have seen some small herds formed exclusively
of bulls, but this is very rare. The bull is much
larger than the female, and is generally more
savage. His habits frequently induce him to
prefer solitude to a gregarious life. Pie then
becomes doubly vicious. He seldom strays many
miles from one locality, which he haunts for many
years. He becomes what is termed a " rogue."
He then Avaylays the natives, and in fact becomes
a scourge to the neighbourhood, attacking the
inoifensive without the slightest provocation, car-
rying destruction into the natives' paddy fields,
and perfectly regardless of night fires or the
usual precautions for scaring wild beasts.

The daring pluck of these '^ rogues " is only
equalled by their extreme cunning. Endowed with
that wonderful power of scent peculiar to ele-
phants, he travels in the day-time down the wind ;
thus nothing can follow upon his track without
his knowledge. He winds his enemy as the
cautious hunter advances noiselessly upon his
track, and he stands with ears thrown forward,
tail erect, trunk thrown high in the air, with its
distended tip pointed to the spot from Avhich
he winds the silent but approaching danger.
Perfectly motionless does he stand, like a statue

" ROGUES." 13

in ebony, the very essence of attention, every
nerve of scent and hearing stretched to its
cracking point ; not a miiscle moves, not a sound
of a rustling branch against his rough sides ; he
is a mute figure of wild and fierce eagerness.
Meanwhile, the wary tracker stoops to the ground,
and with a practised eye pierces the tangled
brushwood in search of his colossal feet. Still
farther and farther he silently creeps forward,
when suddenly a crash bursts through the jungle;
the moment has arrived for the ambushed charge,
and the elephant is upon him.

AVhat increases the danger is the uncertainty
prevailing in all the movements of a " rogue."
You may perhaps see him upon a plain or in a
forest. As you advance he retreats, or he may
at once charge. Should he retreat, you follow
him ; but you may shortly discover that he is
leading you to some favourite haunt of thick
jungle or high grass, from which, when you least
expect it, he will suddenly burst out in full
charge upon you.

Next to a " rogue " in ferocity, and even more
persevering in the pursuit of her victim, is a
female elephant when her young one has been
killed. In such a case she will generally follow

14 THE IIIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

up her man until either he or she is killed. If
any young elephants are in the herd, the mothers
frequently prove awkward customers.

Elephant- shooting is doubtless the most dan-
gerous of all sports, if the game is invariably fol-
lowed up ; but there is a great difference between
elephant killing and elephant hunting ; the latter is
sport, the former is slaughter.

Many persons who have killed many elephants
know literally nothing about the sport, and they
may even leave Ceylon with the idea that an ele-
phant is not a dangerous animal. Their elephants
are killed in this way, viz

The party of sportsmen, say two or three, arrive
at a certain district. The headman is sent for
from the village ; he arrives. The inquiry re-
specting the vicinity of elephants is made ; a herd
is reported to be in the neighbourhood, and
trackers and watchers are sent out to find them.

In the meantime the tent is pitched, our friends
are employed in unpacking the guns, and, after
some hours have elapsed, the trackers return :
they have found the herd, and the watchers are
left to observe them.

The guns are loaded, and the party starts. The
trackers run quickly on the track until they meet

ELEPHANT SLAUGHTER. 15

one of the watchers who has been sent back
upon the track by the other watchers to give
the requisite information of the movements of
the herd since the trackers left. One tracker
now leads the way, and they cautiously proceed.
The boughs are heard slightly rustling as the un-
conscious elephants are fanning the flies from their
bodies within a hundred yards of the guns.

The jungle is open and good, interspersed
with plots of rank grass ; and quietly following
the head tracker into whose hands our friends
have committed themselves, they follow like
hounds under the control of a huntsman. The
tracker is a famous fellow, and he brings up his
employers in a masterly manner within ten paces
of the still unconscious elephants. He now re-
treats quietly behind the guns, and the sport
begins. A cloud of smoke from a regular volley,
a crash through the splintering branches as the
panic-stricken herd rush from the scene of con-
flict, and it is all over. X. has killed two, Y. has
killed one, and Z. knocked down one, but he got
up again and got away ; total, three bagged.
Our friends now return to the tent, and, after
perhaps a month of this kind of shooting, they
arrive at their original head quarters, having

16 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

bagged perhaps twenty elephants. They give
their opinion upon elephant-shooting, and declare
it to be capital sport, but there is no danger in
it as the elephants invariably run away.

Let us imagine ourselves in the position of the
half-asleep and unsuspecting herd. We are lying
down in a doze during the heat of the day, and
our senses are half benumbed by a sense of sleep.
We are beneath the shade of a large tree, and we
do not dream that danger is near us.

A frightful scream suddenly scatters our wan-
dering senses. It is a rogue elephant upon us ! it
Avas the scream of his trumpet that we heard ! and
he is right among us. How we should bolt !
how we should run at the first start until we
could get a gun ! But let him continue this pur-
suit, and how long would he be without a ball in
his head ?

It is precisely the same in attacking a herd of
elephants or any other animals unawares ; they
are taken by surprise, and are for the moment
panic-stricken. But let our friends, X., Y., Z., who
have just bagged three elephants so easily, con-
tinue the pursuit, hunt the remaining portion of
the herd down till one by one they have nearly
all fallen to the bullet, X., Y., Z. will have had

THICK JUNGLES. 17

enough of it ; they Avill be blinded by perspiration,
torn by countless thorns, as they have rushed
through the jungles determined not to lose sight
of their game, soaked to the skin as they have
waded through intervening streams, and will en-
tirely have altered their opinion as to elephants
invariably running away, as they will very pro-
bably have seen one turn sharp round from the
retreating herd, and charge straight into them
when they least expected it. At any rate, after
a hunt of this kind they can form some opinion of
the excitement of the true sport.

The first attack upon a herd by a cou^dIc of
first-rate elephant shots frequently ends the con-
test in a few seconds by the death of every
elephant. I have frequently seen a small herd
of five or six elephants annihilated in as many
seconds, after a well planned aj^proach in thick
jungle, when they have been discovered standing
in a crowd and presenting favourable shots. In
such an instance the sport is so soon concluded
that the only excitement consists in the cautious
advance to the attack through bad jungle.

As a rule, the pursuit of elephants through bad
thorny jungles should if possible be avoided : the
danger is in many cases extreme, although the

c

18 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

greater portion of the herd may at other times
be perhaps easily killed. There is no certainty
in a shot. An elephant may be discerned by the
eye looming in an apparent mist formed by the
countless intervening twigs and branches which
veil him like a screen of net-work. To reach
the fatal spot the ball must pass through perhaps
fifty little twigs, one of which, if struck obliquely,
turns the ballet, and there is no answering for the
consequence. There are no rules, however, with-
out exceptions, and in some instances the follow-
ing of the game through the thickest jungle can
hardly be avoided.

The character of the country in Ceylon is gene-
rally very unfavourable to sport of all kinds.
The length of the island is about two hundred and
eighty miles, by one hundred and fifty in width :
the greater portion of this surface is covered
with impenetrable jungles, which form secure
coverts for countless animals.

The centre of the island is mountainous, tor-
rents from which form the sources of the nume-
rous rivers by which Ceylon is so well watered.
The low country is flat. The soil throughout the
island is generally poor and sandy.

This being the character of the country, and

CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY. 19

vast forests rendered impenetrable by tangled
underwood forming the principal features of the
landscape, a person arriving at Ceylon for the
purpose of enjoying its wild sports would feel an
inexpressible disappointment.

Instead of mounting a good horse, as he might
have fondly anticipated, and at once speeding over
trackless plains till so far from human habitations
that the territories of beasts commence, — he
finds himself walled in by jungle on either side
of the highway. In vain he asks for information.
He finds the neighbourhood of Galle, his first
landing place, densely populated : he gets into the
coach for Colombo. Seventy miles of close popu-
lation and groves of cocoa-nut trees are passed,
and he reaches the capital. This is worse and
worse — he has seen no signs of wild country
during his long journey, and Colombo appears to
be the height of civilisation. He books his place
for Kandy ; he knows that is in the very centre
of Ceylon — there surely must be sport there he
thinks.

The morning gun fires from the Colombo fort
at 5 A. M., and the coach starts. Miles are passed,
and still the country is thickly populated — paddy
cultivation in all the flats and hollows, and even

c 2

20 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

the sides of the hills are carefully terraced out
in a laborious system of agriculture. There can
be no shooting here !

Sixty miles are passed ; the top of the Kadu-
ganava Pass is reached 1800 feet above the sea
level, the road walled with jungle on either side.
From the summit of this pass our newly arrived
sportsman gazes with despair. Far as the eye can
reach over a vast extent of country, mountain
and valley, hill and dale, without one open spot,
are clothed alike in one dark screen of impervious
forest.

He reaches Kandy, a civilised town suiTounded
by hills of jungle — that interminable jungle ! —
and at Kandy he may remain, or, better still,
return again to England, unless he can get some
well known Ceylon sportsman to pilot him through
the apparently pathless forests, and in fact to
" show him sport." This is not easily effected.
Men who understand the sport are not over fond
of acting " chaperon " to a young hand, as a
novice must always detract from the sport in some
degree. In addition to this, many persons do not
exactly know themselves ; and, although tlie idea
of shooting elephants appeal's very attractive at a
distance, the pleasure somewhat abates when the

VARIETIES OF GAME IN CEYLON. 21

sportsman is forced to seek for safety in a swift
pair of heels.

I sliall now proceed to give a description of
the various sports in Ceylon, — a task for which
the constant practice of many years has afforded
ample incident.

The game of Ceylon consists of elephants, buf-
falos, elk, spotted deer, red or the paddy-field deer,
mouse deer*, hogs, bears, leopards, hares, black
partridge, red-legged partridge, pea-fowl, jungle-
fowl, quail, snipe, ducks, widgeon, teal, golden and
several kinds of plover, a great variety of pigeons,
and among the class of vermin are innumerable
snakes, &c., and the crocodile.

The acknowledged sports of Ceylon are elephant-
shooting, buffalo-shooting, deer-shooting, elk- hunt-
ing, and deer-coursing : the two latter can only
be enjoyed by a resident in the island, as of
course the sport is dependent upon a pack of fine
hounds. Although the wild boar is constantly
killed, I do not reckon him among the sports of
the country, as he is never sought for, death and
destruction to the hounds generally being at-
tendant upon his capture. The bear and leopard

* A small species of deer found in the island.
c 3

22 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

also do not form separate sports ; they are merely
killed when met with.

In giving an account of each kind of sport, I
shall explain the habits of each animal and the
features of the country wherein every incident
occurs, Ceylon scenery being so diversified that
no general description could give a correct idea
of Ceylon sports.

The guns are the first consideration. After the
first year of my experience I had four rifles made
to order, which have proved themselves perfect
weapons in all respects, and exactly adapted for
heavy game. They are double-barrelled. No. 10
bores, and of such power in metal that they weigh
fifteen pounds each. I consider them perfection ;
but should others consider them too heavy, a
pound taken from the weight of the barrels would
make a perceptible difference. I would in all
cases strongly deprecate the two-grooved rifle for
wild sports, on account of the difficulty in loading
quickly. A No. 10 twelve-grooved rifle will carry
a conical ball of two ounces and a half, and can
be loaded as quickly as a smooth bore. Some
persons prefer the latter to rifles for elephant-
shooting, but I cannot myself understand why a
decidedly imperfect weapon should be used when

" BATTERY FOR CEYLON SPORT." 23

the rifle offers such superior advantages. At
twenty and even thirty paces a good smooth bore
will carry a ball with nearly the same precision
as a rifle ; but in a country full of various large
game, there is no certainty, wdien the ball is
rammed down, at what object it is to be aimed.
A bufl'alo or deer may cross the path at a hun-
dred yards, and the smooth bore is useless ; on
the other hand, the rifle is always ready for
whatever may appear.

My battery consists of one four-ounce rifle (a
single barrel) weighing twenty-one pounds, one
long two-ounce rifle (single barrel) weighing six-
teen pounds, and four double-barrelled rifles*,
No. 10, weighing each fifteen pounds. Smooth
bores I count for nothing, although I have fre-
quently used them.

So much for guns. It may therefore be summed
up that the proper battery for Ceylon shooting
would be four large-bored double-barrelled rifles,
say from No. 10 to No. 12 in size, but all to be
the same bore, so as to prevent confusion in
loading. Persons may suit their own fancy as to

* Made by J. Beattie, 205. Regent Street.
c 4

24 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

the weiglit of their guns, bearing in mind that
single barrels are very useless things.

Next to the " Rifle" in the order of description
comes the " Hound."

The " elk" is his acknowledged game, and an
account of this animal's size and strength will
prove the necessity of a superior breed of hound.

The " elk " is a Ceylon blunder and a mis-
nomer. The animal thus called is the " Samber
Deer," well known in India as the largest of all
Asiatic deer.

A buck in his prime will stand fourteen hands
high at the shoulder, and will weigh 600 pounds,
live weight. He is in colour dark brown, with
a fine mane of coarse bristly hair of six inches
in length: the rest of his body is covered with
the same coarse hair of about two inches in
length. I have a pair of antlers in my possession
that are thirteen inches round the burr, and the
same size beneath the first branch, and three feet
four inches in length ; this, however, is a very
nnusual size.

The elk has seldom more than six points to his
antlers. The low country elk are much larger
than those on the highlands : the latter are seldom
more than from twelve to thirteen hands high ;

THE ELK, OR " SAMBER DEER." 25

and of course their weight is proportionate, that
of a buck in condition being about 400 pounds
when gralloched. I have killed them much heavier
than this on the mountains, but I have given
about the average weight.

The habits of this animal are purely nocturnal.
He commences his wanderings at sunset, and
retires to the forest at break of day. He is seldom
found in greater numbers than two or three to-
gether, and is generally alone. When brought to
bay he fights to the last, and charges man and
hound indiscriminately, a choice hound killed being
often the price of victory.

The country in which he is hunted is in the
mountainous districts of Ceylon. Situated at an
elevation of 6300 feet above the sea is Newera
EUia, the sanatorium of the island. Here I have
kept a pack and hunted elk for some years,
the delightful coolness of the temperature (seldom
above 66° Fahr.) rendering the sport doubly en-
joyable. The principal features of this country
being a series of wild marshy plains, forests, tor-
rents, mountains, and precipices, a peculiar hound
is required for the sport.

A pack of thorough-bred fox hounds would
never answer. They would pick up a cold scent

26 THE EIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

and open upon it before they were within a mile
of their game. Eousecl from his morning nap,
the buck would snuff the breeze, and to the
distant music give an attentive ear, then shake
the dew from his rough hide, and away over
rocks and torrents, down the steep mountain
sides, through pathless forests ; and woe then
to the pack of thorough-breds whose persevering
notes would soon be echoed by the rocky
steeps, far, far away from any chance of re-
turn, lost in the trackless jungles and ravines
many miles from kennel, a prey to leopards and
starvation ! I have proved this by experience,
having brought a pack of splendid hounds from
England, only one of which survived a few months'
hunting.

The hound required for elk-hunting is a cross
between the fox-hound and blood-hound, of great
size and courage, with as powerful a voice as pos-
sible. He should be trained to this sport from a
puppy, and his natural sagacity soon teaches him
not to open unless upon a hot scent, or about
two hundred yards from his game ; thus the elk
is not disturbed until the hound is at full speed
upon his scent, and he seldom gets a long start.
Fifteen couple of such hounds in full cry put him

DEER COURSING. 27

at his best pace, which is always tried to the ut-
termost by a couple or two of fast and pitiless
lurchers who run ahead of the pack, the object
being to press him at first starting, so as to blow
him at the very commencement: this is easily
effected, as he is full of food, and it is his nature
always to take off straight up the hill when first
disturbed. When blown, he strikes down hill,
and makes at great speed for the largest and
deepest stream; in this he turns to bay, and
tries the mettle of the finest hounds.

The great enemy to a pack is the leopard.
He pounces from the branch of a tree upon a
stray hound, and soon finishes him, unless of
great size and courage, in which case the cowardly
brute is soon beaten off. This forms another
reason for the choice of large hounds.

The next sport is the " Deer Coursing." This
is one of the most delightful kinds of sport in
Ceylon. The game is the Axis or spotted deer,
and the open plains in many parts of the low
country afford splendid ground for both grey-
hound and horse.

The buck is about 250 lbs. live weight, of
wonderful speed and great courage, armed with
long and graceful antlers as sharp as needles.

28 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

He will suddenly turn to bay upon the hard
ground, and charge his pursuers, and is more
dangerous to the greyhounds than the elk, from
his wonderful activity, and from the fact that he
is coursed by only a pair of greyhounds, instead
of being hunted by a pack.

Pure greyhounds of great size and courage are
best adapted for this sport. They cannot afford
to lose speed by a cross with slower hounds.

29

CHAP. II.

NEWERA ELLIA. — THE TURN-OUT FOR ELK-HUNTING. — ELK-
HUNTING ELK TURNED TO BAY. THE BOAR.

Where shall I begin ? This is a momentous
question, when, upon glancing back upon past
years, a thousand incidents jostle each other for
precedence. How shall I describe them ? This,
again, is easier asked than answered. A journal
is a dry method of description, mingling the
uninteresting with the brightest moments of sport.
No, I will not write a journal, it would be endless
and boring. I shall begin with the present as
it is, and call up the past as I think proper.

Here, then, I am in my private sanctum, my
rifles all arranged in their respective stands above
the chimney-piece, the stag's horns round walls
hung with horn-cases, powder-flasks, and the
various weapons of the chase. Even as I write,
the hounds are yelling in the kennel.

The thermometer is at 62° Fahr., and it is mid-

30 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

day. It never exceeds 72° in the hottest wea-
ther, and sometimes falls below freezing point at
night. The sky is spotless, and the air calm.
The fragrance of mignonettes, and a hundred
flowers that recal Old England, fill the air. Green
fields of grass and clover neatly fenced surround
a comfortable house and grounds. Well fed cattle
of the choicest breeds and English sheep are graz-
ing in the paddocks. Well made roads and gravel
walks run through the estate. But a few years
past, and this was all wilderness.

Dense forest reigned where now not even the
stump of a tree is standing ; the wind howled
over hill and valley, the dank moss hung from
the scathed branches, the deep morass filled
the hollows ; but all is changed by the hand of
civilisation and industry. The dense forests and
rough plains, which still form the boundaries of
the cultivated land, only add to the beauty. The
monkeys and parrots are even now chattering
among the branches, and occasionally the elephant
in his nightly wanderings trespasses upon the
fields, unconscious of the oasis within his territory
of savage nature.

The still, starlight night is awakened by the harsh
bark of the elk ; the lofty mountains, grey with

NEWER A ELLIA. 31

the silvery moonlight, echo back the sound ; and
the wakeful hounds answer the well known cr}^
by a prolonged and savage yell.

This is " Newera Ellia," the sanatorium of
Ceylon, the most perfect climate of the world. It
now boasts of a handsome church, a public read-
ing room, a large hotel, the barracks, and about
twenty private residences.

The adjacent country, of comparatively table
land, occupies an extent of some thirty miles in
length, varying in altitude from 6200 to 7000
feet, forming a base for the highest peaks in Ceylon,
which rise to nearly 9000 feet.

Alternate large plains, separated by belts of
forest, rapid rivers, waterfalls, precipices, and pa-
noramic views of boundless extent, form the
features of this country, which, combined with
the sports of the place, render a residence at
Newera Ellia a life of health, luxury, and inde-
pendence.

The high road from Colombo passes over the
mountains through Newera Ellia to Badulla, from
which latter place there is a bridle-road, through
the best shooting districts in Ceylon, to the sea-
port town of Batticaloa, and from thence to Trin-
comalee. The relative distances of Newera Ellia

32 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

are, from Galle, 185 miles; from Colombo, 115
miles; from Kaiicly, 47 miles; from Badulla, 3G
miles; from Batticaloa, 148 miles. Were it not
for the poverty of the soil, Newera Ellia would
long ago have become a place of great importance,
as the climate is favourable to the cultivation of
all English produce ; but an absence of lime in the
soil, and the cost of applying it artificially, pro-
hibit the cultivation of all grain, and restrict the
produce of the land to potatoes and other vege-
tables. Nevertheless, many small settlers earn a
good subsistence, although this has latterly been
rendered precarious by the appearance of the well
known potato disease.

Newera Ellia has always been a favourite place
of resort during the fashionable months, from the
commencement of January to the middle of May.
At that time, the rainy season commences, and
visitors rapidly disappear.

All strangers remark the scanty accommodation
afforded to the numerous visitors. To see the
number of people riding and walking round the
Newera Ellia plain, it appears a marvel how they
can be housed in the few dwellings that exist.
There is an endless supply of fine timber in the
forests, and powerful saw- mills are already erected ;

THE TURN-OUT FOR ELK-HUNTING. 33

but the island is, like its soil, ^' poor.'' Its main
staple, " coffee," does not pay sufficiently to enable
proprietors of estates to indulge in the luxury of
a house at N^ewera EUia. Like many watering
places in England, it is overcrowded at one season,
and deserted at another, the only permanent
residents being comprised in the commandant,
the officer in command of the detachment of troops,
the government agent, the doctor, the clergyman,
and our own family.

Dull enough ! some persons may exclaim ; and
so it would be to any but a sportsman ; but the
jungles teem with large game, and Newera Ellia
is in a central position, as the best sporting coun-
try is only three days' journey, or one hundred
miles, distant. Thus, at any time, the guns may
be packed up, and, with tents and baggage sent on
some days in advance, a fortnight's or a month's
Avar may be carried on against the elephants
without much trouble.

The turn-out for elk-hunting during the fashion-
able season at Newera Ellia is sometimes pecu-
liarly exciting. The air is keen and frosty, the
plains snow-white with the crisp hoar frost, and
even at the early hour of 6 a.m. parties of ladies
may be seen urging their horses round the plain

D

34 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

on their way to the appointed meet. Here we
are waiting with the anxious pack, perhaps bless-
ing some of our more sleepy friends for not turn-
ing out a little earlier. Party after party arrives,
including many of the fair sex, and the rosy tips
to ail countenances attest the quality of the cold
even in Ceylon.

There is something peculiarly inspiriting in the
early hour of sunrise upon these mountains — an
indescribable lightness in the atmosphere, owing
to the great elevation, which takes a wonderful
effect upon the spirits. The horses and the hounds
feel its influence in an equal degree ; the former,
who are perhaps of sober character in the hot
climate, now champ the bit and paw the ground :
their owners hardly know them by the change.

We have frequently mustered as many as thirty
horses at a meet ; but on these occasions a picked
spot is chosen where the sport may be easily
witnessed by those who are unaccustomed to it.
The horses may, in these instances, be available,
but as a rule they are perfectly useless in elk-
hunting, as the plains are so boggy that they
would be hock-deep every quarter of a mile.
Thus no person can thoroughly enjoy elk-hunting
who is not well accustomed to it, as it is a sport

ELK HUNTING. 35

conducted entirely on foot, and the thinness of the
air in this elevated region is very trying to the
lungs in hard exercise. Thoroughly sound in
wind and limb, with no superfluous flesh, must be
the man Avho would follow the hounds in this wild
country, — through jungles, rivers, plains, and
deep ravines, sometimes from sunrise to sunset
without tasting food since the previous evening,
with the exception of a cup of cofl'ee and piece of
toast before starting. It is trying work, but it is
a noble sport ; no weapon but the hunting knife ;
no certainty as to the character of the game that
may be found ; it may be either an elk, or a boar,
or a leopard, and yet the knife and the good
hounds are all that can be trusted in.

It is a glorious sport certainly to a man who
thoroughly understands it ; the voice of every
hound famihar to his ear, the particular kind of
game that is found is at once known to him long
before he is in view by the style of the hunting. If
an elk is found, the hounds follow with a burst
straight as a line, and at a killing pace, directly
up the hill, till he at length turns and bends his
headlong course for some stronghold in a deep
river to bay. Listening to the hounds till certain
of their course, a thorough knowledge of the coun-

D 2

36 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

try at once tells the huntsman of their destination,
and away he goes.

He tightens his belt by a hole, and steadily he
starts at a long swinging trot, having made up his
mind for a day of it. Over hills and valleys,
through tangled and pathless forests, but all well
known to him, steady he goes at the same pace
on the level, easy through the bogs and up the
hills, extra steam down hill, and stopping for
a moment to listen for the hounds on every ele-
vated spot. At length he hears them ! No, it
was a bird. Again he fancies that he hears a dis-
tant sound — was it the wind ? No; there it is —
it is old Smut's voice — he is at bay ! Yoick to
him ! he shouts till his lungs are well-nigh cracked,
and through thorns and jungles, bogs and ravines,
he rushes towards the welcome sound. Thick
tangled bushes armed with a thousand hooked
thorns suddenly arrest his course ; it is the thick
fringe of underwood that borders every forest ; —
the open plain is within a few yards of him. The
hounds in a mad chorus are at bay, and the woods
ring again with the cheering sound. Nothing can
stop him now — thorns, or clothes, or flesh, must
go, — something must give way as he bursts
through them and stands upon the plain.

ELK TURNED TO BAY. 37

There they are in that deep pool formed by the
river as it sweeps round the rock. A buck ! a
noble fellow ! ^N'ow he charges at the hounds, and
strikes the foremost beneath the water with his
fore-feet; up they come again to the surface, —
they hear their master's well-known shout, — they
look round and see his welcome figure on the steep
bank. Another moment, a tremendous splash,
and he is among his hounds, and all are swimming
towards their noble game. At them he comes
with a fierce rush. Avoid him as you best can,
ye hunters, man, and hounds !

Down the river the buck now swims, sometimes
galloping over the shallows, sometimes wading
shoulder-deep, sometimes swimming through the
deep pools. Now he dashes down the fierce rapids
and leaps the opposing rocks between which the
torrent rushes at a frightful pace. The hounds
are after him ; the roaring of the water joins in
their wild chorus ; the loud holloa of the hunts-
man is heard above every* sound as he cheers the
pack on. He runs along the bank of the river,
and again the enraged buck turns to bay. He
has this time taken a strong position: he stands
in a swift rapid about two feet deep ; his thin legs
cleave the stream as it rushes past, and every

D 3

88 THE HIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

hound is swept away as he attempts to stem the
current. He is a perfect picture : his nostrils are
distended, his mane is bristled up, his eyes flash,
and he adds his loud bark of defiance to the din
around him. The hounds cannot touch him. Now
for the huntsman's part: he calls the stanchest
seizers to his side, gives them a cheer on, and
steps into the torrent, knife in hand. Quick as
lightning the buck springs to the attack ; but he
has exposed himself, and at that moment the tall
lurchers are upon his ears ; the huntsman leaps
upon one side and plunges the knife behind his
shoulder. A tremendous struggle takes place —
the whole pack is upon him ; still his dying ef-
forts almost free him from their hold : a mass of
spray envelopes the whole scene. Suddenly he
falls, — he dies, — it is all over. The hounds are
called ofi*, and are carefully examined for wounds.
The huntsman is now perhaps some miles from
home ; he, therefore, cuts a long pole, and tying
a large bunch of grass to one end, he sticks the
other end into the ground close to the river's edge
where the elk is lying. This marks the spot.
He calls his hounds together and returns home-
wards, and afterwards sends men to cut the buck
up and bring him home. Elk venison is very good.

THE BOAR. 39

but is at all times more like beef than English
venison.

The foregoing may be considered a general de-
scription of elk-hunting, although the incidents
of the sport necessarily vary considerably.

The boar is our dangerous adversary, and he is
easily known by the character of the run. The
hounds seldom open with such a burst upon the
scent as they do with an elk. The run is much
slower; he runs down this ravine and up that,
never going straight away, and he generally comes
to bay after a run of ten minutes' duration.

A boar always chooses the very thickest part of
the jungle as his position for a bay, and from this
he makes continual rushes at the hounds.

The huntsman approaches the scene of the com-
bat, breaking his way with difficulty through the
tangled jungle, until within about twenty yards of
the bay. He now cheers the hounds on to the
attack, and if they are w^orthy of their name, they
instantly rush into the boar regardless of wounds.
The huntsman is aware of the seizure by the grunt-
ing of the boar and the tremendous confusion in
the thick jungle ; he immediately rushes to the as-
sistance of the pack knife in hand.

A scene of real warfare meets his view — gaping

D 4

40 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

wounds upon his best hounds, the boar rushing
through the jungle covered with dogs, and he him-
self becomes the hnmediate object of his fury when
observed.

No time is to be lost. Keeping behind the boar
if possible, he rushes to the bloody conflict, and
drives the hunting knife between the shoulders in
the endeavour to divide the spine. Should he hap-
pily effect this, the boar falls stone dead ; but if
not, he repeats the thrust, keeping a good look out
for the animal's tusks.

If the dogs were of not sufficient courage to rush
in and seize the boar when halload on, no man
could approach him in a thick jungle with only a
hunting knife, as he would in all probability have
his inside ripped out at the first charge. They
are wonderfully active and ferocious, and of im-
mense power, constantly weighing 4 cwt.

The end of nearly every good seizer is being
killed by a boar. The better the dog the more
likely he is to be killed, as he will be the first to
lead the attack, and in thick jungle he has no
chance of escaping from a wound.

41

CHAP. III.

MINNERIA LAKE. BRUSH WITH A BULL. — AN AWKWARD VIS-
A-VIS. A BRIGHT THOUGHT. — BULL BUFFALO RECEIVES HIS

SMALL CHANGE. WHAT IS MAN ? LONG SHOT WITH THE

FOUR-OUNCE. CHARGED BY A HERD OF BUFFALOS. THE

FOUR-OUNCE DOES SERVICE. — THE " LOLA." A WOMAN

KILLED BY A CROCODILE. CROCODILE AT BOLGODDE LAKE.

— A MONSTER CROCODILE. DEATH OF A CROCODILE.

The foregoing description may serve as an intro-
duction to the hill sports of Ceylon. One animal,
however, yet remains to be described, who sur-
passes all others in dogged ferocity when once
aroused. This is the " Buffalo."

The haunts of this animal are in the hottest parts
of Ceylon. In the neighbourhood of lakes, swamps,
and extensive plains the buffalo exists in large
herds ; wallowing in the soft mire, and passing two
thirds of his time in the water itself, he may be
almost termed amphibious.

He is about the size of a large ox, of immense
bone and strength, very active, and his hide is
almost free from hair, giving a disgusting appear-
ance to his india-rubber-like skin. He carries his
head in a peculiar manner, the horns thrown back,
and his nose projecting on a level with his forehead,

42 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

thus securing himself from a front shot in a fatal
part. This renders him a dangerous enemy, as he
will receive any number of balls from a small gun
in the throat and chest without evincing the least
symptom of distress. The shoulder is the acknow-
ledged point to aim at, but from his disposition to
face the guns this is a difficult shot to obtain.
Should he succeed in catching his antagonist his
fury knows no bounds, and he gores his victim to
death, trampling and kneeling upon him till he is
satisfied that life is extinct.

This sport would not be very dangerous in the
forests, where the buffalo could be easily stalked,
and where escape would also be rendered less dif-
ficult in case of accident; but as he is generally
met with upon the open plains free from a single
tree, he must be killed when once brought to bay, or
he will soon exhibit his qualifications for mischief.
There is a degree of uncertainty in their character,
which much increases the danger of the pursuit.
A buffalo may retreat at first sight with every
symptom of cowardice, and thus induce a too eager
pursuit, when he will suddenly become the as-
sailant. I cannot explain their character better
than by describing the first wild buffalos that I
ever saw.

MINNERIA LAKE. 43

I had not been long in Ceylon, but having ar-
rived in the island for the sake of its wild sports, I
had not been idle, and I had already made a con-
siderable bag of large game. Like most novices,
however, I was guilty of one great fault. I de-
spised the game, and gave no heed to the many
tales of danger and hair-breadth escapes which
attended the pursuit of wild animals. This care-
lessness on my part a.rose from my first dehut^
having been extremely lucky ; most shots had told
well, and the animal had been killed with such ap-
parent ease, that I had learnt to place an implicit
reliance in the rifle. The real fact was, that 1 was
like many others ; I had slaughtered a number of
animals without understandhig their habits, and I
was perfectly ignorant of the sport. This is now
many years ago, and it was then my first visit to
the island. Some places that were good spots for
shooting in those days have since that time been
much disturbed, and are now no longer attractive
to my eyes. One of these places is Minneria
Lake.

I was on a shooting trip accompanied by my
brother, whom I will designate as B. We had passed
a toilsome day in pushing and dragging our ponies
for twenty miles along a narrow path through thick

44 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

jungle, which half a dozen natives in advance were
opening before us with bill-hooks. This had at
one time been a good path, but was then overgrown.
It is now an acknowledged bridle-road.

At 4 p. M., and eighty miles from Kandy, we
emerged from the jungle, and the view of Minneria
Lake burst upon us, fully repaying us for our day's
march. It was a lovely afternoon. The waters of
the lake, which is twenty miles in circumference,
were burnished by the setting sun. The surround-
ing plains were as green as an English meadow, and
beautiful forest trees bordered the extreme boun-
daries of the plains like giant warders of the ad-
joining j ungle. Loug promontories densely wooded
stretched far into the waters of the lake, forming
sheltered nooks and bays teeming with wild -fowl.
The deer browsed in herds on the wide extent of
plain, or lay beneath the shade of the spreading
branches. Every feature of lovely scenery was here
p>resented. In some spots groves of trees grew to
the very water's edge ; in others, the wide plains free
from a sinole stem or bush stretched for miles alono'
the edge of the lake ; thickly wooded hills bordered
the extreme end of its waters, and distant blue
mountains mingled their dim summits with the
clouds.

MINNERIA LAKE. 45

It was a lovely scene, which we enjoyed in
silence, while our ponies feasted upon the rich
grass.

The village of Minneria was three miles further
on, and our coolies, servants, and baggage wero
all far behind us. We had, therefore, no rifles or
guns at hand, except a couple of shot guns, which
were carried by our horsekeepers : for these we
had a few balls.

For about half an hour we waited in the im-
patient expectation of the arrival of our servants
with the rifles. The afternoon was wearing away,
and they did not appear. We could wait no
longer, but determined to take a stroll and examine
the country. We therefore left our horses and
proceeded.

The grass was most verdant, about the height
of a field fit for the scythe in England, but not so
thick. From this the snipe arose at every twenty
or thirty paces, although the ground was perfectly
dry. Crossing a large meadow, and skirting the
banks of the lake, from which the ducks and teal
rose in large flocks, we entered a long neck of
jungle which stretched far into the lake. This
was not above two hundred paces in width, and
we soon emerged upon an extensive plain bordered

46 THE EIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

by fine forest, the waters of the lake stretchmg
far away upon our left, like a sheet of gold. A
few large rocks rose above the surface near the
shore; these were covered with various kinds of
wild-fowl. The principal tenants of the plain
were wild buifalos.

A herd of about a hundred were lying in a
swampy hollow about a quarter of a mile from us.
Several single bulls were dotted about the green
surface of the level plain, and on the opposite
shores of the lake were many dark patches undis-
tinguishable in the distance ; these were in reality
herds of buifalos. There was not a sound in the
wide expanse before us, except the harsh cry of
the waterfowl that our presence had already dis-
turbed, — not a breath of air moved the leaves of
the trees which shadowed us,- — and the whole scene
was that of undisturbed nature. The sun had
now sunk low upon the horizon, and the air was
comparatively cool. The multitude of buifalos en-
chanted us, and with our two light double-barrels
we advanced to the attack of the herd before us.

We had not left the obscurity of the forest many
seconds before we were observed. The herd
started up from their muddy bed, and gazed at
us with astonishment. It was a fair open plain

BEUSH WITH A BULL. 47

of some thousand acres, bounded by the forest
that we had just quitted on the one side, and by
the lake on the other ; thus there was no cover
for our advance, and all we could do was to
push on.

As we approached the herd they ranged up in
a compact body, presenting a very regular line
in front. From this line seven large bulls stepped
forth, and from their vicious appearance seemed
disposed to show fight. In the meantime we were
running up, and were soon within thirty paces of
them. At this distance the main body of the
herd suddenly wheeled round and thundered
across the plain in full retreat. One of the bulls
at the same moment charged straight at us, but
when within twenty paces of the guns he turned
to one side and instantly received two balls in the
shoulder, B. and I having tired at the same mo-
ment. As luck would have it, his blade-bone was
thus broken, and he fell upon his knees, but re-
covering himself in an instant he retreated on
three legs to the water.

We now received assistance from a most unex-
pected quarter. One of the large bulls, his com-
panions, charged after him with great fury, and
soon overtaking the wounded beast, he struck him

48 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON,

full in the side, throwing him over with a great
shock on the muddy border of the lake. Here
the wounded animal lay unable to rise, and his
conqueror commenced a slow retreat across the
plain.

Leaving B. to extinguish the wounded buf-
falo, I gave chase to the retreating bully. At an
easy canter he would gain a hundred paces, and
then turning, he would face me ; throwing his nose
up, and turning his head on one side with a short
grunt, he would advance quickly for a few paces,
and then again retreat as I continued to ap-
proach.

In this manner he led me a chase of about a
mile along the banks of the lake, but he appeared
determined not to bring the fight to an issue at
close quarters. Cursing his cowardice I fired a
long shot at him, and reloading with my last spare
ball, I continued the chase, led on by ignorance
and excitement.

The lake in one part stretched in a narrow creek
into the plain, and the bull now directed his course
into the angle formed by this turn. I thought
that I had him in a corner, and redoubling my
exertions I gained upon him considerably. He
retreated slowly to the very edge of the creek,

49

and I had gained so fast upon him that I was
not thirty paces distant when he plunge.d into the
water and commenced swimming across the creek.
This was not more than sixty yards in breadth,
and I knew that I could now bring him to action.

Running round the borders of the creek as fast
as I could, I arrived at the opposite side on his
intended landing-place just as his black form
reared from the deep water and gained the shal-
lows, into which I had waded knee-deep to meet
him. I now experienced that pleasure as he stood
sullenly eyeing me within fifteen paces. Poor
stupid fellow ! I would willingly, in my ignorance,
have betted ten to one upon the sliot, so certain
was I of his death in another instant.

I took a quick but steady aim at his chest, at
the point of connection with the throat. The
smoke of the barrel passed to one side ; — there he
stood, — he had not flinched, he literally had not
moved a muscle. The only change that had taken
place was in his eye ; this, which had hitherto
been merely sullen, was now beaming with fury;
but his form was as motionless as a statue. A
stream of blood poured from a wound within an
inch of the spot at which I had aimed ; had it not

50 THE RIFLE AND HOUND ]N CEYLON.

been for tins fact, I should not have believed him
struck.

Annoyed at the failure of the shot, I tried him
with the left-hand barrel at the same hole. The
report of the gun echoed over the lake, but there
he stood as though he bore a charmed life ; — an
increased flow of blood from the wound and ad-
ditional lustre in his eye were the only signs of
his being struck.

I was now unloaded, and had not a single ball
remaining. It was now his turn. I dared not
turn to retreat, as I knew he would immediately
charge, and wx stared each other out of counte-
nance.

With a short grunt he suddenly sprung for-
ward^ but fortunately, as I did not move, he halted :
he had, however, decreased his distance, and we
now gazed at each other within ten paces. I began
to think buffalo-shootino; somewhat dano^erous,
and I would have given something to have been
a mile away, but ten times as much to have had
my four-ounce rifle in my hand. Oh, how I longed
for that rifle in this moment of suspense ! Un-
loaded, without the power of defence, with the
absolute certainty of a charge from an overpower-
ing brute, my hand instinctively found the handle

A BRIGHT THOUGHT. 51

of my hunting knife, a useless weapon against
such a foe.

Knowing that B. was not aware of my situ-
ation at the distance which separated us (about a
mile), without taking my eyes from the figure
before me, I raised my hand to my mouth and
gave a long and loud whistle ; this was a signal
that 1 knew would be soon answered if heard.

With a stealthy step, and another short grunt,
the bull again advanced a couple of paces towards
me. He seemed aware of my helplessness, and he
was the picture of rage and fury, pawing the water,
and stamping violently with his fore-feet.

This was very pleasant ! I gave mj^self up for
lost, but putting as fierce an expression into my
features as I could possibly assume, I stared hope-
lessly at my maddened antagonist. '

Suddenly a bright thought flashed through my
mind. Without taking my eyes off the animal
before me, I put a double charge of powder down
the right-hand barrel, and tearing off a piece of
my shirt, I took all the money from my pouch,
three shillings in sixpenny pieces, and two anna
pieces, which I luckily had with me in this small
coin for paying coolies. Quickly making them
into a rouleau with the piece of rag, I rammed

52 THE KIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

them down the barrel, and they were hardly well
home before the bull again sprang forward. So
quick was it that I had no time to replace the
ramrod, and I threw it in the water, bringing my
gun on full cock in the same instant. However,
he ao^ain halted, beino^ now within about seven
paces from me, and we again gazed fixedly at each
other, but Avith altered feelings on my part. I
had faced him hopelessly with an empty gun for
more than a quarter of an hour, which seemed a
century. I now had a charge in my gun, which
I knew if reserved till he was w^ithin a foot of the
muzzle would certainly floor him, and I awaited
his onset with comparative carelessness, still keep-
ing my eyes opposed to his gaze.

At this moment I heard a splashing in the water
behind me, accompanied by the hard breathing of
something evidently distressed. The next moment
I heard B.'s voice. He could hardly speak for want
of breath, having run the whole way to my rescue,
but I could understand that he had only one barrel
loaded and no bullets left. I dared not turn my
face from the buffalo, but I cautioned B. to reserve
his fire till the bull should be close into me, and
then to aim at the head.

The words were hardly uttered, when, with the

li t

••t M-

BULL BUFFALO RECEIVES HIS SMALL CHANGE. 53

concentrated rage of the last twenty minutes, he
rushed straight at me. It was tlie work of an in-
stant. B. fired without effect. The horns were
lowered, their points were on either side of me,
and the muzzle of the gan barely touched his
forehead when I pulled the trigger, and three
shillings' worth of small change rattled into his
hard head. Down he went, and rolled over with
the suddenly checked momentum of his charge.
Away went B. and I as fast as our heels would
carry us, through the water and over the plain,
knowing that he was not dead but only stunned.
There was a large fallen tree about half a mile
from us, whose whitened branches rising high
above the ground offered a tempting asylum.
To this we directed our flying steps, and after a
run of a hundred yards, we turned and looked be-
hind us. He had regained his feet and was follow-
ing us slowly. We now experienced the difference
of feeling between hunting and being hunted, and
fine sport we must have afforded him.

On he came, but fortunately so stunned by the
collision with her Majesty's features upon the coin
which he had dared to oppose, that he could only
reel forward at a slow canter. By degrees, even

£ 3

54 THE EIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

this pace slackened, and he fell. We were only
too glad to be able to reduce our speed likewise,
but we had no sooner stopped to breathe, than he
was again up and after us. At length, however, we
gained the tree, and we beheld him with satisfaction
stretched powerless upon the ground, but not dead,
within two hundred yards of us.

"We retreated under cover of the forest to the
spot at which we had left the horses, fortunately
meeting no opposition from wild animals, and we
shortly arrived at the village, at which we took up
our quarters, vowing vengeance on the following
morning for the defeat that we had sustained.

A man is a poor defenceless wretch if left to
defend himself against wild animals with the simple
natural weapons of arms, legs, and teeth. A tom-
cat would almost be a match for him. He has
legs which will neither serve him for pursuit or
escape if he is forced to trust only in his speed.
He has strength of limb which is useless without
some artificial weapon. He is an animal, who,
without the power of reason, could not even
exist in a wild state ; his brain alone gives him
the strength to support his title of a lord of the
creation.

Nevertheless, a lord of the creation does not

WHAT IS MAN ? 55

appear in much majesty when running for his life
from an infuriated buffalo, — the assumed title sits
uneasily upon hhn, when, with scarcely a breath left
in his body, he struggles along till he is ready to
drop with fatigue, expecting to be overtaken at
every step. AVe must certainly have exhibited
poor specimens of the boasted sway of man over
the brute creation could a stranger have Avitnessed
our flight on this occasion.

The next morning we were up at day-break,
and we returned to the battle-field of the previous
evening, in the full expectation of seeing our
wounded antagonist lying dead where we had left
him. In this we were disappointed, —he was gone,
and we never saw him again.

I now had my long two-ounce and my four-
ounce rifles with me, and I was fully prepared
for a deep revenge for the disgrace of yesterday.

The morning was clear, but cloudy ; a heavy
thunder-storm during the night had cooled the air,
and the whole plain was glistening with bright
drops ; the peacocks were shrieking from the tree-
tops, and spreading their gaudy plumage to the
cool breeze ; and the wdiole face of nature seemed
refreshed. We felt the same invigorating spirit,

£ 4

56 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

and we took a long survey of the many herds of
buifalos upon the plain, before we could determine
which we should first attack.

A large single bull, who had been lying in a
swampy hollow, unobserved by us, suddenly sprang
up at about three hundred yards distance, and
slowly cantered oiF. I tried the long two- ounce
rifle at him, but, taking too great an elevation, I
fired over him. The report, however, had the
effect of turning him, and, instead of retreating,
he wheeled round and attempted to pass between
the guns and the banks of the lake. "We were
about three hundred yards from the water's edge,
and he was soon passing us at full gallop at right-
angles about mid-way or a hundred and fifty yards
distant. ' ^ ^

I had twelve drachms of powder in the four-
ounce rifle, and I took a flying shot at his shoulder.
No visible effect was produced, and the ball rico-
chetted completely across the broad surface of the
lake (which was no more than a mile wide at this
part) in continuous splashes. The gun-bearers
said I had fired behind him, but I had distinctly
heard the peculiar '*fut " which a ball makes upon
striking an animal, and although the passage of tlie
ball across the lake appeared remarkable, neverthe-

LONG SHOT WITH THE FOUR-OUNCE. 57

less I felt positive that it had first passed througli
some portion of the animal.

Away the bull sped over the plain at unabated
speed, for about two hundred paces, when he sud-
denly turned and charged towards the guns. On
he came for about a hundred yards, but evidently
slackening his speed at every stride. At length,
he stopped altogether. His mouth was wide open,
and I could now distmguish a mass of bloody foam
upon his lips and nostrils, — the ball had in reality
passed through his lungs, and making its exit
from the opposite shoulder it had even then flown
across the lake. This was a proof of the effect of
twelve drachms of powder.

Having reloaded, I now advanced towards him,
and soon arrived within fifty paces. He was the
facsimile of the bull that had chased us on the
previous day — the same picture of fury and deter-
mination ; and, crouching low, he advanced a few
paces, keeping his eyes fixed upon us, as though
we were already his own. A short cough, accom-
panied by a rush of blood from his mouth, seemed
to cause him great uneasiness, and he halted.

Again we advanced till within twenty paces of
him. I would not fire, as I saw that he already
had enough, and I Avished to see how long he

58 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

could support a wound througli tlie lungs, as my
safety in buffalo-shooting might in future depend
upon this knowledge.

The fury of his spirit seemed to war with death,
and, although reeling with weakness and suffoca-
tion, he again attempted to come on. It was his
last effort ; his eyes rolled convulsively, he gave a
short grunt of impotent rage, and the next moment
he fell upon his back, with his heels in the air ; he
was stone dead, and game to the last moment.

I had thus commenced a revenge for the insult
of yesterday; I had proved the wonderful power of
the four-ounce ride, a weapon destined to make
great havoc amongst the heavy game of Ceylon.

Upon turning from the carcase before us, we
observed to our surprise that a large herd of
buffalos, that w^ere at a great distance when we
had commenced the attack upon the bull, had now
approached to within a few hundred yards, and
were standing in a dense mass, attentively watch-
ing us. Without any delay we advanced towards
them, and upon arriving within about a hundred
paces, we observed that the herd was headed by
two large bulls, one of which was the largest that
I had ever seen. The whole herd vv^ere bellowing,
and pawing the ground. They had winded the

CHARGED BY A HERD OE BUEEALOS. 59

blood of the dead bull, and appeared perfectly
maddened.

We continued to advance, and we were within
about ninety paces of them, when suddenly the
whole herd of about two hundred buffalos, headed
by the two large bulls before noticed, dashed
straight towards us at full gallop. So simul-
taneous was the onset that it resembled a sudden
charge of cavalry, and the ground vibrated beneath
their heavy hoofs. Their tails were thrown high
above their backs, and the mad and overpowering
phalanx of heads and horns came rushing for-
ward as though to sweep us at once from the face
of the earth.

There was not an instant to be lost ; already
but a short space intervened between us and ap-
parently certain destruction. Our gun-bearers were
almost in the act of flight ; but catching hold of
the man who carried the long two-ounce rifle, and
keeping him by my side, I awaited the irresistible
onset with the four-ounce.

The largest of the bulls was some yards in ad-
vance closely followed by his companion, and the
herd in a compact mass came thundering down at
their heels. Only fifty yards separated us, we
literally felt among them, and already experienced

60 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

a sense of being over-run. I did not look at the
herd, but I kept my eye upon the big bull leader.
On they flew and were within thirty paces of us
when I took a steady shot with the four-ounce,
and the leading bull plunged head foremost in the
turf turning a complete summersault. Snatching
the two-ounce from the petrified gun-bearer, I had
just time for a shot as the second bull was within
fifteen paces, and at the flash of the rifle his horns
ploughed up the turf, and he lay almost at our
feet. That lucky shot turned the whole herd.
AYhen certain destruction threatened us, they sud-
denly wheeled to their left when within twenty
paces of the guns, and left us astonished victors
of the field. We poured an ineffectual volley into
the retreating herd from the light guns as they gal-
loped off in full retreat, and reloaded as quickly
as possible, as the two bulls, although floored,
were still alive. They were, however, completely
powerless, and a double-barrelled gun gave each
the coup de grace by a ball in the forehead. Both
rifle-shots had struck at the point of junction of
the throat and chest, and the four-ounce ball had
passed out of the hind quarter. Our friend of
yesterday, although hit in precisely the same spot,
had laughed at tlie light guns.

THE FOUR-OUNCE DOES SERVICE. 61

Although I have since killed about two hundred
wild bufFalos I have never witnessed another
charge by a herd. This was an extraordinary
occurrence, and fortunately stands alone in buffalo-
shooting. Were it not for the two heavy rifles
our career might have terminated in an unpleasant
manner. As I before mentioned, this part of the
country was seldom or ever disturbed at the time
of which I write, and the buffalos were immensely
numerous and particularly savage, nearly always
turning to bay and showing good sport when at-
tacked.

Having cut out the tongues from the two bulls,
we turned homewards to breakfast. Skirtino*

o

along the edge of the lake, which abounded with
small creeks, occasioning as many circuits, we came
suddenly upon a single bull, who, springing from
his lair of mud and high grass, plunged into a
creek, and, swimming across, exposed himself to a
dead shot as he landed on the opposite bank about
a hundred paces from us. The four- ounce struck
him in the hind quarters and broke the hip joint,
and, continuing its course along his body, it pierced
his lungs and lodged in the skin of the throat.
The bull immediately fell, but regaining his feet
he took to the water and swam to a small island

62 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

of high grass about thirty yards from the shore.
Upon gaining this he turned and faced us, but in
a few seconds he fell unable to rise, and received
a merciful shot in the head, which despatched
him.

We were just leaving the borders of the lake
on our way to the village when two cow buffalos
sprung up from one of the numerous inlets, and
retreated at full gallop towards the jungle, offering
a splendid side shot at about a hundred paces.
The leading cov/ plunged head foremost into the
grass as the four-ounce struck her through both
shoulders. She was a fine young cow, and we cut
some steaks from her in case we should find a
scarcity of provisions at Minneria, and, quitting
the shores of the lake, we started for breakfast.

It was only 8 A. m. when we arrived. I had
bagged five buffalos, four of which were fine bulls.
Our revenge Avas complete, and I had proved that
the four-ounce was perfectly irresistible if held
straight with the heavy charge of twelve drachms
of powder. Since that time I have frequently
used sixteen drachms (one ounce) of powder to
the charge, but the recoil is then very severe,
although the effect upon an animal with a four-
ounce steel-tipped conical ball is tremendous.

On our return to the village of Minneria we
found a famous breakfast, for which a bath in the
neighbouring brook increased an appetite already
sharpened by the morning exercise. The buffalo
steaks were coarse and bad, as tough as leather,
and certainly should never be eaten if better food
can be obtained. The tongues are very rich, but
require salting.

In those days Minneria was not spoiled by
visitors, and supplies were accordingly at a cheap
rate, large fowls at one peimy each, milk at any
price that you chose to give for it. This is now
much changed, and the only thing that is still
ridiculously cheap is fish.

Give a man sixpence to catch you as many as
he can in the morning, and he forthwith starts on
his piscatorial errand with a large basket, cone
shaped, of two feet diameter at the bottom, and
about eight inches at the top. This basket is open
at both ends, and is about two feet in length.

The fish that is most sought after is the " lola.''
He is a ravenous fellow, in appearance between a
trout and a carp, having the habits of the former,
but the clumsy shoulders of the latter. He averages
about three pounds, although he often is caught
of nine or ten pounds weight. Delighting in the

G4 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

shallows, he lies among the weeds at the bottom,
to which he always retreats when disturbed.
Aware of his habits, the fisherman walks knee-
deep in the water, and at every step he plunges
the broad end of the basket quickly to the bottom.
He immediately feels the iish strike against the
sides, and putting his hand down through the
aperture in the top of the basket he captures him,
and deposits him in a basket slung on his back.

These " lola " are delicious eating, being very
like an eel in flavour, and I have known one man
catch forty in a morning with no other apparatus
than his basket.

Minneria Lake, like all others in Ceylon, swarms
with crocodiles of a very large size. Early in the
morning and late in the evening they may be seen
lying upon the banks like logs of trees. I have
frequently remarked that a buffalo, shot within a
few yards of the lake, has invariably disappeared
during the night, leaving an undoubted track
where he has been dragged to the water by the
crocodiles. These brutes frequently attack the
natives when fishing or bathing, but I have never
heard of their pursuing any person upon dry land.

I remember an accident having occurred at
Madampi, on the west coast of Ceylon, about

A WOMAN KILLED BY A CROCODILE. 65

seven years ago, the day before I passed through
the village. A number of women were employed
in cutting rushes for mat-making, and were about
mid- deep in the water. The horny tail of a large
crocodile was suddenly seen above the water
among the group of women, and in another instant
one of them Avas seized by the thigh and dragged
towards the deeper part of the stream. In vain
the terrified creature shrieked for assistance, the
horror-stricken group had rushed to the shore,
and a crowd of spectators on the bank offered no
aid beyond their cries. It was some distance
before the water deepened, and the unfortunate
creature was dragged for many yards, sometimes
beneath the water sometimes above the surface,
rending the air with her screams, until at length
the deep water hid her from their view. She was
never again seen. . • • '

Some of these vermin grow to a very large size,
attaining the length of twenty feet, and eight feet
in girth, but the common size is fourteen feet.
They move slowly upon land, but are wonderfully
fast and active in the water. They commonly lie
in wait for their prey under some hollow bank in
a deep pool, and when the unsuspecting deer or
even buffalo stoops his head to drink he is sud-

F

iD6 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

denly seized by the nose and dragged beneath the
water. Here he is speedily drowned and consumed
at leisure.

The two lower and front teeth of a crocodile
project through the upper jaWj and their white
points attract immediate notice as they protrude
through the brown scales on the upper lip. When
the mouth is closed the jaws are thus absolutely
locked together.

It is a common opinion that the scales on the
back of a crocodile will turn a ball ; this is a
vulgar error. The scales are very tough and
hard, but a ball from a common fowling-piece will
pass right through the body. I have even seen a
hunting knife driven at one blow deep into the
hardest part of the back ; and this was a crocodile
of a large size, about fourteen feet long, that I
shot at a place called Bolgodde, twenty-two miles
from Colombo.

A man had been setting nets for fish, and was
in the act of swimming to the shore, when he was
seized and drowned by a crocodile. The next
morning two buffalos were dragged into the water
close to the spot, and it was supposed that these
murders were committed by the same crocodile.
I was at Colombo at the time, and hearing of the

CROCODILE AT BOLGODDE LAKE. 67

accident, I rode off to Bolgodde to try my hand at
catching him.

Bolgodde is a very large lake of many miles in
circumference, abounding with crocodiles, widgeon,
teal, and ducks.

On arrival that evening, the moodeliar (head-
man) pointed out the spot where the man had
been destroyed, and where the buffalos had been
dragged in by the crocodile. One buffalo had been
entirely devoured, but the other had merely lost
his head, and his carcase was floating in a hor-
rible state of decomposition near the bank. It
w^as nearly dark, so I engaged a small canoe to be
in readiness by break of day.

Just as the light streaked the horizon I stepped
into the canoe. This required some caution, as it
was the smallest thing that can be conceived to
support two persons. It consisted of the hollow
trunk of a tree six feet in length and about one
foot in diameter. A small outrigger prevented it
from upsetting, but it was not an inch from the
surface of the water when I took my narrow seat,
and the native in the stern paddled carefully
towards the carcase of the buffalo.

Upon approaching within a hundred yards of
the floating carcase, I counted five forms within a

F 2

68 THE EIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

few yards of the flesh. These objects were not
above nine inches square, and appeared like de-
tached pieces of rough bark. I knew them to be
the foreheads of different crocodiles, and presently
one moved towards the half-consumed buffalo.
His long head and shoulders projected from the
water as he attempted to fix his fore-claws into
the putrid flesh ; this, however, rolled over towards
him, and prevented him from getting a hold ; but
the gaping jaws nevertheless made a wide breach
in the buffalo's flank. I was now within thirty
yards of them, and, being observed, they all dived
immediately to the bottom.

The carcase was lying within a few yards of
the bank, where the water was extremely deep and
clear. Several large trees grew close to the edge
and formed a good hiding-place ; 1 therefore
landed, and, sending the canoe to a distance, I
watched the water.

I had not been five minutes in this position
before I saw in the water at my feet, in a deep
hole close to the bank, the immense form of a
crocodile as he was slowly rising from his hiding
place to the surface. He appeared to be about
eighteen feet long, and he projected his horny
head from the surface, bubbled, and then floated

A MONSTER CROCODILE. 69

with only his forehead and large eyes above the
water. He was a horrible-looking monster, and
from his size I hoped he was the villain that had
committed the late depredations. He was within
three yards of me ; and, although I stood upon
the bank, his great round eyes gazed at me with-
out a symptom of fear. The next moment I put
a two-ounce ball exactly between them and killed
him stone dead. He gave a convulsive slap with
his tail, which made the water foam, and, turning
upon his back, he gradually sunk till at length I
could only distinguish the long line of his white
belly twenty feet below me.

Not having any apparatus for bringing him to
the surface, I again took to the canoe, as a light
breeze that had sprung up was gradually moving
the carcase of the buffalo away. This I slowly
followed until it at length rested in a wide belt of
rushes which grew upon the shallows near the
shore. I pushed the canoe into the rushes within
four yards of the carcase, keeping to windward to
avoid the sickening smell.

I had not been long in this position before the
body suddenly rolled over as though attacked by
something underneath the water, and the next
moment the tall reeds brushed against the sides

F 3

70 THE KIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

of the canoe, being violently agitated in a long
line evidently by a crocodile at the bottom.

The native in the stern grew as pale as a black
can turn with fright, and instantly began to paddle
the canoe away. This, however, I soon replaced
in its former position, and then took his paddle
away to prevent further accidents. There sat the
captain of the fragile vessel in the most abject
state of terror. "We were close to the shore, and
the water was not more than three feet deep, and
yet he dared not jump out of the canoe, as the
rushes were again brushing against its sides, being
moved by the hidden beast at the bottom. There
was no help for him, so, after vainly imploring me
to shove the canoe into deep water, he at length
sat still.

In a few minutes the body of the buffalo again
moved, and the head and shoulders of a crocodile
appeared above water and took a bite of some
pounds of flesh. I could not get a shot at the
head from his peculiar position, but I put a ball
through his shoulders, and immediately shoved
the canoe astern. Had I not done this we should
most likely have been upset, as the wounded brute
began to lash out with his tail in all directions, till
he at length retired to the bottom among the

DEATH or A CROCODILE. 71

rushes. Here I could easily track him, as he
slowly moved along, by the movement of the
reeds. Giving the native the paddle, I now by
threats induced him to keep the canoe over the
very spot where the rushes were moving, and we
slowly followed on the track while I kept watch
in the bow of the canoe with a rifle. Suddenly
the movement in the rushes ceased, and the canoe
stopped accordingly. I leaned slightly over the
side to look into the water, when up came a large
air-bubble, and directly after an apparition in the
shape of some fifteen pounds of putrid flesh. The
stench was frightful, but I knew my friend must
be very bad down below to disgorge so sweet a
morsel. I therefore took the paddle and poked for
him ; the water being shallow I felt him imme-
diately. Again the rushes moved ; I felt the
paddle twist as his scaly back glided under it,
and a pair of gaping jaws appeared above the
water, wide open within two feet of the canoe.
The next moment his head appeared, and the
two-ounce ball shattered his brain. He sunk to
the bottom, the rushes moved slightly and were
then still.

I now put the canoe ashore, and cutting a
strong stick with a crook at one end, 1 again put

F 4

72 THE RIFLE ANTf HOUND IN CEYLON.

out to the spot and dragged for him. He was
quite dead ; and catching him under the fore-leg,
I soon brought him gently to the surface of the
water. I now made fast a line to his fore-leg,
and we towed him slowly to the village, the canoe
being level with the water's edge.

His weight in the water was a mere trifle, but
on arrival at the village on the banks of the lake,
the villagers turned out with great glee and fas-
tened ropes to different parts of his body to drag
him out. This operation employed about twenty
men. The beast was about fourteen feet long;
and he was no sooner on shore than the natives
cut him to pieces with axes, and threw the sec-
tions into the lake to be devoured by his own
species. This was a savage kind of revenge which
appeared to afford them great satisfaction.

Taking a large canoe, I paddled along the
shores of the lake with a short gun, and made a
good bag of ducks and teal, and returned to
breakfast. The fatness and flavour of the wild
ducks in Ceylon is quite equal to the best in
England.

73

CHAP. IV.

EQUIPMENT FOR A HUNTING TRIP. — IN CHASE OF A HERD

OF ELEPHANTS. HARD WORK. — CLOSE QUARTERS. SIX

FEET FROM THE MUZZLE. A BLACK WITH A DEVIL.

There is one thing necessary to the enjoyment of
sport in Ceylon, and without which no amount of
game can aiFord thorough pleasure ; this is per-
sonal comfort. Unlike a temperate climate, where
mere attendance becomes a luxury, the pursuit of
game in a tropical country is attended with im-
mense fatigue and exhaustion. The intense heat
of the sun, the dense and suffocating exhalations
from swampy districts, the constant and irritating
attacks from insects, all form drawbacks to sport
that can only be lessened by excellent servants
and by the most perfect arrangements for shelter
and supplies. I have tried all methods of tra-
velling, and I generally manage to combine good
sport with every comfort and convenience.

A good tent, perfectly waterproof, and of so
light a construction as to travel with only two

74 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

bearers, is absolutely indispensable. My tent is
on the principle of an umbrella, fifteen feet in
diameter, and will house three persons comfort-
ably. A round table fits in two halves round the
tent pole ; three folding chairs have ample space ;
three beds can be arranged round the tent walls ;
the boxes of clothes, &c., stow under the beds;
and a dressing-table and gun-rack complete the
furniture.

Next in importance to the tent is a good can-
teen. Mine is made of japanned block tin, and
contains in close-fitting compartments an entire
dinner and breakfast service for three persons,
including everything that can be required in an
ordinary establishment. This is slung upon a
bamboo, carried by two coolies.

Clothes must always be packed in tin boxes,
or the whole case will most likely be devoured by
white ants. Cooking utensils must be carried in
abundance, together with a lanthorn, an axe, a
bill-hook, a tinder-box, matches, candles, oil, tea,
coffee, sugar, biscuits, wine, brandy, sauces, &c., a
few hams, some tins of preserved meats and soups,
and a few bottles of cura9oa, a glass of which, in
the early dawn after a cup of hot cofi'ee and a
biscuit, is a fine preparation for a day's work.

EQUIPMENT FOR A HUNTING TRIP. 75

I once tried the rough system of travelling, and
started off with nothing but my guns, clothes, a
box of biscuits, and a few bottles of brandy — no
bed, no pillow, no tent or chairs or table, but, as
my distressed servant said, " no nothing." This
was many years ago, when the excitement of wild
sports was sufficient to laugh at discomfort. I
literally depended upon my gun for food, and my
cooking utensils consisted of one saucepan and a
gridiron, a " stew " and a " fry " being all that
I looked forward to in the way of gourmandism.
Sleeping on the bare ground in native huts, dining
cross-legged upon mother earth with a large leaf
as a substitute for a plate, a cocoa-nut shell for a
glass, my hunting knife comprising all my cutlery,
I thus passed through a large district of wild
country, accompanied by B., and I never had more
exciting sport.

It was on this occasion that I had a memorable
hunt in the neighbourhood of Narlande, within
thirty miles of Kandy. It was our first day's stage,
and, upon our arrival at about 2 p. m., we left our
guns at the post-holder's hut, while we proceeded
to the river to bathe.

We were hardly dressed before a native came
running to tell us that several elephants were de-

76 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

vouring his crop of korrakan, a grain soraething
like clover seed, upon which the people in this
part almost entirely subsist.

Without a moment's delay we sent for the guns.
The post-holder was a good tracker, and a few
minutes of sharp walking through a path bordered
on either side by dense thorny jungle brought us
to a chena ground or cultivated held. The dif-
ferent watch-houses erected in the large trees were
full of people, who were shrieking and yelling at
the top of their voices, having just succeeded in
scaring the elephants into the jungle.

The wdiole of the country in this neighbourhood
has, in successive ages, been cleared and cultivated :
the forest has been felled. The poverty of the soil
yields only one crop, and the lately cleared field is
again restored to nature. Dense thorny jungle
immediately springs up, which a man cannot pene-
trate without being torn to pieces by the briars.
This is called chena jungle, and is always the
favourite resort of elephants and all wild animals,
the impervious character of the bush forming a
secure retreat. .

From these haunts, the elephants commit noc-
turnal descents upon the crops of the natives. The
korrakan is a sweet grass, growing about two feet

IN CHASE OF A HERD OF ELEPHANTS. 77

high, and so partial are the elephants to this food,
that they will invade the isolated field even during
the day-time. Driven out by shouts, and by shots
fired by the natives from their secure watch-houses,
they will retreat to their cover, but in a few mi-
nutes they will reappear from another part of the
jungle, and again commence their depredations.

The havoc committed by a large herd of elephants
can well be imagined.

In this instance, there were only three elephants,
a large bull with a mother and her young one, or
what we call a " poonchy." On entering the
korrakan field we distinctly heard them breaking
the boughs at no great distance. AVe waited for
some time to see if they would return to the field ;
but they apparently were aware of some impending
danger, as they did not move from their strong
position. This was a cunning family of elephants,
as they had retreated "downwind," and the jungle
being so thick that we could with difficulty follow
even upon their track made it very doubtful
whether we should kill them.

We cautiously entered. It was one mass of
thorns, and we were shortly compelled to crawl
upon our hands and knees. This was arduous
work, as we had great difiiculty in carrying the

78 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

guns SO as to avoid the slightest noise. I was lead-
ing the way, and could distinctly hear the rustling
of the leaves as the elephants moved their ears. AVe
were now within a few feet of them, but not an inch
of their bodies could be seen, so effectually were
they hidden by the thick jungle. Suddenly we
heard the prolonged wh-r-r, wh-r-r-r-r-r, as one of
the elephants winded us ; the shrill trumpet sounded
in another direction, and the crash through the
jungle took place which nothing but an elephant
can produce. In such dense jungle, where the
elephants are invisible, this crash is most exciting
if close at hand, as in the present instance. It is
at the first burst impossible to tell whether the
elephant is coming at you or rushing away. In
either case it is extremely dangerous, as these
chena jungles are almost devoid of trees ; thus there
is no cover of sufiicient strength to protect a man
should he attempt to jump on one side, and he may
even be run over by accident.

A few moments assured us of their retreat, and
we instantly followed upon their track, running at
full speed along the lane which they had crushed in
their headlong flight. This was no easy matter ;
the jungle itself was certainly broken down, but
innumerable hooked thorns, hanging from rope-like

HARD WORK. 79

creepers which had been torn down by the rush of
the elephants, caught us upon every side. In a
few minutes our clothes Avere in rags, and we were
bleeding from countless scratches ; but we continued
the chase as fast as we could run upon the track.
The prickly cactus, which abounds in these jungles
and grows to the height of twenty feet, in some
places checked us for a few moments, being crushed
into a heap by the horny-footed beasts before us.
These obstacles overcome, we again pushed on at a
rapid pace, occasionally listening for a sound of
the retreating game.

We now observed that the herd had separated ;
the bull had gone off in one direction, and the
female with her half-grown poonchy in another.
Following the latter, we again pushed on at a quick
run, as the elephants had evidently gone off at a
great pace, and were far in advance. For about
half an hour we had continued the pursuit at the
same speed, when we suddenly heard the warning
wh-r-r-r-r as the elephants winded us at a distance
of 200 yards, and the crash instantly following
this sound told us too plainly that the game was
fearfully on the alert, and gave us little hopes of
overtaking them, as they were travelling directly
down wind. > . . ,

80 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

Speed was our only chance, and again we rushed
forward in hot pursuit through the tangled briars,
which yielded to our weight, although we were
almost stripped of clothes. Another half hour
passed, and we had heard no further signs of the
game. We stopped to breathe, and we listened
attentively for the shghtest sound. A sudden
crash in the jungle at a great distance assured us
that we were once more discovered. The chase
seemed hopeless ; the heat was most oppressive ;
and we had been running for the last hour at a kill-
ing pace through a most distressing country. Once
more, however, we started off, determined to keep
up the pursuit as long as daylight would permit.
It was now 5 p. m., and we had one hour left
before darkness would set in. The wind had en-
tirely ceased, leaving a perfect calm ; the air was
thick and heavy, and the heat was thus rendered,
doubly fatiguing. We noticed, however, that the
track of the elephants had doubled back instead of
continuing in the direct line that we had followed
so long. This gave us hope, as the elephants no
longer had the advantage of wind, and we pushed
on as fast as we could o;o. , . .

It was about half an hour before dusk, and our
patience and hopes were alike exhausted, when

CLOSE QUARTERS. 81

we suddenly once more heard the wh-r-r-r of the
elephants winding us within a hundred yards. It
was our last chance, and with redoubled speed we
rushed after them.

Suddenly we broke from the high jungle in
which we had been for the last two hours, and we
found ourselves in a chena jungle of two years*
growth, about five feet high, but so thick and
thorny, that it resembled one vast blackthorn
hedge, through which no man could move except
in the track of the retreating elephants.

To my delight, on entering this low jungle, I saw
the female at about forty yards' distance, making
off at a great pace. I had a light double-barrelled
gun in my hand, and, in the hopes of checking her
pace, I fired a flying shot at her ear. She had been
hunted so long that she was well inclined to fight,
and she immediately slackened her speed so much
that in a few instants I was at her tail, so close
that I could have slapped her. Still she ploughed
her way through the thick thorns, and, not being
able to pass her owing to the barrier of jungle, I
could only follow close at her heels and take my
chance of a shot. At length, losing all patience, I
fired my remaining barrel under her tail, giving it

G

82

THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

an upward direction in the hope of disabling her
spine.

A cloud of smoke hung over me for a second,
and, throwing my empty gun on one side, I put my
hand behind me for a spare gun. I felt the welcome
barrel pushed into my hand, at the same moment
that I saw the infuriated head of the elephant with

SIX FEET FROM THE MUZZLE.

ears cocked charging through the smoke. It was
the work of an instant. I had just time to cock
the two-ounce rifle and take a steady aim. The
next moment we were in a cloud of smoke, but as
I fired I felt certain of her. The smoke cleared

SIX FEET FROM MUZZLE. 83

from the thick bushes, and she lay dead at six feet
from the spot where I stood. The ball was in the
centre of her forehead, and B., who had fired over
my shoulder so instantaneously with me, that I
was not aware of it, had placed his ball within
three inches of mine. Had she been missed I
should have fired my last shot.

This had been a glorious hunt ; many miles had
been gone over, but by great luck when the wind
dropped, and the elephant altered her course, she
had been making a circuit for the very field of
korrakan at which we had first found her. We
were thus not more than three miles from our
resting place, and the trackers, who know every
inch of the country, soon brought us to the main
road.

The poonchy and the bull elephant, having both
separated from the female, escaped.

One great cause of danger in shooting in thick
jungles is the obscurity occasioned by the smoke
of the first barrel ; this cannot escape from the
surrounding bushes for some time, and effectually
prevents a certain aim with the remaining barrel.
In wet weather this is much increased.

For my own part I dislike shooting in thick
jungles, and I very seldom do so. It is extremely

G 2

84 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

dangerous, and is like shooting in the dark; you
never see the game until you can almost touch it,
and the labour and pain of following up elephants
through thorny jungle is beyond description.

On our return to the post-holder's hut we dined
and prepared for sleep. It was a calm night, and
not a sound disturbed the stillness of the air. The
tired coolies and servants were fast asleep, the
lamp burnt dimly, being scantily fed with oil, and
we were in the act of lying down to rest, when a
frightful scream made us spring to our feet. There
was something so unearthly in the yell that we
could hardly believe it human. The next moment
a figure bounded into the little room that we oc-
cupied. It was a black, stark naked. His tongue,
half bitten through, protruded from his mouth ; his
bloodshot eyes, with a ghastly stare, were straining
from their sockets, and he stood gazing at us with
his arms extended wide apart. Another horrible
scream burst from him, and he fell flat upon his
back.

The post-holder and a whole crowd of awakened
coolies now assembled, and they all at once de-
clared that the man had a devil. The fact is, he
had a fit of epilepsy, and his convulsions were
terrible. Without moving a limb he flapped here

A BLACK WITH A DEVIL. 85

and there like a salmon when just landed. I had
nothing with me that would relieve him, and T
therefore left him to the hands of the post-holder,
who prided himself upon his skill in exorcising
devils. All his incantations produced no effect,
and the unfortunate patient suddenly sprung to
his feet and rushed madly into the thorny jungle.
In this we heard him crashing through like a wild
beast, and I do not know to this day whether he
was ever heard of afterwards.

The Cingalese have a thorough belief in the
presence of devils; one sect are actually " devil
worshippers ^^^ but the greater portion of the natives
are Bhuddists. Among this nation the missionaries
make very slow progress. There is no character
to work upon in the Cingalese : they are faithless,
cunning, treacherous, and abject cowards; super-
stitious in the extreme, and yet unbelieving in
any one God. A converted Bhuddist will address
his prayers to our God if he thinks he can obtain
any temporal benefit by so doing ; but, if not, he
would be just as likely to pray to Bhudda, or to
the Devil.

I once saw a sample of heathen conversion in
Ceylon, that was enough to dishearten a mission-
ary. A Roman Catholic chapel had been erected

G 3

86 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

in a wild part of the country by some zealous
missionary, who prided himself upon the number
of his converts. He left his chapel during a few
weeks' absence in some other district, during which
time his converts paid their devotion at the Chris-
tian altar. They had made a few little additions
to the ornaments of the altar, which must have
astonished the priest on his return.

There was an image of our Saviour, and the
Virgin; — this was all according to custom. But
there were also " three images of Bliudda^'' a co-
loured plaster-of-paris image of the Queen and
Prince Albert upon the altar, and a very question-
able penny print in vivid colours hanging over
the altar, entitled the ^' Stolen Kiss." So much
for the conversion of the heathen in Ceylon. The
attempt should only be made in the schools, where
the children may be brought up as Christians ;
but the idea of converting the grown-up heathen
is a fallacy.

87

CHAP. V.

the four-ounce again. — tidings of a rogue approach-
ing a tank rogue. an exciting moment. — ruins of

pollanarua. ancient ruins. rogues at doolana,

— b. charged by a rogue. planning an attack.

a check. narrow escape. — rogue-stalking. a

bad rogue. dangers of elephant-shooting. — the

rhatamahatmeya's tale.

A BROKEN nipple in my long two-ounce rifle took
me to Trincomalee, about seventy miles out of my
proposed route. Here I had it punched out, and
replaced with a new one, which I fortunately had
with me. No one who has not experienced the
loss, can imagine the disgust occasioned by an
accident to a favourite rifle in a wild country.
A spare nipple and mainspring for each barrel and
lock should always be taken on a shooting trip.

In passing by Kandelly, on my return from
Trincomalee, I paid a second visit to the lake.
This is very similar to that of Minneria ; but the
shooting at that time was destroyed from the
same cause which has since ruined Minneria, ^' too

G 4

88 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

many guns." The buffalos were not worthy of
the name ; I could not make one show fight, nor
could I even get within three hundred yards of
them. I returned from the plain with disgust;
but just as I was quitting the shores of the lake,
I noticed three buffalos in the shallows about knee-
deep in the water, nearly half a mile from me.
They did not look bigger than dogs, the distance
was so great.

There is nothing like a sheet of water for trying
a rifle ; the splash of the ball shows with such
distinctness the accuracy, or the defect, in the
shooting. It was necessary that I should fire my
guns off in order to clean them that evening ; I
therefore tried their power at this immense dis-
tance.

The long two-ounce fell short, but in a good
line. I took a rest upon a man's shoulder with
the four-ounce rifle, and, putting up the last sight,
I aimed at the leading buffalo, who was walking
through the water parallel with us. I aimed at
the outline of the throat, to allow for his pace at
this great distance. The recoil of the rifle cut
the man's ear open, as there were sixteen drachms
of powder in this charge.

We watched the smooth surface of the water as

THE FOUR-OUNCE AGAIN. 89

the invisible messenger whistled over the lake.
Certainly three seconds elapsed before we saw the
slightest effect. At the expiration of that time
the buffalo fell suddenly in a sitting position, and
there he remained fixed: many seconds after, a
dull sound returned to our ears; it was the " futt "
of the ball, which had positively struck him at
this immense range. What the distance was I
cannot say; it may have been 600 yards, or
800, or more. It was shallow water the whole
way ; we, therefore, mounted our horses and rode
up to him. Upon reaching him, 1 gave him a
settling ball in the head, and we examined him.
The heavy ball had passed completely throuo-h
his hips, crushing both joints, and, of course, ren-
dering him powerless at once.

The shore appeared full half a mile from us on
our return, and I could hardly credit my own
eyes, the distance was so immense, and yet the
ball had passed clean through the animal's body.

It was of course a chance shot, and, even with
this acknowledgment, it must appear rather like
the " marvellous" to a stranger; — that is my mis-
fortune, not my fault. I certainly never made
such a shot before, or since ; it was a sheer lucky
hit, say at 600 yards ; and the wonderful power of

90 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

the rifle was thus displayed in the ball perforating
the large body of the buffalo at this range. This
shot was made with a round ball, not a cone. The
round belted ball for this heavy two-grooved rifle
weighs three ounces. The conical ball weighs a
little more than four ounces.

While describing the long shots performed by
this particular rifle, I cannot help recounting a
curious chance with a large rogue elephant in
Topari tank. This tank or lake is, like most others
in Ceylon, the result of immense labour in past
ages. Valleys were closed in by immense dams
of solid masonry, which, checking the course of
the rivers, formed lakes of many miles in extent.
These were used as reservoirs for the water re-
quired for the irrigation of rice lands. The popu-
lation who effected these extensive works have long
since passed away ; their fate is involved in mys-
tery. The records of their ancient cities still
exist, but we have no account of their destruction.
The ruins of one of these cities, Pollanarua, are
within half a mile of the village of Topari, and the
waters of the adjacent lake are still confined by a
dam of two miles in length, composed of solid
masonry. When the lake is full it is about eight
miles in circumference.

TIDINGS OF A ROGUE. 91

I had only just arrived at the village, and my
horsekeeper had taken the horse to drink at the
lake, when he suddenly came running back to say
that a rogue elephant was bathing himself on the
opposite shore, at about two miles' distance.

I immediately took my guns and went after him.
My path lay along the top of the great dam, which
formed a causeway covered with jungle. This
causeway was about sixty feet in breadth, and
two miles in length ; the lake washed its base
about twenty feet below the summit. The oppo-
site shore was a fine plain bordered by open forest,
and the lake spread into the grassy surface in wide
and irregular bays.

I continued my course along the causeway at a
fast walk, and on arriving at the extremity of the
lake I noticed that the ancient dam continued for
a much greater distance. This, together with
the great height of the masonry from the level of
the water, proved that the dimensions of the lake
had formerly been of much greater extent.

Descending by the rugged stones which formed
the dam wall, I reached the plain, and, keeping
close to the water's edge, I rounded a large neck
of land covered with trees, which projected for
some distance into the lake. I knew, by the posi-

92 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

tion of the elephant when I first saw him, that he
was not far beyond this promontory, and I care-
fully advanced through the open forest, hoping
that I might meet him there, on his exit from his
bath. In this I 'was mistaken, for on passing
through this little belt of trees I saw the elephant
still in the lake, belly deep, about three hundred
paces from me. He was full a hundred and
twenty yards from the shore, and I was puzzled
how to act. He was an immense brute, being a
fine specimen of a tank '' rogue." This class are
generally the worst description of rogue ele-
phants, who seldom move far from the lakes, but
infest the shores of the tanks for many years.
Being quite alone with the exception of two
worthless gun-bearers, the plan of attack required
some consideration.

The belt of trees in which I stood was the
nearest piece of cover to the elephant, the main
jungle being about a quarter of a mile from the
shore of the lake. In the event of a retreat being
necessary, this cover would therefore be my point.
There was a large tamarind-tree growing alone
upon the plain about a hundred and fifty paces
from the water's edge, exactly in a line with the
position of the elephant. The mud plastered to

APPROACHING A TANK ROGUE. 93

a great height upon the stem showed this to be
his favourite rubbing-post after bathing.

Having determined upon my plan of attack, I
took the guns from the gun-bearers and sent the
men up the tree, as I knew they would run away
in the event of danger, and would most probably
take the guns with them in their flight. Having
thus secured the guns, I placed the long two-
ounce against a large and conspicuous tree that
grew upon the extreme edge of the forest, and I
cautiously advanced over the open plain with my
two remaining guns, one of which I deposited
against the stem of the single tamarind-tree. I
had thus two points for a defensive retreat, should
it be necessary.

I had experienced considerable difficulty in
attaining my position at the tamarind-tree with-
out being observed by the elephant ; fortunately,
I had both the wind and the sun favourable, the
latter shining from my back full into the lake.

The elephant was standing with his back to the
shore exactly in a line with me, and he was
swinging his great head from side to side, and
flapping his ears in the enjoyment of his bath.
I left the tree with my four-ounce rifle, and,
keeping in a direct line for his hind-quarters.

94 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

I walked towards him. The grass was soft and
short ; I could therefore approach without the
slightest noise: the only danger in being dis-
covered was in the chance that I might be seen
as he swung his head continually on either side.
This I avoided by altering my course as I saw
his head in the act of coming round, and I soon
stood on the edge of the lake exactly behind him,
at about a hundred and twenty yards. He was a
noble-looking fellow, every inch a rogue, his head
almost white with numerous flesh-coloured spots.
These give a savage and disgusting appearance to
an elephant, and altogether he looked a formidable
opponent. I had intended to shout on arriving at
my present position, and then to wait for the front
shot as he charged ; but on looking back to the
tamarind -tree, and my proposed course for retreat,
the distance appeared so great, rendered still more
difficult by a gradual ascent, that I felt it would
be impossible to escape if my chance lay in run-
ning. I hardly knew what to do ; I had evi-
dently caught a " Tartar."

His head was perpetually swinging to and fro,
and I was of course accordingly altering my posi-
tion to avoid his eye. At one of these half- turns
he flapped his right ear just as his head came

AN EXCITING MOMENT. 95

round, and I observed a perfectly white mark, the
size of a saucer, behind the ear, in the exact spot
for a fatal shot. I at once determined to try it
even at this distance ; at all events if it failed and
he should chargCj I had a fair start, and by getting
the spare gun from the tamarind-tree I could
make a defence at the cover.

His attention was completely absorbed in a
luxurious repast upon a bed of the succulent lotus.
He tore up bunches of the broad leaves and
snaky stalks, and, washing them carefully with his
trunk, he crushed the juicy stems, stuffing the
tangled mass into his mouth as a savage would eat
macaroni. Round swung his head once more, the
ear flapped, the mark was exposed, but the ear
again concealed it just as I had raised the rifle.
This happened several times, but I waited patiently
for a good chance, being prepared for a run the
moment after firing.

Once more his head swung towards me ; the
sun shone full upon him ; and I raised the rifle to
be ready for him if he gave me the chance. His
ear flapped forward just as his head was at a
proper angle for a shot. The mark shone brightly
along the sights of the rifle as I took a steady aim,

96 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

and the answer to the report of the gun was a
dull splash.

He had sunk upon his knees stone dead. I
could hardly believe my eyes. The sight of so
large an animal being killed at such a distance by
one shot had an extraordinary effect. I heard a
heathenish scream of joy behind me, and upon
turning round I perceived the now courageous
gun-bearers running towards me at their best pace.
They were two of the Topari villagers, and had
been perfectly aghast at the idea of one person,
with only one single-barrelled rifle, attacking a
tank rogue in the open plain. The sequel had
turned their fear into astonishment. They now
had the laugh at me, however, as they swam fear-
lessly up to the dead elephant to cut off his tail,
which I would not have done for any reward, for
fear of crocodiles, which abound in the tank. The
ball had struck the white mark exactly in the
centre, which pleased these natives exceedingly,
and they returned in safety with the tail.

I have frequently tried these long shots since,
but I never succeeded again except once, and that
was not satisfactory, as the elephant did not die
upon the spot, but was found by the natives on
the following day.

RUINS OF POLLANARUA. 97

On my return to the village I took a short gun
and strolled along the banks of the lake. The
snipe were innumerable, and I killed them till my
head ached with the constant recoil of the gun in
addition to the heat. I also killed several couple
of ducks and teal, in addition to twenty-eight
couple of snipe. This was the Paradise for sport
at the time of which I write. It had never been
disturbed; but it has since shared the fate of many
other places.

The open forest in the vicinity of the lake
abounded with deer. Grassy glades beneath the
shady trees give a park-like appearance to the scene,
and afford a delightful resort for the deer.

In strolling through these shady glades, you
suddenly arrive among the ruins of ancient Pol-
lanarua. The palaces are crumbled into shapeless
mounds of bricks. Massive pillars, formed of a
single stone some twelve feet high, stand in up-
right rows throughout the jungle here and there
over an extent of miles of country. The buildings
which they once supported have long since fallen,
and the pillars now stand like tombstones over
vanished magnificence. Some buildings are still
standing ; among these are two dagobas, huge
monuments of bricks, formerly covered with white

H

98 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

cement and elaborately decorated with different
devices. These are shaped like an egg which has
been cut nearly in half and then placed upon its
base ; but the cement has perished, and they are
mounds of jungle and rank grass which has over-
grown them, although the large dagoba is upwards
of a hundred feet high.

A curious temple, formed on the imperishable
principle of excavating in the solid rock, is in
perfect preservation, and is still used by the na-
tives as a place of worship : this is presided over
by a priest. Three large images of Bhudda,
carved out of solid rock, occupy the positions in
which he is always represented ; that in the re-
cumbent posture is fifty-six feet long, cut from
one solid stone.

I was strolling through these ruins when I sud-
denly saw a spotted doe feeding among the up-
right pillars before mentioned. I was within
twenty yards of her before she was aware of my
vicinity, and I bagged her by a shot with a double-
barrelled gun. At the report of the gun a herd
of about thirty deer, which were concealed among
the ruins, rushed close by me, and I bagged
another doe with the remaining barrel.

The whole of this country must at one time

ANCIENT RUINS. 99

have been densely populated ; perhaps this very
density may have produced pestilence, which swept
away the inhabitants. The city has been in ruins
for about 600 years, and was founded about 300
years before Christ. Some idea of the former
extent of these Ceylon antiquities may be formed
from the present size of the ruins. Those of
Anarajapoora are 16 miles square, comprising a
surface of 256 square miles. Those of Polla-
narua are much smaller, but they are nevertheless
of great extent.

The inhabitants of the present village of Topari
are a poor squalid race ; and if they are descended
in a direct line from the ancient occupants of the
city, they are as much degenerated in character
and habits as the city itself is ruined in architec-
ture. Few countries can be more thinly populated
than Ceylon, and yet we have these numerous proofs
of a powerful nation having once existed. Where-
ever these lakes or tanks exist in the present day,
a populous country once flourished. In all coun-
tries which are subject to months of drought, a
supply of water is the first consideration, or
cultivation must cease. This was the object in
forming the tanks, which are especially numerous
throughout the Tambancadua district. These

H 2

100 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

tank countries afford a great diversity of sport, as
they all abound with wild-fowl and with snipe in
their season (from November to May). During
the time of drought they are always the resort of
every kind of wild animal, who are forced to the
neighbourhood for a supply of water.

The next tank to Topari is that of Doolana;
this is eight miles from the former, and is of about
the same extent. In this district there are no less
than eight of these large lakes. Their attractions
to rogue elephants having been explained, it may
be readily understood that these gentry abound
throughout the district. I shall, therefore, select
a few incidents which have happened to me in
these localities, which will afford excellent illus-
trations of the habits of " rogues."

Having arrived at Doolana, on the 5th April,
1847, with excellent 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 peo-
ple, far superior to the Cingalese. They are sup-
posed to be descended from Arabian origin, and
they hold the Mahometan religion. The Rhata-
mahatmeya, or head-man of the district, resides at

'^ ROGUES " AT DOOLANA. 101

Dookna, and he had received us in a most hos-
pitable manner. We, therefore, started direct from
his house.

Passing through a belt of low thick jungle, ex-
actly 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-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. Scat-
tered 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 oppo-
site jungle ; and they were, in fact, all single
elephants. There was an exception to this, how-
ever, in one pair of elephants 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

H 3

102 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

giants. The Moormen immediately informed us
that they were a notorious pair, who always asso-
ciated together, and were the dread of the neigh-
bourhood. There were many tales of their fero-
city 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 sunk deep in the soft
earth. They were all so fresh and so 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 con-
siderable 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 sunk
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

B. CHARGED BY A " ROGUE." 103

for carrying spare guns, entering into the excite-
ment 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 actu-
ally 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 as-
sailed 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,

H 4

104 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

struck oiF to the edge of the forest where the waters
of the lake washed the roots of the trees, and from
this pomt we had a fine view of the greater por-
tion of the lake.

All the rogues that we had at first counted had
retired to their several entrances in the forest, ex-
cept the pair of desperadoes already mentioned, —
they knew no fear, and had not heeded the shots
fired. They were tempting baits, and we deter-
mined to get them if possible. These two villains
were standing belly-deep in the water, about a
quarter of a mile from the shore ; and the ques-
tion was, ^' How were we to get near them ? "
Having observed that the other rogues had re-
treated 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 far into the tank.
By wading knee-deep along this shoal, a man might
approach to within two hundred 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

PLANNING AN ATTACK. 105

care to conceal himself in the rushes, and when at
the nearest point he was to fire at the elephants.
This, 1 hoped, would drive them to the jungle,
where we should endeavour to meet them.

The Moorman intrusted 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 mo-
ments 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 opi-
nion, 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

106 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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
sinkino* in the toup^h 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 am-
munition, &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 cha-
racter 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 three hundred yards of
our first station.

We had slipped, and plunged, and struggled

A CHECK. 107

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 whip-cord, wind themselves round the parent
canes, and form a jungle which even elephants
dislike to enter. To man, these jungles are per-
fectly 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 this impene-
trable 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.

108

THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 over me, 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 bar-
rel 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

\ r-^

NARROW ESCARE.

NARROW ESCAPE. 109

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 fore-leg 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,

110 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

when, holding the four-ounce rifle perpendicularly,
I fired exactly under his throat. I thought he
would fall upon me 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 jDowder 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 wound : the ball had severed his jugular, and
the blood poured from the wound. He stopped,
but collectino; his stunned enero-ies he still blun-
dered 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 crashing 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 ele-
phant 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

"rogue" stalking. Ill

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 morn-
ing, 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 gene-
rally 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 de-

112 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

cayed 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 elephants' delight. Smearing a thick coat
of the black mud over their whole bodies, they
formed a defensive armour against the attacks of
musquitos, which are the greatest torment ers that
an elephant has to contend with.

I was watching the edge of the forest one after-
noon 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

A BAD ROGUE. 113

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 to-
wards 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 coat-
ing of slime became, not having been exposed for
so long a time to the sun as that at a greater dis-
tance.

He was making so much noise in splashing the
mud over his body that I had a fine chance for get-
ting up to him. I could not stand 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

114 THE EIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

was waist deep in mud. 'J'he 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, in-
stead 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 ap-
pearance.

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 ad-
vancing elephant within five yards of me. Hope-
lessly I pulled the slippery trigger. The rifle did
not even hano; fire, and the roo;ue 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 difiiculty that
I was extricated from my muddy position by the
joint exertions of myself and gun-bearers.

DANGERS OF ELErHANT SHOOTING. 115

Elephants, buffalos, 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 in-
creased facility for moving through heavy ground.

The great risk in attacking rogue elephants con-
sists in the impracticability of quick movements
upon such ground as they generally frequent.
The speed and activity of a man, although con-
siderable upon a smooth surface, is as nothing
upon rough stumpy grass wikls, where even walk-
ing 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 any one
who could run at full speed in rough ground with-
out falHng, if pursued. Large stones, tufts of
rank grass, holes, fallen boughs, gulHes, are all
impediments to rapid locomotion when the pur-
sued is forced to be constantly looking back to

I 2

116 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

watch the progress of his foe, and to be the judge
of his own race.

There is a great art in running away. It re-
quires the perfection of coohiess 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 ele-
phant 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, after
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 overtaken by the elephant, and crushed
to death. The most extraordinary tale that I have

THE rhatamahatmeya's tale. 117

ever heard of rogue elephants in Ceylon, was told
me by the Rhatamahatmeya of Doolana, who Avas
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 " Ehatamahatmeya's
Tale." In justice to him, I must acknowledge that
his account Avas corroborated by all the old men of
the village. ; -

THE RHATAMAHATMEYA'S TALE.

" There was a notorious rogue elephant at Doo-
lana 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 enor-
mous 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 pro-
tection for either life or property from this monster,
who v/ould invade the paddy-fields at night, and
actually pull down the watch-houses, regardless of
the blazing fires which are lighted on the hearth

1 3

118 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 in-
fested.

" 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 de-
grees, 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 homewards 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 fore-
head, coming down in full charge upon them.
The ground was perfectly open ; there were no

THE RHATAMAHATMEYA's TALE. 119

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 oiF by the neck, he de-
voured it ; and, placing his fore-foot 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

I 4

120 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 as-
sembled at Doolana, determined upon his destruc-
tion. 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 antici-
pated their wishes, and before they were within
a hundred paces of his lair, he charged furiously
out. The conflict began in good earnest. The

THE RHATAMAIIATMEYA's TALE. 121

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. 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 sun-beams, as the strokes
were aimed at the other hind leg. It was the
work of an instant : the massive limb bent power-
less under him, and he fell in a sitting posture,
utterly helpless, but roaring with mad and im-
potent fury. The ropemen now threw nooses over
his trunk and head; his struggles, although tre-
mendous, were in vain ; fifty men, hanging their
weight upon several ropes attached to his trunk,

122 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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
sunk; 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 un-
heard-of occurrence of an elephant devouring flesh.
Both elephants and buffalos 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 in-
credible.

123

CHAP. VI.

CHARACTER OF THE VEDDAHS. — DESCRIPTION OF THE VEDDAHS.
— A MONAMPITYA ROGUE. ATTACKING THE ROGUE. BREATH-
LESS 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 tlie very verge of tlie most
northern point of the Yeddah 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
Yeddah, 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 un-
disturbed. 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

124 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 " Gun-
ner's Coin," is an unmistakable landmark upon
the northern boundary. From this point a person
may ride for forty miles Avithout seeing a sign of
a habitation ; the whole country is perfectly un-
civilised, 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 Yeddahs " live in the trees^''
and a stranger immediately confuses them with
rooks and monkeys. Whoever first saw Yeddah
huts in the trees, would have discovered, upon
inquiry, 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 vv^ander over the face of their beautiful coun-

CHAEACTER OF THE VEDDAHS. 125

try, and migrate to different parts at different
seasons, with the game which they are always
pursuing. The seasons in Ceylon vary in an ex-
traordinary 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 Yeddahs watch at some solitary hole
which still contains a little water, and to this the
deer and every species of Ceylon game resorts.
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 Yeddah 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 Yeddahs will then return. In the

126 THE RIFLE AKD HOUND IN CEYLON.

meantime he follows the game to other districts,
living in caves where they happen to abound, or
making a temporary hut with grass and sticks.

Every deer-path, every rock, every peculiar
feature in the country, every pool of water, is
known to these hunting Yeddahs ; they are con-
sequently the best assistants in the world in ele-
phant-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

DESCRIPTION OF THE VEDDAIIS. 127

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 Yeddah in person is extremely ugly ; short,
but shiewy ; 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 regu-
lations, and the children are squalid and miser-
able. 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 Cin-
galese. They barter deer-horns and bees'-wax
with the travelling Moormen pedlars in exchange
for their trifling requirements. If they have food
they cat it ; if they have none they go without

128 THE EIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

until by some chance they procure it. In the
meantime they chew the bark of various trees,
and search for berries, v/hile 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 Yeddah 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 Yeddah 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 intelHgence.

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 excite his atten-
tion. This had the desired eflect ; 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.

A MONAMPITYA ROGUE. 129

The largest elephant that I have ever seen was
in this neighbourhood. I had arrived one after-
noon at about five o'clock in a fine plain, about
twelve miles from Monampitya, where the pre-
sence 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 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

K

130 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 im-
mense 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 tushes. 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

ATTACKING THE ROGUE. 131

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

K 2

132 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

I attentively Avatched 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 com-
panion, 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 per-
fect 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 ma-
jestic form dripping from the lake. He stood
upon " the point." I never saw so grand an

BREATHLESS EXCITEMENT. 133

animal ; it seemed as though no single ball could
kill him ; and although his head and carcase were
enormous, still his length of leg appeared dis-
proportionately 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 two hundred 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 tarf 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 ad-
vanced. 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 in-
stant; his ears cocked, his eyes gleamed, his tail

K 3

134

THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

on end, and his trunk raised high in the air, he
turned the distended tip towards the tree from

A BREATHLESS MOMENT.

behind which I was watching him. He was per-
fectly 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 use-
less 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 sunk gently

DEATH OF A LARGE EOGUE. 135

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

K 4

136 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 effec-
tive 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 carry-
ing the head and trunk in charging, &c. ; 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 ra-
pier, 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

UTILITY or THE FOUR-OUNCE. 137

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 buffalos ; as they may
frequently prove awkward customers, even after
receiving several mortal wounds from light guns.

The four-ounce conical ball should be an ex-
cellent 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 pro-
duced 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 im-
mediately 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

138 THE RIELE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 illus-
trates 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
buffalos, 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

A CURIOUS SHOT.

139

his legs, retreated at a slow pace, and dead lame.
The nearest bull was killed ; and mounting my

TWO BULLS AT ONE SHOT.

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 stream-
ing 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.

140 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

I have frequently seen the bull bufFalos fight
each other with great fury. Upon these occasions
they are generally the most dangerous, all their
jiatural 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 ex-
tent, backed by thick jungles, and I could not
approach nearer than a hundred and fifty paces.

FURY OF A BULL BUFFALO. 141

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 eifect. I
therefore returned towards the tent, fully expect-
ing to meet my old enemy, the bull, whom I had
left master of the field. In this I was not disap-
pointed; he was standing within a few yards of
the same spot, and, upon seeing me, he imme-
diately 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 carry-
ing my long two-ounce rifle, had, in his excitement,
cocked it, and actually set the hair-trigger. This.

142 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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, neverthe-
less, 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

CHARACTER OF THE WILD BUEFALO. 143

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 in-
stances 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 afi'orded
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
their 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 re-
gularly followed up. Many persons kill a wild

144 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 buffalos in general
must remain unknown. It may, however, be con-
sidered as a rule with few exceptions, that the
buffalo seldom commences the attack unless pur-
sued. Their instinct at once tells them Avhether
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 other-
wise 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

BUFFALO-SHOOTING AT MINNERIA LAKE. 145

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 buffalos 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 four hundred yards distance, he

L

146 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 T 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 three hundred and fifty-
two 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 liead 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

BUFFALO-SHOOTING AT MINNEEIA LAKE. 147

plain. The buiFalos were very wild, as I had been
shooting here for some days, and there were no less
than forty-two carcases 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 deter-
mined to take to the jungle. After they had gal-
loped 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 four
hundred 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 dis-
mounting, 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 be-
yond the mark. The buffalo did not move an inch
until the third shot. This hit him, and he swam still
further off; but he soon got his footing, and again
gave a fair mark as before. I missed him again,

L 2

148 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

having fired a little over him. The fifth shot
brought luck, and sunk 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 efi'ect ;
several buffalos 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 ofi*. 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,

CHARGE IN TTTOTT TIKF.DS,

149

and was notliing 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,

CHARGE IN HIGH REEDS.
L 3

150 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 in-
stant 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 in-
furiated buffalo among us. I peeped over the
horse's back, and, to my delight and surprise, I saw
the carcase of the bull lying within three feet of
him. His head was pierced by the ball exactly
between the horns, and death had been instan-
taneous. The horse having reared to his fidl
height, had entangled his hind legs in the grass, and
he had fallen backwards without being touched b}^
the buffalo, although the horns were close into him.

BUFFALO- SHOOTING AT MINNERIA LAKE. 151

I was rather pleased at being so well out of
this scrape, and I made up my mind never again
to follow buifalos into high grass. Turning to-
wards 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 buffalos 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 ap-
proaching to within sixty yards, I found they con-
sisted 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
sprung high in the air, and pitching upon his

L 4

152 THE lUFLE AND HOUNU IN CEYLON.

horns, he floundered ui3on 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

BUFFALO-SHOOTING AT MINNEKIA LAKE. 15o

showing no disposition to charge, I advanced
towards them to within twenty yards. One of the
cows now commenced 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
buffalos. 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.

154 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 a broiling sun.
I had bagged ten buffalos, including the calf,
and having cut a fillet from the latter, I took a
gun, loaded with shot, from my horsekeeper, and
gave up ball-shooting, having turned my atten-
tion to a large flock of teal, which I had disturbed
in attacking the buffalos. 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 banks 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 ^ye^ 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 refresh-
ing, after the great heat of the day ; and the chirp

CLOSE or A GOOD DAy's SPORT. 155

of the snipe, and whistling sound of the wildfowl
on the lake, were the only noises that disturbed
the wild scene around. The tent-fires were blaz-
ing brightly in the forest at about a mile distant ;
and giving my gun to the horsekeeper, 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

156 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 fore-
head. 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 sniioe
shot at him. It was my rascally horsekeeper, 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

LAST DAY AT MINNERIA. 157

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 for-
tunately 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 Trinco-
malee 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, T got
a shot at a deer at a killing distance. She was
not twenty yards off, and was looking at me as if
spell-bound. This provided me with venison for
a couple of days. The rapid decomposition of
all things in a tropical climate renders a con-
tinued supply of animal food very precarious,
if the produce of the rifle is alone to be depended

158 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

upon. Venison, killed on one day, would be un-
eatable on the day following, unless it were half-
dressed shortly after it Avas killed : thus the size
of the animal in no way contributes to the con-
tinuation 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 rifie, 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

A LAEGE SNAKE. 159

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 ap-
peared 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 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

160 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 wreathed 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 vermin 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

AN UNPLEASANT BEDFELLOW. IGl

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 ; the immense number of these vermin, 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 accus-
tomed 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 accus-
tomed to lodge behind the pillow, upon which the
unwary sleeper might have received a fatal bite.
Upon taking possession of an unfrequented rest-

M

162 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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.

163

CHAP. VII.

CAPABILITIES OF CEYLON. — DEER AT ILLEPECADEWE. SAGACITY

OF A PARIAH DOG. TWO DEER AT ONE SHOT. DEER STALK-
ING. HAMBANTOTTE COUNTRY. KATTREGAM FESTIVAI..

SITRA WELLE. — RUINS OF ANCIENT MAHAGAM. WIIIAREWELLE.

A NIGHT ATTACK UPON ELEPHANTS. — SHOOTING BY MOON-
LIGHT.—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 diver-
sity in the scenery which refreshes the eye ; and
although the evergreen appearance might appear
monotonous to some persons, still, were they resi-
dents, 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 the frozen branches and
deserts them. Every shade of colour is seen in the

M 2

164 THE KIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 circula-
tion 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 mass 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
sandy plains producing a short grass.

CAPABILITIES OF CEYLON. 165

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 pas-
tures 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 underAvood, being composed of

M 3

166 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 pene-
trate.

The features of Ceylon scenery may, therefore,
be divided as follows : —

Natural forest, extending over the greater por-
tion.

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 Yeddah 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, monse-deer, hares.

DEER AT ILLEPECADEWE. 167

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 con-
ceal 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 nu-
merous, 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 Illepeca-
dewe 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 putrifying 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 enjoy-
ment in slaying these splendid deer to rot upon the
ground.

M 4

168 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 unex-
pected manner. I was shooting with a friend, and
we had separated for a few hundred paces. I pre-
sently got a shot at a pea-fowl, and killed her with
mj 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 m.eetinjx with a doo; 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
lie 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 fol-
low ; and after a chase of a quarter of a mile I
lost sight of him. In following up the foot-track

SAGACITY OF A PAKIAII DOG. 169

of the wounded deer, I heard the distant barldno*
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 Avith 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 dis-
engage his head from the rope. The moment that
he arrived on terra firma, he rushed up a steep

170 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

bank and looked attentively down into the water
beneath.

We now gave him credit for his sagacity in re-
fusing to cross the dangerous passage. The reeds
bowed down to the right and left as a huge cro-
codile 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 pea-fowl, partridges, and
deer. I killed another peacock, and the shot dis-
turbed 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

TWO DEER AT ONE SHOT. 171

some were standing. Jy 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 pre-
cluded 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*;
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, I got another shot, which, by
a chance, killed two deer. I was strolling through
a narrow glade with open jungles upon either side,
Avhen I suddenly heard a quick double-shot, and I
heard 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

* This is necessary, to allow the blood to escape, otherwise they
would be unfit for food.

172 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

full a hundred deer passed across the glade at
full gallop, within seventy yards of me. Jump-
ing up, I fired at a doe, and, to my surprise, two
deer fell to the shot, one of w^hich 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 ex-
posed 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
Avhich you have determined upon for the shot, just
as you raise your head above the grass in ex-
pectation of seeing the game, you find a blank.
He has watched your progress by the nose, al-
though the danger was hidden from his view, and
your trouble is unrewarded.

In all wild shooting, in every country and cli-
mate, 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,

DEER STALKING. 173

who will be gazing intently at you at great dis-
tances 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 tracks of the spotted deer.
Upon discovering the tracks their date is imme-
diately known, the vicinity of the game is sur-
mised, 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 dis-
tance is gained. The stalking is the most ex-
citing sport in the world. I have frequently
heard my own heart beat while creeping up to
a deer. He is an animal of wonderful acute-
ness^ and possessing the keenest scent; he is al-

174 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

ways 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 he will wound many, but seldom bag
one. They are wonderfully fast, and their bound-
ing pace makes them extremely difficult to hit
when 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.

HAMBANTOTTE COUNTRY. 175

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 Potane
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 sta-
tion, 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 buffalos, and August and September are the
best seasons for deer, at which time the whole

176 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 dis-
trict is nearly flooded, and forms a succession of
immense marshes, the malaria from which is
extremely unhealthy. x\t 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 small streams
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 leno^th descried a lono; line of noble forest in
the distance, and this I conjectured to be near
the river, which turned out to be the case ; and
w^e were soon relieved from the burning sun by
tlie shade of as splendid a forest as I have ever
seen. A few hundred yards from the spot at

KATTREGAM FESTIVAL. 177

which we had entered, Yalle river rolled along in
a clear stream. In the wet season this is a rapid
torrent of about a hundred and fifty 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, Avhich 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 be-
neath their shade, but in every direction, tents
formed of talipot-leaves were pitched, and about
1000 men, women, and children lay grouped to-
gether ; 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 pur-
pose ; 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 Yalle river their temporary
halting-place. A few days after, no less than
ISjOOO pilgrims congregated at Kattregam.

N

178 THE RIELE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

I was at this time shooting with my friend, a
Mr. H. Walters, then of the 15th regiment. We
wacled 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 buffalos were drinking in
the river within a short distance of us ; but think-
ing 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 buffalos 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 tAventy-five miles from
Yalle. Here there is a large tank, which I con-
cluded 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 inland from the sea-coast village
ofKesinde. Here the natives brought us plain-
tains and bufialo-milk, while we took shelter from

SITRAWELLE. 1 79

the sun under a splendid tamarind-tree. Opposite
to this was a " bo " tree * ; this grew to an ex-
traordinary size ; the wide-spreading branches
covered about half an acre of ground, and the
trunk measured upwards of forty feet in circum-
ference. The tamarind-tree was nearly the same
size ; and I never saw together two such mag-
nificent 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, a Mr. P. Braybrook, then government agent
of this district, our party was increased to three,
and seeing no traces of elephants in this neigh-
bourhood we determined to proceed to a place
called Wiharewelle, about six miles further inland.

Our route now lay along a broad causeway of
solid masonry. On either side of this road stone

* Very similar to the banian-tree.

180 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

pillars of about twelve feet in height stood in
broken rows, and lay scattered in every direction
through the jungle. Kuined 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 Anarajah-
poora. AYe were among the ruins of ancient Ma-
hagam. One of the ruined buildings had ap-
parently 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 three hundred feet by one hundred
and fifty. Many of the granite blocks were covered
with rough carving ; large flights of steps, now
irregulai^ from the inequality of the ground, were
scattered here and there ; and the general ap-
pearance of the ruins was similar to that of Pol-
lanarua, 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

RUINS OF ANCIENT MAHAGAM. 181

I went the ground was strewed with squared
stones and fallen brickwork overgrown with rank
vegetation.

The records of Ceylon do not afford any satis-
factory information concerning the original foun-
dation 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. Althou^rh
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 build-
ings, 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
Eiver). The sand was composed of a mixture of
mica, quartz, sapphire, ruby, and jacinth, but the
large proportion of ruby sand was so extraordi-
nary that it seemed to rival Sinbad the Sailor's

N 8

182 THE EIPLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

vale of gems. The whole of this was valueless,
but the appearance of the sand was very invitmg
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 Wiharewelle. This plain was covered with wild
indigo, and abounded with pea-fowl. 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

WIHAREWELLE. 183

old men and women and children remained, as the
ablebodied men had gone to the Kattregam
festival. We could, therefore, obtain no satisfac-
tory information regarding elephants ; but I was
convinced from the appearance of the country, and
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 heap-
ing 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 hardly 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 innumer-
able pea-fowl, jungle-fowl, hares, and ducks, in addi-
tion 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 in-
telligence of a small pool two miles from the oppo-
site shore of the lake, situated in dense jungle ;
here they had seen fresh elephant-tracks, and they

N 4

184 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

proposed that we should watch the pool that even-
ing 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 v/e, therefore, started with-
out 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 grow-
ing close to the edge, and around these lay nu-
merous rocks of about four feet high, forming a
capital place for conceahnent. 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 sunk, 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

A NIGHT ATTACK UPON ELEPHANTS. 185

lonely drinking place. Notwithstanding the im-
mense quantity of animals that were congregated
together, we could not distinguish them plainly
on account of the dark background of jungle.
Elk, deer, buifalos, 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 sud-
den 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 nod-
ding, as sleep took me by surprise, so, leaving a
man to look out, v,e sat quietly down and dis-
cussed 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

186 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 dis-
cover 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 elephants, one
large and two others about six feet high. Being
satisfied with my information, and having ascer-
tained that no others were in the jungle, I re-
turned 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 AY. 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 ele-
phant that B. had wounded, immediately rushed
up to it, and they stood side by side in the water
a,bout fifteen yards from the bank. The large
elephant now cocked her ears and turned her head

SHOOTING BY MOONLIGHT. 187

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 for-
ward. 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 been again 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 unskil-
ful wound. The best shot must frequently miss by

188 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 gene-
rally 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 was now and
then above the surface. He was in search of grey
mullet, with which fish the river abounded ; and

YALLE RIVER. 189

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 1st of October, so he might have made
a grab at me a little before the season, which
would have been equally disagreeable to my feel-
ings. 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 be-
neath 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 aparf,
so that a clear range might be obtained for a
hundred yards. It was, therefore, a perfect spot
for deer-stalking ; the tops of the trees formed an

190 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

impervious skreen 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 a whole day's walk I was certainly not
five minutes without seeing either deer, elk, buf-
falos, 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.

1 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, Avhen 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 acquaint-

ANOTHER ROGUE. 191

ance. My friend B. accompanied me, and we im-
mediately started on horseback.

Our route lay across very extensive plains, in-
terspersed 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
buffalos, 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 dis-
tant. 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 difiicult 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 ^ye o'clock sun directly in our eyes.
However, there was no alternative, and, after a

192 THE EIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

little consultation, the latter plan was resolved
upon.

Dismounting, we ordered the horsekeepers to
conceal the horses and themselves behind a thick
bush, lest the elephant should observe them, and
with this precaution we advanced, making a cir-
cuit 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 to-
wards 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.
AMthout 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

A STROLL BEFOKE BREAKFAST. 193

himself, and before the smoke had cleared away
he was in fall 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 per-
fectly contented with having turned him.

The next morning, having made all arrange-
ments 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 when I entered the forest.
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 im-
mense herds of deer offered tempting shots ; but
I was out simply in search of large antlers, and
none appearing of sufficient size, I Avould not fire.
Bufl*alos continually presented themselves : I was
tired of shooting these brutes, but I killed two
who looked rather vicious ; and 1 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

0

194 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 oiF. 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 a hundred and fifty paces some object
moving about the trunk of a large fallen tree
which lay across the bed of the river. This stem
was about {iyq 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,

A CURIOUS SHOT. 195

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 dashing past 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

o 2

196 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 scru-
tinising 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' dis-
tance, apparently as fresh as ever. The next in-
stant 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 that I

A GOOD day's sport. 197

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 buffalos
that morning; and being, for the time, satiated
with sport, I quitted Ceylon.

o 3

198

CHAP. VIII.

BEAT-HOUNDS FOE ELK-HUNTING SMUT. KTLLBUCK THE

HORTON PLAINS. — A SECOND SOYER. THE FIND. THE

BUCK AT BAY THE BAY. THE DEATH. RETURN OP

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 1 had accomplished by a re-
sidence 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

* By Beattie, Regent Street.

BEAT-HOUNDS FOR ELK-HUNTING. 199

knives and boar- spear 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 thorough-bred
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 fox-
hounds, 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. Some-
times 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

o 4

200 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

difficulty kept up by breeding. It must be re-
membered, 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 per-
fection as can be attained for elk-hunting, com-
prising ten couple, most of whom are nearly
thorough-bred foxhounds, 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 heros, 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 four hundred 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

SMUT. 201

upon his body : behold old " Smut ! " His sire
was a Manilla bloodhound, 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 shoulders
was 26^ inches; his girth of brisket M 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 doub€^ whatever that he
would have performed it easily. He then belonged
to Lieut. Pardoe, of the 15th regiment.

202 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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 those 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 depending 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 ob-
tained his hold he was seldom shaken off until
in his old ao;e when he lost his teeth. Even then
he was always one of the first to seize. Although
comparatively useless, the spirit was ever wilhng ;
and this courage, poor fellow, at length caused
his death.

KILLBUCK. 203

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 fox-
hound. I never heard him bark at game when
at bay. With a bulldog courage he would reck-
lessly fly straight at the animal's head, unheeding
the wounds received in the struggle. This un-
guided 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.

204 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

Next ill 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 deer-hound.

" 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 EUia, 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,
Lieut. De Montenach, of the 15th regiment, in

THE IIORTON PLAINS. 205

this country ; and in two months we killed forty-
three elk.

The Horton Plains are about twenty miles from
Newera EUia. 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 diffi-
culty, and riding is of course impossible. After a
mile and a quarter of almost perpendicular scram-
bling, the summit of the pass is reached, com-
manding a splendid view of the surrounding
country, and Newera Ellia can be seen far beneath
in the distance. Two miles further 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 7000 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 in-
significant hill-tops. There is a peculiar freedom

206 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

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.

To give a person an interest in the sport, the
country must be described ininutely. The plain
already mentioned as the flat table-land first seen
on arrival, is about five miles in length and two
in breadth in the widest part. This is tolerably
level, with a few gentle undulations, and is sur-
rounded, on all sides but one, with low, forest-

THE HORTON PLAINS. 207

covered slopes. The low portions of the plains
are swamps, from which springs a large river, the
source of the Mahawelli Ganga.

From the plain now described about fifteen
others diverge, each springing from the parent
plain, and increasing in extent as they proceed ;
these are connected more or less by narrow valleys
and deep ravines. Through the greater portion of
these plains the river winds its wild course. In
the first a mere brook, it rapidly increases as it
traverses the lower portions of every valley, until
it attains a width of twenty or thirty yards within
a mile of the spot where it is first discernible as a
stream. Every plain in succession being lower
than the first, the course of the river is extremely
irregular; now a maze of tortuous windings, then
a broad, still stream, bounded by grassy undula-
tions ; now rushing wildly through a hundred
channels formed by obtruding rocks, then in a
still, deep pool, gathering itself together for a mad
leap over a yawning precipice, and roaring at a
hundred feet beneath, it settles in the lower plain
in a pool of unknown depth, and once more it
murmurs through another valley.

In the large pools formed by the sudden turns
in the river, the elk generally takes his last deter-

208 THE EIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

mined stand, and he sometimes keeps dogs and men
at bay for a couple of hours. These pools are
generally about sixty yards across, very deep in
some parts, with a large shallow sandbank in the
centre, formed by the eddy of the river.

We built a hunting bivouac in a snug corner
of the plains, which gloried in the name of " Elk
Lodsre." This famous hermitao;e was a substantial
building, and afforded excellent accommodation:
a verandah in the front, twenty-eight feet by
eight ; a dining-room twenty feet by twelve, with
a fire-place eight feet wide ; and two bed-rooms of
twenty feet by eight. Deer hides were pegged
down to form a carpet upon the floors, and the
walls were neatly covered with talipot-leaves.
The outhouses consisted of the kennel, stables for
three horses, kitchen, and sheds for twenty coolies
and servants. / . . . .

The fire-place was a rough piece of art, u]3on
which we prided ourselves extremely. A party of
eight persons could have sat before it with comfort.
Many a roaring fire has blazed up that rude
chimney ; and dinner being over, the little round
table before the hearth has steamed forth a fragrant
attraction, when the nightly bowl of mulled port
has taken its accustomed stand. I have spent

A SECOND SOYER. 209

many happy hours in this said spot ; the evenings
were of a decidedly social character. The day's
hunting over, it was a delightful hour at about
seven p. m., — dinner just concluded, the chairs
brought before the fire, cigars, and the said mulled
port. Eight o'clock was the hour for bed, and
five in the morning was the hour to rise, at which
time a cup of hot tea and a slice of toast and anchovy
paste was always ready before the start. The
great man of our establishment was the cook.
This knight of the gridiron was a famous fellow,
and could perform wonders; of stoical countenance,
he was never seen to smile. His whole thou<]^hts
were concentrated in the mysteries of gravies, and
the magic transformation of one animal into
another by the art of cookery : in this he excelled
to a marvellous degree. The farce of ordering
dinner was always absurd. It was something in
this style. "Cook!" (Cook ansu'ers) "Coming
sar ! " (enter cook). — " Now, cook, you make a good^
dinner ; do you hear ? " Cook : " Yes, sar : master
tell, I make." — " Well, mulligatawny soup." " Yes,
sar." — " Calves' head, with tongue, and brain-
sauce." " Yes, sar." — " Gravy omelette." " Yes,
sar." — "Mutton chops." "Yes, sar."~— "Fowl
cotelets." " Yes. sar." — " Beefsteaks." " Yes,

p

210 THE RIELE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

sar." — ^' Marrow-bones." " Yes, sar." — " Rissoles."
'' Yes, sar." All these various dishes he literally
imitated uncommonly well, the different portions of
an elk being their only foundation.

The kennel bench was comfortably littered, and
the pack took possession of their new abode with
the usual amount of growling and quarrelling for
places ; the angry grumbling continuing through-
out the night between the three champions of
the kennel, Smut, Bran, and Killbuck. After
a night much disturbed by this constant quarrel-
ling, we unkennelled the hounds just as the first
grey streak of dawn spread above Totapella peak.

The mist was hanging heavily on the lower
parts of the plain like a thick snowbank, although
the sky was beautifully clear above, in which a
few pale stars still glimmered. Long lines of fog
were slovv^ly drifting along the bottoms of the
valleys, dispelled by a light breeze ; and day fast
^advancing bid fair for sport ; a heavy dew lay
upon the grass ; and we stood for some moments
in uncertainty as to the first point of our extensive
hunting-grounds that we should beat. Tliere were
fresh tracks of elk close to our ''lodge," who had
been surveying our new settlement during the
night. Crossing the river by wading waist deej).

THE FIND. 211

we skirted along the banks, winding tlirougli a
narrow valley with grassy hills capped with forest
upon either side. Our object in doing this was
to seek for tracks where the elk had come down to
drink during the night, as we knew that the tracks
would then lead to the jungle upon either side the
river. We had strolled quietly along for about
half a mile Avhen the loud bark of an elk was
suddenly heard in the jungle upon the opposite
hills. In a moment the hounds dashed across the
river towards the well-known sound, and entered
the jungle at full speed. Judging the direction
which the elk would most probably take when
found, I ran along the bank of the river, down
stream, for a quarter of a mile, towards a jungle
through which the river flowed previous to its
descent into the lower plains, and I waited upon
a steep, grassy hill, about a hundred feet above the
river's bed. From this spot I had a fine view of
the ground. Immediately before rae rose the hill
from which the elk had barked ; beneath my feet
the river stretched into a wide pool on its entrance
to the jungle. This jungle clothed the precipitous
cliffs of a deep ravine, down which the river fell
in two cataracts, which were concealed from view

p 2

212 THE KIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

by the forest. I waited in breathless expectation
of " the find." A few minutes passed, when the
sudden burst of the pack in full cry came sweeping
down upon the light breeze; loudly the cheering
sound swelled as they topped the hill, and again it
died away as they crossed some deep ravine. In
a few minutes the cry became very distant, as the
elk was evidently making straight up the hills :
once or twice I feared he would cross them, and
make away for a different part of the country.
The cry of the pack was so indistinct that my ear
could barely catch it, when suddenly a gust of
wind from that direction brought down a chorus
of voices that there was no mistaking: louder
and louder the cry became ; the elk had turned,
and was coming down the hill-side at a slapping
pace. The jungle crashed as he came rushing
through the yielding branches. Out he came,
breaking cover in fine style, and away he dashed
over the open country. He was a noble buck, and
had o^ot a lono^ start : not a sino-le hound had yet
appeared, but I heard them coming through the
jungle in full cry. Down the side of the hill
he came straight to the pool beneath my feet.
Yoick to him ! Hark forward to him ! and I
gave a view holloa till my lungs had well nigh

THE BUCK AT BAY. 213

cracked. I had lost sisrht of liiin as he had taken
to water in the pool within the jungle.

One more holloa ! and out came the gallant
old fellow Smut from the jungle, on the exact
line that the elk had taken. On he came bounding
along the rough side of the hill like a lion, followed
by only two dogs, Dan, a pointer (since killed
by a leopard), and Cato, a young dog who had
never yet seen an elk. The remainder of the
pack had taken after a doe that had crossed the
scent, and they were now running in a different
direction. I now imagined that the elk had gone
down the ravine to the lower plains by some run
that might exist along the edge of the cliff,
and accordingly started off along a deer path
through the jungle, to arrive at the lower plains
by the shortest road that I could make.

Hardly had I run a hundred yards, when I
heard the ringing of the bay and the deep voice
of Smut, mingled with the roar of the water-
fall, to which I had been running parallel. In-
stantly changing my course, I was in a few
moments on the bank of the river just above
the fall. There stood the buck at bay in a large
pool about three feet deep, where the dogs could
only advance by swimming. Upon my jumping

p 3

214 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

into the pool he broke his bay, and, dashing through
the dogs, appeared to leap over the verge of
the cataract, but in reality he took to a deer
path which skirted the steep side of the wooded
precipice. So steep was the inclination that I
could only follow on his track by clinging to
the stems of the trees. The roar of the water-
fall, now only a few feet on my right hand, com-
pletely overpowered the voices of the dogs wher-
ever they might be, and I carefully commenced a
perilous descent by the side of the fall, knowing
that both dogs and elk must be somewhere be-
fore me. So stunning was the roar of the water
that a cannon might have been fired without
my hearing it. I was now one-third of the way
down the fall, which was about fifty feet deep.
A large flat rock projected from the side of the
cliff, forming a platform of about six feet square,
over one corner of which the water struck, and
again bounded downwards. This platform could
only be reached by a narrow ledge of rock, be-
neath which, at a depth of thirty feet, the water
boiled at the foot of the fall. Upon this plat-
form stood the buck, having gained his secure
but frightful position by passing along the narrow
ledge of rock. Should either dog or man at-

THE BAY. 215

tempt to advance, one charge from the buck
would send them to perdition, as they would fall
into the abyss below. This the dogs were fully
aware of, and they accordingly kept up a continual
bay from the edge of the cliff, while I attempted
to dislodge him by throwing stones and sticks
upon him from above. Finding this uncom-
fortable, he made a sudden dash forward, and,
striking the dogs over, away he went down the
steep sides of the ravine, followed once more by
the dogs and myself.

By clinging from tree to tree and lowering my-
self by the tangled creepers, I was soon at the
foot of the first fall, which plunged into a deep
pool on a flat plateau of rock bounded on either
side by a wall-like precipice. '' •

This plateau was about eighty feet in length,
through wliich the water flowed in two rapid but
narrow streams from the foot of the first fall
towards a second cataract at the extreme end.
This second fall leaped from the centre of the ravine
into the lower plain.

When I arrived on this fine level surface of
rock, a splendid sight presented itself. In the
centre. of one of the rapid streams the buck stood
at bay, belly-deep, with the torrent rushing in

p 4

216 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

foam between his legs. His mane was bristled up,
his nostrils w^ere distended, and his antlers were
lowered to receive the dog who should first attack
him. I happened to have a spear on that occasion,
so that I felt he could not escape, and I gave the
baying dogs a loud cheer on. Poor Cato ! it
was his first elk, and he little knew the danger of
a buck at bay in such a strong position. Answer-
ing with youthful ardour to my holloa, the young
dog sprang boldly at the elk's face, but, caught upon
the ready antlers, he was instantly dashed sense-
less upon the rocks. Now for old Smut, the hero
of countless battles, who, though pluck to the
back-bone, tempers his valour with discretion.

Yoick to him, Smut ! and I jumped into the
water. The buck made a rush forward, but at that
moment a mass of yellow hair dangled before his
eyes as the true old dog hung upon his cheek.
Now came the tug of war — only one seizer !
The spring had been so great, and the position of
the buck was so secure, that the dog had missed
the ear, and only held by the cheek. The elk, in
an instant, saw his advantage, and quickly thrust-
ing his sharp brow antlers into the dog's chest, he
reared to his full height and attempted to pin the
apparently fated Smut against a rock. That had

THE DEATH. 217

been the last of Smut's days of prowess had I not
fortunately had a spear. I could just reach the
elk's shoulder in time to save the dog. After a
short but violent struggle, the buck yielded up his
spirit. He was a noble fellow, and pluck to the
last.

Having secured his horns to a bush, lest he
should be washed away by the torrent, I examined
the dogs. Smut was wounded in two places, but
not severely, and Cato had just recovered his
senses, but was so bruised as to move with great
difficulty. In addition to this, he had a deep
wound from the buck's horn, under the shoulder.

The great number of elks at the Horton Plains,
and the open character of the country, make the
hunting a far more enjoyable sport than it is in
Newera Ellia, where the plains are of much smaller
extent, and the jungles are frightfully thick.
During a trip of two months at the Horton Plains,
we killed forty- three elks, exclusive of about ten,
which the pack ran into and killed by themselves,
bringing home the account of their performances
in distended stomachs. These occurrences fre-
qently happen when the elk takes away through
an impervious country, through which a man can-
not possibly follow. In such cases, the pack is

218 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

either beaten off, or they pull the elk clown and
devour it.

This was exemplified some time ago, when the
three best doo^s were nearly lost. A doe elk broke
cover from a small jungle at the Horton Plains,
and, instead of taking across the patinas (plains),
she doubled back to an immense pathless jungle,
closely followed by three greyhounds, Killbuck,
Bran, and Lena. The first dog, who ran beauti-
fully by nose, led the way, and their direction was
of course unknown, as the dogs were all mute.
Night came, and they had not returned. The next
day passed away, but without a sign of the missing
dogs. I sent natives to search the distant jungles
and ravines in all directions. Three days passed
away, and I gave up all hope of them. We were
sitting at dinner one night, the fire was blazing
cheerfully within, but the rain was pouring with-
out, the wind was howling in fitful gusts, and
neither moon nor stars relieved the pitchy dark-
ness of the night, when the conversation naturally
turned to the poor lost dogs. What a night for
the poor brutes to be exposed to, roaming about
the wet jungles without a chance of return!

A sudden knock at the door arrested our atten-
tion ; — it opened. Two natives stood there drip-

RETURN OF LOST DOGS. 219

ping with wet and shivering with cold. One had
in his hand an elk's head, much gnawed ; the other
man, to my delight, led the three lost dogs. They
had run their elk down ; and were found by the side
of a rocky river several miles distant, — the two dogs
asleep in a cave, and the bitch was gnawing the
remains of the half-consumed animal. The tv/o
men who had found them were soon squatted be-
fore a comfortable fire, with a good feed of curry
and rice, and their skins full of brandy.

Although the elks are so numerous at the Horton
Plains, the sport at length becomes monotonous
from the very large proportion of the does. The
usual ratio in which they were killed was one buck
to eight does. I cannot at all account for this small
proportion of bucks in this particular spot. At
Newera Ellia they are as two to three, as compared
with the does. The following extract of deaths,
taken from my game-book during three months of
the year, will give a tolerably Accurate idea of the
number killed.

1852. March 24. Doe - - Killed in the Elk Plains.

30. Two Does Killed in Newera Ellia Plain.

April 3. Doe - - Killed at the foot of Hack Galla.

5. Buck - - Killed at the foot of Pedro.

8. Doe - - Killed at the top of the Pass.

13. Buck - - Killed at the foot of the Pass.

220 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON,

Killed in the river at the Pass.
Killed on the patinas on BaduUa

road.
Killed in the river at the base of

Pedro.
Killed in Matturatta Plain.
Killed in the Elk Plains.
Killed in ditto ditto.
Killed at the Limestone Quarry.
Killed in Elk Plains.
Killed in the Barrack Plain.
One killed in the Barrack Plain,

and the other at the bottom of

the Pass.
Killed in Newera EUia Plain.
Killed in the Newera EUia River.
Killed at the Pioneer Lines —

Laboukelle.
Killed in the Barrack Plain.
Killed at the foot of Pedro.
Killed in the Barrack Plain.

Killed on Elk Plains.
Killed at " Rest and be thankful "
bottom.
Total — 28 Elk, 11 Bucks, 17 Does, and 4 Hogs.

This is a tolerable show of game when it is
considered that the sport continues from year to
year : there are no seasons at which time the game
is spared, but the hunting depends simply on the
weather. Three times a week the pack turns

1852. April

16. Buck- -

19. Doe - .

21. Buck -

23. Buck- -

25. Doe - -

25. Sow - -

27. Boar - -

May

3. Sow - -

6. Two Does

10. Two Does

-

12. Buck- -

19. Buck- -

. . i

22. Doe - -

31. Two Does

June

5. Buck- -

8. Buck- -

11. TwoBucb

24. Two Does

28. Boar - -

29. Doe - -

COMPARATIVE SPEED OF DEER. 221

out in the dry season, and upon every fine day
during the wet months. It must appear a frightful
extravagance to English ideas, to feed the hounds
upon venison, but as it costs nothing it is a cheaper
food than beef, and no other flesh is procurable
in sufficient quantity. Venison is in its prime
when the elk's horns are in velvet. At this season,
when the new antlers have almost attained their
full growth, they are particularly tender, and the
buck moves slowly and cautiously through the
jungle, lest he should injure them against the
branches, taking no further exercise than is
necessary in the search of food He therefore
grows very fat, and is then in fine condition.

The speed of an elk, although great, cannot be
compared to that of the spotted deer. I have
seen the latter almost distance the best greyhounds
for the first two hundred yards, but with this
class of dogs the elk has no chance upon fair open
ground. Coursing the elk, therefore, is a short-
lived sport, as the greyhounds run into him im-
mediately, and a tremendous struggle then ensues,
which must be terminated as soon as possible
by the knife, otherwise the dogs would most
probably be wounded. I once saw Killbuck
perform a wonderful feat in seizing. A buck elk

222 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

broke cover in the Elk Plains, and I slipped a
brace of greyhounds after him, Killbuck and
Bran. The buck had a start of about two hun-
dred yards, but the speed of the greyhounds told
rapidly upon him, and after a course of a quarter
of a mile they were at his haunches, Killbuck
leading. The next .instant he sprang in full fly,
and got his hold by the ear. So sudden was the
shock tliat the buck turned a complete sommer-
sault, but, recovering himself immediately, he re-
gained his feet and started oiF at a gallop down
hill towards a stream, the dog still hanging on. In
turning over in his fall the ear had twisted round,
and Killbuck, never having left his hold, was there-
fore on his back, in which position he was dragged at
great speed over the rugged ground. Notwith-
standing the difficulty of his position, he would not
give up his hold. In the mean time Bran kept
seizing the other ear, but continually lost his
hold as the ear gave Avay. Killbuck's weight kept
the buck's head on a level with his knees; and
after a run of some hundred yards, during the
whole of which the dog liad been dragged upon
his back without once losing his hold, the elk's
pace Avas reduced to a walk. A¥ith both grey-
hounds now hanging on his ears, the buck reached

VEDDAH EIPPED BY A BOAE. 223

the river, and he and the dogs rolled down the
steep bank into the deep water. I came up just at
this moment and killed the elk, but both dogs were
frightfully wounded, and for some time I despaired
of their recovery.

This was an extraordinary feat in seizing ; but
Killbuck was matchless in this respect, and ac-
cordingly of great value, as he was sure to retain
his hold when he once got it. This is an invalu-
able qualification in a dog, especially with boars,
as any uncertainty in the dog's hold renders the
advance of the man doubly dangerous. I have
frequently seen hogs free themselves from a dog's
hold at the very moment that I have put the knife
into them : this with a large boar is likely to cause
an accident.

I once saw a Yeddah who nearly lost his life by
one of these animals. He was hunting " guanas "
(a species of large lizard which is eaten by all the
natives), with several small dogs, and they sud-
denly found a large boar, who immediately stood
to bay. The Yeddah advanced to the attack with
his bow and arrows ; but he had no sooner wounded
the beast than he was suddenly charged with great
fury. In an instant the boar was into him, and
the next moment the Yeddah was lying on the

224 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

ground with his bowels out. Fortunately a com-
panion was with him, who replaced his entrails and
bandaged him up. I saw the man some years
after ; he was perfectly well, but he had a frightful
swelling in the front of the belly, traversed by a
wide blue scar of about eight inches in length.

A boar is at all times a desperate antagonist,
where the hunting knife and dogs are the only
available weapons. The largest that I ever killed
weighed four hundredweight. I was out hunting
accompanied by my youngest brother. We had
walked through several jungles without success,
but on entering a thick jungle in the Elk Plains,
we immediately noticed the fresh ploughings of an
immense boar. In a few minutes we heard the
pack at bay without a run, and, shortly after, a
slow running bay — there was no mistake as to
our game. He disdained to run, and, after walk-
ing before the pack for about three minutes, he
stood to a determined bay. The jungle was fright-
fully thick, and we hastily tore our way through
the tangled underwood towards the spot. We
liad two stanch dogs by our side, Lucifer and
Lena, and when within twenty paces of the bay
we gave them a holloa on. Away they dashed
to the invisible place of conflict, and we almost

i

A Ml^LEE. 225

immediately heard the fierce grunting and roaring
of the boar. We knew that they had him, and
scrambled through the jungle as fast as we could
towards the field of battle. There was a fight ! the
underwood was levelled, and the boar rushed to and
fro with Smut, Bran, Lena, and Lucifer, all upon
him. Yoick to him ! and some of the most daring
of the maddened pack went in. The next instant
we were upon him mingled with a confused mass of
hounds, and throwing our whole weight upon the
boar, we gave him repeated thrusts, apparently to
little purpose. Round came his head and gleaming
tusks to the attack of his fresh enemies, but old
Smut held him by the nose, and, although the
bright tusks were immediately buried in his throat,
the stanch old dog kept his hold. Away went
the boar covered by a mass of dogs, and bearing
the greater part of our weight in addition, as we
hung on to the hunting knives buried in his
shoulders. For about fifty paces he tore through
the thick jungle, crashing it like a cobweb. At
length he again halted ; the dogs, the boar, and
ourselves were mingled in a heap of confusion.
All covered with blood and dirt, our own cheers
added to the wild bay of the infuriated hounds, and
the savage roaring of the boar. Still he fought

Q

226 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

and gashed the dogs right and left. He stood
about thirty-eight inches high, and the largest
dogs seemed like puppies beside him ; still not a
dog relaxed his hold, and he was covered with
wounds. I made a lucky thrust for the nape of
his neck. I felt the point of the knife touch the
bone ; the spine was divided, and he fell dead.

Smut had two severe gashes in the throat,
Lena was cut under the ear, and Bran's mouth
was opened completely up to his ear in a horrible
wound. The dogs were completely exhausted, and
lay panting around their victim. We cut off the
boar's head, and, slinging it upon a pole, we each
shouldered an end and carried it to the kenneL
The power of this animal must have been immense.
My brother's weight and mine, together being up-
wards of twenty-four stone, in addition to that of
half-a-dozen heavy dogs, did not appear to trouble
him, and had we not been close to the spot when
he came to bay, so that the knives came to the
instant succour of the dogs, he would have most
probably killed or wounded half the pack.

In this wild and rough kind of sport the best
dogs are constantly most seriously wounded, and
after a fight of this kind needles and thread and
bandages are in frequent requisition. It is wonder-

BUCK AT BLACK POOL. 227

ful to see the rapid recovery of dogs from wounds
which at first sight appear incurable. An in-
stance occurred a short time ago, when I certainly
gave up one of the best dogs for lost. We had
found a buck, who after a sharp run came to bay
in a deep part of the river known by the name
of Black Pool. My youngest brother (who is
always my companion in hunting) and I were at
some distance, but feeling certain of the locality
of the bay, we started off at full speed towards
the supposed spot. A run of a mile, partly through
jungle leading into a deep wooded ravine, brought
us to the river, which flowed through the hollow,
and upon approaching the water we distinctly
heard the pack at bay at some distance down the
stream. Before we could get up, the buck dashed
down the river, and turning sharp up the bank
he took up the hill through a dense jungle. Every
hound was at fault, except two, who were close at
his heels, and being very fast they never lost sight
of him. These two dogs were Merriman and
Tiptoe ; and having followed the whole pack to
their track, we soon heard them in full cry on
the top of the high hills which overlook the river;
they were coming down the hill-side at full speed
towards the Black Pool. Hiding behind the trees

Q 2

228 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

lest we should head the buck, who we now heard
crashnig towards us through the jungle, we sud-
denly caught a glimpse of his dun hide as he
bounded past us and splashed into the river. A
few seconds after, and Tiptoe, the leading hound,
came rushing on his track, but to our horror he
ivas dragging his ent7^ails after him. The excite-
ment of the chase recognised no pain, and the
plucky animal actually plunged into the river, and
in spite of his mangled state he swam across and
disappeared in the jungle on the opposite side
upon the track which the elk had taken. The
pack now closed up, and swimming the river they
opened upon a hot scent on the opposite bank, and
running parallel to the stream they drove the
buck out of the jungle, and he came to bay in a
rocky part of the river where the velocity of the
torrent swept every dog past him and rendered
his position secure. The whole pack was there
with the exception of Tiptoe; we looked for him
among the baying hounds in vain. For about
twenty minutes the buck kept his impregnable
position, when in a foolish moment he forsook it,
and dashing along the torrent he took to deep
water. The whole pack was after him ; once Mer-
riman got a hold, but was immediately beaten off.
Valiant, who was behaving nobly, and made

OLD SxMUt's ruse. 229

repeated attempts to seize, was struck beneath the
water as often as he advanced. The old veteran
Smut was well to the point, and his deep voice
was heard loud above the din of the bay ; but he
could do nothing. The buck had a firm footing,
and was standing shoulder-deep ; rearing to his
full height, and, springing at the dogs as they
swam towards him, he struck them beneath the
water with his fore-feet. The bay lasted for half
an hour ; at the expiration of this time a sudden
thought appeared to strike old Smut : instead
of continuing the attack he swam direct for the
shore, leaving the buck still occupied with the
baying pack. The elk was standing about four-
teen feet from the bank, which was covered with
jungle. Presently we saw the cunning old hero
Smut creeping like a leopard along the edge of
the bank till opposite the elk ; he slowly retreated
for a few paces, and the next moment he was seen
flying through the air, having made a tremendous
spring at the elk's ear. A cloud of spray for an
instant concealed the effect. Both dog and buck
were for a few moments beneath the water ; when
they re-appeared, the old dog was hanging on his
ear. Merriman at once had him by the other ear;
and one after another the seizers had him. In

Q 3

230 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

vain he tried to drown them off by diving ; as his
head again rose above the surface the dogs were
at their places : his struggles were useless, and
the knife finished him.

We now searched the jungle for Tiptoe's body,
expecting to find him dead where we had last seen
him enter the jungle. Upon reaching the spot
we found him lying down with his bowels in a
heap by his side ; the quantity would have filled
a hat. The hole in his side was made by a
blow from the buck's hoof, and not being more
than two inches in length strangulation had
taken place, and I could not return the bowels.
The dog was still alive, though very faint. For-
tunately we had a smalhbladed knife, with which
I carefully enlarged the aperture, and, having
cleaned the bowels from the dirt and dead leaves
which had adhered to them, I succeeded in re-
turning them, although I expected the dog's
death every instant. Taking off my neck- tie, I
made a pad, with which I secured the aperture,
and bound him tightly round with a handkerchief.
Making a sling with a couple of jackets upon a
pole, we placed the dog carefully within it and
carried him home. By dressing the wound every
day with margosse oil, and keeping the pad and
bandage in the place, to my astonishment the dog

MARGOSSE OIL. 231

recovered, and he is now as well as ever he was,
with the exception of the loss of one eye, which
was knocked out by the horn of an elk on another
occasion.

The margosse oil that I have mentioned is a
most valuable balsam for wounds, having a
peculiar smell, which prevents the attacks of flies,
who would otherwise blow the wound and occa-
sion a nest of maggots in a few hours. This oil
is very healing, and soon creates a healthy ap-
pearance in a bad cut. It is manufactured from
the fruit of a plant in Ceylon, but I have never
met with it in the possession of an English
medical man. The smell of this oil is very
offensive, even worse than assafoetida, which it
in some degree resembles. There are many
medicinal plants in Ceylon of great value, which,
although made use of by the natives, are either
neglected or unknown to the profession in our
own country. One of the wild fruits of the jungle,
the wood-apple or wild quince, is very generally
used by the natives in attack of diarrhoea and
dysentery in the early stages of the disease ; this
has been used for some years by English medical
men in this island, but with no very satisfactory
effect.

q4

232

CHAP. IX.

A morning's deer coursing. — EONDAWATAAVENY. — ROGTTE AT

KONDAWATAWENY. A CLOSE SHAVE. — PREPARATIONS FOR

CATCHING AN ELEPHANT. — CATCHING AN ELEPHANT.

TAMING HIM. FLYING SHOT AT A BUCK. — • CAVE AT DIM-

BOOLDENE. ■— AWKWARD GROUND. A CHARMED LIFE.

It was in July 1848, that I pitched my tent in
the portion of Ceylon known as the " Park," for
the purpose of deer coursing. I had only three
greyhounds, Killbuck, Bran, and Lena, and these
had been carried in a palanquin from Newera
EUia^ a distance of one hundred miles. The
grass had all been burnt about two months pre-
viously, and the whole country was perfectly fresh
and green, the young shoots not being more than
half a foot high. The deer were numerous but
wild, which made the sport the more enjoyable.
I cannot describe the country -better than by
comparing it to a rich English park, well watered
by numerous streams and large rivers, but orna-
mented by many beautiful rocky mountains, which
are not to be met with in England, If this part of
the country had the advantage of the Newera Ellia

A morning's deer coursing. 233

climate it would be a Paradise, but the intense
heat destroys much of the pleasure in both shoot-
ing and coursing, especially in the latter sport,
as the greyhounds must be home by 8 a. m., or
they would soon die from the effects of the sun.

It was in the cool hour of sunrise, when the
deer lay thickly uj)on the grass, and the foliage
glistened with the first beams of morning, that
we stalked over the extensive plains with Kill-
buck and Lena in the slips in search of deer.
Several herds winded us at a distance of half a
mile, and immediately boimded away, rendering
pursuit impossible; and we determined not to slip
the dogs unless they had a fair start, as one
run in this climate was quite work enough for
a morning. After several disappointments in
stalking, we at length discovered a noble buck
standing alone by the edge of a narrow belt of
jungle ; the instant that he observed us, he stepped
proudly into the cover. This being open forest,
my brother took the greyhounds in at the spot
where the deer had entered, while I ran round to
the opposite side of the cover, and took my posi-
tion upon an extensive lawn of fine grass about
half a mile in width,

I had not remained a minute at my post before

234 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

I heard a crash in the jungle, as though an ele-
phant were charging through, and in another
instant a splendid buck burst upon the plain at
full speed, and away he flew over the level lawn
with the brace of greyhounds laying out about fifty
paces behind him. Here was a fair trial of speed
over a perfect bowling green, and away they flew,
the buck exerting his utmost stride, and the grey-
hounds stetching out till tlieir briskets touched
the ground ; Killbuck leading with tremendous
bounds, and Lena about a length behind him.

By degrees the beautiful spring of the grey-
hounds appeared to tell, and the distance between
them and the buck gradually decreased, although
both deer and doD:s flew alono; with undiminished
speed. The plain was nearly crossed, and the
opposite jungle lay Avithin two hundred yards
of them. To gain this the buck redoubled his ex-
ertions : the greyhounds knew as well as he did,
that it was his chance of escape, and with equal
efforts they pressed upon him. Not fifty paces
now separated the buck from the jungle, and with
prodigious bounds he sped along ; he neared it, he
won it ; the yielding branches crashed before him,
but the dogs were at his haunches as the jungle
closed over them and concealed the chase.

A morning's deer coursing. 235

I was soon up ; and upon entering the jungle
I could neither hear nor see anything of them,
but, by following up the track, I found them
about fifty yards from the entrance to the jungle.
The buck was standing on the sandy bed of a
dry stream, endeavouring in vain to free him-
self, while the greyhounds pinned his nose to the
ground, each hanging upon his ears. The knife
finished him immediately. There never was a
more exciting course ; it had been nobly run by
both the dogs and well contested by the buck, who
was a splendid fellow and in fine condition.

On my way to the tent, I wounded a doe at full
speed, which Lena followed singly and pulled
down, thus securing our coolies a good supply of
venison. The flesh of the spotted deer is more like
mutton than English venison, and is excellent eat-
ing ; it would be still better if the climate would
allow of its being kept for a few days.

There is no sport in Ceylon, in my opinion, that
is equal to deer-coursing, but the great difficulty
attending it is the lack of good greyhounds. The
spotted buck (or axis) is an animal of immense
power and courage; and although most greyhounds
would course him, very few would have sufficient
courage and strength to hold him, unless slipped

236 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

two brace at a time, which would immediately
spoil the sport. A brace of greyhounds to one
buck is fair play, and a good strong horse will
generally keep them in view. In two weeks' cours-
incr in the Park we killed seventeen deer with three
greyhounds ; at the expiration of which time the
dogs were so foot-sore and wounded by the hard
burnt stubble of the old grass, that they were
oblio^ed to be sent home.

When the greyhounds had left, I turned my
attention to elephants. There were very few
at this season in the Park, and I therefore left
this part of the country, which was dried up,
and proceeded to Kondawataweny, in the direc-
tion of Batticaloa. Kondawataweny is a small
village, inhabited by Moormen, situated on the
edge of a large lake or tank. Upon arrival, I found
that the neighbourhood was alive with game of all
kinds, and the Moormen were excellent hands at
elephants. There was accordingly no difficulty in
procuring good gun-bearers and trackers, and at
4 p. M. of the day of our arrival we started to make
a circuit of the tank in quest of elephants. At
about 5 p. M. we observed several tank rogues
scattered in various directions around the tank ;
one of these fellows, whose close acquaintance I

KONDAWATAWENY. 237

made with the telescope, I prophesied would show
some fight before we owned his tail. This elephant
was standing some distance in the water feeding
and bathing. There were two elephants close to
the water's edge between him and us, and we
determined to have a shot at them en passant^ and
then try to bag the big fellow.

Although we stalked very cautiously along the
edge of the jungle which surrounded the lake,
divided from it by a strip of plain of about two
hundred yards in width, the elephants winded us
and retreated over the patina* at full speed towards
the jungle. Endeavouring to cut them off before
they could reach the thick cover, we ran at our
best pace along the edge of the jungle, so as to
meet them at right-angles. One reached the jungle
before us, but a lucky shot at a distance of sixty
paces floored the other, who lay struggling on the
ground, and was soon extinguished. Having re-
loaded, we w^ent in quest of the large rogue, w^ho
was bathing in the tank. This gentleman had
decamped, having taken offence at the firing.

Close to the edge of the tank grew a patch of
thick thorny jungle of about two acres, completely
isolated and separated from the main jungle by

* Grassy plains.

238 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

about eighty paces' length of fine turf. The
Moormen knew the habits of this rogue, who was
well known in the neighbourhood, and they at
once said that he had concealed himself in the
small patch of jungle. Upon examining the tracks
from the tank we found they were correct.

The question was, how to dislodge him ; the
jungle was so dense that it was impossible to
enter, and driving was the only chance.

There was a small bush within a few paces of
the main jungle, exactly opposite that in which
the elephant was concealed, and we determined to
hide behind this while a few Moormen should en-
deavour to drive him from his retreat, in which
case he would be certain to make for the main
forest, and would most probably pass near the bush
behind which we lay in wait for him. Giving the
Moormen a gun, we took to our hiding-place. The
men went round to the tank side of the patch of
jungle, and immediately commenced shouting and
firing, securing themselves from an attack by
climbino^ into the hio:hest trees. A short interval
elapsed, and not a sound of the elephant could, be
heard. The firing and shouting ceased, and all
was as still as death. Some of the Moormen re-
turned from the jungle, and declared that the

"rogue" at kondawataweny. 239

elephant was not there ; but this was all non-
sense ; the fact was they did not like the idea of
driving him out. Knowing the character of these
'* rogues," I felt convinced that he was one of the
worst description, and that he was quietly waiting
his time until some one should advance within his
reach. Having given the Moormen a supply of
powder, I again despatched them to drive the
jungle. Once more the firing and shouting com-
menced, and continued until their supply of powder
was exhausted : no effects had been produced ; it
was getting late, and the rogue appeared de-
termined not to move. A dead silence ensued,
which was presently disturbed by the snapping of
a bough ; in another moment the jungle crashed,
and forth stepped the object of our pursuit. He
was a magnificent elephant, one of the most vicious
in appearance that I have ever seen ; he under-
stood the whole affair as well as we did ; and
flourishing his trunk, he paced quickly backwards
and forwards for a few turns before the jungle he
had just quitted, and, suddenly making his resolu-
tion, he charged straight at the bush behind which
we had imagined ourselves concealed. He was
about eighty yards off when he commenced his
onset ; and seeing that we were discovered, I left

240 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

the hiding-place and stepped to the front of the
bush to meet him with the four-ounce rifle. On he
came at a great pace, carrying his head very high,
and making me the sole object of his attack. I
made certain of the shot, although his head was in
a difficult position, and I accordingly waited for
him till he was within fifteen paces. At this dis-
tance I took a steady shot and fired. A cloud of
smoke, from the heavy charge of powder, obscured
everything, but I felt so certain that he was down,
that I looked under the smoke to see where he lay.
Ye Gods! he was just over me in full charge! I
had not even checked him by the shot, and he was
within three feet of me, going at a tremendous
pace. Throwing my heavy rifle into the bush, I
doubled quickly to one side, hoping that he would
pass me, and take to the main jungle, to which
I ran parallel as fast as my legs could carry me.
Instead of taking to the jungle, he turned short
and quickly after me, and a fair race commenced.
I had about three feet start of him, and I saw with
delight that tlie ground was as level and smooth
as a lawn ; there was no fear of tripping up, and
away I went at the fastest pace that I ever ran
either before or since, taking a look behind me to
see how the chase went on. I saw the bullet-mark

A CLOSE SHAVE. 241

in liis forehead, which was covered witli blood ;
his trunk was stretched to its full length to catch
me, and was now within two feet of my back : he
was gaining on me, although I was running at a
tremendous pace. I could not screw an inch more
speed out of my legs, and I kept on, with the brute
gaining upon me at every stride. He was within
a foot of me, and I had not heard a shot fired, and
not a soul had come to the rescue. The sudden
thought struck me that my brother could not pos-
sibly overtake the elephant at the pace at which
we were going, and I suddenly doubled short to
my left into the open plain, and back towards the
guns. The rogue overshot me. I met my brother
close to his tail, which position he had with diffi-
culty maintained ; but he could not get a shot, and
the elephant turned into the jungle and disap-
peared just as I escaped him by a sharp turn.
This was a close shave ; had not the ground been
perfectly level, I must have been caught to a cer-
tainty, and even as it was he would have had
me in another stride, had I not turned from my
straight course. It was nearly dark, and we re-
turned to the tent, killing several peacocks and
ducks on our way, with which the country swarmed.
We passed a miserable night, not being able to

242 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

sleep on account of the musquitos, which were in
swarms. I was clehghted to see the first beam of
morning, when our little winged enemies left us,
and a ^'chatty" bath was most enjoyable after the
restless tossings of a sleepless night. The Moor-
men were out at dawn to look for elephants, the
guns were cleaned, and I looked forward to the
return of the trackers with peculiar interest, as we
had determined to " catch an elei^hanty The Moor-
men were full of excitement and preparation.
These men were well practised in this sport, and
they were soon busied in examining and coiling
their hide ropes for the purpose.

At about mid-day the trackers returned, having
found a herd about ^yq miles from the village.
We were all ready, and we set off without a mo-
ment's delay, our party consisting of my brother,
myself, four gun-bearers, and about thirty Moor-
men, each of whom carried a coil of finely twisted
rope made of thongs of raw deer's hide : these
ropes were each twenty yards in length, and about
an inch in diameter.

Havino: skirted the borders of the tank for about
three miles, we turned into the forest, and con-
tinued our route through alternate open and thick
forests, until we at length reached a rough open

f"^' \ mtwrnmrnT^^^

PEEPARATIONS TOR CATCHING AN ELEPHANT. 243

country interspersed with low jungles. Here we
met the watchers, who reported the herd to be a
few hundred paces from us, in some patches of
thick jungle. Taking the wind, we carefully ap-
proached their position. The ground was very
rough, being a complete city of ant-hills, about two
feet high ; these were overgrown with grass, giving
the open country an appearance of a vast church-
yard of turf graves. Among these tumps grew
numerous small clusters of bushes, above which
we shortly discovered the flapping ears of the
elephants ; they w^ere slowly feeding towards the
more open ground. It was a lovely afternoon, the
sky was covered with a thin grey cloud, and the
sun had little or no power. Hiding behind a bush,
we watched the herd for some time, until they had
all quitted the bushes, and were well out in the
open. There were two elephants facing us, and
the herd, which consisted of seven, were tolerably
close together, with the exception of one, who was
about thirty yards apart from the main body ; this
fellow we determined to catch. We therefore
arranged that our gun-bearers and four rope- car-
riers should accompany us, while the remaining
portion of our party should lie in reserve to come
to our assistance when required, as so large a body

B 2

244 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON,

of men could not possibly stalk the herd without
being discovered. Falling upon our hands and
knees, we crept between the grassy ant-hills to-
wards the two leading elephants, who were facing
us. The wind was pretty brisk, and the ant-
hills eiFectually concealed us till we were within
seven paces of our game. The two leaders then
both dropped dead to the front shot, and the fun
began. The guns were so well handed up that
we knocked over the six elephants before they
had given us a run of twenty yards, and we all
closed up and ran under the tail of the retreating
elephant that we devoted to the ropes. He was
going at about seven miles an hour ; we therefore
had no difficulty in keeping up with him, as we
could run between the ant-hills much faster than
he could. The ropes were in readiness, and with
great dexterity one of the Moormen slipped a
noose over one of his hind feet as he raised it
from tlie ground, and drawing it tight, he dropped
his coil. We all halted and allowed the uncon-
scious elephant to run out his length of line ;
this he soon did, and the rope trailed after him
like a long snake, we all following at about the
centre of the length of rope or twenty paces be-
hind him. He was making for the jungle, which

CATCHING AN ELEPHANT. 245

was not far distant, and we were running him
like a pack of hounds, but keeping a gun in rea-
diness lest he should turn and charge. He at
length reached the wooded bank of a dry river,
and thick rattan jungle bordered the opposite side;
he thought he was safe, and he plunged down the
crumbling bank. We were a little too quick for
him, by taking a double turn round a tree with
the slack end of the rope just as he descended the
bank ; the effect of this was to brins; him to a
sudden stand-still, and the stretching of the hide
rope threw him upon his knees. He recovered him-
self immediately, and used extraordinary efforts to
break the rope : tightening the rope to its utmost
length, he suddenly lifted up his tied leg and
threw his whole weight forward. Any but a hide
rope of that diameter must have given way, but
this stretched like a harp- string, and, at every
effort to break it, the yielding elasticity of the hide
threw him upon his head, and the sudden contrac-
tion after the fall jerked his leg back to its full
length. - ' - • . ?• .

After many vain but tremendous efforts to free
himself, he turned his rage upon his pursuers,
and charged every one right and left ; but he was
safely tied, and we took some little pleasure in

B 3

246 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

teasing him. He had no more chance than a fly in
a spider's web. As he charged in one direction
several nooses were thrown round his hind-legs ;
then his trunk was caught in a slip-knot, then his
fore-legs, then his neck, and the ends of all these
ropes being brought together and hauled tight, he
was efi'ectually hobbled.

This had taken some time to efl^ect (about half
an hour), and we now commenced a species of har-
ness to enable us to drive him to the village.

The first thing was to secure his trunk by tying
it to one of his fore-legs ; this leg was then fastened
with a slack rope to one of his hind-legs, which pre-
vented him from taking a longer stride than about
two feet ; his neck was then tied to his other fore-
leg, and two ropes were made fast to both his fore
and hind-legs ; the ends of these ropes being man-
ned by thirty men.

Having completed these arrangements, he was
released from the ties which hobbled him, and we
commenced the arduous task of driving him to-
wards the village, a distance of ^ye miles. The
only method of getting him along was to keep two
men to tease him in front, by shouting and waving
cloths before his face; he immediately charged
these fellows, who, of course, ran in the right di-

TAMING HIM. 247

rection for the village ; and by this repeated ma-
noeuvre we reached the borders of the tank by
nightfall. We were still at least two miles from
the village, and we were therefore obliged to tie
him to a tree for the night. The next morning
we succeeded in driving him to the village. He
was a fine elephant, but not full-grown, and for
this reason he had been selected from the herd for
capture, as they are more valuable at this par-
ticular period of their growth, being more easily
rendered docile than when older. He was about
sixteen years of age ; and by starving for two days
and subsequent gentle treatment, the natives
mounted and rode him on the third day of his
capture, taking the precaution, however, of first
securing his trunk. This elephant was then worth
fifteen pounds to be sold to the Arabs for the
Indian market.

After a stay of a few days in this neighbour-
hood, during which we had good sport in elephant-
shooting, we returned to the Park country. The
first evening of our return we heard elephants
roaring in the jungle, within a short distance of
the tent. At daybreak the next morning we were
on their tracks, and after a walk of five miles, we
found them in thick thorny jungle, and only killed

R 4

248 THE KIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

three. We had a long day's work, and we were
returning home in the afternoon, when we sud-
denly observed a herd of deer grazing in the
beautiful park. The headman of this part of the
country is a first-rate sportsman, and has always
accompanied me in shooting through this district.
This man, whose name is Banda, is the only Cin-
galese that I have ever seen who looks like a man
of good birth in his nation. Strikingly handsome
and beautifully proportioned, with the agility of
a deer, he is in all respects the beau ideal of a
native hunter. His skill in tracking is superb,
and his thorough knowledge of the habits of all
Ceylon animals, especially of elephants, renders
him a valuable ally to a sportsman. He and I
commenced a careful stalk, and after a long cir-
cuit I succeeded in getting within seventy paces
of the herd of deer. The ground was undu-
lating, and they were standing on the top of a
low ridge of hills. I dropped a buck with my
two-ounce rifle, and the herd immediately dis-
appeared behind the top of the hill. Taking
one of my double-barrelled rifles, which Banda
gave me, I ran to the top of the hill as fast
as I could, just in time to see the herd going
at a flying speed along a small valley at a

FLYING SHOT AT A BUCK. • 249

long distance. Another buck was separated from
the herd by about forty paces, and putting up
the second sight of my rifle, I took a shot at
him ; to my delight he plunged heavily upon the
turf. I fired my remaining barrel at the herd,
but I m.ust have missed, as none fell. I imme-
diately stepped the distance to the dead buck,
one hundred and eighty-seven paces. I had fired
a little too high, and had missed his body, but
the ball had struck him in the neck and broke
his spine. A successful flying shot at this dis-
tance has a very pretty efl'ect, and Banda was
delighted. ■'/■'-

There were very few elephants at this season
at the Park, and the numberless "ticks," which
swarmed in the grass, spoiled all the pleasure of
shooting. These little wretches, which are not
larger than a small grain of gunpowder, find their
way to every part of the body, and the irritation
of their bites is indescribable. Scratching is only
adding fuel to fire ; there is no certain prevention
or relief from their attacks ; the best thing that I
know is cocoa-nut oil rubbed daily over the whole
body, but the remedy is almost as unpleasant as
the bite. Ceylon is, at all times, a frightful place
for vermin : in the dry weather we have ticks ; in

250 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

the wet weather musquitos, and, what are still
more disgusting, " leeches," which swarm in the
grass and upon the leaves of the jungle. These
creatures insinuate themselves through all the
openings in a person's dress, — up the trowsers,
under the waistcoat, down the neck, up the wrists,
and in fact everywhere drawing blood with in-
satiable voracity, and leaving an unpleasant irri-
tation for some days after.

All these annoyances form great drawbacks to
the enjoyment of the low-country sports; although
they are afterwards forgotten, and the bright mo-
ments of the sport are all that are looked back to,
they are great discomforts at the time. When the
day is over, and the man, fatigued by intense heat
and a hard day's work, feels himself refreshed by
a bath and a change of clothes, the incurable
itching of a thousand tick-bites destroys all his
pleasure, he finds himself streaming with blood
from leech-bites, and for the time he feels disgusted
with the country. First-rate sport can alone com-
pensate for all these annoyances.

There is a portion of the Park country known
as Dimbooldene. In this part there is a cave
formed by a large overhanging rock, which is a
much cooler residence than the tent. Here we

CAVE AT DIMBOOLDENE. 251

accordingly bivouacked, the cave being sufficiently
large to contain the horses in addition to ourselves
and servants. After a delightfully cool night free
from musquitos we made a day of it, but we
walked from sunrise till five p. M. without seeing
a sign of an elephant. At length, from the top
of a high hill on the very confines of the Park
country, we looked across a deep valley, and with
the assistance of the telescope we plainly distin-
guished a large single elephant feeding on the
grassy side of an opposite mountain. To cross the
deep valley that separated us and to ascend the
mountain would have taken several hours, and at
this time of the day it was, therefore, imprac-
ticable ; we were thus compelled to turn our backs
upon the game and return towards our rocky
home. Tired more from our want of success
than from the day's work, we strolled leisurely
along, and we were talking of the best plan to
be adopted for the next day's work when I sud-
denly observed a herd of eight elephants going
up the side of a small hill at their best pace
within two hundred yards of us. They had just
quitted a small jungle at the bottom of a ravine,
and they had been alarmed by our approach.
Off we started in pursuit, down the rugged side

252 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

of the hill we were descending, and up the oppo-
site hill, upon the elephants' tracks, as hard as we
could run. Just as we reached the top of the hill
the elephants were entering a small jungle on the
other side. My brother got a shot and killed the
last of the herd ; in another moment they had dis-
aj)peared. It had been a sharp burst up the steep
hill, and we stopped to breathe, but we were al-
most immediately in pursuit again as we saw the
herd emerge from the jungle at the base of the
hill and plough their way through a vast field of
high lemon-grass.

Upon arriving on their tracks they had fairly
distanced us. The grass, which was as thick as a
hedge, was trodden into lanes by the elephants,
and upon either side it stood like a wall ten or
twelve feet high. Upon these tracks we ran along
for some time until it became dusk. We halted
and were consulting as to the prudence of con-
tinuing the chase at this late hour when we sud-
denly heard the cracking of the branches in a
small jungle in a hollow close to our left, and
upon taking a position upon some rising ground
we distinctly saw several elephants standing in
the high grass about a hundred paces before us
close to the edge of the jungle in which the re-

awkwaud ground. 253

maining portion of the herd were concealed. Two
of the elephants were looking at us, and as there
was no time to lose we walked straight up to
them. They stood quietly watching us till we
were within twenty yards, when they came a few
paces forward ; one immediately falling dead to
my shot, while the other was turned by a shot
from my brother; the rest retreated to the jungle
over the most difficult ground for both man and
beast. Immense rocks lay scattered in heaps over
the surface of the ground, forming chasms by the
intervening crevices of five and six feet in depth ;
from these crevices the long lemon -grass grew in
dense tufts, completely hiding the numerous pit-
falls, and making the retreat of the elephants and
our pursuit equally difficult. I was close to the
tail of a large elephant, who was picking his way
carefully over the treacherous surface, and I was
waiting for an opportunity for a shot should he
turn his head, when I suddenly pitched head first
into one of these rocky holes. Here I scrambled
for some seconds before I could extricate myself,
as I was carrying my heavy four-once rifle ; and at
length, upon recovering my footing, I found that
all the elephants had gained the jungle, except
the one that I had been following. He was about

254 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

twenty yards from me, and was just entering the
jungle, but I got a splendid shot at him behind the
ear and rolled him over.

It was very nearly dark, and we could not of
course follow the herd any further, we therefore
reloaded and turned towards the direction of the
cave, which was plainly shown by a distant blaze
of light from the night fires, which were already
lit. AA^e were walking slowly along parallel to
the jungle, into which the elephants had retreated,
when my man Wallace, who is a capital gun-bearer,
holloed out " Here comes an elephant," and in
the dim twilight I could see an elephant bowling
along at a great pace towards us, but close to
the jungle. He was forty yards from me, but my
brother fired at him and without effect. I took
a quick shot with a double-barrelled rifle, and he
dropped immediately. Hearing him roar as he
lay in the high lemon-grass by the edge of the
jungle, I ran down the gentle slope to the
spot, followed by my trusty gun-bearer AVallace,
as I knew the elephant was only stunned and
would soon recover. Upon arriving within a few
feet of the spot, pushing my way with difliculty
through the tangled lemon-grass I could not see
wliere he lay, as daylight had now vanished. I

A CHARMED LIFE. 255

was vainly looking about when I suddenly heard
a rush in the grass close to me, and I saw the
head and cocked ears of the elephant within six
feet as he came at me. I had just time to fire
my remaining barrel, and down he dropped to the
shot. I jumped back a few paces to assure myself
of the result, as the smoke hanging in the high
grass, added to the darkness, completely blinded
me. Wallace pushed the spare rifle into my hand,
and to my astonishment I saw the head and
cocked ears again coming at me. It was so dark
that I could not take an aim, but I floored him
once more by a front shot, and again I jumped
back through the tangled grass just in time to
avoid him, as he, for the third time, recovered himself
and charged. He was not five paces from me, and
I took a steady shot at him with my last barrel,
and I immediately bolted as hard as I could run.
This shot once more floored him, but he must have
borne a charmed life, as he again recovered his
legs, and to my great satisfaction he turned into
the jungle and retreated. This all happened in a
few seconds ; had it been daylight I could, of
course, have killed him, but, as it happened, I could
not even distinguish the sights at the end of my
rifle. In a few minutes afterwards it was pitch

256 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

dark, and we could only steer for the cave by the
light of the fire, which was nearly two miles
distant.

The next day we found a herd of eight elephants
in very favourable ground, and succeeded in killing
seven ; but this was the last herd in the Park, and
after a few days spent in beating up the country
^vithout success, I returned to Newera EUia, the
bag being twenty-two elephants during a trip of
three weeks, in addition to deer, hogs, buifalo, and
small game, which had afforded excellent sport.

257

CHAP. X.

ANOTHER TRIP TO THE PARK. — A HARD DAy's WORK. — DIS-
COVER A HERD,— DEATH OF THE HERD. A FURIOUS CHARGE.

CAUGHT AT LAST. — THE CONSEQUENCES. A THOROUGH

ROGUE. ANOTHER HERD IN HIGH LEMON-GRASS. — BEARS.

A FIGHT BETWEEN A MOORMAN AND A BEAR. A MUSICAL

HERD. HERD ESCAPE. — -A PLUCKY BUCK. — DEATH OP KILL-
BUCK. GOOD SPORT WITH A HERD. — END OF THE TRIP.

About twelve months elapsed without my pulling a
trigger. I had contented myself with elk-hunting
in ISTewera Ellia and the vicinity, but in November,
1850, the greyhounds were again in their palanquin,
and, accompanied by my brother Y., I was once
more in the saddle on my steady-going old horse
Jack, en route for the Park.

It was 5 r. M., on a cool and lovely evening, that
we halted and unsaddled in this beautiful country.
Our tents and coolies were far behind, our horse-
keepers were our only attendants, and we fixed
upon a spot as the most eligible site for the tents.
A large open park lay before us interspersed with
trees and clumps of forest. A clear stream flowed
from some low rocky hills upon our right, and
several detached masses of rock lay scattered irre-

s

258 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

gularly here and there, like the ruins of an old
castle. Large trees grew from the crevices of these
rocks, and beneath their shade we turned our
horses loose to graze upon a soft sweet grass with
Avhich this part of the park is covered. We had
the greyhounds with us and a single rifle, but no
other guns, as the servants were far behind. Hav-
ing given directions to the horsekeepers to point
out the spot for the tents on the arrival of the
people, we took a stroll with the greyhounds to get
a deer, as we .depended upon this chance for our
dinner.

Just as we were starting, we noticed two large
elephants feeding on the rocky hills within a
quarter of a mile of us ; but having no guns up with
the exception of one rifle, we were obliged to post-
pone the attack, and, cautioning the horsekeej)ers to
observe silence lest the game should be alarmed,
we left the elephants to their meal, while we struck
off in another direction with the greyhounds. We
found a herd of deer within half a mile of our
starting place; they had just come out from the
forest for the night's feeding ; and when I first saw
them, they were barking to each other in a small
glade within sixty paces of the jungle. Dinner
depending upon success, I stalked them with the

ANOTHEK TRIP TO THE PARK. 259

greatest caution. Taking Killbuck and Lena
in the slips, I crept from tree to tree without the
slightest noise ; I had the wind, and if any dogs
could kill a deer in the difficult position in which
the herd stood, these two dogs I knew would do
it. I got within sixty yards of the herd before
they observed me, and as they dashed oiF towards
the jungle, I slipped the straining greyhounds. A
loud cheer to the dogs confused the herd, and
they scattered to the right and left as they gained
the forest, the dogs being close up with them,
and Killbuck almost at a buck's throat as he
reached the jungle. Following as well as I could
through the dusky j ungle, I shortly heard the cry
of a deer, and on arriving at the spot I found Kill-
buck and Lena with a buck on the ground. No
deer had a chance with this wonderful dog Kill-
buck. When he w^as once slipped, there was no
hope for the game pursued ; no matter what the
character of the country might be, it was certain
death to the deer. We gralloched the buck, and
having fed the dogs with the oiFal, we carried him
on a pole to the place where we had left the horses.
On arrival we deposited our heavy burden ; and to
our satisfaction we found all our people had arrived.

s 2

260 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

The tents were pitched, and the night fires were
already blazing as daylight had nearly ceased.

In the course of an hour we were comfortably
seated at our table with venison steaks and chops
smoking before us, thanks to the dogs who were
now soundly sleeping at our feet. During the
progress of dinner, I planned the work for the day
following. We were now eight miles from Niel-
galla (Blue Rock), the village at which Banda re-
sided, and I ordered a man to start off at daybreak
to tell him that I was in his country, and to bring
old Medima and several other good men (that I
knew) to the tent without delay. I proposed that
we should, in the mean time, start at daylight on
the tracks of the two elephants that we had seen
upon the hills, taking Wallace and a few of the best
coolies as gun-bearers. Wallace is a Cochin man,
who prides himself upon a mixture of Portuguese
blood. He speaks six different languages fluently,
and is without exception the best interpreter and
the most plucky gun-bearer that I have ever seen.
He has accompanied me through so many scenes
with unvarying firmness, that I never have the
slightest anxiety about my spare guns if he is
there, as he keeps the little troop of gun-bearers in
their places in a most methodical manner.

A HARD day's WORK. 261

At break of day on the following morning, we
were upon the tracks of the two elephants, but a
slight shower during the night had so destroyed
them, that we found it was impossible to follow
them up. We therefore determined to examine
the country thoroughly for fresh tracks, and we
accordingly passed over many miles of ground, but
to little purpose, as none were to be seen.

We at length discovered fresh tracks of a herd in
thick thorny jungle, which was too dense to enter,
but marking their position, we determined to send
out watchers on the following day to track them into
better country. Having killed a deer, we started
him oiF with some coolies that we had taken with
us on this chance, and we continued our route till
3 p. M. We had lost our way, and, not having any
guide, we had no notion of the position of the
tents : the heat of the day had been intense, and
not having breakfasted, we were rather anxious
about the direction. Strolling through this beauti-
ful expanse of park country, we directed our course
for a large rocky mountain, at a few miles distance,
at the base of which I knew lay the route from the
tent to Nielgalla. To our great satisfaction we
found the path at about 4 p. m., and we walked
briskly along at the foot of the mountain in the

s 3

262 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

direction of our encampment, which was about four
miles distant.

We had just arrived at an angle of the mountain,
which, in passing, we were now leaving to our left,
when we suddenly halted; our attention having
been arrested by the loud roaring of elephants in
a jungle at the foot of the mountain, within a
quarter of a mile of us. The roaring continued
at intervals, reverberating among the rocks like
distant thunder, till it at length died away to
stillness.

We soon arrived in the vicinity of the sound,
and shortly discovered tracks upon a hard sandy
soil, covered with rocks and overgrown with a low
but tolerably open jungle, at the base of the moun-
tain. Following the tracks, we began to ascend
steep flights of natural steps formed by the suc-
cessive layers of rock which girded the foot of the
mountain : these were covered with jungle, inter-
spersed with large detached masses of rock, which
in some places formed alleys through which the
herd had passed. The surface of the ground being
nothing but hard rock, tracking was very difficult,
and it took me a considerable time to follow them
up, by the pieces of twigs and crunched leaves
which the elephants had dropped while feeding. I

DISCOVER A HERD. 263

at length tracked them to a small pool formed by
the rain-water in the hollow of the rock ; here they
had evidently been drinking only a few minutes
previous, as the tracks of their feet upon the
margin of the pool were still wet. I now went on
in advance of the party with great caution, as I
knew that we were not many paces from the herd.
Passing through several passages among the rocks,
I came suddenly upon a level plateau of ground
covered with dense lemon-grass about twelve feet
high, which was so thick and tangled that a man
could with difficulty force his way through it.
This level space was about two acres in extent,
and was surrounded by jungle upon all sides but
one ; on this side, to our right as we entered, the
mountain rose in rocky steps, from the crevices of
which the lemon-grass grew in tall tufts.

The instant that I arrived in this spot I per-
ceived the flap of an elephant's ear in the high
grass, about thirty paces from me, and upon care-
ful inspection I distinguished two elephants stand-
ing close together. By the rustling of the grass
in different places I could see that the herd was
scattered, but I could not make out the elephants
individually, as the grass was above their heads.

I paused for some minutes to consider the best

s 4

264 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

plan of attack ; but the gun-bearers, who were be-
hind me, being in a great state of excitement,
began to whisper to each other, and in arranging
their positions behind their respective masters,
they knocked several of the guns together. In
the same moment the two leading elephants dis-
covered us, and throwing their trunks up perpen-
dicularly, they blew the shrill trumpet of alarm
without attempting to retreat. Several trumpets
answered the call immediately from different po-
sitions in the high grass, from which trunks were
thrown up and huge heads just appeared in many
places, as they endeavoured to discover the danger
which the leaders had announced.

The growl of an elephant is exactly like the
rumbling of thunder, and from their deep lungs the
two leaders, who had discovered us, kept up an
uninterrupted peal, thus calling the herd together.
Nevertheless, they did not attempt to retreat, but
stood gazing attentively at us with their ears
cocked, looking extremely vicious. In the mean-
time, we stood perfectly motionless, lest we should
scare them before the whole herd had closed up.
In about a minute, a dense mass of elephants
had collected round the two leaders, who were all
gazing at us ; and thinking this a favourable mo-

DEATH OF THE HERD. 265

ment, I gave the word, and we pushed towards
them through the high grass. A portion of the
herd immediately wheeled round and retreated as
we advanced, but five elephants, including the
two who had first discovered us, formed in a com-
pact line abreast, and thrashing the long grass to
the right and left with their trunks, with ears
cocked, and tails up, they came straight at us.
We pushed on to meet them, but they still came
on in a perfect line, till within ten paces
of us.

A cloud of smoke hung over the high grass as
the rifles cracked in rapid succession, and the Jive
elephants lay dead in the same order as they had
advanced. The spare guns had been beautifully
handed. And running between the carcasses, we
got into the lane that the remaining portion of
the herd had made by crushing the high grass in
their retreat. We were up with them in a few
moments ; down went one, then another ; up he
got again, almost immediately recovering from Y.'s
shot; down he went again as I floored him with
my last barrel.

I was now unloaded, as I had only two of my
double-barrelled No. 10. rifles out that day, but the
chase was so exciting that I could not help follow-

266 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

ing empty-handed, in the hope that some gan-
bearer might put one of Y.'s spare guns in my
hand. A large elephant and her young one, who
was about three feet and a half high, were re-
treating up the rugged side of the mountain, and
the mother, instead of protecting the little-one, was
soon a hundred paces ahead of him, and safely
located in a thick jungle which covered that
portion of the mountain. Being empty-handed, I
soon scrambled up and caught the little fellow by
the tail ; but he was so strong that I could not hold
him, although I exerted all my strength, and he
dragged me slowly towards the jungle to which his
mother had retreated. Y. now came up ; and he
being loaded, I told him to keep a look out for the
mother's return, while I secured my captive, by
seizing him by the trunk with one hand, and by the
tail with the other ; in this manner I could just
master him by throwing my whole weight down
the hill; and he began to roar like a full-grown
elephant. The mother was for a wonder faithless
to her charge, and did not return to the little
one's assistance. While I was engaged in securing
him, the gun-bearers came up, and at this moment
I observed, at the foot of the hill, another elephant
not quite full-grown, who was retreating through

A FURIOUS CHARGE. 267

the high grass towards the jungle. There were
no guns charged except one of my No. 10. rifles,
which some one had reloaded ; taking this, I left
the little '' Poonchy " with Y. and the gun-bearers,
and running down the side of the hill, I came up
with the elephant just as he was entering the
jungle, and getting the ear-shot, I killed him.

We had now bagged nine elephants, and only
one had escaped from the herd ; this was the
female who had forsaken her young one.

Wallace now came up and cut off the tails of
those that I had killed. I had one barrel still
loaded, and I was pushing my way through the
tangled grass towards the spot where the ^ve
elephants lay together, when I suddenly heard
Wallace shriek out, " Look out, sir ! Look out ! —
an elephant's coming!"

I turned round in a moment ; and close past
Wallace, from the very spot where the last dead
elephant lay, came the very essence and incarnation
of a " rogue " elephant in full charge. His trunk
was thrown high in the air, his ears were cocked,
his tail stood high above his back as stiff as a
poker, and screaming exactly like the whistle of
a railway engine, he rushed upon me through the
high grass with a velocity that was perfectly

268 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

Avonderful. His eyes flashed as he came on, and
he had singled me out as his victim.

I have often been in dangerous positions, but I
never felt so totally devoid of hope as I did in
this instance. The tangled grass rendered retreat
impossible. I had only one barrel loaded, and
that was useless, as the upraised trunk protected
his forehead. I felt myself doomed; the few
thoughts that rush through men's minds in such
hopeless positions flew through mine, and I re-
solved to wait for him till he was close upon me
before I fired, hoping that he might lower his
trunk and expose his forehead.

He rushed along at the pace of a horse in
full speed; in a few moments, as the grass flew
to the right and left before him, he was close
upon me, but still his trunk was raised and I
would not fire. One second more, and at this
headlong pace he was within three feet of me ;
down slashed his trunk with the rapidity of a
whip-thong, and mth a shrill scream of fury he
was upon me.

I fired at that instant; but in a twinkling of
an eye I was flying through the air like a ball
from a bat. At the moment of firing I had
jumped to the left, but he struck me with his

CAUGHT AT LAST. 269

tush in full charge upon my right thigh, and
hurled me eight or ten paces from him. That
very moment he stopped, and, turning round, he
beat the grass about with his trunk, and com-
menced a strict search for me. I heard him ad-
vancing close to the spot where I lay as still as
death, knowing that my last chance lay in con-
cealment. I heard the grass rustling close to
the spot where I lay ; closer and closer he ap-
proached, and he at length beat the grass with
his trunk several times exactly above me. I
held my breath, momentarily expecting to feel
his ponderous foot upon me. Although I had
not felt the sensation of fear while I had stood
opposed to him, I felt like what I never wish
to feel again while he was deliberately hunting
me up. Fortunately I had reserved my fire until
the rifle had almost touched him, for the powder
and smoke had nearly blinded him and had
spoiled his acute power of scent. To my joy
I heard the rustling of the grass grow fainter;
again, I heard it at a still greater distance ; at
length it was gone !

At that time I thought that half my bones
were broken, as I was numbed from head to foot
by the force of the blow. His charge can only

270 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

be compared to a blow from a railway engine
going at twenty miles an hour.

Not expecting to be able to move, I crept to my
hands and knees. To my delight there were no
bones broken, and with a feeling of thankfulness I
stood erect. I with difficulty reached a stream of
water near the spot, in which I bathed my leg,
but in a few minutes it swelled to the size of a man^s
waist. In this spot every one had congregated
and were loading their guns, but the rogue had
escaped.

My cap and rifle were now hunted for, and they
were at length found near the spot where I had
been caught. The elephant had trodden on the
stock of the rifle, and it bears the marks of his
foot to this day.

In a few minutes I was unable to move. We
therefore sent to the tent for the horses, and
arrived at 6 p. m., having had a hard day's work
from 5 A. M. without food.

On arrival at the tent, we found Banda and
the trackers.

There could not be a better exemplification of
a rogue than in this case. A short distance apart
from the herd he had concealed himself in the
jungle, from which position he had witnessed the

THE CONSEQUENCES. 271

destruction of his mates. He had not stirred a
foot until he saw us totally unprepared, when he
instantly seized the opportunity and dashed out
upon me. If I had attempted to run from him
I should have been killed, as he would have
struck me in the back; my only chance was in
the course which I pursued, — to wait quietly
until he was just over me, and then to jump on
one side : he thus struck me on the thickest part
of the thigh instead of striking me in the stomach,
which he must have done had I remained in my
first position ; this would have killed me on the
spot.

I passed an uncomfortable night, my leg being
very painful and covered with wet bandages of
vinegar and water. The bruise came out from my
ankle to my hip ; the skin was broken where the
tush had struck me; and the blood had started
under the skin over a surface of nearly a foot,
making the bruise a bright purple, and giving
the whole affair a most unpleasant appearance.
The next morning I could not move my leg,
which felt like a sack of sand, and was perfectly
numbed ; however, I kept on a succession of cold
lotions, and after breakfast I was assisted upon my
horse, and we moved the encampment to Nielgalla.

272 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

On the following day I could just manage to
hobble along, my leg being at least double its usual
size, and threatening to spoil my sport for the
whole trip.

"We were seated at breakfast when a native came
in, bringing intelligence of a herd of elephants
about four miles distant. I was not in a state for
shooting, but I resolved to mount my steady old
horse Jack, and take my chance of revenge for
my mishap. The guns were accordingly loaded,
and we started.

We had ridden through the Park for about three
miles, and had just turned round the corner of a
patch of jungle, when we came suddenly upon a
large rogue elephant, who was standing in the
open, facing us at about seventy yards. The
moment that he saw the horses, he turned sharp
round and retreated to a long belt of fine open
forest which was close behind him. There was no
resisting the invitation upon such favourable
ground, and immediately dismounting, we followed
him. I now found that my leg was nearly useless,
and I could only move at a snail's pace, and even
then with great pain. Upon reaching the forest,
we found that the rogue had decamped, not
wishing to meet us in such advantageous ground.

A THOROUGH ROGUE. 273

We followed his tracks for a few hundred yards
through the forest, till we suddenly emerged upon
a large tract of high lemon-grass. Into this our
cunning foe had retreated, and with my decreased
powers of locomotion I did not wish to pursue him
further. I was at length persuaded by Banda to
make a trial, and we accordingly left the track and
pushed our way through the high grass to some
rising ground, from which we could look over the
surface of waving vegetation, and find out the
exact position of the elephant. While forcing our
way through the dense mass I momentarily ex-
pected to hear the rush of the rogue charging
down upon us, and I was glad to find myself at
length safe in the position we had steered for.

Upon scanning the surface of the grass, I dis-
tinguished the elephant immediately ; he was
standing close to the edge of the jungle in the
high grass, facing us, at about a hundred and fifty
yards distant. He was a picture of intense excite-
ment and attention, and was evidently waiting
for us. In the position that we now occupied, we
unavoidably gave him the wind, and he of course
almost immediately discovered us. Giving two or
three shrill trumpets, he paced quickly to and fro
before the jungle, as though he were guarding the

T

274 THE EIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

entrance. To enter the high grass to attack him
would have been folly, as he was fully prepared,
and when once in the tangled mass, we could not
have seen hira until he was upon us ; we therefore
amused ourselves for about ten minutes by shoot-
ing at him. During this time he continued pacing
backwards and forwards, screaming almost without
intermission; and having suddenly made up his
mind to stand this bullying no longer, he threw
his trunk up in the air and charged straight at us.
The dust flew like smoke from the dry grass as he
rushed through it ; but we were well prepared to
receive him. Not wishing him to come to close
quarters with my useless leg, I gave him a shot
with my two-ounce rifle, at about a hundred and
twenty paces. It did not even check him, but it
had the efl'ect of making him lower his trunk, and
he came on at undiminished speed. Taking the
four-ounce rifle from AVallace, I heard the crack of
the ball as it entered his head at about a hundred
yards. He was down ! A general shout of excla-
mation rose from Banda and all the gun-bearers.
I reloaded the four-ounce immediately, and the
ball was just rammed home when we heard the
supposed dead elephant roaring on the ground.
In another moment he regained his legs and stood

ANOTHER HERD IN HIGH LEMON-GRASS. 275

with his broadside exposed to us, stunned with the
heavy ball in his head. Taking a steady shot at
his shoulder, I gave him a second dose of the four-
ounce: he reeled to and fro, and staggered into
the jungle. I dared not follow him in my crippled
state, and we returned to the horses ; but the next
day he was found dead by the natives.

I much feared that the shot fired might have
disturbed the herd of elephants, as they were re-
ported to be not far distant ; this, however, proved
not to be the case, as we met the watchers about a
mile further on, who reported the herd to be per-
fectly undisturbed, but located in the everlasting
lemon-grass. At this time, the greater portion of
the Park was a mass of this abominable grass, and
there was no chance of getting the elephants in
any other position, this serving them at the same
time for both food and shelter. How they can eat it
is a puzzle, — it is as sharp as a knife, and as
coarse as a file, with a flavour of the most
pungent lemon-peel.

We shortly arrived at the spot in which the
herd was concealed ; it was a gentle slope covered
with dense lemon-grass, terminated by a jungle.
We could just distinguish the tops of the elephants'
heads in several places, and, having dismounted,

T 2

276 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

we carefully entered the grass, and crept towards
the nearest elephants. The herd was much scat-
tered, but there were five elephants close to each
other, and we made towards these, Banda leading
the way. My only chance of making a bag lay in
the first onset, I therefore cautioned Wallace to
have the spare guns handed with extra diligence,
and we crept up to our game. There were two
elephants facing us, but we stalked them so care-
fully through the high grass that we got within four
paces of them before they discovered us ; they
cocked their ears for an instant and both rolled
over at the same moment to the front shot. Away
dashed the herd, trumpeting and screaming as they
rushed through the high grass. For a few mo-
ments my game leg grew quite lively, as it was all
down-hill work, and I caught up an elephant and
killed him with the left-hand barrel. Getting a
spare gun, I was lucky enough to get between two
elephants who were running abreast towards the
jungle, and I bagged them by a right and left shot.
Ofi* went the herd at a slapping pace through the
jungle, Y. pitching it into them, but unfortunately
to very little purpose, as they had closed up and
formed a barrier of sterns, and we could not get a
good shot. For about a quarter of a mile I man-

BEARS. 277

aged to hobble along, carried away by the excite-
ment of the chase, through jungles, hollows, and
small glades, till my leg, which had lost all feeling,
suddenly gave way, and I lay sprawling on my face,
incapable of going a step further. I had killed
four elephants : six had been killed altogether. It
was very bad luck, as the herd consisted of eleven ;
but the ground was very unfavourable, and my
leg gave way when it was most required.

A few days after this, the tents were pitched
on the banks of the broad river of Pattapalaar,
about eight miles beyond Neigalla. Elephants
were very scarce, and the only chance of getting
them was to work hard. We were on horseback
at break of day, and having forded the river, we
rode silently through plain and forest in search
of tracks. We refused every shot at deer, lest
we should disturb the country and scare away
the elephants. . . «-

We had ridden for some distance upon an
elephant path, through a tolerably open forest
at the foot of a range of rocky mountains, when
Banda, who was some paces in advance, suddenly
sprang back again, crying, " Wallaha ! Wallaha ! "
(Bears! Bears!) We were off our horses in a
moment, but I fell sprawling upon my back, my

T 3

278 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

leg being so powerless and numbed that I could
not feel wben I touched the ground. I recovered
myself just in time to see a bear waddling along
through the jungle, and I pushed after him in
pursuit at my best pace. Y. had disappeared
in the jungle in pursuit of another bear, and
I presently heard two or three shots. In the
mcEmtime my game had slackened speed to a
careless kind of swaggering walk ; and the under-
wood being rather thick, I was determined to
get close to him before I fired, as I knew that
I could not follow him far, and my success would
therefore depend upon the first shot. I overtook
him in a few moments, and I was following
within a foot of his tail, waiting for a chance
for a clear shot between his shoulders, as the
thick underwood parted above his back, when
he suddenly sprung round, and with a fierce roar
he leaped upon the muzzle of the gun. I fired
both barrels into him as he threw his whole weight
against it, and I rolled him over in a confused
cloud of smoke and crackling bushes. In a
moment he was on his legs again, but going
off through the thick underwood at a pace that
in my helpless state soon left me far behind.
His state must have been far from enviable, as he

A FIGHT BETWEEN A MOORMAN AND A BEAR. 279

left portions of his entrails all along his track.
V. had killed his bear ; he weighed about two
hundred pounds, and measured fourteen inches
round the arm, without his hide.

The Ceylon bear is a most savage animal,
constantly attacking men without the slightest
provocation. I have seen many natives frightfully
disfigured by the attacks of bears, which they
dread more than any other animal. Nothing
would induce my trackers to follow up the
wounded bear. I followed him as far as I could,
but my useless limb soon gave way, and I was
obliged to give him up. I once saw a Moorman,
who was a fine powerful fellow, and an excellent
elephant tracker, who had a narrow escape from
a bear. He was cutting bamboos with a catty
or kind of bill-hook, when one of these animals
descended from a tree just above him and im-
mediately attacked him. The man instinctively
threw his left arm forward to receive the bear,
who seized it in his mouth and bit the thumb
completely off, lacerating the arm and wrist at
the same time in a frightful manner. With one
blow of the bill-hook the Moorman cleft the
bear's skull to the teeth, at the same time gashing
his own arm to the bone by the force of the blow ;

T 4

280 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

and he never afterwards recovered the proper
use of the limb.

The Ceylon bear feeds upon almost anythmg
that offers ; he eats honey, ants, fruit, roots, and
flesh Avhenever he can procure it : his muscular
power is enormous, and he exerts both teeth and
claws in his attack. They are very numerous in
Ceylon, although they are seldom met with in any
number, owing to their nocturnal habits, which
attract them to their caves at break of day.

After strolhng over the country for some miles,
we came upon fresh elephant tracks in high grass,
which we immediately followed up. In the course
of half an hour, after tracking them for about
two miles through open country, we entered a
fine forest, in which the herd had retired; but
our hopes of meeting them in this favourable
ground were suddenly damped by arriving at a
dense chenar jungle in the very heart of the
forest. This chenar extended for some acres, and
rose like a hedge, forming a sudden wall of thorns,
which effectually checked our advance. The
elephants had retired to this secure retreat, and
having winded us they kept up an uninterrupted
roaring. I never heard such a musical herd; —
the deep and thunder-like growls, combined with

A MUSICAL HERD. 281

the shrill trumpet and loud roars, as they all
joined in concert, had a particularly grand effect,
and a novice in elephant-shooting would have felt
his heart beat in double time.

There was a rogue consorting with this herd, and
it was necessary to be particularly cautious in the
attack. It was impossible to enter such thick
jungle, and we waited for some hours in the
forest, close to the edge of the chenar, trying every
dodge in vain to induce the herd to quit their
stronghold. They were continually on the qui
Vive. Sometimes a tremendous rush would be
heard in the thick jungle as the herd would
charge towards us ; but they invariably stopped
just upon the borders, and would not venture
into the open forest. On one occasion, I thought
we had them : they rushed to the edge of the
thick jungle, and suddenly filed off to the left,
and halted in a line within a few feet of the forest.
We were within six paces of them, concealed
behind the trunks of several large trees, from
which we could discover the dim forms of six
elephants through the skreen of thorns, which
had a similar effect to that produced by looking
through a gauze veil. For some moments they
stood in an attitude of intense attention, and I

282 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

momentarily expected them to break cover, as we
were perfectly still and motionless in our concealed
position. Suddenly they winded us, and whisked
round to the thick jungle, disappearing like magic.
We now tried the effect of bullying, and we
sent men to different parts of the jungle to shout
and fire guns ; this stirred up the wrath of the
Yo^ue, and he suddenly burst from the thick
jungle, and rushed into the open forest right
among us. We were both standing behind the
trees ; and the gun-bearers, with the exception of
Wallace, had thrown the guns down and had
bolted up the trees when they heard the rush of
the elephant through the jungle; thus, upon his
arrival in the open forest, he could see no one,
and he stood gazing about him with his ears
cocked and tail on end, not knowing exactly
what to do, but ready to charge the first person
that showed himself. He was an immense elephant,
being one of the largest that I have ever seen,
and he had as fine an expression of vice in his
appearance as any rogue could wish for. Suddenly
he turned his trunk towards us, but he was
puzzled as to the exact position of any one, as so
many men were scattered among the trees. I
was within twenty yards of him, and he turned

THE HERD ESCAPE. 283

his head towards the spot, and was just on the
move forward, when I anticipated his intentions,
by running up to him and knocking him over
by a shot in the forehead, which killed him. Un-
fortunately the herd at the same moment broke
cover on the opposite side of the jungle, and
escaped without a shot being fired at them. It
was nearly dusk, and we were five miles from the
tent ; we were therefore obliged to give them up.

The next morning, at daybreak, I rode out
with the greyhounds, Killbuck, Bran, and Lena,
to kill a deer. The lemon-grass was so high at
this season that the dogs had no chan^ce, and I
was therefore compelled to pick out some spot
which was free from this grass, and employ beaters
to drive the jungles, instead of stalking the deer
in the usual manner. I tracked a herd of deer
into a large detached piece of cover, and, sending
the beaters round to the opposite side, I posted
myself with the greyhounds in the slips behind a
clump of trees upon a small plain of low soft grass.

The noise of the beaters approached nearer and
nearer, and presently two splendid bucks with
beautiful antlers rushed from the jungle about
two hundred yards from me, and scudded over
the plain. I slipped the greyhounds and away

284 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

tliey went in full fly, bounding over the soft turf
in beautiful style.

Mounting old Jack, who was standing at my
elbow, and giving him the spur, I rode after them.
It w^as a splendid course ; the two bucks separated.
Bran and Lena taking after one, and Killbuck
following the other in his usual dashing manner.
Aw^ay they Avent 3vith wonderful speed, the bucks
constantly doubling to throw the dogs out ; but
Killbuck never overshot his game, and as the
buck doubled, he was round after him in fine
style. I now followed him, leaving Bran and
Lena to do their best, and at a killing pace we
crossed the plain — through a narrow belt of
trees, down a stony hollow, over another plain,
through a small jungle, on entering which Killbuck
was within a few yards of the buck's haunches.

Now old Jack is as fond of the sport as I am,
and he kept up the chase in good style ; but just
as we were flying through some high lemon-grass,
a fallen tree, which was concealed beneath, tripped
up the horse's fore-legs, and in an instant he was
on his nose, turning a complete sommersault. I
was pitched some yards, and upon instinctively
mounting again, the sparks were dancing in my
eyes for some seconds before I recovered myself.

A PLUCKY BUCK. 285

as we again continued the chase with unabated
speed.

We pressed along up some rising ground, having
lost sight of the game ; and as we reached the top
of the hil], I looked around and saw the buck at
bay about a hundred paces from me, upon fine
level ground, fighting face to face with the dog,
who sprang boldly at his head. That buck was a
noble fellow ; he rushed at the dog, and they met
like knights in a tournament : but it was murderous
work ; he received the reckless dog upon his sharp
antlers and bored him to the ground. In another
instant Killbuck had recovered himself, and he
again came in full fly at the buck's face with
wonderful courage ; again the buck rushed forward
to meet him, and once more the pointed antlers
pinned the dog, and the buck following up his
charge rolled him over and over for some yards.

By this time I had galloped up, and I was
within a few feet of the buck when he suddenly
sprung round with the evident intention of
charging the horse. In the same moment Killbuck
seized the opportunity, and the buck plunged
violently upon the ground, with the stanch dog
hanging upon his throat. I jumped off my horse,

286 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

and the buck fell dead by a thrust with the knife
behind the shoulder.

I now examined the dog ; he was wounded in
several places, but as he bled but little, I hoped
that his apparent exhaustion arose more from the
fatigue of the fight than from any severe injury.

At this time Bran and Lena came up; they
had lost their deer in some high lemon-grass, but
they also were both wounded by the buck's horns.
I now put Killbuck and Lena together in the
sli]3s, and with the buck, carried upon cross poles
by six men, I rode towards the tent. I had not
proceeded far when the man who was leading
the greyhounds behind my horse suddenly cried
out, and on turning round I saw Killbuck lying
on the ground. I was at his side in a moment,
and I released his neck from the slips. It was too
late ; his languid head fell heavily upon the earth ;
he gave me one parting look, and after a few
faint gasps he was gone.

I could hardly believe he was dead. Taking off
my cap I ran to a little stream and brought some
water, which I threw in his face; but his teeth
were set, his eyes were glazed, and the best and
truest dog that was ever born was dead. Poor
Killbuck! he had died like a hero, and though

DEATH OF KILLBUCK. 287

I grieved over him I could not have wished him
a more glorious death.

I was obliged to open him to discover the real
injury. I had little thought that the knife which
had so often come to his assistance was destined
to so sad a task. His lungs were pierced through
by the deer's horns in two places, and he had
died of sudden suffocation by internal hemorrhage.
A large hollow tree grew close to the spot in
which I buried him. The stag's antlers now hang
in the hall, a melancholy but glorious memento
of poor Killbuck.

In a few days my leg had so much improved
that I could again use it without much incon-
venience ; I therefore determined to pay the cave
a visit, as I felt convinced that elephants would
be more numerous in that neighbourhood. We
started in the cool of the afternoon, as the distance
was not more than eight miles from our encamp-
ment. We had proceeded about half way, and
our horses were picking their way with difficulty
over some rocky hills, when we came upon fresh
tracks of a herd of elephants. It was too late
to go after them that evening, we therefore pitched
the tent upon the spot, resolving to track them
up at daybreak on the following morning.

288 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

We were accordingly out before sunrise, and
came upon the tracks within a mile of the tent.
We at length discovered the herd upon the summit
of a steep rocky hill. There were no trees in this
part, and we carefully ascended the hill, stepping
from rock to rock, and occasionally concealing
ourselves in the high grass, till we at length stood
at the very feet of the elephants, two of whom
were standing upon a large platform of rock,
about seven feet above us. They were so high
above us that I was obliged to aim about four
inches down the trunk, so that the ball should
reach the brain in an upward direction ; this shot
proved successful, and killed him. Y., who had
not taken this precaution, missed ; and the whole
herd of eight elephants started oiF in full retreat.

The rocks were so steep that it occupied some
time in climbing over the top of the hill, upon
reaching which, we saw the elephants going off
at great speed, with a start of about two hundred
paces. The ground was perfectly open, covered
by small loose rocks free from grass, and the
chase commenced in good earnest. With the
elephants in view the whole time, and going at
a great pace, a mile was run without the possibility
of firing a shot. By this time we had arrived

GOOD SPORT WITH A HERD. 289

at an landulating country covered with small
rocks and grass about four feet high, which made
the pace dreadfully fatiguing; still we dared not
slacken the speed for an instant lest the elephants
should distance us. This was the time for rifles
to tell, although their weight (15 lbs.) was rather
trying in so long and fast a run. I was within
eighty paces of the herd, and I could not decrease
the distance by a single yard. I halted and took
a shot at the ear of a large elephant in the middle
of the herd. The shot so stunned him that,
instead of going on straight, he kept turning round
and round as though running after his tail ; this
threw the herd into confusion, and some ran
to the right and others to the left, across some
steep hollows. Eunning up to my wounded
elephant, I extinguished him with my remaining
barrel ; and getting a spare rifle from Wallace, who
was the only gun -bearer who had kept up, I floored
another elephant, who was ascending the opposite
side of a hollow about forty yards ofl*; this fellow
took two shots, and accordingly I was left un-
loaded, y. had made good play with the rifles
as the herd was crossing the hollow, and he had
killed three, making six bagged in all. The re-

u

290 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

maining two elephants reached a thick jungle and
escaped.

We returned to the tent, and after a bath we
sat down Avith a glorious appetite to breakfast,
having bagged six elephants before seven o'clock

A.M.

In the afternoon we went to the cave and sent
out trackers. We were very hard up for pro-
visions in this place : there were no deer in the
neighbourhood, and we lived upon squirrels and
parrots, both of which are excellent eating, but
not very substantial fare.

The whole of this part of the country was one
dark mass of high lemon-grass, which, not having
been burnt, was a tangled mixture of yellow
stalks and sharp blades, which completely de-
stroyed the pleasure of shooting.

In this unfavourable ground we found a herd
of ten elephants, and after waiting for some time
in the hope of their feeding into a better country,
we lost all patience, and resolved to go in at them
and do the best we could. It was late in the
afternoon, and the herd, who were well aware of
our position, had all closed up in a dense body,
and with their trunks thrown up, they were trum-

END OF THE TRIP. 291

peting and screaming as though to challenge us to
the attack.

Pushing our way through the high grass, we
got within six paces of the elephants before they
attempted to turn, and the heavy battery opened
upon them in fine style. Levelling the grass in
their path, they rushed through it in a headlong
retreat, Y. keeping on one flank while I took the
other ; and a race commenced, which continued for
about half a mile at full speed, the greater part
of this distance being up hill. None of these
elephants proved restive ; and on arriving at thick
jungle two only entered out of the ten that had
composed the herd ; the remaining eight lay here
and there along the line of the hunt.

Out of four herds and three rogues fired at, we
had bagged thirty-one elephants in a few days'
shooting. My mishap on the first day had much
destroyed the pleasure of the sport, as the ex-
ercise was too much for my wounded leg, which
did not recover from the feeling of numbness for
some months.

u 2

292

CHAP. XL

EXCITEMENT OF ELEPHANT SHOOTING. AN UNEXPECTED

VISITOR. — A LONG RUN WITH A BUCK. — HARD WORK

REWARDED. — A GLORIOUS BAY. END OF A HARD DAY's

WORK. BEE HUNTERS. DISASTERS OF ELK HUNTING. —

BRAN WOUNDED. — " OLD SMUt'S " BUCK. BOAR AT HACK-

GALLA. DEATH OF " OLD SMUT." — SCENERY FROM THE

PERE WELLE MOUNTAINS. — DIABOLICAL DEATH OF " MERRI-
MAN." SCENE OF THE MURDER.

In describing so many incidents in elephant-shoot-
ing, it is difficult to convey a just idea of the true
grandeur of the sport : it reads too easy. A certain
number are killed out of a herd after an animated
chase, and the description of the hunt details the
amount of slaughter, but cannot possibly explain
the peculiar excitement which attends elephant-
shooting beyond all other sports. The size of the
animal is so disproportionate to that of the hunter,
that the effect of a large herd of these monsters
flying before a single man would be almost ridicu-
lous, could the chase be witnessed by some casual
observer who was proof against the excitement of

EXCITEMENT OF ELEPHANT SHOOTING. 293

the sport. The effect of a really good elephant
shot in the pursuit of a herd over open country is
very fine. With such weapons as the double-
barrelled No. 10. rifles, a shot is seldom wasted ;
and during the chase, an elephant drops from the
herd at every puff* of smoke. It is a curious
sight, and one of the grandest in the world, to see
a fine rogue^elephant knocked over in full charge.
His onset appears so irresistible, and the majesty
of his form so overwhelming, that I have fre-
quently almost mistrusted the power of man over
such a beast ; but one shot well placed, with a
heavy charge of powder behind the ball, reduces
him in one instant to a mere heap of flesh.

One of the most disgusting sights is a dead
elephant, four or five days after the fatal shot.
In a tropical climate, where decomposition proceeds
with such wonderful rapidity, the effect of the sun
upon such a mass can be readily understood. The
gas generated in the inside distends the carcase to
an enormous size, until it at length bursts and be-
comes in a few hours afterwards one living heap of
maggots. Three weeks after an elephant is killed
nothing remains but his bones and a small heap of
dried cases, from which the flies have emerged
when the time arrived for them to change from the

V 3

294 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

form of maggots. The sight of the largest of the
animal creation being thus reduced from life to
nothingness within so short a space of time is an
instance of the perishable tenure of mortality which
cannot fail to strike the most unthmking. The
majesty, the power, and the sagacity of the enor-
mous beast are scattered in the myriads of flies
which have fed upon him.

It is a delightful change after a sporting trip of
a few weeks in the hot climates to return again to
the cool and even temperature of Newera Ellia.
The tent is a pleasant dwelling when no other can
be obtained, but the comfort of a good house is
never so much appreciated as on the return from
the jungle.

One great pleasure in the hunting at Newera
Ellia is the ease with which it is obtained. In fact,
the sport lies at the very door. This may be said
to be literally true and not a facon de pavler^ as I
once kiUed an elk that jumped through a window.
It was a singular incident. The hounds found
three elk at the same time on the mountain at the
back of the hotel at Newera Ellia. The pack
divided: several hounds were lost for two days,
having taken their elk to an impossible country,
and the rest of the pack concentrated upon a doe,

AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR. 295

with the exception of old Smut, who had another
elk all to himself. This elk, which was a large doe,
he brought down from the top of the mountain
to the back of the hotel, just as we had killed
the other, which the pack had brought to the
same place. A great number of persons were
standing in the hotel yard to view the sport, when
old Smut and his game appeared, rushing in full
fly through the crowd. The elk was so bothered
and headed that she went through the back door
of the hotel at full gallop, and Smut, with his
characteristic sagacity, immediately bolted round
to the front of the house, naturally concluding
that if she went in at the back door she must
come out at the front. He was perfectly right ;
the old dog stood on the lawn before the hotel,
watching the house with great eagerness. In the
meantime, the elk was galloping from room to
room in the hotel, chased by a crowd of people,
until she at length took refuge in a lady's bed-
room, from which there Avas no exit as the
window was closed. The crash of glass may be
imagined, as an animal as large as a pony leaped
through it; but old Smut was ready for her,
and after a chase of a few yards he pulled her
down. This is the only instance that I have

u 4

296 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

ever known of an elk entering a building, although
it is a common occurrence with hunted deer in
England.

An elk found on the top of Pedro talla Galla,
which rises from the plain of Newera Ellia, wall
generally run straight down the mountain, and,
unless headed, he will generally come to bay in
the river close to the hotel, which is situated at
the foot of the mountain. This, however, is not
a rule without an exception, as the elk on some
occasions takes a totally different direction, and
gives a hard day's work.

It was on the 27th of July, 1852, that I had
a run of this kind. It was six a. m. when my
youngest brother and I started from the foot of
Pedro to ascend the mountain. The path is three
miles long, through jungle the whole way, to the
summit. There were fresh tracks of elk near
the top of the mountain, the dew lay heavily
upon the leaves, and the scent was evidently
strong, as Merriman and Ploughboy, the two
leading hounds, dashed off upon it, followed by
the whole pack. In a few minutes we heard
them in full cry about a quarter of a mile from
us, going straight down the hill. Giving them
a good holloa, we started off down the path at

A LONG RUN WITH A BUCK. 297

a round pace, and in less than a quarter of an
hour we were at the foot of the mountain on
the plain. Here we found a number of people
who had headed the elk (a fine buck) just as
he was breaking cover, and he had turned back,
taking off to some other line of country at a
great pace, as we could not hear even a whimper.
This was enough to make a saint swear, and,
blessing heartily the fellows who had headed him,
we turned back and retraced our steps up the
mountain to listen for the cry of the pack among
the numerous ravines which furrow the sides.

It was of no use, — we could hear nothing but
the mocking chirp of birds and the roaring of the
mountain torrents. Not a sign of elk or dogs.
The greyhounds were away with the pack, and
knowing that the dogs would never leave him till
dark, we determined not to give them up. No less
than three times in the course of the day did we
re-ascend the mountain to listen for them in vain.
We went up to the top of the Newera EUia Pass,
in the hope of hearing them in that direction, but
with the same want of success. Miles of ground
were gone over to no purpose. Scaling the steep
sides of the mountains at the back of the barracks,
we listened among the deep hollows on the other

298 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

side, but again we were disappointed; the sound
of the torrents was all that we could hear.

Descending again to the plain, we procured
some breakfast at a friend's house, and we started
for the Matturatta plains. These plains are about
three or four miles from the barracks ; and I had a
faint hope that the buck might have crossed over
the mountain, and descended into this part of the
country to a river which flows through the patinas.
We now mounted our horses, having been on foot
all the morning. It was three o'clock p.m., and,
with little hope of finding the dogs, we rode along
the path towards the Maturatta plains.

We had just entered the forest, when we met a
young hound returning along the path with a
wound from a buck's horn in the shoulder. There
was now no doubt of the direction, and we gal-
loped along the path towards the plains as hard
as we could go. About half way to the plains, to
my joy I saw an immense buck's track in the path
going in the same direction ; the toes were spread
wide apart, showing the pace at which he had
been going ; and there were dogs' tracks following
him, all as fresh as could be. This was a gladden-
ing sight after a hard day's work, and we gave a
random cheer to encourage any dogs that might

HAKD WORK REWARDED. 299

be within hearing, rattling our horses over the
ground at their best speed.

At last the plains were reached. We pulled up
our panting steeds, and strained every nerve to
hear the cry of the hounds. The snorting of the
horses prevented our hearing any distant sound,
and I gave a holloa and listened for some answer-
ing voice from a dog. Instead of a sound, Bran
and Lucifer suddenly appeared. This was con-
clusive evidence that the pack was somewhere in
this direction, and we rode out into the plain and
again listened. Hark to old Smut ! there was his
deep voice echoing from the opposite hills. Yoick
to him. Bran ! forward to him, Lucifer ! and away
the greyhounds dashed towards the spot from
which the sound proceeded. The plain forms a
wide valley with a river winding through the
centre, and we galloped over the patinas after the
greyhounds in full speed. There was no mistaking
the bay. I could now distinguish Merriman's
fine voice in addition to that of old Smut, and a
general chorus of other tongues joined in, till the
woods rung again. The horses knew the sport
and away they went, but suddenly over went old
Jack belly-deep in a bog, and sent me flying over
his head. There is nothing like companionship in

300 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

an accident, and Momus accordingly pitched upon
his nose in the same bog, my brother describing a
fine spread eagle as he sprawled in the soft
ground. We were close to the bay; the horses
extricated themselves directly, and again mount-
ing we rode hard to the spot.

The buck was at bay in the river, and the
exhausted dogs were yelling at him from the
bank. The instant that we arrived and cheered
them on, old Smut came from the pack towards
us with an expression of perfect delight ; he gave
himself two or three rolls on the grass, and then
went to the fight like a lion. The buck, how-
ever, suddenly astonished the whole pack by
jumping out of the river, and, charging right
through them, he started over the plain towards
the jungle, with the whole pack after him. He
had refreshed himself by standing for so long in
the cold stream, while the dogs, on the contrary,
were nearly w^orn out. He reached the jungle
with the whole pack at his heels ; but after
doubling backwards and forwards in the forest
for about five minutes, we heard the crash in the
bushes, as he once more rushed towards the plain,
and he broke cover in fine style, with the three
greyhounds, Bran, Lucifer, and Lena, at his

A GLORIOUS BAY. 301

haunches. In another instant he was seized, but
he fell with such a shock, that it threw the grey-
hounds from their hold, and recovering him-
self with wonderful quickness, he went down
the slope towards the river at a tremendous pace.
The greyhounds overtook him just as he gained
the steep banks of the river, and they all rolled
over in a confused crowd into the deep water.

The next moment the buck was seen swimming
proudly down the river, with the whole pack
following him down the stream in full cry.
Presently he gained his footing, and disdaining
further flight, he turned bravely upon the hounds.

He was a splendid fellow; his nostrils were
distended, his mane was bristled up, and his
eyes flashed, as rearing to his full height he
plunged forward and struck the leading dogs
under water. Not a dog could touch him ; one
by one they were beaten down and half drowned
beneath the water. Old Smut was to the front
as usual ; down the old dog was beaten, but he
re-appeared behind the elk's shoulder, and the
next moment he was hanging on his ear. The
poor old dog had lost so many of his teeth in these
encounters that he could not keep his hold, and
the buck gave a tremendous spring forward, shak-

302 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

ing off the old dog and charging through the pack,
sinking nearly half of them for a few moments
beneath the water. He had too much pluck to
fly further, and, after wading shoulder-deep against
the stream for a few yards, he turned majestically
round, and, facing the baying pack, he seemed de-
termined to do or die. I never saw a finer animal ;
there was a proud look of defiance in his aspect
which gave him a most noble appearance ; but at
that time he had little pity bestowed upon him.

There he stood ready to meet the first dog. Old
Smut had been thrown to the rear as the buck
turned, and Lena came beautifully to the front,
leading the whole pack. There was a shallow
sandbank in the river where the bitch could get
a footing, and she dashed across it to the attack.
The buck met her in her advance by a sudden
charge, which knocked her over and over, but at
the same instant Valiant, who is a fine powerful
dog, made a clever spring forward and pinned the
buck by the ear. There was no shaking him off,
and he was immediately backed up by Ploughboy,
who caught the other ear most cleverly. There
the two dogs hung like earrings as the buck, rearing
up, swung them to and fro, but could not break
their hold. In another moment the greyhounds

END OF A HARD DAy'S WORK. 303

were upon him — the whole pack covered him ; his
beautiful form was seen alternately rearing from
the water with the dogs hanging upon him in all
directions, then struggling in a confused mass
nearly beneath the surface of the stream. He was
a brave fellow, and had fought nobly, but there
was no hope for him, and we put an end to the
fio^ht with the huntino:-knife.

It was past four o'clock p.m., and he had been
found at seven A. m., but the conclusion fully
repaid us for the day's work. The actual distance
run by the buck was not above eight miles, but we
had gone about twenty during the day, the greater
portion of which was over most fatiguing ground.

On an open country an elk would never be
caught without greyhounds until he had run fifteen
or twenty miles. The dense jungles fatigue him
as he ploughs his way through them, and thus
forms a path for the dogs behind him. How he
can move in some of these jungles is an enigma;
a horse would break his legs, and, in fact, could
not stir in places through which an elk passes in
full gallop.

The principal underwood in the mountain dis-
tricts of Ceylon is the '' nillho." This is a per-
fectly straight stem, from twelve to twenty feet in

304 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

length, and about an inch and a half in diameter,
having no branches except a few small arms at the
top, which are covered with large leaves. This
plant, in proportion to its size, grows as close as
corn in a field, and forms a dense jungle most
difficult to penetrate. When the jungles are in
this state, the elk is at a disadvantage, as the im-
mense exertion required to break his way through
this mass soon fatigues him, and forces him to
come to bay.

Every seven years this " nillho " blossoms. The
jungles are then neither more nor less than vast
bouquets of bright purple and white flowers ; the
perfume is delicious, and swarms of bees migrate
from other countries to make their harvest of honey.
The quantity collected is extraordinary. The bee-
hunters start from the low country, and spend
weeks in the jungle in collecting the honey and
wax. When looking over an immense tract of
forest from some elevated point, the thin blue lines
of smoke may be seen rising in many directions,
marking the sites of the bee-hunters' fires. Their
method of taking the honey is simple enough. The
bees' nests hang from the boughs of the trees, and
a man ascends with a torch of green leaves, which
creates a dense smoke. He approaches the nest,

BEE HUNTERS. 305

and smokes off the swarm, which, on quitting the
exterior of the comb, exposes a beautiful circular
mass of honey and wax, generally about eighteen
inches in diameter and six inches thick. The bee-
hunter being provided with vessels formed from
the rind of the gourd, attached to ropes, now cuts
up the comb and fills his chatties, lowering them
down to his companions below.

When the blossom of the nillho fades, the
seed forms ; this is a sweet little kernel, with the
flavour of a nut. The bees now leave the country,
and the jungles suddenly swarm, as though by
magic, with pigeons, jungle-fowl, and rats. At
length the seed is shed, and the nillho dies.

The jungles then have a curious appearance.
The underwood being dead, the forest-trees rise
from a mass of dry sticks like thin hop-poles. The
roots of these plants very soon decay, and a few
weeks of high wind howling through the forest
levels the whole mass, leaving the trees standing
free from underwood. The appearance of the
ground can now be imagined— a perfect chaos of
dead sticks and poles, piled one on the other, in
every direction, to a depth of between two and
three feet. It can only be compared to a mass of
hurdles being laid in a heap. The young nillho

X

306 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

grows rapidly through this, concealing the mass
of dead sticks beneath, and forms a tangled bar-
rier which checks both dogs and man. With
tough gaiters to guard the shins, we break through
by main force and weight, and the dogs scramble
sometimes over, sometimes under the surface. At.
this period the elk are in great numbers, as they
feed with great avidity upon the succulent young
nillho. The doo^s are now at a disadvantao;e.
While they are scrambling with difficulty through
this mass of half-rotten sticks, the elk bounds over
it with ease, leaving no path behind him, as he
clears it by leaps, and does not exhaust himself
by bursting through it. He now constantly escapes,
and leaves the pack miles behind ; the best hounds
follow him, but with such a start he leads them
into the unknown depths of the jungles, over high
mountains, and across deep ravines, from which
the lost dogs frequently never return.

There can be no question that it is a bad coun-
try for hunting at all times, as the mass of forest
is so disproportionate to the patinas ; but, on the
other hand, were the forests of smaller size there
would be less game. Elk-hunting is, on the whole,
fine sport. There are many disappointments con-
stantly occurring, but these must happen in all

DISASTERS OF ELK HUNTING. 307

sports. The only important drawback to the plea-
sure of elk-hunting is the constant loss of the dogs.
The best are always sure to go. What with deaths
by boars, leopards, elk, and stray hounds, the pack
is with difficulty maintained. Puppies are con-
stantly lost in the commencement of their training
by straying too far into the jungle, and sometimes
by reckless valour. I lost a fine young greyhound.
Lancer, own brother to Lucifer, in this way. It
was his first day with the pack.

We found a buck who came to bay in a deep
rocky torrent, where the dogs had no chance with
him, and he amused himself by striking them under
water at his pleasure. He at length took his stand
among some large rocks between which the torrent
rushed with great rapidity previous to its descent
over a fall of sixty feet. In this impregnable po-
sition young Lancer chose to distinguish him-
self, and with a beautiful spring he flew straight
at the buck's head ; but the elk met him with a
tremendous blow with the fore-feet, which broke
his back, and the unfortunate Lancer was killed
in his first essay, and swept over the waterfall.
This buck was at bay for two hours before he was
killed.

A veteran seizer is generally seamed with in-

X 2

308 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

numerable scars. Poor old Bran, who, being a
thorough-bred greyhound, is too fine in the skin
for such rough hunting, has been sewn up in so
many places that he is a complete specimen of
needlework. If any dog is hurt in a fight with
elk or boar, it is sure to be old Bran. He has
now a scar from a wound that was seven inches
in length, which he received from a buck whose
horns are hanging over my door. . . .

I had started with the pack at daybreak, and I
was riding down the Badulla road, about a mile
from the kennel, when the whole pack suddenly
took up a scent off the road, and dashed into the
jungle in full cry. The road was enclosed by
forest on either side. The pack had evidently
divided upon two elk, as they were running in
different directions.

Starting off down the pass I soon reached the
steep patinas, and I heard the pack coming down
through the jungle which crowns the hills on the
left of the road. There was a crash in the under-
wood, and the next moment a fine buck broke
cover and went away along the hill-side. Merri-
man and Tiptoe were the two leading dogs,
and they were not fifty yards behind him. Old
Smut came tearing along after them., and I

BRAN WOUNDED. 309

gave Bran a holloa and slipped him imme-
diately. It was a beautiful sight to see Bran
fly along the patina : across the swampy bottom,
taking the broad stream in one bound, and skim-
ming up the hill, he was on the buck's path in a
few minutes, pulling up to him at every stride.
Pie passed the few dogs that were in chase like
lightning, and in a few more bounds he was at
the buck's side. With a dexterous blow, however,
the buck struck him with his fore-foot, and sent
him rolling down the hill with a frightful gash in
his side. The buck immediately descended the hill-
side, and came to bay in a deep pool in the river.
Regardless of his wound old Bran followed him )
Smut and the other dogs joined, and there was
a fine bay, the buck fighting like a hero. The dogs
could not touch him, as he was particularly active
with his antlers.

I jumped into the water and gave them a cheer,
on which the buck answered immediately by charg-
ing at me. I met him with the point of my hunt-
ing knife in the nose, which stopped him, and in
the same moment old Smut was hanging on his
ear, having pinned him the instant that I had
occupied his attention. Bran had the other ear
just as I had given the fatal thrust. In a few se-

X 3

810 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

conds the struofijle was over. Bran's wound was
four inches wide and seven inches long.

My brother had a pretty run with the doe with
the other half of the pack, and we returned home
by eight a.m., having killed two elk.

Daybreak is the proper time to be upon the
ground for elk-hunting. At this hour they have
only just retired to the jungle after their night's
wandering on the patinas, and the hounds take up
a fresh scent, and save the huntsman the trouble
of entering the jungle. At a later hour the elk
have retired so far into the jungle that much time
is lost in finding them, and they are not so likely
to break cover as when they are just on the edge
of the forest. I had overslept myself one morning
when I ought to have been particularly early, as
we intended to hunt at the Matturatta plains, a
distance of six miles. The scent was bad, and
the sun was excessively hot ; the dogs were tired
and languid. It was two o'clock p.m. and we had
not found, and we were returning through the
forest homewards, having made up our minds for
a blank day.

Suddenly I thought I heard a deep voice at a
great distance ; it might have been fancy, but I
listened again. I counted the dogs, and old Smut

"old smut's" buck. 311

was missing. There was no mistaking liis voice
when at bay, and I now heard him distinctly in
the distance. Running towards the sound, through
fine open forest, we soon arrived on the Matu-
ratta plains. The whole pack now heard the old
dog distinctly, and they rushed to the sound across
the patinas. There was Smut sure enough, with
a fine buck at bay in the river, which he had
found and brought to bay single-handed.

The instant that the pack joined him the buck
broke his bay, and, leaping up the bank, he gave a
beautiful run over the patinas, with the whole
pack after him, and Bran a hundred paces in ad-
vance of the other dogs, x^ulling up to him with mur-
derous intent. Just as I thought that Bran would
have him, a sudden kick threw the dog over, but
he quickly recovered himself, and again came to
the front, and this time he seized the buck by
the ear, but this giving way, lost his hold and
ao-ain was kicked over. This had checked the elk's
speed for some seconds, and the other dogs were
fast closing up, seeing which the buck immediately
altered his course for the river, and took to water
in a deep pool. Down came old Smut after him,
and in a few moments there was a beautiful chorus,
as the whole pack had him at bay.

X 4

312 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

The river went through a deep gorge, and I
was obliged to sit down and slide for about thirty-
yards, checking a too rapid descent by holding on
to the rank grass. On arriving at the river, I
could at first see nothing for the high grass and
bushes which grew upon the bank, but the din of
the bay was just below me. Sliding through the
tangled underwood, I dropped into deep water,
and found myself swimming about with the buck
and dogs around me. Smut and Bran had him
by the ears, and a thrust with the knife finished
him.

However great the excitement may be during the
actual hunting, there is a degree of monotony in
the recital of so many scenes of the same character
that may be fatiguing ; I shall therefore close the
description of these mountain sports with the death
of the old hero Smut, and the loss of the best
hound, Merriman, both of whom have left a
blank in the pack not easily replaced.

On the 16th October 1852, I started with a very
short pack. Lucifer was left in the kennel
lame ; Lena was at home with her pups ; and
several other dogs were sick. Smut and Bran
were the only two seizers out that day, and, being

BOAR AT HACKGALLA. 313

short-handed, I determined to hunt in the more
green country at the foot of Hackgalla mountain.

My brother and I had entered the jungle with
the dogs, and before we had proceeded a hundred
yards we heard a fierce bay, every dog having
joined. The bay was not a quarter of a mile dis-
tant, and we were puzzled as to the character of
the game; whatever it was, it had stood to bay
without a run. Eeturning to the patina, in which
position we could distinctly assure ourselves of the
direction, we heard the bay broken, and a slow run
commenced. The next instant Bran came hob-
bling out of the jungle covered with blood, which
streamed from a frightful gash in his hind quarters.
There was no more doubt remaining as to the game
at bay ; it was an enormous boar.

Bran was completely hors de combat; and
Smut, having lost nearly all his teeth, was of no
use single-handed with such an enemy. We had
no seizers to depend upon, and the boar again
stood to bay in a thick jungle.

I happened to have a rifle with me that morning,
as I had noticed fresh elephant tracks in the neigh-
bourhood a few days previous, and, hoping to be
able to shoot the boar, we entered the jungle and
approached the scene of the bay.

314 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

When within twenty paces of the spot, I heard
his fierce grunting as he charged right and left
into the baying pack. In vain I cheered them
on, I heard no signs of his being seized, but
the fierce barking of old Smut mingled with
the savage grunts of the boar, and the occasional
cry of a wounded dog, explained the hopeless
nature of the contest. Again I cheered them
on, and suddenly Smut came up to me from the
fight, which was now not ten paces distant, but
perfectly concealed in thick bamboo underwood.
The old dog was covered with blood, his back was
bristled up, and his deep growl betokened his hope-
less rage. Poor old dog ! he had his deathwound.
He seemed cut nearlv in half; a wound fourteen
inches in length from the lower part of the belly
passed up his flank, completely severing the muscle
of the hind leg, and extending up to the spine.
His hind leg had the appearance of being nearly
off, and he dragged it after him in its powerless
state, and, with a fierce bark, he rushed upon three
legs once more to the fight. Advancing to within
six feet of the boar I could not even see him, both
he and the dogs were so perfectly concealed by the
thick underwood. Suddenly the boar charged. I
jumped upon a small rock and hoped for a shot,

DEATH OF

but, although he came within three feet of the
rifle, I could neither see him nor could he see me.
Had it not been for the fear of killing the dogs, I
would have fired where the bushes were moving ;
but as it was, I could do nothing. A rifle was
useless in such jungle. At length the boar broke
his bay, but again resumed it in a similar secure
position. There was no possibility of assisting the
dogs, and he was cutting up the pack in detaiL
If Lucifer and Lena had been there we could
have killed him, but without seizers we were help-
less in such jungle.

This lasted for an hour, at the expiration of
which we managed to call the dogs off. Old
Smut had stuck to him to the last, in despite
of his disabled state. The old dog, perfectly ex-
hausted, crawled out of the jungle : he had received
several additional wounds, including a severe gash
in his throat. He fell from exhaustion, and we
made a litter with two poles and a horsecloth to
carry him home. Bran, Merriman, and Plough-
boy, were all severely wounded. We were
thoroughly beaten. It was the first time that
we had ever been beaten ofi^, and I trust it may
be the last. We returned home with our van-
quished and bleeding pack — Smut borne in his

316 THE KIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

litter by four men — and we arrived at the kennel
a melancholy procession. The pack was disabled
for weeks, as the two leading hounds, Merriman
and Ploughboy, were severely injured.

Poor old Smut lingered for a few days and
died. Thus closed his glorious career of sport,
and he left a fame behind him which will never be
forgotten. His son, who is now twelve months
old, is the facsimile of his sire, and often recalls
the recollection of the old dog. I hope he may
turn out as good.* : .

Misfortunes never come alone. A few weeks
after Smut's death, Lizzie, an excellent bitch,
was killed by a leopard, who wounded Merriman in
the throat, but he being a powerful dog beat him
off and escaped. Merriman had not long recovered
from his wound when he came to a lamentable and
most diabolical end.

On the 24th December 1852, we found a buck
in the jungles by the Badulla road. The dead
nillho so retarded the pack, that the elk got a
long start of the dogs, and stealing down a stream
he broke cover, crossed the Badulla road, ascended
the opposite hills, and took to the jungle before a
single hound appeared upon the patina. At length

* Killed four months afterwards by a buck elk.

SCENERY FROM THE PERE WELLE MOUNTAINS. 317

Merriman came bounding along upon his track,
full a hundred yards in advance of the pack. In a
few minutes every dog had disappeared in the op-
posite jungle on the elk's path.

This was a part of the country where we inva-
riably lost the dogs, as they took away across a
vast jungle country towards a large and rapid
river situated among stupendous precipices. I had
often endeavoured to find the dogs in this part, but
to no purpose; this day, however, I was determined
to follow them if possible. I made a circuit of
twenty miles down into the low countries, and
again ascending through precipitous jungles, I re-
turned home in the evening, having only recovered
two dogs, which I found on the other side of the
range of mountains over which the buck had
passed. No pen can describe the beauty of the
scenery in this part of the country, but it is the
most frightful locality for hunting that can be
imagined. The high lands suddenly cease ; a
splendid panoramic view of the low country ex-
tends for thirty miles before the eye ; but to de-
scend to this, precipices of immense depth must be
passed ; and from a deep gorge in the mountain
the large river, after a succession of falls, leaps in
one vast plunge of three hundred feet into the abyss

318 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

below. This is a stupendous cataract, about a
mile below the foot of which is the village of Pere-
welle. I passed close to this village, and, having
ascended the steep sides of the mountain, I spent
hours in searching for the pack, but the roaring of
the river and the din of the waterfalls would have
drowned the cry of a hundred hounds. Once, and
only once, when half-way up the side of the moun-
tain, I thought I heard the deep bay of a hound in
the river below, then I heard the shout of a native ;
but the sound was not repeated, and I thought it
might proceed from the villagers driving their
buffalos. I passed on my arduous path, little
thinking of the tragic fate which at that moment
attended poor Merriman.

The next day all the dogs found their way home
to the kennel with the exception of Merriman.
I was rather anxious at his absence, as he knew
the whole country so thoroughly that he should
have been one of the iirst dogs to return. I was
convinced that the buck had been at bay in the
large river, as I had seen his tracks in several
places on the banks with dog tracks in company ;
this, added to the fact of the two stray dogs being
found in the vicinity, convinced me that they had
brought the elk to bay in the river, in which I

DIABOLICAL DEATH OF

imagined he had beaten the dogs off. Two or
three days passed away without Merriman's re-
turn, and, knowing him to be the leading hound
of the pack, I made up my mind that he had been
washed down a waterfall and killed.

About a week after this had happened, a native
came up from the low country with the intelligence
that the dogs had brought the buck to bay in the
river close to the village of Perewelle, and that the
natives had killed the elk and driven the dogs
away. The remaining portion of this man's story
filled me with rage and horror. Merriraan would
not leave the body of the elk : the natives thought
that the dog might be discovered in their village,
which would lead to the detection of the theft of
the elk ; they, therefore, tied this beautiful hound
to a tree, Icnocked his hrcmis out loith a hatchet^ and
threw his body into the river. This dog was a
favourite with every one who knew the pack. The
very instant that I heard the intelligence I took a
good stick, and, in company with my brother,
three friends, and my informant, we started to
revenge Merriman. Perewelle is twelve miles from
my house across country : it was six p. m. when
we started, and we arrived at a village within two
miles of this nest of villains at half-past eight.

320 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

Here we got further information, and a man who
volunteered to point out three men who were the
principal actors in murdering the dog. AYe slept
at this village, and, rising at four o'clock on the
following morning, we marched towards Pere-
welle to surprise the village and capture the
offenders.

It was bright moonlight, and we arrived at the
village just at break of day. The house was pointed
out in which the villains lived, and we immediately
surrounded it, and upon entering we seized the
offenders. Upon searching the house we found
a quantity of dried venison, a spear, and an axe
covered with blood, with which they had destroyed
the unfortunate dog.

A glorious satisfaction is the law of might ! At
every blow I thought of the dog's death, and we
thrashed them till we dared not go much further.
The whole village, which comprises nearly a hun-
dred persons, took to flight, according to their
usual cowardly nature. The captured wretches
declared their innocence, and they lay down pre-
tending to be at the point of death. Taking a
fine gutta percha whip I flogged them till they
revived again ; and we forced them to lead the way
and point out the very spot of the elk's death.

SCENE OF THE MURDER. 321

They would not confess the clog's murder, although
it was proved against them.

It was a frightful spot — about two hundred
paces below the foot of the great fall. The river,
swollen by the late rain, boiled, and strove with
the opposing rocks, lashing itself into foam, and
roaring down countless cataracts, which, though
well worthy of the name, sunk into insignificance
before the mighty fall which fed them. High
above our heads reared the rocky precipice of a
thousand feet in height, the grassy mountains
capped with forest, and I could distinguish the
very spot from which I had heard the shouts of
men on the day of Merriman's death. Had I only
known what was taking place below I might perhaps
have been in time to save the doof.

We found the blood and remains of the offal of
the buck, but we, of course, saw no remains of the
dog, as the power of the torrent must soon have
dashed him to atoms against the rocks.

Thus ended poor Merriman : a better hound
could not have lived, and his murderers should,
have been hanged. Unfortunately, Ceylon laws
are often administered by persons who have never
received a legal education, and these wretches
escaped without further punishment than the

322 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

thrashing they bad received. Of this, however,
they had a full dose, Avhich was a sweet sauce to
their venison which they little anticipated.

The few descriptions that I have given of elk-
hunting should introduce a stranger thoroughly
to the sport. Xo one, however, can enjoy it with
as much interest as the owner of the hounds ; he
knows the character of every dog in the pack —
every voice is familiar to his ear ; he cheers them
to the attack ; he caresses them for their courage ;
they depend upon him for assistance in the struggle^
and they mutually succour each other. This ren-
ders the dog a more cherished companion than he
is considered in England, where his qualities are
not of so important a nature ; and it makes the loss
of a good hound more deeply felt by his master.

Having thus described the general character or
Ceylon sports in all branches, I shall conclude by
a detailed journal of one trip of a few weeks in the
low country, which will at once explain the whole
minutia3 of the shooting in the island. This jour-
nal is taken from a small diary which has frequently
accompanied me on these excursions, containing
little memoranda which, by many, might be con
sidered tedious. The daily account of the various
incidents of a trip will, at all events, give a faith-
ful picture of the jungle sports.

S23

CHAP. XII.

A JUNGLE TRIP.

On the 16th November, 1851, I started from
Kandy, accompanied by my brother, Lieutenant
y. Baker, then of the Ceylon Rifle Eegiment.
Having sent on our horses from Newera Ellia some
days previous, as far as Matille, sixteen miles from
Kandy, we drove there early in the morning, and
breakfasted with F. Layard, Esq., who was then
assistant government agent. It had rained with-
out ceasing during twenty-four hours, and, hoping
that the weather might change, we waited at Ma-
tille till two o'clock p. M. The rain still poured in
torrents, and, giving up all ideas of fine weather,
we started.

The horses were brought round, and old Jack
knew as well as I did that he was starting for a
trip, as the tether rope was wound round his neck,
and the horsecloth was under his saddle. The
old horse was sleek and in fine condition for a
journey, and, without further loss of time, we

T 2

324 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

started for Dambool, a distance of thirty-one miles.
Not wishing to be benighted, we cantered the
whole way, and completed the distance in three
hours and a half, as we arrived at Dambool at
half-past five p. m.

I had started off Wallace and all the coolies
from Newera Ellia about a week beforehand ; and,
havinsr instructed him to leave a small box with

o

a change of clothes at the Dambool rest-house, I
now felt the benefit of the arrangement. The
horsekeepers could not possibly arrive that night.
We therefore cleaned and fed our own horses, and
littered them down with a good bed of paddy
straw; and, that being completed, we turned our
attention to curry and rice.

The next morning, at break of day, we fed the
horses. Old Jack was as fresh as a daisy. The
morning was delightfully cloud}^, but free from
rain ; and we cantered on to Innamalow, five miles
from Dambool. Here we procured a guide to
Minneria; and, turning off from the main road
into a narrow jungle-path, we rode for twenty
miles through dense jungle. Passing the rock of
Sigiri, which was formerly used as a fort by the
ancient inhabitants of the country, we gradually
entered better jungle, and at length we emerged

A JUNGLE TRIP. 325

upon the beautiful plains of Minneria. I had
ordered Wallace to pitch the encampment in the
exact spot which I had frequently occupied some
years ago. I therefore knew the place of ren-
dezvous, and directed my course accordingly.

AY hat a change had taken place ! a continuous
rought had reduced the lake from its original
size of twenty-two miles in circumference, to a
mere pool of about four miles in circuit ; this was
all that remained of the noble sheet of water
around which I had formerly enjoyed so much
sport.

From the rich bed of the dry lake sprung a fine
silky grass of about two feet in height, forming a
level plain of velvet green far as the eye could
reach. The turf was firm and elastic ; the four
o'clock sun had laid aside the fiercest of his rays,
and threw a gentle glow over the scene, which
reminded me of an English midsummer evening.

There is so little ground in Ceylon upon which
a horse can gallop without the risks of holes, bogs,
and rocks, that we could not resist a canter upon
such fine turf; and although the horses had made
a long journey already, they seemed to enjoy a
more rapid pace when they felt the inviting sward
beneath their feet. Although every inch of this

Y 3

326 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

country had been familiar to me, I felt some diffi-
culty in finding the way to the appointed spot, the
scene was so changed by the disappearance of the
water.

There were fresh elephant tracks in many parts
of the plain, and I was just anticipating good sport
for the next day, when we suddenly heard an ele-
phant trumpet in the open forest which we were
skirting. The next instant I saw eight elephants
among the large trees which bordered the forest.
For the moment I thought it was a herd, but I
almost immediately noticed the constrained and
unnatural positions in which they were standing.
They were all tied to different trees by the legs,
and upon approaching the spot we found an en-
campment of Arabs and Moormen who had been
noosing elephants for sale. We at once saw that
the country was disturbed, as these people had
been employed in catching elephants for some
weeks.

After a ride of seven or eight miles along the
plain, I discovered a thin blue line of smoke rising
from the edge of a distant forest, and shortly after
I could distinguish forms moving on the plain in
the same direction. Cantering towards the spot,
we found our coolies and encampment. The tents

A JUNGLE TRIP. 327

were pitched under some noble trees, which effec-
tually excluded every ray of sun. It was the
exact spot upon which 1 had been accustomed to
encamp some years ago. The servants had re-
ceived orders when they started from Kandy to
have dinner prepared at live o'clock on the 17th
November ; it was accordingly ready on our
arrival.

Minneria was the appointed rendezvous from
which this trip was to commence. Our party was
to consist of the Honourable Stuart Wortley ; E,
Palliser, Esq. ; Lieutenant Y. Baker ; S. W. Baker.
My brother had unfortunately only fourteen days'
leave from his regiment, and he and I had accord-
ingly hurried on a day in advance of our party,
they having still some preparations to complete in
Kandy, and not being quite so well horsed for a
quick journey.

Nothing could be more comfortable than our
arrangements. Our followers and establishment
consisted of four personal servants, an excellent
cook, four horsekeepers, fifty coolies, and Wallace ;
in all, sixty people. The coolies were all picked
men, who gave not the slightest trouble during
the whole trip. AYe had two tents, one of which
contained four beds and a general dressing-table ;

Y 4

328 THE EIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

the other, which was my umbrella-shaped tent,
was arranged as the dining-room, with table and
chairs. With complete dinner and breakfast ser-
vices for four persons, and abundance of table
linen, we had everything that could be wished for.
Although I can rough it if necessary, I do not
pretend to prefer discomfort from choice. A little
method, and a trifling extra cost, will make the
jungle trip anything but uncomfortable. There
was nothing wanting in our supplies. We had
sherry, Madeira, brandy and cura9oa, biscuits,
tea, sugar, coffee, hams, tongues, sauces, pickles,
mustard, sardines en huile, tins of soups, and pre-
served meats and vegetables, currant jelly for
venison, macaroni, vermicelli, flour, and a variety
of other things that add to the comfort of the
jungle, including last, but not least, a double
supply of soap and candles. No one knows the
misery should either of these fail — dirt and dark-
ness is the necessary consequence.

There was a large stock of talipots * to form tents
for the people and coverings for the horses in case
of rain ; in fact, there never was a trip more hap-
pily planned or more comfortably arranged, and

* Large leaves from the Talipot tree.

A JUNGLE TRIP.

329

there was certainly never such a battery assembled
in Ceylon as we now mustered. Such guns deserve
to be chronicled : —

Wortley

1 single barrel rifle

3-ounce.

»

1 double do. rifle

No. 12.

»

2 double do. guns -

No. 12.

Palliser

1 single do, rifle

No. 8. (my old 2-ounce).

}i

1 double do. rifle -

No. 12.

jj

2 double do. guns -

No. 12.

V. Baker

3 double do. do.

No. 14.

}f

1 double do. do.

No. 12.

>j

1 single do. rifle

No. 14.

S. W. Baker

1 single do. rifle

4-ounce.

»

3 double do. rifles -

No. 10.

j>

1 double do. gun -

No. 16.

18 guns

These guns were all by the first makers, and we
took possession of our hunting country with the
confidence of a good bag, provided that game was
abundant.

But how changed was this country since I had
visited it in former years, not only in appearance
but in the quantity of game !

On these plains, where in times past I had so
often counted immense herds of wild bufFalos, not
one was now to be seen. The deer were scared,
and in small herds, not exceedino; seven or ten,

330 THE RIFLE' AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

proving how they had been thinned out by shoot-
ino^. In fact Minneria had become within the last
four years a focus for most sportsmen, and the
consequence was that the country was spoiled ; not
by the individual shooting of visitors, but by the
stupid practice of giving the natives large quan-
tities of powder and ball as a present at the con-
clusion of a trip. They of course, being thus
supplied with ammunition, shoot the deer and
buiFalos without intermission, and drive them from
the country by incessant harassing.

I saw immediately that we could not expect
much sport in this disturbed part of the country,
and we determined to waste no more time in this
sport than would be necessary in procuring the
elephant trackers from Doalana. We planned our
campaign that evening at dinner.

Nov, 18. — At day-break I started Wallace off
to Doolana to bring my old acquaintance the Rha-
tamahatmeya and the Moormen trackers. I felt
confident that I could prevail upon him to accom-
pany us to the limits of his district ; this was all-
important to our chance of sport, as without him
we could procure no assistance from the natives.

After breakfast we mounted our horses and rode
to Cowdelle, eight miles, as I expqcted to find

A JUNGLE TRIP. 331

elephants in this open but secluded part of the
country. There were very fresh tracks of a herd,
and as we expected Wortley and Palliser on the
following day we would not disturb the country,
but returned to Minneria, and passed the after-
noon in shooting snipe and crocodiles. The latter
were in incredible numbers, as the whole popula-
tion of this usually extensive lake were now con-
densed in the comparatively small extent of water
before us. The fish of course were equally nu-
merous, and we had an unlimited supply of " Lola"
of three to four pounds Aveight at a penny each.
Our gang of coolies feasted upon them in immense
quantities, and kept a native fully employed in
catching them. Our cook exerted his powers in
producing some piquante dishes with these fish.
Stewed with melted butter (ghee), with anchovy
sauce, Madeira, sliced onion, and green chilies ;
this was a dish worthy of " Soyer," but they were
excellent in all shapes, even if plain boiled or
fried.

Nov. 19. — At about four p.m. I scanned the
plain with my telescope, in expectation of the
arrival of our companions, whom I discovered in
the distance, and as they approached within hear-
ing, we greeted them with a shout of welcome to

332 THE KIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

show the direction of our encampment. We were
a merry party that evening at dinner, and we de-
termined to visit Cowdelle, and track up the herd
that we had discovered, directly that the Moormen
trackers should arrive from Doolana.

The worst of this country was the swarm of
musquitos which fed upon us at night ; it was im-
possible to sleep with the least degree of comfort,
and we always hailed the arrival of morning with
delight.

Nov. 20. — At dawn this morning, before day-
light could be called complete, Palliser had hap-
pened to look out from the tent, and to his surprise
he saw a rogue elephant just retreating to the
jungle, at about two hundred yards distance. We
loaded the guns and Avent after him in as short a
time as possible, but he was too quick for us, and
he had retreated to thick jungle before we were
out. Wortley and I then strolled along the edge
of the jungle, hoping to find him again in some of
the numerous nooks which the plain formed by
running up the forest. We had walked quietly
along for about half a mile, when we crossed an
abrupt rocky promontory, which stretched from
the jungle into the lake like a ruined pier. On
the other side the lake formed a small bay, shaded

A JUNGLE TllIP. 333

by the forest which was separated from the water's
edge by a gentle slope of turf, about fifty yards in
width. This bay was a sheltered spot, and as we
crossed the rocky promontory, the noise that we
made over the loose stones, in turning the corner,
disturbed a herd of six deer, five of whom dashed
into the jungle ; the sixth stopped for a moment
at the edge of the forest to take a parting look at
us. He was the buck of the herd, and carried a
noble pair of antlers ; he was about a hundred and
twenty yards from us, and I took a quick shot at
him with one of the Xo. 10 rifles. The brushwood
closed over him as he bounded into the jungle,
but an ominous crack sounded back from the ball,
which made me think he was hit. At this moment
Palliser and Y. Baker came running up, thinking
that we had found the elephant.

The buck was standing upon some snow-white
quartz rocks when I fired, and upon an examin-
ation of the spot, frothy patches of blood showed
that he was struck through the lungs. Men are
bloodthirsty animals ; for nothing can exceed the
pleasure, after making a long shot, of finding the
blood track on the spot when the animal is gone.
We soon tracked him up, and found him lying
dead in the jungle within twenty yards of the spot.

334 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

This buck was the first head of game we had
bagged, with the exception of a young elk that
I had shot on horseback during the ride from
Dambool. We had plenty of snipe, and what with
fish, wildfowl, and venison, our breakfast began to
assume an inviting character. After breakfast we
shot a few couple of snipe upon the plain, and in
the evening we formed two parties, Palliser and
Y. Baker, and Wortley and myself, and taking
different directions, we scoured the country, agree-
ing to meet at the tent at dusk.

W. and I saw nothing beyond the fresh tracks
of game which evidently came out only at night.
We wandered about till evening, and then re-
turned towards the tent. On the way there I tried
a lono; shot at a heron with a rifle ; he was stand-
ing at about a hundred and fifty yards from us,
and by a lucky shot I killed him.

On arrival at the tent we found P. and Y. B.,
who had returned. They had been more fortunate
in their line of country, having found two rogue
elephants; one in thick jungle, which Y. B. fired
at and missed, and shortly after this shot, they
found another rogue on the plain not far from
the tent. The sun was nearly setting, and shone
well in the elephant's eyes ; thus they were able to

A JUNGLE TRrr. 835

creep pretty close to him without being observed,
and P. killed him by a good shot with a rifle, at
about twenty -five yards. In my opinion, tliis was
the same elephant that had been seen near the
tent early in the morning.

Wallace, with the Rhatamahatmeya and the
trackers, had arrived, and we resolved to start for
Cowdelle at daybreak on the following morning.

Nov. 21. — Having made our preparations over-
night for an early start, we were off at daybreak,
carrying with us the cook with his utensils, and
the canteen containing everything that could be
required for breakfast. We were thus prepared
for a long day's work, should it be necessary.

After a ride of about eight miles along a sandy
path, bordered by dense jungle, we arrived at the
open but marshy ground upon which we had seen
the tracks of the herd a few days previous. Fresh
elephant tracks had accompanied us the whole way
along our path, and a herd was evidently some-
where in the vicinity, as the path was obstructed
in many places by the branches of trees upon
which they had been feeding during the night.
The sandy ground was likewise printed with in-
numerable tracks of elk, deer, hogs, and leopards.
We halted under some wide -spreading trees, be-

836 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

neath which a clear stream of water rippled over
a bed of white pebbles, with banks of fine green
sward. In this spot were unmistakeable tracks of
elephants where they had been recently drinking.
The country was park-like, but surrounded upon
its borders with thick jungles; clumps of thorny
bushes were scattered here and there, and an
abundance of good grass and water ensured a large
quantit}^ of game. The elephants were evidently
not far off, and of course were well secured in the
thorny jungles.

Wortley had never yet seen a wild elephant,
and a dense jungle is by no means a desirable
place for an introduction to this kind of game.
It is a rule of mine never to follow elephants in
such ground, where they generally have it all their
own way ; but as there are exceptions to all rules,
we determined to find them, after having taken so
much trouble in making our arrangements.

We unsaddled, and ordered breakfast to be
ready for our return beneath one of the most shady
trees, and having loaded, we started off upon the
tracks. As I had expected, they led to a thick
thorny jungle, and slowly and cautiously we fol-
lowed the leading tracker. The jungle became
worse and worse as we advanced, and had it not

A JUNGLE TRIP. 337

been for the path which the elephants had formed,
we could not have moved an inch. The leaves of
the bushes were wet with dew, and we w^ere
obliged to cover up all the gun-locks to prevent
any of them missing fire. We crept for about a
quarter of a mile upon this track, when the sudden
snapping of a branch, a hundred paces in advance,
plainly showed that we were up with the game.

This is the exciting moment in elephant-shooting,
and every breath is held for a second intimation of
the exact position of the herd. A deep, guttural
sound, like the rolling of very distant thunder, is
heard, accompanied by the rustling and cracking
of the branches, as they rub their tough sides
against the trees. Our advance had been so stealthy
that they were perfectly undisturbed. Silently and
carefully we crept up, and in a few minutes I dis-
tinguished two immense heads exactly facing us at
about ten paces distant. Three more indistinct
forms loomed in the thick bushes just behind the
leaders.

A quiet whisper to Wortley to take a cool shot
at the left-hand elephant, in the exact centre of
the forehead, and down went the two leaders,
Wortley's and mine ; quickly we ran into the herd,
before they knew what had happened, and down

z

338 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

went another to Y. Baker's shot. The smoke hung
in such thick volumes that we could hardly see
two yards before us, when straight into the cloud
of smoke an elephant rushed towards us. V. Baker
fired, but missed; and my left-hand barrel extin-
guished him. Eunning through the smoke with a
spare rifle I killed the last elephant. They were
all bagged — five elephants within thirty seconds
from the first shot fired. Wortley had commenced
well, having killed his first elephant with one shot.

We found breakfast ready on our return to the
liorses, and having disturbed this part of the coun-
try by the heavy volley at the herd, we returned
to Minneria.

I was convinced that we could expect no sport
in this neighbourhood ; we therefore held a con-
sultation as to our line of country.

Some years ago I had entered the north of the
Yeddah country from this point, and I now pro-
posed that we should start upon a trip of discovery,
and endeavour to penetrate from the north to the
south of the Yeddah country into the " Park." No
person had ever shot over this route, and the wild-
ness of the idea only increased the pleasure of the
trip. We had not the least idea of the distance,
but we knew the direction by a pocket compass.

A JUNGLE TRIP. 339

There was but one objection to the plan, and
this hinged upon the shortness of V. Baker's leave.
We had only ten days unexpired, and it seemed
rash, with so short a term, to plunge into an un-
known country ; however, he was determined to
push on, as he trusted in the powers of an extraor-
dinary poney that would do any distance on a push.
This determination however destroyed a portion
of the trip, as we were obliged to push quickly
through a lovely sporting country, to arrive at a
civilized, or rather an acknowledged line of road
by which he could return to Kandy. Had we, on
the contrary, travelled easily through this country,
we should have killed an extraordinary amount of
game.

We agreed that our route should be this. We
were to enter the Yeddah country at the north,
and strike down to the south. I knew a bridle-
path from Badulla to Batticaloa, which cut through
the Yeddah country from west to east ; therefore
we should meet it at right angles. From this point
V. Baker was to bid adieu, and turn to the west
and reach Badulla, from thence to Newera Ellia,
and to his regiment in Kandy. We were to con-
tinue our direction southward, which I knew wou Id
eventually bring us to the Park.

z 2

310 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

Nov. 22 We moved our encampment, ac-
companied by the headman and his followers, and
after a ride of fourteen miles we arrived at the
country of Hengiriwatdowane, a park-like spot of
about twelve square miles, at which place we were
led to expect great sport. The appearance of the
ground was all that we could wish ; numerous
patches of jungle and single trees were dotted upon
the surface of fine turf.

In the afternoon, after a cooling shower, we all
separated, and started with our respective gun-
bearers in different directions, with the under-
standing that no one was to fire a shot at any
game but elephants. We were to meet in the
evening and describe the different parts of the
country so that we should know how to proceed
on the following day.

I came upon herds of deer in several places, but
I of course did not fire, although they were within
certain shot. I saw no elephants.

Everyone saw plenty of deer, but Y. Baker was
the only lucky individual in meeting with ele-
phants. He came upon a fine herd, but they winded
hira and escaped. There was evidently plenty of
game, but V. B. having fired at the elephants, we
knew that this part of the country was disturbed ;

A JUNGLE TRIP. 341

v/e therefore had no hesitation in discharging all
the guns and having them well cleaned for the next
morning, when we proposed to move the tent a
couple of miles further oiF.

Nov, 23. — A most unfortunate day, proving
the disadvantage of being ignorant of the ground.
Although I knew the whole country by one route,
from Minneria to the north of the Yeddah country,
we had now diverged from that route to visit this
particular spot, which I had never before shot
over. We passed on through beautiful open coun-
try interspersed with clumps of jungle, but Avithout
one large tree that would shade the tent.

A single roofed tent exposed to the sun is per-
fectly unbearable, and we continued to push on in
the hope of finding a tree of sufficient size to
afford shelter.

Some miles were passed ; fresh tracks of elephants
and all kinds of game were very numerous, and
the country was perfection for shooting.

At length the open plains became more con-
tracted, and the patches of jungle larger and more
frequent. By degrees the open ground ceased al-
together, and we found ourselves in a narrow path
of deep mud passing through impenetrable thorny
jungle. Nevertheless our guide insisted upon push-

z 3

342 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

ing on to a place which he compared to that which
we had unfortunately left behind us. Instead of
going two miles, as we had originally intended, we
had already ridden sixteen at the least, and still
the headman persisted in pushing on. 'No coolies
were up ; the tents and baggage were far behind ;
we had nothing to eat ; we had left the fine open
country, which was full of game, miles behind us,
and we were in a close jungle country where a
rifle was not worth a bodkin. It was too annoying.
I voted for turning back to the lovely hunting-
ground that we had deserted ; but after a long
consultation we came to the conclusion that every
day was of such im.portance to V. Baker, that we
could not afford to retrace a single step.

Thus all this beautiful country, abounding with
every kind of game, was actually passed over
without firing a single shot.

I killed a few couple of snipe in a neighbouring
swamp to pass the time until the coolies arrived
with the baggage; they were not up until four
o'clock p. M., therefore the whole day was wasted,
and we were obliged to sleep here.

Nov. 24. — This being Sunday, the guns were
at rest. The Avhole of this country was dense
chenar jungle ; we therefore pushed on, and after

A JUNGLE TRIP. 343

a ride of fourteen miles, we arrived at the Eha-
tamahatmeya's residence at Doolana. He insisted
upon our taking breakfast with him, and he ac-
cordingly commenced his preparations. Borrowing
one of our hunting -knives, two of his men gave
chase to a kid, and cut his head off. Half an hour
afterwards we were eating it in various forms, all
of which were excellent.

We had thus travelled over forty-four miles of
country from Minneria, without killing a single
head of game. Had we remained a week in the
country through which we had passed so rapidly,
we must have had most excellent sport. All this
was the effect of being hurried for time.

In the neighbourhood of Doolana I had killed
many elephants some years ago, and I have no
doubt we could have had good sport at this time ;
but Y. Baker's leave was so fast expiring, and the
natives' accounts of the distance through the Yed-
dah country were so vague, that we had no choice
except to push straight through as fast as we
could travel, until we should arrive on the Bat-
ticaloa path.

We took leave of our friend the Khatama-
hatmeya ; he had provided us with good trackers,
who were to accompany us through the Yeddah

z 4

344 THE EIFLE AND BOUND IN CEYLON.

country to the Park ; but I now began to have
my doubts as to the knowledge of the ground.
However we started, and after skirting the Doo-
lana tank for some distance, we rode ^ve miles
through fine forest, and then arrived on the banks
of the Mahawelle river. The stream was at this
time very rapid, and was a quarter of a mile in
width, rolling along between its steep banks through
a forest of magnificent trees. Some hours were
consumed in transporting the coolies and baggage
across the river, as the canoe belonging to the vil-
lage of Monampitya, on the opposite bank, would
only hold four coolies and their loads at one voyage.

AYe swam the horses across, and, attending care-
fully to the safety of the cook before any other
individual, we breakfasted on the opposite bank,
while the coolies were crossing the river.

After breakfast, a grave question arose, viz.,
Which way were we to go ? The trackers that the
headman had given us now confessed that they did
not know an inch of the Yeddah country into
which we had arrived by crossing the river, and
they refused to go a step further. Here was a
" regular fix !" as the Americans would express it.

The village of Monampitya consists of about six
small huts ; and we now found out that there was

A JUNGLE TRIP. 345

no other village within forty miles in the direction
that we wished to steer. Not a soul could we obtain
as a guide — no offer of reward would induce a man
to start — as they declared that no one knew the
country, and that the distance was so great that
the people would be starved, as they could get
nothing to eat. We looked hopelessly at the
country before us. We had a compass, certainly,
which might be useful enough on a desert or a
prairie, but in a jungle country it was of little
value.

Just as we were in the greatest despair, and we
were gazing wistfully in the direction which the
needle pointed out as the position of the *' Park,"
now separated from us by an untravelled district
of an unknown distance, we saw two figures with
bows and arrows coming from the jungle. One
of* these creatures bolted back again into the
bushes the moment he perceived us ; the other
one had a fish in his hand, of about four pounds
weight, which he had sliot with his bow and arrow,
and, while he was hesitating whether he should
run or stand still, we caught him.

Of all the ugly little devils I ever saw, he was
superlative. He squinted terribly; his hair was
greyish and matted with filth; he was certainly

346 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

not more than four feet and a half high, and he
carried a bow two feet longer than himself. He
could speak no language but his own, which
throughout the Yeddah country is much the same,
intermixed with so many words resembling Cin-
galese that a native can generally understand their
meaning. By proper management, and some little
presents of rice and tobacco, w^e got the animal
into a good humour, and we gathered the following
information : —

. He knew nothing of any place excej)t the north-
ern portion of the Yeddah country. This was his
Avorld; but his knowledge of it was extremely
limited, as he could not undertake to guide us
further than Oomanoo, a Yeddah village, which he
described as three days' journey from where we
then stood. We made him point out the direction
in which it lay. This he did, after looking .fcr
some moments at the sun ; and, upon comparing
the position with the compass, we were glad to see
it at South- South-East, being pretty close to the
course tbat we wished to steer. From Oomanoo,
he said, we could procure another Yeddah to guide
us still further ; but he himself knew nothing more.
Now this was all satisfactory enough so far ; but
I had been completely wrong in my idea of the

A JUNGLE TRIP. 347

distance from Doolana to the " Park." We now
heard of three days' journey to Oomanoo, which
was certainly somewhere in the very centre of the
Yeddah country ; and our quaint little guide had
never even heard of the Batticaloa road. There
was no doubt, therefore, that it was a long way
from Oomanoo, which village might be any dis-
tance from us, as a Yeddah's description of a day's
journey might vary from ten to thirty miles.

I certainly looked forward to a short allowance
of food both for ourselves and coolies. We had
been hurrying through the country at such a rate
that we had killed no deer ; we had, therefore, been
living upon our tins of preserved provisions, of
which we had now only four remaining.

At the village of Monampitya there was no rice
procurable, as the natives lived entirely upon kor-
rakan *, at which our coolies turned up their
noses, when I advised them to lay in a stock
before starting.

There was no time to be lost, and we determined
to push on as fast as the coolies could follow, as
they had only two days' provisions ; we had pre-
cisely the same, and those could not be days of

* A small seed; wliicli they make into hard uneatable cakes.

348 THE EIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

feasting. We were, in fact, like sailors going to
sea with a ship only half victualled ; and, as we
follov/ed our little guide, and lost sight of the
village behind us, I foresaw that our stomachs
would suffer unless game was plentiful on the
path.

We passed through beautiful open country for
about eight miles, during which we saw several
nerds of deer ; but we could not get a shot. At
length we pitched the tent, at four o'clock p. m., at
the foot of " Gunner's Coin," a solitary rocky
mountain of about two thousand feet in heio^ht,
which rises precipitously from the level country.
We then divided into two parties — W. and P.,
and Y. B. and I. We strolled off with our guns
in different directions.

The country was perfectly level, being a succes-
sion of glades of fine low grass divided into a
thousand natural paddocks by belts of jungle.

We were afraid to stroll more than a mile from
the tent, lest we should lose our wa}^ ; and we took
a good survey of the most prominent points of the
mountain, that we might know our direction by
their position.

After an hour's walk, and just as the sun was
setting, a sudden crash in a jungle a few yards

A JUNGLE TRIP. 349

from us brought the rifles upon full cock. The
next moment, out came an elephant's head, and I
knocked him over by a front shot. He had held
his head in such a peculiar position, that a ball
could not reach the brain, and he immediately
recovered himself, and, wheeling suddenly round,
he retreated into the jungle, through which we
could not follow.

We continued to stroll on from glade to glade,
expecting to find him ; and, in about a quarter of
an hour, we heard the trumpet of an elephant.
Fully convinced that this was the wounded animal,
we pushed on towards the spot ; but, on turning a
corner of the jungle, we came suddenly upon a herd
of seven of the largest elephants that I ever saw to-
gether; they must have been all bulls. Unfor-
tunately, they had our wind, and, being close to
the edge of a thick thorny jungle, they disappeared
like magic. We gave chase for a short distance,
but w^ere soon stopped by the thorns. We had no
chance with them.

It was now dusk, and we therefore hastened to-
wards the tent, seeing three herds of deer and one
of hogs on our way ; but it was too dark to get a
shot. The deer were basking in every direction,
and the country was evidently alive with game.

350 THE EIFLB AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

On arrival at tlie tent, we found that W. and P.
had met with no better kick than ourselves. Two
of our this of provisions were consumed at dinner,
leaving us only two remaining. Not a moment
was to be lost in pushing forward ; and we deter-
mined upon a long march on the following day.

Nov. 25. — Sunrise saw us in the saddles. The
coolies, with the tents and baggage, kept close up
with the horses, being afraid to lag behind, as there
was not a semblance of a path, and we depended
entirely upon our small guide, who appeared to
have an intimate knowledge of the whole country.
The little Veddah trotted along through the wind-
ing glades ; and we travelled for about five miles
without a word being spoken by one of the party,
as we were in hopes of coming upon deer. Un-
fortunately, we were travelling down wind; we
accordingly did not see a single head of game, as
they of course winded us long before we came in
view.

"We had ridden about eight miles, when we sud-
denly came upon the fresh tracks of elephants, and,
immediately dismounting, we began to track up.
The ground being very dry, and the grass short
and parched, the tracks were very indistinct, and
it was tedious work. AYe had followed for about

A JUNGLE TEIP. 351

half a mile through alternate glades and belts of
jungle, when we suddenly spied a Yeddah hiding
behind a tree about sixty yards from us. The
moment that he saw he was discovered, he set off
at full speed ; but two of our coolies who acted as
gunbearers, started after him. These fellows were
splendid runners, and, after a line course, they ran
him down ; but when caught, instead of expressing
any fear, he seemed to think it a good joke. He
was a rather short but stout built fellow, and
he was immediately recognized by our little guide
as one of the- best hunters among the northern
Yeddahs. He soon understood our object ; and,
putting down his bow and arrows and a little
pipkin of sour curd (his sole provision on his hunt-
ing trip), he started at once upon the track.

Without any exception, he was the best tracker
I have ever seen : although the ground was as hard
as a stone, and the footprints constantly invisible,
he went like a hound upon a scent at a pace that
kept us in an occasional jog-trot. After half an
hour's tracking, and doubling backwards and for-
ward in thick jungle, we came up with three
elephants. V. B. killed one, and I killed another
at the same moment. Y. B. also fired at the third ;
but, instead of falling, he rushed towards us, and I

352 THE RirLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

killed him with my remaining barrel, Palliser join-
ing in the shot. They were all killed in about
three seconds. The remaining portion of the herd
were at a distance, and we heard them crashing
through the thick jungle. We followed them for
about a mile, but they had evidently gone off to
some other country. The jungle was very thick,
and we had a long journey to accomplish ; we
therefore returned to the horses, and rode on, our
party being now increased by the Yeddah tracker.

After having ridden about twenty miles, the last
eight of which had been through alternate forest
and jungle, we arrived at a small plain of rich
o-rass of about a hundred acres : this was sur-
rounded by forest. Unfortunately, the nights
were not moonlight, or we could have killed a deer,
as they came out in immense herds just at dusk.
We luckily bagged a good supply of snipe, upon
which we dined, and we reserved our tins of meat
for some more urgent occasion.

Nov. 26. — All vestiges of open country had
long ceased. We now rode for seventeen miles
through magnificent forest, containing the most
stupendous Banian trees that I have ever beheld.
The ebony trees were also very numerous, and
grew to an immense size. This forest was perfectly

A JUNGLE TRIP. 353

Open. There was not a sign of either underwood
or grass beneath the trees, and no track was
discernible, beyond the notches in the trees made
at some former time by the Yeddah's axe. In one
part of this forest a rocky mountain appeared at
some period to have burst into fragments ; and, for
the distance of about a mile, it formed the ap-
parent ruins of a city of giants. Rocks as large as
churches lay piled one upon the other, forming
long dark alleys and caves that would have housed
some hundred men.

The effect was perfectly fairylike, as the faint
silver light of the sun, mellowed by the screen of
tree tops, half lighted up these silent caves. The
giant stems of the trees sprung like tall columns
from the foundations of the rocks, and shadowed
them with their dense foliage. Two or three
families of "Cyclops" would not have been out of
place in this spot ; they were just the class of
people that one would expect to meet in such a
place.

Late in the afternoon, we arrived at the long
talked of village of Oomanoo, about eighteen miles
from our last encampment. It was a squalid
miserable place of course, and nothing was obtain-
able. Our coolies had not tasted food since the

A A

6i)4: THE KIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

preceding evening ; but, by good luck, vre met a
travelling Moorman, who had just arrived at the
villao:e with a little rice to exchano;e with the
Yeddahs for dried venison. As the villagers did
not happen to have any meat to barter, we pur-
chased all the rice at an exorbitant price ; but it
was only sufficient for half a meal for each servant
and cooley, when equally divided.

Fortunately, we killed four snipe and two doves :
these were added to our last two tins of provisions,
which were ^' hotch potch," and stewed all together.
This made a good dinner. We had now nothing
left but our biscuits and groceries. All our hams
and preserved meats were gone, and we only had
one meal on that day.

Nov. 27. — Our horses had eaten nothing but
grass for many days ; this, however, was excellent,
and old Jack looked fat, and was as hardy as ever.
We now discharged our Yeddali guides, and took
on others from Oomanoo. These men told us that
we were only four miles from the Batticaloa road,
and, with great glee, we started at break of day,
determined to breakfast on arrival at the road.

The old adage of " Many a slip 'twixt the cup
and the lip " was here fully exemplified. Four
miles ! We rode twenty-five miles ! without draw-

A JUNGLE TRIP. 355

ing the rein once, and at length we then did reach
the road ; that is to say, a narrow track of grass,
which is the track to Batticaloa, for which we had
been steering during our journey. A native hut
in this wilderness rendered the place worthy of a
name ; it is therefore known upon the government
maps as " Pyeley."

From this place we were directed on to " Cur-
hellulai," a village represented to us as a small
London, abounding with every luxury. We ob-
tained a guide and started, as they assured us it
was only two miles distant.

After riding three miles through a country of
open glades and thick jungle, the same guide who
had at first told us it was two miles from " Pyeley,"
now said it was only " thi^ee miles further onT We
knew these fellows' ideas of distance too well to
proceed any further. We had quitted the Batti-
caloa track, and we immediately dismounted, un-
saddled, and turned the horses loose upon the
grass.

Having had only one meal the day before, and
no breakfast this morning, we looked forward with
impatience to the arrival of the coolies, although
I confess I did not expect them, as they were too
weak from want of food to travel far. They had

A A 2

356 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

only half a meal the clay before, and nothing at all
the clay before that,

We had halted in a grassy glade surrounded by
thick jungle. There were numerous fresh tracks
of deer and elk, but the animals themselves would
not show.

As evening approached we collected a quantity
of dead timber and lio-hted a o;ood fire, before
which we piled the rifles, three and three, about
ten feet apart. Across these we laid a pole, and
then piled branches from the ground to the pole
in a horizontal position. This made a shed to
protect us from the dew, and, with our saddles for
pillows, we all lay down together and slept soundly
till morning.

Nov, 28. — We woke hungry, and accordingly
tightened our belts by two or three holes. Y . Baker
had to be in Kandy by the evening of the 30th,
and lie was now determined to push on. His pony
had thrown all his shoes, and had eaten nothing
but grass for many days.

I knew our position well, as I had been lost near
this spot about two years ago. We were fifty-three
miles from Badulla. Nevertheless, Y. B. started
off, and arrived in Badulla that evening. On the
same pony he pushed on to Newera EUia, thirty-

A JUNGLE TRIP. 357

six miles, the next day, and tlien taking a fresh
horse, he rode into Kandy, forty-seven miles,
arriving in good time on the evening of the
SOth November.

Having parted with Y. B., we saddled and
mounted, and, following our guide through a
forest-path, we arrived at Curhellulai after a ride
of four miles. Nothing could exceed the wretched-
ness of this place, from which we had been led to
expect so much. We could not even procure a
grain of rice from the few small huts which com-
posed the village. The headman, Avho himself
looked half-starved, made some cakes of korrakan ;
but as they appeared to be composed of two parts
of sand, one of dirt, and one of grain, I preferred
a prolonged abstinence to such filth. The abject
poverty of the whole of this country is beyond
description.

Our coolies arrived at eight a.m., faint and tired ;
they no longer turned up their noses at korrakan,
as they did at Monampitya, but they filled them-
selves almost to bursting.

I started off Y. B.'s coolies after hiui, also eight
men whose loads had been consumed, and, with a
diminished party, we started for Bibille, which the
natives assured us was only nineteen miles from

A A 3

358 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

this spot. For once they were about correct in
their ideas of distance. The beautiful park coun-
try commenced about four miles from Curhellulai,
and, after a lovely ride through this scenery for
sixteen miles, we arrived at the luxurious and
pretty village of Bibille, which had so often been
my quarters.

We had thus ridden about 140 miles from Min-
neria, through a country abounding with game of
all kinds, sixty miles of which had never been shot
over, and yet the whole bag in this lovely country
consisted of only three elephants. So much for
hurrying through our ground. If we had remained
for a week at the foot of the Gunner's Coin, we
could have obtained supplies of all kinds from
Doolana, and we should have enjoyed excellent
sport through the whole country. Our total bag
was now wretchedly small, considering the quan-
tity of ground that we had passed over. We had
killed nine elephants and two deer. Y. Baker had
a miserable time of it, having only killed two ele-
phants when he was obliged to return. The trip
might, in fact, be said to commence from Bibille.

This is a ver}^ pretty, civilised village, in the
midst of a wild country. It is the residence of
a Rhatamahatmeya, and he and his family were

A JUNGLE TRIP. 359

well known to me. They were perfectly astonished
when they heard by which route we had arrived,
and upon hearing of our forty-eight hours of fast-
ing, they lost no time in preparing dinner. We
were noAV in a land of plenty, and we shortly fell
to at a glorious dinner of fowls in various shapes,
curries, good coffee, rice cakes, plantains, and
sweet potatoes. After our recent abstinence and
poor fare, it seemed a perfect banquet.

Nov. 29. — The coolies did not arrive till early
this morning; they Avere soon hard at work at
curry and rice, and, after a few hours of rest, we
packed up and started for a spot in the park (upon
which I had often encamped) about ten miles from
Bibille.

The horses had enjoyed their paddy as much as
we had relished our change of diet, and the coolies
were perfectly refreshed. I sent orders to Koto-
boya (about twenty miles from Bibille) for several
bullock loads of paddy and rice to meet us at an
appointed spot, and with a good supply of fowls
and rice, &c. for the present, we arrived at our
place of encampment at three p. M., after a delight-
ful ride.

The grass was beautifully green ; a few large
trees shaded the tents which were pitched near a

A A 4

360 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

stream, and the undulations of the ground, inter-
spersed with clumps of trees, and ornamented by
rocky mountains, formed a most lovely scene. We
sent a messenger to Nielgala for Banda, and another
to Dimbooldine for old Medima, and the trackers,
with orders to meet us at our present encamp-
ment. We then took our rifles and strolled out
to get a deer. We shortly found a herd, and
Wortley got a shot at about sixty yards, and killed
a doe. W"e could have killed other deer shortly
aftervfards, but we did not wish to disturb the
country by firing unnecessary shots, as we had
observed fresh tracks of elephants.

We carried the deer to the tent, and rejoiced
our coolies with the sight of venison : the doe was
soon divided among them, one haunch only being
reserved for our own use.

Nov, 30. — This being Sunday, was a day of
rest for man and beast after our recent wanderings,
and we patiently awaited the arrival of Banda and
the trackers. The guns were all in beautiful order,
and stood arranged against a temporary rack in
readiness for the anticipated sport on the following
day.

Banda and the trackers arrived in the afternoon.
His accounts were very favourable as to the num-

A JUNGLE TKIP. 361

ber of elephants, and we soon laid down a plan for
beating the Park in a systematic manner.

Upon this arrangement the duration of sport in
this country materially depends. If the shooting
is conducted thoughtlessly here and there, without
reference to the localities, the whole Park becomes
alarmed at once, and the elephants quit the open
country and retire to the dense chenar jungles.

I proposed that we should commence shooting
at our present encampment, then beat towards the
Cave, shoot over that country towards Pattapalaar,
from thence to cross the river and make a circuit
of the whole of that portion of the Park, and finish
off in the environs of Nielgala.

Banda approved of this plan, as we should then
be driving the borders of the Park, instead of com-
mencing in the centre.

Dec. 1. — The scouts were sent out at daybreak.
At two o'clock P.M. they returned: they had found
elephants, but they were four miles from the tent,
and two men had been left to watch them.

Upon questioning them as to their position, we
discovered that they were in total ignorance of the
number in the herd, as they had merely heard
them roaring in the distance. They could not
approach nearer, as a notoriously vicious rogue

362 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

elephant was consorting with the herd. This ele-
phant was well known to the natives from a pecu-
liarity in having only one tush, which was about
eighteen inches long.

In November and December elephant-shooting
requires more than ordinary caution at the Park,
as the rogue elephants, who are always bulls, are
in the habit of attending upon the herds. The
danger lies in their cunning. They are seldom
seen in the herd itself, but they are generally within
a few hundred paces, and just as the guns may
have been discharged at the herd, the rogue will,
perhaps, appear in full charge from his ambush.
This is exquisitely dangerous, and is the manner
in which I was caught near this spot in 1850.

Banda was very anxious that this rogue should
be killed before we attacked the herd, and he
begged me to give him a shoulder shot with the
four-ounce rifle, while Wortley and Palliser were
to fire at his head. A shot through the shoulder
with the heavy rifle would be certain death, although
he might not drop immediately ; but the object of
the natives was simply to get him killed on account
of his mischievous habits.

We therefore agreed to make our first attack
upon the rogue : if ^Ye should kill him on the spot.

A JUNGLE TRIP. 363

SO mucli the better ; if not, we knew that a four-
ounce ball through his lungs would kill him even-
tually, and, at all events, he would not be in a
humour to interruj^t our pursuit of the herd,
which we were to push for, tbe moment we had
put the rogue out of the way.

These arrangements being made, we started.
After a ride of about four miles through beautiful
country, we saw a man in the distance, who was
beckoning to us. This was one of the watchers,
who pointed to a jungle into which the elephant
had that moment entered. From the extreme
caution of the trackers, I could see that this rogue
was worthy of his name.

The jungle into which he had entered was a
long but narrow belt, about a hundred yards in
width; it was tolerably good, but still it was so
close that we could not see more than six paces in
advance. I fully expected that he was lying in
wait for us, and would charge when least expected.
AVe therefore cautiously entered the jungle, and,
sending Banda on in advance, with instructions
to retreat upon the guns if charged, we followed
him at about twenty paces distance.

Banda immediately untied his long hair, which
fell to his hips, and divesting himself of all clothing

364 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

except a cloth round his loins, he crept on in ad-
vance as stealthily as a cat. So noiselessly did he
move, that we presently saw him gliding back to
us without a sound. He whispered that he had
found the elephant, who was standing on the
patina, a few yards beyond the jungle. We im-
mediately advanced, and, upon emerging from the
jungle, we saw him within thirty paces on our
right, standing with his broadside exposed. Crack
went the four-ounce through his shoulder, and the
three-ounce and No. 8, with a similar good inten-
tion, into his head. Nevertheless, he did not fall,
but started off at a great pace, though stumbling
nearly on his knees, his head and tail both hanging
down, his trunk hanging listlessly upon the ground,
and his ears, instead of being cocked, were pressed
tightly back against his neck. He did not look
much like a rogue at that moment, with upwards
of half a pound of lead in his carcase. Still we
could not get another shot at him before he reached
a jungle about seventy paces distant; and here we
stopped to load before we followed him, thinking
that he was in dense chenar. This was a great
mistake, for, on following him a minute later, we
found the jungle was perfectly open, being merely
a fringe of forest on the banks of a broad river ;

A JUNGLE TRIP. 865

in crossing this we must have killed him had we
not stopped to load.

On the sandy bed of this river we found the
fresh tracks of several elephants, who had evidently
only just retreated, being disturbed by the shots
fired ; these were a portion of the herd, and the
old rogue having got his quietus, we pushed on
as fast as w^e could upon the tracks through fine
open forest.

For about an hour we pressed on through forests,
plains, rivers, and thick jungles alternately, till
at length, upon arriving on some rising ground,
we heard the trumpet of an elephant.

It was fine country, but overgrown with lemon
grass ten feet high. Clumps of trees were scat-
tered here and there among numerous small dells.
Exactly opposite lay several large masses of rock,
shaded by a few trees, and on our left lay a small
hollow of high lemon grass, bordered by jungle.

In this hollow we counted seven elephants, their
heads and backs were just discernible above the
grass, as we looked over them from some rising
ground at about seventy yards distance. Three
more elephants were among the rocks, browsing
upon the long grass.

We now heard unmistakeable sounds of a large

366 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

number of elephants in the jungle below us, from
which the seven elephants in the hollow had only
just emerged, and we quietly waited for the ap-
pearance of the whole herd, this being their usual
feeding tim.e.

One by one they majestically stalked from the
jungle. We were speculating on the probable
number of this large herd, when one of them
suddenly winded us, and, with magical quickness,
they all wheeled round and rushed back into the
jungle.

Calling upon my little troop of gun-bearers to
keep close up, away we dashed after them at full
speed ; down the steep hollow and through the
high lemon grass, now trampled into lanes by the
retreating elephants.

In one instant the jungle seemed alive; there
were upwards oi fifty elephants in the herd. The
trumpets rang through the forest, the young trees
and underwood crashed in all directions with an
overpowering noise, as this mighty herd, bearing
everything before it, crashed in one united troop
through the jungle.

At the extreme end of the grassy hollow there
was a snug corner formed by an angle in the
jungle. A glade of fine short turf stretched for a

A JUNGLE TRIP. 367

short distance into the forest, and, as the herd
seemed to be bearing down in this direction, Wort-
ley and I posted off as hard as we could go, hoping
to intercept them if they crossed the glade. We
arrived there in a few moments, and, taking our
position on this fine level sward, about ten paces
from the forest, we awaited the apparently irre-
sistible storm that was bursting exactly upon us.

No pen, no tongue can describe the magnificence
of the scene ; the tremendous roaring of the herd,
mingled with the shrill screams of other elephants ;
the bursting stems of the broken trees ; the rushing
sound of the leafy branches as though a tempest
were howling through them, all this concentrating
vvith great rapidity upon the very spot upon which
we were standing. This was an exciting moment,
especially to nerves unaccustomed to the sport.

The whole edge of the forest was faced with a
dense network of creepers ; from the highest tree
tops to the ground they formed a leafy screen like
a green curtain which clothed the forest as ivy
covers the walls of a house. Behind this opaque
mass the great actors in the scene were at work,
and the whole body would evidently in a few
seconds burst through this leafy veil and be right
upon us.

368 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

On they came, the forest trembling with the
onset ; the leafy curtain burst into tatters, the
jungle ropes and snaky stems tearing the branches
from the tree tops were in a few moments heaped
in a tangled and confused ruin. One dense mass
of elephant's heads, in full career, presented them-
selves through the shattered barrier of creepers.

Eunning towards them with a loud holloa, they
were suddenly checked by our unexpected appari-
tion, but the confused mass of elephants made the
shooting very difficult. Two elephants rushed out
to cross the little nook within four yards of me,
and I killed both by a right and left shot. Wal-
lace immediately pushed a spare rifle into my hand,
just as a large elephant, meaning mischief, came
straight towards me, with ears cocked, from the
now staggered body of the herd. I killed her with
the front shot, both barrels having gone off at
once, the heavy charge of powder in the right
hand barrel having started the trigger of the left
barrel by the concussion. Round wheeled the herd,
leaving their three leaders dead ; and now the race
begun.

It was splendid forest, and the elephants rushed
off at about ten miles an hour, in such a compact
troop that their sterns formed a living barrier, and

A JUNGLE TRIP. 3G9

not a head could be seen. At length, after a burst
of about two hundred yards, the deep and dry bed
of a torrent formed a trench about ten feet in
width.

Not hesitating at this obstacle, down went the
herd without missing a step ; the banks crumbled
and half filled the trench as the leaders scrambled
across, and the main body rushed after them at an
extraordinary pace.

I killed a large elephant in the act of crossing ;
he rolled into the trench, but struggling to rise, I
gave him the other barrel in the nape of the neck,
which, breaking his spine, extinguished him. He
made a noble bridge, and jumping upon his car-
case, we cleared the ravine, and again the chase
continued, although the herd had now gained
about thirty paces.

Upon a fine meadow of grass, about four feet
high, the herd now rushed along in a compact mass
extending in a broad line of massive hind-quarters
over a surface of half an acre. This space formed
a complete street in their wake as they levelled
everything before them ; and the high grass stood
up on either side of this road like a wall.

Along this level road we ran at full speed,
and by great exertions, managed to keep within

B B

370 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

twenty yards of the game. Full a quarter of a
mile was passed at this pace without a shot being
fired. At length one elephant turned and faced
about exactly in front of me. My three double-
barrelled rifles were now all empty, and I was
carrying the little No. 16 gun. I killed him with
the right hand barrel, but I lost ground by stop-
ping to fire.

A jungle lay about two hundred yards in front
of the herd, and they increased their speed to
arrive at this place of refuge.

Giving the little gun, with one barrel still loaded,
to Wallace, I took the four-ounce rifle in exchange,
as I knew I could not close up with the herd before
they reached the jungle, and a long shot would be
my last chance. With this heavy gun (21 lbs.),
I had hard work to keep my distance, which was
about forty yards from the herd.

Palliser and Wortley were before me, and within
twenty yards of the elephants. They neared the
jungle ; I therefore ran ofi* to my left as fast as I
could go, so as to ensure a side shot. I was just in
time to command their flank as the herd reached
the jungle. A narrow river, with steep banks of
twenty feet in height, bordered the edge, and I got
a shot at a large elephant just as he arrived

A JUNGLE TRIP. 371

upon the brink of the chasm. He was fifty paces
off, but I hit him in the temple with the four-
ounce, and rolled him down the precipitous bank
into the river. Here he lay groaning, so taking
the little gun, with one barrel still loaded, I ex-
tinguished him from the top of the bank.

Oh, for half a dozen loaded guns ! I was now
unloaded, and the fun began in real earnest. The
herd pushed for a particular passage down the
steep bank. It was like a rush at the door of the
Opera ; they jostled each other in a confused melde,
and crossed the river with the greatest difficulty.
By some bad luck, Palliser and Wortley only
killed one as the herd was crossing the river, but
they immediately disappeared in pursuit, as the
elephants, having effected their passage, retreated
in thick jungle on the other side.

I was obliged to halt to load, which I did as
quickly as possible. While I was ramming the
balls down, I heard several shots fired in quick suc-
cession, and, when loaded, I ran on with my gun^
bearers towards the spot.

It was bad thorny jungle, interspersed with
numerous small glades of fine turf.

Upon arriving in one of these glades, about a
quarter of a mile beyond the river, I saw a crowd

B B 2

372 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

of gun-bearers standing around some person lying
upon the ground; neither Palliser nor Wortley
were to be seen, and for an instant a chill ran
through me as I felt convinced that some accident
had happened. " Where are masters ? " I shouted
to the crowd of men, and the next moment I was
quite reheved by seeing only a cooley lying on the
ground. On examining the man, I found he was
more frightened than hurt, although he was cut
in several places, and much bruised.
. Upon giving a shout, Palliser and Wortley re-
turned to the spot. They now explained the mys-
tery. They were running on the fresh tracks in
this glade, no elephants being then in sight, when
they suddenly heard a rush in the jungle, and in
another instant two elephants charged out upon
them. Wortley and he both fired, but without effect
— the gun-bearers bolted — an elephant knocked
one man over, and tried to butt him against the
ground ; but two more shots from both Palliser
and Wortley turned him, but they were immedi-
ately obliged to run in their turn, as the other
elephant charged and just grazed Palliser with his
trunk behind. Fortunately they doubled short
round, instead of continuing a straight course, and
the elephants turned into the jungle. They fol-

A JUNGLE TRIP. 378

lowed them for some little distance, but the jungles
were so bad that there was no chance, and they
returned when I had shouted.

The man who was hurt was obliged to be sup-
ported home. Two of the guns were lost, which
the gun-bearers, in their fright, had thrown away.
After a long search we found them lying in the
high bushes.

We now returned along the line of hunt to cut
off the elephants' tails. I had fired at six, all of
which were bagged, which we accordingly found
in their various positions. One of them was a
very large female with her udder full of milk.
Being very thirsty, both Wortley and I took a long
pull at this, to the evident disgust of the natives.
It was very good, being exactly like cow's milk.
This was the elephant that I had killed doubly by
the left hand barrel exploding by accident, and
the two balls were only a few inches apart in the
forehead. .1 , ,-.'/,...■:. ^ .'. '.

There had been very bad luck with this herd ;
the only dead elephant, in addition to these six,
was that which Wortley and Palliser had both fired
at in the river, and another which Palliser had
knocked down in the high grass when we had just
commenced the attack — at which time he had

B B 3

374 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

separated from us to cut off the three elephants
that we had just seen among the rocks.

On arrival at the spot where the elephants had
first burst from the jungle, a heavy shower came
down, and the locks of the guns were immediately
covered each with a large leaf, and then tied up
securely with a handkerchief A large Banian
tree afforded us an imaginary shelter, but we were
drenched to the skin in a few seconds. In the
meantime, Palliser walked through the high lemon-
grass to look for his dead elephant.

On arriving at the spot, instead of finding a
dead elephant, he found him standing up, and only
just recovered from the stunning effect of his
wound.

The elephant charged him immediately, and
Palliser having the lock of his gun tied up, was
perfectly defenceless, and he was obliged to run as
hard as his long legs would carry him.

" Look out ! ! look out ! ! an elephant's coming ! !
Look out ! ! "

This we heard shouted as we were standing be-
neath the tree, and the next moment we saw Pal-
liser's tall form of six feet four come flying through
the high grass. Luckily the elephant lost him,
and turned off in some other direction. If he had

A JUNGLE TRIP. 375

continued the chase he would have made a fine
diversion, as the locks were so tightly tied up that
we could not have got a gun ready for some time.
In a few minutes the shower cleared off, and on
examining the place where the elephant had fallen,
we found a large pool of clotted blood.

We now rode homewards, but we had not gone
a quarter of a mile before we heard an elephant
roaring loudly in a jungle close to us. Thinking
that it was the wounded brute who had just hunted
Palliser, we immediately dismounted and ap-
proached the spot. The roaring continued until
we were close to it, and we then saw a young ele-
phant standing in the bed of a river, and he it was
who was making all the noise, having been sepa-
rated from the herd in the late melee, Wortley
shot him, this making eight killed.

When within a mile of the tent, as we were
riding along a path through a thick thorny jungle,
an immense rogue elephant stalked across our road.
I fired the four-ounce through his shoulder, to the
great satisfaction of Banda and the natives, al-
though we never had a chance of proving what the
effect had been, as he was soon lost in the thick
jungle. A short time after this we reached the
tent, having had the perfection of sport in ele-

B B 4

376 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

phant-shooting, although luck had been against us
in making a large bag.

Dec. ^nd. — The scouts having been sent out at
daybreak, returned early, having found another
herd of elephants. On our way to the spot Palliser
fired at a rogue, but without effect.

On arrival at the jungle in which the elephants
were reported to be, we heard from the watchers
that a rogue was located in the same jungle in
attendance upon the herd. This was now a regular
thing to expect, and compelled us to be exceed-
ingly cautious.

Just as we were stalking through the jungle, on
the track of the herd, we came upon the rogue
himself. Wortley fired at him, but without effect,
and unfortunately the shot frightened the herd,
which was not a quarter of a mile distant, and the
elephants retreated to a large tract of thick jungle
country, where pursuit was impracticable. Our
party was too large for shooting " rogues " with
any degree of success. These brutes, being always
on the alert, require the most careful stalking.
There is only one way to kill them with any cer-
tainty. Two persons, at most, to attack ; each
person to be accompanied by only one gun-bearer
who should carry two spare guns. One good

A JUNGLE TRIP.

377

tracker should lead this party of five people in
single file. With great caution and silence, being
well to leeward of the elephant, he can thus gene-
rally be approached till within twelve paces, and
he is then killed by one shot before he knows that
danger is near. What with our gun-bearers, track-
ers, watchers, and ourselves, we were a party of
sixteen persons ; it was therefore impossible to get
near a rogue unperceived.

On the way to the tent I got a shot at a deer at
full gallop — on old " Jack." It was a doe, who

SHOT FROM HORSEBACK.

bounded over the plain at a speed that soon dis-
tanced my horse, and I took a flying shot from the

378 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

saddle with one of my No. 10 rifles. I did not get
the deer, although she was badly wounded, as we
followed the blood-tracks for some distance through
thick jungle without success.

This was altogether a blank day; and having
thoroughly disturbed this part of the park, we
determined to up stick and move our quarters on
the following day towards the " cave," according
to the plan that we had agreed upon for beating
the country.

Dec. Zrd. — With the cook and the canteen in
company we started at break of day, leaving the
servants to pack up and bring the coolies and tents
after us. By this arrangement we were sure of
our breakfast wherever we went, and we were free
from the noise of our followers, whose scent alone
was enough to alarm miles of country do^vn wind.
We had our guns all loaded, and carried by our
respective gun-bearers close to the horses, and,
with Banda, old Medima, and a couple of trackers,
we were ready for anything.

We had ridden about six miles when we suddenly
came upon fresh elephant tracks, in a grassy hol-
low surrounded by low rocky hills. We imme-
diately sent the men off upon the tracks, while we
waited upon a high plateau of rock for their re-

A JUNGLE TRIP. 379

turn. They came back in about a quarter of
an hour, having found the elephants within half a
mile.

They were in high lemon grass, and upon arrival
at the spot, we could distinguish nothing, as the
grass rose some feet above our heads. It was like
shooting in the dark, and we ascended some rising
ground to improve our position. Upon arrival on
this spot we looked over an undulating sea of this
grass, interspersed with rocky hills and small
patches of forest. Across a valley we now dis-
tinguished the herd much scattered, going off in
all directions. They had winded us, and left us
but a poor chance of catching them in such ground.
Of course we lost no time in giving chase. The
sun was intensely hot, — not a breath of air was
stirring, and the heat in the close parched grass
was overpowering. With the length of start that
the elephants had got, we were obliged to follow
at our best pace, which, over such tangled ground,
was very fatiguing; fortunately, however, the
elephants had not yet seen us, and they had ac-
cordingly halted now and then, instead of going
straight off.

There were only four elephants together, and,
by a great chance, we came up with them just as

380 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

they were entering a jungle. I got a shot at the
last elephant and killed him, but the others put
on more steam, and all separated, fairly beating us,
as we were almost used up by the heat.

This was very bad luck, and we returned, in
despair of finding the scattered herd. We had
proceeded some distance through the high grass,
having just descended a steep rocky hill, when we
suddenly observed two elephants approaching along
the side of the very hill that we had just left. Had
we remained in the centre of the hill, we should
have met them as they advanced. One was a
large female, and the other was most probably her
calf, being little more than half-grown.

It was a beautiful sight to see the caution with
which they advanced, and we lay down to watch
them without being seen. They were about 200
yards from us, and, as they slowly advanced along
the steep hill-side they occasionally halted, and,
with their trunks thrown up in the air, they en-
deavoured, but in vain, to discover the enemy that
had so recently disturbed them. We had the wind
all right, and we now crept softly up the hill so
as to meet them at right angles. The hill-side was
a mass of large rocks overgrown and concealed by
the high lemon-grass, and it was difficult to move

A JUNGLE TRIP. 381

without making a noise, or falling into the cavities
between the rocks.

I happened to be at the head of our line, and,
long before I expected the arrival of the elephants,
I heard a rustling in the grass, and the next
moment I saw the large female passing exactly
opposite me, within ■Q.ye or six paces. I was on
half-cock at the time, as the ground was dangerous
to pass over with a gun on full cock, but I was
just quick enough to knock her over before the
high grass should conceal her at another step.
She fell in a small chasm, nearly upsetting the
young elephant, who was close behind her. Wort-
ley killed him while I took the last kick out of
the old one by another shot, as she was still
moving.

We had thus only killed three elephants out of
the herd, and, without seeing more, we returned
to the horses. -

On finding them we proceeded on our road
towards the " Cave," but had not ridden above
two miles further when we again came upon fresh
tracks of elephants. Sending on our trackers,
like hounds upon their path, we sat down and
breakfasted under a tree. We had hardly finished
the last cup of coffee when the trackers returned,

382 THE EIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

having found another herd. They were not more
than half a mile distant, and they were reported
to be in open forest, on the banks of a deep and
broad river. - • . :

Our party was altogether too large for elephant-
shooting, as we never could get close up to them
without being discovered. As usual they winded
us before we got near them, but by quick running
we overtook them just as they arrived on the
banks of the river and took to water. Wortley
knocked over one fellow just as he thought he was
safe in running along the bottom of a deep gully ;
I floored his companion at the same moment, thus
choking up the gully, and six elephants closely
packed together forded the deep stream. The tops
of their backs and heads were alone above water.
I fired the four-ounce into the nape of one ele-
phant's neck as the herd crossed, and he imme-
diately turned over and lay foundered in the
middle of the river, which was sixty or seventy
yards across. In the meantime, Palliser and Wort-
ley kept up a regular volley, but no effects could
be observed until the herd reached and begun to
ascend the steep bank on the opposite side. I had
reloaded the four-ounce, and the heavy battery*
now begun to open in concert with the general

A JUNGLE TRIP. 383

volley as the herd scrambled up the precipitous
bank. Several elephants fell, and recovered them-
selves and disappeared. At length the volley
ceased, and two were seen, one dead on the top
of the bank, and the other still struggling in
the shallow water at the foot of the bank. Once
more a general battery opened and he was extin-
guished. Five were killed, and if noise and smoke
add to the fun, there was certainly plenty of it.
Wortley and my man Wallace now swam across
the river, and cut off the elephants' tails.

We returned to the horses, and moved to the
" cave," meeting with no further incidents that
day.

Dec. 4:th We saw nothing but deer the whole

of the day, and they were so wild that we could
not get a shot. It was therefore a blank.

Dec, bth. — We started early, and for five miles
we tracked a large herd of elephants through fine
open country, until we were at length stopped by
impenetrable jungle of immense extent, forming
the confines of the " park" on this side. We there-
fore reluctantly left the tracks, and directed our
course towards Pattapalaar, about twelve miles
distant.

We had passed over a lovely country, and

384 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

were within a mile of our proposed resting-place,
when Banda, who happened to be a hundred yards
in advance, came quickly back, saying that he saw
a rogue elephant feeding on the patina not far from
us. Wortley had gone in another direction with
old Medima a few minutes previous to look for a
deer; and Palliser and I resolved to stalk him
carefully. We therefore left all the people behind,
except two gun-bearers, each of whom carried one
of my double-barrelled rifles. I carried my four-
ounce, and Palliser took the two-ounce.

It was most diflicult ground for stalking, being
entirely open, on a spot which had been high lemon-
grass, but recently burnt, the long reeds in many
places still remaining.

We could not get nearer than fifty yards in
such ground, and I accordingly tried a shot at his
temple with the four-ounce. The long unburnt
stalks of the lemon-grass waving to and fro before
the sights of my rifle so bothered me that I missed
the fatal spot, and fired about two inches too high.
Stumbling only for a moment from the blow, he
rushed down hill towards a jungle, but at the same
instant Palliser made a capital shot with the long
two-ounce, and knocked him over. I never saw
an elephant fall with such a crash : they generally

A JUNGLE TRIP. 885

sink gently down; but this fellow was going at
such speed down hill, that he fairly pitched upon
his head.

We arrived at our resting-place, and having
pitched the tents, we gave them up to Banda and
the servants, while we took possession of a large
'^ amblam," or open building, massively built by
the late Major Rodgers, which is about twenty-five
feet square. This we arranged in a most com-
fortable manner, and here we determined to re-
main for some days while we beat the whole
country thoroughly.

Dec. Qth. — We started at our usual early hour
with Banda and the trackers, and after a walk of
about a mile we found fresh tracks and followed up.
Crossing a small river upon the track, we entered
a fine open forest, through which the herd had
only just passed, and upon following them for
about a quarter of a mile, we came to a barrier of
dense chenar jungle, into which the elephants had
retreated.

There was a rogue with this herd, and we were
rather doubtful of his position. We stood in the
open forest, within a few feet of the thick jungle,
to the edge of which the elephants were so close
that we could hear their deep breathing; and by

c c

386 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

stooping down Ave could distinguish the tips of
their trunks and their feet, although the animals
themselves were invisible. We waited about half
an hour in the hope that some of the elephants
might again enter the open forest ; at length two,
neither of whom were above five feet high, came
out and faced us. My dress of elastic green
tights had become so browned by constant wash-
ing and exposure, that I matched exactly with
the stem of a tree against which I was lean-
ing, and one of the elephants kept advancing
towards me until I could nearly touch him with
my rifle ; still he did not see me, and I did not
wish to fire, as I should alarm the herd, which
would then be lost for ever. Unfortunately, just
at this moment the other elephant saw Palliser,
and the alarm was given. There was no help for
it, and we were obliged to fire. Mine fell dead,
but the other fell, and recovering himself imme-
diately, he escaped in the thick jungle.

This was bad luck, and we returned towards the
'^ amblam " to breakfast. On our way there we
found that the " rogue " had concealed himself in a
piece of thick jungle, backed by hills of very' high
lemon grass. From this stronghold we tried to
drive him, and posted ourselves in a fine posi-

A JUNGLE TRIP. 387

tion to receive him, should he break cover ; but he
was too cunning to come out, and the beaters were
too knowing to go in to drive such bad jungle ;
it was therefore a drawn game, and we were
obliged to leave him.

When within a short distance of the " amblam,"
a fine black partridge got up at about sixty yards.
I was lucky enough to knock him over with a
rifle, and still more fortunate in not injuring him
much with the ball, which took his wing ofi* close
to his body. Half an hour afterwards he formed
part of our breakfast.

During our breakfast a heavy shower of rain
came down and continued for about two hours.

In the afternoon we sallied out, determined to
shoot at any large game that we might meet.
We had lately confined our sport to elephants,
as we did not wish to disturb the country by
shooting at other game, but having fired in this
neighbourhood in the morning, we were not very
particular.

We walked through a lovely country for about
five miles, seeing nothing whatever in the shape of
game, not even a track, as all the old marks were
washed out by the recent shower. At length we
heard the barking of deer in the distance, and,

c c 2

388 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

upon approacliing the direction, we saw a fine
herd of about thirty. They were standing in a
beautiful meadow of about a hundred acres in
extent, perfectly level, and interspersed with trees,
giving it the appearance of an immense orchard
rather thinly planted. One side of this plain was
bounded by a rocky mountain, which rose pre-
cipitously from its base, the whole of which was
covered with fine open forest.

We were just stalking towards the deer when
we came upon a herd of wild bufi^los in a small
hollow within a close shot.

Palliser wanted a pair of horns, and he was just
preparing for a shot when we suddenly heard the
trumpet of an elephant in the forest at the foot
of the rocky mountain, close to us.

Elephants, bufialos, and deer were all within a
hundred yards of each other : we almost expected
to see Noah's Ark on the top of the hill.

Of course the elephants claimed our immediate
attention. It was Palliser's turn to lead the way ;
and upon entering the forest at the foot of the
mountain, we found that the elephants were close
to us. The forest was a perfect place for elephant
shooting. Large rocks were scattered here and
there among fine trees, free from underwood ;

A JUNGLE TRIP. 389

these rocks formed alleys of various widths, and
upon such ground an elephant had no chance.

There was a large rock the size of a small house
lying within a few yards from the entrance of the
forest. This rock was split in two pieces, forming
a passage of two feet wide, but of several yards in
length. As good luck would have it, an elephant
stood exactly on the other side, and Palliser leading
the way, we advanced through this secure fort to
the attack.

On arrival at the extreme end, Palliser fired
two quick shots, and taking a spare gun, he fired
a third before we could see what was going on,
we being behind him in this narrow passage.
Upon passing through we thought the fun was
over ; he had killed three elephants, and no more
were to be seen anywhere.

Hardly had he re-loaded, however, when we
heard a tremendous rushing through the forest in
the distance; and, upon quickly running to the
spot, we came upon a whole herd of elephants, who
were coming to meet us in full speed. Upon
seeing us, however, they checked their speed for a
moment, and Palliser and Wortley both fired,
which immediately turned them. This was at

c c 3

v390 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

rather too long a distance, and no elephants were
killed.

A fine chase now commenced through the open
forest, the herd rushing off at great speed. This
pace soon took us out of it, and we burst upon
an open plain of high lemon-grass. Here I got
a shot at an elephant, who separated from the
main body, and I killed him.

The pace was now so great that the herd fairly
distanced us in the tangled lemon-grass, which,
though play to them, was very fatiguing to us.

Upon reaching the top of some rising ground, I
noticed several elephants, at about a quarter of a
mile distant upon my left, in high grass, while the
remaining portion of the herd (three elephants)
were about two hundred yards ahead, and were
stepping out at full speed straight before us.

Wortley had now had plenty of practice, and
shot his elephants well. He and Palliser fol-
lowed the three elephants, while I parted company,
and ran towards the other section of the herd,
who were standing on some rising ground, and
were making a great roaring.

On arriving within a hundred yards of fchem, I
found I had caught a " Tartar." It is a very
different thing, creeping up to an unsuspecting

Jl 1 s

A JUNGLE TRIP. 391

herd and attacking them by surprise, to marching
up upon sheer open ground, to a hunted one with
wounded elephants among them, who have regu-
larly stood at bay. This was now the case — the
ground was perfectly open, and the lemon-grass
was above my head: thus I could only see the
exact position of the elephants every now and
then, by standing upon the numerous little rocks
that were scattered here and there. The elephants
were standing upon some rising ground, from
which they watched every movement as I ap-
proached. They continued to growl without a
moment's intermission, being enraged, not only
from the noise of the firing, but on account of two
calves which they had with them, and which I
could not see in the high grass. There was a
gentle rise in the ground within thirty paces of the
spot upon which they stood ; and to this place I
directed my steps with great care, hiding in the
high grass as I crept towards them.

During the whole of this time guns were firing
without intermission in the direction taken by
Palliser and Wortley, thus keeping my game
terribly on the qui vive. What they were firing
so many shots at I could not conceive.

At length 1 reached the rising ground. The

c c 4

392 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

moment that I was discovered by them, the two

largest elephants came towards me, with their ears

cocked and their trunks raised.

I waited for a second or two, till they lowered

their trunks, which they presently did ; and taking

a steady shot with one of my double-barrelled No.

10 rifles, I floored them both by a right and left.

One, however, immediately recovered, and, with
the blood streaming from his forehead, he turned

and retreated with the remainder of the herd at
great speed through the high grass.

The chase required great caution ; however, they
fortunately took to a part of the country where the
grass was not higher than my shoulders, and I
could thus see well over it. Through this I
managed to keep within Mty yards of the herd,
and I carried the heavy four-ounce rifle, which I
kncAv would give one of them a benefit if he
turned to charge.

I was following the herd at this distance, when
they suddenly halted, and the wounded elephant
turned quickly round, and charged with a right
good intention. He carried his head thrown back
in such a position that I could not get a fair shot ;
but, nevertheless, the four-ounce ball stopped him,
and away he went again with the herd at full

A JUNGLE TIUP. 393

Speed, the blood gushing in streams from the
wounds in his head.

My four-ounce is a splendid rifle for loading
quickly, it being so thick in the metal that the deep
groove catches the belt of the ball immediately. I
was loaded in a few seconds, and again set off in
pursuit. I saw the herd at about two hundred
yards distant ; they had halted, and they had again
faced about.

I had no sooner approached within sixty paces
of them, when the wounded elephant gave a
trumpet, and again rushed forward out of the herd.
His head was so covered with blood, and was still
thrown back in such a peculiar position, that I
could not get a shot at the exact mark. Again
the four-ounce crashed, through his skull, and, stag-
gered with the blow, he once more turned, and re-
treated with the herd.

Loading quickly, I poured the powder down ad
libitum ; and ran after the herd, who had made a
circuit to arrive in the same forest in which we had
first found them. A sharp run brought me up to
them ; but, upon seeing me, they immediately
stopped, and, without a moment's pause, round
came my old antagonist again vStraight at me, with
his head still raised in the same knowing position.

394 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

The charge of powder was so great that it went oif
like a young fieldpiece, and the elephant fell upon
his knees ; but, again recovering himself, he turned
and went off at such a pace that he left the herd
behind, and in a few minutes I was within twenty
yards of them ; but I would not fire, as I was
determined to bag my wounded bird before I fired
a single shot at another.

They now reached the forest ; but, instead of re-
treating, the wounded elephant turned short
round upon the very edge of the jungle and faced
me ; the remaining portion of the herd (consist-
ing of two large elephants, and two calves), had
passed on into the cover.

This was certainly a plucky elephant ; his whole
face was a mass of blood, and he stood at the
very spot where the herd had passed into the
forest as though he was determined to guard the
entrance. I was now about twenty-five yards from
him, when, gathering himself together for a de-
cisive charge, he once more came on.

I was on the point of pulling the trigger when
he reeled and fell without a shot from sheer ex-
haustion ; but recovering himself immediately, he
again faced me, but did not move. This was a
fatal pause; he forgot the secret of throwing his

A JUNGLE TRIP.

395

head far back, and he now held it in the natural
position, offering a splendid shot at about twenty
yards. Once more the four-ounce buried itself in
his skull, and he fell dead.

THE LAST CHARGE.

Palliser and Wortley came up just as I was
endeavouring to track up the herd which 1 had
now lost sight of in the forest. Following upon
their tracks, we soon came in view of them. Away
we went as fast as we could run towards them, but
I struck my shin against a fallen tree, which cut
me to the bone, and pitched me upon my head.
The next moment, however, we were up with the

396 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

elephants: they were standing upon a slope of
rock facing us, but regularly dumbfounded at
their unremitting pursuit, and they all rolled over
to a volley as we came up, two of them being
calves. Palliser killed the two biggest right and
left, he being some paces in advance.

This was one of the best hunts that I have ever
shared in. The chase had lasted for nearly an
hour. There were thirteen elephants originally
in the herd, every one of which had been bagged
by fair running. Wortley had fired uncommonly
well, as he had killed the three elephants which he
and Palliser had chased, one of which had given
them a splendid run and had proved restive.
This elephant took fifteen shots before she fell,
and this accounted for the continual firing which
I had heard during my chase of the other section.
We had killed fourteen elephants during the day,
and we returned to the " amblam," having had as
fine sport as Ceylon can afford.

Dec. 7th. — This being Sunday, was passed in
quiet ; but a general cleaning of guns took place,
to be ready for the morrow.

Dec. Sth We went over many miles of ground

without seeing a fresh track. We had evidently
disturbed the country on this side of the river,

A JUNGLE TRIP. 397

and we returned towards the ^' amblara," deter-
mined to cross the river after breakfast and try
the opposite side.

When within a mile of the " amblam " we heard
deer barking, and leaving all our gun-bearers and
people behind, we carefully stalked to the spot.
The ground was very favourable, and having the
wind, we reached an excellent position among
some trees within sixty yards of the herd of deer
who were standing in a little glade. Wortley and
I each killed a buck; Palliser wounded a doe,
which we tracked for a great distance by the
blood, but at leno;th lost altoo:ether.

After breakfast we crossed the large river which
flows near the " amblam," and then entered a
part of the park that we had not yet beaten.

Keeping to our left we entered a fine forest and
skirted the base of a range of rocky mountains.
In this forest we saw deer and wild buffalo, but
we would not fire a shot, as we had just discovered
the fresh track of a rogue elephant. We were
following upon this when we heard a bear in some
thick jungle. We tried to circumvent him, but
in vain ; Bruin was too quick for us, and we did
not get a sight of him.

We were walking quietly along the dry bed of

398 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

a little brook bordered by thick jungle upon either
side, when we were suddenly roused by a tre-
mendous crash through the jungle, which was
evidently coming straight upon us.

We were in a most unfavourable position, but
there was no time for any further arrangement
than bringing the rifle on full cock, before six ele-
phants, including the " rogue," whose tracks we
were following, burst through the jungle straight
at us.

Banda was nearly run over, but with wonderful
agility he ran up some tangled creepers hanging
from the trees, just as a spider would climb his
web. He was just in time, as the back of one of
the elephants grazed his feet as it passed below
him.

In the meantime the guns were not idle. Wortley
fired at the leading elephant which had passed
under Banda's feet, just as he was crossing the
brook on our left. His shot did not produce any
effect, but I killed him by a temple shot just as
he was passing on. Palliser, who was on our
righfc, killed two, and knocked down a third, who
was about half grown. This fellow got up again,
and Wortley and Palliser, both firing at the same
moment, extinguished him.

A JUNGLE TRIP. 399

The herd had got themselves into a mess by
rushing down upon our scent in this heedless
manner, as four of them lay dead within a few
paces of each other. The " rogue," who knew
how to take care of himself, escaped with only
one companion. Upon these tracks we now fol-
lowed without loss of time.

An hour was thus occupied. We tracked them
through many glades and jungles, till we at length
discovered in a thick chenar the fresh tracks of
another herd, which the " rogue" and his companion
had evidently joined, as his immense foot-print was
very conspicuous among the numerous marks of the
herd. Passing cautiously through a thick jungle,
we at length emerged upon an extensive tract of
high lemon-grass. There was a small pool of
water close to the edge of the jungle which was
surrounded with the fresh dung of elephants, and
the muddy surface of the water was still agitated
by the recent visit of some of these thirsty giants.

Carefully ascending some slightly rising ground,
and keeping close to the edge of the jungle, we
peered over the high grass.

We were in the very centre of the herd, who
were much scattered. It was very late, being
nearly dusk ; but we counted six elephants here

400 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

and there in tlie high grass within sixty paces of
us, while the rustling in the jungle to our left
warned us that a portion of the herd had not yet
quitted this cover. We knew that the " rogue "
Avas somewhere close at hand, and after his recent
defeat he would be doubly on the alert. Our
plans therefore required the greatest vigilance.

There was no doubt as to the proper course to
pursue, which was to wait patiently until the whole
herd had left the jungle and concentrated in the
high grass ; but the waning daylight did not per-
mit of such a steady method of proceeding. I
then proposed that we should choose our elephants,
which were scattered in the high grass, and ad-
vance separately to the attack. Palliser voted
that we should creep up to the elephants that were
in the jungle close to us, instead of going into the
high grass.

I did not much like this plan, as I kncAV that it
would be much darker in the jungle than in the
patina, and there was no light to spare. However,
Palliser crept into the jungle, towards the spot
where we heard the elephants crashing the bushes.

Instead of following behind him, I kept almost
in a line, but a few feet on one side, otherwise I
knew that should he fire I. should see nothing for

A JUNGLE TRIP.

401

the smoke of his shot. This precaution was not
thrown away. The elephants were about fifty
yards from the entrance to the jungle, and we
were of course up with them in a few minutes.
Palliser took a steady shot at a fine elephant about
eight yards from him, and fired.

The only eifect produced was a furious charge
right into us !

Away went all the gun-bearers except Wallace

.^ .-?~_-.=.

PANIC AMONG THE GUN-BEARERS.

as hard as they could run, completely panic-
stricken. Palliser and Wortley jumped to one
side to get clear of the smoke, which hung like a

D D

402 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

cloud before them, and having taken my position
with the expectation of something of this kind, I
had a fine clear forehead shot as the elephant came
rushing on, and I dropped him dead.

The gun-bearers were in such a fright that they
never stopped till they got out on the patina.

The herd had of course gone off at the alarm
of the firing, and we got a glimpse of the old
" rogue" as he was taking to the jungle. Palliser
fired an ineffectual shot at him at a long range,
and the day closed. It was moonlight when we
reached the " amblam" : the bag for that day being
five elephants and two bucks.

Dec. 9th. — We had alarmed this part of the
country, and after spending a whole morning in
wandering over a large extent of ground without
seeing a fresh track of an elephant, we determined
to move on to Nielgala, eight miles from the '' am-
blam." We accordingly packed up, and started off
our coolies by the direct path, while we made a
long circuit by another route in the hope of
meeting with heavy game.

After riding about four miles our path lay
through a dense forest up the steep side of a hill.
Over this was a narrow road, most diflicult for
a horse to ascend, on account of the large masses

A JUNGLE THIP. 403

of rocks which choked the path from the base
to the summit. Leaving the horse-keepers with
the horses to scramble up as they best could, we
took our guns and went on in advance. We had
nearly reached the summit of this pass, Avhen we
came suddenly upon some fragments of chewed
leaves and branches lying in the middle of the
path. The saliva was still warm upon them, and
the dung of an elephant lay in the road in a state
which proved his close vicinity. There were no
tracks, of course, as the path was nothing but a
line of piled rocks, from which the forest had been
lately cleared, and the elephants had just been
disturbed by the clattering of the horses' hoofs
in ascending the rugged pass.

Banda Jiad run on in front about fifty yards
before us, but we had no sooner arrived on the
summit of the hill than we saw him returning
at a flying pace towards us with an elephant
chasing him in full speed. ;,'". : * •

It was an exciting scene while it lasted ; with
the activity of a deer he sprang from rock to rock,
while Ave of course ran to his assistance, and
arrived close to the elephant just as Banda had
reached a high block of stone, which rendered
him an asylum. A shot from Palliser brought

D D 2

404

THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

the elephant upon his knees, but, immediately
recovering himself, he ran round a large rock.
I ran round the other side, and killed him dead
within four paces.

BANDA S ESCAPE FROM A " ROGUE.'

Upon descending the opposite side of the pass
we arrived in flat open country, and on the left
of the road we saw another elephant, a " rogue,"
in high lemon-grass. We tried to get a shot at
him, but it was of no use ; the grass was so high
and thick, that, after trying several experiments,
we declined following him in such ground. We
arrived at Nielgala in the evenin<T without further

A JUNGLE TRIP. 405

sport : here we killed a few couple of snipe in
the paddy fields, which added to our dinner.

Dec. lOt/i. — Having beaten several miles of
country without seeing any signs of elephants,
we came unexpectedly upon a herd of wild buf-
falos ; they were standing in beautiful open
ground, interspersed with trees, about a hundred
and ten paces from us. I gave Palliser my heavy
rifle, as he was very anxious to get a pair of good
horns, and with the pleasure of a spectator I
watched the sport. He made a good shot with
the four-ounce, and dropped the foremost buffalo ;
the herd gallopped off, but he broke the hind leg
of another buffalo with one of the No. 10 rifles,
and, after a chase of a couple of hundred yards,
he came up with the wounded beast, who could
not extricate himself from a deep gully of water,
as he could not ascend the steep bank on three
legs. A few more shots settled him.

We gave up all ideas of elephants for this day
after so much firing, but, curious enough, just
as we were mounting our horses we heard the
roar of an elephant in a jungle on the hill side,
about half a mile distant. There was no mis-
taking the sound, and we were soon at the spot.
This jungle was very extensive, and the rocky

406 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON.

bed of a mountain torrent divided it into two
portions ; on the right hand was fine open forest,
and on the left hand thick thorny chenar. The
elephants were in the open forest, close to the
edge of the torrent.

The herd winded us just as we were approach-
ing up the steep ascent of the rocky stream, and
they made a rush across the bed of the torrent to
gain the thick jungle on the opposite bank. Banda
immediately beckoned to me to come into the thick
jungle, with the intention of meeting the elephants
as they entered, while Palliser was to command
the narrow passage, in which there was only space
for one person to shoot without confusion.

In the meantime Palliser knocked over three
elephants as they crossed the stream ; while we,
on reaching the thick jungle, found it was so
dense that we could see nothing. Just as we
were thinking of returning again to the spot
that we had left, we heard a tremendous rush
in the thick jungle, coming straight towards us.
In another instant I saw a mass of twisted and
matted thorns rushing in a heap upon me. I had
barely time to jump on one side, as the elephant
nearly grazed me, and I fired both barrels into
the tangled mass that he bore upon his head. I

A JUNGLE TRIP. 407

then bolted, and took up a good position at a few
yards' distance. The shots in the head had so
completely stunned the elephant that she could
not move, and she stood in a piece of jungle so
dense that we could not see her, and Palliser
creeping up to her, while we stood ready to back
him, fired three shots at her without the least
effect. She did not even move, being senseless
with the wound. One of my men then gave him
my four-ounce rifle. A loud report from the old
gun sounded the elephant's knell, and closed the
sport for that trip.

We returned to Nielgala — the whole of that
day's bag belonging to Palliser — four elephants
and two buffalos. We packed up our traps, and
early the next morning we started direct for
Newera Ellia, having in three weeks from the
day of our departure from Kandy bagged fifty
elephants, ^ve deer, and two buffalos; of which
Wortley had killed to his bag ten elephants and
two deer ; Palliser sixteen elephants and two
buffalos ; Y. Baker, up to the time of his leaving
us, two elephants. ; .' ' .^

408

CHAP. XIII.

CONCLUSION.

Thus ended a trip, which exhibited the habits and
character of elephants in a most perfect manner.
From the simple experience of these three weeks'
shooting, a novice might claim a knowledge of the
elephant; and the journal of this tour must at
once explain, even to the most uninitiated, the
exact proportion of risk with which this sport is
attended, when followed up in a sportsmanlike
manner. These days will always be looked back
to by me with the greatest pleasure ; the moments
of sport lose none of their brightness by age, and
when the limbs become enfeebled by time, the
mind can still cling to scenes long past with the
pleasure of youth.

One great addition to the enjoyment of wild
sport is, the companionship of thorough sportsmen.
A confidence in each other is absolutely necessary ;
without this, I would not remain a day in the
jungle. An even temper, not easily disturbed by
the little annoyances inseparable from a trip in a
wild country, is also indispensable; without this,

CONCLUSION. 409

a man would be insufferable. Our party was an
emblem of contentment. The day's sport con-
cluded, the evenings were most enjoyable, and
will never be forgotten. The well-arranged tent,
the neatly-spread table, the beds forming a triangle
around the walls, and the clean guns piled in a
long row against the gun-rack, will often recall a
tableau in after years, in countries far from this
land of independence. The acknowledged sports
of England will appear child's play ; the exciting
thrill will be wanting, when a sudden rush in the
jungle brings the rifle on full cock ; and the heavy
guns will become useless mementos of past days,
like the dusty helmets of yore, hanging up in an
old hall. The belt and the hunting-knife will alike
share the fate of the good rifle, and the blade, now
so keen, will blunt from sheer neglect. The slips,
which have held the necks of dogs of such staunch
natures, will hang neglected from the wall; and all
these souvenirs of wild sports, contrasted with the
puny implements of the English chase, will awaken
once more the longing desire for the '' Rifle and
the Hound in Ceylon."

THE END.

E E

London :

Spottiswoodes and Shaw,

New-Street-Square.

)iir'''

THE TRAVELLER'S LIBRARY,

IN COURSE OF PUBLICATION

In Parts at One Shilling and
In Volumes price Half-a-Crown each.

Comprising books of valuable information and acknowledged merit, in a form adapted for
reading while travelling, and also of a character that will render them worthy of preservation ;
but the PRICE of which has hitherto confined them within a comparatively narrow circle of
readers.

"Railway literature — or, more generally and correctly speaking, travelling literature ; for the wider term
takes in steamers, coaches, and all other modes of locomotion — has hitherto been for the most part confined to
the two classes of periodicals and cheap editions of novels. But there is no good reason why the traveller,
comfortably seated in railway carriage or in steam-boat, saloon or deck, should limit himself exclusively to
reading of a passing or ephemeral character. This seems to have been the idea which originated the Traveller'!
Library. The publishers offer the travelling reader something of a higher quality than the light literature
which others have hitherto supposed best suited for him ; and, by combining cheapness and handiness of form
with superiority of matter, they seem likely to succeed in adding a valuable and popular department to the
library for road, rail, river, and sea. Not but that people staying at home may also be glad to avail themselves,
for reading at fireside or window-corner, of the elegant and excellent series of essays, &c., which we are
promised, and here have earnest of, in the Traveller's Library." SCOTSMAN.

A LIST of the THIRTY-EIGHT WORKS already published.

WARREN HASTINGS. By THOJIAS BABINGTON
Macaulay. Reprinted from Mr. Macaulay's
Critical and Historical Essays. Price One

LORD CLIVE. By Thojias Babixgton Mac-
aulay. Reprinted from Mr. Macaulay's Cri-
tical and Historical Essays. Price One Shilling.

*»* Mr. Macaulay's Two Essays on Warren Hastings
and Lord Clive may be had in One Voliume,
price Half-a-Crown.

WILLIAM PITT, EARL of CHATHAM. By

THOMAS BABINGTON MACAULAY. Reprinted
from Mr. Macaulay's Critical and Historical
Essays. Price One Shilling.

RANKE'S HISTORY of the POPES. And, GLAD-
STONE on CHURCH and STATE. By
TUOMAS BABLNGTON MACAULAY. Reprinted
from Mr. Macaulay's Critical and Historical
Essays. Price One Shilling.

•»» Mr. Macaulay's Essays on William Pitt, Ranke's
History of the Popes, and Gladstone On Church
and State, may be had in One Volume, price
Half-a-Crown.

THE LIFE and WRITINGS of ADDISON. And,
HORACE WALPOLE. By Thomas Babing-
TON MACAULAY. Reprinted from Mr. Macau-
lay's Critical and Historical Essays. Price
One ShiUing.

LORD BACON. By THOMAS Babingtoij^ BIAC
AULAY. Reprinted from Mr. Macaulay's Cri-
tical and Historical Essays. Price One Shilling.
*»• Mr. Macaulay's Three Essays on Addison,
Horace Walpole, and Lord Bacon, may be
had in One Volume, price Half-a-Crown.

LORD BYRON. And, the COMIC DRAMATISTS
of the REFORMATION. By THOiLVS Ba-
BIXGTON MACAULAY. Reprinted from Mr.
Macaulay's Critical and Historical Essays •
Price One ShUling.

LORD JEFFREY'S TWO ESSAYS on SWIFT and
RICHARDSON. Reprinted from Contributions
to the Edinburgh Review. Price One Shilling.

CONFESSIONS of a WORKING MAN. Trans,
latcd and condensed from the French of EmilIC
Sou\'ESTKE. Price One ShiUing.

TURKEY and CHRISTENDOM: an Historical
Sketch of the Relations between the Ottoman
Empire and the States of Europe. Reprinted
with Additions from the Edinburgh Review.
Price One Shilling.

TWENTY YEARS in the PHILIPPINE ISLES.
By Paul De la Gieonleee, Knight of the
Legion of Honour. A condensed Translation
from the French by Fhedeeick Habdmak.
Price One ShiUing.

London : LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, and LONGMANS.

THE TRAVELLER'S LIBRARY.

THE CHASE IN BRITTANY : With Hints on
French Affairs. By I. Hope, Author of Brit-
tany and the Bible. Price One Shilling.

SWISS MEN and SWISS MOUNTAINS. By
ROBERT Ferguson, Author of The Pipe of
Repose. Price One Shilling.

A TOUR on the CONTINENT by RAIL and
ROAD, in the Summer of 1852, through North-
ern Germany, the Tyrol, Austrian Lombardy,
&c. By JOHX BAKROTV, Esq. With Route
Map. Price One Shilling.

OUR COAL-FIELDS and OUR COAL-PITS ; the

People in them, and the Scenes around them.
By a Travelleh underground. With Wood-
cuts and Diagrams. Two Parts, price One
Shilling each ; or in One Volume, price Half-a-
CrowB.

THE AUSTRALIAN COLONIES; their Origin
and present Condition. By WILLIAM HUGHES,
F.R.G.S. Two Parts, price One Shilling each ;
or in One Volume, price Half-a-Crown.

LONDON in 1850 and 1851. By J. R. M'CULLOCn,
Es^. Reprinted from Mr. M'CuUoch's Geogra-
phical Dictionary. Price One Shilling.

Mr. S. LAING'S JOURNAL of a RESIDENCE in
NORWAY during the Years 1854, 1835, and
1856. Two Parts, price One Shilling each ; or
in One Volume, price HaJf-a-Crown.

e5tHEN ; or, Traces of Travel brought Home from
the East. Two Parts, price Oue Shilling each ;
or in One Volume, price Half-a- Crown.

IDA PFEIFFER'S LADY'S VOYAGE ROUND
the WORLD. A condensed Translation, by
Mrs. Percy SIN>t:tT. Two Parts, price One
Shilling each ; or in One Volume, price Half-a-
Crown.

HUC'S TRAA^ELS in TARTARY, THIBET, and
CHINA. A condensed Translation, by Mrs.
Percy Si>'^j:eTT. Two Parts, price One Shilling
each ; or in One Volume, price Half- a-Crown.

Mrs. JAMESON'S SKETCHES in CANADA, and
RAMBLES among the RED MEN. Two Parts,
price One Shilling each ; or in One Volume,
price Half-a-Crown.

WERNE'S AFRICAN WANDERINGS. Translated
by J. R. JOHNSTOX. Two Parts, price One
Shilling each ; or in One Volume, price Half-a-
Crown.

HERMANN'S PICTURES from ST. PETERS-
BURG. Translated from the German by
Frederick HARDiLtN. Two Parts, price One
Shilling each ; or In One Volume, price Half-a-
Crown.

MEMOIRS of a MAITRE D'ARMES ; or. Eighteen
Months at St. Petersburg. By Alexandre
Dumas. Translated by the MARQUIS OF OR-
MONDE. Two Parts, One Shilling each ; »r in
One Volume, price Half-a-Crown.

SIR EDWARD SEAWARD'S NARRATIVE of his
SHIPWRECK. Abridged from the last Edition
of the Original for the 2'raveller's Library.
Two Parts, price One Shilling each ; or in One
Volume, price Half-a Crown.

BRITTANY and the BIBLE. With Remarks on
the French People and their Affairs. By I.
HOPE. Price One ShiUing.

RANKE'S FERDINAND the FIRST and MAXI-
MILIAN the SECOND of AUSTRIA ; or, a
View of the Religious and Political State of
Germany after the Reformation. Translated
by Lady Duff GORDON. Price One Shilling.

MEMOIR of the DUKE of WELLINGTON. Re-
printed by permission from The Times news-
paper. Price One ShiUing.

THE LIFE OF MARSHAL TURENNE. By the
Rev. T. Oswald COCKAI'ne, M. a., of St. John's
College, Cambridge. Price One Shilling.

THE LEIPSIC CAMPAIGN. By the Rev. G. R.
GLEIG, M.A., Chaplain of the Forces. Two
Parts, price One Shilling each ; or in Oue
Volume, price Half-a-Cro\yn.

THOMAS HOLCROFT'S MEMOIRS, tvritten by
Himself, and continued from his Diary and
Papers. Reprinted (1852). Two Parts, price
One Shilling each ; or in One Volume, price
Half-a-Crown.

LORD CARLISLE'S LECTURES and ADDRESSES.
Including a Lecture on the Poetry of Pope, and
the Lecture on Lord Carlisle's Travels in Ame-
rica. Price One Shilling

THE NATURAL HISTORY of CREATION. By
T. Lindley' Kejep, M.D., Author of Agricul-
tural Physiology. Price One Shilling.

ELECTRICITY and the ELECTRIC TELE-
GRAPH. To which is added THE CHEMIS-
TRY of the STARS. By Dr. GEORGE WlLSON.
Price One Shilling.

SIR ROGER DE COVERLEY. From the Spectator.
With Notes and lUustrationt by W. H. WILLS.
Price One Shilling.

THE LOVE STORY from Southey's Doctor: Being
the History of the Courtship and Marriage of
Dr. Dove, of Doncaster. Prico One Shilling.

AN ATTIC PHILOSOPHER in PARIS ; or, a
Peep at the World from a Garret. From the
French of ElULB SouvESTIiE. Price One
ShiUing.

London : LONGMAN, BROWN. GREEN, and LONGMANS.

A CATALOGUE

NEW WORKS MD MW EDITIONS

IN

General mx^n '^mllmmm pteratmt,

PUBLISHED BY

LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMANS,

39, PATEENOSTER ROW, LONDON.

CLASSIFIED INDEX.

Agriculture and Rural
Affairs.

Pages.

Bayldon On valuing Rents, &c. - 4

Caird's Letters on Agriculture - 6

Cecil's Stud Farm . - - 6

Loudon's Agriculture - - - 17

" Self-Instruction - - 17

" Lady's Country Compan. 17

Low's Elements of Agriculture - 18

Arts, Manufactures,
and Architecture.

Addison's Temple Church - - 3
Bourne's Catechism of the Steam

Engine ----- 5

" on the Screw Propeller - 5

Brande's Dictionary of Science, &c. 5

Cresy's Civil Engineering - - 7

Eastlake On OilPainting - - 8

Gwilt's Encyclop. of Architecture 10
Jameson's Sacred and LegeiidaryArt 13

Loudon's Rural Architecture - 17

Moseley's Engineering - - - 21

Steam Engine, by the Artisan Club 3

Tate on Strength of Materials - 29

Ure's Dictionary of Arts, &c. - 30

Biography.

Baines's Life of Baines
Bunsen's Hippolytus ...
Foss's English Judges - . •
Freeman's Life of Kirby
Haydon's Autobiography,by Taylor
Holcroft's Memoirs
Holland's (Lord) Memoirs -
Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopsedia
Maunder's Biographical 'Treasury -
Memoir of the Duke of Wellington

,, Lord Teterborough

Russell's Memoirs of Moore -
Southey's Life of Wesley

" Life and Correspondence

Stephen's Ecclesiastical Biography
Taylor's Loyola - - - -

" Wesley . - - -
Townsend's Eminent Judges
Waterton's Autobiography & Essays

Books of General
Utility.

Acton's Cookery - - - -
Black's Treatise on Brewing -
Cabinet Gazetteer - - - -
" Lawyer - - - -
Hints on Etiquette
Hudson'sExecutor's Guide -

" On Making Wills
Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopaedia
Loudon's Self-Instruction
" Lady's Companion
" Amateur Gardener
Maunder's Treasury of Knowledge
" Biographical Treasury

" Scientific Treasury

" Treasury of History

" Natural History -

Pocket and the Stud - - -
Pycroft's English Reading -
Reece's Medical Guide - - -
Rich's Comp. to Latin Dictionary
Riddle's Latin Dictionaries -
Rogers's Vegetable Cultivator
Roget's English Thesaurus -

Pages.

Rowton's Debater - - - - 25

Short Whist 26

Thomson's Interest Tables - - 30
Traveller's Library - - - 31
Webster's Domestic Economy - 32
Wilmot's Abridgment of Black-
stone's Commentaries - - 32

Botany and Gardening-

Conversations on Botany
Hooker's British Flora - - -
" Guide to Kew Gardens -
Lindley's Introduction to Botany
Loudon's Hortus Britannicus
" Amateur Gardener

" Self-Instruction -

" Trees and Shrubs -

" Gardening

" Plants -
Rivers's Rose Amateur's Guide
Rogers's Vegetable Cultivator

Chronology.

Blair's Chronological Tables - 4

Bunsen's Ancient Egypt - - 5

Haydn's Beatson's Index - - 11

Nicolas's Chronology of History - 15

Commerce and Mercan-
tile Affairs.

Francis's Bank of England - - 9

" English Railway - . 9

" Stock Exchange - - 9
Lorimer's Letters to a Young

Master Mariner - - - - 16
M'CuUoch's Commerce* Navigation 18

Steel's Shipmaster's Assistant - 28

Symons' Merchant Seamen's Law 28

Thomson's Interest Tables - - 30

Criticism, History, and
Memoirs.

Addison's Knights Templars
Anthony's Footsteps to History
Balfour's Sketches of Literature -
Belfast's English Poets
Blair's Chron. and Histor. Tables -
Bunsen's Ancient Egypt

" Hippolytus - - .

Burton's History of Scotland
Conybeare and Howson's St. Paul
Dennistoun's Dukes of Urliino
Eastlake's History of Oil Painting
Felice's French Protestants -
Foss's English Judges - - .
Francis's Bank of England -
" English Railway -

" Stock Exchange
Gleig's Leipsic Campaign
Gurney's Historical Sketches
Hamilton's Essays from the Edin-
burgli Review . - . .
Haydon's Autobiography, byTaylor
Holland's (Lord) Foreign Remi-

niscences - - -

" Whig Party -

Jeffrey's (Lord) Contributions
Kemble's Anglo-Saxons
Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopaedia
Macaulay's Crit. and Hist. Essays

" History of England

Mackintosh's Miscellaneous Works

Pages.
M'Cullocli'sGeographicalDictionary 18

Mariotti's Fra Dolcino - - - 19

Martineau's Church History - - 19

Maunder's Treasury of History - 19

Memoir oftlie Duke of WelUngton 31

Merivale's History of Rome - - 20

" Roman Republic - 20

Milner's Church History - - 20

Moore's (Thomas) Memoirs, &c. - 21

Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History 21

Mure's Greek Literature - 22

Ranke's Ferdinand & Maximilian 31

Rich's Comp. to Latin Dictionary 24

Kiddle's Latin Dictionaries - - 24
Rogers's Essays fromtheEdinburgh

Review - - - - 25

Roget's English Thesaurus - - 25

St. John's Indian Archipelago - 25

Schmitz's History of Greece - - 29

Sinclair's Popish Legends - - 26

Smith's St. Paul - - . - 27

Southey's The Doctor &c. - - 27

Stephen's Ecclesiastical Biography 28
" Lectures on the History

of France - - - 28

Sydney Smith's Works - - - 27

" Lectures on Moral

Philosophy - ... 27

Taylor's Loyola - - - - 29

" AVesley - - - - 29

Thirlwall's History of Greece - 29

Townsend's State Trials - - 30

Turner's Anglo Saxons - - 30

" England during the Mid-
dle Ages - - - . 30

" Sacred Hist, of the AVorld 30

Zumpt's Latin Grammar - - 32

Geography and
Atlases.

Butler's Geography and Atlases - 6

Cabinet Gazetteer - - . . 6

Hall's Large Library Atlas - - 10
Hughes's (E.) New School Physical

Atlas ------ 12

" (W.) Mathematical Geog. 13

" Australian Colonies 31

Johnston's General Gazetteer - 14
M'Culloch's Geographical Dictionary 18

M'Leoda>^d Weller's Script. Atlas 18

Murray's Encyclop. of Geography- 22

Sharp's British Gazetteer - - 26

Juvenile Books.

Amy Herbert - - - - 25

Anthony's ^"'ootsteps to History - 3

Calling, &c. of a Governess - - 6

Corner's Children's Sunday Book f,

Earl's Daughter (The) - - - 25

Experience of Life - - 8

Gertrude - - - - 25
Graham's Studies from the English

Poets - - - - - 9

Ho Witt's Boy's Country Book - 12

" (Mary) Children's Year - 12

Laneton Parsonage - - - 26

Mrs. Marcet's Conversations - - 19
Margaret Percival
Pycroft's English '

Medicine.

Ancell on Tuberculosis - - - 3

Bull's Hints to Mothers- - - 6

" Management of Children - 6

Cropland's Dictionary of Medicine - 7

Holland's Mental Physiology - 1 1

CLASSIFIED mDEX— continued.

Pages

Latham On Diseases of the Heart - 16
Moore On Health, Disease ,&Remedy 20

Pereira On Food and Diet - - 23

Reece's Medical Guide - - - 24

Thomas's Practice of Phj'sic - 29

Miscellaneous and Ge-
neral Iiiterature.

Callinsr, &c. of a Governess - - 6

Carlisle's Lectures and Addresses 31

Eclipse of Faith - - - - 8

Graham's English - - - - 10
Greg's Essays on PoUtical and

Social Science - - - - 10

Haydn's Book of Dignities - - 11

Holland's Mental Physiology - H

Hooker's Kew Guide - - - 11

Howitt's Rural Life of England - 12
" Visitsto RemarkablePlaees 12

Jeffrey's (Lord) Contributions - 13

Lang on Freedom for the Colonies U

Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopsedia - 15

Loudon's Lady's Country Comp. - 17

Macaulay's Crit. and Hist. Essays 18

Mackintosli's Miscellaneous Works 18

Memoirs of a Maitre d'Armes - 31
Maitland's Churchin the Catacombs 19

Pascal's Works, bv Pearce - - 22

Pycroft's English Reading - - 24

Rich's Comp. to Latin Dictionary 24

Riddle's Latin Dictionaries - - 24

Roivton's Debater - - 25
Seaward's Narrative of his Shipwreck25

Sir Roger de Coverley - - - 26

Sketches by a Sailor - - 26

Smith's (Rev. Sydney) Works - 27

Southey's Common-place Books - 27

" The Doctor &c. - - 27

Stephen's Essays - . - - 28

Stow's Training System - - 28

Townsend's State'Trials - - 30

Zumpt's Latin Grammar - - 32

Natural Histoiry in
General.

Catlow's Popular Conchology - 6
Doubleday, Westwood, & Hewit-

son's Butterflies - - - 8
Ephemera and Young On the Salmon 8

Gosse's Nat. Hist, of Jamaica - 9

Kemp's Natural Hist, of Creation 31

Kirby and Spence's Entomology - 14

Lee's Elements of Natural History 16

Maunder's Natural History - - 20

Turton's Shells oftheBritishlslands 30

Waterton's Essays on Natural Hist. 30

Touatt's The Dog - - - ^ 32

" The Horse - - - 32

One-Volume

Encyclopaedias and

Dictionaries.

Blaine's Rural Sports - - - 4

Brandes Science, Literature,* Art 5

Copland's Dictionary of Medicine - 7

Cresy's Civil Engineerijig - 5

G wilt's Arcliitecture - - - 10

Johnston's Geographical Dictionary 14

Loudon's Agriculture - - - 17

" Rural Architecture - 17

" Gardening - - - 17

" Plants - - - - 17

" Trees and Shiubs - - 17

M'Culloch'sGeographicalDictionary 18

" Dictionary of Commerce 18

Murray's Encyclop. of Geography - 22

Sharp's British Gazetteer - - 26

Ure's Dictionary of Arts, &c.- - 32

Webster's Domestic Economy - 30

Religious and Moral
Works.

Amy Herbert - - - - 25

Bloomfield's Greek Testament - 4

" Annotations on do. - 4

" College and School do. 4

Calling and Responsibilities of a

Governess - - - - . 6

Conybeare and Howson's St. Paul 7

Corner's Sunday Book - - - 6

Dale's Domestic Liturgy - - 7

Discipline - - - . . s

Earl'.s Daughter (The) - - - 25

Eclipse of Kaith - - . g

Englishman's Greek Concordance 8

Englishman'sHeb.&Chald. Concord. 8

Experience of Life (The) - g

Felice's French Protestants - - 9

Gertrude ..... 25

Harrison's Lights of the Forge - 10
Hook's Lectures on Passion Week 11
Home's Introduction to Scriptures 12

" Abridgment of ditto - 12

Jameson's Sacred Legends - - 13
" Monastic Legends - - 13

" Legends of the Madonna 13

Jeremy Taylor's Works - - - 14
Kippis's Hymns . - - - 14
Laneton Parsonage - - .26
Letters to My Unknown Friends - 16

" on Happiness - - - 16
Litton's Church of Christ - - 16
M' Leod & Weller's Scripture Atlas 18
Maitland's Church in the Catacombs 19
Margaret Percival - - - - 26
Mariotti's Fra Dolcino - - - 19
Martineau's Church History - - 19
Milner's Church of Christ - .20
Montgomery's Original Hymns - 20
Moore On the Use of the Body - 20

" " Soul and Body . 20

" 's Man and his Motives - 20
Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History- 21
Neale's Closing Scene - - - 22

" Resting- Places of the Just 22

" Riches that Bring no
Sorrow - - - . . 22

" Risen from the Ranks - 22

Newman's (J. H.) Discourses - 22
Ranke's Ferdinand & Maximilian
Readings for Lent - - -

Robinson's Lexicon to the Greek
Testament - - . . -
Saints our Example ...
Self-Denial - . . -

Sinclair's Journey of Life
" Popish Legends
Sketches by a Sailor - - .
Smith's (Sydney) Moral Philosophy

(J.) St. Paul -
Southey's Life of Wesley
Stephen's Ecclesiastical Biography
Tayler's Lady Mary - - -

" Margaret; or, the Pearl -
Taylor's Loyola . _ . .

" Wesley - . . -
Thumb Bible (The)
Tomline's Introduction to the Bible
Turner's Sacred History ...

Poetry and tlie Drama.

Aikin's (Dr.) British Poets - - 3

Baillie's (Joanna) Poetical Works 3
Belfast's Lectures on the English

Poets - - ... 4

Dante, by Cayley - - . . 6

Flow ers and their kindred Thoughts 22

Fruits from Garden and Field - 22

Goethe's Faust, bj Falck Lebahn 16

Goldsmith's Poems, illustrated - 9

Kippis's Hymns - - , - .14

L. E. L.'s Poetical AVorks . - 16

Linwood's Anthologia Oxoniensis- 16

Macaulay's Lays of Ancient Rome 18

Montgomery's Poetical Works - 20

" Original Hymns - 20

Moore's Poetical Works - - 21

" Lalla Rookh ... 21

" Irish Melodies - . - 21

" Songs and Ballads - - 21

Shakspeare, Dy Bowdler - - 26

" Sentiments & Similes 13

" Songs and Ballads - 26

Southey's Poetical Works - - 27

" British Poets - - - 28

Swain's English Melodies - - 29

Thomson's Seasons, illustrated - 27

Watts's Lyrics of the Heart - - 32

Winged Thoughts - - - 22

Political Economy and
Statistics.

Banfield's Statistical Companion - 4

Caird's Letters on Agriculture - 6

Francis's Bank of England 9

" English Railway - . 9

" Stock Exchange - - 9
Greg's Essays on Political and

Social Science - - - - 10

Laing's Notes of a Traveller - - 14

" Notes on Denmark and

the Duchies - - - 14

M'Culloch's Geog. Statist. &c. Diet. 18

" Dictionary of Commerce 18

" London - - - 31

" Statistics of Gt. Britain 19

" On Funding & Taxation 19

" On Waees - - - I8

Marcet's Political Economy - - 19

Pashley On Pauperism - - - 23

The Sciences
in General and Mathe-
matics.

" on the Screw Propeller . 5

Brande's Dictionary of Science, &c. 5

Cresy's Civil Engineering - . 7

De laBeche'sGeology of Cornwall,&c. 7

" Geological Observer - 7

De la Rive's Electricity . . 7

Herschel's Outlines of Astronomy 11

Holland's Mental Physiology - 11

Humboldt's Aspects of Nature - 13

" Cosmos - - - 13

Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopaedia - 15

" Great Exhibition - - 16

Lund's Companion to Wood's

Algebra - - - - 32
Marcet's (Mrs.) Conversations - 19
Moseley's Practical Mechanics - 21
" Engineering&Architecture 21
Owen's Lectureson Comp Anatomy 22
Peschel's Elements of Physics - 23
Phillips's Fossils of Cornwall, &c. 23
" Mineralogy - - 23
Portlock's Geology of Londonderry 24
Smee's Electro Metallurgy - - 27
Steam Engine (The) - - . 3
Tate On Strength of Materials - 29
" Exercises on Mechanics - 28
" Mechanical Philosophy - 29
Wilson's Electricity and the Elec-
tric Telegraph - - . . 31
Wood's Algebra, by Lund - - 32

Rural Sports.

Blaine's Dictionary of Sports . 4

Cecil's Stable Practice - - . 6

" Stud Farm - ... 6

The Cricket-Field - ... 7

Ephemera on Angling - - - 8

" Book of the Salmon - 8

Hawker's Instructionsto Sportsmen ll

The Hunting-Field . . . lO

Loudon's Lady's Country Comp. - 15

Pocket and the Stud - - - 1 1

Practical Horsemanship - - lO

Pulman's Fly-Fishing - - . 24

Stable Talk and Table Talk - - 11

The Stud, for practical purposes - ]0

Wheatley's Rod and Line - - 32

VeterinaryMedicine,&

Cecil's Stable Practice

" Stud Farm - - .

Hunting Field (The) - . -

Pocket and the Stud - . -
Practical Horsemanship
Stable Talk and Table Talk ■

Stud (The) - . . .

Youatt's The Dog - - . -

" The Horse ...

Voyages and
Travels.

Adams's Canterbury Settlement -
Davis's China - - - .

Eothen

Forbes's Dahomey - - -

Forester and Biddulph's Norway -
Hope's Brittany and the Bible
Hue's Tartary, Thibet, and China
Hughes's Australian Colonies
Humboldt's Aspects of Nature
Jameson's Canada - - - .
Jerrmann's Pictures from St.
Petersburg - - . .

Lang's New South Wales
Laing's Norway - - . .
" Denmark and the Duchies
" Notes of a TraveUer
Lardner's London
Osborn's Arctic Journal
Peel's Nubian Desert -
Pfeiffer's Voyage round the World
Power's New Zealand Sketches -
Richardson's Arctic Boat Voyage
Seaward 's Narrative - - -
Snow's Arctic Voyage - - -
St. John's (H.) Indian Archipelago
(J. A.)Isi9 - - ^.
Sutherland's Arctic Voyage -
Traveller's Library
Weme's African Wanderings

"Works of Fiction.

Lady Willoughby's Diary
Macdonald's Villa Verocchio
Sir Roger de Coverley - - -
Southey's The Doctor &c. -

In Ilpljatotiral Cctnlngiie

OP

NEW WOEKS AND NEW EDITIONS

PTJBLISHED BY

MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROJFN, GREEN, d- LONGMANS,

PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON.

MISS ACTON'S MODEEN COOKEEY-BOOK.

Modern Cookery in all its Branches, reduced to a System of Easy Practice. For the use of
Private Fami .es. In a Series of Receipts, all of which have been strictly test;d, a^'d are^iven
With the most ramute exactness. By Eliza Acton. New Edition ; with Direc ions for clrv"
i«ff, and other Additions. Fcp. 8vo. with Plates and Woodcuts, 7s. 6d. cloth.

ADAMS—A SPEINO IN THE CANTEEBURY SETTLE-
MENT. By C. Warren ADAMS, Esq. With 5 Illustrations. Post 8vo. price 5s. 6d. cloth.

ADDISON.- HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS

By C. G Addison, of the Inner Temple, Esq., Barrister-at-Law. 3d Edition, corrected 'and
improved ; with 4 Lithographic and 3 Woodcut Illustrations. Square crown 8vo.i;s!6t?ioth

AIKIN.- SELECT WORKS OF THE BRITISH POETS

*rom Ben Jonson to Beattie. With Biographical and Critical Prefaces by Dr. Aikin ' New

' ANCELL-A TREATISE ON TUBERCULOSIS,

The Constitutional Origin of Consumption and Scrofula. By Henry Ancell, late Lecturer
I on Materia Medica and Therapeutics, and on Medical Jurisprudence, at the School of Aua-

\ tomy and Medicine adjoining St. George's Hospital. Svo. price 21s. cloth.

ANTHONY— FOOTSTEPS TO HISTORY:

lvZC^^fr\ ""^ "f «^^^°7^« «f ^"^'^'^d and France; to which are added, slight
Sketc es of Literature Arts, and Manufactures. By Louisa Anthony. The Second Edi-
tion, thoroughly revised, with considerable Additions. Fcp. Svo. price 5s. 6d. cloth.

A TREATISE ON THE STEAM ENGINE,

in its Application to Mines, Mills, Steam Navigation, and Railways. By the Artisan Club
Edited by John Bourne, C.E. New Edition. With 30 Steel Plates and 349 Wood En-rav'
ings. 4to. 27s. cloth. °

JOANNA BAILLIE'S DRAMATIC & POETICAL WORKS

Complete in One Volume: Comprising the Plays of the Passions, Miscellaneous Dramas^
Metrical Legends, Fugitive Pieces (including several now first published), and Ahalya Baee'
Second Edition; including a Life of Joanna BaiUie, now first published: With a Portrait
engraved by H. Robinson, and a Vignette View of Bothwell Manse. Square crown Svo. 21s
cloth ; or 42s. bound in morocco by Hayday.

NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS

BAINES — THE LIFE OF EDWAED BAINES,

late M.P. for the Borough of Leeds. By his Son, Edward Baines, Author of The History
of the Cotton Manufacture, With a Portrait engraved in line by Greatbach. 8vo. 9s. cloth.

BALFOUE— SKETCHES OF EITQLISH LITEEATUEE

from the Fourteenth to the Present Century. By Clara Lucas Balfour, Author of
Women of Scripture, &c. Fcp. 8vo. 7s. cloth.

BANFIELD.— THE STATISTICAL COMPANION :

Exhibiting the most interesting Facts in Moral and Intellectual, Vital, Economical, and Poli-
tical Statistics, at Home and Abroad. Corrected to the Present Time ; and including the
Results of the Census of the British Population taken in 1851. Compiled from Official and
other Authentic Sources, by T. C. Ban field, Esq., Statistical Clerk to the Council of Educa-
tion. Fcp. 8vo. price 5s. cloth.

BAYLDON'S AET OF VALUING EENTS & TILLAGES,

And Tenant's Right of Entering and Quitting Farms, explained by several Specimens of
Valuations; with Remarks on the Cultivation pursued on Soils in different Situations.
Adapted to the Use of Landlords, Land-Agents, Appraisers, Farmers, and Tenants. New
Edition ; corrected and revised by John Donaldson. Svo. lOs. 6d. cloth.

LOED BELFAST.-LECTUEES ON THE ENGLISH POETS

and POETRY of the NINETEENTH CENTURY. By the Right Hon, th'e Earl of Belfast.
Fcp. 8vo. price 6s. 6d. cloth.

BLACK'S PEACTICAL TEEATISE ON BEEWING,

Based on Chemical and Economical Principles: with Formulae for Public Brewers, and
Instructions for Private Families. New Edition, with Additions. Svo. 10s. 6d. cloth.

BLAINE'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF EUEAL SPOETS;

Or, a complete Account, Historical, Practical, and Descriptive, of Hunting, Shooting, Fishing,
Racing, and other Field Sports and Athletic Amusements of the present day. A new and
thoroughly revised Edition ; with copious Additions and Improvements, and numerous addi-
tional Illustrations. The Hunting, Racing, and all relative to Horses and Horsemanship,
revised by Harry Hieover; Shooting and Fishing by Ephemera; and Coursing by
Mr. A. Graham. With upwards of 600 Woodcuts. Svo. 50s. half-bound.

BLAIE'S CHEONOLOGICAL AND HISTOEICAL TABLES,

From the Creation to the present time : with Additions and Corrections from the most authen-
tic Writers ; including the Computation of St. Paul, as connecting the Period from the Exode
to the Temple. Under the revision of Sir Henry Ellis, K.H., Princii>al Librarian of
the British Museum. New Edition, with Corrections. Imperial Svo. 31s. 6d. half-morocco.

BLOOMFIELD.— THE GEEEK TESTAMENT:

With copious English Notes, Critical, Philological, and Explanatory. Especially formed for
the use of advanced Students and Candidates for Holy Orders. By Rev. S. T. Bloomfield,
D.D. F.S.A. New Edition. 2 vols. Svo. with a Map of Palestine, .1^2, cloth.

THE REV. DR. BLOOMFIELD'S ADDITIONAL ANNOTATIONS

On the NEW TESTAMENT: Being a Supplement to his larger Edition of The Greek
Testanunt with English Notes. New Edition. Svo. 15s. cloth.

BLOOMFIELD.-COLLEGE AND SCHOOL GEEEK TESTA-

MENT : With shorter English Notes, Critical, Philological, and Explanatory, formed for use in
Colleges and the Public Schools. By the Rev. S. T. Bloomfield, D.D. F.S.A. New Edition,
greatly enlarged and improved. Fcp. Svo. 10s. 6d. cloth.

PUBLISHED BY LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMANS. 5

BOURNE— A TREATISE ON THE SCREW PROPELLER:

With various Suggestions of Improvement, By John Bourne, C.E., Editor of The Artisan
Clieb^s Treatise on the Steam Engine. With 20 large Plates and numerous Woodcuts. 4to.
price 38s. cloth.

BOURNE.-A CATECHISM OP THE STEAM ENGINE,

Illustrative of the Scientific Principles upon which its Operation depends, and the Practical
Details of its Structure, in its applications to Mines, Mills, Steam Navif^ation, and Railways:
with various Suggestions of Improvement. By John Bourne, C.E. New Edition, corrected.
Fcp. 8vo. 6s. cloth.

BRANDE.- A DICTIONARY OF SCIENCE, LITERATURE,

and ART; comprising the History, Description, and Scientific Principles of every Branch
of Human Knowledge ; with the Derivation and Definition of all the Terms in General Use.
Edited by W. T. Brande, F.R.S.L. & E. ; assisted by Dr. J. Cauvin. The Second Edition,
revised and corrected; including a Supplement, and numerous Wood Engravings. Svo.
price 60s. cloth.— The Supplement separately, price 3s. 6d.

BULL —THE MATERNAL MANAGEMENT OP CHILDREN

in HEALTH and DISEASE. By T. Bull, M.D. Member of the Royal College of Physicians ;
formerly Physician-Accoucheur to the Finsbury Midwifery Institution. New Edition, revised
and enlarged. Fcp. Svo. 5s. cloth.

BULL.— HINTS TO MOTHERS,

For the Management of their Health during the Period of Pregnancy and in the Lying-in Room :
with an Exposure of Popular Errors in connexion with those subjects, &c. ; and Hints upon
Nursing. By T. Bull, M.D. New Edition, revised and enlarged. Fcp. Svo. 5s. cloth.

BUNSEN.-HIPPOLYTUS AND HIS AGE;

Or, Doctrine and Practice of the Church of Rome under Commodus and Alexander Severus :
And Ancient and Modern Christianity and Divinity compared. By C. C. J. Bunsen, D.C.L.
With the Effigy of Hippolytus. 4 vols, post Svo. price 42s. cloth.

" The volumes will be acceptable to every right-minded theologian. The candid inquirer will receive them gratefully as
suggesting new views, enforcing sound principles, presenting interestini^ pictures of the past for the instruction of the
present and the guidance of the future. The tone of tliem is healthful and bracing. They must benefit the true spirits of
the age who look to the future for a new and better era of Christianity, in whicli the sickliness of modern piety, with the
formalism, superstition, and unsophisticalness of a selfish age shall disappear ; and the true Church, the Church of
believers, present the spectacle of a loving brotherhood, embodying the lile of religion in forms of ever-expanding develop-
ment pervaded by the intellectual and devotional in due proportions." Khto's Journal of Sacred Literature.

BUNSEN.-EGYPT'S PLACE IN UNIVERSAL HISTORY:

An Historical Investigation, in Five Books. By C. C. J. Bunsen, D.C.L. Translated from
the German, by C. H. Cottrell, Esq. M.A.— Vol. I. containing the First Book, or Sources
and Primeval Facts of Egyptian History: with an Egyptian Grammar and Dictionary, and
a complete List of Hieroglyphical Signs ; an Appendix of Authorities, embracing the com-
plete Text of Manetho and Eratosthenes, ^gyptiaca from Pliny, Strabo, &c. ; and Plates
representing the Egyptian Divinities. With many Illustrations. Svo. 2Ss. cloth.
*»* The Second Volume is preparing for publication.

BURTON.-THE HISTORY OP SCOTLAND,

From the Revolution to the Extinction of the last Jacobite Insurrection (1689— 174S). By
John Hill Burton, Author of The Life of David Hume, &c. 2 vols. Svo. [In the press.

BISHOP BUTLER'S GENERAL ATLAS OP MODERN AND

ANCIENT GEOGRAPHY; comprising Fifty-one full-coloured Maps ; w:lh complete Indices.
New Edition, nearly all re-engraved, enlarged, and greatly improved; with Corrections
from the most authentic sources in both the Ancient and Modern Maps, many of which are
entirely new. Edited by the Author's Son, the Rev. T. Butlek. Royal 4to. 24s. half-boun I-

^ The Modern Atlas. 28 full-coloured Maps. Royal Svo. 12s. half-bound.
Separately ^ rj,^^ Ancient Atlas. 23 full- coloured Maps. Royal Svo. 12s. half-bound.

NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS

BISHOP BUTLEE'S SKETCH OF MODEEN & ANCIENT

GEOGRAPHY. New Edition, carefully revised, with such Alterations introduced as con-
tinually progressive Discoveries and the latest Inlormation have rendered necessary. Edited
by the Author's Son, the Rev. T. Butler. 8vo. 9s. cloth.

THE CABINET GAZETTEEE:

A Popular Exposition of all the Countries of the World ; their Government, Population,
Revenues, Commerce and Industries; Agricultural, Manufactured, and Mineral Products ;
Religion, Laws, Manners, and Social State : With brief Notices of their History and Antiqui-
ties. From the latest Authorities. By t\\e Author of The Cabinet Lawt^er. In One Volume,
with a coloured Map. Fcp. 8vo. price 10s, 6(1. cloth; or 13s. calf lettered.

THE CABINET LAWYEE:

A Popular Digest of the Laws of England, Civil and Criminal ; with a Dictionary of Law
Terms, Maxims, Statutes, and Judicial Antiquities ; Correct Tables of Assessed Taxes, Stamp
Duties, Excise Licenses, and Post-Horse Duties ; Post-Office Regulations, and Prison Disci-
pline. 15th Edition, with Supplements. Fcp. 8vo. 10s. 6d. cloth.

CAIED.-ENGLISH AGEICULTUEE IN 1850 AND 1851;

Its Condition and Prospects. By James Caird, Esq. of Baldoon, Agricultural Commissioner
of The Times. Second Edition. 8vo. 14s. cloth.

THE CALLING & EESPONSIBILITIES OE A GOVEENESS.

By Amiga. Fcp. 8vo. price 4s. 6d. cloth.

CATLOW.-POPULAE CONCHOLOGY;

Or, the Shell Cabinet arranged: being an Introduction to the Modern System of Conchology:
with a sketch of the Natural History of the Animals, an account of the Formation of the Shells,
and a complete Descriptive List of the Families and Genera. By Agnes Catlow. With
312 Woodcuts. Fcp. 8vo. 10s. 6d. cloth.

CAYLEY.-DANTE'S DIVINE COMEDY.

Translated in the Original Ternary Rhyme. By C. B. Cayley, B.A. Vol. I. The Vision
of Hell. Fcp. 8vo. price 6s. cloth.— Vol. II. The Purgatory. Fcp. 8vo. price price 6s. cloth.

CECIL.-STABLE PEACTICE;

Or, Hints on Training for the Tuif, the Chase, and the Road ; with Observations on Racing
and Huntinj, Wasting, Race Riding, and Handicapping : addressed to Owners of Racers,
Hunters, and other Horses, and to all who are concerned in Racing, Steeple Chasing, and
Fox Hunting. By Cecil. Fcp. 8vo. with Plate, price 5s. half-bound.

CECIL.— THE STUD FAEM;

Or, Hints on Breeding Horses for the Turf, the Chase, and the Road. Addressed to Breeders
of Race Horses and Hunters, Landed Proprietors, and especially to Tenant Farmers. By
Cecil. Fcp. 8vo. with Frontispiece, price 5s. half-bound.

THE CHILDEEN'S OWN SUNDAY-BOOK.

By Julia Corner, Author of Questiuns on the History of Europe. With Two Illustrations
engraved on Steel. Square fcp. 8vo. 5s. cloth.

CONVEESATIONS ON BOTANY.

New Edition, improved. Fcp. Svo. with 22 Plates, price 7s. 6d, cloth; mth the plates
coloured, price 12s. cloth.

PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO.

COE^YBEAEE AND HOWSON.-THE LIFE & EPISTLES

of SAINT PAUL; Comprising- a complete Biography of the Apostle, and a Translation of
his Epistles Inserted in Chronological Order. By the Rev. W. J. Conybeare, M.A. late
Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge; and the Rev. J. S. Howson, M.A. Principal of the
Collegiate Institution, Liverpool. With 40 Engravings on Steel and 100 Woodcuts : Including
Views of the Principal Places visited by the Apostle, from Original Drawings made on the
spot by W. H. Bartlett and other Travellers ; also Maps, Charts, Plans, Coins, Antiquities,
&c. 2 vols. 4tD. price ^2. 8s. cloth.

COPLAND.-A DICTIONARY OF PEACTICAL MEDICmE ;

Comprising General Pathology, the Nature and Treatment of Diseases, Morbid Structures,
and the Disorders especially incidental to Climates, to Sex, and to the different Epochs of
Life; with numerous approved Formulae of the Medicines recommended. By James Copland,
M.D. Consulting Physician to Queen Charlotte's Lying-in Hospital, &c. Vols. I. and II.
8vo. .^3, cloth ; and Parts X. to XVI. 4s. 6d. each, sewed.

CHESY.-AN ENQYOLOFMBIA OF CIVIL ENGmEERING,

Historical, Theoretical, and Practical. By Edward Cresy, F.S.A. C.E. Illustrated by
upwards of 3,000 Woodcuts explanatory of the Principles, Machinery, and Constructions
which come under the Direction of the Civil Engineer. Svo. price ^3. 13s. 6d. cloth.

THE CEICKET-FIELD;

Or, the Science and History of the Game. Illustrated with Diagrams, and enlivened with
Anecdotes. By the Author of Principles of Scientific Batting. Fcp. Svo. with 2 Plates,
price 5s. half-bound.

DALE.-THE DOMESTIC LITUEGY& FAMILY CHAPLAIN,

in Two Parts : The First Part being Church Services adapted for domestic use,
with Prayers for every day of the week, selected exclusively from the Book of Common
Prayer; Part II. compi-ising an appropriate Sermon for every Sunday in the year. By
the Rev. Thomas Dale, M.A., Canon Residentiary of St. Paul's Cathedral. 2d Edition.
Post 4to. 21s. cloth : or, bound by Hayday, 31s. 6d. calf lettered ; ^2. 10s. morocco.

r The Family Chaplain, price 12s. cloth
Separately | j,^^ Domestic Liturgy, price lOs. 6d.

lOs. 6d. cloth.

DAVIS.-CHINA DURING THE WAR AND SINCE THE

PEACE. By Sir J. F. Davis, Bart., F.R.S., late H.M. Plenipotentiary in China; Governor
and Commander-in-Chief of the Colony of Hongkong. 2 vols, post Svo. with Woodcuts,
price 21s. cloth.

DELABECHE.-THE GEOLOGICAL OBSERVER.

By Sir Hen'ry T. Delabeche, F.R S., Director-General of the Geological Survey of the
United Kingdom. New Edition; with numerous Woodcuts. Svo. 18s. cloth.

DELABECHE- REPORT ON THE GEOLOGY OF CORN-

WALL, DEVON, and WEST SOMERSET. By Sir Henry T. Delabeche, F.R.S. Director-
General of the Geological Survey. Svo. with Maps, Woodcuts, and 12 large Plates,
price 14s. cloth.

DE LA RIVE.-A TREATISE ON ELECTRICITY,

In Theory and Practice. By Aug. De la Rive, Professor in the Academy of Geneva. In
Two Volumes, with numerous Wood Engravings. Vol. I. Svo. price 18s. cloth.

NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS

DENNISTOUN.-MEMOIES OF THE DUKES OF UEBINO ;

Illustrating the Arms, Arts, and Literature of Italy, from MCCCCXL. to MDCXXX. By
James Dennistoun, of Dennistoun. With numerous Portraits, Plates, Fac-similes, and
Engravings on Wood. 3 vols, crown 8vo. £2. 8s. cloth.

DISCIPLINE.

By the Author of Letters to my Unknown Friends, &c. Second Edition, enlarged. ISmo.
price Half-a-Crown, cloth.

DOUBLEDAY, WESTWOOD, AND HEWITSON. — THE

GENERA of BUTTERFLIES, or DIURNAL LEPIDOPTERA : comprising their Generic
Characters, a Notice of their Habits and Transformations, and a Catalogue of the Species of
each Genus. By Edward Doubleday, F.L.S , F.Z.S., late Assistant in the Zoological
Department of the British Museum; and John O. Westwood, Esq., President of the
Entomological Society of London. Illustrated with Eighty-six coloured Plates from Drawings
by W. C. Hewitson, Esq., Author of British Oology. 2 vols, imperial 4to. price Fifteen
Guineas, half-bound in morocco.

EASTLAKE.-MATEEIALS FOR A HISTORY OF OIL

PAINTING. By Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, F.R.S. F.S.A., President of the Royal
Academy. Svo. 16s. cloth.

THE ECLIPSE OF FAITH;

Or, a Visit to a Religious Sceptic. New Edition. Post Svo. price 9s. 6d. cloth.

" It is absolutely necessary to meet them" [infidel writers of the modern schooll " on their own p-ound, and fight them
with their own weapons. And this is what the little book at the head of this article professes to do ; and it does its work
well. It is learned and logical, and at the same time lively and entertaining. Its irony is very powerful and cutting, and
yet it is not open to the apparent objection of grave and serious subjects being treated flippantly. Whilst, from the
nature of the subject, it might fairly be entitled 'Theological Fragments,' Irom the method in which the subject is
treated it is as interesting as a collection of scenes of society." BRiTANNii.

THE ENGLISHMAN'S GREEK CONCORDANCE OF THE

NEW TESTAMENT: being an Attempt at a Verbal Connexion between the Greek and the
English Texts ; including a Concordance to the Proper Names, with Indexes, Greek-English
and English-Greek. New Edition, with a new Index. Royal Svo. 42s. cloth.

THE ENGLISHMAN'S HEBREW AND CHALDEE Con-
cordance of the OLD TESTAMENT ; being an Attempt at a Verbal Connection between
the Original and the English Translations : with Indexes, a List of the Proper Names and
their occurrences, &c. 2 vols, royal Svo. ^3. 13s. 6d. cloth; large paper, ^4. 14s. 6d.

EPHEMERA.-THE BOOK OF THE SALMON :

Comprising the Theory, Principles, and Practice of Fly-Fishing for Salmon: with Lists of
good Salmon Flies for every good River in the Empire; with the Natural History of the
Salmon, all Its known Habits described, and the best way of artificially Breeding It ex-
plained. With numerous coloured Engravings of Salmon Flies and Salmon Fry. By
Ephemera ; assisted by Andre;w Young, of Invershin, Manager of the Duke of Suther-
land's Salmon Fisheries. Fcp. Svo. with coloured Plates, 14s. cloth.

EPHEMERA.-A HAND-BOOK OF ANGLING;

Teaching Fly-fishing, Trolling, Bottom-fishing;, Salmon-fishing; with the Natural History of
River Fish, and the best modes of Catching them.' By Ephemera. New Edition, enlarged.
Fcp. Svo. with numerous Woodcuts, 9s. cloth.

THE EXPERIENCE OF LIFE.

By the Author of Amy Herbert, Gertrude, &c. Fep, Svo. price 7s. 6d. cloth.

PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 9

FELICE'S HISTOEY OF THE PROTESTANTS OF FEANCE,

From 1521 to 1851. Translated from the .Second revised and corrected Edition, by E. Wkst.
2 vols, post 8vo. [In the press.

FOEBES.-DAEOMEY AND THE DAHOMANS :

Being: the Journals of Two Missions to the King of Dahomey, and Residence at his Capital ,
in the Years 1849 and 1850. By Frederick E. Forbes, Commander, R.N., F.R.G.S.,
With 10 Plates and 3 Wood Engravings. 2 vols, post 8vo. 21s. cloth,

FOEESTER AND BIDDULPH'S NORWAY.

Norway in 1848 and 1849 : containing Rambles among the Fjeldsand Fjords of the Central and
Western Districts ; and including Remarks on its Political, Military, Ecclesiastical, and Social
Organisation. By Thomas Forester, Esq.; and Lieutenant M. S. Biddulph, Royal
Artillery. W ith Map, Woodcuts, and Ten coloured Plates. Bvo. 18s. cloth.

FOSS.-THE JUDGES OF ENGLAND:

With Sketches of their Lives, and Miscellaneous Notices connected with the Courts at West-
minster from the time of the Conquest. By Edward Foss, F.S.A. of the Inner Temple
Vols. I. II. III. and IV. 8vo, 56s. cloth.

FEANCIS — THE HISTOEY OF THE BANK OF ENGLAND;

Its Times and Traditions. By John Francis. Third Edition. 2 vols, post 8vo. 21s. cloth.

FEANCIS.-A HISTOEY OF THE ENGLISH EAILWAY;

Its social Relations and Revelations. By John Francis. 2 vols. Svo. 24s. cloth.

FEANCIS.-CHEONICLES AND CHAEACTEES OF THE

STOCK EXCHANGE. By John Francis. Second Edition. Svo. 12s. cloth.

FEEEMAN.— THE LIFE OF THE EEV. WILLIAM KIEBY,

M.A., F.R.S., F.L.S., &c., Rector of Barham ; Author of one of the Bridgewater Treatises ;
and Joint-Author of the Introduction to Entomoligy. By the Rev. John Freeman, M.A.,
Rector of Ashwicken, Norfolk, and Rural Dean. With a Portrait of Mr. Kirby (engraved by
Henry Robinson), a Fac-simile of his Handwriting, and a View of Barham Parsonage. Svo.
price 15s. cloth.

GOLDSMITH. - THE POETICAL WOEKS OF OLIVEE

GOLDSMITH. Illustrated by Wood Engravings, from Designs by Members of the Etching
Club. With a Biographical Memoir, and Noteson the Poems. Edited by Bolton Cornky,
Esq. Square crown 8vo. price One Guinea, cloth ; or, bound in morocco by Hayday,
price £1. 16s.

GOSSE.-A NATUEALIST'S SOJOUEN IN JAMAICA.

By P. H. GossE, Esq. With coloured Plates, Post Svo. 14s. cloth.

GEAHAM.-STUDIES FEOM THE ENGLISH POETS :

Comprising Selections from Milton, Shakspeare, Tope, Gray, Goldsmith, Cowper, and Collins ;
with the strikingly beautiful passages printed in italics ; Explanatory Notes and Illustrations ;
and Examination Questions for exercise in English Composition. By G. F. Graham. l2mo.
price 7s. cloth. .

C

10 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS

GEAIIAM.-ENaLISH; OR, THE AET OF COMPOSITION

Explained in a Series of Instructions and Examples. By G. F. Graham. New Edition,
revised and improved. Fcp. 8vo. 6s, cloth.

ME,. W. E. GEEG'S CONTEIBUTIONS TO THE EDIN-

BURGH REVIEW.— ESSAYS on POLITICAL and SOCIAL SCIENCE. Contributed chiefly
to the Edinburgh Review. By William R. Greg. 2 vols. 8vo. price 24s. cloth.

GUENEY.-HISTOEICAL SKETCHES;

Illustrating some Memorable Events and Epochs, from a.d. 1,400 to a.d. 1,546. By the Rev.
John Hampden Gurney, M.A., Rector of St. Mary's, Mary-le-bone. Fcp. 8vo. 7s. 6d. cloth.

GWILT.-AK ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AECHITECTUEE,

Historical, Theoretical, and Practical. By Joseph Gvj^ilt. Illustrated with more than
One Thousand Eng-raving-s on Wood, from Designs by J. S. Gwilt. Second Edition, with a
Supplemental View of the Symmetry and Stability of Gothic Architecture ; comprising upwards
of Eighty additional Woodcuts. 8vo. price 52s. 6d. cloth —The Supplement separately,
price 6s. cloth.

SIDNEY HALL'S GENEEAL LAEGE LIBEAEY ATLAS

OF FIFTY-THREE MAPS (size 20 in. by 16 in.), with the Divisions and Boundaries care-
fully coloured ; and an Alphabetical Index of all the Names contained in the Maps. New
Edition, corrected from the best and most recent Authorities ; with the Railways laid down
and many entirely new Maps. Colombier 4to. .^'5. 5s. half-bound in russia.

HAMILTON. - DISCUSSIONS IN PHILOSOPHY AND

LITERATURE, EDUCATION and UNIVERSITY REFORM. Chiefly from the Edinburgh
Review; corrected, vindicated, enlarged, in Notes and Appendices. By Sir William
Hamilton, Bart. 8vo. price 18s. cloth.

HAEEISON.— THE LIGHT OF THE FOEGE;

Or, Counsels drawn from the Sick-Bed of E. M. By the Rev. William Harrison, M.A.,
Rector of Birch, Essex, and Domestic Chaplain to H.R.H. the Duchess of Cambridge. With
2 Wood Engravings. Fcp. 8vo. price 5s. cloth.

HAEEISON.-ON THE EISE, PEOGEESS, AND PEESENT

STRUCTURE of the ENGLISH LANGUAGE. By the Rev. M. Harrison, M.A. late
Fellow of Queen's College, Oxford. Post 8vo. 8s. 6d. cloth.

HAEEY HIEOVEE.-THE HUNTING-FIELD.

By Harry Hieover. With Two Plates— One representing The Right Sort; the other, The
Wrong Sort. Fcp. 8vo. 5s. half-bound.

HAEEY HIEOVEE.-PEACTICAL HOESEMANSHIP.

By Harry Hieover. With 2 Plates— One representing Going like Workmen; the other.
Going like Muffs. Fcp. 8vo. price 5s. half-bound.

HAEEY HIEOVEE.-THE STUD,

For Practical Purposes and Piactical Men : Being a Guide to the Choice of a Horse for
use more than for show. By Harry Hieover. With Two Plates— One representing
A in-etty good sort for most purpoies; the other, * Rai/tfier^ a bad sort for any purpose.
Fcp. 8vo. 5s. half-bound.

PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 11

HARRY HIEOVER.— THE POCKET AND THE STUD;

Oc, PracticalHintson the Manag'ement of the Stable. By Harry Hieover. Second Edition ;
with Portrait of the Author on his favourite Horse Harlequin. Fcp. 8vo. 5s. half-bound.

HARRY HIEOVER.— STABLE TALK AND TABLE TALK ;

Or, SPECTACLES for YOUNG SPORTSMEN. By Harry Hieover. New Edition,
2 vols. 8vo. with Portrait, 24s. cloth.

HAWKER.-INSTRUCTIONS TO YOUNG SPORTSMEN

In all that relates to Guns and Shooting^. By Lieut.-Col. P. Hawker. New Edition,
corrected, enlarged, and improved; with Eig^hty-five Plates and Woodcuts by Adlard and
Branston, from Drawings by C. Varley, Uickes, &c. 8vo, 218. cloth.

HAYDN'S BOOK OF DIGNITIES:

Containing ROLLS OF THE OFFICIAL PERSONAGES of the BRITISH EMPIRE, Civil,
Ecclesiastical, Judicial, Military, Naval, and Municipal, from the EARLIEST PERIODS to
the PRESENT TIME; Compiled chiefly from the Records of the Public Offices. Together
with the Soverigns of Europe, from the foundation of their respective States ; the Peerage
and Nobility of Great Britain, and numerous other Lists. Being a New Edition, improved
and continued, of BEATSON'S POLITICAL INDEX. By Joseph Haydn, Compiler of
The Dictionary of Dates, and other Works. 8v«. 25s. half-bound.

SIR JOHN HERSCHEL.-OUTLINES OF ASTRONOMY.

By Sir John F. W. Herschel. Bart. &c. New Edition ; with Plates and Wood Engravings.
8vo. 18s. cloth.

HINTS ON ETIQUETTE AND THE USAGES OF SOCIETY:

With a Glance at Bad Habits. By Aycayos. " Manners make the man." New Edition,
revised (with additions) by a Lady of Rank. Fcp. 8vo. 2s. 6d. cloth.

LORD HOLLAND'S MEMOIRS.

Memoirs of the Whig Party during my Time. By Henry Richard Lord Holland.
Edited by his Son, Henry Edward Lord Holland. Vol. I. Post 8vo. 93. 6d. cloth.

LORD HOLLAND'S FOREIGN REMINISCENCES.

FOREIGN REMINISCENCES. By Henry Richard Lord Holland, Comprising Anec-
dotes, and an Account of such Persons and Political Intrigues in Foreign Countries as have
fallen within his Lordship's observation. Edited by his Son, Henry Edvpard Lord
Holland ; with Fac-simile. Second Edition. Post 8vo. 10s. 6d.

HOLLAND.- CHAPTERS ON MENTAL PHYSIOLOGY.

By Henry Holland, M.D., F.R.S., Physician Extraordinary to the Queen; and Physician
in Ordinary to His Royal Highness Prince Albert. Founded chiefly on Chapters contained in
Medical Notes and Reflections by the same Author. 8vo. price 10s. 6d. cloth.

HOOK.-THE LAST DAYS OF OUR LORD'S MINISTRY :

A Course of Lectures on the principal Events of Passion Week. By Walter Farquhar
Hook, D.D., Chaplain in Ordinary to the Queen. New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. 6s. cloth.

HOOKER.— KEW GARDENS;

Or, a Popular Guide to the Roval Botanic Gardens of Kew. By Sir William Jackson
Hooker, K.H. D.C.L. F.R.A. &L.S. &c. &c. Director. New Edition. l6mo, with numerous
Wood Engravings, pi ice Sixpence.

12 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS

HOOKEE AITD AENOTT.-THE BRITISH FLOEA;

Comprising- the Phaenog-amous or Flowering' Plants, and the Ferns. The Sixth Edition,
•with Additions and Corrections; and numerous Figures illustrative of the Umbelliferous
Plants, the Composite Plants, the Grasses, and the Ferns. By Sir VV. J. Hookru, F.R.A.
and L.S. &c., and G. A. Walker-Arnott, LL.D. F.L.S. 12rao. with 12 Plates, Us. cloth ;
with the Plates coloured, price 21s.

HOEIirE.-AN INTEODUCTION TO THE CEITICAL STUDY

and KNOWLEDGE of the HOLY SCRIPTURES. By Thomas Hartwell Horne, B.D.

of St. John's Colleg-e, Cambridare; Prebendary of St. Paul's. New Edition, revised and
corrected ; with numerous Maps and Facsimiles of Biblical I\Ianuscripts. 5 vols. 8vo. 63s.
cloth; or £5, bound in calf.

HOEME.-A COMPENDIOUS mTEODUCTION TO THE

STUDY of the BIBLE. By Thomas Hartwell Horne, B.D. of St. John's College, Cam-
bridge. Being an Analysis of his Introduction to the Critical Study and Knowledge
of the Holy Scriptures. New Edition, corrected and enlarged. 12mo. with Maps and other
Engravings, 9s. boards.

HOY/ITT— TEE CHILDEEN'S YEAE.

By Mary Howitt. With Four Illustrations, engraved by John Absolon, from Original
Designs by Anna Mary Howitt. Square l6mo. 5s. cloth.

WILLIAM HOWITT'S BOY'S COUKTEY BOOK :

Being the real Life of a Country Boy, written by himself; exhibiting all the Amusements,
Pleasures, and Pursuits of Children in the Country. New Edition ; with 40 Woodcuts.
Fcp. 8vo, 6s. cloth.

HOWITT.— THE EUEAL LIFE OF ENGLAND.

By William Howitt. New Edition, corrected and revised ; with Engravings on wood, by
Bewick and Williams : uniform with Visits to Remarkable Places. Medium 8vo. 21s. cloth.

HOWITT.— VISITS TO EEMAEKABLE PLACES;

Old Halls, Battle-Fields, and Scenes illustrative of Striking Passages in English History and
Poetry. By William Howitt, New Edition ; with 40 Engravings on Wood. Medium Svo.
21s. cloth.

SECOND SERIES, chiefly in the Counties of NORTHUMBERLAND and DURHAM, with a
Stroll along the BORDER. With upwards of 40 Engravings on Wood. Medium Svo.
213. cloth.

HUDSON.— THE EXECUTOE'S GUIDE.

By J. C. Hudson, Esq. late of the Legacy Duty Office, London ; Author of Pla^n Directions
for Making Wills. New Edition. Fcp. Svo. 5s. cloth.

HUDSON.— PLAIN DIEECTIONS FOE MAKING Y/ILLS

In Conformity with the Law : with a clear Exposition of the Law relating to the distribution
of Personal Estate in the case of Intestacy, two Forms of Wills, and much useful information.
Sy J. C. Hudson, Esq. New Edition, corrected. Fcp. Svo. 2s. 6d. cloth.

%* These Two works may be had in One Volume, 7s. cloth.

HUGHES (E.)-A NEW SCHOOL ATLAS OF PHYSICAL,

POLITICAL, and COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY. By Edward Hughes, F.R.G.S., Head
Master of the Royal Naval Lower School, Greenwich Hospital. Containing Seventeen
coloured Maps, with Descriptive Letterpress. The Maps engraved on Steel by E. Weller,
F.R.G.9. Royal Svo. price 10s. 6d. half-bound.

PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 13

HUGHES (W.)— A MANUAL OF MATHEMATICAL GEO-

GRAPHY: comprehending an Inquiry into the Construction of Maps: with Rules for the
Formation of Map Projections. By William Hughes, F.R.G.S., late Professor of Geo-
prraphy in the College for Civil Engineers. Second Edition ; with 5 Plates. Fcp. 8vo. price
4s. 6d. cloth.

HUMBOLDT. -ASPECTS OF NATUEE

In Different Lands and Different Climates; with Scientific Elucidations. By Alexander Von
Humboldt. Translated, with the Author's authority, by Mrs. Sabine. New Edition.
l6mo. 6s. cloth : or in 2 vols. 3s. 6d. each, cloth ; Half-a-Crown each, sewed.

HUMBOLDT'S COSMOS;

Or, a Sketch of a Physical Description of the Universe. Translated, with the Author's authority
by Mrs. Sabine. Vols. I. and II. l6mo. Half-a-Crown each, sewed ; 3s. 6d. each, cloth: orin
post 8vo. 12s. eachjCloth.— Vol. III. post 8vo. 12s. 6d. cloth: orin 16mo. Part I. 2s. 6d. sewed,
3s. 6d. cloth; and Part II. 3s. sewed, 4s. cloth.

HUMPHHSYS.-SENTIMBNTS AND SIMILES OF SHAK-

SPEARE : a Classified Selection of Similes, Definitions, Descriptions, and other remarkable
Passaiijes in Shakspeare's Plays and Poems With an elaborately illuminated border in the
characteristic style of the Elizabethan Period, and other Embellishments. Bound in very
massive carved and pierced covers containing in deep relief a medallion Head and Cypher.
The Illuminations and Ornaments nesigned and executed by Henry Noel Humphreys.
Square post 8vo. One Guinea.

MRS. JAMESON'S LEGENDS OF THE MONASTIC

ORDERS, as represented in the Fine Arts. Containing St. Benedict and the Early Benedictines
in Italy, France, Spain, and Flanders ; the Benedictines in England and in Germany ; the
Reformed Benedictines; early Royal Saints connected with the Benedictine Order; the
Augustines ; Orders derived from the Augustine Rule ; the Mendicant Orders ; the Jesuits ;
and the Order of the Visitation of St, Mary. Forming the Second Series of Sacred and
Legendary Art. Second Edition, corrected and enlarged; with 11 Etchings by the Author,
and 88 Woodcuts. Square crown 8vo. 28s. cloth.

MRS. JAMESON'S SACRED AND LEGENDARY ART;

Or, Legends of the Saints and Martyrs. First Series. Containing Legends of the Angels
and Archangels ; the Evangelists and Apostles ; the Greek and Latin Fathers ; the Magda-
lene ; the Patron Saints; the Virgin Patronesses ; the Martyrs ; the Bishops ; the Hermits;
and the Warrior-Saints of Christendom. Second Edition ; with numerous Woodcuts, and 16
Etchings by the Author. Square crown Svo. 28s. cloth.

MRS. JAMESON'S LEGENDS OF THE MADONNA,

As represented in the Fine Arts. Formingthe Third Series of Sacred and Legendary Art.
With 55 Drawings by the Author, and 152 Wood Engravings. Square crown 8vo. 28s. cloth.

" Of all our writers upon sacred art, there is none in whose hands the subject acquires so deep an interest, or is treated with
such prolound knowlet',',e, such eenial yet acute criticism, such deep sympathy for tlie poetic, and such high reverence for
the sacred, as we find in the ^^ oiks of Mrs Jameson. A noble style, dignified yet natural, simple yet impressive, at once
captivates the reader; while the utter absence of pedantry, even in the fulness of the authoress's knowledge of obscure

subjects, adds not its least graceful characteristic to this book Mrs. Jameson's very scholarly and artist like volume is

one which every art library must possess ; and of the high qualities and merits of which, even the faint and meagre sketch
■which we have drawn can hardly, we hope, fail to alibrd some indication." Morning Chronicle.

LORD JEFFREY'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE EDIN-

BURGH REVIEW. A New Edition, complete in One Volume, uniform with Mr. Macaulay's
Essays and Sir James Mackintosh's and the Rev. Sydney Smith's Works; with a Portrait
engraved by Henry Robinson, and a Vignette View of Craigcrook engraved by J. Cousen.
Square crown Svo. {Nearly ready.

*»* Also, the Second Edition, in 3 vols. Svo. price 42s. cloth.

14 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS

BISHOP JEEEMY TAYLOR'S ENTIRE WORKS:

With the Life by Bishop Heber. Revised and corrected by the Rev. Charles Pagk
Eden, Fellow of Oriel Collej,^e, Oxford. In Ten Volumes. Vols. II. to X. 8vo. price Half-a-
Guinea each.

*»* The First Volume, comprising: Bishop Heber's Life of Jeremy Taylor, extended by the
Editor, is nearly ready for publication.

BISHOP JEREMY TAYLOR— READINGS FOR EVERY

DAY in LENT: compiled from the Writings of Bishop Jeremy Taylor. By the Authorof
Amp Herbert, The Child's First History of Rome, &c. Fcp. 8vo. price 5s. cloth.

JOHNSTON— A NEW DICTIONARY OF GEOGRAPHY,

Descriptive, Physical, Statistical, and Historical: forming a complete General Gazetteer of
the World. By Alexander Keith Johnston, F.R.S.E. F.R.G.S. F.G.S. ; Geographer at
Edinburgh in Ordinary to Her Majesty. In One Volume of 1,440 pages ; comprising nearly
50,000 Names of Places. 8vo. price 36s. cloth ; or strongly half-bound in russia, with flexible
back, 41s.

KEMBLE.-THE SAXONS IN ENGLAND :

a History of the English Commonwealth till the period of the Norman Conquest. By John
Mitchell Kemble, M.A., F.C.P.S., &c. 2 vols. Svo. 2Ss. cloth.

KIPPIS -A COLLECTION OF HYMNS AND PSALMS FOR

PUBLIC and PRIVATE WORSHIP. Selected and prepared by Andrew Kippis, D.D.,
Abraham Rees, D.D., the Rev. Thomas Jervis, and the Rev. Thomas Morgan, LL.D.
New Edition ; including a New Supplement by the Rev. Edmund Kell, M.A. 18mo. 4s.
cloth ; or 4s. 6d. bound in roan.— The SUPPLEMENT separately, price Eightpence.

KIRBY AND SPENCE -AN INTRODUCTION TO ENTO-

MOLOGY ; or, Elements of the Natural History of Insects: comprising an account of noxious
and useful Insects, of their Metamorphoses, Food, Stratagems, Habitations, Societies, Motions,
Noises, Hybernation, Instinct, &c. By W. Kirby, M.A. F.R.S. & L.S. Rector of Barham;
and W. Spence, Esq. F.R.S. & L.S. New Edition. 2 vols. 8vo. with Plates, 31s. 6d. cloth.

LAING.-OBSERVATIONS ON THE SOCIAL AND POLI-

TICAL STATE of DENMARK and the DUCHIES of SLESWICK and HOLSTEIN in 1851 :
Being the Third Series of Notes of a Traveller. By Samuel Laing, Esq. With a Plan of the
Battle of Idstedt. Svo. price 12s. cloth.

LAING -OBSERVATIONS ON THE SOCIAL AND POLI-

TICAL STATE of the EUROPEAN PEOPLE in 1848 and 1849 : Being the Second Series of
Notes of a Traveller. By Samuel Laing, Esq. Svo. 14s. cloth.

LANG. — FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE FOR THE

GOLDEN LANDS of AUSTRALIA ; the Right of the Colonies, an<l the Interest of Hritain
and of the World. By John Dunmore Lang, M.A.,D.D. With a coloured Map. PostSvo.
price 7s. 6d. cloth.

LANG.-AN HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL ACCOUNT

of NEW SOUTH WALES ; including a Visit to the Gold Regions, and a Description of the
Mines, with an Estimate of the probable Results of the Great Discovery. By John Dunmore
Lang, M.A., D.D. Tiiird Edition (three-fourths entirely new), bringing down the History of
the Colony to July 1, 1852 ; with a large coloured Map. 2 vols. iK)st 8vo. price 21s. cloth.

PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 15

LARDNER'S CABINET CYCLOPEDIA

OF HISTORY, BIOGRAPHY, LITERATURE, THE ARTS AND SCIENCES, NATURAL
HISTORY, AND MANUFACTURES: A Series of Original Works by

Sir John Herschel,
Sir James Mackintosh,
Robert South ky.
Sir David Brewster,

Thomas Keightley,
John Forster,
Sir Walter Scott,
Thomas Moore,

An'l other eminent Writers.

Bishop Th I R LWALL,

'llie Rev. G. R. Glkig,
J. C. L. De Sismonoi,
John Phillips, F.R.S. G.S.

Complete in 132 vols, fcp. 8vo. with Vjg;nette Titles, price Nineteen Guineas, cloth.
The works separately, in Sets or Series, price Three Shillings and Sixpence each Volume.

A List of the Works com])osing the Cahinet Ci/cIoj)cedia : —

Bell's History of Russia 3 vols.

Bell's Lives of British Poets . . 2 vols.

Brewster's Optics 1 vol.

Cooley's Maritime and Inland
Discovery 3 vols.

Crowe's History of France . . 3 vols.

De Morg-an on Probabilities . . 1 vol.

De Sismondi's History of the
Italian Republics 1 vol.

De Sismondi's FalloftheRoman
Empire 2 vols.

Donovan's Chemistry 1 vol.

Donovau'sDomestic Economy 2 vols.

Dunham's Spain & Portugal 5 vols.

Dunham'sHistory of Denmark,

Sweden, and Norway 3 vols.

Dunham's History of Poland. . 1 vol.

Dunham's Germanic Empire 3 vols.

Dunham's Europe during the
Middle Ages 4 vols.

Dunham's British Dramatists 2 vols.

Dunham's Lives of Early Wri-
ters of Great Britain 1 vol.

Fergus's History of the United
States 2 vols.

Fosbroke's Greek and Roman
Antiquities 2 vols.

Forster's Lives of the States-
men of the Commonwealth 5 vols.

Gleig's Lives of British Mili-
tary Commanders 3 vols.

Grattan's History of the Ne-
therlands 1 vol.

Henslow's Botany 1 vol.

Herschel's Astronomy 1 vol.

Herschel's Discourse on Na-
tural Philosophy 1 vol.

History of Rome 2 vols.

History of Switzerland 1 vol.

Holland's Manufactures in
Metal 3 vols.

James'sLives of ForeignStates-
men 5 vols.

Kater& Lardner's Mechanics 1 vol.

Keightley's Outlines of Hist. 1 vol.

Lardner's Arithmetic 1 vol.

Lardner's Geometry I vol.

10s.

6d.

7s.

3s.

6d.

10s.

6d.

10s.

6d.

3s.

6d.

3s.

6d.

7s.

3s.

6d.

7s

17s.

6d.

10s.

6d.

3s.

6d.

10s.

6d.

14s.

7s.

Sd.

7s.

7s.

17s.

6d.

10s.

6d.

3s.

6d.

3s

6d.

3s

6d.

3s

6d.

7s.

3s

6d.

10s

6d.

17s

6d.

3s. 6d,

3s

6d.

3s. 6d.

3s. 6d.

36.

37.

Lardner on Heat 1 vol. 3s. 6d.

Lardner's Hydrostatics and

Pneumatics 1 vol. 3s. 6d.

Lardner & Walker's Electricity

and Magnetism 2 vols. 7s.

Mackintosh, Forster, and

Courtenay's Lives of British

Statesmen 7 vols. 24s. 6d.

38. Mackintosh, Wallace, & Bell's

History of England 10 vols. 35s.

39. Montgomery and Shelley's

Eminent Italian, Spanish,

and Portuguese Authors 3 vols. 10s. 6d.

40. Moore's History of Ireland. .4 vols. 14s.

41. Nicolas's Chronology of Hist. 1 vol. 3s. 6d.

42. Phillips's Treatise on Geology, 2 vols. 7s.

43. Powell's History of Natural

Philosophy l vol. 3s. 6d.

44. Porter's Treatise on the Manu-

facture of Silk 1 vol. 3s. 6d.

45. Porter's Manufactures of

Porcelain and Glass 1 vol, 3s. 6d.

46. Roscoe's British Lawyers 1 vol. 3s. 6d.

47. Scott's History of Scotland . . 2 vols. 7s.

48. Shelley's Lives of Eminent

French Authors 2 vols. 7s.

49. Shuckard &Swainson's Insects, 1 vol. 3s. 6d.

50. Southey's Lives of British Ad-

mirals 5 vols. 178. 6d.

51. Stebbing's Church History ..2 vols. 7s.

52. Stebbing's History of the Re-

formation 2 vols. 7s.

53. Swainson's Discourse on Na-

tural History 1 vol. 3s. 6d.

54. Swainson's Natural History &

Classification of Animals . . 1 vol. 3s. 6d.

55. Swainson's Habits & Instincts

of Animals 1 vol. 3s. 6d.

56. Swainson's Birds 2 vols. 7s.

57. Swainson's Fish, Reptiles, &c. 2 vols. 7s.

58. Swainson's Quadrupeds 1 vol.

59. Swainson's Shells & Shell-fish, 1 vol.

60. Swainson's Animals in Mena-

geries 1 vol. 3s. 6d

61. Swainson's Taxidermy and

Bibliography i vol.

62. Thirlwall's Histcrv of Greece, 8 vols.

3s. 6d.
3s. 6d.

3s. 6d.
28s,

16 NEW WORKS AKD NEW EDITIONS

LARDNER.— THE GREAT EXHIBITION AND LONDON

in 1851. Reviewed by Dr. Lardner, Michel Chevalier. John Lemoinne, and Hector
Berlioz. With Wood Engravings. Crown 8vo. price i4s. cloth.

DR. LATHAM ON DISEASES OF THE HEART.

Lectures on Subjects connected with Clinical Medicine : Diseases of the Heart. By P. M.
Latham, M.D., Physician Extraordinary to the Queen. New Edition. 2 vols. l2mo. I6s.cl.

DR. PALCK LEBAHN.-GOETHE'S EAUST.

With copious English Notes, containing the whole of the Text, in German and English, classi-
fied according to the Rules of Grammar, for Students of the German Language. By
Falck Lebahn, Ph.D. Author of German in One Volume, &c. 8vo. price 15s. cloth.

LEE.-ELEMENTS OE NATURAL HISTORY;

Or, First Principles of Zoology : Comprising the Principles of Classification interspersed
with amusing and instructive Accounts of the most remarkable Animals. By Mrs. R. Lee.
New Edition, enlarged, with numerous additional Woodcuts. Fcp. Svo. 7s. 6d. cloth.

L. E. L.-THE POETICAL WORKS OF LETITIA ELIZA-

BETH LANDON; comprising the IMPROVISATRICE, the VENETIAN BRACELET, the
GOLDEN VIOLET, the TROUBADOUR, and other Poetical Remains. New Edition ; with
2 Vignettes by Richard Doyle. 2 vols. l6mo. 10s. cloth ; morocco, 21s.

LETTERS ON HAPPINESS, ADDRESSED TO A FRIEND.

By the Author of Letters to My Unknown Friends, &c. Fcp. Svo. 6s. cloth.

LETTERS TO MY UNKNOWN FRIENDS.

By a Lady, Author of Letters on Happiness. 3d Edition. Fcp. Svo. 6s. cloth.

LINDLEY.-INTRODUCTION TO BOTANY.

By J. Lindley, Ph.D. F.R.S. L.S. &c. Professor of Botany in University College, London.
New Edition, with Corrections and copious Additions. 2 vols. Svo. with Six Plates and
numerous Woodcuts, 24s. cloth.

LINWOOD.-ANTHOLOGIA OXONIENSIS,

Sive Florilegium e lusibus poeticis diversorum Oxoniensium Grtecis et Latinis decerpium.
Curante Gulielmo Linwood, M.A. JSdis Christi Alummo. Svo. 14s. cloth.

LITTON.-THE CHURCH OF CHRIST,

In its Idea, Attributes, and Ministry : With a particular reference to the Controversy on the
Subject between Romanists and Protestants. By the Rev. Edward Arthur Litton, M.A.,
Vice-Principal of St. Edmund Hall, Oxford. Svo. 16s. cloth.

LORIMER. -LETTERS TO A YOUNG MASTER MARINER

On some Subjects connected with his Calling. By the late Charles Lorimer. New Edi-
tion. Fcp. Svo. 5s. 6d. cloth.

LOUDON.-THE AMATEUR GARDENER'S CALENDAR;

Being a Monthly Guide as to what should be avoided, as well as what should be done, in a
Garden in each Month : with plain Rules how to do what is requisite; Directions for Laying
Out and Planting Kitchen and Flower Gardens, Pleasure Grounds, and Shrubberies; and a
short Account, in each Month, of the Quadrupeds, Birds, and Insects then most injurious to
Gardens. By Mrs. Loudon. 16mo.with Wood Engravings, 7s. 6d. cloth.

PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 17

LOUDON.— THE LADY'S COUNTEY COMPANION ;

Or, How to Enjoy a Country Liie Rationally. By Mrs. Loudon, Author of Gardening for
Ladies, &c. Fourth Editioa ; with Plate and Wood Engravings. Fcp. 8vo. js. cloth.

LOUDON'S SELF-INSTEUCTION FOE YOUNG GAE-

DENERS, Foresters, Bailiffs, Land Stewards, and Farmers ; in Arithmetic, Book-keeping,
Geometry, Mensuration, Practical Trigonometry, Mechanics, Land-Surveying, Levelling,
Planning and Mapping, Architectural Drawing, and Isometrical Projection and Perspective ;
with Examples shewing their applications to Horticulture and Agricultural Purposes. With a
Portrait of Mr. Loudon, and a Memoir by Mrs. Loudon. 8vo. with Woodcuts, 7s. 6d. cloth.

!

LOUDON'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GAEDENING; I

Comprising the Theory and Practice of Horticulture, Floriculture, Arboriculture, and Land- '
scape Gardening : including all the latest improvements ; a General History of Gardening in

all Countries ; and a Statistical View of its Present State: witli Suggestions for its FuUire \

Progress in the British Isles, Illustrated with many hundred Engravings on Wood by i

Branston. New Edition, corrected and impi-oved by Mrs. Loudon. 8vo. 50s. cloth. i

I

LOUDON'S ENCYCLOP-SDIA OF TEEES AND SEEUBS :

Being the Arboretum et Fruticetnm Britaninciwt abridged: containing the Hardy Trees
and Shrubs of Great Britain, Native and Foreign, Scientifically and Popularly Described ;
with their Propagation, Culture, and Uses in the Arts; and with Engravings of nearly all
the Species. Adapted for the use of Nurserymen, Gardeners, and Foresters. With about
2,000 Engravings on Wood. Svo. ^2. 10s. cloth.

LOUDON'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF AGEICULTUEE:

Comprising the Theory and Practice of the Valuation, Transfer, Laying-out, Improvement,
and Management of Landed Property, and of the Cultivation and Economy of the Animal and
Vegetable productions of Agriculture: includingall the latest Improvements, a general History
of Agriculture in all Countries, a Statistical View of its present State, with Suggestions for
its future progress in the British Isles. New Edition. 8vo. with 1,100 Woodcuts, 50s. loth.

LOUDON'S ENCYCLOP-ffiDIA OF PLANTS;

Including all the Plants which are now found in, or have been introduced into, Great Britain ;
giving their Natural History, accompanied by such descriptions, engraved figures, and
elementary details, as may enable a beginner, who is a mere English reader, to discover the
name of every Plant which he may find in flower, and acquire all the information respecting
it which is useful and interesting. New Edition, corrected throughout, and brought down to
the year 1853, by Mrs. Loudon. [/,4 ^/^^ jaz-^^.

LOUDON'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COTTAGE, FAEM, AND

VILLA ARCHITECTURE and FURNITURE ; containing numerous Designs, from the Villa
to the Cottage and the Farm, including Farm Houses, Farmeries, and other Agricultural
Buildings ; Country Inns, Public Houses, and Parochial Schools; with the requisit'e Fittin"-s-
up. Fixtures, and Furniture, and appropriate Offices, Gardens, and Garden Scenery: each
Design accompanied by Analytical and Critical Remarks. New Edition, edited by Mrs.
Loudon. With more than 2,000 Engravings on Wood. Svo. ^£'3. 3s. cloth.

LOUDON'S HOETUS EEITANNICUS;

Or, Catalogue of all the Plants indi<renous to, cultivated in, or introduced into Britain. An
entirely New Edition, corrected throughout : With a Supplement, including all the' New
Plants, and a New General Indox to the whole Work. Edited by airs. Loudon ; atisi^ted by
W. H. Baxter, and David Woost^k. Svo. 31s. 6d. cloth.— The Supplement separately,
price Hs. cloth.

D

18 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS

LOW.— ELEMENTS OF PHAGTIGAL AGRICULTUEE;

Compreliendiiig the Cultivation of Plants, the Husbandry of the Domestic Animals, and the
Economy of the Farm. By D. Low, Esq. F.R S.E. New Edition, with 200 Woodcuts. 8vo.
21s. cloth.

i MACAULAY -TEE EISTOEY OF ENGLAND ESOM THE

i ACCESSION OF JAMES II. By Thomas BabIxXgton Macaulay. New Edition.

Vols. 1. and II. 8vo. 32s. cloth.

ME. ITACAULAY'S CEITICAL & HISTOEICAL ESSAYS

j CONTRIBUTED to The EDINBURGH REVIEW. Three Editions, as follows: —

I 1. Library Edition (the Seventh), in 3 vols. 8vo. price 36s. cloth.

I 2. Complete in One Volume, with Portrait and Vignette. Square crown 8vo. price 21s.

! cloth ; or 30s. handsomely bound in calf by Hayday.

I 3. A New Edition, in 3 vols. fcp. 8vo. price 21s. cloth.

I MACAULAY.-LAYB OE ANCIENT ROME,

I With IVRY and the ARMADA. By Thomas Babington Macaulay. New Edition.

I l6mo. 4s. 6d. cloth ; or 10s. 6d. bound in morocco by Hayday.

I ME. MACAULAY'S LAYS OF ANCIENT EOME.

I With numerous Illustrations, Original and from the Antique, drawn on Wood by George

Scharf, Jun. and engraved by Samuel Williams. New Edition. Fcp. 4to. 21s. boards ;
or 42s. bound in morocco by Hayday.

MACBONALD.— VILLA YEEOCCIIIO;

Or, the YOUTH of LEONARDO DA ViXCI : a Tale. By tlie late Diana Louisa Mac-
DONALD. Fcp. 8vo. 6s. cloth.

MACKINTOSH.-SIE JAMES MACKINTOSH'S MISCELLA-

NEOUS WORKS; including his Contributions to The EDINBURGH REVIEW. A New
Edition, complete in One Volume; with Portrait and Vignette. Square crown 8vo. 21s.
cloth ; or 30s. calf extra by Hayday.

M%EOD AND WELLEE'S SACEED ATLAS.

An Atlas of Scripture Geography. Adapted for the use of Training Colleges, Pupil Teachers,
and the Upper Classes in Elementary Schools. Comprising Fifteen coloured Maps, and a
Section, ensraved on Ten Plates: with Illustrative Letterpress, by Walter M'Leod,
F.R.G.S., Head Master of the Model School, and Master of Method in the Royal Military
Asylum, Chelsea. The Maps compiled and engraved by Edward Weller, F.R.G.S. Royal
8vo. price 7s. half-bound.

M^CULLOCH.-A TEEATISE ON THE GIEGUMSTANCES

which DETERMINE the RATE of WAGES and the CONDITION of the LABOURING
CLASSES. By J. R. M'Culloch, Esq. Fcp. 8vo. 3s. 6d. cloth.

MCCULLOCH.- A DICTIONAEY, PEACTICAL, TKEO-

RETICAL, and HISTORICAL, of COMMERCE and COMMERCIAL NAVIGATION. Illus-
trated with Maps and Plans. By J. R. M'Culloch, Esq. New Edition, corrected,
enlarged, and improved : Including a New Supplement. 8vo. .50s. cloth ; or 55s. half- bound
in russia with flexible back.— The Supplement separately, price 4s. 6d.

M^GULLOCH.-A DICTIONAEY, GEOCtEAPHICAL, STA-

TISTICAL, and HISTORICAL, of the various Countries, Places, and Principal Natural
Objects in the WORLD. By J. R. M'Culloch, Esq. Illustrated with 6 large Maps. New
Edition; with a Supplement, comprising the Population of Great Britain from the Census of
1S51. 2 vols. 8vo. Cos. cloth.— The Supplement separately, price 2s. 6d.

PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 19

M'CULLOGH.-AI^ AGGOUMT, DESCRIPTIVE & STATIS-
TICAL, of the BRITISH EMPIRE; exhibiting its Extent, Physical Capacities, Population,
Industry, and Civil and Religious Institutions. By J. II. iM'Culloch, Esq. New Edition,
corrected, enlarged, and greatly improved, 2 vols. 8vo. 42s. cloth.

M'CULLOCH.-A TREATISE ON THE PEmCIPLES AND

PRACTICAL INFLUENCE of TAXATION and the FUNDING SYSTEM. By J. U.
M'CuLLOCH, Esq. Second Edition, corrected, enlarged, and improved. Svo. 16s. cloth.

MAITLAND.-THE CHUECH IIT THE CATACOMBS:

A Description of the Primitive Church of Rome. Illustrated by its Sepulchral Remains. By
Charles Maitland. New Edition ; with numerous Woodcuts. Svo. 14s. cloth.

MRS. MARCET'S COEVERSATIONB ON CHEMISTRY;

In which the Elements of that Science are familiarly Explained and Illustrated by Experiments,
New Edition, enlarged and improved. 2 vols. fcp. Svo. 14s. cloth.

MRS. MARCET'S CONVERSATIONS ON NATURAL PHI-

LOSOPHY, in which the Elements of that Science are familiarly explained. New
Edition, enlarged and corrected. Fcp. Svo. with 23 Plates, 10s. Cd. cloth.

MRS, MARCET'S CONVERSATIONS ON POLITICAL

ECONOMY, in which the Elements of that Science are familiarly explained. New Edition.
Fcp. Svo. 7s. 6d, cloth.

MRS. MARCET'S CONVERSATIONS ON VEGETABLE

PHYSIOLOGY; comprehending the Elements of Botany, with their application to Agricul-
ture. New Edition. Fcp. Svo. with 4 Plates, 9s. cloth.

MRS. MARCET'S CONVERSATIONS ON LAND & WATER.

New Edition, revised and corrected. With a coloured Map, shewing the comparative
altitude of Mounta-Ins. Fcp. Svo. 5s. 6d. cloth.

j MARIOTTI.-ERA DOLCINO AND HIS TIMES;

I Being an Account of a General Struggle for Ecclesiastical Reform, and of an Anti-Heretical

i Crusade in Italy, in the early part of the Fourteenth Century. By L. Mariottx, Author of

j Italy, Past and Present, &c. Post Svo. price 10s. 6d. cloth,

' MARTINEAU.-CHUECH HISTORY IN ENGLAND,

! From the Earliest Times to the period of the Reformation. By the Rev. Arthur Martineau,

' M.A., late Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. 12mo. [In the press.

i MAUNDER'S BIOGRAPHICAL TREASURY;

Consisting of Memoirs, Sketches, and brief Notices of above 12,000 Eminent Persons of all Ages
j and Nations, from the Earliest Period of History ; forming a new and complete Dictionary

of Universal Biography. A New and carefully-revised Edition, corrected throughout, and
extended by the introduction of numerous additional Lives. Fcp. Svo. 10s. cloth ; bound in
roan, 12s. ; calf lettered, 12s. Gd.

MAUNDER'S HISTORICAL TREASURY:

Comprising a General Introductory Outline of Universal History, Ancient and Modern, and a
Series of separate Histories of every principal Nation that exists; their Rise, Progress, and
Present Condition, the Moral and Social Character of their respective inhabitants, their
Religion, Manners and Customs, &c. An entirely New Edition; revised throughout and
brought down to the Present Time. Fcp. Svo, los. cloth; bound in roan, 12s.; calf lettered,

[12s. 6d.

20 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS

MAimBEE^S SCIEHTIFIG AE^D LITEEARY TREASURY :

A new and popular Encyclopaedia of Science and the Belles-Lettres ; including all Branches of
Science, and every Subject connected with Literature and Art. New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. 10s.
cloth; bound in roan, 12s. ; calf lettered, 12s. 6d.

liAUNDER'S TREASURY OF :^^ATUFJIL HISTORY;

Or, a Popular Dictionary of Animated Nature : In which the Zoological Cliaracteriatics that
distinguish the different Classes, Genera, and Species are combined with a variety of interest-
ing Information illustrative of the Habits, Instincts, and General Economy of the Animal
Kingdom. With 900 accurate Engj-avings on Wood. New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. 10s. cloth ;
bound in roan, 12s. ; calf lettered, 12s. 6d.

MAUNDER^S TREASURY OF KNOWLEDGE,

And LIBRARY of REFERENCE. Comprising an English Dictionary and Grammar, an
Universal Gazetteer, a Classical Dictionary, a Clironology, a Law Dictionary, a Synopsis of
the Peerage, numerous useful Tables, &c. The Twentieth Edition (1853), carefully revised
and corrected throughout : With some Additions. Fcp. 8vo. 10s. cloth ; bound in roan, 12s. ;
calf lettered, I2s. 6d.

MERry-ALE.-A HISTORY OF THE ROMAl^TS UNDER

the EMPIRE. By the Rev. Charles Merivale, B D., late Fellow of St. John's College,
Cambridge. Vols. I. and II. 8vo. 28s. cloth.— Vol. III. completing the History to the Esta-
bhshment of the Monarchy by Augustus, 8vo. 14s. cloth.

MERIVALE.-THE FALL OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC :

A Short History of the Last Century of the Commonwealth. By the Rev. Chas Merivale,
B.D., late Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge. 12mo. [In the press.

MILNER.-THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.

By the late Rev. Joseph Milner, A.M. With Additions by the late Rev. Isaac Milner,
D.D., F.R.S. A New Edition, revised, with additional Notes by the Rev. Thos. Grantham,
B.D. 4 vols. 8vo. price 52s, cloth.

JAMES MONTGOMERY'S POETICAL WORKS.

With some additional Poems, and the Author's Autobiographical Prefaces. A New Edition,
complete in One Volume; with Portrait and Vijjnette. Square crown 8vo. 10s. 6d. cloth;
morocco, 2ls.— Or, in 4 vols. fcp. Svo. with Portrait, and Seven other Plates, 20s. cloth;
morocco, 36s.

MONTGOMERY.-ORiaiNAL HYMNS

For Public, Social, and Private Devotion. By James Montgomery. 18mo. 5s. 6d. cloth.

MOORE.-HEALTH, DISEASE, AND REMEDY,

Familiarly and practically considered in a few of their relations to the Blood. By George
Moore, M.D. Member of the Royal CoUegeof Physicians. Post Svo. 7s. 6d. cloth.

MOORE.-MAN AND HIS MOTIVES.

By George Moore, M.D., Member of the Royal College of Physicians. Third and
cheaper Edition. Fcp. Svo, 6s. cloth.

MOORE.-THE POWER OF THE SOUL OVER THE BODY,

Considered in relation to Health and Morals. By George Moore, M.D. Member of the
Royal College of Physicians. Fifth and cheaper Edition. Fcp. Svo. 6s. cloth.

MOORE.-THE USE OF THE BODY IN RELATION TO

THE MIND. By George Moore, M.D. Member of the Royal College of Physicians.
Third and cheaper Edition. Fcp. Svo. 6s. cloth.

PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 21

MOOEE — MEMOIES, JOUENAL, & COEEESPONDENCE

of THOMAS MOORE. Edited by the Right Hon. Lord John Russell, M.P. With
Portraits and Vignette Illustrations. Vols. I. and II. post 8vo. price 21s. cloth.

THE THIRD AND FOURTH VOLUMES OF MOORE'S MEMOIRS,

JOURNAL, and CORRESPONDENCE, with Portraits of Sir John Stevenson and Samuel
Rogers, Esq. ; and Vignettes, by T. Creswick, R.A.,of the Meeting of the Waters, and Moore's
Residence at Mayfield. Vols. III. and IV. post 8vo. price 21s. cloth.

THOMAS MOOEE'S POETICAL WOEKS.

Containing the Author's recent Introduction and Notes. Complete in One Volume, uniform
with Lord Byron's and Southey's Poems. With a Portrait, and a View of Sloperton Cottage,
Chippenham. Medium 8vo. 2Is. cloth ; morocco by Hayday, 42s.

*^* Also a New and cheaper Issue of the First collected Edition of the above, in 10 vols,
fcp. Svo. with Portrait, and 19 Plates, price 35s. cloth.

MOOEE. -SONGS, BALLADS, AND SACEED SONGS.

By Thomas Moore, Author of " Lalla Rookh," &c. First collected Edition, with Vignette
by R. Doyle. 16mo. 5s. cloth ; 12s. 6d. smooth morocco, by Hayday.

MOOEE'S lEISH MELODIES.

New Edition, with the Autobiographical Preface from the Collective Edition of Mr. Moore's
Poetical Works, and a Vignette Title by D. Maclise, R.A. 16mo. 5s. cloth ; 12s. 6d. smooth
morocco, by Hayday.— Or, with Vignette Title by E. Corbould, fcp. Svo. lOs. cloth ; bound
in morocco, ISs. 6d.

MOOEE'S lEISH MELODIES.

Illustrated by D. Maclise, R.A. New and Cheaper Edition ; with 161 Designs, and the
whole of the Letterpress engraved on Steel, by F. P.Becker. Super-royal Svo. 31s. 6d. ;
bound in morocco by Hayday, ^62. 12s. 6d.— The Original Edition, in imperial Svo., price
63s. boards ; morocco, by Hayday, ^'i. 14s. 6d. ; proofs, ^6. 6s. boards,— may still be had.

MOOEE'S LALLA EOOKH : AN OEIENTAL EOMANCE.

New Edition, with the Autobiographical Preface from the Collective Edition of Mr. Moore's
Poetical Works, and a Vignette Title by D. Maclise, R.A. 16mo. 5s. cloth ; 12s. 6d. smooth
morocco, by Hayday.— Or, in fcp. Svo. with Four Engravings from Paintings by Westall.
10s. 6d. cloth ; bound in morocco, 14s,

MOOEE'S LALLA EOOKH: AH OEIENTAL EOMANCE.

With 13 highly-finished Steel Plates from Designs by Corbould, Meadows, and Stephanoff,
engraved under the superintendence of the late Charles Heath. New Edition. Square
crown Svo. 15s. cloth; morocco, 28s.— A few copies of the Original Edition, in royal Svo.
price One Guinea, still remain.

j MOSELEY.-THE MECHANICAL PEINCIPLES OF Engi-
neering AND ARCHITECTURE. By the Rev. H. Moseley, M.A., F.R.S., Professor of
Natural Philosophy and Astronomy in King's College, London. Svo. 24s. cloth.

MOSELEY. - ILLUSTEATIONS OF PEACTICAL ME-

CH ANICS. By the Rev. H. Moseley, M.A., Professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy
in King's College, London. New Edition. Fcp. Svo. with numerous Woodcuts, 8s. cloth.

MOSHEIM'S ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY,

Ancient and Modern. Translated, with copious Notes, by James Murdock, D.D. New
Edition, revised, and continued to the Present Time, by the Rev. Henrv Soames, M.A.

4 vols. Svo. 4Ss. cloth.

22 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS

MUEE.-A CRITICAL HISTOEY OF TMB LANGUAGE

A\D LITERATURE OF ANCIENT GREECE. By William Mure, M.P., of Caldwell.
3 vols. 8vo. 36s. cloth.— Vol. IV. comprising Historical Literature from the Rise of Prose
Composition to the Death of Herodotus. 8vo. with Map, price 158. cloth.

MUEEAY'S E]!TCYCLOP^DIA OF GEOGRAPHY;

Comprising- a complete Description of the Earth : exhibiting its Relation to the Heavenly
Bodies, its Physical Structure, the Natural History of each Country, and the Industry,
Commerce, Political Institutions, and Civil and Social State of all Nations. Second
Edition ; with 82 Maps, and upwards of 1,000 other Woodcuts. 8vo. ^3, cloth.

HEALE.-EIBEN FROM THE EAITKS ;

Or, Conduct versus Caste. By the Rev. Ekskixe Neale, I\I.A., Rector of Kirton, Suffolk.
Fcp. Svo. [Nearly ready.

MEALE.-THE EICHES TiL4T BEII^TG NO SOEEOW.

By the Rev. Erskine Neale, M.A., Rector of Kirton, Suffolk. Fcp. 8vo. 6s. cloth.

NEALE.-THE EAETIlLY EESTING PLACES OF THE

JUST. By the Rev. Erskine Neale, M.A., Rector of Kirton, Suffolk. Fcp. Svo. with
Woodcuts, 7s. cloth.

E'BALE— THE CLOSING SCEITE;

Or, Christianitv and Infidelity contrasted in the Last Hours of Remarkable Persons. By
the Rev. Erskine Neale, M.A., Rector of Kirton, Suffolk. New Editions of the First and
Second Series. 2 vols. fcp. 8vo. i2s. cloth ; or separately, 6s. each.

ITEWMAN.-DISGOUESES ADDEESSED TO MIXED CON-

GREGATIONS. By John Henry Newman, Priest of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri.
Second Edition. Svo. 12s, cloth.

LIEUTENANT OSBOEN'S AECTIC JOUENAL.

Stray Leaves from an Arctic Journal ; or, Eighteen Months in the Polar Regions in Search
of Sir John Franklin's Expedition. By Lieut. Sherard Osborn, R.N., Commanding
H.M.S.V. Pioneer. With Map and Four coloured Plates. Post Svo. price 12s. cloth.

OWEN JONES —WINGED THOUGHTS :

A Series of Poems. By Mary Anne Bacon. With Illustrations of Birds, designed by
E. L. Bateman, and executed in Illuminated Printingby Owen Jones. Imperial Svo. 31s. 6d.
elegantly bound in calf.

OWEN JONES. - FLOWEES AND THEIE KINDEED

THOUGHTS: A Series of Stanzas. By Mary Anne Bacon W'ith beautiful Illustrations
of Flowers, designed and printed in Colours by Owen Jones. Imperial Svo. 31s. 6d. elegantly
bound in calf.

OWEN JONES.-FEUITB FEOM THE GAEDEN AND THE

FIELD: A Series of Stanzas. By Mary Anne Bacon. W^ith beautiful Illustrations of
Fruit, designed and printed in Colours by Owen Jones. Imperial Svo. 31s. 6d. elegantly
bound in calf.

OWEN.-LECTUEES ON THE COMPAEATIVE ANATOMY

and PHYSIOLOGY of the INVERTEBRATE ANIMALS, delivered at the Royal College
of Surgeons in 1843. By Richard Owen, F.R.S. Hunterian Professor to the College. New
Edition, corrected. Svo. with Wood Engravings. [Xearli/ ready.

PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 23

OWEN.— LECTURES ON THE COMPARATIVE ANATOMY

and PHYSIOLOGY of the VERTEBRATE ANIMALS, delivered at the Royal College of
Surgeons in 1844 and 1846. By Richard Owen, F.R.S. Hunterian Professor to the College.
In 2 vols. The First Volume; with numerous Woodcuts, 8vo. 14s. cloth.

THE COMPLETE WOP.KS OF BLAISE PASCAL:

With M. Villemaiu's Essay on Pascal considered as a Writer and Moralist prefixed to the
Provincial Letters; and the Miscellaneous Writings, Thoughts on Religion, and Evidences
of Christianity re-arranged, with large Additions, from the French Edition of Mons. P. Fau-
gere. Translated from the French, with Memoir, Introductions to the various Works, Edi-
torial Notes, and Appendices, by GiiORGK, Pearce, Esq. 3 vols, post Svo. with Portrait,
2os. 6d. cloth.

Vol. I.— PASCAL'S PROVINCIAL LETTERS: with M. Villemain's Essay on Pascal pre-
fixed, and a new Memoir. Post Svo. Portrait, 8s. Cd.

Vol. II.— PASCAL'S THOUGHTS on RELIGION and EVIDENCES of CHRISTIANITY,
with Additions, from Original MSS. t from M. Faug^re's Edition. Post Svo. 8s. 6d.

Vol. III.- PASCAL'S MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS, Correspondence, Detached Thoughts,
&c. : from M. Faug^re's Edition. Post Svo. Ss. 6d.

PASHLEY.-PAUPEEIBM AMD POOR-LAWS.

By Robert Pashlky, M.A., F.C.P.S., One of Hei Majesty's Counsel, and late Fellow of
Trinity College, Cambridge ; Author of Travels in Crete. Svo. price 10s. 6d. cloth.

CAPTAIN PEEL'S TRAVELS IN NUBIA.

A RIDE through the NUBIAN DEsERT. By Captain W. Peel, R.N. Post Svo. with a
Route Map from Cairo to Kordofan, price 5s. cloth.

" A vey pleasant little book, written by one who let no'hing worthy of notice escape him, and knows how to describe

what he saw His little book, put forward without any pretension, is not only highly amusing, but it is full of the

most -valuable information." United Service MAOAZiNfli

PEREIRA.-A TREATISE ON FOOD AND DIET :

With Observations on the Dietetical Regimen suited for Disordered States of the Digestive
Organs; and an Account of the Dietaries of some of the principal Metropolitan and other
Establishments for Paupers, Lunatics, Criminals, Children, the Sick, &c. By Jon..Pereiua,
M.D. F.R.S. & L.S. Author of Elements of Materia tUediea. Svo. 16s. cloth.

PESCHEL'S ELEMENTS OF PHYSICS.

Translated from the German, with Notes, by E. West. With Diagrams and Woodcuts.
3 vols. fcp. Svo. 21s. cloth.

PETERBOROUGK, — A MEMOIR OF CHARLES MOR-

DAUNT, EARL of PETKRKOROUGH and MONMOUTH: with Selections from his Corre-
spondence. By the Author of Uochelaga and The Conquest of Canada. 2 vols, post Svo.

[In the press.

PHILLIPS'S ELEMENTARY INTRODUCTION TO MINE-

RALOGY. A New Eilition, with extensive Alterations and Additions, by H. J. Buooke,
F.R.S., F.G.S. ; and W. li. Miller, M.A., F.R.S., F.G.S. i'rofessor of Mineralogy in the
University of Cambridge. » ith numerous Wood Engravings. Post Svo. price 18s. cloth.

PHILLIPS.— FIGURES AND DESOEIFTIONS OF THE

PALEOZOIC FOSSILS of CORNWALL, DEVON, and WEST SOMERSET; observed in
the course of the Ordnance Geological Survey of that District. By John Phillips, F.R.S.
F.G.S. &c. Svo. with 60 Plates, comprising very numerous figures, 9s. cloth.

24 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS

PORTLOCK — EEPOET ON THE GEOLOGY OF THE

COUNTY of LONDONDERRY, and of Parts of Tyrone and Fermanagh, examined and
described \mder the Authority of the Master-General and Board of Ordnance. By J. E.
PoRTLOCK, F.R.S. &c. 8vo. with 48 Plates, 24s. cloth.

POWBE.-SKETCHES IN NEW ZEALAND,

with Pen and Pencil. By W. Tyrone Power, D.A.C-G. From a Journal kept in that
Country, from July 1846 to June 1848. With 8 Plates and 2 Woodcuts. Post 8vo. 12s. cloth.

PULMAN.-THE VADE-MECUM OF FLY-FISHING FOE

TROUT: beingf a complete Practical Treatise on that Branch of the Art of Angling; with plain
and copious Instructions for the Manufacture of Artificial Flies. By G. P. R. Pulman. Third
Edition, re-writteu and enlarged ; with several Woodcuts. Fcp. 8vo. 6s. cloth.

PYCEOFT.-A COUESE OF ENGLISH EEADING,

Adapted to every Taste and Capacity : witli Literary Anecdotes, By the Rev. James
Pycroft, B.A. Author of The Collegian's Guide, &c. New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. 5s. cloth.

DE. EEECE'S MEDICAL GUIDE;

For the Use of the Clergy, Heads of Families, Schools, and Junior Medical Practitioners ;
comprising a complete Modern Dispensatory, and a Practical Treatise on the distinguishing
Symptoms, Causes, Prevention, Cure, and Palliation of the Diseases incident to the Human
Frame. With the latest Discoveries in the difierent departments of the Healing Art, Materia
Medica, &c. Seventeenth Edition, with considerable Additions; revised and corrected
by the Author's Son, Di*. Henry Reece, M.R.C 3. &c. 8vo. 12s. cloth.

EICH.-THE ILLUSTEATED COMPANION TO THE LATIN

DICTIONARY AND GREEK LEXICON : fonning a Glossary of all the Words representing
Visible Objects connected with the Arts, Manufactures, and Every-day Life of tlie Ancients.
With Representations of nearly Two Thousand Objects from the Antique. By Amuony
Rich, Jun. B.A. Post 8vo. with about 2,000 Woodcuts, 21s. cloth.

JOUENAL OF A BOAT VOYAGE THEOUGH EUPEET'S

LAND and the ARCTIC SEA, in Search of the Discovery Ships under Command of Sir
John Franklin. With an Appendix on the Physical Geography of North America. By Sir
John Richardson, M.D., F.R.S., &c.. Inspector of Hospitals and Fleets. With a coloured
Map, several Plates, and Woodcuts. 2 vols. 8vo. 31s. 6d. cloth.

EIDDLE'S COMPLETE LATIN-ENGLISH AND ENGLISH-

LATIN DICTIONARY, for the use of Colleges and Schools. New Edition, revised and
corrected. 8vo. price 21s. cloth.

«or>a»-nfoUr S Thc EngHsh-Latiu Dictionary, price 7s. cloth,
aeparaieiy ^ rj-ijg Latin-English Dictionary, price i5s. cloth.

EIDDLE.-A COPIOUS AND CEITICAL LATIN-ENGLISH

LEXICON, founded on the German-Latin Dictionaries of Dr. William Freund. By the Rev.
J. E. Riddle, M.A. of St. Edmund's Hall, Oxford. New Edition. Post 4to. 31s. 6d. cloth.

EIDDLE'S DIAMOND LATIN-ENGLISH DIGTIONAEY :

A Guide to the Meaning, Quality, and right Accentuation of Latin Classical Words. New
Edition. Royal 32mo. price 4s. bound.

EIVEES.-THE EOSE-AMATEUE'S GUIDE ;

Containing ample Descriptions of all the fine leading varieties of Roses, regularly classed in
their respective Families; theif History and mode of Culutre. By T. Rivers, Jun. New
Edition, currccted and improved. Fcp. 8vo. 6s. cloth.

PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 25

ROBINSON'S LEXICON TO THE GESEK TESTAMENT.

A GREEK and ENGLISH LEXICON of the NEW TESTAMENT. By Edward Robinson,
D.D., LL.D., Author of Biblical Researches in Palestine, &c. A New Edition, revised and in
great part re-written. 8vo. 18s. cloth.

ROGBRS.-ESSAYS SELECTED FEOM CONTHIBUTIONS

to the EDINBURGH REVIEW. By Henry Rogers. 2 vols. 8vo. 21s. cloth.

ROGERS'S VEGETABLE CULTIVATOR;

Containing a plain and accurate Description of every species and variety of Culinary Vege-
tables : With the most approved Modes of Cultivating and Cooking them. New and Cheaper
Edition. Fcp. Svo. 5s. cloth.

ROGET.— THESAURUS OF ENGLISH WORDS & PHRASES

Classified and arranged so as to facilitate the Expression of Ideas and assist in Literary Com-
position. By P. M. Roget, M.D. F.R S. &c. ; Author ot the IJriclgeuater Treatise on Animal
and Vegetable Physiology, &c. New Edition, revised and enlarged. Medium Svo. 14s. cloth.

ROWTON.-THE DEBATER;

Being a Series of complete Debates, Outlines of Debates, and Questions for Discussion ; with
ample References to the best Sources of Information on each particular Topic. By Frederic
Rowton. New Edition. Fcp. Svo. price 6s. cloth.

ST. JOHN (H.)— THE INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO;

Its History and Present State. By Horace St. John, Author of History of the British
Conquests in India, Life of Christopher Columbus, &c. 2 vols, post Svo. price 21s. cloth.

MR. ST. JOHN'S NEW WORK ON EGYPT.

ISIS: an Egyptian Pilgrimage. By James Augustus St. John. 2 vols, post Svo. 21s. cloth.

THE SAINTS OUR EXAMPLE.

By the Author of Letters to my Unknown Friends, Letters on Ha'>piniss, &c. Fcp. Svo.
price 7s. cloth.

SIR EDWARD SEAWARD'S NARRATIVE OF HIS SHIP-

W^RECK, and consequent Discovery of certain Islands in the Caribbean Sea : with a detail of
many extraordinary and highly interesting Events in his Life, from 1733 to 1749, as written in
his own Diary. Edited by Jane Porter. Third Edition ; with a Nautical and Geographical
Introduction. 2 vols, post Svo. 21s. cloth.— Also an Abridgment, in 16mo. price 2s. 6d. cloth.

SELF-DENIAL THE PREPARATION FOR EASTER.

By the Author of Letters to my Unknown Friends, &c. Fcp. Svo. price 2s. 6d. cloth.

SEWELL.-AMY HERBERT.

By a Lady. Edited by the Rev. William Sewell, B.D. Fellow and Tutor of Exeter
College, Oxford. New Edition ; complete in One Volume. Fcp. Svo. price 6s. cloth.

SEWELL.-THE EARL'S DAUGHTER.

By the Author of Amy Herbert. Edited by the Rev. W. Sewell, B.D. . 2 vols. fcp. Svo.
price 9s. cloth.

SEWELL.-GERTRUDE :

A Tale. By the Author of Amy Herbert. Edited by the Rev. W. Sewell, B.D, New
Edition ; complete in One Volume. Fcp. Svo. price 6s. cloth.

E

26 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS

SEWELL.-LANETON PARSONAGE :

A Tale for Children, on the Practical Use of a portion of the Church Catechism. By the
Author of Amy Herbert. Edited by the Rev. W. Sewell, B.D. New Edition. 3 vols. fcp.
8vo. price 16s. cloth.

SEWELL.-MARGARET PERCIVAL.

By the Author of Am?/ Herbert. Edited by the Rev. W. Sewell, B.D. New Edition. 2 vols,
fcp. 8vo. price 12s. cloth.

THE FAMILY SHAKSPEARE;

In which nothing^ is added to the Original Text ; but those words and expressionsare omitted
which cannot with propriety be read aloud. ByT.BowDLER, Esq.F.R.S. New Edition (1853),
in Volumes for the Pocket. 6 vols. fcp. 8vo. price 30s. cloth.

*»* Also a Library Edition ; with 36 Engravings on Wood, from designs by Smirke, Howard,
and other Artists. 8vo. 21s. cloth.

SHAKSPEARE'S SONGS ILLUSTRATED BY THE ETCH-
ING CLUB.-SONGS and BALLADS of SHAKSPEARE illustrated in Eighteen Plates by
the Etching Club. Imperial 4to. price 42s. boards.

*** The first Nine Plates were originally published in 1843; and the Subscribers to that
Part may purchase the last Nine Plates separately, price One Guinea.

SHARP'S NEW BRITISH GAZETTEER,

Or TOPOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY of the BRITISH ISLANDS and NARROW SEAS:
Comprising concise Descriptions of about Sixty Thousand Places, Seats, Natural Features,
and Objects of Note, founded on the best Authorities; full Particulars of the Boundaries,
Registered Electors, &c. of the Parliamentary Boroughs ; with a reference under every Name
to the Sheet of the Ordnance Survey, as far as completed; and an Appendix, containing a
General View of the Resources of the United Kingdom, a Short. Chronology, and an Abstract
of certain Results of the Census of 1851. 2 vols. 8vo. ^62. 16s. cloth.

SHORT WHIST :

Its Rise, Progress, and Laws; with Observations to make any one a Whist Player; containing'
also the Laws of Piquet, Cassino, Ecart^, Cribbage, Backgammon. By Major A * * * * *.
New Edition. To which are added. Precepts for Tyros. y.Mrs. B****. Fcp. 8vo. 3s. cloth.

SINCLAIR.-THE JOURNEY OF LIFE.

By Catherine Sinclair. New Edition, corrected and enlarged. Fcp. Svo. 5s. cloth.

SINCLAIR -POPISH LEGENDS OR BIBLE TRUTHS.

By Catherine Sinclair, Author of The Journey of Life, &c. Dedicated to her Nieces.
Fcp. Svo. 6s. cloth.

SIR ROGER BE COVERLEY.

From The Spectator. With Notes and Illustrations, by W. Henry W^ills; and Twelve
fine Wood Engravings, by John Thompson, from Designs by Frederick Tayler. Crown
8vo. 15s. boards; or 27s. bound in morocco by Hayday.— Also a Cheap Edition, without
Wood Engravings, in l6mo. price One Shilling.

SKETCHES BY A SAILOR;

Or, Things of Earth and Things of Heaven. By a Commander in the Royal Navy. Fcp. Svo.
price 3s. 6d. cloth.

Contents :— 1. The Shipwreck ; 2. The Model Prison ; 3. TheFoot Race; 4. A Man Over-
board; 5 The Assize Court; 6. The Fugitive.

PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 27

SMEE.-ELEMENTS OF ELECTEO-METALLURGY.

By Alfred Smee, F.R S., Surg-eon to the Bank of England. Third Edition, revised, cor-
rected, and considerably enlarged ; with Electrotypes and numerous Woodcuts. PostSvo,
10s. 6d. cloth.

SMITH.-THE WOEKS OF THE EEV. SYDNEY SMITH:

Including his Contributions to The Edinburgh Review. New Edition, complete in One
Volume; with Portrait, and Vignette View of Combe Florey Rectory, Somerset. Square
crown 8vo. 21s. cloth ; 30s. calf extra, by Hayday.— Or in 3 vols. 8vo. with Porti'ait, 36s. cloth.

SMITH.— ELEMENTAEY SKETCHES OF MOEAL PHILO-

SOPHY, delivered at the Royal Institution in the Years 1804, 1805, and 1806. By the late
Rev. Sydney Smith, M.A. Second Edition. 8vo. 12s. cloth.

SMITH.- THE VOYAGE & SHIPWEECK OF ST. PAUL:

With Dissertations on the Sources of the Writings of St. Luke, and the Ships and Navigation
of the Antients. By James Smith, Esq. F.R.S. Svo. with Illustrations, 14s. cloth.

SNOW.-VOYAGE OF THE PEINCE ALBEET IN SEAEGH

of SIR JOHN FRANKLIN : A Narrative of Every-day Life in the Arctic Seas. By W. Parker
Snow. With a Chart, and 4 Illustrations printed in Colours. Post Svo. 12s. cloth.

THE LIFE AND COEEESPONDENCE OF THE LATE

ROBERT SOUTHEY. Edited by his Son, the Rev. Charles Cuthbert Southey, M.A.,
Vicar of Ardleigh. With numerous Portraits, and Six Landscape Illustrations from Designs
by William Westall, A.R.A. 6 vols, post 8vo. 63s. cloth.

SOUTHETS THE DOCTOE &c.

Complete in One A^olume Edited by the Rev. John Wood Warter, B.D. With Portrait,
Vignette, Bust, and coloured Plate. New Edition. Square crown Svo. 21s. cloth.

SOUTHEY'S COMMONPLACE BOOKS.

The COMiMONPLACE BOOKS of the late ROBERT SOUTHEY. Comprising— 1. Choice
Passages : with Collections for the History of Manners and Literature in England ; 2. Special
Collections on various Historical and Theological Subjects; 3. Analytical Readings in various
branches of Literature ; and 4. Original Memoranda, Literary and Miscellaneous. Edited by
the Rev. J. W. Warter, B.D. 4 vols, square crown Svo. £3. 18s. cloth.

Each Commonplace Book, complete in itself, may be had separately as follows :—
FIRST SERIES— CHOICE PASSAGES, &c. 2d Edition; with medallion Portrait. Price 188.
SECOND SERIES— SPECIAL COLLECTIONS. 18s.
THIRD SERIES— ANALYTICAL READINGS. 21s.
FOURTH SERIES— ORIGINAL MEMORANDA, &c. 21s.

EOBEET SOUTHEY'S COMPLETE POETICAL WOEKS;

Containing all the Author's last Introductions and Notes. Complete in One Volume, witlj
Portrait and View of the Poet's Residence at Keswick ; uniform with Lord Byron's and
Moore's Poems. Medium Svo. 21s. cloth ; 42s. bound in morocco.— Or, in 10 vols. fcp. 8vo'
with Portrait and 19 Plates, ^6 2. 10s. cloth ; morocco, £i. 10s.

SOUTHEY.— SELECT WOEKS OF THE BEITISH POETS ;

From Chaucer to Lovelace, inclusive. With Biographical Sketches by the late Robert
Southey. Medium Svo. 308. cloth.

28 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS

SOUTHEY.-THB LIFB OF WESLEY;

And Rise and Progress of Methodism. By Robert Southey. New Edition, with Notes by
the late Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Esq., and Remarks on the Life and Character of John
Wesley, by the late Alexander Knox, Esq. Edited by the Rev. C. C. Southey, M.A., Vicar
of Ardleigh. 2 vols. 8vo. with 2 Portraits, 28s. cloth.

STEEL'S SHIPMASTERS ASSISTANT,

For the use of Merchants, Owners and Masters of Ships, Officers of Customs, and all
Persons connected with Shipping or Commerce : Containing the Law and Local Regulations
affecting the Ownership, Charge, and Management of Ships and their Cargoes ; together with
Notices of other Matters, and all necessary Information for Mariners. New Edition, rewritten
throughout; and containing the New Passenger's Act, passed during the last Session of
Parliament. Edited by Graham Willmore, Esq. M.A. Barrister-at-Law; George
Clements, of the Customs, London; and William Tate, Author of The Modern Cambist
8vo. 28s. cloth.

STEPHEN.— LECTURES ON THE HISTOEY OF FEANCE;

By the Right Hon. Sir James Stephen, K.C.B. LL.D., Professor of Modem History in the
University of Cambridge. Second Edition. 2 vols. 8vo. 24s. cloth.

" These masterly XiT<«?es by Sir James Stephen, suocessor to the lamented Professor Smythe in the University of
Cambridge, altr ough they take rather new <;round, will be found to cast a flood of light on the external and internal
historiesof the French people, discussing as they do fully and with consummate ability, as "ivas to be expected from the

author of i^fdcs/as^jcrtZ iJ!oj/>'ap7»i/, the monarchical, judicial, and economical institutions of the Great Nation The

■pveseni Lectures are at once profound {and'] discriminative. They are written in a style of singular fascination, and even
to the general reader they present historical truth in the attractiveness of romance. We indulge the hope that they will
attain a large circulation, especially among those classes who are so latetudinarian as to ignore the painful but palpable
facts of ecclesiastical history." Eclectic Eeview.

STEPHEN.— ESSAYS IN ECCLESIASTICAL BIOGRAPHY;

From The Edinburgh Review. By the Right Honourable Sir James Stephen, K.C.B. LL.D.
Professor of Modern History in the University of Cambridge. Second Edition. 2 vols. 8vo.
24S. cloth.

SUTHERLAND.- JOUENAL OF A VOYAGE IN BAFFIN'S

BAY and BARROW'S STRAITS, n the Years 1850 and 1851, performed by H.M. Ships Lady
Franklin and Sophia, under the command of Mr. William Penny, in search of the missing
Crews of H.M. Ships Erebus and Terror : with a Narrative of Sledge Excursions on the Ice
of Wellington Channel; and Observations on the Natural History and Physical Features of
the Countries and Frozen Seas visited. By Peter C. Sutherland, M.D., M.R.C.S.E.,
Surgeon to the Expedition. With 1 wo coloured Charts by A. Petermann, Six Plates (four
coloured), and numerous Wood Engravings. 2 vols, post 8vo. price 27s. cloth.

STOW.-THE TRAINING SYSTEM, THE MORAL TRAIN-
ING SCHOOL, and the NORMAL SEMINARY. By David Stow, Esq. Honorary Secretary
to the Glasgow Normal Free Seminary. 8th Edition^ corrected and enlarged ; with Plates
and Woodcuts. Post 8vo. 6s. cloth.

SWAIN.-ENGLISH MELODIES.

By Charles Sw^ain. Fcp. 8vo. 6s. cloth; bound in morocco, 12s.

SYMONS.-THE MERCANTILE MARINE LAW.

By Edward William Symons, Chief Clerk of the Thames Police Court. 5th Edition, in-
cluding the Act passed in 1851 to amend the Mercantile Marine Act of 1850, and the provisions
of the New Act relating to the Merchant Seamen's Fund. 12mo- 5s. cloth.

TATE.— EXERCISES ON MECHANICS AND NATURAL

PHILOSOPHY; or, an Easy Introduction to Engineering. Containing various Applications
of the Principle of Work : the Theory of the Steam-Engine, with Simple Machines ; Theorems
and Problems on Accumulated Work, &c. By Thomas Tate, F.R.A.S., of Kneller Training
College, Twickenham. New Edition. 12mo. 2s. cloth.— Key : Containing full Solutions of
all the unworked Examples and Problems. 12mo. 3s. 6d. cloth.

PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 29

TATE. - THE PEINCIPLES OF MECHANICAL PHILO-

SOPHY applied to INDUSTRIAL MECHANICS. Forming a Sequel to the Author's Exer-
cises on Mechanics and Natm-al Philosophy By Thomas Tate, F.R.A.S., of Kneller Training
College, Twickenham. With about 200 Wood Engravings. 8vo. price 10s. 6d. cloth.

" The object of this work is to remove an evil pointed out by Professor Moseley in his Report on the Hydraulic Machines
of the Great Exhibitfon — the frequent sacrifice of capital and of much mechanical ingenuity, in English rnachinery as com-
pared with French, from the want of a knowledge of mechanical laws. Mr. Tate enunciates the principles of his subject,
and illustrates them by means of exercises conducted for the most part on algebraical and geometrical principles."

Spectatoh.

TATE.-ON THE STRENGTH OF MATERIALS;

Containing various original and useful Formulae, specially applied to Tubular Bridges, Wrought
Iron and Cast Iron Beams, &c. By Thomas Tate, F.R.A.S. 8vo. 5s. 6d. cloth.

TAYLER.-MARGARET; OR, THE PEARL.

By the Rev. Charles B. Tayler, M.A. New Edition. Fcp. 8vo. 6s. cloth.

TAYLER.-LADY MARY; OR, NOT OF THE WORLD.

By the Rev. C. B. Tayler, M.A. New Edition ; with Frontispiece. Fcp. Svo. 6s. 6d. cloth.

TAYLOR.-THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF B. R. HAYDON,

Historical Painter. Edited, and continued to the Time of his Death, from his own Journals,
by Tom Taylor, M.A. of the Inner Temple, Esq. ; late Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge ;
and late Professor of the English Language and Literature in University College, London.
3 vols, post Svo. [In the press.

TAYLOR.— LOYOLA: AND JESUITISM IN ITS RUDI-

MENTS. By Isaac Taylor Post Svo. with Medallion, price 10s. 6d. cloth.

TAYLOR.-WESLEY AND METHODISM.

By Isaac Taylor. With a Portrait of Wesley, engraved by W. Greatbach. Post Svo.
10s. 6d. cloth.

" All the characteristics of early Methodism are analysed in the present volume with a discrimination, and described
with a clearness such as we might expect from the philosophical and eloquent author of the Xatural History of Mtithiisiasm

Of the Methodism of the'eighteenth century, the corporeal part remains in the VVesleyan Connexion ; the so%U of it,

while partly animating that body, was transfused into all Christian Churches. How that great movement became a
starting-point in our modern history, and how it was the source of what is the most characteristic of the present time, as
contrasted with the corresponding period of last century, not in religion only, but in the Jgeneral tone of national feeling,
and manners, and literature, Mr'. Taylor ably shews." Literaki Gazette.

THIRLWALL.-THE HISTORY OF GREECE.

By the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of St. David's (the Rev. Connop Thirlvvall). An
improved Library Edition; with Maps. 8 vols. Svo. .^4. 16s. cloth.— Also, an Edition in 8
vols. fcp. Svo. with Vignette Titles, ^\. 8s. cloth.

HISTORY OF GREECE, FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES

to the TAKING of CORINTH bv the ROxMANS, B.C. U6, mainly based upon Bishop
Thirlwall's History of Greece. By Dr. Leonhard Schmitz, F.R.S.E., Rector of the High
School of Edinburgh. Second Edition. l2mo. 7s. 6d. cloth.

THOMAS'S MODERN PRACTICE OF PHYSIC :

Exhibiting the Symptoms, Causes, Prognostics, Morbid Appearances, and Treatment of the
Diseases of All Climates. Eleventh Edition, thoroughly revised, corrected, and to a consider-
able extent re-written, by Algernon Frampton, M.D.; Herbert Davies, M.D. ;
N. Parker, M.D,; G. Critchett, F.R.C.S. ; J. Wordsworth, F.R.C.S. ; Henry Powell,
M.D. ; and H. Letheby, M.D. 2 vols. Svo. 2Ss. cloth.

THOMSON'S SEASONS.

Edited by Bolton Corney, Esq. Illustrated with Seventy-seven Designs drawn on Wood
by Members of the Etching Club. Engraved by Thompson and other eminent Engravers.
Square crown Svo. 21s. cloth ; or, bound in morocco by Hayday, 36s.

30 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS

THOMSON'S TABLES OF INTEREST,

At Three, Four, Four-and-a-Half, and Five per Cent., from One Pound to Ten Thousand, and
from 1 to 365 Days, in a regular progression of single Days; with Interest at all the above
Rates, from One to Twelve Months, and from One to Ten Years. Also, numerous other
Tables of Exchanges, Time, and Discounts. New Edition. 12mo. 8s. bound.

THE THUMB BIBLE ;

Or, Verbum Sempiternum. By J. Taylor. Being an Epitome of the Old and New Testa-
ments in English Verse. A New Edition, printed from the Edition of 1693, by C. Whit-
tingham, Chiswick. 64mo. Is. 6d. bound and clasped.

TOMLINE'S INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF THE

BIBLE: containing Proofs of the Authenticity and Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures;
a Summary of the History of the Jews ; an Account of the Jewish Sects ; and a brief
Statement of the Contents of the several Books of the Old and New Testaments. New Edition.
Fcp. 8vo. 5s. 6d. cloth.

TOWNSEND'S MODEEN STATE TRIALS.

Revised and illustrated with Essays and Notes. By William Charles Townsend, Esq.
M.A., Q.C. 2 vols. Svo. 30s. cloth.

TOWNSEND. — THE LIVES OF TWELVE EMINENT

JUDGES of the LAST and of the PRESENT CENTURY. By W. Charles Townsend, Esq.
M.A. Q.C. 2 vols. Svo. 28s. cloth.

TUENEE.— THE SACEED HISTOEY OF THE WOELD,

Attempted to be Philosophically considered, in a Series of Letters to a Son. By Sharon
Turner, F.S.A. and R.A.S.L. New Edition, edited by the Rev. Sydney Turner. 3 vols,
post 8vo. 31s. 6d. cloth.

TUENEE.-A NEW EDITION OF SHAEON TUENEE'S

HISTORY of ENGLAND during the MIDDLE AGES : comprising the Reigns from William
the Conqueror to the Accession of Henry VIII. 4 vols. Svo. [Iji the press.

TUENEE.-THE HISTOEY OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS,

From the Earliest Period to the Norman Conquest. By Sharon Turner, F.S.A. and
R.A.S.L. The Seventh Edition. 3 vols. Svo. 36s. cloth.

DE. TUETON'S MANUAL OF THE LAND AND FEESH-

WATER SHELLS of the BRITISH ISLANDS. A New Edition, with considerable Additions.
By John Edward Gray. Post Svo. with Woodcuts, and 12 coloured Plates, 15s. cloth.

UEE.— DICTIONAEY OF AETS, MANUFACTUEES, AND

MINES. Containinjf a. clear Exposition of their Principles and Practice. By Andrew
Ure, M.D. F.R.S. 1VI..J.S. M.A.S. Lond.; M. Acad. N.L. Philad, ; S. Ph. Soc. N. Germ.
Hanov. ; Mulii. &c. ^.j. New Edition, corrected. Svo. with 1,241 Engravings on Wood,
50s. cloth. —Also,

SUPPLEMENT of RECENT IMPROVEMENTS. New Edition. Svo. withWoodcuts, 14s. cloth.

WATEETON.-ESSAYS ON NATUEAL HISTOEY,

Chiefly Ornithology. By Charles Waterton, Esq., Author of Wanderings in South
America. With an Autobiography of the Author, and Views of Walton Hall. New
and cheaper Edition. 2 vols. fcp. Svo. price 10s. cloth.— Separately— Vol. I. (First Series),
5s. 6d. Vol. II. (Second Series), 4s. 6d.

PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, BROWN, AND CO. 31

THE TRAVELLER'S LIBRARY,

In course of publication in Parts at One Shilling and in Volumes price Half-a-Crown each.
Comprising' books of valuable information and acknowledged merit, in a form adapted for
reading while Travelling, and also of a character that will render them worthy of preser-
vation; hut the price of which has hitherto confined them within a comparatively narrow
circle of readers.

Already published : —

WARREN ASTINGS. By Thomas

BiBiNQTON Macatjlat. Reprinted from Mr. Macaulay's
Critical and Historical Essays. Price One Shilling.

LORD CLIVE. By Thomas Babington

Macatjlat. Reprinted from Mr. Macaulay's Critical and
Ylistorical Essays. Price One Shilling.

»,» Mr. Macaulay's Two Essays on Warren Hastings
and Lord Clive may be had in One Volume, price Half-a-
CroAvn.

WILLIAM PITT, EARL of CHATHAM.

By Thomas Babington Macaclat. Reprinted from
Mr. Macaulay's Critical and Historical Essays. Price One
Shilling.

RANKE'S HISTORY of the POPES. And,

GLADSTONE on CHURCH and STATE. By Thomas
Babingtok Macaulat. Reprinted from Mr. Macaulay's
Critical and Historical Essays. Price One Shilling.

*,* Mr. Macaulay's Essays on William Pitt, Ranke's
History of the Popes, and Gladstone On Church and State,
may be had in One Volume, price Half-a-Crown.

THE LIFE and WRITINGS of ADDISON.

And, HORACE WALPOLE. By Thomas Babington
Macaulat. Reprinted from Mr. Macaulay's Critical and
Historical Essays. Price One Shilling.

LORD BACON. By Thomas Babington

Macaulat. Reprinted from Mr. Macaulay's Critical and
Historical Essays. Price One Shilling.

• .* Mr. Macaulay's Three Essays on Addison, Horace
Walpole, and Lord Bacon, may be had in One Volume,
price Half-aCrown.

LORD BYRON. And, the COMIC DRAMA-
TISTS of the RESTORATION. By Thomas Babington
Macaulat. Reprinted from Mr. Macaulay's Critical-and
Historical Essays. Price One Shilling.

LORD JEFFREY'S TWO ESSAYS on

SWIFT and RICHARDSON. Reprinted from Contrihu-
tioyis to the Edinbtirgh Review. Price One Shilling.

THE AUSTRALIAN COLONIES; their

Origin and Present Condition. By William Hughes,
F.R.G.S. Two Parts, price One Shilling each ; or in One
Volume, price Half-a-Crown.

LONDON in 1850 and 1851. By J. R'

M'CULLOCH, Esq. Reprinted from Mr. M'Culloch's Geo-
graphical Dictionary. Price One Shilling.

MR. S. LAING'S JOURNAL of a RESI-
DENCE in NORWAY during the Years 1834, 1S35, and
1836. Two Parts, price One Shilling each; or in One
Volume, price Half a-Crown.

EOTHEN; or. Traces of Travel brought

Home from the East. Two Parts, price One Shilling each ;
or in One Volume, price Half-a-Crown.

IDA PFEIFFER'S LADY'S VOYAGE

ROUND the WORLD. A condensed Translation, by
Mrs. Peect Sinnett. Two Parts, price One Shilling each ;
or in One Volume, price Half-a-Crown.

HUC'S TRAVELS in TARTARY, THIBET,

and CHINA. A condensed Translation, by Mrs. Percy
SiNNETT. Two Parts, price One Shilling each ; or in One
Volume, price Half-a-Crown.

Mrs. JAMESON'S SKETCHES in CANADA

and RAMBLES among the RED MEN. Two Parts. price
One Shilling each; or in One Volume, price Half a-Crown.

WERNE'S AFRICAN WANDERINGS.

Translated by J. R. Johnston. Two Parts, price One
Shilling each; or in One Volume, price Half-a-Crown.

JERRMANN'S PICTURES from ST.

PETERSBURG. Translated from the German by
Fredehick Hahdman. Two Parts, price One Shilling
each ; or in One Volume, price Half-a-Crown.

MEMOIRS of a MAITRE D'ARMES ; or.

Eighteen Months at St. Petersburg. By Alexandre
DuMAs. Translated by the MARftuis OF Ormonde. Two
Parts, price One Shilling each ; or in One Volume, price
Half-a-Crown.

SIR EDWARD SEAWARD'S NARRATIVE

of his SHIPWRECK. Abridged from the last Edition of
the Original for the Traveller's Library. Two Parts, price
One Shilling each; or in One Volume, price Half-a-Crown

BRITTANY and the BIBLE ; with Remarks

on the French People and their Affairs. By 1. Hope.
Price One Shilling.

RANKE'S FERDINAND the FIRST and

MAXIMILIAN the SECOND of AUSTRIA ; or, a View
of the Religious and Political State of Germany afte • the
Reformation. Translated by Lady Duff Gobjjon. Price
One Shilling.

MEMOIR of the DUKE of WELLINGTON.

Reprinted by permission from 2%e Ttw«« newspaper. Price
One ShUling.

THE LEIPSIC CAMPAIGN. By the Rev.

G. R. Gleig, M.A. Chaplain-General of the Forces. Two
Parts, price One Shilling each ; or in One Volume, price
Half-a-Crown.

THOMAS HOLCROFT'S MEMOIRS, writ-
ten by Himself, and continued from his Diary and Papers.
Reprinted (1852). Two Parts, price One Shilling eacli ;
or in One Volume, price Half-a-Crown.

LORD CARLISLE'S LECTURES and

ADDRESSES: Including a Lecture on the Poetry of Pope,
and the Lecture on Lord Carlisle's Travels in America.
Price One Shilling.

THE NATURAL HISTORY of CREATION.

By T. LiNDLET Kemp, M.D. Author of Agricultural
Physiology. Price One ShUling.

ELECTRICITY and the ELECTRIC

TELEGRAPH. To which is added, The CHEMISTRY of
the STARS. By Dr. George Wilson. Price One
Shilling.

SIR ROGER DE COVERLEY. From the

Spectator. With Notes and Illustrations by W. H. Wills.
price One Shilling.

32 NEW WORKS AND NEW EDITIONS.

ALAEIC WATTS'S POETRY AND PAINTING.-LYRICS

OF THE HEART, and other Poems. By Alaric A. WaTts. With Forty-one highly-finished
Line-Engravings, executed expressly for this work by the most eminent Painters and En-
gravers. Square crown 8vo. price 31s. 6d. boards, or 43s. bound in morocco by Hayday ;
Proof Impressions, 63s. boards.— Plain Proofs, 41 Plates, demy 4to. (only 100 copies printed)
^2. 2s. in portfolio ; India Proofs before letters, colombier 4to. (only 50 copies printed),
^5. 5s. in portfolio.

WHEATLEY -THE ROD AND LINE ;

Or, Practical Hints and Dainty Devices for the Sure Taking of Trout, Grayling, &c. By
HEVi'^ETT Wheatley, Esq. Senior Angler. Fcp. 8vo. with Nine coloured Plates, 10s. 6d. cloth.

WEBSTER AND PARKES'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF DO-

MESTIC ECONOMY ; Comprising such subjects as are most immediately connected with
Housekeeping : as. The Construction of Domestic Edifices, with the modes of Warming,
Ventilating, and Lighting them— A description of the various articles of Furniture, with the
nature of their Materials— Duties of Servants, &c. New Edition. 8vo. with nearly 1,000
Woodcuts, 50s. cloth.

LADY WILLOUGHBY'S DIARY (1635 to 1663).

Printed, ornamented, and bound in the style of the period to which The Diary refers. New
Edition; in Two Parts. Square fcp. Svo. 8s. each, boards ; or 18s. each, bound in morocco.

WILMOT'S ABRIDGMENT OF BLACKSTONE'S COMMEN-

TARIES on the LAWS of ENGLAND, intended for the use of Young Persons, and comprised
in a series of Letters from a Father to his Daughter. A New Edition, corrected and brought
down to the Present Day, by Sir John E. Eardley Wilmot, Bart., Barrister-at-Law,
Recorder of Warwick. Inscribed, by permission, to H.R.H. the Princess Royal. 12mo.
price 6s. 6d. cloth.

WOOD'S ELEMENTS OF ALGEBRA,

Designed for the use of Students in the University. Fourteenth Edition, revised and enlarged,
by Thomas Lund, B.D., late Fellow and Sadlerian Lecturer of St. John's College, Cambridge.
Svo. price 12s. 6d. cloth.

LUND'S COMPANION TO WOOD'S ALGEBRA,

Containing Solutions of various Questions and Problems in Algebra, and forming a KEY to
the chief Difficulties found in the Collection of Examples appended to Wood's Algebra.
Second Edition, enlarged. Post Svo. price 6s. cloth.

YOUATT.-THE HORSE.

By William Youatt. With a Treatise of Draught. A New Edition ; with numerous Wood
Engravings, from Designs by William Harvey. Svo. 10s. cloth.

e^'" Messrs. Longman and Co.'s Edition should be ordered.

YOUATT.-THE DOG.

By William Youatt. A New Edition; with numerous Wood Engravings, from Designs
by William Harvey. Svo. 6s. cloth.

ZUMPT'S LARGER GRAMMAR OF THE LATIN LAN-

GUAGE. Translated and adapted for the use of English Students by Dr. L. Schmitz,
F.R.S.E., Rector of the High School of Edinburgh : With numerous Additions and Correc-
tions by the Author and Translator. The Third Edition, thoroughly revised ; to which is
added, an Index (by the Rev. J. T. White, M.A.) of all the Passagesof Latin Authors referred
to and explained in the Grammar Svo. 14s. cloth.

[March 31, 1853.