The Rifle and Hound in Ceylong | Page 7

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
accompaniments 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 1.
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
CHAPTER II.
Newera Ellia--The Turn-out for Elk-hunting--Elk-hunting-- Elk turned
to Bay--The Boar
CHAPTER 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

Buffaloes--The Four-ounce does Service--The 'Lola'--A Woman killed
by a Crocodile--Crocodile at Bolgodde Lake--A Monster
Crocodile--Death of a Crocodile
CHAPTER 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
CHAPTER V.
The Four-ounce again--Tidings of a Rogue--Approaching 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 Phatamahatmeya's Tale
CHAPTER VI.
Character of the Veddahs--Description of the Veddahs--A Monampitya
Rogue--Attacking the Rogue--Breathless Excitement--Death of a Large
Rogue--Utility of the Four-ounce--A Curious Shot--Fury of a Bull
Buffalo--Character of the Wild Buffalo--Buffalo-shooting at Minneria
Lake--Charge in High Reeds--Close of a Good Day's Sport--Last Day
at Minneria--A Large Snake--An Unpleasant Bedfellow
CHAPTER VII.
Capabilities of Ceylon--Deer at Illepecadewe--Sagacity of a Pariah
Dog--Two Deer at One Shot--Deer-stalking--Hambantotte Country
--Kattregam Festival--Sitrawelle--Ruins of Ancient Mahagam
--Wiharewel1e--A Night Attack upon Elephants--Shooting by
Moonlight --Yalle River--Another Rogue--A Stroll before Breakfast--A
Curious Shot--A Good Day's Sport
CHAPTER VIII.

Best Hounds for Elk-hunting--Smut--Killbuck--The Horton Plains--A
Second Soyer--The Find--The Buck at Bay--The Bay--The
Death--Return of Lost Dogs--Comparative Speed of Deer--Veddah
Ripped by a Boar--A Melee--Buck at Black Pool--Old Smut's
Ruse--Margosse Oil
CHAPTER 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
CHAPTER 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 'Killbuck'--Good Sport with a Herd--End of the
Trip
CHAPTER XI.
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--Diabolical Death of
'Merriman'--Scene of the Murder
CHAPTER XII.
A Jungle Trip
CHAPTER XIII.

Conclusion

THE RIFLE AND HOUND.
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.
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 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
appearance of mere slaughter.
Now, the actual killing of an animal, the death itself, is not sport, unless
the circumstances connected 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 would 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 of 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