$2 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 



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 appear 

 in much majesty when running for his life from an in- 

 furiated buffalo the assumed title sits uneasily upon 

 him when, with scarcely a breath left in his body, he 

 struggles along till he is ready to drop with fatigue, ex- 

 pecting to be overtaken at every step. We must cer- 

 tainly have exhibited poor specimens of the boasted 

 sway of man over the brute creation could a stranger 

 have witnessed 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 re- 

 venge 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 pea- 

 cocks were shrieking from the tree-tops and spreading 

 their gaudy plumage to the cool breeze ; and the whole 

 face of nature seemed refreshed. We felt the same in- 

 vigorating spirit, and we took a long survey of the 

 many herds of buffaloes 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 



