96 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 



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 ever heard of rogue elephants in Ceylon, was 

 to^d me by the Rhatamahatmeya of Doolana, who was 

 present at the scene when a lad. I do not profess to 

 credit it entirely ; but I will give it in his own words, 

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

 entitle it the " Rhatamahatmeya's Tale." In justice to 

 him, I must acknowledge that his account was corrob- 

 orated by all the old men of the village. 



THE RHATAMAHATMEYA'S TALE. 



" There was a notorious rogue elephant at Doolana 

 about thirty years ago, whose ferocity was so extreme 

 that he took complete possession of a certain part of 

 the country adjoining the lake. He had killed eight or 

 nine persons, and his whole object in existence ap- 

 peared to be the waylaying and destruction of the 

 natives. He was of enormous size, and was well 

 known by a peculiar flesh-colored forehead. 



" In those days there were no fire-arms in this part 

 of the country ; therefore there was no protection for 

 either life or property from this monster, who would 

 invade the paddy-fields at night, and actually pull down 

 the watch-houses, regardless of the blazing fires which 

 are lighted on the hearth of sand on the summit; these 

 he used to scatter about and extinguish. He had killed 

 several natives in this manner, involving them in the 

 common ruin with their watch-houses. The terror 

 created by this elephant was so extreme that the na- 

 tives deserted the neighborhood that he infested. 



" At length many months passed away without his 



