Sitraivelle. 139 



the tent under some fine trees in the open forest. 

 Several wild buffaloes were drinking in the river within 

 a short distance of us ; but thinking this a likely spot for 

 elephants, we determined not to disturb the neighbor- 

 hood by firing a shot until we had first explored the 

 country. After a walk of a couple of hours through 

 fine open forest and small bushy plains, we came to 

 the conclusion that there were very few elephants in 

 the country, and we devoted ourselves to other game. 



After a day or two spent in killing deer, a few wild 

 buffaloes and only one elephant, I felt convinced that 

 we should never find the latter, in the dry state of the 

 country, unless by watching at some tank at night. We 

 therefore moved our encampment inland about twenty- 

 five miles from Yalle. Here there is a large tank, 

 which I concluded would be the resort of elephants. 



A long day's journey through a burning sun brought 

 us to Sitrawelle'. This is a small village about six 

 miles inland from the sea-coast village of Kesinde. 

 Here the natives brought us plaintains and buffalo 

 milk, while we took shelter from the sun under a 

 splendid tamarind tree. Opposite to this was a " bo" 

 tree ;* this grew to an extraordinary size ; the wide- 

 spreading branches covered about half an acre of 

 ground, and the trunk measured upward of forty feet 

 in circumference. 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 

 ga:ne ; Skirting the opposite banks of the lake, wa 

 * Very similar to the banian tree. 



