150 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 



being their time for drinking. I had not proceeded far 

 before immense herds of deer offered tempting shots ; 

 but I was out simply in search of large antlers, and none 

 appearing of sufficient size, I would not fire. Buffaloes 

 continually presented themselves : I was tired of shoot- 

 ing these brutes, but I killed two who looked rather 

 vicious ; and I amused myself with remarking the im- 

 mense quantity of game, and imagining the number of 

 heads that I could bag had I chosen to indulge in indis- 

 criminate slaughter. At length I noticed a splendid 

 buck lying on the sandy bed of the river, beneath a 

 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 toward me, and 

 his nostrils were distended in alarm as he prepared to 

 bound off. I had just time to cock my rifle as he 

 dashed off at full speed ; but it was a murderous dis- 

 tance, and he fell dead. His antlers matched exactly 

 with those I had last shot. 



I turned toward the direction of the tent, and, de- 

 scending to the bed of the river, I followed the course 

 of the stream upon the margin of dry sand. I had pro- 

 ceeded 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 five 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 



