198 The Rijle and Hound in Ceylon. 



heard the cry of a deer, and on arriving at the spot I 

 found Killbuck and Lena with a buck on the ground. 

 No deer had a chance with this wonderful dog Killbuck. 

 When he was once slipped there was no hope for the 

 game pursued ; no matter what the character of the 

 country might be, it was certain death to the deer. We 

 gralloched the buck, and having fed the dogs with the 

 offal, we carried him on a pole to the place where we 

 had left the horses. On arrival we deposited our heavy 

 burden ; and to our satisfaction we found all our 

 people had arrived. The tents were pitched, and the 

 night-fires were already blazing, as daylight had nearly 

 ceased. 



In the course of an hour we were comfortably seated 

 at our table with venison steaks and chops smoking 

 before us thanks to the dogs, who were now soundly 

 sleeping at our feet. During the progress of dinner I 

 planned the work for the day following. We were now 

 eight miles from Nielgalla (Blue Rock), the village at 

 which Banda resided, and I ordered a man to start off 

 at daybreak to tell him that I was in his country, and 

 to bring old Medima and several other good men (that 

 I knew) to the tent without delay. I proposed that we 

 should, in the mean time, start at daylight on the tracks 

 of the two elephants that we had seen upon the hills, 

 taking Wallace and a few of the best coolies as gun- 

 bearers. Wallace is a Cochin man, who prides him- 

 self upon a mixture of Portuguese blood. He speaks 

 six different languages fluently, and is without excep- 

 tion the best interpreter and the most plucky gun- 

 bearer that I have ever seen. He has accompanied me 

 through so many scenes with unvarying firmness that 

 I never have the slightest anxiety about my spare guns 



