212 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 



The Ceylon bear is a most savage animal, constantly 

 attacking men without the slightest provocation. I 

 have seen many natives frightfully disfigured by the 

 attacks of bears, which they dread more than any other 

 animal. Nothing would induce my trackers to follow 

 up the wounded bear. I followed him as far as I could, 

 but my useless limb soon gave way, and I was obliged 

 to give him up. I once saw a Moorman, who was a 

 fine powerful fellow and an excellent elephant-tracker, 

 who had a narrow escape from a bear. He was cut- 

 ting bamboos with a catty or kind of bill-hook, when 

 one of these animals descended from a tree just above 

 him and immediately attacked him. The man instinc- 

 tively threw his left arm forward to receive the bear, 

 who seized it in his mouth and bit the thumb completely 

 oft', lacerating the arm and wrist at the same time in a 

 frightful manner. With one blow of the bill-hook the 

 Moorman cleft the bear's skull to the teeth, at the same 

 time gashing his own arm to the bone by the force of 

 the blow ; and he never afterward recovered the proper 

 use of the limb. 



The Ceylon bear feeds upon almost anything that 

 offers ; he eats honey, ants, fruit, roots and flesh, when- 

 ever he can procure it : his muscular power is enor- 

 mous, and he exerts both teeth and claws in his attack. 

 They are very numerous in Ceylon, although they are 

 seldom met with in any number, owing to their noctur- 

 nal habits, which attract them to their caves at break 

 of day. 



After strolling over the country for some miles, we 

 came upon fresh elephant-tracks in high grass, which 

 we immediately followed up. In the course of half an 

 hour, after tracking them for about two miles through 



