232 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 



hounds, the pack is with difficulty maintained. Pup 

 pies are constantly lost in the commencement of their 

 training by straying too far into the jungle, and some- 

 times by reckless valor. I lost a fine young grayhound, 

 Lancer, own brother to Lucifer, in this way. It was 

 his first day with the pack. 



We found a buck who came to bay in a deep rocky 

 torrent, where the dogs had no chance with him, and 

 he amused himself by striking them under water at his 

 pleasure. He at length took his stand among some 

 large rocks, between which the torrent rushed with great 

 rapidity previous to its descent over a fall of sixty feet. 



In this impregnable position young Lancer chose to 

 distinguish himself, and with a beautiful spring he flew 

 straight at the buck's head ; but the elk met him with a 

 tremendous blow with the fore feet, which broke his 

 back, and the unfortunate Lancer was killed in his first 

 essay and swept over the waterfall. This buck was at 

 bay for two hours before he was killed. 



A veteran seizer is generally seamed with innumer- 

 able scars. Poor old Bran, who, being a thoroughbred 

 grayhound, is too fine in the skin for such rough hunt- 

 ing, has been sewn up in so many places that he is a 

 complete specimen of needlework. If any dog is hurt 

 in a fight with elk or boar, it is sure to be old Bran. 

 He has now a scar from a wound that was seven inches 

 in length, which he received from a buck whose horns 

 are hanging over my door. 



I had started with the pack at daybreak, and I was 

 riding down the Badulla road, about a mile from the 

 kennel, when the whole pack suddenly took up a scent 

 off the road, and dashed into the jungle in full cry. 

 The road was enclosed by forest on either side. The 



