302 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 



so much firing, but, curious enough, just as we were 

 mounting our horses we heard the roar of an elephant 

 in a jungle on the hillside about half a mile distant. 

 There was no mistaking the sound, and we were soon 

 at the spot. This jungle was very extensive, and the 

 rocky bed of a mountain-torrent divided it into two por- 

 tions ; on the right hand was fine open forest, and on 

 the left hand thick thorny che"nar. The elephants were 

 in the open forest, close to the edge of the torrent. 



The herd winded us just as we were approaching up 

 the steep ascent of the rocky stream, and they made a 

 rush across the bed of the torrent to gain the thick jun- 

 gle on the opposite bank. Banda immediately beckoned 

 to me to come into the thick jungle with the intention 

 of meeting the elephants as they entered, while Palliser 

 was to command the narrow passage, in which there 

 was only space for one person to shoot without confu- 

 sion. 



In the mean time Palliser knocked over three ele- 

 phants as they crossed the stream, while we, on reach- 

 ing the thick jungle, found it was so dense that we could 

 see nothing. Just as we were thinking of returning 

 again to the spot that we had left, we heard a tremen- 

 dous rush in the thick jungle, coming straight toward 

 us. In another instant I saw a mass of twisted and 

 matted thorns rushing in a heap upon me. I had barely 

 time to jump on one side, as the elephant nearly grazed 

 me, and I fired both barrels into the tangled mass that 

 he bore upon his head. I then bolted and took up a 

 good position at a few yards' distance. The shots in 

 the head had so completely stunned the elephant that 

 she could not move, and she stood in a piece of jungle 

 so dense that we could not see her, and Palliser creep- 



