ON THE WEST COAST OF CEYLON 73 



dark, and this explains (with the discomfort) why 

 this night -work is so unpopular with sportsmen. 

 Sitting up means certain discomfort, possibly no 

 game seen, and very fluky shooting if it is dark, 

 whereas if there is a moon it is almost worse. 



Our supply of rice was running short, for though 

 we had cut our staff as low as possible, we had 

 eight persons to feed besides ourselves. So we 

 reluctantly gave orders to prepare for a start coast- 

 wards after dinner that night. 



We were in luck that morning, and each shot a 

 buck axis. As we were returning to camp, Jim 

 Crow caught my arm and pointed to a bush about 

 forty yards off. The bush was shaking violently, 

 and a patch of shaggy black hair was visible. It 

 was Will's shot. Without waiting to see more 

 clearly he fired. The bear at once dropped from 

 the tree, and with no more ado charged straight at 

 us, growling fiercely. Will fired again, and the 

 bear turned off Into the jungle. Fortunately there 

 was time for me to fire, and he dropped to the 

 shot, got up and charged again, when Will killed 

 him. 



The Ceylon bear, as I have said, is the most 

 savage little wretch on the face of the earth, and in 

 the north of the island, where they are most common, 

 many of the natives are marked by their teeth and 

 claws, these wounds being generally inflicted in 

 entirely unprovoked attacks. Even in captivity 

 they are savage. A friend of mine had one which 

 he called "John the Baptist." Although he had 

 been taken from his dead mother when not a foot 

 long, it was dangerous for any one to approach 

 within reach of the chain which was fastened to 



