4 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON, chap. i. 



thoroughly understand the nature and habits of every 

 beast or bird that he looks upon as game. This last 

 attribute is indispensable ; without it he may kill, but 

 he is not a sportsman. 



We have, therefore, come to the conclusion that the 

 character of a country influences the character of the 

 sport. The first question, therefore, that an ex- 

 perienced man would ask at the recital of a sporting 

 anecdote would be, 'What kind of country is it?' 

 That being clearly described to him, he follows you 

 through every word of your tale with a true interest, 

 and in fact joins in imagination in the chase. 



There is one great drawback to the publication of 

 sporting adventures — they always appear to deal not 

 a little in the marvellous ; and this effect is generally 

 heightened by the use of the first person in writing, 

 which at all events may give an egotistical character 

 to a work. This, however, cannot easily be avoided, 

 if a person is describing his own adventures, and he 

 labours under the disadvantage of being criticised by 

 readers who do not know him personally, and may, 

 therefore, give him credit for gross exaggeration. 



It is this feeling that deters many men who have 

 passed through years of wild sports from publishing 

 an account of them. The fact of being able to laugh 

 in your sleeve at the ignorance of a reader who does 

 not credit you, is but a poor compensation for being 

 considered a better shot with a long bow than with 



