48 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON, chap. in. 



to trust only in his speed. He has strength of limb 

 which is useless without some artificial weapon. He 

 is an animal who, without the power of reason, could 

 not even exist in a wild state ; his brain alone gives 

 him the strength to support his title of lord of the 

 creation. 



Nevertheless, a lord of the creation does not 

 appear in much majesty when running for his life 

 from an infuriated buffalo ; — the assumed title sits 

 uneasily upon him when, with scarcely a breath left 

 in his body, he struggles along till he is ready to drop 

 with fatigue, expecting to be overtaken at every step. 

 We must certainly have exhibited poor specimens of 

 the boasted sway of man over the brute creation 

 could a stranger have witnessed our flight on this 

 occasion. 



The next morning we were up at daybreak, and 

 we returned to the battle-field of the previous evening 

 in the full expectation of seeing our wounded anta- 

 gonist lying dead where we had left him. In this we 

 were disappointed — he was gone, and we never saw 

 him again. 



I now had my long two-ounce and my four-ounce 

 rifles with me, and I was fully prepared for a deep re- 

 venge for the disgrace of yesterday. 



The morning was clear but cloudy ; a heavy 

 thunderstorm during the night had cooled the air, 

 and the whole plain was glistening with bright drops ; 



