60 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON, chap. hi. 



breach in the buffalo's flank. I was now within thirty 

 yards of them, and, being observed, they all dived 

 immediately to the bottom. 



The carcass was lying within a few yards of the 

 bank, where the water was extremely deep and clear. 

 Several large trees grew close to the edge and formed 

 a good hiding-place ; I therefore landed, and, sending 

 the canoe to a distance, I watched the water. 



I had not been five minutes in this position before 

 I saw in the water at my feet, in a deep hole close to 

 the bank, the immense form of a crocodile as he was 

 slowly rising from his hiding-place to the surface. 

 He appeared to be about eighteen feet long, and he 

 projected his horny head from the surface, bubbled, 

 and then floated with only his forehead and large eyes 

 above the water. He was a horrible-looking monster, 

 and from his size I hoped he was the villain that had 

 committed the late depredations. He was within 

 three yards of me ; and, although I stood upon the 

 bank, his great round eyes gazed at me without a 

 symptom of fear. The next moment I put a two- 

 ounce ball exactly between them, and killed him stone 

 dead. He gave a convulsive slap with his tail, which 

 made the water foam, and, turning upon his back, he 

 gradually sank, till at length I could only distinguish 

 the long line of his white belly twenty feet below me. 



Not having any apparatus for bringing him to the 

 surface, I again took to the canoe, as a light breeze 



