64 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON. CHAP. it. 



CHAPTER IV. 



Equipment for a Hunting Trip — In Chase of a Herd of Buffaloes — 

 Hard Work— Close Quarters — Six Feet from the Muzzle — A Black 

 with a Devil. 



THERE is one thing necessary to the enjoyment of 

 sport in Ceylon, and without which no amount of 

 game can afford thorough pleasure ; this is personal 

 comfort. Unlike a temperate climate, where mere 

 attendance becomes a luxury, the pursuit of game in 

 a tropical country is attended with immense fatigue 

 and exhaustion. The intense heat of the sun, the 

 dense and suffocating exhalations from swampy dis- 

 tricts, the constant and irritating attacks from insects, 

 all form drawbacks to sport that can only be lessened 

 by excellent servants and by the most perfect ar- 

 rangements for shelter and supplies. I have tried all 

 methods of travelling, and I generally manage to 

 combine good sport with every comfort and conveni- 

 ence. 



A good tent, perfectly waterproof, and of so light 

 a construction as to travel with only two bearers, is 

 absolutely indispensable. My tent is on the principle 



