t02 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON, chap. v. 



that he took complete possession of a certain part of 

 the countiy adjoining the lake. He had killed eight 

 or nine persons, and his whole object in existence 

 appeared to be the waylaying and destruction of the 

 natives. He was of enormous size, and was well 

 known by a peculiar flesh-coloured forehead. 



' In those days there were no fire-arms in this part 

 of the country ; therefore there was no protection for 

 either life or property from this monster, who would 

 invade the paddy-fields at night, and actually pull 

 down the watch-houses, regardless of the blazing fires 

 which are lighted on the hearth of sand on the 

 summit ; these he used to scatter about and extin- 

 guish. He had killed several natives in this manner, 

 involving them in the common ruin with their watch- 

 houses. The terror created by this elephant was so 

 extreme that the natives deserted the neighbourhood 

 that he infested. 



' At length many months passed away without 

 his being either seen or heard of; the people began to 

 hope that he had died from the effect of poisoned 

 arrows, which had frequently been shot at him from 

 the watch-houses in high trees ; and, by degrees, the 

 terror of his name had lost its power, and he ceased to 

 be thought of. 



' It was in the cool of the evening, about an hour 

 before sunset, that about twenty of the women from 

 trie village were upon the grassy borders of the lake. 



