I6<j THE R/Elc. AND HOUND IN CEYLON, chap. vtt. 



fast to prevent the deer from stinking as they weic 

 killed, and I resolved to leave the country. 



I gave orders for everything to be packed up in 

 readiness for a start, after an early breakfast, on the 

 following morning. The servants were engaged in 

 arranging for the departure, when a native brought in- 

 telligence of a rogue elephant within four miles of the 

 tent. It was late in the afternoon, but I had not seen 

 an elephant for so long that I was determined to make 

 his acquaintance. My friend B. accompanied me, and 

 we immediately started on horseback. 



Our route lay across very extensive plains, inter- 

 spersed with low thorny bushes and wide salt lakes. 

 Innumerable wild hogs invited us to a chase. There 

 could not be a better spot for boar-spearing, as the 

 ground is level and clear for riding. There were 

 numerous herds of deer and buffaloes, but we did not 

 fire a shot, as we had determined upon an interview 

 with the rogue. We traversed about four miles of this 

 style of country, and were crossing a small plain, when 

 our guide suddenly stopped and pointed to the ele- 

 phant, who was about a quarter of a mile distant. He 

 was standing on a little glade of about fifty yards 

 across ; this was surrounded upon all sides but one 

 with dense thorny jungle, and he therefore stood in a 

 small bay of open ground. It was a difficult position 

 for an attack. The wind blew directly from us to him, 

 therefore an advance in that direction was out of the 



