168 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON, chap. vu. 



which he carried, and walked quickly towards breakfast. 

 Suddenly I heard a crash in a small nook of thick 

 bushes, like the rush of an elephant, and the next 

 instant a buck came rushing by in full speed ; his long 

 antlers lay upon his back as he flew through the tangled 

 saplings with a force that seemed to defy resistance. 

 He was the largest spotted buck that I ever saw, 

 and, being within thirty paces, I took a flying shot 

 with the right-hand barrel. He faltered for a moment, 

 and I immediately fired the remaining barrel. Still 

 he continued his course, but at a reduced speed and 

 dead lame. Loading the rifle, I soon got upon the 

 blood-track, and I determined to hunt him down. 



There were many saplings in this part of the forest, 

 and I noticed that many of them in the deer's track 

 were besmeared with blood about two feet and a half 

 from the ground. The tracks in the sandy soil were 

 uneven— one of the fore feet showed a deep impression, 

 while the other was very faint, showing that he was 

 wounded in the leg, as his whole weight was thrown 

 upon one foot. Slowly and cautiously I stalked along 

 the track, occasionally lying down to look under the 

 bushes. For about an hour I continued this slow and 

 silent chase ; the tracks became fainter, and the bleed- 

 ing appeared to have almost ceased ; so few and far 

 between were the red drops upon the ground, that I 

 was constantly obliged to leave the gun-bearer upon 

 the last trace, while I made a cast to discover the next 



