214 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON, chap. ix. 



jungle, and only killed three. We had a long day's 

 work, and we were returning home in the afternoon 

 when we suddenly observed a herd of deer grazing in 

 the beautiful park. The headman of this part of the 

 country is a first-rate sportsman, and has always ac- 

 companied me in shooting through this district. This 

 man, whose name is Banda, is the only Cingalese that 

 I have ever seen who looks like a man of good birth 

 in his nation. Strikingly handsome and beautifully 

 proportioned, with the agility of a deer, he is in all 

 respects the bean ideal of a native hunter. His skill 

 in tracking is superb, and his thorough knowledge of 

 the habits of all Ceylon animals, especially of elephants, 

 renders him a valuable ally to a sportsman. He and 

 I commenced a careful stalk, and after a long circuit I 

 succeeded in getting within seventy paces of the herd 

 of deer. The ground was undulating, and they were 

 standing on the top of a low ridge of hills. I dropped 

 a buck with my two-ounce rifle, and the herd im- 

 mediately disappeared behind the top of the hill. 

 Taking one of my double-barrelled rifles, which Banda 

 gave me, I ran to the top of the hill as fast as I could, 

 just in time to see the herd going at a flying speed 

 along a small valley at a long distance. Another 

 buck was separated from the herd by about forty 

 paces, and putting up the second sight of my rifle, I 

 took a shot- at him ; to my delight he plunged heavily 

 upon the turf. I fired my remaining barrel at the 





