2SO THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON, chap, x, 



a single yard. I halted and took a shot at the ear of 

 a large elephant in the middle of the herd. The shot 

 so stunned him that, instead of going on straight, he 

 kept turning round and round as though running after 

 his tail ; this threw the herd into confusion, and some 

 ran to the right and others to the left, across some 

 steep hollows. Running up to my wounded elephant, 

 I extinguished him with my remaining barrel ; and 

 getting a spare rifle from Wallace, who was the only 

 gun-bearer who had kept up, I floored another ele- 

 phant, who was ascending the opposite side of a hollow 

 about forty yards off : this fellow took two shots, and 

 accordingly I was left unloaded. V. had made good 

 play with the rifles as the herd was crossing the hollow, 

 and he had killed three, making six bagged in all. 

 The remaining two elephants reached a thick jungle 

 and escaped. 



We returned to the tent, and after a bath we sat 

 down with a glorious appetite to breakfast, having 

 bagged six elephants before seven o'clock A.M. 



In the afternoon we went to the cave and sent out 

 trackers. We were very hard up for provisions in this 

 place : there were no deer in the neighbourhood, and 

 we lived upon squirrels and parrots, both of which are 

 excellent eating, but not very substantial fare. 



The whole of this part of the country was one dark 

 mass of high lemon grass, which, not having been 

 burnt, was a tangled mixture of yellow stalks and 



