26o THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON, ckap. xi. 



gained his footing, and, disdaining farther flight, he 

 turned bravely upon the hounds. 



He was a splendid fellow ; his nostrils were dis- 

 tended, his mane was bristled up, and his eyes flashed, 

 as, rearing to his full height, he plunged forward and 

 struck the leading dogs under the water. Not a dog 

 could touch him ; one by one they were beaten down 

 and half-drowned beneath the water. Old Smut was 

 to the front as usual : down the old dog was beaten, 

 but he reappeared behind the elk's shoulder, and the 

 next moment he was hanging on his ear. The poor 

 old dog had lost so many of his teeth in these encoun- 

 ters that he could not keep his hold, and the buck 

 gave a tremendous spring forward, shaking off the old 

 dog and charging through the pack, sinking nearly 

 half of them for a few moments beneath the water. 

 He had too much pluck to fly farther, and, after wad- 

 ing shoulder-deep against the stream for a few yards, 

 he turned majestically round, and, facing the baying 

 pack, he seemed determined to do or die. I never 

 saw a finer animal ; there was a proud look of defiance 

 in his aspect that gave him a most noble appearance ; 

 but at that time he had little pity bestowed upon 

 him. 



There he stood ready to meet the first dog. Old 

 Smut had been thrown to the rear as the buck turned, 

 and Lena came beautifully to the front, leading the 

 whole pack. There was a shallow sandbank in the 



