292 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON. ch<vp. xn. 



mine ; quickly we ran into the herd, before they knew 

 what had happened, and down went another to V 

 Baker's shot. The smoke hung in such thick volumes 

 that we could hardly see two yards before us, when 

 straight into the cloud of smoke an elephant rushed 

 towards us. V. Baker fired, but missed ; and my 

 left-hand barrel extinguished him. Running through 

 the smoke with a spare rifle I killed the last elephant. 

 They were all bagged — five elephants within thirty 

 seconds from the first shot fired. Wortley had com- 

 menced well, having killed his first elephant with one 

 shot. 



Ne found breakfast ready on our return to the 

 horses, and having disturbed this part of the country 

 by the heavy volley at the herd, we returned to 

 Minneria. 



I was convinced that we could expect no sport in 

 this neighbourhood ; we therefore held a consultation 

 as to our line of country. 



Some years ago I had entered the north of the 

 Veddah country from this point, and I now proposed 

 that we should start upon a trip of discovery, and 

 endeavour to penetrate from the north to the south of 

 the Veddah country into the ' Park.' No person had 

 ever shot over this route, and the wildness of the idea 

 only increased the pleasure of the trip. We had not 

 the least idea of the distance, but we knew the direc- 

 tion by a pocket compass. 



