HUNTING & SHOOTING IN CEYLON 



into one noisy but musical chorus. Backwards and for- 

 wards they went, but nothing broke ; round and round 

 again, time after time, and with such frantic excitement 

 that I was puzzled to know what it might be. Presently 

 there was a lull, followed by loud barkings from the 

 thickest and most matted growth of the scrub, showing 

 an unmistakable " bay." Again I wondered what it was, 

 but two or three shrill yelps of pain, followed by more bark- 

 ing, soon solved the problem, and 1 knew I must slay that 

 porcupine without more ado or my dogs would be in a 

 mess. Down I went on my hands and knees and crawled 

 into the matted mass of lantana, shoving my gun ahead of 

 me, but presently it became a case of lying flat on my face 

 and wriggling under the chaotic mass of branches, for it 

 was a patch of old growth of scrub on fine soil. I heard 

 now and then the extraordinary buzzing rattle of the 

 angrily agitated quills, and the peculiar stamp of the 

 hind feet of the "spiny pig," followed by more yelps 

 and angry barkings from my dogs, so I hurried forward, 

 as much as I could, half-choked with dirt and perspiration, 

 until I got in sight of an agitated mass of hard-breathing, 

 yelping, barking, growling dogs. I seized the nearest tail 

 and pulled its owner out of my way, cuffed and shoved 

 away one or two more, and then got a view of an enormous 

 porcupine in all his glory of erect, bristling, black-and- 

 white quills. I did not waste much time admiring his 

 peculiar style of beauty, as my dogs, encouraged by my 

 presence, were ready for another rush-in, so I shoved a 

 cartridge into my gun and blew a hole through our friend 

 forthwith. 



I then laboriously dragged it out, a fine specimen 

 weighing fully 20 Ibs., and turned to my dogs to examine 

 damages. 



36 



