HUNTING & SHOOTING IN CEYLON 



of the " Paradox" straight up into the air, he having re- 

 mained very near the tree during the " ruction," and that 

 Bright, over the camp fire, I heard him tell the gaping 

 ^dience how the elephant was just on the point of striking 

 me down when he fired both barrels of the spare gun into 

 its head, drove it away, and saved my life ! The Moormen 

 appeared as soon as the elephant cleared off, not having 

 gone farther thaji behind the nearest trees, and we mutually 

 congratulated each other on a lucky escape, though I felt 

 a bit sad over my failure to bag such a fine and distinctly 

 dangerous animal. That elephant I believe travelled many 

 miles after he started off, for he was seen crossing the 

 " g an g a " a l n g wa Y from the shooting point that same 

 afternoon by some men of the next village, and was not 

 heard of again. An experience such as the foregoing 

 shows how easily you may fail to kill an elephant with 

 even such a heavy gun as an 8 -bore. The Ceylon practice 

 is usually to shoot at the head, trying always for the fatal 

 brain shot. This may be accomplished if you are immedi- 

 ately in front of the animal facing you, by firing at the 

 lower part of the bump, which may be seen in the centre of 

 the head almost on a line between the eyes, and below the 

 hollow of the forehead. Curiously enough both " Keddah " 

 Sanderson and " The Old Shikarry " speak of aiming at 

 the hollow above the trunk, which I think must be simply 

 a clerical mistake on their part, for they must have known 

 the " bump " as well as anybody no one better. Another 

 shot is at the temple, when the elephant shows you about 

 three-quarter face, taking aim at a point midway on the 

 line between the eye and centre of the ear. 



Shot the third, and to my mind the easiest of all, is 

 when the elephant is full broadside to you, and you then 

 fire right into the dark centre of the ear, rather behind 



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