HUNTING & SHOOTING IN CEYLON 



little monkeyfied man, a wandering Veddah, who had 

 settled for a brief space in this neighbourhood. We set 

 off then for Bandia Wila, and on reaching it, a very grassy, 

 weedy swamp with little open water, found shelter in a 

 tumble-down little hut which had been built by some 

 cattle-keepers. 



During the night we heard an elephant in the swamp 

 pretty near us, and at daybreak there he was not 300 

 yards away, on the opposite side of a stretch of water. 

 I examined him with my glasses and saw he had small 

 tusks, making it probable that he was the " murderer." 

 He was in no hurry, and gave us ample time to walk 

 round the end of the swamp before he moved towards the 

 forest. We, however, reached the forest first, and, enter- 

 ing it, moved along just inside, keeping pace with the 

 elephant, who was walking along the jungle edge just 

 outside it. Presently he turned in and, the forest being 

 very open, offered me a fine broadside shot as he crossed 

 in front of me at about 30 yards. I got him in the ear 

 but failed to kill, the only effect being to cause him to 

 literally sit down, his hind legs collapsing beneath him. 



Recovering, however, almost immediately, he turned 

 round and came straight at me it could not be called 

 a charge, for he must have been too dazed to have any 

 fixed idea beyond escape so I, crouching to see under 

 the cloud of smoke of the first discharge, waiting until 

 I got a favourable shot, gave him my left barrel fair in 

 the temple, dropping him dead just 10 yards from me. 

 An examination showed the split tail, so there was no 

 doubt I had got the right animal. The fore-feet measured 

 52 inches, and his height at the shoulder 9 feet I inch 

 approximately, between uprights, whilst the tusks showed 

 about 6 inches projecting beyond the lips. Being anxious 



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