HUNTING & SHOOTING IN CEYLON 



myself to be dissuaded by my trackers and we returned 

 to camp. The elephant was found dead next morning, 

 and I counted sixteen old and recent bullet-wounds in his 

 head. This was the hardest chase I ever had in my life, 

 but the pleasure and excitement of it will ever remain green 

 in my memory. 



Tuskers are very, very rare in Ceylon now they may 

 be said to be practically non-existent for in all my rambles 

 I have only seen two, more's the pity. 



The largest elephant I ever killed in Ceylon measured 

 9 feet 6 inches at the shoulder as near as I could make it, 

 for it is almost impossible to get exact measurement of a 

 fallen elephant. 



ELEPHANT SHOOTING 

 BY NORTH C. DAVIDSON 



Hearing that there was a rogue near a village about 

 15 miles from the estate, I went down, interviewed the 

 villagers, and heard that there were two rogues, one that 

 haunted a " chena " quite close, and one in the neighbour- 

 hood of a small village about 4 miles off. The weather was 

 very dry and windy in the afternoon, very bad for tracking. 

 However, early next morning I started out, picked up the 

 tracks in the " chena," and ran the elephant down in about 

 an hour in some scrub jungle rather more open than usual. 

 As I crept up he was feeding on twigs and leaves that he 

 was pulling off the top of a bushy tree ; he was quite un- 

 conscious of my presence, so getting within about 6 yards 

 of him, I took careful aim just in front of the ear-hole and 

 pulled. He simply dropped his trunk and stood perfectly 

 still ; as I was about to press the other trigger a tree against 

 which he was apparently leaning gave way, and he fell with 



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