HUNTING & SHOOTING IN CEYLON 



away. The bit of head showing was only the crown, but 



1 sat down and opened with solids. The first " zipped" 

 so close to the top of his head, fair between the horns, that 

 he put his head a fraction higher in surprise ; the second 

 shot struck the water immediately behind his head and 

 " ricochetted " over the top ; the third shot went fair to 

 the mark and dropped him dead, to the loudly expressed 

 amazement of the natives, who can't understand the small- 

 bores yet. As one man the " mob " dashed into the water, 

 and, reaching the animal, solemnly cut its throat, though 

 it was as dead as a herring, and then towed it across to 

 our side, where we cut off the head and I examined the 

 shots. The first one, for the throat, had struck some 



2 inches too much to the right ; the others were fair in the 

 body, and might eventually have proved fatal ; whilst the 

 solid in the shoulder had gone right through, apparently 

 doing little damage. The fatal shot showed a tiny hole 

 at the back of the head. The villagers gazed with rever- 

 ence on the rifle, and as many as could enjoyed the pleasure 

 and satisfaction of trying to insert the end of the little 

 finger into the bore at the muzzle ! 



They had been deeply impressed by a shot I made at 

 a buck the evening before, from bank to bank of a branch 

 of the river, related in the chapter on deer, and this last 

 performance clinched the impression. We sent the head 

 to camp, and made our way back overland in preference 

 to a laborious " poling " voyage up the river. 



Mr. J. J. Robinson tells me of a very exciting bit of 

 buffalo shooting he and a friend enjoyed a good many years 

 ago. They were out after deer at the time, and were met 

 by an ancient half-Veddah, who asked them if they would 

 like to shoot some wild buffaloes. Naturally they did like, 

 and followed the old man into the jungle, where he told 



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