HUNTING & SHOOTING IN CEYLON 



futile, and there was the " bay " continuing a quarter of a 

 mile away. 



The dog boys held the seizers up and followed close at 

 our heels. It was too soon to let them go for fear their 

 combined attack, with such a strong pack of hounds, should 

 pull our stag down before we reached him. It were better 

 a stag should get away than this should happen. We 

 struggled on, torn and bleeding from thorns, dust and 

 sticks and leaves raining in clouds and showers down our 

 necks and backs, as we perspired and fought with this awful 

 entanglement of vegetation. 



The " bay " shifted once before we got out into the 

 open, but was immediately renewed with greater fury 

 than ever. Suddenly, with expressions of relief, we burst 

 through the thorny fringe of scrub on the patna edge. 

 About 100 feet above us, and over the brow of a rough 

 rocky patna hill, we could now hear the pack baying 

 savagely. 



Silently we scrambled up, blown and done to a turn as 

 we were, and a fine sight met our gaze as we reached the 

 top. On a bare rock in a small stream, on the very verge 

 of a waterfall, stood a grand stag in " velvet." 



With his back to the fall, up which no hound could 

 climb, he faced his pursuers with magnificent courage. As 

 Slavin and Rover dashed forward at him from the slips he 

 seemed for a moment to totter on the very brink of the 

 falls. The sudden onslaught of two powerful seizers had 

 forced his two hind feet over the edge of the slippery 

 rocks. With a grand effort he launched himself forward, 

 and before the two dogs could obtain their hold he had 

 attacked them furiously. 



Slavin seemed to be the chief object of his attention, 

 and was sent rolling over into a narrow pool of icy cold 



194 



