HUNTING & SHOOTING IN CEYLON 



jungles at that time is so scored with tracks, where the 

 nature of the ground will take an impression, as to 

 make the picking out of any particular one almost an 

 impossibility, at any rate as regards deer. The harder 

 ground, also, takes no impression, and you will only find 

 tracks in sandy or dusty places. Of course a big animal 

 like an elephant or buffalo can be followed fairly easily, 

 but you may take it that the natives seldom attempt to 

 bag any animal like deer or pigs by sheer tracking except 

 in following a wounded one, though I have known here 

 and there a case of an elk being tracked to its " form " 

 and shot during the wet season. 



Another strong reason militating against tracking is 

 that in the jungle an animal will detect your approach long 

 before you can sight it and be off at once, because it is im- 

 possible in the low-country jungles to see more than about 

 30 yards in any direction, and even then you do not get a 

 clear view. 



A difficulty in dealing with ordinary villagers as trackers 

 and guides is that they seem to think an European can kill 

 an animal at any range and from any position, so great is 

 their faith in the rifle, and consequently, unless you know 

 your men and can direct them accordingly, they will simply 

 walk ahead of you, through park after park, taking no pre- 

 cautions whatever, alarming the deer so that you never get 

 a shot at all, or pointing them out in impossible situations. 

 Their own methods, of course, are the stealthy sneaking 

 round the edges of parks and the approaching, if possible, 

 to within 30 or 40 yards of their game before letting off 

 their old " gas-pipes," but they can hardly be made to 

 understand that a white man would also prefer that style 

 where possible. Some of the professional trackers in Trin- 

 comalee and Hambantota are fairly good at stalking work, 



218 



