HUNTING & SHOOTING IN CEYLON 



unfortunately got into its mouth, and it promptly took hold 

 hot and strong, so I had to leave it at that, but thrust its 

 head away to the full stretch of my arm, and then got to 

 work pulling its claws out of me. 



This I succeeded in doing after a while, and by a 

 desperate wrench getting my left hand free, rolled rapidly 

 over ; but I was not quick enough, for out came a paw, got 

 me by the thigh, and hauled me back again. More kicking 

 and struggling and again I got free, but again that awful 

 paw hauled me back like a bundle of old clothes. Another 

 desperate effort and I managed to roll out of reach, got up, 

 staggered to my rifle, reloaded and shot the brute dead ; 

 and then, as the whole universe seemed to be going round 

 and round in a variety of colours, I dropped to the ground 

 to consider matters a bit, feeling deathly sick. However 

 it was getting late, so I soon arose and began to inspect 

 damages. I perceived my left trousers leg to be dyed a 

 brilliant scarlet, as was my shoe, and, on pulling up the 

 trousers, two of the various tears and holes in my leg 

 spouted blood out about a foot, which sight fairly startled 

 me. I yelled to the old man, who had all this time 

 remained standing a silent spectator, to get me a stick, 

 but he seemed too dazed, so I twisted my handkerchief 

 round my leg as tight as I could without the help of a 

 stick, and then got up to have a look at the man. He 

 was torn a bit down the back, round the neck, and one 

 claw had penetrated, if not into, at any rate very close to 

 the throat, and he assured me in a hoarse whisper that it 

 actually had penetrated the throat. I wrapped one of his 

 cloths round his neck to stop the streaming blood, and 

 then collecting my rifle, hat, and knife, we turned towards 

 camp, a terrible two miles away. My wounds got very 

 painful and stiff, and my left hand was about useless ; but 



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