HUNTING & SHOOTING IN CEYLON 



excellent sight even when it got very dark. Very soon we 

 heard heavy breathing from the up-river direction, and a 

 bear came walking down the river-bed, but instead of 

 drinking at a hole in which water already stood, it dropped 

 into a dry hole and began vigorously digging with its 

 powerful forearms and huge claws. 



In this position, head down in the hole and stern in the 

 air, it offered me a splendid shot between the shoulders, 

 which I took advantage of, dropping it stone-dead on the 

 spot. I and my men got down from the stage, hauled it 

 out, finding that the bullet had gone right through it, and 

 hid the body behind a heap of sand in our side of the river- 

 bed, blinding our tracks by sprinkling them with water 

 from the holes, and covering up with sand the pool of 

 blood left in the hole the " deceased " had dug. 



Within five minutes after getting back on to the stage we 

 heard fearful howls, yells, and grunts from up-river direc- 

 tion, and down came two bears running like mad. I fired 

 at the first one and knocked him over, but he got up again 

 and started to bolt after the other one, which was already 

 " making tracks," whereupon I fired again and once more 

 he fell, but recovered and disappeared up-bank uttering 

 fearful yells and grunts. After a long interval another 

 bear appeared from up-stream, but, apparently scenting 

 something wrong, turned and bolted, I sending an in- 

 effectual shot after him. A long wait of two hours ensued, 

 and then a leopard came quietly down-river, but it was pitch 

 dark and I could not see anything, so I let him lap un- 

 disturbed and go away. After this, for a long time nothing 

 came but porcupines, which we could recognise by the 

 peculiar occasional rustle of their " hind " quills, but 

 eventually another bear did turn up, bolting hurriedly, 

 however, before I could get in a shot. Nothing then 



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