HUNTING & SHOOTING IN CEYLON 



In a tree over this puddle they had built a " messa," and 

 had already shot two elk in the two nights they had been 

 there. 



It seems incredible that wild animals can be such fools, 

 first to drink at such a puddle with a fine clear river avail- 

 able close by ; and, secondly, to do so regularly night after 

 night as they do. Instinct does not seem to amount to 

 much under those circumstances. However, I am digress- 

 ing very seriously, for I am supposed to be discoursing of 

 bear-shooting, so let us go back to them. 



Tom was much interested in my experiences in the 

 foregoing account, and so we decided to tramp to another 

 water-hole beyond the one I had watched at, and perhaps 

 put in a night at my watch-hole on our return. We had 

 an early breakfast, packed up some tins of meat, tea, 

 biscuits, &c., and off we set with men and guides. We 

 visited the place I had watched as we passed, and found one 

 of my bear carcases had been taken away by a leopard. 

 Leaving this place, we crossed an abandoned tank, and 

 tramped about 2 miles through the jungle, finally reach- 

 ing our objective in the shape of a huge whale-back of slab 

 rock surrounded by the forest. In the centre of it was a 

 small pool of water about 10 feet long by 6 feet wide, show- 

 ing tracks of two bears in some sand on its edge. 



Away on the right side of the rock, about 40 yards 

 from this small pool, was another large long pool about 

 30 yards long by 10 yards wide, bordered by the rock 

 on three sides and jungle on the fourth. The brink of 

 this hole was rock all round, and we saw no signs of visi- 

 tants, whilst our men knew nothing of them either ; so I 

 gave Tom his choice of pools, and he decided to try the 

 small one. We fixed on a good tree on the jungle edge 

 commanding Tom's pool for a " messa," and a similar tree 



286 



