HUNTING & SHOOTING IN CEYLON 



once, and began biting at her head and neck, clawing away 

 at her back all the time. 



She put up her left hand to protect her neck, and the 

 bear bit that savagely, whilst, with her right hand, she 

 shoved her gun down between her feet and pulled the 

 trigger, shooting the bear through one foot, as was after- 

 wards found. 



In the meantime the two headmen were wildly firing 

 off their guns, in all directions apparently, for not one 

 shot hit the bear (luckily, perhaps, for our heroine, for it 

 is a wonder she was not shot too), until the Tamil, with 

 the last cartridge he had, hit the animal in the head, I 

 think, and killed it. 



Dreadful to relate, it was then found that the police 

 orderly, a smart young fellow, had been shot dead in the 

 meUe^ but how or by whom it was impossible to say ; and 

 it is a great marvel that more damage was not done, as the 

 two headmen lost their heads entirely for the time, and 

 blazed off their guns as fast as they could load them. 



The injured lady actually walked the 3 miles back 

 to camp, where no doubt her husband would be terribly 

 upset at the time. I met them both a few weeks after- 

 wards at a rest-house on their way to Colombo to see a 

 doctor about the lady's left wrist, which was stiff and un- 

 useable after the mauling, and she then told me all about 

 the incident, only regretting that her injuries would cause 

 her to lose the season for further shooting that year ! 



And now a few words about the rock-holes I have been 

 so industriously shooting at. All over Ceylon low country 

 are found outcrops of bare rock in the shape of flat 

 slabs, regular whale-backs, ridges, mounds, and quite high 

 hillocks, and on almost every outcrop will be found at least 

 one hollow containing water, some shallow and liable to 



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