418 WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS CHAP. 



we look down upon the splendid panorama stretched like a waving 

 sea beneath our feet. The road upon which we stand is scraped 

 out of the mountain side. The forest has ceased, dying off gradu- 

 ally into isolated patches, and long ribbon-like strips on the side of 

 the mountain, upon which rich grass is growing, in vivid contrast 

 to the rank and coarse herbage of Newera Ellia, distant only 5 

 miles from this point." 



This exact description of the country will enable any person to 

 imagine the style of hunting the sambur with hounds, as he will 

 at once perceive that the greater portion of the work must be done 

 on foot. Although I generally started on horseback, the animal 

 was seldom seen throughout the day. 



The forest throughout the entire district was more or less the 

 same in character. Fine timber shaded an undergrowth of a plant 

 called nilho. This grew in straight sticks a little thicker than the 

 forefinger of a man, to the height of 10 or 12 feet. The density 

 of the mass may be conceived, as it grew almost as thickly as a 

 field of corn. There were no lateral branches, but merely leaves ; 

 fortunately it had no thorns, and was easily broken, otherwise it 

 would have been impervious. 



This plant blossomed only once in seven years ; at such a time 

 the jungles were a blaze of flowers humming with bees, which 

 appeared as though by magic, to collect their crop of honey. 

 When the blossom seeded, great numbers of jungle-fowl invaded 

 the forests ; but whence they came, no one could satisfactorily 

 decide. Rats also swarmed to devour the nilho seeds, and from 

 the commencement of the blossom it was a most interesting 

 example of one of nature's rules, that wherever there is a supply 

 of food, some creatures, whether insects or animals, will be ready 

 to consume it. 



But when that nilho had seeded, it died ; the result was dis- 

 astrous to the hunter. The long sticks fell upon the ground in 

 chaotic entanglement, and in some places it was impossible to 

 break through. It was always sufficiently irksome to push a way 

 through the yielding nilho when it was erect, but when fallen, it 

 was a terrible trial to the shins. 



I have already mentioned the fact that I never saw a sambur 

 upon the open, unless driven by the hounds. The hunt was con- 

 ducted as follows. We started at daybreak. I had a special 

 costume for running. This woven dress consisted of tights, similar 

 to ordinary elastic drawers, with a short jacket of the same material, 

 that fitted like a jersey. These were dyed green. A pair of 

 rather high ankle boots, which laced in the usual manner, the 



