CHAPTER XIV. 



AFTER ELEPHANTS ON THE KAMBUKENAAR RIVER. 



IT might be supposed after our experience near 

 Chilaw, that Will and I would be content to let " my 

 lord the elephant " severely alone ; but as a matter of 

 fact the encounter had only increased our desire to 

 bring one or more of the mighty pachyderms fairly 

 to hand. Although we had learned that in that case 



the elephant had died of his wounds, F was his 



probable slayer, and we wanted to kill one ourselves. 

 Nearly a year elapsed without our having any oppor- 

 tunity to do so, although I had assisted at the death 

 of my first buffalo in the interval, and very nearly at 

 my own at the same time. The incident may bear 

 relating, especially as it points a moral. During a 

 short trip to one of the immense ruined cities of 

 Central Ceylon, I had met at a rest-house on the road 



no less a person than V , the elephant-shot par 



excellence of the day, who, with F before men- 

 tioned, had formed the Prince of Wales' body-guard 

 on his elephant shoot in 1876. He had suggested a 

 turn after buffalo, and as I always had a rifle with me, 

 I gladly assented. To cut the story short, on the 

 outskirts of a tank I found, and dropped, a fine bull. 



