i7o GUN, RIFLE, AND HOUND. 



important item of rifles, and no less than six firearms, 

 being my own i2-bore, a second borrowed one, two 

 Will had borrowed, and my Express rifle and gun. 

 All these were sent off in charge of my servant to 

 join the camp, which had started two days before. 



The day was one of bustle, for not only had 

 my chum to hand over his official duties, cash, and 

 convict establishment these latter are employed in 

 getting salt but his temporary home was being 

 broken up, his wife going on to friends at Batticaloa 

 by the same steamer that had brought us. However, 

 it was all done somehow, and we sat down to dinner 

 free for a month, at which time we had to rejoin 

 the steamer at the same spot on her return journey 

 round the island. 



Before the sun was up we had said good-bye 

 to Hambantota, for we had a long drive before us. 

 Will's Arab trotted gaily along, and with a halt for 

 lunch we reached the carts before dark, and a very 

 imposing show they made ; but rice soon goes when 

 there are a dozen mouths to feed, and there was literally 

 no chance of supplies before us. 



Among the other retainers waiting for us were two 

 who would play a very important part in our next 

 month's existence. These were the " trackers," the 

 best known of whom, Sin 'Appu by name, Will, with 

 characteristic good-heartedness, had made over to me. 

 He was a little, old, very dirty-looking native, his 

 natural ugliness not being improved by various scars, 

 of different dates, but all produced by wild animals, 

 mostly by bears. Small and mean as he looked he 



