1 88 GUN, RIFLE, AND HOUND. 



"Ghastly fluke," remarked Will, "but I thought 

 I mightn't have another chance." 



Now it so happened this was the last elephant 

 killed that trip. 



Next day we were back at the old camp, and 

 the following night we lay for the last time 

 smoking by the light of the camp-fire by the Kambu- 

 kenaar. Not that, of course, a fire is required for 

 warmth in that climate, but it serves the triple pur- 

 pose of warding off at once wild beasts, fever, and 

 mosquitoes. There was a great charm on those nights, 

 after a hard day, in listening to the hundred noises 

 of the jungle. At times they would all be silenced 

 for a minute by the scream of a leopard, or even by 

 the deep trumpet of the lord of the jungle himself. 



"Ma certie!" quoth the Scotch skipper of the 

 Sercndib, as our roughly-secured trophies went on 

 board at Hambantota. This was the result of our 

 month's shoot, and I think it deserved his astonished 

 commendation : Seven elephants, five buffaloes, nine 

 spotted bucks, two sambur stags, one leopard (in 

 addition to that killed by Sin 'Appu, the skin of 

 which he presented to me), one alligator total, twenty- 

 five head of big game, besides pea-fowl, jungle-fowl, 

 and other birds. 



