52 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 



is an animal, who, without the power of reason, could 

 not even exist in a wild state ; his brain alone gives 

 him the strength to support his title of a lord of the 

 creation. 



Nevertheless, a lord of the creation does not appear 

 in much majesty when running for his life from an in- 

 furiated buffalo — the assumed title sits uneasily upon 

 him when, with scarcely a breath left in his body, he 

 struggles along till he is ready to drop with fatigue, ex- 

 pecting to be overtaken at every step. We must cer- 

 tainly have exhibited poor specimens of the boasted 

 sway of man over the brute creation could a stranger 

 have witnessed our flight on this occasion. 



The next morning we were up at day-break, and we 

 returned to the battle-field of the previous evening in 

 the full expectation of seeing our wounded antagonist 

 lying dead where we had left him. In this we were 

 disappointed — he was gone, and we never saw him 

 again. 



I now had my long two-ounce and my four-ounce 

 rifles with me, and I was fully prepared for a deep re- 

 venge for the disgrace of yesterday. 



The morning was clear but cloudy ; a heavy thunder- 

 storm during the night had cooled the air, and the 

 whole plain was glistening with bright drops ; the pea- 

 cocks were shrieking from the tree-tops and spreading 

 their gaudy plumage to the cool breeze ; and the whole 

 face of nature seemed refreshed. We felt the same in- 

 vigorating spirit, and we took a long survey of the 

 many herds of bjflaloes upon the plain before we could 

 determine which we should first attack. 



A large single bull, who had been lying in a swampy 

 hollow unobserved by us, suddenly sprang up at about 



