In Chase of Elephants. 6j 



through a large district of wild country, accompanied 

 by B., and I never had more exciting sport. 



It was on this occasion that I had a memorable hunt 

 in the neighborhood of Norlande, within thirty miles 

 of Kandy. It was our first day's stage, and, upon our 

 arrival, at about 2 p. m., we left our guns at the post- 

 holder's hut, while we proceeded to the river to bathe. 



We were hardly dressed before a native came run- 

 ning to tell us that several elephants were devouring 

 his crop of korrakan — a grain something like clover- 

 seed, upon which the people in this part almost entirely 

 subsist. 



Without a moment's delay we sent for the guns! 

 The post-holder was a good tracker, and a few minutes 

 of sharp walking through a path bordered on either 

 side by dense thorny jungle brought us to a chena jun- 

 gle ground or cultivated field. The different watch- 

 houses erected in the large trees were full of people, 

 who were shrieking and yelling at the top of their 

 voices, having just succeeded in scaring the elephants 

 into the jungle. 



The whole of the country in this neighborhood has, 

 in successive ages, been cleared and cultivated : the for- 

 est has been felled. The poverty of the soil yields only 

 one crop, and the lately cleared field is again restored to 

 nature. Dense thorny jungle immediately springs up, 

 which a man cannot penetrate without being torn to 

 pieces by the briars. This is called chena jungle, and 

 is always the favorite resort of elephants and all wild 

 animals, the impervious character of the bush forming 

 a secure retreat. 



From these haunts the elephants commit nocturnal 

 descents upon the crops of the natives. The korrakan 



