86 The Rifle and Hoimd in Ceylon. 



the tracks of a pair of elephants, and followed them 

 up. This was a work of considerable time, but the 

 distant cracking of a bough at length attracted us to 

 their position, and we shortly came up with them, just 

 as they had winded us and were moving off. I fired 

 an ineffectual shot at the temple of one, which separated 

 him from the other, after whom we started in chase at 

 full speed. Full speed soon ended in a stand-still in 

 such ground ; it was deep, stiff clay, in which we sunk 

 over our ankles at every step, and varied our struggles 

 by occasionally flying sprawling over the slippery roots 

 of the trees. 



The elephants ran clean away from us, and the 

 elephant-catchers, who knew nothing of the rules for 

 carrying spare guns, entering into the excitement of 

 the chase, and, free from the imjDediments of shoes, ran 

 lightly along the muddy ground, and were soon out of 

 sight as well as the elephants. Still we struggled on, 

 when, presently we heard a shout and then a shot ; 

 then another shout ; then the trumpet of an elephant. 

 Shot after shot then followed with a chorus of shouts ; 

 they were actually firing all our spare guns ! 



In a few moments we were up with them. In a 

 beautifully open piece of forest, upon good hard ground, 

 these fellows were having a regular battle with the 

 rogue. He was charging them with the greatest fury, 

 but he no sooner selected one man for his object than 

 these active fellows diverted his rage by firing into his 

 hind-quarters and yelling at him. At this, he would 

 immediately turn and charge another man, when he would 

 again be assailed as before. When we arrived, he imme- 

 diately selected B., and came straight at him, but offered 

 a beautiful shot in doing so, and B. dropped him dead. 



