202 TJic Rijie and Hound in Ceylon. 



retreated as we advanced, but five elephants, including 

 the two who had first discovered us, formed in a compact 

 line abreast, and thrashing the long grass to the right 

 and left with their trunks, with ears cocked and tails 

 up, they came straight at us. We pushed on to meet 

 them, but they still came on in a perfect line till within 

 ten paces of us. 



A cloud of smoke hung over the high grass as the 

 rifles cracked in rapid succession, and the Jive ele- 

 phants lay dead in the same order as they had ad- 

 vanced. The spare guns had been beautifully handed. 

 And running between the carcases, we got into the 

 lane that the remaining portion of the herd had made 

 by crushing the high grass in their retreat. We were 

 up with them in a few moments : down went one, then 

 another ; up he got again, almost immediately recover- 

 ing from V.'s shot ; down he went again as I floored 

 him with my last barrel. 



I was now unloaded, as I had only two of my double- 

 barreled No. 10 rifles out that day, but the chase was 

 so exciting that I could not help following empty- 

 handed, in the hope that some gun-bearer might put 

 one of V.'s spare guns in my hand. A large elephant 

 and her young one, who was about three feet and a half 

 high, were retreating up the rugged side of the moun- 

 tain, and the mother, instead of protecting the little one, 

 was soon a hundred paces ahead of him, and safely lo- 

 cated in a thick jungle which covered that portion of 

 the mountain. Being empty-handed, I soon scrambled 

 up and caught the little fellow by the tail ; but he was 

 so strong that I could not hold him, although I exerted 

 all my strength, and he dragged me slowly toward the 

 jungle to which his mother had retreated V. now 



