228 The Rijle and Hound in Ceylon. 



could touch him ; one by one they were beaten down 

 and half drowned beneath the water. Old Smut was 

 to the front as usual ; down the old dog was beaten, 

 but he reappeared behind the elk's shoulder, and the 

 next moment he was hanging on his ear. The poor 

 old dog had lost so many of his teeth in these encoun- 

 ters that he could not keep his hold, and the buck gave 

 a tremendous spring forward, shaking off the old dog 

 and charging through the pack, sinking nearly half of 

 them for a few moments beneath the water. He had 

 too much pluck to fly farther, and, after wading shoul- 

 der-deep against the stream for a few yards, he turned 

 majestically round, and, facing the baying pack, he 

 seemed determined to do or die. I never saw a finer 

 animal ; there was a proud look of defiance in his as- 

 pect which gave him a most noble appearance ; but at 

 that time he had little pity bestowed upon him. 



There he stood ready to meet the first dog. Old 

 Smut had been thrown to the rear as the buck turned, 

 and Lena came beautifully to the front, leading the 

 whole pack. There was a shallow sandbank in the 

 river where the bitch could get a footing, and she 

 dashed across it to the attack. The buck met her in 

 her advance by a sudden charge, which knocked her 

 over and over, but at the same instant Valiant, who is 

 a fine, powerful dog, made a clever spring forward and 

 pinned the buck by the ear. There was no shaking 

 him off, and he was immediately backed up by Plough- 

 boy, who caught the other ear most cleverly. There 

 the two dogs hung like ear-rings as the buck, rearing 

 up, swung them to and fro, but could not break their 

 hold. In another moment the grayhounds were upon 

 him — the whole pack covered him ; his beautiful form 



