A Jungle Trip. 257 



escaped. There was evidently plenty of game, but V. 

 B. having fired at the elephants, we knew that this part 

 of the country was disturbed ; we therefore had no 

 hesitation in discharging all the guns and having them 

 well cleaned for the next morning, when we proposed 

 to move the tent a couple of miles farther off. 



Nov. 23. — A most unfortunate day, proving the dis- 

 advantage of being ignorant of the ground. Although 

 I knew the whole country by one route, from Minneria 

 to the north of the Veddah country, we had now di- 

 verged from that route to visit this particular spot, 

 which I had never before shot over. We passed on 

 through beautiful open country interspersed with clumps 

 of jungle, but without one large tree that would shade 

 the tent. 



A single roofed tent exposed to the sun is perfectly 

 unbearable, and we continued to push on in the hope 

 of finding a tree of sufficient size to afford shelter. 



Some miles were passed ; fresh tracks of elephants 

 and all kinds of game were very numerous, and the 

 country was perfection for shooting. 



At length the open plains became more protracted, 

 and the patches of jungle larger and more frequent. 

 By degrees the open ground ceased altogether, and we 

 found ourselves in a narrow path of deep mud passing 

 through impenetrable thorny jungle. Nevertheless our 

 guide insisted upon pushing on to a place which he 

 compared to that which we had unfortunately left be- 

 hind us. Instead of going two miles, as we had orig- 

 inally intended, we had already ridden sixteen at the 

 least, and still the headman persisted in pushing on. 

 No coolies were up ; the tents and baggage were far 

 behind ; we had nothing to eat ; we had left the fine 

 22* R 



