A Jungle Trip. 265 



the third ; hut, instead of falling, he rushed toward us, 

 and I killed him with my remaining barrel, Palliser 

 joining in the shot. They were all killed in about three 

 seconds. The remaining portion of the herd were at a 

 distance, and we heard them crashing through the thick 

 jungle. We followed them for about a mile, but they 

 had evidently gone off to some other country. The 

 jungle was very thick, and we had a long journey to 

 accomplish ; we therefore returned to the horses and 

 rode on, our party being now increased by the Veddah 

 tracker. 



After having ridden about twenty miles, the last eight 

 of which had been through alternate forest and jungle, 

 we arrived at a small plain of rich grass of about a hun- 

 dred acres : this was surrounded by forest. Unfortu- 

 nately, the nights were not moonlight, or we could have 

 killed a deer, as they came out in immense herds just 

 at dusk. We luckily bagged a good supply of snipe, 

 upon which we dined, and we reserved our tins of meat 

 for some more urgent occasion. 



Nov. 26. — All vestiges of open country had long 

 ceased. We now rode for seventeen miles through 

 magnificent forest, containing the most stupendous 

 banian trees that I have ever beheld. The ebony trees 

 were also very numerous, and grew to an immense 

 size. This forest was perfectly open. There was not 

 a sign of either underwood or grass beneath the trees, 

 and no track was discernible beyond the notches in the 

 trees made at some former time by the Veddah's axe. 

 In one part of this forest a rocky mountain appeared at 

 some period to have burst into fragments ; and for the 

 distance of about a mile it formed the apparent ruins 

 of a city of giants. Rocks as large as churches lay 



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