JAUNTS IN THE JUNGLE. 39 



opening through which the herd are expected to 

 make their appearance, stationed at such a distance 

 as to be able to keep up a cross fire without any 

 great chance of immolating one another ; and then 

 squatting on the grass, or perching ourselves on any 

 rock that may accommodatingly be in our neigh- 

 bourhood, we light a cheroot, the more effectually to 

 keep our mouths shut, and, like two Jobs in shooting 

 jackets, await patiently the first squeak or grunt of 

 the invaders. 



Our guns are loaded with ball ; in addition to 

 which we carry a crease a-piece, which we have bor- 

 rowed from some of our Malays, with whom it is a 

 favourite weapon, and almost the only one in use, in 

 their own private quarrels or piratical crusades. 



In the Ceylon Rifles, nine men out of ten, if en- 

 gaged in active service, carry their creases with them, 

 and during the Cingalese rebellion where the regi- 

 ment was employed, a hundred of the enemy were 

 found to have been " creased" to each one that was 

 shot ; and a singularly unpleasant sensation it must 

 produce ; being bad enough in all conscience to be 

 transfixed (at least so we should imagine) with a plain 

 straightforward bayonet, instead of one of those 

 zigzag, corkscrew- shaped things. 



Back to our " cochons." 



In any other place, perhaps, our patience might get 

 up a slight demonstration of mutiny and rebellion by 

 way of an interlude, but here we feel we could wait 

 all night, even though nothing turned up. 



