Chap. IV.] 



THE ELEPHANT. 



143 



But notwithstanding this prodigious destruction, a re- 

 ward of a few shillings per head offered by the Govern- 

 ment for taking elephants was claimed for 3500 destroyed 

 in part of the northern province alone, in less than three 

 years prior to 1848: and between 1851 and 1856, a 

 similar reward was paid for 2000 in the southern pro- 

 vince, between Gralle and Hambangtotte. 



Although there is little opportunity for the display of 

 marksmanship in an elephant battue, there is one feature 

 in the sport, as conducted in Ceylon, which contrasts 

 favourably with the slaughterhouse details chronicled 

 with revolting minuteness in some recent accounts of 



severing the muscles of the hind 

 leg, and extending up the spine ; 

 his hind leg haying the appearance 

 of being nearly off." In this state, 

 forgetful of the character he had 

 so lately given of the true sports- 

 man, as a lover of nature and a 

 hater of cruelty, he encouraged 

 "the poor old dog," as he calls 

 him, to resume the fight with the 

 boar, which lasted for an hour, 

 when he managed to call the dogs 

 off ; and perfectly exhausted, the 

 mangled hound crawled out of the 

 jungle with several additional 

 wounds, including a severe gash 

 in his throat. " He fell from 

 exhaustion, and we made a litter 

 with two poles and a horsecloth to 

 carry him home." — P. 314. If 

 such were the habitual enjoyments 

 of this class of sportsmen, their 

 motiveless massacres would admit 

 of no manly justification. In com- 

 parison with them one is disposed 

 to regard almost with favour the 

 exploits of a hunter like Major 

 Rogers, who is said to have applied 

 the value of the ivory obtained 

 from his encounters towards the 

 purchase of his successive regi- 



mental commissions, and had, 

 therefore, an object, however dis- 

 proportionate, in his slaughter of 

 1400 elephants. 



One gentleman in Ceylon, not 

 less distinguished for his genuine 

 kindness of heart, than for his 

 marvellous success in shooting ele- 

 phants, avowed to me that the 

 eagerness with which he found 

 himself impelled to pursue them 

 had often excited surprise in his 

 own mind ; and although he had 

 never read the theory of Lord 

 Karnes, or the speculations of Vi- 

 cesimus Knox, he had come to the 

 conclusion that the passion thus 

 excited within him was a remnant 

 of the hunter's instinct, with which 

 man was originally endowed to 

 enable him, by the chase, to sup- 

 port existence in a state of nature, 

 and which, though rendered dor- 

 mant by civilisation, had not been 

 utterly eradicated. 



This theory is at least more 

 consistent and intelligible than 

 the "love of nature and scenery," 

 sentimentally propounded by the 

 author quoted above. 



