Nov. 1, 1900.] THE TROPICAL 
AGSICT/LTURIST, 
345 
"HUNTING" AND PLANTING IN CEYLON 
BY THE LATE G. A. CBUWELL. 
A LEAF FSOM THE PAST. 
Turning over old papers we l^ave come 
across some' manuscript in the haiidwriting 
of the late Mr. Cruwell, which is well worth 
giving to our readers even now. Mr. Cruwell 
was a great hunter in his day : — 
Of course there are drawbacks to hunting as 
well as to billiards, card-playiag, horse-racing, 
and other sports— and not only drawbacks, 
but dangers. Who does not recollect the fate 
of the unfortunate young German in Maskeliya, 
who was 
KILLED BY A BUCK-ELK AT BAY 
striking the hunter's knife into the heart of the in- 
experienced young hunter. Mr. F — ^ in Nuwara 
Eliya narrowly escaped a similar fate. Some- 
thing of the same nature occurred in Haputale 
when a party of planters proceeded to Wellan- 
witte for a few days' hunting. They had to cross 
a swollen river over the log of a fallen tree. To 
enable their baggage coolies to do so, they had 
provided themselves with a rope to be stretched 
across for the coolies to hold on by, ' When 
clearing the brushwood on the opposite side one 
of the party fell into the river. The next moment 
the planter who was clearing the brushwood 
had him by the collar and tried to pull him out, 
but not being strong enough the poor fellow, 
who had fallen into the river, felLin a second 
time, and before any further assistance , could be 
rendered he 
FEIIL ON TH^; other's HUNTING KNIFE 
which penetrated within a hundredth part 
of an inch of his liver. He had a very 
narrow squeak of it and a month's confinement 
to his couch. This happened not far from the 
K estate, and to show how fast news will 
travel in less than an hour, half the coolies of 
that estate came, .hurrying down to help their 
master, who was lying calmly under a.hugetrje, 
unable to move without experiencing agonies of 
pain. Dr. Moss was of the party and arrived 
on the scene just as W had sewn up the 
wound and successfully stanched the bleeding. 
He (the Doctor) took the more dead than alive 
hunter in hand. His coolies had in the mean- 
time constructed a litter, covered with a mattress 
and pillow, and after being moved into this, he 
was carried back to his estate. In the night 
a fearful thunderstorm occurred, and the light- 
ning shattered the big tree under which poor 
B had lain after the accident, all to atoms. 
The other members of the party wished to give up 
the hunt, but after consulting with the Doctor 
they continued their journey to Wellanwitte. 
The Doctor argued that the wounded man 
might be needlessly alarmed if the others did 
not proceed ; and that he would be cheered to 
a certain extent if lie saw his friends indifferent 
about him. The sequel proved the Doctor to have 
been right. 
On a recent occasion another young fellow, also 
of the same estate, when out pig-hunting, had 
a finger of the left hand smashed and had to submit 
to an amputation. A few years ago there was 
A YOUNG PLANTER KILLED BY HIS COMPANIO 
who mistook him fqr a red-deer. 
Hunting is especially an amusement to the 
inau who cannot shoot and who cannot 
'ride, and to whom his hunting-knife and spear 
are sufficient weapons. True ther^, are some 
who combine all three accomplishments, but who 
that knew poor dear James MacDonald will not 
admit that he was about the beau ideal of a 
■ hunter and he never carried a gun ? De Mon- 
tenac was another hunter of this class. 
This brings us to the "Circular" a great firm 
has issued tO the Superiiafceudeuts in its employ. 
ii 
Much, indeed, is to be said on both sides. The 
only individual planter who, rumour says, flung 
the ' " Circular " back at the sender's head, was an 
able, trusted Superintendent who, by his estate 
books and' accounts, carried his enJployer's appro 
val of his conduct, but who was given to a little 
pencharit for hunting and could not resist the 
temptation, when 
THE SNIPE WERE IN SEASON, 
or . when he heard a deer or an elk bark, to go 
hunting. No doubt he- made up for it; but his 
conscience pricked him and he resigned at once. 
No one can blame him, nor can anybody blame 
the firm which, however, did not . ;attach any 
particular weight to his , , ■ ; 
HUNTING AND SHOOTING PROCLIVITIES. 
Submissiveness, humility, obedience are the 
attributes of slayes, a,nd we all know that 
"Britons never never, will be slaves." And 
now since the metier of a cotTee planter is to 
well understand and what coolies must and can 
do for a day's pay, when the cost of pruning, 
handling, and manuring is all laid down by esti- 
mates, and when the prices realised for the 
coffee are satisfactory, one cannot help thinking 
that the great and good firm issued the " Cir- 
cular" more with the intention of putting tlieir 
Superintendents generally on their guard, than 
for any other base or tyrannical motive. Certain 
it is the flrih would never find fault with a 
Superintendent who would go at early dawn 
with his gun for a few dogs to hunt a hare or 
brace of hares or may-be a red:deer or go snipe^ 
shooting after "muster" and running home to 
breakfast would require no leave-asking 
for that. If again the Superintendent were in- 
clined to go for a week's hunting or shooting 
in the low country, he ought to write to the 
firm that hC intended doing so, and that the 
work in hand admitted of his doing so, and can it 
be doubted for a moment that the firm would 
grant him such a holiday? Quite another 
thing would be going to the Jymkhana. in 
Nuwara Eliy;^, in crop time;, or to the Eaces in 
Colombo, in September ; or tq the, Bad ulla Sports 
in August. For such amusements leave should 
be asked, "circular" or no "circular." 
In other respects, as has been previously stated, 
the nature of the country ' forbids travelling 
through the district as a source of pleasure, except 
on foot ; and there are very few planters fond 
of climbing and, descending. As a rule, therefore,^ 
THE HAPUTALE PLANTER 
may be regarded more in the light of a slow 
fellow than in tha,t of a fast one, often victimised 
by loafers from other districts, but withal a kind- 
hearted and obliging creature. Almost the majo- 
rity are married men and the minority would soon 
follow suit, if they h^d only the chance. Card- 
playing is, with the exception of a quiefc 
whist party here and there, seldom indulged in. 
There is a billiard table at Haldummulla, which 
is chiefly motiopolised by the few Europeans of 
that station and perhaps by a traveller passing 
through. There was often made an attempt at 
a Club ; but it always sooner or later collapsed. 
RICE-GHOWING; A NEW COMPANY , 
REGISTERED. '' ' 
A new Company has been registered at thg 
office of the Registar of Joint Stock Companifes^ 
under the name of tiie Walaway Estate Co., Ltd., 
for purchasing, leasing or acquiring Walaway 
Estate situated at Ambalantota, and for carrying 
on cultivation in paddy and tea, for manufactur- 
ing copra, coconut oil, &c., and to carry on 
business as bankers, storekeepers and shipping 
agents. The nominal capital of t^he Company 
