on the bank of a large river, about five miles further on, which was impassible on account of the flood, and that B. and C. had gone out to look for deer. We pushed on therefore, soon got in, and set to work to make preparations for passing the river. Half-way across was a small island large enough to hold the loads. To this I swam with one end of our long rope, and, making it fast, passed the loads over one by one, and from thence to the opposite shore. In two hours all but the breakfast things were over, and, B. and C. returning shortly afterwards, we finished breakfast and then passed them over also. We now resumed our march, but a mile further were again brought up by another river, which from its appearance bid fair to be more troublesome to pass than the last. We therefore set all hands to work making a raft, and completed it in three hours, but a deer barking some little distance off, I seized my rifle and set out to try to stalk him; he was, however, in such thick jungle that I could not get a shot, and, on my return, found that by some accident they had let the raft break lose, and that it had been carried away by the current. We lost an hour in trying to recover it, and then bethought us of some other means for crossing. Close to the edge of the water grew two or three large trees, and B. proposed falling the highest across the river. We fastened the rope to its top, carried the other end over to the other side, where we left a coolie to haul it tight, and then set to work with our little axes. The wood was very tough, but we persevered, and at last had the satisfaction to hear a crack, then another and another, and down it went into the water. The coolie hauled the rope tight and made it fast round the stem of a large tree, then passed it back to the top, so as to make it double, and as soon as we had trimmed away the branches from the upper side our bridge was ready, and we managed to get all the things over by sunset. We then pitched the tents and encamped for the night. Two days more were thus passed in travelling, when we struck the head of the Park, and soon afterwards entered the village of Marrangalla, whence we travelled through a succession of the most beautiful parks for eighteen miles to Domina Winnia, where we procured trackers, and, sending the coolies on direct to Nielgalla, made a circuit to view the country and look for elephants.

As I have before mentioned my three friends were novices in the sport, and it was therefore decided that I was to open the ball, if we fell in with any. We had not gone far when we espied a herd feeding in the open, and stalking them carefully to within fifty yards without any chance of getting nearer undiscovered, I got up and ran into them. The two leaders were round upon me in a moment, and down on the ground the next; but the first was only stunned and got up again, so that I was obliged to give him another barrel to finish him, while the fourth missed fire. Away went the rest of the herd, with A., B., and C. in pursuit; but I stopped to load, having only the two guns with me. Before I had half-finished, the tracker whispered to me," Alio," and, looking round, I saw five elephants moving towards me through some long grass. Crouching down, we crawled gently away, got behind a small rock to finish loading, and then lay still to watch them. On they came, giving utterance to low growling like the rumbling of distant thunder, and made direct for their dead comrades, where they stood pushing them with their feet and trunks, and roaring and screaming with rage.

Fearing that my companions, who had gone out of sight, would disturb them on their return, I moved cautiously away to meet them, and soon heard them coming back, laughing and talking loudly; but my signs soon quieted them, though not before the elephants had heard the noise and moved back into the high lemon grass.

Having told off C. for first shot, we followed them up, though with great caution, for the grass was quite nine feet high and so thick that we could not see five yards from us. We therefore moved as noiselessly as possible, with our rifles cocked and fingers on the triggers. A rustling in the grass-a half scream, like a high-pitched note on a cracked trumpet-swish, swish, as the grass flew before him-and be was upon us; but C. met him steadily and killed him dead with his first barrel. Swish, swish, from both sides, and on came two more; but A. and B. quieted the left fellow, while I extinguished the right, and the fight was over, for the two others had run at the beginning and now made such good use of their legs that they completely distanced us. We therefore made the best of our way to Nielgalla bungalow.

This had been originally built by Major Rogers of the Ceylon Rifles, one of the most daring and the most successful elephant-hunters in Ceylon. He is said to have killed more than twelve hundred of these destructive animals; he was himself killed by lightning in 1846.

The bungalow was delightfully situated near the base of some rocky hills, and about a hundred yards from a small river which roared and tumbled over its rocky bed. A little to the left the huts of a small village peeped from beneath the leafy shade of cocoanuts, bananas, and limes; to the right lay some small paddy-fields; while stretching far sway into the distance beyond lay the magnificent park with its clumps of noble trees. It would be idle attempting to describe this, for no de seription could possibly do it justice. But recall to the mind the most beautiful park you have ever seen; fancy it extending far as your eye can reach, wooded with trees such as Europe never produced, watered by clear, cool, sparkling streams, and diversified by hills of every size and shape-and you will have some idea of the Park of Nielgalla.

Here then we determined on staying for at least a week; and having sent for Banda (a celebrated tracker), we committed ourselves to his guidance. He advised our starting at daybreak across the river, and we set out accordingly, but the current was so strong and the rocks so slippery that we deemed it wisest to send the guns over first with the trackers, who, having naked feet and no trousers, found more secure footing and offered less resistance to the water than we, with our nailed

half-way across, the current swept my legs from under me, and carried me bodily away over a small fall, with a deep pool beneath, and, before I could strike out, over another into a deeper and larger pool, where I managed to make head against it and reached the bank. A. likewise came to grief and got a good ducking. We now pushed on and entered a patch of high lemon grass, and a deer jumping up before us, I killed him; but we had no sport afterwards, for we could not find elephants, and would not fire at deer on account of disturbing the

country.

work in earnest to look for larger game. After some hours' walking, The next day A. and B. stalked a herd of deer. We then set to

we made out several elephants feeding on a rocky hill, and at once proceeded to attack them; but the rocks were so large, and we made so much noise in clambering over them, that they heard us and made off before we could get within shot. Running was out of the question on such ground, and we sat down to breakfast on the bank of a small stream, in the hope that the elephants, not being pursued, would stop in the first jungle; and so far our calculations proved correct, for having sent on Banda and another man to follow them quietly, he sent back to say that they had stopped in a large jungle about half a mile off. Up at once, and after them-C. to have first shot, B. next, A. and myself last-but, on getting close, B. could not resist the temptation, and opened the ball. C. then chimed in, while I ran round to cut off the rear of the herd. Five or six of them were already going away at a great pace, but the first glance showed me a tusker amongst them. A. now joined me, and on we dashed, springing over rocks and stumps of fallen trees, dodging under jungle-ropes, and shouting at the top of our voices, but they crashed on and entered a small stream. The tusker was about the middle of the herd, and while he scrambled up the opposite bank I ran out to one side, and as he half-turned his head I fired and brought him down. I was about to fire another shot to make sure, but Banda called out, "Meruna, meruna" (dead); so putting my foot on the carcase, I sprang over, and ran on after the others, but the quantity of cold tea I had swallowed at breakfast was too much for me and soon obliged me to give in. We therefore returned to cut out the tusks, but on nearing the spot heard shot after shot, and, running up, found the dead (!) tusker on his legs and moving round and round like an impaled beetle, with B. and C. blazing at him as hard as they could. Just as I got near enough to join in, a lucky shot from C. knocked him over. This was annoying enough, as I had thought the tusker stone dead, and most assuredly would not have left him had not Banda also said that he was so.

The light was stealing up from the east when Banda sent to say that he could not accompany us, but had sent his cousin to act for him. We therefore struck off in the direction of Domina-Winnia, and on the way killed a buck with very fine antlers; we had brought coolies with us on the chance of such a contingency, and therefore sent him at once into camp. Shortly afterwards we crossed the track of a large single elephant, and followed him up into a patch of dense rotten jungle. A. was to have first shot. Now, A. being short-sighted, was obliged to use an eyeglass, so that when we came up with him, there we stood in a long line (for it was so thick that we could only move in the track which he had made), with A. stooping down, holding the glass to his eye, and peering about under the jungle, then resuming it to wipe away the perspiration which had collected on it, while the elephant was all the while stretching out his trunk over the tops of the jungle and making out our exact whereabouts. I never saw gun-bearers in such an awful fright; they kept on saying in a loud whisper, "Shoot, dear" (Shoot, sir)-but no! there stood A. still fumbling with his glass, uncertain which was the brute's head and which was his rump-one minute afterwards he decided the matter himself, coming into us with short, quick squeals, but A. met him steadily, and, with C., gave him a couple of barrels, which turned him.

The next morning we again crossed the track of another single elcphant, and came up with him in a rocky piece of jungle on the far side of a small stream. He was lying down, fast asleep and snoring loudly, but B., accidentally treading on a dead stick, the loud snap awoke him, and quick as thought he came into us. A. was leading, I was next; but just at that moment some of the thorny jungle creepers caught me by the legs and chest, so that when A. had fired without effect, I was obliged to do the best I could in my awkward position, and only succeeded in turning him. He rushed down to a small pool of water, where he turned and again came into us. A. again fired without effect, but I had by this time broken from my thorny bonds and was lucky enough to roll him over. He slipped down the rock into the pool below.

We then started to look for a herd, but as at eleven o'clock we were still unsuccessful, we sat down in the dry bed of a small stream to breakfast. For some time Banda sat beside us looking gravely on, but soon getting tired of this, he set off with his men to examine the base of a rocky hill near at hand, and soon returned to say that elephants were in the jungle. Up we jumped, and cramming the unfinished breakfast into a basket, started off to beat up their quarters.

On entering the jungle the wind proved very troublesome, blowing in eddies, so that they smelled us and began to trumpet loudly. We quickened our pace and met them in a piece of fine open forest, moving in a dense body steadily towards us. As C. was leading, he fired at the largest fellow in front, but missed. B. then chimed in, and the forest was soon full of smoke, which hung like a mist around us, and prevented my seeing what the elephants were about. I had not as yet fired a shot, but now ran round to the other side, hoping to catch them as they turned, and, seeing three making off, I gave chase, shouting, “Dah, dah; Endah, endah!" Fast and furious was the chevy; but my shouting soon riled them to such an extent that they wheeled round, and, curling up their trunks, stood still facing me. On dashing up to them, my foot caught in the root of a tree, tripping me up and making me bury the muzzle of my gun several inches deep in the ground. Seeing me thus suddenly disappear the elephants made off, but, seizing a fresh gun, I again caught and provoked them to turn. It really seemed as if fate was against me, for again I came down with a regular smash and broke the stock of my gun, while, as before, the elephants made off as fast as they could. I had now only one gun left (the big double rifle), and doubly did I strain every nerve to catch them, but was terribly blown, while the perspiration poured down my face in streams. At last they turned, and I ran up. The nearest fell to my right barrel, the next to my left, but recovering himself immediately, he rushed at me with a furious scream. Being unarmed, I bolted round a tree. Round he came after me, and chased me backwards and forwards for several minutes, until accidentally catching sight of the tracker, who was carrying my gun with the mud in the muzzle, I made for him, and, as luck would have it, the elephant lost sight of me. Seizing the gun I rammed the mud home upon the bullet, and rushing back gave him both barrels and knocked him down, the recoil almost dislocating my shoulder; but he rose again and staggered towards me, when A., having heard the firing, ran up and shot him dead.

We now called a halt to collect our scattered forces and recover P D

breath, and, after a long debate with Banda, determined on following the main body of the herd. They had crossed a most lovely country. Over plains covered with tall waving grass, through shady belts of magnificent forest, skirting small, abrupt, rocky hills, then plunging through the streams which washed their base, we held on in spite of heat, fatigue, and thirst, and at last came up with them. They had taken post in the centre of a small natural basin, formed by a number of huge rocks, fourteen or fifteen feet high, lying side by side in a circle and with only one narrow entrance. In the midst of this basin grew several very large trees, beneath which stood the nine elephants drawn up in a dense body, facing the entrance, and uttering their deep, low, menacing growls. It was an awkward-looking place to go into, but keeping close together, we rushed through the entrance, and, turning right and left, blazed away with such right goodwill that in three minutes there lay the whole nine in a heap, almost as they had stood, and facing us to the last. Not one attempted to turn, but each strove with his fellow to get at us. It was the most plucky herd I ever fought. The day was now waning fast, so we made the best of our way to camp. It proved nearer than we had thought, and another elephant was doomed to fall before the sun set. Our tents were pitched by the side of a large river, and I could not resist its gently murmuring invi tation, and, undressing, plunged in. Hardly had I done so than one of our coolies ran down to say that a rogue elephant was close by in the open. Away rushed my companions to have a slap at him, and returned in about half an hour with his tail and a large tusk as trophies. A. had killed him. This was the thirteenth elephant bagged to-day.

On the 30th December we crossed the river, and followed the Mandoor road for four miles, when it entered a fine plain of high grass, with large clumps of forest dotted here and there about it. A few hundred yards further we struck across the morning's track of five elephants, which, without our knowing it, were still close to us in the grass, which was nine or ten feet high. They heard us, and made off for the nearest patch of forest, where we got close up to them. The first shot was fired by A. without effect; then C. knocked over a large male, when away went the remainder, screaming and crashing through the jungle, with the whole of us at their heels. Round came our wounded friend, and down he went to my first shot, uncovering a smaller one as he fell, which was extinguished by A. and myself firing so instantaneously together that neither knew the other had fired. Only two of the herd now remained, and they were making play at a great pace, so we laid out in earnest to try and pick them up. The heat was fearful; A. and C. were stopped dead beat, but B. and myself held on with unabated speed. Oh, on we strained, every stride bringing us nearer and nearer to the rearmost elephant; and at last B., running out to get the angle, fired both barrels and brought him down. He was, however, only par tially stunned, and now got up and faced us, but I covered B. while he finished loading, and killed him. The last remaining one of the herd was now four hundred yards ahead, and we again took up the chase, though not as before, for we now ran jealous; each was determined to win the shot. It was a capital race-nose and nose-but on coming to some rising ground I drew slightly ahead, and the elephant, turning on the top to fight it out, I dashed up and got the nearest and most