V. Baker fired, but missed; and my left-hand barrel
extinguished him. Running through the smoke with a spare rifle I killed
the last elephant. They were all bagged--five elephants within thirty
seconds from the first shot fired. Wortley had commenced well, having
killed his first elephant with one shot.
We found breakfast ready on our return to the horses, and having
disturbed this part of the country by the heavy volley at the herd, we
returned to Minneria.
I was convinced that we could expect no sport in this neighbourhood; we
therefore held a consultation as to our line of country.
Some years ago I had entered the north of the Veddah country from this
point, and I now proposed that we should start upon a trip of discovery,
and endeavour to penetrate from the north to the south of the Veddah
country into the 'Park.' No person had ever shot over this route, and
the wildness of the idea only increased the pleasure of the trip. We had
not the least idea of the distance, but we knew the direction by a
pocket compass.
There was but one objection to the plan, and this hinged upon the
shortness of V. Baker's leave.
