With the knife, with the confidence
that the dog would pin the animal the instant that it turned to attack
you; and when he once obtained his hold he was seldom shaken off until
in his old age, when he lost his teeth. Even then he was always one of
the first to seize. Although comparatively useless, the spirit was ever
willing; and this courage, poor fellow, at length caused his death.
The next dog who claims a tribute to his memory is `Killbuck.' He was an
Australian greyhound of the most extraordinary courage. He stood at the
shoulder 28 inches high; girth of brisket, 31 inches.
Instead of the surly and ferocious disposition of Smut, he was the most
gentle and affectionate creature. It was a splendid sight to witness the
bounding spring of Killbuck as he pinned an elk at bay that no other dog
could touch. He had a peculiar knack of seizing that I never saw
equalled; no matter where or in what position an elk might be, he was
sure to have him. When once started from the slips it was certain death
to the animal he coursed, and even when out of view, and the elk had
taken to the jungle, I have seen the dog, with his nose to the ground,
following upon the scent at full speed like a foxhound. I never heard
him bark at game when at bay. With a bulldog courage he would recklessly
fly straight at the animal's head, unheeding the wounds received in the
struggle. This unguided courage at length caused his death when in the
very prime of his life. Poor Killbuck! His was a short but glorious
career, and his name will never be forgotten.
Next in rotation in the chronicles of seizers appears `Lena,' who is
still alive, an Australian bitch of great size, courage, and beauty,
wire-haired, like a Scotch deerhound.
`Bran,' a perfect model of a greyhound.
`Lucifer,' combining the beauty, speed, and courage of his parents,
`Bran' and ` Lena,' in a superlative degree.
There are many others that I could call from the pack and introduce as
first-rate hounds, but as no jealousy will be occasioned by their
omission, I shall be contented with those already named.
Were I to recount the twentieth part of the scenes that I have witnessed
in this sport, it would fill a volume, and become very tedious. A few
instances related will at once explain the whole character of the sport,
and introduce a stranger to the wild hunts of the Ceylon mountains.
I have already described Newera Ellia, with its alternate plains and
forests, its rapid streams and cataracts, its mountains, valleys, and
precipices; but a portion of this country, called the Horton Plains,
will need a further description.
Some years ago I hunted with a brother Nimrod, Lieutenant de Montenach,
of the 15th Regiment, in this country; and in two months we killed
forty-three elk.
The Horton Plains are about twenty miles from Newera Ellia. After a walk
of sixteen miles through alternate plains and forests, the steep ascent
of Totapella mountain is commenced by a rugged path through jungle the
whole way. So steep is the track that a horse ascends with difficulty,
and riding is of course impossible. After a mile and a quarter of almost
perpendicular scrambling, the summit of the pass is reached, commanding
a splendid view of the surrounding country, and Newera Ellia can be seen
far beneath in the distance. Two miles farther on, after a walk through
undulating forest, the Horton Plains burst suddenly upon the view as you
emerge from the jungle path. These plains are nearly 800 feet higher
than Newera Ellia, or 7,000 feet above the sea. The whole aspect of the
country appears at once to have assumed a new character; there is a
feeling of being on the top of everything, and instead of a valley among
surrounding hills, which is the feature of Newera Ellia and the adjacent
plains, a beautiful expanse of flat table-land stretches before the eye,
bounded by a few insignificant hill-tops. There is a peculiar freedom in
the Horton Plains, an absence from everywhere, a wildness in the thought
that there is no tame animal within many miles, not a village, nor hut,
nor human being. It makes a man feel in reality one of the 'lords of the
creation' when he first stands upon this elevated plain, and, breathing
the pure thin air, he takes a survey of his hunting-ground: no
boundaries but mountain tops and the horizon; no fences but the trunks
of decayed trees fallen from old age; no game laws but strong legs, good
wind, and the hunting-knife; no paths but those trodden by the elk and
elephant. Every nook and corner of this wild country is as familiar to
me as my own garden. There is not a valley that has not seen a burst in
full cry; not a plain that has not seen the greyhounds in full speed
after an elk; and not a deep pool in the river that has not echoed with
a bay that has made the rocks ring again.
To give a person an interest in the sport, the country must be described
minutely. The plain already mentioned as the flat table-land first seen
on arrival, is about five miles in length, and two in breadth in the
widest part. This is tolerably level, with a few gentle undulations, and
is surrounded, on all sides but one, with low, forest-covered slopes.
The low portions of the plains are swamps, from which springs a large
river, the source of the Mahawelli Ganga.
