Taking
A Steady Shot At His Shoulder, I Gave Him A Second Dose Of The Four-
Ounce; He Reeled To And Fro And Staggered Into The Jungle.
I dared not
follow him in my crippled state, and we returned to the horses; but the
next day he was found dead by the natives.
I much feared that the shot fired might have disturbed the herd of
elephants, as they were reported to be not far distant; this, however,
proved not to be the case, as we met the watchers about a mile farther
on, who reported the herd to be perfectly undisturbed, but located in
the everlasting lemon grass. At this time the greater portion of the
Park was a mass of this abominable grass, and there was no chance of
getting the elephants in any other position, this serving them at the
same time for both food and shelter. How they can eat it is a puzzle; it
is as sharp as a knife, and as coarse as a file, with a flavour of the
most pungent lemon peel.
We shortly arrived at the spot in which the herd was concealed; it was a
gentle slope covered with dense lemon grass, terminated by a jungle. We
could just distinguish the tops of the elephants' heads in several
places, and, having dismounted, we carefully entered the grass, and
crept towards the nearest elephants. The herd was much scattered, but
there were five elephants close to each other, and we made towards
these, Banda leading the way. My only chance of making a bag lay in the
first onset; I therefore cautioned Wallace to have the spare guns handed
with extra diligence, and we crept up to our game. There were two
elephants facing us, but we stalked them so carefully through the high
grass that we got within four paces of them before they discovered us;
they cocked their ears for an instant, and both rolled over at the same
moment to the front shot. Away dashed the herd, trumpeting and screaming
as they rushed through the high grass. For a few moments my game leg
grew quite lively, as it was all downhill work, and I caught up an
elephant and killed him with the left-hand barrel. Getting a spare gun,
I was lucky enough to get between two elephants who were running abreast
towards the jungle, and I bagged them by a right and left shot. Off went
the herd at a slapping pace through the jungle, V. pitching it into
them, but unfortunately to very little purpose, as they had closed up
and formed a barrier of sterns; thus we could not get a good shot. For
about a quarter of a mile I managed to hobble along, carried away by the
excitement of the chase, through jungles, hollows, and small glades,
till my leg, which had lost all feeling, suddenly gave way, and I lay
sprawling on my face, incapable of going a step farther. I had killed
four elephants; six had been killed altogether. It was very bad luck, as
the herd consisted of eleven; but the ground was very unfavourable, and
my leg gave way when it was most required.
A few days after this, the tents were pitched on the banks of the broad
river of Pattapalaar, about eight miles beyond Nielgalla. Elephants were
very scarce, and the only chance of getting them, was to work hard. We
were on horseback at break of day, and having forded the river, we rode
silently through plain and forest in search of tracks. We refused every
shot at deer, lest we should disturb the country, and scare away the
elephants.
We had ridden for some distance upon an elephant path, through a
tolerably open forest at the foot of a range of rocky mountains, when
Banda, who was some paces in advance, suddenly sprang back again,
crying, 'Wallaha! wallaha!' (Bears! bears!) We were off our horses in a
moment, but I fell sprawling upon my back, my leg being so powerless and
numbed that I could not feel when I touched the ground. I recovered
myself just in time to see a bear waddling along through the jungle, and
I pushed after him in pursuit at my best pace. V. had disappeared in the
jungle in pursuit of another bear, and I presently heard two or three
shots. In the meantime my game had slackened speed to a careless kind of
swaggering walk; and the underwood being rather thick, I was determined
to get close to him before I fired, as I knew that I could not follow
him far, and my success would therefore depend upon the first shot. I
overtook him in a few moments, and I was following within a foot of his
tail, waiting for a chance for a clear shot between his shoulders, as
the thick underwood parted above his back, when he suddenly sprang
round, and with a fierce roar, he leaped upon the muzzle of the gun. I
fired both barrels into him as he threw his whole weight against it, and
I rolled him over in a confused cloud of smoke and crackling bushes. In
a moment he was on his legs again, but going off through the thick
underwood at a pace that in my helpless state soon left me far behind.
His state must have been far from enviable, as he left portions of his
entrails all along his track. V. had killed his bear; he weighed about
two hundred pounds, and measured fourteen inches round the arm, without
his hide.
The Ceylon bear is a most savage animal, constantly attacking men
without the slightest provocation. I have seen many natives frightfully
disfigured by the attacks of bears, which they dread more than any other
animal. Nothing would induce my trackers to follow up the wounded beast.
I followed him as far as I could, but my useless limb soon gave way, and
I was obliged to give him up.
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