experienced elephant shooter, determined to gain advantage from his science, as I then knew as much about the right way to kill an elephant as I did to kill a crocodile, and it might just as well have been the latter whose charge we were awaiting, for what I cared. I only knew I had two loaded barrels, and that at a given time it would be wise and expedient for me to discharge them; at the same time I must confess I felt that I might make my exit from the world in a more glorious cause. The feeling altogether-for I remember it well, was not over delightful at the moment. The shots of our attacking party in the jungles were whistling over our heads, and between us and them were an infuriated and wounded herd of elephants, crashing through the branches, in which direction we knew not, but most probably it was in the direction of ourselves. However, to make a virtue of necessity, I kept up appearances of an imperturbable coolness-then there were also bright eyes beholding our deeds, and that has a wonderful effect when the population of gentleman bears the preponderance of twenty to one to the fair sex, as it does in the colonies, to say nothing of India. It is wonderful how the influence and value of the fair is enhanced under such circumstances, and what fools people will sometimes make of themselves to gain the fraction of an applauding smile. What made me most uneasy was the fact that none of the party seemed to care the least what became of me, or in short, what happened to any one but himself individually; however, unlike Bob Acres, at every nearer crash of the branches, I felt my courage screwing itself to the sticking point, and just as I was beginning to congratulate myself, from a suspension of the noise, that the animals had made a dignified retreat, a last crash succeeded, and out they came on us; about thirty in number. They halted at first sight, and then one and all, as if by common consent, made a most superb charge on our lines. "Don't fire for Heaven's sake," said my nearest supporter on the left, "if you do, we shall not have one; when they are within six yards

of you blaze away !" I had just covered a fellow's forehead, and was

ance.

going to give him the contents of my barrels at about thirty paces distAs for the six yards—it was very good advice doubtless, but I did not relish it at all. By the time he had ceased speaking, however, the thirty yards were reduced to a mere nothing, the brutes appearing to be upon us, when a rattling volley took effect, turning back to the jungle the whole charging herd, with the exception of four who had fallen never to rise again. It was a beautiful sight-no charge of disciplined troops could have been more skilfully conducted, or more steadily and determinately met and repulsed, than were the denizens of the forest. On arriving at the jungle in their retreat, however, they were met again by the party who had first driven them towards us— again they received a volley, and fell, or wheeled round to our party.

Their fright, however, had now put an end to all order—their natural instinct appeared to have forsaken them, and they crawled together endeavouring as much as possible to hide themselves behind the carcasses of their neighbours; whilst, from the effect of some twenty barrels, they were falling fast to the earth, some dead and some merely stunned. These latter fellows are awkward customers, and from leaving a stunned animal for dead, many very narrow escapes have happened to the sportsman, as while he is in the act of loading, the dead gentleman regains his legs, and recommences the attack, nor will he quit it until he is either shot dead or kills his adversary.

As yet I had not had the satisfaction of having met with a victim to my own particular aim; my balls might have taken effect, but I rather expect that the defunct beasts had fallen hitherto by more experienced hands than mine. Having lamented my ill-luck to one of the party, I was not long without an opportunity, for we had no sooner got a short distance apart from the body of the party, than we were marked out by an immense fellow for a charge all to ourselves. Determined not to lose my prey by being too precipitate, I waited until he was within about eight yards of me, feeling secure that if I missed him, the unerring ball of my supporter would bring him down to the earth. Fortune favoured me, however, for on the explosion of my gun, I saw the immense brute sink suddenly to the earth. It was not a fall with a crash that shook the earth, as one would naturally suppose to be occasioned by these mountains of flesh in their overthrow, but silent sudden sinking—a turn on the side—and all was still. I now felt my power, and from that moment I gave myself up entirely to elephant shooting, leaving parades, drills, goose steps and Torrens, to others who preferred them. The following day, however, I experienced rather a damper on my enthusiasm, but though neither killed nor injured, (indeed it would be difficult to have been one without the other), I went through all the not-very-delectable feelings of expecting momentarily to undergo that process in no very agreeable manner, which I will narrate presently. While we waited to take breathing time, the natives were eagerly employing themselves in cutting off the extremeties of the dead animals' tails, at least from such as had any, for a very common disease amongst them frequently causes them to lose part or the whole of that appendage, those that possess them, however, are immediately stripped of them when killed, as it forms the trophy of the slayer, in the same manner as does a scalp from that of the Indian warrior. The tails resemble those of cows, reaching down to the heels, with a thick tuft of bristles at the extremity-these bristles are black as jet, and take a beautiful polish; in consequence of which, some ingenious sportsman has put them to the purpose of making ladies' bracelets, and very beautiful ornaments, when set in gold, do they make. Could

NO. XIX.-VOL. IV. -NEW SERIES.

E

they speak under such circumstances, they might exclaim, in contradiction to Hamlet, "To what gay uses do we come at last, Horatio."

Whilst this operation was being performed, we returned to look into the kraal, where all the animals had by this time been fastened together, and were beginning to take the thing more coolly and philosophically; but nevertheless were very far from being at their ease. Amongst all the elephants entrapped and killed, not one with tusks was includedthey are very scarce in Ceylon; people differ as to the proportion of tuskers to the tusk less, but from my own experience, I should say, they were about one in two thousand; the tusks, however, are useful, but to get them it is necessary to wait until the head falls to pieces from decay, they are then converted into handles for desert knives, snuff boxes, and innumerable knick-knacks; but a pair of tusks will furnish a man with a sixty guinea fowling piece! They are considered by the animals themselves as a great beauty; should a tusker be in a herd, and any danger apprehended by them, he is instantly placed in the centre, and surrounded; the others serving as body guards, until they are each and all shot down, with a determination and fidelity that even men might take a lesson from. On the present occasion of "leaving off work," we found ourselves in the possession of about ninety captives in the kraal-twenty-seven had fallen on the battle-field, and the number of wounded was unknown; it must, however, have been terrible, for I fired about thirty rounds myself, and I do not think I am a sufficiently bad shot to miss an elephant entirely.

The elephants had now become too scattered to expect any more sport that day; and as there were other herds in the neighbourhood, we suspended hostilities until the morrow-and returned to the village, where the Adigar had billeted us, and found a magnificient "spread,” according to Cingelese notions, awaiting us. We had, however, brought our own commissariat, and it was fortunate we did so, for I hardly think the old gentleman's fare of bananas, pine apples, cocoa nuts, and new milk, would have been quite substantial enough for such appetites

as ours.

The following morning was as fine as its predecessor; and having had a more comfortable bed than a stall in a stable, and not so uncomfortable a companion as a tattoo pony, we sallied forth in better spirits, and in hopes of mighty slaughter. The ladies, and a few of the gentlemen who were fatigued with the exertion of the day before, staying at home to attend to the culinary department, or pick up leaves and catch butterflies to keep as reminiscences of their two days' sojourn in the Jungle of Mahawelléganga.

Our party on this occasion was composed of fifteen, and even that was too large to be agreeable-four being the most suitable number; being enough for each other's protection, and not liable to get into each

other's way. The beaters, who had been sent out to watch the animals, met us setting out, and told us of their whereabouts, so no time was lost in searching for them. The plan of attack was to be precisely similar to that of the day before, one party attacking them. in flank, and another in front. This was soon put into execution, and on the first volley from the flanking party, they came at us full tilt. I was on this occasion also waiting for them on the plain, with seven or eight others. The enemy mustered about forty strong, and, having paused a moment to take breath, they charged us beautifully. At the usual distance, about twelve yards, they took our fire, and still on they came. There was no turning them this time. They remembered where they received their first fire, and were determined not to hazard it again. "Down on your faces at once, or you are killed," shouted out the most experienced amongst us, and down we dropped like logs, to await the issue. That moment seemed an hour-nearer and nearer we heard their tread approaching us. One foot placed upon us would have annihilated us immediately. I felt almost suffocated, as I plainly could feel the earth shake close to me-in an instant they were on us-and in the next they had passed. This was not the work of three seconds altogether, yet I scarcely remember an hour to have remained so long on my senses. Not one of the party, wonderful to relate, was injured in any degree, although it unnerved a few for further operations. I doubt if I could have held my gun sufficiently steady even to hit an elephant after it for some minutes. At least thirty brutes had passed over our bodies, as we lay scattered on the earth; and I can attribute our preservation to nothing else than the fact that the elephant being well known to be very blind when charging, must have just seen us sufficiently to have mistaken us for logs of wood, which they would naturally endeavour to step over. Our critical situation was perceived by the other party, but they could do nothing to assist The danger once over, however, we laughed at it, and braced our nerves with a lengthened pull at the brandy paunée bottle, which had also a great effect in exciting us to revenge, for which the enemy paid pretty dearly shortly afterwards; for before the sun had reached the meridian, twenty-seven out of, I believe, the identical thirty that passed over us, bit the dust-three of which fell to my share; and having thus asserted our supremacy in the jungle, we returned to the village, from whence we departed the next morning to our separate duties and dwellings, "and all was peace again."

us.

STRAY PAGES FROM MY SPORTING DIARY.

BY CAPT. MEDWIN.

ANGLER! did you ever chance to hear of Slapton Lea? It is not very likely you should, seeing that it is, or was, far removed from all main roads, and situate in a part of Devonshire, the least inviting from its picturesqueness, if such a vile word is coinable. I ask you this question because I should have been totally ignorant of the existence of such a piece of water, but for a brother of the angle, whom I happened to meet on board the steamer that plies from Totness to Dartmouth, a trip, by the bye, well worth taking, if it were only to see Mr. Bastard's amphitheatre woods (that contain a more extensive heronry than any in England), through which the Dart pours its noble

stream.

There is a freemasonry in our craft-and I was soon perfectly at my ease with my fellow-passenger, in whom-for something of the cloth still stuck to him-I had no difficulty in distinguishing a sporting parson. The genus to which he belonged, and of which there formerly existed so many specimens, is now nearly extinct; but in my young days-not to speak of the Turf or the Fancy-more crack shots or harder riders were not to be found than among the members of the church. Without giving Mr. C. credit for these accomplishments, I can only say, that as far as the piscatory art was concerned, all his words seemed to me oracular. There was hardly a stream, river, or lake, in the three kingdoms, or the principality—north or south-with which he was not personally familiar; and therefore it might be supposed, that his information was fully and implicitly to be relied on as to all that related to his own county, from which he had been absent for many months on a salmon tour. I also was on my return to Torquay after a peregrination of some extent, during which I had accompanied the Dart down from its source.

It is one of my passions to trace the course of rivers from infancy to manhood; and irrelevant as it may appear to my subject, I cannot resist sketching, for the benefit of some future lover of the gentle art— and could not resist—much better versed though my new acquaintance was with the localities than myself-dilating on the scenes through which I had passed, and glancing hastily at a few passages, varios casus, in my sport.

No river perhaps boasts of more variety than the Dart. It gives its name to the moor-and well it may-being its very soul, what the Rhine is at Shaffhausen, all in all.

Nothing can be more wild and desolate than Dartmoor (even the climate partakes of its rudeness and savagery, being, as compared with the