The Rifle And The Hound In Ceylon(Fiscle Part-3), Sir Samuel White Baker [most inspirational books .txt] 📗

The Shore,  And I Was

Puzzled How To Act. He Was An Immense Brute,  Being A Fine Specimen Of A

Tank 'Rogue.' This Class Are Generally The Worst Description Of Rogue

Elephants,  Who Seldom Move Far From The Lakes,  But Infest The Shores For

Many Years. Being Quite Alone,  With The Exception Of Two Worthless

Gun-Bearers,  The Plan Of Attack Required Some Consideration.

 

The Belt Of Trees In Which I Stood Was The Nearest Piece Of Cover To The

Elephant,  The Main Jungle Being About A Quarter Of A Mile From The Shore

Of The Lake. In The Event Of A Retreat Being Necessary,  This Cover Would

Therefore Be My Point. There Was A Large Tamarind-Tree Growing Alone

Upon The Plain About A Hundred And Fifty Paces From The Water's Edge,

Exactly In A Line With The Position Of The Elephant. The Mud Plastered

To A Great Height Upon The Stem Showed This To Be His Favourite

Rubbing-Post After Bathing.

 

Having Determined Upon My Plan Of Attack,  I Took The Guns From The

Gun-Bearers And Sent The Men Up The Tree,  As I Knew They Would Run Away

In The Event Of Danger,  And Would Most Probably Take The Guns With Them

In Their Flight. Having Thus Secured The Arms,  I Placed The Long

Two-Ounce Against A Large And Conspicuous Tree That Grew Upon The

Extreme Edge Of The Forest,  And I Cautiously Advanced Over The Open

Plain With My Two Remaining Guns,  One Of Which I Deposited Against The

Stem Of The Single Tamarind-Tree. I Had Thus Two Points For A Defensive

Retreat,  Should It Be Necessary.

 

I Had Experienced Considerable Difficulty In Attaining My Position At

The Tamarind-Tree Without Being Observed By The Elephant; Fortunately,  I

Had Both The Wind And The Sun Favourable,  The Latter Shining From My

Back Full Into The Lake.

 

The Elephant Was Standing With His Back To The Shore Exactly In A Line

With Me,  And He Was Swinging His Great Head From Side To Side,  And

Flapping His Ears In The Enjoyment Of His Bath. I Left The Tree With My

Four-Ounce Rile,  And,  Keeping In A Direct Line For His Hind-Quarters,  I

Part 3 Chapter 5 Pg 35

Walked Towards Him. The Grass Was Soft And Short; I Could Therefore

Approach Without The Slightest Noise: The Only Danger Of Being

Discovered Was In The Chance That I Might Be Seen As He Swung His Head

Continually On Either Side. This I Avoided By Altering My Course As I

Saw His Head In The Act Of Coming Round,  And I Soon Stood On The Edge Of

The Lake Exactly Behind Him,  At About 120 Yards. He Was A Noble-Looking

Fellow,  Every Inch A Rogue,  His Head Almost White With Numerous

Flesh-Coloured Spots. These Give A Savage And Disgusting Appearance To

An Elephant,  And Altogether He Looked A Formidable Opponent. I Had

Intended To Shout On Arriving At My Present Position,  And Then To Wait

For The Front Shot As He Charged; But On Looking Back To The

Tamarind-Tree And My Proposed Course For Retreat,  The Distance Appeared

So Great,  Rendered Still More Difficult By A Gradual Ascent,  That I Felt

It Would Be Impossible To Escape If My Chance Lay In Running. I Hardly

Knew What To Do; I Had Evidently Caught A 'Tartar.'

 

His Head Was Perpetually Swinging To And Fro,  And I Was Of Course

Accordingly Altering My Position To Avoid His Eye. At One Of These Half

Turns He Flapped His Right Ear Just As His Head Came Round,  And I

Observed A Perfectly White Mark,  The Size Of A Saucer,  Behind The Ear,

In The Exact Spot For A Fatal Shot. I At Once Determined To Try It,  Even

At This Distance; At All Events,  If It Failed,  And He Should Charge,  I

Had A Fair Start,  And By Getting The Spare Gun From The Tamarind-Tree I

Could Make A Defence At The Cover.

 

His Attention Was Completely Absorbed In A Luxurious Repast Upon A Bed

Of The Succulent Lotus. He Tore Up Bunches Of The Broad Leaves And Snaky

Stalks,  And,  Washing Them Carefully With His Trunk,  He Crushed The Juicy

Stems,  Stuffing The Tangled Mass Into His Mouth As A Savage Would Eat

Maccaroni. Round Swung His Head Once More,  The Ear Flapped,  The Mark Was

Exposed,  But The Ear Again Concealed It Just As I Had Raised The Rifle.

This Happened Several Times,  But I Waited Patiently For A Good Chance,

Being Prepared For A Run The Moment After Firing.

 

Once More His Head Swung Towards Me: The Sun Shone Full Upon Him,  And I

Raised The Rifle To Be Ready For Him If He Gave Me The Chance. His Ear

Flapped Forward Just As His Head Was At A Proper Angle For A Shot. The

Mark Shone Brightly Along The Sights Of The Rifle As I Took A Steady

Aim; The Answer To The Report Of The Gun Was--A Dull Splash!

 

He Had Sunk Upon His Knees Stone Dead.  I Could Hardly Believe My Eyes.

The Sight Of So Large An Animal Being Killed At Such A Distance By One

Shot Had An Extraordinary Effect. I Heard A Heathenish Scream Of Joy

Behind Me,  And Upon Turning Round I Perceived The Now Courageous

Gun-Bearers Running Towards Me At Their Best Pace. They Were Two Of The

Topari Villagers,  And Had Been Perfectly Aghast At The Idea Of One

Person,  With Only A Single-Barrelled Rifle,  Attacking A Tank Rogue In

The Open Plain. The Sequel Had Turned Their Fear Into Astonishment. They

Now Had The Laugh At Me,  However,  As They Swam Fearlessly Up To The Dead

Elephant To Cut Off His Tail,  Which I Would Not Have Done For Any

Reward,  For Fear Of Crocodiles,  Which Abound In The Tank. The Ball Had

Struck The White Mark Exactly In The Centre,  Which Pleased These Natives

Exceedingly,  And They Returned In Safety With The Tail.

 

I Have Frequently Tried These Long Shots Since,  But I Never Succeeded

Again Except Once,  And That Was Not Satisfactory,  As The Elephant Did

Not Die Upon The Spot,  But Was Found By The Natives On The Following

Day.

 

On My Return To The Village I Took A Shot-Gun And Strolled Along The

Banks Of The Lake. The Snipe Were Innumerable,  And I Killed Them Till My

Head Ached With The Constant Recoil Of The Gun In Addition To The Heat.

I Also Killed Several Couple Of Ducks And Teal In Addition To

Twenty-Eight Couple Of Snipe. This Was The Paradise For Sport At The

Time Of Which I Write. It Had Never Been Disturbed: But It Has Since

Shared The Fate Of Many Other Places.

 

The Open Forest In The Vicinity Of The Lake Abounded With Deer. Grassy

Glades Beneath The Shady Trees Give A Park-Like Appearance To The Scene,

And Afford A Delightful Resort For The Deer.

 

In Strolling Through These Shady Glades You Suddenly Arrive Among The

Ruins Of Ancient Pollanarua. The Palaces Are Crumbled Into Shapeless

Mounds Of Bricks. Massive Pillars,  Formed Of A Single Stone,  Twelve Feet

High,  Stand In Upright Rows Throughout The Jungle Here And There Over An

Extent Of Some Miles. The Buildings Which They Once Supported Have Long

Since Fallen,  And The Pillars Now Stand Like Tombstones Over Vanished

Magnificence. Some Buildings Are Still Standing; Among These Are Two

Dagobas,  Huge Monuments Of Bricks,  Formerly Covered With White Cement,

And Elaborately Decorated With Different Devices. These Are Shaped Like

An Egg That Has Been Cut Nearly In Half,  And Then Placed Upon Its Base;

But The Cement Has Perished,  And They Are Mounds Of Jungle And Rank

Grass Which Has Overgrown Them,  Although The Large Dagoba Is Upwards Of

A Hundred Feet High.

 

A Curious Temple,  Formed On The Imperishable Principle Of Excavating In

The Solid Rock,  Is In Perfect Preservation,  And Is Still Used By The

Natives As A Place Of Worship: This Is Presided Over By A Priest. Three

Large Images Of Bhudda,  Carved Out Of Solid Rock,  Occupy The Positions

In Which He Is Always Represented; That In The Recumbent Posture Is

Fifty-Six Feet Long,  Cut From One Stone.

 

I Was Strolling Through These Ruins When I Suddenly Saw A Spotted Doe

Feeding Among The Upright Pillars Before Mentioned. I Was Within Twenty

Yards Of Her Before She Was Aware Of My Vicinity,  And I Bagged Her By A

Shot With A Double-Barrelled Gun. At The Report Of The Gun A Herd Of

About Thirty Deer,  Which Were Concealed Amongst The Ruins,  Rushed Close

By Me,  And I Bagged Another Doe With The Remaining Barrel.

 

The Whole Of This Country Must At One Time Have Been Densely Populated;

Perhaps This Very Density May Have Produced Pestilence,  Which Swept Away

The Inhabitants. The City Has Been In Ruins For About 600 Years,  And Was

Founded About 300 Years B.C. Some Idea Of The Former Extent Of The

Part 3 Chapter 5 Pg 36

Ceylon Antiquities May Be Formed From The Present Size Of The Ruins.

Those Of Anarajapoora Are Sixteen Miles Square,  Comprising A Surface Of

256 Square Miles. Those Of Pollanarua Are Much Smaller,  But They Are

Nevertheless Of Great Extent.

 

The Inhabitants Of The Present Village Of Topari Are A Poor Squalid

Race; And If They Are Descended In A Direct Line From The Ancient

Occupants Of The City,  They Are As Much Degenerated In Character And

Habits As The City Itself Is Ruined In Architecture. Few Countries Can

Be More Thinly Populated Than Ceylon,  And Yet We Have These Numerous

Proofs Of A Powerful Nation Having Once Existed. Wherever These Lakes Or

Tanks Exist In The Present Day,  A Populous Country Once Flourished. In

All Countries Which Are Subject To Months Of Drought,  A Supply Of Water

Is The First Consideration,  Or Cultivation Must Cease. This Was The

Object In Forming The Tanks,  Which Are Especially Numerous Throughout

The Tambancadua District. These Tank Countries Afford A Great Diversity

Of Sport,  As They All Abound With Wild Fowl,  And Snipe In Their Season

(From November To May). During The Time Of Drought They Are Always The

Resort Of Every Kind Of Wild Animal,  Which Are Forced To The

Neighbourhood For A Supply Of Water.

 

The Next Tank To Topari Is That Of Doolana; This Is Eight Miles From The

Former,  And Is About The Same Extent. In This District There Are No Less

Than Eight Of These Large Lakes. Their Attractions To Rogue Elephants

Having Been Explained,  It May Be Readily Understood That These Gentry

Abound Throughout The District. I Shall,  Therefore,  Select A Few

Incidents That Have Happened To Me In These Localities,  Which Will

Afford Excellent Illustrations Of The Habits Of `Rogues.'

 

Having Arrived At Doolana,  On The 5th April,  1847,  With Good Moormen

Trackers,  Who Were Elephant-Catchers By Profession,  I Started For A

Day's Sport,  In Company With My Brother B. This Particular Portion Of

The District Is Inhabited Entirely By Moormen. They Are A Fine Race Of

People,  Far Superior To The Cingalese. They Are Supposed To Be Descended

From Arabian Origin,  And They Hold The Mohammedan Religion. The

Rhatamahatmeya,  Or Head Man Of The District,  Resides At Doolana,  And He

Had Received Us In A Most Hospitable Manner. We Therefore Started Direct

From His House.

 

Passing Through A Belt Of Low Thick Jungle,  Exactly In Front Of The

Village,  We Entered Upon The Plain Which Formed The Border Of The Tank.

This Lake Is