Eight Years' Wanderings in Ceylon

bores-Heavy Balls and Heavy Metal-Beattie's Rifles-Balls and Patches-Experiments-The Double-groove-Power of Heavy Metal-Curious Shot at a B

irds and beasts, a stranger would naturally expect to come upon them at every turn, instead of which it is a well-known fact that one hundred mi

therefore it is not surprising that so few are casually seen by the passing traveler. There is another reason, which would frequently apply even in an open country. Unless the traveler

eneral tint of the country which they inhabit. Thus, having no contrast, the

a striking object; but in a dense jungle his skin matches so completely with the dead sticks and dry leaves, and his legs compare so well with the surrounding tree-stems, that he is generally unperceived by a strange

abituated to watchfulness, and their powers are increased in the same proportion as the muscles of the body are by exercise. Not only is an animal immediately observed, but anything out of the common among surrounding objects instantly strikes the attention; the wavin

wild sports will give. There is no time when a man knows himself so thoroughly as when he depends upon himself, and this forms his excitement. With a thorough confidence in the rifle and a bright lookout, he stalks noiselessly along the open glades, picking out the softest places, avoiding the loose stones or anything that would betray his steps; now piercing the deep shadows of the

ey cannot possibly understand. Besides, the very person who abuses wild sports on the plea of cruelty indulges personally in conventional cruelties which are positive tortures. His appetite is not destroyed by the knowledge that his

"wild sports" the animals are for the most part large, dangerous and mischievous, and th

; it is now reduced to seven shillings in some districts, and is altogether abolished in others, as

y to approach. One of the oldest native hunters has assured me that he has seen the elephants, when attacked, recklessly expose themselves to the shots and endeavour to raise their dead comrades. This was at a time when guns were first heard in the interior of Ceylon, and the animals had never been shot at. Since that time the decrease in the game of Ceylon has been immense. Every year increases the number of guns in the possession of the natives, and accordingly diminishes the number of animals. From the change which has come over many

starts on a hunting trip. Five elephants, at a reward of seven shillings per tail, more than pay the

estroying, and the more so as it is increasing. There is no rest for the animals; in the day-time they are tracked up, and on moonlight nights the drinking-pl

e with the village people for dried venison; but the intention in taking so many bullocks is to bring borne the spoils of their hunting trip-in fact, to "carry the bag." They take about a dozen leaves of the talipot palm to form a tent, and at night-time, the pac

Buffaloes, pigs and deer are indiscriminately shot, and the flesh being cut in strips from the bones is smoked over a green-wood fire, then thoroughly

nately, their guns are so common that they will not shoot with accuracy beyond ten or fifteen paces, or there would be no game left within a few years. How these common guns stand the heavy charges of powder is a puzzle. A native thinks nothing of putting four drachms down a gun that I should be sorry to fire off at any rate. It

on which all are agreed, that no matter what the size of the bore may be, all the guns should be alike, and the battery for one ma

her tonnage; but let no man speak against heavy metal for heavy game, and let no man decry rifles and uphold smooth-

even use the rifle as a rifle at live game, but actually knock the sights out and use it as a smoothbore. This is not the fault of the weapon; it is the fault of t

fire so hastily at game that they take no sight at all, as though they were snipe-shooting with many hundred grains of shot in the charge. This will never do for ball-practice, and when the rifle is placed in such hands, the breech-sights naturally bother the eye which is not accustome

lated weapon deprived of its sight, and laugh at the trial. Why, a man might as well take the ru

urse it is just as easy and as certain to kill an elephant with a smooth-bore as with a rifle, as he is seldom fired at until within ten or twelve paces; but a man, when armed for wild sp

egree as my four double-barreled No. 10, which I had made to order. Then some persons exc

aller bore, but do not rob the barrels of their good metal for the sake of a heavy ball. The more metal that the barrel possesses in proportion to the diameter of the bore, the better will the rifle carry, nine times out of ten. Observe

heavy charge of powder; and it is frequently seen that a rifle which carries accurately enough with a very small charge, shoots wide of the mark when the charge is increased. Thi

always be let into the stock under the breech; without which the woodwork will imp

Unless the grooves he tolerably deep, they will not hold the ball when a heavy charge is behi

e bore is to possess an extra powerful weapon, therefore the charge of powder must be increased in proportion to the weight of the ball, or the extra power is not obtained. Nevertheless, most of the heavy rifles that

ed rifle of this bore, without a ramrod, is not the least cumbersome, even at the weight of fifteen pounds. A ramrod is not required to be in the gun for Ceylon shooting, as there is

-sights. In a gloomy forest it is frequently difficult to catch the muzzle sight, unless it is of some bright metal, such as silver or

f the best powder for the No. 10 rifles, and four drachms as the minimum charge for deer and general shooting; the

-charger (one of the common spring-lid chargers) and never be kept loose in the pocket. The heat is so intense th

e, by obstructing the passage in the flask, may cause much trouble in loading quickly, especially when a wounded elephant is regaining his feet. In such a case you must keep your

ad with pure grease, it melts out of them in a hot country, and they become dry. Silk is better than linen as it is not so liable to be

ooting. This was not only unnecessary, but the balls, from a loss of weight by admixture with lighter metals, lost force in a proportionate degree. Lead may be a soft me

t on the power of balls of various metal

enty yards with my two-grooved four-ounce rifle, with a reduced charge of six drachms of powder and a ball of pure lead. It bulged the

the same distance, hardly produced a perceptible effe

and two-thirds lead, but there was n

zinc ball, but neither of them produced any o

a double-barreled No. 16 smoothbore, with a large charge of four drachms of powder and a lead ball, also bulged and split the iron into a s

e must be then quickly stirred with an iron rod, and formed into the moulds without loss of time, as at this high temperature the quicksilver will evaporate. Quicksilver is heavier than lead, and makes a b

th the small charge (for that rifle) of four drachms of powder. The proper charge for that gun is one-fourth the weight of the ball, or one ounce of powder, with which it carries wit

nd thought what a raking that rifle would give a body, of troops in such colors for a mark. A ball of that weight with an ounce of powder, would knock down six or eight men

a rifle; some prefer the two-groove and belted ball; others give preference to t

ther hand, the many-grooved is much easier to load; it hits quite hard enough; and it ranges truly much farther than any person would think of firing at an animal. T

n to stick in its course, and it then occupies much time and trouble in being rammed home. Neither will it shoot with accuracy, as, from the amount of ramming to get the ball to its place, it has become so misshapen that it is a mere lump of lead, and no longer a rifle-ball. My double-barreled No. 10 rifles are two-grooved, and an infinity of trouble they gave me for the first two years. Many a time I have been giving my whole weight to the loading rod, with a ball stuck half-way down the barrel, while wounded elephants lay struggling upon the ground, expected every mome

arge of powder than one-fifth the weight of the ball for all bores. Some persons do no

r the temple at right angles, or the ear shot; but if a man pretend to a knowledge of elephant-shooting, he should think of nothing but the brain, and his knowledge of the anatomy of the elephant's head should be such that he

r; but I once killed a bull elephant by one shot in the upper jaw, which will at

rd elephants roaring in the Yallé river, upon the banks of which our tent was pitched in fine open forest. For about an hour the roaring was continued, apparently on both sides the river, and we immediately surmised that our gentleman friend on our side of the stream was answe

iminary cup of hot chocolate swallowed, and we were off while the forest was still gl

monotony of the dark forest; sandy gullies in deep beds formed by the torrents of the rainy season cut through the crumbling soil and drain toward the river. Thick brushwood now and then forms an opposing barrier, but generally the forest is beautifully open, consisting of towering trees, the leviathans of their race, sheltering the scanty saplings which have spring from their fallen seeds. For a few hund

rek, and we accordingly kept close to the edge of the rive

branches before me, and upon looking up I saw a lot of monkeys gamboling in the trees. I was carrying my long two-ounce rifle, and I was pass

At the same moment that I passed it I was almost under the trunk of a single bull elephant, who was barking the stem with his tusk as high as he could reach, with his head thrown back. I saw in an instant that the only road to his brain lay through his upp

e upper grinders, and keep its course through hard bones and tough membranes for about two feet before it could

hould possess: it should have an elephant's

another barrel. Some persons, however, place too much confidence in the weight of the metal, and forget that it is necessary to hold a powerful rifle as straight as the smallest gun. It is then

by a round ball. In fact there is nothing more perfect for sporting purposes than a good rifle from a first-rate maker, with a pl

tsmen with as much case as the Indian species. The shape of the head has nothing whatever to d

til perfectly acquainted with its details. From the museum I cut straight to the elephant-stables and thoroughly examined the head of the living animal, c

scribed by most writers; in fact, he would not kill one out of twenty that he fired at in such a jungle-

In Africa, according to all accounts, elephants are fired at thirty, forty, and even at sixty yards. It is no wonder, therefore, that African sportsmen take the shoulder shot, as

or heart is equally fatal, though not so instantaneous. These are accordingly the points for aim, the brain, from its small size, being the most difficult to hit. Nevertheless, in a jungle country, elephants must be shot through the brain, otherwise they would not be bagged, as they would r

rican elephant, and when once certain of the position of the brain he would requi

In Ceylon, a "tusker" is a kind of spectre, to be talked of by a few who have had the good luck to see one.

e upper jaw and inclining downward. Thus a man may kill some hundred elephants without having a pair of tusks in his possession. The largest that I have seen in Ceylon were abou

an island, but formed a portion of the mainland, from which it is now only separated by a shallow and rocky of some few miles. In India the bull elephants have tusks, and the cattle and buffaloes have very large horns. My opinion is that there are elements wanting in the Ceylon pasturage (which is generally poor) for the formation of both horn and ivory. Thus many years of hunting and shooting are rewarded by few trophies of the chase. So great is the natural inactivity of the natives

a valuable collection of skins had they been properly prepared, instead of which

So tough are they upon the live animal that it requires a very sharp-pointed knife to penetrate them, and too much care cannot be

turns to bay after a short run in the thickest jungle he can find. There is no doubt that a good stout boar-spear, with a broad blade and strong handle, is the proper weapon for the attack; but a spear is very unhandy and even dangerous to carry in such a hilly country as the neighbourhood of Newera Ellia. The forests are full of steep ravines and such tangled underwood that following the hounds is

teel is of the most exquisite quality, and the entire knife weighs three pounds. The peculiar shape added to the weight of the blade gives an extraordinary force to a blow, an

this weapon is peculiar, being concave, and the extremity is far heavier than the hilt; the animal's neck is tied down to a p

s to my mind, until I one day unintentionally performed

estern side of the patinas (grass-plains), making sure of finding an elk near the summit. It was a lovely day, perfectly

tall Manilla bloodhound, with the strength of a young lion; very affectionate in disposition, and a general favorite, having won golden opinions in every contest. Whenever a big buck was at bay, and punishing the leading hounds, he was ever the first to get his hold; no matter how great the danger, he never waited but recklessly dashed in. "There goes Bertram! Look at Bertram! Well done, Bertram!" were the constant exclamations of a crowd of excited spectators when a powerful buck was brought to bay. He was a wo

eautiful view over the vast valley of forest which lay below, spangled with green plains, and bounded by the towering summit of Adam's Peak, at about twenty-five mi

nts. This runs along the very top of the knife-like ridge, commanding a view of the whole country to the right

f a "boar," in the middle of the path. It was perfectly fresh, as were also the ploughings in the ground close by, and the water of a small pool w

y turned sharp to the left into the thick jungle, dashing down the hillside as though off to the Elk Plains below. At this pace I knew the hunt would not last long, and from my elevated stand I waited impa

ot where I was standing; and, fearing that he might top the ridge and make down the other side t

horses, and wheeling off where the game had turned, a few seconds running along the side of the mountain, and then such a bu

through the bamboo grass and tangled nillho for a few hundred yards, I at length approac

him, good lad! and away dashed "L

ace cleared by the struggles of the boar and pack. Unluckily, I had appeared full in the boar's front, and though five or six

instinctively made a downward cut at him in passing. He fell all of

the shoulders, and the wound was so immense that he had the appearance of being nearly half divided.

scles of the back were accordingly stretched tight, and thus the effect of the cut was increased to this extr

sharp as a knife. This was owing to the short duration of the fight, and als

ed them with the hounds above four hundredweight; but I have seen so

; but I have so strong a prejudice against it from the sights I have

ermin. I seldom or never fire at hog in those districts, as their number is so great that there is no sport in shooting them. They travel about i

the horns of a buck elk and kill