And coverings for the horses in case
of rain; in fact, there never was a trip more happily planned or more
comfortably arranged, and there was certainly never such a battery
assembled in Ceylon as we now mustered. Such guns deserve to be
chronicled :--
Wortley . . 1 single barrel rifle . 3-ounce
" . . 1 double " rifle . No. 12.
" . . 2 double " guns . No. 12.
Palliser . . 1 single " rifle . No. 8 (my old 2-ounce)
" . . 1 double " rifle . No. 12.
" . . 2 double " guns . No. 12.
V. Baker . 3 double " " . No. 14.
" . . 1 double " " . No. 12.
" . . 1 single " rifle . No. 14.
S. W. Baker . 1 single " rifle . 4-ounce.
" . . 3 double " rifles No. 10.
" . . 1 double " gun . No. 16.
18 guns.
These guns were all by the first makers, and we took possession of our
hunting country with the confidence of a good bag, provided that game
was abundant.
But how changed was this country since I had visited it in former years,
not only in appearance but in the quantity of game!
On these plains, where in times past I had so often counted immense
herds of wild buffaloes, not one was now to be seen. The deer were
scared and in small herds, not exceeding seven or ten, proving how they
had been thinned out by shooting. In fact, Minneria had become within
the last four years a focus for most sportsmen, and the consequence was,
that the country was spoiled; not by the individual shooting of
visitors, but by the stupid practice of giving the natives large
quantities of powder and ball as a present at the conclusion of a trip.
They, of course, being thus supplied with ammunition, shot the deer and
buffaloes without intermission, and drove them from the country by
incessant harassing.
I saw immediately that we could not expect much sport in this disturbed
part of the country, and we determined to waste no more time in this
spot than would be necessary in procuring the elephant trackers from
Doolana. We planned our campaign that evening at dinner.
Nov. 18.--At daybreak I started Wallace off to Doolana to bring my old
acquaintance the Rhatamahatmeya and the Moormen trackers. I felt
confident that I could prevail upon him to accompany us to the limits of
his district; this was all-important to our chance of sport, as without
him we could procure no assistance from the natives.
After breakfast we mounted our horses and rode to Cowdelle, eight miles,
as I expected to find elephants in this open but secluded part of the
country. There were very fresh tracks of a herd; and as we expected
Wortley and Palliser on the following day, we would not disturb the
country, but returned to Minneria and passed the afternoon in shooting
snipe and crocodiles.
