IT Was In July, 1848, That I Pitched My Tent In The Portion Of Ceylon
Known As The 'Park,' For The Purpose Of Deer-Coursing.
I had only three
greyhounds, Killbuck, Bran and Lena, and these had been carried in a
palanquin from Newera Ellia, a distance of one hundred miles.
The grass
had all been burnt about two months previously, and the whole country
was perfectly fresh and green, the young shoots not being more than half
a foot high. The deer were numerous but wild, which made the sport the
more enjoyable. I cannot describe the country better than by comparing
it to a rich English park, well watered by numerous streams and large
rivers, but ornamented by many beautiful rocky mountains, which are
seldom to be met with in England. If this part of the country had the
advantage of the Newera Ellia climate, it would be a Paradise, but the
intense heat destroys much of the pleasure in both shooting and
coursing, especially in the latter sport, as the greyhounds must be home
by 8 A. M., or they would soon die from the effects of the sun.
It was in the cool hour of sunrise, when the dew lay thickly upon the
grass, and the foliage glistened with the first beams of morning, that
we stalked over the extensive plains with Killbuck and Lena in the
slips, in search of deer. Several herds winded us at a distance of half
a mile, and immediately bounded away, rendering pursuit impossible; and
we determined not to slip the dogs unless they had a fair start, as one
run in this climate was quite work enough for a morning.
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