第46章

The next morning, having made all arrangements for starting homewards, after breakfast I took my rifle and one gun-bearer with a double-barrelled gun to enjoy one last stroll in the forest.It was just break of day.My first course was towards the river which flowed through it, as I expected to find the game near the water, an hour before sunrise being their time for drinking.I had not proceeded far before immense herds of deer offered tempting shots; but I was out simply in search of large antlers, and none appearing of sufficient size, I would not fire.Buffaloes continually presented themselves: I was tired of shooting these brutes, but I killed two who looked rather vicious; and Iamused myself with remarking the immense quantity of game, and imagining the number of heads that I could bag had I chosen to indulge in indiscriminate slaughter.At length I noticed a splendid buck lying on the sandy bed of the river, beneath a large tree; his antlers were beautiful, and I stalked him to within sixty yards and shot him.I had not been reloaded ten minutes, and was walking quietly through the forest, when I saw a fine antlered buck standing within thirty yards of me in a small patch of underwood.His head was turned towards me, and his nostrils were distended in alarm as he prepared to bound off.I had just time to cock my rifle as he dashed off at full speed; but it was a murderous distance, and he fell dead.His antlers matched exactly with those I had last shot.

I turned towards the direction of the tent, and, descending to the bed of the river, I followed the course of the stream upon the margin of dry sand.I had proceeded about half a mile, when I noticed at about 150paces some object moving about the trunk of a large fallen tree which lay across the bed of the river.This stem was about five feet in diameter, and I presently distinguished the antlers and then the head of a large buck, as they appeared above it; he had been drinking in the stream on the opposite side, and he now raised his head, sniffing the fresh breeze.It was a tempting shot, and taking a very steady aim Ifired.For a moment he was down, but recovering himself he bounded up the bank, and was soon in full speed through the forest with only one antler upon his head.I picked up the fellow-antler, which the rifle-ball had cut off within an inch of his skull.This was a narrow escape.

I did not reload my rifle, as I was not far from the tent, and I was tired of shooting.Giving my rifle to the gun-bearer, I took the double-barrelled gun which he carried, and walked quickly towards breakfast.Suddenly I heard a crash in a small nook of thick bushes, like the rush of an elephant, and the next instant a buck came rushing by in full speed; his long antlers lay upon his back as he flew through the tangled saplings with a force that seemed to defy resistance.He was the largest spotted buck that I ever saw, and, being within thirty paces, I took a flying shot with the right-hand barrel.He faltered for a moment, and I immediately fired the remaining barrel.Still he continued his course, but at a reduced speed and dead lame.Loading the rifle, I soon got upon the blood-track, and I determined to hunt him down.

There were many saplings in this part of the forest, and I noticed that many of them in the deer's track were besmeared with blood about two feet and a half from the ground.The tracks in the sandy soil were uneven--one of the fore-feet showed a deep impression, while the other was very faint, showing that he was wounded in the leg, as his whole weight was thrown upon one foot.Slowly and cautiously I stalked along the track, occasionally lying down to look under the bushes.For about an hour I continued this slow and silent chase; the tracks became fainter, and the bleeding appeared to have almost ceased; so few and far between were the red drops upon the ground, that I was constantly obliged to leave the gun-bearer upon the last trace, while I made a cast to discover the next track.I was at length in despair of finding him, and I was attentively scrutinising the ground for a trace of blood, which would distinguish his track from those of other deer with which the ground was covered, when I suddenly heard a rush in the underwood, and away bounded the buck at about fifty yards' distance, apparently as fresh as ever.The next instant he was gasping on the ground, the rifle-ball having passed exactly through his heart.I never could have believed that a spotted buck would have attained so large a size; he was as large as a doe elk, and his antlers were the finest I have ever seen of that species.It required eight men with two cross poles to bring him home.

I reached the tent to breakfast at eight o'clock, having bagged three fine bucks and two buffaloes that morning; and being, for the time, satiated with sport, I quitted Ceylon.