ill the faint shouts I had heard were
repeated nearer, and I saw Nowell running at full speed towards me. I
was now more alarmed for Solon than for myself, lest he should meet with
some injury in his courageous attacks on the buffalo. The fierce animal
was, however, evidently getting weaker and weaker from loss of blood,
still his determination to punish me was unabated. Notwithstanding all
the escapes I had had, I feared that he would succeed, when Nowell came
up directly in front of him, and though nearly out of breath from his
long run, without a moment's hesitation lifted his rifle to his shoulder
and fired. In an instant our huge enemy rolled over, and never again
moved a muscle. I had had enough of buffalo-shooting for that day.
Even then I felt what a senseless sport I had been engaged in. Still I
cannot deny the excitement and interest it afforded us. All we got were
the tongues of the three buffaloes we had killed, and a steak out of the
last for Solon. He, noble fellow, had evidently broken away from his
keeper, and came up just in time to save my life. We got back at length
to our tents.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

VISIT TO GREAT ELEPHANT CORRAL--MODE OF CAPTURING ELEPHANTS IN CEYLON--
WONDERFUL SAGACITY OF TAME ELEPHANTS--MODE OF TAMING ELEPHANTS--THEIR
HABITS WHEN TAME--HABITS WHEN WILD.

Two days after I had enjoyed my first experience in buffalo-hunting we
arrived in the neighbourhood of the great elephant corral, or great
elephant trap, as it might very properly be called. We had been
travelling through dense forests scarcely penetrated by the sun's beams,
where but seldom we had heard the song of birds, the hum of insects, or
even the roar of wild beasts. I was astonished at this till Mr Fordyce
pointed out to me that under the dense shade of the tall trees there
could be no pasture for the graminivorous animals, and consequently no
prey to tempt the carnivorous ones to invade those silent solitudes.
But a few hours' ride after leaving the gloomy solitudes I have
described brought us into the midst of a scene such as the gorgeous East
can alone produce. Thousands of people appeared to be collected with
gaily caparisoned elephants and horses in vast numbers in the midst of a
village of boughs and branches, the houses being thatched with
palm-leaves and the sweet smelling lemon grass. The people of all the
neighbouring villages appeared to have made the hunt an excuse for a
complete holiday. Th