h have
united in one general channel through the valley. The exit of this
stream is through a narrow gorge, by which it descends to the low
country. During the period of heavy rains a landslip has evidently
choked up this passage, and the exit of the water being thus
obstructed, the whole area of the valley has become a lake. The
accumulated water has suddenly burst through the obstruction and swept
everything before it. The elk are very fond of lying under the
precipices in the strips of jungle already mentioned. When found, they
are accordingly forced to take to the open country and come down to the
basin below, as they cannot possibly ascend the mountain except by one
or two remote deer-runs. Thus the whole hunt from the find to the
death is generally in view.

From every point of this beautiful locality there is a boundless and
unbroken panorama of the low country.

Unfortunately, although the weather was perfectly fine, it was the
windy season, and a gale swept across the mountains that rendered ears
of little use, as a hound's voice was annihilated in such a hurricane
This was sadly against sport, as the main body of the pack would have
no chance of joining the finding hound.

However, the hounds were unkenneled at break of day, and, the tent
being pitched at the bottom of the basin, we commenced a pull up the
steep patinas, hoping to find somewhere on the edge of the jungles.

"There's scent to a certainty!--look at old Bluebeard's nose upon the
ground and the excited wagging of his stern. Ploughboy notices it--now
Gaylass they'll hit it off presently to a certainty, though it's as
cold as charity. That elk was feeding here early in the night; the
scent is four hours old if a minute. There they go into the jungle, and
we shall lose the elk, ten to one, as not another hound in the pack
will work it up. It can't be helped; if any three hounds will rouse
him out, those are the three."

For a couple of hours we had sat behind a rock, sheltered from the
wind, watching the immense prospect before us. The whole pack were
lying around us except the three missing hounds, of whom we had seen
nothing since they stole away upon the cold scent.

That elk must have gone up to the top of the mountains after feeding,
and a pretty run he must be having, very likely off to Matturatta
plains; if so, good-bye to all sport for to-day, and the best hounds
will be dead tired for to-morrow.

I was just beginning to desp