I have constantly seen him strove his nose into the deep
impression, to try for a scent when the track was some eight or ten
hours old.

It was a curious thing to watch his cleverness at finding on a patina.
In most of the plains in the neighborhood of Newera Ellia a small
stream flows through the centre. To this the elk, who are out feeding
in the night, are sure to repair at about four in the morning for their
last drink, and I usually try along the banks a little after daylight
for a find, where the scent is fresh and the tracks are distinctly
visible.

While every hound has been eagerly winding the scent upon the
circuitous route which the elk has made in grazing, Bluebeard would
never waste his time in attempting to follow the innumerable windings,
but, taking a fresh cast, he would invariably strike off to the jungle
and try along the edge, until he reached the spot at which the elk had
entered. At these times he committed the only fault which he possessed
(for an elk-hound); he would immediately open upon the scent, and, by
alarming the elk at too great a distance, would give him too long a
start. Nevertheless, he made up for this by his wonderful correctness
and knowledge of his game, and if the run was increased in length by
his early note, we nevertheless ran into our game at last.

Some years ago he met with an accident which partly deprived him of the
use of one of his bind legs; this made the poor old fellow very slow,
but it did not interfere with his finding and hunting, although the
rest of the pack would shoot ahead, and the elk was frequently brought
to bay and killed before old Bluebeard had finished his hunt; but he
was never thrown out, and was sure to come up at last; and if the pack
were at fault during the run, he was the hound to show them the right
road on his arrival.

I once saw an interesting proof of his reasoning powers during a long
and difficult hunt.

I was hunting for a few days at the Augora patinas, accompanied by
Palliser. These are about five hundred feet lower than Newera Ellia,
and are situated in the district of Dimboola. They are composed of
undulating knolls of fine grass, with a large and deep river flowing
through the centre. These patinas are surrounded by wooded hills of
good open jungle.

We had found upon the patina at break of day, and the whole pack had
gone off in full cry; but the whereabout was very uncertain, and having
long lost all sound of the houn