The facility with which the most remote regions are now reached, renders a tour over some portion of the globe a necessary adjunct to a man's education; a sportsman naturally directs his path to some land where civilisation has not yet banished the wild beast from the soil.
Ceylon is a delightful country for the sporting tourist.

In the high road to India and China, any length of time may be spent en passant, and the voyage by the Overland route is nothing but a trip of a few weeks of pleasure.
This island has been always celebrated for its elephants, but the other branches of sport are comparatively unknown to strangers.

No account has ever been written which embraces all Ceylon sports: anecdotes of elephant-shooting fill the pages of nearly every work on Ceylon; but the real character of the wild sports of this island has never been described, because the writers have never been acquainted with each separate branch of the Ceylon chase.
A residence of many years in this lovely country, where the wild sports of the island have formed a never-failing and constant amusement, alone confers sufficient experience to enable a person to give a faithful picture of both shooting and hunting in Ceylon jungles.
In describing these sports I shall give no anecdotes of others, but I shall simply recall scenes in which I myself have shared, preferring even a character for egotism rather than relate the statements of hearsay, for the truth of which I could not vouch.

This must be accepted as an excuse for the unpleasant use of the first person.
There are many first-rate sportsmen in Ceylon who could furnish anecdotes of individual risks and hairbreadth escapes (the certain accompaniments to elephant-shooting) that would fill volumes; but enough will be found, in the few scenes which I have selected from whole hecatombs of slaughter, to satisfy and perhaps fatigue the most patient reader.
One fact I wish to impress upon all--that the colouring of every description is diminished and not exaggerated, the real scene being in all cases a picture, of which the narration is but a feeble copy.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER 1.
Wild Country--Dealings in the Marvellous--Enchanting Moments--The Wild Elephant of Ceylon--'Rogues'-- Elephant Slaughter--Thick Jungles--Character of the Country--Varieties of Game in Ceylon--'Battery for Ceylon Sport'-- The Elk or 'Samber Deer'-- Deer-coursing CHAPTER II.
Newera Ellia--The Turn-out for Elk-hunting--Elk-hunting--Elk turned to Bay--The Boar CHAPTER III.
Minneria Lake--Brush with a Bull--An Awkward Vis-a-vis--A Bright Thought--Bull Buffalo Receives his Small Change--What is Man ?--Long Shot with the Four-ounce--Charged by a Herd of Buffaloes--The Four-ounce does Service--The 'Lola'-- A Woman killed by a Crocodile--Crocodile at Bolgodde Lake--A Monster Crocodile--Death of a Crocodile CHAPTER IV.
Equipment for a Hunting Trip--In Chase of a Herd of Elephants--Hard Work--Close Quarters--Six Feet from the Muzzle--A Black with a Devil CHAPTER V.
The Four-ounce again--Tidings of a Rogue--Approaching a Tank Rogue--An Exciting Moment--Ruins of Pollanarua--Ancient Ruins--Rogues at Doolana--B.

Charged by a Rogue--Planning an Attack--A Check--Narrow Escape--Rogue-stalking--A Bad Rogue--Dangers of Elephant-shooting--The Phatamahatmeya's Tale CHAPTER VI.
Character of the Veddahs--Description of the Veddahs--A Monampitya Rogue--Attacking the Rogue--Breathless Excitement--Death of a Large Rogue--Utility of the Four-ounce--A Curious Shot--Fury of a Bull Buffalo--Character of the Wild Buffalo--Buffalo-shooting at Minneria Lake--Charge in High Reeds--Close of a Good Day's Sport--Last Day at Minneria--A Large Snake--An Unpleasant Bedfellow CHAPTER VII.
Capabilities of Ceylon--Deer at Illepecadewe--Sagacity of a Pariah Dog--Two Deer at One Shot--Deer-stalking--Hambantotte Country--Kattregam Festival--Sitrawelle--Ruins of Ancient Mahagam--Wiharewelle--A Night Attack upon Elephants--Shooting by Moonlight--Yalle River--Another Rogue--A Stroll before Breakfast--A Curious Shot--A Good Day's Sport CHAPTER VIII.
Best Hounds for Elk-hunting--Smut--Killbuck--The Horton Plains--A Second Soyer--The Find--The Buck at Bay--The Bay--The Death--Return of Lost Dogs--Comparative Speed of Deer--Veddah Ripped by a Boar--A Melee--Buck at Black Pool--Old Smut's Ruse--Margosse Oil CHAPTER IX.
A Morning's Deer-coursing--Kondawataweny--Rogue at Kondawataweny--A Close Shave--Preparations for Catching an Elephant--Catching an Elephant--Taming Him--Flying Shot at a Buck--Cave at Dimbooldene--Awkward Ground--A Charmed Life CHAPTER X.
Another Trip to the Park--A Hard Day's Work--Discover a Herd--Death of the Herd--A Furious Charge--Caught at Last--The Consequences--A Thorough Rogue--Another Herd in High Lemon Grass--Bears--A Fight between a Moorman and a Bear--A Musical Herd--Herd Escape--A Plucky Buck--Death of 'Killbuck'-- Good Sport with a Herd--End of the Trip CHAPTER XI.
Excitement of Elephant-shooting--An Unexpected Visitor--A Long Run with a Buck--Hard Work Rewarded--A Glorious Bay--End of a Hard Day's Work--Bee-hunters--Disasters of Elk-hunting--Bran Wounded--'Old Smut's' Buck--Boar at Hackgalla--Death of 'Old Smut'-- Scenery from the Perewelle Mountains--Diabolical Death of 'Merriman'-- Scene of the Murder CHAPTER XII.
A Jungle Trip CHAPTER XIII.
Conclusion THE RIFLE AND HOUND..