CHAPTER IV.
Equipment for a Hunting Trip--In Chase of a Herd of Buffaloes--Hard Work--Close Quarters--Six Feet from the Muzzle--A Black with a Devil.
There is one thing necessary to the enjoyment of sport in Ceylon, and without which no amount of game can afford thorough pleasure; this is personal comfort.

Unlike a temperate climate, where mere attendance becomes a luxury, the pursuit of game in a tropical country is attended with immense fatigue and exhaustion.

The intense heat of the sun, the dense and suffocating exhalations from swampy districts, the constant and irritating attacks from insects, all form drawbacks to sport that can only be lessened by excellent servants and by the most perfect arrangements for shelter and supplies.

I have tried all methods of travelling, and I generally manage to combine good sport with every comfort and convenience.
A good tent, perfectly waterproof, and of so light a construction as to travel with only two bearers, is absolutely indispensable.

My tent is on the principle of an umbrella, fifteen feet in diameter, and will house three persons comfortably.