Wortley had commenced well, having killed his first elephant with one shot.
We found breakfast ready on our return to the horses, and having disturbed this part of the country by the heavy volley at the herd, we returned to Minneria.
I was convinced that we could expect no sport in this neighbourhood; we therefore held a consultation as to our line of country.
Some years ago I had entered the north of the Veddah country from this point, and I now proposed that we should start upon a trip of discovery, and endeavour to penetrate from the north to the south of the Veddah country into the 'Park.' No person had ever shot over this route, and the wildness of the idea only increased the pleasure of the trip.

We had not the least idea of the distance, but we knew the direction by a pocket compass.
There was but one objection to the plan, and this hinged upon the shortness of V.Baker's leave.

He had only ten days unexpired, and it seemed rash, with so short a term, to plunge into an unknown country; however, he was determined to push on, as he trusted in the powers of an extraordinary pony that would do any distance on a push.

This determination, however destroyed a portion of the trip, as we were obliged to pass quickly through a lovely sporting country, to arrive at a civilised, or rather an acknowledged, line of road by which he could return to Kandy.

Had we, on the contrary, travelled easily through this country, we should have killed an extraordinary amount of game.
We agreed that our route should be this.