We had a compass, certainly, which might be useful enough on a desert or a prairie, but in a jungle country it was of little value.
Just as we were in the greatest despair, and we were gazing wistfully in the direction which the needle pointed out as the position of the 'Park,' now separated from us by an untravelled district of an unknown distance, we saw two figures with bows and arrows coming from the jungle.

One of these creatures bolted back again into the bushes the moment he perceived us; the other one had a fish in his hand, of about four pounds weight, which he had shot with his bow and arrow; while he was hesitating whether he should run or stand still, we caught him.
Of all the ugly little devils I ever saw, he was superlative.

He squinted terribly; his hair was greyish and matted with filth; he was certainly not more than four feet and a half high, and he carried a bow two feet longer than himself.

He could speak no language but his own, which throughout the Veddah country is much the same, intermixed with so many words resembling Cingalese that a native can generally understand their meaning.

By proper management, and some little presents of rice and tobacco, we got the animal into a good humour, and we gathered the following in formation.
He knew nothing of any place except the northern portion of the Veddah country.