We had quitted the Batticaloa track, and we immediately dismounted, unsaddled, and turned the horses loose upon the grass.
Having had only one meal the day before, and no breakfast this morning, we looked forward with impatience to the arrival of the coolies, although I confess I did not expect them, as they were too weak from want of food to travel far.

They had only half a meal the day before, and nothing at all the day before that.
We had halted in a grassy glade surrounded by thick jungle.

There were numerous fresh tracks of deer and elk, but the animals themselves would not show.
As evening approached, we collected a quantity of dead timber and lighted a good fire, before which we piled the rifles, three and three, about ten feet apart.

Across these we laid a pole, and then piled branches from the ground to the pole in a horizontal position.

This made a shed to protect us from the dew, and, with our saddles for pillows, we all lay down together and slept soundly till morning.
Nov.