An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies: Together with an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author's Miraculous EscapeKnox, Robert
History
An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies: Together with an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author's Miraculous Escape
Knox, Robert
Sri Lanka -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800; Sri Lanka -- Social life and customs
The eyes of the Deer or other Cattle first appear to them glittering
like Stars of light or Diamonds: and by their long experience they
will distinguish one Beast from another by their eyes. All Creatures,
as Deer, Hares, Elephants, Bears, &c. excepting onely wild Hogs,
will stand still, wondering at this strange sight, till the people
come as near as they do desire, and so let fly their Arrows upon
them. And by this means they seldom go, but they catch something. The
blades of their hunting-Arrowes are at least a foot or a foot and an
half long, and the length of the staff of their Arrowes is a Rian,
that is about two cubits.
Again, they will observe where a Deers haunt is to break over their
Hedges into the Corn Grounds. There they will set a sharp pole like
a Spear full against the Haunt. So that the Deer when she leaps over
thrusts her self upon the point of it.
If a Tyger chance to come into their Grounds and kill a Cow, they will
take notice of the place thro which he passed, and set a Cross-bow
there ready charged. The Tyger coming that way again touches something
that is fastned to the tricker of the Cross-bow, and so it discharges
upon him.
[How they take the Wild Boar.] The wild Hog is of all other the
hardest to be caught; and 'tis dangerous to attempt the catching of
him. For the people make valour to consist in three things, one is to
fight against the Enemy, another to hunt the Elephant, and the third
to catch Hoggs. Yet sometimes by their art they entrap them. And
that they do after this manner. They dig an hole in the Earth of
a convenient depth, and fix divers sharp stakes in the bottom of
it. Then they cover it over lightly with Earth and Leaves, and plant
thereupon roots which the Hog loves, as Potatoes or such like, which
will grow there. And the pit remains, it may be sometimes months or
half a year, till at last an Hog comes, and while he is rooting his
weight betrayes him and in he falls.
Again, sometimes they will set a falling trap of an exceeding weight,
and under it plant Roots and such like things, which the Hog delights
in. There are contrivances under the weeds and leaves, which when he
goes to eat by touching or treading upon something fastned to the trap,
it falls down upon him. These are made so artificially, that people
sometimes have been caught and destroyed by them. Once such a trap
in my remembrance fell upon three women and killed them. Who having
been stealing Cotton in a Plantation, and fearing to be catched went
to creep out at a hole, where this Trap stood.
And thus I have related some of their ways of taking wild Cattel. They
are good also at catching Birds and Vermin; In fine, they are the
cunningest people in the World for such kind of traps and gins. And
all of them they make onely by the help of their Knives with green
sticks and withs that grow in the Woods. And so much of their Beasts.
CHAP. VII.
Of their Birds, Fish, Serpents, Commodities.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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