SHIPPING WILD ANIMALS 103 



had spread that there was a lighter in the harbor, 

 filled with wild animals that had broken out of their 

 cages and were fighting and killing one another 

 and those that could escape would jump into the 

 harbor and make for the shore. Then some one 

 called Police Headquarters and four European 

 officers came down to the dock with repeaters. 



AH and I dropped into the lighter, calling to the 

 natives to pass the boards, nails and hammers, and 

 assuming that there was no danger, we took each 

 an end of a board and carrying it to the top of the 

 cage passed it over until it covered the hole the 

 tiger had his head out of. As AH and I held the 

 board my men nailed it and then another, so soon 

 we had him fairly well secured; that is, he was in 

 the cage again, snarling, biting and scratching. 

 Calling to the owner of the lighter to come aboard 

 with his men and row his lighter to the docks, we 

 went to work and nailed board after board against 

 and over all weak spots. There was no need to tell 

 the boatmen to hurry; they never rowed faster. 

 Arriving at the docks, and after telling the inspec- 

 tor just what had happened, we got the cage on 

 a bullock cart and soon had the tiger safe at my 

 animal house. Three weeks later I shipped him 

 aboard in a good strong cage, in charge of the cap- 

 tain, but as the steamer was steaming up the Yarra 

 river into Melbourne, the tiger died. An autopsy 

 showed he died of a fractured skull, and later I got 

 the full particulars. 



