TIGERLAND 



which yet remains to tell. I was up early next morning, 

 just as the men were starting to bring in the other ibex, and 

 on the impulse of the moment decided to accompany them 

 on the chance of another shot at the herd. 



The road was now familiar, and with daylight to assist 

 us, we were not long accomplishing the journey, and no 

 ibex being in sight we climbed boldly up the knoll. But 

 here a surprise awaited us, for as we approached the kill 

 we could see nothing but the rope. The carcass we had 

 left hanging there had disappeared entirely, evidently 

 pulled out of the loop and bodily removed ! 



" Some black mans take him," said the " shikari," 

 looking suspiciously at the coolies, but as they had been 

 in camp all night they were obviously not the culprits. 



There were some drops of blood upon the ground, but 

 this was easily to be accounted for since we had cut the 

 animal's head off before hanging up the body. But 

 searching further we discovered similar marks of blood, 

 leading from the tree, and, following these some distance, 

 found they apparently led into a jungle on the far side of 

 the knoll. 



It was now evident that the carcass had been taken 

 into the jungle, but whether by man or beast, it was im- 

 possible to tell, the ground being too hard for any foot- 

 prints to be visible. However, we were not long left in 

 doubt, for as we neared the jungle we came across a patch 

 of sand, when the " shikari," who was leading, signed to us 

 to halt, and going down on his hands and knees examined 

 it most carefully. 



A minute or so later he started to his feet, and pointing 

 to something on the ground, beckoned to me to come 

 nearer. " Peria pilli, master, look," he whispered as I 

 joined him. 



I had never heard the words before, and wondering 

 what they meant, looked down to where he pointed, and 

 there, deeply imprinted in the sand, were several circular 

 depressions, varying in size from 1^ to 4 inches in diameter, 

 the larger ones in the centre and the others on either side, 

 a little way behind. 



That they were the footprints of wild animals was 

 evident, even to my unpractised eye ; but what kind of 

 174 



