ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 81 



inhabitants to work them properly. We bathed frequently 

 in the lake, and shot a number of small jungle antelope 

 and peafowl on the summit of the hill. On our home- 

 ward march we again passed Wuggeria, and went out on 

 the hills during the heat of the day, hoping to fall in with 

 something. As we were ascending a spur, we espied some 

 animal lying under a ledge of overhanging rock in a bay 

 formed by the contour of the hill to our right. We had no 

 regular shikarees only a few Bheels picked up as we were 

 leaving the village ; these pronounced the beast to be a 

 hyaena, and we decided on having a shot at him. 



Carefully marking a tree on the crest of the rock above 

 him, we made a circuit, and, ascending to the table-land, came 

 out above the spot were we had marked him. Standing 

 ready to open fire, we directed the Bheels to heave down 

 stones, which they did, but nothing appeared. We concluded 

 that the game had moved, but some of the Bheels crawled 

 along the face of the rock like monkeys, and, on looking over, 

 ascertained that there was an inner cave within that in which 

 we had seen the animal lying. It was evident that on hearing 

 us he had quietly risen and moved in, so we agreed to smoke 

 him out. We, therefore, found a place where we could de- 

 scend, and so passed round the base of the rock to the cave. 



The outer part was triangular in shape about seven 

 yards wide at the outside, and four or five deep, having at 

 the farther end an inner cave of about four feet high by two 

 and a half broad. The outer cave was quite open in front, 

 and seven feet high at the outside. From the cave the hill 

 sloped sharply down, covered with trees and bushes. 



Some of the Bheels advanced to the mouth of the inner 

 cave, and looking in, saw one eye of the creature, like a ball 

 ^f fire, at the far end of the den. We endeavoured to get 



G 



