30 IN THE INDIAN JUNGLE. 



creature was hit, but not so sure that it was dead. 

 We retreated once more to the mound, and after 

 some time advanced again to the attack, but not a 

 movement had taken place in the object. Feeling 

 quite sure it was dead, we now got close up and 

 examined it, and found it to be a tiger of the 

 largest size, in a most emaciated condition nothing 

 but skin and bone. Probably its last effort was to 

 rise on its legs on my first intrusion. It had not 

 strength for any further effort and must have died 

 in a day or two from sheer starvation. The 

 Chentsu surmised that it had fallen into this natural 

 trap while in pursuit of wild pig, and I could well 

 understand the tiger's inability to get out again, 

 as the widening out of the chamber began about 

 fifteen feet above our heads, so that it would require 

 a leap of that height in order to fasten its claws 

 into the narrow neck of the shaft, which was 

 shaped somewhat like a Florentine flask. 



Emaciated as it was, there was no use attempting 

 to draw that weight of skin and bone up the shaft. 

 It was as much as our united efforts could do to 

 drag it to the mound. Here Permal proceeded to 

 flay it, while I continued my examination of the 

 cave. The sides were covered with a dense growth 

 of moss, with here and there a fern and lichen. This 

 growth seemed to confine itself to a bed of conglo- 

 merate about three feet thick. I had no difficulty 

 in recognising this as one of the beds of the Kurnool 

 series, known to be diamondiferous in many parts 

 of South India. I knew it was hopeless looking 

 for diamonds in situ, but I took samples of the con- 



