230 IN THE INDIAN JUNGLE. 



This was the position of the tiger on the morning 

 the Chetty came for me. When we arrived at the 

 village, every soul was afoot, and our appearance 

 was the signal for a vigorous beating of tomtoms, 

 to which the spearsmen of the village did a kind 

 of war-dance, circling round and round the pole, 

 in the centre of the threshing-floor, to which the 

 cattle are attached when treading out the corn. 

 The spears were most murderous-looking weapons, 

 with blades a foot long and bamboo handles 

 twelve feet in length. The Punniars were not 

 allowed to use the spear ; only Chetties were so 

 armed. The spear handles were marked with 

 stripes of turmeric, in honour of the occasion. 

 We now moved off to the scene of the capture, 

 which was near to the cattle pens. The drummers, 

 who were Punniars, beat vigorously on a long, 

 barrel-shaped drum, each head of which was 

 strung to give a different note, and as this 

 pitch could be varied by pressure of the hands 

 on the drum-head, a sort of rhythmic measure 

 was kept up, to which the spearsmen danced 

 in their onward march. The women were not 

 allowed to follow the procession. On arrival at 

 the scene, the spectators formed a wide circle 

 around what appeared to me a mass of cordage 

 inextricably entangled. The spearsmen lined the 

 inner front of the circle and kept back the crowd, 

 who were armed with axes, reaping-hooks, stout 

 sticks, rice-beaters, etc. I was told I could enter 

 the circle and examine the tiger, as there was no 

 danger. On our approach there was a subdued 



