242 SPORT AND TRAVEL 



on the trigger for four hours, nor did I dare take my 

 eyes from the openings during this entire time, for 

 the men had cautioned me that, until finally blocked, 

 the tiger might charge out at any moment. 



It was past midday when the seven men emerged 

 and beckoned me to enter. I slipped down into the 

 crevice, landing in a sort of small chamber, which 

 was partially lighted by the torches, though my 

 eyes, fresh from the sunlight, could not see where it 

 led. They directed me to one side, and pointed to a 

 narrow shelf or ledge, from which a hole seemed to 

 lead straight into the face of the rock; Lim, who 

 was behind me, translating that I was to crawl into 

 it until I came to the tiger. This did not sound 

 reassuring, but knowing that the men were trust- 

 worthy and would not send me into a risky position, 

 I scrambled quickly in, dragging the express behind, 

 as I was too cramped by the smallness of the hole 

 to carry it with me. 



One of the men held his spear ahead in the pas- 

 sage, though he himself stood behind. I crawled 

 slowly in for some ten feet ; it was quite dark and I 

 was ignorant as to where the animal was, or how 

 the hole ended. Then there was a loud " aughr-r-r" 

 within a few feet of my face, and I knew by the 

 sound that the tiger was in another cavern into 

 which my passage opened. It appeared that the 



