128 TWO YEAKS ITf THE JUNGLE. 



long, matted, jet-black hair is simply drawn back and tied in a 

 coil at the back of the head, while they have no beard at all save 

 now and then a few short black, kinky hairs. The women seem 

 to be old and wrinkled from their youth up, and, without exception, 

 are very ugly and unprepossessing. 



Three of the men who formed my hunting-gang, Arndee, Pera 

 Vera, and Channah, were the most expert trackers I ever saw, and 

 I soon had reason to know that all were likewise brave and spir- 

 ited men. When it came to the supreme danger of tracking up a 

 tiger on foot and attacking him fairly and squarely in open ground, 

 with only one little insignificant rifle, the two men who happened to 

 be with me were fully equal to the occasion, and "game " to the last. 



It was famine time, work was scarce, and food exceedingly dear, 

 and the five Mulcers were glad to take service with me. I agreed 

 to pay the head-man of the gang five annas per day in cash (fifteen 

 cents), and each of the others four annas per day, besides which 

 each received one quart of rice, and two leaves of tobacco per day, 

 with salt and chillies ad libitum. This was much more than they 

 could obtain elsewhere, and was amply sufficient for the support of 

 themselves and their families, who would always accompany them. 

 Being, as they were, passionately fond of fresh meat and receiving 

 good wages, it is not surprising that I had a gang of faithful men 

 always ready to undertake the hai'dest kind of work. 



Besides the Mulcers, there are two other hill-tribes upon the Ani- 

 mallais, the Paliars and the Karders. The former are chiefly mer- 

 chants and herdsmen, and it happened that I saw nothing of them. 

 The Kai'ders, however, were somewhat numerous. To a hunter 

 they are entirely useless, for, owing to their caste prejudices they 

 will not touch a dead elephant, bison, bear, or deer of any kind at 

 any pi-ice. They are purely herbivorous in their habits, never 

 touching flesh, but subsisting upon roots dug in the jungle, fniits, 

 rice, etc. They collect honey and beeswax, cardamoms [Elettaria 

 cardamomum), white dammer, a resin from the Valeria Indica, black 

 dammer from Canarium striclum, and another gum resin called 

 " mutty pal " from Ailantui^ Malabaricus, also wild ginger, turmeric, 

 rattans ( Calamus rotang), horns of deer, and " cheeakai " (the buds 

 of Acacia concinna), largely used by the natives for bathing pur- 

 poses instead of soap. These products of the jungle they exchange 

 for rice, tobacco, salt, chillies, etc. In physique and physiognomy 

 they very closely resemble the Mulcers, but they dress more elabo- 

 rately, and wear many ornaments. They all file their front teeth 



