END OF THE AXIMALLAI CAMPAIGN. 213 



little rivulet, I served out a day's rations of rice and tobacco. They 

 had had forty-eight hours between meals, and never were strikers 

 more effectually cured. From that time until I left the hills, they 

 worked faithfully, with never a grumble, and when on final settle- 

 ment, I partly carried out my threat by stoj)ping a rupee out of each 

 man's prize money, they did not offer a word of complaint, but 

 franklv admitted thev had used me very ill. 



The next day being my birthday, I took a holiday, and wrote 

 up my journal. The only incident of the day was our hearing a 

 tiger roaring in one of the rarines below us, not more than a 

 quarter of a mile away. I dechned to go after him in that thick 

 underbrush, for had I gone in his neighborhood, he would prob- 

 ably have done a little hunting on his own account. 



I had the men unroll the elephant skin, and we found it full of 

 water, but beginning to harden quite proiDerly, and after keeping 

 them at work half a day, thinning down the thicker portions with 

 their knives, we freely applied salt and powdered alum together 

 upon both sides, and again folded it up. I found by experiments 

 that the best way to preserve a veiy thick skin without a bath in 

 which to soak it, is to treat it with salt first and let it lie a day or 

 two before putting on any alum. Salt strikes through a thick hide 

 where diy alum only goes half-way, leaving the other side to de- 

 compose. After decomposition has been arrested by salt, then it is 

 best to apply jDOwdered alum to harden the skin and dry it up com- 

 pletely. 



After the men got through with their little strike, I had them 

 clean all the elephant's bones very thoroughly, and after soaping- 

 them they were tied up into bundles and made ready to carr}' out. 

 By the time we were ready to break up camp and move to Suugam, 

 a gang of about twenty coolies arrived from Animallai to assist in 

 cariying out our elephant skin and skeleton. Each of the large 

 sections was slung under a couple of stout poles, and eight men 

 were requu'ed for each section. Four more men canied the skin 

 of the head, while my Mulcers can'ied my camp equipage and a few 

 bones of the skeleton. Doraysawmy again showed his estimable 

 qualities in helping me manage the packing up. It was a queer 

 procession that marched down that steep hill and through the 

 forest toward Sungam. This time I brought up the rear, to see that 

 no valuable article was dropped and lost. 



When we reached Sungam, the Mulcers had scarcely time to 

 put down their loads before they were set upon by their wives^ 



