SHIPPING WILD ANIMALS 103 
had spread that there was a lighter in the harbor, 
filled with wild animals that had broken out of their 
cages and were fighting and killing one another 
and those that could escape would jump into the 
harbor and make for the shore. Then some one 
called Police Headquarters and four European 
officers came down to the dock with repeaters. 
Ali and I dropped into the lighter, calling to the 
natives to pass the boards, nails and hammers, and 
assuming that there was no danger, we took each 
an end of a board and carrying it to the top of the 
cage passed it over until it covered the hole the 
tiger had his head out of. As Ali and I held the 
board my men nailed it and then another, so soon 
we had him fairly well secured; that is, he was in 
the cage again, snarling, biting and scratching. 
Calling to the owner of the lighter to come aboard 
with his men and row his lighter to the docks, we 
went to work and nailed board after board against 
and over all weak spots. There was no need to tell 
the boatmen to hurry; they never rowed faster. 
Arriving at the docks, and after telling the inspec- 
tor just what had happened, we got the cage on 
a bullock cart and soon had the tiger safe at my 
animal house. Three weeks later I shipped him 
aboard in a good strong cage, in charge of the cap- 
tain, but as the steamer was steaming up the Yarra 
river. into Melbourne, the tiger died. An autopsy 
showed he died of a fractured skull, and later I got 
the full particulars. 
