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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XV. 



stand in upright, except at the left, or north, end. Hero 

 the floor rises steeply on to a narrow slanting ledge, only 

 3 ft. 6 in. in height and but a cubit in width — the sole 

 possible means of approach to the second, and much smaller, 

 "pocket" 'A,' which is barely 3 ft. wide. 



It was not practicable for Mr. Murray in 1889 to reach 

 this northern cave from his trestle staging. 



Last year, at the outset, I had iron standards (3 ft. 4 in. in 

 height), with a single top rail, driven into the rock above 

 the ladder along the edge of both " pockets " and the 

 connecting ledge, as an essential safeguard. Without such 

 hand-rail a slip on the smooth shelving floor would mean 

 instant death on the rocks fifty yards below.* 



Thirteen of the frescoes in " pocket " 4 B ' can be easily 

 touched from the floor, being painted on the rock wall and 

 lower part of the oblique roof at the back of the cave — the 

 throat, so to speak, of gaping rock jaws — but they are not 

 on one level. No. 14 is on the wall at the south, or right 

 " horn " of the half -moon chamber ; Nos. 15, 16, and 17 (the 

 solitary hand) well up the concave roof — and all four beyond 

 the floor line. 



To get at these paintings it was necessary to construct a 

 " cantilever " of jungle timber, firmly lashed to a stout iron 

 cramp let into the rock floor. To the extremity of this 

 projection was tied a rough " cage " of sticks ; and from 

 this uncomfortable and perilous perch Mr. Perera made 

 his copies of the last and loftiest frescoes in " pocket " 4 B.'t 



Even more difficulty and danger attended the fixing of a 

 hurdle-platform outside the extremely narrow and slippery 

 ledge separating " pocket " 4 B ' from 4 A ' and onwards to 

 the termination of 4 A.' It took fully ten days to complete 

 this niessa, or stick-shelf — only a few hands being induced 

 by special remuneration to risk their lives on the job. In 

 addition to 1-in. iron bars supporting the woodwork (the 

 whole braced strongly to thick iron cramped into the rock), 



Photographs C. 633, 634. f Photograph C. 785. 



