V A SHOOT IN AN INDIAN STATE 43 



male, and the -470 had almost blown off one hind 

 quarter, poor beast. 



A piece of country I was relying on turned out 

 blank. We twice beat for a heavy tiger, but he 

 was too good for us. In the previous month tiger 

 had been troublesome here and had killed some 

 of the inhabitants, so by the Maharajah's orders 

 one of his shikaris had come and shot five of 

 them. 



One morning I heard that a bear was asleep in 

 a cave above the camp. We crept up on tiptoe. 

 I could see the sleeping beauty's chest through 

 the front door, and a patch of his hide through a 

 side crack. I chose the latter, and lying down 

 took a pot shot at fifteen yards and hit the 

 rock. The bear fled in a rage and I missed him 

 with my left — a shocking affair, due, let us hope, 

 to the damaged rifle which was still unrepaired. 



The following night at about 3 a.m. a viflager 

 woke me saying a bear was feeding in a plain 

 near camp. So I hopped out in my pyjamas and 

 soon beheld the bear looming large in the full 

 moonlight. He never saw me, and I made him 

 turn twice by scratching with a finger nail. I 

 shot him through the chest and put another 

 bullet near his heart as he ran. I could have 

 repeated the performance with a bear and a cub 

 the following night, but did not do so on account 

 of the cub. 



Shortly after that we made a night march, 

 starting at 7 p.m. and getting in at dawn. This 

 was for Iseri Singh, who was ill with dysentery ; 

 but I was also glad for the small dog's sake. 

 Iseri Singh rode, and I gave him brandy at 



