CHAP, xm DEER AND ANTELOPE 151 



and then died away. We reconnoitred next 

 morning and found a cow with all one hind- 

 quarter eaten ; there were numerous claw marks 

 on the body, but no wounds on the throat. It 

 was evident that the poor beast had been held 

 down, and eaten alive until it died. There were 

 bear tracks all round. I rigged up a little machan, 

 and sat in it all day working at Pushtoo. At 

 about 4 P.M. the bear, one of medium size, turned 

 up, and I was glad to slay him. 



My next visit to Kashmir was in 1920 with 

 my wife. We first shot bear eating mulberries; 

 and I think the local villager impressed me more 

 than anything else. He ran to tell me there was 

 a bear up a tree. I was up on some cliffs, and 

 because I would not come down quickly enough, 

 the good fellow actually tore out his beard in 

 handfuls. However, we were in time. 



After that we did the usual September emigra- 

 tion to one of the Sind valley nullahs and got 

 hold of a really good one, and shot two stag of 

 40 and 41 J inches, 10 and 12 pointers. I do not 

 propose to describe this sport in detail, as it has 

 been and is often written about. I enjoyed 

 the time immensely, but I admit that the very 

 early rise in bitter cold and then the trek up some 

 thousands of feet, only to get frozen again until 

 daylight comes, does not amuse me. But the 

 scenery was fine and so was the air ; and the 

 autumn colouring, with whole hillsides of copper 

 and gold, was gorgeous. 



One stag gave me a bad time. We heard him 

 calling in the dim dawn on a bare hillside, and, 

 thanks to some good work of my shikaris, we got 



