42 DIARY OF A SPORTSMAN NATURALIST 



" It's absurd. It's fearfully hot. Preposterous. . . . 

 No ! Mr. D.," in a freezing voice, " I will stay where 

 I am, if you please. Nor do I see anything amusing about 

 my position ..." murmur, followed by a loud guffaw 

 from D. 



" Don't be foolish, D.," from his wife. Silence. 



" My dear," loudly, " I tell you I'm positively melting ; 

 it's trickling all down my back and front, so hot am I. No, 

 it's not indecent, Mr. D. . . . " murmur, murmur. 



This continued for a time even after the beat had com- 

 menced and proved most diverting. But I could not make 

 out what D. was about to permit it. I could see him, or 

 rather his topi and shoulders, and he appeared to be watch- 

 ing the hill-side below him. He was in the front of the 

 machan which was one of the roofed-in ones. The ladies 

 were behind, and I could see Mrs. D. and hear her com- 

 panion. The voices, the latter's chiefly, gradually sank 

 and finally lulled to a murmur and then stopped. My 

 comments on ladies out shooting during this stage were not 

 polite. At last total silence reigned in Machan No. 3,^ 

 Mrs. D. sat erect, but when I looked for D. I could 

 only see the top of his topi. This did not strike me 

 at the moment. Ripples of laughter still came from 

 No. 5, and not much of a look out I surmised was being 

 kept there. 



The beaters were now at the foot of the hill below us and 

 the fun was evidently waxing fast and furious. My eyes 

 glanced down the slope. The shadows of the trees, hard 

 and clear cut on the rocks, were commencing to lengthen 

 somewhat. Suddenly a black form appeared on the top of 

 a rock some way below. It disappeared. I waited with 

 bated breath. There it was again coming in my direction. 

 Finger on trigger, in intense excitement I waited. Again 

 it disappeared. Then I saw it again, more to the left now, 

 and making straight for D.'s machan. Disappointed, I had 

 no thought of firing. I had learnt that lesson. Now it was 

 within thirty yards. I glanced at the machan and saw Mrs. 

 D.'s head bend suddenly forward. D.'s topi and shoulders 

 immediately appeared. The bear was by then below the 

 machan. The next moment it appeared to be half-way to 

 the crest. I heard a shot from D. ; the bear disappeared 

 over the crest, and I turned to see D. with his rifle at his 

 left shoulder. He had fired from that position and had 



