A PAINFUL STALK t2 



3 



watching for all day, but he had kept under cover until long 

 after the usual hour. The crow had been hovering about 

 the birch clump and cawing for some time : suddenly he 

 made a dash down among the trees, and out rushed the 

 bear, the crow almost touching his back. A pair of these 

 hill-crows were, as usual, attending on us. This bird must 

 have reasoned that until the bear showed himself there 

 would be no meat, so drove him out ! The coolies at once 

 squatted, and the stalk began. The first thing to do was 

 to get under cover, and this could be effected only by going 

 down to the bed of the stream below the bear. So we 

 went slowly and cautiously, for we were within full sight of 

 the game — he could not have been more than five hundred 

 yards away. Every time he put his head down to eat or 

 dig, we dashed along a few paces, falling flat the moment 

 he looked up. The hill was steep and stony, and slushy 

 from melted snow, but we got safely to the bank, and soon 

 crossed. Then began a most exciting stalk : the bear was 

 a short distance up the hillside, but could not be seen till 

 we were within a couple of hundred yards of him. Our 

 movements had to be slow and cautious, and when he was 

 sighted we had to crawl on our stomachs, watching the 

 bear, and stretching ourselves flat whenever he raised his 

 head. At last we reached a rock about seventy yards 

 from him, and were in position, but I was thoroughly done 

 and my nerves completely upset. In this state I had to 

 fire, and at once : of course I made a bad shot, wounding 

 the bear low down in the fore leg. He rushed to our left 

 front and then straight up hill — three snap-shots at long 

 ranges were misses also. We gave chase, and had a rough 

 climb for some distance up and along the hillside for half 

 a mile, through forest, rocks, and rank vegetation, but had 

 to give up at last, as the bear was going fast and it was 

 getting dark. We returned and examined the place where 



