A SWAP SHOT. 53 



forest below. As we were passing one of them, Rahman 

 suddenly stopped, and, touching me on the shoulder, 

 whispered that he heard the grass being torn up by some 

 animal concealed in the bushes. Running to a projecting 

 rock, which commanded both sides of the ravine, I 

 signalled to Rahman to roll down a stone. Almost before 

 he had done so an enormous black bear cantered 

 noiselessly out of the nullah, lower down on the opposite 

 side, and lolloped leisurely away through the high grass. 

 He was about a hundred and fifty yards off, going 

 straight from us, and 1 had just a moment for a snap 

 shot at his hind quarters before he was hidden by the 

 bushes. I had not even time to align the sights, and 

 hardly expected to hit. To my great delight, the thud 

 of the bullet and ' ough-ough ' of the bear, proved that 

 the former had found its billet. 



"There was an open space in front of the thick 

 jungle he was evidently making for, and we ran along 

 the hill-side, hoping to cut him off. If he reached the 

 forest, even wounded as he was, we must lose him, for 

 nothing but a line of beaters would have got him out 

 of the dense undergrowth ; and at this time of the year 

 it is forbidden to beat. 



"We were not long in reaching the open ground, 

 but no bear was visible. It was impossible he could 

 have crossed before us, so he was evidently still in the 



