PALIATA'S FRACTION-IX-LAW. 299 



river. A very large bear came out of the jungle close to 

 Alan, who wounded it, but not vitally. The bear then came 

 straight at them, and began to scramble up the rock, but 

 was knocked over by Alan's second barrel. It picked itself 

 up, and was making off slowly through the jungle, when 

 Alan ran up and killed it with a bullet through the side 

 of the head. It was an enormous bear, and the biggest 

 we have shot. 



February lAth. — Kotah. We went down the river in 

 the launch this morning, but saw nothing except a few 

 alligators. In the afternoon Paliata's son came to call. He 

 apologised for not coming before, and said he had only just 

 returned from being married. As he is a man about thirty, 

 and all Hindoos marry their first wife when mere boys, this 

 is probably his third or fourth better " fraction " — one can 

 hardly say " half." 



We went afterwards to take a last look at the beautiful 

 gardens, and on our way back ransacked the bazaar for old 

 arms. In this out-of-the-way place we hoped to discover 

 some good specimens. But although many were offered for 

 sale, very few were worth buying. 



February 15th. — At eight this morning we started on 

 our way back to Deoli, and arrived at Boondi about noon, 

 after a fearful jolting over the Boondi Raja's cart-track. 

 During luncheon a present of several baskets of fruit and 

 flowers was brought from the Raja, who also sent a carriage 



