188 RIFLE AND ROMANCE 



plateaux-tops of this portion of the Satpuras, our friends 

 the bears come climbing up night after night. They leave 

 their shambling ways marked clear in the dust of the forest 

 road and of jungle-paths ; they snuffle and grunt merrily 

 all night under the sweetest trees, blow themselves out 

 enormously, and shuffle away before dawn into the almost 

 inaccessible fastnesses that surround the open park land 

 on top of these hills. Gradually attracted by Nature's 

 wondrous profusion of pleasant diet, there may be many 

 bears collected within a radius of a mile or so ; but the 

 cover is so dense, the sea of jungle, rock, cliff, bamboo, and 

 giant creepers so difficult of search, that almost the only 

 way of getting a shot at Bhdlti is to wait dinner for him. 



Well do I recall one night that I forced myself, an un- 

 welcome and uninvited guest, on the Bhdltis supper-party. 

 I had, while riding home the previous day, discovered a 

 splendid tree of sweet jdmtins. Rising in my stirrups, 

 I had had quite a little meal, pulling down the laden 

 branches and then filling my pockets with fruit to munch 

 on the homeward way. I was just departing, when I 

 noticed fresh signs of bears in the vicinity of the tree ; 

 and at that moment a little black Korku came along the 

 forest-path. 



" Bears ! " said he in reply to my query, scratching a 

 sturdy leg with the other horny toe. " Bears ! What's 

 that ? Never heard of such things. Never knew of any- 

 thing called a bear. From my youth up I never yet " 



But my cane was crooked round his neck, and I guided 

 him and his uncomfortable grin below that tree. " See ! " 

 I urged, " O thou wicked brother-in-law of many bears ! 

 Behold ! (indicating documentary evidence under thejdmdn 

 tree). Who did that, eh ? " 



" O Mdhdrdj! " he grinned widely, " I see ! Yes ! How 

 shall I tell lies to your presence ? Nightly do they come 

 since the moon was small. Nightly do they suck 

 jdmtins and wrangle. There's my hut up there, beyond 



