CHAPTER IX 



A bear adventure Following up the tracks A black object seen An 

 erroneous conclusion Firing too hastily An old woman shot dead 

 Howls from the Press Bloodthirsty suggestions Another bear 

 adventure A short -sighted sportsman " Thinking it was a bear " 

 " What, not dead yet ? " The second barrel A revelation and 

 explanation Disturbing the bees Pandemonium Horses stung to 

 death Floods in Khandesh A perilous adventure Saving a woman's 

 life Native gratitude A thankless task A change of headquarters 

 My mosque bungalow Said to be haunted The ghost appears 

 Life at Nundobar Coursing jackals, etc. Cholera epidemic A 

 village devastated Lose my cook Death of the apothecary I 

 turn doctor A successful prescription Administering the mixture 

 My patient recovers A claim for damages A police mutiny averted 

 Drastic measures My orders upheld My first attempt at spearing 

 a panther on horseback An exciting chase The panther crouching 

 Avoids the thrust Seeks refuge amongst the rocks A lucky 

 escape Panther spearing A dangerous but most attractive form 

 of sport Railways and their influence on game Revisiting old 

 hunting grounds Ravages caused by axe and plough The march 

 of civilization Jungle now devoid of game Sic transit gloria 

 mundi. 



SHORTLY after the incident just related, we heard of another 

 bear adventure or, rather, to put it more correctly, one in 

 which a bear, although the object of pursuit, was not 

 actually encountered, yet, indirectly, was the cause of what 

 occurred. 



A friend of ours the Forest Officer of the district 

 was out shooting, and happening to come upon the fresh 

 tracks of a bear, was following them up, when he saw a 

 black object moving in the jungle, a little distance off. 

 Concluding, very naturally in the circumstances, that this 

 was the beast he was after, he fired and saw the animal, as 

 he thought, fall in a heap. 



Forcing his way through the jungle, he went up to it, 

 when imagine his horror to find, instead of a bear, a rough, 

 black blanket with an old woman lying dead beneath it. 

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