BEARS & WATER-HOLE SHOOTING 



water-hole, and whatever may be said or thought of such 

 sport, water-hole shooting, or at any rate watching, is to 

 my mind one of the most fascinating experiences a man 

 can enjoy. 



Reverting to natives suffering from injuries inflicted by 

 bears, I once had a startling example brought to my notice. 

 I was halting for my 1 1 o'clock breakfast at the village of 

 Dematawewa on the Horowapotana-Alut Oya road some 

 years ago, and some of the villagers had come up for a talk, 

 when one of them, a fairly good-looking man, who was at 

 the time speaking to me, happening to turn his face a bit 

 to the right, I saw to my horror that he only possessed half 

 a face. 



The whole of the left side was gone ; eye, part of the 

 forehead, cheek, ear, and flesh of the jaw, leaving a smooth 

 hollow, beautifully healed up and covered with skin, evi- 

 dently an old injury. 



In reply to my inquiry, he told me it occurred one day 

 when he had just gone outside the village to drive in two 

 buffaloes a bear rushed out of a bush, knocked him down, 

 did this awful damage with one bite, and then fled. 



Another native of my acquaintance had the whole top of 

 his head and skin of the forehead torn off by a very similar 

 attack some years ago, and he also made a good recovery 

 but is marked by a tremendous cicatrice across the forehead 

 and partly round his head. 



I know of many other cases all very similar in incident, 

 and all caused by coming on a bear suddenly, thus startling 

 it into frightened attack. 



My own first experience of bear-shooting occurred in 

 1891 in the month of August, the very height of the dry 

 season in the low country. 1 tramped from my bungalow 

 to Topawewa, a distance of between 50 and 60 miles, 



273 s 



