BEARS & WATER-HOLE SHOOTING 



pointed, but not so completely as on the above-mentioned 

 trip. There had been heavy rain three weeks previously, 

 and though the whole country looked parched, there was a 

 little too much water out. Our first watch was at a rock- 

 hole not far from Minneriya, close to a jungle road, on 

 a big, comparatively flat slab rock having one or two 

 hollows in it containing water. We were ensconced behind 

 a low half-circle of stones built up roughly about 2 feet 

 high, some 40 feet from one of the water-holes, and had 

 a long wait before anything came. 



About 9 P.M. I saw a bear silently emerge from the 

 jungle at the bottom of a slope of the rock on my side, 

 so I at once notified Brockman, whose first shot it was. 

 The animal came snuffing and shuffling along to the water, 

 passing across our front, and Brockman fired at it with his 

 " Paradox " as soon as it stooped to drink, bowling it over 

 head-first into the water-hole, out of which we presently 

 hauled it. Nothing more came that night but a big pig, 

 which I shot at and missed badly. After this, for some days, 

 we visited several grand pools and rock-holes in most remote 

 spots, not finding even a track to induce us to watch ; but 

 we finally settled at a famous, very remote rock-hole, and 

 built a " fort " above the pool this time a large, deep 

 hole, at the base of a steepish slab rock. The pool was 

 approachable from one side only, and the rock at the back 

 rose perpendicularly for about 12 or 15 feet, meeting the 

 slope of the slab rock above. We built our "fort" at 

 the top of this drop, a little way back from the edge, and 

 watched in great expectation ; but nothing came until about 

 ii P.M., when a bear appeared coming over another big 

 rock some 50 yards away on our front. 



It came up to our pool in a very business-like way, but 

 I saluted it with a " Paradox " ball which sent it howling 



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