Jungle By-Ways in India 



embraces of Bruin. In this way the animal is a 

 nuisance to a village, over and above the damage 

 he does to their crops, such as the sweet succulent 

 mahwa (Bassia latifolia), maize, etc. 



A rather laughable incident of this nature took 

 place a few years ago in the Darjiling Himalaya. 

 A young planter was riding back home in the late 

 evening along a six-foot mountain-path. Coming 

 sharply round a corner he almost ran into a bear. 

 Bruin, resenting the intruders and the disturbance 

 caused by the clatter of the pony's hoofs, at once 

 got on to his hind-legs and, going blindly for the 

 pony, shoved the terrified animal off the road down 

 the khud side. Luckily for the youngster the 

 drop was not sheer, but he and the pony rolled 

 some 50 feet or so down the hill-side before 

 they fetched up. No damage was done to either, 

 and the pony was safely got up again. The 

 youngster, needless to state, was furious, the more 

 so when an inspection of the bear's tracks next 

 morning showed that Bruin had quietly strolled 

 on his way after the episode. That hot-blooded 

 and irascible young Scotsman, with beauty gone 

 (for one side of his face was scarred as if a rake 

 had been drawn across it) and chaffed out of his 

 life at every turn, spent the next fortnight roam- 

 ing the hill-side, breathing fire and brimstone 

 against all the tribe. His acquaintance was, 

 however, much too wary to accord him a second 

 interview ! 



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