no Leaves from an Indian Jungle, 



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 found 

 many bears 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 Bhdlu is to wait dinner 

 for him. 



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

 unwelcome and uninvited guest, on tteBhdbt's supper-party. 

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

 splendid tree of sweet jdmuns. Rising in my stirrups, 

 I had had quite a decent feed, 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 many 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 anything 

 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 ihejdmtin 

 tree). Who did that, eh ? " 



