102 GUN, RIFLE, AND HOUND. 



nately for him none of us heard of it till a good year 

 afterwards. 



That night was F 's last, and he left us at 



daybreak. 



Our supply of rice was running short, for though 

 we had cut our staff as low as possible, we had eight 

 persons to feed besides ourselves. So we reluctantly 

 gave orders to prepare for a start coastwards after 

 dinner that night. 



We were in luck that morning, and each shot a 

 buck axis. As we were returning to camp, Jim Crow 

 caught my arm and pointed to a bush about forty 

 yards off. The bush was shaking violently, and a 

 patch of shaggy black hair was visible. It was Will's 

 shot. Without waiting to see more clearly he fired. 

 The bear at once dropped from the tree, and with 

 no more ado charged straight at us, growling fiercely. 

 Will fired again, and the bear turned off into the 

 jungle. Fortunately there was time for me to fire, 

 and he dropped to the shot, got up and charged again, 

 when Will killed him. 



The Ceylon bear is the most savage little wretch 

 on the face of the earth, and, as I have said, in the 

 north of the island, where they are most common, 

 many of the natives are marked by their teeth and 

 claws, these wounds being generally inflicted in 

 entirely unprovoked attacks. Even in captivity they 

 are savage. A friend of mine had one which he called 

 " John the Baptist." Although he had been taken 

 from his dead mother when not a foot long, it was 

 dangerous for any one to approach within reach of 



