406 BEAR-SHOOTING IN TRANSYLVANIA. 



at on the 23rd ; this time, however, we did not stand on the 

 hillside, but on the main road above. 



I had hardly been a quarter of an hour at my post when I 

 heard a bear moving slowly by in front of me, not more 

 than twenty yards off. I put up my gun and followed him; 

 but though Master " Petz " kept before me like a shadow, 

 the foliage was so thick that there was not a hand's breadth 

 of open space, and it would have been impossible to make a 

 certain shot. 



For some minutes I lost sight of him, and only heard his 

 heavy tread in front of my neighbour; but he soon came back 

 again, and now passed before me rather faster; but again it 

 was impossible to shoot. However, when he had vanished for 

 the second time, I consoled myself with the idea that he would 

 end by bolting across the path near my post, though unfor- 

 tunately my expectations were not realized. 



Towards the close of the beat a large black bear broke back 

 through the beaters, and a small two-year-old crossed the 

 path close to Baron S., the second gun on my left, who rolled 

 it over with a well-aimed ball through its head. 



We next drove an adjoining cover, where a medium-sized 

 bear crossed the little footpath near Baron A. B. It received 

 a ball probably in the intestines, and responded to the shot 

 with loud growls ; but as it was raining rather hard the 

 traces of blood, which, after all, were but slight, could not be 

 followed long, so we determined to drive the copse-wood which 

 was connected with this beat. 



The wounded bear w r as not encountered, but an uninjured 

 and somewhat larger one crossed the path close to my neigh- 

 bour Count M., and even halted at the edge of the opposite 

 cover ; but it was unluckily so directly in a line with the next 

 gun that it could not be fired at. We had therefore met 

 with four bears on this one day. 



On the 30th the rain fell in torrents, the mist hung low 



