THE WOOD-CUTTER'S REVENGE 



" For three long months I had waited, watching every 

 night, till at length, only five nights ago, a bear passed 

 beneath the hut on his way to the mohowa, now laden 

 with its flower-fruit. The moon was shining brightly and 

 I could see him as clearly as by day. 



" In the white light of the moon he seemed to be quite 

 black and big almost as an elephant, but his head had a 

 strange appearance as if one side of it was higher than the 

 other. This puzzled me f OK a moment, then I nearly shouted 

 out with joy, for I saw now that it was one of his ears, 

 which seemed longer than the other, that gave him the 

 strange appearance ! It was the bear I had come to seek, 

 without a doubt, but to make quite sure I waited until he 

 returned and as he passed on his way back to the forest I 

 looked more closely and found to my delight that the left 

 ear was missing, almost from its root ! 



" I watched no more that night, but too excited to 

 sleep, lay awake some hours, trying to devise some plan to 

 kill the beast, for now that I had seen him I was all the 

 more determined he should die but how, seeing that I was 

 unarmed ? 



" True I had my axe, but that was a poor weapon with 

 which to fight a bear, as I knew from sad experience, and 

 I dared not trust to it again. 



" At length, tired of trying to solve the difficulty, I 

 dropped off to sleep, but while I slept my brain had not 

 been idle, and I awoke to find the problem solved and a 

 scheme, which gave promise of success, already to my 

 hand. 



" It was then I asked the ' Huzoor ' for a gun and 

 failing to obtain it, stole one from a ' kyah ' (trader) in 

 the village, an old flint weapon only, but sufficient for the 

 purpose I had in view, for it was no part of my plan to kill 

 the bear outright ! The next day I dug a deep pit beneath 

 my tree, and in the evening, covering it over with light 

 branches, I sat up all that night waiting for my enemy to 

 come. 



" For three whole nights I watched in vain, and then 

 at last he came, slowly and with a waddling gait. His 

 footsteps doubtless directed by the evil one, he walked 

 straight towards the pit ; in another moment he was over 



119 



