A MOONLIGHT SHOT. 9 



bend of the river ; the oldest stag bringing up 

 the rear, and occasionally butting a younger one, 

 or bringing to order some recalcitrant member of 

 his harem who seemed inclined to stray. On they 

 come, and, keeping quite motionless and peering 

 through the interstices of my screen, I see them 

 all drink and then depart, ignorant that within a 

 few feet of them lay their enemy, man, armed 

 with the death-dealing tube they had such cause 

 to dread. 



Then came a long pause, and, being weary of 

 watching, I had dozed off when 1 was awoke by 

 Lutchman pressing my arm, and pointing down 

 in the direction of the water. Silently cocking 

 my rifle, I look and see, to my intense delight, 

 a dark, shadowy form scrambling down the oppo- 

 site bank, sending down in its passage quite a 

 little avalanche of earth and pebbles. Is it ? 

 Yes, by Jove ! it is a bear, coming straight on to 

 me too. What luck ! The breeze, such as there 

 is, is from her, and so there is no chance of my 

 being winded. On she comes, slowly, till at last 

 she reaches the brink of the pool, and, looking up 

 and down for a moment, begins to drink. Now 

 is my time. Slowly rising, I aim between her 

 shoulders and pull. As the smoke clears away, 

 and the echoes of the report cease from rever- 

 berating through the jungle, I see her lying stone 



