no DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SHIKAR 



bear's grease, which is very useful for cleaning and 

 keeping the guns in order. The Collector had been 

 good enough to send word to the local people to 

 help me, and the Kulkani arrived with a small 

 following. He was the spokesman of the party and 

 made a speech in English which he must have pre- 

 pared for the occasion. 



He said he lived a mile or two away, but as long 

 as I stayed there he would stay there too. We talked 

 for some time and watched the skinning, and when 

 I thought we had exhausted our conversation I 

 said : 



" If you have anything of importance to do now 

 at home you need not stay any longer/' He said, 

 " No, my only pleasure is to stay with you ! " I 

 felt sorry for him, as evidently he was very much 

 bored at having to stay there according to orders, 

 and life could not have contained many charms for 

 him if this was all. But he fortunately added : 

 " But if your Majesty will allow I will go for one hour 

 to take my food/' My Majesty let him. 



We went out early next day for some miles along 

 the hill-tops, but saw nothing. Esuf said that we 

 had better stay there for the day, and then watch 

 for the bears to come out in the evening ; so he sent 

 back to camp for some food and bustled me into a 

 cave to eat breakfast, as it came on to rain. He was 

 rather pleased to see the rain, as he said the aswol 

 would come out to feed all the sooner, and he 

 stationed men to watch the hills from various points. 

 Early in the afternoon a man signalled that there was 

 a bear in the bushes close to the top of the hill, and 



