154 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SHIKAR 



them before, but they went quite wild about them, 

 strained against their ropes and tried to get all that 

 we had. The next morning they had not forgotten 

 about them, and were all expectancy when we went 

 out, whinnying and stamping in their impatience, 

 and nearly tearing out the pegs of their head and heel 

 ropes, so that the syces had to come and hold them. 

 They had quite a feast of bananas as long as they 

 lasted, but we threw away the skins for fear they 

 might choke themselves in their excitement. Sugar- 

 cane, of course, they always loved, but it was not a 

 patch on bananas. 



Louisa had a good deal of fever all this time, so 

 could not enjoy the life as much as I hoped she 

 would, and she had to go back for change of air and 

 the shelter of a bungalow. 



We were together once again for a few weeks in 

 the Central Provinces. The forest ranger told us 

 he had received word that some women, on several 

 occasions, had been attacked by bears as they were 

 gathering sticks, and one woman's face had been 

 torn down by one and that they dare not go out into 

 the jungle. The place, Kukrikone, was some miles 

 away and the village men would be all ready to beat 

 whenever we would come, being only too anxious that 

 the bears should be killed. 



We started off one morning for Kukrikone and, 

 I remember, on the way there came on a very heavy 

 shower, and a forest guard rushed up to me with an 

 open umbrella, which very much disconcerted poor 

 Fanny. I had to let it drop as quickly and quietly 

 as I could. The beaters were all ready and waiting 



