204 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SHIKAR 



I thought it was the dead one and that this was the 

 side entrance, and was just going to walk in when 

 they shouted to me to stop. This was another bear 

 altogether. I retired quickly ! but they wanted me 

 to shoot into the hole. As nothing was to be seen 

 but a black paw, shooting was out of the question 

 from where I stood. The men were all shouting at 

 the top of their voices and I could not make myself 

 heard for a minute. When there was silence I said 

 I would climb over the rock above his lair, and they 

 must throw stones in from high rocks opposite. I 

 put my foot upon a stone to climb, found I wanted 

 both hands to pull myself up, so handed the rifle 

 for a second to a coolie. 



I fancy the sudden silence and quiet made the bear 

 think that now was his chance for escape. At that 

 critical moment I saw his head and shoulders appear 

 from his sheltering rock and heard a terrific, angry 

 roar. There were two other ways open for him to 

 get away, but he came straight for me. There 

 was a small opening behind me that perhaps I 

 might have jumped into backwards, but the thought 

 flashed through me, " Don't go there, it is probably 

 the cave he is making for/' I was facing him and in 

 an instant he had knocked me flat on my back, 

 seized my thigh in his mouth and was shaking and 

 worrying it as a terrier does a rat. 



I had fallen between two rocks with my heels 

 rather higher than my head, and I think that this 

 knocked my topi right over my eyes, as I saw nothing. 

 The bear dropped my leg, I felt that, and then came 

 for my head this a man told me afterwards 



