IX HE A V V RAIN IN KHA LTAR 139 



But rain came on during the night, and continued for 

 some time after daylight on the loth, and as mists were 

 blowing about, and the wind was never steady in one 

 direction for more than half an hour or so, it was im- 

 possible to do anything. The herd had, however, again 

 been sighted, and had again gone into the same wood, 

 so we resolved to go up in the afternoon, on the off- 

 chance of a shot if it came out at a reasonable hour. 

 We did accordingly, and had a couple of hours of dis- 

 comfort owing to the rain and mist, sitting on the wet 

 ground, with dripping pines and cedars around us. It 

 was unpleasantly cold, as we were close to the snow-line, 

 and sleet came down at intervals. After a considerable 

 wait, the mist became worse and we gave it up, and came 

 down, slipping about badly on the muddy hillsides, on 

 which grass shoes are no manner of use. The tent, 

 though only a single fly, kept out rain admirably, I found, 

 and though everything outside was sopping, my things 

 inside w^ere dry as a bone. 



That evening Sultan Ali, who had been sent after 

 the wounded bear, arrived with the skin. The bear had 

 been hit on the 30th of April, and the man had been sent 

 off on the following day. He began to hunt on the 2nd 

 of May, and found the bear on the 9th, he said. He 

 tracked it by the blood for a long way, and then searched 

 likely places around when the blood tracks were no longer 

 visible. The animal was finally descried asleep under 

 a rock, and the men climbing cautiously up the rock, 

 had dropped a stone on the brute's head and killed it. 

 I found that one of the .303 bullets had gone through 

 one hind leg. Consequently the beast must have been 



