XIII THE THIRD RED BEAR 207 



loaded the Lee-Metford by filling up the magazine, but for 

 fear of accidents had not put a cartridge in the breech, and 

 had left the lid of the magazine shut down. When about 

 up to the height at which the bear had been seen, we 

 proceeded more cautiously, and began peering about in the 

 twilight amongst the cedars as we came up to the top of 

 each small ridge. We had gone over some two or three 

 of these, when I trod on a dry twig, and the crack sounded 

 ominously loud in the stillness. The next moment, in the 

 comparative gloom made by the dark branches, I heard 

 a rustle in front, and going a step forward, made out a 

 large brown bear standing about 6 yards off, broadside on, 

 with his head turned towards us. I quickly loosened the 

 cover of the magazine, and opening the breech and 

 jamming in a cartridge brought the weapon to my 

 shoulder, and, without attempting to align the sights, 

 which in the darkness would have been impossible, fired 

 at where I concluded the heart should be. The bear 

 with a grunt swung round to the shot and attempted to 

 make off, but falling at once in the effort, went rolling 

 down till brought up by something. We followed and 

 found that he had been stopped by a stump, and was stone 

 dead. Abdulla then proposed that he should be rolled 

 further down, so when he and I had gone lower, so as to 

 stop the body and prevent it from going over the edge into 

 the stream below, the coolie set the bear free, and he came 

 rolling over and over to where we were. We just managed 

 to stop him with our alpenstocks, and then leaving him 

 there, made our way back to the right bank. When 

 starting for the stalk I had' told the men to bring the 

 camp down to the neighbourhood of the river, that we 



