ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 77 



We made first for these hills at Wuggeria, but on inquiring 

 for the old shikaree, we were informed that he had gone to 

 the happy hunting-grounds, so we had to procure another 

 guide. Early next morning we ascended one of the hills, with 

 some men from the village, and carefully examined all the 

 rocks along the crest. We had been looking down from one 

 spot, where there were large masses of rocks, and seeing no- 

 thing, we had moved away some paces, when we were startled 

 by the discharge of a matchlock just behind us. We hurried 

 back, and found one of the villagers seated on the edge of the 

 rock, whence he had fired at a hyaena. As we were scolding 

 him for shooting without orders, six or seven hyaenas ran out 

 from the rocks below us, and made off down the hill. The 

 noise we had made alarmed a large bear, which had been also 

 lying among the rocks, and it made a rush for its cave, which 

 was close by. We opened fire, and, confused by our shots, the 

 bear went at a hole too small to admit it ; and as it struggled 

 in the entrance, we emptied our remaining barrels. It man- 

 aged, however, to withdraw its body, and disappeared under a 

 huge mass of rock. Beneath this was a cave, having another 

 small opening tending upwards to the edge of the rock, and 

 having on its immediate left a perpendicular mass of stone, 

 many feet in height. We could hear the bear in the cave 

 below ; and on looking down through the opening above men- 

 tioned, I could see its eyes below me. From the position of 

 the hole, however, I could not get my rifle to bear upon him, 

 except by firing from the left shoulder. This I did ; and from 

 the struggles below, we knew that the shot had taken effect. 

 After some time, one of my horse-keepers who was with us got 

 down to the spot where the bear had entered, and, taking a 

 knife in his teeth, he crawled in. I followed him, and we 

 found ourselves in a small cave, the end of which was blocked 



