166 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS. 



not being in our pay, and in no way imbued with the love of a 

 woodland life, sighed for the bazaars and flesh-pots of Indore. 

 These gentlemen no doubt gave the cue to the rest of the party, 

 and we were constrained to retrace our steps. We had still two 

 days more of leave, and these we determined to spend at our 

 first camping-ground. The camp was therefore struck, and 

 the tents and servants sent off by the most direct line. 

 Taking our gun-bearers and a few of the aborigines who had 

 joined us, we made a wide circuit through a very singular 

 country. The whole of the grass had been burnt, and, in 

 many parts, the surface of the ground was nothing but a sort 

 of black freestone, which had, when in its liquid state, become 

 mixed up with minute veins of quartz. The freestone had 

 worn down under the combined effects of wind and weather, 

 while the thin ridges of quartz stood out as sharp as knives, 

 and were most destructive to our boots. Emerging from a 

 small ravine, we came in full view of a large herd of sambur, 

 headed by a noble stag. They stood watching us, but were 

 too far to risk a shot ; and, after a short time, they went off, 

 the hinds leading, then the smaller stags, and, in rear of all, 

 the monarch of the herd. 



None of the natives with us had any pretensions to being 

 shikarees, and we wandered on in a purposeless manner, 

 only endeavouring to eke out the day till our servants should 

 have time to arrive and pitch the tent. As we ascended a 

 rocky eminence we saw a large bear slink off, scared by the 

 noise made by our followers. We found his seat, and to 

 judge from the polished appearance of the rock it had been 

 the resting-place of his ancestors for many generations, and 

 possibly for centuries. It was on a slightly concave piece of 

 rock, over which stood an enormous stone, resting on two or 

 three points, and affording ways of escape on at least two sides. 



