174 THE FORESTS OF UPPER INDIA 



where bears were common, who had had the entire flesh 

 of their scalps, heads, or faces torn away from the skull, 

 and were the most ghastly objects to look at — those few, 

 that is, who survived a bear's mauling. I cannot con- 

 ceive a more frightful fate than to get into such clutches. 

 Having been asked to prescribe for one or two cases, I 

 could do very little to alleviate such suffering ; but the 

 sight inspired me with a proper dread of getting to too 

 close quarters with Bruin. He is said to be a harmless 

 vegetable-eater, and not to be difficult to shoot, and some 

 sportsmen who tell very big tiger stories affect to despise 

 bear shooting as not worth much ; but I should myself 

 always treat a bear with the greatest respect, go for him 

 well armed, and shoot him as early as I got the chance, 

 if possible in the white horseshoe mark in his chest, which 

 is the surest place to get at his heart. 



Bears seem to be nocturnal animals and rather short- 

 sighted by dayhght. On one occasion I came on two 

 large bears grubbing for acorns on the side of a ravine. 

 They went on with their occupation, not seeing me, though 

 I attempted no concealment. I fired at one at about lOO 

 yards, and hit him in the muscle of the forearm. Im- 

 mediately he felt the bullet he turned, with an awful 

 yell of pain and rage, on the other bear, which was inno- 

 cently following him, and gave him a tremendous hiding, 

 the two roaring and rolling down the ravine together, 

 luckily not in my direction. A female bear with cubs 

 is by no means very safe to approach. She will perform 

 great feats of valour in defence of her cubs. 



The hill bear is a more dangerous animal than that of 

 the plains, and fears man less, and will go for a man if he 

 can't get clear away. I have hunted the grizzly bear 

 in the Rocky Mountains, but much the biggest and 

 heaviest bear I have come across was a Himalayan bear. 



