SPEARING VARIOUS ANIMALS 231 



nursed the pony back to health after he had carried a 

 heavy parson about forty miles a day till he gave in. 

 Where Colonel came from before that I do not know, 

 except that rumour said he had been raced and I know he 

 had by his ways. I was only keeping Colonel whilst 

 my brother was away in Burmah, and only took him out 

 as a hack for the good of his health as he pulled like sin 

 though he was as safe as a church. 



I girthed up these last two ponies and decided to make 

 up my mind which to ride at the last moment. When the 

 bear appeared the mare took no notice at all ; all the 

 others looked frightened except Colonel who seemed 

 very interested only, so that decided it and I mounted him. 

 The bear took the rocky nullah for half a mile or so, when 

 it opened out into bushy and difficult country. 



I waited till the bear was in the middle of the best bit 

 of country, and then dropped in the nullah. Out she 

 went, and I after her, certain that I was at last on a horse 

 that knew no fear. The gallant little beast went straight 

 as a die though the bear turned and waited, and I speared 

 through the shoulder, and as I passed I marvelled at the 

 slight resistance to the spear. I turned the Colonel 

 with great difficulty and brought him back, but now things 

 were altered. The bear was making an awful row, and 

 the pony was mad with excitement, and a terrible handful. 

 The bear had just crossed a deep but narrow nullah, and 

 as I cleared this I realized how it was she had survived 

 my spear. She was carrying a good-sized cub on her back 

 which I had not noticed, and I had speared too high. Up 

 went the pony again, and just as I thought I had done it, 

 the little beast swerved in and jumped at the bear like a cat 

 entirely upsetting my aim. I speared far too much over, 

 though through again ; this time it was harder still to pull 

 up and turn, and by the time I did so the bear was back in 

 the nullah, where I could not get at her so well. However 

 I got in a crossing spear through the loins and on turning 

 found her nearing the gorge with W. T. M. Wright on her 

 heels in the rocks. Bear going about three miles an hour 

 and his cur of a pony (who had heart for nothing not even 



