OF THE OLD WORLD. 75 



perhaps, thinking the Millennium was at hand, from 

 the terrific noise made by the beaters. 



Suddenly, cries were heard along the line of 

 " Eeech, Eeech ! " " Yellago bunte ! " (a bear, a 

 bear !) And almost immediately a large female 

 bear and her two cubs came rolling along the line 

 of beaters towards us. 



The doctor gave a fiendish yell, and, unable to 

 restrain his impetuosity, let drive and hit one of 

 the cubs which passed within six paces of him — the 

 recoil of the piece, for which he was not prepared, 

 knocking him down on the broad of his back. The 

 enraged mother charged right at him, overturning 

 a beater in her course, and in a moment more she 

 would have given him a severe mauling, if I had 

 not tumbled her over, dead, with a ball behind the 

 shoulder, as she was in full career towards her fallen 

 enemy. Bones picked himself up, and, though con- 

 siderably shaken by his fall, rushed frantically to 

 secure his prize, which was struggling in the agonies 

 of death. The other cub was caught alive by one 

 of the beaters. 



I reloaded my rifle, and then took the doctor to 

 task for firing on the lesser game ; but it was of no 

 use talking to him, he evidently considered he had 

 performed a great feat, and, although tears ran 

 down his good-natured old face as he wrung my 

 hand and thanked me over and over again for my 

 lucky shot, still he felt he was quite a hero, and 

 shouted at the top of his voice for the rest to hear 



