IN THE LAND OF THE BORA. 229 



up and shambled slowly off, his right side being 

 towards us this time. Two or three shots only 

 had the effect of inakiug him turn half viciously 

 on the nearest of his persecutors. Then he w T ent 

 on a little further and disappeared. Advancing 

 cautiously, we found him lying at the bottom of 

 a natural pit some twenty feet deep, where the 

 forester, after two or three shots, despatched him 

 with one in the ear. When the beaters came, we 

 hauled him out. He had altogether eight bullet 

 marks on him, of which I had little hesitation in 

 claiming two large round ones on the hinder part 

 of the left shoulder-blade as those of my shot-and- 

 ball gun. None of the others except the last were 

 well placed, but there was one through the back 

 which had glanced off a rib. Consequently I was 

 rather surprised when the general claimed first 

 blood. It seems he had fired simultaneously with 

 myself, and very possibly the shot in the back was 

 his, as he fired from above ; but, I may remark, 

 so did the forester into the pit. I subsequently 

 asked for the bullets taken from the animal, but 

 did not succeed in getting them. Nevertheless, I 

 never had less hesitation in claiming a head of big 

 game. 



The beat being over, the guns assembled. 

 H.I.H. took his bad luck like a sportsman, and 

 refused the pelt, which however was sent with him 

 the next day. The bear proved to be a small male, 



