IN THE WURDWAN. 51 



to move nearer, under the impression that the deer had 

 gone lower down the hollow ; making for the edge of 

 which, we became suddenly conscious of the presence of 

 our game, who had been all the time in front of our late 

 position, concealed by the rising ground. One, a fine 

 doe, turned round, pausing, and presenting a broadside, 

 hurriedly I grasped a rifle, put up a sight, and fired, only 

 to miss. The affrighted animal, giving a prodigious 

 bound, hurried after the others up the hill, pausing and 

 turning, now and again, to gaze back upon their intruders. 

 I put the Whitworth up, once or twice, but forbore to 

 fire. 



This great disappointment resulted from a mistake on 

 the part of Subhan who, in his eagerness, did not exercise 

 his usual cautious approach, reconnoitring all around, 

 but advanced direct on the point where he thought to 

 find the game. Following them, we came to a deep 

 ravine, forbidding further advance in that direction : the 

 chasm, coming down from the summit of the mountain, 

 widening as it descended, defied, I thought, any efforts 

 of mine. 



A violent shower of rain coming on, compelled us to 

 seek shelter, such as we could find. The shikarries, all 

 three, tried to screen themselves behind a large fir : I got 

 capital shelter to leeward of a fallen pine, whose massive 

 roots, upturned with the earth about them, afforded good 

 covert. I was about twenty yards from the shikarries 

 who suddenly all jumped up, calling out to me, " Saheb, 

 Saheb," and rushed, terror stricken, each, gun in hand, to 

 me for refuge, and squatted down, cowering and exclaim- 

 ing, " Balloo, Balloo," the bear, the bear pointing to 

 the tree from which they had just bolted. I had already 

 ordered them to be quiet and give me a gun, all of which 

 they grasped, and, in their terror, made no effort to un- 



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