70 



SHIKAR 



turned into the jungle, apparently to seek an open 

 feeding ground just visible beyond, and where we expected 

 him. Subhan went forward to watch him, and soon 

 beckoned us on. We overtook him, and cautiously 

 skirted a patch of jungle, prying into it ; when Bruin, 

 suddenly emerging from behind a projecting bank, twig- 

 ged us, and was off as rapidly as his awkward gait 

 permitted. He was noticed, however, pausing some 

 distance off in the jungle up the hill. Putting up a sight, 

 I fired, and down he came towards us, evidently hit we 

 thought. I fired again at a glimpse of him through a 

 bush : after which he was seen by the shikarries slowly 

 trudging up the hill through the snow and bushes, 

 shaking his head from side to side, as though, at least, 

 highly disapproving our proceedings, if not actually a 

 severe sufferer. 



Two shikarries, confident he was hit, entered the 

 bushes to track him. Phuttoo and I remained : and 

 presently we saw another bear a long way up the ravine 

 scoring the mountain on whose side we were. We 

 signalled the others to us, and then proceeded to stalk 

 the new comer, who, however, on our raising our heads 

 to arrange for assault and battery, had wisely disappeared ; 

 but in his place was a musk deer, ' kustoora,' which I 

 wounded. The poor creature scrambled off, one hind 

 leg broken. Subhan with a rifle pursued, and overtaking 

 the chase fired both barrels at some ten yards without 

 effect. He then got above the deer, and kept it down 

 the hollow, the poor thing making astonishing efforts to 

 escape; which it would have done down the valley, but 

 for an attendant there stationed, who, being hailed, 

 joined in the chase, and turned the animal up towards me 

 who, by the help of two mountain staves, was descending 

 rapidly to the scene of action, followed by Phuttoo. 



