IN THE WTJRDWAN. 79 



fortunate the other morning, losing two wounded bears 

 a lovely, bright, frosty morning, following a bitter cold 

 night. Nature was all smile and sparkle, the freshness 

 of the air, and surrounding beauties of scenery, furnish- 

 ing an ample stock from which to draw abundant 

 enjoyment without the addition of other stimulus. 



But, from the first height on which we stopped to 

 examine the surrounding ground a bear was espied in 

 motion. He stopped in a grassy hollow to feed ; so, the 

 mode of approach having been determined, we ascended 

 until in his immediate neighbourhood, and, it being 

 ascertained he was still on that spot, I took up position, 

 and saluted him with a missile from Whitworth. He 

 flinched, and made off: but two successive shots from the 

 Enfield rolled him over stone dead. The first shot had 

 passed through his body. He was rolled down the hill-side 

 to be skinned ; and, there leaving him, we continued our 

 search for more victims, but unsuccessfully, so returned 

 to camp. 



31st May. Before starting this morning I was 

 informed by the sepoy attending me, who with two coolies 

 had been sent yesterday down the valley to Busman to 

 procure two sheep and other supplies for the onward 

 journey, that he had selected I suppose, seized on two 

 sheep, when the villagers collecting set upon him, abused 

 and beat him and the coolies, setting his authority as the 

 Maharajah's servant and my attendant at defiance. 

 This outrage created intense indignation. The shikarries 

 were profuse in their abuse, and suggested all sorts of 

 retaliation. It being necessary that something should 

 be done to vindicate my dignity, and also to prevent a 

 repetition of such misconduct which, if permitted to go 

 unpunished, would prevent Europeans coming into the 

 valley at all, I announced my intention of sending in the 



