IN THE WURDWAN. 93 



alarmed ; so an attempt we made to approach it was 

 unsuccessful. 



We made the bivouac ; and from the prolonged absence 

 of the two hunters we entertained delusive hopes that they 

 had secured the wounded bear. But not so : they came 

 in presently, having failed to get near the brute, which 

 had betaken itself to a steep craggy height. I regret 

 this loss much: he was a very large bear, of an un- 

 usually light colour, hair very long. 



6th June. Off in a direction towards my late bivouac, 

 a sharp frost and very cold. By the way, the frost was 

 so severe on Monday, that the water just poured out in a 

 pewter cup to clean my teeth was frozen over by the 

 time I had washed my hands and face pretty well for 

 the 4th of June. 



I saw nothing at all ; went nearly as far as the bridge, 

 and then returned to breakfast. Bear skins were laid 

 out to dry a sudden thought striking me, I told 

 Mooktoo I would give five rupees ' backsheesh ' for the 

 skin of the wounded bear, escaped yesterday. He and 

 Subhan have accordingly gone to try their luck, and I 

 mean to go with Phuttoo in the evening to look for the 

 bara sing in the willow bottom. 



We went a short distance, but it did not put in an ap- 

 pearance this time when wanted. The two hunters 

 returned in the evening reporting the bear to have gone 

 miles away ; but they had killed a female ibex, of which 

 feat they were very proud, and the camp and the village 

 rejoiced in the prospect of a feast of flesh ; which, how- 

 ever, looked so uninviting that I declined it, and my 

 servants, Hindoo fashion, would not eat it, because I 

 would not ; so the villagers had the more. I tipped the 

 shikarries one rupee each ; but doubt much if they took 

 up the trail of the bear. 



