IN THE WURDWAN. 105 



way off in rough and difficult ground, I declined going 

 after him, but sanctioned the attempt on the part of Sub- 

 han and Mooktoo, Phuttoo and I taking up a good position 

 to see the fun. After a time we heard three shots in rapid 

 succession ; then saw the bear coming towards us. He 

 sheered off, and went best pace up hill, evidently unscathed. 

 Soon after, the hunters appeared, Mooktoo as usual shirk- 

 ing the hard work, and Subhan climbing the heights 

 manfully, as though he intended to catch Bruin. At last 

 they rejoined us. 



In the evening we retraced our steps, and at length 

 saw an old and a young bear far ahead of us. Having 

 reached their whereabouts at dusk, I doubted whether to 

 go after them ; but, Subhan catching sight of them, I 

 buckled to, and climbed the steep. We found our game, 

 the young one only being visible at first, right under us : 

 then the old one was detected also, and I fired down on 

 her, aiming at and striking her between the shoulders, 

 knocking her over : then, aiming at the young one, the 

 gun did not go off, the cap, I fancy, having fallen off. 

 The old bear scrambled up close to us, uttering fierce 

 growls ; then turned and made off. I fired two shots, 

 one breaking a hind leg. Subhan pursued. The young 

 one, a queer looking little brute, sat eyeing us from a 

 height opposite, and I would not allow Mooktoo to fire at 

 him. We followed the chase, and found the bear had 

 fallen down hill into the jungle close by the river. It 

 was too late and too dark to look for her then, so we took 

 the route to camp, all feeling sure of finding her dead in 

 the morning. 



19th June. Off to retrieve the wounded bear. We 

 got on its tracks, there being much blood on the trail, and 

 tracked through a bit of jungle into some wet bushy 

 ground, where the shikarries, no longer finding blood to 



