106 SHIKAR 



guide them, gave up the chase, and, without examining 

 the neighbouring bushes, turned back towards camp. 

 Aware of the utter uselessness, from former experience, 

 of endeavouring to incline them to continue the search, I 

 went silently back. 



20th June. We made an early start towards Shugke- 

 nuz. Mooktoo espied two bears in the old place where 

 three were seen on our first coming this way, and on that 

 evening I wounded two. We resolved to try for them, 

 and, continuing our route on towards the bridge, I dis- 

 covered another high up on our right. We started up, a 

 long and tiresome climb before us ; when, getting near 

 the place where we had seen the bear, we found it had 

 moved to the opposite side of the ravine. Our side was 

 very difficult to move on, having a very steep and smooth 

 surface, but bushes to screen us. The bear was wonder- 

 fully 'cute of hearing, turning at every snap of a dry twig. 

 I made sure it would be off, but advanced with every 

 caution to a spot where some slight noise was unavoidable, 

 and could not get nearer without being exposed to view. 

 Here Bruin, having looked up and reconnoitred repeat- 

 edly, moved upwards ; then across the ravine, heading 

 towards us. Mooktoo, excited^ declared it to be coming 

 towards us, so I took up as comfortable a position as I 

 could, and prepared rifle. Sure enough Bruin's head 

 appeared over a ridge, coming right for us. He halted, 

 and scrutinized our locality, then advanced and paused ; 

 when crack! and over and over it rolled down the 

 ravine. 



It was a female. And the hunters account for its 

 strange approach to us, by its having from the sound 

 imagined its male friend to be at hand, which individual 

 I had the honour to represent, so little to the satisfaction 

 of the expectant fair one. 



