THE FINISH. 161 



the bear, and before he could get hold of his 

 gun, which was lying behind him, had got some 

 distance away. He, however, then delivered a 

 broadside with telling effect, though at longish 

 range, and seizing his second gun, ran by a short 

 cut to a place he thought the beast would pass 

 under. 



The bear was closer than he expected ; for, as 

 he came up to the spot, it charged at him 

 from a distance of only a few paces on his right. 

 Turning round to meet it, he fired his gun before 

 it reached his shoulder, and fortunately dropped 

 the bear with a bullet in its mouth. A final 

 pill was soon administered, and this finished him. 



On hearing the first shots, Norman and Hawkes 

 had made a fresh start ; but the death-shout pro- 

 claimed that the game had at last succumbed, after 

 a running fight of five or six hours. 



The sun was just sinking as this desirable result 

 was attained ; and the tired sportsmen had still a 

 rough, weary trudge of some four miles before them 

 happily, however, nearly all down-hill ere they 

 could reach their tents. The whole of it was neces- 

 sarily performed on foot, as the changes and vicissi- 

 tudes of the chase had led them into a part of the 

 country far away from the place where the horses 

 had been left. 



