10 BEARS. 



back in camp before 10 a.m., and, in the absence of & gam 

 (kill), we could then proceed to tackle any bears that had 

 been spotted by the scouts. We took it in turns to stalk 

 the bear, the shooter being always accompanied by another 

 sportsman in case of his help being required. Owing to 

 the absence of good cover, the bears had often to lie down 

 on very exposed spots, and their big black bodies could be 

 easily seen from some distance. On arriving within 

 twenty yards or so, the brute would generally wake up and 

 " point " the shooter, who thereupon opened fire ; some- 

 times it would charge at once on being awoke, but the 

 result was nearly always the defeat and death of Bruin. It 

 was not considered the correct thing to fire at him when 

 asleep. The supporting rifle was very seldom called upon 

 to fire, but the bear is a long-lived brute, unless the heart 

 or brain are struck ; and I remember at this place (Bokur) 

 firing at a bear as he inspected me, not ten yards off, the 

 bullet carried away the lower part of the brain-pan, but 

 only seemed to daze him, and it was necessary to put 

 a bullet through the neck, two through the shoulders, and 

 one through the spine, before he gave up the ghost. The 

 skull of this remarkably tough bear is still in my pos- 

 session, together with several others, bearing similar traces 

 of bullet wounds. 



While here, news arrived one morning of a kill in a 

 wooded glen at Tairbund, some four miles off. The 

 villagers were particularly anxious that we should beat 

 this place, in which two man-killing bears resided, from 

 whence they used to make raids on the wood-cutters, with 

 the result that two men and a woman had been killed, but 

 not eaten, and several others severely bitten. We had 

 tied up liaylas (young buffaloes) there for tigers, there- 

 fore beating it had been deferred till a kill should be 

 reported. 



