BEARS. 21 



.associated with his name he, having discovered certain 

 haunts of bears situated in rideable country, used to go 

 out alone from Secunderabad, and have excellent sport 

 with the spear. 



In spite of the disasters of the Loashera day, we were 

 .always on the look out for a chance of retrieving our 

 reputations, and such chances did from time to time occur, 

 but of so fleeting a nature that we could never take 

 advantage of them, for, like opportunities for effective 

 action of cavalry, they were transient, and the two gallant 

 hussars who were with me never afterwards got an opening 

 for attack. 



Horses, as a rule, loathe bears, and one which will 

 enter with zest into pursuit of panther or pig, will often 

 decline a close interview with Bruin ; nor is this to be 

 wondered at, they are such ugly and ungainly looking 

 brutes when galloping, and give vent to such unearthly 

 shrieks often accompanied by hostile demonstrations with 

 the paws on the approach of the spearman that it 

 requires a more than ordinarily phlegmatic or courageous 

 horse to face them their smell, too, is very repugnant to 

 horses as well as elephants. 



My horse, a chesnut waler, an old pig- sticker, whose 

 legs bore many honourable scars of boars' tusks, would, 

 after sniffing the body of a dead tiger, step quietly over 

 it, but he always jumped over the body of a bear, declining 

 to smell it. Our shikaris assured us that at a place 

 named Jamakapett we should have ample opportunities of 

 spearing bears ; and after sundry adventures with tigers 

 and other animals, we duly arrived there in the middle of 

 May. We encamped in a mango tope, near a large tank, 

 and found the surrounding country a regular bear s 

 paradise. 



