SEARS. 23 



which resulted in his falling, pierced by many bullets, far 

 out in the maidan. He was a very fine male bear, with a 

 sleek and handsome skin, quite different to the ordinary 

 kind. 



There was no news of tigers, so next day after tiffin up- 

 started on the elephant for the same ground. On the 

 way we came to a small hill, crowned by a heap of 

 boulders, which projected down the slope on one side till 

 it reached a neck or coll, some fifty yards long, which 

 connected it with another and smaller hill covered with 

 scrub jungle and detached rocks. We were posted on the 

 neck at the start, but in the stress of the action that 

 followed, the two guns on my left gradually moved farther 

 back and to their left. It was an insignificant looking 

 spot, and we had passed it by the previous afternoon, not 

 considering it worth beating. The beaters advanced from 

 the far side of the hill in our front, and on arriving at the 

 rocks plied them with fireworks, soon forcing out a bear, 

 which came straight down the hill and thence along the 

 coll, passing within twenty yards of me on the left but 

 I could not fire, as he was heading straight for Poulton's 

 post, which commanded mine. I heard him fire three 

 shots, and then Manley on the extreme left opened fire ; 

 but, being unable to move from the rock I was posted on, 

 without running the chance of stopping a stray bullet, 

 all that was going on in that direction was unseen by 

 me. Immediately the firing ceased another bear descended 

 by the same path as his predecessor, but inclined slightly 

 to the right and halted. My shot struck him somcwlu'iv. 

 and he then took the same line as the first bear, down 

 to Poulton whom I momentarily expected to fire ; but 

 it subsequently transpired that he had left his ground 

 in order to examine the body of the first bear, which, 



