

36 BEARS. 



second rifle, we followed the track to within a mile of the 

 Tippicado road, and then desisted, as it was past mid-day 

 we had not breakfasted and the bungalow was six miles 

 off. Next day news arrived that the bear had been found 

 dead near a police station on the road, close to where we 

 left off the pursuit, and that, in addition to a wound in the 

 neck, it had been hit twice in the body. Even when in 

 full view of its real enemy it is very odd how a bear will 

 always go for its companion. I remember on one occasion 

 two friends were out with me and we were beating a steep 

 slope, covered with thick jungle, into which three bears 

 had been marked. The beaters began at the bottom of the 

 hill to beat up towards us, our movements being controlled 

 by the head shikari from the opposite plateau, who 

 signalled which way the bears were going, the jungle 

 being too thick for us to see them till they emerged on the 

 open ground at the top, which they did within ten yards 

 of us. Each man took his bear and fired ; they all rolled 

 over wounded but got up again, whereupon the two flank 

 bears with one accord attacked the centre one ferociously, 

 and the huge mass began to roll down the hill under the 

 close fire of our rifles. We were within a few yards of them 

 in open ground, and they could not have helped seeing us. 

 It is very amusing to watch a party of bears returning 

 from their forays in the early morning; they are often as 

 full of fun as monkeys, and it is hard to fire at them after 

 enjoying a view of their uncouth but amusing gambols. 

 As with human beings, there is generally one member of 

 the party who is a butt for the others, and who is conse- 

 quently subjected to a lot of rough usage. I remember 

 one morning seeing three bears coming across a maidan 

 towards a rocky hill on which I was posted close to their 

 fastnesses. They behaved in such a ridiculous manner 



