232 SPORTING AND 



I sent a messenger for Smith, who was 

 full of congratulations on my presence of 

 mind. He then gave me a more explicit 

 account of his adventure with the bear 

 than I had from the man who gave me 

 the news, and I found he had had a much 

 more narrow escape than I imagined. 

 It appeared the brute had actually 

 knocked him down and was about to 

 lay hold of him, when the shikari went 

 to his assistance, and, only for the prompt- 

 ness of the sportsman, it would have gone 

 hard with my poor friend. When Smith 

 first saw the bear he was going from him, 

 so that he could only see his back ; firing 

 on the spur of the moment, he only hit 

 him in the rump, when the bear, without 

 a moment's hesitation, charged him, and 

 he fired the second barrel without taking 

 any aim ; of course he missed, and on 



