146 BENIGHTED ON THE HILL. 



evinced, as they ran grunting and sniffing about their 

 defunct parent, was quite touching to behold. Even on 

 observing us as we approached they seemed very unwilling 

 to leave her. When they at last made up their mind to do 

 so, they merely retired into an adjacent patch of wood, where 

 they continued their whining lamentations, occasionally ven- 

 turing out a few yards to stand upright and watch us as we 

 ruthlessly stripped their dam of her hairy coat, and did not 

 take their final departure until we gave chase, thinking we 

 might capture them. Although they were too small to shoot, 

 they were quite knowing enough not to allow themselves to 

 be caught. 



By the time we had finished skinning the bears, the short 

 twilight had deepened almost into darkness. As we had still 

 far to go, we got benighted on the hill, and had some difficulty 

 in finding our way down to a small hamlet. Here we pro- 

 cured torches made of bits of resinous pine-wood, and, with 

 their light, soon reached our camp about a mile farther on, 

 after having been on the hill for sixteen hours. 



As I knew that my shooting chum and another sportsman 

 also were hunting somewhere higher up the valley, we could 

 not proceed much farther in that direction without trespass- 

 ing on their beats. After a consultation with Ramzan, he 

 recommended our moving only a few miles farther on to a 

 place where there were two or three log-huts, the highest 

 habitations in the glen, and then striking off' on to the range 

 above them, where he thought we should be pretty sure to 

 find big bucks. Leaving the tents where they stood, some 

 blankets and other necessaries for passing a few days on the 

 hill were rolled up, and the same evening we reached the 

 huts. A fine brown bear, which we came upon shortly after 

 leaving the hot spring, was summarily disposed of. 



Accompanied by a guide from the huts, next morning we 

 were far up the mountain-side ere the sun topped the multi- 

 form crests rising along the ridge of eternal snow and lighted 



