THE FIRST BEAR 



playful pat which would put the recipient out of action 

 for the remainder of the trip. Somehow, the idea did 

 not seem cheering on a pitch-black night. 



A glance at our horses, which were tethered near 

 by, reassured us. They were quite quiet, a sure sign 

 that up till then they had not got the wind of any bears ; 

 so, after putting a bell on one of them, we turned them 

 loose for the night — imagine doing a similar thing in 

 Africa ! — and prepared for bed ourselves. 



But before we got into our blankets we took the 

 precaution of carrying everything eatable into the 

 tent. The rest of our gear we stowed in our little 

 four-wheeled cart. For a while we lay smoking and 

 exchanging hunting experiences, then said " Good 

 night," and I for one went fast asleep. In less than 

 an hour, however, I awoke with a start. For a moment 

 I could not recall where I was, could not imagine what 

 was happening. Tins seemed to be rattling everywhere 

 outside. Dick Randall was awake too. " It 's a bear," 

 he growled ; then, as though it were a matter of slight 

 importance, he banged the side of the tent with his 

 fist and shouted to the intruder to make himself 

 scarce. A shuffling of feet and more rattling of tins 

 showed that the order was being obeyed. I wish one 

 could deal with the prowlers of Africa in that simple 

 manner. We were soon asleep again; but in the 

 morning, when I went to fetch water, I came right 

 on Mr. Bear at a turn in the path. He stared at me 



293 



