170 The Hunting Grounds 



CHAPTEE XL 



BEAR-HUNTING. 



We start for the Bear Hill. The reconnaissance. Bears afoot. 

 Their strongholds invested. A foraging party surprised. 

 Two bears die. Three more afoot. Another couple yield 

 their spoils. Desperate encounter with an enraged vixen, 

 who almost proved a Tartar." The Old Shekarry" in a fix for 

 a time, but wins the game at last. The bag of the day. 

 The return. 



THE next morning we were all up and equipped 

 for sport by 2 A.M., and, after a substantial feed, 

 started for the Bear Hill on foot, as the villagers said 

 the route was difficult for horses. 



At this season of the year the night is not at any 

 time dark, and we managed to get along very well in 

 Indian file, although the path was very narrow, and 

 in some places we had to crawl along on our hands 

 and knees. We arrived at the foot of the hill some 

 time before sunrise, and here I halted the party, which 

 numbered about twenty Coolies and villagers, and 



telling B to prevent any of them from straying, 



and to keep as quiet as possible, I went forward to 



