SHOOTING BY DAY. 227 



we found a few drops of blood on the trail of the others, and 

 picked up a bit of broken bone which appeared to have been 

 some part of a hind or fore-paw. Cutting down a number 

 of boughs with our heavy knives and " kookree," we pulled 

 the carcases together and covered them up completely, tying 

 a pocket handkerchief to a twig on the top of the heap. 



Having re-charged the rifles we took the path camp- 

 wards in single file, and had gone on our way half a mile, 

 and were passing some low scrub, consisting of "karinda" 

 and dwarf plum bushes growing among deep precipitous 

 water-courses and ravines, when quite suddenly a mass of 

 black fur appeared on the left of the path, and running across 

 it with loud snorts of anger and surprise, made straight at 

 ine as I led, and upon receiving a shot bolted down a hollow 

 and disappeared in its gloomy bottom before the second 

 barrel could be fired except at random. Nothing more was 

 seen or heard of this bear that night, but on taking up its 

 bloody trail early next morning and following it to a wooded 

 little hill, a couple of miles from the scene of the rencontre, 

 we saw rather more of her than was at first agreeable, for she 

 suddenly sprang up and making at a tracker who was stoop- 

 ing low and slowly moving on her almost obliterated trail, 

 knocked him over on his back with a fierce growl ; she then 

 tore off his " pugree " with a blow of her pretty paw, and 

 made off with it in her mouth, chasing the next man round 

 to where I and others were tracking up what proved to be a 

 trail more than twenty-four hours old. Hearing the cries 

 of men and the angry growls of the bear, I looked up and 

 espied the hunted and the hunter just clearing some rocks on 

 my left, the bear within ten paces of the man, who turned 

 sharply in iny direction on perceiving me. Both came on at a 

 great pace, the biped lean and active, keeping the lead fairly 

 well, and making for the point where I and my gun carrier 

 stood watching for an opening to cut in effectually, but this 

 could not be done for some seconds, the man and bear being 

 too much on a line for a safe long shot. Shouting to the 

 pursued to run a little to his right, I advanced a few paces 



Q 2 



