234- SPORT IN BENGAL. 



half way up the north side, which, after steadying my hand 

 for a second or two, I hit with the right barrel, and brought 

 rolling down, whining piteously, and with the left struck 

 another, as it showed for an instant clearly between the 

 bushes, but it passed on over the hill. My comrades were 

 firing too, and I again obtained long shots at other animals* 

 but none of them proved fatal; it was, however, a lively 

 scene, the cracks of the rifles, mingling with the growls of 

 the wounded bears, and the excitement of the beaters on the 

 hill-top vehemently joined in by the drummers, raised a din 

 that must have be on heard by the sambur on " Pachait," and 

 made them prick their ears. After this, we beat back to the 

 west, searching the hill, but not a single animal, wounded or 

 unwounded, could be found, the undergrowth being at that 

 season exceedingly dense, and the caves on the hill both 

 numerous and deep, and thus the three first shot, were the 

 sole trophies. S. and I had killed two between us, I had 

 killed one, and wounded more or less severely another, besides 

 hitting two others ; my companions had seen and wounded 

 two more, so that there must have been upon the hill eight 

 bears at least, if no more. L. saw a bear break away to the 

 south-west out of shot, and he got some fun out of hyenas, 

 which insisted on running almost into his " putwa," or screen 

 of boughs and leaves, behind which he had ensconced himself. 

 We next beat a long rocky ridge a couple of miles south, 

 where we lost a large bear through our own fault in the fol- 

 lowing manner: The hill being some miles in length, we 

 posted ourselves on the crest, and down both slopes about its 

 middle, where for a little space, the bushes and " sal " trees 

 grew more thinly than elsewhere, but it was after all a bad 

 position, for we could see only a yard or two around us, the 

 covert being very thick and close beyond that distance. The 

 time was noon, and the power of the sun's rays very great 

 after a heavy shower, which had fallen and wetted us com- 

 pletely; in addition to all that, the beat being a long one 

 without feather or fur showing, we had become careless and 

 drowsy, when without a warning sound, a large bear dashed 



