In Gurwal 



of ice, diversified by precipices. Here, however, 

 I declined to agree. I was stiff all over with 

 cold, and felt that, after a night, I should be stiff 

 altogether. A watercourse was the only possible 

 route, and we started down one. Had it hap- 

 pened to possess a waterfall there were several 

 not far short of 1000 feet high about here we 

 must have endeavoured to get back to our rock. 

 There was a foaming torrent now, knee deep, 

 and almost taking us off our legs. Another hail- 

 storm coinciding with an almost impossible place 

 added to our woes. Hira Singh gets across some- 

 how, handing me his rifle, then, giving mine to 

 him, I am about to follow when a shout comes 

 from the tiffin coolie behind, and, looking up, I 

 see two black bears watching us with interest 

 some thirty yards only, above. By the time I 

 had regained my rifle they had shambled off, but, 

 stumbling up to where they had been, I saw one, 

 still close, looking back. I was so cold that I 

 could scarcely feel the trigger, and the muzzle 

 of my rifle was describing circles. I missed him 

 clean, and thinking it over afterwards, I am sure 

 it was as well. It is always risky to fire at a bear 

 directly above for obvious reasons, but under my 

 frozen conditions, and considering the state of the 

 ground, it was dangerous. The bears went off 

 grumbling, and I was so demoralized that I 

 promptly lost further interest in them, and set 



57 



