319 



ABOUT BEARS. 



WHEN Kahmat, shikari, walked into Gilgit from a 

 day on the hillside with the seat of his breeches 

 torn out by a bear, he had not only had a 

 good pair of homespun garments spoilt, but had 

 run a narrow escape of losing his life. But in- 

 stead of being a hero for sympathy, the tale he 

 unfolded (I might say tail !) aroused nothing but 

 merriment. The fact is, that though Adamzad 

 is really a wicked villain, his rdle on the jungle 

 stage is not tragedy, and never has been since 

 his ancestors disputed lodging rights with the 

 cave man; his absurd gait, his short sight, and 

 the extraordinary noises he makes, all forbid it. 

 So, for any one not principally concerned, it is 

 as difficult to be serious over a bear adventure 

 as over a bull episode in a green English field. 



Labiatus, the sloth bear, is found in most 

 forest-covered parts of India, where human habit- 

 ations are remote, and was the member of the 

 family whose acquaintance I made first. This 



