THE -450 EXPRESS. 109 



open, when we had removed the skin. I found the heart divided from 

 the centre to its lower side, as it lies in the body, with a rough jagged 

 cut where the bullet had passed. Nevertheless, she had travelled about 

 twenty yards at a gallop, and lived some half minute quite time enough 

 to have given a nasty blow had she reached a human being. It taught 

 me a lesson, which I never forgot, for I always took good care to be above 

 bears when firing, thus ensuring time to load should they charge. On 

 the level or below them I believe they might often have given me " a nasty 

 one " during my subsequent wanderings, and more than one friend has 

 had a squeak for it through not following this old and well-worn rule. 

 After skinning the game, we descended into a gorge, encamping on the 

 banks of a torrent, where niy blanket and waterproof coat formed a 

 teut-d'abri. It poured all night, but thanks to my shelter and a thick 

 ulster, I kept dry ; my man was seedy next morning, so I dosed him with 

 medicine, and he was soon all right. 



On another occasion I had been a long tour round the head of the range 

 after markhor, and was returning to camp, quite ready for a Sunday's 

 rest, when I crossed a rocky spur, and looked down on a small blue lake 

 and vast moraines, left by the winter's snow. Nothing could I detect 

 with my glasses, so we clambered down, and between the moraines I 

 found a bear had been rooting. We crouched down again, and I had 

 a good look around, at last spotting one busy digging up some roots. 

 The latter appear to be like the buttercups' in shape rather, but I never 

 learnt their name. About a quarter of a mile intervened between us, but a 

 friendly dry nullah, or furrow of an ice-plough, led up past the spot, so I 

 was able to make a stalk under it and some friendly rocks. As near as I 

 could approach was 200 yards, for cover ended then, and occasionally a 

 glance was cast all over the ground by the game. I put up the leaf for 

 200 yards on the '450, and waited until her movements brought her 

 broadside to me. She was grubbing away with both fore paws, so I 

 aimed behind the shoulder and let her have it, firing off the knee. She 

 received the bullet, and was quite knocked over, but got up quickly, 

 looked about a second, and then made off slowly down hill. After her I 

 ran as hard as I could, with the double gun in my hand to finish her. 

 She managed to keep well ahead of me, though limping badly, so I tried 

 a couple of shots, but was too jumpy, and sent both over her. I decided 

 I was too far off to do much damage, even if steady, as it was difficult to 

 judge distance for the gun, so hurried on after her for about 200 yards, 

 gaining rapidly until within about 80 yards. A friendly moraine came 

 to my aid, for she crossed it, falling often, while I skipped from stone to 

 stone in a manner more reckless than I ever tried before or since. Some 

 augel must have guarded me, for my grass-shoes never slipped, nor 

 missed the spot chosen for them as I glanced along my course. The bear 

 and I left the moraine abreast, and I pulled myself together, breathless 

 though I was, and gave her one, breaking her back and right shoulder 

 Die she would not, so I had to put a bullet, through the poor brute's head 



