THE -500 EXPRESS. 113 



shoot across it, until I had got below the bear almost, and could not fire at 

 the long range it was across. At last we managed to get in at a villainous 

 spot, and crawled along till I reached a point hanging out from my side of 

 the gorge. Here I could see Bruin fast asleep apparently, but the light 

 was going, and I found much difficulty in taking aim. I could get no 

 nearer than 250 yards, so put up the leaf for 200, and aimed full for his 

 shoulder. When the smoke cleared I saw him alert and standing up. I 

 fired the left barrel, and away he went at a great pace up out of the gorge. 

 I fired two more rounds, but failed to stop him, and from then till now 

 have been unable to say whether I hit or missed, but I feel certain I 

 missed, probably by over-estimating the distance across space, and in a 

 bad, half-light. I was disgusted with myself, and have never been able 

 to feel otherwise than that by some bungling I missed as fine a bear as 

 ever was seen in the Himalayas. On descending into the gorge from my 

 firing point, I found a rough track used by game (and probably by goats 

 and sheep), which led up the mountain, and by which I might have got 

 within fifty yards of Bruin had my men or I known of it. It was the only 

 track on that mountain side, from its crest down to the mighty torrent in 

 the valley below. My men did not know the ground, for it was only once 

 in some years villagers reached it, there being no bridges that flocks could 

 cross for many miles, and no villages on that side for about forty ! 



Not many miles from that spot, but on the other side of the river, I was 

 coming down a spur, after two or three unsuccessful days after ibex, and 

 pitched the shuldarie under a rock, from the top of which I had a view 

 into a deep and rock-walled valley. I was seedy, with a sore leg, caused 

 by a pink-coloured tick having buried his head in the calf and left a 

 portion behind when being ejected ; consequently, I was unable to go out 

 for a clamber, and lay down after having scanned the ground with no 

 result. My man remained on the look-out, and presently came in to say 

 that a large brown bear was feeding under us, far down in the valley. I 

 hobbled to the edge and looked over, to see a small brown ball rolling 

 along an erratic course. Tt was so very brown that I considered it worth 

 securing, so directed my men to strike the tent, pack up, and follow me 

 down the ridge, when they heard the report. As the bear was working to 

 the mouth of the valley, I judged that, by hurrying down the ridge, which 

 formed its mouth on one side, I should be able to meet him as he emerged 

 and secure a good shot. Taking one man and the '500 double, away I 

 went, and had much pain and trouble owing to the great drops between 

 the ledges. I had scaled the range by another route, which was much 

 easier. We were not long getting down to the mouth, where I expected 

 to meet Bruin, but there was no view into the valley, owing to the way 

 the rocks curved, so we moved on, and tried along a ledge until stopped 

 by a cleft ; I remained on the end of the ledge, and sent the native to try 

 to get ahead by climbing higher first, so that he might discover Bruin's 

 whereabouts. Just after he left me 1 heard a heavy stone being moved, 

 so looked over, and there was my game, not twenty yards off, moving 



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