Black Bears 221 



deepish pool in one place, Lalla, after peering over 

 the wet soil round it, whispered in an awed and 

 triumphant voice, with many gesticulations, " Harpafs 

 bath " pointing to the large, unmistakable track 

 ending in a sharp claw-mark ; there were even 

 splashes all over the rocks and drops on the ground, 

 showing where the bear had shaken himself. So 

 there in that dark hollow, among the thick jungle 

 grass and in the little, clear tank, a bear must 

 actually have been within the last half-hour. This 

 was distinctly encouraging ; after all we had gone 

 through, " fought for, and wrought for," a tangible 

 prize really lay somewhere at the end of the struggle. 



More silently than ever we crept on, the two shikaris 

 moving with the greatest care and very slowly, " track- 

 ing " on either side of the path for more traces of 

 the hdrp&t. Every sign pointed to his being still ahead 

 of us. We walked and climbed in this way for some 

 time, until the jungle began to open a little and show 

 a clearer space, where one could at least see to shoot 

 between the tree trunks, the undergrowth having 

 disappeared. By gesticulations Lalla showed us we 

 were to stop ; and he and the c hota shikari then pro- 

 ceeded to break off and bend back any twigs which 

 they seemed to consider it was possible might come 

 in the way across the line of fire. 



Here, then, we were to take up our stand ; and here 

 was to be success or failure. The inevitable cold 

 tea bottle was brought up to the fore, and we both 

 had a drink. It sounds uninviting, but anything is 



