BLACK BEAR HONKING 199 



is being driven directly down upon you with all the 

 impetus a steep hillside gives, and with the thick 

 undergrowth extending to your very feet. I had 

 barely time to wheel around when the bear came 

 down the hillside, aimed directly at the little clear- 

 ing in which I was standing. A moment's glimpse 

 of his back in the jungle did not afford me time to 

 shoot. He disappeared in the undergrowth, but was 

 still coming toward me, as I could tell by the short 

 yelps of excitement which he uttered, like a fright- 

 ened dog, as the beaters closed in. Immediately, as 

 he emerged from the bushes, he was met by the con- 

 tents of both barrels of my .450 cordite-powder ex- 

 press, which, aimed and fired so suddenly from my 

 hip at the close range of less than two yards, seemed 

 to have missed him altogether, though the report 

 turned him and sent him lumbering down on the 

 beaters below. 



There followed an exciting ten minutes. As the 

 natives closed in, the bear went frantically around 

 in a circle, trying to break through the line. I ran 

 down to the foot of the hillside, where an occasional 

 view of his back in the underbrush showed me that 

 he had not escaped, though I dared not fire lest I 

 hit a beater. The fifty coolies were yelling like so 

 many demons, the shikaris were out of their heads 

 with excitement, and the bear, who was doubtless 



