MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 689 



aniother bear in exactly the same spot next morning. Again the beaters 

 talked too much before the beat commenced and disturbed the bear. This 

 time, however, he ran much nearer to me, and I lamed him badly. He went 

 off into thick under-growth jungle and, with a few plucky hill-men, I 

 tracked him into it easily by his blood. In my " griffenish " innocence T 

 had no idea that he was likely to charge, and I tracked him into this thick 

 jungle without any sense of fear. I soon came on to him, and he came 

 at me with a terrible rush. I fired right and left into him very quickly and 

 bolted back. Luckily for me, my large pith hat was knocked off by a bush, in 

 running back, and the bear stopped at the hat which he cla*ved and bit into 

 pulp. This gave me time to load up and face the foe again. After this he 

 ran into still thicker jungle and I approached him with greater caution and 

 respect, but I had to do it without a hat in a hot sun. However, I tied 

 something round my head and went in at him again, I received another 

 charge, and gave the bear tivo barrels as before at close quarters, and rushed 

 back, but the bear did not follow far. I got the bear after a very long 

 fight, but I have had great respect for his bravery ever since. 



The only successful way of getting bears is to go into the jungles they 

 frequent, and get natives to watch from the top of hills in the early 

 morning. Natives are very quick ab murking them down, and an incentive in 

 the promise of a few rupees for each boar marked down, results often in 

 good sport, I remember once in the Nizam's Dominions going after some tigers 

 which had been killing cattle there. A reward of five rupees brought 

 us the news that a bear had been marked down not far from camp, and wa 

 were able to go out after it before breakfast and were home in good time 

 to go after the tigers. We had no time to get beaters, and we simply walked 

 up to the bush in which it had been marked down. Ic had gone into heavy 

 sleep before we aroused it and when disturbed, it walked off quite leisurely and 

 appeared to be dazed. We were quite close and, I feel sure, we despatched 

 it without its ever having seen us. On other occasions, when on shooting 

 trips, T have myself gone out into the hills before daylight to watch for 

 returning bears, I (""o not remember ever being successful myself on th^se 

 occasions, although frequently my companions have bagged their bears in this 

 way. 



General P, Symons lately told me that he was out Bhooting many years 

 ago with some companions in the Madras Presidency^ At one of their camps 

 they were told there was a bear's stronghold in the neighbourhood to which 

 the bears returned every morning over some open country which was 

 ridable. Early the next morning the whole party went out on their horses 

 with spears, and they met no less than eleven bears returning together, of 

 which nine were speared and killed by the party. This, I think, must be the 

 biggest bag on record, and I regret an accurate account of this day's sport 

 has never been published. 



