THE SNOW BEAR. 



45 



Bear a short distance below us. The Shikari, however, first wished to have a look at the 

 exact place where we had seen the Serow, and which was only a few yards off. He had only 

 gone a few steps, when he drew back and handed me my rifle, saying there was a Bear close 

 by. I went to the rock from which he had seen it and looked down into the ravine, but 

 could see nothing. The Shikari pulled my arm and pointed to the corner of the rock, and 

 there, to my amazement, was a Bear standing on her hind legs, coolly looking at me not 

 five yards off! I was so surprised that I fired in a hurry at her chest, and must have made 

 a bad shot, for she tumbled off the rock and made off, and though I put two more bullets 

 in her, she managed to get away, leaving a good deal of blood behind her. As I was 

 re-loading I discovered her cub, and told my coolie to catch it : he did so, but as the little 

 brute was savage the stupid fellow let it go again. 



For several days I shot nothing, being a young hand at the work, and losing several 

 chances, but on the 20th I shot another Bear. 



On the 25th as I was stalking a Bear she suddenly galloped past about forty yards above 

 me. I rolled her over, and as she came tumbling down the rocks I had only just time to 

 step out of her way, and give her the coup de grace as she passed. 



In the Furiabad valley in 1862, I was detained for a day or two by a heavy fall of snow 

 which rendered it impossible to move camp. At last the weather cleared up, and although 

 it was still too wet to strike the tents, I determined to explore a little further up the valley. 



One May morning, I started before daylight, and following the rugged and ill-defined 

 path which wound along some way above the river, had proceeded about four miles, when 

 we saw a couple of Snow Bears on the grassy slopes ahead of us. They were a long way 

 apart, one being some distance up the hill, and the other below us near the river bank. We 

 determined to try for the one on higher ground first, and accordingly went after him. Just 

 as we were getting within long shot of him he moved off, for some reason best known to 

 himself, as he could neither have seen nor smelt us. I was a young hunter then, and foolishly 

 fired at him as he was moving fast, at about two hundred yards. My bullet hit, but apparently 

 too high, and Bruin escaped. I now turned my attention to the other Bear, which was still 

 feeding quietly, close to the stream, the noise of which had probably prevented him from 

 hearing my shots. I had little difficulty in getting within easy range of him, and on looking 

 over a rock, I saw him digging up roots about thirty yards below me. A shell behind the 

 shoulder tumbled him over, and he rolled down the bank, howling and roaring considerably. 

 As he regained his legs I had to give him another shot, on receiving which he rolled down 

 to the water's edge, where he seized hold of a branch in his teeth and hung on. I now placed 

 a third bullet in his chest, which unfortunately dropped him into the river : he was at once 

 swept away by the torrent, and carried under a snow bridge, where he was, of course, 

 irretrievably lost. 



The sun was now high, and as this was evidently a favorite feeding ground, I determined 

 to wait till the Bears came out again towards evening. It was a cloudy afternoon, and before 

 three o'clock, two or three Bears showed themselves on the opposite side of the river. These 

 it was impossible to approach, but before long a very light colored and unusually large Bear 



