Pelts 



it is of importance should be true and steady 

 at such a moment. 



Intensely ludicrous are some of the stories of 

 encounters with bear one has heard of at first 

 hand, or gone through oneself. I suppose no one 

 who has been out after the animal is without some 

 funny personal experiences. 



At the same time, it must be borne in mind that 

 a bear is not an animal who can be played with, 

 nor one to be approached in an over-confident 

 spirit. In any part of the country where bears 

 are prevalent, it will only be necessary to go into 

 a village apd take a look at a number of villagers 

 to see traces, the results of the none too soft em- 

 braces, of the bears of the neighbourhood. 



A bear is a surly, sulky, and most obstinate 

 animal, and is always unwilling to move off the 

 road or path he is taking for anything living under 

 the sun — not even man himself. The conse- 

 quence is that when he suddenly comes face to 

 face with a villager on one of the little footpaths 

 which run from village to village, through forest 

 or jungle, he more often than not at once gets up 

 on to his hind-legs and goes for the man. Unless 

 the latter is armed the result usually turns out 

 badly for him, as even if he escape with his life 

 it will be at the expense of a terrible mauling. It 

 is not an uncommon sight in the jungle villages 

 to see a man or woman with one side of the face 

 deeply scarred and withered from the too friendly 



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