290 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTKAL INDIA 



reputation during life, and offerings placed on them are 

 supposed to propitiate his spirit. On this occasion the 

 Gond who had dropped behind, and who was the leader 

 and concocter of the present hunt, stopped before the 

 altar ; and, after a prostration, extracted from the folds of 

 his waistcloth, and placed on the plate constructed for such 

 purposes, a peeled onion ! Each of the band then added a 

 stone to the heap, muttering at the same time something 

 I could not make out, and passed on. This was for luck. 

 We soon reached our station, and taking up a properly 

 concealed position, awaited the approach of the game. 

 The beaters had a long way to go round, and we had waited 

 about an hour when their voices began to be heard, as 

 they advanced in a long line that stretched completely 

 across the spur. They were still about a quarter of a mile 

 off, when I made out that something unexpected had 

 occurred, by their shouts suddenly ceasing, and then 

 breaking out into a terrific and concentrated yell ! By 

 my glass I saw that some of them had taken to trees, and 

 that all were looking down the hill-side to the left of the 

 line. Advancing my DoUond in that direction, I made out 

 some black objects trimdhng down the hill, and a few 

 moments afterwards, as they emerged on the plain, I saw 

 that they were a bear and two cubs ; they were making for 

 another spur of the hill that ran parallel to the one we were 

 beating, at a distance of about half a mile. Between them 

 ran the dry bed of a nala, formed of a natural pavement 

 of huge flagstones, and strewn with boulders that had been 

 rolled down from the hills above. Jumping on my pony, 

 I started up this nala at a ratthng pace, scrambling and 

 sliding in a most wonderful manner over the stones, till 

 I again caught sight of the bears going leisurely alDOut 

 two hundred yards ahead. I had gained about fifty more 

 on them before they saw me, and was just going to pull 

 up and fire, when they set off at a shambling gallop, which, 

 owing to the badness of the ground, soon left me far in the 

 rear. Coming to a better place, I rapidly gained on them 

 again, but the hill was too near, and I was full one himdred 

 and fifty paces behind when they commenced the ascent. 

 Pulling up. I administered my two barrels with as much 

 steadiness as my panting steed would admit of ; the second 



