THE HIGHEE NAEBADl 291 



shot told somewliere, as testified by the growls it elicited 

 from tlie old " site," but it was too far for such, a snap 

 shot, and their movements seemed to be only accelerated. 

 Throwing my bridle over a branch, I was reloaded in a few 

 seconds, and scrambling up in Bruin's tracks, I heard them 

 above me on the hill-side rustling among the dried leaves, 

 but could not get another shot ; nor did I find any blood. 

 This was very unlucky, for if I had had a suspicion of 

 there being bears on the hill, I would never have taken 

 up the position I did, as a bear would break back through 

 an army of beaters rather than take to an open plain, 

 where he has no stronghold to make for. The bear is 

 very sweet upon the Mhowa, and these had evidently 

 come down to feed on it ; for, had they been regular resi- 

 dents, the villagers must have been aware of it from seeing 

 their tracks and excavations. 



The beaters, who had suspended operations to witness 

 the result of the bear chase, now resumed their beating, 

 while I rode slowly along the bed of the nala, in case there 

 might be any more of the family left. We had reached 

 within about two hundred yards of where the dogs were 

 concealed, when I observed a dun hide glance between two 

 bushes, and shortly afterwards the whole herd of sambar 

 filed slowly down the face of the hill. Indecision still 

 swayed them, and, fearing lest they might yet break back, 

 I fired ofi my rifle ; at the same time a rotmd stone from 

 the beaters rolled down the hiU among them, and down 

 they galloped straight for the hounds. The Gonds, in their 

 eagerness, slipped their dogs too soon, and about half the 

 herd broke back through the beaters after all; the rest 

 took across the plain in the direction of the spur the bears 

 had reached. Shouting to my man to let loose the grey- 

 hounds, as the deer were in full view, I started off at the 

 best pace I could muster over such ground. Had it not 

 been for my own dogs, the sambar would probably have 

 reached the hills and been safe ; but, as it was, they shot 

 ahead of the Gondi pack, and the sambar, finding they 

 could not make the hills, turned off towards the river. By 

 cutting off an angle here I gained a good deal on the chase, 

 and could see that my hounds, dog and bitch, were well up. 

 The dog is a heavy, powerful, Rampiir hound, while the 



