NATUKALIST IN INDIA. 183 



relations that used to subsist between his father and the 

 British government, endingwith the Cashmeree's prayer, " that 

 the day might not be distant when the Feringee would rule 

 over vaUey, and his mountain home restored to him." He 

 looked, however, as if he was not Kkely to live to see that 

 day. Grateful for our sympathies, he took his way, and soon 

 reappeared with a piece of rock-crystal, which we feigned to 

 think was valuable ; and in return HaJkett made him a present 

 of a penknife, which he looked on as a courtly gift. How 

 are the mighty fallen ! He was the last one of the royal race 

 of Gylfos, who had lorded over Ladakh and Tibet for several 

 centuries. 



The Isabella, or brown bear of the ELimalaya, is an exceed- 

 ingly stupid and imsuspicious animal in districts where it 

 has not been disturbed. My first encounter with one well 

 exemplifies what may be considered a common occurrence 

 with those who have hunted it in the more secluded valleys. 

 An individual was discovered feeding on the side of a very 

 steep ridge, which was intersected by a succession of deep 

 furrows, so that when the bear was feeding across the declivity 

 it was constantly risiag over these inequalities, and dipping 

 into the intervening hoUows. The result to us who were 

 stalking the animal was, that we had to wait untU it had 

 crossed one ridge before we attempted to pass over another ; 

 and so on, until we arrived at the last, when, to my astonish- 

 ment, on peeping over the eminence I descried bruin's ears 

 within an arm's length, and heard him nibbling and blowing 

 on the grass ; so, springing on my feet, I discharged the con- 

 tents of two barrels in his body. However, he regained his 

 footing, rushed down the slope, and disappeared in the 

 dense jungle at the base. No time was lost in following 

 up his trail, which was evident enough from great splashes 



