CONSERVATORS’ WORK 133 
narrow path along the bank of a wide watercourse 
that was dry at that season, and here on the sloping 
trunk of a tree, some eight feet from the ground, a 
“machin” was quickly placed, and I and my wife 
took our seats, while the few men available in camp 
undertook to walk through the forest towards us. 
No tiger appeared, and perhaps it was fortunate he 
did not; for we were full in'sight, barring the only 
path for escape, and we were already feeling thank- 
ful at our want of success, when a she-bear, accom- 
panied by a full-grown cub, appeared on the scene. 
As she halted and raised her head, her muzzle 
twitching from side to side, she was dropped in her 
tracks ; but she instantly recovered, and, seeing us, 
charged. at once at the tree. The second barrel 
missed fire, but fortunately another rifle was handy, 
and, as she was stretching out her paw to claw us 
from our perch, she was shot through the chest and 
fell backwards. Meanwhile the cub was capering 
round, apparently anxious to join the fight, till he 
got a bullet through his ribs and retired, so 
giving us opportunity to despatch his mother and 
descend. 
To risk defeat on account of inferiority of ammu- 
nition appears to be incredibly foolish, and we had 
hoped to get a reliable supply before more trouble 
followed ; but it so happened that before this could be 
arranged we had an urgent call to a tiger's kill some 
seven miles to the west, and started at midday in 
heavy rain that continued with unbated violence for 
the next twelve hours. We sat, drenched to the skin 
and miserable, listening to the perpetual drip in the 
empty forest. We knew that the jungle animals 
