The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-09

L
early, and by three the next morning the
camp was astir. After two delicious mussucks.
| OF ice-cold glacier water from the river, / had
cup OF tea, lit cheroot, aud felt ''it" for
any bear. My arms were my shotgun, with
bullet in left barrel in my waist-belt FIVE
barrelled revolver, and a huge comedu de
chdSSe, or sword bayonet, which would fix on
to my short breech- loading rife, carried by my
gun coolie, who also had most of my ammu-
milton.
We strolled down to the river by starlight,
I the raiah and with our gun coolies, his head
skikaree, and a villager who had tracked the
bears the day before to their cave, and crossed
on two inflated buffalo skins; the other shil1a-
rees and beaters went up the river to cross at
ford, and beat the cultivated fiat ground up
to the hills where we were to be posted.
On arriving at the foot of the rocky cliffs,
the villager showed us sort of track winding
up the Sides which were covered with low
brushwood, and which he said led to some
caves about two hundred feet higher, and
that, about a mile on, there was another
track which ran back to the same caves, and
that the bears would come up one of these at
daylight, or when disturbed 1t was settled
that | and my gun coolie should 60 up the
first track, and that the rajah and his men
should 60 on to the next one, as it was
wider one, with branches, and required several
men to be on the watch, lest the bears sho ould
slip by and get into the caves unperceived.
! was glad, before l had gone many hun
dred yards, that it was the coolest part of the
twenty-four hours, for the track was very
steep and very rough, hand-and-feet climbing
most of the way, and by the time reached
the caves, and stood on the platform
of rock in front Of them, / was running with
perspiration. From this spot | had view
of the whole valley, and could see the beaters
just crossing the ford, preparatory to beating
the fiat ground below us which was covered
with sugar-cane and plantains. In the dis
tance were the snowy SUBMITS of the highest
Himalayas thirty thousand feet, now elori-
ously tinted with red and gold from the
beams of the rising sun, which had Just
caught them. As soon as had recovered my
breath took a survey of the caves and their
approaches, and quickly observed projecting
rock, round which the pathway or track
wound, about fifty yards below the cave. Be-
hind this and my gun coolie ensconced our
selves. placed two-ounce bullet in each
barrel of my smooth bore, which / held in my
hand, as the handiest and deadliest at close
quarters; in my rifle held by the coolie placed
shell bullet with percussion head, and
fixed the sword on ready for an emergency.
Soon the shouts and cries of the beaters dis
turbed the valley below, and raised up
clouds of birds--ducks from the river, and
pheasants and hawks and pigeons from the
cliffs.
We had been peering over the rock behind
which we were ambushed for some ten
minutes, when my gun coolie gave me a
nudge, as his quick ear detected something
coming up the track, and in less than minute
appeared the shaggy black head of bear
shambling up the track. | cooked both bar
rels, determined to give him broadside as he
passed our ambusCade, and then to seize my
rifle to finish him. AS he approached our
rock we could hear him growl and swear as
his nose evidently detected us; but his desire
to get to the cave, away from the row of the
beaters, was apparently stronger than his
prudence, and in half minute his black
head and forequarters loomed out between
me and the sky as he trotted along the edge of
the track. Bang bang went both my bar
rels pointed behind his shoulder, and in a
cloud of dust and smoke he rolled over the
precipice, and crashed through the rhododen-
dron bushes. handed my gun to the coolie
to reload, and seizing my rifle, moved to the
edge to look after him, and see if he required
anything more in the shape of a quietus.
About twenty yards below his carcase
had caught in a thick bush, and
could see he was recovering and trying to get
his footing l Immediately raised my rifle,
and was peering about to get fair shot at him
between his eyes, which l could hardly see
for the intervening bushes, when an unearthly
yell from my coolie made me quickly look
round, and, behold four yards from me, two
bears rushing up the track. 0ne half
grown one, rushed, apparently to get past
me, and get up to the caves, while the bigger
reared on its hind legs, and evidently meant
fighting. AS the young one approached me
lowered my point and hinged at its
chest, but it caught the sword in its mouth,
and the point came out of its cheek on the
other side. | had just time to observe this,
and was about to withdraw it, when the big
bear rushed at me and knocked me back
wards. In falling | managed to get my face
downwards, to save it and my chest from the
clawing expected, and Immediately began to
feel for my revolver, but, to my surprise, di-
rectly fell the bear left me and went to the
young one, who was kicking up tremendous
row about the sword in its cheek. l rose as
quickly as | could, and shouted to my coolie
for the smooth-bore. He was standing on the
rock, up which he had climbed for safety, and
was screaming for help, though there was no
one to hear him; but almost as | rose, the
young bear got his head clear of my rifle and
sword, and he and the big one which was
evidently the mother, trotted off down the
hill again. | discharged my revolver at
their vanishing sterns, but apparently with
out effect, and now / heard again the
scramblings of the first wounded bear
trying to get up the cliff; his advent,
though, waited with the utmost composure,
as was sure he must feel very sick after my
broadside. crouched down, and soon his
torepaws appeared on the edge of the track.
| stepped up, and as his head appeared utter
ing fierce growls, plunged my point into the
centre Of his chest. A dark stream of blood
poured out, and the bear fell backwards and
disappeared. crashing fbrouob tha un3ar-