The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-01-15
BEAR HUNTING.

Cup with you, old boy, if you want to get
bear Such were the words that aroused
me from deep Indian morning sleep, so re-
freshing to a European after the tossing and
restlessness of night in the hot weather.
Yet in a moment | was awake and sitting
up, all eagerness to start, for bear-shooting
was yet new to me. We were a party of
three, all men in the service, who had man
aged to get leave for two months in the hot
weather, and had gladly gone far away from
the cantOnmentS into the heart of the Ghauts,
as the hills which run down the west of In
dia are called Our principal object was to
bag few of the large tigers which roam
about these hills but we were not ayerse to
anything iii the way of sport.
The bears which we were to seek for O,
this particular morning were of the common
Indian black kind, clumsy in gait, and OBJ
stinate in character. Clothes were hastily
put on, rifles looked to, and the ponies hay
ing been brought round, we mounted and
rode OH, at about 3 \ NJ. followed by dusky
crowd Of villagers carrying guns, water. and
thousand-and-one things without which it is
assumed that a European is unable to exist
in India. Each man of the party was
wrapped in garment, if it can be 50 called,
which more resembled coarse sheet than
anything else. Ths-or these, for some
times there were more than onc-was
wrapped round all parts Of the wearer, ex-
cept the legs, and the mouth was in almost
every instance covered, for the HID" rias
great fear of fever 4a> the day advances, it
=, curious to see these clothes gradually un-
wound from the body, and passed again and
again about the head, until the latter APP
pears of an enormous size, and the general
appearance Of each ''nigger" suggests
mushroom with black legs On we rode
through the jungle for an hour or more, in
darkness, and almost in silence, for the or
dinary Englishman is seldom conversa tional
before breakfast, and the birds in the trees
either slowed the same desire for quiet or
were asleep. AT length we arrived at the
foot of the bill, or rather at point from
which the ascent grew so steep that it was
advisable to leave our ponies to await our
return. Before commencing the climb, we
looked round to see that all we wanted was
there, and then, having lightened ourselves
and burdened the natives, TO handicap them,
as A. said, as much as possible, up we went,
scrambling and tumbing in the dark over
trees and stones, till, without any greater
mishap than the sudden fall of my rifle, ac-
comPanied by niger, over huge boulder,
we arrived at the crest of the line Of hills
which we were to occupy.
Oar mode Of procedure, and orr reasons
for adopting it, were as follows. The bear,
which during the day lies hid in some cave
or shady recess near the summit Of hill, at
night descends into the valleys in search of
fJod, but at the first dawn returns to his
home, in time to avoid the heat of the sun
The object of the hunter is to meet him
while 50 returning; to this end it is usual
to post a line of natives at some dis lance
apart, along the tops of the hills. with or
ders that, if any bear be seen, the fact shall
be telegraphed by signal along the line to
the hunters, who wait at about the centre of
the string of watchers.
The beaters, as the villagers are always
called, even when they do not beat, having
been posted under the superintendence of
the head shekarry, we sat down to wait for
dawn.
Gradually the black of the sky vas tinged
with color in the east, and the stars grew
paler and paler trees unseen before seemed
to grow into being, until at last, far down
in the plain. BUSES were visible, which, to
an enthusiastic eye, looked remarkably like
bears But they never were bears, and any
hints that they resembled them were re-
ceived with grunt-expressive of as much
contempt as he dared show-by Succaram,
the old shekagry. The light grew brighter
and brighter, and all the plain at last was
clearly visible, but not 50 the bears: and
we, with the natural disgust of Englishlnen
reused out of bed before light, and to no
purpose, were beginning to grumble. when