San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1889-09-26
with another. on a little plateau between

Igot shot at him. and he made of
excitedly, hanging one forearm, after
him, with my second rifle, as fast as
could go, when a whisper from my shi'
kari made me- turn my head.
"For tho love of Allah, sahib, not that
wayl There, up that treel'
/ took his advice, and from the tree
could see over the precipice as to whittier
my wounded friend had gone.
Lo and beholdi There he was, resting
on the very path was taking, and on
the lookout for me tool A steady shot
from my express, and down he went
into some birch bushes below him.
Reloading quickly, l looked out for
him to break covert; but In the mean
time his companion had taken the same
path, and as he turned and looked in.
quiringly at me got a shot at him and
he also made off into the covert.
I reloaded and awaited the result.
Nothing emerged from the patch Of
Jungle. So after while we cautiously
approached the spot, and the second
shikari seeing something lying threw a
stone, and then pronounced it dead.
And indeed upon closer inspection we
found the two bears lying dead side by
side. So much for bear shooting in the
Himalayas.
1t was amongst the great black bears
of the semi-tropical jungles Of southern
India that the following much more
serious adventure befell me, nearly put
ting an end to mo altogether and leaving
cash two inches deep down my thigh
for life.
We were party Of two or three,
shooting In vast jungle on the banks
of river, and found plenty Of sambur
deer, leopards, and few bears.
We beat the jungle by means Of a
small army Of coolies, tho sportsmen
stationing themselves at likely spots for
the game to break covert. A very large
black bear numbered past within shot of
me. l missed him, and he disappeared
into the Jungle
Before had time to pursue him, how
ever, the bear, headed back by the beat
ers, came down the path straight to-
wards me. and in terrible rage stalk
ing along ON his hind legs as he ap-
preached me.
1 fired and hit him, but on he came;
and in another moment, towering above
me, he had closed with me and knocke d
me down like q ninepin, drawing his
huge claws across me, from my shoulder
to my thigh.
But for my wearing thick woolen
cumberland, or belt, wrapped many
times round my middle, he must all but
inevitably have injured me fatally.
The bear stood over me, growing, like
cat playing with mouse. But did
not lose my presence of mind, and man.
aged to get out my hunting knife, which,
with tho strength OF despair, buried up
to its hilt in the animals chest.
He staggered little, but he seized me
the next minute with his jaws round my
thigh and shook me. The thick goatskin
leggins I wore stuffed up his mouth
somewhat, and probably saved my leg,
but the cash is there to this day.
managed to get my knife into him
again, though, at this juncture, and he
dropped me, only to seize me, again,
however, at this time on the shin, which
he tore from knee to ankle.
But he was losing blood fast, and drop
ped me second time. Then he pulled
himself together, as 1t were, and had an
other go at me. This time he seized me
by the ankle, and bit one Of the tendons
nearly through.
But tho bear was done for. Faint from
loss of blood, he had to drop me again,
and staggered, rolling over. He picked
himself up, though, only to fall again,
and roll away some yards from where !
lay. and to fall dead.
He measured six feet from nose to
tail. So when on his hind legs he could
not have stood much less than nine feet
high.
As for me, wounded as was, had to
be carried some forty miles, across two
rivers, In litter before could receive
medical attention, and narrowly escaped
bleeding to death. AS it was, lay two
months on my back, and it was a ques-
ton as to whether they would not have
to amputate tho leg that had been so Sc
verely mauled by bear.-E. Z. Cuthell
in Golden Days.