A merry party were sitting in the verandah of one of the largest and
handsomest bungalows of Poonah. It belonged to Colonel Hastings, colonel
of a native regiment stationed there, and at present, in virtue of
seniority, commanding a brigade. Tiffin was on, and three or four
officers and four ladies had taken their seats in the comfortable cane
lounging chairs which form the invariable furniture of the verandah of a
well-ordered bungalow. Permission had been duly asked, and granted by
Mrs. Hastings, and the cheroots had just begun to draw, when Miss
Hastings, a niece of the colonel, who had only arrived the previous week
from England, said,--
"Uncle, I am quite disappointed. Mrs. Lyons showed me the bear she has
got tied up in their compound, and it is the most wretched little thing,
not bigger than Rover, papa's retriever, and it's full-grown. I thought
bears were great fierce creatures, and this poor little thing seemed so
restless and unhappy that I thought it quite a shame not to let it go."
Colonel Hastings smiled rather grimly.
"And yet, small and insignificant as that bear is, my dear, it is a
question whether he is not as dangerous an animal to meddle with as a
man-eating tiger."
"What, that wretched little bear, Uncle?"
"Yes, that wretched little bear. Any experienced sportsman will tell you
that hunting those little bears is as dangerous a sport as tiger-hunting
on foot, to say nothing of tiger-hunting from an elephant's back, in
which there is scarcely any danger whatever. I can speak feelingly about
it, for my career was pretty nearly brought to an end by a bear, just
after I entered the army, some thirty years ago, at a spot within a few
miles from here. I have got the scars on my shoulder and arm still."
"Oh, do tell me all about it," Miss Hastings said; and the request being
seconded by the rest of the party, none of whom, with the exception of
Mrs. Hastings, had ever heard the story before--for the colonel was
somewhat chary of relating this special experience--he waited till they
had all drawn up their chairs as close as possible, and then giving two
or three vigorous puffs at his cheroot, began as follows:--
"Thirty years ago, in 1855, things were not so settled in the Deccan as
they are now. There was no idea of insurrection on a large scale, but we
were going through one of those outbreaks of Dacoity, which have several
times proved so troublesome. Bands of marauders kept the country in
confusion, pouring down on a village, now carrying off three or four of
the Bombay money-lenders, who were then, as now, the curse of the
country; sometimes making an onslaught upon a body of traders; and
occasionally venturing to attack small detachments of troops or isolated
parties of police. They were not very formidable, but they were very
troublesome, and most difficult to catch, for the peasantry regarded
them as patriots, and aided and shielded them in every way. The
head-quarters of these gangs of Dacoits were the Ghauts. In the thick
bush and deep valleys and gorges there they could always take refuge,
while sometimes the more daring chiefs converted these detached peaks
and masses of rock, numbers of which you can see as you come up the
Ghaut by railway, into almost impregnable fortresses. Many of these
masses of rock rise as sheer up from the hillside as walls of masonry,
and look at a short distance like ruined castles. Some are absolutely
inaccessible; others can only be scaled by experienced climbers; and,
although possible for the natives with their bare feet, are
impracticable to European troops. Many of these rock fortresses were at
various times the head-quarters of famous Dacoit leaders, and unless the
summits happened to be commanded from some higher ground within gunshot
range they were all but impregnable except by starvation. When driven to
bay, these fellows would fight well.
"Well, about the time I joined, the Dacoits were unusually troublesome;
the police had a hard time of it, and almost lived in the saddle, and
the cavalry were constantly called up to help them, while detachments of
infantry from the station were under canvas at several places along the
top of the Ghauts to cut the bands off from their strongholds, and to
aid, if necessary, in turning them out of their rock fortresses. The
natives in the valleys at the foot of the Ghauts, who have always been a
semi-independent race, ready to rob whenever they saw a chance, were
great friends with the Dacoits, and supplied them with provisions
whenever the hunt on the Deccan was too hot for them to make raids in
that direction.
"This is a long introduction, you will say, and does not seem to have
much to do with bears; but it is really necessary, as you will see. I
had joined about six months when three companies of the regiment were
ordered to relieve a wing of the 15th, who had been under canvas at a
village some four miles to the north of the point where the line crosses
the top of the Ghauts. There were three white officers, and little
enough to do, except when a party was sent off to assist the police. We
had one or two brushes with the Dacoits, but I was not out on either
occasion. However, there was plenty of shooting, and a good many pigs
about, so we had very good fun. Of course, as a raw hand, I was very hot
for it, and as the others had both passed the enthusiastic age, except
for pig-sticking and big game, I could always get away. I was supposed
not to go far from camp, because, in the first place, I might be wanted;
and, in the second, because of the Dacoits; and Norworthy, who was in
command, used to impress upon me that I ought not to go beyond the sound
of a bugle. Of course we both knew that if I intended to get any sport
I must go further afoot than this; but I merely used to say 'All right,
sir, I will keep an ear to the camp,' and he on his part never
considered it necessary to ask where the game which appeared on the
table came from. But in point of fact, I never went very far, and my
servant always had instructions which way to send for me if I was
wanted; while as to the Dacoits I did not believe in their having the
impudence to come in broad daylight within a mile or two of our camp. I
did not often go down the face of the Ghauts. The shooting was good, and
there were plenty of bears in those days, but it needed a long day for
such an expedition, and in view of the Dacoits who might be scattered
about, was not the sort of thing to be undertaken except with a strong
party. Norworthy had not given any precise orders about it, but I must
admit that he said one day:--
"'Of course you won't be fool enough to think of going down the Ghauts,
Hastings?' But I did not look at that as equivalent to a direct
order--whatever I should do now," the colonel put in, on seeing a
furtive smile on the faces of his male listeners.
"However, I never meant to go down, though I used to stand on the edge
and look longingly down into the bush and fancy I saw bears moving
about in scores. But I don't think I should have gone into their country
if they had not come into mine. One day the fellow who always carried my
spare gun or flask, and who was a sort of shekarry in a small way, told
me he had heard that a farmer, whose house stood near the edge of the
Ghauts, some two miles away, had been seriously annoyed by his fruit and
corn being stolen by bears.
"'I'll go and have a look at the place to-morrow,' I said, 'there is no
parade, and I can start early. You may as well tell the mess cook to put
up a basket with some tiffin and a bottle of claret, and get a boy to
carry it over.'
"'The bears not come in day,' Rahman said.
"'Of course not,' I replied; 'still I may like to find out which way
they come. Just do as you are told.'
"The next morning, at seven o'clock, I was at the farmer's spoken of,
and there was no mistake as to the bears. A patch of Indian corn had
been ruined by them, and two dogs had been killed. The native was in a
terrible state of rage and alarm. He said that on moonlight nights he
had seen eight of them, and they came and sniffed around the door of the
cottage.
"'Why don't you fire through the window at them?' I asked scornfully,
for I had seen a score of tame bears in captivity, and, like you, Mary,
was inclined to despise them, though there was far less excuse for me;
for I had heard stories which should have convinced me that, small as he
is, the Indian bear is not a beast to be attacked with impunity. Upon
walking to the edge of the Ghauts there was no difficulty in discovering
the route by which the bears came up to the farm. For a mile to the
right and left the ground fell away as if cut with a knife, leaving a
precipice of over a hundred feet sheer down; but close by where I was
standing was the head of a watercourse, which in time had gradually worn
a sort of cleft in the wall, up or down which it was not difficult to
make one's way. Further down this little gorge widened out and became a
deep ravine, and further still a wide valley, where it opened upon the
flats far below us. About half a mile down where the ravine was deepest
and darkest was a thick clump of trees and jungle.
"'That's where the bears are?' I asked Rahman. He nodded. It seemed no
distance. I could get down and back in time for tiffin, and perhaps bag
a couple of bears. For a young sportsman the temptation was great. 'How
long would it take us to go down and have a shot or two at them?'
"'No good go down. Master come here at night, shoot bears when they come
up.'
"I had thought of that; but, in the first place, it did not seem much
sport to shoot the beasts from cover when they were quietly eating, and,
in the next place, I knew that Norworthy could not, even if he were
willing, give me leave to go out of camp at night. I waited, hesitating
for a few minutes, and then I said to myself, 'It is of no use waiting.
I could go down and get a bear and be back again while I am thinking of
it;' then to Rahman, 'No, come along; we will have a look through that
wood anyhow.'
"Rahman evidently did not like it.
"'Not easy find bear, sahib. He very cunning.'
"'Well, very likely we sha'n't find them,' I said, 'but we can try
anyhow. Bring that bottle with you; the tiffin basket can wait here till
we come back.' In another five minutes I had begun to climb down the
watercourse--the shekarry following me. I took the double-barrelled
rifle and handed him the shot-gun, having first dropped a bullet down
each barrel over the charge. The ravine was steep, but there were bushes
to hold on by, and although it was hot work and took a good deal longer
than I expected, we at last got down to the place which I had fixed upon
as likely to be the bears' home.
"'Sahib, climb up top,' Rahman said; 'come down through wood; no good
fire at bear when he above.'
"I had heard that before; but I was hot, the sun was pouring down, there
was not a breath of wind, and it looked a long way up to the top of the
wood.
"'Give me the claret. It would take too long to search the wood
regularly. We will sit down here for a bit, and if we can see anything
moving up in the wood, well and good; if not, we will come back again
another day with some beaters and dogs.' So saying, I sat down with my
back against a rock, at a spot where I could look up among the trees for
a long way through a natural vista. I had a drink of claret, and then I
sat and watched till gradually I dropped off to sleep. I don't know how
long I slept, but it was some time, and I woke up with a sudden start.
Rahman, who had, I fancy, been asleep too, also started up.
[Illustration: "MY GUN, RAHMAN," I SHOUTED.]
"The noise which had aroused us was made by a rolling stone striking a
rock; and looking up I saw some fifty yards away, not in the wood, but
on the rocky hillside on our side of the ravine, a bear standing, as
though unconscious of our presence, snuffing the air. As was natural, I
seized my rifle, cocked it, and took aim, unheeding a cry of 'No, no,
sahib,' from Rahman. However, I was not going to miss such a chance as
this, and I let fly. The beast had been standing sideways to me, and as
I saw him fall I felt sure I had hit him in the heart. I gave a shout of
triumph, and was about to climb up, when, from behind the rock on which
the bear had stood, appeared another growling fiercely; on seeing me, it
at once prepared to come down. Stupidly, being taken by surprise, and
being new at it, I fired at once at its head. The bear gave a spring,
and then--it seemed instantaneous--down it came at me. Whether it rolled
down, or slipped down, or ran down, I don't know, but it came almost as
if it had jumped straight at me.
"'My gun, Rahman,' I shouted, holding out my hand. There was no answer.
I glanced round, and found that the scoundrel had bolted. I had time,
and only just time, to take a step backwards, and to club my rifle, when
the brute was upon me. I got one fair blow at the side of its head, a
blow that would have smashed the skull of any civilized beast into
pieces, and which did fortunately break the brute's jaw; then in an
instant he was upon me, and I was fighting for life. My hunting-knife
was out, and with my left hand I had the beast by the throat; while with
my right I tried to drive my knife into its ribs. My bullet had gone
through his chest. The impetus of his charge had knocked me over, and we
rolled on the ground, he tearing with his claws at my shoulder and arm,
I stabbing and struggling, my great effort being to keep my knees up so
as to protect my body with them from his hind claws. After the first
blow with his paw, which laid my shoulder open, I do not think I felt
any special pain whatever. There was a strange faint sensation, and my
whole energy seemed centered in the two ideas--to strike and to keep my
knees up. I knew that I was getting faint, but I was dimly conscious
that his efforts, too, were relaxing. His weight on me seemed to
increase enormously, and the last idea that flashed across me was that
it was a drawn fight.
"The next idea of which I was conscious was that I was being carried. I
seemed to be swinging about, and I thought I was at sea. Then there was
a little jolt and a sense of pain. 'A collision,' I muttered, and opened
my eyes. Beyond the fact that I seemed in a yellow world--a bright
orange-yellow--my eyes did not help me, and I lay vaguely wondering
about it all, till the rocking ceased. There was another bump, and then
the yellow world seemed to come to an end; and as the daylight streamed
in upon me I fainted again. This time when I awoke to consciousness
things were clearer. I was stretched by a little stream. A native woman
was sprinkling my face and washing the blood from my wounds; while
another, who had with my own knife cut off my coat and shirt, was
tearing the latter into strips to bandage my wounds. The yellow world
was explained. I was lying on the yellow robe of one of the women. They
had tied the ends together, placed a long stick through them, and
carried me in the bag-like hammock. They nodded to me when they saw I
was conscious, and brought water in a large leaf, and poured it into my
mouth. Then one went away for some time, and came back with some leaves
and bark. These they chewed and put on my wounds, bound them up with
strips of my shirt, and then again knotted the ends of the cloth, and
lifting me up, went on as before.
"I was sure that we were much lower down the Ghaut than we had been when
I was watching for the bears, and we were now going still lower.
However, I knew very little Hindustani, nothing of the language the
women spoke. I was too weak to stand, too weak even to think much; and I
dozed and woke, and dozed again, until, after what seemed to me many
hours of travel, we stopped again, this time before a tent. Two or three
old women and four or five men came out, and there was great talking
between them and the young women--for they were young--who had carried
me down. Some of the party appeared angry; but at last things quieted
down, and I was carried into the tent. I had fever, and was, I suppose,
delirious for days. I afterwards found that for fully a fortnight I had
lost all consciousness; but a good constitution and the nursing of the
women pulled me round. When once the fever had gone, I began to mend
rapidly. I tried to explain to the women that if they would go up to the
camp and tell them where I was they would be well rewarded; but although
I was sure they understood, they shook their heads, and by the fact that
as I became stronger two or three armed men always hung about the tent,
I came to the conclusion that I was a sort of prisoner. This was
annoying, but did not seem serious. If these people were Dacoits, or, as
was more likely, allies of the Dacoits, I could be kept only for ransom
or exchange. Moreover, I felt sure of my ability to escape when I got
strong, especially as I believed that in the young women who had saved
my life, both by bringing me down and by their careful nursing, I should
find friends."
"Were they pretty, uncle?" Mary Hastings broke in.
"Never mind whether they were pretty, Mary; they were better than
pretty."
"No; but we like to know, uncle."
"Well, except for the soft, dark eyes, common to the race, and the good
temper and lightheartedness, also so general among Hindu girls, and the
tenderness which women feel towards a creature whose life they have
saved, whether it is a wounded bird or a drowning puppy, I suppose they
were nothing remarkable in the way of beauty, but at the time I know
that I thought them charming.