ADVENTURES IN INDIA.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 2596, 2 March 1889, Page 2 (Supplement)

ADVENTURES IN INDIA.

Tiiekk was an English blacksmith, a certain Billy Parrot, and o notable wrestler, who once in the author's experience bad an opportunity of putting his science to jiood service, when lie was attached by a great she bear. "She had a little cub, a weo beady-eyed rouud little bull of fur, hanging like grim death to Iter back, and she came swiftly with a lurching rolling gait, and it began to look very awkward indeed for Billy Parrot. I do not think that she would liavo waited to attack both of us, but instinctively I pulled my revolver and lircd. The bullet took her fair in the low-jr jaw and made a terribly splintered wound ; and then with a savage growl of pain and wrath, she rone up and rushed straight at Billy, who seemingly had been too bewildered to fly. The hot breath of the infuriated bear was now on his cheek, lie mado a leap, but his foot caught in a vine, and down ho went. In an instant the savage growling brute was on top of hiin. Well it was for Billy now that my shut, after all, had caught the brute iu tiie jaw. lam sorry to say Billy was not a pious young man ; ho was swearing mo.-t horribly, and really, concerned for his safety as we were, we could scarcely retain our gravity. The bear had got him in a firm hug, and was rolliug over and over with him, growling most savagely, and smothering him with the blood that rushed from the broken jaw. Billy's knowledge of the tricks of the wrestling ring and his great strength here now, however, stood him iu good stead. His strong little bandy legs were twined, with a clutch like ivy, rouud the hind quarters of the bear, keeping il from tearing him with its hind claws. Ho had got his left elbow right uuder the bear's throat, a favourite wrestling trick of Billy's, keeping its mouth from his face, and with his right fist ho was dealing the infuriated brute sounding blows iu the face, the ribs, and over the snout, shouting like a madman all the while, and mingling Hindoo and marine oaths together iu the oddest and the most, laughable jumble imaginable, I never saw such a sight, and, imminent as was the danger to our poor friend, I fairly roared with laughter. This scorned to l'ou.ie poor Billy's ire worse than ever, and ho began to expend a few of the vials of his wrath upou me. By this time tho whole of the party, attracted by the noise, were coming to the spot. The growling savage was tearing at Billy's shoulders, cutting deeply into tho flesh, as wo could see. Tho cab had disappeared in tho undergrowth. Billy was pommelling the bear, raining his blows with the lustiest goodwill on tho bleeding' face of the maddened animal. Over and over they rolled. They were now danger, ously near the edge of a precipice. With a last defiant whoop from Billy, the interlocked combatants gave one lurch on tho edge of the deep rocky precipioe, and, as we rushed to the verge, wo saw the black, jumbling mass bound from an over-hanging sharp-edged ledge of basalt, and rumbiingly disappear down the gloomy shuded depths of tho chasm. A melancholy, moody, and silent party—we began the steep ascent, each fearing the worst, and not daring to hope that the poor fellow had escaped a cruel death. At last we got to tho bottom of the steep ravine, and slowly, and struggling amid shattered rocks, tenacious creepers, and prostrate forest troes, began our seaich up tho gloomy hollow. Suddenly, on the other side of the great opposing rock, we oould now distinctly hear Twaukeo diddle oh ! Twaukeo diddle, diddle, diddle, oh, crooned softly. We leaped to our feet. " Hurrah," wo shouted ; and then wo hurrahed and shouted, and leaped about again, and generally behaved as if wo had all gone mad. Tlure was 110 doubt about it; Billy had escaped as by a miracle, and there ho was, giving us his old chorus, albeit lie gasped somewhat for breath and seemed to be rather thick in tho wind. We soon got over the rock. The natives torn away through the creepers and ferns; and we found Billy alive, but sorely torn and bruised, sitting on the mangled carcase of his late enemy, and though very shaky and faint, yot still full of pluck."