48 DIARY OF A SPORTSMAN NATURALIST 



cave mouth armed with our largest and noisiest fireworks 

 and threw them in as far as possible, immediately climbing 

 nimbly up to positions of safety. The cracking reverbera- 

 tions made noise enough but nothing happened. A. B.C. 

 started a laugh but was quelled into silence by our furious 

 gestures. Three times was the firework manoeuvre repeated. 

 Yet a fourth time the men advanced. One of the three, 

 owing to carelessness or laziness, hung behind the other two, 



and their crackers were already banging inside as he raised 

 his arm to fling in his. On the instant two bears appeared 

 at the cavern mouth. The man dropped the cracker and 

 bolted. The firework, a big one, at once commenced that 

 erratic and elusive mode of cracking and jumping which is 

 so bewildering. Two rifles rang out, and the bears appeared 

 to fall upon one another almost at the same instant, snarling 

 and cuffing in a rough and tumble. Only two of us could 



