THE KILLING OF THE GREY BEAR 185 



In the lurking shadows two httle glow-worm lights 

 turned slowly to and fro, to and fro. The High Priest 

 was watching us. It was an eerie sensation, and my 

 spine just pricked with a sensation as of pins and 

 needles as I stood ready for anything and expecting 

 Heaven knows what. We wanted to hold our ground 

 as long as possible, because the men of Daghestan say 

 that these grey bears always charge on sight, and we 

 were anxious to settle the question to our satisfaction. 

 There are, as a matter of fact, very few bears of any 

 species who take the thing so seriously. 



All he did for a few seconds was to watch and watch ; 

 and then, as though the sight of us offended him, he 

 growled deeply, not the usual ' Wouf ! " which often 

 indicates that the bear himself is badly startled, but a 

 fierce prolonged grumbly snarl, and all down the dim 

 aisles the creepy eldritch sound passed fitfully. 



The air seemed tense with untoward chances. I felt 

 sure he was coming. Something, a sixth sense, per- 

 haps, warned me to get ready. I dropped on one 

 knee, raised the foresight, and at that instant a bulky 

 shadow outlined itself against the deeper shadows 

 beyond. I pulled off hurriedly, and the indistinct mass 

 fell forward, catching the light as he came. Biting 

 savagely at the wound in his chest he beat the ground 

 in furious impotence, and then, rallying, with a speed 

 I should never have thought possible for so cumbrous 

 a beast, he shot at us, ears back, snout upraised, 

 hind-quarters low, with all the strength and force and 

 striking power of him thrown into the fore-arms. In a 

 few more strides he would have been on us, but — poor 



