THIRD JOURNEY TO THE CAUCASUS. 317 



My weapon was a rifle with two barrels, one charged with 

 ball, the other with small shot. Similarly defective 

 was the equipment of my companions in the chase. 

 Gradually the clamour of the beaters came nearer, but 

 of bears nothing was to be seen or heard. Suddenly 

 the forest -keeper called our attention by signs to a 

 slight rustle in front of us, and immediately delivered 

 a shot in the direction indicated. The bear slunk 

 away to the left without being hit. A shot delivered 

 by Dr. Hammacher took just as little effect. Then on 

 the other side of me cracked a shot by my brother 

 and immediately after a second. I thought my chance 

 was gone of getting a shot, when all at once close 

 beside me a large brown female bear, accompanied by 

 a cub. crossed the clearing. I delivered my ball-charge 

 at the bear, when the cub fell on its knees with terror, 

 which made me believe I had hit the latter. The 

 mother and her young however ran quietly down the 

 mountain. Every one of us of course thought he had 

 shot his bear, and the district was eagerly searched 

 for the wounded. Traces of blood were indeed dis- 

 covered, but neither then nor afterwards was anything 

 to be seen of our wounded bears. In the further 

 beating up too no bear was slain, only one more in 

 fact came to view and that close to the beaters. 

 These and the bear seem to have been equally ter- 

 rified and fled in opposite directions, the beaters cal- 

 ling out as if in their death-agony. 



One of the finest tours in the further environs 

 of Kedabeg embraces the valley of the Kalakent brook 



