MAMMALIA. 



make any effort in behalf of the mangled hunter. The 

 officer ordered a large party out at day-light the next 

 morning with the coward for a guide. He took them 

 through the forest to the spot where the encounter 

 had taken place, of which there still remained ample 

 evidence ; but no remains of the victim were met 

 with, except some torn clothing and his rifle. By the 

 state of the grass it was evident that the man had been 

 carried off into the thick forest. A most diligent pur- 

 suit was therefore made. Sometimes the track was 

 lost ; but the pursuers of the bear were too well skilled 

 in wood-craft to be foiled, and at length discovered 

 his larder. He had dragged the hunter into a dense 

 mass of wood and bushes, and, to render the place 

 still more secure, had broken off a quantity of branches 

 and heaped them over his body. These were quickly 

 stripped off, when, to their great surprise, they found 

 the man, though frightfully mutilated and quite insen- 

 sible, still living ! Two long poles were immediately 

 cut, to which saddle-cloths were secured in the middle. 

 One horse was placed in front, another at the back, 

 aud the ends of the pole secured to the stirrups, thus 

 forming a very easy conveyance. The sufferer was 

 placed upon the saddle-cloths, and carefully propped 

 up, and then began the painful march back as fast as 

 possible. On their arrival at the gold mine he was 

 taken direct to the hospital. The doctor dressed his 

 wounds, and administered all that medical skill and 

 kindness prompted. His patient survived, but long 

 remained unconscious of everything around him. After 

 more than two months had elapsed a slight improve- 

 ment took place, and his reason appeared to be 

 restored. His first question was about the bear, and 

 then he referred to his own defeat. He spoke of 

 nothing else, and was constantly asking for his rifle to 

 go and kill ' Michael Ivanitch ' (the bear). The 

 medical men thought his mind seriously affected. As 

 he gained strength there arose in him so great a desire 

 to have another combat with his powerful and ferocious 

 enemy, that it was considered necessary to place him 

 under some restraint. Summer had passed over, and 

 autumn had arrived; the sun had scorched the foliage, 

 changing it into golden and crimson hues, and as it 

 was now thought the poor lunatic had forgotten his 

 adventure, less vigilance was exercised towards him. 

 The opportunity was not lost ; for he secretly left the 

 hospital, and started off for his cottage. All the 

 family being absent, except some young children, he 

 was enabled to secure his rifle and ammunition, and 

 provided himself with an axe and a loaf of black bread, 

 which he stowed in his wallet. Thus armed and pro- 

 visioned, he left the village in the evening without 

 having been seen, except by the children, and was 

 soon lost to them in the forest. When it was dis- 

 covered that he had escaped, people were sent out in 

 various directions to seek him ; but they returned 

 without success. More than a week passed over, 

 during which nothing had been heard of him, when 

 one day he walked into the hospital, carrying the 

 skin of a huge bear on his shoulders, and throwing it 

 down exclaimed, ' I told you I would have him.' 

 This man was a fine old hunter. It was not a spirit 

 of revenge which prompted him to this daring act. 



The fact was he could not brook the idea of a defeat. 

 Now his reputation was re-established, he wag happy. 

 His health was again restored ; nor was this the last 

 bear that fell before his deadly rifle." Not only do 

 the men of these regions courageously attack bears, 

 but women also take to hunting, one of them having 

 obtained an extraordinary reputation for her skill and 

 daring. Thoughout Siberia, Bruin is said to have no 

 more intrepid enemy than the damsel, Anna Petrov- 

 naia ! The closing scene of one of her expeditious is 

 thus described by Mr. Atkinson : " As she was creep- 

 ing cautiously forward, out rushed the bear with a 

 loud growl, about twenty yards in front. Quickly she 

 threw forward the prongs of her rifle, dropped on one 

 knee, and got a good sight of the animal staring at 

 her, almost motionless. She now touched the trigger, 

 there followed a flash, a savage growl succeeded, then 

 a struggle for a minute or two, and her wish was 

 accomplished the bear lay dead." Since this event, 

 we are informed that she has destroyed no less than 

 sixteen bears ! Here we would willingly quit the sub- 

 ject, but cannot do so without also recording the most 

 desperate encounter probably ever placed on record. 

 This took place not far from the district in which the 

 poor hunter above mentioned was so terribly mangled. 

 One afternoon, says Mr. Atkinson, a Cossack officer 

 " was quietly strolling through the forest, alone and 

 unarmed, botanizing by the way, when, at a distance of 

 about eight versts from the gold mine, he came out of 

 the forest into an open glade, on which stood some 

 single trees. Almost immediately on entering this 

 spot, he observed at a distance of two hundred paces 

 a she-bear and her two cubs playing together. The 

 moment she became aware of his presence, she uttered 

 a savage growl, drove her young ones into a tree for 

 shelter, and mounted guard at the foot of it to defend 

 them. The Cossack retreated into the wood to pro- 

 vide himself with a weapon, having determined to 

 carry oft' the cubs. The woodmen had been cutting 

 timber, and from the stems of several young birch 

 trees lying on the ground, he selected part of a 

 strong one, nearly four feet in length, tried its quality 

 against a tree in a succession of smart blows, and then 

 club in hand, retraced his steps. As soon as the old 

 bear observed his approach she began to growl furi- 

 ously, moving to and fro with an uneasy motion at the 

 foot of the tree. He slowly and steadily advanced, 

 when within about a hundred paces her growl became 

 more savage, and her actions showed that she intended 

 mischief. Nevertheless he quietly moved on, his keen 

 eye steadfastly fixed upon her. The ground was a fine 

 grassy turf, with no shrubs or bushes to impede his 

 movements or entangle his feet. When within about 

 fifty paces, she made a savage rush that would have 

 daunted most men ; but he firmly stood his ground, 

 waiting her nearer approach. At this monient the 

 cubs began to whine, and she trotted back towards 

 the tree in increased fury. The Cossack followed, 

 and when she turned round, they were face to face, 

 within twenty paces of each other. There was now 

 no retreat. The brute eyed him keenly for two or 

 three minutes, as if calculating his strength ; he return- 

 ing her gaze with as searching scrutiny. Presently 



