222 IN THE LAND OF THE BORA. 



not take place at once, because a member of the 

 imperial family had signified his desire to be 

 present, so the first step was to telegraph to him, 

 and, on a reply being received that he would arrive 

 on the 23rd, the following day was fixed for the 

 shoot. Forthwith the capital became unbearable. 

 Nothing was talked of but the animal and the 

 means of his destruction, nothing discussed but 

 rifles, bullets, the art of driving bears, and so forth. 

 Men who had never shot anything bigger than a 

 hare (and not many of them), suddenly came out 

 as authorities on big-game shooting. Great was 

 the demand for rifles ; but, as a rule, the sportsmen 

 contented themselves with gendarmerie carbines, 

 •450 bore, but with a much smaller powder-charge 

 than our old Martinis, and, of course, solid bullet. 

 I, of course, stuck to my shot-and-ball gun, with 

 which I can smash a wine-bottle at a hundred 

 yards. The genial prefect of the province, Baron 

 von Benko (since promoted), alone took things with 

 the philosophy of the old sailor, but the foresters 

 and gendarmerie nearly worked themselves into 

 a fever, while the district sub-prefect decided to 

 sleep on the ground on the eve of the eventful day. 

 All being ready, the question was this, " Will the 

 bears stay on the ground ? " The idea that an 

 exalted personage should take a forty-eight hours' 

 journey for nothing was appalling to the official 

 mind, while the sportsmen naturally hoped that so 



