GOLOVINSKY. \zr 



and wild vine. Stepan did all he knew to induce 

 me to leave the bear to die by inches, and come for 

 him next day ; but this seemed to me not only 

 unsportsmanlike, but uncertain : so leaving him to 

 watch Bruin, I crawled into the thicket, and began 

 forcing my way by a game-track under the bushes 

 to the place where he lay. 



It was a difficult path, and the creepers ham- 

 pered me sadly, so that it was not without a con- 

 siderable quickening of the pulse that I heard 

 Stepan screaming, ' Look out, Barin (master), 

 for heaven's sake, here he comes ! ' The bushes 

 parted about ten yards below, and slowly pushing 

 his way uphill came the bear, swinging his head 

 from side to side, throwing the blood and foam 

 from his jaws, and moaning and sobbing hideously. 

 As soon as he caught sight of me he gave his 

 jaws a kind of vicious snap, and even managed to 

 increase his pace to a trot. It was difficult to fire 

 in my cramped position, but I managed to do it, 

 and, thanks to his extreme proximity to my rifle's 

 muzzle, the ball went right through his head, 

 passing through a large oak sapling beyond, leav- 

 ing a hole in it as clean drilled as if it had been 

 done with a hot iron. 



The bear, when we came to examine him, was 

 a very old fellow, quite black, and with a skin in 

 anything but a good condition. However, being 

 my first bear, we skinned him with great care and 



