124 GOLOVINSKY. 



such a chance to throw away, I pushed noisily 

 through the thickets, never dreaming of finding 

 any more game, at any rate for another half mile. 

 Yet hardly had we gone three dozen paces from 

 the spot whence the last shot was fired, when our 

 ears caught the sound of a bear's even step close 

 to us, and approaching still closer. Slipping silently 

 behind a couple of trees, we waited with our hearts 

 in our mouths. Softly and deliberately the steps 

 drew near, with a sound closely resembling the 

 step of a man slowly picking his way through the 

 forest. Every now and then the bear paused to 

 give a loud snuff of inquiry, which, luckily for us, 

 the constant shifting of the wind in these narrow 

 valleys completely baffled. At last I got a glimpse 

 of her passing slowly through the bushes, and 

 stopping every now and then to pick up the fallen 

 chestnuts in a leisurely way as she paced along. 

 I waited for a minute or two until I could see her 

 grey shoulder plainly through the rhododendrons. 

 Then I pulled, and wheeling round with a short 

 sharp cry, she disappeared in the higher covert, 

 followed in her retreat by a snap- shot from my 

 second barrel, which evidently did not take effect. 



Uncertain whether the bear was killed outright 

 or only wounded, Stepan and myself were some- 

 what shy of following her into her stronghold. 

 At first we both tried climbing trees, hoping to 

 get a view of her thus ; but finding that of no avail 



