1 66 RETURN TO KERTCH. 



his way he met a couple of bears at different points, 

 both of which appear to have been much bolder by 

 night than they ever are by day. He fired at one 

 of them and missed him. The brute turned round 

 and appeared to search for the origin of the noise ; 

 and if Stepan is to be believed he passed a very 

 ' mauvais quart d'heure,' motionless behind a big 

 piece of drift-wood, while Bruin sat up and watched 

 for him. However, the wind was not right for the 

 bear, so he moved off at last, leaving Stepan to 

 pursue his course unmolested, but resolved never to 

 fire at another bear by night, alone and on foot 

 a resolution to which he stuck religiously when, 

 some half hour afterwards, he met another coming 

 from the direction of his own cottage. 



Arrived at home, he found the dogs had gone 

 off to the Cossack station, and in their absence the 

 bears had been down from the hills to visit him, over- 

 turning his hives, and even breaking the door of his 

 hut. I felt doubts in my own mind as to whether 

 the Cossacks had not been before the bears in these 

 matters, but as it was a damage which could not be 

 remedied, it mattered little who bore the blame. 



Returning in the grey morning, Stepan had a 

 chance at a sea otter, which he wounded but lost. 

 I feel that it is only fair to say for Stepan that witli 

 a proper rifle lie was not such an extraordinarily 

 bad shot as his constant misses would imply ; but 

 a sight of the tool he used would convince any 



