SHYNESS OF WOOD XYIMPHS. 123 



bear had crept silently into the barley ; but 

 alas ! the moon lit up every nook and corner, 

 and everywhere fires were burning, and the 

 loquacious reapers chattering and singing. 

 On our way back we tried to overcome the 

 shyness of some of the wood nymphs we met, 

 and made an effort at conversation with them. 

 But it was no good. Though they wanted a 

 light for their fire and cigarettes they would 

 only consent to take it when thrown to them, 

 and, having secured the ember, scampered 

 away laughing to where a low branch hut 

 just showed a few feet above some still uncut 

 corn. 



Beautiful as the night was, we had to be 

 up by dawn on the morrow, and if our guides 

 were to be believed, we had still eighty-two 

 versts to tramp before our goal was reached, 

 so we left the cornfields to the reapers and 

 the bears, and turned in to roost. 



Some time, about an hour before dawn, we 



