*A BIG boulder; 189 



in watching the Hghtning play among the 

 mountains round us. 



Below our place of vantage was a piece of 

 level grass, with here and there a great grey 

 stone upon it. My eyes were unconsciously 

 bent on this spot when a vivid flash of 

 sheet lightning lit up the whole scene, and 

 showed me that what I had only taken for a 

 bigger boulder than the rest was a bear 

 coming slowly and deliberately straight to my 

 feet. Of course I fired as quickly as I could, 

 for he was already within thirty paces, and in 

 another moment would probably have dis- 

 covered us and bolted. As it was he came 

 down all in a heap, and then picking himself 

 up, plunged forward in our clirection. I 

 thous^ht for a moment he was charoins:, 

 and though I could only see very indistinctly, 

 gave him my second barrel, which missed 

 him clean, but had the effect of turninsf him. 



I have no doubt the idea of attackins; us 



