190 SAVAGE SVANETIA. 



never entered his head, and his apparent 

 charge was owing to a blind desire to escape 

 from a danger coming from he knew not 

 whence. Be that as it may, he very soon dis- 

 appeared in the darkness in the direction of our 

 homeward road. This was unlucky, as Simon 

 had a distinct objection to meeting a wounded 

 bear in the dark, and it was now rapidly 

 becoming so dark that we could scarcely find 

 a way through the branches heavy with the 

 drops of the thunder- shower. I don't think I 

 felt quite easy in my mind, as the lightning had 

 become so close and was so vivid that we felt it 

 safer to cover up our guns ; and what with this, 

 the darkness, and the denseness of the jungle, 

 it was just as well we did not blunder into the 

 arms of the wounded savage. But we might 

 have spared ourselves our anxiety, for when 

 we went to seek him next morning we found 

 we must have almost walked over his dead 

 body the night before, his strength having 



