Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/178

154 "A bear would not come here to sleep under the bee nest, and a wolf would have smelt me and would not wait here till morning."

Suddenly shivers passed from head to foot through him.

"Had something 'foul' crawled from the swamps and come up from behind toward him? Would the slippery arms of some drowned one grasp hold of him unexpectedly, or the green eyes of a vampire leer into his face, or something laugh dreadfully there at his back, or some blue head on spider legs creep out from beyond a pine tree?"

And he felt that the hair was rising under his iron helmet.

But after a while rustling was heard in front, this time more distinctly than ever. Zbyshko drew a breath of relief. He admitted, it is true, that the same "wonder" had gone around him, and was approaching now from the front; but he preferred this. He grasped the fork well, rose in silence, and waited.

At that moment he heard the sound of the pine trees above his head, on his face he felt a strong breeze from the swamp, and the same instant there flew to his nostrils the odor of a bear.

There was not the least doubt now, the bear was approaching!

In a moment Zbyshko ceased to fear, and, inclining his head, he exerted his sight and his hearing. The steps came up, heavy, distinct, the odor grew sharper; soon panting and growling were heard.

"If only two are not coming!" thought Zbyshko.

But at that moment he saw before him the great and dark form of a beast which advancing with the wind could not smell him till the last moment, especially as the beast was occupied with the odor of honey rubbed on the tree trunks.

"Come on, grandfather!" cried Zbyshko, pushing out from behind the pine.

The bear gave a short roar, as if frightened by the unexpected vision, but was too near to save itself by flight, so in one instant it rose on its hind legs, opening its forelegs, as if to embrace. This was just what Zbyshko was waiting for; so, collecting himself, he sprang like lightning, and with all the power of his strong arms, together with his own weight, drove the fork into the bosom of the beast.

The whole forest trembled then from a penetrating roar. The bear seized the fork with his paws wishing to tear it away, but the barbs at the points held it in; so, feeling