Page:The Complete Works of Lyof N. Tolstoi - 08 (Crowell, 1899).djvu/69

Rh "Won't it come any nearer?"

As I looked, it moved its ears and started to retreat. As it turned around and presented its side, I got a full view of it. The tremendous beast! I took aim in hot haste.

Bang! I could hear my bullet bury itself in a tree. I gazed through the smoke; my bear was galloping back under cover, and disappeared in the forest.

"Well," I said to myself, "I have spoiled my game; now there's no hope of his coming back to me; either my comrade will hit him, or he will make his escape through the peasants; but I shall not have another chance at him."

Nevertheless I reloaded my musket, and stood there, listening. The peasants were shouting on all sides; but on my right, not far from where my comrade stood, I heard a woman screaming at the top of her voice:—

"Here he is! here he is! here he is! This way! this way! oï! oï! aï! aï! aï!"

Evidently she saw the bear. I no longer had any expectations of its coming my way, so I fixed my eyes on my comrade. I saw Demyan, with a cudgel, and not wearing his snow-shoes, running along the trodden path toward my comrade, crouching down behind him, and calling his attention to something, as if he were urging him to fire. I saw my comrade lift his musket and aim in the direction indicated by Demyan with his stick.

Bang! The gun went off.

"Well," said I to myself, "he has killed him!"

But when I saw that my comrade was not hurrying to the bear, I said to myself:—

"Missed, evidently; he could not have got a good aim. Now the bear will retreat, and there's no hope of his coming in my direction."

But what was this?

Suddenly I heard, directly in front of me, some one rushing along like a tornado, scattering the snow and puffing close to me. I looked up the path, and there he was, coming straight down upon me, over the little