"Civilisation in Russian cotton-mills!
Hotbeds of vice, and corruption! Whair hae ye
been to speak that gate? I could tell ye
something aboot that. But, —hear to that!"

Sounds from the six hundred men in the wood
had long since been heard, increasing in volume
but now they had become deafening, and
indicated the very near approach of the sport.
Halloaing, shouting, yelling, whistling, blowing
of horns, and a din of as heavy blows on
iron kettles, formed a discordant chorus, and so
loud that I could hardly hear the latter part of
Mr. Saunderson's lecture on Political Economy.
But his "hear to that," referred to a rifle-shot,
immediately followed by a clattering of shots all
down the line. I looked across the road, and
could see the net vibrating, bulging, and in
some places coming down, entangling heavy
bodies in its meshes. Two large wolves, strong,
and apparently fat, followed by a third, made
their way cautiously at first from below the net,
and then jumped into the road. Three or four
shots went off at the same moment, but only
one wolf dropped, the other two made as if for
the wood on our side, but seemed to scent danger
in that direction, for they turned round and tore
up the hill at rattling speed. "Don't fire,"
shouted Saunderson; "let off the dogs!" And
immediately four noble dogs sprang into the
road, right in front of our position. One wolf
was caught in a moment by the first two dogs,
but the other ran into the wood, hotly followed
by the other couple. Pins was reloading, when
the three animals dashed amongst his legs, and
upset him as they passed. I can only relate
what I myself saw. A deer, or elk, with
magnificent broad horns, cleared the net at a bound,
right in front of us. "Now," said the Scotchman,
"that's my quarry." The animal had
scarcely touched the ground when a bullet
struck him in the brain, and down he went.
This was the first shot he had fired, and he
hastily reloaded, for, he said, he fully expected
bears. At this time a horseman on a splendid
English hunter dashed up the open steep,
and the firing abated. "That's Pomerin, what's he
after? He'll get shot," said Saunderson. As
he approached our position, he shouted in
English, "Two large bears are heading up the wood
inside the net, and the men are falling back;
they will escape if we don't mind. Mount and
follow who will." Saunderson was on his horse
in a moment, and after the young man up the
hill. Turning to look for Pins, and Harry, I
saw Pins, the picture of fear, behind a tree. As
I came up he was imploring Harry to help him
on his horse, that he might quit the field; his
own man had not returned. " Blow me if I
do," said Harry. "But I'll take the loan of
it. And here, old cock, take my blunderbuss,
and I'll just try your rifle on a Rooshian bear."
Whereupon he coolly took Pins's rifle out of his
awkward hands, untied the horse, jumped on his
back, and was after Saunderson before I could
have stopped him, which I certainly did not
intend to do. Had I been as well mounted and
armed I should have followed: as it was, I was
condemned to inactivity, and the society of Mr.
Pins.

The shots were still rattling off down the
hill, several horsemen had passed in pursuit
of the bears immediately after Harry left, and
in a short time the rest of the huntsmen
advanced into the open road to get to closer
quarters with the game in and behind the net.
I also left the cover, saw them fire several
volleys ingloriously at the prostrate and
entangled animals, and was about to examine the
effects of their firing by going close up to the
net, when a low growl, then a loud savage
howl, issued from behind, and immediately a
bear burst through an opening into the road
among the men; as if disdaining to touch them,
he turned again and faced the wood whence he
had come, and where he knew his pursuers to
be. The rifles on our side were all unloaded,
so that he deliberately sat for a short time in
the middle of the road untouched. I was just
on the point of trying the effect of revolver shot,
and had made a few steps to get a proper and
sure aim, when Saunderson rode from the wood,
and drew up not twenty feet from the poor
surrounded beast. He raised his rifle and fired,
and the bear fell. The men, who had been all
scampering off, returned to finish him with their
knives, but Saunderson cried out, "Keep back,
he's not dead; he will comb some of your hair
if you don't mind!" He spoke too late. One
man, more daring than the others, had stooped
down to run his knife into the bear's throat,
when, with astonishing swiftness, bruin raised
himself to a sitting position, and darting his
great paw, armed with those formidable talons,
at the man's head, tore down cap, hair, skin,
and flesh to the elbow. The man fell forward
on the bear—in fact, into his arms—and was
about to experience one of those deadly hugs,
or embraces, which would have put him out of
all pain, but a bullet from the same hand that
first struck him put an end to the bear's power
of mischief. The wounded man sprang up, and
with a piercing shriek ran down the hill. He
was ultimately carried home, and survived, but
was for life frightfully disfigured.

The six hundred men who had been making
the noises, and driving the game into the net,
began to assemble in the road, and gather together
spoil. The dogs came wagging their tails,
some with their fangs dripping and bloody, and
their sides and heads showing rather severe
wounds.

"Ah, Barbose, Burlak, my lads, you've done
your part nae doot. But, God help us! where's
Pomerin, and that body Pins, and that great
big Englishman of yours?"

"As for Pins," I said, "I left him in the
wood, but I must inquire of you where the
other two are."

"Me! I ken whaur I left them, but it's no
easy saying whaur they may be now. Come on
and search; ye see, the bears divided as we
headed them. I and two other men kept close
on this one as he skirted the edge of the wood;
twice he turned to offer battle, but took the