nding
their uncouth movements, they kept for a long time close in the rear of
the fugitives.

Fortunately they did not possess the speed of the canine race; and at
length--seeing that they were being distanced--one after another gave up
the chase, and commenced returning towards the lake, slowly, and with
apparent reluctance.

Just at this crisis an accident occurred to Pouchskin--or rather
Pouchskin committed a mistake--which, had it been made five minutes
sooner, would most assuredly have cost him his life. The mistake which
Pouchskin made, was to drop the iron end of his "_oschtol_" on the snowy
crust between his sledge and the two dogs nearest to it--the "wheelers"
as we may call them. The effect of this, with Kamschatkan sledge-dogs,
is to cause the whole team to halt; and so acted the dogs that Pouchskin
was driving--all five suddenly coming to a dead stop! Pouchskin
endeavoured to urge them forward--crying out the usual signal, _Ha_;
but, in his anxious eagerness, Pouchskin placed the accent after the
vowel, instead of before it; and instead of _Ha_! his exclamation
sounded _Ah_! The latter being the command for the dogs to halt, of
course only kept them steady in their places; and they stood without
offering to move a leg. By good fortune, the bears had already given up
the pursuit, and were not witnesses of this interruption: otherwise it
would have gone ill with the ex-grenadier.

In due time the dogs were once more started; and Pouchskin--putting them
to their highest rate of speed--soon overtook the sledge-train; which
did not come to a halt until a good mile of snow-covered country was
between it and the bears.

The hunters only paused then, for a short while, to breathe their
panting dogs; and this done, they resumed their seats on the sledges,
and continued on to the ostrog--without a thought of going back after
the bears.

They had no intention, however, of giving them up entirely. They only
drove home to the village--in order to get assistance; and, as soon as
their report was delivered, all the men of the settlement--Cossacks,
Kurilskis, and half-breeds--turned out armed to the teeth for a grand
battue, and proceeded towards the lake with the Governor himself at
their head.

The bears were still upon the ground--both the living and the dead--for
it was now seen that two of their number had fallen to the shots of our
hunters--and upon the former a general fusillade was at once opened,
whi