ng of the "ring" to the more
ardent hunters for a very considerable price! It was just with this
view that the Finnish peasant had put himself in communication with our
young Russians; and as the bounty they had already offered far exceeded
the usual purchase-money in such cases, the Quan at once closed with
their offer, and conducted them to the "ring."

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

OLD NALLE.

While proceeding towards the ground where they expected to find the
bear, their guide informed them that he had not only ringed the animal,
but actually knew the den in which it was lying. This was still better:
it would not only save them a search, but enable them to encompass the
beast on all sides and cut off his retreat--should he attempt to bolt
before they could get near.

On approaching the place, therefore, Pouchskin proposed that the three
should separate, and, after having deployed into a circle, proceed
inward from different directions.

But the guide opposed this suggestion--saying, with a significant smile,
that there was no need of such precautions, as he would answer for the
bear not leaving his den, until they had all got up as near as they
might wish to be.

The hunters wondered at this confidence on the part of their guide, but
in a few minutes' time they had an explanation of it. Going up to a
sort of cliff that formed the side of a little stony knoll, the Quan
pointed to a hole in the rocks, saying, as he did so:--

"Old _nalle_ is in there."

Now "nalle" is the nickname of the bear throughout the Scandinavian
countries, and our Russian hunters knew this well enough; but that a
bear could be inside the little hole, to which their guide had pointed,
appeared utterly incredible, and Ivan and Alexis burst into a loud
laugh, while Pouchskin was rather inclined to show a little anger about
the matter.

The hole which the Quan had pointed out was a crevice between two great
boulders of rock. It was about a yard above the ground, upon which they
stood; and was certainly not more than six or eight inches in diameter.
All round the orifice the rocks were thickly coated with ice; and from
the top of the cliff on both sides huge icicles projected downwards,
until their tips touched the earth, looking like enormous trunks of
elephants, or such as even mammoths might have carried. One of these
immense icicles was directly in front of the aperture; while on the
ground just below its point stood up a huge mass of