. They did not stay to see: for the moment the smoke had
cleared off, they saw the whole gang of bears in motion, and rushing
towards them from all sides of the lake. The shrill fierce screaming of
the animals, and the hurried pace in which they were making towards the
ridge, declared their intentions. They were charging forward to the
attack.

The hunters saw this at a glance; and thought only of retreating. But
whither could they fly? There were no trees; and if there had been, the
bears could have climbed them even better than themselves. There were
steep rocky cliffs on both sides of the ravine; but these would afford
them no security--even had their ice-coated slope permitted of their
being scaled. But it did not, and if it had, the bears could have
scaled the rocks too!

Our Russian hunters were in a complete state of perplexity, and perhaps
would not have known how to save themselves, had it not been for their
Kurilski comrade. He, however, had conceived an idea--or, rather, had
drawn it from old experience; and just at this moment he rushed down the
slope, as he did so calling to the others to take to their sledges, and
warning them that it was their only chance of escape.

Of course none of them thought of disputing his advice, or even calling
it in question; but one and all of them yielded obedience on the
instant. Without saying a word, each rushed to his sledge, leaped upon
the runners, seated himself in double quick time upon the little
crescent-like cradle, seized the "ribbons," and straightened his team to
the road.

Had the dogs not been well-trained, and their drivers equally well used
to the management of a sledge, their peril would have been extreme. As
it was--though all came into their places in good style, and without
confusion--they had not a second to spare. The bears were already
galloping down the slope; and as the last sledge--which was
Pouchskin's--moved off from the bottom of the ridge, the foremost of the
roaring pursuers had got within less than six yards of it!

It was now a trial of speed between bears and sledge-dogs--for the
latter knew that they were in as much danger as their masters; and
needed neither the exclamation _Ah_! nor the _oschtol_ to urge them
forward. On swept they over the frozen crust, as fast as they could
go--handling their limbs and claws with the nimbleness peculiar to their
race.

The bears followed in a sort of lumbering gallop; yet, notwithsta