ar to his den.

A few days after their arrival upon the hunting-ground, they were able
to do this--having come upon the footmarks of a bear, that, followed for
a mile or so through the snow, led them to the animal's lair. It led
them also to an adventure, which was the first they had yet encountered;
and which came very near being the last that Pouchskin was ever to have
in the world. Pouchskin was certainly in great peril; and how he
escaped from it will be learnt, by reading an account of the adventure.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

JACK-IN-THE-BOX.

It was early in the morning, shortly after leaving the tent of the
Laplander, they had chanced upon the track of the bear.

After following it for nearly a mile, it conducted them to a narrow
gorge or ravine, lying between two rocky ridges. The ravine itself was
not more than ten or a dozen yards in width, and its bottom was filled
with snow to the depth of several feet. Along the sides the snow lay
sparsely; and in fact there had been scarce any in that place before the
fall the preceding night. This had only covered the ground to the depth
of a few inches: but it was sufficient to show the footmarks of the
bear; and they were able to follow the _spar_--so the Scandinavian
hunters call the tracks of an animal--as fast as they chose to go.

Following it up, then, our hunters entered the ravine. They kept for
some distance along one side--just by the edge of the deep snow; but at
length, the track indicated where the bear had crossed to the other
side; and of course they were compelled to cross likewise.

This deep snow was the accumulated deposits of different storms that had
occurred during the winter; and, shadowed from the sun by the long
branches of evergreen pines from both sides stretching outward over the
ravine, it had remained without melting. There was a crust over it--
strong enough to carry a man on _skidors_, but not without them, unless
he proceeded with care and caution. The bear had gone over it; but
these animals, notwithstanding their enormous weight and bulk, can pass
over ice or crusted snow that will not carry a man. Their weight rests
upon four points instead of two; and as they need only lift one foot at
a time, they still have three points of support. A man must also lift
one foot, which leaves him only one to stand upon; and therefore his
whole weight presses upon a single point, and so endangers his breaking
through. The great length of