es, his belly hungers,
and he is disposed to believe that some one has stolen upon him while
asleep, and robbed him of his suet. Under this impression he issues
from his dark chamber in very ill humour indeed. This disposition
clings to him for a length of time; and if at this period, during his
morning rambles, he should encounter any one who does not get speedily
out of his way, the party thus meeting him will find him a very awkward
customer. It is then that he makes havoc among the flocks and herds of
the Scandinavian shepherd--for he actually does commit such ravages--and
even the hunter who meets him at this season will do well to "ware
bear."

And so does the hunter; and so did Alexis, and Ivan, and Pouchskin. All
three of them were well enough acquainted with the habits of the bear--
their own Russian bear--to know that they should act with caution in
approaching him.

And in this wise they acted; for instead of rushing up to the mouth of
the hole, and making a great riot, they stole forward in perfect
silence, each holding his gun cocked, and ready to give Bruin a salute,
the moment he should show his snout beyond the portals of his den.

Had they not tracked him to his cave, they would have acted quite
differently. Had they found a bear's den--within which they knew that
the animal was indulging in his winter sleep--they would not have cared
so much how they approached it. Then he would have required a good deal
of stirring up to induce him to show himself, so that they could get a
shot at him; but the track told them that this one had been up and
abroad--perhaps for several days--and as the new snow, in all
likelihood, had hindered him from picking up much to eat, he would be as
"savage as a meat axe."

Expecting him to spring out almost on the instant, the three took stand
at some distance from the mouth of the cave; and, with arms in
readiness, awaited his coming forth.

CHAPTER TEN.

BRUIN AT HOME?

The entrance to the cave, if cave it was, was an aperture of no great
dimensions--about large enough to admit the body of a full-grown bear,
and no bigger. It appeared to be a hole or burrow, rather than a cave,
and ran under a great pine-tree, among whose roots, no doubt, was the
den of the bear. The tree itself grew up out of the sloping bank; and
its great rhizomes stretched over a large space, many of them appearing
above the surface soil. In front of the aperture was a little ledge,