I examined both my guns, and considered where I had better stand. Three steps behind me was a tall fir.
“That’s where I’ll stand,” thought I, “and then I can lean my second gun against the tree”; and I moved towards the tree, sinking up to my knees in the snow at each step. I trod the snow down, and made a clearance about a yard square, to stand on. One gun I kept in my hand; the other, ready cocked, I placed leaning up against the tree. Then I unsheathed and replaced my dagger, to make sure that I could draw it easily in case of need.
Just as I had finished these preparations, I heard Damian shouting in the forest:
“He’s up! He’s up!”
And as soon as Damian shouted, the peasants round the circle all replied in their different voices.
“Up, up, up! Ou! Ou! Ou!” shouted the men.
“Ay! Ay! Ay!” screamed the women in high-pitched tones.
The bear was inside the circle, and as Damian drove him on, the people all round kept shouting. Only my friend and I stood silent and motionless, waiting for the bear to come towards us. As I stood gazing and listening, my heart beat violently. I trembled, holding my gun fast.
“Now now,” I thought. “He will come suddenly. I shall aim, fire, and he will drop—”
Suddenly, to my left, but at a distance, I heard something falling on the snow. I looked between the tall fir trees, and, some fifty paces off, behind the trunks, saw something big and black. I took aim and waited, thinking: