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Updated: June 1, 2025
The Quan now took a blazing faggot from the fire, and passing it between the wattles, ignited the fuse which the old grenadier had ingeniously placed in the "devil's" tail. As soon as Pouchskin perceived that it was fairly on fire, with an adroit jerk he sent the little rocket up into the cave, as far as he could throw it; and then jerking himself backward, he seized hold of his axe.
Though all four succeeded in reaching the summit in safety, it did not hinder Pouchskin from pouring out his vial of wrath on the heads of the offending woodcutters; and if they could have only understood his Russian, they would have heard themselves called by a good many hard names, and threatened with a second pursuit of Moscow.
All this in due time was accomplished; and with the robe once more packed on the shoulders of Pouchskin, the hunters returned to their headquarters. It proved as the Quan had promised them to be a black bear; not that his fur was altogether black, as is the case with the ursus americanus and the black bears of India.
A young sapling it was, that when cleared of its branches appeared as long as a hop-pole. Pouchskin knew the advantage of its length. He had no particular wish to come to close quarters with the bear. Creeping back pretty nearly into his old place, he inserted the end of the sapling into the aperture then rattled it against the sides, and waited a bit. No response from Bruin!
Pouchskin took it all in good part, and the muleteers pressed him to try again; but, not caring to expose himself to a fresh burst of ridicule, the old grenadier borrowed the cup of one of his young masters; and by the help of this managed matters a little more to his mind.
Pouchskin hesitated for a moment whether to withstand the attack, and had drawn his knife to be ready; but the formidable appearance of the antagonist, his immense size, and fierce aspect, admonished Pouchskin that in this case discretion might be the better part of valour, and he yielded to the suggestion.
The young hunters, and Pouchskin too, were about getting ready to fire upon him; when, to their surprise, they saw the tigrero, who was mounted on a prancing little horse, spur out in front of them, and gallop towards the bear.
At Fort Halkett in consequence of a scarcity of hands, and the great pressure of business, in forwarding the brigade onward to the Pelly Station our young hunters were unable to obtain a guide; and therefore started out for the chase alone Pouchskin, of course, being one of the party.
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.
The boys did not know all this for they could only just see the top of Pouchskin's head, with his long arms holding the gun but they could hear the rushing noise of the water, and Pouchskin reported the rest. It did not appear so easy to extricate him from his unpleasant predicament; for the resemblance between his situation, and that of jack-in-the-box, went no further.
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