CHAPTER V.HOW PETER THE GREAT WAS KNOCKED OVER.
Before Boris had been very long in the service of the Tsar he hadbecome quite an expert sailor; indeed, he and his young master werescarcely ever absent from shipboard of one kind or another. Archangelwas at this time Russia's one outlet to the sea. St. Petersburg wasnot yet built, nor Cronstadt thought of; the Baltic ports had stillto be wrested from their proprietors; only the little northern portat the mouth of the Dwina was open to receive the ships and commerceof the world. Consequently, as the season proceeded, vessels of allnationalities, including English, appeared with their merchandise atthis distant market; and Peter passed many weeks in the most congenialoccupation of studying each vessel that entered the port, sailing aboutin them, making friends with their captains, and learning everythinghe could gather of the history and circumstances of the people to whicheach belonged. Boris, too, learned many marvels concerning this planetof ours and its inhabitants, undreamed of hitherto. The young hunterwas constantly in attendance on Peter--waited upon him at dinner, sleptat his door at night, sailed with him, walked abroad with him, and was,in a word, his inseparable companion.
The villagers at Dubinka greatly deplored the departure of Borisfrom among them; for what were they going to do without him when thewinter-time came round, and the wolves began to be both numerous andassertive? Who was to keep them in check now that the great Boris wasgone? Even now they had the best of reasons for acutely deploring thehunter's absence. It will be remembered that whereas there had beentwo bears engaged in the plundering of the peasants' corn-fields, onlyone of these had been accounted for by Boris before his departure. Thesecond bear had disappeared for some little time after the death ofits liege lord; but the days of her mourning being now accomplished,she had reappeared, and with appetite largely improved by her periodof abstinence. Her depredations became so serious at last that it wasresolved by the council of the peasants to send into the town a requestto Boris to devote his earliest leisure to a personal interview withthe widow of his late antagonist.
Boris received the message of the good folks of Dubinka with delight.The very mention of a bear aroused all his old sporting instincts, andhe went straight to the Tsar to obtain his permission to absent himselffor a day.
"Ho, ho!" laughed Peter. "So you want to be eaten up again, do you? Idoubt whether I can spare you; you have made yourself too useful to me.Had you not better stay? It is safer here."
Boris blushed. "The bear isn't born yet, sire," he said, "that willmake me run again. The bear you killed had caught me napping. I shallnever leave my spear again, to eat strawberries."
"Well, well," said Peter, "you shall go on one condition--that I gowith you to see you safely through with the adventure."
And so it came about that Boris and his master walked out very earlyone summer morning to relieve the peasants of Dubinka of theirunwelcome visitor. The two young giants called first at the house ofthe _starost_, or principal peasant of the place, whom they arousedfrom his slumbers and carried off with them into the fields at theedge of the forest, to show them the exact spot at which the robberhad concluded her supper on the previous evening; for it was probablethat she would recommence her plundering at or about the same spot. Thestarost brought the hunters to the place they sought, approaching itin abject terror, and scudding home again like a hare, lest the bearshould pursue him back over the fields.
Boris was the Tsar's master in their present occupation, and thoroughlyunderstood what he was about. The pair concealed themselves in a denseclump of cover at the edge of the wood. Just in front of their ambushlay the oat-field last honoured by the attentions of the bear. A largeportion of it looked as though a battle had been fought on it, sodowntrodden and crushed were the tall, delicate stalks. It was arrangedthat Peter should hold the spear, while Boris was to be content withthe hunting-knife, one which the Tsar had brought with him, a long andbusiness-like blade, both tough and sharp, as a blade needs to be to bedriven through the thick hide of a bear. The young monarch was anxiousto try his "'prentice hand" with the spear, for he had never handledone excepting on that memorable occasion when he gave the final pushto the huge brute which had first winded and then overpowered poorBoris. The hunter very carefully explained the exact way in which Petermust poise his body, how he must grip the spear-shaft, and how he mustplant his feet so as to balance his body conveniently and at the sametime obtain a purchase with his heel which should enable him to supportany, even the greatest, strain. Then the two men waited in silence forthe arrival of the widow of the late lamented Mr. Bruin.
It was still very early, about four o'clock. There was no sound tobreak the repose of the young day, save the boisterous song which nowand again some little bird set up for a moment, and as suddenly brokeoff, finding itself to be the only singer. The pines swayed solemnlyin the faint morning breeze, sending down showers of bright dewdropsfar and wide. A hare was playing quietly in the oat-field, quiteunconscious of the presence of its natural enemy, man; and presently aproudly-clucking grouse walked out with her brood into the oat-strownspace beyond the wood, and there demonstrated to her young hopefulshow easily a breakfast could be picked up by people who knew where tolook for it. In the far distance a family of cranes could be heard atintervals, exchanging confidences upon the adventures of the pastnight and the delights of a hearty breakfast of frog.
Suddenly, and without apparent reason, the hare raised its head,sniffed the air, and in a moment was scuttling full speed across thefield, heading for the village, as though it had remembered a messagefor the starost which it had omitted to deliver while he was on thespot. The careful grouse at the same moment rose from the earth witha loud cluck, and darted away, followed by her little brood. Over thetops of the pines they went, far away into the heart of the forest.
In another moment the reason for this abrupt departure of bird andbeast became apparent. Shuffling awkwardly along, and mumbling in aquerulous way as she went, as though complaining that she had beencalled up to breakfast earlier than was necessary, came the wickedold widow-bear, marching straight for the standing oats, as thougheverything in the district belonged to her. She was a huge creature,a fitting helpmate for the gigantic old warrior whom Peter hadslain. Slowly she picked her way along, swinging her heavy body andhalf-turning her great head at each step, looking alternately to rightand to left in a perfunctory manner, as though making a concessionto the principle of precaution, while declining to believe in thepossibility of misadventure.
Boris's finger was at his lip, enjoining patience and prudence, forthe impulsive young Tsar was excited, and quite capable of ruining thechances of a successful hunt by doing something rash and ill-timed.Boris touched the Tsar's arm and whispered. Peter was to creepcautiously along and place himself in the very spot at which the bearhad issued from the forest. When there, he was to hold his spear readyfor action and await events. Boris himself would walk out into theoat-field, in full view of the bear, who would probably not charge him.Most likely she would hurry back to the cover, entering the wood whereshe had left it; and if Boris could influence her course, he wouldencourage her to choose that particular direction. Then the Tsar mustsuddenly step out from his ambush and receive the bear upon his spear;and if matters went smoothly, the impetus of her flight would bring herdown upon him, whether she liked it or not.
The plan of attack thus settled, Peter withdrew under cover of thebushes and pine trunks to take up the position assigned him, whileBoris boldly stepped forth from his ambush, and made for a pointbeyond the place where the bear was now busy gobbling the graingreedily, and emitting grunts of satisfaction and high content. Sowell occupied was she, indeed, that she took no notice of the hunter'sapproach until Boris was nearly level with her. Then she raised herhead with a grunt, and expressed her surprise and displeasure in a loudroar. For a moment it appeared likely that she would charge Boris, who,having nothing but a hunting-knife wherewith to defend himself, mightin that event have fared badly; for he would have died r
ather than turnhis back upon her and run, since Peter was at hand to see. But timidcounsels prevailed, and Mrs. Bruin quickly determined to take the safercourse. She twisted her bulky body round, and made off, as Boris hadforetold, straight for the spot at which she had left the forest. Borisran after her, shouting, in hopes of accelerating her speed; and inthis he was entirely successful. Straight down for the Tsar's ambushshe raced, and close at her heels went Boris, shouting instructions toPeter as he sped. The result of all this speed and excitement was thatby the time the great creature had reached the spot where Peter awaitedher, the impetus of her flight was so great that she was upon him, ashe stepped out to meet her, ere she had time to swerve sufficiently toavoid him.
The Tsar had stepped forth at precisely the right moment, and wasready with poised spear to receive the rush. His feet had gripped theearth as tightly as in the somewhat slippery condition of the groundwas practicable. With a roar the monster hurled herself upon thespear-point, uttering a second and very bitter cry as she felt thesteel enter into her vitals.
The shock of her rush was terrific. Peter, strong as he was and firmlyas he had planted himself, was knocked off his feet in an instant, andere Boris could realize the full horror of the situation, the mostvaluable life in all Russia lay at the mercy of an enraged and maddenedshe-bear. Peter fell backwards; but as the huge brute precipitatedherself upon the top of him, the good spear-shaft of seasoned woodcaught in the ground, and for a moment held her suspended, so that shecould reach her enemy with neither teeth nor claws.
That moment saved the Tsar's life. Boris was but a few yards behind,and it was the work of an instant for him to cast himself headlong uponthe carcass of the roaring, blood-stained brute, and with an accuratelyplaced thrust of the knife in her throat put an end in the nick oftime to her cravings for vengeance. With his additional weight thrownsuddenly into the scale the good spear-shaft snapped in two, and bearand hunter together toppled over upon the prostrate figure of Russia'sTsar.
"That moment saved the Tsar's life."_Page 54._ ]
"Thank you, Brother Boris," said the Tsar quietly, rising from theground and wiping the bear's blood from his clothes. "It was well done;we are quits. When you see me over-proud, my son, you shall remind meof this morning, and how an old she-bear sent me head over heels. Nowlet's get home to breakfast."