HOW PETER THE GREAT WAS KNOCKED OVER.
Before Boris had been very long in the service of the Tsar he had
become quite an expert sailor; indeed, he and his young master were
scarcely ever absent from shipboard of one kind or another. Archangel
was at this time Russia's one outlet to the sea. St. Petersburg was
not yet built, nor Cronstadt thought of; the Baltic ports had still
to be wrested from their proprietors; only the little northern port
at the mouth of the Dwina was open to receive the ships and commerce
of the world. Consequently, as the season proceeded, vessels of all
nationalities, including English, appeared with their merchandise at
this distant market; and Peter passed many weeks in the most congenial
occupation of studying each vessel that entered the port, sailing about
in them, making friends with their captains, and learning everything
he could gather of the history and circumstances of the people to which
each belonged. Boris, too, learned many marvels concerning this planet
of ours and its inhabitants, undreamed of hitherto. The young hunter
was constantly in attendance on Peter--waited upon him at dinner, slept
at 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 Boris
from among them; for what were they going to do without him when the
winter-time came round, and the wolves began to be both numerous and
assertive? Who was to keep them in check now that the great Boris was
gone? Even now they had the best of reasons for acutely deploring the
hunter's absence. It will be remembered that whereas there had been
two bears engaged in the plundering of the peasants' corn-fields, only
one of these had been accounted for by Boris before his departure. The
second bear had disappeared for some little time after the death of
its liege lord; but the days of her mourning being now accomplished,
she had reappeared, and with appetite largely improved by her period
of abstinence. Her depredations became so serious at last that it was
resolved by the council of the peasants to send into the town a request
to Boris to devote his earliest leisure to a personal interview with
the 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, and
he went straight to the Tsar to obtain his permission to absent himself
for a day.
"Ho, ho!" laughed Peter. "So you want to be eaten up again, do you? I
doubt 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 will
make me run again. The bear you killed had caught me napping. I shall
never leave my spear again, to eat strawberries."
"Well, well," said Peter, "you shall go on one condition--that I go
with you to see you safely through with the adventure."
And so it came about that Boris and his master walked out very early
one summer morning to relieve the peasants of Dubinka of their
unwelcome visitor. The two young giants called first at the house of
the _starost_, or principal peasant of the place, whom they aroused
from his slumbers and carried off with them into the fields at the
edge of the forest, to show them the exact spot at which the robber
had concluded her supper on the previous evening; for it was probable
that she would recommence her plundering at or about the same spot. The
starost brought the hunters to the place they sought, approaching it
in abject terror, and scudding home again like a hare, lest the bear
should pursue him back over the fields.
Boris was the Tsar's master in their present occupation, and thoroughly
understood what he was about. The pair concealed themselves in a dense
clump of cover at the edge of the wood. Just in front of their ambush
lay the oat-field last honoured by the attentions of the bear. A large
portion of it looked as though a battle had been fought on it, so
downtrodden and crushed were the tall, delicate stalks. It was arranged
that Peter should hold the spear, while Boris was to be content with
the hunting-knife, one which the Tsar had brought with him, a long and
business-like blade, both tough and sharp, as a blade needs to be to be
driven through the thick hide of a bear. The young monarch was anxious
to try his "'prentice hand" with the spear, for he had never handled
one excepting on that memorable occasion when he gave the final push
to the huge brute which had first winded and then overpowered poor
Boris. The hunter very carefully explained the exact way in which Peter
must poise his body, how he must grip the spear-shaft, and how he must
plant his feet so as to balance his body conveniently and at the same
time obtain a purchase with his heel which should enable him to support
any, even the greatest, strain. Then the two men waited in silence for
the arrival of the widow of the late lamented Mr. Bruin.
It was still very early, about four o'clock. There was no sound to
break the repose of the young day, save the boisterous song which now
and again some little bird set up for a moment, and as suddenly broke
off, finding itself to be the only singer. The pines swayed solemnly
in the faint morning breeze, sending down showers of bright dewdrops
far and wide. A hare was playing quietly in the oat-field, quite
unconscious of the presence of its natural enemy, man; and presently a
proudly-clucking grouse walked out with her brood into the oat-strown
space beyond the wood, and there demonstrated to her young hopefuls
how easily a breakfast could be picked up by people who knew where to
look for it. In the far distance a family of cranes could be heard at
intervals, exchanging confidences upon the adventures of the past
night 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 the
field, heading for the village, as though it had remembered a message
for the starost which it had omitted to deliver while he was on the
spot. The careful grouse at the same moment rose from the earth with
a loud cluck, and darted away, followed by her little brood. Over the
tops of the pines they went, far away into the heart of the forest.
In another moment the reason for this abrupt departure of bird and
beast became apparent. Shuffling awkwardly along, and mumbling in a
querulous way as she went, as though complaining that she had been
called up to breakfast earlier than was necessary, came the wicked
old widow-bear, marching straight for the standing oats, as though
everything in the district belonged to her. She was a huge creature,
a fitting helpmate for the gigantic old warrior whom Peter had
slain. Slowly she picked her way along, swinging her heavy body and
half-turning her great head at each step, looking alternately to right
and to left in a perfunctory manner, as though making a concession
to the principle of precaution, while declining to believe in the
possibility of misadventure.
Boris's finger was at his lip, enjoining patience and prudence, for
the impulsive young Tsar was excited, and quite capable of ruining the
chances of a successful hunt by doing something rash and ill-timed.
Boris touched the Tsar's arm and whispered. Peter was to creep
cautiously along and place himself in the very spot at which the bear
had issued from the forest. When there, he was to hold his spear ready
for action and await events. Boris himself would walk out into the
oat-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 where
she had left it; and if Boris could influence her course, he would
encourage her to choose that particular direction. Then the Tsar must
suddenly step out from his ambush and receive the bear upon his spear;
and if matters went smoothly, the impetus of her flight would bring her
down upon him, whether she liked it or not.
The plan of attack thus settled, Peter withdrew under cover of the
bushes and pine trunks to take up the position assigned him, while
Boris boldly stepped forth from his ambush, and made for a point
beyond the place where the bear was now busy gobbling the grain
greedily, and emitting grunts of satisfaction and high content. So
well occupied was she, indeed, that she took no notice of the hunter's
approach until Boris was nearly level with her. Then she raised her
head with a grunt, and expressed her surprise and displeasure in a loud
roar. For a moment it appeared likely that she would charge Boris, who,
having nothing but a hunting-knife wherewith to defend himself, might
in that event have fared badly; for he would have died rather than turn
his back upon her and run, since Peter was at hand to see. But timid
counsels prevailed, and Mrs. Bruin quickly determined to take the safer
course. She twisted her bulky body round, and made off, as Boris had
foretold, straight for the spot at which she had left the forest. Boris
ran after her, shouting, in hopes of accelerating her speed; and in
this he was entirely successful. Straight down for the Tsar's ambush
she raced, and close at her heels went Boris, shouting instructions to
Peter as he sped. The result of all this speed and excitement was that
by the time the great creature had reached the spot where Peter awaited
her, the impetus of her flight was so great that she was upon him, as
he stepped out to meet her, ere she had time to swerve sufficiently to
avoid him.
The Tsar had stepped forth at precisely the right moment, and was
ready with poised spear to receive the rush. His feet had gripped the
earth as tightly as in the somewhat slippery condition of the ground
was practicable. With a roar the monster hurled herself upon the
spear-point, uttering a second and very bitter cry as she felt the
steel enter into her vitals.
The shock of her rush was terrific. Peter, strong as he was and firmly
as he had planted himself, was knocked off his feet in an instant, and
ere Boris could realize the full horror of the situation, the most
valuable life in all Russia lay at the mercy of an enraged and maddened
she-bear. Peter fell backwards; but as the huge brute precipitated
herself upon the top of him, the good spear-shaft of seasoned wood
caught in the ground, and for a moment held her suspended, so that she
could 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 upon
the carcass of the roaring, blood-stained brute, and with an accurately
placed thrust of the knife in her throat put an end in the nick of
time to her cravings for vengeance. With his additional weight thrown
suddenly into the scale the good spear-shaft snapped in two, and bear
and hunter together toppled over upon the prostrate figure of Russia's
Tsar.
[Illustration: "That moment saved the Tsar's life."
_Page 54._ ]
"Thank you, Brother Boris," said the Tsar quietly, rising from the
ground 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 me
of this morning, and how an old she-bear sent me head over heels. Now
let's get home to breakfast."