as dark as pitch. The clearing was visible only in general outline. The mosquitoes stung all over! I thought that I could kiss my hunt good-bye and it was time to go home! Suddenly, I noticed with my peripheral vision that the bushes began to sway slightly. I happily rubbed my palms: – ‘Speak of the devil!’ I thumbed back the hammer, ready to shoot, and patiently waited for the appearance of the boar! And it did not show up! I thought it was gone! Suddenly, from a very different side, a huge bill came out into the clearing, and in the darkness, it seemed even bigger! It looked around carefully and moved forward, in my direction! I took aim and shoot from two barrels! From a shot, I could not hear. My eyes dimmed because of the flash. The blow-back almost threw me from the tree! I waited for the smoke to clear. It would be foolish to rush to the wounded animal at breakneck speed. It was not worth the effort! But as soon as the breeze dragged a curtain of powder gases, I saw it lying motionless on the ground! I reloaded the gun, hurriedly went down out of the tree, and ran to it! Suddenly, I saw another man running to the boar out of the bushes! Imagine, it was Egor Sychyov! It turned out that we both shot at the same time, and the shots came together! You will not believe me, but it was he who rustled in the bushes, choosing a comfortable position! But when he approached the carcass of the animal, which we considered dead, the boar jumped up and rushed forward! Only God knows how Egor reacted. It can be called a miracle! He jumped to the side, and the boar hit the side of his kersey boot with the fangs, cutting hard skin like paper but without hurting the leg! And it fell dead! It was a harmless pig, but it played its trick. Another centimetre and the man would be with no leg!
– He was lucky! – Petrovich said. – And how did he get to the clearing, as you came first and did not meet him?!
– Just imagine, this cunning rogue crawled to the bushes not to spook the beast, coming to the clearing, ahead of time! And one could not see him in a camouflage suit in the grass!
– Cunning old fox! – Petrovich agreed, wiping greasy hands on the grass. – He made his way, like a lizard, and almost took your prey from under your nose! – And began to laugh: – And how did you share the trophy?
Mikhail, laughing, said in a deep voice:
– According to hunting laws – by the part of the shot! I got brisket, he got back thigh!
Petrovich, wiping tears with his palm, said merrily:
– You made the old man laugh. It has been a long time since I laughed that much! – And he added seriously: – You were lucky not to shoot each other by mistake!
– God protected! – Mikhail agreed.
Suddenly, a menacing bestial roar swept through taiga, causing an anxious shiver in the electrified air.
– Bear! – Sergey suggested, excitedly jumping to his feet. – It is certainly a bear. I will be hanged if I am wrong!
People, with bated breath, peered into the depths of the forest with watchful eyes, listening to the thundering roar with acute fascination.
– That’s right! – Sergey Petrovich perplexedly concluded, frowning thoughtfully. – But I can say one thing: it is very unhappy with someone! Someone trespassed on its hunting grounds, and now they sort out their relationship!
– It can be another bear! – Mikhail Kulanov suggested hopefully, rubbing his sweaty palms excitedly. – Two bears are much better than one! – He said happily. – Each of us will get the whole skin! What a luck! – The man’s eyes gleamed greedily in anticipation of the rich prey.
– Does not look like this! – Petrovich said, listening attentively. – Two bears would make so much noise that we would become deaf! It is something else… – And he waved his hand annoyingly. – And the number does not play any role at the moment! One beast provides plenty of meat! Well, we will take a hundred kilograms for two us. Still, we will not be able to carry the rest and will have to leave it! And if you need skin, then you can take it! – I already have one! – And keenly listening, he added perplexedly:
– We need to hurry while the beast comes to the hunter! If we miss this chance, we will have to run after it around taiga!
The man hurriedly uncovered a rifle and promptly put cartridges, filled with bullets, to the chambers with a trained hand. He snapped sharply the bolt and flicked off safety. Holding his rifle tilted forwards, he rushed to the forest, having selected a direction, focusing on the noise. And without turning, he said over his shoulder:
– Keep up!
Mikhail quickly joined his friend. They ran up the hill and, having stopped, listened. The beast was growling nearby.
– There! – The old men dabbed at crackle sideways with his finger in the direction of the stream. And they ran again.
– The main thing is not to hurry! Take a pause! Stop, recover your breath, and then fight! – more experienced Petrovich taught the younger fellow on the move. – Do not lose courage! The bear is an unpredictable beast. When it will rise up on its hind pads, you can act! Carefully aim exactly in the chest and gently pull the trigger! You will shoot right in the heart. One bullet is enough to kill it, regardless of its size! Only do not let it come close! Keep the distance!
– Yes, I know what to do! – Mikhail irritably snapped, being hot under the collar because of, as it seemed to him, the unnecessary guardianship. – I am not in taiga for the first time and have some experience! You dinned into the head! When I see it, I will kill it! That’s all!
– A bear is not an ordinary beast! – Petrovich cheerfully exhaled. – It is very smart and cunning beast, it likes to play with people! A person will have a high opinion of himself, will develop a plan of hunt taken from the book, and will certainly expect that everything will happen according to that plan! And a bear will surprise him! It has no idea of ABC, as it is an illiterate beast! And the result is well-known: either wounds or a funeral!
Mikhail shut his ears to the farewell speech of the old man for he had already made a certain conclusion, a beast would be a beast even in Africa. There was no difference – big or small, an elephant or a hare – the victory depended only on the calibre of the rifle and the mass of the bullet. The hunter would not try strength against the animal. Lost labour. The rifle would do all the hard work for the person. The explosive bullet is a forcible argument even for the most impenetrable skull, and two bullets – absolute fatal result. Only Mikhail did not take into account that overconfidence had ruined many experienced hunters, and did not think of the adverse concatenation of circumstances. After all, sometimes, fortune was capricious and left the hunter.
– Hush! – Petrovich warned in a whisper and switched to easy step, clutching a rifle. – We are close!
The man carefully looked around and listened keenly. On the edge, on the right side, he heard a faint scuffling. Mikhail gently parted the bushes of honeysuckle and curiously stared at the brown nubbin, joyfully exclaiming:
– Bear-cub!
He automatically lifted the rifle butt to his shoulder, closed the left eye, and the front sight fell right on the shoulder-blade. He held his breath and slowly pulled the trigger.
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